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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    That is one chunktastic Prime. It reminds me a lot of MP-01. Mike- Thanks for posting that early shot of Coolsville (I think Toyworld were still calling him Blues at that point). I can see where he looks gappy in that shot, esp the silver torso piece. I'd heard he originally sported "Toyworld Racing" livery, which had some people up in arms. I hadn't seen it until now. I still don't think it would have bothered me, although "Mortini Racing" is far closer to the actual livery. One other thing I was going to gripe about is the wide stripes on the rear fenders; I've always seen them portrayed as thinner, probably due to the stickers on the G1 toy. In reality, it matches the real car, so I give TW credit for authenticity.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Options are a good thing. I respect your opinion, as well, Mike. It'd be a damned boring world if everyone thought the same way, and we all approach this hobby from different experiences and perspectives, which is why I'm glad these third parties are doing the same with their products; there's a greater chance of a figure being made that appeals to different sensibilities as opposed to the limitation of only an official toy which may or may not hit the mark for everyone. On to the business: I think Downbeat is good figure, but it skews more towards animation accuracy, like the current MP trend, and my own preference is more towards toy, or a nice amalgamation of toy and animation models. However, I'm not crazy about the huge gaps at the rear of Downbeat's car mode, nor do I like being able to see the secondary fender parts that complete the leg peeking through. Overall finish and look are lovely though- unmistakably Jazz. In his bot mode, the face sculpt with that chrome visor looks great (the neutral face; I'll agree with Skullface that a subtle smirk would have worked better-Jazz wasn't so much snarky as perpetually bemused). I like that Downbeat's forearms are closed without gaps, ala MP Bee, and that arm transformation is really clever. Also, from the pics I've been looking at, Coolsville's door windows don't seem to tuck away in bot mode, and yeah, that flap behind the head should've been made to hinge out of sight; Downbeat does these things better. I also prefer Downbeat's rims to Coolsville's- that coppery color really stands out nicely. I'm not sure where you're seeing gaps and hollow spots in Coolsville's torso; it looks filled out to me, and is actually beefier in proportion to Downbeat's, closer to the G1 toy, which was certainly the major inspiration for this take on Jazz. Along with that, the asymmetrical prints near the knees are taken directly from decals on the original G1 toy (which I have sitting in front of me as I type), and is one of many toy cues that I really like on this figure, along with the detailing on the silvery part of his torso. Honestly, this figure tugs really hard at my nostalgia- this is my 80's toy the way I wanted it to be as a kid. Unfortunately, it retains some undesirable 80's toy features, like the gaps in the forearms and the flap behind the head. Given all the flaps and hinging panels on their Constructor figs, this is kind of unexpected from TW. So, I think we both agree that Coolsville has his flaws, but from what I see so far, I can live with them for all the other things it does well. Still, I'll wait for a review or two before I invest. Hopefully, TW will read the criticism/feedback, and fix some of the issues pointed out. I doubt it, but there's always room for hope until final release.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Downbeat had my attention when it was first revealed, but after having watched a couple reviews and looking at pics, I find my interest turning more towards Toyworld's take on Jazz, Coolsville. Funny name aside, it takes its inspiration more from the toy, and I find the overall aesthetics in both modes to be better. I'm hoping TW will release an early copy for review soon, as I'm curious to see how it stacks up.
  4. M'Kyuun
    A few summer LEGO Batman Movie sets have been revealed, including a nice looking Batwing. http://www.brothers-brick.com/2017/01/30/summer-wave-lego-batman-movie-sets-revealed-news/#more-84962 I still wish they'd release a set of the LEGO Movie Batwing, but all things being equal, the Batman Movie Batwing gets the job done. Looking forward to getting all these sets.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Another Great lost to us. Miss him already.
  6. M'Kyuun
    To be fair, though, transformable toys in general weren't very complex until 2007 when Bayformers came on the scene. That's a milestone, in my eyes, concerning toys of this nature. I remember a number of Bayformers figs from various movies being rather challenging to transform. Third parties upped the ante on complexity, sometimes needlessly so, IMHO. I think a good balance has been struck in the recent TR line, and with the CHUG line overall, as well as with the MP line. Some are more complex than others, but most can be figured out without instructions if one takes the time to look at the toy and make sense of what's what and where it likely needs to go during the transformation. This approach has worked well for me over the years, although, from time to time, I get stumped, or I refer to instructions b/c I'm afraid I'm going to break something. It's a silly matter of pride to me to be able to transform my toys without instructions, but that pride goes down like a caramel frappuccino when I consider the alternative outcomes of warpage or outright breakage. Pride's cheap, not nearly as much as the cost of dismay, time, and labor to make repairs. I find as I get older (I'm 45 now, with about 32 years experience transforming these little robots into their various alt modes, not to mention designing and building a few of my own from LEGO), I'm drawn more to the simpler Transformer figs, just to take them off the shelf and play around a bit. The recent Machine Robo figs are great in this respect- just fun simple figures to transform. Blackbird Robo probably gets the most attention from me-cool toy, and while his proportions are far from accurate, there's just something fulfilling about him. He's deliciously sweet hand-candy.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Just watched Skullface's review; GCreation made a lovely Prime figure, but that transformation is...scary, not to mention the sheer amount of fragmentation that takes place to effect transformation. It doesn't bode well for durability over time, in addition to potential for stress marks and breakage as Bobby pointed out already on his copy. It just doesn't look like a fun transformer; laborious is the word that comes to mind. I don't mind a complex transformation if the design incorporates good clearances and takes into account durability in places where movement has to occur, and this has its failings. It strikes me as being over-complex for complexity's sake. As far as the aesthetics go, I love the stylized look of his robot mode- very sharp and eye-catching. The truck mode is ok; I like MP-10's truck mode better. YMMV. Peaugh and Emgo are my usual go-to guys, but the more I watch Bobby's vids, the more I like his honest and frank approach. Moreover, he freely admits to struggling with transformations, but carries on regardless. During that last vid, patience would have abandoned me so many times during that transformation and I would have descended into rage- probably a good thing I didn't choose to review TFs on camera for the general public. My hat's off to Bobby for keeping his cool while handling such an intricate toy.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Well, to be fair, the Insecticons, along with Jetfire, the Dinobots, and the Constructicons, all of which made their initial appearances in Season 1, were not included in the '84 toy lineup, but in the '85, which may cause confusion as well. My TF collection as a kid was fairly meager, relatively speaking, although I had a few more than you did, Mike. Glad to know you're able to make up for it now, and with third party offerings, a lot of additional voids can be filled. I only had Shrapnel and Kickback from the original G1 releases, and Red Alert was my only Countach figure. Between the MP line, 3P, and the CHUG lines, I'm filling all the gaps in my collection and getting the figures as I wanted them to actually be back in the 80's. As far as I'm concerned, Has/Tak can stay on this path churning out G1 homages ad infinitum, with a smattering of otherwise inspired figs thrown in for variety and good measure. I wish they'd retired the headmaster gimmick soon after it started, or limited it to just the actual Headmaster characters, but overall, I'm really happy with the figures we've been getting in the TR line. Despite all the hype for Bay's movies, the Generations line, with its strong G1 influence, still far outsells the Bay-verse toys from what I observe in my area, which tells me that G1 still has a very pervasive and lasting influence among collectors. I'm not at all a fan of Bay's take on the franchise, but the silver lining to me is that Hasbro's pouring some of the revenue from those movies into Generations, keeping G1 alive in a sense. That's a big positive in a world full of negatives. Edit: I was looking at TFW2005 a little while ago, and there's apparently a new Bay-verse Dinobot figure coming for Last Knight, and it got me thinking, I wish Has/Tak would make properly updated Dinos for the Generations line. They're making just about everything else, but not them, and they're kind of a glaring omission. Hope they'll make an appearance at NY Toy Fair.
  9. M'Kyuun
    The Insecticons actually showed up in Season 1 (S1 and TF:The Movie are all I own of G1 TF). Just keeping ya honest, Mike. 'Preciate the review, BTW. Thanks! Anyway, I've long been anticipating this last addition to the trio, and I have to admit I'm a bit underwhelmed. I agree with all Mike's criticisms, esp the legs (really wish they'd shortened them somehow to approximate the original toy's look), but it is what it is, and he's not as terrible as he could have been. For their scale, I thought Bombshell and Shrapnel were pretty well done, and this Kickback figure is still pretty neat . I love how the back legs can be splayed in locust mode, and the arm transformation into an abdomen, even if it could have been done a little better, is still a nice touch. I'll be happy to add him to my CHUG shelves.
  10. M'Kyuun
    After I posted, I contacted XTransbots; I still haven't heard back from them, but I hope they'll reply eventually. I took the blame for breaking the toy and praised the toy for its merits (I still think he's the overall best Cyclonus figure I've seen, even with its flaws. I have no regrets, excepting my lack of patience.) Anyway, I hope to hear from them. I didn't ask for it, but I'd be thrilled if they sent me a new backplate. I'll just have to invest in a pin vise.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Speaking of broken toys.... I broke one of the forward locking tabs on my Eligos and, after being summarily ignored on the TFW boards, I thought I'd seek advice here for what kind of glue to use to effect repair. I believe the upper fuselage panel, which contains the canopy, is ABS, but there's no way to be certain short of asking XTransbots (I'm dubious of receiving a reply) . I've already tried Superglue, but it wasn't strong enough ( the plastic is is pretty thin). I'm thinking of using epoxy, both to secure it and to do a little buildup on the underside of the panel to give it additional support. I'll prob do the same to the other side as well, since it is already showing stress. Before I do, though, I'm open to suggestions from some of the more experienced folks here.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Once you have him in hand, I think you'll like Terraegis- I've been messing with him for the last couple days- really digging this guy. I wish his feet could articulate forward and back more, or that his heel could rotate down for more stability, but as-is, he can still pull off some nice poses. While Downbeat looks pretty good overall, I don't care for the rear end of the car mode, and the lack of detail on the silver part of his torso under his chest. I took my first look at Toyworld's Coolsville this morning; a couple minor nitpicks aside, that's what I want to see in a MP Jazz figure. I tend to skew more towards toy than animation accuracy, so seeing all that painted detail reminiscent of the G1 toy's markings (love those knees and the silver torso details), not to mention a cleaner car mode, I'm keeping an eye on this figure. I was hoping Chosen Prime would have done an early review (I really appreciate those), but I'm sure it won't be long. It'd be nice if they closed those gaps in the forearms (nice place to tack on his winch, just sayin'), and yeah, fold that flap behind the head out of sight. From what I see, TW are taking the opposite approach from Takara in this particular design, i.e., slavishly homaging the toy. Those are both things I could live with, though, if this is the final model. Overall, Coolsville is looking good so far.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm kinda meh on his sci-fi pistol mode, but I think his bot mode looks striking. Thanks for the review, Mike. I received my TFSource box of joy yesterday containing X-Transbot's Eligos (Cyclonus), and MMC's Terraegis (Trailbreaker). I'll start with Eligos; Cyclonus is one of very, very few TFs with a Cybertronian alt mode that I really like, and upon Eligos' unveiling, I was pretty much sold on him, and PO'd him at the first opportunity(over a year ago). I've watched a number of reviews in preparation, so I pretty much thought I knew what to expect, both good and bad. Well, fate gobsmacked me, and I ended up having an issue that I've not seen or read about anywhere else: his backplate, which becomes the jet mode's upper fuselage and includes the cockpit canopy has two rounded interlocking pins forward of the canopy that are intended to push down into the nose section and lock everything together. The problem I had was that they are godawfully tight, necessitating my having to press extremely hard to try and push them into place. I only succeeded in getting the left one in. The right side absolutely would not press in, and eventually it began to stress until it bent, and then broke off. Not a happy moment. I sanded the broken piece a bit, and still have not been able to get it to press in. I'll likely sand it some more and either glue it into its slot permanently, or try to glue it back onto the backplate and sand it to a point where it just slides in and out of the detente without friction. The plates on the bottom of the jet that wrap around the head also took a Herculean effort to press together, and require a tool to separate, so tough is the interlocking mechanism employed. Closing the legs after sandwiching the external engine exhausts and stabs is a pain, too. In short, not a fun toy to transform. Additionally, where there are panels that need to move to allow other parts to pass, like the aforementioned lower panels that cover the head and the robot calves, don't open far enough to provide good clearance for the parts that need to pass through them- just that would facilitate a far easier transformation. Also on my copy, the canopy once opened does not close smoothly, catching on the surrounding fuselage. I have to carefully bend the canopy and backplate a little to allow the canopy to close. I think the backplate on my copy became a little warped in the package, which would account for both the ill fit of the canopy and the right interlocking pin that broke off. On the good side, once the transformation process is thankfully completed, the resulting bot or jet modes look amazing. He has a lot of ratchets, and overall articulation is very good, esp given the size of this figure. Troubles aside, I'm still glad I got him, even if he's a pain to transform. Terraegis, OTOH, is a pretty sweet figure, esp after messing with Eligos. Overall, the coloring and fit on mine are really good, as I know that these were issues with other folks' copies. The leg transformation is slightly complex, but overall, IMHO, it has a very official MP feel to it, both in transformation and in the final product. The truck mode is beautiful (kudos to JesslynB for a great sculpt), revealing little in the way of its transforming nature. Bot mode, too, is extremely evocative of the character, and I like how he's been engineered to assume a streamlined animation model, or ,with a quick head swap and the sides of the hood left in their truck configuration, a look homaging the G1 toy. If I have any gripes at all, they are that the side mirrors would have been better done in a rubbery plastic (I've already smashed one of them, but fortunately it didn't break), I wish the die cast heels could bend down to give him more stability in forward leaning poses, and I wish his weapons were integrated in the transformation process. These are all nitpicks, and I am really happy with this figure. I've always liked Trailbreaker, and have long desired an updated G1 version that didn't make him look like a squat fat bot with a beer belly. MMC delivered.
  14. M'Kyuun
    In the beginning, yes, but a number of UCS sets that have been released have been playsets, much like the Death Stars (10188, 75159), the Ewok Village (10236), and the Assault on Hoth (75098), to name a few. They are expensive playsets, but playsets nonetheless, and the building techniques employed are similar to what you'd find in a standard System set. I'd imagine LEGO started releasing these sorts of sets under the UCS banner as a way to make playsets that would ordinarily be too large or ambitious in a standard sized set, the largest of which usually come in at 2000 pieces or below and top out around $150 on the shelf. I personally don't take issue with it (I love my Death Star), but I'd imagine there are still some AFOLs out there who'd prefer the entire line be geared towards a more mature builder with greater experience and disposable income than the standard kid.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I fall on both sides of that coin, as I buy a lot of sets, build them, and store them back in their boxes (b/c I like the sets), as well as buying sets or Bricklinking parts for MOCing. I don't buy sets as a financial investment, although I do have a number of unopened sets that I've bought over the years for parts and have just never opened. No plans to sell them, though. I agree with your sentiment about the adult hoarders who sell toys at exorbitant prices out of pure greed; they greatly diminish the enjoyment of collecting within any given hobby, prohibitively so in some cases, i.e. the UCS Millennium Falcon. Over the years, I've been slowly acquiring 80's and early 90's era LEGO Space sets, and I've been gouged here and there, so I definitely empathize.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Wow, nice find Wm Cheng. That's a gorgeous model. I wish LEGO models such as this and their creators got more attention in the mainstream media, as it not only shines a light on the artistry involved, but also helps mitigate the stigma that LEGO is just a toy, which I believe deters some folks from delving into the hobby. Granted there are far more adults in the hobby than most would suspect, but we are still relatively few in any given population.
  17. M'Kyuun
    A third party Soundwave scaled to fit the CHUG line complete with all the Decepticon cassettes would definitely garner attention. I recently bought TR Blaster, and while he's a really good homage to the G1 toy, the facts that he's a headmaster and that he doesn't have cassette bots considerably lower the enjoyment I get from him. I haven't bought his Soundwave repaint, but the situation is the same, and my G1 Soundwave remains on my CHUG shelf until a better design comes along.
  18. M'Kyuun
    The matte gray of the official doesn't bother me either. The inaccuracy of the upper torso is really the only major thing I dislike about him (the black waist area looks a little too large proportionally, but not detrimentally). Because they didn't use the forward chunk of the gun slide as his upper torso, which really is part of Megs' iconic look, but instead filled that area with most of his transformational origami and slapped a faux chestplate on him, I find the upper torso to be his weakest area visually. Due to his un-traditional transformation, he looks to have a lot of moving parts that need to come together to form large areas, a situation that can become problematic if well placed tabs and locks aren't used judicially.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I PO'd MP megs, but between him and Despotron, I think Despotron is overall the better looking of the two overall. I'm hoping to snag him on a sale, but I admit he's well-priced for a figure this size and complexity. I jumped the gun when POing MP Megs, and overpaid, IMO. Usually I'm patient and look for better pricing, but I was paranoid that MP Megs was going to suffer the same availability issues as a new Bandai valk, so I pounced on the first available PO through a site that doesn't allow cancellations. Life's lessons can be expensive. Anyway, it's nice to see new pics of the official toy revealed- still wish he had a more G1 transformation with the upper body, but it's moot at this point. Hopefully he's a solid toy. Recently caved and picked up Delta Magnus- cool toy.
  20. M'Kyuun

    Bandai DX VF-31

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

    Got one through Ami-Ami- first time I've ever scored a valk during Preorder madness. Going to bed now. Best of luck to all.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Thanks, Mike. I'll hold onto the three I have, and likely just shell for the box set. $400 for all 6 with improvements is a good deal. Any idea about when the box set is going to be released?
  22. M'Kyuun
    I wish I'd known that Toyworld were going to release the whole set as a boxset with fixes, as I've already bought three of the figures. At this point , Burden and his fixes are really at the top of my concern/want list, as he seemed to have the lion's share of issues. I have Unearth, Bulldozer, and Allocator thus far, and I think they're great, even if my Bulldozer came with a poorly pinned right heel and a small crack on his right ankle joint right out of the box. I was not impressed with their service, or rather lack thereof, since having never received a response from them upon notifying them of the issues back in September. Nevertheless, of all the third party offerings, this set with its very G1 inspired figures appeals to me greatly, and despite the issues with Bulldozer, I love handling these chunky guys. Having never owned a complete G1 Devastator, I 'm really looking forward to completing the set and assembling them into Constructor. MikeSzekely, do you know if the individual Constructor figs are going to be sold with fixes, either installed already or in the box?
  23. M'Kyuun
    Indeed, 2016 will be remembered as a year of remembrances for departed icons. Farewell, Ms. Fisher.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Well, Bayformers are inherently flawed by design, as there's no realistic mechanical logic behind the rearrangement of the various bits of vehicle upon the bot framework except what looks good to the digital artist. As a former aircraft mechanic, I'm unable to reconcile the various apologetic arguments as to the Bayformers realism- they look to me as exactly what they are, pure digital fantasy creatures. And that's also at the root of difficulty for anyone, Takara or third parties, who wish to make figures based on those designs. I still wish they'd approached the transformations closer to Binaltech, which were far more mechanically feasible transforming figures that turned into real world vehicles. I'm not against non-anthropomorphic designs, but in the case of the motorcycle sisters in ROTF, the old adage about polishing a turd comes to mind. I commend Takara for actually turning out some descent Bayverse figures over the years, most notably RotF Leader class Optimus Prime, which has engineering on par or exceeding most of the MP figures. I have a sizable collection of Bayverse figures, actually, despite generally abhoring the movies, and not being a fan of the overall look. The engineering in some of those figures is really impressive, though, and that's what appeals to me. Moreover, I don't think the Animated designs would have been as well done had TT not greatly expanded their engineering repertoire on the Bayverse figures previously. As for 3P news, I'm surprised that no other Arcee figs have been announced; I'd love to have a MP quality figure of her, and thus far, Toy World's just ain't scratching that itch. Edit: Posts about Terraegis popped up while I was typing my reply above. Anyway, I still have my copy PO'd, as I find it the most appealing of the offerings. But, news like this is bit off-putting. I'll agree with the sentiments about Sphinx- the bar is set high with this figure, and from all the Backdraft, and now Terraegis, reviews, it seems like there's been a steady decline in MMC's quality. It's a shame, but I'm going to try to stay positive and hope that I get a copy without serious flaws. Color differences, if not extreme, I can live with, but cracks and broken parts just aren't acceptable for the asking prices.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Treatment, I see what you did there... Fortress Maximus is beastly. Heh, just noticed, he's too big for the box, so they take his arm off to stuff him in there. Cool. Kurisama, you're most welcome. I love concept stuff, too- art, protos, etc. Always interesting to see what goes into the things we like.
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