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M'Kyuun

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Cool; I was rooting for Bell and their tiltrotor technology. It's a sleeker, lovelier, and I daresay more futuristic looking design. Can't wait to see one of these at an airshow- in about seven years. I can wait.
  14. M'Kyuun
    So true. Heck, she was still attractive into her golden years- she aged well. I don't know if she had some help with that or not, but regardless, she was a pretty lady. I don't recall seeing much of her work, honestly, but I do remember her originating the character of Lt. Saavik in Wrath of Khan. Alas, another notable entertainer lost to us. RIP Ms. Alley
  15. M'Kyuun
    I'll confess I didn't recognize his name, but after following the link, I recognize the impact he had on me as a kid growing up in the 70s and 80s watching Sesame Street. Some of those old songs still play in my head from time to time, a lovely nostalgic feeling. I have never had the chance to thank him or any of the folks who worked on children's tv shows during my childhood, but come what may in the afterlife, I hope I'm afforded that opportunity. Til then, RIP Mr. McGrath- you've earned it, sir.
  16. M'Kyuun
    So, the pilot couldn't just turn off the engine after touching ground? Cut fuel? Throttle down? Real heroes, these guys. Glad none of the folks just driving along were affected.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Don't forget the B-1B Lancer, which is still operational.
  18. M'Kyuun
    TBH, I find this new bomber a bit underwhelming. I was hoping they'd trot out something sleek, stealthy, and very, very fast, not a downsized B-2 2.0. Perhaps it's just me, but the idea of a plane that can evade most ground defenses by virtue of velocity and acceleration is much more frightening than another subsonic Batwing. Too, as the tech continues to progress, I wouldn't even consider creating manned aircraft going forward; from a psychological POV, it's frightening, there are no crews in need of rescue in case bailout becomes necessary or they become captured, much more internal space can be utilized for sensors or weaponry, flight characteristics are unfettered from human limitations, the plane itself can be a bomb if necessary, the design itself isn't limited by human needs. IMHO, so far as combat aircraft are concerned, unmanned should be the only option.
  19. M'Kyuun
    USAF unveils B-21 Raider stealth bomber.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Not a bad design at all. Too bad they didn't collapse the passenger cabin to lay even with the hood, as his legs would have looked streamlined instead of wielding massive cankles. But as a new mold, and certainly a unique look for our favorite Cybertronian leader-cum-toy-dispersing-saint, he's pretty cool. I think Hasbro's reuse of this mold for a future Hero Optimus is a foregone conclusion; it's merely a matter of time. And of course, it'll likely be an exclusive- probably Walmart. 😛 I jest, but it'll probably happen.😏 I passed on this guy, a decision I'll likely come to regret. For now, and likely always, I'll enjoy him vicariously. Thanks for the review, Mike, and Happy Holidays!
  21. M'Kyuun
    Knight definitely brought some much-needed heart and soul into the franchise, as well as crafting a coherent and enjoyable story around Charlie's and Bee's friendship. I wish he'd had total freedom to change the look of the film, too. granted, he did streamline the characters in that beginning shot to bring them much closer to a G1 aesthetic while not oversimplifying them to the point of Sunbow. For my money, they're still a little too much bayformer, but the difference was striking nonetheless and quite honestly, I'd have been happy if Bay had gone with that as the look throughout his films rather than the churned, shredded, and randomly strewn metal bits look he ultimately adopted. However, I think Dropkick, Shatter, and Blitzwing all carry over the Bayformer aesthetic. Moreover, the choice of alt modes for Dropkick and Shatter were ill-considered considering the vast difference in scale and shape of the alt modes; they simply shouldn't have been depicted as triple-changers; there needs to be some logic in how these things mechanically transition, and unfortunately, CG animation can magically make anything turn into anything else regardless of how illogical said transition is. It's why I think the toys should have come first, and the movie designs based off of them following a prescribed and logical methodology for transformation. Too, that means no arms magically appearing out of the trunk if the arms fold up under the hood for transformation. I absolutely detest the license they take with having bot bits come out of anywhere on the vehicle mode for story's sake. I also hate that the car modes are unaffected by the bot- legs and such need to go somewhere, so it would have been nice to see some inner car space compromised by bot bits, just like the toys. I don't think G1 is being marketed to young kids as much as the 40-50 year old kids. We're the ones that Mark and Evan are addressing with all their BTS posts on Instagram, who keep Transformers fan conventions going, who are buying the vast majority of 3P products, esp G1 related stuff. Hasbro knows who they're pandering to, and they know we've got a hell of a lot more disposable income to buy stuff like Unicron, Star Saber, Deathsaurus, all the Gen Selects stuff, and yep, even the retail G1 stuff. We old-timers are the core audience for it and the primary market- we have nostalgia driving us, and a lot more money to spend on it than your average 8-year old. Nothing will convince me otherwise. I'm a big part of that market, as my many boxes and shelves full of these things will attest.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I always wondered why the Thunderhawk's wheels didn't fold flat against the bottom of the car for flight mode. Seems like the standard mechanical application for wheeled vehicles that either fly or go underwater, and I've always loved the look of it. The lack of such a mechanism was always my primary turn-off to the Thunderhawk. Looking through the pics, I think Ramen are doing a brilliant job in updating these old toys. Kenner was ahead of their time with the original toyline, really neat stuff. So far as the Great White goes, I completely sympathize with Ace's explanation of the challenges of trying to make those hood fins work. This is a pretty challenging vehicle to design so far as carrying over all the transformational elements seen in the toon, and I think they're doing a remarkable job. There's definitely some passion behind these toys. While I'm not a partsformer fan, in this instance, in order to preserve the aesthetics of the car, I think his add-on fins were probably the best method requiring the least amount of sacrifice to the other mechanisms. I appreciate the BTS video: I wish more toy companies would do stuff like this, especially in highly technical toys like Transformers and M.A.S.K. where so much thought and precision needs to go into the design to make everything functional and durable through many transitions.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Except, with some minor aesthetic differences held over from Knight's Bumblebee Movie, the look and feel of this film is still thoroughly influenced by Bay. The transformations are still the same nonsensical shredding and illogical rearranging of car parts willy-nilly on the bot's body, the transformation sound effects are the same, the feel of it is still the same. The only hope of any goodness, as was the case with Bumblebee, is that the director actually has a personal connection to Transformers, and so too the scriptwriters, so at least the characters are depicted well enough to be familiar and likeable. Neither was the case with any of Bay's films b/c Bay didn't know squat about Transformers- zero connection to it, and it showed. Travis Knight is a fan, and it came through, even if he had to work around all the Bay-centric stuff. I'm thinking the same will be true for RotB- Hasbro and Paramount seem absolutely reluctant to depart from the visual language established in Bay's films, so to put their individual stamps on their films, any follow-on directors need to concentrate on character and telling a coherent story with a bit of heart thrown in for good measure.
  24. M'Kyuun
    NP, I'm here for ya. I'd be right fine with their releasing the original toys, although, as I mentioned, I'd want the voyager scaled Prime as intended and not the deluxe (which supposedly ill-fitted with the Wingblade armor, unsurprisingly). Wingblade's ok (wasn't the biggest fan of it back in 2010, and still kinda meh about it); Blackout is the one that got away and the one I really want to see rereleased. I'd wish for a modern toy with updated articulation, but I fear they're just going to G1-ize everything, and that totally misses the point of what made these toys so unique and cool. Likewise the Prime cartoon toys. Updated toys with improved articulation- bring it on! Updated toys that strip them of their stylistic aesthetics in lieu of blockier G1 aesthetics, why? and please, no.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Ah, Studio Series '86. I probably should have done some research before posting, but I didn't. I appreciate the clarification, and I'm happy for the figs we're getting. Still some glaring omissions though, Hasbro. Cranky old Gears needs some love too. Seems funny that they're revisiting WfC/FoC designs, but I guess everything falls under the Legacy umbrella at this point. For the sake of those fans who weren't able to get the toys back when the games came out, good. I have a few of them, but honestly, most of the designs just didn't grab me. I thought the game mechanics were amazing, though, and should have become the standard going forward, spawning numerous games in the same vein. I'd love a G1 game with those mechanics, especially if they let you play through stuff like the Sherman Dam fight between Megatron and Prime. Choosing your faction and playing from either side would be fantastic as well, but I digress. I still love my little FoC Prime figure and wouldn't mind a new voyager scaled version with improved articulation/details. Love the look of that Prime design. The WfC game design, not so much, although I get the sense that that is the preferred design amongst fans. Are you talking about Wingblade Prime, or another figure? Wingblade was released, but only in the Japanese market. Oddly, Hasbro planned on releasing the armor pack, but with a deluxe version of Prime instead of the voyager for which it was designed and released by Takara. Anyway, it would be fantastic if Hasbro would release that (w/ the proper voyager fig), Blackout, and some of the other non-stateside Animated releases, as well as surprise us with an Omega Supreme (an original mold to capture the Animated character's look and transformation and NOT a crappy retool of The Ark figure).
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