M'Kyuun

Bruce Timm invented Harley Quinn, but it took someone special to voice her and give her personality, and Arleen certainly succeeded in spades. That the character became hugely popular and a mainstay villain in the Batman Rogue's Gallery to this day and surely for many more years to come is a testament to her talent and ability to project the gamut of human emotions, not to mention that cute NY accent, and her quirky sense of humor through this flawed but loveable psychopathic psychiatrist. Arleen Sorkin may not have graced marquees like Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts, but for those of us watching B:TAS back in the 90s, she was every bit the star for breathing glorious life into the woman who loved the Joker. RIP

True, but not if too many fans skip it in hopes of a later Macross Plus game B series color scheme. Personally, I think they should have led with the 5000B and then moved on to the G, as I think it's generally more broadly appealing than the teal, white, and yellow. However, I think the mold itself looks really good- definitely a want for the shelf. I may just suck it up and get the G if only to help sales with the hopes of a later M+ B release. I'm trying to convince myself of its uniqueness amidst the majority of mostly white valks in my collection. A little diversity is good, even if I find it a little cringeworthy. Unfortunately, this is the final model. Kawamori is known for revisiting certain designs, like the Destroid Monster or the Glaug, not to mention umpteen variants of the VF-1 and VF-25 and their associated armor & booster packs. This is definitely one that could stand some refinement, if only to better integrate those legs into the airframe. I'd love to see it and the VA-3 Invader revisited to refine their looks. The VA-3 is an interesting and unique valk, but my goodness is it ugly, especially that poor battroid mode. My heart breaks for it.💔

For sure it'd be sizeable. That said, I'm not crazy about the design; it's downright lazy compared to the majority of Kawamori's other variable designs where he does an admirable job of integrating the bot bits seamlessly into the vehicle mode such that, unless you know, you won't know it transforms. I love that he chose to make a valk version of the B-2 Spirit, but the execution leaves me feeling quite underwhelmed. Don Figueroa's flying wing Megatron design, and Hasbro's subsequent toy, was better executed, which is the polar opposite of what I expect from Kawamori-san and Hasbro, whose track record with aircraft, especially jets, is abysmal at best. However, this stands as one of their better efforts: Don Figueroa's art Hasbro's figure As opposed to this, with its obvious legs just hanging out back. Def a step down in design quality from stuff like the VF-1, YF-19, VB-6 and even the Variable Glaug.

I can understand wanting to move on, but the niggles I have with the Yamato YF-21 were such that I don't even display it anymore, and with two beautiful YF-19s on the shelf without Isamu's friend and rival standing by, I'd very much like to see one or both companies put out a YF-21 with better battroid proportions than the old Yamato. So far as other valks needing toys, the VF-9 Cutlass, the Variable Glaug, and the VF-14 Vampire top my list, as well as a VF-5000B in the Macross Plus game color scheme. The teal, yellow and white of the VF-5000G is utterly repugnant. 🤢 These colors, though, accentuate the beauty of the valk's design in both modes- just lovely. I hope Arcadia releases it.

Alas, the risk is real, and in this instance, very close to catastrophe. If they're going to insist on flying these older or unreliable airframes, perhaps they should create a separate venue to do so in select unpopulated areas around the country, with appropriate hardened viewing areas for the viewers just in case of emergency. Once those pilots bail, or lose control of the aircraft, it's anybody's guess where they're going to come down. I love aviation as much as anybody (I worked on planes for 15 of my 20 years in the Air Force), but incidents like this make me question whether the risk is worth the pleasure of seeing these old birds fly. I live near both an Air Force base and an international airport, and there's a crash zone very near to where I live, not to mention I see military aircraft flying over my house on a nigh daily basis, so the risk is literally above me all the time. But at least I know the 50+ year old tankers flying over me are maintained 24-7 and have a very high reliability rate. The same can't be said for personal aircraft, especially those of foreign make. All flight is risky until we conquer gravity, but some risk is far more manageable than others, and with the seeming increase in crashes of privately owned vintage and foreign planes, perhaps there needs to be some heightened standards or tighter regulations/inspection criteria before these planes can be certified safe for flight.

Did some reading up. It was a MiG-23 Flogger privately owned and operated by a former Navy A-6 pilot w/ 200 carrier landings to his credit. The pilot, Dan Filer, makes his living as a United Airlines pilot, so this is a fellow with remarkable experience. I think his intent was to ditch the plane in the water, but while he and his co landed in the water, the plane went on to crash uncomfortably close to an apartment complex. I'm glad that no one got hurt, but the loss of the MiG, a rarity on these shores, is lamentable. Perhaps some of these older planes are better served as museum pieces rather than ending up as smoking wreckage.

Appalled by the guy at approx 50 seconds in who thinks the crew bailed out on purpose as part of the show. When two chutes come out of a fighter, who does he think is flying it? The girl in the vid telling him the plane's crashing is far more astute regarding what's happening. Anyway, sucks that they had to ditch the plane, and I hope no one on the ground was hurt.

Well, let's be honest; there aren't a lot of options when it comes to Macross toys. Either you accept what's proffered, warts and all, or you pass with the likelihood that another toy of a particular valk may not come about for another decade, if that. We're spoiled in the Transformers fandom largely in part because of third party makers providing numerous options beyond official releases, but we don't really have that luxury in Macross. I wish, but we don't. With a dearth of options, is it any wonder that, despite the complaints, many of us still buy what's on offer? I wonder if it's a matter of Big West's not wanting to spread the license to too many companies, or that no other companies have an interest in producing Macross toys. Or between Arcadia and Bandai, they've agreed to lock the license between them. IDK, but I'd be down with companies like Sentinel, Takara, or 3Ps like MMC or Fans Toys doling out some Macross goodness. There are still so many cool valk designs that need to be realized in toy form that may never see fruition, and, in such a niche franchise, that's sadder to me than a realized toy with a few flaws.

As a fellow vintage set buyer (Classic Space themes for me), getting these large sets for under $200 these days is a pretty good deal. Sucks that the figs aren't included, as they will cost a fair bit to acquire as well. Vintage LEGO is very much a collector's game these days, and unfortunately, commands some hefty prices considering the piece counts, limited palette of the time, and more simplistic (and sometimes illegal) building techniques employed. But they have their charm, and I guess that's what keeps us engaged, along with the nostalgic factor.

I totally agree with your first sentence. As a fan who favors battroid, the skinny legs were off-putting, not to mention the floppy hip joints. If Arcadia tweaked the design to feature more proportional legs with a potentially slightly chunkier back end to the fighter mode, that would be a must-buy. I do not, however, under any circumstances, want a parts-former. Both Bandai and Arcadia have proven that they have the ingenuity and talent to make this work as a fully transformable toy. At the prices these toys command, I neither want nor expect less. Regarding the shortened belly plates on the Bandai model, I actually prefer that over the long ones on the Yamato, which never stayed in place and always seemed to be in the way, obscuring the legs when trying to put them in a pose that would actually hold the damn thing upright. Honestly, I just straight-up hate the belly plates. I've always wondered, given the size and shape of the legs, why Kawamori didn't integrate them better or work in some sort of transformation to flatten them out more in fighter instead of turning the thing into a shell-former. It seems a bit lazy, especially for a guy who generally does an impressive job of integrating bot bits rather seamlessly into the flight modes. Not only did he cheat the leg size in his art, but he employed a rather cheap technique to cover them up. I'm hoping both Bandai and Arcadia find good work-arounds although at this point, I guess we pretty much know what we're getting from Bandai. It's too thick front to back and the arms are bit smallish and short, but it still looks pretty good to me, good enough for a purchase.

I hope all of this is true. It's highly lamentable that the CMFs are going to be in boxes henceforth, as it'll make feeling out the ones you want impossible. Fortunately, I'm now privileged to have a new and second-hand LEGO store in town, so there's a chance they may get the figs out of box to sell without the hassle. Anyway, more CS throwbacks are always welcome, and I very much liked the direction they took with the 2019 City Space sets, especially 60228 and 60229, both of which were excellent. More of the same, or even going a step more sci-fi is alright by me. Shameless plug; BrickCon is happening Sept 9-10 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. If you're in the area and you enjoy looking at lots of incredible custom LEGO creations by adults running the gamut from pop-culture, art, sci-fi, fantasy, battle, castle, Technic, battle bots, great ball contraptions, & more, I highly recommend bringing the kids and spending the afternoon with us.

Yeah, I believe that to be the case as well. It was an easy scapegoat to distract from the actual gearing deficiencies noted by several online reviewers who'd received early copies. I hold the LEGO Group in high esteem, but in this instance, I think they took the low road instead of just admitting there was an inherent issue with the set and redesigning it for wide release. I love the Osprey and was quite excited for the set's release; I was subsequently dismayed and disappointed when the cancellation and BS reason for doing so came about. After all, they gave us this gem. It may not be an exact replica, but the inspiration is pretty clear. Alas, what's done is done. I'm envious of the few lucky folks who were given the sets by LEGO. It naught but an investment for them now.

I wonder if LEGO's 10302 Optimus Prime, which was directly based on the G1 toy but with some minor additional articulation, was the inspiration for Takara to do this? As both a LEGO and Transformers fan, I think that'd be a great full-circle story. Given that Takara is unfettered by our draconian toy gun laws, I hope they give G1 Megs the same treatment. I've never owned a G1 Megs, but the prospect of owning a fully articulated version of that toy is honestly more appealing to me than Missing Link Prime. I definitely hope they move into doing the carbots and the Seeker jets, as I'd love to have G1 Prowl fully articulated as well as at least one of the jets with the same transformation minus the parts-forming fists. My interest in the G1 toys waned during the G1 period due to their lack of articulation, but this line sparks a bit of interest for me if only b/c I used to daydream about what it'd be like if those toys had at least minimal articulation in the legs. Curious to see where it goes.

I get your frustration with naysayers, but everyone's entitled to their opinion, whether or not we agree with them. Relax...it'll be ok. 😀 I'm on your side of the argument; I've been a fan of Bandai's design since it was first revealed back in 2019. I have a complaint or two, but nothing so dire as to turn me off to a purchase when and if it becomes available. I'm also open to Arcadia's revisiting the nigh-perfect Yamato YF-21, tweaking the legs to look more proportionally 'correct' relative to the rest of the valk and Kawamori's line art, which is The Canon, and always my go-to for reference. It's a tough valk to do, especially since Kawamori employed a greater than usual share of animation magic in its design, much, I'm sure, to the frustration of toy companies. That Yamato's, and now Bandai's, designs are as good as they are is a testament to the talent and ingenuity of said companies and garage kit designers who've also done the design justice in previous years. Anyway, fandoms are spoiled these days, even in a niche fandom like Macross where physical toys are a rarity. Plus, humans love to complain about everything. I take it in stride and judge for myself the merits of the offerings on-hand, as well as the merits of the complaints being levied, and try to arrive at a judicious decision. It has worked out pretty well so far. Cheers!

Second that recommendation. Mine came on Monday, and I remain impressed by both the engineering and the unparalleled realism in truck mode. While a cabover truck mode is my preference for Prime, I like the shorter nose of this truck over the longer nosed trucks from the Bay films. The transformation is mildly complex and clever. Truth be told, I didn't even notice the missing paint apps that Mike pointed out (I see them, now), but my negative observations are that the lower legs look too skinny (the blue section is the same width as the thighs, and just looks off to me) and it would have been cool had the top half of the cabin collapsed into the lower half so he doesn't look like he has massive cankles from the rear. Overall, though, a solid figure. The more I see of this guy, the more I start getting the itch. Very hopeful to see some of the other carbots, specifically Prowl, whose toy suffered irreparable damage when I attempted surgery to give him articulated hips when I was a kid. Prowl was my first Transformer toy, and to have that toy back again with the articulation I imagined and wanted to give him would be wonderful. This pic of Missing Link Prime striking the OG toy's box art pose is pretty cool. I'm glad TT are doing these on their own; I think they'd fall short under Hasbro and their extremely restrictive budget constraints.

Yep, it's a recent update. He also updated his Steeljaw, which I also have on order. I passed on his first iterations, as they just didn't look that great and allegedly had numerous quality issues. In hand, I'm pretty impressed with his new version of Ramhorn- joints are all pretty well toleranced, the transformation is unique and fairly complex for such a small fig, and I love how the rhino mode looks, prominent rivets notwithstanding. Looking forward to getting Ironpaw 2.0 in hand. I hope he updates his dino cassette designs, too. I have yet to own a single dino cassette and if he can update them as well as he did these two, I'm sold.

This guy showed up on Thursday, and being a cassette fan, I thought I'd do a little review. Being aware of KFC's spotty reputation for quality, I hesitated, but I thought his rhino mode was the best I've seen thus far and bit. I'll state my bias for this figure right up front; I think it's the best iteration of Ramhorn thus far, and I also think it features one of the most intricate yet elegant transformations of any cassette at this scale. I love it. Is it perfect? No, but it's still pretty darned cool. Rhinocerous. Other than a pointy posterior, he captures the look pretty well. I love the painted hooves. While he may be a little idealized, and perhaps a tad chibi due to his size, I quite like the overall proportions, which are very similar to the G1 toy. For whatever reason, my G1 Ramhorn has silver, rather than gold weapon accessories. Unlike the G1 toy, Rhinohorn's weapons are integrated into the transformation, and he benefits from some cool engineering giving him a rhino mold that's twice the width of his cassette mode, which looks much better than the wafer-thin G1 toy's rhino. Unlike the G1 toy, KFC did not imbue this guy with any cassette livery, which would have been nice, but I'm sure Toyhax will have us covered eventually. Articulation is virtually identical to the G1 toy- pinned joints at the shoulders/hips, forelegs, and feet. The tail can pivot up and down for transformation, and Rhinohorn's head can pivot ever so slightly up and down. His mouth is molded and doesn't open. His neck can pivot up and down, but that breaks the mold rather significantly. I wish KFC had picked out more of the tummy mechanical detail that the G1 toy sports; I love details of that nature and wish more of it carried over to other interpretations. Here are G1 Ramhorn, Fanstoys' Ramhorn, and KFC's Rhinohorn in cassette mode. Neither FT nor KFC applied any mini-cassette style livery a-la the G1 toys, although FT did at least paint the reels. In addition to similar leg and tail articulation as both the G1 and KFC's Ramhorns, FT's take's head is on what feels like a very limited ball joint allowing for about a degree of side-to side either way and a couple degrees up and down. Too, his mouth can open to a barely visible slit, at least on mine. At so slight a movement, I wonder that they didn't just mold it slightly open like KFC did. L-R: FT Ramhorn, KFC Rhinohorn Due to extreme differences in transformation mechanics, FT's pulls off the cassette aesthetic on both sides pretty well; not so much KFC's . However, often times only one side of the G1 and later MP cassettes had the livery painted on, or presented well as such, so the messy backside is easily forgivable. FT utilized a more G1-ish transformation, with the shoulders and hips on double hinges and sliders, respectively, to widen the rhino mode, with the head and tail flipping out like the G1 toy. KFC's iteration requires far more origami to go from one mode to the other. It's quite clever and I prefer the final result. The negative effect of so many joints, however, is the plethora of unpainted round-headed rivets that detract from the overall aesthetics. It doesn't bother me as much as others, but FT's painted rivets clearly show the benefit. Notably, due to the more straightforward G1-inspired transformation of FT's Ramhorn, the rhino form is larger than KFC's whose clever design uses more of the cassette mode's real-estate to close up the upper body of the rhino mode, which looks much better but results in a slightly smaller rhino mode. I prefer the KFC approach, personally. Again, I think Keith has crafted the best-looking rhino mode of any iteration of Ramhorn thus far. MMC may beat them if they ever get around to producing one of their full-scale cassette figs, but until then, Rhinohorn wins the prize IMHO. That said, he could stand some paint on those rivets and some decals to make hm more cassette-like. Edit: As to materials, KFC's is entirely plastic. the dark foreleg bits may be die-cast, but I can't tell. FT's Ramhorn's body core is die-cast, and the forelegs feel like metal, too. It's quite hefty for a such a small toy. As to fit, FT's Ramhorn is a few mm wider than KFC's which in turn is about a mm or so wider than a G1 cassette (I had Buzzsaw at hand before I remembered to grab my G1 Ramhorn). Both FT's and KFC's fail the G1 Soundwave fit test, although if I exerted a little undue force, I could probably get Soundwave's chest to close with Rhinohorn aboard. However, I'd rather not inflict damage to either to prove a point, so I took the photos at the closest point to closing as I could manage. FT's doesn't even fit in the tray; it's too wide on the thin side to fit within the little guides molded into the tray. KFC's fits in the tray, but it's just a little too high to allow it to close without force. Apologies for all the dust on my Soundwave; I took him out of storage and didn't bother cleaning him up before shooting. I'm a little bummed that neither work with the G1 toy; I haven't tried MP Soundwave yet, but given that MP uses the original RW micro-cassette scale, the tray is likely about the same dimensions and results will be similar. So that wraps up my review and comparison. I've resisted getting KFC products until now, as Keith's Ramhorn really appealed to me from the production pics. In-hand, my opinion is only strengthened. The joints are all pretty well toleranced on my copy, although the turning part of one of his side weapons could probably stand to be loosened a quarter turn of the screw. But, for my first KFC product, and a cassette no less. of which I'm rather fond, I'm exceedingly pleased with Rhinohorn and recommend him if you, too, are in the market for a G1/MP-scaled Ramhorn. Cheers!

Yeah, me too. That looks pretty darn cool.

You stated it more clearly than I did, but that's how I feel, too. As to the line in question, I feel like the Legacy Insecticons are already fulfilling the premise, as they're probably the closest interpretations of the G1 toys thus far, although Bombshell isn't quite as faithful as the other two. I'd be down for all the cassettes to be made with better articulation, and possibly Prowl, although I think the ER version is nigh perfect. I, too, get the nostalgic appeal; it just doesn't grip me as much as it does others, but I'm certainly not opposed to a "Missing Link' line. Chances are high, I'd get the bug, too, and start picking more of them up b/c G1. You can take the kid outta the 80s, but ya can't take the 80s outta the kid. 😁

Likewise. I just see it as the standard way of building toys- opposing molds that come together. Hopefully the final versions will be more refined; I mean, look at what they can accomplish with their Gundam models- nigh seamless, the molds are so precise. One would hope a high-end toy would be at least as well done, but then again, this is Macross, not Gundam. Different standards apply.

The original did in fact have above average articulation; however, IMHO, the OG toy looks a little wonky compared to the likes of ER Prime. I'm not sure I'd want to plunk down the cash for it now- 20 years ago, without a second thought. But my tastes have changed since growing old..er, and I prefer the finer things, or more accurately, the more refined things within the hobby. That is, is you consider the latest Hasbro/Takara-Tomy offerings to be a step up from G1, which I most emphatically, in most instances, do. For those who've pined for this as I once did, however, I hope it happens. Thanks for posting; I had no idea new stuff was going up today. Got everything I wanted, so thanks again!

Likewise. I think the tampo is a bit overdone, and it is a bit thick on top, but as long as the joints are tight (hopefully well-tempered ratchets throughout) and it can hold poses as well as its own weight, I'm sold. Astute observations, all. It's an interesting solution to shortening the legs in fighter, and FWIW I think you guys are right. I hope there are plenty more clever engineering surprises and solutions in this thing. That's always a major part of the joy of transforming toys- discovering ingenious new ways and methods of accomplishing the conversion or elements thereof. Nah, I think they could modify the Yamato design to accommodate thicker legs without resorting to parts-forming. Unless they came up with some leg-slimming solution, it would undoubtedly result in a thicker exhaust section, but that's a concession I'd happily accept for a battroid mode with proportional legs. The belly plates would likely need modding to account for the additional width, as well, but IMHO, it'd be worth it. Too, I would hope they'd swap out those floppy hip joints for some ratchets. The last one is probably an ask too many. Man, I hope it has strong ratchets that can easily bear the weight regardless of pose. If they are indeed releasing it, I really want it to be well-executed.

I would stick with a place like Bricklink where there's a level of accountability if there's something wrong with the set. Another avenue is second-hand mom & pop stores like Bricks & Minifigs. Prices are generally pretty high, but usually they're operated by LEGO fans who will work with you if there's something wrong with the set. Ebay and Craigslist are a huge gamble; I'd avoid them, especially on such a large set.

Sounds like QC is all over the place with this fig, which is unfortunate, being the only option at this point. I think Keith did a good job with presentation, but build quality is questionable at times, especially those thin linkages for the feet. Skullface broke one in his review; naturally he didn't have a positive view of the toy. However, if you go in knowing about it, you're at least forewarned before handling him, which hopefully will prevent more breakages. While I like die-cast, I also like the judicious use of it, preferably when the figure's base is substantial enough to bear it without issue. I don't think that's the case here, which is further reason why care need be exercised when handling him. He's a relatively heavy fig for his size, and I kinda wish everything had been plastic except for those linkages just to reduce weight and stress. I'm hoping the next two Omnis from XTB won't have similar issues, but KFC/ XTB don't exactly have a sterling record for quality. More's the pity.

Oooh, unexpected news indeed! Cautiously optimistic. Other than the ugly elbow joints and the arm guns sitting inaccurately in fighter, I didn't have too many gripes. At least the legs are proportional in battroid; that was always my beef with the Yamato. Hope not. Hope so.