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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Having watched reviews of both BC Lambos, I much prefer their take on Sideswipe. IMHO, they took too much liberty with the car mode for Recon, their Red Alert, and it affects how the bot mode looks. The engineering is great on both, however, especially the conversion of the hood pieces to accommodate each mode- well executed. weapon storage is another plus; take notes, TT. All that said, there's still something that seems off to me in the bot mode. I think it's the plainness of the shins, aside from the trapezoids at the knee on Steamroll, and the stark black on Recon. The shins just look like long black planks to me, and visually, it just doesn't appeal. But, it serves the official slavishly toon look, so I can't really fault them. It's just a case where too plain is, well, too plain. I'm visual, so I like some detail to break things up. In all honesty, I still like the way the official Sideswipe looks- the slightly chunkier proportions, the wide chest, I like it. But, this toon-centric trend shows no sign of ending, so for now plain figures are the way, and I can at least appreciate the engineering going into them, especially from an articulation standpoint. These are the toys I dreamed of when TFs were hitting the market back in '84.
  2. M'Kyuun
    The first two were incredible films, with lots of heart, humor, great characters, and good stories. Hopefully they can maintain, if not surpass them.
  3. M'Kyuun
    http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/06/21/official-images-of-masterpiece-convoy-optimus-prime-version-3-2019-from-figure-king-magazine-366040 Clearer pics of MP Optimus V3. Lots of origami and a pretty gappy torso. OTOH, looks like his poseability will be markedly improved, including what looks like a hinge under his ab grill. Surprised they didn't do a little Obari pelvic thrust for the promos. I can see Kuma shaking his head disappointedly at the lost opportunity. Looking at the Magic Square offering in comparison, theirs cleans up much better in bot mode while still retaining a strong toon resemblance. Not sure how I feel about V3 yet. Admittedly, I like official toys, and I generally like TT's engineering, so I'm reserving judgement until some in-hand reviews start showing up. Their Megatron pretty much had me from first showing (although I still don't care for how the torso looks with all the sandwiched origami and a plate slapped on to form his chest). But in hand, Megs is a pretty impressive figure, chest notwithstanding. The leg transformation is a sublime bit of engineering, and until now, one of the greatest challenges to balancing the bulk of the leg with the slimmer gun grip in a transforming toy. With V3, I still find the inclusion of a toon accurate bot windshield to be superfluous, but I'm hoping the tradeoff is insane poseability, including some serious butterfly joints for the shoulders. Anyway, this popped up on TFW2005 this morning, so I thought I'd share. Cheers!
  4. M'Kyuun
    Cool, lookin' forward to Thursday. Fig looks good (nice pic of the Lambo Bros, Kuma). BC def going the toon direction- those legs are pretty plain, even with the silver trapezoids on his shins. Could do with a little more texture, IMHO, but overall, he still looks good-unmistakably Sideswipe. And, he certainly fits right in with Streaker. Edit: Just noticed his car windows hanging off his arms; funny they didn't try to fold those into his arms somehow.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Working on a video review, Kuma? Curious to see how he compares to MP Sunstreaker, and just plain curious. Looks good just from what's been shown thus far. Even before seeing a review, my apprehension is off-scale high for getting this figure, as it'd be my luck TT would announce Sideswipe V2 with all the bells and whistles that define his brother, minus the additional car transformation. While I have a couple third party duplicates in my MP collection, I try to keep them to a manageable low.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Curious to see those guys, too. If you've got them coming or plan to get them, Kuma, I'm looking forward to your review. Sorry to hear you'll be delayed, though. Been there. I'm wondering if TT are going to go back and do an update, since Sideswipe feels dated next to his shiny new bro in all his articulated glory. Honestly, though I wouldn't mind an update, there are so many characters I'd rather see TT do that haven't yet received official MP treatment. Jazz and Hound top my list.
  7. M'Kyuun
    At least in shape, and with that forward fuselage add-on, they achieved a well shaped shuttle that looks closer to the real thing than many competitors. Shame they didn't give it the third main engine bell and OMS. Colors aside, it would have made him feel 'complete'. My interest lies more in how Magic Square's MP Optimus is going to compare to TT's V3. From pics, it already looks like it's going to clean up better in bot mode, and aside from having a chunky back end, makes for a lovely truck mode as well. If the V3 ends up being kibbly and way overcomplicated to achieve its bland bot mode, I may go with MS. Very curious to see reviews of this guy.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I can see both sides of the argument: JBO nailed it insofar as the toys had an authentic mechanical look to them, had the alt mode parts obvious but often used in clever ways to achieve or enhance the bot mode, and often had superfluous, yet cool, mechanical details molded in or added by virtue of stickers. Like you said, they looked like they turned into something else because they could, and that was all the gimmick they've ever needed, IMO. It's what fascinated me then, and continues to fascinate me as an adult. On the contrary, due to the limits of tech, or just b/c Takara was cheap, or b/c standards at the time were really low for toys, the depiction of the toys in the toon often had better proportions (more anthropomorphic), but most importantly, they had full articulation. I bought my first Transformer, Prowl, because of the cool depiction of him in his boxart. That's what I expected to have in my hands when I opened him up. I still recall the disappointment at discovering his non-articulated uni-leg. And the same feeling punctuated many of my other TF purchases, so I started trying to buy figures that had at least limited articulation in the legs. G1 Soundwave and his cassettes were one of my early purchases that gave me hope- not to mention the whole idea of carrying his minions around in his chest was just mind-blowingly cool to me. Still is. I digress. For me, a marriage of the cartoon look and articulation with the mechanical look and details of the toy is the ideal. I think that's what Hasui was going for, a balance of both, with a stronger leaning towards toon for the bot look, and a high sense of realism for the alt. But now, I think Takara are leaning too much towards the toon look for the bot mode, eschewing much of the detail that made the original toys cool to just look at. But I guess until attitudes change about that in Japan, very realistic alts that become very bland bots is what we can expect in the foreseeable future. But, I will give credit to TT for improving the articulation, if Sunstreaker is the standard they're going for. On that front, it's a pretty impressive figure.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Not the best. You're paying for the plastic, not so much the engineering. But, Transformers toys these days are all over the place in terms of engineering. The TR deluxes got the most love of any recent releases- some really neat figures with mildly complex transformations that looked good in both modes. Not to mention, most of them turned out to be fun toys. This looks to be a step back, but it's still superior to the CW Constructicons. Still, think I'll pass.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I dunno, they gave Bee the personality of a loyal dog rather than a sentient robot with many thousands of Earth years' experience. He's a little too obsequious and attention needy, snuggling up to her hands-weird and creepy. I think making him more like a big brother, without all the cowering and neediness, would have been more fitting and less Hallmark. I think they struck the right note with Bee's and Spike's relationship in the old toon- they were more like equals, best friends. It didn't get weird.
  11. M'Kyuun
    That's just ...adorable. IF are knocking it out of the park with these legends sized figures. He makes for a pretty boxy tank, but I'm loving his bot mode. Would've been worth a few extra cool points if they'd made his tank mode closer to the Sicaran Battle Tank from Warhammer 40K, one of my favorite sci-fi tank designs. I'd love a 3P go at making a transforming version of that tank.
  12. M'Kyuun
    This looks good- just the dialog/interaction between the characters has my interest. I also like the art style they went with- lots of mo-cap going on, but it has a clean realistic look that I like. Additionally, I know little to nothing about the other wallcrawlers, so this will be a nice orientation into the larger Spidey Universe for me.
  13. M'Kyuun
    MP-01 required no thought-instant purchase when it first became available. I was TDY to England at the time, and IIRC, I had it delivered there b/c I just couldn't wait to get him. Honestly, he didn't disappoint. His truck mode was lacking, sure, but, that bot mode was pure joy. Then along came MP-10, and all I saw were the too-long arms and those damnable wheel wells jutting out of his legs. So, I fence-sat for about a year, all the time seeing pics of MP-10 here and there, and more and more thinking it didn't look so bad after all. I still think he's a nice Prime figure, but the original niggles I have with the figure remain, and I've been open to a V3 that corrected those issues. Now that he's been shown, faux parts notwithstanding, it's a pretty sure bet I'll be adding this guy to my collection. I hope, however, that he cleans up well, and those hinged panels we can see aren't part of some sizeable backpack. I still don't understand why the windshield, of all things, would ever need to be replaced by faux parts so long as they go with a G1 styled cabover. Guess we'll see why they went that route once more is known.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I also noticed the hinged panel on his back, which brings thoughts of his having a Sunstreakery backpack. Hope not. Hasui managed a really clean torso on MP-10, and one would think the goal would be to be as good, and hopefully better, than MP-10 all the way around.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Concerning PV3, looking at it with fresh eyes this morning, those pictures are rather poor, so I'm reserving judgment about the faux windows thing. That's a lot of real estate to try and hide, and just seems pointless to me, especially when the front wheels and such all need to fold into his torso. The grill, I get, and that's been a tradeoff for awhile now in any number of Prime figures. I wouldn't mind if it was the truck's actual grill, just hinged to fold for bot mode, but that never seems to be the route taken. Seems it'd be easier to do than try and hide a second grill, though. Anyway, I'm not hitting any panic buttons just yet; I'll wait for better pics (front and back)/ early promo vids (if TT do any)/ in-hand reviews before making a final decision. As it is in all its grainy goodness, it looks alright to me thus far, certainly far more proportionally so than its predecessor. And the pelvic section, comparing with my PotP Leader Prime, looks about the same overall, except PV3 has longer skirts that make the whole look larger. Just an observation. I will say, I kinda agree with lechuck in a previous post concerning the option of just buying PV3 without the trailer, especially if they make the new and old compatible (they probably won't, but you never know). My MP-10 trailer has been out of it's box once or twice in all the years I've owned it. So, the option would be nice, if only to bring down the price and save space.
  16. M'Kyuun
    And his arms are the proper length. As for the possibility of faux windows, I'm not a fan of fake parts either, but it seems more and more to be the tradeoff to achieve screen accuracy. For what it's worth, this looks pretty good- better than MP-10, although the 'diaper' is a bit large. The other thing is that the leg vents look like they're just molded in there without actually being vents like MP-10's. Hopefully it'll look better once painted; as it is on the greyscale, it looks a little cheap. But hooray for smooth legs- I never liked the look of MP-10's.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Having watched his shows sporadically over the years, it seemed to me that Anthony was living the dream: traveling the world and enjoying the cuisine each region offered. Being a chef, his was a unique insight. Moreover, he had a very grounded personality, wise by experience, yet he wasn't a jaded curmudgeon. So, to read suicide as the end of a life so full of experience and success and positives to share, especially through the two very enjoyable mediums of food and travel, I can only shake my head and wonder why. I'm sure I'm in good company. Whatever he was struggling with internally, his loss is one that affects many, myself included if only just on the periphery. My heart goes out to his family and close friends, and I hope Mr. Bourdain has found the peace he sought.
  18. M'Kyuun
    My wife and I saw it on Sunday, and we liked it. The last name bit was a 'whatever' moment, but overall it was an entertaining film. I thought the actors did a good job, esp Lando. Anyway, I liked it better than TLJ, and it's a film for which I wouldn't mind a sequel, if only to tie up Q'ira's story and to maybe show the tenuous friendship between Han and Lando, as well as Han's and Chewie's further misadventures, and Han's growing cynicism as he becomes the man we see in A New Hope.
  19. M'Kyuun
    The Bee Prequel comic appeals far more to me, both in story and artistically- I like the art style Sara Pitre went with above. The Cold War spy story sounds interesting, and fits Bee's character very well. The Bee movie is similar to the 2007 movie, only in the 80's and this time with a girl as his human master friend.
  20. M'Kyuun
    He was discovered in a used car lot in the first movie, hence Bernie Mac's voiceover about the car choosing the driver at the beginning of the trailer. Guess maybe it's their way of bringing it all full circle, despite the time difference. I hope this movie isn't the reboot Hasbro's been on about; looks and feels just like another Bay film, right down to the cringeworthy humor (the Rick Roll bit-).
  21. M'Kyuun
    I expected them to go with the Duplo angle hinted in the first film. Bringing Friends in Space (a theme I thought would have been explored by now in the main line sets, but sadly hasn't) is pretty cool- it's a nice juxtaposition making them the aggressors with all their hearts and flowers and cutesy pet stuff. Even more excited to see it now. And for the sets. On a side note, between the next wave of Ninjago sets and the LM2, Post-apoc fans are going to get a nice spate of sets this year and next. As for me, bring on the space stuff- lots of it.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Still looks and feels too much like Bayverse to me. Admittedly, the aesthetic is somewhat improved with Bee, but they kept the same crappy head design, and what's worse, his inability to speak. Seems to me, compared to all the tech involved in his body, the voice thing would be a quick and easy fix. Starscream is interesting, although why they went with a Phantom rather than an F-15, especially in the 80's, makes little sense to me. Though we were still flying them at that time, they were at their heyday during the 70's, while the 15 was the superiority fighter of the 80's, not to mention the original alt mode- unless he's going to scan an F-15 during the movie. That might yield an interesting toy, anyway. Well, I hope it pleases those to whom it appeals; it reeks of Bay to me thus far, and my interest, which was already but a thin vapor, has evaporated entirely. I'll wait for comments/reviews just to see how different, or how much the same, it is to its predecessors.
  23. M'Kyuun
    The promise of more Space sets excites me more than the movie, but I hope it's as, if not better, than the first.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Hova doesn't look too bad- I like that they also included the silver torso detail, which matches the sticker on the G1 toy better than Coolsville's similar detail. For me, it's a toss-up between Zeta Toys Jazzy (exact same toy as Coolsville) and TnR Hova. I've watched a number of vids, and read a number of reviews, including the negative ones on TFSource's product page concerning Jazzy. I still find it appealing enough to remain seriously interested. However, I'll see how Hova turns out. So far, I'm not crazy about how the thighs look for some reason, I think his hip skirt is one piece (hope I'm wrong), and his hands seem too small proportionally. All nitpicks, though. I'm willing to give it a fair shake.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Well, I'm glad, and I'm sure you're really glad, that you stuck with it. You've got a homemade rarity as far as Macross mecha go; the VF-5000 is one of those designs I think we as a community of Macross fans and toy collectors would love to have on our shelves, but neither Arcadia nor Bandai have given any indication of producing it. I believe Experten's lovely little model is the only version that has ever been made available for purchase, and only under limited license at certain events in Japan. (If I'm wrong about that, someone correct me, please.) So yeah, you've definitely created something unique. I've long thought the Variable Glaug was a pretty sweet looking, yet undersung, design. I get your meaning about its Glauginess. I think it's absolutely brilliant how Kawamori went back and took two old non-transforming designs, the Monster and the Glaug, and redesigned them to transform. Guy just has an amazing imagination and a particular genius for making brilliant transforming designs while maintaining a real-world believability about them. It's one of the most appealing aspects of Macross designs. Before I toot my horn (I toot humbly, as I'm a mediocre builder. I know some remarkable builders (Brian Cooper, Shawn Snyder, Mark Neumann, just to name a few) in whose shadows I'm happy to bask. There are plenty more who post, including Adrian Rodriguez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuyaaids/), whose LEGO Macross designs, although chibi-ish, are functional, and instantly recognizable to those in the know, and whose recent YF-21 I linked in the LEGO thread on these forums. I thought it rather apropos. My stuff can be found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/95379588@N08/ Keep your expectations low, and enjoy. Cheers!
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