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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Concerning PV3, looking at it with fresh eyes this morning, those pictures are rather poor, so I'm reserving judgment about the faux windows thing. That's a lot of real estate to try and hide, and just seems pointless to me, especially when the front wheels and such all need to fold into his torso. The grill, I get, and that's been a tradeoff for awhile now in any number of Prime figures. I wouldn't mind if it was the truck's actual grill, just hinged to fold for bot mode, but that never seems to be the route taken. Seems it'd be easier to do than try and hide a second grill, though. Anyway, I'm not hitting any panic buttons just yet; I'll wait for better pics (front and back)/ early promo vids (if TT do any)/ in-hand reviews before making a final decision. As it is in all its grainy goodness, it looks alright to me thus far, certainly far more proportionally so than its predecessor. And the pelvic section, comparing with my PotP Leader Prime, looks about the same overall, except PV3 has longer skirts that make the whole look larger. Just an observation. I will say, I kinda agree with lechuck in a previous post concerning the option of just buying PV3 without the trailer, especially if they make the new and old compatible (they probably won't, but you never know). My MP-10 trailer has been out of it's box once or twice in all the years I've owned it. So, the option would be nice, if only to bring down the price and save space.
  2. M'Kyuun
    And his arms are the proper length. As for the possibility of faux windows, I'm not a fan of fake parts either, but it seems more and more to be the tradeoff to achieve screen accuracy. For what it's worth, this looks pretty good- better than MP-10, although the 'diaper' is a bit large. The other thing is that the leg vents look like they're just molded in there without actually being vents like MP-10's. Hopefully it'll look better once painted; as it is on the greyscale, it looks a little cheap. But hooray for smooth legs- I never liked the look of MP-10's.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Having watched his shows sporadically over the years, it seemed to me that Anthony was living the dream: traveling the world and enjoying the cuisine each region offered. Being a chef, his was a unique insight. Moreover, he had a very grounded personality, wise by experience, yet he wasn't a jaded curmudgeon. So, to read suicide as the end of a life so full of experience and success and positives to share, especially through the two very enjoyable mediums of food and travel, I can only shake my head and wonder why. I'm sure I'm in good company. Whatever he was struggling with internally, his loss is one that affects many, myself included if only just on the periphery. My heart goes out to his family and close friends, and I hope Mr. Bourdain has found the peace he sought.
  4. M'Kyuun
    My wife and I saw it on Sunday, and we liked it. The last name bit was a 'whatever' moment, but overall it was an entertaining film. I thought the actors did a good job, esp Lando. Anyway, I liked it better than TLJ, and it's a film for which I wouldn't mind a sequel, if only to tie up Q'ira's story and to maybe show the tenuous friendship between Han and Lando, as well as Han's and Chewie's further misadventures, and Han's growing cynicism as he becomes the man we see in A New Hope.
  5. M'Kyuun
    The Bee Prequel comic appeals far more to me, both in story and artistically- I like the art style Sara Pitre went with above. The Cold War spy story sounds interesting, and fits Bee's character very well. The Bee movie is similar to the 2007 movie, only in the 80's and this time with a girl as his human master friend.
  6. M'Kyuun
    He was discovered in a used car lot in the first movie, hence Bernie Mac's voiceover about the car choosing the driver at the beginning of the trailer. Guess maybe it's their way of bringing it all full circle, despite the time difference. I hope this movie isn't the reboot Hasbro's been on about; looks and feels just like another Bay film, right down to the cringeworthy humor (the Rick Roll bit-).
  7. M'Kyuun
    I expected them to go with the Duplo angle hinted in the first film. Bringing Friends in Space (a theme I thought would have been explored by now in the main line sets, but sadly hasn't) is pretty cool- it's a nice juxtaposition making them the aggressors with all their hearts and flowers and cutesy pet stuff. Even more excited to see it now. And for the sets. On a side note, between the next wave of Ninjago sets and the LM2, Post-apoc fans are going to get a nice spate of sets this year and next. As for me, bring on the space stuff- lots of it.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Still looks and feels too much like Bayverse to me. Admittedly, the aesthetic is somewhat improved with Bee, but they kept the same crappy head design, and what's worse, his inability to speak. Seems to me, compared to all the tech involved in his body, the voice thing would be a quick and easy fix. Starscream is interesting, although why they went with a Phantom rather than an F-15, especially in the 80's, makes little sense to me. Though we were still flying them at that time, they were at their heyday during the 70's, while the 15 was the superiority fighter of the 80's, not to mention the original alt mode- unless he's going to scan an F-15 during the movie. That might yield an interesting toy, anyway. Well, I hope it pleases those to whom it appeals; it reeks of Bay to me thus far, and my interest, which was already but a thin vapor, has evaporated entirely. I'll wait for comments/reviews just to see how different, or how much the same, it is to its predecessors.
  9. M'Kyuun
    The promise of more Space sets excites me more than the movie, but I hope it's as, if not better, than the first.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Hova doesn't look too bad- I like that they also included the silver torso detail, which matches the sticker on the G1 toy better than Coolsville's similar detail. For me, it's a toss-up between Zeta Toys Jazzy (exact same toy as Coolsville) and TnR Hova. I've watched a number of vids, and read a number of reviews, including the negative ones on TFSource's product page concerning Jazzy. I still find it appealing enough to remain seriously interested. However, I'll see how Hova turns out. So far, I'm not crazy about how the thighs look for some reason, I think his hip skirt is one piece (hope I'm wrong), and his hands seem too small proportionally. All nitpicks, though. I'm willing to give it a fair shake.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Well, I'm glad, and I'm sure you're really glad, that you stuck with it. You've got a homemade rarity as far as Macross mecha go; the VF-5000 is one of those designs I think we as a community of Macross fans and toy collectors would love to have on our shelves, but neither Arcadia nor Bandai have given any indication of producing it. I believe Experten's lovely little model is the only version that has ever been made available for purchase, and only under limited license at certain events in Japan. (If I'm wrong about that, someone correct me, please.) So yeah, you've definitely created something unique. I've long thought the Variable Glaug was a pretty sweet looking, yet undersung, design. I get your meaning about its Glauginess. I think it's absolutely brilliant how Kawamori went back and took two old non-transforming designs, the Monster and the Glaug, and redesigned them to transform. Guy just has an amazing imagination and a particular genius for making brilliant transforming designs while maintaining a real-world believability about them. It's one of the most appealing aspects of Macross designs. Before I toot my horn (I toot humbly, as I'm a mediocre builder. I know some remarkable builders (Brian Cooper, Shawn Snyder, Mark Neumann, just to name a few) in whose shadows I'm happy to bask. There are plenty more who post, including Adrian Rodriguez (https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuyaaids/), whose LEGO Macross designs, although chibi-ish, are functional, and instantly recognizable to those in the know, and whose recent YF-21 I linked in the LEGO thread on these forums. I thought it rather apropos. My stuff can be found here https://www.flickr.com/photos/95379588@N08/ Keep your expectations low, and enjoy. Cheers!
  12. M'Kyuun
    I'm in the same boat, esp as I get older, I find I tend more towards more fun transformations. But the aesthetics are definitely the selling point. I currently own no Maketoys figures, but they make a number of them that do appeal to me, and I may just add a few to my collection. Been eyeballing Meteor and his variants pretty hard. Also like Gundog. I have MMC's Phoenix, and in hand, I think he scales well against official figures. He has some heft, transformation makes sense, lots of articulation, and a lovely alt mode. If I have gripes, I'm not crazy about the ball peg that forms his neck- kinda limited, and the linkages for his front wheels are a little looser than I'd like. Beyond that, he's as good a Mirage as you could hope for. Jaguar is such a nice toy; as a long-time fan of the cassette-bots, Ravage in particular, I sat on the fence for about a year before picking him up. No regrets whatsoever. The neck/head articulation is limited, and that's about the only weakness of the figure, beyond not fitting in MP Soundwave (if that's a requisite). It makes a believable, if nondescript, full sized cassette out of the box- but let's face it, who's going to keep this guy in cassette mode? Toyhax/Repro make a really nice label sheet for him that gives him his full G1 cassette livery. It looks sharp. Gets a 'recommend' from me, especially if you like the cassettes. Prices are high on all this stuff- it's the concession for hopes and dreams made manifest, at least in theory. As in, 'Man, for what I paid, I hope this thing is as least as good as how I've pictured it in my mind for the last 34 years'. That's kinda my view on all this stuff, official included. I wish it was more affordable; I'd definitely have way more 3P figures. Budgeting realities at the fore, I sit on the fence, watch and read plenty of reviews, look at pics, consider the possibility of official versions, and make my decisions. Nothing wrong with keeping your money safe in your wallet; I can enjoy these things vicariously. It's not as much fun as in-hand, obviously, but still kinda enjoyable. I liken it to folks who watch extreme sports- most people will never participate in such activities, but they still get a certain rush from watching others do it. That's the world of poor toy collectors.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm tots holding my breath! No, not really. Reserving judgement , first and foremost, to see what approach they took for Bee's design. If he has more in common with the CHUG/MP aesthetic over Bay's skeleton with shards approach, then my interest is piqued. I hope so, as I want to actually like the TF films, and the Bayformer aesthetic will kill it for me right off the top. Bee's looks aside, I hope they actually wrote an engaging film, gave Bee a personality more like his G1 self and less like the mascot sidekick that he's been in all the Bay films- more like an older brother/mentor kind of character to Hailee's. After all, Bee's much older and far more experienced than she is, so why he should cowtow and follow her lead makes little sense. His obsequiousness to Sam bugged the crap out of me in the first Bay film. That and the terrible mute , speak through the radio, thing. Give the character a voice, for Pete's sake. Cuz, y'know, he's only the main character. That has to be one of Kurtzman and Orci's worst ideas, and I wasn't a fan when it translated over to Prime, which in all other respects was a pretty good show. Bit of a rant; didn't intend to be quite so negative. Anyway, from top to bottom, I hope this is truly a new start for the franchise on the big screen. As I said, I really want to enjoy seeing transforming bots in the theatre. Moreover, I want to see films made by folks that have a built-in passion for these characters, for the history, and for telling good stories around them.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Just discovered this thread yesterday, did some reading throughout and watched the video. Not only is the fruit of your two years an amazing bit of work, but learning the CAD, the processes of getting the parts made, and all the in-between stuff are all impressive accomplishments in and of themselves. You're doing what many of us only dream of doing, and my hat is humbly off to you, sir. I struggle to do simple stuff with vector graphics, so something like this seems as far off to me as taking a leisurely stroll around the Sea of Tranquility. It's a fine accomplishment, Tage. The engineering on this is rather complex, and it's not just the obvious stuff, like linkages, swivel points, etc, but stuff like the bits in the wing gloves to keep the wings in place in battroid- the stuff you don't see, but is necessary. I've built a few transforming mecha with LEGO, so I understand the importance of that sort of thing. Impressive work, certainly on par with what we see in many of the official toys/models. If you're looking for new subject, one that's never been attempted by anyone thus far, at least in a fully transformable format, I'd suggest the Variable Glaug. It's one of my personal Holy Grail Macross designs that I'd love to have on my shelf as an official toy, but I'd be content just to see someone produce a working model of the thing.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Question to all the various folks graciously doing translations for the kanji impaired: Do you know of any existing translations of the interviews within Shoji Kawamori's Macross Design Works? I've done searches, to no avail, and wondered if any of you have either done translations, or know where they can be found. I've had this book for over a decade, and have long desired to read those interviews, as it's always nice to learn the insights of the folks behind the stuff we love. Anyway, I appreciate any help you guys can offer.
  16. M'Kyuun
    It's a shame that Toro utilizes a fake chest, and that apparently the majority of his car accordians into that backpack, rather than just letting his torso be the aft section of car, like the G1 toy. Toy World nailed the bot look, but that backpack is a sizeable concession. Waiting for someone to come along and marry the bot look of Toro with the car mode of Hellion; I think that'd be the ideal, or as close as you can come, to replicating the G1 toy as an update. Fortunately, for those who dislike the idea of a chibi car mode, Toro seems the perfect CJ for you.
  17. M'Kyuun
    There's some pretty impressive origami going on with his arms to form the interior of his car mode. Reminds me of Gundog's arms, only more complex. The backs of his fists form the seat cushions. Anyway, found some various pics. Scroll down a bit on the link. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ocular-max-hellion-cliffjumper.1123991/page-35
  18. M'Kyuun
    I also like the chibi look of Hellion, even if it's not a perfect fit with the rest of the MP figures. My only gripe is that his arms look a little on the small side proportionally. With only pics to go by, his engineering looks to be impressive as well, esp in a smaller figure. And he cleans up really well. Waiting for video reviews to see how he stacks up, as the more I see of him, the more he appeals. If real world car mode and toon accurate bot are what you're after, though, it looks like XTransbots are the ones to beat, backpack notwithstanding. Looks lovely in pics. Honestly, it wouldn't have really bothered me if TT had gone with a more chibi look for their Bumblebee, as that's how both the toy and his cartoon incarnations looked. I'm guessing Bee had to be a realistic looking Beetle due to licensing; however, the rest of the minis are nondescript enough that TT could likely go the more toon accurate route with the rest of them, if they ever decide to make any more. In the meantime, the third party guys are doing a nice job filling in the gaps, and the fact that they all seem to take different approaches provides options, depending on one's sensibilities.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Impressive collection; mine envy runneth over. Somehow, I missed Constructor on the top shelf there on my first look; you're brave putting such a top heavy , and just plain heavy, figure up there. Unfortunately, I have nowhere to display mine combined, so they remain in my ad-hoc display case (china cabinet) until I can get a Detolf or two. Of the three 3P MP scaled Cliffjumpers out there, I'd say XTransbots are closest to home on the bot mode, and their car mode is good. MMC did good capturing the chibi car look, but their bot is chubby with arms that are proportionally too small. Kudos to them for giving the car mode a realistic interior, though. I like engineering like that. If his arms were bigger, he'd be my first choice, if I were considering buying one of these guys. Tumbler's a nice looking figure, too. It has some really impressive articulation. The face is a bit too wide, but otherwise, his bot and car modes both look good. All of them offer something cool, depending on what you're looking for. And who knows, TT may surprise us someday with an official version. Wouldn't hold my breath, though.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I was never a fan of G1 Omega Supreme, but as such things go, Gabriel looks pretty good. Respectable collection; nice mix of 3P and official. Looks like you just need Cliffjumper to finish off the original '84 cast. So what's your Decepticon shelf look like?
  21. M'Kyuun
    Do it like Hardcore Henry- the entire movie shot from Boba's POV. If they could keep the action moving like they did in HH, it could be entertaining. Just as well, I'm not really feeling a need for a movie about BF. Like others have said, the more you give away, the mystique wears off and he's just another villain in a cool suit. I like the salvager idea- nice twist on the character. What's more, the suit could change hands as various wearers sell it, trade it, or are killed off. The secret fact that many people are Boba Fett increases his legendary status as a badass, unkillable bounty hunter of few words, with some inexplicable personality quirks along the way. I'm down for more offshoot SW stories, with unknown characters, doing their thing for whatever side they're on. The SW Universe is large enough that many different stories can be told from various points of view. I think that was at the core of Rogue One's appeal.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Found this on Flickr and thought I'd share it: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuyaaids/with/27411731917/
  23. M'Kyuun
    Great review on Phoenix, Mike. I can forgive some of the limitations on articulation, as the character wasn't exactly a ninja in the show, even making a quip in one ep about how he was too darn big to be sneaking around (first season ep 'Fire on the Mountain'). As to the character, I think FT absolutely nailed it, toon inconsistencies be damned. As for paint, I think they did a judicious job of applying the silver paint to mechanical details on the chest and ankles- it breaks up the white a bit and looks appropriate, and the red paint follows the toon look well. Thus far, he and the Dibots(with Perfect Fusion Cesium as my Slag) are my only FT figures, and I can recommend any of them sincerely and happily. Excellent, FUN, toys, all around. Phoenix, as I've mentioned before, is a Holy Grail figure for me; that it's as good as it is: aesthetics, great transformation (that integrates the arms beautifully), presence, sculpt, paint, etc, made him a dream toy that I had to have. His price tag is steep, but if you like Skyfire as depicted in the show, I'll opine that this is the figure to beat. As for the FT devotion, it's something I'm aware of peripherally. I haven't personally dealt with any cult members thus far, but I know there are folks who are somewhat fanatical about their every release, as if they were made of Divine ABS. That said, I'm happy with my 6 FT figures, but I'm not going to blindly buy all their stuff, or choose them arbitrarily. I choose everything I buy for its individual merits- does it do what I want it to do, and is the transformation reasonable? Other than Eligos and Aplloyon, whose transformations I find a bit arduous (both happen to be XTransbots, but I don't know that all their stuff is like that, having no experience beyond the aforementioned figures), I'd say that most of my other third party figures are fun to transform. As I get older, and my patience threshold diminishes, I find I'm liking 'intuitive' transformations, with good clearances, logical progression, no bending parts, and a decent complexity without becoming over-excessive. These things should be fun- if it's a dread to transform, then a lot of what's fun about these toys in particular, becomes muted with frustration and anger. I like transforming them to be a stress reliever, not an inducer.
  24. M'Kyuun
  25. M'Kyuun
    'Bout time. I hope the next iteration is better; it'd be easy to say it couldn't get worse than Bay's, but sure it could. Need someone like Marty Isenberg to flesh out the reboot. Marty 'got it', which is why, love or hate the animation style, Animated was a good Transformers show. It paid homage to what came before, while establishing its own storyline. Hope the art direction slews more towards an E. J. Su look. Always liked his industrial approach to the designs, even while maintaining a G1 aesthetic. That's what I want- Transformers that are recognizable as Transformers, not all broken up into a zillion tiny bits and glued to a CG skeleton, but more in keeping with the general toy aesthetic, where the transformation is absolutely feasible because it's based on something that actually transforms. I'd be happy if they turned out like upgraded Alternators- just with better articulation.
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