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David Hingtgen

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Everything posted by David Hingtgen

  1. I was just going to post that, as I watched a review of it right before going to bed last night. They put it right on the box art...
  2. Pretty much that---ESB has been widely available for decades. And I swear the SSD studio model was the most "elusive" one of all, for a very long time. ESB itself was about THE only reference to use. Even in "the age of the internet" there wasn't much for quite a while, until they finally "hauled it out of the warehouse and put it on display in London", like a decade ago, and that was the first time it was ever really photographed since ESB. (and Lego STILL got the proportions all wrong). Most models/games prior to that had it way too skinny. Many still are, based on how "popularized" the long, skinny SSD look was. As "main ships from SW" go, it wasn't until recently (as things go) that we REALLY knew exactly what all the shapes/details/measurements on the SSD were. But the engines have always been red.
  3. One thing I noticed immediately but forgot to mention: The neck. Where's the ribbing? It's like, 1/10 of what it should be. I've only seen the Excelsior neck done properly once, and that was a guy who made it from scratch, to replace the Ertl kit's. It's not actually "ribbed" or "grooved". It's actually just a stack of layers. The smaller/inner layer, and the larger/outer layer. Just alternate the 2 sizes, one on top of the next. ::edit:: Found it:
  4. Yeah, I've been considering MS-01. It's definitely the best overall alt-mode I think, of the 'recent' MP Primes. But still doesn't quite do it for me. And still has an inferior cab to MP-10. I think (like most MP NotSidewipes) they used the official MP, and not the real thing, as their vehicle mode reference. "A copy of a copy of a copy" syndrome, when it comes to alt-mode accuracy. (plus, like a lot of them--the stripe is way too broad. That also annoyed me in the BB movie) (This is most true with any MP Seeker though---holy hell do they copy the MP's inaccuracies to a T, definitely not referencing a real F-15 for some details)
  5. Same. For me, I think it really comes down to the alt-mode windows. MP-10's are like half as tall as any recent figure's---and that's correct for well, pretty much any cabover. Having these super-tall, "square" front windows, may make robot mode more toon-accurate---but you end up with a Pixar-style, "cutesy big-eyed" look to the "face" of the truck, which just ruins it. Seriously, this looks like a "whimpering puppy", to me, with the size/shape/angle of the front windows and their frames. ::edit:: And what's up with the square headlights? MP-10's are just like the G1's, and just like the appropriate-year real thing. Ovals.
  6. Siege OS's elevated track is nice, but like most versions besides G1, it is missing the core (to me) element----the track is meant for the little tank to run along. The tanks are always grossly oversized, and don't fit the track at all. If I ever get another OS, it'll be this one: Sure, it has unquestionably the worst "gantry", but the track actually is track, and the tank actually runs along it. It's a working model railroad. Tankroad.
  7. And it's not like it's some super-subtle thing you have to freeze-frame to catch, it's super-obvious if you just "watch the movie": Painting them blue, on the biggest most expensive piece of SSD merchandise that's been released in the past couple years, means you weren't even looking at the original source material for what you were trying to copy. But even worse, is having it pointed out like a year ago when the first hand-finished sample was unveiled, and then NOT fixing it for production. I'm pretty sure even just emailing the factory a googled Chinese translation of "paint engines red, not blue" would have sufficed.
  8. I just watched his XL Excelsior, and XL Ent-D reviews, and noted these issues that weren't commented on (which shows a lack of basic research into the ships by Eaglemoss) 1. The Excelsior is missing the "trench" where the neck and saucer meet. There's a "gap" there, but nothing like the huge carved-out area of the real thing: (couldn't find a handy pic of the real thing that shows it clearly) 2. The Excelsior has the extended Ent-B style of fins on the rear of the nacelles. (no, they didn't royally screw up and add the upper ones, but the ones on the side/rear corner, should be shorter for the original Excelsior class---they shouldn't extend beyond the edge of the nacelle--this is quite evident in the review video when he shows the booklet, that has a nice top-down view of the "real" (CG?) Excelsior---you can see the fins on that one are a good bit shorter (and correct). 3. Ent D---shuttlebays 2 and 3 look to be the same size, or only SLIGHTLY different. The stbd one (#3) should be like twice as big:
  9. Somehow, it's MORE futuristic looking now, than back then. Did we regress with the F-35/Su-57/J-20?
  10. Did you read the rest of my post? It's basically saying "why that one's not an option, unless I can be convinced otherwise". In short---I won't put up with its myriad of other little issues (and increased cost), just for my preferred overall coloring. (which, coming from me, is saying a lot)
  11. I basically asked this over at TFW2005, but will happily solicit input here: Long story short---I want a "toy-esque" Megatron. Silver, with red inner legs. MP-36 isn't that at all. MP-36+ is actually TOO toy-accurate, and $$$$. The only silvery KO's are THF, and MagTen. MagTen seems to have among the lowest quality of the KO's, has pre-printed insignia (of a style I don't like), and the face is like, "cream" colored. It's got as many pluses as minuses. THF, seems to be one of the higher-quality KO's, I can choose my preferred insignia style, and it has a properly grey gace. And is currently less than $60 shipped, a good chunk less than the MagTen. But---it's only "kinda silvery" and not SILVER. And has minimal red. I'm leaning towards THF, and painting the inner legs myself, but am concerned about paint scraping during transforming, etc. Do the lower legs just peg together left/right? Do they come apart easily? That's my main concern---having to insert a fingernail etc into the seams, and scraping off the paint near the edges while trying to "pry the lower legs apart, while in gun mode". A concern of mine is "being nice and straight in alt-mode". The IF one seems to be the best at that, it's dead-straight when pegged together, but is currently the rarest/priciest of the KO's, and appears to be utterly dead-flat grey, even duller than the actual Takara. So that's a deal-killer. So, is THF the "second-straightest" one? (droopy barrels are so common on this mold, and just kills how it looks)
  12. Railroad version is best, but not done nearly as often as the others. (also, I seem to be the only one who likes the "end of the first movie" look, with the giant lightning rod)
  13. What all are the options for a silver/metallic MP-36? THF, MagTen----any others? Is MagTen the only one with toy-esque red leg panels? If the THF is half the price of MagTen, I can live with the more boring leg color. Anyone know of a good pros/cons of THF vs MagTen?
  14. Dang, if it really transforms "almost kibble-free" like that, that's amazing. I can't help but suspect there's "half a planet" of panels hanging just off-screen... Bonus points if they actually release it in orange, not yellow...
  15. Thing is, most companies have gone beyond "pants-formers". They're now "overalls" or even "wrestling singlet". They're neck-to-knees half the time. Very similar to G1 Magnus---the "torso" bot, really just holds up the head, and nothing more. Just fold it into a box, attach the head, then hide it away inside the 'real' robot body. They're no longer "adding a waist-section to improve proportions/articulation", they're pretty much starting with a ginormous armless/footless action master, then selling 5 more bots to "fill in the gaps".
  16. Super Hornet isn't stealthy, but it as least has some modicum of RCS-reducing measures. Tomcat is a flashing red light, radar-wise... Increasing the complexity of the flaps strikes me as the most odd thing of all. The trend is towards SIMPLER flaps, to save weight, due to more advanced computational modeling now able to get the performance of a double or triple-slotted flap, out of a single or double. Multi-piece flaps are complicated and heavy. Though, this may literally be a difference of "what they proposed back then" vs "what they'd likely do NOW". 737NG, 747-8, A321XLR---all have simpler, lighter, fewer-piece/slot flaps than the original design, and equal or better landing performance.
  17. "But my phone has an HDR spot to tap, all ya need!"
  18. Messer still at HLJ---wow, 2 hours. Can't last long at "limit of 20" though. https://hlj.com/dx-chogokin-movie-ver-vf-31f-siegfried-messer-ihlefeld-hayate-immelmann-use-bans55013
  19. Bigger, LIGHT-UP ring. THAT would sell zillions. "Insert planetary debris/escape ships with only one chance into maw, to light up rings". ::edit:: Seriously, there's no animated GIF of Unicron's ring light-up sequence on the entire net? That's like, the finale of his introduction. An unstated but clear "explanation" that he eats planets for sustenance/energy, not merely malice.
  20. You know, eliminating the voice-box, would have reduced the mass, making their job easier... Though for me, the sheer fact that we have TWO different window-fronts now, for a super-subtle difference, shows just how ridiculously toon-accurate they're going, not matter what the cost-benefit ratio is. "10x more complicated, with added hinges and seams all over the alt-mode now, for 1% more robot accuracy". There's no 'balance' sought between designing the modes/looks whatsoever. "Robot-mode-accuracy, no matter the cost". I thought the "standard" MP idea of having two different front grilles was a bit much (always makes the transformation way more difficult than it should be, and is an easily-scraped piece), but you can barely even tell the window difference. And "the chest windows" are THE most iconic part of Prime's look. His truck windows SHOULD be his chest windows, with zero transformation for that area. It's almost unfathomable that they're not. (Heck, young me didn't like that aspect back with G1 Powermaster Prime, felt like a rip-off).
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