Jump to content

M'Kyuun

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4771

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    Sketchley, do you know if there is an English translation of the interviews in Shoji Kawamori's Macross Design Works? I've looked for one for years and have come up empty. Figured I'd ask, as you seem to be the guy who'd know. Thanks. -M'Kyuun
  2. M'Kyuun
    I've heard others say that he's a fun figure to transform, and he seemed so from the vids I've seen. I've had my eye on him, and despite shelling for MP-36, I may end up getting him, too. More over-engineering, even less detail.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Colin Firth's character was the best part of Kingsman. I liked the movie, but Colin's protege left little impression on me- honestly, they could have killed him in the first 20 minutes, and I think I would have enjoyed the film more. I didn't care for Sam Jackson's character, either, so I'm glad they killed him irrevocably. They should have kept his ass-kicking attache alive though- she was a scene stealer. Anyway, the return of Colin gives me hope, as overall, I enjoyed the first film, and hope the sequel at least as good.
  4. M'Kyuun
  5. M'Kyuun
    That's a really nice looking Megatron. Since I already forked for MP-36, I'll skip this guy, but I look forward to the inevitable reviews. Looks like a more traditional transformation.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Don't worry, there'll be recolors of this guy, at least a Diaclone version, and a toy colors version, so there's a good chance an MP-38 Megs might yet be released. And if, not, not really a big deal to me and , yay, new mold! Personally, I'd like an all new Seeker mold, where the neck area is mounted lower than the upper lip of his chest intakes. That particular detail has bugged me about the current Seeker mold since it was released. Speaking of that, this mold is now over 10 years old- that's a lot of milking time for the mold. Time for an update.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Reminds me of Running Scared w/ Paul Walker...different plot but same kind of tone.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I got my Soar from an ebay seller, and the extra head assembly was in the packing, so I completely missed it when I pulled the box out (the packing was completely made of styrofoam perfectly fitted to Soar's box, and then wrapped completely in thick yellow packing tape. It was actually some of the best packaging I've ever seen). Anyway, I did the swap once I did find it, but haven't swapped the knee parts yet. I'm trying to be careful with the plastic ones, but if they do end up breaking, I'll go ahead and install the metal ones. I'm a rarity, as I prefer the look of TT's Shockwave over the 3P offerings. I wish he'd been a darker shade of purple, but overall, it doesn't bother me. Anyway, I thought Shockwave was pretty well done. In his case, I prefer the animation design over the G1 toy. Of course, opinions vary dramatically over this figure, and I can respect that. I'm glad the third parties veered away from the cartoon look, as the differences between the various versions should give everyone what they want, within reason.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Considering that he has to transform into a MP-10 scaled robot, they did a pretty good job overall of getting the shapes and proportions close. I wouldn't expect it to be exact, as it would be nigh impossible to do and make the robot mode as well without more sacrifices. Too, in this instance, I'd rather the robot mode got the most attention design wise.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Well, even though Constructor is my Devastator of choice, the vehicle modes are simplified, a little too much like the G1 Constructicons. I'm thinking primarily of their Bonecrusher and Scrapper, both of which would have benefited from full cabins to make them look more realistic. It's ironic that they went so far as to make rolling treads on Bulldozer, but then only gave him a convertible awning for an operator's cabin, when the latter posed a far less engineering challenge. Burden, who comes with his own quality issues (which I hope are fixed when they release the boxset this summer), is the best modern version of G1 Long Haul, IMHO. Quality issues aside, where I think they missed the mark to really make the figure shine is in the lack of functionality of his vehicle mode; how difficult would it have been to design a small set of panels to which the rear wheels would attach? These panels could be mounted at the knee and made to lock to the backs of the thighs, enabling the dumper to function as it would on a real dump truck. It seems such a missed opportunity, as nearly all the Constructors have at least some functionality in their vehicle modes, and that would have set this version above the rest for having that extra functionality. My opinion, but it bugs me when I think if only.... Until owning their Dinobots, I had only word of mouth to go on for Fan's Toys' reputation. Now that I have three figures in hand, I think I'm going to experience a bittersweet feeling when FT finally reveal their Constructicons. I'm too invested in TW, and one MP scaled Devastator is enough (both financially, and due to ever shrinking space restrictions). But, I'll bet they're going to be nice.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Wow, pretty extensive review, Mike. It's cool to see all of them together for comparison's sake. Ultimately, I went with Toy World's Constructor, as I like the G1 aesthetic they were going for, and, if I'm really being honest (I am), they had me with the rolling treads on Unearth and Bulldozer. I have their Scavenger, Bonecrusher, and Hook, and I love how solid and chunky they feel in hand. I have the full 6 figure set PO'd, and I can't wait to have them all. Along with 3P Constructicons, I've also started collecting 3P Dinobots, and I went with Fan's Toys Iron Dibots. Thus far, I have Sever (Snarl), Grinder (Grimlock), and today I got the blue version of Soar (Swoop). Every one of these figures is a treat to behold, and even to transform. There's a fair bit of innovation involved, and the results are really clean bot modes with a lot of die-cast heft, great articulation, and spot-on G1 aesthetics in both modes. In Soar's case, I wouldn't have minded their taking a little license to better integrate the arms into his ptero mode, but FT really were going for the G1 look, so his arms just kinda hang at his sides and give his dino mode a really boxy look that echoes the original toy ( actually, the original toy's arms tucked into the body a little for a little streamlining). I wish they'd allowed the arms to tuck in at an angle to give his pteranodon more of a V shape, but it is what it is, and it makes up for the boxiness with wing , head, and leg articulation. These are the only FT figures I own thus far, but I'm quickly understanding the high regard that many collector's have for them and their products. Very solid, and two of my Dibots have even had inspection stickers on them! One last thing, my copy of Soar came with a mis-assembled neck piece that wouldn't sit flush. Also included in the box was an extra properly-assembled head and neck assembly in a little bag. I guess the inspectors look for known issues and insert the necessary fix-it parts in the box. It was the work of several minutes and my Soar was back in perfect order; this is how a company should address quality issues. Very impressed with this company and its products thus far. Can't wait for Stomp and PF Cesium (their new Slag mold).
  12. M'Kyuun
    I'm starting to come around to that way of thinking, too. But, there's also a difference between a fairly complex transformation where everything transitions smoothly, and one where tolerances are too close or too tight, and that complicates the process far more than the transformation itself. MP-36 falls into the latter category. His transformation really isn't that difficult (the arms are the most difficult part for me), but the close tolerances and resistances just make this thing a nail-biting experience. I don't mind a challenging transformation, but it's best when the designers make allowances for parts to clear enough for other parts to rotate and move as needed. I'm gonna call out XTransbots here: Eligos has a pretty straightforward transformation, i.e., it's logical and makes sense. But, for whatever reason, the panels that go around the head and the panels on the backs of the legs , all of which need to swing open to allow other parts to move by or through them, have very limited hinge movement so that there's barely clearance. It's frustrating and I don't get why they didn't design the hinges to allow for more travel. On my copy of MP-36, the final rotation of the arms into their pistol mode positions causes them to rub, and it gives me an uneasy feeling. But for fun, I've really cottoned to the RiD figures and a number of recent TR figures just to grab and idly transform. Fun toys, as they should be.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Thor's prob my least favorite Marvel hero, so I've been ignoring the trailer for this up until now. Everything about this looks cool. The "friend from work" line is pure gold. Looks like it's going to be chock full of humor, and when it's done like this, I'm all for it. Great cast in this movie, too. Looking forward to it.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Internationally, they should just rename the size classes tall, grande, and venti; that would alleviate all confusion.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I tend to concur; I don't want to support HG in any way. However, getting back to the topic at hand, Kitz Concept's SD VF-1, I find myself a bit tempted to get one of these. By all appearances thus far, it's a nice little figure, and one of the best looking SD VF-1 designs I've seen. I dig it a lot. I wouldn't mind Focker's Strike Valk in all its FAST Pack glory. Sitting on the fence....
  16. M'Kyuun
    Derex, sorry I missed your earlier post; been away from the computer for several hours. My copy didn't have any plugs installed at all- pristine and sealed from the factory. I haven't even bothered removing the silencer from its tray, as I'm rue to scratch up Megs' barrel. It's really the one big misstep with this toy, that attaching the silencer will almost certainly cause damage. No intended feature or accessory should cause damage by using it in the prescribed manner, and certainly not at the asking price for this figure. I hope Takara are addressing it for future releases. The rest of us will have to content ourselves with the box pictures if we don't want to scratch up our toy. And while I could get a modicum of use out of it by assembling his big gun from it and the stock, I really feel no compunction to do so. Maybe someday I'll get a wild hair, but 'til then, it shall remain in the tray. I concur- in hand, just a great figure to pose, play around with, and display. Whoever first came up with the idea of interchangeable faces deserves some serious kudos; they've revolutionized the doll/action figure industry, enabling the user to change the emotional state of their figure to really illuminate its character and personality. I tend to stick to neutral faces, but I think the option to change expressions is an under-sung feature. Against my general practice, my Megatron is laughing while pointing his fusion cannon at whatever passes before him. He was worth the wait, IMHO.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I agree with your assessment of his finish; after all the internet griping, in hand, he has a really nice finish, a sheen, if you will. IMHO, the best thing about him is that, despite having to incorporate all the engineering for transformation, he's still an excellent action figure, with an impressive range of articulation. I don't find his transformation to be fun; it's a process, and a lot of tolerances are very tight, at least on mine. I transformed mine into his gun mode and back last night, second transformation, no instructions, and it was still tricky in spots, esp the upper arms. I'd recommend transforming him at least once for the experience, though. Those legs are just brilliant, but the way the rest of it folds to become a gun is really quite a feat of engineering, and worth transforming once to appreciate the design.
  18. M'Kyuun
    And Takara's version has a different hood/chest piece with the engine detail replaced by a smooth orange area, and it also appears to eschew the folding nose, which reveals his abs on the Hasbro version. Takara left it out to make their version look more G1, or it appears that way to me, as I can detect no break lines to indicate that the feature is still there. otherwise, yeah, they're pretty much the same toy with color differences.
  19. M'Kyuun
    He's standard deluxe class. I have the Hasbro version, so this should give a sense of scale.
  20. M'Kyuun
    This looks like a fun little set. Can't say I'm too crazy about all the Devastator parts hanging awkwardly from the individual bots, but in a Legends sized set, they did a nice job capturing the look of both Constructicons and Devastator. Thanks for the review, Mike. There's something really appealing about small figures like this; I'd love to see Has/Tak make a series of chibified figures.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Good man. With logic like that, you're going places!
  22. M'Kyuun
    That's dedication, Mike. The Dino combiners are more interesting to me than most of the others- just the novelty of them and the inventiveness applied to keep them looking close to the classic Dinobots while still combining is intriguing. I've never been into combiners that much- pretty much Devastator and Bruticus are the ones that I like. Thanks to CW, I have Bruticus, and thanks to ToyWorld, I'll have my Devastator in a month or two, barring any delays. Regardless, I'll peek in on your upcoming reviews, as I usually do, and wish you the best in your endeavors to collect and review all these combiners.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Which path, marriage or LEGO? Go with the LEGO, man, go with the LEGO.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Haters gonna hate.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Thanks! I have parts of it in early development in LDD, but not the whole thing. I free built the majority of it. Here are two files containing early work I did on the VF-4. Fair warning, it's a mess in these files, with parts floating all over the place. You're the second person who has requested an LDD file for this; at some point, I'll have to sit down and see if I can make a complete file for it. LDD can be a harsh mistress where many moving parts are concerned, not to mention tolerances, but I'll have have to give it a shot. To be honest, I'd love to see what this would look like in canon colors, so making the design available for others to build would likely yield at least one "official" version. Personally, I don't feel like scraping the parts together to make another one, and if I did, I'd want to make too many changes. Just how it is. I have two or three other projects in the fire, so I'd rather work on something new. Anyway, I hope these prove useful, at least in some small capacity. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mcquownw@hotmail.com. I appreciate your interest. small vf-4.lxf vf-x.lxf
×
×
  • Create New...