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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Got my Dinobot today, and was extremely mindful and attentive of the shoulder ratchets. Both of mine are fine, although the gap is very slightly wider on one of them (don't recall which side, now). Anyway, while handling the parts in question, I would grip the armature holding the raptor leg panels and push in towards the center while rotating it, thus ensuring the tab stays interlocked with the slot. It seems to me the gold shoulder mount is just a little too wide, or the tab too short, for what Takara intended. It makes me wonder if a small thin o-ring couldn't be inserted in there to keep the parts closer together as a more permanent, non-damaging fix. Alas, I've made no mods, but am mindful of that joint when transforming him. Got through his transformation sans instructions on my first try- it seems a bit daunting at first, as he is chock full of moving parts, many of which are necessary to break up his bot legs and body in order to contort into position for his raptor mode, but once you just look at everything, it makes sense. The only parts I wasn't sure about for bot mode were those very same dino leg parts attached to the ratchets of concern. However, a glance at the box showed me where they go, and I successfully got him into bot mode without any casualties. Tomorrow, I'll probably put him back in dino mode, as that actually seems the more challenging side of his transformation. I'll say this, his head ends up in a most unflattering position in dino mode- maybe that's why he was always in a mood on the show. He's a chunky bot, rather top heavy, and the ankles on my copy are a bit weak. Same for his raptor ankles. I have to very carefully tweak this and that to get him to stand unattended in both modes, a situation that I find dismaying on a new and expensive figure. Engineering-wise, just looking at the transformation, Takara did some really nice work. Dinobot's on-screen incarnations benefitted heavily from CG magic which does in no way lend itself to a three dimensional representation. I'm sure the designers spent a few sleepless nights wondering how they were going to get him from bot to beast and maintain the toon looks of both. The solution is a clever bit of plastic origami that comes together well. It's not perfect; both modes have seams showing bits of each other, but it's all forgivable when you consider how much they got right. I think his tail is one of the most impressive bits- rather than just contenting themselves with an inflexible tail for the sake of its becoming his weapon, the tail features several joints along the latter half in two axes of motion for some nice expressive poseability, while still maintaining the ability to fold and split into his iconic spinning weapon. Very cool. Kudos, too, to Takara for the spot-on sculpting of both bot and dino heads (love that tongue), and for the rich scaly texturing throughout and the lovely paintwork. It's a beautiful figure. Last note, referring to ArchieNov's post; I haven't tried putting batteries in mine yet, so I'm not sure if it suffers the same issue. The weak ankles in both modes are thus far the only issues I have.
  2. M'Kyuun
    'Preciate the heads up concerning Dinobot, TKing22. Mine was supposed to be delivered today, but the DHL guy never knocked on my door; he just filled out one of those 'nobody home' slips and slapped it on my door. By the time I realized there was someone on my porch and went to check, he was pulling out of my driveway. I went to go grab my box, and found the slip instead, as the package requires a signature. I was cooking lunch and modding my LEGO Monster in my kitchen, about 20' from the front door, so I know for a fact he never knocked. Anyway, redelivery is set for tomorrow, so I'll be ready for the sneaky bastard. As for that joint, that's a pretty shite design. Surely, with 30+ years of experience, they could have come up with a more durable locking mechanism. Thanks again for pointing it out.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I can't wait to get Voltron- hopefully soon. I have the VW, and yeah, great set with a lot of neat techniques used to achieve the rounded look of different areas. The only flaw I saw was that the spare has to be wedged in a bit under the bonnet for it to close properly. I don't know if that was to keep it from moving around, or if there just wasn't room for it to just plop in and still maintain structural integrity, but it is what it is. 'Tis but a small trifle on an otherwise great set. If you like that, I'd also suggest the Mini Cooper. The Tron set, while a little better in its finished form (the submission didn't have rolling wheels and was basically a static display, not to mention only came with one bike), I still felt underwhelmed by it. The designer did a nice job giving it rolling wheels, but comparisons with the source still show the inaccuracies, especially the hollow wheels and the large teardrop shape of the front end. But I'm glad it got made, nonetheless, as I've always thought Tron would look cool in LEGO form, and it does. They did a great job on the minifigs.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Mike, you're awesome. My druthers tend towards the toy color (that dark green with red details at the knees is lovely) , but I'd take either. I'll go check 'em out. Thanks again, Mike. Edit: Found the toy version MISB on ebay for $99 with free shipping, so I did that. It's coming economy, so I won't see it for another month or so- ships are slow. Not a big deal, as I've lived without it this long. Shrug. I didn't see any mention of sales on the Maketoys store site- just the regular price plus additional shipping. Oh well, at least this way I'm covered by the Ebay money back guarantee if there are any issues. Fingers crossed there aren't; I just wanna enjoy my new toy.
  5. M'Kyuun
    He doesn't have his silver louvres on his legs, either- kinda iconic to Prime. I realize that's a digi, but those louvre panels are blue on Prime in the Movie, so I'm guessing they'll follow suit. Really can't wait til this whole toon obsession is over at Takara. I still think the Hasui era had it right in terms of mixing aesthetics, both toon and toy. 'Masterpiece' and 'plain' don't belong in the same sentence when I think of a masterpiece class of figures. Using shellforming to accommodate the dichotomy between alt and bot aesthetics, in my mind, should never be a part of these figures. Ever. I realize some panels are necessary, but not to the degree where half the alt is a shell. His tanks, or lack thereof in truck mode, plus the kibble behind his cab, are detractors as well. Think this'll be the first official pass I make on a MP figure. Just not digging it. Concerning V3's elbows, yep, Pac-Man. Looks like he's about to summit Mt Everest with that pack. On the fence for MP Hound, as well. I don't like the face at all, the armature to which his head attaches doesn't look good, I don't like the faux tires on his ankles (why?), the round parts of his shoulders look a bit too small and, given there are two joint attachments, worry me a little for long term endurance. I was really looking forward to an official Hound; I'm bummed that I'm not caring for it, and a little regretful that I didn't pick up Gundog when it was available at regular prices. Secondary market prices are too much. Hopefully as we near the release of the official MP, if I haven't changed my mind about him by then, Gundogs will be flooding ebay and Amazon at more reasonable prices.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Voltron mod by Chubbybots: Definitely a challenging set to mod for better articulation. He managed it, but at the cost of some stability. As a mech builder myself, I can certainly sympathize. He did a good job with what LEGO provides. I still think this set was a prime opportunity for LEGO to trot out some beefier, more versatile joints for larger mecha. Aw well, I continue to hope.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Both 3P Ops are looking better to me than V3, not to mention they have a standard transformation rather than a cab shell that forms around the torso. Not a fan of the shellformer solution at all. I can happily accept a slight overhang of the windshield chest parts if they are part of the alt mode. I think the only area that V3 will vastly be superior to the 3P versions is in its articulation. Takara have notably stepped up their game here; I love 'em for it, but some of the other compromises they've been making to achieve that total toon look aren't as appealing. Surprised no one else has commented on Hound's decidedly un-Hound looking face. Looks like they took another bot's face, aged it, and slapped it on Hound. Took a look at my $10 Classics Hound last night, and they got it perfect, so I expect better from a figure that'll probably range from high two digits into the three.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Not feeling that truck mode on OPV3- sides are too streamlined with no discernable fuel tanks, and the aft chassis looks like it's jumbled with bot kibble. Not sure if it's just the angle, but the back tires look smaller than the front. Prime's got a sizeable backpack, probably crammed full of his truck mode shell. While I think the overall look in bot mode isn't terrible, there are already enough niggles that make the third party offerings look more appealing. Really wish they'd ease up on this toon accuracy kick. Hound looks alright. Been waiting for an official version of this guy, and I guess I should have known it'd look more like Willis than Gun Dog. I prefer the look of Gun Dog. The biggest thing that bugs me about him is the face-just seems off to me. Usually, I feel like Takara do a really good job with faces, but not this one. However, I'll reserve final opinions after reviews start surfacing.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the clarification, ArchieNov. Takara did an amazing engineering job here. The only 'flaw' I saw from pics was that parts of his shins and feet are visible when viewing him from the rear, but this was a far better design compromise than the legs and feet folding to become the dino chest, all the while doing a blatantly unconvincing job. So kudos to Takara for completely reimagining the entire transformation process; it clearly paid off- looks like he stepped right out of the animation in either form (ignoring some of the gold bits here and there on his raptor mode which hint that there's 'more than meets the eye' going on). I especially like how the faux dino head/chest bits serve both modes- that's clever. Would have been a waste to have that much real estate covered in dino skin and not use it for the dino mode. Also like the swappable hands/raptor feet, instead of trying to use one set to pass for both. So far, there's a lot to like. And bonus- no whiskers to get all mangled during transformation- so wish Takara had made better room for them, or made them retract or something on Cheetor.
  10. M'Kyuun
    AmiAmi, bless their very kind hearts, cancelled one of my Dinobots , and I just paid up. Looking forward to having him in hand. Just from pics, it's been clear that this was by far the most faithful representation ever made, and he's not an easy character to do given the liberties taken with the animation models. ArchieNov, does he tab together solidly? From the pics over on TFW, there's a lot of stuff swinging hither and thither to build up his bot form, so the thought of a gentle breeze causing him to dissolve into a bunch of hinged bits seems not unrealistic.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Just found my payment request from AmiAmi and realized I ordered two copies at different times- my memory is crap, what can I say? So, I just sent AmiAmi a request to cancel one of them, and hopefully they will, as that's an unexpected chunk of change to dole out when I only need one Dinobot figure to complete my life.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Y'know, that sort of thing just amazes me, as, aside from inflicted or accidental damage, none of my LEGO or other plastic toys from the 80's have ever crumbled. Heck, I have LEGO from the '70's that's still in good shape and viable- wouldn't hesitate to use it in a model today. Yet my Yamato YF-19's shoulder crumbled-just sitting on a shelf, not being touched. So I have to wonder what's up with the materials being used in these premium toys- we pay a pretty decent chunk of change for them, just to have them disintegrate before our eyes, or sometimes, as Jenius mentioned, still in their boxes without having ever been handled since the factory. I count myself fortunate, as my old YF-19 is the only poor plastics casualty in my collection thus far out of around 30 or so Macross toys. I've never had any of my Transformers crumble, either, and I have hundreds of those little beasties, and they're all, presumably, made from plastics originating in China and Japan. So, again, I have to wonder what's different about the plastics being used in some of these collector's toys. Digression aside, looking forward to seeing RavenHawk's review of the Proto- pretty sure I watched a vid of the old Yammie years ago, but it's nice to get another perspective, as the toy has some years on it now, and it's nice to see, in hindsight, what they did right, what could have used a tweaking, and what was just flat out wrong, as I hope Arcadia would have done prior to creating this new version.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Wasn't aware; thanks for the heads-up. Hope it'll see release.
  14. M'Kyuun
    At the rate Arcadia's moving, I think we're more likely to see a YF-21 from Bandai as a follow-up.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I was anticipating this guy, but earlier reviews had already put me off, and Mike's review just reaffirms. While they did get some stuff right (the placement of his treads in his torso), overall, things like the main turret being immobile are disappointing. Out of all the Studio Series, the only fig I'm interested in now is Dropkick, and I hope it's a decent figure. From what I've read, the movie character is supposed to be a triple changer, a feature which obviously didn't make it into this design. I'm ok with it, as it looks pretty cool as an AH-1, and the bot mode seems to stray a bit from the Bayformer aesthetic moreso than the other Bumblebee movie figs, which is perfectly fine by me. I wish they'd abandon that aesthetic entirely going forward. Curious to see what the other 80's alt mode figs from the Bee Movie look like, especially aircraft. If they make that F-4, and it turns out well, I'll have to grab one of those, too. I'm digressing a bit, but I've known a number of old F-4 mechanics, and at least one of them always referred to it as "God's jet" with pride. Not sure why, exactly, as by all accounts it was an absolute bear to maintain, but thought I'd share a memory from my AF days.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Hoping reviews, and sales, are stellar for this figure. I want a Proto-Garland, but that probably won't happen unless the Garland is successful.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Appreciate that link. I hope he doesn't just stop at the head; I'd love to see him put some articulation back into these things. I may give it a shot myself. I hope LEGO makes the Netflix version, perhaps at a slightly scaled down size, with better articulation in both individual Lions, and in combined mode.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Agree with the comments that it lacks the apropos amount of grittiness, but as far as being an adaptation of a manga/anime, I think they've done a decent job making it look so. The cyborgs look pretty good, and definitely evoke an anime vibe. Thinking they could have deep sixed the love story and trudged right on into gory ass-kicking. Curious to see how it turns out. Seeing the big cyborg dude, I can't help but think of the Boomers from Bubblegum Crisis. I wouldn't mind an adaptation of that either. I think it'd work well as a series on Netflix, or one of the other premium channels, where they can create a longer story arc, build the world, and explore the characters better. They have the budgets and lack of content restraint over regular tv that would serve the medium more effectively.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I'm a VIP member, but I exhausted my account balance earlier this month to get the UCS Falcon, as well as buying a few more sets online, plus one or two on clearance sales. So, for now, I just need to chill on the spending and wait until 1 Aug to get my Voltron and perhaps DB5. Who am I kidding, there's no maybe about it.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Concerning those old Disney pics, indeed. Everyone has a skeleton or two, has made a poor decision, or an offensive comment. I certainly have; I try not to anymore. It's part of maturation as we get older. As he said, he was trying to provoke a response, and nothing provokes in the US like pedophilia, so it was the easiest hot-button topic to address to get a rise. I don't agree with it, and apparently neither does he, looking back. Anyway, I wish Disney would take a moment to give a second thought to their decision, as I don't think anyone else will do as good a job with GotG- it's been his baby, and his storytelling and humor have been the fuel to make it successful.
  21. M'Kyuun
    What I like about his take is the subtlety with which he approached the idea of these people being more than just average folks; they have abilities, but they're not so over -the-top like Superman. Moreover, Shyamalan concentrates as much on developing these characters as human beings, as much as super-humans, and that's what really drew me to Unbreakable. I'm glad he eschewed the bombast of the Marvel and DC films, and did it this way instead. Likewise with Split; on the surface, it just looked like a film about a very mentally disturbed guy who kidnaps three young women, and their trials to escape. Like Unbreakable, Shyamalan maintains a level of plausibility throughout, and presents the story in an understated tone, for the most part. McAvoy did a great job realizing his character(s). The other thing I've always admired about Unbreakable and Sixth Sense was how he, as a director, was able to dial down Bruce Willis' performance, as he's typically in John McClane mode in nigh everything he does, and it was great to see him play as something other than the overly-self-assured tough guy. Likewise for Sam Jackson. Both Bruce's and Sam's characters were kept grounded throughout, and that made watching these two veterans all the more enjoyable. The trailer for Glass doesn't give me that same sense of subtlety- it strikes me as closer to the action films we're used to seeing, and I kinda wish he'd maintained the more subtle course as a cat-and-mouse game, especially since McAvoy's character isn't aware of Bruce's. However, the idea of the three of them together in an asylum is interesting. I wouldn't have thought Bruce's character would be in there, as he keeps his abilities close to the vest, but it should make for an interesting group session. Anyway, I think the dynamic between the three characters should make for an interesting film, and Shyamalan seems to be in his element here as both writer and director (say what you want about M. Night, he has a great, if dark, sense of humor), so I'm anticipating the installment.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Unbreakable is one of my favorite Shyamalan films. I liked Split and was, like probably everyone who saw it, surprised to find it tied to Unbreakable- pleasantly surprised. Very much looking forward to Glass.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I'm kinda glad it's a deluxe- cheaper and less space, esp for a Bayformer.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Out of WfC Seige, so far only Sideswipe and Hound are definite buys for me. I may get Chromia (although I like her bike bot figure better) and Ironhide, as he's not too shabby as a Cybertronian van. Not digging this line's version of Prime or Ultra Magnus, both primarily for their nasty alt modes. Hoping they'll do Earth alt modes for Prime and Magnus, esp if they keep rocking the very G1 esque bot modes. It'd be nice to finally have a voyager G1 Prime that actually looks like G1 Prime in the CHUG line. (Not really counting PotP, as too many compromises for the combining gimmick with Orion Pax). As for all the microbots, they're just like the toys we got over a decade ago- pretty much same articulation. Would it have killed them to give these little figs ball jointed elbows? I already have a ton of microbot TFs, and, unfortunately, these bring nothing new, other than crappy weapon modes. Just when I thought I was completely done with Bayverse, they throw Studio Series Dropkick in the mix. Not sure I can turn down a transforming AH-1 Cobra helicopter, or at least a close facsimile thereof. Bee Movie Bee looks like a shell former-meh. Deluxe Shadow Raider looks pretty good, too. Love that alt mode. http://news.tfw2005.com/2018/07/19/sdcc-2018-transformers-studio-series-and-bumblebee-bee-vision-helmet-official-images-368554 Scroll down past the Bumblebee mask to see the new Studio Series figs.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I've been admiring Mike Psiaki's MOCs for years- just a super talented guy, so I was thrilled to find out he'd become a LEGO Designer. From time to time, you see the stuff some of these AFOLs produce, and you think, 'man, I wish this guy or this gal worked for LEGO'. Mike was definitely one of those folks in my mind. Having the VW Beetle, and seeing the work that went into the DB5, glad he got the job, as we the fans are the better for it.
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