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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    For those who've dealt with Play-Asia, in the likely event they don't receive enough stock to cover their preorders, how are they about doling out refunds? Do they need to be badgered, or are they good for it? I've never had a default on an online order before, so I want to be prepared if I'll need to fight to get my money back.
  2. M'Kyuun
    That R2 droid is interesting...makes me wonder if it doesn't unfold into something more. I liked what I saw in the trailer; it feels suitably Star Warsy to me, so far as the look of the film goes. I hope the script and acting are good, as those will raise it far and above the Prequels. I personally prefer the OT inspired designs here, as the Prequel designs never really felt authentic to me, despite being chosen by GL himself. Anyway, we have a year to go, so it's a bit early to pass judgment on a few visuals that may be tweaked before the final release. I've avoided searching out stuff about the film purposely, as I want it to be as fresh as possible, so this trailer and the pics that Abrams posted a while back are all I've seen. Nothing about either has raised any alarm bells yet. My optimism abides.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Those Frontier Packs look really out of place on the VF-19, to me anyway. I can appreciate trying to make it fit into the Frontier-verse, but I think they should have eschewed the wing packs in lieu of maybe some beefier leg packs or wrap-around armor like the VF-171. The 19's wings are kibble enough on their own in battroid without large Packs hanging off of them. Moreover, that spells shortened life on that wing root joint before it becomes floppy, unless it contains a robust ratchet. My own preference is to leave my YF-19 naked, as I love its design, and FAST Packs don't enhance its appearance as well as some of the other valks, the VF-1 most notably. Just my opinion.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I thought the graphic on the back was a little odd, but whatever. I'm not really into these specialty jobs, and I think this mold looks much better in the dark blue.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Segatron does nothing for me. Apollyon, or something like it, is what I'm waiting for. As for those Mospeada Gobots models shown a couple pages back, I had the Leader-1. For an 80's model, it was awesome, but should have had die-cast joints for the hips. The hip pegs were plastic, and mine broke pretty easily. The gear and the shoulder mounts, however, were die-cast. I was blown away by the amount of articulation the thing had, plus hinged flight controls, retracting gear with gear doors, lots of little opening panels/doors, and perfect transformation to boot. Even by today's standards, it's a pretty damned cool model.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Well, that's good news indeed. I haven't looked at any news articles of late, so I'm out of the currency loop, except for what's posted here. I'm hopeful that they'll achieve some unprecedented science as the comet approaches the sun. To that end, patience is a virtue.
  7. M'Kyuun
    That's a bit of a blow to the scientists, though, who were looking forward to mining as much data from it as possible, had it landed in an optimal area. I can only imagine the frustration, waiting 10 years, having it actually land in its projected spot, only to find out it had bounced into the most non-optimal spot where it can't get the sunlight it needs to fulfill the rest of its mission. It has to take an emotional toll on those folks, and I'm actually surprised they didn't try a last ditch to right it or even nudge it out of its current spot. I'd think it worth the gamble at this point. Worst case, it separates from the comet and is lost in space, as opposed to remaining in situ, dead.
  8. M'Kyuun
    I stand corrected, as far as the accent implied; however, as a scientist working for the Germans, he still should have been conversing in Deutsch, just with a Swedish accent.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Most of the Gobots were pretty small, and came on a card. I never bought many of them, being more of a TF fan as a kid. But I do remember looking at quite a few in stores and thinking the alt modes were really well done and the transformations were becoming more intricate in the latter years of their production. Puzzler, a Gobot combiner made up of 5 or 6 cars, really made an impression on me, as the hands and the feet of their combined form were part of the individual robots. Granted, the arms are wonky on the combined mode, and the legs don't move, but I liked the idea of total integration, as opposed to add-on parts for every TF combiner. I'm a huge proponent for perfect transformation, and that also includes combiners.
  10. M'Kyuun
    As much as I like Hugo Weaving, it boggles my mind why they didn't get Christoph to play the Red Skull. Hugh's and Toby's really, really bad German accents and all English delivery, despite being Germans in Germany during WW II, made me cringe. Those initial scenes with Red Skull and Dr. Zola would have been better had they, at least initially, conversed in German. Just my opinion. Glad to hear he'll get a turn as a Bond villain. I like Craig's more serious, less cheeky take on the character. The schtick was wearing thin in the Brosnan movies, although I liked him as Bond.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Go-bots? Giving these more credit than they deserve. Many of the Gobot jets were pretty well done in regards to their real life inspirations. Their bot modes, however, usually left somewhat to be desired. You'd think Takara could at least try to incorporate the arms into the transformation, as well as engineer the hands and feet of the combined form into the individual bots rather than adding those parts. These don't really manifest the progression and evolution in toy design one would expect from a company w/ over 30 years experience designing transforming toys. To me, they're a step back, engineering-wise, but their simplicity probably makes them fun. For 5 year olds. I'll probably get them all.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Sure is pretty. I like the blue they went with, if this is indeed final color. Although it's unlikely, and probably a matter of perception on my part, but does the metal hip bar seem longer in some pics, where the hips are rotated, than in the straight-on shot? I am most likely skipping this valk, but those pics sell it. Must resist.
  13. M'Kyuun
    How come Variable Glaug isn't on the list? That's number one on my wishlist. After that, maybe a VF-5000 or a VF-14.
  14. M'Kyuun
    There does seem to be a disparity concerning the ankle ball joints Arcadia are using. My VF-19, which has been through several transformations and has been in battroid mode almost continuously since I got it, still has stiff ankle joints. OTOH, my Arcadia YF-19 had a loose right ankle joint right out of the box. The left is not as tight as I'd like either, but it's sufficiently tight enough to hold the thing up in battroid. The situation is reversed on my VF-17, but again, one ankle joint is sufficiently tight enough to enable standing poses. Given that these are expensive high end toys, and the expectation from the manufacturer should be that these will be posed in battroid at some point, more thought should be put into joint designs for strength, longevity, and range of motion, so that the consumers aren't concerned on day one whether or not their new $300+ toy will actually stand on its own. If they are receiving negative feedback from various sources concerning this issue, I hope they'll take it to heart and consider a redesign. In this regard, Bandai has the superior design, and I'd be happy if Arcadia would follow suit.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I haven't seen Frozen, so I can't make a comparison, but if was a bettin' man, I'd take Baymax any day over singing chicks and snowmen. Hiro's aunt stole just about every scene she was in...great character.
  16. M'Kyuun
    That really is a nice looking 3rd party Megatron. TT will need to be on their game to trump this, I think.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I also don't mind social commentary, and BlomKamp's visceral violence and mechanical designs strike all the right chords with me. He channels what I loved most about Verhoeven's films, sans Showgirls.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I watched a special on the Science Channel where the scientists explained what needed to be done to just get the thing out there, and then the really mind-boggling calculations to slow it down and create a flight pattern around it so that they could map it. Then they had a panel with scientists vs engineers to determine where to set down. Bear in mind that once the lander was released from the satellite, it was in an unguided freefall, so they had to have their calculations perfect, and all environmental factors needed to be optimal for successful landing. It was such a longshot; the fact that they did it, mechanical issues notwithstanding, is a monumental achievement that really should have received more fanfare. Unfortunately, it's not fast paced or violent, and thus uninteresting to most people today, esp young people. Too, I'd say that the realism we're used to in movies kind of ruins the excitement of these events as well; the cerebral side of it is really what's impressive and exciting. All I've seen of the actual landing was a still shot of the comet taken from 3M during freefall. Not very exciting stuff for today's crowd, esp Americans, for which everything needs to be moving a mile a minute to keep their ADD in check.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Ever more, sci-fi is becoming sci-fact. The European Space Agency have successfully put the Philae lander on the surface of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko Comet after 10+ years of travel aboard the Rosetta spacecraft. It's an amazing accomplishment for them, and ultimately mankind, certainly worthy of discussion, as well as contemplation of what me might learn, and where the future lies for further exploration.
  20. M'Kyuun
    This site is always good for a laugh. Checked out a video for the Hi-Metal. The shoulder slide and extended hip joints would both be nice improvements. I'm down for anything that improves battroid range of motion, so long as it doesn't compromise the fighter too much.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I liked how the movie explored the social aspect of space exploration, as well as the physics involved. Kanedas has it right; "Gravity" would have been an even more apropos title. Even if the origin and nature of gravity are discovered, and the Grand Unified Theory is satisfied, I think the social aspect will be the more difficult hurdle, especially if we make leaps in propulsion technologies facilitating rapid transit through space. At that point, relativity becomes a psychological hurdle for both explorers and those they leave behind. I think Nolan did a good job of capturing that potential. TARS; Interesting and totally unexpected design. He and CASE were good characters.
  22. M'Kyuun
    David, there's more to it. And stay to the end of the credits. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Wm Cheng...so negative! But, I agree, that's ,unfortunately, probably the way things would go, esp the rising prices. But, so negative! I'm not familiar with the Hi-metal VF-1's shoulder or hip attachments, but if there's a better way, then I'm open to see it employed in a high end model, for which I'd part with my ducats. We definitely need to see some fighter pics of Bandai's 19. If this turns out great and demand is high, I hope we're not faced with the VF-25 Renewal situation all over again. I know we will, but I'm hoping not. Still, demand may not be as high, given that a lot of folks with limited funds probably already shelled for Arcadia's, and one super expensive YF-19 is enough. I wouldn't mind getting one, but honestly, I love my Arcadia 19, and the Super Parts on Bandai's are not a selling point for me. I'm in it for the bird itself. And I like my YF-19 naked.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Just saw it; great movie. I haven't liked a Disney production this much since The Incredibles.
  25. M'Kyuun
    The only VF-1 variant I'm interested in acquiring at this point is the VE-1 Elint Seeker. It's a shame that Bandai is averse to taking a little risk, as there are so many designs yet to be made into official toys, and Bandai certainly has the finances, as well as a number of strong properties, sufficient to allow for some risk. Arcadia goes out on a limb financially when they produce anything that might be perceived as obscure, or less popular or known. I'm actually surprised that Arcardia decided to produce the 0D, rather than follow up with a YF-21 redesign, or crank out a few more paint variants of their YF-19. I do believe that Arcadia takes a very passionate approach to their Macross projects, and overall, I think it shows when one considers the level of detail and accuracy they try to put into each of their Valks. I hope they continue to surprise us. As for Bandai, Gundam is obviously their passion project for ever and ever. But to be fair, I give them credit for redesigning their VF-25 to be more anime accurate, and I think they did a fantastic job, unpainted landing gear notwithstanding. I also have the VF-171EX (without crumbly triangles thus far <knock on wood>), and I think it's a pretty neat toy as well, esp with Super parts. They've proven that they have the know-how to make a pretty decent transforming Macross toy, but I think they allow for more concessions. What I think would benefit us, the Macross consumers, would be Bandai's contracting Arcadia to specifically produce a high grade line of Macross toys for them, with Arcadia taking lead, but working with Bandai's current Macross design team. With both sides bringing their A-game to the table, a sizeable budget, and willingness to produce a wealth of yet-unproduced Macross designs over the next decade, we'd be the financially destitute benefactors of all this Macross-y goodness. It's a dream, but I enjoy the speculation.
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