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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    C'est la vie for a niche franchise. Regardless, the wait has been long and this toy, at least by some (me), is greatly anticipated, so I'm in for a PO. I just hope it turns out to be a solid toy with good tolerances and lots of ratchet joints where they make the most sense. Likewise die-cast- use it where it makes sense for strength and durability and not just for the sake of having more die-cast for heft and perceived quality.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Quite the shmup collection. I was never much of a gamer until '99, primarily sci-fi FPSs, and I never played shoot em ups, so a lot of these ships are familiar to me from sites like Pinterest or from MOCs I've seen. Looks like you're a big fan of R-Type- those elongated bubble canopies are a cool hallmark of those designs. Your Endymion looks good, and swooshy to boot. Congrats on finishing it.....until the next mod. 😄
  3. M'Kyuun
    As it happens, I didn't end up going to Wally today, so I don't know if they put the 2024 sets out yet or not, but my inclination based on experience says no. I'll be surprised if much of the '24 stuff is even on shelves on the first, as they still have a fair bit of '23 stock to get rid of. But, of course, there's always that hope. Fortunately, my Wally is one of several in the city, along with at least three Targets, a mom & pop store that sells both new and used LEGO, and, after many, many years of wishing, our own LEGO Store downtown. Unfortunately, I have little room, and I'm expecting to get a few sets for Christmas, including the Arctic ship set, so I can wait a bit before picking up the new City Space sets, although I eventually intend to get all except maybe the 4+ Spaceship and Asteroid Discovery. Def down for that beautiful Creator giraffe, too. 😍
  4. M'Kyuun
    Cheers @Test_Pilot_2. Too kind! Good luck with parts and tension; the gods of ABS know the time I've spent doing swaptronics with parts trying to find that 'just right" tightness. It's a labor of love in the truest sense, but worth it when you find that perfect match. Looking forward to the revised cabinet arrangement, and given its command pod origin, I think GERWALK is the definitive mode for this particular valk. I'm not particularly a fan of GERWALK, but the Variable Glaug and the VB-6 Konig Monster are exceptions due to where they started out. And, yeah, bring on the next MOC. 😉
  5. M'Kyuun
    Oh man, I hope my Wally has them, too, as I'll be heading over there later today. I'm after the majority of those Space sets. Want them all, but especially the M_Tron guy, the Ice Planet guy (that penguin is just too funny), the Blactron 2 guy, and the regular astronaut w/ flight pack. More than ever, I vehemently wish LEGO would reconsider their crappy blind boxes, as getting a full set of these guys, along with a few select multiples, is going to be challenging. I may have to buy a complete box of them just to be sure.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Kudos to @Test_Pilot_2 for courageously plowing into this project. It has been my hope since I originally posted my model here back in 2020 that other MWers would attempt their own versions, and it pleases me greatly to see that desire come to fruition so brilliantly. I'm both honored and humbled that he committed to it so wholeheartedly, and I hope it will inspire others to do so as well. Thanks @Test_Pilot_2for sharing your work, for your kind words here, and for all the behind-the-scenes conversations. It's been a pleasure getting to know you and share our love of sci-fi and LEGO. Cheers for diving in on my crazy design; may it be a fun and unique addition to your collection.
  7. M'Kyuun
    First I've seen a Yolopark fig this in depth. If it's purely an action figure you're after, this does the job. It is a shame, however, that they didn't, or couldn't, scale it with the mainline Generations figs for those who want a decent G1 Megs stand-in. Personally, the transformation is the reason I love and collect Transformers, so this is an easy pass for me. I continue to hold out hope that Takara will do a Studio Series '86 Megatron. With the rest of the Movie roster getting figs, it's a must.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Pretty much, yep. TBH, though, I don't Bandai's looks that bad in fighter. My Yammie's packed away, and I really only have room in my display for one YF-21 in battroid, so this'll be it. I know it's probably not the popular opinion, but I'd like it if the belly plate FAST packs did some folding of their own to foreshorten them. More than likely, though, I'll pose mine without them as I do my VF-19 Advance and my Yammie YF-19.
  9. M'Kyuun
    QFT. If ever there was a good reason for dual-molded legs to exist, it would be to make more accurate superhero figs where the technique would have its greatest impact. They seem to cherry-pick which figs get it, though, and oft times it's not where it'd be most effective. The price of the set is a head-scratcher. Many of the parts are pre-existing, which means few to no new molds, but perhaps some parts in new colors which cost more. But given the bulk of what's in the set, the price seems unreasonably high, even with a number of larger parts in the set. The only fig I want out of the new set is Rogue. The X-Jet looks good, but if I end up getting it, it'll be on discount.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I don't think it's a matter of the belly plates themselves being unable to rotate back, as we've seen them rotated perpendicular to the legs in previous shots showing the delimiter leg separation mechanic. Due to the angle and the fact that the arm obscures the hip area, the backpack may pose an impediment, but they may have just posed them straight down for the photo, perhaps absent-mindedly, just to get a shot of it alongside the YF-19. I, too, hope they're on ratchets. That goes for all the joints in general. With the belly plates being truncated, the question of how low the FAST packs hang and whether they'll put too much stress on the joints is indeed the question.
  11. M'Kyuun
    It's beautiful. Backpack's a little thick, but the overall proportions look very good, certainly an improvement over the unbalanced look of the Yamato. I'm ready for the PO.
  12. M'Kyuun
    The new wedge piece that comes to a point at the nose looks nicer, but overall, I think 2014's X-Men vs the Sentinel (76022) offered more for much less money. It came with four figs who looked better IMHO, especially Magneto w/ his helmet and Storm with her cape, could still fit 4 figs internally, had a pop-up shooting mechanism, and came with a small but poseable Sentinel to face off against. My advice would be if you want an X-Jet, buy the old one on Bricklink for half what this one's going for. If you want to mod it to be more like the new set, just wait a couple more months and the parts will likely be available on LEGO's online Pick-a-Brick or on Bricklink.
  13. M'Kyuun
    The Zoid aesthetic is the reason why I POed this guy. I'm disappointed that, once again, a beast alt mode, even a robotic beast alt mode which enjoys more license by its nature, has so little articulation. It strips a lot of the potential fun from the toy when an alt that should be highly poseable is anything but. Disappointing. Edit: Seeing him from the various angles in lion mode, he just doesn't look that great. The lackluster articulation in said mode eroded his appeal further, and I decided to canx my PO. With ever shrinking shelf space, his absence makes room for other figs that I want far more.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I don't get it either, especially when there are actual characters who still need figs. That said, like Mike, I find something appealing about the fig, enough to have ordered it through Pulse awhile back. Still waiting for him and the rest of his wave mates to ship.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Regarding Origin Wheeljack, it sounds like this fig achieves everything I wanted, especially the ability to but Bee in the back, a feature I 99% believed wouldn't happen. Sometimes, though, Hasbro surprises us. Looking forward to this fig. Any news on when he'll be available?
  16. M'Kyuun
    Either way, Hasbro wins if the figs sell well enough. They're still available on Pulse. I'd get Prime if they sold him individually, but I'm not crazy about that Soundwave. I honestly haven't had much interest in the game, but it seems there's some anticipation for it based on a vid I watched on YT/ reading some of the comments. For the sake of the fans who want it, I hope the developers are able to get it released, hopefully with minimal issues.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Well, damn, if I had known this was coming, I'd have waited. I got the first release and bought the Toyhax set. Applying stickers is far from my favorite activity, but it seemed necessary at the time to make my Jazz (Jive) complete.
  18. M'Kyuun
    As much as I adore ER Prime, a CHUG version that borrows from MP-10, MP-44, or even from the last two Magic Square Prime designs to capture his toon look is definitely worthy of anticipation. I admit I'd prefer a hybrid of toy and toon details- I want the stripe on his cab, the yellow arrows on his wrists, the silver vents on his shins, at least his front tires to be absorbed into the bot (the back tires on his legs don't really bother me, but being SS86, his bot mode shouldn't have any visible). However, as a Studio Series fig, toon accuracy will be the focus, and that's fine. Toyhax will probably provide a decal set to provide the other details. I'd love for them to do a commander class Soundwave as well in SS86 where they restore his cassettes to their original RW micro-cassette scale and include all the cassette minions featured in the film. Some improved engineering for those cassettes, especially Ravage, would also be appreciated. I'd really love it if Takara acted on their own and produced either a leader or commander class SS86 Megatron. To finally have a proper G1 Megatron to cap off my collection of all these Legacy & WfC G1 figs would be absolutely wonderful. The only possible way we'll get a proper Megatron is if Takara does it independently, and I hope they choose to do so. I think it'd make a lot of fans very happy. Seeing Takara cash in probably won't make Hasbro happy, but opting out would be their choice. After that, SS86 versions of Blitzwing and Astrotrain that fix all the flaws with the WfC/Legacy figs would be most welcome, as well as a SS86 all-new and improved Seeker mold with a far more accurate F-15 mode than the WfC voyager Seekers.
  19. M'Kyuun
    You remember correctly, and to extrapolate that connection to the YF-19 and YF-21 seems highly plausible. Those among us more conversant in Japanese may be able to elucidate further should Kawamori-san have spoken on it in interviews over the years.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Sweet assortment. After a decade's absence, I'm just happy to see LEGO leaning so heavily into an original sci-fi space theme again, 10497 Galaxy Explorer notwithstanding. I hope it sells well and sends a message that sets like this are desirable. I'll be doing my part- my wallet's crying already. 😁 I kinda wish the space ring had the modules situated end to end so the astrofigs could travel continuously through the station, but there's something to be said about the playability of the modules in this configuration. Moreover, it appears that similar modules come in the Base & Rocket Launchpad set and the Command Rover set so you can swap out modules or potentially snap them onto the ends of already attached modules. Overall, I'm liking the look of the theme and what it offers. Edit: With even more sets being revealed across other lines, it seems the new Space subtheme is crossing into other major themes like Creator, Technic, Friends, Dreamzzz, etc. 2024 is definitely shaping up to be a meaty year for LEGO Space fans, especially since a decade has passed since the last original Space theme, Galaxy Squad, premiered. After all this time of near absence, it's quite unexpected to see such a large and diverse selection of Space sets, especially in a single year, but I get the sense LEGO's testing the waters, so to speak, to gauge desirability. There's certainly a lot of nostalgia-driven conversations happening on any number of fan forums and on social media, but the real test will be in sales numbers, and I hope sales are well beyond expectations. I've greatly missed original sci-fi space set releases and I hope this diversification to appeal broadly proves successful in making Space an evergreen theme again.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I hadn't considered that consistency between designs, so I concede your point. Nevertheless, I'm still not a fan. TBH, I never cared for the wings just hanging off the YF-19's legs, either, but for whatever reason, it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the 21's belly plates. However, if the YF-21 has to have belly plates dangling off its legs, I'd much prefer Bandai's truncated plates over the Yamato's full-length plates. Of course, YMMV.
  22. M'Kyuun
    That is an unexpected but clever solution, although I was always under the impression, based on the line art, that the inner lower legs had a three-position slider mechanism- fully retracted in fighter, partially extended in GERWALK, and fully extended in battroid. Regardless, I'm fine with this. I just hope it locks firmly in place, as there's a lot of weight depending on its being sturdy. Nope, they were always supposed to flare out. But look how much larger the legs are drawn compared to the minimalized forward fuselage, all to present a nicer proportioned battroid. Is it any wonder that toy and model makers struggle to find a good balance? Yamato did an exceptional job with the top half, but the skinny legs were just too disproportionate to the rest and never looked right. I prefer Bandai's proportions, even if it means a thicker back end to the fighter. Here's the line art showing the legs stowed. Again, Kawamori employed a lot of license in minimizing the size of the legs to make them fit. I've never liked the belly plate solution, as it renders this thing a partial shell-former. I prefer Bandai's current solution to keep the legs in their battroid configuration and store them inside the engine nacelles, which, IMHO, should have been the original solution, as it just makes practical sense. The best solution, however IMHO, would have been to eschew the loathesome belly plates altogether and shape the lower aft end with form-fitted cutouts into which the legs would insert. They'd be visible but contoured to blend seamlessly with the rest of the lower plane. That would have been my solution, as well as attaching the guns within holsters on a rotation joint just above the knee so they can be oriented forward regardless of mode. I think that would have eased the burden on toy and model makers significantly, not to mention eradicate the annoying hip kibble that those plates create. Alas, what's done is done, and the YF-21 remains one of the more difficult valks to translate into toys due to the copious amount of animation magic employed. I just hope Bandai's effort proves to be solid.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I got my copy of Code Red yesterday, and overall, I like him. I was surprised by the marked height difference in bot mode alongside the other voyager-scaled van bots. The long legs make his short arms look shorter, but I still dig him. As mike said in his review, this wasn't an obvious or expected crossover; it never entered my mind when watching the show. However, as crossovers go, I think it's cool, although Hopper's '89 Blazer probably would have been more significant. However, there's something to be said about the entire., ahem, 'package' with this guy. IMHO, the package designers at Hasbro earned their just keep with this bit of boxing. It's apropos and humorous and far more elaborate than it needed to be, but I appreciate the effort. Although I didn't take a photo, Code Red comes wrapped in a sheet of paper with kid-like drawings on it depicting Eleven, Hawkins, and a few other places. It's been some time since I watched the fourth season and my long-term memory is nigh nonexistent, but I'm assuming at some point the kids drew something similar. Anyway, I thought it worth mentioning as an additional meaningful element of the packaging that wasn't necessary, but I'm glad it's in there. @mikeszekely's review is quite comprehensive, however there's one additional feature of note: the pizza sign gun's handle also has tabs on the sides which allows the gun to be attached to either shoulder. It's not at all elegant or flattering to the figure, but it's something than can be done and it's actually how it's presented in the packaging art. Initially, I thought it was supposed to tab into the backpack using the same slots as the axe and the mace attachments, but there wasn't clearance over the shoulder. I totally disregarded the slots on his shoulders in my attempts to connect to his backpack and was only able to reach proper resolution after consulting the instructions. You'd think after nearly 40 years of messing with these things I'd pick up on all these nuances, but sometimes I space on the most obvious things. Anyway, I just wanted point out this additional option for mounting the sign gun. Kudos to Mike for figuring out how to stash the pizza box accessory in his van mode; that'll be my solution henceforth. One further thought: the mace and axe make no sense for this fig, but perhaps, as Mike suggested, they're intended to reference D&D, which we've seen the Hawkins' kids play on numerous occasions. Given the subject matter, I'm really surprised they didn't lean into the pizza theme and give him an oversized pizza-cutter as a weapon. Missed opportunity. As to future crossovers, I'd also love an Airwolf and K.I.T.T., and maybe even a Blue Thunder. What a shame we don't have any shows like these anymore.
  24. M'Kyuun
    That sucks, and I can sympathize having received my share of dented up boxes in the past. The exclusivity makes it sting worse, I'll grant you, and FWIW, you have my sympathies. At the very least, I hope all the parts and instructions are still there and undamaged. I do wish LEGO would improve their packing, as there's usually no more than a bit of wadded brown packing paper inside a thin-walled cardboard box that just seems to invite dents and tears which does little to protect the treasures inside. You could contact customer service, but with their supply exhausted, I'm not sure what they could do for you. However, OTOH, what could it hurt?
  25. M'Kyuun
    I have no intention of getting rid of my Yammie. As a battroid guy, the battroid's thin legs, loose hips, and overall instability ruined its shelf appeal for me, but no one can deny that the fighter mode is gorgeous, and that overall, legs notwithstanding, it remains one of the best transforming toy iterations of that design. I still think Arcadia should consider redesigning the legs to be thicker and better proportioned to the rest of the battroid. It would no doubt cost the fighter its extremely thin profile, but as I've always said, I'd rather the fighter be a little thicker if it fixes those legs. Likewise. I'm ready for POs to open- hopefully soon and with wide availability amidst the usual e-tailers here in the West. My thinking as well; a bit misleading on Bandai's part if otherwise. Considering those packs were featured prominently in both the movie and the OVA, it would be a remarkable omission to not include them. I hope the gear lock down as well, especially on a high-end toy that will no doubt have a fair bit of die cast content. Even without die-cast, at 1/60, it's a fairly decent sized plane that needs some strong, stable gear to rest on. I hope the wings have a firm locking mechanism to keep them firmly in place in jet mode- those things are thick and will have some significant weight to them. Overall, I hope design and QC are excellent, even if there are niggles from fan to fan- it's hard to please everybody, and I, too, have my own. I just hope it's a durable toy with perfectly tight joints (not too tight, but not loose, preferably ratcheted with lots of detents for a wide range of poseability).
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