M'Kyuun

I'm not; while they're not purely Animated, they're hewing closer than most of the other G1/non-G1 hybrids in Legacy thus far, including Prowl, who was still ok, but definitely had more G1 influence in the chunkiness and head sculpt departments. As an Animated fan, I'm enjoying these, compromises notwithstanding, as we went 15 years without so much as a whisper about Animated before they released Prowl. IMHO, Legacy Bulkhead has far more in common with the Animated design than the Prime design as well, but Hasbro says it's a Prime design. I say, 'whatever' with a skeptically raised eyebrow. Anyway, with the absolute dearth of Animated toys over the last decade and a half, I'm excited to get anything Animated at this point, even if the figs are hybridized. FWIW, though, Legacy United Prime looks really close to how he did in the show, as well as to the original toy. I think I'll still prefer the original voyager Prime over LU Prime, as it's a great fig, but I'm looking forward to adding this guy to my collection along with LU Bee, who apparently has been the cause of some ugliness amongst fans on Twitter and other TF fan sites. Imagine, toxicity among adults over toys; whodathunk it?!! 😉 So silly. As to other potential reveals on Friday, I'm curious but apprehensive over the new Windblade, as I have a feeling she's going to be yet another lazy design with arms just hanging out like every other version thus far. I wish she'd get at least one good toy with arms integrated into the jet mode. No interest in Tigerhawk; when they eventually remold/repaint it into Silverbolt, I may bite, as I loved that character but never had much interest in the Fuzors character designs. My interest in a new leader Prime fig will hinge on the design and whether or not it appeals to me. I'd love for it to be his FoC game design, as that's one of my favorite OP designs, but as they just released the WfC version at voyager scale, I'm guessing it'll be something different. I have zero recollection of Prime Thunderhawk- guess I'll wait and see how it turns out. Rock Lords didn't really grab me in the 80s, and I'm not sure modern TFs that turn into rocks and such are going to inspire a new appeal, but again, I guess we'll see. I'm with Mike in that I want to see the rest of the G1 minibots completed in deluxe scale for Legacy, as well as Omnibots, a brand new and improved mold for both Astrotrain and Blitzwing in the SS86 series (even if it means doing them both in commander class for the requisite budget- I just want damned good definitive CHUG scaled figs of these guys for my collection), a new set of voyager scaled Constructicons that are in every conceivable way an improvement over the awful Combiner Wars figs, an improved Arcee fig that results in a far more compact backpack (just copy MMC's Azalea- there's no shame in copying the best design out there), a new improved Seeker design in SS86 that gives us a pretty accurate F-15 akin to MP-03 only with better bot proportions than that fig. I know, I'm not asking for much. 😄 So, thus far, the figs I'm most anticipating on Friday have already been leaked, but I'm hopeful that there will still be a couple good surprises in the mix. I'm also hopeful that these Animated-ish figs will catch on and maybe lead to a spate of rereleases of old figs, especially the Japan-only figs, as I'd badly love to have a copy of Blackout. Meanwhile, I'll collect the new Animated hybrids in the hopes that they continue to improve, i.e. move ever closer to the cartoon aesthetic and perhaps spark new interest in both the toon and the toys it originally inspired.

I built this beauty last night, and what a great LEGO experience it offers. It's chock full of ingenious techniques and solutions that make the build all the more enjoyable, and the instructions often feature blurbs regarding said techniques or new parts (i.e. a new cone for the nose & tail and the sloped windscreen for the droop snoop, both created specifically for this model, but hopefully will see their ways into other sets). I can't remember ever building a set where so much behind-the-scenes info is given in the instructions, but I hope it becomes a regular practice. The landing gear functionality is smooth and bears the weight of the deceptively light model easily. This is not a small model, but with so many of its 2083 pieces allocated to that long thin fuselage and large thin delta wings, it feels lighter, albeit a bit awkward, to handle. However, the designers created a lovely stand that mirrors those used on many collector grade aircraft models down to a printed 4x8 inverted tile (83496) (first I'd seen this part) reflecting an official looking placard detailing some of the aircraft's history and performance characteristics. Beyond the placard, there are a number of printed elements in the set; no stickers to bog down the build. The total package looks professional, classy, and visually striking. The model itself features moving flaps and elevons, a double rudder, retractable gear, the famous droop snoop, and a 6 x 16 section of fuselage that's removable to expose some detailed interior featuring seats and a couple lavs. Even as a long-time builder of both MOCs and sets, I was struck by the many challenges imposed by trying to recreate this smooth, sleek, curvy aircraft into a LEGO replica, which itself is daunting before including the many working features, especially the mechanics involved in making the gear extend and retract with a single mechanism (rotating the tail cone). Kudos indeed to the design team for pulling it off so majestically. In every conceivable way, this set is a triumph, and I can't recommend it enough. I hope this set meets with great sales success and ushers in a wave of other notable aircraft. I'd personally love to see some X-Planes, like the Grumman X-29 or the Bell XV-15, or the Bell X-15 get sets. True, they were military, or military funded aircraft, but I think the distinction between research aircraft and combat aircraft is clear in these cases thus clearing them of LEGO's pesky, and somewhat murky, no-modern-warfare restrictions. If research and development aircraft can be realized as LEGO sets, the potential is there for many a great set celebrating historical achievements in aviation. Speaking on the two new parts, I'm guessing aircraft enthusiasts, especially those building jets, will welcome the new cone piece. It's 4 studs wide at the base, three bricks high, and tapers to a three-stud diameter. The second new piece is the windscreen for the Concorde's droop snoop. It has a 4 x 4 footprint and tapers from about a brick to two bricks high (rough measurement). The most outstanding feature of this part is that it is dual molded, a thin white plastic shell over an internal clear dark tinted windscreen. I wish this methodology found its way into more windscreens, as LEGO often opts to paint them, and the paint apps are often too thin and allow for notable bleed through of the base plastic. Fortunately, LEGO lived up to Ole Kirk's 'only the best is good enough' motto with the development of this piece. I'm not sure the windscreen will have as much utility outside of this set, such is its particular nature, but I'm glad they made it all the same, as it definitely makes the Concorde model look great.

Definitely my most anticipated film this year. I hope it's even better than the trailers lead one to believe. If so, more like this please, Hollywood. My wife and I watched this recently and we both enjoyed it. Crowe was excellent, def seemed like he was enjoying the role. Until viewing the film, I didn't know he was based on a real person; I imagine the events in the film were embellished, as stuff like this often is, but the character quirks of Crowe's Father Gabrielle Amorth were more entertaining, IMHO, than the overall subject of exorcism of which Friedkin's The Exorcist remains the reigning king of the genre.

Not a Turtles or Gadget fan, but yes for the rest, especially the Mach 5- I didn't even think of that but that would be awesome. Yeah, that'd be awesome, akin to the Omnibots that they continue to ignore. Alas, too true. Well, too, it was an acquired property by virtue of a rival company buyout, so there may be mixed feelings. Then again, they've had zero qualms with hocking Star Wars stuff ad infinitum, so I'm thinking there's just a general lack of interest on the part of Hasbro. It's a shame b/c M.A.S.K. was a really cool concept and the OG toys were exceptionally cool. Ramen Toys has us covered on that front, so we really don't need Hasbro to do it at this point, but the idea of combining M.A.S.K. and Transformers is one I could totally get behind; however, I fear Mike's all-too close to the truth regarding how such a marriage might end disastrously. I wouldn't mind seeing a third party attempt it, though. If they did, however, I would want them to all be original bots tailored to the alt modes and not wonky attempts to make them into established characters. Hasbro's desire to want to make every tie-in either Prime or Bumblebee (or another well-worn character) is, IMHO, the most limiting factor. I get wanting to have recognition, but for Pete's sake, there's room for new characters, and cutting those ties and allowing the various vehicles' designs and alternative weaponized forms inform the bot modes would be a far more practical approach as well as doing proper justice to the bot modes. And just keep the M.A.S.K. vehicle names for the characters- simple and apropos. I build transformery things with LEGO, but until this conversation, I'd never given thought to making my own M.A.S.K. -inspired bot. Sounds like an interesting challenge. 😉

Likewise. I want K.I.T.T. , Airwolf, and Blue Thunder. Maybe a Viper from BSG, or a small shuttle from V.

Aw man, sorry to hear. It would've been nice to meet another fellow MWer. Hopefully next year. Thanks for the well-wishing; it's always fun!😁

It's so mine. Fortunately, I'll be in Seattle for a LEGO convention next weekend, conveniently close to a LEGO store. I hope they still have them in stock by the time I arrive.

Yeah, I'm familiar with the Mirage/Jazz debate, but I consider pretty much everything live-action to be apart from any of the animation given the amount of license taken with all aspects of the bots. Respectively, the same can pretty much be said for each animated show as well, although there seems to be a bit more G1 carryover amidst the animated shows. Anyway, that aspect doesn't bother me. The similarities of RotB from the trailers to Bay's films, OTOH, just turn my stomach.

One can hope. As I said, I really like it, too, and I'd have to give some thought to committing the ducats, but it sure is a purdy bird that would look reeeaaaallllly nice somewhere in my house. 😁

RotB is probably the first TF film or show where I didn't buy a single figure. The designs just didn't grab me, and I had very low enthusiasm for the film leading up to release. I wish Travis Knight had made a sequel to Bumblebee; of the three directors who've now done live-action, he's the only one who's come closest to capturing the essence of what Transformers means to me, although I think the film was hindered by its attachment to the Bay films. I'll be happy when that attachment is permanently severed, although I have apprehension about where the live-action franchise may go thereafter. As much as I hate to think it, it can always get worse, although Bay did a fine job of making it downright abysmal already. Full disclosure, I've not seen RotB; I'm judging it on trailers and snippets I've seen, which frankly didn't inspire much desire to see more. Additionally, I'm a fan of neither Anthony Ramos nor Pete Davidson, and knowing that a fair chunk of the beginning of the film revolves around Ramos' character development and that the main TF sidekick character, Mirage, is voiced by Davidson leaves me cold. If it comes to Netflix, Prime, or Hulu, I may give it a watch out of morbid curiosity, but I'll definitely go in with expectations off-scale low and a likely desire to stop watching before I get too far in. Paraphrasing Han Solo, I just have a bad feeling about it.

So, I stand mostly humbly corrected. I speak, of course, from a Western POV, having not returned to Japan, or Okinawa more specifically, since the early 90s predating both Plus and 7. My entire experience with both is colored by my isolation from Japanese society and culture, not to mention my lack of research before speaking my perceptions. Apologies aplenty. Again, I own my mistaken perception. I love Plus; it was in a significant way my doorway to both Macross and a broader appreciation of anime in the mid-90s. It also resonates with me due to its parallels to the real-world competition several years before of the YF-22 and YF-23, of which I've oft opined that the Air Force chose the wrong plane. More than that, though, the grittiness, the sci-fi elements, and the maturity of M+'s various story elements have always held a fascination for me. Plus remains one of if not my favorite anime to this day, so powerfully does it speak to me. One wonders, or at least I do, how Seven could possibly be more popular than either the original SDF:M or Plus, but apparently their opinions are colored by different factors than those in the West. As far as questionable water goes, Fukushima Daiichi was years down the road, so we can't blame radiated seafood. 😄 Again, different cultures with different standards and influences. I never realized how closely the two series released, but given the dates on the lineart in Kawamori's Macross Design Works, and given the evolutionary nature of the M+ designs from Plus to Seven, I always assumed that Plus was first followed by Seven. I first watched M+ back in '95 and didn't see M7 until about a year or so ago, but the difference in tone and maturity are jarring for two such closely related series. I, too, like the VF-19A paint scheme. If they did release it, though, I'm not sure if I'd get it, as Arcadia's prices are pretty high these days, and my space is really limited. It'd be one of those deals where I stare at it a lot and finally make a decision. Just the opposite; I love 'em, especially the 19.

Um, my perception has always been that M7 wasn't very popular within the whole of the franchise. The valk designs, like the VF-19, VF-22 and VF-17, however, seem to have risen above the general disdain I've perceived over the years towards the animation. FWIW, I thought M7 was ok, although I didn't care for Basara all that much, and I wasn't crazy about the domestic separation between Max and Milia, two characters who were essentially made for each other. Gamlin was ok. Ray was probably my favorite character, along with Mylene, Max and Milia. Of the Protodevlin, only Sivil stood out to me as an interesting or memorable villain. Not the best series, especially when compared with the original SDF:M, Macross Plus, Frontier, and Zero. Delta and M7 I kinda lump together as the 'lessers' of the franchise. 😄

My copy of Origins Jazz finally came yesterday. I was starting to think maybe Target cancelled yet another of my orders ( still irritated that they canxed my ER Thrust order- I didn't see the renewal email until it was too late). Anyway, he's a bit more shellformery than I thought he'd be, but still a neat addition to the collection. Bring on Wheeljack; hopefully they make him a voyager or even a leader and somehow figure out a way to put Origin Bee in the back to reenact those opening scenes to More than Meets the Eye Pt 1. Otherwise, what's the point? Was late to the PO party on Pulse, though I did manage to get Magnus. I went to TFSource for SS86 Ratchet and Frenzy, but at least I got 'em POed. Peace of mind.

Bruce Timm invented Harley Quinn, but it took someone special to voice her and give her personality, and Arleen certainly succeeded in spades. That the character became hugely popular and a mainstay villain in the Batman Rogue's Gallery to this day and surely for many more years to come is a testament to her talent and ability to project the gamut of human emotions, not to mention that cute NY accent, and her quirky sense of humor through this flawed but loveable psychopathic psychiatrist. Arleen Sorkin may not have graced marquees like Michelle Pfeiffer or Julia Roberts, but for those of us watching B:TAS back in the 90s, she was every bit the star for breathing glorious life into the woman who loved the Joker. RIP

True, but not if too many fans skip it in hopes of a later Macross Plus game B series color scheme. Personally, I think they should have led with the 5000B and then moved on to the G, as I think it's generally more broadly appealing than the teal, white, and yellow. However, I think the mold itself looks really good- definitely a want for the shelf. I may just suck it up and get the G if only to help sales with the hopes of a later M+ B release. I'm trying to convince myself of its uniqueness amidst the majority of mostly white valks in my collection. A little diversity is good, even if I find it a little cringeworthy. Unfortunately, this is the final model. Kawamori is known for revisiting certain designs, like the Destroid Monster or the Glaug, not to mention umpteen variants of the VF-1 and VF-25 and their associated armor & booster packs. This is definitely one that could stand some refinement, if only to better integrate those legs into the airframe. I'd love to see it and the VA-3 Invader revisited to refine their looks. The VA-3 is an interesting and unique valk, but my goodness is it ugly, especially that poor battroid mode. My heart breaks for it.💔

For sure it'd be sizeable. That said, I'm not crazy about the design; it's downright lazy compared to the majority of Kawamori's other variable designs where he does an admirable job of integrating the bot bits seamlessly into the vehicle mode such that, unless you know, you won't know it transforms. I love that he chose to make a valk version of the B-2 Spirit, but the execution leaves me feeling quite underwhelmed. Don Figueroa's flying wing Megatron design, and Hasbro's subsequent toy, was better executed, which is the polar opposite of what I expect from Kawamori-san and Hasbro, whose track record with aircraft, especially jets, is abysmal at best. However, this stands as one of their better efforts: Don Figueroa's art Hasbro's figure As opposed to this, with its obvious legs just hanging out back. Def a step down in design quality from stuff like the VF-1, YF-19, VB-6 and even the Variable Glaug.

I can understand wanting to move on, but the niggles I have with the Yamato YF-21 were such that I don't even display it anymore, and with two beautiful YF-19s on the shelf without Isamu's friend and rival standing by, I'd very much like to see one or both companies put out a YF-21 with better battroid proportions than the old Yamato. So far as other valks needing toys, the VF-9 Cutlass, the Variable Glaug, and the VF-14 Vampire top my list, as well as a VF-5000B in the Macross Plus game color scheme. The teal, yellow and white of the VF-5000G is utterly repugnant. 🤢 These colors, though, accentuate the beauty of the valk's design in both modes- just lovely. I hope Arcadia releases it.

Alas, the risk is real, and in this instance, very close to catastrophe. If they're going to insist on flying these older or unreliable airframes, perhaps they should create a separate venue to do so in select unpopulated areas around the country, with appropriate hardened viewing areas for the viewers just in case of emergency. Once those pilots bail, or lose control of the aircraft, it's anybody's guess where they're going to come down. I love aviation as much as anybody (I worked on planes for 15 of my 20 years in the Air Force), but incidents like this make me question whether the risk is worth the pleasure of seeing these old birds fly. I live near both an Air Force base and an international airport, and there's a crash zone very near to where I live, not to mention I see military aircraft flying over my house on a nigh daily basis, so the risk is literally above me all the time. But at least I know the 50+ year old tankers flying over me are maintained 24-7 and have a very high reliability rate. The same can't be said for personal aircraft, especially those of foreign make. All flight is risky until we conquer gravity, but some risk is far more manageable than others, and with the seeming increase in crashes of privately owned vintage and foreign planes, perhaps there needs to be some heightened standards or tighter regulations/inspection criteria before these planes can be certified safe for flight.

Did some reading up. It was a MiG-23 Flogger privately owned and operated by a former Navy A-6 pilot w/ 200 carrier landings to his credit. The pilot, Dan Filer, makes his living as a United Airlines pilot, so this is a fellow with remarkable experience. I think his intent was to ditch the plane in the water, but while he and his co landed in the water, the plane went on to crash uncomfortably close to an apartment complex. I'm glad that no one got hurt, but the loss of the MiG, a rarity on these shores, is lamentable. Perhaps some of these older planes are better served as museum pieces rather than ending up as smoking wreckage.

Appalled by the guy at approx 50 seconds in who thinks the crew bailed out on purpose as part of the show. When two chutes come out of a fighter, who does he think is flying it? The girl in the vid telling him the plane's crashing is far more astute regarding what's happening. Anyway, sucks that they had to ditch the plane, and I hope no one on the ground was hurt.

Well, let's be honest; there aren't a lot of options when it comes to Macross toys. Either you accept what's proffered, warts and all, or you pass with the likelihood that another toy of a particular valk may not come about for another decade, if that. We're spoiled in the Transformers fandom largely in part because of third party makers providing numerous options beyond official releases, but we don't really have that luxury in Macross. I wish, but we don't. With a dearth of options, is it any wonder that, despite the complaints, many of us still buy what's on offer? I wonder if it's a matter of Big West's not wanting to spread the license to too many companies, or that no other companies have an interest in producing Macross toys. Or between Arcadia and Bandai, they've agreed to lock the license between them. IDK, but I'd be down with companies like Sentinel, Takara, or 3Ps like MMC or Fans Toys doling out some Macross goodness. There are still so many cool valk designs that need to be realized in toy form that may never see fruition, and, in such a niche franchise, that's sadder to me than a realized toy with a few flaws.

As a fellow vintage set buyer (Classic Space themes for me), getting these large sets for under $200 these days is a pretty good deal. Sucks that the figs aren't included, as they will cost a fair bit to acquire as well. Vintage LEGO is very much a collector's game these days, and unfortunately, commands some hefty prices considering the piece counts, limited palette of the time, and more simplistic (and sometimes illegal) building techniques employed. But they have their charm, and I guess that's what keeps us engaged, along with the nostalgic factor.

I totally agree with your first sentence. As a fan who favors battroid, the skinny legs were off-putting, not to mention the floppy hip joints. If Arcadia tweaked the design to feature more proportional legs with a potentially slightly chunkier back end to the fighter mode, that would be a must-buy. I do not, however, under any circumstances, want a parts-former. Both Bandai and Arcadia have proven that they have the ingenuity and talent to make this work as a fully transformable toy. At the prices these toys command, I neither want nor expect less. Regarding the shortened belly plates on the Bandai model, I actually prefer that over the long ones on the Yamato, which never stayed in place and always seemed to be in the way, obscuring the legs when trying to put them in a pose that would actually hold the damn thing upright. Honestly, I just straight-up hate the belly plates. I've always wondered, given the size and shape of the legs, why Kawamori didn't integrate them better or work in some sort of transformation to flatten them out more in fighter instead of turning the thing into a shell-former. It seems a bit lazy, especially for a guy who generally does an impressive job of integrating bot bits rather seamlessly into the flight modes. Not only did he cheat the leg size in his art, but he employed a rather cheap technique to cover them up. I'm hoping both Bandai and Arcadia find good work-arounds although at this point, I guess we pretty much know what we're getting from Bandai. It's too thick front to back and the arms are bit smallish and short, but it still looks pretty good to me, good enough for a purchase.

I hope all of this is true. It's highly lamentable that the CMFs are going to be in boxes henceforth, as it'll make feeling out the ones you want impossible. Fortunately, I'm now privileged to have a new and second-hand LEGO store in town, so there's a chance they may get the figs out of box to sell without the hassle. Anyway, more CS throwbacks are always welcome, and I very much liked the direction they took with the 2019 City Space sets, especially 60228 and 60229, both of which were excellent. More of the same, or even going a step more sci-fi is alright by me. Shameless plug; BrickCon is happening Sept 9-10 at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA. If you're in the area and you enjoy looking at lots of incredible custom LEGO creations by adults running the gamut from pop-culture, art, sci-fi, fantasy, battle, castle, Technic, battle bots, great ball contraptions, & more, I highly recommend bringing the kids and spending the afternoon with us.

Yeah, I believe that to be the case as well. It was an easy scapegoat to distract from the actual gearing deficiencies noted by several online reviewers who'd received early copies. I hold the LEGO Group in high esteem, but in this instance, I think they took the low road instead of just admitting there was an inherent issue with the set and redesigning it for wide release. I love the Osprey and was quite excited for the set's release; I was subsequently dismayed and disappointed when the cancellation and BS reason for doing so came about. After all, they gave us this gem. It may not be an exact replica, but the inspiration is pretty clear. Alas, what's done is done. I'm envious of the few lucky folks who were given the sets by LEGO. It naught but an investment for them now.