Jump to content

M'Kyuun

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5453

  • Joined

  • Last visited

1 Follower

About M'Kyuun

  • Birthday 07/05/1971

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    mcquownw@hotmail.com

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Spokane, Wa
  • Interests
    Robots, especially those that transform; LEGO; sci-fi; well-engineered toys

Recent Profile Visitors

17669 profile views

M'Kyuun's Achievements

Galactic Diva

Galactic Diva (12/15)

839

Reputation

  1. M'Kyuun
    I must confess, I was never a big Chuck Norris fan. In fact, The Way of the Dragon and Dodgeball: An Underdog Story (where he made a cameo appearance that I don't remember) are the only two films of his that I've seen. I saw the first Expendables film, but I don't recall seeing the second where he played a role (perfect genre for him, though). Anyway, while the world remembers him for his martial arts prowess and funny memes about his legendary toughness, I'm reminded of his military service in the USAF as an enlisted Air Policeman (Security Forces in today's parlance), serving two years at Osan Air Base, Korea, where he discovered and earned his black belt in Tang Soo Do and proficiency in judo. After his tour in Korea was completed, he served out his remaining two years at March AFB, CA within the same specialty. He served from 1958-62 as a military policeman, separating as an Airman First Class (A1C). I appreciate his service to the country beyond anything he did on the screen, big or small.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I had it POed, but canxed it after watching PvP's in-hand review. I was already set to pass on it and only POed it out of FOMO, the fear part being that this may be the last G1 Astrotrain we get for a long time as Hasbro moves on to other corners of the TF Universe to mine toy ideas. The G1 Astrotrain toy is the only official version I own. I passed on all the rest b/c none came close to what I wanted in a modern toy. I have the Fans Toys version, which is, IMHO, the best version of him out there in any scale, just a remarkable figure. Second place goes to Mech Fans Toys' Iron Sky, which at legends scale, also did a remarkable job of capturing and modernizing the OG toy with some toon likeness thrown in, a really good amalgamation of the two that's satisfying and good-looking in all three modes, a difficult task for triple changers. That this toy exists and did it so well (I own a KO of it) and could have served as an excellent blueprint for Takara to design from without fear of legal retribution, it's a shame they created this thing instead, which just sings of egregious compromise. TBF, though, SS86 Astrotrain's train mode looks alright, damn the other two modes. I tend to think along the lines of many other fans in that they should have just done an extensive retool on the Siege figure to address the shortcomings of its terrible train and shuttle modes. Siege Astrotrain's bot mode already looked great, and significant improvements to the alts would have been an upgrade worthy of purchase, IMHO. Anyway, I figure my cancellation is $60 saved with the hopes and many crossed digits that some third party will eventually release a CHUGL scaled figure that's a vast improvement over the lackluster SS86 figure. Sorry, no amount of red paint on the abdomen is going to fix what ails this figure- it's just proportionally wrong with the leg kibble poorly engineered and unappealingly obvious on the legs. The chest, even properly transformed, doesn't look good or correct to either his toy or toon likenesses, the arms are too thin and he appears lanky rather than stocky. The Siege toy cuts a far more fitting look in bot mode; it's a shame that his alts fell so short with too many compromises.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Indeed, my interest is piqued. My copies of Prowl and Kickback are on their way and should be here any day, but I appreciate the advanced review with all the pros and cons. I wonder why, on such a tiny fig, Wu didn't just give this mold ball jointed elbows. The non-locking chest is a bummer, too, harkening to the barely-there connecting tabs keeping his takes on Graphy and Noise combined. But, as you said, on such tiny bots, some forgiveness is in order along with acknowledgement of what he got right. I'm looking forward to getting these little guys in hand. I doubt I'll get any more, as I'm far more interested in Wu's cassettes, but these will be some nice novelty figs in my collection. Cheers for the review and the shout out, Mike!
  4. M'Kyuun
    Saw Big Convoy at my local Wally awhile back but I left it. I like BW and all, and while a Prime that turns into a mammoth should appeal, having had seen a review, it just wasn't grabbing me. Hope it brings more joy and fulfillment to you than it would've to me.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Yes. A very young Dakota Fanning turned in an impressive performance for her age. I haven't seen it since the original airing in 2002, but I remember enjoying it at the time. My memory is sieve, not bucket, so I remember little of it, but Dakota left an impression. Funny that Elle's making more of a splash these days than her older sister, as I always thought Dakota had the stuff to be an A-lister. Disclosure day is filling me with a remarkable sense of "Meh" despite the caliber of actors and director involved. @Seto Kaiba's comments ring oh so true, especially his observations regarding the alien language and its relative similarity to the gurgles. I imagine it's challenging for sound people to come up with something that truly sounds alien, but perhaps this should have gotten the thumbs down (unless this was the best of numerous previous attempts and they finally just got tired of listening to clicks and pops). Funny how aliens' abilities always have to comport to human sensibilities. What if the aliens communicate in a frequency outside of human hearing, making them essentially silent to us? That, to me, is far scarier than snap, crackle, pop. Anyway, I agree that Spielberg hit his high note with Close Encounters of the Third Kind regarding alien stories. Unless they introduce something else more intriguing in subsequent trailers, without giving the whole movie away, I'm thinking this is one for streaming.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Showing the old ToyWorld figures next to the toony-smooth clean XTB Constructicons really shows how much liberty TW took with the designs. The TW figs were my first full set of Constructicons, and I was pretty impressed with them when I first got them. I remember their being one of the more popular options during the first 3P Constructicon wars, so in that respect, I'm in good company. I'm digging very much, vicariously, XTB's and MMC's takes on these guys and all that they're bringing to the table now. They're all so very impressive, and I feel you win regardless of which set you go with. Maybe not the Fans Toys as much if you favor the independent Constructicons over keeping them forever combined. There's definitely a part of me that'd love to go in on a modern set, but I don't have room for yet another MP scaled set of Constructicons and there are still things I prefer that ToyWorld did, like the moving treads on Bonecrusher and Scavenger. So, I'm content to stick with my old TW figs, but I'll continue to watch these new figs get highlighted for all the advances they represent.
  7. M'Kyuun
    LEGO keeps tapping into more and more game and anime related IPs, but the majority hold no interest for me. One Piece, Mario, Fortnite, Sonic, Legend of Zelda, all popular but of no interest to me personally. The IP I wish they'd expand on is Horizon: Zero Dawn/ Forbidden West with more machine sets. Obviously, I'd love a Macross theme- that, along with Transformers, are my big wants. I just don't think the requisite popularity is there for the majority of the series, and of course, Harmony Gold has SDF:M all locked up as well as the VF-1, which means LEGO would have to pay at least two licensing fees to release a VF-1 set. There's a VF-1 design in Ideas right now and even if it receives the requisite amount of votes, I doubt it'll get chosen for production b/c of these issues. It already happened once before. I hope I'm wrong, as I want that set in multiples, but I've a bad feeling that it'll get passed over even if it exceeds the 10K vote threshold. If instructions weren't such a PITA to make, not to mention all the promotion involved, I'd consider designing and submitting a YF-19, as it and the Fire Valkyrie are probably the two next most popular valks and HG has no claim on them which would simplify licensing. Ghost in the Shell is another anime that would potentially deliver some awesome sets. Alas, it's a bit too mature for LEGO's younger audience. Anyone else want to venture some anime ideas that would garner some cool sets? I know Gurren Lagann will probably come up, and while I enjoyed the anime, honestly I've no personal interest in sets. But, it is popular, falls within that level of maturity for kids, and provides fodder for any number of sets. Honestly, I think it would've been a better pick over One Piece. I'd love to see LEGO resurrect Exo-Force, or something in the same spirit. Given how far they've come with some of the large, highly detailed, and well-articulated mecha in Ninjago over the recent years, a mostly mecha-based theme with a strong story to anchor it would be wonderful. I've also long wanted LEGO to extrapolate City into a sci-fi theme, with domed buildings, flying cars, and all the other stereotypical sci-fi trappings of a futuristic cityscape. I think a theme of that nature would be great fun with lots of room for imagination and growth.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Nope. I was wondering that myself, figuring the chest might, but it doesn't. I thought the print might be glow-in-the-dark, but nope to that too. I'm not a big fan of toys with batteries, so it doesn't bother me, but i can understand wanting that feature. The arc reactor print is shiny, though, so it shows up nicely when light hits it. I was more upset that the elbows were fixed in place. there's no meaningful weight or stress placed on the arms, so they could have used clicky plates or and to affect a working elbow within about the same space. I could mod it, but eh. I'll just enjoy it as the display piece it was meant to be and not worry about the articulation. $130 on the LEGO Shop site. With 1297 pieces, it's priced well considering it's a licensed set.
  9. M'Kyuun
    LEGO Iron Man Mark 3 Collector's Edition (set 76344)
  10. M'Kyuun
    I built this this evening. Iron Man Mark III Collector's Edition, set # 76344 I love the design of the first red and gold suit Tony wore in the film franchise. Let's face it, the suit design was paramount to the movie's success, so they had to get it right, and IMHO, they succeeded beyond expectations. This is the first such set of a regular IM suit, and like the Hulkbuster sets before it, it's mostly a statue, although it does have a limited waist swivel, the shoulders can rotate through both abduction and flexor arcs, the wrists can rotate and flex upwards for the famous repulsor blast pose (as you can see), and the fingers are all posable thanks to a compact and ingenious design. I didn't take a pic of the back, but he also has two panels behind his shoulders that can raise up, similar to how the various panels moved in the film. I'm not sure if that was the intention, as there's no call out in the instructions and the hinge is required to accomplish the proper angle for those panels, but it's there if you want to use it for effect. There are a number of drum lacquered gold pieces in this set, and eight printed parts: two 3x3 round tiles at the hips with mechanical design, two 2x2 round tiles with repulsor prints, two 2x2 round tiles with mechanical design for his audio receptors, one 2x2 round tile with arc reactor printing for his chest, and one 2x6 tile used for the placard. The IM Mk III minifig has new torso printing front and back as well as arm prints, and printed legs. The head is double printed but I'm not certain if its unique to this set, and I'm not concerned enough to verify. I do want to call out the designer, Aaron Newman, one of the contestants on the first season of LEGO Masters. He may not have won the final round, but IMHO, he scored a far greater prize by becoming a set designer at Billund. If this set is representative of his future projects, we're in for some amazing sets. This set utilizes a lot of assemblies positioned at complimentary angles; placing those bits on the model and seeing those perfect alignments is so fulfilling. I wish I was that good with angles in my MOCs. There is a little bit of repetition, since the arms and legs are built similarly only mirrored, but everything goes together smoothly which makes for an enjoyable build. I wish these sets were more action figure and less statuesque, but the focus with this type of set is both capturing the subject as accurately as possible within a manageable scale (about 12") and achieving stability. IMHO, Aaron understood the assignment and carried it out brilliantly. Definitely recommend.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I've thought about getting the Countach, too. Like most of the icons sets, it's done beautifully. I can easily recommend the Shelby Cobra- great build experience and gorgeous model. Every success with your Enterprise mods. I like Star Trek, and Next Generation is my favorite of the various series (TBF, I've not seen any of the new shows on streamers, although I wouldn't mind seeing Picard at some point); however, I have no interest in getting the set. I've never really been a fan of ST ship designs (except the Klingon Bird of Prey- I like that one), and besides, I've nowhere to display the thing if i did get it, and it's definitely a display piece. That's also why my 2nd UCS Millennium Falcon remains unbuilt in its box years after I bought it- nowhere to put it when I'm done. Nowhere to comfortably build it, for that matter.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I never took issue with the original Hot Rod's coloring, but then, I'm not stuck on the toon-centric thinking that many fans embrace. The OG toy is good enough for me. If anyone needs a copy of SS86 Hound, I have one unopened. PM me.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm in the fortunate position that I'm financially able to afford these toys, although $500 is pretty steep and bears some consideration before I commit. However, space to put new acquisitions has become the bane of my existence. Between a rather voluminous LEGO collection (2-3000 sets), a respectable Transformers collection (I estimate 3-400 toys), around 30 Macross toys, and an assortment of other toys that I've accumulated over the years, not to mention all of their boxes intact, much of my available space has dwindled. My wife generally doesn't care what I buy; she knows that I'm financially responsible and the bills are always priority and paid. The dwindling space for stuff and her lack of a personal space to call her own is her general complaint, which is totally fair. Eventually, I want to build an outbuilding in my back yard to use as both storage and studio; my backyard isn't huge, but it could accommodate a 20x40 building nicely. Unfortunately, I live within a small town that limits outbuilding size to no more than 50% of your available backyard, which is crap IMHO. It's my land, I'm paying for it, I don't use my backyard for anything (my dog uses it to do his business, and I mow it occasionally) and I should be able to use as much of it for whatever purpose I deem necessary so long as I'm not endangering anyone else (fire codes and such). I'd love to just put a big building back there using all that space to put all my crap, but I'm going to have to compromise so I'm hoping I can go vertical with it instead of horizontal. I just need to find a good contractor to build it for me as I'm no carpenter. I was going to buy a Sentinel Tread, but fearing what this administration might do to my VA disability, I passed. There's since been more clarity, so for now I'm safe. Consequently, I've been once again indulging in my hobbies, which are pretty much what I live for. That Sentinel Tread still appeals to me, although I remain far more enamored with the Legioss. I just love transforming jets if they're done well, and although Kawamori's realistic valks are peak, there's something alluring about the Legioss' design that has always struck a chord. It's just a cool sci-fi design with more than a smidge of believability. That said, given my druthers, with space at a premium and given the choice, I'd prefer to have more Legioss toys in lieu of a Tread. If I get my building, though, oh there will be a Tread in my future! 😄
  14. M'Kyuun
    I'll third, especially when the much smaller Legioss sets you back $500+, and yet, if their Legioss is a good judge of what's to come with their Tread, it stands to be the pinnacle of that design in a toy. That said, I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going to put my Pose+ Legioss, big chunky thing that it is, let alone a Tread that will dwarf it. Too, not sure I want to spend around a grand for it, either. If I get a Tread eventually, it'll most likely be a Sentinel version to go with my Eta.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Initially, I figured this referenced the standard Eta, Iota, and Zeta versions, but yeah, it'd be cool if these initial. more imaginative, Legioss relaseses got Treads to match. I've yet to own a Tread, and with an Omega on PO, I may just have to indulge in one for it if the design isn't too far out there. Regarding the feet, I'm wondering if the heels and toes line up if you configure the heels for soldier, but splay the toe out as seen in diver mode. Best option if so. I'm just not at all crazy about the weirdly high arches of the feet as they've been depicted in most of the promo shots. If I have to keep them in diver config while in soldier mode, so be it. Shame they didn't go just that little extra in the design process to allow for clearance for the toe to move forward a tad more like the Sentinel or the Toynami, both of which did it beautifully, especially the Sentinel. That small additional arc of motion makes a big difference IMHO. Hard to believe the Toyrise figs are smaller than the already small Sentinel figs. I'm getting the sense that these will feel comparable to a voyager/leader class Transformers figs in-hand, which isn't a bad thing, especially if they have that level of sturdiness and playability. It also keeps them space-friendly for the space-impaired, like me.
×
×
  • Create New...