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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Such badass toys- the series started out with a cool premise, but devolved to poop quickly. Never had any of the toys, but I used to look at pics of them longingly in the catalogue. I remember almost buying Condor, but I ended up saving my meager funds for something else, probably Transformers or LEGO.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I'm totally sold on Blackbird and Space. Those grey hinges in Blackbird's jet mode need some black paint, though. But, yeah, both look good overall. I realize it's close to the animation, but I wish they'd found a better solution to Space's nose section backpack- thing's huge comparatively. Even so, these guys are going to be kept within easy reach for constant swooshing. What I like about this line, and the original MR/Gobots is the attempt to make the vehicle modes look realistic, when the vehicle mode in question is a real world vehicle. That SR-71 isn't perfectly accurate, but he's by far the best transforming SR-71 toy I've seen yet. I've been wondering if these were going to make it to market, so seeing them painted makes me really happy. Bring on Harrier Robo for the third wave. And Porche, just because. Really, I'm down for any aircraft character they make in this line, and I hope eventually they'll branch from just Revenge of Cronos to the rest of the MR series. Kinda glad they went with the scale they did now, after some thought. The joints should hold up much better over time, and tightening joints on a smaller fig is pretty easy. Edit: just looked at Space again- no landing gear that I can see. Bummer.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Killing time tonight, I paid a visit to the X-planes site and got a cool surprise: http://xplanes.tumblr.com/
  4. M'Kyuun
    Falling from that altitude at that velocity, what's left of Messer will fit in Ziplock sandwich bags. Unless Overtechnology enables the cockpit section to remain intact. Anyway, I'm of a similar opinion as Mr. March; until now, despite all the dogfights and such, there hasn't been much in the way of injury to either side ( discounting the loss of the Windermerean rookie early on). This may be a turning of the tide.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Fortunately, the big City-formers never really interested me, so money saved there. I wish Takara would release a pic of their deco for the upcoming Powermaster Prime. The Hasbro is ok, but I think I'll hold out to see the TT version. I already PO's TT's Blurr, as the Hasbro just looks like a solid lump of blue plastic; it stands in stark contrast, more than any other figure I've seen this year, to the Takara version. For the majority of figs, I wish Hasbro just released the Takara paint scheme on figs. If they're all deco'ed the same way, I would think it'd be cheaper than producing two variants of the same toy.
  6. M'Kyuun
    As it is, Gewalt is the best looking all-around Blitzwing I've seen. I like their solution for hiding the turret in plane mode, although the treads hanging off the wings look odd. But, aside from the lack of proper vertical and horizontal stabs, it bears a strong resemblance to the MiG-25. The tank mode is solid as well, and the bot mode is unmistakably Blitzwing. All that ratchety goodness is a plus in a toy this size. But as much as I like it, I echo your sentiment that something feels off. I'm not sure what it is either.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Gotta go with Dio...the expenditure for collecting all these combiners, esp 3P toys, is immense, esp if you're collecting multiple versions of the same characters. However, Mike, your reviews are really well done, and video reviews of all these toys would be an invaluable resource to prospective buyers. Best wishes if you go forward. As for me, between LEGO, Macross, TFs, anime, and the occasional random toy or model, moderation and choosiness have become necessary to maintain within my budget. That said, I decided to to splurge on Toyworld's Unearth yesterday while POing Takara's far superior Legends Blurr. Scavenger was my first Constructicon (I still only have him and Long Haul), and TW have made the best overall version of him I've seen among the various 3P Constructicons, IMHO. Granted, I think some of the other guys have made better looking alt modes, but those rolling treads had me from day one, and his overall G1 appearance fans the flame of nostalgia. Anyway, I may end up getting all 6 of TW's figs for my first Devastator. Hopefully I can talk my wife into getting me one of them for my birthday.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Rocklords were part of the Gobots line, which also stemmed from Machine Robo. I remember seeing them in stores, but never got any. The concept was interesting, but I'd rather they turn into vehicles. I perused a Machine Robo Wiki today to get an idea about the show and subsequent characters. There were a number of them in Revenge of Cronos that became jets, and I hope, if this line does well, those guys will get made. I'd so love to have a renewal Harrier Robo (Royal-T). I'd also be interested to see their take on Triple Jim. (never even heard of this guy before today, and here I thought TFs cornered the market on triple changers)
  9. M'Kyuun
    Zybots. Funny, I don't remember ever seeing these as a kid. I do have to say, though, I miss all those various transforming robot toylines from the 80's. I wish there were more transforming toylines today in the US at TF or better quality. Still have a few Gobots/ Gobot KO's and some Converters laying around. Alot of the Converters became insects, which always appealed to me. I also have the transforming F-15 Scramble Egg plane by Bandai; cute and cool little toy that still sits on my desk. I'd love a line of transforming egg planes based on the Hasegawa models. It would have been cool if Hasbro didn't own the Gobot name, and Bandai/Action Toys licensed it to sell their renewal Machine Robo figs here in the West. Alas, what could have been. Too bad MR was never dubbed and broadcast in the US during the 80's, or there may have been an avenue.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I liked Rosa in Scorch Trials- physically, she fits the character better than Zendaya, IMO. She looks alot younger than her actual age. Robert Rodriguez seems an odd choice to me to take over the director's chair. After a decade of sitting on this, and given his passion for it, I'm really surprised that Cameron is passing the torch. I hope he has a strong screenplay prepped, and that he consults with Rodriguez along the way. I still wish that Spielberg and Hasbro had convinced Cameron to do Transformers; I think a greater appreciation for the characters and core story would have been brought to life under his direction.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Out of fear of missing out, I PO'd Eagle and Bike Robo (Leader-1 and Cy-Kill) about a week or so ago. I'm still not crazy about the prices they're charging for these guys, but b/c they're very niche, and b/c I want them to make the SR-71 and the Space Shuttle figures, I bit the bullet. I've watched a couple reviews of Eagle and he seems like a decent fig, very poseable, and a really good update to the original toy. I haven't seen any Bike Robo reviews yet, so I guess he's the last figure to release in the first wave. I watched vids on the other two as well (Battle and Drill), and they all seem like decent figures, albeit about $20 overpriced IMHO. Battle's transformation surprised and impressed me--a fair bit of plastic origami going on, esp considering the original just bent forward over his legs. In one of the reviews, I believe they mentioned that Jizai Toys may have been involved in designing these. That's a nice step up for them if true.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Oh how I wish.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Well said. Of all the characters, these two have changed the most, esp Tony. In my mind, had the U.N. proposed bringing the Avengers under their control at the very beginning, Tony and Cap would have taken opposite stances. Tony's feeling the weight of the consequences of past actions, and I think RDJ channels that really well. He looks pained in some of those scenes. At this point, I can't imagine a better actor to play either role. After seeing his Johnny Storm, I was critical of Evan's choice to play Cap, thinking he wouldn't take it seriously, or at least come off as serious. I'm glad I was wrong; he plays the part with gravitas. The way they portrayed Zemo was pretty far off from the megalomaniac from the cartoon (never read the comics), but so far as his motivation, I think it served the film far better the way they did it. He's a smart guy with a serious axe to grind, and it made for a good jumping off point to evolve his character further. T'challa was awesome. I loved his character in the Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon from a few years back-thoughtful, philosophical, and deliberate, and nearly always in control of his emotions. So far I get the same feel from Boseman's portrayal. Despite his anger and desire for vengeance, in the end, he took the high road-twice.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Ocular Max Sphinx arrived today- just two days after I ordered it from BBTS - and he's pretty cool. The only two nitpicks I have are that the Citanes shoulder plates don't slide high enough to clear his elbows, although they do rotate, so they can be made to clear that way, and the shoulder missile mount doesn't allow for the missile to move up and down due to how short it is and where it attaches. Otherwise, they did a great job on him. I get a chuckle looking at all the slightly misspelled sponsor logos (gotta avoid those lawsuits). Handling a toy like this makes me wish TT would step up their materials and overall polish on the MP line. This thing is gorgeous, and the die cast is evident, but not overused. Rubber tires complete the feel. This is what the MP line should have been throughout.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I like BW too, although nowhere near as much as the cars and such, but I do have Rhinox, Rattrap, and Waspinator from a year or two ago, and I like them a lot. I was curious when MP Primal was announced, but honestly, I don't feel the final product warrants the MP name or price. I think it would have made a splendid leader class toy, and I would have gladly paid $40 or for him. So, if third parties ever tried their hand, I'd be interested to see how they'd approach making them. I'd love to see some BW figs with fur or simulated skin textures and such.Third parties have the luxury of being innovative and attaching a price afterwards, where TT are more constrained to budget. I was feeling a bit impetuous yesterday, and decided to go ahead and get MMC's Ocular Max Sphinx(MP Mirage), after sitting on the fence for a long time. I'm glad I did, as the blue version is becoming scarce to find for sale. I also PO'd XTransbot's Eligos, as I love Cyclonus' design, and I doubt TT, if they ever make him, or anyone else will come close. I'd love to get Toyworld's Constructor as my one and only Devastator, but there are a lot of other things, more practical things, for which I could use $600. Like upcoming Delta valks.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Well, to be fair, the original toys shared the same mold except for different heads, so it's understandable for folks to make that deduction. I agree, they're different animals, and tigers are much larger than cheetahs, but from TakaTomy's POV, I'm thinking they'll likely reuse the Cheetor mold. I'm curious to see how it turns out; the Generations toy from a few years back didn't look that good to me, so I never got it. It seems odd to me that Megatron isn't the second MP BW figure. I expected them to make the two leaders and call it good. So now I wonder how many of the BW characters are going to get the MP treatment?
  17. M'Kyuun
    Wow-beautiful. If they keep making models like that, Bandai are going to start pooping themselves.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Makes sense. Still, part of me wishes.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I've been shopping around the various online stores to see if anyone is carrying these for less than $46 (Eagle and Battle Robo) or $41 (Bike and Drill Robo), and so far, nope. HLJ doesn't have them at all, and I had hopes that they'd carry them for less. I'd like to get Eagle and Bike (such creative names in this series ), but I'm afraid once I put in an order, then HLJ or someone else will have them for less and I'll have to go through the sometimes sticky process of cancelling my initial preorder. What really makes me hesitate is the thought that Hasbro will strike some kind of deal with Bandai to license and sell these under the Gobots name, at about half the current going rate. I doubt it'll happen, but stranger things have. I'd be really happy if they did, though. There are quite a few pics of these guys out there now, and honestly, $41, let alone $46, is too much for what amounts to a deluxe sized figure. They're neat, but not $46 neat, and certainly no where near MP TF quality, plus that kind of price gouging leaves a bad taste and makes me not want to reward their greed.
  20. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    Battroid is my new wallpaper. Thanks Saburo!
  21. M'Kyuun
    Totally agree; if they make it separate from AoS, then what was the point of introducing them in the show? Then again, not many folks are probably aware of the Inhumans, so the producers are going to want to do some kind of origin story, and with more well known actors. Just keep Chloe Bennett.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I'm in a slightly different camp than the rest of you, as I enjoy the first season in its entirety. The ep where they go to Mexico and Megatron is tapping the core energy was, IMHO, the worst out of that whole season. But on the whole, I think it maintained a consistent tone, it introduced a lot of side characters like the Insecticons, Dinobots, and Constructicons, and Skyfire, and there a few notable eps with a more mature/serious tone. Come second season, all bets were off, and in the producers' efforts to introduce new characters/toys and meet syndication criteria, the writers were given a lot of license to pretty much do whatever they wanted. The show devolved into absolute tripe at that point, at least to me. I still enjoy watching the first season; that and the '86 movie are all I own of G1. Post movie eps were so incredibly terrible- I absolutely hate what they did with Galvatron's character, both the writing and Frank Welker's voice for him. I guess they couldn't find anyone to do a decent Leonard Nimoy impression. Technoblue- your observation concerning no-death, hell, no-blood policies always raised an eyebrow with me when I watched those shows. I was about 12 when those shows started airing consistently. Having watched Speed Racer and Battle of the Planets as a wee lad, American shows were lame comparatively. I remember being shocked when Serpentor speared Duke and there was actually blood in that scene (GI Joe the Movie, I believe). Initially, I guess the producers were going to kill him off, but decided against it for some reason. Prob because of all the backlash they got when they killed off Prime in the movie. But as it relates to the toys, I'm in agreement that TT are becoming too slavish to the animation models, and the MP toys are becoming less and less detailed as a result. And it certainly becomes evident when 3rd parties are stepping up and producing their own much more detailed versions, albeit at a steeper price point. While I like having the official toys, if I had more cash flow, I'd probably double dip on some characters with 3P releases. I think the official toys will hold their value longer, though.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I'm sorry to hear that you had breakage, Easnoddy. It always hurts when a toy breaks. I speak from experience. To fairly compare the Yammie to the Bandai, one must first recognize that Yamato had nothing but lineart, and pehaps some direction by Kawamori, to base their design upon, and that making the Konig was a gamble, both in terms of making such a large transforming toy work, and also in the fact that it is neither a typical 'hero' vehicle nor a sleek pretty fighter. They were pioneering, and for the time it was produced, I think it was a decent toy, perfect by no means (few things are), but an honest attempt to make a unique non-valkyrie mech. Mine still stands tall on my desk, a little dusty, but still imposing. The Bandai version benefits from having had the Yamato to study, and about six years of advances in toy design and technology, not to mention a more streamlined design in Frontier. It is, in nearly every way, superior in fit and finish to the Yamato. The only design feature I favor on the Yammie over Bandai are the feet: Yamato's follows the lineart, whereas Bandai deviated from the lineart to make for a more stable battroid. I wish they'd followed the lineart as well, as the battroid's profile and height are affected by the change. But, I can't argue that it's a pretty solid figure and still looks great in all three modes.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Hah..yeah right. I doubt that will ever come to fruition, and the recent Leader Class Jetfire will likely be the closest we ever get to a Skyfire fig. A custom painted 1/48 Yamato VF-1S is your best bet for a MP style Jetfire. So the Inferno rumor proved true, with Grapple to follow shortly, no doubt. While I'll likely get one of the two, I'm meh about this mold. Jazz and Hound are two glaring omissions in this line. I guess they're going for characters whose mold was reused in order to recoup costs.
  25. M'Kyuun

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    M'Kyuun replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    So true. Regarding the legs, it's a shellformer, with those huge belly plates to cover them. I never cared for that aspect, and I'd think a designer of his caliber would have integrated them better. Alas, as you mentioned, anime magic is used liberally to make the forward fuselage shrink and the legs to grow to make a more proportionally appealing looking battroid. The difficulty of actually realizing it in plastic is evident in Yamato's toy. Favor the fighter, you get disproportionately skinny legs. I like the -21's battroid, as it appears in the lineart, too, and I hope Bandai will eventually take a crack at it. A general perusal of Kawamori's Macross Design Works reveals what Kajnrig and David H. say is true; he starts with a fighter design and works out the battroid from there. I personally like what he did with the -262. What he did with the legs makes sense, both to fit the shape of the plane, and to keep the powerplants in the legs. There are likely other ways that the arms could have been designed, but his final solution is interesting and unique. It bears a similarity to the VF-9 due to the single rotating bar, but the transformation for the arms is completely different. As for the head, the only other valks in which the nosecone becomes the head are the Fz-109, VF-14 (and variants), and one could argue, the VA-3. Prior to the battroid revelation, I fully expected the upper torso to mirror the YF-21; I'm glad he went a different route. I respectfully disagree that it lacks personality; the commander head sets it apart, and the overall 'knight' motif is carried out well. The only thing it's missing is a sword, although, I'm glad he gave it that big retractable gun instead. I don't think melee weapons fit the sort of high speed combat in which these things are designed to engage. Personally, I get a VF-17 vibe from the battroid, esp from the group shot at the end of ep 4.
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