M'Kyuun

Curious if Hasbro's going to have a fanstream leading up to NY Toy Fair this weekend? Takara's doing their own this Friday at 3PM PDT, from what I understand.

That's generous praise, and I thank you. Toy reviews are decidedly not my, ahem, forte, which is why I both appreciate and wait for @mikeszekely's far more skillful efforts. In this case, it's a figure I really wanted to gush over, and in the absence of anyone else posting their thoughts, I figured I'd take the opportunity. I'm glad you liked the review, @tekering. Hopefully, Mike will get his up this week upon getting his furnace fixed. Concerning the Netflix show, I agree on all points. I loved the animation, how well it captured the look of the toys, the used and abused look of everything. That was a defining element of that show that made it stand above so many others, not to mention it was primarily G1 with some Beast Wars thrown in. The voice acting, for me, is what killed the experience. It made no sense to me, either, as Rooster Teeth have done a good job with story, dialog, and voice acting over the years with RWBY and Gen:Lock, a mecha series that I wish had gotten a second season. Anyway, it's a shame they didn't hire A-list voice talent, especially any of the original VAs, to reprise the roles and really deliver a premium Transformers experience. Not sure if it was Netflix or RT that made the VA choices, but they were wrong in the worst way possible, more's the pity. So, I have to shamefacedly admit that I've not read the comics, at least most of them, and I've no excuse as Mike, out of the sheer kindness of his heart and at his own expense, burned all the comics onto discs and sent them to me. They're on my PC even as I speak, but I often forget about them (threads like this remind me, and I feel guilty). Ironically, I'm a reader, at least of books. For some reason, though, I never got into comics or manga, even having read and enjoyed some graphic novels and having had a temporary Iron Man comic subscription in my early twenties thanks to a very generous friend (I still have them in a box...somewhere). I don't know why the medium never struck a chord with me, as it's exactly the sort of nerd fare that enthralls me. I can't explain it myself. I didn't mind the story they were telling in the Netflix show so much as the gawd-awful line deliveries. Every time certain characters talked, it was cringe-inducing and I have to wonder how any voice director could have thought it was good. It just takes you out of the enjoyment of the show. Well, that's lovely on both companies' parts. 😒 Not at all surprised by Harmony Gold's detestable actions, but it's dismaying that a company that made a defining cartoon that has had influence on my life so profoundly engaged in the same sort of shady shenanigans. Since they had overall responsibility for the final product, Sunbow deserves a kick in the balls for all the inconsistencies, gaffs, et al that plagued the G1 show. However, as much as I detest its influence on the look of the toys currently, especially in the legends and MP realms but slowly creeping into main line, I won't fault them entirely for the simplification of the animation. It was the way things were done, for the most part, they had no foresight into a future forty-plus years on to see the popularity of the brand still flourishing, nor could they have predicted the influence the animation would eventually have on the toys themselves, an ironic reversal of how the G1 animation was based on the toys. It's simply a product of its time and we can only lament that fact and engage in pleasant what-ifs.

I can sympathize with your furnace woes, as we had a similar issue with ours a few years back also during a particularly cold snap. Fortunately, we learned that our gas fireplace and a couple strategically placed space heaters could ably keep the house toasty while we waited for the day when the repair company had some techs free to send out. I forget what the point of failure was now, but they fixed it. I do believe they replaced a component, although I don't think it was as major as what you're suspecting. I don't remember now. Anyway, I hope they're able to affect a successful repair and get you warm and cozy again. I figured you'd likely go in on Forte as well, and I was waiting for you to review him. In the absence of yours, I wanted to gush a bit about him. Once you've got the furnace fixed, I look forward to your far more polished review, as I'm sure does everyone else. We're of a similar mind, you and me. I might swoosh a plane, be it a transforming toy or a LEGO set (or MOC), but I don't really play with my toys insofar as mock battles or anything. I barely did that as a kid, let alone as an adult. I do find, as time passes ever more swiftly, that I'm far less inclined to even want to transform my toys anymore, as I'm less patient, more easily frustrated, and more apt to break stuff. So, I just leave a lot of my stuff alone unless I just get an itch to want to take a crack at it after so much time has passed. Fortunately, Youtube is our friend in that regard, and one can find a transformation guide or a review on just about everything to ease the process and alleviate the propensity towards breakage. From your POV, I can understand liking non-transformable Transformers if only for their more 'accurate' aesthetics and pose-ability minus the concessions and fuss of transformation. I fear I did just what you advised I don't do. I was under the impression, mistaken obviously, that Sunbow was responsible for the animation rather than a handful of subcontracted animation studios. Guess I should have read the credits a little more assiduously. I shall take that lesson into mind from now on when I levy criticism of the old toon. I don't hate the toon, and whatever opinion folks may have of Floro Dery, I understand why he did what he did with the designs insofar as simplifying them for animation, but he also 'fixed' characters like the van brothers whose Diaclone toys just didn't fit with the rest of the bots. I like to imagine what if CG had been far more advanced at the time, the old Sunbow toon a judicious mix of cell-animation and CG, and the highly detailed character models and their transformations were far more consistently depicted in the animation. It would, in the end, have been a completely different show animation-wise, and perhaps we wouldn't be fussing over "toon-accuracy" as a difference between toys with surface details and those with flat, nigh-featureless surfaces. It's fun to think about.

Admittedly, they look good. However, I retain a rather vehement prejudice against Transformers that don't transform, as, in my mind, it's rather like a pitcher who, for whatever reason, can't throw, to employ a simple analogy. I remind myself that it's a big fandom with many niches to fill, and if they bring you joy, then mission accomplished (and to hell with my bias). I do get a chuckle over your "Sunbow accuracy" statement, however, when the toon is notorious for its blatant and constant inconsistencies. For off-brand transforming toys, those don't look half bad. I see a lot of limb recycling, not unlike a certain company in Rhode Island is wont to do ad nauseum. I was waiting to see if anyone else was going to post a review, but since I haven't seen anyone post any pics here, I'll do the honors. I'm not a practiced reviewer like @mikeszekely, so I beg some forbearance, if you please. I love cassette bots; they're essentially wafers, but I've always been captivated by the ingenuity of turning those little rectangles into robotic dudes, animals, and vehicles, some even combining to form mini-gestalts. While they filled a minimal minion role to the larger cassette player bots, there has always been an inherently cool factor that Takara took the time and effort to make those cassettes transform as well as the larger bots when they didn't have to, at least not to the degree that they did. After all, they could have just formed guns, or some sort of computer gear for them, but no, they turned into articulated animals and robots, even if the articulation was minimal. The point was made, though, and the Sunbow toon utilized those designs to great effect, giving them unforgettable scenes, personalities, and dialogue to really make an impression. One of the more under-utilized was Ramhorn, an Autobot cassette that transforms into a rhinoceros (not sure if they were going for a particular species thereof). However, I've long had a soft spot for the red rhino and I was quite pleased when MMC announced their upscaled take a number of years ago. The wait is over, and without further ado, here's RMX-13 Forte: Cassette mode. As with all of MMC's RMX versions, they reimagined Forte, or Ramhorn as I'll call him henceforth, as a full-sized cassette, which offers more real estate in which they can work their engineering magic to far greater effect than the old micro-cassettes of the 80s toys. Notably, Ramhorn is completely bare of any cassette livery, unlike the G1 toys, and in one respect, it looks nice for his rhino mode, but IMHO, there just seems to be something lost in not having that deco. Anyway, he's neither the best nor the worst cassette mode I've seen, although the obvious head in the center and the legs on the upper surface spoil the illusion somewhat. The backside shares a similar fate as the front, especially with his golden weapons immediately catching the eye. Still, it's a close facsimile, and rather impressive considering the rhinoceros that unfolds out of this wafer. The bot mode: I kinda wish they'd given his toenails a light greyish paintjob to pick them out, but they didn't. Still, I think, overall, he's phenomenal. He's my second favorite of their cassettes next to Jaguar (Ravage), perhaps only due to Ravage's being my favorite of all the cassettes. Articulation wise, his head is on a ball joint with little clearance which can rotate minimally left to right (you can see the extent in the next pic), up and down, and rotate longitudinally 360 degrees if you want to reenact that iconic scene from The Exorcist with him. His neck can also rotate up and down through approx 10 degrees of arc; it's not much, but better than nothing. His mouth can open and close. His ears are on ball joints as well and can be rotated independently. His hips and shoulders are on stiff double hinges which allow for some nice height adjustments of the legs when posing. It's an excellent addition, as they could have just put them on ball joints with minimal clearance, but they put in the extra effort, and it makes posing him that much more of a treat. The shoulders can rotate through about 30 degrees of arc fore and aft in-line before the edges of the body stop them. More forward movement can be achieved if the legs are spread, although it looks awkward. All four legs can do the full Van Damme, to borrow a reference. I've never seen a pic of a real rhino doing the splits, but if that's your fancy, this guy can do it. The front and aft forelegs can also rotate through a 90+ arc on nicely tensioned rivet joints. The feet are mounted on ball pegs which offer a great range of movement fore, aft, as well as tilt. There's a tension hinge just behind his shoulder humps that allows his entire rear end to rotate back and up in a nice arc for a slightly more aggressive stance. It also helps to elongate the body somewhat so he doesn't look as scrunched in profile. The above pic shows the extent of head rotation to the side. I wish that ball joint could extend out of the neck a little for addition rotation, but it's fine. MMC did a nice job of trying to fill, or at least obscure, the hollow space between his side panels. You can still see through the gaps but given the nature of his alt mode and transformation, it's forgivable, especially for how well the final rhino mode turned out. I forgot to mention that the tail can be raised and lowered. although it has no side-to-side movement. His weapon packs are also mounted on hinges, and the lower two pics illustrate the full extremities of their ranges, a nice feature that, once again, MMC didn't have to do but it's appreciated. Here he is with two other third party Ramhorns: Fans Toys's version in the middle with KFC's most recent take on the right. Until I had MMC's in-hand, I felt that KFC's was the definitive version of this guy, and really, if we're only looking at micro-cassette scale, he is, IMHO. I had high hopes for the Fans Toys' version, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. Regardless, it's ultimately an unfair comparison given the amount of real estate MMC had to work with compared to the micro-cassette scaled figures. I just thought it'd make for an interesting pic. Here he is with MMC's other quadruped cassette bots: Considering that Jaguar was their first model in this series and released nine years ago, I think he still holds up marvelously well compared with his more recent Autobot compatriots. That said, I think Forte (Ramhorn) looks excellent next to Tempo (Steeljaw), and Jaguar (Ravage). These figures exemplify the term "masterpiece" in terms of their engineering and aesthetics. For now, MMC owns this market exclusively, and I hope they continue to expend the roster of cassettes. I, for one, would love to see their takes on Ratbat (of which I believe a prototype has been shown), Sugfest, Overkill, Squawk Talk and Beast Box, Grand Slam and Raindance, Dile and Zaur, Graphy and Noise. Except for the drone, which sucks comparatively, I'll take all the cassettes MMC is willing to make, and I hope they do continue. So, that's my mini review of MMC's RMX-13 Forte, yet another excellent addition to the line. I'd be remiss if I didn't say I absolutely love him and, without any reservations, I highly recommend him.

For my tastes, Transformers, and transforming toys in general, appeal from all aspects, not just one in particular, which is why the FT offerings just aren't appealing to me. MMC grabs my attention, as I'm a longtime fan of their products (more of my 3P MP collection are MMC toys than any other) and I'm enamored by their all-in-one engineering, which is the pinnacle of what I desire in a combiner, but also on the merits of the aesthetics of both the bot and vehicle modes. IMHO, they're knocking it out of the park, even if the toon look isn't my particular fancy. It is, however, the trend, alas, and I grudgingly accept it. That said, while it's a close race, I think I'm even more taken by X-Transbots' Constructicons. Every figure that they've released thus far has been beautifully executed. There's a part of me that would love to replace, or accompany my old ToyWorld Devastator, and if I had to choose between XTB and MMC, I'd have a hard time making that choice. I'm very reluctantly passing on these, as I simply don't have space for another MP scaled combiner, but we as fans have some impressive options before us. The only actual bummer is that they're not all designed to work universally with one another, as being able to pick and choose from amongst the three companies' toys based on preferences would be grand. However, we're still spoiled for choice and that's a good thing. Ultimately, I'm an articulation fan, and I'd probably go with MMC just for the cumulative number of boxes they check.

Regarding Astrotrain, I wouldn't mind a heavy retool that addressed the major i8ssues with his alt modes, namely the entire unfinished upper aft section of his shuttle mode and basically the entirety of his locomotive mode which was just a hot mess from start to finish. His bot mode was the only thing they got right with that figure, and I hope they're able to do him justice with this new release. Mech Fans Toys did it far, far better at legends scale, so one would think Takara could do at least as good with a leader budget. As to Shockwave, his G1 gun mode was far enough removed from reality that I never understood the need to deviate or change it. I hope this new toy does the character justice as well and that he's pretty-darned close to the G1 toy in both modes. Takara's Overgear stuff is mildly interesting thus far. I've no intention of buying either, but the fact that they seem to want to do their own proprietary take on Transformers apart from Hasbro is interesting on its face. I get the sense that Hasbro saddles them with far too many restrictions and a line like this allows them some freedom while remaining on-brand. I'm curious to see what they do with it over time. I wonder how they'd go about realizing Jetfire. Would they attempt to do an SR-71, or, like Blackout, opt for an entirely different sort of airframe (than Bayformers), albeit a large one, say, perhaps, more like the B-!B? Or perhaps something completely fictional "based" on a real aircraft. Time will tell, I suppose, depending on the success of these initial figures.

Powerglide, Warpath, and Seaspray were such annoying characters. I understand that they wanted to make them colorful, but the over-the-top-ness of the voice acting just lost me, even as a 13-14-year-old who loved the first season and really wanted to like the second.

Yeah, thank Primus for that. 🙄 It's a nice inclusion, but for me, it's attention to nigh pointless minutiae (let's face it, that episode wasn't the best the series had to offer) when the overall vehicle mode is suffering terribly. If they made car modes as bad as they make jets, the fandom would go apesh!t. I feel like the lone voice of dissent, but I call 'em as I see 'em. Takara just sucks at making jet alt modes. Add 'ol onomatopoeia-spouting Powerglide to the list.

SSSHHHH...Quiet! Someone from Mattel might be lurking these boards and you're giving them terrible, terrible ideas!

I'm not a car guy thus Hot Wheels have never really been my jam. However, I do like the aesthetics of some cars and I've always admired the ceaseless inventiveness and creativity of the folks behind both Matchbox, originally a British company, and Mattel's Hot Wheels. (Mattel bought matchbox in 1997) Obviously this is a toyline ripe with potential for media, especially given the range of variety and styles amongst the various vehicle designs over the years, from extremely fanciful to modern and realistic. IMHO, I don't think live action is the way to go, but rather animation. The IP is well-suited for both racing and intrigue, ala Speed Racer, which would make for a great formula. I'd love to see Mattel partner up with the likes of Production IG and produce a well-written show that focuses as much on characters as plot, as well as the use of many of Hot Wheels' designs over the years to great effect. that's something a non-HW guy like me could get into. Guess we'll see how the live action movie goes, but I suspect it'll be lowest common denominator fodder, rife with cheese, middling acting, vacuous plot, and likely short on some of HW's more fanciful and out-there designs which could far better be rendered and utilized in animation. I'd rather see a more mature series (thinking along the lines of Gargoyles, Tron: Uprising, or even more mature anime fare). Given its nigh 58-year history (and Matchbox's even longer history), there are a lot of older fans of this franchise that would be served by a mature and well-developed story and characters, moreso IMHO than a dumbed-down movie aimed at kids.

Sorry to hear of the furnace troubles, especially at this, the coldest, time of year. I'm happy to hear that you're once again cozy and warm. Sorry, too, to hear you missed POs; I can relate, even if today was one of those seemingly rarer occurrences when I was aware of them and able to benefit. Glad you were able to secure preorders on Amazon- at least we have options in that regard, most of the time anyway. Anyway, cheers to a working furnace and the promise of new toys!

I POed Powerglide, b/c I like his overall design, but as usual, his jet mode suffers the slings and arrows of Takara's carelessness. Would it have killed them to put those engine stalks on hinges so they actually sit above the wings as they should? It would've helped greatly, too, if his entire robot chest could rotate 180 so that the narrow end faced forward in jet mode. As it is, the chest ridges poking out of either side of his fuselage look terrible and they can't be unseen. I've been pretty impressed with most of the updated, upscaled Minibots thus far, but I should have checked my expectations when it came to a character who becomes a jet. I don't even see a way that an upgrade kit could fix its inaccuracies, more's the pity. gripes aside, I'm glad I got him POed as, of this post, he's sold out on Pulse.

Got Powerglide, TFA Ratchet, and TFP Smokescreen. I wanted TFP Cliffjumper, but he didn't appear with the other preorders initially and sold out within minutes, so I missed out on him once again. I thought about getting Swerve, too, as I own no toys of the character, but his alt mode looks odd with the too-small tires and those cavernous wheel wells. Just so, I'm happy with my Gears fig. Seems Hasbro severely underestimated the demand for Cliffjumper. I like that mold and thought this a good reuse. Moreover, I own no TFP Cliffy toys, and I liked how this one turned out so I was rather elated that he was going up for PO on his own instead of in a pack. Edit: I caved and got Swerve anyway, despite my initial misgivings. I was thinking of getting TFP Cliffjumper at one of the other etailers, but once you factor in the high cost of processing and shipping charges, not to mention $6 sales tax for WA, I'm paying almost twenty dollars over MSRP and quite frankly, it's just not worth it. The free shipping is the primary reason I've stuck with my Pulse membership, so it grates a bit when POs sell out within moments of being posted or I miss them altogether. edit2: I POed Cliffjumper through Walmart for $24.97 + tax, and free shipping since I ordered a PS5 game too. That's even better than Pulse.

I find it rather unpalatable that they didn't include the requisite minifig with this. The chintzy old 80s robot build just doesn't equate. I'm curious if the head can accommodate a minifig should one buy the set and want to put one in there. Anyway, by now, with many AFOLs, many of them Classic Space fans, working as designers at LEGO, the knowledge that LEGO Space fans generally look forward to any opportunity to collect retro Space figs in their original or new colors is a given. This is a bit of a middle finger in my humble opinion. I'm glad they did the set, but that particular omission leaves a sour taste.

Those are are distracting, but not so nearly as much as the huge feet hanging off the end of his hitch deck. For all the other clean origami they pulled off, it seems nigh absurd that they just folded the feet in on themselves in situ rather than folding them into the legs for a more realistic-looking truck. On the whole, though, it's a nice looking Prime figure. I like my Magic Square Light of Peace better; IMHO, it's the best MP scaled Prime figure yet released. I wish they'd upscale Doomsday, their legends scaled take on Megatron, to both CHUGL and MP scales. I'd be down for both without a second thought.