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Scyla

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  1. Scyla
    Have the ones you opened the same ankle guard orientation as this one? My copy of the Alley Viper looks the same, but it feels like the boots are swapped.
  2. Scyla
    Raiden bends his knee to no one (aka Wotafas review of Getsuei): It is good to see that Takara opted to use clear plastic inlays for (most) of the windows. It is scary that one front of the train is clear plastic on a thin clear plastic rail that slides back ab forth. Takara really sacrificed everything for the train mode. PS: Apparently you can get more knee bend if you (mis-)transform the leg differently.
  3. Scyla
    I don’t know what that is and at this point I’m afraid to ask….
  4. Scyla
    I’m currently playing Luigi’s Mansion 3 on my Switch and is probably the worst recent Nintendo game I’ve played. I would say maybe ever? Controls are super frustrating and clumsy, the level design and combat is bland. And every level is worse than the one before. If the controller wasn’t attached to the console this boss would make me throw it against the wall: Maybe it will calm down with some distance but at the moment I’m fuming. [edit:] Of course I can’t skip the intro sequence after a Game Over…
  5. Scyla
    I got my Metal Build Striker Pack and Lohengrin Launcher sets. They are nice done as usual, didn’t notice any QC issues. One thing I would like to see for those support vessels is a stand that is either more variable or a second, shorter support strut bringing them closer to the ground so that they can sit in front of the Gundams and still look like they are flying.
  6. Scyla
    Got my VF-31AX Bogue and Mirage units and I have to say that the QC on Mirage is the best one out of the three VF-31AX I own. It is funny that everything about the VF-31AX is worse compared to the VF-31; even the packaging is worse. Yet the one negative thing on the VF-31, the missing hinge in the fingers, to enable them to make a fist or grab the gun naturally, is still present.
  7. Scyla
    Yeah, the paint and panel lines look super crisp. Here is an image of the Ragnarok on the other side of the shelf: I love that they added a white sphere to the center of the Force. It looks like glowing from the inside. I wish Bandai would use something similar for their lightsabers. What I don’t like is the static display. They would really have benefited from a variable stand to make them look more dynamic like the Figma ones. On the other hand in game the ships move only on a 2D plane so it is appropriate.
  8. Scyla
    Got my first Classified figure this week, the Alley Viper. I got the figure because I had one as a kid and I have fond memories of playing with it and all the accessories. However, similar to Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series I can’t deal with the build of the figure. The way it feels while manipulating the joints, the gummy plastic and the visible pins for joints and the way the joints are cut that is all not for me. And while you don’t see most of that once the figure is on display, I can’t distance myself from the feeling when handling the toy every time I’m looking at it.
  9. Scyla
    Here are a couple of picture in my video game display:
  10. Scyla
    Takara is attending an expo in Japan and is showing the block prototype of MPG Raiden. Since this is a block prototype the final sculpting is not there yet (which is why it looks under detailed), however I’m expecting that the toy will largely have the same engineering as the prototype when it comes to combination, articulation and so on. It looks hilariously bad. If you were in the fence about this thing I would say now is the time to abort the toy before you have bought more than one toy. I hope my fears don’t come true since I’m still in but boy it looks rough. More images here: https://news.tfw2005.com/2022/09/23/takara-tomy-hobby-expo-transformers-masterpiece-mpg-raiden-prototype-first-look-465823 Shout out to Gamerlingual over at TFW2005 who is at the expo and providing us with news and images.
  11. Scyla
    Sure, I can take some this evening. Do you have any specific things you want to see?
  12. Scyla
    Some merchandise I recently got are the quesQ 1/120 R-9A Arrow Head and R-90 Ragnarok from R-Type (Final 2 maybe). To keep things simple both are excellent made display pieces, crisp and clean paint and markings and I would recommend them if you like the design and can deal with the static nature of these statues. The reason why I recommend them is, while they are fairly expensive for their size (the ships are roughly 6"), the good exchange rate at the moment make them a lot more attractive. If you want more let me know.
  13. Scyla
    I hope the Providence Gundam is next.
  14. Scyla
    Maybe the Eva-01 that came with the Lance of Longinus? If you are unhappy with the way BBTS packs your orders I would contact their customer service. They can do something about that (about the TWE boxes not so much) The TWE items that I ordered with BBTS all came in the shipper boxes. The only shop that sometimes didn’t ship them in the shipper boxes was NY. I assume that it stemmed from the way they used to sourced their products (i.e. bought them from other sources).
  15. Scyla
    Quick question, with brown boxes do you mean the brown TWE shipping boxes or the way BBTS packs their boxes? The Metal Build Hi-Nu wasn’t a TWE exclusive item so it doesn’t come in the brown Bandai Tamashii Nations shipping boxes (same for the Dynames and Eva-00). Regarding the way BBTS wraps their packages I always get a sturdy cardboard boy padded with bubble wrap so that the items don’t move around. I usually wait till some items are in my PoL so I never get single items from them though (I also don’t care too much about the box as long as the item inside is fine).
  16. Scyla
    Thanks to Mike I got my hands on a Velocitron Scourge. A few thoughts: The trailer is trash please don’t make any more Hasbro. Only exception when it turns into armor. The translucent accessories are meh. I would love to get a larger sword a gun and/or a proper shield. The translucent plastic feels dense and a tad softer than the one Hasbro usually uses so I’m not worried about breakages. The figure itself is pretty great. I like the deco since it looks like Nemesis Prime, which I prefer. Some odd design decisions where made for the figure. For one he has 5mm ports in his forearms but due to the positioning you can see light shining through them if you look at the elbows from the front. Which makes the toy look cheaper than it actually is. The legs are reused from the Earthrise Prime which where reused from the Siege one and they changed the pieces that make up the legs a whole lot since the legs don’t transform on Scourge. Yet they still have the trailer hitch that sits on the outside of the legs from the Siege toy. At this point they should have really come up with a new design and new parts. One odd part I found is a panel that flips out of the trailer cab to close the gaps the arms leave in bot-mode. While this closes a big gap you only see it when you stare from bellow at the back of the figure. The budget could have been used to give the toy new lower legs for example. I also really like the way they came up with a new transformation for RiD Scourge that is not the original toy. On the other hand I would really love to see a transformation that not splits the front truck to form the shoulders and leave the whole trailer cap sitting on his back. That way the shoulders and backpack always look too big and unfinished (even if accurate to the source material). Maybe make it so that the arms are stored in the shoulders or the cap turns inside out to form the torso. I probably need to wait till New Age reaches RiD for that to happen though. Overall I feel that I overpaid for the figure. But that is the lot of the toy collector’s life. I would preferred if it was sold at a Voyager price point without the trailer.
  17. Scyla
    Now with these super line art accurate sculpts I would love the get the cast of Chrono Trigger in the Bring Arts line.
  18. Scyla
    Depends what you want. What I really want is a Metal Build Nu Gundam so I won‘t buy one.
  19. Scyla
    I’m interested since FM3 was the first (and only) Front Mission game I‘ve ever played.
  20. Scyla
    New FF7 BringArts figures (6") of Tifa and Aerith: Even more ridiculously priced at ¥13,200. Especially for not having any real accessories or effect parts. Source: https://news.toyark.com/2022/09/14/final-fantasy-vii-bring-arts-aerith-and-tifa-figures-483285#images I will probably get one of each. Yes I know that I’m part of the problem. I hope they get to Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, Red XIII and Cait Sith.
  21. Scyla
    If anyone is interested in playing the Deedlit game, look for cracks in the walls to discover secrets by hitting them. I found some interesting weapons that way.
  22. Scyla
    I’m currently at playing Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth on the Switch. Funny thing, die cartridge I imported from Japan comes with English text. It is a fun combination between a Ikaruga like bullet hell shmup and a Metroidvania platformer. It has some issues with the difficulty. So some bosses are super hard until you figure out a strategy that negates all the difficulties (recently fought a black dragon where you could sneak between head and body and be save from most attacks). And Deedlit feels overpowered most of the time but than gets beaten into a mush if you are not careful. Other than that it is a lot of fun to play and probably one of the prettiest sprite based games I‘ve seen on any system. I wish Bloodstained looked that good. And it is good to see something from Record of Lodoss War coming out. Karla on the cover of an anime magazine in the 90s resulted in me buying said magazine and getting sucked into anime and manga.
  23. Scyla
    Yay more EW suits. I am excited! Yeah, I’m going to pass too.
  24. Scyla
    I got my copy of MPG Shouki in the mail. It is a mixed bag. The ivory and dark blue paint looks as stunning in person as it does in pictures. Very classy. Train Mode: probably the best of the three modes. My main criticisms are the translucent windows were you can see the innards of the robot. I don’t understand why Takara opted for that solution because if you look at the real Shinkansen from a distance you don’t see much of the inside. Same goes for the headlights which would look much better painted yellow and the cockpit windows. Other bummer is the inability of the train bogies to turn. Not a biggie since the wheels of the carbots won’t turn either. Robot-mode is where the issues start to arise. First the good things. The robot looks stunning (from the front) good likeness, excellent head sculpt. I’m not too fussed about the back kibble since it is somewhat accurate. The articulation is adequate for a member of the combiner team and to get there is fairly straightforward even if it is not as refined as other Takara transformations. The problems start with the use of clear plastic for the sides. Which looks absolutely atrocious since you are staring at clear plastic edges where the parts of the outer shell separate. To me it looks super odd and making them out of opaque plastic with dark translucent inlets (like on MMC Volatus) or just painting the windows in a glossy paint would have looked a lot better. You also stare at the clear plastic inlets for the cockpit windows and head lights which looks super cheap and toy like. I think the designer tried to minimize the need to interact with the clear plastic panels but you still have the occasional clear pieces tabbing into each other and clear hinges and rotation joints. Maybe that is why the legs look so unfinished. They look bad from any angle other straight on and really pull this toy down a notch. I don’t understand why the designer couldn’t figure out a way to transform them more since they don’t do anything in combined mode. Oh and the transformation results in Shouki standing on the painted sides of the rear train which is just begging for paint scratches. Don’t move the toy around on its feet or place it on a nice soft piece of cloth. Super disappointing MP toy from the knees down. Which brings me to the torso mode. Sigh, it is terrible. I know that this could change when it is combined with Kaen (the lower torso) but as of now it is super janky and unstable. I assume that Kaen will not only form the hips and waist (given that the leg bots also contain the thighs) but also provide the head on a strut that runs through Shoukis backpack. Maybe this will make the torso more stable. Shouki‘s legs form a backpack which again looks super unfinished and gappy Super unimaginative engineering and a real letdown from Takara. I also think that Shouki will provide the shoulder ratchets for Raiden since the armatures his arms attach to can rotate but they feel pretty weak so I doubt Raiden will be able to hold his arms up. Also rotating the combiner shoulders will rub on the outer shell of the train that is attached to Shouki‘s forearms. Not a good design choice. I wrote somewhere that I buy the Trainbots out of morbid curiosity for how Takaras first MP combiner will turn out. With one bot in my possession it feels like a disaster in the making. If anyone is buying this for the combined mode I would be super worried. On the other hand it is a good robot and an excellent train but for the ¥18k MSRP you could probably get a nicer Shinkansen Type 0 for your train set that can actually drive around the tracks. Could Takara be building a good Raiden? Possibly, but you won’t know until Kaen is out which will be conveniently released last. So you will have to buy them all to find out.
  25. Scyla
    I think a lot of odd choices being made by the Hasbro Transformers team at the moment. Stuff like Scourge sporting the wrong deco, the Cosmos/Knock Out allotment, the return of a obtrusive line wide gimmick with the Energone weapons (and from my limited experience the lesser build quality of some Legacy toys compared to the WfC releases). From what I gathered there has been a changing of the guard in the design team, the upper management as well as the economic environment. These changes could accumulate to a pretty drastic change in how Transformers are designed and produced in the near future.
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