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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those divisive toys that inspires conversation for years to come. Usually once POs come and go, the chatter kinda dies off as we wait, only to pick back up when toys start arriving and folks are anxious to get their views and reviews out there. I think the long absence of a new YF-21, especially since Bandai's releases of the VF-19 Advance and their YF-19 (I have the former) left a bit of a void for want of Isamu's nemesis along with the prospect of better battroid proportions. YMMV concerning that regard (I prefer the thicker legs, but that backpack and its distance from the figure's back have me concerned about stability and durability over time). I hope it turns out to be a good toy overall, but right out the gate, I don't think it's as refined as many of us would have hoped. Yamato created a toy that continues to be hard to beat with the exception of its too-skinny legs and wobbly hip joints, but in all other respects, a nigh perfect transforming toy of a very difficult valk to realize. I'd be interested to see them take a second crack, especially if they can solve the skinny leg problem.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I have the first largely undecoed version of Jive (Thank you Toyhax for remedying the toony plainness), but I would have waited for this version had I known it was coming, as applying stickers isn't my idea of fun. I also have Zeta's Jazzy (originally marketed as Toyworld's Coolsville before the two companies parted ways), which is a rather unsung MP scaled 3P Jazz which came out around the time that Maketoys released their very popular Downbeat. I preferred the Zeta version for its more G1 toy-inspired look in bot mode. Neither toy is perfect, especially when it comes to the transformations, but once accomplished, both present well, IMHO, in both modes. TBH, I wasn't familiar with the TR-01, so this vid was enlightening in that respect. It's amazing how many options we've had over the years, and hopefully Takara will eventually take their crack, although, admittedly, I haven't really been all that impressed with the majority of toon-slavish designs they've been putting out over the last few years. Skids was my last official MP purchase, and my only gripe with him is that I wish he'd come with swappable shins to recreate his 'windowed shins' look from his og box art.
  3. M'Kyuun
    The skinny legs were the only detractor, especially if you're a battroid guy like me. In all other respects, it was about as perfect as a fully transformable YF-21 can be.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Kinda my impression as well. Based on the trailers, I was excited for this film, but it fell flat in dialog, a bit contradictory regarding the androids, the plot more simplistic than implied, the main character just lacked charm or anything memorable or likeable, really. The bond between him and the girl was there b/c it was scripted and not because any real relationship was forged. In the end, I felt the visuals were striking but wasted on the script. Quite disappointing.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I missed all the corrective posts on the stream time, but as I'm not an RiD fan, I didn't mind watching it an hour later. Regardless of my bias, as a fan who can totally empathize with a strong yearning for a character to get a toy or a much-needed, much-wanted update, I'm happy for my fellow fans, especially a certain TF fan and reviewer close to home, that these characters are getting improved figs. Sorry the new Omega Prime doesn't fulfill what you wanted from an update. I have no dog in this particular race, but the HasLab looked pretty good to me. That said, I haven't handled my Fire Convoy fig since he was new and never had Magnus, so my recollection is myopic and incomplete. Although I bought a number of the toys (I was one of those happy to see TFs return to car & plane alts), I found the RiD and later UT designs to be, um, well, kinda crappy and the toon didn't appeal to me at all. For the disenchanted, I lament once again the reluctance of third parties to touch CHUG scale, as it's times like this that an alternative would be a welcome option.
  6. M'Kyuun
    After seeing a little of the UT, I lost all interest in the Japanese Transformers continuity. Despite being a mecha fan, I'm not really into the super robot aesthetic and they just went off on their own tangents with the stories. I love the simple, straightforward storytelling of the first season of the Sunbow show and that is pretty much the end-all, be-all of G1 Transformers for me. I didn't care for second season onward. The '86 Movie was ok- some good parts, but more that wasn't. If I ever stumble across my RiD toys, especially Optimus, I'll let you know. Chances are, he's still in his box in like-new condition. Thanks, Mike!
  7. M'Kyuun
    They sure did love their super robot combining gimmick back in the day. I actually have RID Fire Convoy; he's been tucked away in storage for many a year now. Like most of the UT toys, he just never made much of an impression on me. I'd rather have Devastator or Animated Omega Supreme. Remind me, when is the Haslab announcement?
  8. M'Kyuun
    I also hope they do something from '84 G1 to mark the 40th. It's apropos. However, I have no idea who Omega Prime is, but if they do an Animated Omega Supreme, my Paypal will make a somewhat stealthier sonic boom. 😜 I'm so out of space it's ridiculous, but I'll still find somewhere to stash a TFA Omega Supreme.😍 So long overdue a toy.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I'd be totally down with supporting a CHUG scaled Megatron as a HasLab project if they felt that was their only avenue in which to produce him faithfully to G1. That said, I'm surprised that Takara-Tomy, unfettered by our restrictions on toy guns, haven't produced their own for the Asian market, which would be great for US fans, too. I was also thinking they might be looking to HasLab Devastator, although, as you said, they've already proven a combiner can be done at retail. However, if they want to go the serious partsformer route, like Toyworld and any number of other third parties, with large portions like the crotch and thighs being partsforming chunks, HasLab may be the better platform to really include everything the designers want to have in there. As bonuses, they could include the chip rectifier machine from S1 Ep 14 "Heavy Metal War", and Grapple's solar energy tower from S2 Ep 12 "The Master Builder". I was hoping they'd do the Constructicons as voyager class figs in the SS86 line, but given the heavy partsforming nature of Devastator, at least a few of those figs would have to be upscaled to leader or commander to fit all those parts in. It might just be easier to do the whole thing as a HasLab, where you get the whole team together in one package along w/ all the partsforming bits along with any fully-funded bonuses. Getting it funded is a no-brainer, considering Devy's popularity. And, it's apropos to the 40-year anniversary given that the Constructicons were introduced in S1 in the aforementioned Ep 14. Somehow, I thought they were introed much earlier in S1, but nope- third from the last ep. Like everyone else, I'm curious. Given the anniversary, I really want it to be something from G1, preferably first season where it all began. Devastator just makes sense. Guess we'll see.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Visored and visor-less figs did overlap, especially in 1987 when the final wave of visorless sets released along with Futuron and Blacktron, and likely spent several years on the shelves together, as sets generally enjoyed a longer shelf life at that time. LEGO's yearly production was but a fraction then of what it is today, and sets remained available for longer periods. It's a point that long haunts me with regret as I didn't pick up nearly as many sets as I wish I had, especially in the 90s when I had enough disposable income as a young Airman to splurge on a nice set from time to time. I was pretty frugal back then, though, and let a lot of opportunities slip by to my eternal regret. So far as collecting, different strokes; our own @mikeszekely, along with collecting Transformers toys across the board, specifically collects Optimus Prime figs. Some folks love the Seekers or different versions of Soundwave. Collecting runs the gamut, and the collectors have their reasons for collecting broadly, as I do, or specifically collecting this character or that. I have a preference for G1 Prowl, and I have a few versions of him in my collection, although I don't take it to the extreme that other collectors do. Regardless, it's a hobby and if it's harmless and brings joy to the collector, more power to them I say. At least those toys are loved. I have likely a couple thousand LEGO sets in my collection at this point across many themes stretching all the way back to those '79 Classic Space sets. I never had a Dark Age, as I collected continually, although minimally at times, since I was about 6 or 7 years old. I'm 52 now, and I'll never give up LEGO as a hobby. It's an intrinsic part of who I am, as is my love of transforming robots, and mecha in general. I'm just happy to be living in an era where both are very popular and abundantly available. As our interior space diminishes with each acquisition, however, my wife is less than enthused, and admittedly, it's becoming a point of frustration for me too. Alas, it's every collector's conundrum: running out of space.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I'm glad you got some small measure of enjoyment from the book. Having grown up with Classic Space from the beginning, its impact, and thus enjoyment, is far greater for me. The nostalgia factor is certainly a huge part of that, as my collection was rather small as a kid, and though I've managed to pick up a few sets over the years, there are still many I don't own and would eventually like to find, or re-find, to add to my collection. To have a consolidated collection of nice clear photos of all those sets along with background, of which I vehemently wish there was far more than what was provided, makes for a valuable resource and just an enjoyable perusable to have at hand. I very much wish more in-depth interviews, and just more interviews period, had been conducted with Jens Nygaard Knudsen while he was with us. We see so much stuff written about guys like Steve Jobs, but here's the guy who was absolutely central to LEGO's success from the 70s onward creating and influencing major themes, inventing parts, the minifig itself, and numerous innovations and improvements through the several decades he worked at LEGO. It's not hyperbole to say LEGO is the most successful toy company in the world today in no small part due to his contributions. And yet, there seems to be so little info about him, especially in his own words, and that frustrates and saddens me. I digress. I complain, but honestly I'm glad this book exists. I hope it's received well enough to inspire a second volume covering the rest of the Space themes from '92 to the present City Space sets, which are leaning hard into that sense of exploration that so characterized the original '70s & 80s sets. If it happens, I'm down for a copy.
  12. M'Kyuun
    For whatever reason, I never saw Robotech (nor Voltron) on tv as a kid; almost certainly, the Macross Saga portion would have captivated me. I was TDY in England in the early 00s and the BX (Air Force's version of a convenience store) had the entire RT series to rent. I still hadn't seen the og SDF:M at this point, so I went in with tempered expectations having known all the vitriol it received from Macross fans. I managed to finish the Macross portion and got a couple eps into the Southern Cross portion, but SC was losing me with its lackluster mecha and story. Let's face it, Kawamori's VF-1 set a pretty high bar and SC seemed a serious downgrade despite its supposed existence in the future relative to the Macross portion. At that point, I quit, so I didn't see the majority of the SC portion or any of the Mospeada portion. I ended up buying the ADV Macross Saga DVD set, so I've at least seen the og show as it was intended. The voice work, including Mari Iijima reprising her role as Miss Macross herself, Lynn Minmay, was decent. I've also seen Mospeada , which I enjoyed. While I'm sure Robotech would have had an incredible impact on me as a kid, I'm thankful that I didn't see it until later in life, and that I have seen the original shows, which IMHO, are superior to the edited versions that were cludged together to make RT. That is, except for Super Dimension Calvary Southern Cross, which I've not seen and honestly have no interest in seeing- the mecha designs are less than inspiring, and that erodes the appeal for me. Yeah, I'm a mecha snob.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Flame Toys' Arcee is a nice-looking kit, but it's inability to transform removes the very thing that gives the franchise its appeal to me. I won't be giving up my Azalea, who remains, IMHO, the best transforming Arcee figure in existence. If Hasbro ends up doing a better version of Arcee to make up for the terrible Earthrise fig and the just ok SS86 fig, I hope they take major design cues from Azalea. Sounds like Hasbro is tapping into their Gobots repertoire a bit. Shame they can't make a limited contract with Bandai to actually use the og designs. Takara have worked with Bandai in the past on Zoids and Gundam, so in the very limited context of recreating Gobots based on the Machine Robo toys, I wonder if they'd have an objection? I'd like to see that collaboration. I was hoping the upcoming leader Soundwave would be a completely new mold, hopefully returning to the og micro-cassette scale of G1 with updated and improved cassettes, but disappointingly, I guess not. Netflix Soundwave is ok, but there's definitely room for improvement, and I was pinning my hopes on the rumored leader toy. Hopes dashed.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Thanks, Mike. I may end up missing this one, as I have to take my mother-in-law to an appointment at 9, and upon return, my pup will surely need to go out, and he's not always quick in getting about his business given his second-long attention span. Never knew what a pain raising a dog from a puppy was- never again. My saving grace, however, is that any POs arising from the stream usually don't go live until an hour or two later, so I'll hopefully still get the opportunity to get them, especially if Gears or Origins Wheeljack are included. Zero interest in Armada Tidal Wave, who's apparently the star of the show today.
  15. M'Kyuun
    What time is the fanstream? I didn't receive an email.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I like it, too. Rather reminiscent of the YF-23 "Grey Ghost", which of course influenced the YF-21's design as well as the aircraft competition subplot in Macross Plus.
  17. M'Kyuun
    BBTS is charging $350, plus $4 S&H. Amazon may be charging $20 less for the valk, but what's their shipping cost like? I'm thinking BBTS is looking pretty fair, as most of the other e-tailers are likely to be in the same ballpark, especially once shipping is tacked on. The only negative thing about BBTS is that they seem to take longer than other stores to get their stock. I'm curious to see what the US Gundam store will price it. If it's in the $300+ range as well, it's a notable contrast to the DX YF-19, arguably the more popular of the M+ valks, which has a current PO price of $250. All things considered, however, it's a bit surreal after years of midnight madness to score a Macross valk to see these toys now available, sometimes for weeks, on American stores' inventories. Dream come true.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Likewise; at least I know I've got a copy w/out fuss. I was going to try Ami-Ami, but my new puppy chose PO time to have to go out and in the few minutes I was outside w/ him, it sold out. BBTS has $4 flat rate shipping, so although I'm being gouged on price, I won't be double-gouged on S&H. Ami-Ami has a disclaimer saying S&H may be very high, and it's possible I'd end up paying as much or more after paying their shipping rate. Too, the PO on BBTS has been up for hours, so it was a much more leisurely stress-free option, even if my wallet is smarting a little. The pain is ameliorated a little by the certainty that I have one POed without having to desperately look for another site that may sell out in seconds. The availability of Macross toys in US stores is the one positive from Big West's deal with the devil.
  19. M'Kyuun
    So Ami-Ami have the DX YF-21 listed on their site, but POs won't go live until 11 Jan at 1100 Japan time (I'm assuming Tokyo time specifically). That comes out to 6PM tomorrow for me. Since we're no longer limited to Japan-only stores, I'm hoping we'll all have a fairer chance of scoring a copy without all the previous midnight madness shenanigans. Since Macross is still not widely known outside of the Robotech context here in the States, I'd like to think that the POs will stay open a bit longer for this in domestic stores should we fail in getting a Japanese PO. The degree of markup is my concern at that point. They kinda have us by the bollocks when it comes to Macross releases. 😒 Then again, S&H from China and Japan can get expensive, so nothing really gained nor lost either way.
  20. M'Kyuun
    You're correct; I was mistaken. But my feelings towards 'delimiter' mode remain the same. 😉 Meh! I like my YF-21 limited!😁
  21. M'Kyuun
    Regarding high-speed mode, macht nix to me; I will never put my copy in that config. I never did it for my Yammie, either. Yeah, it happened in the anime, but it's really an outlier mode that never really meant much to me; mine will stay in battroid, as I've waited a long time to have a YF-21 with a proportional b-mode, and I'm digging how this fig looks.
  22. M'Kyuun
    So, about what time is the madness going to happen? I'm going to try to score a copy from one of the Tamashii links (Amazon, BBTS, Entertainment Earth). I'm hoping the markup won't be financially crushing, but this is a Macross release so....
  23. M'Kyuun
    I'm guessing there were probably financial factors as well for keeping the book to a certain length, as he likely had a budget to observe. My hope is that this one will sell well prompting a second volume to finish off the rest of the Space themes, including 2024's return of Sci-fi Space sets across a multitude of major themes. The Spyrius robot is indeed cool. I wish they'd done bots as minifigs from the beginning, as the brick-built robots, while they had their charms, were generally quite limited in their articulation. While the minifig is rather anachronistic and limited itself, it's still superior to the alternatives and just fits better IMHO.
  24. M'Kyuun
    1978 and on is my Classic Space; I was there for all of it, and I still remember looking longingly at the little folded brochures featuring sets from across Town, Space, Castle, and later, Pirates as a kid. Space, of course, was my favorite theme, but I also liked some Town stuff, mostly construction. Castle was cool, but I never had any as a kid, and with limited funds and limited choices for birthday and Christmas gifts, Space was almost always my choice of LEGO sets. I got a few nice Technic and Model Team sets in there, too, though. I, too, hope Tim Johnson continues this book as a series, breaking them down by eras. To answer your question, "Why stop at '92?", according to the author, it was the last year of only classic smiley faced figs, and as an aside, Jens Knudsen moved to a different department in '93. Tim Johnson said in an interview that deciding at what point the cutoff would be was a tough decision, so the last themes with all smiley faces seemed a good point. I'm with you, though; when Blacktron arrived with those cool mysterious black visors, I was over the moon for them. As helmets and visor colors changed from theme to theme, I was totally on board for all of it. More than that, though, I was blown away by the UFO Zotaxian minifigs with their extremely complex and detailed printing (especially for the time) and those fantastic alien looking helmets. They remain some of my all-time favorite minifig designs to this day. LEGO minifigures SP042 UFO Zotaxian Alien - Blue Officer (Commander X) | Brickset As to how well the book covers the various themes, it does a set-by-set photo with a very brief expose' from 78-92 highlighting major features of each set. It also touches on concepts that never made it to production, sets that were in the final production stages that, for whatever reason, were never released, interviews with a number of designers and other LEGO employees with insights generally regarding Mr. Knudsen's personality and such. Mr. Johnson also employed some license, creating a small action narrative for each set just for additional flavor. I'd have preferred more info on the sets themselves, but I'm sure there are fans who enjoy that sort of thing. In some instances, in crafting his narratives, he used info from advertisements and other production materials, so not everything is entirely made up by Tim- there's a kernel of legit history here and there. And because Mr. Johnson is a connoisseur of LEGO parts, he dutifully highlights various parts that were developed or introduced in Space themes from '78-'92. As FOL who has always been excited by the addition of new parts in the inventory, it's a welcome addition to the book that I personally enjoy and hope he continues should there be another volume to follow. I hope so. I think all these sets have merit, some great backstories, and each represents an entry point into LEGO Space themes for one generation or another. I think those stories need to be told and all of those themes and sets need to be celebrated in like fashion.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Lucky you! I've been to two Walmarts and neither has any 2024 stuff out yet, although the one down the road from me looks like they're getting ready to do a reset in the LEGO aisle, so I'm guessing they'll have them stocked by week's end. My wife's going to get me the two large sets and I'll likely get the rest, minus possibly one for birthday fodder. I was hoping my Wally would have at least that polybag, but no. What they did have, however, was a Technic polybag of a Mars rover, complete with working suspension. Pretty neat little model, I must say. My wife also got me a newly released coffee table book called LEGO Space 1978-1992 by Tim Johnson, founder of newelementary.com, a blog focused on LEGO parts. There are some interesting interviews with various designers concerning the development of early Classic Space themes, mostly centered on Jens Nygaard Knudsen, creator of nearly all the 1978 sets as well as the inventor of the minifig and general overseer of LEGO Space for years. Alas, no direct interviews were conducted with Mr. Knudsen, as he sadly passed in 2020 from ALS, and judging from what others have said about his boundless imagination and creativity, it's a huge loss to fans like me who were craving a deep dive into the creation of all these wonderful space sets that have had a lasting lifetime influence. It seems incomprehensible that more interviews weren't conducted with him while he was still with us, as his influence was dominant in the 70s-90s, and continues to this day, as many of the parts he designed are still in use, and sets like 10497 harken back to the original line of Space sets that released in '78 introducing the world to a bunch of nifty blue and grey spaceships and minifig astronauts to interact with and build stories around. However, I am thankful that a number of designers from the 70's and onward who worked with Jens and knew him personally have shared some of their memories in the book. IMHO, those anecdotes and memories only whet the appetite for a more profound conversation with Jens himself, but in his absence, his legacy speaks volumes.
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