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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Or a B-1B. While the BUFF is still an impressive aircraft, she's showing her age, and the B-2 is more apropos to this generation IMHO. I think it'd work great as his alt in an alt-universe Cold War story, though. But I get what you're saying about the contrast between alt mode and personality where Megatron is concerned, at least G1 Megatron. TF:A Megs was more subtle and calculating. He was shadowy. Great review for Furor and Riot, Mike. Funny, I didn't even notice the near lack of upper arm, although mine has the same limitation on the shoulder where it catches. Guess it's endemic to the mold, unfortunately. However, for such a small thin figure, I was really impressed by how much articulation they imparted, and the transformation is ingenious. There's certainly more to love than not. Along with Furor I got the condors, and in hand they don't feel nearly as refined as Jaguar or Furor. The cassette doesn't really lock solidly, at least with my Volture (Laserbeak). It tends to want to flex since the lower two-thirds of the cassette splits into the engines and wings, with only one small tab to peg the engine sections together in tape mode. Moreover, one of the wings refuses to tab down flat, and I'm not sure why. I don't recall having that issue with Buzzard, however. Anyway, the outer wing half is supposed to tab into a tiny post sticking up from the inner wing structure; all but one on my Volture tab securely. I don't recall having these issues with Buzzard, so MMV from toy to toy. As I mentioned, the outer wings are comprised of two halves that simply lay over each other, with nothing tabbing them together in condor mode, thus requiring constant readjustment if you're handling the thing. On both of mine, compared to Furor and Jaguar, who have tight joints throughout, the joints in the neck, head, and wings on the condors feel loose. It holds a pose, but things move at the slightest touch. The leg joints are all sufficiently tight and support the weight well. The leg attachment points, which swivel down out of the body, are pretty tight, both joint-wise and clearance. Pulling those things out is a tense moment, hoping they'll come out without breaking anything. I was disappointed that the wings could not swing back further than 90 degrees perpendicular to the body. No sleek wings-raked-back poses for these guys- just straight out, or raked forward. One odd bit of articulation is the breast-crunch, where the breast section of the bird can rotate down if the rest of the body is perched in a more erect pose. It's unnecessary, IMO, since the neck can rotate at the base accomplishing the same thing, essentially. Finally the aft body is split into two sections, each containing a faux tape reel which acts as the inner wing pivot on either side. Both aft body sections are mounted on a slider to close the gap in condor mode, but without any locking mechanism, exhibit a bit of longitudinal rotation, albeit with light friction, which may be intentional for posing. IDK. So, yeah, a few flaws. The good: They look like Laserbeak and Buzzsaw, have some nice paint apps or tampo approximating the look of cassette labels on one side, just like the 80's toys and the MPs. Note that Jaguar, Furor, and Riot do not come with cassette label apps and require decals to give them the appearance of real cassettes. On with the positives, the legs and feet from the knee down are all die-cast, giving them a stable base. Moreover, the feet are broken into four hinged segments which allow them to be wrapped around a small object for perching or grasping. The engines also feature a yellow-reddish engine glow tampoed on the exausts- kind of a neat thing- I dig it. Both inner and outer wings are painted (topside only) , and paint apps are pretty crisp. FYI: I just realized that there are small silver circular magnets installed in the outer wings, which are intended to hold them together. Unfortunately, both of the lower wing magnets had fallen out of their holes while still sealed. I've recovered both and temp installed them in the wings, which is a marked improvement, although adjustment to keep the wings in alignment is still necessary. At least the wing halves stay together now.. My final thoughts are that the quality evident in MMC's other cassette releases just isn't here. If you're on the fence, honestly, unless you're a completist, or you just really love the condors, pass. I hate to say that; I really want these all to be high quality releases, but in this case I have to say that the excellent Takara MP condors are superior. Hope this is a one-off, as quality goes. Edit: After posting I took another look at my Buzzard; he's much tighter in the joints and overall fit than my Volture. Which is the prevalent example of the overall line remains to be seen. I also noticed that one of the lower wing magnets had fallen off of Buzzard ( the joints are tighter, so his wings stayed together regardless), so this is definitely an issue to be aware of if you're getting these guys. Regarding Kuma's post, I find it interesting that the alt mode for Crystalys has more in common with a Gundam Waverider than pretty much anything in TF lore (that I'm aware of, anyway). It's a little too jumbled robot in alt mode for my liking; if it was closer to the Delta Plus, I'd be more interested. I'm glad you dig it, though- I know you're more into mecha/ super robot stuff, so the aesthetic is more to your taste. Dif'rent strokes.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Ask a question, get a deluge of info. Thanks Mike, and you, too, Kuma. I appreciate your posting those 'tail-out' pics of Pinchar. I dig it. Like I said, that's a nice option. Sarge is nice looking figure in his own right, and he has a sweet car mode. Reminds me a little of RtS Jazz. When it comes to the comics, I'm pretty ignorant. I get a vague sense of the varying designs when Hasbro releases comic based toys, but I've no idea who designed what in most cases. It's conversations like this that enlighten me. Subsequently, I'll chime in a preference for Don Figueroa's stealth bomber design over the various tank designs for Mighty Megatron, and even though it's a complete departure from his G1 look (which I love), all around I think it fits ole Megs. I guess a tank mode does, too, and that's been around since G2, but I like aircraft, and that's an undeniably cool alt mode. I'm biased.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Geez, how many iterations of Prowl are there in the comics? The version Mike posted looks like a cross between a Hummer and a dune buggy (the hood section). It's not bad, but if we're going with alternate Prowls, I think I prefer the space car, which is odd given my own bias. As Kuma mentioned, the alt mode is done so well that it could stand on its own, and that's really a litmus test for a good alt, IMHO. Plus, I dig the styling of it, the circular details on the wheels, the overall shape of the car, etc. It's definitely one of the nicest Cybertronian alts I've seen- kinda growing on me. I'll have to poke around Kuma's gallery now- too nice a figure not to see more. Moreover, I'd like to check out more of Pinchar's pics. Thanks for the info on his tail, Kuma. 'Preciate the kind words, Kuma. TFW2005, this is not- some very rude, profane, and often aggressive posters over there- a rather unpleasant lot. While we've had one here a time or two, they generally end up banned, and the vast majority here conduct themselves like rational adults, which makes it an enjoyable place to come and share thoughts/pics and ask questions. I've been here for around 14-15 years- I lurked more than posted for about ten of those. However my collecting blossomed a bit in the mid 2000's (I was an AF TSgt with no kids, so a nice bit of disposable for the hobbies), and this place was always the hot spot for info relating to Macross (of course), but additionally, the Transformers conversation grew to encompass official and third party offerings, so again, it became a great place to share. I have nothing to do with running this site, but after a visit to TFW, I always feel a spot of pride for being a member here, even if my contributions are minimal. Hope you find a 'home' here, Kuma, and continue sharing your ideas and hobbies, not to mention photo skills.
  4. M'Kyuun
    That Robox (first link) reminds me of the Transformers cassettes. Interesting concept. I wonder if they make a construction version- it'd look pretty snazzy in grey, yellow, with black stripes her and there.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Referring to Kuma's group-shot of Drift, Prime, and Prowl, that Drift just looks amazing (absolutely love the shoulder design). As for Prowl, the showcase figure, I dig him as a toy, but I'm not feeling him as Prowl. I so, so love G1 Prowl's design that I'm forever biased. However, I get that he's a Cybertronian version of the character from the comics (IDW?), and to that end, it's a really good design. I'm generally not a fan of Cybertronian alts, as they're often unrecognizable as anything real, look like a robot doing yoga, have exposed bot parts here or there, or are just so far out there as to lose their appeal. Often, but not always. Just as a stand-alone transforming toy, apart from his association with Prowl or even TF, I think he's an excellent figure with a really nice sci-fi car alt mode. As Prowl, well YMMV. Had they made him his own character, I'd totally be down. But, that's my opinion, which is worth nothing; what does matter is that you plunked down money for this guy, and judging by the pics, you scored an impressive action figure that just happens to transform into a believable car with sci-fi flare- all good things. Hope you enjoy him, Kuma, and as always, thanks for sharing pics of these guys. Edit: I got so caught up commenting on Prowl that I forgot I was going to ask if that Lost Exo Realm Snarl's tail can unfurl to sit like wings, similar to his G1 toy. I hadn't noticed the first dozen times I looked at the pics that the tail halves were folded into a backpack. Actually, it's a nice option if they do unfold.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Pretty much have the same criteria. Maybe a little better proportioned, as MP-10's arms are too long. That and the fugly wheel wells hanging off his legs are what dissuaded me from buying him initially. Over time, as pics of him were circulating, though, I finally caved, and I admit I think he's a really nice figure. But, I've always thought they could do better, and I'm hoping everything you mentioned and perhaps other issues, will be addressed in a third version. I hope they keep the rubber tires, though. Using plastic tires on all the carbots is not a sign of high grade, IMHO, and quite frankly Takara's being shown up by a lot of these third parties. I do think a third version will see marked improvement in articulation over MP-10, as that's a stated goal for the MP line, and that's phenomenally glorious, so long as they can pull it off and still produce a believable looking truck. Hopefully the finer details will still be there, too- rivets, molded panel lines, maybe some diamond plating, etc that give it the proper fit and finish, as well as a touch of realism. Not digging the toon-centric approach as far as fine detail goes. I like that they want to make the robot look generally like he did in the toon- get the general look and proportions of the characters close to how they looked on screen, but give the final toy all the finishing touches we expect in a modern day high end toy. I find it very difficult to believe, looking across various lines of Japanese toys/figures/models, all imbued with extremely high levels of detail, that the Japanese Trans-fandom want bland undetailed robot modes in the MP line- it seems counter-culture and dubious, and just a little, dare I say, cheap. Moreover, it's a little backwards when the level of detail on the mass retail Generations toy lines of late are equitable if not better than the last few MP figures (MY CHUG shelf is right behind me, and I've got Volcanicus, PotP Prime, Moonracer, Rippersnapper, Jazz, Hun-Grrr, Roadtrap and Battleslash hanging out on my desk, so I'm looking at these things as I write and comparing them to MP Sunstreaker and Ratchet- sadly the retail toys win hands-down in the detail department). I'm thinking this is one of those situations 10-20 years down the road when hopefully the situation has reversed, and everyone looks back and wonders 'WTF were they thinking?'. Hopefully by then there'll be all sorts of memory materials being used that allow for some impressive dynamism and a nearly organic ability to assume complex shapes as well as close up gaps- that's the sort of leap I'd like to see analogous to how toy tech has improved since the 80's. Fun to dream about this sort of stuff.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I have no kids, and I'm retired military, so I have lots of time to dedicate to hobbies. But, I have friends, and have had coworkers, with kids, so I can understand how work and family can monopolize one's time. Even with time on your hands, there's nothing wrong with preferring the simpler, more intuitive transforming toys; they are fun, and as you said so eloquently, that's ultimately what it's all about. I like the complex toys for the challenge, but I rarely transform them b/c they usually are frustrating. And then there are toys like XTransbot's Eligos ( MP scaled Cyclonus) which is a beautiful figure, both bot and alt. But the transformation is an exercise in frustration due to poor clearances and some ill-designed tabs. The transformation itself isn't too complicated, sharing cues from the recent CW and TR figures, just scaled up. But I hate transforming him b/c of those clearances, so in lovely bot mode he stays, unless I get a masochistic urge. Y'know, as much as I like the G1 characters, I'm not opposed to just letting nostalgia drive sales of the MP line. Would I like to see those old characters on the big screen, perhaps with an EJ Su aesthetic - yeah, part of me would. But again, I think that's nostalgia. I also think it'd be neat if they redid the G1 cartoon with CG, and just used the old voice/sound tracks with some necessary remastering. I'd buy that. For a complete reboot of the cinema franchise, though, I think it should be just that- all new everything. New crew of bots, their own story, new settings- fresh from the bottom up. Of course, they can keep some mainstays- Cybertron, the Primes, taking on Earth alt modes (and maybe actually use the 'disguise' element , as they did in TF: Prime). There's so much they can do with this franchise to reinvigorate it, but I think they need to let go of the old and create a new story for this generation, with the inevitable homages to the G1 here and there. They did this brilliantly in Animated, although they were a mix of old and new with a lot of homages. I just hope we never get metallic skeletons coated with shards of metal as Transformers ever again- make them look more like the toys with some industrial design thrown in for realism. However, I do think it's a crap move on Hasbro's part not to be more active in selling the MP line here in the West. I guess it's good for TRU to have them as exclusives, but they don't seem to get a great deal of stock. Moreover, they price gouge b/c they have that monopoly, which sucks for us as fans and consumers who desire these figures. And, there's nothing G1 currently out there promoting them, so sales are driven entirely by 30 years of nostalgia. So Hasbro, reskin the old show in CG loveliness, remaster the tracks, and see if that reignites interest in the old show enough to justify selling the MP line domestically.
  8. M'Kyuun
    MP Megs is a little involved, especially figuring out the arms, but once you've got it, it really comes together into a lovely figure with insane poseability. The upper torso/chest is the only criticism I have- that's iconic to Megatron, and it just doesn't look right due to all the folded bits comprising it with a flat plate slapped on the front. But, it's still an amazing little work of engineering-those legs and feet are brilliant. Due to his complexity, it's a rewarding experience to get him transformed. The 262 is less complex than Megatron. Those back hinges are a PITA, though, esp due to the lack of clearance. If you can transform MP Megatron, you shouldn't have too much trouble with the 262. Like anything else of its nature, take your time and you'll get it. I don't see how anyone can own a transforming toy and never transform it- defeats the purpose. I will say, though, some transforming toys are more fun than others, and after transforming the more difficult ones at least once, they often remain in bot mode for long spans of time until I get an urge to try it again. To that end, I empathize.
  9. M'Kyuun
    It's been about two weeks since my last TRU visit, and I don't recall any MPMs there. I've only seen MPM Prime there once a few months back. They do get them here, but it seems like a blink-and-you'll-miss-it opportunity, and I don't go out there too often. Finally got all the PotP Dinobots and assembled them into Volcanicus. I'm with Scyla; the supplied feet are too small (might have to dig out the extra hands and try them). I'm using Slag as his right leg, and the foot pegs in securely, but it rotates easily under the weight, which makes just a standing pose tricky. I really hate how they did his legs- it would have worked much better and been more stable had they enabled Grimlock's thighs to absorb one way or the other into his lower legs. It would have shortened his gestalt a little, but the added stability, as well as more natural point of hip rotation and thigh length, would have improved him overall, IMHO. I appreciate that they tried, but the end result is a less than fun combiner. But I still like the individual Dinos, so the combining element is just a nice extra. Now Hun-grrr makes an excellent torso, with his ratcheted arms forming the gestalt's thighs, they're perfect length and situated naturally on the body. Looking forward to assembling Abominus, as I think he'll be a far better combined bot. As well as picking up Snarl and Sludge this past weekend, I also got Moonracer and Rippersnapper. I was a little disappointed that Sludge's back feet aren't hinged- even a limited ball joint would've been nice. Ripper's pretty nice; the only issue I have is that his legs clamshell open a little too easily and his knees also unpeg very easily, so his legs come apart with minimal handling. I'm a fan of the trapeze linkage for leg foreshortening- I think it's an elegant design. However, it's completely dependent upon those leg halves firmly snapping together to be effective, and in this case, it's weakness is manifested. Hopefully I got a bum toy, and the rest hold together better. I think he's a fun little figure otherwise and I dig his odd land-shark alt mode. I picked up Moonracer b/c I found her interesting as a toy; I have no familiarity with her as a character. She's half shellformer, with half her backpack covering her legs and forming the central cabin section of her car mode. Her feet rotate up to become the hood and partial windshield of her car mode, and panels on her forearms fill in her back fenders to complete her transformation. In bot mode her feet are hinged to allow fore and aft and also hinged to enable a little bit of ankle rock inwards- if you hit the small sweet spot due to the small flared bit of molded detail at the base of her shins. Had that been smooth and rounded, she'd likely have ankle rocker regardless of foot position. It's one of those smack-your-forehead kind of designs. So close to effective... but not. She does, however, have double jointed knees, so that's nice. Her car mode is long and thin, and despite being a Cybertronian alt, I like it. Her hands are clearly visible at the rear of the car, however, so there's that. This is a design that I think was hampered by the necessity of making her a combiner, not to mention giving her humanly feminine proportions. Had that combiner peg been omitted, they could have eliminated half of the backpack and perhaps integrated more of the shell section. Despite the shortcomings, I like her. She has disproportionally large feet which offer good stability and poseability, and she's a femmebot, which is rare. Moreover, I dig her color scheme- it's rare we get a light green TF car, and it works for her all around. One other negative I'll mention is that there are two tabs molded into the white section around the combiner peg that end up directly under her back wheels and sit flush with the ground. They look like deliberate parts of the mold rather than flashing, but the tabs serve no purpose- they don't tab into anything. The shell section rests against them in bot mode, so they appear to create clearance between the shell and the frame. It seems an odd unnecessary part of the mold to me. Anyway, I'm interested to hear others' experiences/ opinions on these figures, and hope my mini-critiques are helpful.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for clarifying, Scyla. I've looked at those guys before, too, esp their version of Swoop, but not enough to know them on sight. Nice designs. I passed on Scoria in favor of Perfect Fusion Cesium, who's heavily influenced by the G1 toy, although he's a chunky fellow. I had him PO'd for quite some time, but after looking at comparison shots of him with Scoria, he was worth the wait- pretty much an overall improvement. I don't recall what influenced me to go with FT over Giga, beyond reputation. I liked what I saw on the FT side of things, besides Scoria, but I think Cesium had already been announced. Sever (Snarl) was my first FT dino, and it impressed me greatly. With that as my starting example, I bought the rest, never really looking beyond the FT dinos. I have no regrets, but there's always that curiosity about the thing you didn't buy and how it compares to what you did. Alas, I have neither the room nor finances for another MP scaled team of Dinobots, so I'll remain content with my FT Dibots and enjoy the pics and reviews of the others. To all contributors, esp Mike and Kuma, thanks!
  11. M'Kyuun
    Saw it yesterday, and thought it yet another strong entry in the MCU. I gained a strong admiration for Panther's character as he was portrayed in the 2011 cartoon The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, a thoughtful, rational, morally straight guy of few but poignant words who was prone to look before he leapt. He was a great counter to most of the team, esp Thor and Hulk, who are habitually rash. Anyway, I hoped some of that characterization would come through, and while Boseman's take isn't as generally philosophical or reticent, two movies in, I think he's a great choice for the character. Above all, I think the plot served the character well- he ran the gauntlet of human experiences in this film, and came out the other side victorious, doubtless with a few scars inside and out. It was a great character-building film, and I'm looking forward to his next outing in the Infinity War. Enjoyed the traditional African Tribal music in the score- good stuff. Always reminds me a bit of the Lion King opening, which never fails to give me goosebumps. Whoever said they were distracted by Killmonger's hair- me too! As bad guys go, he was ultimately a pathological thug, but at least his pathway to that point was explained in a way that makes sense, to me anyway. I try to empathize with his circumstances and wonder how they would have affected me at a young age. Anyway, I think he had one of the better backstories for how he became a bad guy, even if he came across as an arrogant punk to me every time he was onscreen. He was over the top sometimes, but not like Andy Serkis, who chewed every bit of scenery he was in like it was taffee. Guy enjoys his job. I thought the scenery and settings were gorgeous. It's one of the prettiest Marvel films. Loved the integration of traditional thatching on some of the modern buildings in Wakanda- just some lovely scenery there, as well as much of the styling. I'm curious to see how they follow up on the ending sentiments of the film. If only Wakanda really existed.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Kuma, is that one of the FoC/WoC Dinobots? Love the ankle articulation there; I wish FT had found a way to accomplish better foot articulation, as it's difficult to get most of their dinos into any kind of walking pose that'll hold- feet are just too big and there's no fore and aft ankle pivot, just minimal A-stance. Nice looking fig, although the black paint job throws me off- variant or the regular scheme? Anyway, lovely figure, beautiful photography as always. Giga makes some lovely Dinos; if I hadn't started down the FT path, I'd likely have a shelf full of GigaPower Dinos. I think either way you go between these two companies, you're getting a good product. I love my FT dinos, but I confess that I prefer some of Giga's aesthetic choices. I enjoy the photos of these guys, as I'll probably never get a chance to see them in person.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Huh, I only glanced at it, too distracted by transforming it. I'll have to take a second look. But yeah, kinda wish it was paint or tampo. The toys themselves are pretty neat, though. Want the rest.
  14. M'Kyuun
    My sentiments exactly.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Got my MMC Ocular Max Remix condors and Furor (Rumble) yesterday. Both are pretty awesome, but their take on Rumble is especially impressive. If you're a fan of the Cassette bots, I highly recommend. Interesting note on Furor; he comes plain with enclosed decals for a more accurate cassette look. Wish he was painted like the condors, but still nice that they come with the figure.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Ok, so by way of follow-up, I got Shuttle nd Missile-Tank yesterday. The latter is about as nigh perfect as you can get with a small transforming toy. His double missile rack, made by his arm transformation, can rotate a full 360 and raise an d lower for omnidirectional targeting. brilliant little bit of additional engineering that didn't have to be there, but I'm oh so glad they did. Like Battle, MT does not have any wheels on his faux treads, so imagination and a frictionless surface are required for optimal experience. Bot mode is nice and tight across all joints, and he has the standard articulation. The only difficulty I have with him is in separating the leg halves in bot mode- they're very solidly held in place and it takes a bit of effort to untab them (three tabs). The tail stabilizer just fell off one of the silver missiles while I was transforming him, so something else to be aware of. They're only held on by fiction- no tab, no glue. The missiles need to be removed for transformation to allow the hands to rotate into the forearms (they even attached a small hinged flap to cover the hollow arm in bot mode), and the missiles have attachment slots at center and about a cm aft of center, depending on mode. Overall, fantastic update, great toy overall- one of the best figures in the line, IMHO. Shuttle Robo- So this is the figure I was really anticipating, although I knew from pics and reviews, that he had a lot of panel-forming going on, and he does. Due to that, he doesn't 'feel' as solid in shuttle mode, although he doesn't fall apart either. He holds together well, but there's just that element of flex and give to him due to all the panels that kinda feels flimsy. Speaking of panels, one of the hinged double panels on my copy's hip wouldn't clear to fold on itself the full 180 degrees; a little sanding remedied the issue, but I stressed the panel a little in my initial efforts to fold it- just a caveat. As for joints, everything below the waist on mine is tight- the heels, which form his two exhaust bells, are so tight they squeak when rotating them for transformation-a real PITA due to the confines. However, they're on ball joints and will likely loosen over time. The left knee on mine is looser than the right, and tends to give way under the weight of the die cast which form the OMS pods; the right knee on mine is perfectly tight. The waist is on a ball joint, and mine's got good friction and holds the upper body without flop. The shoulders are the floppy joints on mine, but only seemingly when butterflying his arms. The rotation up and down is tight, or tight enough at least to hold his gun up at any level without drooping. However, I've had both arms pop off their ball joints while trying to untab them and slide them over the flight deck section, so that may have contributed to weakening them-tight tolerance clearing that flight deck. My final impression is that's he's fiddly and, due to his wings and the folding panels on his hips and knees, quite kibble-y. The ball jointed waist may prove to be a weak point in the future-probably not the best choice. Mine's still tight, so we'll see. The shoulders are the weak points on my copy, but fortunately if they become too floppy, I can add a drop of superglue. I'm a little bummed that they didn't put landing gear on this guy- there's room, and it would have made for nice ground presentation. I forgot to mention that his rifle separates into three parts, all of which stow within his shuttle mode unobtrusively, although the barrel can be seen when looking at the business end of his shuttle mode. Speaking of which, for the OCD among us, you'll probably not dig the fact that Shuttle only has two main engines instead of three, and their orientation is very high up behind the OMS pods where the RCS engines should be. Just a little FYI. Despite the flaws, I still like him, but not as much as Missile Tank, who is a clear winner for engineering, and just an overall solid toy. Looking forward to more of these figs.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Well, since the MP line is targeted at the Japanese market, and that's the direction that Takara themselves continue to travel, I'd say that that's where the demand for the utmost toon look originates. I still prefer a more detailed look to my MP figures- I thought Prowl was damn near perfect, except that he didn't have the complete toy deco (Thanks Reprolabels/Toyhax), which he should have had out of the box, IMHO. My fear now is that MP figures with blue windows and nearly no deco at all will become the main release, and we'll have to wait for a second release with a little more toy detail added. It still boggles my mind why they'd choose the bland, inconsistent cartoon look over a more toy centric look. I thought they struck a good balance between both with the early MP releases, and judging by just about any other Japanese figure and robot line, high detail is the preference. Like many, I think Hasui and team had the right idea. For those who haven't seen it, Predaking's coming: http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/02/17/toy-fair-2018-power-primes-titan-class-predaking-images-358792 First impression is that they're all voyagers, but the bot modes appear to have better articulation than the Constructicons. As with some of the other animalistic figs in the PotP line, a couple of them have small thin limbs that are just there for the animal mode contrasting with bulky limbs that become arms for the bot, and they're all chunky, cubish looking animals similar to the G1 toys. I'm digging Abominus more. Having Hun-grrr in hand, he makes a good torso, and because his arms become the gestalt's thighs (with nice ratchets), it looks and works better than Grimlock's torso mode. I wish they'd made a slider or trapeze for his thighs to disappear into his lower legs for torso mode- would have been a better solution all around.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Not yet, but the day is still young, and it continues through to tomorrow. One caveat, LEGO may be producing it, but they're being very judicious about what they're releasing to the public at TF this year. So, unlike previous years, they're not allowing pics of summer sets. I think it's going to be very limited as far as what is disclosed, and we may only see a few new sets for which official disclosures have already been made and sets that are already out. Sucks. IMO, it's a strong measure being taken to limit the number of knock-offs, especially in China.
  19. M'Kyuun
    M.A.S.K. is one of those properties that I think would make a good tv show with high production value. Do it on HBO or Netflix, make it a little grittier, and I think it could be more successful in that format as opposed to movies, as their movies thus far have all been schlocky. When you have a large cast of characters, it's difficult to introduce them all and make them all meaningful to the story. Moreover, M.A.S.K. would work well in a format similar to the X-Files where there's an overarching story, and a number of stand-alone episodes that serve to expand characters and maybe contribute to the larger story. Properties like M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, and Transformers all have a pantheon of characters, so it's very limiting to build a movie around a large cast and cobble a story together trying to involve them in a way that showcases their particular skills, not to mention their personalities, and include an iconic vehicle or bit of hardware her or there. TV's the perfect venue, IMO. Not really sold on the Bumblebee movie; I like that he's a bug, but it reeks of Bay, and thus far I've had no interest. I'll peek at the eventual reviews around here, but I suspect it'll be more of the same, which will only cement further my relief and happiness that Bay's out.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Nice display, Kanedaestes. https://www.brothers-brick.com/2018/02/17/lego-unveils-marvel-76105-hulkbuster-ultron-edition-available-march-3rd-news/ I've been hoping for a set like this, and it explains why the Ideas submission was passed over. The only red flag for me is, looking at the hip connections, this thing has no fore or aft movement of the legs, so from the waist down it's a statue that can do a variable static A-stance. I can't understand why they won't develop some new ratcheting joins for these larger mecha. Frustrating. Still gonna get it, but that limitation will always bother me.
  21. M'Kyuun
    As for the Bayverse, I don't think any of the writers stood a chance of having their material, no matter how well written, of ending up well on screen once Bay convoluted it with his 'vision'. From the onset, it was clear this guy had no connection with these characters, and as such, they were relegated to becoming props, or one dimensional characters who lacked any substance to make you like them, let alone care about them. I had a low opinion of Orci and Kurtzman after seeing one of the Bay movies they wrote (I've seen the first, third, and fourth, and only bits of the second b/c it was so bad I had to change the channel). So, when it was announced that they'd be writing Transformers: Prime, I cringed. Eventually, I sat and watched an episode, and then another, and found myself really enjoying the show. I realized then just how much of an impact the director has. In different hands, the live action movies may have been much different with the same scripts. It's all academic now, and I'm glad that era is over. As I said, I hope the next iteration is handled by folks with a personal stake, and they go for a more traditional look of the characters so that they look like Transformers, and that they are treated as characters with quirks and flaws and personalities that make them feel real. If I had my way about it, I'd make it a requisite that any new director had to watch BW, G1 first season, Animated, and Prime, as these all succeeded in making these 2D representations become three-dimensional 'people' to whom you could relate. As for the blue window debate (first world issues), most of the time, I think smoked works, as it occludes the robo bits within but still looks realistic. Or, as Mike pointed out, use clear in car mode, and engineer a second set of folding windows of the preferred color for bot mode. Best of both worlds.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Yay! let it die. I just hope the next iteration isn't worse. I do hope this opens the door for writers and directors who are actual TF fans to make these movies, and hopefully they create a solid storyline for good continuity between films and make the TFs the stars, rather than incidental to the human stories, as much as possible. Return to more classic TF designs- not skeletal shardy things. No more psychopathic Prime and his band of not-so-merry Bots. They won't do it, but I'd even welcome a whole new cast of characters, with just references made to the originals, or set it in the distant past before Prime and Megatron, and lead up to their introductions. There's a lot of territory they could explore, and it's a good opportunity to do a complete reboot from the ground up- heck show how they first developed their transforming ability. It doesn't have to be G1, but it would be nice to see Autobots who are friends and comrades trying to take the moral high road against Decepticons who are more ethically challenged and focused more on power, and explore where these paths may lead. I love my Ver. 1 Prowl and all the repaint variants (Bluestreak, Silverstreak, and Smokescreen), but I'm not digging this, or really any of the even more toon accurate paintjobs. Less detail for the same or greater price as the original doesn't enthrall me. MP Prowl is already about as perfect as a toy like this can be. The only thing that would make him better is if they found a way to give him AI and speak with Michael Bell's voice.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Why do I feel that this was change for change's sake? Regardless, I'm getting it. I'm curious to see if the inside changed as much as the outside.
  24. M'Kyuun
    That would be great, Mike. Just PM me on the payment details. If you have Paypal, that'd be great. The gesture alone is most appreciated. Terrorcons- for some reason, I erroneously said Predacons in my previous post concerning Rippersnapper and Hun-grrr. However, I guess Predacons have been teased by Hasbro at one of the cons- just the wings were shown, so it's possible we may see a resin or even a near-production copy of those guys at NY Toy Fair this weekend.
  25. M'Kyuun
    went to my local Wally this morning to pick up the usual odd and end and to see if they had any of the PotP wave 2 figs, and walked away with Hun-Gurr (after about 20 minutes of mulling), Tailgate, Battleslash and Roadtrap. The latter two were who I really wanted, along with Moonracer and Rippersnapper (they had no wave 2 deluxes), and I didn't think I was going to be able to buy them as they weren't loaded at all in Walmart's system. However, a CSS came to my rescue, took me to an unoccupied cashier, and had her do a dept override, allowing me to bring my legends class figs home. So on to the figs- Hun-grrr wasn't really on my list, and out of the box, I think he could have been better with a few minor changes. Alas, he is what he is, and I got him simply for the fact that the last time I held a figure in my hands (TR Blitzwing), I put him back, and haven't seen him since, and now I want to get him. So, to eliminate that future dilemma, I just said 'F-it' and got him. At least now, once I get the other Predacons, I'll have the whole team to combine them. Anyway, this is one of the rare occasions where I think the G1 figure's alt looked better than the update. But, this new figure makes up for that with articulation- lots of it, and I always value the bot mode over the alt- well, nearly always. The feet, which of course become his double dragon heads, can pivot fore and aft as well as rocking in and out, giving him some really great potential for more extreme poses. Moreover, the upper and lower jaws can articulate independently, so the feet can adjust to uneven terrain. The rest of the articulation is pretty much par for the course except he has no waist swivel. He comes with no gun- just the two pink combiner feet which have gunlike protrusions in the mold. The feet-guns can attach to his bot forearms, which become the bulky lower back legs. I put them on him, they somewhat cover the awkward look of his bot arms trying to be animal back legs. I wish they'd made them attach at the shoulder, as I think that would have served the look better. What he really needs is a set of beefier front legs and a bit of Wierdwolf's leg transformation applied to the arms to give him a more realistic animal look. Alas, it is what it is, and since Hun-grrr is pretty low on my list of interesting characters, I'm not too plussed. Onward to Battleslash and Roadtrap, who, for those who don't know, combine to form Battletrap. As updates go, this one is pretty well executed, IMHO. As legends sized figures, both are a bit more complex than we normally see at this scale (Normally I eschew the instructions with a healthy dose of smugness, but I had to humbly consult on both of these). Of the two, Roadtrap in his truck mode makes for the more convincing alt over Battleslash's chunky helicopter. Unfortunately, two of the wheels on my Roadtrap are too tight and only spin on carpeting or some other surface with sufficient friction, and the clearance is very minimal for Battleslash's rotor, which snags on his cockpit every time I try to spin it. Those qualms aside, in bot mode, both are well articulated for figs of this size, Roadtrap enjoying a bit more up and down foot articulation due to transformation. The majority of limb joints are ball joints, while trans-joints are generally pinned. Combined into Battletrap, he stands almost as tall as a standard deluxe ( just a few mm shorter than PotP Jazz, for comparison) He locks together really well and they did some neat engineering in Roadtrap to align a swingarm trans-linkage with his hip ball joint to allow it to become the kneejoint for the larger bot. Both rotate at the same axis, and give some necessary friction to the knee and structural integrity to the combined mode leg. It's lovely. Battleslash's legs simply form Battletrap's arms with no cool engineering involved, beyond the transformational origami to get them from a hip to shoulder orientation. The final product, though, is a really fun little figure with a lot of poseability, even a waist swivel courtesy of Roadtrap's head forming the connection point. From a nostalgia POV, I barely remember the G1 toys, as they were so incredibly devoid of poseability; this figure is a worthy successor, and despite the concessions to alt modes, esp Battletrap's almost chibi neo-combat helicopter mode, the fun factor of this little guy makes up for it in spades. One caveat, following the recent trend, neither Battleslash nor Roadtrap come with guns. I'm wondering if Hasbro are omitting them for cost cutting, or if it's an attempt to scale back the 'war' aspect of these figures in light of real world events affecting kids. Of the new Dinobots, only Slag and Sludge have guns, and out of all my legends class figs from the last 2-3 years, including the Insecticons and Gnaw, only Seaspray came with a gun, of sorts, despite the fact that nearly all of these characters have had guns in previous incarnations, and in the old cartoon. Digression aside, seeing how Battletrap turned out, I hope they make the other Duocon, Flywheels, at some point, as well as releasing both sets of Clones.
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