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RavenHawk

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Everything posted by RavenHawk

  1. RavenHawk
    My opinion (and I think I may be somewhat echoing what others have said) is that I want to see the character development and a well-done plot. If a love interest is not important to a character's motivations or to the plot, then it doesn't need to be focused on. So-and-so used to have a girlfriend. Shiro, who seemed like he would end up being the loner, eventually found love and got married. Gotcha. That's all that was needed. It doesn't matter whether those relationships were heterosexual or homosexual; they did not define the characters or their actions. So, I think they were fine being shown in the way that they were.
  2. RavenHawk
    Well, as stated before, I do like 2040. I think calling it a piece of trash is excessive, but hey, we all clearly have very different tastes. Is it one of my favorites? Absolutely not... but I don't think it's fine. It has the luxury of taking its time with character development and backstories more than the original did, and I think a lot of their choices (though not all) make sense. It is stylistically (both story-telling wise and visually) very much a product of the late '90s/early '00s. As such, it doesn't have the nostalgia appeal of the original a decade before it, and doesn't have a lot of the improvements of anime from the last decade. I rewatch all of the Aramaki-verse somewhat regularly, with MOSPEADA, the original Bubblegum Crisis, Bubblegum Crash, and Viper's Creed probably once a year+, and the Megazone OAVs, Bubblegum Crisis 2040, and the other BGC spin-offs once every 2+ years. My rankings from back in March of last year were: 1) Genesis Climber MOSPEADA 2) Bubblegum Crisis 3) Bubblegum Crash 4) Viper's Creed 5) BGC Tokyo 2040 6) Megazone 23 7) remaining BGC spin-offs However, I just recently rewatched the MZ23 OAVs and, for whatever reason, enjoyed them more than I used to... so that might have moved up higher on my list now. Out of all of these, I haven't rewatched 2040 in by FAR the longest, so this conversation has inspired me to grab out my DVD set and I'll rewatch the series over the next week or so (there's a lot of new-to-me stuff in my Netflix queue also tempting me). We can compare notes and see how it holds up with our 2019 eyes. BTW, I did rewatch ep. 1 late last night: I had forgotten that Aramaki was credited with not just the mechanical designs for this show, but also with the updates to the hardsuits.
  3. RavenHawk
    While I absolutely respect the engineering and design work that went into this, and the end result is gorgeous in both modes, it really just seems like complicating a transformation beyond the point of it being enjoyable. Did someone challenge the designer to try to come up with an OP that would require 842 dowel pins to transform? Te last time I genuinely collected Transformers was during Transformers: Prime. After a few years of movie-verse toy drudgery, that line really made me appreciate transformations that were fun to do. Again, it looks gorgeous, it looks impressive, and maybe it needs to be that complicated in order to look so good in both modes, but it just doesn't look fun to me.
  4. RavenHawk
    I just finished my second viewing of the whole series (once dubbed, once subbed). Definitely prefer the subbed one by quite a lot. Overall, really enjoyed it. The first half was fine, though a little too monster-of-the-week type of setup, but I really liked the second half a lot, and it built on the groundwork that had been set up in pretty much all of the previous episodes. Very nice, satisfying ending, too. Now I just wish there were some model kits to go along with it...
  5. RavenHawk
    eBay. They go for more (once you factor in shipping, evening combined) if you get them individually, but there's a seller that puts up lots of the set every once in a while (I think it's a store in Hong Kong), and then discounts them by 30% every few weeks. That, plus a 15% off coupon, got them to where I was comfortable with the price. The crazy thing is, people on Amazon are trying to sell the same figures for over $100 a piece.
  6. RavenHawk
    Big week for Megazone items for me. Both my Freeing E=X Garland and my set of Organic figures came in. Starting with the Organic figures: Holy crap, these things are tiny. I mean, I knew they were small, based on a couple CollectionDX reviews, but somehow it just didn't sink it. These are small... as in, they pretty much fit riding on the old Yamato Garlands (a little too big for Arcadia or Freeing, though). That said, they're surprisingly posable, and are just kind of fun. I paid $50, including shipping, for a new-in-box set of all 5 (Garland, Proto Garland, GR-002 Military Garland, Hargun, Space Hargun), and I feel like that's the limit of what they're worth. Wouldn't pay a penny more, but I don't feel ripped off either. Plus, I finally have a Hargun! On to the Freeing E=X Garland: All of the complaints about this toy are correct and are justified. So very many things are wrong with it... but... I opened the box and, of course, the legs flop off to the sides. I then decided to have some fun and try to figure out the transformation without looking at the instructions. It took a long time, but I did it. I would liken it to devoting your evening to one of those Hellraiser puzzle boxes, with an arguably similar pay off at the end. Having said that, and leaning the final robot mode in a corner so that it can sort of stand up, it looks gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. I love the look of it. My thoughts at this point were, "What a unique way of shipping an assembly-required poorly-balanced statue of a robot. Instead of putting the parts on runners, stick them into a vaguely motorcycle-shaped mashup for shipping, then they can get taken out of the box, fall apart, and the buyer can assemble their robot statue and stick it somewhere for display forevermore. Novel!" A few days later, I transformed it back... and back again, with the instructions this time to confirm that I did it right the first time. And then I transformed it a third time... and it was kind of fun. The arms pop out of the sockets constantly, but don't break. Just set them aside and pop them back in after you're done with the legs. The thighs are constantly splitting apart into two pieces, a couple other parts do similarly... but they don't break. Just slide them back together. The leg transformation is very cool. Finicky, but cool. Cooler every time you do it, as it feels more intuitive. Basically, the engineering is really impressive, it's just that the execution is horribly horribly flawed. However, the more I transform this thing, the more I enjoy it. Again, every complaint that others have about these is completely justified. Despite that, I still like it, and am glad a transforming toy of this exists. I got mine for half price, and I'm ok with that. Now, if I'd paid full price for it, I'd probably be violently angry. If anyone wants to see pics of any of the above, let me know and I'll post some, but I figure most have already seen them.
  7. RavenHawk
    I wouldn't say legally "required", but yes, they'd risk losing their registered trademarks. I don't think I'd agree with you on the physical goods side of things. They're still protectable by copyright. Statues can be protected by copyright, architecture, etc. To me, these are a clear case of derivative works... but I think I've already derailed this thread enough. I think that Hasbro could go after these companies, but what matters is that Hasbro isn't going after them, and the collector market has a wonderful selection of awesome things to choose from, whatever your tastes may be.
  8. RavenHawk
    I'm sorry, but this article is just horribly misinformed. This is the kind of stuff people read online and then think that it is based on actual statutes and caselaw, and leads to more and more misconceptions. Some of my favorite parts: "You see, if someone were to release a graphic T-shirt with beloved Autobot Bumblebee’s face on it, it’s not a big deal. If that T-shirt had Bee’s face, the Bumblebee movie logo, and the Transformers brand logo all present, that’s a big no-no. The logos and branding are trademarks that cannot be duplicated for individual sale." Except that the shirt with Bumblebee's face on it WOULD still be infringing. There would be very strong arguments that it would infringe the copyright on that face design, it would infringe commonlaw trademarks associated with it, and would likely be considered false designation of origin, unfair competition/deceptive acts, "passing off", etc. "These companies, affectionately referred to as ‘Third party” in the collector’s community, are safe from large corporations taking action against them because they are very carefully avoiding infringing upon trademarks and copyrights. They never use actual names of characters, often opting to create fun word play that closely resembles it or one based on character traits. They do not include trademarked faction symbols, brand logos, recognizable semiotics or sign symbols, or any verbiage specific to their unique playability (i.e. Headmaster, Duocon, Triple Changer)." Similarly,these figures that look darn near identical to the originals, and are clearly and intentionally based upon them, are still derivative works, which are protected by copyright. Oh, and changing a name to something very similar to a trademark, meant to make you think of the trademark, but not actually identical to the trademark... that still very often falls under trademark infringement. "The only thing that these new versions of old classics might infringe upon is intellectual property and that’s a tough one to defend." Yeah, uh, the trademarks and copyrights you've been talking about... those are intellectual property. Don't get me wrong: I love 3P stuff. I just don't like when people who don't properly understand what they're talking about talk about it like they're experts. In my opinion, and this is only a personal opinion, I suspect that Hasbro doesn't go after 3P companies and products because, though they would have a strong chance of proving copyright infringement and commonlaw trademark infringement in court, it just isn't worth the hassle for something that isn't eating into their profit much, if at all, would not lead to much of a financial award from the court compared to the cost of getting there, and would damage their reputation. The stuff that is directly knockoffs, in registered trademark infringing packaging, and is literally chipping away at their profits, however, is a different story.
  9. RavenHawk
    Thanks. I knew I must have missed more.
  10. RavenHawk
    The old Marvel comics were really way better than they had any right to be, and IDW kept the old series going while doing a new/rebooted one. The new one was really good last I read it, and the old one... well, I still have my copies of the Snake Eyes trilogy.
  11. RavenHawk
    Those were the only two that I noticed. The second one was blatant, but the first one I actually rewatched that part of the episode, in the hopes that there were some easter eggs like that (I missed it the first time around). Were there others?
  12. RavenHawk
    I feel dumb... but I think I missed most of them.
  13. RavenHawk
    What mess? I haven't read IDW's GIJoe stuff in about 3 years or so (maybe more like 5), but I remember liking it before that.
  14. RavenHawk
    from the pics I've seen, I agree with you on all of that except for the cowl. It just looks... off... to me.
  15. RavenHawk
    I have the two-pack of Crash Hog and Dumpyard pre-ordered from BBTS and am really looking forward to it. Great review! FYI, this is the only piece of concept art I remember seeing for Wreck Gar (from Floro Dery, who I believe did the bulk of the movie concept art).
  16. RavenHawk
    I will admit that I've ordered a few things directly from them over the years (i.e. when they were on clearance). Their shipping rates are excessive, and the items aren't packed very professionally. That said, one time when I had an issue with a product and emailed them to let them know, Steve emailed me back apologizing and send out a replacement within a day. I think he might be the only employee there.
  17. RavenHawk
    I don't get the love for Wingblade (I might be misremembering her name). It sort of felt like one of those "Hey everybody, here's the next hot character that you all love. Take our word for it." I guess the design appeals to other people, just not me (beyond reminding me of how cool I thought Thrust's jet mode when I first saw it as a kid). Wasn't this character a contest winner at IDW or something along those lines?
  18. RavenHawk
    I posted in another thread a couple weeks ago how shocked I was getting in some recent actual "toys", and not being worried about breaking them. I've gotten so used to collectibles or toys that are 30+ years old.
  19. RavenHawk
    I got to of each from the original release, precisely to a) keep one in each mode, and b) to do my part to keep the line going and hopefully get a full set. I just wish that when they did re-releases they added in some new accessories or something. Actually, I take that back. If they did, I wouldn't be able to hold back and I'd get two each of the new ones too. As it stands, I can't justify getting the new releases just for the minor improvements (and my bank account is probably happier for it).
  20. RavenHawk
    Big yes to that!
  21. RavenHawk
    I kind of wouldn't mind seeing them take a stab at the Alpha/Legioss at this scale.
  22. RavenHawk
    For around half of what it was going for with a number of retailers when it was first released (and around $100 less than what the cheaper retailers were offering it for then), I decided to pull the trigger. Really, the biggest factor was my concern that we might never get an Arcadia E=X, and I'd be regretting having passed this up down the road. So many of my collecting choices are motivated by my continued regret for having passed up the Studio HalfEye Maneuver Blade...
  23. RavenHawk
    Just rewatched the series of MZ23 movies... which led to the craving for new toys/display pieces to fill up those Megazone shelves in my display cases. Went online, saw that there were no updates on new products from Arcadia since the images of the full color Proto Garland a couple months back. That means that we will probably be getting the Proto Garland not before mid 2019... hopefully the Hargun, but not before mid 2020 (I'd guess)... and who knows when for the E=X, if ever. Look what you made me do, Arcadia!
  24. RavenHawk
    I have mixed feelings on it. I get why they did it, design-wise and Aramaki-redesign-wise. It also makes for a decent look with the figure on it. However, from a motorcycling point of view, it doesn't make sense considering the terrain these bikes would be designed to be able to ride on. Overall, I am extremely happy with these toys, and am really glad that they exist. I intend on grabbing every one they put out, including any variants they might do later to capitalize on their molds. That said, from a minor gripe approach, I think the bikes should be a bit bigger relative to the figures, and that might also have helped with foot peg placement.
  25. RavenHawk
    One thing to keep in mind with MAAS toys is that (at least with one of their designers, but possibly all) their designers design the look and transformation of the toy, but then leave it to the factory to make sure it works with this like how parts tab in together, etc. So, depending on the specific factory, there could be a wide range of quality of the final product.
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