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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Ah, ok. I haven't used Walmart for too many, if any, preorders that I can recall. I'm leery of using Target as well as they've cancelled preorders I've placed more than once which leaves a sour taste. Of late, my local Wally has been getting figures in more plentifully, but SS86 Soundwave remains elusive. I have to wonder if one of the employees is in the know about the demand and scarcity and is taking advantage of their access. Anyway, it is what it is, and I'm curious if he'll get some sort of a toy-deco rerelease, which would be my preference anyway. I'm assuming it's a rerelease of the Siege figure, perhaps with some minor retooling. I'd prefer a whole new mold that fixes everything that was wrong with the Siege. Guess I'll wait for the official reveal to see what, if any, changes have been made. And too, like you, if the changes are substantial and improve the figure's alt modes considerably, I'll try to secure a PO with Pulse as well, or Amazon failing that.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Where'd you find a PO for SS TFTM Astrotrain? I've been looking for pics and POs with no sign of either. I even checked Tomy's site to no avail. Same for Hasbro Pulse. My sincere hope is for an all new mold to correct the WFC toy's many issues, but since Hasbro likely won't, I hope they'll at least give the Siege toy a much-needed overhaul to correct the glaring flaws of the original release. Likewise the inevitable Blitzwing.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I need to correct this statement, as I just remembered that I owned a small Dollar Store VF-1 toy as a kid. Mine was mostly blue and IIRC, the biceps, thighs, feet and fists were grey on my copy. Otherwise, this was the toy that I had. I grew up in PA about six miles south of a little town called Ridgway. Regarding tv, weekly afternoons from about 2;30 (about the time the bus delivered me home) until around 5PM, Saturday mornings from about 5AM until 11-12:00, and Sunday mornings from about 5-8ish I'd say, I watched all sorts of cartoons. During the weekday afternoons, I mostly watched GI Joe, Thundercats, & Transformers . I remember Silverhawks being on, but I never got into that show. My friend must've had better cable than we did b/c he had The Galaxy Rangers on his tv crystal clear, while I had to arrange the 'rabbit ears' on my little 13" B&W tv in my room to try and get it. It was a chore to get it to come in with any clarity, and when I did it was still usually pretty grainy and hard to understand. So, I think it came down to the quality of the cable package you had, and I think ours was probably on the low end. I was always an early riser, and quite dedicated to watching my cartoons, and I don't recall ever seeing Robotech or Voltron on at any time during my childhood. I knew of them only through the toys in the Christtmas catalogs, and I never got any of those toys. IIRC, my first brush with RT was when I was stationed in Florida during the early 90s. However, I only caught snippets of it here and there and never quite caught anything that really piqued my interest (like valks flying around battling the Zentradi- that would've certainly struck a chord). I've still never seen any of the OG Voltron, but I loved the Netflix show. I tried to get into the 2011 Voltron Force show (with Garry Chalk playing some military bad guy), but I just couldn't get into that show. I absolutely love the Lion designs, though. We were supposed to get toys of them from Mattel, but the show got axed and the toys never materialized, although early versions of them were shown at SDCC. And that's the closest we ever got to having toys from Voltron Force, but boy would I love to see a modern take by the likes of Moderoid, Sentinel, etc. It's still my favorite incarnation of the Lions and Voltron, and arguably, if those early mockups are a good judge of the toys to follow, would've given us some of the most articulated individual Lions in the history of Voltron toys. What a shame they never came to pass. Looking back now, I don't ever recall seeing RT Alpha toys in the catalogs. I vaguely remember VF-1s, and of course there was Jetfire. That Monogram model, though, is the only Mospeada related toy that I owned as a kid, and ironically, I didn't know it was Mospeada, let alone Robotech. I knew it wasn't actually Gobots, as branded, but as to its actual origins, I hadn't a clue. It was just something random and very cool to my younger self.
  4. M'Kyuun
    While my nostalgia for the G1 toys takes a definitive backseat to the appeal of modern toys, I must confess that I've a soft spot for the G1 Dinobots, especially Sludge, the only one I had as a kid. My hope is that the whole team will get made and I'll get my chance to own the version of Sludge as I wish he'd been back in '85. I keep hoping for Prowl to be announced, since TT will get the most bang for their buck from the Fairlady Z bros. Prowl was my first TF figure, and I kinda destroyed him in my misguided attempt to give him leg articulation. A Missing Link version would not only restore my G1 toy, but in an articulated form I wish he'd had when I was a kid.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Even the light-up lightsabers, which make more sense IMHO, were a very short-lived gimmick (that also crossed over to City as flashlights for police). It seems the build quality of the sets in which these smart bricks are being employed is rather substandard to poor; for my money at any age, I'd rather have the most accurate depiction of the subject matter over lights and sounds. However, that's just my own preference as an older LEGO fan growing up in the very analog days of the 70s and 80s. At any rate, you make a good point about LEGO's other attempts at integrating the digital into their regular building play pattern, and they've all ended with lackluster results. IMHO, LEGO is best as a construction toy, so ever-improving on that core tenant should be their focus. Edit: I'll amend my comment about lackluster builds, as I bought a few of the Hidden Side sets, and while I cared little for the digital features, the sets themselves were good to downright excellent builds, judging from the few I own personally. Looking at the other sets, though, I thought the majority were brilliantly done, as they not only had the digital features on the periphery, but most of the sets themselves had transformative features built in to represent the haunted nature of buildings and objects. It was imaginative and well-implemented, IMHO, one of their better stand-alone themes.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I've never been a big fan of lights or sounds in my toys. It just never mattered to me, and the toys usually suffer concessions for it, especially from the 70s-90s when electronics were much larger, energy burning incandescent light bulbs were the only option, and the toy required a voluminous load of batteries to affect the functions. That said I own a number that have said gimmicks, and every now and again I'll activate them for a quick thrill and to make sure the batteries are still viable. My favorite of these toys is Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus: Jeff Bennett's Robert Stack impression is spot on and his lines, taken nigh verbatim from the show, are still smile-inducing. Second runner up would be Agent Knight with his William Daniels sound-alike delivering KITT's lines, and that pulsing scanner and the whoo-whoo sound effect. Good stuff, that. However, smart bricks aren't the breakthrough innovation I would have asked for, either now or as a wee lad. A family of this, however- that would be game changing.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Appreciate the news. Hound as another frickin exclusive isn't the best, but maybe Pulse will have it for a limited time and I, and other Pulse members, can score a copy. Thanks, Mike.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I'm 54, so I lived through the 80s experiencing some of the cool stuff from that era. Saturday cartoons as well as afternoon cartoons reigned supreme in my kid schedule. Ironically, I neither saw Robotech nor Voltron growing up. My wife grew up about an hour north of me and she watched Voltron. I guess our particular stations didn't have it. Anyway, that Monogram model was the only Mospeada/Macross/Robotech thing I owned as a kid, as I never owned Jetfire either.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Temptation won me over- I preorderd the Pose+. My inner child is all a-giggle.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I envy you your nostalgia. For whatever reason, Robotech didn't air on any of our stations growing up, or it did and I wasn't aware of it, as I would have loved both the Mospeada and the Macross portions of RT. Southern Cross, what little I've seen of it via RT, seemed like a step backwards concerning the mecha and I instantly lost interest in watching it any further than a few eps. My experience with the Legioss, oddly enough, comes via Gobots via the Monogram Leader One model kit, which blew my teenage mind with its intricacy, its articulation, and its ability to transform seamlessly, not to mention all the opening panels and retractable landing gear. It represented everything I wished Transformers toys would be but weren't. I had little experience building models, especially one this "elite", but I managed it. I neither painted nor stickered my copy, but I loved it just the same- for the short time I had it. my dog, just a pup then, somehow got ahold of it and chewed the nose up. I was bummed but I held on to the thing for years- in fact, I may still have it in a box somewhere. there's just something about the Legioss' design that speaks to me; it's definitely more of a sci-fi plane than say the Macross valks, which are far more grounded in realism, one of the traits I adore about Macross, but there's a cool factor to the Legioss. It just looks great in both modes, IMHO. Anyway, I got the Toynami Bernard Alpha years ago, craving a decent looking Legioss/alpha toy. Of course, the Toynamis were riddled with issues, and my copy was not immune. I still have it, but it's just a deskoration at this point- I try not to handle it too much and transformation is pretty much not happening. I jumped on Sentinel's Legioss, a beautiful toy that's a touch fiddly. It hangs out in my Detolf. Now the Pose+ shows up with the potential of being a more robust, easy-to-handle toy, and I'm slavering all over it. 🤤 As I mentioned, I'm extremely tempted to get it, if only to have what's basically the most detailed version of the Legioss yet produced, right after the Sentinel, which previously held that title. That they're making it with an eye to playability appeals to me as well, as I tend to be a little heavy-handed with my toys sometimes, which is why I tend to refrain from transforming the more involved ones in my collection, short of initial procurement. I have a lot of transforming toys, but most of them have only been transformed a couple times, or just once b/c I'm afraid of breaking them or b/c the process frustrates me. Patience is definitely not one of my virtues, so it's better that way and I enjoy them as the beautiful things they are. Anyway, that's my ramble. Here's a pic of the box for that model. Of course, they had a same-scaled version of the Ride Armor that they called Cy-Kill. Kinda funny now looking back. I knew these weren't actually Gobots, but I had no awareness of Mospeada, either, so for years I had no idea where the design came from. I believe I owe it to this site, actually, for educating me on Robotech, and all that's associated with it, so thanks MacrossWorld!
  11. M'Kyuun
    Great review, as always, Mike. My copy of this guy and Thundercracker are on their way, so I should have them in hand soon. It's a shame they didn't expend just a wee bit more engineering effort towards cramming more of the roof/hood kibble into his legs to clean him up a bit and make his legs look a bit slimmer in bot mode. Perhaps a third party will come up with a solution. Love the integrated weapon storage, which at this point in the franchise, IMHO, should be a standard feature for all Transformers. I hate tabbing guns willy nilly on the outside of vehicles, as it looks terrible and ruins the whole disguise aspect. The ankles are indeed weird, but as you pointed out, totally within sacred toon accuracy. 🙄 Regardless, I'm glad we finally got him. Now they just need to give us a proper G1 Mirage- the WFC figures were inaccurate to both toy and toon in numerous ways and it deserves a good representation like the others we've been getting. 'Til then, my Classics Mirage is filling the role. Love that figure but, admittedly, it's not entirely accurate either. We need a proper G1 Mirage in Legacy.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Jeepers, this thing looks amazing, and it' sounds like it's engineered to be handled and played with. I'm so tempted, but I'm having a hard time finding spots to display my HMR figs, so I don't know where I'd put this monstrosity, and the price tag is a bit steep. I love my Sentinel, but I don't really like handling it. This chunky beast looks like it might be a little handier. All the features they baked into this thing just tug at my core being- just beautiful and cool. It's a most impressive toy judging from these early looks.
  13. M'Kyuun
    This has Kill Bill vibes- different premise, but the snark and fighting feel similar. Looks like an exceedingly fun film. Rip looks interesting as well. Will give it a watch.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Well, if other folks are like me, they're less concerned with the character and more so with the design. Done right, like SS86, he has both nice looking bot and car modes which makes for a desirable toy. Design and aesthetics have always mattered to me more than lore. I've never quite understood not getting a cool looking toy due to its portrayal in media. Toys appeal to me on their own merits. Wouldn't mind owning the Earth version of Hound (I have the Siege toy), but Classics Hound, one of my favorite figures, has been filling the role in my first season G1 display for years, and I'm fine with that being a continual state as I already have the other four characters in their non-toony goodness and I feel no compunction to double-dip. I think they're all good figures on the whole, though, so for those who didn't manage to get their hands on the previous individual releases, this is a nice set, especially if you're down with the plain toon look. First, what a wonderfully terrible pun! I actually LOLed when I read it, despite myself. Bravo, sir, bravo! Second, is it me or does he look more like some alternate universe Iron Man than a Transformer? To me, it looks more like a weird suit of armor or like it's a guy doing cosplay. Give me the G1 designs any day b/c at least they look like they turn into stuff.
  15. M'Kyuun

    Arcadia VF-5000G

    M'Kyuun replied to daBlah!'s topic in Toys

    Man, those look good. Experten's really strutting his stuff with that design; unlike a lot of his garage kits, which betray their compromises, this thing looks so well-designed and put together. It just whetts the appetite for a proper toy.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Really?!!! I had no idea. That show was so kitschy and appealing to kids (with some adult humor in there too, just like a lot of Looney Toons). I thought it was great when I was little. However, the Superfriends cartoon largely eroded Batman's appeal for me as I got older, as he couldn't really do anything without his utility belt. I called him Utility Belt Man for years until '89 rolled around and Burton's Batman was announced. As it happens, I had a friend who was huge into Batman, including the comics. I got him a copy of one of Frank Miller's graphic novels for his birthday, and of course, I read it before I gave it to him.😄 That changed my perception of Batman quite a bit as well as all the info my friend and his brothers told me about the character, as I think they were all versed somewhat in the comics. Batman: TAS went a long way towards righting the wrongs of the old 70s and 80s Batman toons- just an excellent show. Warner Bros also started turning comics into animated movies, which also lent some grit to the character for me. Rocksteady's Arkham Asylum/Knight series still stand as some of my favorite games and just a fantastic depiction of the Caped Crusader. It's a shame they stopped at three games. With all his tech wizardy, Batman and Cyborg definitely qualify as sci-fi staples, at least for me, as they both rely on neo-futuristic tech to do their thing. Batman Beyond certainly qualifies, as that's sci-fi through and through. I still need to finish that series. I started it last year and kinda fell off. It's good- I'm just easily distracted by shinier things and then I forget.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Beautiful lineup! Some of Kawamori's most striking designs, especially the YF-19. Love it!
  18. M'Kyuun
    Interesting. I just had an upgrade kit from TFSafari get delivered this past Saturday by Uniexpress. Normally these things come via USPS and get put safely in my mailbox. The Uni guy put the package in front of my garage instead of putting it on my porch. I wasn't aware of the delivery, as I didn't look at my email, so it sat in the pouring rain and then my dog destroyed the outer cardboard box and part of the inner product box before I discovered it on Monday. Fortunately the innards were still intact and serviceable, a lucky break for sure, as my dog is a serious chewer and would have absolutely destroyed the contents had it remained outside for much longer. The kicker is that the Uni dude took a picture of the package placement from inside his car and he caught my dog scrambling down the porch steps in the photo he sent me. Lesson learned- I need to really stay on top of tracking in the event these guys deliver another package. BTW, this was my first delivery from them AFAIK. Not the best first impression. As to the VF-19 Fire Valkyrie, the painted and lined shots look great! Kudos to the talented folks who enhance the beauty of these lovely beasties and generously share pics. Like other folks here, I'm not a big fan of the red and yellow/gold or the face, either, but I still love the design, the silhouette. I went for the HMR version of it, however, as it was the more affordable and space-saving option, since I'm out of room for 1/60 scaled valks. Moreover, it's pretty much perfect transformation, and that, too, appeals to me, as well as its being a smaller capture of the larger DX. I own a Yamato Blazer valk, and I love that thing's design, but I like the straighter nose of the HMR/DX. I'm happy to have both in my collection. The other aspect of the HMR toys is that they seem more playable, if that makes sense. I'd rather fidget about with them than the 1/60 toys, even if a little more care needs to be exercised around needle thin antennae and such. That said, and in spite of my lack of space, I'm still holding out useless hope for Arcadia to release their VF-5000G. I'd far, far prefer it in this color scheme, but I fear beggars can't be choosers, and we'll be lucky to get it at all at this point since it was revealed back in 2022 with little news since. I'd happily take and HMR, though. 😄
  19. M'Kyuun
    I get what you're implying, but honestly, I don't think anyone was really thinking that way in the 30s and 40s. I never made that correlation as a kid watching Batman in the 70s and 80s so I think that's more of a worldly adult POV. In retrospect, a lot of superheroes have questionable costumes hence the reason none of the actors in recent decades have worn skin-tight body suits like Batman '66 or Chris Reeves' Superman. Beyond that, the majority of female superheroes and villains were drawn to accentuate their feminine appeal, which generally means a fair bit of skin showing or just really form-fitting suits with ample bosom and plenty of cleavage. That trend carried over to sci-fi as well.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Well, you're not wrong. It is odd that she traipses around in a thong regardless of situation or environment and nobody bats an eye or shows any discomfort. I realize she's fully prosthetic, but it seems she's anatomically endowed and fully functional. She sleeps topless in just panties next to a teenaged boy in 2nd season after emerging from the shower in said panties with naught but a towel draped around her neck to partially cover her breasts. Moreover, after he inquires whether she can have sex, she playfully invites him to find out. A bit risqué if not ethically questionable. If the genders were reversed, I think there would've been far more flack and attention given to it back when it was airing on tv. What's more disturbing about it is that she's a cop.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Cat guy, too. I thought about grabbing some of the other kits for the Constructicons, primarily the ones with replacement arms, but the expense just doesn't seem worth it to me when so much of what's in them would just stay in the box. Hence my wish for an arms-only kit. I think they'd get more sales of that than these kits with superfluous stuff in them.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I wish one of these 3P upgrade kit makers would release a scope that transforms to make the part between the arms look like it's part of the tank, y'know grey with some tank grrebles, and make the part of the scope forming his cannon rotate up and down so that the tank mode looked and functioned more realistically. It seems like such a no-brainer to me, as that was my first and only want from an SS86 Megatron upgrade kit, and yet no one has done it. Maybe I'm just weird for wanting that? My DK-71 Long Haul upgrade kit arrived on Saturday, but I failed to see the delivery email, so it sat outside for two days in the pouring rain. To make matters worse, my stupid dog ravaged the cardboard box it was packed in, as well as taking a chunk or two out of the actual package within. Fortunately, the contents were all intact, so small mercies. FWIW, a company called Uni made the delivery and they placed it out in front of my garage instead of bringing it up on my porch. Not sure if the dog was out at the time (he's a 90lb pitbull-husky mix and looks like a German Shepard), but it seemed an odd place to deliver a package considering how many deliveries I receive. The vast majority attempt to put it on my porch, and one delivery person, afraid of my dog, was intercepted by my next-door neighbor who was kind enough to bring the package over. Either that, or, fearing my dog, they'll postpone delivery to another day. FWIW, my dog is big, he jumps a lot when he's excited, but he hasn't a malicious bone in his body. Anyway, I'm trying to think of a solution so that it doesn't happen again. My wife won't let me get rid of the dog, as much as I've emphatically declared how badly I want to be rid of him for numerous reasons beyond his ruining my toys and preventing deliveries, although those are high on my list. Alas, it's my own fault for agreeing to getting him when he was a pup. Shoulda known better. As to the kit, it adds some nice waist swivel to Long Haul and raises his legs in combined form to cover the area behind Hook, which looks better to me. Too, it lowers the wheels to ankle level in Long Haul's bot mode, which also looks better. Kinda wish they swung inward instead, but it's still an improvement. I still wish they'd release an arms-only upgrade kit with improved arms for Bonecrusher, Hook, and Mixmaster. No useless horns, no fillers- just arms. I'd buy that for a dollar, or $40-50.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I don't mind scantily clad women; however, make even the minimal apparel fit the genre. If she was wearing a two-piece bathing suit with a gun belt holding a laser rifle and wearing some sort of space helmet or even a visor with headphones and a little mic, with maybe a hint of some cybernetic limbs, at least she'd fit the part. Just, no Vikings in a robot battle, please. Having just watched GitS: SAC, Major Kusanagi comes immediately to mind as one of those more well-known scantily clad sci-fi women, and I'm good with it. More Motoko, less Viking. 😄
  24. M'Kyuun
    As popular as the Dinobots are, making new toys is like printing money. I'm sure Grimlock will sell well (heck,, I've not been interested in the line thus far, but even a Missing Link version of Grimlock has my antennae perked). I'm sure we'll get the whole team, righting a serious wrong that they committed with MP Grimlock. 🤣 Typical! I'm just now getting caught up on the news (7:30 PM), but I noticed those shoulders right off the bat, which I'm sure is the point of contention. FWIW, I don't disagree; that was a well-pointed out niggle that most fans had with SS86 Hot Rod (and Rodimus), which despite that particular wart, still stands as one of the best releases in the SS86 line. However, Takara should have the awareness that simply upsizing a retail figure or bringing over a well-pointed out weakness of said figure into a MP figure is just a no-no. This was a read-the-room moment for them and they're obviously oblivious or just don't care. Since I've pretty much dropped out of MP scale collecting, I have nothing to gain or lose. I'll just watch from the sidelines as the fans gather with their torches and pitchforks. And then fight to get in their preorders anyway. 😄
  25. M'Kyuun
    I like everything about that last painting except the out-of -place Viking chick; she's too much of a fantasy trope that sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise very sci-fi environment. For the record, I'm not much of a fantasy fan, and I generally like my sci-fi more on the science-y side than otherwise. The robots look great, the domed cities in the background are absolutely apropos, and the ships, which remind me of a cross between manta rays and the Horton Ho 229 or this set from the LEGO Ninjago Movie are fitting. If the girl was wearing some sort of space suit or jumpsuit with sci-fi accoutrement, it'd be perfect.
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