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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    If I end up missing out on the set itself, I may just put one together via bit and piecing. I have a spare slope piece with the Blacktron symbol printed on it, so if I need to, I can cobble my own together. That said, I'd still like to have a copy of this just to have it. I've always had a soft spot for Blacktron I as well, but I never had the Invader as a kid. This past October, I picked up a used copy from a vendor at BrickCon in Seattle- no box or instructions, IIRC, but all the parts were there and it now resides mission ready on my shelf among a host of various CS era sets that I've been acquiring over the years. The Tallneck is a good choice; what it lacks in articulation it more than makes up in presentation. It's a fun build too, which is always kinda the point with LEGO, at least in theory if not in execution. I was hoping there'd be more Horizon machine sets to follow in 2023, but thus far the Tallneck seems to be a one-off. More's the pity; they could milk this license copiously, and I'd happily buy most or all of them. I was also hoping Optimus Prime would see another licensed Transformers follow-up set, most likely Bumblebee due to his popularity and the innocuous, i.e. non-modern warfare-related, nature of his alt mode. LEGO's stance on such things precludes G1 Seekers or a G1 Megs that turns into a pistol.
  2. M'Kyuun
    All graphics in 10497 were printed; no stickers in that set, and there were quite a few printed bits. Obviously, as an anniversary set, it had a much higher budget, piece count, and minifig count. The Blacktron Cruiser (not sure why they didn't carry its original namesake, Invader, over but whatever) as a GWP set just doesn't get that kind of budget, unfortunately, hence stickers. But, I'm ok with it just to have more Classic Space era sets. I have a dinner date with friends this evening, and I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to get on LEGO.com and get in an appropriate order to at least get one copy of this set before it gets spammed by scalpers. We all know it's gonna happen. Kinda miss the days before the adult market for toys really opened up- at least stuff remained available for longer periods without jockeying to try and get your order in immediately or hope to find some kind of reasonable deal on the secondary market. Too many greedy people nowadays that suck the joy out of what should be a fun experience. And I don't exclude LEGO from the blame either; this is a known pattern with these sorts of limited edition sets, and yet they keep putting them out in this manner. Not the best, and certainly not good enough.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Costumes, custom weaponry to match the period, rights to shoot at fitting locations, chariots, horses, etc all add up to eat their share of the budget. Using lesser-known actors spares the budget the chunk that well-known actors command, as well. But if the story is good, the actors competent, and the director has a solid vision, I think taking the Predator through various timelines to face off against humans at various stages of technological and social development is a good formula to keep it relevant and interesting, especially if they vary the Predators' approaches to hunting the particular prey at hand. Heck, it'd be interesting to see a Predator hunting Neanderthals, who were more robust than modern humans physically, and potentially smarter given their large cranial capacities.
  4. M'Kyuun
    All prints in this set are via stickers, including the instrument panel, which is a custom print that in part replicates this old slope, which was included in the original 1987 Blacktron Invader. Honestly, while I'm not a fan of stickers, it's a concession I will happily, if gratefully, embrace if it means more updated Space sets from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. My only beef with this set is the manner of distribution- limited gift-with-purchase requiring a minimal $190 purchase; not only is the amount required rather steep comparatively, but the limited numbers mean this set is going to sell out quickly and become as all things of this nature extreme scalper bait. I would rather they had made this a regular retail set to sit handsomely on the shelf next to the beautiful 10497 Galaxy Explorer. At least then, we could get multiples if we want (I do), and it would further provide a gauge for The LEGO Group to determine the level of desire for sets of this nature. There are a lot of us Classic Space fans out there with disposable income to throw at this stuff. I own four copies of 10497, and given 40580's much smaller piece count (this set would retail for around $35-40), I would certainly have about four of it as well, with at least one set for MOCing up some of the other Blacktron sets, most prominently the Alienator for which the new canopy could be made to work admirably. Hopefully, as I saw mentioned in one of the several reviews I've looked at for the Blacktron Cruiser, we'll see some Space Police stuff in the future utilizing the new Blacktron fig (which has torso printing front and back). I'd absolutely love to see a new Spy-Trak I using that Lightyear canopy in trans-red. So much potential; I hope LEGO thinks so too and keeps doling out these updates.
  5. M'Kyuun
    MP Trailbreaker looks alright. If I didn't already have MMC's Terraegis, I'd probably bite. I've seen complaints about how he looks, but honestly, Trailbreaker is kind of a wonky design from the start, but I think Takara did ok. I agree with the complaint about the obvious window adorning his torso and wonder why they couldn't have engineered the door to rotate 180 to hide it, but they didn't. That bit of nitpickery aside, he's done pretty well with some pretty impressive articulation. I like the slide down grill to allow easier access to open his hood, which covers a well-detailed engine facade. Too, I like that his back weapons are fully integrated and chromed. Good stuff.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I thought Prey was a very well realized expansion on the Predator franchise. More to the point, it capitalized on Maria's story to Dutch and Co of a long history of these things hunting her ancestors during the hottest years. As such, it makes complete sense that they would have done their hunting all over the planet throughout human history. Given our long history of brutality, violence, and warfare, we are a perfect target for a species looking for sport that fights back. I hope the next installment is at least as good as Prey, and that they continue pitting the Predator against other notable war faring folks like the Vikings, the Spartans, the Huns, the Persians, the Incans, etc. And while the Predator will always have the technological advantage over ancient humans, I think it would be more compelling to see them rely less on their tech and more on tactics and brute strength to subdue ancient men and women fighting with much more primitive weapons. Done well, they could continue the franchise for years in this vein. I'm good with that.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Totally agree; if we want Hasbro/Takara to churn out good figs, we need to be willing to pony up the cash for them. I think Pointblank is a perfect example of a character that would have benefitted greatly from being up classed. There are certainly others, but that one's fresh, as I was just messing with him yesterday. So yeah, I think commander class is an absolute must for the nest Magnus toy, even if the resulting fig is a voyager-scaled bot with a trailer that unpacks into his armor. I say all this not even being a huge Ultra Magnus fan; however, I think both fans and the character deserve better than what we got with both the Siege and ER versions. I only mention the core bot being an ER Prime repaint since it makes sense compared to the original G1 Magnus toy's use of a repainted G1 Optimus. Too, I think the ER Prime toy is fantastic, so reusing that mold is fine by me.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Somewhat belated, but I hope you and yours had a great Christmas and that the new year brings promise of good things ahead. My Christmas was great, and your sentiment much appreciated. To all my fellow Macross Worlders, I hope your Christmas season is safe, warm, and wonderful, and as I wished for Sh9000, so too do I wish for everyone as 2023 approaches. May it be another great year for toys and those of us who love 'em, collect 'em and share our joy of them here and elsewhere on the interwebs.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Likewise; I'd buy multiples if I could. Beyond my love of Classic Space themes, I want to show LEGO that there's still demand for Space sets outside of Star Wars. While I hope it doesn't sell out in seconds like some of their promos, I do hope that there's an abundance of qualifying purchases by folks trying to score a copy of this set. Unfortunately, it's also going to attract its share of scalpers, too, but that's just the way of things these days.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Woah! First time seeing this. I've been on the LEGO website and haven't seen this anywhere. Is it a promotional? Edit; So I answered my own question; it's going to be a gift with purchase beginning on Jan 1, 2023. Totally getting at least one copy. Ironically, I just picked up a copy of the original set, one of the few Blacktron sets I didn't have as a kid, back in October. First a new Galaxy Explorer and now this! Keep 'em coming, LEGO! I'll take all the Classic Era Space set updates you can give me.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Again, I hope it works out for you. In the meantime, you can't go wrong with Space LEGO. Ever. Best gift for every and all occasions and non-occasions. I may be a little biased. 😁 A titan class Nemesis to park alongside The Ark is pretty cool. No idea where I'm gonna put another huge fig, but I'll sort it when the time comes. I'm, for one, very happy at the prospect of a Studio Series '86 Ultra Magnus, as I thought the Siege and ER versions were utter travesties. Additionally, although I'm traditionally an all-in-one fan for Magnus, for the SS86 version, I think I'd prefer to see them use the ER Prime mold and create a trailer that parts-forms into his armor, as I think that would be the ideal way to realize the character as well as pay homage to the original toy. I already have a decent all-in-one Magnus from the Combiner Wars line, so that itch is sufficiently scratched. If they do go the parts-forming route, I hope they make the trailer capable of actually carrying a few of the Autobots in their car alts like the original and that the arms can lower down to form a ramp so the cars can drive up onto the second deck. I'm probably asking too much. Although Armada Prime doesn't interest me nearly as much as other Prime designs, I'm curious to see how it turns out. I have a copy of the original toy courtesy of my sister, who years ago gifted me a big box full of TF toys from across a number of lines that she came upon in her ebay pursuits, and honestly, it wasn't too bad a fig for its time, especially given the combiner concessions. I don't think I have the trailer for it, just Optimus himself. It'll be neat to see how they handle the update, as well as any potential Armada Jetfire figs to keep the combining aspect. After all, in for a penny, in for a pound. I hope Hasbro does right by the fans - they've waited a long time for updates to these toys, and I hope they can give them as close to the original experience as possible.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Just popped in to catch up on the latest and I'm dismayed for those of you who got your Star Saber orders canceled by Zavvi. I've not used them, but this situation certainly doesn't speak to their reliability, especially on a specialty item. I hope Haslab doesn't just wash their hands of this, either; if they're going to continue doling out orders to other retailers, they need to make sure that those entities are requesting the proper number of products to fill their orders. Or maybe they should keep Haslab products inhouse completely to avoid this situation altogether. Anyway, I'm sorry to hear this is happening. Hopefully, good resolution will follow, even if it happens after the holidays. Come what may, a safe and Merry Christmas to you all, my fellow Macross Worlders, and all good hopes for a happy new year.
  13. M'Kyuun
    That Wreck-gar is new to me, but I saw that G-1ified Animated Prowl over on twitter before popping in here for the morning perusal. Honestly, instead of redoing all these other lines' figs, I wish they would just reissue the original toys for those who didn't get them back in the day. That said, this take on Prowl is ...interesting. I don't love it, but I don't hate it either. I like the Animated aesthetic, so seeing this cubed and squashed iteration is a bit off-putting, although it does look like they tried to carry over the original's transformation and salient features- looking at him, there's no doubt who he's supposed to be, so that's a feather in Has/TT's respective caps. Too, though I'm not in any way a motorcycle enthusiast, for some reason Transformers who take that particular alt appeal to me, and Prowl here is no exception.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Bear in mind we have no idea what progress has been made under wraps by DARPA, Sandia, Los Alamos, and other secure govt labs that deal with far-reaching science; one of them may have already matured the technology, but the general public won't know it for another fifty years or so.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Furthermore, keeping it under state or fed control can somewhat help protect the technology, although at this point, the Soviets and the Chinese have spies everywhere and seem to gain our tech almost as soon as it arrives, and likely before it's even known to the US public. It's the reason that public announcements like this, while nice to be informed, probably should be judiciously reconsidered due to the high likelihood of espionage and potential misuse of the tech to our detriment. I would rather be kept completely in the dark about it and have it as the primary power source for our country for decades before being revealed as such. I think we should share the tech with certain allies on the condition of similar secrecy being observed to protect the tech and keep it out of enemy nations' hands. Well, we're screwed either way then, aren't we? At least if jurisdiction for control of the reactors fell under state or federal control, we the taxpayers would have some say regarding legislation, especially at the state level, and on the question of taxation. Corporations only answer to their investors whose inevitable quest is always going to be profit over all else. To that end, I think it would be better managed by state or federal govt. However, I know what you're saying about corporations having enormous sway in Congress; you'll curry no disagreement here. I think lobbying should be illegal as it's favoritism in the extreme and ultimately corrupt. Unfortunately, that's the system we have, have had for decades, and will likely prevail as such for as long as greed exists. I would like to think that the reactors would remain under the purview of the Army Core of Engineers for the duration of their operation, maintained and protected by Guard, Reserves, and federal civilian employees and contractors. Nothing human is perfect, but I think keeping it under the federal and state umbrella would at least protect the public from corporations endlessly raising energy prices even when the cost of producing that energy remained low.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Agreed. Everything has to start from something; at least we know it's achievable. I just hope the oil industry doesn't swoop in and either buy it up to stop it or to monopolize it. If the tech proves out, I want to see it controlled either by the states or by the fed, funded through taxes and not under the control of a greedy corporation.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Different strokes. This mold seems to have a lot of recolor potential (I wasn't even aware that G1/2 Skyquake existed prior to this discussion) so hopefully everybody gets the variant(s) that appeals to them.
  18. M'Kyuun
    With the recent announcement of potential 2023 releases, including Animated Prime, I already had a few figs to look forward to. Missed in that announcement, but revealed in the wee hours this morning on Facebook and reposted on TFW2005, is an apparent update to Prime's Skyquake, with a dash of G1 Skyquake because G1. 🙄Legacy Evolution Leader Class TFP Skyquake First Look - Transformers News - TFW2005 Oh, one caveat: the FB poster said this may be mistransformed, so Skyquake may indeed sport his cockpit on his chest like the original. So, as an aircraft fan and, moreso, a fan of good engineering, spoiled by Macross's clean lovely designs over the decades, I tend to take a strongly critical eye at those Cybertronians who convert into flying craft, most notably, fighters. Right out of the gate, this thing impresses. I'll concede, she's a chubby fighter, but I can see some parallels between this and Macross 7's VF-17 or Mospeada's Legioss, minus the arms arranged above to form engine nacelles. This design, unlike so many lazy fighter modes, tucks the arms into the center of the craft where they blend quite well with the undercarriage. This is no hang-gliding robot under a partial airplane shell- this guy's various body parts become the airplane as the gods of good engineering intended. Moreover, in comparison to the original voyager class Skyquake from the Prime line, this toy fixes some of the glaring flaws of that toy, which incidentally I passed on for those flaws. My snobbery has been at work for some time. Fixed on the new version are the splayed and obnoxiously protuberant halves of his pelvis, the lack of engine exhaust augmenters built into the feet resulting in hollow legs, and those damned hands just hanging out of the back of the plane. 🤮 I'll admit, I was on the cusp of buying this guy regardless, as I really liked the robot mode, but ultimately, I couldn't bear the egregious concessions in fighter. With this new improved toy thusly revealed, I'm pleased that I passed on the original even though I never suspected that Hasbro would touch this line again. Along with the much-improved fighter, the bot mode enjoys a laudable lack of hollow spaces, similar to Legacy Tarn. So, maybe Hasbro's listening to fans. I hope so. Not to be excluded, G1 Skyquake gets some of his features tacked on to this new amalgamated figure, like the large wing vents and engine nacelles that sprawl the longitudinal length of the wing and the twin set of black stripes on the upper aft fuselage, which appear to be picked out in grey or silver on the new toy. For my money, I'm glad they stuck with the olive green in lieu of that tacky teal and magenta. G2 was hideous for its atrocious color choices.🤢 As for bot mode, the large translucent panel carries over to the new toy, but little else, which is fine by me. In every way, the Prime design looks better IMHO. As I mentioned earlier, the FB poster mentioned that he may have this mistransformed, as the cockpit section can rotate for no apparent reason, and there are tabs that weren't used, so it's very possible that this thing was engineered from the start to switch bits around to alter his look from the G1 incarnation to the Prime, which is pretty slick, will please fans of either, and opens the toy up to even more repaint potential, all good things for us and Hasbro.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, keeping Nova as a mere footnote or not mentioned at all might have reduced anticipation for a sequel. But if it's any consolation, Cameron's other project, a little film called Avatar, the highest grossing film ever, waited 13 years for its sequel. So, never say never. We just might be well into our grey hair when it finally comes out, though.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I prefer it the way they did it: Vector was the most immediate and visible antagonist, and he met his demise, as did the lesser antagonists Chiren, Grewishka, and Zapan. So, from that POV, most of the baddies got their just desserts. Nova is the next layer of bad guy, a puppeteer sort of character, and I think it was fine to leave his story for a sequel. I don't think the film would have been as fulfilling if Vector had gotten away, as he was the most direct threat to Alita and her friends and family, so he, rightly, became Alita's focus. Anyway, with any luck, a sequel will be greenlighted and we'll get the resolution with Nova.
  21. M'Kyuun
    That would definitely be very interesting, although I'm dubious that the Air Force Brass would concede to something so unconventional. Unconventional design was one of the reasons why they turned down the YF-23 in lieu of the boxier, far more conventional YF-22. Something so far afield as a lack of external moving surfaces may be too much of a stretch. I'll bet it'd make life easier for maintenance, though. I worked hydraulics during my service, which involved all manner of flight control surfaces. The lack thereof would make life easier on the next generation of bubblechasers.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I'll chime in as well; this was definitely the best live-action adaptation of a manga/anime that I've seen, and on its own, without that foreknowledge, stood above a great many other action flicks. There needs to be at least one more film to tie up the Nova storyline. Anyway, I hope Landau and Rodriguez are able to drum up enough support to get a sequel made.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Does indeed; initially, I thought it was going to be a new endeavor into the Sherlock Holmes literature, but this is more interesting for not being so. The inclusion, then, of Poe in concert with the title had me thinking it was going to be something akin to The Tell-Tale Heart. Again, a wrong assumption on my part. On the whole, it looks more a late 18th, early 19th century serial-murder tale motivated by all appearances of satanic ritual. Lovely; I'm down for a watch. I do have to say, however, given hindsight through the lens of our modern understanding of mental illness, sociopathy, and psychopathy, tales of this nature, which Poe also wrote (I'm reading one now, as it happens: The Mystery of Marie Roget, a sequel to his more famous Murders in the Rue Morgue), the exceptional perspicacious nature of the investigator (Poe's Dupin, as well as the more famous Holmes, and others of their literary ilk) seems somewhat diminished, especially in light of the extraordinarily shallow views held by the general populace of that era, complicated no less by a strong penchant for religiosity and superstition. In short, if you were astute, given to reason and fact, and disposed of superstition, you had a serious leg up over the majority of the population in that time. Hell, in some regards, even today.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Well, for starters, Northrop-Grumman have about 40 years of technology evolution to bring to bear, as well as lessons learned from the shoot-down of the F-117 in Serbia, B-2 crashes, and years of B-2 operations to look at informing this new aircraft. Computer tech is leaps and bounds over what they had in the 80s, as well as sensor and materials technology, not to mention secret technologies that have been developed that the general public won't know about for years if not decades. Regarding my 'underwhelming' comment towards the B-21, the subsonic nature of the craft was my chief complaint. I was very much hoping and expecting the next-gen bomber to be something incredibly fast, sleek, and beautiful. The B-21, by its natural evolution from the B-2 is itself a lovely aircraft, but simply not in the way that something like the SR-71 is beautiful, if that makes sense. Anyway, chock my comments up to a more personal disappointment than any objectable flaw with the actual aircraft. Unfortunately, we won't know what she's capable of in real world scenario for some time. I hope when that time comes, she's not already an anachronism for the pace of technology these days.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I believe it can. It was initially only conceived to carry nukes- that was the impetus of its creation back in the 70s, a purely Cold War machine with a low-level fast strike capability and a projected 50% survivability rate. Anyone tasked with flying that mission had it come (thank goodness it didn't) would have knowingly been going on what was essentially a one-way trip. In the 90's once the USSR collapsed and the Cold War was ostensibly over, it was painstakingly converted over to accommodate conventional weapons. However, as a condition of the old START Treaty, we negotiated away the B-1B's capability to carry six external stores mounted to the fuselage. With the old START Treaty null and void, efforts have once again been affected to use its external capabilities. She's an old workhorse, but still learning new tricks.
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