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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Agree. I've always maintained that when Lockheed won the competition, America lost. I say that as a fan of Lockheed. In this instance, though, Northrop offered the better product according to USAF requirements. The 23 is slowly getting her comeuppance as we see more and more planes, both real and conceptual, borrowing from her design. Closer to home, the YF-21 took some design cues from the YF-23, and early concepts for the VF-19 looked vaguely familiar. Kinda wish Kawamori-san had kept that look.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I would highly recommend visiting the AF Museum in Dayton. I've been twice (the first time, a number of planes, including my beloved YF-23 were unavailable for viewing since they were still working on the hangar, IIRC), and their collection is quite eclectic and impressive. Fortunately, I got to see the YF-23 in person on my second trip. What a beauty!
  3. M'Kyuun
    You make a good argument; as you said, the folks buying Star Saber and Deathsaurus are already aware of it, and the price is a bit steep for most parents/grandparents to drop on a kid, unless said guardians are wealthy and don't mind dropping that kind of cash on a toy. I doubt the cost of licensing would be much given Hasbro's long partnership with Takara, but the dubbing, or even subbing of such, as well as distribution would be an added expense that might not yield a greater audience. I use myself as an example; I wouldn't buy it, and I have no interest in Star Saber or Deathsaurus. Ultimately, these Haslab projects are aimed at an adult fanbase with plenty of disposable income. That's a long road trip for a toy. I don't like driving, which is why I'm glad virtually everything is available online these days- let Fed Ex or USPS do the driving. While I'm not a fan of parts-forming, I'll concede that Has/TT did a good job realizing the character and the gestalt, achieving a pretty stable and toon-accurate (we'll overlook Breakdown's, erm, breakdown in that dept) gestalt within the limited budget. It's miles better than the wobbly and decidedly non-G1 accurate Combiner Wars version. The only points I give CW is that the limb bots actually formed the limbs rather than just being snap-on deco. Alas, 'toon accuracy'. 🙄 Of course you do!😁 Glad they're very likely making a new one to accompany the original for your collection. I must admit to being curious as to how it's going to look. Honestly, I think that Christmas Prime looks alright with that leg configuration. The fact that you can essentially get two different looking figs, kinda like Punch/CP, just by a difference in config opens it up to more possibilities for various releases. 👍
  4. M'Kyuun
    Saw this over on Twitter, and some of those folks were predicting Hero Prime as well. I guess the Hasbro folks said this mold is going to be reused, so it's almost a certainty. One more Prime variant to check off your list, Mike. I've never been a G2 fan, and honestly, that original Hero Prime toy does nothing for me. That said, I'd at least be interested in seeing what a repaint/retool into the character would look like. But god, that awful, awful color scheme. 🤮 IMO, G2 is like the 70's of Transformers- chintzy designs and tacky upchuck-worthy colors. I consider it and UT to be the absolute rock bottom of the franchise, with Bayformers coming in a close second (for different reasons).
  5. M'Kyuun
    I think it'll get funded too, but like you said, folks may not want to go all the way in just for a lackluster looking stand and a throne. On the periphery of my memory, I somewhat recall those shows being released on DVD. Needless to say, although I'll say it anyway, I didn't pick them up. I wasn't sure if Hasbro had put them on their YT channel or not; I know all the G1 stuff is there, but I didn't know if they put the Japanese shows on there too. Might've been a good strategy, prior to revealing both Star Saber and Deathsaurus, to get those shows dubbed and put on there to attract more of an audience leading up to selling toys. I'm no marketing exec, but that kinda seems right to me. They have been making some odd, and IMHO, questionable decisions of late which, despite their motto, are doing us fans no favors. I wasn't aware that the Cyberverse look was supposed to be evergreen. To my eyes, the Earthspark designs aren't that far removed, and personally I don't mind a bit of diversity in the designs. There's still a similar design language. What I call into question is stuff like Prime's entire truck nose just folding back into a huge backpack when the entire section seems to serve no other purpose. If it was a shell to hide the arms, ok, there's justification, but it could have been designed as a cabover saving all that plastic for perhaps more limb filler or more accessories. I suppose one could make the same complaint about Legacy Breakdown and Wildrider, where the entire front end of the car serves no other purpose except to become a big backpack, albeit one that needlessly expands out for no reason whatsoever. 🙄 Ah well, not the first time we've gotten superfluous chunky alt mode bits just hanging off a fig and almost certainly won't be the last.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I think the timing is poor. As you said, Christmas is coming and folks, especially those with far less disposable income, are going to be priced out. I have no interest in the vast majority of Japanese Transformers, so no bite from me either. I think they should have made this a next summer release to give folks time to raise the funds. It's not crazy expensive like Unicron, but $180 is still a lot of money to spend on a toy. Honestly, I'm curious why Has/TT never agreed to dub and show the Japanese TF show in the US and Canada as a lead up to this and Star Saber to try and gen up more fans. It's a fairly obscure thing- I've been a TF fan since 1984 and my knowledge about these characters is still next to nil since I've never really been exposed to the Japanese shows. Too, I'm not at all crazy about the super robot aesthetic that many of the Japanese Transformers share. I'm just not a super robot fan in general, but especially when it comes to my beloved Transformers. The general Diaclone/ Microchange aesthetic with realistic alts and bots made up of those alt mode bits in one form or fashion has been at the core of the appeal of Transformers for me from the beginning. Still, for those who are fans of the Japanese TF shows, with Star Saber already in production, it's cool that his nemesis will be available, too. I hope it reaches full goal, as it looks like a nice piece for those interested. Pics from the London Comic Con are up on TFW2005. Nothing new for Legacy, but the wave 2 Earthspark figs are on display. The two that stand out to me are Thrash and Soundwave. I wish Megs had a better chopper mode, but that thing looks wonky. And Prime looks like he carries the entire nose of his cab on his back which beggars the question why not just make him a flat-nosed cab and eschew the backpack.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I hadn't considered Timm's actions in that light, but you make a fair point. Considering how many people to whom Andor owes money, and being a seemingly small community, it's no secret that Andor's shady. In that light Timm's betrayal is his way of saving Bix from Cassian's shenanigans.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Just finished watching Exception on Netflix. While billed as a horror anime, in IMHO it's more a sci-fi anime with a bit of a who-dunnit kind of story- not a murder but something else which I won't spoil here. Anyway, I thought it was pretty well- written and acted (good ole Nolan North supplies the voice for a character) with an interesting story and an art direction that skews more towards Arcane than typical anime character designs. I binged it this evening and consider it time well-spent.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Just missed getting Minerva- had her in cart before sold out, but showed up as sold out by the time I went to pay. Figures she's an exclusive (Walgreens, IIRC). 😒
  10. M'Kyuun
    Agreed. An excellent summation of his motivation. In the case of Skeen, though, in retrospect, I think there be some principle there; maybe for the first time beyond his 'foster' family, he felt a part of something, a kinship if you will, with Vel's gang and an alignment with their goals, something bigger than just himself. It was personal, yes, but more to the point, Skeen's proposition was at that point a betrayal of the cause, and that was too great an affront to allow. Perhaps that was the intended difference between his hesitant slaying of the Morlana cop, and the immediate killing of Skeen by the writers/director: the first was for self-preservation, the latter was a direct answer to betrayal of Vel and the Rebel cause, the cause being more important to Andor, hence his unhesitant reaction. Just spitballing- I don't know my arse from my elbow most days. 😊
  11. M'Kyuun
    True, he did, so there's some honor there as well. As good guys go, he's a bit of a grey area, but perhaps my judgment of his character was a bit too cynical. That 'greyness' makes him a more interesting character, though. I very much enjoyed the darker tone of the series. Well, not really- Timm made the choice to alert the Empire, so that was entirely on him. He acted out of jealousy, knowing that Bix and Andor have a close post-breakup friendship, which I'm sure he was aware of before hooking up with Bix. Regardless, he made the call, betrayed Bix, and ironically got shot. No tears here. As for Andor, he is scuzzy, so....😆 Beyond that, Bix is lovely, so I can't really blame the guy, even if it is poor form. I think we've established that Andor is an anus. 😉
  12. M'Kyuun
    Good points and very likely closer to what the writers had in mind for the character. To me, though, Andor comes off as a very self-involved person. However, he's not without feelings; he clearly loves his surrogate mother, Maarva, whose surname he's even taken as his own. He has an affinity for Bix, and for the droid B2EMO. He wants to find his sister and is willing to put himself in considerable danger to that end, so again a demonstration of emotion beyond pure selfishness. But he's not above using people to get what he wants, and all too often the mercenary side of his personality takes precedence over his humanity, as it were. That was my perception; that he's become exceptionally hardened, and little matters beyond saving his own skin and accomplishing his own ends, regardless of who he has to lie to, steal from, injure or kill to accomplish his goal. But, there's no love of the Empire in him, and I think they give him a sense of admiring those who would fight against it, making him an ideal candidate to do the fledgling Rebellion's dirty work, as he hasn't as many scruples as some in the Rebellion. & yeah, Skeen was a POS, but honestly, I wouldn't have batted an eye if Cassian had taken him up on the offer and later blasted him, or maybe had a change of heart and attempted to make amends to Vel. As I said, I think there was a grudging admiration for what Vel's party had been through individually and what they were attempting at grave risk of being captured or killed by the Empire. He def took a shine to Karis, whose death I hope we'll see affecting him as the show continues.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Amazing looking fig. I think I like their take over Magic Square's. I'm probably going to pass on it, but I think they did an amazing job.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I've long thought the Transformers- GI Joe crossover was a no-brainer for Hasbro. That said, this just didn't do it for me when it was announced. I think the HISS should have been its own character, and I thought this was poorly executed upon announcement. It was an easy pass. I'm firmly in the belief that if they do said crossover, the scale should match current CHUG and they can put some minimally articulated slug Joes in there (hips and shoulders so they can stand or sit and raise their arms zombie style) and sit in little cockpits akin to those in Titans Return/PotP. Too, I think the bots should all be unique characters- none of this nonsense of trying to make an established character into a vehicle it was never meant to represent, allowing the designers to use the alt modes to craft the bot modes as needed. Anyway, I appreciate the review, Mike. Regardless of my own hesitancy, I was still a bit curious about this fig. Honestly, I wish it had turned out better, as I still think GI Joe/Transformers would make for a great crossover line. It just beggars a different approach to make it better, methinks.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Enjoying the show so far- def well written, especially dialog, and the acting is on point. Not without its faults, but what is? Andor makes for a good anti-hero- given his lack of hesitation to kill even allies as we see him do in Rogue One, I was surprised that he hesitated so long to shoot the corporate Pre-Mor security dude. He didn't hesitate at all to shoot Skeen, though. That change of heart, or rather the sudden evidence of having one, also seems a bit out of character for the self-involved Andor for whom a take the money and run philosophy seems to be a lifestyle. Alas, chock it up to character development. I guess they want to show him manifesting at least a little humanity so that he's not so unlikeable. Since Andor is set only five years prior to A New Hope, it seems a very short period for the scope and scale we see the Rebellion by that point- so many people, lots of spacecraft (and financing), a well-established leadership core, extraordinary organization, and any number of secret bases. It seems nigh impossible for such a large organization to have been established so fully, and so fully equipped, under the radar of a galaxy-wide Empire so bent on occupation, intelligence, and repression. I enjoy seeing the machinations of Luthen, Mon Mothma (who's being fleshed out nicely as her role expands), Vel & her band, and Andor himself as they are essentially taking the baby steps necessary to establish the far larger and far, far more powerful Rebellion we see in the OT. It just seems to me that five years, at least five Earth years, is an incredibly dubious amount of time in which a fledgling rag-tag Rebellion we see in Andor becomes the sprawling Rebellion we see in New Hope. I would have expected at minimum twenty or more years at least to reach the stage we see in New Hope, but I guess we'll see how it plays out.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Cool. He's a really well-done fig in a line teeming with such. Hope you enjoy him!
  17. M'Kyuun
    Ah ok. Indeed I was thinking of the Prime show, not the Prime rank, title, what-have-you. I was previously aware of both Leo and Big Convoys. I thought they both came from the Japanese BW toons, but I didn't know how many of them there were, or from which each character originated. Now I know. Thanks! I should have figured it out; I know you have a sizeable Prime collection, and it should have clicked, but it didn't. Not too perspicacious of me.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Wait, what? I thought Big Convoy was part of the Japanese Beast Wars along with Leo Prime. Admittedly, I know these things exist, but little knowledge of their continuities. Feel free to school me, as I'm too lazy to look it up. 😊
  19. M'Kyuun
    Well, this 8+ fan's got one POed, and like you, I've never seen the Japanese BW, nor have an interest in seeing it. My interest lies more in having some interesting animal modes to add to my Can-American Beast Wars collection. Since they're going for more realistic animal modes, there's continuity on the shelf regardless of which toon the character originates. That said, I'm much more a fan of the Trans-Metals approach where the animal modes are robotic. That makes more sense to me. Many of the old T-M figs were gorgeous. Took a look at the old Big Convoy toy. Unfortunately, it looks more shellformery than most, and I doubt a modern toy would improve on the approach. Maybe, but my faith in Hasbro is shaky. The prospect of a leader class mammoth is appealing, although honestly, I'd rather have a Trans-Metal take akin to the Dinobots' aesthetic.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Agree with all. I wasn't aware of the making-of vids, but I'll have to give them a watch, as I enjoy that sort of thing, especially when the show itself makes such an impact. There is apparently going to be a second season, although no release date has been announced. IMHO, let them take all the time they need to get it right. The first season was done so well that it will be a challenge to equal or eclipse, but if the same team is working on it, I'm sure it will at least stand up next to first season.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Give them time; they've already done Lio Prime and Star Saber. I think if the Armada stuff sells well in the mainline, that might encourage them to do MP figs of those characters as well. In the interim, third parties have filled some of those gaps, not all-inclusive, but better than nothing. Considering how many 80's properties have gone silent, I'm still very thankful that Transformers is still around and enjoying as robust a toy market as it has and does. Of course, being human, there'll always be something more that we as fans want (Omnibots in the mainline and a titan class Animated Omega Supreme for me), but I'm super thankful that we have what we have. It's been a good run so far, and cheers to many, many more years of Cybertronian goodness!
  22. M'Kyuun
    Fair enough. I've not done any recent reading on the matter, but my understanding has been for years that the two were one and the same, and since apatosaurus was the first name applied to fossils of the long-necked beasties, that was the official name. As with many historical, archaeological, and paleontological, new discoveries are made all the time that change the views of scientists, and this is no doubt another of those instances. I take no issue with either name but use apatosaurus simply due to my previous understanding.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Didn't even know there was a talk today, so the update is much appreciated, Mike. I've been out most of the day taking care of mother-in-law stuff, so I would have missed it regardless. And yeah, I beg to differ on kids being the target and primary buyers of Legacy.😏
  24. M'Kyuun
    Kinda wish I'd known this was coming, as I would have held off on the BDT kit. Alas, it does what I need it to do, I'm not too plussed about the gold paint, and my copy's knees are fine outta the box, and I couldn't care less about the sword. I do like Nonnef's toy-style gun, but I can live without it. TBH, I think the BDT kit looks better in dino mode, as it hangs a bit lower and fills out the lower abdomen better, IMHO. Regardless of which kit you choose, your Sludge's apatosaur mode is going to look much better without the toes dragging the ground.
  25. M'Kyuun
    This. Just like G1, sell them as a two-pack. I wish they would sell all the cassettes as either individual releases or two-packs. But I also wish the engineering was better on them too- the G1 toys are still superior to the crappy WFC/Legacy cassettes. I hope they at least go back and redesign Ravage- the current fig is absolutely awful, especially when you consider both Newage and Magic Square were able to do it better on a much smaller scale. I have the Magic Square cassettes, and those things are tiny. MS' Ravage is the weakest of their cassette modes, but the jaguar mode is fantastic at that scale- def evocative of G1 Ravage, which can't be said of the Hasbro effort. Hasbro Newage Magic Square
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