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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I was going to reply in my former post and forgot. Anyway, if MP-51 appeals to you, then that's great; opinions and impressions are highly subjective, and what works for you or me may not work for everyone else. If we all thought the same way, it'd be a boring world devoid of change or diversity. To that end, I hope you're able to score a copy, that she lives up to your expectations, and graces your shelf proudly. I agree about your comment about Azalea's lower legs; it's probably my least favorite thing about that figure, and there's really no functional reason for not giving her more rounded natural looking legs while still having the hinged feature for transformation. I think the aim was to make her more robotic looking, but the abrupt stepped look is indeed stilt-like and diminishes the fig a bit. The other issues you pointed out don't bother me. Your mileage obviously differs, and that's your prerogative. As I'm fond of saying, it's great to have options, and we're currently spoiled for them in this hobby. Enjoy it as you will, regardless of dissent, or else what's the point?
  2. M'Kyuun
    +1 for Sunstreaker's poor paint apps. I too would think a multi-billion dollar earning company could do better paint matching than this. For $20 a fig, we should at least get the paint quality of their Black series stuff. I'm expecting mine either tomorrow or Saturday, and paint notwithstanding, I'm looking forward to getting him. As retools go, he's rather extensive, and I think they did an awesome job on his car mode. The bot mode is also appropriately evocative of the original, albeit with some liberties taken in the shoulders. Honestly, I don't mind the lack of red on his shoulders, as I never cared for how it looked on the OG toy. The black shoulders of the toon model look better to me, but even those are missing here due to their use of the air intakes forming the upper arms. I think a black or dark grey wash to pick out the detail of those intakes would look nice, though. I hate it when Hasbro goes ultra cheap and uses a non-weapon accessory as a weapon without at least giving it some sort of transformation to more closely approximate such. I too hope that either Hasbro themselves or a third party will give us a decent weapon for him, as using his engine accessory is exceptionally poor. The lack of a spoiler on Sideswipe and Sunstreaker is puzzling, and yet we get one on Prowl and Bluestreak b/c they wouldn't make a proper retool of the foot parts sans spoiler, even though they retooled the front of the car. Given my druthers, I'd rather the front received the change, but as a huge fan of the Datsun bros design, there's always that desire for it to be as close to 'perfect' as possible. As for the Countach siblings, it was indeed mentioned in the original toy bios that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were bros, and it was also mentioned in a couple eps of first season as well. That's canon from the get-go, likely courtesy of Bob Budiansky, who wrote the majority of the bios for G1. Looking at these in hindsight is pretty interesting; Bob was pulling these out of the aether, often based on his impressions of the toys, and it's neat to see what stuck and what didn't over the years. http://botchthecrab.com/archive/techspecs/autobot/1984/ts_sideswipe.jpg http://botchthecrab.com/archive/techspecs/autobot/1984/ts_sunstreaker.jpg
  3. M'Kyuun
    I concur with Azalea 's being the best option. I thought FT's Rouge looked pretty good at the beginning, but as time wore on and reviews started coming in, the less it appealed to me. Azalea's not perfect, but close enough for me. I think it'll be a long time before we see another MP Arcee. This figure feels rushed, and as I said, in spite of there being two third party figs out there who did it better (Toyworld's would have been a third had they not just given up on the car mode- their bot mode looks good, though), it doesn't seem like Takara took advantage of the opportunities to perhaps borrow some cues to improve their own figure. Takara has their loyalists and completists to buoy them, and heck, some people will get it b/c they honestly like it, as not everything about it is bad, after all. The articulation, for one positive, is beyond the pale, and I will never fault Takara for their efforts in this area; indeed, improvements in articulation with regards to Transformer figs has been at the top of my wish list since my thirteen year old self opened G1 Prowl on the way home from the store with the greatest of anticipation only to discover he was essentially a statue from the waist down. I can still remember the disappointment. That said, in MP Arcee's case, the quest for greater articulation, IMHO, is the reason for her oddly shaped chest, as had her upper torso been designed to approximate the art, much as all my above examples, there likely would have been no way to give her a forward butterfly joint without breaking the sculpt with an awkward armature or some such device, or eschewing it altogether. So, they changed the shape of her chest to accommodate a more natural joint, but IMHO, that sacrifice of form is detrimental to her aesthetic. It's a shame they couldn't have found a way to fill out the area between shoulder and bosom with a flexible material that keeps her shape normally, but gives way for butterfly movements. Alas, it's so much water under the proverbial bridge now. Of course the elephant in the room is that backpack, for which, again, there are examples preceding Takara's offering that did it better, none so well, IMHO, as MMC/Ocular Max. Of all the G1 Arcee figs that have been released, I think they alone struck the best balance, and Azalea's bot mode is the closest to how she was depicted in the '86 Movie and onwards. IMO, going forward, Azalea's the toy to beat if you're a company looking to make a G1 Arcee. Given the challenges involved, I think it'll be some time before that happens.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Considering that Azalea's been out for awhile, one would think Takara would have looked at this figure, looked at theirs, and went back to the drawing board to try streamlining that atrocious backpack. In every way that matters, MMC did it better. I do wish Azalea had posable hands, but as small and delicate as they are, swappable hands is an acceptable concession. Azalea's car mode isn't as accurate, lacking the grey panels on the sides, and she has a rather messy looking cockpit compared to MP Arcee, whose car mode is more screen accurate and has a clean cockpit. All things being equal, I'll take that messy cockpit to get that lithe bot mode with the compact backpack. The only articulation I think Azalea lacks regarding the official is butterfly joints, which I believe is the reason the MP's chest looks off. The butterfly joint is one I can live without if it means my Arcee has a nicer form to her upper body.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I also eschewed MP Arcee, not without some sadness, in favor of MMC's Azalea, which, IMHO, is a superior Arcee figure by nearly all considerations. Azalea's car mode isn't as toon accurate, but it's quite close, and the way MMC were able to compact her backpack into a much tighter, more compact, form is a worthy concession. Nicee's an exception to the chest rule, given her stylish, if ample, anthropomorphic design. Hers is a special case, and I knew what I was buying when I got her, with nary a regret; she's a very good fig. Too, and this may be splitting a very fine hair, technically she's not Arcee with the current head mold, despite the obvious aesthetic nods. As for MP Arcee, I have the same basic disagreements with her design as everyone else; the long face doesn't look right, and while I don't think her chest looks too low (anatomically, it's correct to human proportionality), the shaping of it is off-putting, a concession I assume is for likely butterfly joints. The issue I take with it is that the angle on the top of her bosom is too shallow, owing to what many are calling her saggy boob look (God I can't believe I'm talking about this in a Transformers forum). There should be a nice slight outwardly curving line from her shoulder to the summit of her chesticle, and her white collar should be smaller. Here are a number of examples done far more aesthetically pleasing than MP Arcee, so far as the sculpting /illustration of the chest area. It's noteworthy to point out that three of these are HasTak figures, and the statue, I believe, is licensed, so there's precedent for their having done it better.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I consider myself as being fairly abreast of the various goings-on in the LEGO realm, but I'm not familiar with World Builder. For those who enjoy writing fanfic, or just doing world-building on their own for their own enjoyment, I can see LEGO as being a ready medium to give form to the ideas, and it's cool that such a thing exists. It's not really my thing, but I won't begrudge those who use it. As for LEGO's own world building via themes and such, those of us LEGO fans who grew up in the late 70's, 80's, and 90's have fond memories of Space, Castle, Pirates, Town (now City), Adventurers, & Alpha Team. I'm probably missing a few, but the gist is that LEGO invested heavily in those earlier days in homegrown themes with little to no set storyline to guide the action, except perhaps the box art, which generally delineated the good guys from the bad. The sets of that era stood on their own merits because they had to, fueled by a neat set and a lot of imagination, not to mention the wonderful ability to mix parts from one theme with those of any other. Although LEGO lacked the sophistication and utility that it possesses today, with its plethora of specialized elements, it was a really fun toy to grow up with. Nearly fifty years old, I'm among the few that never stopped growing up with it. There was a long period where I didn't do much MOC building, but I never stopped buying and building sets; LEGO's had its plastic claws in me since I was about six, and I consider my life the better for it. As the volume of my collection grows inexorably, my wife my beg to differ.
  7. M'Kyuun
    B/c it's a good Grimlock fig for $50. Hopefully the tail and dino arms will be painted on the final, but I'm not holding my breath.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, Cliffy is a pretty solid figure. I still wish they'd put an armature on the backpack to eliminate the partsforming necessity, but at least it's not as bad as the ER van bros or the Arcee mold. I'm still a bit surprised that they didn't make a slightly remolded Sideswipe fig for ER, but the Siege fig was so close to the Earth mode already that I guess they figured good 'nuff. Speaking of Lamborghinis, I should be getting ER Sunstreaker on Friday, along with Trailbreaker on Thursday, and Runamuck on Monday, according to the Fed-Ex notices I've received. For whatever reason, Pulse sent them all out individually instead of just putting them all in one big box and sending them. I'm also expecting the Autobot clones sometime this week from Amazon, so it's shaping up to be a fun week for Transformers.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I guess I'm in good company, then. Thank you, fellas. I also concur that Yamato's YF-21 will likely never be outdone for its fighter mode. It's a thing of beauty, but of course, the legs paid a heavy penalty for that thin sleek fighter mode. I'm also of the opinion that a few mm of additional girth to give it thicker legs would have helped the look of B and G modes. Alas, it wasn't to be. But the -21 has a second chance with Bandai, and I hope that it stays fairly close to the proto we've seen, at least so far as the basic proportionality of the Battroid mode. Hopefully, too, it'll have nice tight joints throughout so that it 's solid when posing.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Thank you, sir. I guess we're a minority of two. That still beats being the one lonely dissenting voice amidst the cacophony of voices crying, "fighter's too thick!"
  11. M'Kyuun
    The belly plates are the worst design feature of the YF-21, IMHO. I think I'm in a minority of one, but I liked the truncated versions of Bandai's prototype, as they'll likely be less in the way and they look better to me aesthetically than Yamato's. I don't like them at all, but since they have to be there, I'd rather they were designed to favor each mode- long in fighter, shortened in Battroid and GERWALK so they're not tripping over the damn things. And I agree with you @Mog; the proto's fighter mode, while a little thicker than the Yammie, still was reasonably sleek considering the improved proportionality of the legs. I would happily take the proto as-is, as it strikes a good balance across modes without egregiously compromising the fighter mode. That said, I'm not opposed to further improvements, as long as they're not to the detriment of the Battroid mode like the Yamato. It's a tough nut for a toy company, as Kawamori employed copious amounts of animation magic to optimize each mode's proportions to an impractical level. Turning that lineart into a functioning three-dimensional form that stays completely true to the art is nigh impossible, so a little compromise across modes is forgivable for this valk. I'd rather a slightly thicker fighter for a much improved Battroid. If you like the thin sleek fighter better, and don't care about a Battroid on stilts, that's already been done. This go round, I'm hoping for more balance in the favor of the Battroid mode.
  12. M'Kyuun
    That's a fair and well argued point, and from the energon POV, which I hadn't considered, practical. My personal bias stands, but there's wiggle room. Too, I suppose if any characters within the TF Universe were going to use melee weapons, the Dinobots would be top listers, given their brutish natures. I was taking a look at SS Blurr a day or so ago, and I really wish they'd made the front fender parts that fold under his forearms overlap the forearm instead to reduce the chunkiness, since those fender bits are hollow anyway. It would have streamlined his arm, which would be in keeping with the character's essence. As they are, they do the opposite and do no justice to the figure. Another of those lazy engineering/opportunity-missed moments that would have added significant improvement with minor changes. Gah, Hasbro. So frustrating! After I posted, I decided to go look at some stock photos of the SS figs on Pulse, and I noticed that Grimlock's internal tail and T-Rex arms are both painted accordingly, grey and silver, respectively, with silver on the external tail.. I realize that the renders are oft maximized for visual appeal and the final toys omit paint apps, but I'm holding out hope that PvP's sample isn't the complete final. I know it's empty hope, but I'm gonna cling to it like a drowning man hangs on to a bit of flotsam in the middle of a tumultuous sea. Save me from your own mediocrity, Hasbro! Paint that sucker!
  13. M'Kyuun
    Another icon lost to us. RIP, good sir.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Oh, I think that's a certainty. I wouldn't doubt a few of the more well known third party folks will come to the rescue, at least with a sword, as so many fans seem to want a sword with their Dinobots. As for myself, I've never really been a fan of melee weapons for my big transforming robots. Given my druthers, if I have to choose between a shooting weapon or melee, I'll choose the shooter every time. Pragmatically speaking, it seems irrational for a seriously advanced sentient mechanical lifeform with the ability to have all sorts of projectile and beam weapons, as well as energy shielding, incorporated into his body as well as handheld to resort to bashing away at an opponent. But, like all our entertainment forms, anthropomorphism is at the heart of selling characters in our storytelling, if not in body, at least in human characteristics, including our baser instincts. So swords, clubs, and the like are a thing, just not my thing. Digressing quite a bit there, sorry. MP-08 should have a premium look and feel, as he's still part of the premium line. Given the updates to Prime, Bee, and Starscream, I'm surprised that there's not a new MP Grimlock announced sharing the modern toon-centric aesthetic, as he's always a sure-seller. Give it time. The head waggle. Geez, I'd forgotten about that bit of lackluster gimmickry- probably repressed memory. And yeah, the shoulders sat oddly high. But, at the time, it was a damned impressive figure, and the magic they'd worked with the tail subsuming into the leg was brilliant, and oft copied thereafter, happily so with '86 SS Grimlock. I agree that MP-08 doesn't really fit in with WfC due to the differences in aesthetics and size, as they're made at significantly different price points, and reflect that in the finished products. However, the SS exceeds my expectations for what I figured we'd get, especially after the much concession laden PotP Grimlock. I'm happy to see the improved articulation, although I wish they'd given him hinged fingers, as I like being able to give my figs an open hand look from time to time, and "piano fingers" don't really bother me, especially on a retail fig. If some third party made such hands along with a sword and likely a head with a red visor, I think it'd be a winning set, although I'd have little use for the latter two items. I'd buy it just for the hands. Anyway, I think SS Grimlock was an unexpected surprise due to the apparent jump in overall design and quality of the figure, and I hope we see those improvements carry forward.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I don't personally feel like SS Grimlock is a MP replacement; even MP-08 , which has a few years on it, is still superior in its build quality. I never liked the light up hand gimmick though, and I retired my copy to storage when I got my FT Grinder, which, IMHO, is a superior toy. The similarities in transformation, especially the tail folding into the leg, gives a MP feel to the SS figure that the mainline generally doesn't possess, and I'm happy for that shared bit of technique. Too, as PvP pointed out, other than the forearms, there are virtually no hollow bits to be seen on SS Grimlock, and I hope that's a direction they continue to pursue. Definitely a figure I'm looking forward to receiving. Got my shipped email from Pulse for Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker; they should show up on Thursday. I already have Hoist, so I know what to expect with Trailbreaker (although he's my preferred character with that mold), but I've yet to have the Sunstreaker mold in hand, and from reviews I think he's a great representation of the character and alt(unlicensed but still pretty similar to the Lamborghini), and I'm looking forward to having them in hand as well. While not every fig has been a gem in the WFC trilogy, the vast majority have proven to be really good updates to the G1 toys and toon, and honestly, this the updated mainline I've been waiting for for three decades. I just continue to hold out hope that there are more coming with Kingdom, and that they try to exhaust the roster as much as possible, especially first season.
  16. M'Kyuun
    PrimevsPrime reviewed the upcoming '86 SS Grimlock. Aside from the white plastic standing in for chrome on his dino tail and arms, it's a rather impressive figure for all it gets right. He comes with his gun, but no sword, as he was never depicted with his sword in the film. At leader scale, he looks to stand about an inch or so taller than ER Prime, a good scaling for the figure, IMHO. Of all the SS figs, this one hews closest to a MP level of sculpt and detail, and the paint apps are apropos and look crisp in PvP's sample. I wish they'd thrown some silver paint on the dino arms and tail, or molded them in a silver non-swirled plastic, but it should be no trouble to do it myself once I get my copy. Anyway, Grimlock and Hot Rod thus far have been the most impressive of the '86 SS line, with the best balances between bot and alt modes and the least amount of concessions. I wish they'd found a better solution for Jazz's feet, as he would have been third in the running, but they're just hanging out there spoiling the car mode. Anyway, this figure has me rather excited, and the execution only makes me hope harder that the rest of the team are coming, and that they, too, are in the same scale and given as much attention in their designs. All digits crossed that Hasbro will come through , as the potP figs wither in the presence of this Grimlock figure, and we need the rest of them in this line to ensure consistency and for completion.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the review, @mikeszekely. Mine are due to arrive on Tuesday, IIRC, and I've been wanting both sets of clones since they were originally announced for TR. I didn't end up getting them then, so the latest releases were my saving grace. Having read your review, I think the Decepticon clones are executed better. Having Fastlane's spoiler attached to his head was a poor and lazy decision, even if it is G1 accurate. The G1 toys with their near total lack of meaningful articulation weren't exactly the bastions of great engineering, and the lack of natural articulation oft led to alt mode kibble attachments that would certainly hinder a posable figure today. Fastlane is a good example where the G1 method should have been abandoned for one that complements the bot mode while still fulfilling its function in vehicle mode. I'm not even going to call it a car because it's such a nondescript thing. I agree that Cloudraker turned out much better and has a pleasing look to it, with shades of the Mospeada Legioss in the way the arms form the dorsal protrusions. Other than the retractable thighs, HasTak hewed quite close to the look and transformations of the OG toys, so I can't fault them for questionable alt modes . Still, warts and all, they have a certain charm to them, and as legends figs at a point in time where official legends figs no longer enjoy complex transformations like they did in the early Bayverse era, they're neat for what they are. I'm sure I'll enjoy them.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Not yet. Blue Jet (Fitor) and Tough Trailer are up for PO on a few sites. Since Action Toys have had a proto since the beginning, I'm hoping Supercar Robo (Turbo) will get a release before they call it quits on the line. I had so hoped that they'd make Harrier Robo, but that's looking rather unlikely at this point. I rather enjoyed this line; the toys aren't without their flaws, but they're still fun updates to toys for which I never believed updates would exist. Since it's based exclusively on the Japanese Revenge of Cronos movie, and not Gobots, the line was targeted primarily at Japanese MR fans, and restrained by the limited number of MR characters in the movie. I think if they'd been able to crank out more characters recognizable to Western audiences from Gobots, and had Action Toys had a more accelerated release schedule, the line would have enjoyed much greater success. Anyway, I have Blue Jet PO'd, and I hold out hope that Supercar will get a release, too, even if it's their swan song.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I have no familiarity with the Cyberverse toon, but I've bought a number of toys over the years. For this year's lineup, Thunderhowl was the only fig that remotely interested me. I've since watched a vid review, and I read Mike's, and I came away thinking it was still a nice looking fig in both modes, with a clever transformation, and even more clever weapon storage. Hiding the sword between his body panels was a brilliant solution, and I wish they'd put more thought and effort into integrated weapons storage in the main line. Anyway, it's a bit of a shame that the articulation is so limited, but being a toy line targeted at younger, supposedly less-discerning kids, it's not really the focus of the line. I have yet to see this guy in the store, but if I do, I'm not sure if I'm going to pick him up or not. The limited articulation and those dreadful hand-claws detract. Too, I'm trying to limit my collecting a little, and this fig is a novelty relative to my mainline collection. I'll likely pass, but not without a pang of non-buyer's remorse. As for SS Cybertronian Starscream, like most TF jets, it looks good from top down, and every other angle batters the eye with copious robot bits hanging from the undercarriage. Had they given him a clean tetrajet form, I may have considered picking him up, but not with all that kibble. This looks even worse than the Siege tetrajet; at least the leg kibble looked cleaner. The bottom of the SS toy looks unfinished or mis-transformed.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the advice, as I have no experience with the fillers, and haven't read or watched anything pertaining to them. I assumed they just friction pegged on and that was that. But for getting the edges nice and flush, glue is probably the way to go.
  21. M'Kyuun
    In the back of my mind, I know why they used the grey plastic hinge, as they do with any number of figs. ER prime was the same. But if the rest of the toy can be made of the red plastic, including those sketchy hinges on the legs for the front fender panels, why not the windshield, too? I understand it, but I don't have to like it. I also echo your sentiment about the black shoulders; those were always dark grey, so here they could have used the dark grey plastic, on a moving part, no less, and it would have been canon. The whole toy is a conglomerate of bad compromises and odd decisions. I hope something better comes out in the future. The separate roof gave them an excellent opportunity to replicate the rolling weapons sled that the G1 toy had (what Kawamori was thinking when he designed the Diaclone vanette, I'll never understand, and I'll always be thankful to Derry and the other animators who gave IH and Ratchet their superior toon forms). It would have been a much more acceptable compromise, as it would have payed homage to the G1 toy while providing a bot that looks similar to his toon model. It's a lost opportunity that would have enhanced rather than detracted from the toy, IMHO. I never paid much attention to the G1 Battlechargers, Throttlebots, or the Jumpstarters, as the motorized and spring-loaded gimmicks put me off to the toys completely, so I never noticed that the alt mode for the Battlechargers was a Trans-Am. And yeah, getting Runabout would have been a cool opportunity for a Knight Rider licensed toy. It still may happen if Hasbro pursues it. There's still a lot 80's nostalgia driving the toy market, so I think they'd be missing a big opportunity if they didn't. I've watched a couple vid reviews for this guy, and I'm pretty pleased with it. While it has similarities to Wheeljack, it's a completely new mold, which again beggars the question, if they will hammer out a new mold for a relatively obscure set of characters, why didn't front-liners like Ratchet and Ironhide get a completely new mold for ER? Moot at this point, but no less dismaying. The lateral shoulder joint is a bummer, and should, at this point in toy evo, be an anachronism, but unfortunately it still crops up from time to time. The rest of the fig's articulation is pretty standard fare, so no big deal. Despite no knowledge of the characters at all (I watched very little of Season 3, as by Season 2, I was already losing interest in the direction the toon was going. By Season 3, I found it unwatchable), I was happy that these characters got a standard toy that eschews the motorized gimmick. Plus it looks like a nice fig on its own merits, a new mold is always welcome, and I'm happy to have scored POs for both of them. That said, I also have Runamuck, Trailbreaker, and Sunstreaker PO'd with Pulse, and haven't received a ship notification for any of them yet. Hopefully soon.
  22. M'Kyuun
    That paint job looks really nice. Shame they didn't choose more opaque plastic, or do a nice paint job like this from the factory. I think it would have satisfied a lot more people. Got my Prowl and Ironhide set today. Ironhide crappiness confirmed. The hollowness of his legs doesn't help in van mode when you're trying to squeeze that roof down flush. It just wants to cave in and come untabbed. The roof bit attaches with four 5 mm pegs, all four in the arms/shoulders, so that's a fair bit of friction to overcome in either direction. As Mike pointed out, the feet are atrocious, and as he suggested, had they made the feet, or at least the toes rotate 180, it would have made it look a hundred percent better. The obvious grey hinge on the windshield also breaks up the otherwise nice looking front end. They couldn't have casted that in red plastic to match? Choices like this are utterly mind-boggling. It's definitely a shame that they didn't just give ER Ironhide and Ratchet a dedicated mold like many of the other figs, as this thing is a steaming heap of bad compromises. At least Prowl, the main reason I bought this set, benefits from a decent new mold apart from his Siege toy. I kinda miss some of the additional molded detail that the Siege fig enjoyed, but I figure they're probably trying to skirt a fine line between toon and OG toy; while there's arguably more detail than the current spate of MP figs in bot mode, it's toned down quite a bit for these ER figs. I'm a little bummed that Prowl didn't come with his missile launchers, but yeah, third parties to the rescue. The rub is that it shouldn't need rescuing; G1 Prowl came with two missile launchers, the MP came with one, and now he's the only one of the ER Datsuns to not come with them at all. What gives? It makes no sense to me, but whatever. Grrrr Hasbro.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Still, issues like that give pause. I kinda hope Meteor doesn't come with fillers now, as I bought a set for $10 anticipating that they weren't coming with it. They're not listed among the accessories on BBTS, so I assumed they weren't in there. If they coming with, it'd be nice if they let these e-tailers know that so they can list them, otherwise there are going to be a lot of folks with an extra set of fillers for which they have no use. It's only $10, but I'd rather not spend it on something I don't need. I have enough clutter.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I hope they improve the C-clip, too. It's the Achilles heel of an otherwise solid toy. I don't have any of their Coneheads, yet, but I've had their version of Thrust PO'd for what seems like an eternity. The bonus of that fig is that he comes with Skycrow's wing fillers. Skycrow's the only MT Seeker I own currently. I don't intend to buy the other Conies, so I already picked up some fillers for Meteor, and will have to do likewise when they re-release their Thundercracker. And yeah, as improvements go, those fillers should have been part of the fig proper rather than an add-on. It's like buying a car and paying extra for the body panels. grrrr @Kuma Style Nice group shot, man. I adore Striker Manus' bot mode, but can't abide the fugly truck mode. Nothing is so unappealing as a cabover with an underbite. I realize it's a Cybertronian alt, but this is, ahem, a Prime example of why I generally dislike Cybertronian alts. I thought the Quinjet inspired alts for the Buster Stealthwing figs was a cool choice. Wow! Sweet cell shading job on that Studio Cell Unicron. Too bad it doesn't come like that.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I heartily agree with your assessments. They dun good with the Datsun mold, overall (still wish they'd made the spoiler an add-on for Smokescreen only), but dropped the ball with the earth mode vanettes, who should have had a completely new mold rather than a poorly executed recycling effort of the Siege mold. I honestly like the Siege mold as a Cybertronian alt, except, of course, the terrible feet. It didn't translate well, and that huge roof piece, along with Arcee's car shell, is among some of the most egregious partsforming in any line to date. It makes me miss the days when third parties were still making figs to fit in with CHUG, as both ER Arcee and the van dudes could potentially benefit from a second opinion, so to speak. I've seen the third party foot "improvement" bits for the vans to try and make the bottom of the feet look more congruent with the rest of the van, but the color doesn't match, at least on Ironhide, and the contours don't quite line up, so they still look awkward. Points for trying, though. On a semi-related note, I have to chuckle a bit when I watch PrimevsPrime's video reviews of these figs, as he effusively gushes about the quality of the WFC toys as if they're the pinnacle of HasTak's offerings. He may be too young to remember the toys from the mid-2000s, when a $10 deluxe had more moving parts and complexity, little to no hollow areas, more pins and less mushroom pegs, tires that were pinned rather than snapped on, slightly better paint apps (although Hasbro has always been a bit stingy with paint), and generally higher overall build quality. I may not care for the Bayformer aesthetic, but during that era, especially from 2007-2013 or so, the quality of the figures they produced at the price points they charged (good ole $10 deluxes, $20 voyagers) was unparalleled, and will likely never again be equaled, as inflation continues to drive prices ever upward. Hopefully, cheaper, yet equally durable or more durable materials than the current plastics will come about to help bring production costs of these things down. I'm aware that LEGO are already making some of their elements from plant based material, and are looking to make their products more ecologically friendly, so there may be breakthroughs coming. I'm not sure I want my toys to be biodegradable, but the idea of finding cheaper yet durable alternatives to plastics is one I can get behind.
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