M'Kyuun

Jordan has proven himself to be adept at writing a cool and interesting take on the horror/sci-fi genre, with a lot of Black perspective and a bit of humor. Get Out and Us were both well done, and Nope looks to continue the trend of dark, quirky, funny, & suspenseful storytelling. Looking forward to seeing it.

Although my care factor is pretty much off-scale low at this point, I'm assuming Primal will be a different character from Prime as he was in both the Netflix show and in the original BW. I'm just tired of the continued Bay influence in the live action films. I wish they'd retire it and start anew. Bee deserves to have an actual mouth like his original animation instead of that dumb looking perma-pacifier. Interesting news: Bandai Spirits and Takara Tomy are forming a collaboration under the tagline "Dream Together" on the 16th. Curious what that will entail, and what it might mean for TF fans if Bandai gives the go-ahead to TT to make figs based on the Beetras line (Deluxe Insecticons), Dorvack (Roadbuster and Whirl), Machine Robo (Gobots), an actual VF-1 based Jetfire, and others. I'd love to see that as a consequence of their joining forces, although I'm not holding my breath. The thought of Bandai licensing their 1/48 VF-1 as an official Jetfire is pretty exciting though, and given the agreement with HG, potentially possible.

Bumblebee and a bit of Primal from the upcoming Rise of the Beasts live-action Transformers film. I can sum up my feelings with "Meh". 😒

That is one impressive set. I love how LEGO continues to push boundaries, sometimes playing a little looser with their traditional stability requirements to create sets with more realism and sometimes nigh skeletal structure, as with the loops here. It looks more like a MOC than a set, and the sense of dynamism is palpable just looking at it. You can't look at this and not want to see the cars go speeding through those loops. I don't plan to get it (I wouldn't know where to put it if I did), but I applaud the audacity, presentation, and playability of it. So, I got this guy yesterday. It's set # 10302 Optimus Prime with 1508 pieces. This is a dream set for me. I've been playing with LEGO since I was about six, several years before the debut of the minifig and LEGO's Classic themes of Town, Castle, and the only one that truly matters, Space. 😍 I was thirteen when Transformers debuted, feeding my unquenchable love and passion for shape-shifting robots. Of course, a marriage of the two followed thereafter, although my early MOCs were, quite simple, having more in common with Gobots than Transformers in terms of complexity. But I digress. LEGO Optimus Prime (gawd it feels so surreal to type that, and yet it's real!) takes its design cues from the G1 OP toy. Except for the need to rotate the waist 180, and the need to remove the fists, its virtually identical. While it's rather simple, as a first step into producing a set of this nature, it works well. Too, LEGO is obviously aiming this at us old fogies from the 80s who are going to recognize the original toy in this, plucking the strings of nostalgia ever so unsubtly. They know what they're doing. (nodding wisenly) Prime comes with an accoutrement of toon related weapons and accessories, all of which appeared within the original three-part miniseries which introduced us to the wonderful world of the Autobots and Decepticons in Sept 1984. They include an Energon Cube, Prime's Energon Axe (from his duel w/ Megatron atop Sherman Dam), his trusty Ion Blaster, and Sideswipe's jet pack, which he borrowed in Ep 3 to pursue the Decepticon ship Victory as it headed back to Cybertron. Info kindly provided by the instructions themselves, which are full of toon factoids as you progress through the various builds. Wonderful and much appreciated touch. Ion Blaster With a mix of both Technic and brick work, Prime's signature weapon looks the part. I love the way the stock was designed, using an old windshield piece in black to encapsulate the sloped bricks, perfectly capturing the look. I wish they had printed or offered stickers for those grey bricks to provide vent detail. Missed opportunity. Although the gun has a grip, the stock itself attaches to Prime's arm. The hands alone are incapable of holding the weapon. Energon Axe In the first pic, I forgot to attach one of the splat pieces to the handle section of the axe, but it gives an idea of how it was assembled. Both of Prime's arms have a couple black 1x1 Technic bricks with fixed axle holes built within into which the brown axle on the axe can be inserted. The hand needs to be removed before attaching the axe, unless you just want to use the transformation joint and have his hand hanging oddly off the bottom of his arm while wielding the axe. Sideswipe's jet pack This is the most involved build among Prime's accessories, and probably the most superfluous, as like the Energon Axe, it was only ever used once in the OG cartoon. Too, it belonged to Sideswipe, who I don't recall having ever used it himself in the toon, or at least having attention called to his having used it. The existence of it at all harkens back to Sideswipe's bio, and the inclusion of various features/abilities as mentioned in the old Tech Specs in the toon always brought me a measure of joy. Thanks Mr. Budiansky.🙏 The light tan clips snap onto two black 1x2 plates with closed bars built into Prime's back, which is a bit hollow without it attached. Optimus cleans up nicely with the jet pack attached. Wrapping up accessories, the Energon Cube is the simplest build, mostly comprised of 1x2 trans-dark pink bricks. It can be seen in the first pic I posted above. Optimus Prime So I'll just say out of the gate that my feelings are mixed on this set. I'm beyond ebullient that it exists, and the potential it holds for more. LEGO Transformers is a theme I've wanted more than anything since 1984; it's been a long wait, and I honestly never thought it would happen. I've never been so happy to be wrong. I think it turned out very well, probably better than it should have. Early sketch model: That said, the limited articulation, which is endemic to these large mecha models minimizes the visual and tactile impact as opposed to something that can be posed dynamically. It looks very good, like their Voltron, but playability is severely limited. As a big fan of maximum articulation, I can't help but feel a pang of disappointment when these sets come out and they're essentially statues from the waist down, much like the OG Transformer toys. Alas, stability. On to Optimus. Ready for action! His right leg is one click forward and the waist is turned slightly to his right as well. His feet do not pivot fore and aft, but they do have ankle rocker, and the toes can rotate through an arc of about 130 degrees on friction pins. I have the toe rotated down a little to support the pose, but the friction is just barely capable of bearing the weight. In this pic, I have his left arm butterflied back about as far as it can go, and the right arm is abducted at the shoulder as far as the arm structure will alllow, which isn't much. Those big plates with the Autobot symbols restrict shoulder movement away from the body. flexion rotation at the shoulder is 360 unimpeded, and the elbows bend to 90. the wrists rotate 360, the thumb is made of a 1x1 modified rounded plate with closed bar and a 1x2 slope, which allows for a fair range of motion. The fingers, which are connected into a single rotating unit, can open and close, giving the "piano hands' look. There's an internal hinge joint within the arm that allows the hands to swing 90 degrees perpendicular to the bottom of the arm for transformation. Optimus features a brand-new joint piece to accomplish a compact hip joint. For larger mecha builders like me, it's godsend, a piece I've been wishing for for well over a decade. Like Prime himself, it was a long but much gratifying wait. These illustrate the hip rotation and limits of the ankle rocker- at full spread, his ankles don't quite bend enough to allow him to stand flat-footed. Unfortunately, Prime has no bending knees, but due to a ball and socket connection, his lower legs can rotate 360. Truck The salient feature of Transformers, of course, is their ability to change their forms, and in this regard, LEGO Optimus Prime doesn't disappoint. Modeled from the original Diaclone Convoy/ G1 Optimus Prime, Joe Kyde, who previously worked for Hasbro designing Transformer toys there, brought his wealth of design experience to give us a complete "Transformer experience' in this model, which heretofore hasn't been the case with other licensed Transformer building systems, like Kre-o. The result is an unmistakable cabover truck that does a very good job of filling in most of the gaps, especially where the front panels meet the arms creating a cohesive look. It's not perfect, however: there are large gaps in front of and behind the shoulders as well as on top to allow for clearance to swing the arms out. I can forgive it. The toes curl down and rest at an angle displaying some trans-red bits that provide brake light detail. This looks better than many official and 3P solutions for Prime's feet, where they often hang out obtrusively. These just meld into the back of the truck nigh seamlessly. I like it. I didn't take a pic of it, but Prime's gun can nestle snugly in the gap between the legs in truck mode- it doesn't attach to anything, though. As storage goes, not bad. Below are some underside shots in truck mode. In the pics, you can see how the hands stow behind the front panels and bumper. The bright orange bits on the feet are rubber studs that help give the model traction when standing. The head Prime's head is a complex build of brackets, wedge plates, slopes, tiles, and of course the bits used for his antennae, or ears as I've seen some refer to them. There's a 1x2 plate printed with his eyes, and a 1x2 tile printed with the vent detail on his helmet. His head is mounted on a ball-joint, which gives a generous range of motion. Some ado has been made about the bit of bracket below the eyes, but in-hand, it doesn't bother me too much. The ack of a nose protrusion is more noticeable to me, but that'd be a tough thing to add in at this scale. As it is, it does the job well enough. That wraps up my review. As I said in the beginning, I'm exceptionally pleased and grateful that this set exists, hopefully paving the way for more. It's not without its flaws, but overall, I think the execution was well done, as both modes look clean and reminiscent of the original G1 toy. The fact that it can be transformed without removing parts is the icing on the proverbial cake- it just completes the experience as a Transformer toy, and IMHO after nearly forty years of waiting, it was worth it. The lack of knees and other limitations in articulation are disappointing but not unexpected in a model this size. Fortunately, it's LEGO, and infinitely mod-able. If you're a Transformers fan or a LEGO fan, this set should have great appeal for you. Highly recommended.

That would be about the easiest way to do a transforming Skystriker, IMHO. Besides redesigning the forward fuselage to allow for a usable cockpit, very little additional engineering would be needed. Thing would be huge though- def dwarf even the 1/48 valks.

I was always more indoorsy than out, woefully so these days, but I did go out a fair bit as a kid. I had friends who owned a pizzeria downtown, which was 6 miles from my house, and about seven from my friend Dan's house. Dan and I would ride our bikes all the way into town, the last mile of which was a fairly steep downhill incline (they finally built an alternate less-steep truck bypass after several trucks lost their brakes and crashed into stuff) to go visit with our friends and get a slice or two. Can't tell you how many times we rode our bikes up and down both the steep hill and the truck bypass. I weighed about a buck-ten and had some strong legs back in those days. Very fond memories. Just doing a general search, Mathew Modine's showing his age a bit. Not sure if the gray hair is natural or dyed, but there are pics of him w/ blonde hair, and others with grey.

I was a teen in the 80s and I have no recollection of Kate Bush, and barely any recollection of "Running Up That Hill". I don't remember seeing it on MTV, or even hearing it on the radio, and I've always been a pop music fan. I was a bit sheltered and very antisocial as a kid (still antisocial at 50), but I can relate to the majority of 80s references in the show, so I feel like I'm missing out on the hype. Still, this show is a love letter to my generation, and I appreciate the Duffer Bros' commitment to cramming so much 80s goodness into the look and feel of the show. What strikes me now looking back is how upbeat, optimistic, and positive so much of the music of the time was, and just so much of our media from that era. Of course, sooooo much of it was cornier than Redenbacher's entire product line, but considering we were living through the peak of the Cold War, it's kinda refreshing to go back and soak in that positivity a little.

Except for Zartan, who I always wanted as a kid but never got, I'm pretty much out of the Joe collecting game- too many other collections, an ever-shrinking house, and now the ever-increasing price of stuff are causing me to be choosier in my toy purchases. That said, if it was really well done, I'd be tempted. Heck I wouldn't mind if they did a G1 Jetfire repaint of Maverick. Hasbro could get some mileage from a good mold, and in better colors.

Another Transformers/ GI Joe crossover was announced this morning. This time it'll be the AWE Striker which converts into Bumblebee. I didn't think the execution of Megs into a HISS Tank was particularly well done, but this one looks much better to me. Honestly, though, I wish they'd give these guys their own characters so they didn't have to be designed to try and conform to existing characters who already have traditionally well-defined alt modes and looks to them. I think it'd reduce the number of concessions and the alts could be better integrated into the bot modes. Just my $.02

I'd say the same, but my friend Luke only builds big, so I'm tangentially aware of what goes into a huge build like this. BTW, those rings in the center are each motorized, spin counter to each other, and weigh 20lbs a piece. He's since torn it apart, but I was fortunate to help him set it up at two different cons. Pretty impressive to see in person.

Here you go. Love that he brick-built the stripes- looks great.

I think the likelihood of a trailer for Prime is about zero. If they were going to do it, it would have been wiser to include it in the set, but that would have made it extremely large and prohibitively expensive for many fans. So, I think they were smart to release just Optimus sans trailer to keep the price down and make him accessible to more people across the financial spectrum. I don't think a stand-alone trailer set would sell well, as most peeps are going to display their Optimus in bot mode, and the trailer for this guy would be a large model that likely ends up in storage except for the odd times when he's transformed, rolled around a bit, and then put back in bot mode. That's pretty much the deal for my Earthrise Optimus- 99% of the time, he's in bot mode, and his trailer is essentially a paperweight on the back of one of my shelves. I like having it for those odd times when I feel like rolling the full truck around, but honestly, I can't remember the last time I did that. I imagine a similar scenario for LEGO Optimus fans as well. I get the allure, but I don't think it adds more value than just the core fig alone; IMHO, there's more value in making him available to a wider audience with different financial situations. The cool thing about this situation, though, is it's LEGO! If you want a trailer, you can make your own, and customize it however you wish. So far as the sticker(s) running down the sides, if LEGO were to make a trailer, I suspect the sides would be clad in large tiles and the stripes broken up into a series of stickers, as that's their general modus operandi in these situations.

You, sir, are Takara's biggest fan. 😊 You're definitely part of the target audience for TT's MP line, and I'm glad you guys are getting those dream figs that look like they walked right off the screen. That aesthetic doesn't appeal to me personally, but I can certainly empathize. FWIW, I dig this fig, too, and if I didn't already have FT's Phoenix, which I prefer over the TT, I'd be all over it no second thoughts given. The Macross heritage was inherent, given that Skyfire was originally, and should have remained, Jetfire, the repurposed VF-1 in the show. There was already animation completed with his VF-1 form, but licensing issues forced the redesign to the Skyfire we know and love. It is cool, however, and perhaps a flip of a certain digit to HG, that Skyfire had a GERWALK style landing in the toon. He lacks the forward knee rotation, but the gist is there. It's quite cool that it can be replicated by MP Skyfire. Anyway, I hope you and the other folks who order him, having waited so many years for the definitive Skyfire, take an immense joy in the fig. Despite my aesthetic preferences, I think Takara did good with this guy, and I honestly didn't think they'd ever do him in the MP line, so it's truly a dream toy once again come to fruition. And that's good for all fans.

I stand corrected. Thanks sh9000!

I don't think so- just molded slugs.

So, now that we have a variety of clear pics to look at, I've been comparing it to Fans Toy's Phoenix. The similarities are quite striking, and honestly, if you missed out on Phoenix, the official is shaping up to be a rather fine-looking toy in both modes, a compliment I rarely get to hand out to jet-formers. That said, aesthetically, I still prefer Phoenix. I like his chunkier multi-angular sculpted thighs and the overall proportions, even the minimized waist, which, though not animation accurate, looks better to my eye than the animation design. That's a very subjective thing, and I imagine when FT were designing him, they purposely molded that waist to look similar to MP-10's. I could be wrong, but that similarity has always struck me. Too, Phoenix' s more 'heroic' styled chest looks better to me than the longer chest panels from the animation. I also prefer the blockier shaping of Phoenix's forearms over the official's tapered forearms. In jet mode, they are surprisingly similar, although Phoenix's gullet is shallower, and his red thruster pack is neither as long nor as tall as the official, for good reason: difference in transformation. Looking through the pics, I'm reasonably certain that Skyfire's arms tuck away into the backpack in jet mode, whereas Phoenix's forearms form a goodly chunk of his fuselage just behind the cockpit section. Both are good solutions for tucking away those huge arms and odd rounded shoulders, but the engineer-wannabe in me absolutely adores Fans Toys' solution of integrating them into the plane itself. It's one of my favorite things about Phoenix. Props to Takara for the far better-looking and more realistic main landing gear with multi-wheeled bogies even! 😍That's just lovely, and far more comely than FT's oddly backward angled mains with just a single forked wheel each. 🤮 The way Takara fold the feet in jet mode looks a bit odd to me; I prefer Phoenix's slightly recessed feet that fold completely within the legs. Too, Phoenix's are closer to the animation, if this still is any measure of accuracy. I realize I'm gushing all over Phoenix, which just solidifies in my mind that I already have the MP Skyfire for me. Slavish toon accuracy isn't as important to me as detail, and I find the many stylistic touches that FT brought to their version of Skyfire appeal to me greatly. However, I stand by my original statement; whichever of these two toys you end up with, as a fan of Skyfire's design, either toy is going to deliver a big cool looking bot that converts into an equally cool Cybertronian jet with no bot kibble to mar its profile.

I can't see Hasbro sitting this release out; eventually it'll be on Pulse, but it's going to be crazy expensive. You know Hasbro wants a piece of that pie. Like Mike, I'm curious to see how the final turns out, and what sort of goodies they build into him. He's already more toon accurate than FT's Phoenix, big shock to nobody, but I want to see if they're able to improve the articulation, which has kinda been their thing for the last six years or so. Tall order on a fig this size- lots of ratchet-y goodness. FT's transformation is pretty brilliant, and the jet mode is virtually seamless top and bottom; I love how they used the arms to form a goodly chunk of the front section of the plane. I'm very curious to see how TT approaches their toy's transformation. We've seen commander class Jetfire, which is a great toy, but def not to MP standards with the huge gap on the bottom. Then again, if MP-52 is any indication, the bottom of the plane is insignificant to even a MP plane-former.

Given the size, I doubt it as well. Optimus is the real draw, and at that scale, a stand-alone trailer set would likely end up becoming a shelfwarmer for the cost. I'm not even concerned with building a trailer for mine. I'd rather spend the time, effort, and money on improving Prime's articulation and making other tweaks. But yeah, there will no doubt be any number of trailer MOCs, and I've also no doubt several will find their way onto Bricklink.

The LEGO fan community is one of the most helpful out there, esp in these days of more and more toxic fanbases. Right? I'm contemplating it, too. I looked about a bit, as there are a number of reviewers who received early copies, but I've yet to see any mods. My money's on Chubbybots, as he always does a good job modding these official mech/robot sets. I'll likely pursue my own method, but it's always illuminating to see how others solve the same problem. No harm in copying a superior approach, either.

Normally, I'd be thrilled by this, but I've had Fans Toys' Phoenix for years now, and I'm pretty satisfied with that fig. Given his size, this is going to be a very spendy fig, and I'm not sure it'll do enough beyond what Phoenix offers to justify it. I think TT are a day late and a dollar short, as they've been with a number of their recent MP releases where comparable and oft cheaper third-party versions have already been released. For a large part of the fandom, one of those options suffices, esp in light of the TT pricing and uber-toon slavish aesthetic, which doesn't appeal to everyone.

TBH, I like the colors of this much better than the original Blaster colors. I've never been a fan of yellow or red. This looks sharp, but I have no association with SG, nor the room really for all these repaints. It does look spiffy, though.

Ah, from that perspective, I get it. I wouldn't be crazy about that either. IF's take on Powerglide retained enough hints of the A-10 to make me happy, but had it been more like any other jet, I would have balked. If you're fond of the G1 hovercraft, then that's what you like- I can't argue it, and it is the original. I don't hold a strong fondness for Seaspray, so the changes that IF made feel to me more like an upgrade to his old hovercraft mode, or a Cybertronian take on it. Either way, I dig it. If I had a soft spot for him, though, I might feel differently. Options are good.

Enjoyed the review, Kuma. I have to agree with you on that alt; I daresay I like it better than his original G1 alt mode, although the OG is a more realistic take on RW hovercraft. I have several G1 Seasprays at this point so I'm good on the G1 front. IF's stylish take sings to me; I adore the look of that bot mode; it's G1 Seaspray+, as if he received an upgrade. And that rakish pontoon boat look looks fast and fierce. I love it. Needless to say, I have this guy sitting in a pile of loot ready to be shipped; I'm just waiting for another more expensive item to be released for free shipping. Looking forward to having him in hand. Too, one can always expect some cool dynamic posing during your reviews, and you didn't disappoint. Hasbro's marketing team could learn a thing or two by watching your vids. Kinda surprised you don't like the alt, Mike. Alas different strokes. As to Bayrazor, this is yet another stylish IF take that really caught my eye, and despite my indifference towards Beachcomber's character, a cool toy is a cool toy, and this interpretation also grabbed my attention for the almost kawaii beach buggy mode and great looking bot mode. Transformation is a bit fiddly, even a little frustrating, but regardless, I dig him. Regarding Hegemon AKA McTron😄, I remember this guy from back in the day- seems like a long time ago now- back before I started buying 3P but kept a loose eye on 3P stuff that was coming out. Although having a CHUG scale Megs w/ a pistol alt was an appealing prospect, since it'll never happen officially, this design just never quite grabbed me. Looking at it now, it betrays its age, IMHO- kinda blocky, stiff, and lifeless looking bot mode. I don't like all that red on the backs of his legs or head (granted, those could be painted). IDK, it should appeal to me, but the kibble and the look of the bot mode kinda put me off of it. I want a Magic Square Doomsday blown up to voyager scale- to me, that's about the best Megs you could ask for.

I liked it better than first season, too. Agree, too, that the original GitS film and SAC were dialog heavy, sometimes too much so for my taste.