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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    Eva Unit One? You're giving JP way too much credit. Leon & Co are saving a city; Shinji stopped Instrumentality. That sounds so nerdy.
  2. M'Kyuun
    While Bee Movie Bee hasn't grown on me yet, I'll give Takara credit for cramming a lot of stuff into a small space. Seems like there are more moving parts for both articulation and transformation mechanics in the Studio Series compared to the Generations deluxes of late. I guess that justifies the $20 price tag, although I'm increasingly finding the price tag on deluxe figs, and moreso voyagers, to be a bit high for what you get. I wish the engineering was more complex on voyagers instead of less, or at least a improvement in articulation over deluxes, as it should be.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the pics, sh9000. Those are the only clear pics I've seen of the JP mecha designs. I wouldn't mind having toys, and I imagine Bandai would be the company that makes them, but as far I know, there are currently no toys or models out there. I imagine they'd sell on their own merits, though, being variable mecha designed by Kawamori. His writing leaves somewhat to be desired at times, but the guy can sure design a cool transforming mech.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Cute vid. As much as I'm pretty much over Bayformery stuff, the MP version of Bee Movie Bee looks intriguing, much better than the Studio Series. I'm already down for Studio Dropkick when he finally releases. Still hate the Bayformer Bee face, though; I wish they'd changed it, given him a faceplate or at least a mouth like the rest of them.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Looked up uguu; annoying. Like the running joke in Juushinki with Chloe being addressed by pet names rather than Chloe and her objections, as well as the military dude who the sniper always addresses by a mildly pejorative term. It's funny the first couple times, but wears thin over the series. As for the fanservice in Juushinki Pandora, I noticed it, but it only crops up here and there, and the princess/mayor is always showing cleavage in her outfit, so after awhile I stopped noticing. Even the nudity is kept pretty tame (usually females viewed taking a shower from the side or 3/4 view behind- no full frontal IIRC). I'm guessing this is aimed at the newly pubescent crowd in Japan, so nothing too revealing. The show's a little boring to me. The characters really aren't that interesting (they're anime archetypes, nothing that stands out), the story is a mish-mash of meta and quantum physics, and the big bad is cheesy and laughable. Honestly, I think I laughed the first time he announced his bad guy name. It's like an 80's James Bond villain. I'm waiting for Roger Moore to show up in a transforming Aston Martin. Kawamori's transforming designs are cool, as always, but they can't save this show from the mediocrity of its story, characters, or dialog.
  6. M'Kyuun
    It's still a far cry from the animated versions, but it's the first real transforming car I've seen that actually has separate legs and can walk. Def a step in the right direction. Note that this real transforming car has more in common with the 80's toys than with the Bayformer designs. Just sayin'.
  7. M'Kyuun

    BANDAI DX YF-19!!

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    I'm passing on this, already having the Advance and the Arcadia 19. As far as the tampo goes, I appreciate it, as Arcadia's was just a little too plain (I mean they didn't even put intake markings on it- pretty much a gimme for all valks), but looking at both my Advance and the new YF-19, Bandai could stand to scale back a little. There's a point where it just becomes gaudy, and they've gone past that point. Too, I wish they'd simplified the intake markings to just a sideways V. Their graphics dept must have been given carte blanche, and they're going all out. Pretty neat how they were able to collapse the arm cannon for transformation. I always figured that'd be one of those add-ons that either gets put on for a battroid display, or stays in the box. Given that Plus was an obvious homage to the real world competition between the YF-22 and the YF-23 at Edwards AFB only a few years prior, I love that Kawamori mirrored that in the setting of Plus, even if it was on another planet. It's still one of my favorite anime. I'm hoping Bandai will follow up with a YF-21 and variants, but yeah, I'm sure it'll be plastered with tampo too. I'm just curious what kind of engineering they'll pull out of their asses to make a better all-around proportioned toy, unlike the old skinny-legged Yamato.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I agree; it still has good presentation overall. The only two things that ever bugged me were the wheel housings on the legs and the slightly too-long arms. But, it's not gappy and has an honest transformation, unlike V3 which is quite gappy, and has a large backpack to contain the panels that comprise his cab shell. V3's strengths are foremost, excellent range of articulation throughout, good proportions with his limbs, hidden back wheels and more cartoon accurate shaping of his lower legs. I just can't get past the need for shellforming his truck mode. Moreover, I don't like how the fuel tanks look, as well as the kibbly nature of his cab mode. I definitely like MP-10's truck mode better. They could have re-engineered his legs to hide the wheels and maybe addressed his arms somehow, and kept the rest of him the same and I would have been happy. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing reviews of V3, as Takara is doing some impressive engineering with some of these latest figures, and I find that aspect appealing, even if I'm not completely taken with the final product.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Contrary to most, I've never been a fan of GERWALK; however, of all the valks, I find the GERWALK of the VF-9 and the SV-51 both to be really interesting and lovely in their own ways, perhaps because they're both a bit unconventional. I wasn't aware until now that the VF-9's cockpit section could rotate in GERWALK-that's awesome; it'd make for a good recon valk. Anyway, mad kudos to Xigfrid for producing a fully transformable model of one of Kawamori's more challenging designs. Other than Experten, who works at a smaller scale, you're only the second person I'm aware of to produce a fully transformable VF-9 (not sure about HalfEye), and it looks brilliant, so kudos well earned. She's a pretty little bird. Love how the legs collapse and create a smooth line from intake to exhaust- beautifully realized!
  10. M'Kyuun
    Even as a long time LEGO fan (I'm seven years older than the minifig, which just celebrated its 40th birthday), I'm astonished by that life scale Bugatti. Just building a static model is impressive, more so in Technic, but to make it a functional driving car using only LEGO elements to do it is a monumental engineering accomplishment. I do have to wonder, though, if it's not at least supported by a steel spaceframe, like many other large LEGO models. The tires and rims were supplied by Bugatti, I believe. The powertrain is what I'm really curious about- I hope they show pics, as that has to be an extraordinarily complex system of electric motors and gears to afford the functionality on display and maintain integrity. It's a seemingly impossible challenge achieved brilliantly.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Looks cool; I prefer FPS styled games, although 3P is also fun (the Uncharted and the rebooted Tomb Raider games are excellent examples). I hope what is shown is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg so far as what sci-fi subject matter is delved into. It does have a feel close to GiTS, which is a good thing, as well as Deus Ex, which I also enjoy. Keeping an eye out for this game.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I'm a big fan of Chubbybots' mech builds, and his take on Gypsy Avenger is pretty sweet. He submitted it to LEGO Ideas. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/e6fe97d6-43dc-48bc-a444-c7653c4b9148
  13. M'Kyuun
    Is there a video somewhere of Kawamori demonstrating his LEGO prototype? I've been searching to no avail. As for Juushinki Pandora itself, it's ok, nothing really groundbreaking. It's an odd mix of metaphysics and quantum physics. As usual, though, the mecha designs are interesting.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Recently finished some planned improvements to my Classic Space Konig Monster. I thought it'd be neat to take a group shot with my other Konig toys. Hope you like.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Hasbro gets no love from me, either, as the only SW related merch I buy is LEGO. Curious how JJ's going to handle Ep 9, as Johnson all but shot down all of JJ's setups from Force Awakens. I wouldn't want to be the writer/director to follow The Last Jedi. Kinda makes me wish they'd just let JJ do the whole trilogy, as it seems he had a vision, and it would have been a uniform transition throughout. Like him or not, he respects the franchise, maybe a little overly, but TLJ was a jarring film that upset the flow from the Force Awakens, at least to me, anyway. I like Force Awakens; even with its warts, it still feels like a decent SW film to me; I just don't feel the same about TLJ. Ep IX is probably going to end up being a salvage op for JJ, trying to circumnavigate a lot of what didn't seem to work in TLJ, not to mention tie some of those unused or explained away threads from TFA back into the new film, Rey's background especially.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I'm not at all familiar with MegaForce; that was around my senior year, and I was busy with school and joining the military, so it may have flown under the radar, so to speak. Looks like the designers were familiar with both American and Soviet hardware of the time- lots of influence there. The huge vehicles are pretty cool. Shame it was cancelled. Makes you wonder why toys like this aren't being made today, maybe with a more sci-fi leaning since military toys just don't seem to be in style anymore. Very few toylines grab my attention these days- aside from larger playsets for Hot Wheels, I rarely see large scale playsets with any kind of a military-esque theme. I love stuff that opens up and deploys other stuff- there's something inherently cool about it, but today's toys rarely reflect it from what I've seen. So glad I grew up in the 80s- it was a really unique time period with a lot of imagination on display in toys, movies, tv, music, etc. Enter the 90's and it all started fading away.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Me too- I miss Saturday cartoons. As for Army Gear, I vaguely remember those toys; I never had any of them, but the cool factor can't be denied. You'd never see toys like this today, at least not in the US, but back in the 80s, guns and military were cool and provided fodder for any number of toys. Interestingly, Galoob also produced the Micro Machines toys, several of which I had. One of the coolest I had was a military tractor-trailer hauling a Cobra helicopter.
  18. M'Kyuun
    That's quite a set of projects: any of the three ships is impressive on any number of levels by itself, but the fleet gives pause to really consider the amount of engineering, detail work, time, and brick that's involved. That's a hefty financial investment, as well. I hope he comes to BrickCon in October; even if he only brings the two smaller ships, it'd still be an impressive display. A friend of mine is working on a custom ship that'll likely be around four feet in length when completed. I've been helping him with some of the structural issues, as it's more in my wheelhouse than his. However, I'm hoping he'll get it completed enough to display in October. He may have to omit the interior to do so, although an interior is planned. This will be his first LEGO convention, so it'll be a cool model for a first time showing.
  19. M'Kyuun
    You sound like you have an inside track. I've read Rowland White's "Into the Black" concerning the development of Columbia, the astronauts involved, her first flight, and certain secret govt ops with which she was tasked. Very interesting book. I'm currently reading "Bringing Columbia Home" by Michael Leinbach, who was intimately involved in the recovery and fault determination after Columbia's disintegration upon reentry, which was due to the damage to tiles and the loss of a reinforced carbon carbon(RCC) structure(s) on Columbia's left leading edge upon liftoff and upon achieving orbit, respectively. It goes without saying, if one is familiar with the heat resistant tiles and their maintenance, even at layman's level, that they posed both the only solution for heat protection and the greatest weakness to the orbiter on every flight. NASA had some close calls, the experience of which made them a bit too nonchalant in Columbia's case. In reality, had the crew done an EVA (the Canada Arm wasn't equipped on STS-107, so an EVA would have been much more difficult to accomplish), there's likely little they could have done to make repairs, and thus would have been aware of their fates upon reentry. Instead, NASA gave them reassurances that there was "absolutely no concern for reentry", believing it to be true without validation. The rest is tragic history. I'm more aware than most, as Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson, USAF, was from my adopted hometown of Spokane, WA, and we have any number of streets, highways, and monuments dedicated to his memory. Anyway, concerning Parker, it's apparent, given the mission at hand, that she's going to need some serious sunblock 3M if she's to survive her mission intact. I'm just curious what that protection entails, especially given the fragility and difficult application of the ceramic or foam tiles used in the Shuttle program.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I've done no reading on the Parker, but I'm curious if they swathed it in tiles similar to what were used on the orbiters (the accidental dislodging of which spelled Columbia's doom), as not much else, at least here on Earth, can handle the temps and still allow anything to survive.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Makes you wonder why they didn't at least use a soft ratchet here, especially since the arms have die-cast. Friction joints are nice for freedom of movement, but once there's too much wear, you're stuck with a floppy toy requiring constant maintenance to artificially recreate that friction. On a toy this expensive, it should never be an issue. If this becomes a prevailing issue common to the figure, I hope Arcadia addresses it prior to further releases. Thanks for sharing guys.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Yawn. Reminds me of the 'extreme' trend from the early 2000s. Didn't like it then either.
  23. M'Kyuun
    The shoulder joints themselves on my copy don't seem to have any issues, although the joints that rotate the entire arm under the hood for transformation are pretty tight on mine. Still, I appreciate the heads up. I noticed that the stalks for the shoulder ball joints are pretty thin, so I'm already wary of putting much force at all on them; they would have benefitted from being die-cast rather than plastic.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Just got my Gundog, transformed him (great example, IMHO, of how a transformation should be; complex enough to satisfy, but not overly so, with nothing superfluous, and tabs-o-plenty to keep it all together), and put him through his paces, so to speak. Sublime toy. This is my first Maketoys figure, and it's left me thus far with a very positive impression. Flaws- so far the only things I see are the front bumper is loose and may require a drop of adhesive, and there are some very obvious sprue marks on the outside lower surfaces of the aft front fenders that can be clearly seen when folded up into the heels. Fortunately, they aren't too visible in jeep mode, unless looking at it from a 3/4 view from the side. The only engineering qualm I have so far is that, despite being on a ball joint, there's virtually no up and down movement with the head. In my mind, with today's articulation standards, that should be a given. The other is that the jeep gun stores a little awkwardly in bot mode by tabbing into the shoulder cannon, or to his arm. Both look weird, and I kinda wish there was a way to mount it to his back in such a way that it could swing up over the shoulder. It's not canon, but I think it'd be a nicer looking alternative, especially if there was a back armature that allowed the gun to swing into position for jeep mode as well. Gripes aside, until more info comes out about the official MP, I've found my Hound. Additionally, I got him in the dark green G1 toy deco, and I'm glad , as it's sharp, especially in contrast with all the chrome, but also much more apropos for a military vehicle.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Dumbassery on my part- simply wasn't paying attention when I transformed him to bot mode the first time, so the detentes which allow for ankle tilt were facing out instead of in. After a healthy dose of facepalm, I rotated them to the correct orientation, and all was right with the world. His dino ankles are still weak though, and I see no way to artificially strengthen them. Still, with patience and tweaking, I can get him to stand unassisted with his tail in the air, so they are strong enough to hold him up, but a gentle breeze will knock him over on his nose. I think those joints could have benefitted from some medium strength ratchets. I don't think dish soap in the ratchets is a good or necessary fix to the shoulder ratchet issue, as it's messy and by it's very nature of breaking down grease and oil, primary constituents of plastic, probably not a good substance to have in contact with plastic over a long-term. Rather, it's an issue of space between the two sets of ratchets. A better solution would be to make a small gasket (folded paper would do) or find a small thin o-ring and sandwich it between the gold shoulder armature and the ratchet that holds the dino leg panel. Whatever choice of spacer used, it needn't be very thick, no more than 1 mm thick. If an o-ring is employed, simply cut it so that it can be placed over the pin. The leg panel ratchet can be easily slid along the pin by grasping the plastic bit that runs from the ratchet up to the panel and moving it inward so the tongue and groove mesh together , after which said spacer can be placed into the opening created next to the gold armature. I've not had to do it to my copy (yet), but that's the method I intend to use should my copy develop the prevailing issue. It should prove to be a simple, inexpensive, non-destructive, and completely reversible method for fixing the issue.
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