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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Hans Zimmer is a master of his craft and a boon to whatever project he's attached; if nothing else, you know the music is going to be good, and set the mood. TBH, though, I didn't notice it nearly as much in this film as others that he's scored. I'm sure I'll see this again, though, so upon my next watching (probably before Part 2 releases), I'll be more diligent to notice the music. Again, I tip my hat to the conceptual artists who filled this film with ships and backgrounds that are otherworldly, unique, and beautiful. I kinda wish LEGO had done sets from this; I would have been down for a couple Ornithopters at the very least. After watching this, Lynch's take is going to be a slap in the face followed by a splash of cold water.😄 Big difference in interpretation, but honestly, it's the Lynch film that will likely stay with you over the long term. I was reciting things in my mind from Lynch's film even as I was watching Villeneuve's. And Sting!
  2. M'Kyuun
    Just got back from the theatre. Decades have passed since I read the novel (I've only read Dune), and years since I've seen the Lynch film, whose over-the-top quality sticks with you, both in the visuals and the telling (all that inner dialog, the flying fatman, Sting's Feyd, etc.). All through the film, all I kept hearing in the back of my mind was Alia pronouncing, "He is the Kwisatz Haderach!" 😄 hopefully i didn't just ruin the experience for those of you who haven't seen the Villeneuve film. So Villeneuve's film definitely uses the talent to its advantage, but it's greatly toned down compared to the Lynch film. It nearly perches on the precipice of boring, but there's enough going on between action scenes and quieter scenes to keep you vested. The visuals were outstanding, though, and I want to tip my hat to the conceptual artists who created all the various ship designs, especially that glorious Ornithopter, which was a bit of a star itself. From the very beginning, and with the intro of every new ship, all I kept thinking is this is what the last three Star Wars films were missing. Well, they were lacking a lot more than that😄, but SW has always been a visual funfest under Lucas, and the last three films were flatlining in that department, IMHO. I digress; I think Villeneuve hit all the salient points so far as a decent Dune film goes; the story flows pretty well, and ends at a good point- the end of one existence for Paul Atreides, and the beginning of another in the sequel. I don't recall the much from the book, TBH, as it's the Lynch film that still rings in my memory. To that end, perhaps the over the top nature of that film was its strength, as so much of it has stayed with me all these years, and I doubt I'll say the same about this film in twenty or thirty years. As to Momoa, he's basically himself in every role, take it or leave it. I thought he was fine for the role of Duncan, though. Zendaya's a lovely girl, and Villeneuve wants you to know it with all the glamour shots; we're painfully aware that she and Paul are gonna hook up at some point, but I thought her character warmed to Paul a little too quickly. Too, I get the old trope of ritual combat, but I felt they accepted Paul and his mother a little too easily as well. He followed the rules and killed his opponent, but that doesn't mean instant trust and acceptance come with that victory; he just killed one of your own, a difficult thing to forgive. Anyway, I'm nitpicking. Overall, I thought it was a sedate but good film with absolutely beautiful visuals- a must to see on the big screen if only for that experience.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Small victories, man. Take 'em where you can get 'em. Still waiting on the verdict for the winner of the 90th anniversary set, although I have a really, really bad feeling that Bionicle is going to win. IMHO, Bionicle shouldn't have been a contender- it should have been strictly classic themes. AFAIK, Classic Space was pretty high in the running, though; I'd be ecstatic if it won, as it's still one of my all-time favorite themes, and I'd love to see it make a return, with modern techniques and palette to give it the necessary update.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, I've noted that Swerve and other characters have become popular due to the comics' depictions; they certainly never got much love in the toon. Anyway, as you said, they took things in different directions, which make the TF universe more interesting. Kinda cool that Hasbro paid homage to the comics over the years with various toys based on those designs; it's a nice validation, and cool for comics fans. Even without having read the comics, I picked up any number of those toys myself. I'm a toy guy, though; I've never needed lore or media depiction to find a toy appealing. Looking forward to getting into the MTME stories.
  5. M'Kyuun
    No kidding. Do they just not want people to be able to buy their products? Transformers are already as scarce as snow leopards in brick and mortar, online exclusives rarer still, and now they want to go to crypto-currency, which I personally know nothing about, as do likely 90% of the population for whom debit cards, cash, and perhaps Paypal, have been the means to acquire things. I just wish everything was sold in stores again in decent quantities without all the exclusivity shenanigans of the past four or five years. They're going to end up alienating all but their most ardent fans if they continue down this road of scarcity and exclusivity. I'm no marketing genius, but it seems to me you make more money buy having your product available. Meanwhile, the scalpers are hanging out in their very nice houses, which they've bought from all the overpriced crap they've sold, rubbing their hands together in gleeful anticipation.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I assume, as they did with Soundwave, that the other three cassettes are going to come in an exclusive pack. Crappy, but that seems to be their way of doing business. Anyway, from a character standpoint, my only knowledge of any of Blaster's cassettes comes from the 86 Movie. (I started reading the comics you sent, but slacked off; guess I need to recommit. I was enjoying them for so little far as I got into them.) My interest in them is totally based on their designs; cramming so much goodness into a small rectangular wafer has always appealed to me.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Kingdom Wave 5 will feature Blaster and Eject. Unfortunately, Eject is molded in clear plastic, which generally doesn't bode well for long term endurance. but the articulation is definitely improved over the previous cassettes. I wish they'd go back and redo them with improved articulation, although I'm secretly hoping Dr. Wu will just eventually do them all. Anyway, Blaster's looking pretty good. I'm a little surprised he's in the Kingdom line instead of 86SS, but either way, nice to have an update that actually holds regular cassettes unlike the CW Blaster. On that note, I hope Ramhorn and Steeljaw get their updates, too, and that they fare better than poor Ravage.
  8. M'Kyuun
    This was the winner in the LEGO Ideas/ Chronicle Books Puzzle fan vote contest, beating out three other submissions by a huge margin. It's set to release in May. I'll definitely be picking this up- I'll probably glue it and hang it in my cave.😍
  9. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the review, Mike. I didn't bother with Shadow Panther, but after I realized that the transformation was different on Agent Ravage, I decided to order him. He's way overpriced for what you get, but in this hobby, c'est la vie. Anyway, it's nice that they went to the bother of remolding him to more accurately reflect the character as he appeared in the show, and I love the G1 cassettes, especially Ravage, so that's just a nice bonus. Got my copy of Kingdom Rodimus yesterday- a couple minuses, but overall, wow, what a well done fig. I wish they'd somehow been able to employ a similar shoulder hinge as they did with Cyclonus; the body hinged shoulder articulation, despite the limited butterfly joint, is lamentable on a commander class toy. Still, there's a lot of right with this figure, and it's simply impressive. I think it's safe to say it's the best version of him ever released, at least officially. FYI, for those affected, I received notification from Amazon that my Jurassic Park Collab set delivery got bumped out to just before Christmas.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. Great looking UM, but definitely does not give the impression of a bot wearing armor. Sorry Mike. Not really crazy about the racing livery on those Omnis, except the yellow version of Overdrive; that one looks sweet. I'll be happy to just get all three, FINALLY, in their original colors. Fingers crossed that XTB do a good job on them. I have their Apollyon and Eligos, both of which have their pluses and minuses. I hope the transformation systems for their Omnis are a bit less frustrating. I'd so hoped, with their going full bore G1 and making some more obscure characters in the recent Generations line, that Hasbro would give us some Omnibots, especially when they made Reflector (I know they're calling him Refraktor, but he'll always be Reflector to me), who was also an 80s mail-in figure (which I got as a kid along with Downshift). maybe we'll get them in the Legacy line. I can only hope. So, I got notification from Chosen Prime that FT's Robot Paradise cassette pack is likely going to be available to ship within a day or so. Very, very happy and thankful that I was able to get a PO in for that set. I also got notification from BBTS that my Maketoys Meteor is finally available- been waiting for that one for quite some time. Anyway, thought I'd let folks know in the event they're waiting for the same.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I buy mine primarily from the source or directly from brick and mortar retailers like Walmart, Target, and Barnes and Noble. Most mom and pop kinds of places generally don't have the financial ability to secure supply contracts with LEGO and peddle mostly in used sets. A small marketer selling brand new sets, especially the larger sets, would and should raise an eyebrow. I buy a lot of parts from Bricklink, which itself is now owned by LEGO. However, Bricklink is populated by literally thousands of independently run stores from people all over the world, and those stores are not policed for their adherence to the law; feedback from buyers to the moderators is really the only method of bringing attention to a seller if there's bad conduct or suspicion of the same. So, as always, buyer beware. I'm glad that a wary Amazon employee contacted police, and that, at least for the time, they've put a stop to his operation. Hopefully they nail his suppliers, too. Moreover, shoplifters have become bold, blatantly stealing carts of merchandise without the retailers having much recourse to stop them or protect themselves. Hopefully that's a situation that will change too, as these thieves only serve to drive the costs up as retailers try to compensate for their losses. And the thieves themselves are no doubt among the dreaded scalpers making it difficult to find stuff in stores. I live in WA state, and more often of late private security is being employed for a lot of the bigger retailers. What a shame that it's come to this.
  12. M'Kyuun
    FT's Powerglide looks amazing. I want it, but I dread the Macross Madness levels of difficulty these days in scoring a PO.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Hollywood. I like the actors involved, but having played all the games, this feels more like another generic action adventure buddy film than its namesake, and neither of the leads really feels like Drake or Sully to me.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Success! Po'd Kickback, Arcee, Bulkhead, Dragstrip, and Skids on Pulse. I hmmed and hawed over Laser Prime, but none of the pics show his arms rotated at the shoulders and I got a bad feeling. They probably do rotate, but it seems funny that they wouldn't show off all the articulation possible in promo shots. Anyway, the overall design has never really grabbed me; I much prefer the G1 design. This guy had the faux chest thing going on back before it became the go-to design solution for compensating for proportional changes between bot and alt modes. Anyway, I hope I don't regret passing on him. I passed on POing Kingdom Waspinator, and after reading your review, I'm feeling an ounce of regret, as I'll likely never see him at retail. Alas, I have the T30 toy, and it still holds its charm for me. OT, but I did see not one, but two Kingdom Gnaws at my local Wally this past Tuesday, and dumbass me, I put both back on the peg since I have it POed with Pulse. But, I could have saved myself a couple bucks at Wally, not to mention the instant gratification of having it earlier than anticipated. Having thought about it all evening, I went back the next day and both were gone. If my leg could extend further upwards, I'd have kicked my backend from one side of the store to the other, and it's a big store. I salved my huge regret with a small but cool new LEGO Spiderman set, but the regret still stings a bit. Sometimes, I don't understand my own thinking or reluctance. I've always been like this, though, which is why I have a mountain of non-buyer's remorse, especially where LEGO's concerned, but certainly with Transformers too. I wasn't going to get Agent Ravage, but there are enough differences in the transformation from Cheetor, not to mention that sweet tampoed G1 Ravage mini-cassette, that I caved. I wish they'd used the superior Tigatron mold, but it would have raised the price by another twenty bucks or so, so yeah. Guess it's cool that they made him at all, and getting another cassette is good. Hasbro owns me.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I hadn't really taken a good look at her during the livestream; looking at some stills over on TFW, I see what you're saying. I'm thinking there's an armature within the lower legs that allows the lower legs to trapeze down and form the lower part of the bike while the thighs essentially form the fuel tank, or at least occupy that space. The arms clearly form the seat, and her bot chest can be made out sitting on top of the lower legs. It's a pretty interesting looking transformation. I was hoping they'd carry forward her little wings like the Prime design, but it doesn't appear so. Still, as a translation of the Prime figure, which I still consider in high regard, both retail and superior FE figs, to a WFC aesthetic, it looks alright. Ironically, I'm not interested in motorcycles in the least, but I totally dig transforming motorcycles, especially if they're done well. I think it's kinda like the cassette appeal- turning a small compact real world object into a robot is challenging, but really satisfying when it's done well. Conversely, I'm not really feeling what they've done with Bulkhead. I love both the Animated and Prime designs, especially the First Edition toy. I'm thinking Animated Bulkhead was the inspiration for this guy, as he bears no likeness at all to the Prime version, but he's even more simplified, to me anyway, than even the Animated figure. Alas, I'll still get him. But I kinda wish they'd gone more for the Prime design, although I know a Generations interpretation would never be as complex as the original Prime toy. Nice to see a return to Combiners that look more complex than the simplified CW figures. I get what they were going for with that line, but I'd rather see more complex figures that can still transform and combine. Third parties have been knocking it out of the park for about a decade now, and neither Hasbro nor Takara-Tomy exist in a vacuum. Even if there's no direct competition at CHUG scale going on right now, there's always that possibility, and as TF fans themselves, I'm sure the lackluster quality of the CW line makes them want better for their own collections, not to mention all the fan feedback. Anyway, it's good to see, and I'm hoping that a new Devastator and a new Bruticus are in the works at the same level of quality. I'd hope for new Aerialbots, but even with the uptick in quality, I still doubt that they be anything more than blocky bots with planes on their backs, and that just sours me on the prospect. Back to Kickback- doesn't look like the thighs collapse, so yeah, I guess they just straighten out, b/c they look wonky as hell all bent at the knees in the livestream. Kind of a bummer, as the grasshopper's hind legs are going to look disproportionately long. More than most, this fig really looks like a modified G1 toy, which is both good and bad. Nevertheless, bring on Shrapnel and Bombshell!
  16. M'Kyuun
    I'm down for the Legacy stuff except Laser prime, and even that, from a toy perspective, has my interest. I was never into G2 at all, so my interest there in regards to new toys will be based purely on just how much the toy appeals to me. WTH happened to Kickback's legs in grasshopper mode? Pretty sure the thighs are supposed to collapse into the shins (that's how it looked on the boxart). Kinda embarrassing when they mis-transform their product in such a show designed to promote the same.
  17. M'Kyuun
    @mikeszekely bet you're getting excited for some new Stunticons. 🙂 Also Laser Prime.
  18. M'Kyuun
    NP- you did good. Epic is a bit strong, but I'm glad you like them. I built a VF-4 precisely b/c I really liked the design, and when I started working on it, there were no toys. Yamato came along and gave us a pretty good one, but I never did like the immobile shoulders; that sort of limitation on arm movement just doesn't make sense for a combat mech, so I remedied that on my version. I'm glad that my models inspired you; I'm constantly amazed and inspired by other builders, mecha and otherwise. It makes me realize my own limitations, and having seen what's possible, makes me want to explore more ideas in my own building. I'm glad, for once, I could be on the giving end of that equation rather than the receiving end. Still a transformation, even if it's not overcomplex or fancy. My little forklift guy is simple but straightforward- nothing too fancy, just enough to get the job done. Be proud of your compact variable space tug (that's how I see it; sorry if I'm mischaracterizing). It's tough to make the smaller things transform, in my experience- not as much room to tuck things away. You did a good job of it, in an appealing and practical little model that can accommodate a minifig. All pluses. Looking forward to it. Every success to you. Sigh, LEGO's joints are both the wind beneath my wings, and the bane of my existence. They're great to a point, which I often exceed with my builds. I've long pined for more robust joints in the palette, but even with all the mecha sets they've been releasing, they don't seem interested in producing any joints beyond what's already on hand. The limitation courts creative solutions, as with the IDEAS Voltron shoulder solution, or the awkward use of Exo-Force clicky joints in concert with AT-AT leg joints for some of the larger mecha. These large mecha models beggar for dedicated compact ratcheting joints, but LEGO , for whatever reason, doesn't make them. Anyway, I've taken to cheating here and there with some of my models to try and extend the life of the joints. My VF-4 has little folded wads of paper in the ball and socket joints comprising the hips and knees. It's ten years old, and still holding up pretty well. I've also tried using small rubber bands inside the Exo-Force clicky joints to try and increase the ratcheting strength, with short-lived benefits. Those joints are great for their range and size, but they have poor endurance under any significant load. I'd love a more robust replacement for them at the same size. Tricky indeed. Alas, all part of the fun. I'm sure it'll offer you plenty of opportunities to exercise the spicier part of your vocabulary from time to time. If I had to put a quarter in a jar every time I swore at my LEGO stuff, I'd have to take out second and third mortgages.😄 Probably a good thing I don't have kids. Good luck with your project, Danth!👍
  19. M'Kyuun
    Dude! That's a pretty sweet little build! I was checking out the basic shape of it, and never even noticed the ball joints; they're pretty well integrated. Anyway, I didn't realize it transformed until I read the bit of text above the ship pic and scrolled down for bot mode. I can envision a swarm of these as utility bots maintaining a big ship or station, buzzing here and there (well not actually buzzing- there's no sound in space, silly). Man, I'm honored for the shout out, and humbled by the sentiment; I guess we never realize the influence we can have on others, and I'm glad mine was a positive one which resulted in a cool transforming mech. Not many folks do the transforming thing, even amongst some of the heavy hitter builders who attend big conventions or end up on shows like LEGO Masters. We're a rare breed within the community, and I hope this is the first of many more variable mecha that you grace us with. Leg godt, Danth.
  20. M'Kyuun
    True, the movie's set about the second year of his donning the cape and cowl, so he's still working on the persona of batman. But, you'd think a billionaire with all the resources at his disposal, as well as his polymath like skillset, could come up with something more stylish. but then again, Pattinson's Batman looks like he's going to be straightforward and brutal, and a tricked out muscle car works to that end- nothing too flashy, just an aggressive looking car with a lot of gallop. He should have had a tank. 😄
  21. M'Kyuun
    Still too funny.😄
  22. M'Kyuun
    Likewise; Blue Thunder was more realistic in its depiction of then current state of the art technology. I'm not sure about whisper mode, but there have been strides in prop design that vastly reduce rotor noise. The concept of Blue Thunder was excellent, and I absolutely loved the look of it, as well as the spec-ops nature of it as depicted in the film. I watched the series, too, but as I recall, it was cheesier than the film, although I liked the cast. Dana Carvey will forever be remembered for his SNL work and his portrayal of Garth in Wayne's World, not to mention his stand up comedy, but I've always held a soft spot for his portrayal of Clinton Wonderlove AKA JAFO, whose nickname is also an acronym which contains that most glorious of profanities around which they had to do some wordsmithing. I used to have debates with a fellow student concerning the virtues of BT over Airwolf when I was in middle school. With time having passed, there's certainly much more to love, IMHO, about Airwolf as a whole, haunting soundtrack notwithstanding, than BT, which is nearly forgotten. Stringfellow Hawke, which is probably the coolest tv character name ever, was played to a tee by Jan Michael Vincent, whose personal demons likely added to the edginess of the character. The chemistry between him and Dom felt real, and just made it that much more enjoyable. as to the chopper itself; it's undeniably gorgeous; hat's off to Bell for producing such a beautiful machine. However, its capabilities were exaggerated well beyond reality (where did they store all those missiles, which shot machine gun style from the same tubes? Dissymmetry of lift prevents high velocities well below supersonic, and even if the rotor was placed into autorotation, there's not enough lift generating surface on the Bell 222 to sustain flight without its main rotor. Where'd they hide the chaff and flare dispensers? TV bulletproof- all those hits and never a mark on her.😉). BT's depiction of its flight characteristics and onboard tech was far more plausible, but Airwolf looked and sounded better, even as she flew into the realm of tv fantasy.
  23. M'Kyuun
    It's too plain for my liking; there's nothing delineating this as a Batmobile; it could just as well be a car from Fast and Furious. Granted, I'm glad they didn't go to Schumacher extremes; he went just a little overboard with all the neon and flashy lights. 🤮 I wish there was more to the Pattinson-mobile, aesthetically, than just a black muscle car with good ground clearance. Kinda boring as Batmobiles go, and the Batmobile is always going to be a star in its own right in a Batman production, be it animated or live action. I believe modern expectations are that any new Batmobile design is going to bring something new and unique to what has really become a genre unto itself. This one is unique, but misses the mark for me. Maybe I'll change my mind after seeing the film, but right now, with toys and such already becoming available, it lacks that impact and appeal I was hoping for.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Got my version of the System Tumbler today- been waiting while its been in Fed Ex limbo for the past few days, but well worth the wait. I have the first edition of the UCS Tumbler, and while that's a cool set, I'm more of a System scale guy, i.e. everything scaled to minifigs, and the previous Tumbler sets at that scale left somewhat to be desired. It's taken 16 years, but LEGO has finally delivered a respectable minifig scaled model that depicts the iconic Tumbler with a fair bit of accuracy. This Tumbler is also a 2 seater, taking advantage of the base plate that forms the chassis of the 8 stud wide Speed Champion vehicles, a welcome change from the old 6 wide cars, IMHO., as well as the previous two single seater System Tumblers. Just for a memory jog, these are the previous releases Both the Tumbler and The Bat leave somewhat to be desired from an accuracy POV, but I have to admit that little Tumbler was fun to build and play with. As toys both succeeded in being fun representations, albeit with a bat-load of liberties taken. And this is the new hotness:😍 Of course, LEGO loves its shooters, but I'm happy to say that they're built in fairly discreetly on the front wheel mounts, and if you remove the gold studs used as ammo, they're barely noticeable, looking more like mechanical bits than guns. However, being LEGO, it's a a fairly easy mod to remove them if they hurt one's sensibilities. The build was innovative for how the various angles were achieved, and there were were even some parts in the set that I've never seen before in person (the modified plate with an angled panel attached sitting in front of the rear tires. I knew that part existed, but this is my first hands on. It was perfect for this application). Anyway, if you can't tell, I'm extremely happy with this set. It took a long time, but I feel that the designers really delivered, not an easy feat at this scale. And because I'm greedy, and love the Nolan Batman films, I'm hoping The Bat will get a similar treatment after the rather lackluster first attempt. A new camo Tumbler modified with retractable rocket launcher from DKR would be nice, too, while I'm making wishes. It would be a glorious thing if the new Bat set also came with a HEMMT with a bomb for Batman to carry out to sea. I love the HEMMT, and this as good an excuse as any for LEGO to give us an approximation- their no modern warfare policy would preclude an exact representation, but if they came close, that'd be fine by me. As for the figs in this set, Batman is a decent representation of Bale's suit, with both sides of the torso being printed. Arm and leg printing would have been nice, though, to really raise the fig above standard and impart some further armor detail. He comes with a second head to represent his creepy look to a fear gas infected Crane- pretty neat addition. His cape is of the soft material and unlike the starched fabric capes, only has a single neck hole. While the cockpit of this set is fairly spacious compared to many other superhero sets, it can still be a little challenging to get Batman to sit without some finagling, and the soft cape helps. The villain in this set is Dr. Jonathan Crane, better known by his nom d' guerre, Scarecrow. While they did an arguably good job of depicting his mask via printing, both front and back of the minifig head, it feels off to me somehow. I'm not sure how they could improve it short of making a specialized molded head, but it does the job. Since the bad guys in the first two Dark Knight Trilogy films didn't really have vehicles, per se, there's really nothing for the Tumbler to go up against set-wise, and by the mid-second and third films, Batman was driving the Batpod around, having crashed the Tumbler in TDK. There's a little bit of a void there so far as playability, but nonetheless, I love me some Batmobiles, and this new Tumbler is most welcome. I hope LEGO's not done revisiting the DKT.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Brian Goldner, Hasbro CEO, Dies at 58 (msn.com) Sad news. While I may have taken the odd pot shot at Mr. Goldner over the years when expressing dissatisfaction with this or that in the world of Transformers, Hasbro prospered under his leadership, and that ultimately benefitted me and every other fan who still collects official TF toys. His passing leaves a huge void, and I can only hope that his replacement bears the same business acumen and passion for playthings that Mr. Goldner brought to bear. He died too young, and my heart goes out to his family, friends, and all the folks at Hasbro that knew him and relied on his leadership. RIP Brian, and thanks.
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