M'Kyuun

FINALLY! It's not exactly what I had in mind, but good enough. This solves many a problem with their use of the AT-AT leg joints, where the long joint sticks out of both ends and looks awkward at the waist. Now we'll be albe to make clean shoulders and hips. So I wonder why they didn't employ this on the new AT-ST so we'd finally have one with fully moveable legs? Ah, well- it's mod-able. Thank you, @danth for pointing this out. I hadn't seen it prior, so I'm gonna be on cloud 9 all day today thinking about the possibilities. Loving what they're doing with those City Lunar sets, too. Def some CS nostalgia there, while taking a more grounded approach, figuratively speaking, to the design cues. 2022 is already shaping up to be a monumentally fantastic year after LEGO caps 2021 with the UCS AT-AT. Never a better time to be a LEGO fan. Well, the late 70s into the early 90s were pretty awesome, too. One very good thing of note about next year's space sets is that LEGO have finally eschewed the one-piece helmet and backpack element for a separate helmet and brick-built backpack which utilizes a clip to hold utensils. I was never really a big fan of that old piece, and now the astrofigs will be able to turn their heads. Too, the clip on the side is really handy, as well as reminding me of the old 80s Playmobil astronaut figs, which I loved as a kid. Here are two of the three upcoming 2022 City Space sets, and they are looking amazing. Love the new quarter dome pieces. There's a great balance of current tech and futuristic projection in the Research Base that speaks to 50s and 60s era ideations of space colonies with their domes and snaking tubes going from one section to another. A couple copies of this set interconnected could create a nice sprawling hab. I love the lab perched over the garage idea- great visually and for playability, not to mention practicality. Too, it's nice to see the old CS symbol interspersed throughout the set. Barring neo-CS sets or original sci-fi Space sets, I'll gladly take this as a compromise of sorts. Still, the possibilities of a large sci-fi command ship using one of those quarter domes for a windshield would be glorious. Moving on to the Rocket Launch Center, both sets from 2019 (60228, 60229) were brilliant, but this is a lovely addition, and I'm digging the little observatory looking building, as that's a first in a LEGO Space set. And again, it incorporates a usable space over a garage, which I like immensely. One other cool thing of note is the Octan fuel cell in the rocket- I never tire of LEGO's iconic home-branded petrol/energy company's red, white, and green containers in a set.❤️ Lots of good to look forward to, and they haven't released pics of their Lunar Rover yet, although you can see a faded partial image in one of the small panels on the back of the Lunar Research Base's box. It looks to take a lot of inspiration from NASA's current rover concept. TBH, I'm not really crazy about this thing🤮, but I hope LEGO's interpretation will make it cooler. Space! This new Ninjago mech is pretty intriguing; outside of the Ideas Voltron set, I can't think of another instance of an official combiner mech. I hope they continue to do stuff like this. Eventually, I hope they'll make a really good transforming model. Note the use of the glorious new joints at the hips and shoulders.🤤😍 Gawd, I can't wait to get my mitts on those things! Speaking of new joints, I'm tentatively excited for the new socket bricks that are showing up on several of the 2022 sets. I count at least six of them on this Iron Man model, and at least four on that excellent tiger Creator set. I'm hoping they have greater friction than the normal socket bricks, thus negating the need for the friction extender element. Both of these sets look good to me (I'm an Iron Man fan from way back), and I much prefer a System-built figure over the Constraction figs made from Technic bits. Referring back to 2022 City, LEGO's releasing a new hospital set that I find very appealing in its structure, more so than the previous hospital release. That nigh-cantilever section over the roadway reminds me of Falling Water, the famous Frank LLoyd Wright house in PA. Looks great.😍 Taking a break from the traditional red and white color scheme for emergency vehicles, they went with greenish-yellow and turquoise across the theme, and while I personally like the red and white better, it's a nice change that reflects colors used in other parts of the world, especially Europe. This heli from the same theme strikes me not so much for the color scheme, but for the addition of the painted bar separating the canopy. Practically, it doesn't make sense, as LEGO only places a single pilot in the center of their helicopter models' cockpits, but if they make this bit in black, there's definite Airwolf potential there. 2022 is looking like another good year for LEGO. They've certainly made my millennia by introducing new joints, which I've been longing and begging for for years. But I see some interesting advancements in other places, be it the combining factor in a mech, bold color choices apart from tradition, exciting new parts, interesting architectural choices, etc. It shows growth and expansion within the design team, and that's cool. Looking forward to the new year and all the brick goodness that's to come.

I dig the proportions and the stylish takes on a number of the Cyberverse figs; Cheetor and Thunderhowl are no exceptions- both look good to me. Alas, I'm cramped for space even for the Generations stuff; I need more shelves, but somehow never seem motivated enough to buy the stuff and hang them. Too, I don't have an expansive collection of the Cyberverse toys, and at this point, I'm happy enjoying them vicariously through reviews and the like. To that end, thanks for the review, Mike. It's a shame that Hasbro takes an even cheaper approach to these guys than the main line stuff, which itself manifests the sure signs of budgetary restraint. There's certainly potential for these to be better. The difference is really apparent when I look at my small TF: Prime Robots in Disguise collection, of which Cyberverse is the spiritual successor, sharing a similar aesthetic and aimed at a younger audience. But the difference in the toys is notable, with the RID being remarkably superior in quality.

Thank you very much, Sir! Not that I'm a fan of over-man-splaining things, but sometimes clarity is necessary.😉 We're on the same wavelength. I can't wrap my head around a preference for that oversimplified toon art over even the G1 toy- just look at all that detail and character on that toy! TBF, for the MP version, Takara could have borrowed more detail from the G1 toy's legs, as I like the black shapes in the shins better, the silver or chrome thighs, and more of the sticker detail, especially the red buttons at the knees, and some color in the side vents on the lower legs. The MP's legs are entirely too monochromatic, but overall, I'm digging the fig. If I truly had my druthers, MP Skids would have the windows in the shins with underlying bot bits like in the G1 box art: Can't express enough how much I LOVE the windows-with-visible-bot-bit details on a number of G1 toys' designs and box art. I really wish Takara had used this as inspiration or made the shin bits removable and included a set that look like this that could be swapped in as extras. Be a nice kit for someone like Dr. Wu, or Perfect Effect to try.

Good review, Mike. However, my first and lasting impression of Speed Star is that he's plain, stiff, and lifeless in bot mode. To my eyes, it looks like one of those cheap non-articulated toys that you often find at the back isle of Target, along with Movie Monster figs and such. I realize it's not, but that was my first thought upon seeing it. The car mode, OTOH, looks good; it looks like G1 Mirage, albeit plainer b/c toon 'accuracy'. That said, in both modes, my preference remains firmly for Phoenix. MMC's take has far more detail, sculptwork, paint, and decaling that make it pop- it just looks sharp in either mode, and I've yet to see a contender in the MP scale to dethrone him in my collection. In all fairness, though, TE was obviously going for, and succeeded, in capturing the plain toon look. Great for those who like that approach; it's just not for me.

Agree with you and Bobby; the sculpt and overall appearance of this fig is beautiful, and Lucky Cat did a great job capturing the essence in a smaller package that not only is capable of splitting into the individual Lions, but the Lions are capable of assuming cube forms that work alongside 52Toys' Mega/BeastBox toys. That's a lot of engineering in a small space, and they pulled it off really well. It's a handy toy, literally; if you're like me and like to have something to fidget with when you're watching tv, it's a great coffee table fig. My coffee table is populated by a nice assortment of TFs, assorted LEGO minifigs, Classified Zartan, some MegaBox figs, and now this guy. It's always playtime at my house.

Got mine ordered- can't wait! Not sure where I'm going to put this behemoth, but there was no way I was passing this up; this was number one on my LEGO Star Wars wish-list, and I'm so incredibly pleased with how it turned out. I don't think I've ever been more excited for a Star Wars set, although the initial Death Star playset , which resides on my desk to this day, would be a close second.

Got mine on Saturday, and I think it's a pretty cool set. I didn't even notice the switcharoo with the numbers, so I may have to attend to that. The individual lions were done pretty well, but the combined form is where they really shine. One nitpick: I wish they'd put the lions' heads on ball joints, at least the red and green, as none of them can look side to side, and at this scale, a sturdy ball joint would have been practical, as well as giving it more useful articulation. Black Lion's shoulders are mounted to double jointed armatures, which gives Elvis a fantastic range of fore and aft butterfly- this Voltron can form Blazing Sword. That's something that should definitely become a standard with actions figs of all stripes. I wasn't aware that Elvis was based on an existing figure; they did a great job mirroring the overall aesthetic, which I like a lot. I don't know much about the Titan toy, but it doesn't look like it splits into the individual lions which is a plus for its mini-me.

Both of those designs scream Gundam to me more than Transformers, especially that top pic. Cool for those who dig this approach, but it's just not for me. For those who ordered MP Skids, here's an early look at what we're getting with this fig. I'm liking it, as it harkens back to the earlier MP days when toon 'accuracy' wasn't the end all-be-all of the bot design. He doesn't have the same level of uber-articulation of the more recent releases, but there's still plenty, and I'm looking forward to getting him in hand. I hope they continue to make more MP figs in this vein, as it hits the sweet spot for me aesthetically.

Just got my PO at TFSource. Most painless experience I've had POing a valk in at least a decade. I hope it stays this way, but as someone else mentioned, Macross is still relatively new and unknown here; give the scalping bastards a little time to realize the demand and the whole situation will be like it was before, just with domestic scalpers buying up all the stock.

So, I got Iron Factory's EX-51 Power Falcon, AKA Powerglide in the mail yesterday, and I thought I'd do a review. This marks my second IF toy, the first being their EX-545M Kagami Shishimaru, which is essentially Leo Convoy in an Eva Unit 1 color scheme. While Kagami's a fun fig, their take on Powerglide, along with a number of their 2021 releases, really surprised me with their interesting designs. Still, I fence-sat, as is my wont, but I caved to cool and now I have him in hand. So how does he measure up? Let's see... Power Falcon has very nicely done Cybertronian jet mode that compliments his Earth A-10 Warthog mode. IF generally take a lot of liberties with their design style, and often their alt modes are only semi-relatable, looking more like the proverbial folded robot than a decent or realistic looking vehicle. When pics of the 2021 figs were initially released, only bot mode photos of this guy were shown, which had me thinking the alt was going to be tragically bad. So happy to be wrong. I love the look of this guy in his jet mode, with his similarities to the A-10: the engines sitting forward of the tail stabilizers, the angled wings, and the general shape of the nose with its signature gun protruding. As for features, the tail stabs, both vertical and horizontal, are attached with pins and can be adjusted to any angle within their arc of motion, 180 degrees, which allows for some custom looks. I prefer the standard arrangement as you can see in the pics, but the option's there to adjust them as one likes. The only other feature is the retractable nose gear, shown extended for landing here. It simply folds back and fits into a little depression just above the area with the little blue stripe. The main gears are affected by Power Falcon's gun which folds into the form you see here. The gun is molded from black plastic painted red with silver stripes on the ends and the silver rectangle in the center. None of the wheels roll, which is fine at this scale. I'm just happy that there's gear. The nose gun, which folds into the nose for transformation to allow a tiny bit more access to the head, can be rotated through an arc of 180 degrees, if that's something you feel inclined to do in jet mode. I like it sticking straight ahead like the A-10 that inspired it. I didn't take any pics of the mains removed, but the bottom has a much more streamlined look without that block o'gun/gear hanging off the bottom. Here's the gun removed: The handle and the little barrel both fold into the body of the gun and the two black humps serve as the main landing gear wheels. It's not the most elegant solution for weapon storage or landing gear, but it's what they chose to do, and I like that even the weapon transforms and performs a legitimate function for the alt mode. Transform! Like his jet mode, IF's style infuses this guy, while still maintaining any number of visual cues that scream Powerglide. I think he's brilliant. The majority of PF is unpainted dark red, nearly maroon, plastic. The shoulders, forearms, hands, and thighs are made from a very light grey plastic that looks white in these pics. The elbows, knees, nose gear, chest hinge, nose gun, shoulder hinges, and backplates' joints are all made from black plastic. The tops of the shoulders have a gunmetal stripe next to the ball joint cutout, the thighs have raised rectangles painted gunmetal, and the chest intakes are also picked out in gunmetal paint. The cockpit has four different window sections picked out in black paint, as well as indented rectangles at the lower middle shins. The eyes and a little stripe on his belly right above the waist swivel are a cerulean blue, while his mouth plate, a little stripe on his forehead, and his prodigious air intakes on his outer lower legs are painted silver. Oddly, while there is a tiny protrusion on PF's head to represent Powerglide's gun, it's not painted black to match the actual folding gun on his nosecone. The paint that is there is applied crisply throughout. Articulation: PF's head is on a ball joint mounted at the top of a decently long stalk allowing for an impressive range of head rotation in any direction. Down is limited to about 5 degrees or so, but he wouldn't be able to see past his protruding center chest piece anyway, so it's a little moot. His head can tilt back about 20 degrees if the aircraft nose is moved slightly out of place to make clearance, can tilt for attitude, and rotate 360 degrees unimpeded. His shoulders are fairly complex due to the three-way breakup of his wings: the wing root is attached to the body via a peg joint terminating in a pinned disc joint upon which the root can rotate a little over 90 degrees. At the body joint, it can rotate nearly 360; it's impeded by the ball pegs for the back plates. The secondary section of wing attaches to the root via a robust snap-on-bar joint, which allows that section of wing to rotate about 180 degrees and peg into the root. The secondary wing has a molded protruding ball joint to which the grey shoulder mounts. Cutouts in the tops of the shoulders allow for 90 degrees of abduction, as well as a modicum of fore and aft swivel. There's no bicep swivel. The elbows are double jointed, formed by a ball peg which pins at the bicep and terminates at a ball joint which provides about 140 degrees of flex using both joints. The ball joint allows for 360 degrees of forearm rotation at the elbow, which is a fine substitute for a bicep swivel at this scale. The fists are pinned at the wrist and can rotate only partially into the forearm, so they hang down visibly in plane mode. I wish they'd just lengthened the forearm a tiny bit more or made the hands a little smaller so they'd completely fold away. The fists are molded with a rectangular slot in each so he can hold his gun in either. The waist can swivel 360. There's no ab crunch. The legs are attached by ball joints, allowing for just a smidge under 90 degrees abduction, at least 90 degrees of rear flexion (his legs hit back kibble, but it's more than you'll ever need), and forward flexion to the point where his knee can touch his chest. Knees are double jointed, both joints pinned, and the calf joint diagonally offset back from the thigh joint. At the thigh, the knee has about 70 degrees of rotation on a friction joint. The knee joint at the calf has a couple ratcheted indents that take slightly more force to move through, but with both knee joints employed, the legs can be bent just a hair's breadth shy of 180 degrees. The ankles are on ball joints. Those ball joints are molded onto a small retractable stabilizer surface that swivels at the back of the lower leg. The ankle joint has plenty of range that will allow the feet to remain flat if one wishes to leave the stabilizer bit extended back for a more digitigrade look to the legs. I hadn't tried it until just now (sorry no pics), and it doesn't look too bad, but my druthers are to leave them tucked into the legs as designed. There's a satisfying little snap to them to let you know they're all the way in. The feet, by virtue of the ball jointed ankles, can rotate 360 degrees, can tilt inwards about 20 degrees, can pivot toes up about 40 degrees, toes down about 20. the toes are formed from two stabilizer panels attached at the heels and can rotate 180 degrees, which is great for posing as the toes can be moved as needed for additional stability (came in handy while I was putting him in a high kick pose while writing this). The forward fuselage section attaches to his back using a double hinge pinned at both rotation points. Finishing the articulated bits, for transformation, he has two plates on his back which attach via ball pegs, which are pinned at the back of his chest piece, which itself rotates on what I'm going to assume are internal mushroom pegs, since there are no visible means of rotation externally. The center of his chest is also attached to a ball peg, pinned at the chest bit and rotated at a ball joint mounted to his chest. This bit lifts up and rotates 180 degrees to cover the back half of PF's head in jet mode, which is rotated 180 degrees for jet mode, while the forward fuselage covers the face half. The upper portion of the lower leg to which the lower knee joint attaches can slide inwards about 4 mm for transformation. The backplates slide into the gaps created by those sliding bits. It's a little fidgety getting the plates in there, but really makes for a seamless look once accomplished. Overall, a very well-articulated figure. Ball joints may not be to everyone's liking, but I think they were used judiciously on this figure, and they all have a proportionate amount of tension. Nothing's floppy or even feels close. Transformation; I've already covered a number of points, but essentially, going to jet from bot mode, untab and swing the back plates to the sides creating just enough gap to move the forward fuselage down and out of the way. Rotate the head 180. Hook the lower edge of the center chest piece with a nail and move it up and out of its spot, rotate it 180, and adjust it to cover the back of PF's head. Rotate the waist 180. Rotate the thighs 90 degrees inwards so the toes face each other. Unfold the wings both at the root and the secondary joint. Rotate the chest 90 degrees so the vents face up towards the head. Rotate the nose gun 180, and then rotate the forward fuselage so that it covers the head. bend the lower legs at the lower knee joint one click out, then rotate and tab the back plates together. Holding the thighs, slide the lower legs upwards creating a gap. Rotate the legs straight while working the aft ends of the backplates into the gaps in the legs. Once one leg is done, extend the foot outwards creating a little horizontal stabilizer. Extend the hell stabilizers, and then rotate the foot towards the engine. adjust the heel stabs as desired. Repeat for the other leg. Rotate the root and secondary wings to form the wing and then slot the secondary wing onto a tab on the back plate. Rotate the wrist as far into the arm as it will allow, rotate the bicep elbow joint backwards 90 degrees, and then the forearm at the ball joint 90 degrees so the arm touches the shoulder. Rotate the wing bit on the forearm so the tab lines up with the gap in the secondary wing and press into place. In order to preserve the slight wedged shape of the tab and gap, I suggest lining the arm's wing bit up under the secondary wing and then pressing upward like inserting a puzzle piece, rather than just jamming it in from the side, which may wear those bits over time. Fold the handle and small muzzle bits into the gun body, and then tab it into two slots by the screws on the lower legs to form the main gears. Extend the nose gear, make any final adjustments to the stabilizers, and that's about it. And here's Power Falcon with Combiner Wars Powerglide for comparison: They're roughly about the same size with Powerglide coming in a few mm taller in bot mode. Power Falcon beats it leaps and bounds in the articulation/moving parts arena, not to mention he comes with a gun for bot mode, which Hasbro is generally reluctant to do. Overall, I find it a really well done take on the character. My only nitpicks are I wish the main gears extended off the wings instead of the gun idea, and that his gun became something like a bomb or an external fuel tank. Also, the canted stabs attached to his legs are superfluous when his feet fold out and form additional stabs that are more accurate to the A-10. The fact that his elbows have more bend backwards than forwards is also kind of a bummer, along with the obvious hands that don't quite fold away. Again, minor gripes for an overall cool figure. Recommended if you're an Iron Factory fan or a Powerglide fan looking for a different take.

No worries. But you make a good point; the anime was targeted specifically at a Japanese audience, whereas the Netflix show is inspired by the anime, but targeted at an American audience. If you're Japanese, or familiar with Japanese culture and custom, those subtleties will be far more apparent to you, and likely lost on Americans, most Westerners really. I think the intended audience has to be taken into account for how the show is written and presented, as it has a very American flavor, especially in Faye's character. Some things cross, and some don't. FWIW, I'm sorry that it doesn't appeal to you. However, you're not alone, as the show is getting negative criticism from Americans, too. We're a tough crowd. As for me, I'm an American who grew up during the 80's, that glorious period where cheese ruled and special effects sucked. 😄 As such, I tend to go a lot lighter on a lot of today's sci-fi for just how good it is compared to what I grew up on. Difference of perspective, I suppose.

Great review, Mike. I appreciate it, as I have G1 Galvatron from childhood, and although I have Movie colored Kingdom Galvy, I was sorely tempted to get this out of pure nostalgia. I didn't, but I still like how it turned out, flaws notwithstanding, and really wanted to see a side-by-side like this for comparison. I like it. I just really don't have need for another copy, especially with all the other crap I've got POed that I don't have room for, a fact my wife brings up with exasperation anytime I let slip that I ordered yet another toy. 😇

Oof, I stand corrected on a bunch of stuff you pointed out. First, let me reiterate that it has been years since I last watched the anime, and my memory is terrible on my best day, hence, my mistakes. So, I let Wiki fill me in on the details I misremembered. For some reason, I was thinking Ballad of Fallen Angels was the last ep of the series and Spike died at the end when he was tossed out of the window. I also thought the song they played during that scene was called the same, but I just now learned it's actually called Greenbird. Sometimes it pays to be wrong and have it pointed out, as I'm learning the right of it. Anyway, Greenbird is one of my favorite Kanno compositions (she not only plays it, but sings it, under her pseudonym, Gabriela Robin, of course) 😉 Lovely tune. ❤️ Agree that it's a great episode, certainly a standout for story, imagery, music, and atmosphere. That said, I didn't hate the Netflix take on it. But then again, I'm not nearly as invested in the anime, and this ep in particular, as you are. As with anything that inspires passion in people, I can understand your disdain for the live action, even if I don't share your feelings towards it. However, your mention of Macross vs Robotech ignites in me a far stronger passion, as I'm die-hard Macross, and wish Robotech would cease to exist, along with Harmony Gold. So, different shows, different passions, but a shared understanding of how it feels when something you hold dear is changed, in your opinion, for the worse.

Finished the series last night.

Macross Plus fans waited fourteen years to get Yamato's 1/60 scale YF-21, which is still arguably the best toy of that valk. That was in 2008- so we've at least seen a protype that, IMHO, looks superior to the Yammie within that time, which gives me hope. Seems like a lot of work for nothing if they just abandon it. more to the point, I think Bandai are aware of the Yammie's weaknesses in battroid, understand that there are fans that want a more balanced toy between battroid and fighter, and that demand exists for a new YF-21 toy that fits with their own VF-19 Advanced and YF-19 toys. If they just released that proto as a toy, I'd be down for it, as it fixes the skinny legs that I disliked on the Yamato. I'm a battroid guy, so that's where I want the next YF-21 toy to shine.

Well, that sucks, especially given the market for these things and the relative scarcity of actual toys in stores. I really don't fancy paying the e-tailer markup; Blaster's never really been a must-have character to me, although I love the cassettes, and this is a good-looking Blaster that finally fits in with the rest of the recent main line. Pipes is another character that I can take or leave; I like the Huffer mold, and this is a nice recolor, so I'd get him for that reason. I wish they'd changed the transformation so his arms go to the center of the back of his cab letting his weapons form the smoke stacks. They look weird pegged to his hitch deck, with white arms forming the stacks. Oh well, IIWII. Just a poor situation on Hasbro's part; they should offer everything on their site, especially to paying members, otherwise, what's the point?

Started watching last night with the wife and made it through ep 6. Agree with consensus on Vicious- more Malfoy than Vicious. Would rather he be a quieter, smarter, more deliberate bad guy. I always pictured him younger, and better looking than Alex Hassel, with his jutting chin and 5 o'clock shadow, who plays him. Also, I think he'd be more effective if you could tell the wheels were always turning, even if he's not saying anything; his actions should prove his name more than his words, and his actions should be cold, ruthless, and calculated, not overly emotional. More Blade, and less Kylo Ren. While Jet and Spike feel pretty close to the mark (heck, Mustafa Shakir even sounds like Beau Billingslea in his Jet portrayal), Faye feels a bit off. "Bratty" is a good descriptor. It feels more CW or Sy-Fy than Cowboy Bebop, if that makes sense. The constant barrage of obscenity laced put-downs , while funny in their own right, just doesn't match the animated character to me. The self-indulgent and self-assured parts of her personality are there though. And Daniella's cute, so there's that. As to the world, I see people complaining, but visually, it works for me. I like the juxtaposition of retro and futuristic, much like the anime. Given they're working with a tv budget, the prod values and SFX are done well, IMHO. They nailed the Swordfish, which is a must in this series. Faye's Red Tail has only a brief appearance thus far, but it looked like the Red Tail, so I'm happy. Truth be told, I was always more a fan of Faye's ride than Spike's, so I'm hoping we'll see more of it in the next few eps. Special mention of Christine Dunford, who plays Whitney Matsumoto, Faye's ersatz mother and all-around master thief. She's just fun to watch in every scene she's in, and when Whitney and Faye play off each other, it makes for some great frenemy interaction. Good casting there. I didn't really have an issue with Julia. Her role, like that of Vicious, is expanded here, and I think the writers wanted to flesh them out. Needless to say, the popular consensus isn't favorable of either. Julia's fine to me; not feeling Vicious at all. Ana de Armas- hadn't thought of her, but I loved her all-too-brief appearance in the last Bond film, as well as in Blade Runner 2049 and Knives Out. I haven't seen her play a self-absorbed character like Faye, so it's hard for me to mentally place her in that role. But, she's a good actress, so I imagine she would have conformed to the character. Seeing her in Faye's traditional anime outfit wouldn't have hurt my feelings, either. Despite owning the anime, both series and movie, I haven't watched either in a number of years, and my memory is a bit hazy, so I may be misremembering the characters a bit. My memory is crap on my best day, so as my wife would say, no shocker there. we're planning on rewatching the anime after we finish the live action, and I'm glad we're both going into the Netflix show relatively fresh. My wife remembers more than I do, but she's forgotten a bit too, so I'm glad we started the new show without the taint of recent memory of the anime, as we're enjoying it for what it is. The anime is its own thing, and I'm glad they're not making the live action a carbon copy; I'd rather they do some things new, while peppering references to the anime throughout. That's fine to me, so long as the salient aspects are still there. From what I've seen so far, it's pretty close, and I'm enjoying it.

Seems like all the other e-tailers have Blaster and the other new figs, but it's nowhere to be found on Pulse. Apparently, with Hasbro, membership doesn't have its privileges.

Despite my low opinion of the G1 toys, mostly b/c of their lack of articulation, I'd be lying if I didn't say these bring back a lot of warm and fuzzy memories of a lot of time spent looking at these as a kid. Even now, there's a strong spark of nostalgia that goes to full bright whenever I see these or some of the old box art. They definitely had a good marketing team at Hasbro- it's amazing how something like this can still stir up excitement nearly thirty plus years later. I wish they still put these brochures in with today's toys. To @tekering & @mikeszekely Thanks for setting me straight. I never had much interest in the Titans, so my knowledge of their packed-in minions is woefully poor. I can see the resemblance to the original now that it's been pointed out. Not my cuppa, but a nice companion piece for those who own titan class Metroplex. Looking forward to your pictorial. I enjoy seeing the old-new comparisons. G1 Galvatron is a mixed bag. HUGE liberties were taken with his animated appearance, such that it's difficult to equate the toy with Dery's very stylized take. Of course, that makes it difficult for today's toymakers trying to translate something that stylized compared to the original toy. As a toy, though, G1 Galvy had his positives if you can evaluate him apart from the animation. He had hip and knee articulation, ratcheted even! which were nigh unheard of among the majority of TF toys at the time. His arms had an impressive range of articulation, also ratcheted, for the time as well. Sure, his biceps were huge and bulky and his forearms puny by comparison, but it was to facilitate the transformation, and back then it didn't bother me as much as it would today if a similar contrast ended up on a modern fig. He even had a waist swivel. He had lights and sound, if that sort of thing floats your boat ( I've never been much of a fan of electronics in my toys). He could become a ground cannon, a sci-fi pistol, and a robot, making him a 2.5 changer, since you just folded the arms up parallel to the body and extended the handle for a grip to form the pistol. Still, as a toy, I thought he was pretty cool, and def one of the best to come out of the '86 Movie lineup, and honestly, one of the best in the whole line due to all the articulation he possessed.

Had I known this Blaster was coming, I'd have passed on the CW version, which was a bit oversized and couldn't hold a regular tape. Definitely will pick this guy up. Why oh why did they have to make the cassette from trans plastic?- usually doesn't bode well for longevity. Pipes doesn't look too bad; I like the Huffer mold. But I'm not really feeling the white arms, which in turn become white smoke stacks, thus ruining the realism a little. His silver weapons, which are supposed to be his stacks, look odd sitting on his hitch deck. Wish they'd changed the transformation a bit so his arms moved to the center of his cab letting the silver bits become his stacks instead. No idea who the third guy is. looks just so-so to me. Not sure if it's mistransformed here, but you can clearly see his face looking up asking Primus why the hell he got stuck with such a poor design. Big beefy bot, with tiny forearms and even tinier hands. Just looks all kinds of disproportionate. Same boat financially; I usually split my birthday/Christmas requests between LEGO and Transformers. I don't think I even had as many G1 figs as you did. I would sometimes ask for other stuff, too, though, like Zoids, or another building toy brand called Brix Blox, which I built with as much as, if not more, than LEGO. Anyway, by '86, I was 14 turning 15 and my dissatisfaction with the TF toys due to their lack of articulation was eroding their appeal to me. I still bought the odd bot here and there, but in '90 I joined the military and lost touch with TFs for probably about a year or two. I remember seeing the train bots in a hobby store near Kadena, but I opted to buy my first Gundam instead, which impressed the ever living stuffing out of me for all its glorious articulation. I went on to buy a few more, including the then new F91, which I still need to finish after nearly thirty years. Tough model to paint by hand. Anyway, the appeal of G1 toys, but not G1 itself, was already pretty low by the time I was in my late teens. G2 didn't really appeal to me either, except for the Cyberjets, which had ball joints for all the major joints and represented in my mind a revolution, and hopefully, a harbinger of good things to come. Then came Beast/Machine Wars and while the animal forms weren't my preference, I loved the direction the toys were taking with more complexity and articulation. Classics had the promise of, finally, the old G1 toys reimagined with articulation, but they still weren't quite what we wanted, were they? MP answered that desire, but the releases were sporadic and slow in releasing, and then the whole toon-centric direction lessened its appeal for me. And now WfC/Legacy are finally, FINALLY, giving me what I wanted in the box nearly 40 years ago when I bought Prowl in '84. The line's not without its stinkers, as you mentioned, Mike (UM for sure, Astrotrain, Arcee), but the vast majority have been winners IMHO. The 13 year old me within rejoices every time I pick up a new one of these figs- I constantly daydreamed, pondered, and imagined what those old toys would look like with improved articulation, and now I can hold the accumulation of those hopes and dreams in my hands. much like MP, WfC, SS86, and Legacy are dreams come true for me. I don't even spare a thought for the old G1 toys. But, just like in Toy Story, all toys should be loved and cared for for the joy they bring to their owners, be they young or old, and I'm glad yours have a good home where they'll be loved and appreciated. I wish you every success in tracking down the rest of the figs you're missing; I hope you achieve a complete set, or complete to you. They still make for fun fidget toys- simple yet satisfying.

Just saw RT at Walmart on Monday. Not sure if it was DVD or Blu-ray; didn't care. But it's out for those who want it.

Nice collection going there, Mike. I only own Galvatron and Springer out of that crowd. All things being equal, I'm far happier with my WfC figs; the old toys just hold no appeal for me. That said, I'm glad you were able to find these guys in such good shape for your display, and that they bring a measure of happiness and satisfaction.

I finally got my copy of Kingdom Gnaw yesterday, and since Mike already did a comprehensive review, I just want to post a few personal thoughts. First, I love how close they got to Dery's design, from sculpting to colors, he's about as close as you can get in a $20 toy. It exceeds expectations, IMHO- just a lot of character for a 2 dimensional army builder bad guy from a few scenes in TF: The Movie. For negatives, the ankle rockers, the shoulders, and the lower jaw (which is a PITA in bot mode, as Mike mentioned, for its lack of locking mechanism in bot mode) are a bit looser than I'd like; they're not floppy, and it will hold any pose I put it in, they just feel a little too loose for a brand new fig. Design wise, the one time where a ball joint would have been preferable, they instead used a pinned friction hinge for the Shark mode's shoulders, which greatly reduce the poseability in alt mode. I also wish the hands had been molded in a scratching pose instead of resting at his sides. All in all, a nice addition to the G1 cast of characters, and at deluxe scale, I think he works better in comparison to his previous smaller legends and Cyberverse toys.

I was stationed at Kadena, Okinawa as my first base. I was a bout 20 when I showed up, and about 22 when I departed. Unlike the vast majority of my military brethren, I never cottoned to alcohol or parties, and I remained quite antisocial. My second year there, the Air Force underwent a complete organizational restructuring, and as a result, my little F-15 component backshop merged with the old SAC backshop. One of the guys who transferred over was an older Tech Sergeant, who became a mentor and friend to both myself and my roommate, also in his early twenties, who also worked with me in the shop. The three of us would often jump in my car and we'd go sight-seeing around the island. I was very much an introvert, very small-minded, having come from a rather conservative and sheltered upbringing, and having those adventures with both of my friends, both of whom were far more worldly than me, helped to open me up a bit. So, that little bit of growth was an accomplishment before 24. Too, I got pretty good at testing F-15 PRCAs.

I terms of livery, yeah, Maverick is pretty plain. Ironically, Roy Focker's VF-1S copies the VF-84's look, especially the vertical stabs. As to blending in aesthetically, it's not much different than the old Takatoku Jetfire, minus the FAST packs and far more striking paint job. The similarities to the VF-1 can't be denied, which makes me wonder how they managed to get it released without HG raising a stink. I guess they changed it just enough to appease them. Anyway, I'm glad that they chose the design they did rather than the usual blocky bot wearing half a plane on its back that converts into half a plane toting a giant block of robot on its belly. I hated it when I was a kid, and I hate it more now, especially since technology, toy design, and engineering techniques have evolved expansively since the 80s, and a lot of that blockiness can be mitigated through clever engineering. By way of digression, I'm rather pleased with TFC Toys' take on the Aerialbots, which arguably hew closer to the Bayformer aesthetic than G1, although the mechanical transformations drive the look of the bots rather than CG artists' whimsy. While their Siverbolt suffers from the usual block o'bot under a Concode, the rest of the team's alt modes are far more accurate to the real aircraft, which appeals to me greatly. I have their Harrier and F-16 figs POed. I was at my local Wally yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone copy of the Sweep and Wreck-Gar, as my store seldom carries anything larger than deluxes. They also had a couple copies of Paleotrex, Tracks, and Waspinator. While they rarely carry leader class, they've had the original leader class Optimus Primal and Megatron figs, as well as Cheetor and Rattrap. I wanna say they had one more '96 fig, but I can't remember who it was. Anyway, they've been shelf-warming for awhile. I'm a little surprised, actually, at least that OP hasn't been sold out- as toys go, he was pretty amazing for all the stuff they packed into him. Neither the MP nor the Kingdom toys managed to faithfully pack in all the features of the original, and honestly, I don't really feel like they improved upon the original's engineering by much either, articulation notwithstanding. I was at Target this past weekend, and I can't recall seeing any ER or Kingdom figs. They had a number of Cyberverse figs, though, but I haven't picked up any of those toys this year. One of the figs was Thunderhowl, which had intrigued me back when the toys were first revealed; this was my first sighting, and I was a little tempted, but I put him back.