M'Kyuun

Man, other than the inabilty to turn his head, Keaton's Batman suit just embodies the character. It's a shame more Batman designs haven't copied the front cape drape, as it just adds so much menace to the look, not to mention the larger cape is practical for gliding. Beast Kingdom did a nice job with both. Digging that black Hulkbuster, too.

I hope the Webb works out as advertised; it'll be to the next generation of astronomers what Hubble was to the last. Remarkable discoveries lay ahead.

I also just got back from seeing it, and too, with fellow MWer @twich, who is now the only MWer I've ever met in person after nearly two decades of being a member. That alone made the experience even better. 👍 Getting to 'talk shop' about Macross with someone who not only knows what I'm talking about, but can converse intelligently about it was in itself worth the price of admission. Glad we met. It was great to see M+ on the big screen, the only Macross film I've ever seen in that format. I hope more Macross movies come, and there are better turnouts. We had about 10-12 people show up in an auditorium that probably seats around 30-40. Perhaps it's b/c I haven't watched my DVD copy in a few years, but it felt to me like there was additional footage that my DVD doesn't have. My memory is crap, though, so I may just be misremembering. I enjoyed the subtitling, as there were numerous bits of dialog that were better than what I remember from my DVD, and from the OVA English dub. There was way too much of "Bad Dog" in the soundtrack for my liking; out of all the gorgeous music that Kanno-san wrote for the film/OVA, that one grates and should have been relegated to the very short scene where they're calibrating Sharon. Fortunately, we had no interruptions or sound issues, and got to enjoy Kawamori-san's intro in full, which I thought was pretty cool. Macross Plus was my introduction to Macross, and a major gateway for me into becoming an anime fan. It remains one of my all-time favorite animes, and probably still my favorite out of the Macross series, although I hold the original SDF:M and Frontier in pretty high regard as well. Seeing it again after a few years have passed, and in good company (everybody was quiet throughout, except for the occasional chuckle, usually involving Isamu in some shape or form 😄) gave me the warm fuzzies as you only experience with old friends. It's still a remarkable bit of cinema, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to see it on the big screen, which is something I never would have thought possible a year or so ago.

From a toy standpoint, that thing's pretty neat. Too bad it's wasted on one of the dumber looking Bayverse designs.

Yeah, painting the faux hatch to match the rest of the car would have been a definite improvement. Sucks, too, as you pointed out, that the faux hatch chunks don't really tab into anything- not the best. I've never handled XTB's Savant, but I may have to watch one of the comparative reviews, as I imagine the XTB is likely superior to the Takara, at least in articulation, if not other areas. I passed on the XTB, but now that I have an official Skids coming, and XTB is the only other contender, I'm a little curious how they measure up. Along with your idea of swappable toon parts, I'd have loved it if they made a swappable shin piece that resembled the original box art for Skids. Love that window that lets you see the robot-innards.❤️

Pics of the two additional 2022 City Space sets have just hit the interwebs courtesy of German site Stone Wars, so I thought I'd share them. Click the link for pics of other upcoming sets. So, this thing is neither the prettiest nor the most innovative rover I've seen, but it's what we're getting in this wave, and I'll get it regardless. It definitely takes its cues, perhaps not for the best, from NASA's rover concept: Perhaps we've been spoiled by decades of really cool and amazing artists' concepts in all forms of media to have become a bit snobbish towards a less than aesthetically appealing looking vehicle like this. It may be practical, but in my eyes, it's fugly as sin. Even the old 1979 Classic Space ATV has this new set beat leaps and bounds aesthetically. Still a thing of beauty in this old LEGO fan's eyes.😍 I do have to say, I appreciate the closeup of the astrofigs, as we can now see the new neck-mounted backpack piece, which looks to have four studs on the backplate to build upon, and indeed, I love the new brick-built backpacks and separate helmets in lieu of the uni-helmet pack that LEGO's been using since 2010. Now the little dudes can properly turn their heads while exploring, just like the CS figs could. We've come full circle. That crappy thing was ready for retirement, IMHO. This is a far better way to go. Love this. I wish we had more angles, but since this is in the wild now, I'm sure it won't be long before LEGO releases official pics with more and better views. Kinda curious if that middle section has something inside it, as it's six studs wide, enough to cram a minifig in there with a tiny lab, or maybe a storage compartment of sorts. That little capsule is sweet looking, and appears to be comprised of two new molds. Too, this looks to come with five minifigs, which is about two more than I would normally expect in a set this size. Not complaining. Finally, it's a little bittersweet to see the CS logo emblazoned on everything when this is clearly not CS. But, at least they're keeping the logo alive, and it's always welcome. Looks like asteroid capture and examination are at the core of the play pattern, which is fine, as that's pretty much what NASA has planned for future missions. Overall, between the stations we've seen already and these sets, I'm pretty excited for some LEGO Moon missions in 2022!

Just watched the first ep, and gotta agree with all the good things being said. Very well written and acted. The movements of the characters are so fluid and lifelike, and yeah, even the facial animations are incredibly well captured. Too, as a world building show, the steampunk direction is beautifully captured as well. Like just about everyone else here, I have no familiarity with the League of Legends game that inspired it, but if the game was anywhere near this good, I think I'm missing out. Looking forward to watching the rest. Take note Netflix: more like this.

I'll be there, too.

Good review. I appreciate your thoughts, and agree that the arms are bit too skinny comparative to the rest, the shoulders' disjointed attachment, the calf fillers suck when they could have split the hatchback cover (although that would have left a large voids in the legs unless they devised some sort of cover to swing out and cover them in bot mode), the minimized articulation comparative to 2021 standards, and in my own opinion, the rather monochromatic and 'blah' look of the legs all bring this down a few notches. As to the 'hybrid' look and the sculpted details throughout bot mode, well I'm a fan of that approach, so no complaints on my part there. But there's merit to your suggestion of additional swappable bland parts to make it look more like the animation for those who prefer it. All things being equal, that would have raised the price, and I wouldn't have liked paying extra for parts I'd never use. As to the chrome, I don't mind it; it's apropos of G1. I do, however, wish they'd gone ahead and included the little scooter accessory, as the price is the same for this without it as for the other color variants that do come with it. Why not just throw it in? Too, woulda been cool if that scooter transformed into a gun or some usable accessory in bot mode. Wasted opportunity. So, Skid's a mixed bag; a serious step back in a number of regards, but a desirable change from the plain animation aesthetic. I do wish they'd step up the articulation as a bare minimum of improvement. A boring transformation doesn't bother me as much as things being challenging to maneuver into place, as you indicate is the case with the arms. Alas, this isn't the first, nor the last, Transformer toy to have elements of the transformation be irritating or harder than they should have to be. Even with the negatives, I'm still looking forward to getting this fig. Overall, I think it presents well- the paint looks beautiful, the bot mode is ok, and the car mode looks great. I wish he was better executed, but as-is, I think I'll still find a measure of enjoyment when he arrives.

Watched 7th and 8th seasons of RWBY last night (been a year or so since we last watched 7th season, so a nice reminder). My wife and I really enjoy this series; it's come a long way from that first season where non-essential people in the background were basically silhouettes and the level of graphics was pretty low. They leaned a little harder on anime-style humor more in those early seasons as well, but gradually the art and the story matured along with the characters. Seems like they're starting to wrap things up, and I have a feeling 9th season will be the last. Even so, it's been a fun ride.

I started reading her Vampire novels in my twenties. I think Memnoch was as far as I got as well- maybe Armand?- been way too many years, and I vaguely remember them now. But yeah, Interview with the Vampire came out in theaters, and I think that was my launchpad into the books, which I enjoyed even more. Ms. Rice could certainly tell a good tale and create engaging characters. And like @TangledThorns says, she popularized the heavily romanticized vampire theme that continues to inform stuff like Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series to this day. RIP Ms. Rice, and thanks for the stories.

It's a shame we're all not closer, as we have a ready-made community here, with geography being the hindering factor. Like you, I'd be happy to share my toys with a good reviewer, but AFAIK, none of the better-known reviewers live anywhere near me. IDK about other folks, but I think it's pretty cool that your daughter's into robots at such a young age. She's off to a good start in life. 👍 I love it when Skullface includes his girls in his reviews- he seems to have a great relationship with them, and the fact that they're not only accepting of his hobby but willing to participate on his behalf says volumes. I don't think my wife would do that for me, although she has gone to a number of LEGO conventions with me, and deals, albeit with a little exasperation, with 1/3 our house being full of LEGO and toy robots. I hope your daughter continues to embrace it, for both your sakes, as it'll always be something you can bond over.

Congrats on scoring these for your specific collections. The Classics Prime mold still holds up as a good looking Prime, and that Nemesis deco looks sharp. I have the WfC Bumblebee fig, and although he is a bit shellformery, I still thought he was an interesting take, and a nice-looking fig as well. Anyway, I'm happy for ya, man. I hope they continue to bring you joy. Oooh, that's a really nice self-gift. Ya might have to share a pic and a thought on it once you've had time to put it through its paces. Have fun!

If you ever find yourself coming to the area, definitely give me a lookup. These days I get the lion's share of Transformers online, mostly from Hasbro Pulse. But I do check the TF section of my local Walmart here in Airway Heights every week, and on infrequent occasions, I'll venture over to the Shadle Walmart, which generally has a better selection and more product in stock than my local store. Even more infrequently, I'll run up to either the South Hill or the North Spokane Targets, which also generally maintain a better selection and stock than my local store. My local store is a Super Store, but it maintains a pretty small toy section comparative to the other Walmarts in Spokane/Spokane Valley, but they just doubled the size of the alcoholic beverage section, b/c that's what we need in a hickish town full of already abysmally poor and discourteous drivers, many of whom are likely high on some form of legal marijuana. In short, pretty much any of the Walmarts or Targets in Spokane except the Airway Heights store. Too, if you're in the Valley, Fred Meyers is worth checking, although, I think you're better off looking at either the Target on Sprague or Walmart off of Sullivan/E. Broadway out there, too. As for the vintage toy store I mentioned, it's called Time Bomb and is located on West Garland Ave near the Shadle area. It's a neat store to visit for all the 70s & 80s toys.

I also want them to do a new and improved Imperial Shuttle. Next to the AT-AT, it's number two on my wishlist. I passed on the first UCS IS b/c there were things about it I just didn't care for- the wonky wing mechanism, separate landing gear piece, and the inaccurate shaping of the nose section. Now they have all these subtle curved elements and a larger palette of Technic elements to really improve the engineering and shaping of the ship to more accurately capture it. Too, I'd love to see a new version have a usable space in the back, as the original UCS model was full of the wing mechanism. I think they can do better. I've seen better MOCs. After what they accomplished with this AT-AT, they've raised their own bar. Guess we'll see. I appreciate the kind words, @technoblue. I generally don't do reviews b/c I suck at it, but I'm very passionate about LEGO in general, and super enthusiastic about this model in particular, and I really wanted to share my excitement about it- show it off a little, if you will. I can't say enough what a brilliant set this is, and I vehemently hope you find the space and the time to get yourself a copy. This is truly one of those rare sets, like the awesome Ninjago City sets, that stands apart and really beggars to be a showcase within the collection. Anyway, play well, man, and all the best with your builds!

Gotta agree; actually, I'd take Bee Movie Soundwave over the Siege Soundwave. That was one of the laziest alt modes ever, and as nondescript as the Bee Movie alt mode is, Siege is so much worse. 🤮 Needless to say, I passed on Siege in the hopes they'd eventually do a dedicated tape deck version. Glad they did, glad I got a copy, and while I have a couple nitpicks, overall I really like him. Funny how they're crossing over the SS figs to Buzzworthy. I prefer the ER versions of both Clifffy and Kup, although I confess the grey legs and arms and brighter red make Buzzworthy CJ 'pop' more. Agree on the spoiler- it was one of those defining traits, and it's a shame they couldn't make it happen with that mold.

I'm a little ashamed to say I didn't know her name, although she's worked on any number of anime that I like, especially Macross Plus, which is still my favorite of the Macross series. Indeed, she passed too young (only seven years older than me), and she leaves both a great legacy and a great void for what she may have produced had she remained with us. The greatest void, however, lies with her friends, family, and fans for the human being we've lost. RIP Nobumoto-san

Likewise, at least in the Macross and Transformers arena. I have a buddy here who's into LEGO, and we attend LEGO conventions together and encourage each other with our MOCs. But on the robot front, yeah, I have no-one local, so these forums and the TFW forums, tentatively, are my outlets. I've often wished we lived closer, as like Scyla, I'd love to throw some of my stuff at ya for review, not to mention just to have a local bud to share the hobby with. Between the cost of shipping and the fear that my package will get lost in transit, I've been reluctant to make the offer. I've thought about sending my FT Dinobots your way, but Good God, if those were ever lost I'd be an emotional wreck. I love those guys, and as much as I'd love to hear your in-hand observations, it's just not worth the risk. Skullface is a supremely fortunate dude for all the stuff he gets to handle. I'd love an in-person opportunity to see a great deal of that stuff, but I don't know of anybody around here that's into it. I'm sure there are nerds here- Spokane's a decent sized city, we have a vintage toy show a couple times a year, there's a vintage toy store (lots of second-hand 80s stuff), and TFs generally, especially Generations figs, don't usually warm the pegs for too long. So, I'm fairly certain there are more like me out there, but there doesn't seem to be a community, at least that I'm aware of, so we're all pretty much just doing our thing solo. AFAIK, I'm the only one from Spokane on here and on the TFW boards. Seattle enjoys a much more robust and enthusiastic following, but Spokane's just a wasteland.

Thanks! I figure there are plenty of in-depth video reviews on YT by now, so I simply wanted to point out the things that stood out to me personally that I thought others might find informative or interesting as well. For me, this set is a dream come true, and other than the few nitpicks I mentioned, I really don't know how they could have made it better. It's a fun, if often repetitive, build, but I think the real joy is just seeing all the engineering solutions to serious weight and stress challenges they solved so very elegantly and with an astonishing degree of accuracy to available sources. As I stated in my opening, it was worth the 22 year wait for the parts and techniques to become available to achieve the accuracy they did, and I'm extremely grateful that I was able to get this in my lifetime after pining for it for so long. She's a thing of beauty, but a big one, so now I have to figure out where I'm going to put it. Right now, it's taking up my kitchen counter, and my wife won't stand for that for long.

Man, that'd be a great story, but no. I'm a chronic hand washer, and as such, a couple of my finger pads were dry and cracked. I wrapped a little tape around them to protect them and enable me to apply pressure with them while I was building it. Also, I can't abide fingerprints on my LEGO, any of my toys, really, so I always wash my hands before handling them. I find the tape is more effective than Band Aids- tougher and doesn't move around when applying pressure. It dulls a little of the dexterity, but not by much.

All done, and it's simply gorgeous, well worth the 22 year wait. A potential UCS AT-AT has been my Holy Grail set since LEGO acquired the Star Wars license in '99 and started producing UCS sets in 2000. LEGO has released six minifig scale AT-ATs since 2003, including the UCS, and this by far outshines all previous sets both in scale and detail, as it should; all previous sets have anywhere between 700 and a thousand parts, give or take, and retail for around $100-150. This behemoth retails for a whopping $800 and contains 6785 pieces. It's a tough price to swallow, not quite the ill-considered golden ratio of ten cents-per-part which many hold as the standard, and the result is a rather large top-heavy model, about the size of a larger medium sized dog, weighing in at about 13 lbs. Given the heft, making the legs movable was a challenge for the designers, but they employed a brilliant solution of using large Technic turntables for the hips and knees which are rotated using a worm gear. The worm gear they used, which has been in sets since 2017, was new to me, only about half the length of the old worm gears. Its thin profile lent it to perfect use in the small area within the legs, and I'm extremely happy that the legs are indeed capable of being positioned in different poses, albeit conservatively (they give examples of how to and how not to pose the legs in the instructions). Given previous larger models, like the Hulkbuster and Voltron, which were statues from the waist down, I feared that the legs would be static on this model, too, which would have greatly eroded the joy of having this thing realized at this scale and complexity. Fortunately, those fears are assailed. As a fan of the old Star Wars cutaway drawings books, the realization of the interior spaces of this AT-AT just warms my heart with nostalgia and a cool factor of 11. This is what I hoped for, but I never dared elevate my expectations to actually getting it. I'm so beyond pleased that they gave this model the requisite two floors, equipped with forty chairs, each with a spot on the armrests between to stow weapons. Sadly, none of the Snowtroopers included came with their backpacks, which I've always considered an essential part of the Snowtrooper's kit. For the asking price, the addition of cloth waist skirts and another eight parts to build the packs would have been nice. Alas, they didn't, and the brick-built packs would have to be removed in order to seat them anyway. Sidenote: apparently 2016 was the last year LEGO included the brick-built backpacks and the cloth waist skirts with their Snowtrooper minifigs. I loved both of those features, although, admittedly, the starchy skirts made it difficult to seat them properly without crumpling the skirt, and the backpacks didn't fit in a regular minifig chair. Looking at my 2020 AT-AT Snowtroopers as well as the ones with the UCS, the waist skirt and backpack are now printed on the figs, although it would have been nice had they done side leg printing to show the continuation of the skirt around the legs. They didn't even do that with the UCS figs. Here's the entirety of the interior. It's pretty obvious that the cut-away illustration informed the build, even down to the color of the seats and the speeder bike storage at the rear. There's some really sweet detail within those power units in the upper right corner, including Octan red, green, and white colored cylinders, a nice wink and nod to LEGO's homegrown fictional energy company. Unfortunately, the Technic structure of the AT-AT's upper rump sits flush against the tops of those units, which have hinged doors on top. I wish they'd made that whole section open up like the trunk of a car so you could access those. Alas, I'm sure it was for stability, and honestly, there's only a 1x2 Technic liftarm connecting each of the angled structures to the vertical structure at the back end, so it's a fairly simple mod. As to the speeder bike storage, the set comes with two, but there's enough room for four total. Bring on that Hoth Battle Pack on 1 Jan. Removing the large panel sections is relatively simple and painless. They definitely had display in mind and catered to that end with the ease of removing the various panels. The entire side panel is one piece, comprised of three panels connected by bar and clip joints. The whole thing is suspended on those grey axles with the yellow bushings- the axle length is only half a brick in length, but that whole large side section sits on them firmly without issue and comes off just as easily by lifting and pulling outward. All the other panels follow a similar methodology- gravity and non-friction axle connections keep all the panels in place, and allow for easy removal and replacement, which is so much better than fighting with stubborn Technic pins. The center sections of the side panels feature an opening door for Troop access. They could have just used a tried and true plate-built assembly on clicky hinges as they do in most of the regular retail AT-ATs, but they chose to go a step or two beyond. As you can see in the pic I posted with the Trooper standing in the open doorway, the hatch is built with bricks using an interesting SNOT technique where the top and bottom halves of the door are placed together female to female without any connection. There are bricks with studs on the sides on the sides of the door, and additional bits that attach to either side hold the whole construct together, along with a huge black plate that attaches on the inside of the door to various SNOT bricks within the door's structure to offer further strength. It's a surprising build, but it works. It gets better: the hatch in question doesn't just simply swing upward; it actually recesses into the side when closed, and the whole thing must slide out one stud's width before it can swing upwards. With the hatch closed, you can see a bit of the brown axles upon which the whole thing slides in and out. And here, you can see how the hinges moved to allow the door to slide outwards to clear the structure. The hatch itself hinges on a couple 1x5 Technic plates using the friction of a simple sandwich connection. Note the studs facing opposite directions on those Technic plates- lots of SNOT in this particular part of the model. 😍 The head and neck are of particular interest, as the former is rather large, heavy, and highly detailed to match the scene where Gen Veers gives Vader the OK to start his landing. I was a little sad that the periscope function wasn't included, but Veers has plenty of space behind his little raised command area, and the drivers actually get proper chairs to sit in. The viewscreen, provided by a sticker, sits very close to the drivers' faces, and I find myself wishing they'd found a way to actually make the viewport practical. Perhaps I ask too much. As spacious as Veers' area is, the driver area is pretty cramped, and the right driver has to sit a little more forward than the left driver due to a brick-built detail on Veers' command podium, which brings his, or her, head even closer to the viewscreen. Unfortunately, due to the way it was built, there's no easy way to mod that area to shift the viewscreen a little bit forward so the drivers' heads aren't practically resting on it. It's a minor nitpick I have with the head design. Access to the interior of the head is excellent; not only do the side panels remove easily, but the entire top and front hinges up, enabling easy access to all parts of the head's interior. The only downside is that there's no friction in the hinges, and no propping mechanism, which means that whole top section must be held manually while using your free hand to make adjustments within. It's a minor nitpick. The neck structure is a brilliant bit of LEGO engineering, as, like the moving leg mechanism, a lot was riding on their ability to suspend this big heavy noggin with something that looks accurate, while retaining the requisite strength to do the job without fear of falling apart. To accomplish it, the designers used four of these 1x16 links threaded between the spokes of these rims and attached to brick and Technic structures on either end. There's a bit of stiff tubing threaded between the centers of the rims, which gives them a little bit of additional tension. Altogether, the neck can swing side to side in a very shallow arc, but it's better than nothing at all, and honestly, it's all you need. There's no up or down movement to the head, but again, that's asking a lot, and I'm just pleased that they were able to make the neck look as close to the original as they did while imbuing it with enough flexibility to turn the head at all. There's a small control lever in the upper forward section of the body that allows you to turn the head, but I think it's easier just to move it by hand. Still, the option is nice. As you can see, the side guns can rotate a full 360 degrees- those entire dishes rotate, and there's enough friction that they'll stay where you position them. Of course, the chin guns can move in and out; they're linked together to recreate the reciprocating motion from the film. And finally, here's a pic for an idea of scale. And one final note for accuracy's sake; the legs are suspended above the feet as per the original movie model. There are two Technic quarter arc elements tied together to form the full half-arc which form the ankles. It's one of the more subtle bits of brilliant engineering on the model, but extremely important to both the look and functionality of the feet. They could have fudged that connection, much as they do with the smaller System sets, but it just wouldn't have looked right, and I'm so glad they went the extra mile to make those arc bits to 'float' the legs properly. Building the feet, and the legs for that matter, was an exercise in tedium, as you're repeating the same build for all four, but the payoff is huge once you attach them to the frame and articulate them for the first time. Pure LEGO joy.😍 In summation, while it has a nitpick or two, I'm far more overwhelmed by just how good this model is. I'm glad the designers waited until the parts they needed were available or the option to create a part or two was available to them, to recreate the AT-AT as closely as possible to both the film model and the cut-away illustration. It represents the best of both external and internal details, giving us the most complete and accurate AT-AT LEGO has ever made. I love it unabashedly, and highly recommend it to both LEGO fans and Star Wars fans, as it has a great appeal to both.

I think the majority of us who are well invested in the hobby as a hobby, and in the pursuit of obtaining older or out-of-production sets, have seen the investment potential over the years. Daniel Jezek, may he rest in much deserved peace, saw the potential not just for sets, but for the parts market, and to my everlasting gratitude, created Bricklink. So, it's not a new observation that LEGO is an investment, but it's very cool that more and more esteemed organizations who follow investment trends are making their observations known. It's a nice tip of the cap to LEGO as well, who very nearly bought the farm, so to speak, back in the early 2000s due to over -diversification and movement away from their core- the brick and well-done sets. Theirs is a rags-to-riches-to rags-to-extreme-riches story, and I'm forever grateful to Kjeld Kristiansen for swallowing his pride, stepping down as CEO, and promoting Jorgen Vig Knudstorp as CEO, the first non-Kristiansen in the position since its founding, after he was hired to give guidance on their direction to try and save the company before selling it or going public. Knudstorp had them focus on making good sets, cutting the parts palette, and other cost saving measures, and the rest, as they say, is history. And now, I'm off to finish the final bags to complete my UCS AT-AT. What a glorious beast it is! 😍

I appreciate the heads up. I haven't checked in since early yesterday, and figured at this point they were all sold out, but happily, no. Got Brawn, Wheeljack, and Ratchet. Just not feeling the 'what-is-it?' alt mode for Soundwave. I watched a Soundwave review, and I think Has/Tak did a great job with the bot mode- love all the details and the paint work looks good. But that alt mode is beyond abstract; it's just Soundwave in a rather uncomfortable yoga pose, and really is unrelatable to anything. Sad pass. I daresay, Ravage fared even worse for his alt mode, which looks like a crushed car. Two of my favorite characters, and unfortunately the poor alts turn me off to these toys completely. Having these figs available on Pulse just grates for the omission of Blaster, who I haven't POed anywhere in my hopes that I'll come across it at retail once it's out. I just don't feel like paying the markup or shipping that comes with going through one of the regular e-tailers. I hope Pulse will carry it then, but chances are he'll sell out quickly and I'll likely miss it. Man, I miss the days when shelves and pegs were full and getting the toy you want was just a matter of going to the store. Sigh.

To be clearer, Murray held a grudge against Ramis and refused to work with him. I don't know what the grudge was about, but that's my understanding of that situation. I'm sure there's more info about on the web. Seems petty. I'm guessing it was a bit awkward for Bill given that the other three original guys and Ivan Reitman likely had fond memories and strong emotions over Harold's passing and physical absence from the film. Murray and Ramis had a lot of history together, and it's a shame they couldn't get past it before Harold passed on. FYI, Nimoy held a grudge against Shatner over Shatner's use of media involving Nimoy in one of his productions that Nimoy didn't sign off on. AFAIK, Shatner neither relented nor apologized, and Nimoy washed his hands of his old friend right up until his passing. Sad- so much history there, too.

Likewise enjoyed it for what it was.