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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I like transforming toys, but these and Hasbro's Bot-Bots do little for me. I dig the idea, but the execution is underwhelming. These got me to thinking, though, I remember getting a transforming locket sort of toy for my sister when we were kids. I couldn't remember the name of the line by rote, but some Google-Fu did the trick. They were called Sweet Secrets by Hasbro. I got the bird for her, likely b/c it was unique amongst the rest and had more of a Transformers quality to it. Not sure what she ever did with it or if she even remembers it now. These came out in '84, so I'm thinking Hasbro was trying to apply the popularity of one transforming theme for boys to a girls' line.
  2. M'Kyuun
    While I'm not a model building expert-far from it-, I think it'd be cool if Moderoid would or could get the Macross license and go hog wild on all of Kawamori's pantheon of transforming mecha, even the variable police craft from M7 or the Octos from M0.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I used needle nose pliers to gently push those tabs down into their slots and only then was I able to get them to engage as they should with, what I would assume, especially after seeing the ease at which it was accomplished in a couple transformation vids, undo force. I haven't untabbed them yet to see how they'll re-engage, but as I generally display my bots in bot mode, I feel no immediate compunction to try. As it is, the torso is locked solid and I can pose it however I wish without the worry of it coming undone and going all PEZ dispenser on me. I'd recommend the pliers approach to get your copy's torso to lock as well. Of course, despite all the other plentiful die-cast in this thing (it's a frickin' brick in your hand), those panels with the L-tabs are just plastic (go figure) so exercise care. I haven't tried the toothpick trick, but I'll keep that in mind. I used my fingers and managed to get them to seat somewhat in the palms so they're not just hanging in there loosely, but y'know, with all the other clever stuff they pulled off, would it have hurt to put those shields around the grips on hinges so they could swing out allowing unhindered access to the hands for leverage? SMH I can't speak to XTB's stuff to any great extent, but first issue Eligos was my second XTB toy (after Apollyon) so that should tell you something. 😄 Gawd that thing is a PITA to transform, and like so many other Eligos owners, the tabs on the piece that go around the cockpit broke on mine the first time after I tried to disengage it to go back to bot mode. I still like the look of Eligos, but I've no burning desire to ever transform him again. That said, I was a little dismayed that XTB was the only game in town doing Omnibots, but I bit the bullet out of pure desperation and FOMO. I think they're nice-looking toys, but they're still XTB with PITA transformation stuff (needlessly, IMHO), weird design decisions, etc. However, the car modes are gorgeous, beautifully painted and detailed, as well as all the G1 sticker details in the bot modes. On their faces, they're beautiful toys- they just have their finnicky bits to contend with. FWIW, I think their Constructicons have all looked amazing thus far. I'm not buying them, but I do think, out of all the current contenders, I like theirs the best, and that's saying something b/c MMC's got skin in the game, all-in-one, no less which is my fancy, and I think I still prefer the overall look of XTB's. Too, their Long Haul, to wit, is the ONLY Long Haul toy ever to have a proper dumping bed. You'd think by now that would be a standard feature for the character, but no. That seems like such an easy thing to design, especially given all the crazy clever origami these companies manage otherwise. Go figure. Anyway, I'm glad to finally have some updated Omnibots, and overall, I'm pretty happy with how they look and handle, Fioravanti's (Overdrive's) awful leg transformation notwithstanding. That said, I'd love to see some other leading contenders, including legends makers and Tak/Has, jump eagerly on that bandwagon. More Omnibots FTW!!!!
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yes. No. I'll agree to disagree. The Feios looks like a flying pancake. Moreover, it has smooth, unbroken lines whereas the Xiwanshe design is broken up, with a great deal of obvious layering effects across its surfaces. It would be, by virtue of design, very prone to drag. The Xiwanshe is a good sci-fi design, but unlike Kawamori's generally more grounded valks, impractical. Potentially, although I'm thinking Kawamori would smooth out all the rough edges and layering effects. I like the design, I'm just looking at it from a view to aerodynamics. However, anything will fly with enough thrust behind it. regarding the DNA kit for Alpha Trion, I like the look of those wings in flight mode, and they make for a nice cape in bot. I'm not going to spend the money, but I do think this meets the criteria for a proper upgrade, as it enhances any number of aspects of the figure, which is already pretty good, IMHO. Oh my, yes! I'm waiting on my copy to arrive, but FINALLY, a complete set of Omnibots! As much as I have to grudgingly agree, Downshift being the only one I owned as a kid and still my favorite, I think the poorly named Camshaft takes the prize as their best overall design amongst the three. XTB needlessly complicated the leg design on Overdrive, making it a tentative and frustrating process to transform, IMHO. YMMV, of course. I feel there's something off about Downshift, but I can't quite pinpoint it. I like it, but I have that feeling. Ironically, Camshaft was always my least favorite of the three, but I think XTB did their best work with this guy. The bot proportions are really good, and his car mode, as do all three, looks amazing. Camshaft's G1 toy arguably had the worst weaponized mode, and that follows with this fig despite XTB's attempts to update it and clean it up a bit. IMO, anyway. Still, it does the gimmick as it should. I'll be happy to have him in hand to place alongside his two partners. Now Takara, and Hasbro by extension, needs to crank out some Legacy Omnibots. We've waited far too long for official updates. edit: After I finished this post, I checked my mail only to find my copy of Camshaft waiting for me. Great looking figure! So happy to have all three at long last. Nevertheless, two complaints: first, the back of the car that swings under the upper torso has two L-shaped pegs that basically drop down into slots in armatures and the near entirety of the upper torso is seemingly only held in place by gravity. I tried squeezing down on them to see if they'd engage a little more firmly, but they don't seem to. That means the torso instantly disengages and pops up like a PEZ dispenser with any amount of handling. I even watched a couple transformation vids and it appears I'm doing it right, so if your experience is different, correct me please! BTW, the torsos in both vids seemed to tab firmly unlike my fig, so IDK what I'm doing wrong. Second, by virtue of the shields around the guns' grips, I find it almost impossible to get any leverage to allow the pins on said grips to insert into the slots in the palms. All I can do is try to close the fingers as tightly around them as I can and try to avoid bumping them lest they pop out of the hands and go flying. Edit 2: I used a pair of needlenose pliers to push those L-shaped tabs into their slots, at which point they engaged. It just surprised me that I needed those, as they don't just drop into place and lock on mine as I've seen in other vids. I have to squeeze the armatures inwards, too, for proper alignment. As those pegs are only plastic, I'm rue to just push down with any force, as I fear breaking them off. I already broke one of the seat bits on Overdrive when it got stuck in place and I had to use some force to get it to move. Just so, I'm leery to apply force to anything.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Points to Takara for their inventiveness, which is still exciting to see even if the final results thereof don't enthrall me, as these do not. I'd rather have seen the budget go towards producing a more G1ish Mirage for Legacy or perhaps some Omnibots. And though they just rereleased the Earth mode Hound, let's face the fact that it doesn't skew at all towards the prevailing cartoon look at all. In fact, it doesn't really look like the G1 toy beyond the front of the jeep forming his chest. As with Mirage, too many liberties taken beggar for more faithful figures to follow.
  6. M'Kyuun
    BBTS has Swoop for $55.99, Skids for $20. Gears is available for just under $35 on this Amazon site. happy hunting!
  7. M'Kyuun
    You're the best, Mike. As it happens, I'm finding your post in retrospect, as I saw it on Target while eating my lunch and just finished my PO before popping in here to find your post. I'm grateful still, as I rarely see these preorders until it's too late and it's a comfort to know you've got me covered.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Preach!!!!!! A completely new Mirage figure that adheres to the look and basic transformation of G! Mirage is a serious omission, at this point, when all of the other G1 characters' toys have been adhering rather faithfully to an amalgamation of toy and toon forms. Classics Mirage is still the closest we have to that, and I love that toy, front wheel backpack notwithstanding. He's still my G1 Mirage until there's something better. And FFS, make the damned Omnibots already! They're spending budgets on made up Junkions, Weaponizers, creating alt modes for Primes who never had them, and doing deep dives into the lore to make really obscure characters into toys, but the Omnibots were part of G1 as well, even if they never featured in the cartoon, an unfortunate omission IMHO. I think they and Tracks should have all been a team, as they all had weaponized tertiary vehicle modes (MASK before MASK was a glimmer in Kenner's eyes!) and would have possibly started a tangential play theme within Transformers. Had they been utilized as such in the toon and comics, perhaps they would have proven popular and spawned more of the like. We'll never know. I would have been down for it, for one.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I'm not so sure I'd call that a sixth-generation fighter, as it looks to have more in common with a Gundam waverider, albeit a far sleeker one than we usually see. It's just a little too sci-fi looking with way too many gaps and overlapping panels and a lack of a proper cockpit. Visually, it's quite busy, whereas modern stealth planes are all smooth contours. It's cool, don't get me wrong, but it lacks realism in its flight mode. However, if they did an anime or a game with this as a featured mech, that'd be cool. Edited to add that there simply are not enough games where you can play a transforming mecha, a lamentable omission in the already sparse mecha game genre.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Great review, as always, Mike. I've still not seen this guy in the wild, but as I'm not really a fan of the vanilla toon aesthetic, I wonder if it's for the better should they do a toy-style retool with additional molded details and paint. I'd rather have that over the plain toon styled version. As a cassette bot fan, I'm not really feeling these ones. There are too many compromises and I'm not at all a fan of the partsforming aspect to complete the robot modes. I can understand just the weapons, but when Ravage, who looks more like a bulldog than a lithe panther, has to have his tail pinned on separately, there's something fundamentally wrong. The G1 toys did it better, and that's the reverse of how it should be. As to the cassettes' weapon storage, it's a shame they didn't borrow from the MP toy's solution and hide them in the hollows of the legs. Speaking of which, I'm not at all crazy about their reusing the Netflix Soundwave's backwards leg transformation; they should have followed the G1 toy's schema, again, like the MP. It's a bit disheartening when even the legends scaled figs are getting these things right and doing it better overall. Final nitpick, for now: I wish every version of G1 Soundwave could store his weapons, which should compress into relatively convincing facsimiles of batteries, in his backpack like the G1 toy. The original toy did so much right towards copying RW cassette players and I wish all those salient details were observed in modern iterations. I concur with your observations regarding Thundercracker: he's an upgrade from the WFC, nee Classics, mold, but honestly not really that much of one when you consider all the inaccuracies and hollow areas in fighter. At least TC's heels are proper augmenters instead of the hinged heel flaps on the WFC mold, but I really wish they'd found a way for his big chonky toes to fold into the legs and out of sight in fighter. The WFC solution at least cleaned up the plane mode in a more appealing manner, even if it was inaccurate. I wish his grey chest panels could swivel into the central gap to fill it in and reduce the fighter's profile. It would have been great, too, if his intake ramps were the proper shape and were mounted on double hinges to allow them to be moved back in bot mode for head clearance. The intakes as molded are ridiculously undersized and the wrong angles compared to the real fighter. I'm also disheartened to see the slight angle change of the trailing edge, which the WFC and Classics mold captured, omitted from the wings. Some folding main gear in the knee pads would've been nice, too instead of just resting the ass-end of the plane on his unconcealed toes. The only improvement, really, was to skew the robot aesthetic towards the toon, an aesthetic which doesn't appeal to me. I wish there was more balance to the design, with more attention given to fighter, but at this point, I'm pissing into the wind.
  11. M'Kyuun
    That would be cool on its face, and perhaps usher in new designs to boot. I would also hope that in some way it'd annoy Harmony Gold.
  12. M'Kyuun
    This mold is geared for fans of the Uber toon look as opposed to the greebled look espoused by Generations/Legacy. Ultimately, if it doesn't appeal, pass on it, as they'll undoubtedly roll out a new mold in 5-10 years.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm a far more recent Mospeada fan, and no where near as ardent as you, but I've been a big fan of the Legioss/Alpha since the 80s so I feel ya. After a long drought, we're now drinking our fill of Mospeada goodness.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Well, I may have potentially experienced something like that, but I followed Jenius' guidance to first raise the stabilizer out of the arm before orienting the closed fist palm forward. I fit like a glove and there were subsequently no issues with that stabilizer causing damage. BUT, I'm glad you mentioned it (I'm so terribly sorry that that happened and I'm glad you got a replacement hand), as it's a very relevant cautionary tale, one I'll most certainly be mindful of going forward. I'm not sure how much longer I'll keep my Legioss in fighter, as it's shoehorned into my crowded Detolf. It just barely fits in armo-soldier mode, so I had to feng shui some stuff to make the fighter fit so I could close the door. After going through the transformation last night, taking my time, I'm less apprehensive of the process and more appreciative of all the features that Sentinel incorporated in such a small yet complex toy. It's a thing of beauty, and it only whets my appetite for the much larger, even more feature-packed Pose+.
  15. M'Kyuun
    +1 I actually like the color scheme, especially the darker green, and I like the AWACS aspect. The lance makes little sense, and the canards are ridiculously too big, but I could live with them. I don't care for the aft wing beavertails- they just don't look good and add nothing to the other two modes. Moreover, while I dig forward swept wings, these seem like they're in the way in Soldier mode. It'd be cool if, like the Sentinel, they were on armatures that let them swing back a piece. For now, I'm skipping both releases, although the Omega appeals to me more at this point. I am curious to see what other variants they roll out in the future. I own neither an Iota nor a Zeta version of the Legioss, so perhaps I'll snap up one of those when they're available. While I'm in for a Pose+ Eta, which looks like it's also being geared towards playability, it's a huge toy with an equitable price tag and I think it'd be nice to have a smaller, less wallet-killing yet playable Legioss toy to mess about with. It's funny- we've been starved for Legioss toys for decades, and now suddenly we have three options for good, to really good versions of it. Got up the courage to transform my Sentinel Eta last night with the help of @jenius' guide. (Thank you!) Mine's a first edition, with all the issues thereof. I had some trouble trying to get the legs to slide fully forward into the chest cavity for fighter, but eventually I got it, barely. It was resistant. The shoulders are a PITA to snap into position- they just do not want to align or snap in very easily. I managed it, but not without a lot of finagling and a touch of cussing. Gotta admit, though, she's a beautiful bird once you've expended the labor of getting there. I'm usually a fan of realism when it comes to aircraft, hence Macross' appeal, but I've always loved the look of the Legioss- it's just a great sci-fi plane design. I'm so glad we have some good toy options now.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Takara Tommy Mall Live Shopping: Toys & Goods Mail Order│Takara Tommy Official Mail Order Site "Takara Tommy Mall" They talk about the Toyrise Alpha at 48:18. Be advised, the video lags or just stops quite often. If the blue and yellow one is a proper product and not a test shot, it appears that the landing gear are too short and the thing rests on its chest. It also appears like the feet can be spread a bit and the heel position altered to look like the OG design.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Quoted from @Mog "But yeah, we can still criticize the design choices made." Oh, we will!😄 This is Macrossworld, after all, and not just a few of know our stuff about aircraft or transforming toys (thereof). Plus, a little nitpickery, such as the good Captain's, is kinda warranted if only to emphasize the level of derp in the design. As to "Lancer" there, everyone's toy barometer of tolerance reads differently, so if you like it, get it, be happy, and show us pics of the darned thing! Let our remarks of snark and derision be so much chewed bubblegum under your shoe- scrape us off and rejoice in your silly toy!
  18. M'Kyuun
    You bring up a good point: fashion. Most of us are here for the hard sci-fi stuff: ships, weapons, mecha and robots, futuristic vehicles, buildings, landscapes, and technology. But fashion is another aspect of sci-fi that makes a statement and adds to the world-building. In Megazone 23, everybody's living in (what they believe to be) 1985 Tokyo (conveniently, the year it was released). The fashion follows and reflects what was popular in at least America at the time. Love those leg warmers! 😄 Bubblegum Crisis ('87-91) takes place in 2032, not far removed from where we are now. Their outfits would still be passable today, mostly. Not sure what the hell Linna's wearing. Ugh! But what about Logan's Run (1976) which reflected the era's free love and widespread drug use. The fashion is definitely adjusted to fit the characters and the roles they play in that particular future society. I'm sure we've all seen sci-fi where the apparel isn't too far off from the current, and then we've also seen sci-fi where the apparel definitely made a statement adding to the look and feel of the world. Fashion is often overlooked, by me as well, but there are times when it definitely adds to the atmosphere. Star Wars and Star Trek come to mind for their very different wardrobe choices and how they complement the world aesthetic in each.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Well I concur, but I also look at these particular affected sets in the perspective that they are aimed at young children (ages 6, 8, and 9 respectively). The problem, of course, is the costs of these sets. Already, you're dealing with the Lucasfilm markup, but then the additional cost of the new technology makes them a hard pill to swallow. For AFOLs/TFOLs who are more advanced in their tastes and building ability, these sets, admittedly offer little bang for the buck, with simpler builds and low piece counts. If kids are interested, I feel bad for the parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles buying these for them due to that high price tag. And if the kids lose interest after five minutes, like many do, it'll be a monumental waste of money for a so-so gimmick. It's a shame that LEGO didn't introduce this technology in a homegrown theme like Creator or Friends where costs could be minimized by virtue of the lack of licenses. The smart tech would have affected prices, sure, but perhaps the financial impact wouldn't be so severe. That said, I wouldn't judge the entirety of the year's success based on one new technology. LEGO has plenty of very successful themes, and if the January wave is anything to judge the rest of the year by, I foresee another successful and profitable year for them, as they can afford to absorb some amount of loss through experimentation. Friends was an experiment, too, after multiple failures, so I wouldn't write anything off yet. Who knows, SMART Play may end up being a roaring success, especially if they unveil AFOL oriented applications of the technology later in the year.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Impressive work, @F18LEGIOSS2. I haven't the wherewithal to produce my own toys whole cloth like this (which is probably a good thing b/c I barely have room for all the toys I own that other companies have produced). The closest I come is designing my own transforming mecha with LEGO, a completely different approach, and one that's nowhere nearly as refined or complex. I wish you continued success on this project. Thanks for sharing the process with us; it makes the final result all the more impressive for all the work we see being put into it.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I don't mind that color scheme. However, I don't like the fugly beavertail behind the wings. I think it would've looked much better had they just continued the angle of the trailing edge all the way in to just behind the arms. Those canards are ludicrous. 😄 Not at all a fan of the giant jousting lance, either, but then I've never been much of a fan of melee weapons with mecha. It seems to me if you have the tech to build a mecha, the weapons should be equal to or surpass that technology, so clubs, swords, axes, hammers, etc, no thanks. Give me energy weapons or those that fire projectiles. I do like that these are being made to be playable- more toy than collector's pieces. However, from what I've seen, I'm not crazy about the foot design nor the apparent lack of a retracting mechanism for them in jet mode. They did an admirable job elsewise capturing the look of the Legioss, so it boggles why they'd make such a departure with the feet. Anyway, props to Toyrise for making Legioss, er, Alpha toys that are indeed meant to be played with. As for me, I'm gambling, most expensively, on the Pose+ scratching that itch, as it, too, seems to be made with easier handling in mind. It offers quite a bit more than that, but then it should for the asking price. It's a very faithful capture, building, IMHO, on the advances manifest in the Sentinel Legioss, and that's what I want on my shelf. I am curious, however, to see a review of the Toyrise Alpha, especially to see if, in fact, the feet can spread to achieve a normal Legioss standing pose. If so, I may have to nab one of their variants down the road as it looks like a fun line with many a liberty taken. If they did a low-viz, I'd definitely be interested in that.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Well, SS MTMTE Hound is yet another PO I had no idea about and missed on Pulse and Target. I really wish Hasbro would send some kind of notification the day before POs go up for members- it's the least they could do since we're paying for the privilege.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I've not read any of Shirow's GitS manga, but I'm not surprised by the content judging by the GitS film or by the Major's meager apparel in the first season of SAC. Shirow obviously likes the ladies as near to nekkid as possible. His mechanical work is brilliant, though, and I love breakdowns, so that aspect of his work is appealing. It's commendable that he shouts out his inspiration as well. As to Moebius' work, there's much to love. The nigh-dreamy atmospheres his works evoke invite you in and make you want to visit. That's an impressive accomplishment. Some of his landscapes incorporate a bit of the everyday in them, which imparts a hominess, as well. That's a very appealing aspect I also like about Simon Stalenhag's works- a mix of the everyday with sci-fiction elements blended seamlessly. Thanks, and I'm happy to see it bearing fruit. I figured we're all a bit nerdy here and there ought to be a centralized place where we can just post cool sci-fi stuff. Moreover, as an international fandom, there are sure to be artists and artworks that those of us across oceans or even across borders have never seen or been privy to by virtue of geography or a lack of popularity outside of the artists' regions. Hopefully, this will be a place for them to be become better known and appreciated.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Well, I think the sounds will vary, and I doubt kids, or adults for that matter, will ever stop vocalizing engine sounds, pew-pews, etc. I still do it at 54, and I've no intention to quit. As to the useless stuff, I look back at all the little fig bases for Dimensions (I've got a Tupperware container full of those figs and the little builds for that game), and the myriad brick separators that I've attained over the years. Granted the separators are useful, but at this point, I have a lifetime supply of them already, and 20-30 more years of buying sets and accumulating more separators.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Joe Meno, AFOL, friend, and most notably the creator and chief editor of Brickjournal, an AFOL based LEGO magazine, elucidated on the properties of the new "smart bricks". Here's a quote from his Facebook page: Did some reading on the LEGO Smart Play system (nope, not at Vegas to see it - and won't be at New York either for Toy Fair to see it) and have some thoughts on it. The first thing to note is that the system is not targeted to AFOLs - it's specifically pointed at kids. The system is basically a very tricked out Light and Sound System from the 80s (I think) that got sized down to a 2x4ish brick. It looks 4 plates high, so it's a touch larger than a brick. It's an action/reaction system using minifgures and tags that has the potiential of lots of interactivity on a certain level. The tags are on tiles and specialized minifigures with RFID chips, which is pretty clever - that places memory on the tiles, which reduces the overhead of the smart brick. The smart brick is a slave to the tags - it has some basic startup functions at the start (shake to activate and blinky LED to indicate activation) but needs the tags in the minifigures and tiles to react. The actual chip is less than the size of a stud, which is pretty impressive on a tech scale, considering there's a accelerometer and a processor to load the tag info. There's also a light sensor and a speaker in the brick. This appears to be a closed system, so hacking may not be allowed. That would be a reflection of target market. However, the other implication is that all the hackable areas would be in the RFID. Memory, firmware...it could all be done in the RFID. This makes it easy the brick to stay relevant for years - it's the tags that get updated. The interaction shown was dogfighting or lightsaber duels, which is okay, I guess. Would like to see other ideas, especially for groups. The set seem to expect individual play. But the wierdest thing is the charging pad. It's not LEGO compatible. That makes NO sense. A user has to place the brick into this tray on the charger plate to charge....why couldn't the charger be a piece or baseplate? That is a trip in design process.
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