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technoblue

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  1. technoblue
    /bounty ghost yoda “There is another.”
  2. technoblue
    I've read that MS-21, their new Hot Rod, is supposed to be around 10cm. If true, that does seem a touch too tall for a NA collection. I don't mind having tall triple changers but the other MFT movie bots may go better with my MS Legends. On another forum, I read that MS-21 should come up around the middle of Magic Square Prime's chest. That would be very close to how the mainline Studio Series Hot Rod and Earthrise Optimus scale together in bot mode.
  3. technoblue
    Similar story here. I wasn't paying attention to them at first but was admiring the photos that @Convectuoso was sharing. My first Legends were from MFT and Iron Factory. I'm collecting the triple changers from MFT, including their reissued Springer, plus some movie car bots. The rest I've split between NA and Magic Square. I've slowed down with Iron Factory since we already have nice larger scale IDW-style releases from MMC and Planet-X.
  4. technoblue
    I've also been looking at MFT's release of Octane today, MS-27 Poison. Here's a teaser in his tanker truck alt mode: So far, I like what I see, although my copy has a minor QC issue in that the left wing ball joint sits loose in its socket. This means that the wing has a tendency to flop about when in bot mode and the 767-ish alt. I need to add something to it to help secure the joint. I have floor polish, but I was thinking of getting some Kikis or some paint reducer instead. Anyway, it's on the to-do list. Transformation is fun---not too complicated which is nice and in line with MFT's earlier Astrotrain release. As shown, this toy only has two accessories: an extra face and a single weapon. Good enough for me.
  5. technoblue
    I am 6'3" tall and I welcome all shapes and sizes. I think it's important to be comfortable with who you are first and foremost, but I digress. As much as I like the MP, I have to agree, and it's no contest when compared to the mainline WFC version. That was a slap in the face, although the third-party upgrades helped somewhat. Anyway, speaking about third-party and add-on upgrade parts, I wanted to do something I haven't done here in a while: write a mini review. As noted up thread, I've gone down the rabbit hole and started collecting Legends figures to replace the bulk of my mainline WFC collection. For seekers, I decided to go with Newage because of how they homage the old G1 aethetic and put their own spin on it. Here's H14 Leviathan, their version of Thundercracker: This review isn't going to cover the entire toy but it is going to focus on a nifty add-on part which is available on eBay from multiple sellers. The rumor is that it comes from Go Better Studios, but I have no way to confirm or deny it. The eagle-eyed among you like @M'Kyuun have probably already noticed the singular fault of the Newage seekers and that is the mismatched proportions between the main wings and the tail end. Here's a photo illustrating the issue (forgive the bad lighting): The add-on kit adds wing filler pieces that slide over the mount points on the underside of the wings. These fold down for bot mode (or for storage), but they fold up in alt mode to create a more proportionate F-15. The pieces are painted and color matched to each Newage seeker release. I've purchased a handful of these to go with each one that I own now. The quality is spot on. I've only had a single set that had a fitment issue and that was easy to fix on my own with a round file. If Legends are your thing or maybe if accurate F-15 alts are your thing, I can definitely recommend this add-on.
  6. technoblue
    Yes. IIRC, Mechanic Studios helps to design Mech Fans Toys Legends.
  7. technoblue
    Looking good. I was waiting for a nice Arcee to go with their Hot Rod (MS-21 Flame Walker) and Dr. Wu has been helping with some interesting projects of late.
  8. technoblue
    The Tomorrow War on Prime Video
  9. technoblue
    I think @seti88 is being ironic and posting a reverse psychology meme. 😅 It would be brilliant to have more Valkyries with light-up features and/or a DX version of Gamlin’s VF-22S. The Fukuyama sound clips would be a treat too, but I wouldn’t want the sound unit built into the Valkyrie itself. Make the unit external like the SoC Space Battleship Yamato control pods.
  10. technoblue
    I don’t see it, myself, but the panel lines do break up the curves and other surface features. That could be throwing off the perspective?
  11. technoblue
    Right. I wouldn't expect him to show up right away or at all in the first season. I'm just wondering aloud how much this will pull from Forward and Prelude and what we will see, if anything, from Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.
  12. technoblue
    On the last page, @hachi noted that he moved the taskbar to the top for ergonomic reasons to help ease wrist strain. I pointed out that there's a how-to geek article talking about the benefits of putting the taskbar on the left-hand side when using different resolutions as it gives more space to the desktop. It even mentions the ability to move similar elements on MacOS and Linux. Here's the link to the article: https://www.howtogeek.com/706245/why-your-windows-taskbar-should-always-be-on-the-left-side/ I'm sure there are other reasons. I've seen funky taskbar configurations for people who like to use fancy desktop themes too. Anyway, different strokes and so on, which is why removing the default Windows option is even more confusing to me. I mean, why irritate a percentage of desktop users for no reason, unless this is something that was miscommunicated in the marketing material and the press and only applies to Windows 11 in tablet mode?
  13. technoblue
    Yes, you will need a dedicated graphics card (even something basic) with the Ryzen 3600. Ryzen APUs with integrated graphics all have a ‘G’ or ‘GE’ suffix.
  14. technoblue
    I like that they were able to get Jared Harris to play Hari Seldon, Gaal and Salvor seem really interesting interpretations too, even given the noteworthy gender flip. I am wondering if they plan to introduce The Mule in this at all? Maybe if there is enough momentum for an additional season or two? I'm also expecting other subtle changes... ...but I'm hoping these don't pull me too far out of the story.
  15. technoblue
    I get it, and for me that’s part of the charm. The thing is, when I look at MP-52 from unflattering alt mode angles, I see something that kind of resembles an upscaled version of the old G1 toy. For instance, take the triangles on the thrusters/fuselage that contain the rear landing gear. That kibble reminds me of my first Starscream toy and yeah those bits underneath are not on any real F-15 but some of them (minus the faux canopy) are very nostalgic to the original Seeker toy design—even going back to its Diaclone days. At least, it is for me. Long story short, my expectations are a bit askew I guess. I’m not looking for the same thing from this that I would from a Valkyrie. I’m not asking for ultra realism mixed in with Transformers fantasy. At least, not for the official MP line which now often embraces the awkward, clunky, and silly Sunbow aesthetic.
  16. technoblue
    I respectfully disagree about the alt mode. I’ll have more to say once my copy arrives, but the in hand images look like an improvement over MP-11 to me. MP-03 was designed by Kawamori and the intent was to present a specific type of F-15 alt. That wasn’t repeated thereafter. I’m just comparing Takara’s own releases in the above example and not any of the third-party releases. Anyway, even with third-party releases, MP Seekers tend to have robot junk visible underneath to some degree or another. MP-03 was the only one that tried to hide it away.
  17. technoblue
    There are some clever transformation steps in that video, but also some finicky steps that look like they could use a more careful touch (or some shock oil to lubricate important joints). I think the inner wing detail is terrific. I’m surprised they waited this long to add greebles back in to show other bot bits and bobs.
  18. technoblue
    My copy is on the way from AmiAmi. Looking forward to it! If I remember correctly, the same designer who was on the original Diaclone releases is on the MP team for 52 (just like Skids). That’s a pretty cool connection too.
  19. technoblue
    The short answer is yes. NVMe drives have improved access times as you are already aware. The “load up” lag that you are noticing on your mechanical SATA drive is a result of its slower read access. I dare say you will notice a significant improvement compared to your mechanical drive. Also, a less expensive way to get improved SSD performance without paying for NVMe is to look at SATA SSD drives. They are slower than their NVMe counterparts due to the different connection type but still noticeably faster than any mechanical drive. However, it’s worth noting that SSDs of any sort can get slightly reduced performance as they fill up (like any drive old or new) so it’s a good practice not to run them at 100% capacity if you are looking to sustain performance. It’s nothing like the lag of a mechanical drive but it’s worth putting out there. The common recommendation I’ve seen is to aim for 80%. To fill an SSD above that could be asking for issues. Edit: Another alternative, if you want to continue to use large mechanical drives for storage, is to set up a smaller SSD as an SSD cache for that drive. That could also save money, especially if you are not ready to let go of the mechanical bits and bobs.
  20. technoblue
    It is. There’s a scene comparison over in the Movies and TV forum. The Funimation remaster looks nice for what it is, being based on HG’s 16mm source. It does look different when compared to the Japanese HD remaster of Macross but I’m okay with that. I’m more concerned with the final bitrate of the discs and whether or not the original unmodified Robotech dub track will be included.
  21. technoblue
    Bomber! The special guest bit was a treat too.
  22. technoblue
    Most likely. I mean, set Linux aside for the moment, there’s an opinion piece over on howtogeek that gets into why having the taskbar on the side is better for widescreen monitors in general—a rather interesting take. As far as MS removing the option goes, it’s odd because it has been there since Windows 95 days. And even though I didn't use it all too often, I appreciated that the flexibility was built in. Thankfully, I’m sure users who still really want to move the taskbar around the edge of the display will continue to have options. It’s just unfortunate that something that was part of the OS for so long will now need a third-party utility to work.
  23. technoblue
    Yeah. Who is this helping, again? It seems like removing those location options has the potential of turning more people off. Hopefully, MS is retaining the option to hide the Windows 11 taskbar in desktop mode.
  24. technoblue
    Some more thoughts on Windows 11: The Home and Home S editions now require a Microsoft account and an Internet connection to complete setup on first use. There's no mention if this requirement also applies to Windows 11 Pro. Curiously, the Pro S edition is deprecated for Windows 11. Internet Explorer is finally deprecated for Windows 11. Tissues are available out in the hall. Speaking of the Start Menu, I'm not sure I like that Microsoft is removing the resize feature. I don't know what to think about them removing groups and folders. I couldn't care less about the live tiles moving over to widgets. The whole thing about the rounded corners is silly. We had default rounded corners and transparent windows in Windows 7 and Vista. The square look was introduced with Window 8 and now Microsoft wants to go round again. Yay?💫 I don't mind the shapes as long as things work. I do like the promise of improved multi-monitor support as well as docked systems. Windows 10 has a tendency to act strange in certain instances using such configurations.
  25. technoblue
    It's too bad that Hasbro waited on this Cybertron Bumblebee. It would have been fun to see him released in parallel with the first waves of WFC Siege or as an option to the old Target exclusive RedWing Seeker. That said, I haven't had much luck acquiring Target exclusive Transformers locally so I guess I'll look forward to the in-hand photos. Hopefully, for those that do pick up this Origin Bee release, they also will get an Origin Wheeljack and an Origin Jazz later on.
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