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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    So, my copy came yesterday, and while Lechuck's criticisms are valid, especially those too-skinny arms and the faux hatchback detail on the calves, it's still a decent fig. As to the transformation, as Lechuck pointed out, stowing the arms when going to car mode, and on my copy anyway, trying to tab in the little panels in his arm pits proved to be a little frustrating. I still like him, but there's definitely a simplicity to him that does indeed feel more like an overpriced CHUG than what we've come to know and expect from the MP line over the last few years. But, Skids is a pretty undersung and lesser known character, so I'm just glad he got an MP fig at all, and that it turned out at least as well as it did. I wish Hasbro would put this kind of paint on their Generations line. That'd be sweet.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, my Eagle does the same. I love that they both have retractable gear, but it kinda sucks when it's not really useful b/c CG is off. But I'll echo your sentiments about its combined mode- the most fun and interesting of their combiners thus far. I love the lanky, and somewhat creepy, look of its bot mode. Too, the near-futuristic jet modes. Raven takes some cues in profile from the B-1B Lancer. I have yet to put mine in their box modes- been keeping them combined since I got them. I haven't had any issues with the florescent paint flaking or chipping on my copy of Tukuru. I just wish it was a lighter paint that didn't require a black-light, which I don't possess. I can only enjoy the designs when the light hits it just right. Still, between the red and Neon Blue, I'll stick with the latter, as I like all the trans-clear blue accents throughout the exterior casing and the color blue. It's a very cool design-- really appeals to me, and reminds me of the Deus Ex games, and to a lesser extent, Ghost in the Shell. I'd love to see something akin to it in an anime or a live-action sci-fi show/movie. It makes a lot of sense in a space that's limited, cramped and in need of something to handle logistics, repairs, and defense.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, TBH. The engineering involved isn't quite on the same level as creating a completely convertible and highly articulated robot; it'd be a nice side hustle for some of these companies, and with 80's nostalgia at a high point, a good gamble methinks. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ramen does with it. I didn't have any M.A.S.K. toys growing up, so this'll afford me the chance to pick up the ones that appeal most to me. I simply don't have the room for all of them, but I have my faves. But I'm sure there are die-hard fans out there who would love to have a shiny new collection of updated toys, much like us Transformers fans. In retrospect, I'm guessing M.A.S.K. was Kenner's answer to Transformers, without directly copying what Hasbro was doing. Ironic since they'd be the ones producing the Beast Wars toys in the mid-90s, albeit under Hasbro's ownership. (Hasbro acquired Kenner in 1991)
  4. M'Kyuun
    No kidding; besides Transformers which has found a young audience thanks to Bay (God how that HURTS to admit), most of the other 80's properties are only being buoyed by us old-timers who grew up with them, and I wonder if they're ever going to find an audience again. Stuff like M.A.S.K. was such a cool concept and the original toys, while products of their time, were still pretty amazing, and IMHO, deserve a second life. Hopefully Ramen will do justice to these things and spark a small revival.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I've never been a Howard Stern fan, but I have to admit, that was a really nice tribute to Gilbert. I also have to admit that I've never thought much of Mr. Gottfried, but having seen more of his work of late, the guy was amazing for his intelligence, quick wit, and quirky sense of humor. To have come from such a humble beginning and achieve what he did on sheer smarts and talent is inspiring and laudable. RIP Gilbert. Keep 'em laughing wherever you are.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Got my POs in for Motormaster, Tarantulas, Knockout, Wildrider, and Elita-1. Hmmed and hawed over Blitzwing (my favorite triple changer), but ultimately, I passed due to his subpar alt modes, especially that inexcusably awful jet mode. For now, I'll remain content with the TR fig. That Robosen Prime and now trailer are pretty cool, but it's both big and really expensive, and I don't own a cell phone, which makes controlling it from the app impossible. I'll enjoy it vicariously. I do like the direction it portends, though. Sad, though, that we'd never be able to get a G1 Megs like that- the scale thing, for one, not to mention all the gun laws that prevent it. I guess a tank alt would work, but just not quite the same is it?
  7. M'Kyuun
    Nope- they're his "cape". Mark the designer did his best to justify all the kibble, but it looks like the fenders can simply be pushed back into place for a more compact backpack. It's still a pretty big chunk on his back, but personally, I think it would look better all together as opposed to being spread out. Shame they didn't show it all together as an option. I think their Menasor solution is good. I don't like the snap-on body part direction for a combiner; I'd rather the individual bots became the limbs themselves. However, they're going full toon here, and ultimately what they came up with works very well. I particularly like that the arm bots can be snapped onto the arm frames which automatically unlocks the arm bots' bodies so they can separate. That's a cool bit of engineering. I dig stuff like that. As to Motormaster himself, he's a commander class fig, where the core bot is a voyager scaled to ER Prime in both cab and bot modes. He certainly fared better than UM, who desperately needs a completely new fig where the cab doesn't look like hammered crap. Too, there don't seem to be any superfluous add-ons to justify the commander class price; instead, you get a MM fig that looks pretty darn good and a trailer that does double duty as a battle station, of course, and forms the Menasor frame. As I said, the snap-on solution works for this particular combiner, and perhaps for potential Protectobots and Aerialbots down the road, but I don't think it'll work for either Constructicons or Combaticons, should they make them as well. I definitely don't want the snap-on solution for them, so I'm curious to see how they'll approach them if indeed they do. Tarantulas looks incredible. Glad they gave him a new, larger mold than Blackarachnia. Colors aside, his spider mode looks more realistic than BA's- a little creepy. Love it. Not the biggest fan of Elita-1's car mode, BUT she's not a shellformer; she actually does transform, and her bot mode looks good to me. As an earth mode iteration, she works. I passed on her WfC Arcee recolor, and now I'm glad I did. Knockout. The Prime figs really had a distinctive look, heavily inspired by the Bayverse designs, but toning down a lot of the extemporaneous detail and smoothing out their body parts to look less fragmented. I didn't care for it at first, but it grew on me, and the toys, especially First Edition, were pretty amazing both from an aesthetic and engineering POV. So, trying to G1-ize those designs kinda diminishes them of what really made so many of the original designs so striking. That said, I'm a sucker for this plastic crack, and honestly, I think this is one of the better translations thus far. The SS86 Jazz mold serves it pretty well. I wish they'd tried to capture more of the Prime bot mode cues, but I get what they're going for, and it turned out better IMHO than Arcee. That original Prime Arcee design is beautiful and hard to top. No interest in Shattered glass or G2- I generally don't like the color/mold changes that either of these bring to the table. Glad that they're doing them for those who like G2 and follow the comics, though. It's a big fanbase, and everyone deserves toys.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Same thoughts as you, Mike; if the hands, feet, head, and possibly groin/thighs are separate bits for future gestalts, that's acceptable. I don't expect Hasbro/TT to start rolling out all-in-one combiners like MMC given the restraints they're working under. But I do hope that they're able to sort out a way to combine the actual bots without requiring whole frames for them to basically just snap on to. Not sure how they'll do that without resorting to some form of the CW combining peg, but they've got a lot of smart folks working on these on both sides of the pond, so hopefully they'll come up with good solutions that result in good looking individual bots that combine into good looking gestalts. I have all the bots to form CW Menasor, and I probably did combine them at one point, but not for a long time. My CW Bruticus, OTOH, has been combined with the aid of some 3P add-on feet and hands since I've owned the whole lot of Combaticons. Shame Hasbro didn't imbue the core bots for these things with stronger hip joints, as they tend to be a bit floppy. Hopefully the Legacy/SS86 combiners will fare better. I don't have much faith that they'll do good Aerialbots, especially with toon accuracy at the fore, but if they go on to do a new Devastator or Bruticus, I hope they turn out great.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Considering they've already done neo-Lamborghini figs with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, it follows that Breakdown will likely resemble those two in his alt mode. I'm down with the 'close enough' approach to avoid licensing fees, which would only impact the costs of these things. They're already getting expensive enough. As to the big guy himself, from the box art, he looks like G1 Motormaster. I'm thinking that the two-piece theory is correct- the cab will be separate from the trailer. I'm guessing that's the groin and tops of the thighs of the combiner frame visible at the top of the trailer behind the cab. I'm guessing the cab will just fold into a cube and insert into the gestalt frame, and he'll have both the regular head and the gestalt head built into him. For stability's sake, I guess it's a better way to go, but honestly, I much prefer it when the various bots actually form the limbs of a combiner, as they did in CW. If they go on to do Bruticus and Devastator, I hope the bots themselves form the limbs on those gestalts.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Meh- I'm rooting for Bell's V-280 Valor. This looks like the future. Ironically, or maybe not so ironically, Sikorsky went with a design that's reminiscent of Soviet helicopters, which often favor coaxial main rotors. It also looks like it crawled out of the 50's backlog of concepts.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Whoa, Vera Farmiga!- if you told me she sang, I'd be thinking something folksy or maybe pop, something with a lighter touch. Admittedly, what she's singing isn't to my taste, but props to her for doing it. Harkening back to toon intros, the ones that continue to play in my head, and get sung in the shower, are M.A.S.K., Galaxy Rangers (No Guts, No Glory), Mighty Orbots, Pole Position, Bionic Six, the original (and best) Transformers theme. There was something uplifting, inspiring, and fun in all those old 80s songs. The whole period, really- despite being under the Cold War umbrella of impending nuclear doom, it was a very positive upbeat period, which is reflected in much of the pop culture media of the time. And then grunge happened....all downhill from there. 😄
  12. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the review, Mike. I fear I remain unswayed in my earlier opinion of the fig. Those immobile shoulder stacks just bug me, but beyond that, I just don't really find him all that appealing, and never have. Glad you like him, although I'm sorry that he's not quite the definitive figure you were hoping for. What bugs me is that for the price of admission, members should get their toys before they appear on shelves. Seems a poor way of doing business when retailers are getting their stock before the manufacturer's store. I've had the opportunity to pick up two figs that I have POed and aren't currently due out until next month on Pulse; I left those toys in the store, willing to wait, but the fact that I have to wait for the source's store to send me my toys when I could have cut them out and bought from the retailer at potentially lower prices seems counter to a good business model. I guess they're doing well enough from all the goddamned exclusives and retail contracts that Pulse is really just a write-off side-hustle of no real consequence. It certainly seems to be the low priority for receiving stock, which makes premium membership feel lesser than.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Gotcha; looking forward to your thoughts on it. I'll just say that I lost interest in the fig due to the immobility of the shoulder stacks. Had they been able to rotate as part of the arms, I'd be far more inclined to get him. Too, I have zero familiarity with the character beyond seeing the various iterations of the toy over the years, none of which have ever interested me. Laser Prime just never grabbed me like other bots with whom I had no familiarity have. I'm also curious to see how the rest of the Stunticons pan out, especially Motormaster. I have CW Menasor, but most of those figs left somewhat to be desired, especially in their wobbly combined mode. Judging by how Dragstrip comes apart, it's a fair bet they're going to make Motormaster the gestalt's frame to which the carbots all just attach- essentially, he'll wear them, rather than their actually becoming the limbs. Not really crazy about that approach, but it's toon accurate, and apparently that's what they're aiming for. The major positive from going this direction, one hopes, is far greater stability in combined form. I'd love to see some A-tier engineering applied to Motormaster where the cab and trailer have an all-in-one transformation, and the cab can still rotate in tractor-trailer mode (like CW Ultra Magnus). Personally, I wish they'd started with the Combaticons or a new Devastator, but I'm sure they'll come eventually. SS86 gives them the opportunity to redo Devastator at least. I've never had much interest in any of the Autobot combiners. The Aerialbots would be up my alley, but I detest the boxy G1 designs, especially the atrocious jet modes. If they actually put forth some effort to make the jets sleek and more real-world accurate while approximating their G1 bot modes, I'd be down, but we all know that'll likely never happen with Has/Tak. Heck, the third parties rarely stray from that look. So frustrating for anyone who likes planes.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Having worked on older aircraft in the Air Force (tankers built in the 50s and MC-130s built in the 60s), it's always impressive how well these old birds have outperformed their life expectancies, sometimes by decades, with decades of planned service ahead of them. Somehow, I don't think we'll get the same performance from stuff like the F-22 and F-35.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I wonder if they're doing these under license or, you know, just third-partying it like Transformers? Since Hasbro seems to show no interest in reviving M.A.S.K., despite the how cool the concept is, and its similarity to Transformers, I'm glad to see somebody showing interest in the property. With a really well done toon to help toy sales, M.A.S.K. could be a winner for Hasbro. What kid doesn't like a normal everyday vehicle that turns into a flying vehicle or a tank? the idea of hidden weapons in a car has worked for James Bond since the 60s. There's something intrinsically cool about it that has certainly always appealed to me.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I was thinking the same thing. Wonder what happened to that old helo?
  17. M'Kyuun
    Cool.
  18. M'Kyuun
    It's a shame that few movie and tv vehicles were preserved upon retirement and mostly left to the elements- so much cool cinematic history lost. In the case of Airwolf, as the narrator said, upon retirement from show-business, The Lady was used as an air ambulance in Germany before crashing in '92. Watching this guy's walk-around, I'm reminded what a gorgeous helo she is. 😍
  19. M'Kyuun
    I had the giggles all through this. Good stuff. IIRC, while I was in middle school, on Christmas eve day before they let us out early, since there wasn't much to do, they always played a tv-friendly version of Firefox. I have no idea why that particular movie, and I never really paid much attention to it as most of us were BSing among ourselves or with the teachers. It wasn't until I was in the military that I finally saw it in its entirety unedited. It's hokey but fun- a great Cold War era film w/ good ole' Clint Eastwood. What's cool is that a full-sized mockup was actually built, and the landing gear were motorized to achieve the taxiing/takeoff scenes under its own power. It's still a really neat looking design; I think the Cobra Raven took some cues from both it and the SR-71. I wonder what the Russians thought of the movie and the eponymous plane?
  20. M'Kyuun
    I had none of the toys growing up- pretty limited kid budget and non-affluent parents. But I looked at the toys anytime I saw them in the store, and of course, watched the show. The thought that new, hopefully improved versions of those old toys may become a reality when I now have the disposable income to pick a few up is kinda exciting. My faves would be the Condor, Jackhammer, Raven, Stinger, and the Volcano. The Thunder Hawk is cool, but I always wished it had more of a transformation into its flight mode. Even with those little wing extensions, it seemed pretty ridiculous, in an already ridiculous show, that a car could fly just by opening its gull-wing doors. Miles' Switchblade is cool, too, but would have been more fun had it had a ground mode instead of two flight modes. It just wasn't as much a stretch going from chopper to plane. It looks cool though.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, definitely save the shipping; not like it carries the excitement of a new mold, either. I'll keep my eyes peeled for Laser Prime for ya. To anyone on the board looking for Buzzworthy Silverstreak, I have a spare unopened copy that I'll sell.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Let me know if you get tired of waiting; I bought an extra today.
  23. M'Kyuun
    It's a beautiful toy. Honestly, it'd make for a perfect starter toy into a new M.A.S.K. line- small, affordable, with both a land and air mode and that oh-so- eye-catching bright lime green livery that screams look at me! Hopefully, if Ramen goes ahead with it, they do a good job on the human figs, i.e. durable with full articulation as well as removable /swappable masks (I have recurring thoughts of Sentinel's fall-apart-if-you-look-at-them-askance pilot figs). Even if they make the humans around the same scale as the originals, a small articulated fig is feasible: Mega makes a pretty well articulated fig that's just a tad bigger than the LEGO minifig. Heck, I'd be happy to see Mega get the M.A.S.K. license, as I'm not sure LEGO would be interested. Since Mega was acquired by Mattel, their quality improved dramatically. Too, they make a lot of interesting and useful parts that I wish LEGO would make. I digressed a bit there. Anyway, I'm definitely curious to see how this line comes about. M.A.S.K. could do with a new cartoon, too- something like GI Joe Resolute, Transformers Prime, or Netlix's Voltron, where homage is paid, and it's written at a level that both kids and adults can enjoy.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Nah, man, I don't care. M.A.S.K. had some of the best toys that I never owned growing up, so this is intriguing. While I absolutely dig Gloria's car-cum-sub for its aesthetics, the Thunderhawk is by far the most iconic vehicle from the show, and would have made a better starting toy, IMHO. Intriguing, nonetheless. Incidentally, I always wanted the Condor (green motorcycle that turns into a helicopter), but with limited funds as a kid, I saved all my money for LEGO and Transformers. Anyway, back in 2020 I went to an antique store and found one in good condition, minus the pilot. Regardless, I bought it and it sits on my desk within easy reach where I can look at it and mess with it anytime the whim strikes. The thought of a potential update, and hopefully one that's more complex and cooler, fills me with joy. I always thought the Stinger was pretty cool, too, although so many of the toys in that line rocked. Definitely will be keeping an eye on this line.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Reset mine. Like Vladykins, I've been using the same rather basic password since the early 00s. Sorry to hear about the password reuse issues. We've had it good on this site for many years, many thanks to Shawn, Graham, and all the mods who keep it going and maintain the peace. MW is my primary online refuge from the world, and I would miss it terribly if it no longer was.
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