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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Bayverse aesthetics notwithstanding, I don't think it was a poor idea to have triple changers per se, but the choices of alt modes for both characters neither agree in proportion nor make any mechanical sense. I think an Astrotrain, or perhaps a Blitzwing would have made better sense, as you're working with much larger, bulkier vehicles where the transition and the hiding of various bits would be more believable. Turning a sports car into a jet or a helicopter stretches the imagination like so much silly putty, unless it's a M.A.S.K.-like conversion. I think that being able to do anything with CG is sometimes, as in this case, too much like magic rather than technology, and thus suspension of disbelief becomes strained. Pertaining to the third party Astrotrains above, while Transportation Captain looks like he'd be more fun, his shuttle mode lacks pronounced OMS pods that are defining features of the STS orbiter. His bot and train modes look good, though. Even without OMS pods, he's still looking better than the Siege version. TW did a better job with Evila Star (Devilstar, at one point, IIRC), but the bot mode has some concessions, especially those legs and feet. I had given a little bit of thought to the TW back when he was released, but ultimately demurred. I've got my eye on the FT version in the works, as it's, so far, shaping up to be the best all-around version thus far. I'm also looking at their Blitzwing, although the slightly downward canted intake ramps bug me. Overall, though, it's looking like a pretty decent figure. I do wish, however, that someone could make a Blitzwing where his arms don't end up as big blocks under the wings of his jet mode. Integrate those big guns, guys! +1 on Mike's Siege Mirage review: great G1 bot mode with good standard articulation but a subpar alt mode that's almost there, but a little spoiled, no pun intended, by the choice of transformation system employed. I guess it can be forgiven since he's still supposed to be a Cybertronian car; I hope we get an Earthrise version that's spot on.
  2. M'Kyuun
    He's a pretty cool figure, and one I never thought we'd get. I wish they could have named him Skyfire, as that's more accurate, but whatever. He's Skyfire to me. Anyway, not a bad fig to find on clearance. I hope you enjoy him; given all the previous Jetfire toys and their concessions, this was a well done surprise from HasTak. I was contemplating getting Siege Ratchet from Walgreens, but with the advent of Earthrise looming, I think I may just wait it out and see if an earth mode van version comes out, as that'd be my preference. Kinda wish third parties had made a heavily modified Siege tetrajet Seeker mold that cleaned up better without the legs hanging down underneath. I would have loved to have had screen accurate versions, but the Siege toy was shite, IMHO. Now I'm hoping one of them will make an improved KO of Siege Astrotrain where the whole cargo bay section is smooth and he has his OMS pods like the real orbiter. The official's bot mode looks great, but both train and orbiter modes leave somewhat to be desired. Pretty disheartening, as I've been waiting for a G1 accurate Astrotrain, and, after the abysmal TR version, Siege seemed to be the most promising line, and they almost delivered. Almost. What's even more gulling about the thing is it comes, like all the leader toys thus far in this line, with a bunch of add-on stuff to complement the voyager scaled figure, and one would think that they would have included a panel to fill in all that nastiness in his upper aft section. It boggles my mind how they can do such a great job on some figs, and others get released looking incomplete, or just straight up half-assed.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Chiming in on the new MP Bee, I watched Skully's review yesterday, and I think he was spot on both with criticisms and praises. I love the alt mode and the articulation. Takara nailed both. And, as Bobby and others have noted, Bee looks great from straight on. But, give him a slight turn left or right, and that's when the faults of the toy become apparent, especially the backpack and the backs of his feet. This is one of those cases where the vehement need to stay true to the animation model really hurts the final figure. Moreover, while I think Takara have some amazing engineering skills, they're kinda hit & miss depending on the figure. I think they could have done a better job with Ironhide and Ratchet (it took a third party add-on to cover the nasty gap in the torso under the arms), I'm not crazy about how they made Megatron's upper body (all that unnecessary origami which leaves the gun looking very panel-y). As for the new Bee, I can't help but think that more of the car could have been utilized in his bot mode, thus eliminating some of the shell. The backpack looks like an unfinished mess, like they just gave up trying to make it look smooth and compact. It's decidedly not masterpiece level engineering in my eyes. The same goes for the feet- they just look terrible, and having made much better looking feet on a previous version, I wouldn't have faulted them in the least for borrowing that design. If it works, don't fix it. Anyway, like the new MP Prime and most likely the new Hound, MP-45 is an easy pass. More and more, I find myself moving away from official MP figs in lieu of third party offerings. It's not a situation I like, but as Takara continue the current design trend, I find their MP figs to be less appealing than some of the alternatives.
  4. M'Kyuun
    I'm not a big fan of the Studio Series to begin with, so in this case, disappointment never felt so right. Bring on the worst, Mike! Scored a copy of Seige Barricade and Mirage yesterday at my local Wally. Unfortunately, they didn't have any Bluestreaks. I've got Smokescreen on his way from Pulse, so eventually, once I find Streak, I'll have the whole collection. Barricade is nicer in hand than he looks in those pics, although I wish there were more paint apps to his torso, or some dry brushing to bring out the mechanical details. I really like the mold, so in this rare case, the more the merrier. Mirage is better than I thought he'd be. His car mode is ok- it looks the part from the front, but, since his faux chest becomes the rear of the car, the back end looks odd since it's supposed to look like a Formula One nose countersunk into the body cowling. And his forearms , I guess, are supposed to form some sort of air scoop behind the cockpit, with the blocky biceps forming the spoiler supports, altogether forming a very un-aerodynamic feature. Alas, his bot mode is fun, especially the range of foot motion, allowing for some nice dynamic poses. As Siege moves into Earthrise, I hope Mirage gets a redo more in line with his G1 counterpart. In my mind, Classics Mirage is still the toy to beat. Love that figure! Same for Jazz and Hound- both stellar toys that'll take amazing new figs to best them, IMHO. But Earthrise Grapple and Hoist look amazing, by far the most G1 updated versions we've had since the originals, and I hope the line tries to maintain this approach. This is what I've been wanting for years in the mainline, and while CHUG got close with certain characters over the years, there seemed to be a LOT of license employed for the majority. So, so wish they'd do a gun Megatron, just to keep all the characters accurate to the originals. God damned gun laws. Still hoping, too, that they'll make a new cassette deck Soundwave with upsized cassettes to match the originals. That would be awesome.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Cool. She's a character that I think would translate very well within their aesthetic.
  6. M'Kyuun
    If Nicee does well, I wouldn't mind a Windblade in this style from Big Firebird. I hope BF give you optional chestplates to vary her endowments. The overall figure is just beautiful, though. Great style.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Hasbro got their pound of flesh from me for Unicron, but honestly, I went in eyes wide open. It's not as well done as I think it could or should be, especially given that it's targeted more at an adult fanbase with plenty of disposable income, but I figured this would likely be the only opportunity to an official Unicron this well detailed. I do wish they'd made him less of a panel-former, or at least found a way to integrate or hide said panels better (the thing is huge, after all), and given that they have 30+ years experience making these toys, expectations are, like the price, pretty high. Anyway, the deal is sealed, as it were, and so I await my copy in a couple of years, which gives me plenty of time to make a shelf for him next to my CHUG shelves. In the meantime, looking forward to the Earthrise Seige figs. Lots of complaining on the TFW board about the upcoming Starscream having no waist rotation, but I'm more plussed that the waist skirt is one piece, and that it shares the same huge hollow area under the forward fuselage that its Classics inspiration had. I still think the Classics was a decent toy, but it was by no means perfect, and unfortunately they basically just upscaled that figure rather than taking the opportunity to improve it beyond just ankle articulation. Ah well. They could have done worse.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I noticed the similarities to the Classics Seeker mold, too; was also hoping for something more streamlined and closer to the MP design. Oh well- at least the arms tuck in flush; that's already a monumental improvement over their latest spate of jet-formers, Jetfire notwithstanding. Agree with Mike that Prime looks to have some similarities to the Bumblebee Movie Prime toy. Not necessarily a bad thing, although I wish they could have incorporated the front wheels. Oh well, it still looks like a pretty good fig, and it's the most G1 take on Prime in both modes since the original. I don't even mind the trailer. And yeah, a Micromaster Roller would be cool. Should be included. As for the rest of the G1 homages, IMHO, they're all looking pretty sweet to this old G1er's optical sensors. Nice to see a Cliffjumper who's not a BB repaint. Looks like HasTak took a cue from 3P and included his cannon and waterskis. I'm not at all familiar with Ironworks; is he from the comics, or just something Hasbro made up to make a toy? It's interesting, in concept. I'm not a big partsformer fan, in general, but the modularity of the alt mode lends a sense of practicality and fun factor to the alt mode. Soundbarrier- scraping the bottom of the alt mode barrel! Reminds me of the old SNL skit where they mention the Women with Mattresses on Their Backs. They should have allocated the plastic from this thing into producing the aforementioned Roller fig.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Just tuned in, and I'm pretty pleased to see Siege going all Earthy already, as I believe this is supposed to be a trilogy line like the previous. Anyway, if Prime and Grapple are the standard, I'm getting purdy excited to see what else they roll out, pun not really intended. Looking forward to seeing how well the new Seekers are designed- I'm hoping for something akin to a scaled down and simplified MP-11, with arms tucked in and not just hanging off the sides like they've been doing. I wonder how much they're going to change on Megatron, as his first version is pretty close to an Earth tank already. I hope for a gun mode, but know it'll never happen, more's the pity. What I really want to see is a properly scaled Soundwave with G1 compatible cassettes- that would be excellent, and it's not like it hasn't already been done. Anyway, bring on the G1 homages, HasTak. My wallet's ready! My shelf space is another story...
  10. M'Kyuun
    Nicee turned out, well, nice! Even with the stylish take and anthropic embellishments, it's still Arcee. Giving a choice of heads is a nice touch, too, and I like the sculpts of both- much more modern anime inspired. I wish she didn't have quite so much back kibble, but I think they did an admirable job of trying to stylistically minimize it to thin protruding bits akin to what we see on Gundams and other anime mecha/bots. Definitely would make for a striking presence on the shelf.
  11. M'Kyuun
    The Ostrich and the Elintseeker are both rare and interesting models of the VF-1, although my preference is for the latter, of which I own two from this last batch that Arcadia released. I have no interest in valks in other scales, as 1/60 is a good size for display shelves, while allowing for quite a bit of detail and features to be incorporated. All my Yammie 1/48 VF-1s, beautiful toys though they are, rest peacefully in their boxes. As the majority of my Macross collection is 1/60, that's the scale I have on display, and it works well. The VF-1 has been done to death; I'd like to see them do a few valks that haven't been done before, especially the VF-14, the VF-3000, the VF-9, or the Variable Glaug. Any of these (and more) would be welcome additions to many a collector's case, I'm sure. Given their rarity in any kind of toy form, I think any of them would be a profitable investment for Arcadia.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Some nice looking Stunticons there. Fans Toys? That Wildrider looks like a nice figure just on its own, but that die cast plate in the leg looks like it was half-heartedly painted, which erodes the spit-n-polish of the figure. Still, I think back to the 80's toys, and it makes me appreciate what marvels these modern Transformer toys are, official or non.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Anime52k8, you're vignettes really bring home how expressive the MP figures can be, to great comical effect.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Great picture- no words necessary. Totally should become a meme.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Yea, totally. I got G1 Ratchet as a kid, and although I knew what it looked like from the toy brochures that came with all the toys (a practice that still gives me a lot of joy and nostalgia, and that I wish Hasbro still observed), having it in hand just really brought home what a half-finished feeling figure it was. I'm not sure what the designers were thinking, or why Hasbro stayed with the Diaclone toy, but the decision to completely reimagine Ironhide and Ratchet for the toon was great and prescient thinking. Imagine had they animated them to be more like the toy, anemic looking bots rolling around on their little treaded sleds. So, although I rail a bit against the totally-toon or bust design philosophy espoused by Takara, so far as the van bros go, toon design all the way! I thought they did a fair job with the van bros design, but I do wish they'd figured out the door idea employed by Shadow Fisher's add-on, and I wish they'd figured out a way to have Ironhide's back cannon permanently mounted and retractable as part of the final design. I know lot of folks take issue with the front of the van sitting too low and looking like a beer belly, but it honestly never bothered me. They look like Ironhide/Ratchet to me as-is. Different strokes. Still, better than the G1 design!
  16. M'Kyuun
    I know; it saddens me deeply that the -23 isn't protecting our and our allies' skies today. I've said it from the beginning, when Lockheed won, America lost. What really always perplexed me about the decision was that stealth and speed were the highest priorities in the ATF program, and they chose the lesser performer in those two areas, as the YF-22, and F-22, by extension, had greater dogfighting skills due to its vectored thrust. Well that's wonderful at an airshow, but in real combat, the best tactic is to avoid close range fighting in favor of long range targeting, and both superior stealth and speed remain the most favored attributes of military fighters. QFT! Everything about it was ahead of its time. Too bad the decision makers weren't. She certainly does. Typical brass- I don't know how it happened, but sometime in the mid to late nineties there seemed to be a shift in the mentality of military leadership from the top down wherein tree trunks were sharpened and thrust not-too-gingerly within the collective anuses of officers and senior non-commissioned officers alike throughout the various echelons, and all fun , all whimsy, all creativity, and all joy was stamped out and crushed asunder like so much dog sh!t under a boot heel. We lost a lot of people due to drawdowns on force size, but the number of missions increased, procedure and safety were foot-stomped ad nauseum (not that either is a bad thing, but , as in all things practical, common sense should rule the day when procedure is more of an ideal than a reality. I speak from a maintenance POV), most TDYs to anywhere not a wretched deployment site all but vanished, attitudes soured (guilty), and most military functions, which once were fun and looked forward to, became exercises in 'forced fun' that the majority of folks would rather avoid. My first eight years in the Air Force were punctuated by fun and an overall enjoyment of military life. I got out for a year and a half, and decided to re-enlist and make a career of it, which I did. But the remaining twelve seemed more of a grind, a long marathon of misery to get to the finish line. But I made it, and now I can try and look back on it more fondly than when I was in. But pics like this, along with the story, just bring back memories of my frustration and why I couldn't wait to retire. Bad ass pic, and I salute the folks who did the paint job and the spirit in which it was done. In the larger scheme of things, it's a small thing that brings a bit of joy and patriotism to the troops, and it saddens me that leadership couldn't, wouldn't, or didn't recognize the morale value and at least make an effort to keep it. But, then again, this is why nose art is nigh but an anachronism today, and even when it is allowed, there are so many rules attached to avoid offense that most modern nose/tail art is lame compared to that of yesteryear. Thanks for sharing that E2 pic, mcfly50. It warms my heart to know that, at least for a short time, it was making folks happy and proud to serve.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Been watching a number of anime on cartoon network, and one that stands out as a guilty pleasure is Food Wars. Amidst the innuendo and fan service, the show can actually teach you something about the culinary arts. It's unlike any anime I've watched before, as I'm mostly a sci-fi/mecha/action/drama sort of guy, but the show is light hearted fare, and behind all the silliness, when they expound on various cooking methods, there's a glimmer of experience informing the content. It's a fun show that my wife and I have taken a liking to. just don't watch it hungry.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I'll be glad when Takara's obnoxiously ardent devotion to toon accuracy abates, as I'd prefer to have the alt as real world as possible, and those vehicle details, plus additional mechanical details to enhance the bot mode, be evident throughout. I never would have thought that toon accuracy would be the direction they'd go in the MP line- just the opposite. But here we are, and the sooner they abandon that philosophy, the better, IMHO. However, for those that like their figures over complex for the sake of trying to have vehicle realism but uber-plain bot modes, you're wish has been granted. With MP-44, though, I think Anime52k8 makes a good point- they took the pains of adding wipers and rivets, but didn't paint any of those realistic details, and the overall impression comes off cheap and superfluous. They should have just gone total toon with both bot and cab- completely plain. The only thing about MP-44 that I like is the articulation- it's superb. So far as overall look in both modes, I'll stick with my MS-01. His mirrors could stand a secondary attachment, and his hitch deck is a bit thick, but otherwise, he's a fine Optimus Prime figure.
  19. M'Kyuun
    You're not kidding about the TF boards- so much vitriol and invective over there, no matter what thread you look at, it seems. You'd think by now they'd moderate it better to try and maintain some semblance of peace and harmony, but apparently no one cares and the bad behavior continues. It's a pretty toxic environment for a toy hobby board. I generally stay away. Much prefer discussing TFs here. So Siege Omega Supreme looks pretty good. I'm not, nor have ever been, a fan of Omega Supreme. I thought his G1 toy was crap back when I was a kid; it just didn't seem like a true Transformer to me, with all the, what we now call, parts-forming going on. Animated Omega Supreme was the first instance of the character that I embraced, and I still think it's the best incarnation (so, so, so wish we'd gotten a toy), but this figure, admittedly, has my attention. Like others here, though, my space is limited, and becoming moreso with every passing year. I wish houses grew with sunshine and rain, but unfortunately, unless you live in a tree... And I still have to make room for a potential Unicron. So space, or lack thereof, is definitely becoming a limiting factor. But, as to the figure itself, I think Has/Tak did a great job updating him. I love the elevated track- there's just something really cool about that that appeals. Moreover, the way they designed his arms to become the rocket, as well as making it accommodate small figs inside the nose cone, is fantastic , even if it is partsformery. It's good playability and some nice engineering brought to bear to give it a cohesive transformation on its own. It's also a nice bit of additional playability that his tank can open and carry small figs. They didn't have to, but it's nice that they did. Having no previous affinity for the character, I guess I'm able to see this version in a very positive light. For such a large figure, they gave him a pretty good range of articulation, they imbued all his separate parts with some functionality/feature, his sculpt work looks amazing, to me anyway, and on the whole he just seems like a really good update, a fun toy, and one that had the benefit of some love from the designers incorporated into the design. There's a part of me that wants to get him, but I have no idea what I'd do with him, as he wouldn't fit on my CHUG shelves, and I have nowhere to really display him. Alas, first world conundrum.
  20. M'Kyuun
    The SV-51 is one of my favorite valks, and I still have my old Yammie standing tall on the display shelf. I seldom ever touch it, and if memory serves, never had any issues with it since I opened it and transformed it a few times. It's been in battroid ever since. Of course, it suffers the same weak hip joints that most Yamato 51s did, so I don't consider that an issue per se. To the point, are there enough updates with the Arcadia to warrant buying a copy if the original Yamato is still in good shape?
  21. M'Kyuun
    Not to derail the topic, but... https://news.tfw2005.com/2019/09/12/war-for-cybertron-siege-leader-class-astrotrain-in-hand-images-396400 I can't understand why, with all that add-on accessory chunk, they couldn't make a plate to fill out the aft cargo section and OMS pods for a complete orbiter. I could accept a little parts-forming to make it look better, although it should have been designed better from the start, IMHO. It makes me wonder how some of these figs are done so well, and then stuff like this, which looks half finished, gets through final approval. It's even more mind-boggling to me when the fig comes with add-ons, but nothing in those add-ons addresses such a glaring lack of finish. After the tragedy that was TR Astrotrain, I had really strong hopes that this would finally be the definitive G1 Astrotrain homage I've been waiting for, and it almost is, but that shuttle mode just bugs the hell out of me, as that's my favorite alt mode for the character. I think it's a bit underwhelming, too, when compared to the G1 toy, whose alt modes are both superior to the update. I hate it when this hobby disappoints.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Makes perfect sense, if you're Michael Bay.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Paid a visit to the Air Force Museum in Dayton last month and got a shot or two of this beauty:
  24. M'Kyuun
    I got my Seige Refraktor Recon Team yesterday, and decided to take a few comparison shots with the G1 toy: Overall, I think it's a nice update, and although the guns may look a bit wonky, I like that both shields and guns become accessories for the camera mode. The additional wrap-around panel (Shutter Armor, per the instructions) for Spectro (red), Flash Launcher for Spyglass (blue with yellow chest), and grey shoulder pauldrons (interestingly enough, no silly name for them in the instructions) for Viewfinder (blue with green chest) add a bit of realism to the camera mode while providing the requisite G1 updates (the flash and the pauldrons) while giving Spectro an added bit of armor, even if it is a bit weird looking. The original Viewfinder's pauldrons were part of the arm mold, whereas they are partsforming add-ons with a rotating armature that swings 180 degrees to allow for attachment to the raised shoulder humps on either side of the head in either camera or bot configuration. As all the bots are the same mold, the pauldrons can be attached to any figure in the set, even if they traditionally belong to Viewfinder. I like how Refraktor is written across the two pauldron halves and the Decepticon symbol is placed above the name on the robot's left pauldron just as it was on the original toy. It's a nice detail. Unlike the original toy, the color of the camera face differs from one side to the other. The reason for this is that the original bots transformed differently from each other: Spectro's shins became the left camera face, while the back of Spyglass' legs became the right camera face, as can be seen in the pics. Since the Siege figs are identical molds, it was a concession to the camera mode to prioritize the G1 look of the bots. It's noticeable, but not jarringly so, and I don't mind it. Truth be told, I'm just happy that after all these years they finally made an updated Reflector, and that he turned out as well as he did. Moreover, I'm glad they released this set, with all the additional parts, along with the toon accurate figures at retail, as it's nice to have both. Now they just need to make updated Omnibots! Cheers!
  25. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I'm aware of those figs, but I don't think they were exactly the best characters to start with. TBH, I didn't get them either. I think if more notable characters were done, it might spark interest- an improved Blitzwing, or Starscream, perhaps. Or custom Slag and Snarl within the aesthetic to round out the Dinos. I've seen some nice customs, and it makes me want them. Anyway, I guess the ship has sailed, as there don't seem to be any other folks trying to do Animated stuff. Ah well, I'm glad that G1 is still popular, and there seems to be no end to that roller coaster ride.
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