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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Still a masterpiece in the truest sense.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Nice review, Mike. I'm too lazy/disinterested to do my homework so far as cartoon accuracy and such are concerned. I take them at face value, and I pretty much know what to expect from a modern deluxe, so there were really no surprises, other than maybe a transformation bit I haven't seen before, which is always nice. For what they are, they're a fun set, do what they're intended to do, and the gestalt, as Mike and I both observed, is arguably one of the best combiners Has/Tak have done since Combiner Wars started. I still don't understand why they put the spikes on the combiner hands vertical instead of pointing straight ahead, which makes more sense and is toon accurate, and I still wish they'd make the combiner feet a bit wider, both to match the girth of the bots forming the legs and for stability (these things are pretty top heavy, after all, so bigger feet would help). IMHO, had they designed Hun-Grrr's hands/beast feet to swivel the opposite direction, they would both cover the combiner pegs and serve as spikey kneecaps, improving the figure. Toy and toon inaccuracies aside, as a toy, it succeeds. The individual Terrorcons are interesting, and personally, I like the little gun-holding armature behind Blot's head, as it allows the gun to point over his shoulder in beast mode, which is better than pointing at the sky if it was back mounted. I admit though, it doesn't look so good in combined mode, but these things are generally full of tradeoffs. I'm already over it. While I think Hun-Grrr's beast mode suffers the worst, the concession at least made for a solid torso in combined mode, which is far better than Volcanicus, sadly. Like many, I've waited 30+ years for modern official Dinos, and was pretty excited to get those guys. To hear that not only were they coming, but that they were going to combine was the proverbial icing- an idea that has swirled for years, seen fan made art and kitbashes, and now finally! official toys. Alas, Volcanicus is a letdown- Grimlock's design made for a weak torso, especially the hips. If they'd designed Grim's thighs to collapse into his lower legs, I think he may have been a decent torso, but they didn't do that, and the result is awkward, gangly, unstable, and fugly. Too, I wish they'd made the whole team in voyager scale- they're dinosaurs, after all, but I guess they went that route for cost savings and for better proportionality of the combiner. After seeing the final result, I wish they'd just scrapped the combiner idea and just given us an updated well articulated team of voyager scaled dinobots.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Missile Robo is easily one of the best molds in this line. It has a really cool transformation that also imparts realistic functionality to the missile deck, allowing it to rotate as well as incline. The lack of small wheels to help it roll better may be considered its only real weakness, but I can live with it. It's a fantastic update, and just a fun a figure to transform and pose. Shuttle Robo's a nice update, but he doesn't feel as solid in his shuttle mode; there's a bit of flex due to how his arms form the backbone of the shuttle and the hip panels fill in the gap below them. Still, I'm glad they made him, and like the rest of the line, is a nice update to the old MR/Gobot toy. He also features some of the better weapon storage in the line. Hoping Turbo and Loco, for which proto pics have been shown, make it to production. I was hoping this line would succeed, as I'd love to have an updated Harrier Robo.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Between the three options, the Magic Square appeals the most to me right now. Like you, though, I wonder how limited the thigh rotation will be due to his hip skirt, which doesn't seem to have the hinged cutouts like the Takara and the Transform Element. I also wonder if the MS will basically have MP-10's articulation. That's the one area I expect Takara to excel, as that seems to be a big part of their design strategy for MP figs, along with fanatical adherence to cartoon accuracy. The idea of Prime being a shellformer, not to mention his obvious gappiness in bot mode, are swaying me away from Takara's version. Wish they'd just stop with the toonish plain Jane bot aesthetic with realistic alt mode, as the two things just aren't really compatible without resorting to doing what they're doing with OP V3. I think they had the right idea initially- nice mix of toon and toy.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Man, Iron Factory do a really nice job on these little guys. That paint work is sharp. Hard to tell that's a legends sized fig from the pics (which are the usual standard of excellent, thanks Kuma). They look like fun toys, and fun doesn't seem to be part of the equation with a lot of TF toys these days. To that end, I'll give Has/Tak a nod, as I think they've struck a good balance with their mass retail figs, especially in the TR line deluxes, with some nice carry-over into PotP. Perfect, no. Fun, yep. Which again makes me question why so few 3Ps, if any, are producing figures at CHUG scale, considering what they could bring to the table in terms of improved articulation, paint and deco, complexity, etc. I don't know about other collectors, but it's the line I collect most, and sometimes it'd be nice to have options here, too. Actually, my druthers would be for more 3P improved voyager and leader class figs, as the official toys tend more towards Playskool complexity with each rise in class. I would expect the opposite to be true. I'm still waiting for some enterprising third party to make the Animated version of Omega Supreme. I was so hoping Has/Tak would release that on the tenth anniversary, but they did absolutely nothing to celebrate that line, which broke a lot of conventions and saw some really cool and innovative toys, not to mention a great show, whether or not you dug the aesthetic. They did something right b/c said toys go for some steep prices on ebay and the like nowadays.
  6. M'Kyuun
    They're pushing the love story hard in the trailer, and the music reinforces the tone, with only a glimpse of the violence. As TehPW stated earlier, it looks like they're trying to appeal to a female audience with this trailer. But, trailers are often deceiving, and given the very violent nature of the anime, I'm guessing they're holding back. Cameron's had a long time to think about how he wanted to do this movie, and Robert Rodriguez has done his fair share of gritty violent movies, so I think this is an example of early trailer misdirection. Hoping in the end they'll go for an R rating and realize the film as close to its roots as possible.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Right after I posted, I did a search and found Emgo's review for it. Overall pretty neat figure. He's pretty big. Concerning the tracks, Emgo's didn't seem to roll very well, but it may have just been his copy. Leader CW Megs is kinda like that, too, not to mention any number of LEGO sets I've had over the years using rubber treads. Come to think of it, my ToyWorld Bonecrusher and Scavenger (don't remember their actual names offhand) both have issues rolling smoothly, although that feature was one of the main persuaders for going with TW (that and their Long Haul was the only G1 accurate 3P version, and he's my favorite of the Constructicons). But I digress; back to MT Ironwill. Kinda funny how the cockpit glass is too small in comparison to the Headmaster fig. As Emgo pointed out, he'd have to lean to his left to see straight ahead. But, I get that they were trying to maintain the G1 look. I love the overall transformation, though. It's tough to pull off with rolling treads, which is probably why we get so few with the feature. Kind of a bummer that the turret is so limited in its rotation- only real flaw I see in the design, besides gun storage, as Kuma pointed out. Anyway, great pics of this guy; appreciate your sharing, Kuma. To Dobber, my own 3P purchases are quite limited, so I can't really speak to best third party. What I can say is that I love my Fanstoys Dinobots, my MMC Sphinx, Terraegis, Jaguar, and Furor, and to a lesser degree, my XTransbots Apollyon and Eligos. Eligos is a pain to transform, but he's a thing of beauty in both bot and starship modes. I have yet to own anything from Maketoys, but from all the reviews/pics I've seen of their stuff, they're a company to keep an eye on. Which brings me to your Seeker question: I think it depends on what you're looking for. If you like the Takara Seeker aesthetic, then official or Toy World would be your cup of tea. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Takara versions, 1 or 2, as too many things are off to my eye. Maketoy's version, even as slavishly toony as it is (I prefer a mix of toon and toy), is just a thing of beauty to me, hollow wings, notwithstanding, and I can't wait to get Skycrow in my eager little mits. AFAIK, those are your options for a G1 MP Seeker. If you want an updated IDW inspired Seeker, you can try and track down one of IGear's figures, which turned into an F-22 inspired jet. And finally, if you want a G1 bot mode, and a Cybertronian Tetrajet alt mode (based on the look of the seekers in the very first episode of Transformers before they left Cybertron), then look no further than the MAAS Kickstarter figure-scroll up to Kurisama's post for link). My knowledge is a bit limited, so I'm sure some of the other fellas can be of better service, but I hope this helps.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Perchance are those rolling treads on that not-Hardhead? I rolling treads.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Beyond nostalgia, I really don't get the desire to own those old bricks, especially for the price. I solely prefer a modern interpretation, generalized in Generations, or in a more complex and high-end form like MP, as long as it has a decent range of articulation. One of the main reasons why I didn't buy a lot of TFs as a kid was the lack of articulation in most of the toys- I didn't want a collection of statues; I wanted something that could be posed and played with. And speaking of Generations, I stopped by Wally today to see if they had the rest of the PotP Terrorcons, and much to my delight, they did. So, having messed about with them for about an hour, and forming the obligatory Abominus, or as close to it as I could get without visual reference, I'm pretty happy with them. They all individually have the standard deluxe articulation. My Cutthroat's beast mode head comes off of its pegs very easily, as well as his lower jaw. I'm thinking maybe the head was being pressed upon in the package, thus widening it a little so that it comes off so easily. Or it's a shite design. Anyway, something to be aware of if any of you pick these guys up. Overall, though, my copies all seemed to have pretty tight joints overall, and everything holds together well in gestalt mode. The Combiner feet are really small, but they do have ratcheted ankle tilts, so some decent poses are possible with Abominus. Using Hun-Gurrr's arms as Combiner legs, and imbuing them with strong ratchets was a smart choice, and it works well. I generally don't consult instructions for my TF toys, however, I wasn't sure who went where on Abominus, so I sought some form of reference. Hasbro delivers, but it's not a reference of the toy you have in your hands, but a stylized G1 version of him where Hun-Gurrr's legs formed the gestalt's legs as well, and the hands and feet are different and much more proportionally correct. Go figure. Anyway, Hasbro was good enough to label each of the Terrorcons in that bit of art, so that's how I put mine together. Having waited for these guys awhile, and being content with the current standards of build and design in the TR/PotP line (not like it's going to improve any time soon), I'm happy with them. They do what they're intended to do pretty well, they're nice updates to the original toys (I wish they gave the creature modes more articulation, but they're all better than the upcoming Predacons, so I'll take what I can get in mass retail figs), Hun-Gurrr is arguably the best core figure of any of the combiners to date, and they succeed as fun transforming toys intended for kids in the neighborhood of ten years old. They're far and away better than the Transformers I had at 13, so I'm just glad that they're done as well, and with as much homaging of the originals as they are.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Since you mention it, yeah, it is kinda funny that few of the 3Ps are producing CHUG scaled toys, tending towards the MP. In my mind, it'd be a fun scale to work in, or even the voyager scale. Guess MP is the popular choice in China and Japan.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I agree, however, I must admit I like quite a few of the TR and some of the PotP figures, most specifically the deluxes. But in terms of overall quality, build, design, Animated , and perhaps a few of the Prime figures, were the last of Hasbro's higher quality mass retail offerings. From Combiner Wars and Robots in Disguise onward, things got simplified and overall quality took a depressing downward turn.
  12. M'Kyuun
    It would be awesome if they could figure out a way to have him become either the tetrajet or an F-15. However, kudos for achieving a good tetrajet mode from his F-15 bot. While it's not my cup of tea, I wish MAAS every success with the Kickstarter, as I'm sure there are plenty of TF fans who want this. Those FPJ Warbots remind me of the Acid Rain toys. Pretty cool.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Interesting, although it sounds like its written at the same level as Robots in Disguise, i.e. aimed at the younger crowd. However, if they can do for this what they did for Animated, I'm already a fan. I like the mix of G1 with newer characters, or at least newer interpretations. (looking at Shockwave and his personality carryover from Prime). I didn't watch RID, but I own about a dozen of the toys, as some were quite innovative and interesting, especially Bisk, Thunderhoof, and Scorponok. They're fun figures. Edit: Just found a few images of Cyberverse toys. Yeesh, the warrior class look very simplified, moreso than even the RID figures. I may give the show a look, but I hope its not as dumbed down as the corresponding figures. Not feeling the Force with these.
  14. M'Kyuun
    $330 is a bit much, indeed. I have Primal, Cheetor, and Dinobot on PO (he's a bit steep, too), and I'd love to have Megatron as well. But yeesh. Hopefully, some of the Japanese sites will have slightly better pricing, b/c yeah, they're pricing me out of the game.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I saw it a couple weekends ago. The first film is one of my all time favorite animated films- it checked all the boxes. So, my anticipation for this film was pretty high. It was ok, but felt like a sequel. It lacked the heart of the first film, just going for action and laughs. Honestly, I think the first film was funnier, too. Jack-Jack and his menagerie of powers was often at the core of the humor in the new film. I did like the focus on Elasti-Girl and her role in the film; it was a bit of irony that the more mature audience members could relate to. I was hoping for some deeper coming-of-age stuff, especially for Violet. It was touched on, but not really in any kind of meaningful way. I think Brad Bird just wanted to make a lighter film this go round. It was a fun film, the banter was witty, the relationships still as we remember them from the first film, but not as emotionally invested as the first, which IMHO, was a significant reason why that film set itself apart, and arguably above, other American animated films. Given its box-office success, I hope Disney greenlights Incredibles 3, and Brad writes a more mature, emotionally invested script with a more challenging, if threatening, villain. Syndrome's goading Mr. Incredible to kill his assistant still stands out as particularly dark scene for a Disney film, and the scene where Mr. Incredible admits he's not strong enough to live without his family still chokes me up.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Kuma, and anyone else who owns Ocular Max Jaguar, be aware that the front paws are intended to be slid off their pegs during transformation, as the pegs are 'T' shaped, and can break under the stress of snapping them on and off. There was a warning in my instructions calling this out, and I thought I'd pass it along. I can also recommend the Toyhax/Repro labels for this guy, as it adds much needed detail, especially in his cassette mode. I found him to be too plain straight out of the box. One caveat if you do; the rotating plates behind his shoulders can rub against the decals, as the tolerances are pretty tight, so patience and care are requisite. Worth it though, IMHO. I can also recommend Furor and the red cassette dude (forgot his name). Just a really solid figure with lots of articulation, a decently complex transformation for a figure this size, and looks good (better in scale) next to his MP brethren. MMC did a great job with it. Can't say I feel the same about Volture and Buzzard, although they're ok. I'm not crazy about their feet/legs, and the wingtips are held together by tiny magnets, which have a tendency to fall off on mine. I've had to glue several in place on my copies. The joints on mine aren't the tightest, either. While Jaguar and Furor feel like premium toys in hand, I can't say the same for the condors. Edit: And by way of confirmation, the MP cassettes are the same size as the original G1- they can all fit in both G1 Soundwave and his MP counterpart. By extension, it stands to reason that they all fit in G1 Blaster as well. Sadly, Has/Tak made neither Titans Return Blaster's nor Soundwave's chests compatible with the cassettes as they should sit normally. You can, however, slide them into the cavernous slot in their chests intended for the gadget bots, which were designed to replace the anachronistic cassettes. IMHO, it's a really unfortunate lost opportunity to make these new figs cross-compatible and utilize one of the coolest gimmicks in the franchise.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Good question for LEGO directly. In Japan, Voltron was originally called Beast King GoLion, or at least the portion that featured the Lions in the American adaptation. It would follow that LEGO, a global brand, would be savvy about such things, especially since they had to purchase a license to use the Voltron name and likeness. I have no experience to speak from, but I'd assume LEGO tailors its packaging according to the languages of its various markets, as it seems illogical and insensitive to assume everyone reads and understands English, and in this case, is familiar with an American adaptation of a Japanese property. During my two years in Okinawa, I never purchased any LEGO off-base. In retrospect, I don't recall seeing LEGO in the hobby store near Kadena, and I never did any shopping in Naha, which would have been a better market. This was back in 1990-91, and LEGO has expanded quite a bit since then. If we have any Japanese residents here, they may be able to provide a better answer, as I'm sure word is out that this is coming soon.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I confess I've never read any of his fiction, but over the years, having been a life long sci-fi fan who's watched any number of docs and commentaries, the picture I have of Mr. Ellison is that he was brilliant, contentious, and, if provoked, which he seemingly was quite easily, could be downright vicious with the written word. He wasn't a big man, but he had big ideas and the talent to convey them in his writing. While his tiff with Gene Rodenberry over The City on the Edge of Forever script tends to be what most folks remember him for, he contributed to a number of sci-fi shows in his career. Much like Dick, I imagine his work will be more celebrated since his passing. Alas, another forward thinker lost to the cosmos.
  19. M'Kyuun
    As for the ship in a bottle, the original submission featured a larger, more detailed ship. LEGO's version is greatly simplified. For modding Voltron, I'd keep an eye out for Kelvin Low's inevitable mod. He did a really nice bit of modding on the Hulkbuster. On Flickr, he goes by Chubbybots.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Trying to make sense of the senseless will only lead to circular reasoning and ultimate insanity. In a real scenario, from the time of Hammond's first park until the 'present', much like Malcolm predicted, many of the dinos, esp those that can swim or fly, would have eventually made it off one of those islands to mainland somewhere. Life finds a way, after all. I saw it last weekend, and, at face value, it's meh. Other than my utter awe at seeing the original film for the first time, seeing those lifelike dinos at a time when they had previously been stop-motion and blue screened, the JP series just hasn't really enthralled me that much. I did like Jurassic World. I don't overthink it. That said, several things stuck out to me in this movie that caused irritation:
  21. M'Kyuun
    I guess I can understand nostalgia as a driving force for wanting these old toys, but personally, I'd take a modern Arcadia 1/60 VF-1 with improved aesthetics and poseability any day. I can't argue with the fact that the old Takas were built like tanks and fun to transform, though. Guess that's the appeal. For Silverstreak, you have two UCS Millennium Falcons to choose from now. I haven't looked at pricing for the original, although prior to the new improved UCS Falcon, prices were pretty high. The new set is priced at $800 USD, with 7541 pieces. I imagine prices on the original have tapered since the new release.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Yea, I noticed those tail fins, too, but forgot to comment on them due to my disgust with BL's back legs. Been looking at Lendy Tayag's Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CreationsByLendy/ His original submission is indeed far superior. And, your observation that LEGO continues to make greater changes to submissions, nearly to the point where they look nothing like the original, is valid, sadly so in several cases. One notable exception is the Saturn V, which was markedly improved over the original submission, and just a great set to build and display. I wish that same improvement had been applied to Voltron. C'mon LEGO, we need better joints, and this would have been a fertile proving ground. Wasted opportunity. Alas, by its very nature, LEGO lends itself to modding. Just wish it wasn't necessary.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the heads-up, Mark-1s. I've been strongly anticipating this set since its approval was announced, hoping that LEGO would do some revolutionary design work with this guy. It looks really nice, but, much like their UCS Hulkbuster set, it looks like they skimped on articulation in the knees and ankles (hips had to be articulated for Black Lion). I think they did a great job on the 'sculpting', though- the individual lions look good, with the exception of Black Lion's back legs, an obvious concession to stability. So, mixed feelings. This set offered an opportunity for LEGO to up its game, and perhaps produce some new, much-desired heavier-duty joints for larger mecha. In short, I considered it a gateway towards that end for them, and with mecha becoming more prevalent in both licensed and unlicensed sets, this was an excellent opportunity to create something truly above and beyond anything they've done in this genre thus far. I'm still going to get it, but I can't help feeling disappointed as well. Some modding may be in order. Len_d69 did a great job with his proportionality and with achieving all-around functionality for both interlocking the Lions and preserving articulation throughout in his submission. I very much wish LEGO had taken more cues in these areas.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Liking him, Kuma?
  25. M'Kyuun
    Even though I don't like the design, it's not so much a shellformer as a turn-inside out former, which involves some clever engineering. It's incredibly clean in both modes, so I give credit where it's due. I didn't think it transformed at all from the initial bot pics. Pretty impressive.
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