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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Too wide- do you mean in the legs/shoulder width? To me he's difficult to distinguish from the G1 toy in distant shots/thumbnails. In a word, lovely. I've never bought a Fans Toys product, but just from various reviews and comments on the forums, they have a very good reputation for making a quality product. Honestly, my only concern is that tail being loose in the leg in bot mode- it would be the only mar on an otherwise near perfect toy (nothing's 100%). Been looking up their other Dinos, and I'm thinking I may need to snap up a copy of Scoria, as they seem to be going fast as well. Wish these things weren't so expensive. Collector's lament.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Seriously considering getting Fans Toy's regular version of Stomp, but the folded up tail in the leg doesn't look like it secures very well, if at all, by any tabs or otherwise locking mechanism. So I'm curious if anyone here who owns him could give some insight as to whether that becomes an issue over time. In all other regards, he looks amazing, and my nostalgia runneth over every time I see a picture of him. Moreover, it doesn't seem like Takara are going to revisit the Dinobots any time soon in the MP line, and besides, their Grimlock was a bit small compared to MP-10. FT got the look and size just right, IMHO. Any feedback is appreciated.
  3. M'Kyuun
    It's either 6134 or 3938. Good luck completing it!
  4. M'Kyuun

    Bandai DX VF-31

    M'Kyuun replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Looking forward to the upcoming release of Messer's ride, along with the Sv-262 in a few days. New valks are awesome.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I hope they come through for you, Scyla, and you too, Silverstreak. Guess I got lucky, as my MP Cheetor showed up yesterday. I had high expectations for this figure; after hours of handling him, and accomplishing a transformation to robot and back to cheetah, my thoughts are that this is a better display piece than a toy. Going from cat to bot, all was smooth sailing until I got to the point of locking the torso with the little blue part by his collar. I spent hours unfolding and refolding the torso bits to try and get it to lock, but it seemed like the cat head was too big and wouldn't let the torso compress enough for it to lock. ( it would lock just fine if I removed the cheetah head) Moreover, it's a very tight fit in the body cavity, so the cat whiskers get mashed and bent all out of shape (stiff wiry plastic). I wish they'd made them from a softer, more hair-like material that can take being mashed and spring back. Anyway, I finally got the head to fit in and the body to lock. After all that fuss, I was rue to transform him back, but I wanted my wife, who's also a BW fan, to see him in his cat mode. So, reluctantly, I began the frustrating journey back to cheetah. The sore spot for me on this fig is that there are no clear detentes to let you know you've got the arms positioned correctly- all joints in the arms, including the tiny mushroom joints that hold them on to the body, are friction joints. I likely spent over an hour configuring and re-configuring the arms to try and hit that 'sweet spot' where they come together without interfering with each other or rubbing against the bot head, and getting all the tabs to mate. This last was an exercise in frustration- trying to get them to tab into the cheetah's collar- it's enough to piss off the Dali Lama. Also, there is no discernible way to lock the cat's back, so when you pick him up the forward and aft halves of the cat sag a little. There's a sort of friction detente between two of the cat's lower body parts that is meant to hold the body in position, but it's simply not up to the task, esp after a number of transformations where those parts are folded and unfolded repeatedly. The final results, though, are rewarding, mostly. Bot mode, if you can get the torso to lock, is the more solid of the two modes, and looks like he stepped out of the animation. His articulation is fantastic. For some reason, when Takara designed his two weapons, they only gave one of them tabs on the handle to ensure a solid grip. The one without, which forms the entire lower back and tail of cheetah mode, is pretty ungainly and awkward due to its bulk, and without a tab to keep it firmly gripped, just sags in his hand. Disappointing. In his cheetah mode, there are gaps here and there that betray his bot parts, and of course they're pretty obvious on the back legs, but honestly, it's not an enviable or easy task to make a perfectly organic looking animal from a robot, and I think Takara did a great job making him look as good as he does. Articulation in cheetah mode is excellent- esp the front legs; even the toes have ankle tilt as well as fore and aft. The neck joint extends and allows the head limited up, down, left, and right, as well as rotation for a cocked-head look. Between the extra faces/heads, swappable eyes(cheetah), and the pose-ability, this is a very emotive figure. While not the most fun to transform, once achieved, Cheetor is a great display piece esp given all the options to change his look. One other negative, at least on my copy, is that the extending neck in cheetah mode weakened after only a little bit of head movement, and just barely holds the head up (there's a small sweet spot that still has friction), so I'll likely have to apply some glue to try and tighten that up a little- kinda crappy, though, for a high end figure only hours out of the box. I just so happen to have TR Wolfwire sitting on my desk while typing this, and he's such a solid figure with a great transformation- makes me wish they could have achieved this kind of simplicity and solidarity with Cheetor.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I had a cheap Xabungle toy back in the 80's. I had no idea what Xabungle was, but the packaging showed that it transformed, and that was all the reason I needed. I remember it could become the car and trailer, and it could split into the car and the legs became a poor semblance of the rover. Like most 80's toys, articulation was nil; in fact, IIRC, the arms couldn't even rotate forward, but were hinged to swing laterally parallel to the body for transformation. The artwork on the packaging, like soooo many transforming toys in the 80's, looked dynamic and cool. Seeing this new figure brings back memories of that old toy, but also shines alight on how much toy tech has progressed in the last 30 years. I'm not interested in getting this guy, but I have to admit that, for an older design, it's still pretty cool.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I kinda like that cab-only Ginrai fig, minus the exhaust pipes on his chest. Overall, as a CHUG sized figure, I like him better than both Classics Prime and CW Prime. Those pipes gotta go, though. I wonder if he's permanently in full pelvic thrust mode, or if that can straighten out a bit?
  8. M'Kyuun
    Sorry to hear that, Scyla. Robot Kingdom may have it cheaper, but with a caveat: they also tend to overcharge for shipping. Hope you find one close to the HLJ asking price. Good luck! I had a bit of good luck in that MP Cheetor released just a day or so before my PW deadline was up for Takara's Legends Ginrai, and I managed to ship them together. I was hoping it would go down that way, but figured Cheetor would issue the day after Ginrai shipped, as that's how my luck usually tends to go. Fate smiled this time.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Couldn't have said it better. Alas, another favorite actor gone...far too soon.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Nice custom, David. I've been following the NY Toy Fair coverage, and there's some interesting stuff coming. I never cared for Seaspray's character, but that figure looks really good. The clones (Pounce and Fastlane, so far) are cool, although both are destined to be retailer boxset exclusives. Not a fan of exclusivity- prices tend to go up, and exclusives by their nature become harder to obtain. I hope these will eventually get individual releases, but I'm not holding my breath. The Octane and Blitzwing repaints look much better to me than do their OP and Megs figs, which makes sense as that's what these were intended to be. I'm glad they changed the nose and wings on Octane's jet mode- much more suitable, IMHO, although those truck cab halves still look lazy. Twin Twist, as well as Top Spin, are, IMO, some of the best updated figures I've seen- can't wait to get both of them. The new TR Windblade looks ok, although I really wish they'd find a way to integrate her arms into the transformation- as with most of their recent jet TF figs, both TR and RiD, the arms just peg in along the body and look like arms. I love some of the comic book cover art I've seen, and wish they'd make a figure faithful to how she's drawn. Despite my gripes, I'm still going to get her TR incarnation. I know absolutely nothing about Sky Shadow or Overlord (both are duo-cons sharing the same mold with some retooling), but the jet modes of both appeal to me, and the unique 2-part transformation also appeals. Just have to figure out which I like best (prob Sky Shadow for his color scheme). Anyway, I'm surprised no one else has brought up Titans Return news with NY Toy fair having just occurred this weekend. Admittedly, I didn't see a lot on display that had a 'wow' factor. I thought the clones were cool, but their boxset exclusivity means I won't be getting them. I'm not into the huge figures, so I doubt I'll get Trypticon (although I do find him mildly interesting, and IMHO, they did a great job with his update). As a Beast Wars fan, I'm happy about the MP Dinobot announcement from Wonderfest, although I'll hold any excitement or anticipation in check until proper pics are revealed. He's not an easy figure to translate from his bot to dino modes without a bit of compromise, as all previous toy attempts have shown.
  11. M'Kyuun
    My Ivanov is still holding up fine, somewhat floppy ball joints notwithstanding, but if they made a new version with ratcheting hips and improved shoulders, I'd be in for one, perhaps Nora's just for a color change on the shelf. You guys have some good imaginations, or good pixelation discerning skills, 'cause all I see is a polychromatic blob in that pixelated teaser. I'm not at all a fan of the VA-3 ( aesthetically, I think it's Kawamori's fugliest design), but it would be great to see something new come from Arcadia instead of VF-1 reissues. That said, I'd be down for either a VE-1 or a VT-1, preferably the VE. Personally, I think Arcadia ought to stick with transforming toys- the non-transforming destroids just seem a step backward compared to transforming designs. They've never interested me, but I know some folks love 'em.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I'm not really into these huge figures, but honestly, as G1 fan, this hits all the right notes for me as an update. I've never been much of a fan of motorized gimmicks, so I'd like this updated version better if it wasn't motorized, but had a nice range of articulation. I doubt mine is the popular opinion. It remains to be seen what Has/Tak went with in this regard, but looking at old pics of the original toy and this figure, it's a very faithful homage, at least in its aesthetics. That works for me; it's why TR is quickly becoming one of my favorite lines ever released- it feels like those old 80's toys are finally being made the way I wanted them to be when I was a kid. Although the MP line is also bringing the G1 toys to modern standards, I'd love to see some of the other Classics figs that weren't very well done redone in the TR line ( even if it means they come with the crappy headmaster gimmick). I'm thinking of the Lamborghini twins, Prowl and Silverstreak, and Ironhide/Ratchet. NY toy fair is this weekend, and I'm intrigued to see what Has/Tak (and LEGO) have in store for 2017. 2016 was great year for this TF fan, and I hope , despite the inevitable deluge of new Bayformer toys clogging the pegs, the TR line has another great lineup of updated G1 goodness. I just hope Hasbro gets their distribution issues sorted- hunting for Generations figures in my area is like looking for lost cities or pirate treasure.
  13. M'Kyuun
    G1 Trypticon fans rejoice, Has/Tak have heard your pleas: http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/02/13/titans-return-trypticon-first-full-image-333308 While the titanic Titans aren't really up my alley, I gotta admit seeing this pop up on the TFW homepage made me smile- the cup o'nostalgia runneth over. I'm thinking that he'll be showcased at NY Toy Fair next week- I almost wish they'd kept him under wraps until the show, but now that he's been revealed, I look forward to seeing more pics. God, how I wish they were still making Animated stuff. Seeing the scale of this thing, I'd love to get an Animated Omega Supreme around this size.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Excellent work by the builder. I wonder if it transforms.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I did some checking and realized that my message to Toyworld never sent due to some kind of conflict between Windows Livemail and Hotmail, so that explains why they never responded to me. Since I'm going to get the boxset, I'm not going to worry about it. I think I'm going to enjoy Constructor, too. I just love the chunky feel of these guys in hand, and I look forward to getting them all assembled into Constructor, as he'll be my Devastator for the forseeable future. As for the green thighs, I think I actually prefer the silver, and I hope he comes with both. As for Eligos, thanks for the suggestion. If my gluing attempts fail, I may contact TFSource, or BBTS if they're unable to help.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Cool. Thanks!
  17. M'Kyuun
    Yes, it is. More pics?
  18. M'Kyuun
    TR Topspin is such an excellent remake of his rather sub-par original 80's toy, and also serves an excellent example of what Has/Tak are doing so well with this line, at least in the deluxe/warrior class. They're cranking out what are arguably some of the best G1 homages that this TF fan and collector has seen in his 30+ years of the hobby, and I'm extremely grateful for it. Moreover, I hope they continue in this vein for at least another couple of waves, as there are a lot of those old toys that could do with a nice upgrade. IMHO, Has/Tak have struck an excellent balance between aesthetics and complexity with the deluxe figures- interesting yet-not-too-complicated transformation systems and very faithful G1-homaging aesthetics make these some of the most enjoyable Transformer toys that I've ever owned (my collection has hundreds of TF toys across just about every line produced since '84, not to mention third party) That said, I don't feel that the same quality of design has been seen in the voyager and leader classes, although mileage varies. I personally believe most of these figures could and would have been better had they not tried to make them all triple changers. Moreover, I'm not really that plussed about the actual triple changer figures, as they look very compromised in their alt modes, or one alt mode is heavily prioritized over the other, which diminishes the figure. I realize t-changers are difficult to pull off with pristine alts- I get that- but some of these have alts that fail utterly in my eyes. Broadside's jet mode is a prime example; his carrier mode is recognizable and pretty believable, but that jet mode looks like they gave up after the front of the jet was done. It doesn't look like a believable jet, so heavily compromised is the aft area- it looks like they couldn't figure out what to do with the legs, so they just bent them at the knees and said 'good enough'. The voyager Optimus fig, which is obviously intended to be an Octane recolor, a character I really hoped would be well done in this line, too, is compromised in both modes (why oh why did they have to put a completely out-of-place looking translucent cockpit on top of the tank? Then there's his jet mode which looks like they were going for a Harrier (I would have adored this thing had it actually looked like a Harrier), but just made it an unbelievably fictitious jet with half a semi cab on either side of the fuselage. With all their experience, I would have expected them to come up with something better. I think of the Jizai design http://jizaitoys.seesaa.net/category/3105173-1.html ,which I'd greatly prefer to the TR design. Perhaps my expectations are too high; these are toys, after all. However, there just seems to me a noticeable disparity between size classes in terms of design and aesthetics. One would assume the larger figures would receive more intricate design work, after all there's more toy to work with, but the opposite seems true to me. The deluxe figs and even some of the legends class figs outshine their larger compatriots within the same toyline. It's disappointing, esp when you've waited for a really well done version of a particular character, and so much promise is shown in early waves. Triple changers, specifically Astrotrain, Octane, and Blitzwing, were my big hopefuls in this line. Astrotrain is abysmal, Optimus (Octane) barely fair, and Megatron (Blitzwing) the best of the three, actually approximating his G1 alts pretty well. With Octane, I really wish they'd tried to approximate a KC-135 alt mode, befitting the character's name and overall theme. I used to work on the 135s, so that would have added a extra touch of endearment for me. Alas, not this toy, but hopefully another toy in the future.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Parasitic came to mind, but perhaps that's a bit harsh.
  20. M'Kyuun
    For Eligos, I broke one of the forward tabs on his back-plate, which forms the upper fuselage containing the canopy. I emailed them asking what kind of plastic was used so I could choose an appropriate adhesive to fix it. I didn't ask for any replacement parts. I thought it a reasonable request, but they never replied. I'm assuming it's ABS, and was hoping for an affirmation. The toy was in pristine condition when I got it; I broke it trying to force the tab into its slot- it stressed and finally snapped off. Anyway, it was my fault, so I never contacted the retailer. As for Toy World, my Bulldozer figure's heel was pinned improperly and the linkage to which it's connected was cracked out of the box. Moreover, the heel will not move to a 90 degree position without putting stress on the pin, so it's a double issue. I contacted them through their support site, providing photos, and never heard anything from them. That was back in September. I'm planning on getting the box set of all six figs with fixes, so I'll have a second, hopefully flawless, Bulldozer, and a spare fig if I ever need parts. I held off on getting Burden to give them a chance to fix its issues. Gotta say, I'm not crazy about their add on foot panels- there was a better homemade solution over on the TFW boards where they made a retractable heel piece that seemed to do the job with minimal changes to the feet. I was hoping TW would incorporate that idea as an official fix. Guess not. My other two Constructor figs, Unearth and Allocator, are in perfect condition. I love these figures, and look forward to getting the full team- it'll be my first Devastator, even if it is unofficial.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Interesting and informative post, Pengbuzz. I'll fully admit my ignorance concerning HG; besides Tommy Yune and the late Carl Macek, I'm oblivious of the staff and ownership of the company. I made an incorrect and uninformed assumption concerning how HG made its money; apologies all around. I hope your prediction concerning HG's future is both prescient and timely. I hope to see its demise in my lifetime, and the Macross franchise become widely available this side of the Pacific.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Well, at least they responded to you. I've written to Toy World and X-Transbots for issues I had with their figures and never got a response from either one of them.
  23. M'Kyuun
    At this point, I have to wonder how HG continues to exist- there can't be that many people to sue for trying to sell Macross stuff in the Western Hemisphere to keep them afloat, and they'd have to sell a lot of Plushies to afford their overhead and keep food on the table. I'd guess by now that even most of the die-hard RT fans have become suspicious of HG, or frustrated with them, and that any talk of a live action RT film is to be met with the greatest of skepticism. After all these years, I don't see how they have credibility or viability. Tenacious is good word.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Not a Tachi in that scene; it's most likely the T08A2 Spider Tank from the end of the '95 film, as it's attacking the Major in a dark building, even showing the scene where she's hiding behind a concrete column while the thing is blasting it apart. This movie is going to be one big homage to the '95 film, with bits of the other incarnations thrown in for variety. Looking forward to seeing it.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Destruction Scorpion looks like a transforming Zoid to me, given the aesthetic Master Made went for. That makes it no less cool.
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