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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    As do I. Still the best MP scaled set of Constructicons, IMHO. As to that particular version, I'm generally indifferent to cell shaded paint jobs, but when they're done well, you can't help but think, "Wow!". I didn't realize how much mileage TW got out of their Constructor set; even in Communist China, the spirit of capitalism is alive and well.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Beautiful set for sure. Now we need the RMS Carpathia, one of the heroes of this tragic maritime story.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Good review of Thunderbolt, Mike. Blitzwing is my favorite of the triple changers (Astrotrain is a very close second), primarily due to his very complimentary , and very cool, alt modes. That said, his tank turret is an albatross that virtually every Blitzwing toy has to deal with, and it makes me wish I could jump back in time and change the original design to better incorporate it into the jet mode somehow. Even with today's engineering and tech advantages, that turret continues to be so much luggage under the jet on most Blitzwing toys. Digressing a little, I hope Fans Toys arrive at a favorable solution for integrating the turret on their version. Turret aside, MFT did a commendable job at legends scale. It favors the G1 toy, especially in tank mode, and I think their jet mode improves on the G1 toy's double wing anomaly. Not a bad thing. FWiW, I think the jet thrusters sticking out of the tank's backside are pretty cool too. I'm trying to chill on the legends stuff, and I passed on all these guys, but I can appreciate what MFT have accomplished with these toys. Good stuff!
  4. M'Kyuun
    It's funny b/c it's true! But yeah, 13 year old me knew nothing about cars, and never questioned any of the alts, except Mirage, who I knew wasn't a streetcar by any stretch. Like most kids in the 80s, my BS tolerance was pretty high, or stuff like A-Team, Knight Rider, Airwolf, Transformers, GI Joe, M.A.S.K., etc ad nauseum wouldn't have achieved the staying power they have. I wish Hasbro would bring back M.A.S.K.- the premise was cool, the toys awesome, and it'd be great to see it revived. These absolutely reek of Bay, especially the Decepticon vehicles. Not instilling me with confidence. Thus far, no reveals of the beast characters, either, AFAIK. At this point, however, my interest has waned off scale low. I think Bumblebee will be the exception to the rule in TF live action movies.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Finally, the first baby steps towards getting Macross merch in the West! I guess these are showing at NY ComiCon, so that's a good indication, hopefully, of more to come. I also filled out Bandai's survey. I'm glad I've seen all the major series, as I was able to check off their entire list. Anyway, I'm hoping maybe the YF-21 will make an appearance at Toy fair in February. Tthat would be awesome, and hopefully usher in the end of midnight madness.
  6. M'Kyuun
    @mikeszekelyI'm back home today, and discovered that my copy of Kingdom Slag is due to be delivered. Pretty excited to get him in hand. I was also able to PO Terrorsaur on Amazon, so while I won't be needing your extra copy. I'm extremely grateful for the offer and opportunity.
  7. M'Kyuun
    No, I'm at a convention in Seattle, and can't remember my Amazon password to save my life, so I just figured I'd pass on him. But if you're getting an extra, I'll take it off your hands. Thanks, Mike.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Crap, I missed the Pulse offering yesterday; I was on the road heading to Seattle. Another example of why exclusives suck, and suck the joy out of this hobby. I'm a little surprised, for some inexplicable reason, that they repurposed Airrazor into Terrorsaur. I imagined a new mold, but we're talking Hasbro here, and my own surprise surprises me. ☺️ Doesn't look half bad; honestly, it's the best he's ever looked, looking back at the sparse Terrorsaur toys of yore.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I feel the same towards most of the Japanese Transformers. Stuff like Ginrai and Star Saber feels more like Super Robot than Transformers to me, and I'm not really a big Super Robot fan. I watched a little of the Unicron Trilogy, enough to know it held no appeal for me whatsoever, and the toys didn't really grab me either, although I admit I did buy a few of them, including the Fire Engine Prime. But unlike the vast majority of my TF collection, those UT toys never held any lasting affinity for me, and they've long been boxed up and forgotten in storage. Regarding the animation/literature, it always seemed to me that the Japanese definitely went their own direction with the franchise apart from the G1 toon we were watching in the West, and from what little I've seen, I'm not missing out on anything.😄
  10. M'Kyuun
    Agree. While the heft feels good in the hand, as I said, it takes its toll over time, and is something that should be used judiciously, as in armatures and such to which chunks of bot need to swing into place, and where plastic would tend to weaken, bend, or break over time, or with repeated manipulation.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Speaking of too much die cast, FT's Swoop's lower legs are die cast and deceptively heavy for the size of the figure. I'm not sure if that's to blame,, although I think the weight is a contributor, my copy nearly faceplanted out of my Detolf last week when I opened the door to place a fig inside. Swoop's right up in front of the rest of the Dino's directly behind the door, so when I opened it, he went with it, something that's never happened before. Upon examination, one of the double hinges had become floppy due to a completely stripped screw which I couldn't remove regardless of what I tried. It would just spin in either direction without coming out. I tried a magnet to no effect, and I broke the tip of a fine tipped set of tweezers trying to get some purchase on it. Finally, I gave yup trying on the screw and resorted to putting an ample amount of Gorilla Glue, which hardens to a rubbery consistency, on the joint. Thus far, that seems to be working, as he's standing tall for now. I haven't handled him since I applied the glue (I keep forgetting), so one of these days I'm going to have to monkey with it and make sure everything still moves and he can transform ok. But yeah, anyone who's handled any of FT's Dinobots knows they love their die-cast. It feels great to the hand, but sometimes it comes at the cost of joints weakening under the weight. I used to be one of those who decried Takara's cessation of using it in the MP line, but ultimately, I think the toys hold up better with everything plastic. Rubber tires, or a synthetic equivalent, would be nice though.
  12. M'Kyuun
    So just got back from seeing The Movie. Spoiler: Prime Dies! Honestly, it was kind of a sad turnout; the showtime was 7PM, whereas Sunday's showtime was a more kid and work friendly noon, so I assume the majority of folks who wanted to see it in the theater went then. Tonight only about 8 peeps showed up, myself included, and the douchebag in front of me who continually kept looking at his phone got up and left about half way through and never returned. Not sure I'd want to pay $16 and change to see a film and then walk out, but I certainly didn't miss that bright phone screen flashing me every five minutes. Anyway, I was hoping for a little camaraderie amongst Transfans, but everyone kept to themselves. I went alone, as my wife wasn't into it, and she still hadn't come home from work when I left anyway, so I didn't even have anyone to bounce lines off of, or help answer all the trivia questions that played before the movie started. Ah well, I finally got to see it on the big screen, and it was an enjoyable experience. I appreciate the Jolt review. Initially, I was interested in getting this guy, but after reading through Mike's review, and having watched one or two vid reviews, I think I have a better figure in my DotM Jolt, even if he isn't blue. I have to say, I'm not at all crazy about the overlong hip kibble; it reminds me of the abhorrent belly plates on the YF-21, which is the only part of that Valk, besides the extraordinary overuse of animation magic, that I dislike. Those hip panels give off a similar vibe that I know would bug me in hand. I appreciate that it's blue, and bears a greater resemblance to the CG art than does the DotM, but the DotM version utilizes more of the car parts in the robot mode, has a more complex transformation , and is unhindered by hip and arm kibble. In short, IMHO, it's a more interesting toy that does any number of things better than its modern counterpart. To that end, I think I'll save my ducats, and spend it on a fig that interests me more. Til All are One!😊
  13. M'Kyuun
    I wish I had a friend here that was into it. Alas, I'm going to see it alone on Tuesday. There were only four seats reserved, so I had a decent pick, although it's being shown in one of the smaller screening rooms, and with the recliners, there's probably only enough room for forty or so people, and with Covid, they're requesting folks sit a couple seats apart, so the seating will be even sparser. But, I'm just glad I'm finally going to get to see it on the big screen. I didn't get to see it in the theater as a kid, so this will probably be my only opportunity. C'mon man, they can't even get it right now, so an Arcee in the 80s would have been unmentionably bad. I'm hoping the rumored '86 Studio Series Arcee will be a completely new mold that actually transforms, and not a repaint of the disappointingly lackluster Kingdom figure. At least the Thrilling 30 figure could transform into her car instead of making like Solid Snake and his cardboard box. I still think T30 Arcee, the first G1 version ever made by HasTak, is a really good representation, even if 2/3 of her car mode end up on her back- still better than Kingdom's entire car.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Just watched a vid detailing rumored leaks for next year: I was hoping that the next large throwback Creator set would be a Classic Space homage, much like the pirate ship of 2020, and this year's castle set, both of which are beautifully done, but apparently next year's big Creator set is going to be a Viking ship. Given that LEGO is a Danish company, with proud Viking ancestry, and the fact that they've only ever done one Viking theme in all these years (I still have the large Viking ship set from that line), it's cool for folks who missed out on that original line, and it celebrates Danish history, which is cool, even if the the Viking way of life probably contradicts LEGO's violence policy, at least theoretically. Alas, my hope for a small revival of CS via Creator is dashed for now. perhaps we'll get another big set in the second half of 2022 that's reminiscent of the old space themes. Fingers crossed. There is, however, rumored to be more City Space coming next summer in the form of three sets, including a moon rover, a lunar space station, and a lunar research station. I very much enjoyed the last spate of City Space sets, and should the rumors prove true, I'm looking forward to these lunar sets. In the absence of a dedicated space theme, City and Creator have become our refuge for original space themed sets, and I'll take whatever LEGO will give me. I've mentioned before that I'm glad LEGO has the Star Wars license; I've bought A LOT of Star Wars sets over the years, and I love them; but, growing up with Classic Space and continuing to collect their other original Space themes over the years (I wish vehemently I could go back in time and pick up any number of those old sets that I passed on), I miss the wonderful mix of creativity and play that LEGO brought to their own Space themes, as do so many other Space fans around the world. With their ever growing palette and advancements with techniques, it's maddening to think of what could be achieved in original space themes, but that potential goes undiscovered for whatever reason. As LEGO begins moving in different directions and picking up ever more IPs, I find my interest waning. If it keeps the company profitable, I'm happy, but they're making less stuff that interests me these days, which is ironic, as they continue to push more product every year and in many different directions. I applaud their attempts to appeal to an adult audience; we've been there all along (I have for sure), but it's nice to see acknowledgement of that consumer base in a pointed marketing strategy. I think they can do away with the all-black backgrounds on adult targeted sets, though- adults like nice graphics, too, especially on a set like The Daily Bugle, or a UCS Star Wars set. LEGO has some seriously talented artists working for them, and it'd be nice to see appropriate backgrounds framing these sets on the boxes rather than an all-black landscape. Just my $.02. Returning to my point, even with all the diversity that LEGO has been introducing, I've slowed down on my buying over the last few years, as LEGO's not making as much stuff that interests me within System, and though I don't really have the space for it, and it's saving me money, I kinda miss the thrill of having themes like Ultra Agents and Space, or sets like they made for the NInjago Movie (some of the best sets to ever come from LEGO IMHO- just incredible!).
  15. M'Kyuun
    My VB-6 is the largest mech I've built thus far, and I was able to get the Exo-Force joints to work, although I've taken to putting small rubber bands within to help increase the torque. but on the larger scale, you're correct in that the ABS axles are too thin and either twist or break with the excessive torque loads. Technic gearing is a must, and I've seen some great examples of what you're talking about using worm geared assemblies to actuate the various points of articulation to slow, but good effect. Brian Cooper, AKA Klaupacius, is one such MOC designer who I hold in high esteem for his incredible large scaled anime inspired MOCs which require huge Technic frames to support the weight and torque loads. Going Big with Legos - Make: (makezine.com) I got to see this build in person, and even had a chance to take a close look at one of the legs as he was breaking it down to crate up and send to his boss who had commissioned it. His Gundam builds are no less impressive, and I had the privilege of seeing a number of them in person as well. I tried to find a good current site for his stuff without success. I'm sure he's still building and posting, somewhere. There's certainly a need for a family of larger ratcheted joints within LEGO's palette, and their strange reluctance to produce them is a huge head-scratcher for me. Too, their reluctance to match the current standard of articulation among action figures, and even the higher standard employed by one of their largest competitors, Mega Bloks, is both mindboggling and disappointing. They continue to add new elements in just about every other theme and category, but sadly, no love for joints, beyond the addition of the small Mixel ball joint system about five years ago. Even that system, incredibly useful as it is, begs for additional elements to enhance its usefulness, but thus far, nothing more. So sad and frustrating.
  16. M'Kyuun
    I'm assuming your referring to parts 44224 and 44225, which were introduced in 2003 in the 4483 AT-AT and 4482 AT-TE sets to articulate the legs. I have referred to these joints as AT-AT joints ever since. They remain the largest and strongest of the ratcheting joints LEGO has made, and have appeared in a multitude of sets. However, there have been no improvements or additions made to the joint since its introduction. Something like this that can snap into 44225 and create a compact horizontal joint would make for better hip joints on large mecha. Likewise, that gear and its mate (99009,99010) engineered to be a ratcheting joint, would be enormously helpful for articulating large models, especially if they came in different torque values, or even a variable torque version. Being able to toggle the torque through several different values would be awesome. They have been using this turntable for large mecha, most notably IDEAS Voltron's shoulders, but it requires an external means of producing torque, usually a technic ball and socket joint, that necessitates a slightly bulky little build near the turntable to support said ball joint. If there was internal ratcheting, it would lend itself to more applications in smaller areas. It would be more efficient. The medium ratcheting joints, which I still call Exo-Force clicky joints, are useful, but rather limited in their torque, and they weaken over time if any weight is applied to them. Again, it would be great if they were improved to handle greater loads, or came in a variety of torque values depending on the application. Too, I have longed and hoped for an analog to this piece that would allow rotation in three axes. It would be one of the most useful parts they could introduce so far as improving their joint palette, but they've never done it and likely never will, goddamn them. Despite all the mecha sets they make, they seem to have little interest in increasing their ability to improve articulation or the means thereof, and it drives me absolutely crazy. It really stokes my anger when I see them make all these one-off parts for various themes that have very limited use, when an improved joint palette would pay dividends for decades and allow for improved models that require motion or articulation. In addition to the joints I've already mentioned, I've hoped for technic pins and axles with ratcheting capabilities when interfaced with specialized Technic bricks- ratcheting at that level would be stupendously helpful. Ratcheting Technic ball joints would also be wonderfully useful- so many apps. I drool at the possibilities if LEGO would just make this stuff.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Oh no- the joy of an AT-AT, or any machine with legs, is the ability to move those legs from time to time to affect a different pose. TBH, I have the UCS Millennium Falcon, and it's still in its box unbuilt, as I've nowhere to build it or put it when it's finished. I'll have the same issue with a UCS AT-AT, although I have plans to build a shop in my backyard for storage and display, eventually. My disdain for poorly articulated toys goes back to 80s Transformers, and continues today with LEGO, and their odd reluctance to invest in improved joints that can handle greater loads for these larger models. Their IDEAs Voltron, and their Hulkbuster could have been far more enjoyable models had they been fully articulated. I've seen fan mods of both that accomplished it, but with their annual revenues in the billions of dollars, a very skilled workforce, and virtually any manufacturing technology within reach, why won't they make joints tailored to supporting large models so these things come fully articulated by original design? It is a constant source of vexation for me.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. A UCS AT-AT has been number one on my Star Wars want list since they acquired the license in '99. If it is indeed coming, I'm trying to temper my expectations, as I doubt it'll have any articulation, except maybe a little head swing, since LEGO refuse to make joints capable of handling any amount of weight. They didn't give their Voltron or the UCS Hulkbuster leg articulation, so it's extremely unlikely that a large AT-AT will be anything more than a giant immobile statue. I'm already disappointed and it hasn't been announced yet.
  19. M'Kyuun
    That was what I meant to say, but looking back at what I wrote, I wasn't clear. But yeah, a new toon, a new direction, new characters, no G1 except in references (b/c G1 should never be forgotten), and all new toys with a complexity akin to or greater than what we're getting with the Generations line currently. I won't disagree. I appreciate the effort, but execution left a lot to be desired. Someone at Hasbro must have been listening, b/c the toys have been improving since Titans Return. I still think they need to give them all rotating wrists and opening hands as further improvements to articulation across the line. Feet that can pivot up and down a little would be nice, too, but I don't want to ask for too much too soon. And, yeah, a new approach to the Combiners is warranted, and I think Hasbro gets that, especially if they want to introduce them in the current main line at the same standard. So am I. I've not seen a WfC fig in stores for some time now. My local Wally, which until recently had a wall of blank pegs in the TF section, has a few Bumblebee Cyberverse figs, but nothing at all from the main line. I don't know if that's on Hasbro or Walmart, but it sucks. But my Walmart recently expanded their alcohol section by about double. I see a correlation there. Playing devil's advocate, I thought they did a good job on his motorcycle mode. It homages the G1 toy, while improving on it , as it should. To be fair, Wreck-Gar's bike mode was never shown in the '86 film, and I didn't watch enough of seasons 3 and 4 to remember if it was ever shown there. So, barring references, and using the G1 toy as a basis for his alt mode, and the animated likeness for bot mode, which I agree is superbly done, we got a nice hybrid in this figure. I especially love how his head tucks into the windshield and forms the instrument panel for his bike mode. His bot bits are pretty unmistakable as such, but the Junkions' bike modes weren't intended to be sleek, streamlined, or Earth-accurate, judging by the 'Dare to be Stupid' scene in the movie. Normally I'm the guy who complains about crappy alt modes and simplistic transformations, but in this case, I thought HasTak did a commendable job given the material. Alas, mileage varies.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, it's weird, and probably a bit awkward for the actor, too. Nothing like being put on the spot to talk about something totally foreign to you. I have no dog in this race, so to speak, but in my heart, I'm cheering it on for the fans who are this close to getting a Victory Saber here in the West. I wish they hadn't chosen the crowdfunding platform, but given the relatively unknown status that VS and many other Japanese Transformers have here, it was a safe play to take a measure of interest. If, I should say 'when', VS gets made, hopefully it'll open the door to more Japanese TFs to get produced at standard retail. Hasbro would be wise to work out the licensing with Takara and whomever else necessary to import all those old shows over, get them dubbed, and put them on their Youtube to build an audience on this side of the Pacific. Most people only buy something if they have a context (I'm not one of those, but I'm eccentric), and getting those shows would provide it, and desire for those toys. C'mon Brian Goldner, that's basic marketing. Meanwhile, although I'm loving all the G1 goodness coming our way, I hope Hasbro are working on the next new thing, whatever form it may take. I don't want to disparage G1; it's what I grew up on, but we all know it had its quirks and flaws, and it's almost forty years old. Once they're done draining the teat with the tail end of Kingdom and on into Legacy, I hope they have something new and original planned to breathe some new life into this old franchise. I think they need to do that every few years to keep it fresh and relevant.
  21. M'Kyuun
    That's almost as bad as putting mistransformed pics of your products up to promote said products. Hasbro- forever making us shake our heads in wonder.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I just want them to finish and release their YF-21. After that, it'd be nice to see Chogokin versions of other lesser known valks, like the VF-9, VF-5000, VF-14, or a Variable Glaug. Give the old VF-1 a rest for awhile. I'd be down for a DX VF-4 if Bandai gave it articulated shoulders. I've always thought the immovable shoulders on the Yammie, beautiful toy that it is, was a bit hindering to a combat mech. Yamato also made their battroid's legs longer and thinner than the original lineart would suggest to favor the fighter mode. I'd love to see Bandai do a take strictly working from the lineart's proportions for a shorter, stockier battroid. The VF-4 has one of my favorite battroid modes, and I'd love a more art-faithful toy of it, with lots of articulation, b/c I'm greedy like that.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Of those lists, I'm down for most of the G1 stuff, and curious about the Prime stuff, as the original toys, which I still have displayed on my shelf, were pretty well done the first time around. Notably, there's no love for Animated. Unless they really wow me with something, I'm essentially done with Bayformers and Bumblebee Movie stuff. I have no virtually interest in Unicron Trilogy or RiD, but I'm happy for fans that have been craving updates; hopefully the toys that come will have been worth waiting for, as I feel the majority of WfC has been for G1 fans. I hope Hasbro went back to the drawing board with 86 Arcee; along with the vanette bros, she was definitely wanting for a new dedicated figure with an actual transformation. I hope they don't disappoint, and that it looks better than the MP in bot mode. Keep coming with the Dinobots; they've been doing a good job with them thus far, and Sludge has a soft spot in my heart, as he was the only Dinobot I owned as a kid. It's odd that only Kickback is showing up here; it would have been nice to have all three Insecticons out simultaneously, but if they're spreading them out across waves, well, so much the easier on the wallet. I'm still happy we got the legends versions after years of waiting. They're pretty well done for their scale, too. However, since most smaller, formerly legends scaled characters appear to be getting the deluxe upscale treatment in the main line, I'm happy to see them get upscaled with, hopefully, the appropriate advancement in articulation and complexity. No interest in the Selects. Clampdown is interesting, as I've always like the emergency versions of these characters, but I already have a tidy collection of Siege and Earth mode Sideswipe recolors, so I'll probably pass on him. Nice that they're making him and the other Diaclone recolors, though. I appreciate gestures like that for fans, even if it's a cheap and easy way for Hasbro to milk the molds even further. Lots to look forward to in the coming year. I need to build some shelves.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the nice comment. I vacillated on whether or not to paint him, but finally I just decided to do it, as I didn't really like the look of the stock grey shins and feet, especially when I had my G1 RA standing nearby to taunt me. My black paint didn't go on as smoothly as I'd hoped, but you can't really see the textures in this pic. It's one of those things about hand painting- sometimes the paint is too thick or too thin and it doesn't spread well, or it pools, etc. But I made the best of it, and it is what it is. It still looks better this way than it did stock; but one questions why they used that greyish plastic instead of black in the first place for the shins, and why they didn't paint the feet silver as they have on many of his mold-mates. Anyway, he looks better to me, and I can live with my shoddy paint work. So a couple hours after I posted about receiving The Ark, my Kingdom Sideswipe/Skywarp Amazon exclusive two-pack showed up. At this point, I own more versions of the Sideswipe mold than I've ever owned of any Transformer fig, even the Datsuns, which I love. I'm still not on the same level as @mikeszekely, but I'm gaining. That said, if I had to choose a mold out of the WfC line to make umpteen different versions, Sideswipe would def be one of my top picks- just a really good figure. I'm still hoping blue Bluestreak will be available at some point- you can't have too many Datsun bros.😍 According to Pulse, I probably won't see any more figs from them until the first of November (Rodimus and Gnaw were delayed a month), so I'll be sitting back watching/reading reviews until my figs ship out. Oh and maybe playing with the few toys I have laying around here in the meantime. Tracks' all white wings are bugging me, so I may have to splash a bit of paint on him, too. I'm kinda curious why they didn't make the sculpted detail on Tracks' shins just under the knees match the G1 toon depiction. They did with MP Tracks. It's a simplification of the sticker on the G1 toy, and given how much they're drawing from the toon and toys for this line, it strikes me as an odd deviation from the trend. I'd love it if the Hasbro designers did a Q&A on one of these upcoming Friday panels, or at PulseCon, where we could pose questions like this and why they couldn't close the gaps on The Ark's legs and hopefully get straight answers. Of the regularly featured designers, I think Evan would spill the most, as he seems more interested in being honest than spouting the usual rosy rhetoric.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Got my copies of Galvatron, Tracks, Scorponok yesterday, and The Ark today. My copy of Galvy has the same misassembled shoulder issue as the majority; I attempted to fix it, but after leaving a tiny stress mark, I just didn't feel it was worth the effort. I just turn the shoulders around so they're sitting at the right height, and I can live with the pin hole facing front. the only effect it has on alt mode is that the cannon supports sit slightly lower, which raises the cannon off the ground a little more. easily livable. As for the figure itself, I've never been a big Galvatron fan, but, shoulders aside, this thing is impressive. Lots of articulation, lots of paint, great presence, a good cannon mode, and a unique transformation sequence that's interesting without being over fiddly. I did have to shave a little plastic from inside his chest cavity to allow his head to swivel inside, but other than that and the shoulders, well done Hasbro/Takara. Tracks- well, the issues with this fig are well known at this point. Y'know, they came this close🤏 to creating a really good fig. I like the complexity of the design. The white pivot joints aren't too badly spaced from the fenders on my copy, and they would easily do the job, except for the pitifully little nub on the top of the shin plate that's supposed to act as a tab for the fenders to slot onto. I think that's the real root of the leg problem. My copy's right hip was floppy right outta the box. Add to that the inability of the leg to hold itself together well, and you've a recipe for disaster. I put Gorilla Glue, which hardens in a rubbery consistency, in the hips and on those shin tabs to try and increase friction on both. It seems to be doing the trick for the hips at least. I have the opposite issue with the windshield bit tabbing into the legs in car mode; once that suckers snapped in, it 's frustratingly difficult to unsnap it. The collective issues of this fig make it the least enjoyable to handle. Shame, as it's a great looking fig in both car and bot modes. While it already has a fair amount of paint/tampo, it could have stood some red stripes on the wings and the red dashes and yellow triangle on the pelvis, which is already painted white. At the end of the day, for all it does right, the design oversights and poor assemblage of the legs will doom it as a crappy figure in the eyes of most collectors, and that's a shame. Scorponok: This fig is hit and miss to me; they got the main aesthetic down ok, especially the head sculpt. It makes a more realistic looking scorpion, at least from certain angles, than Blackarachnia makes a realistic looking spider. However, I think they did this guy a disservice by making him a deluxe. While I like the innovative approach to the transformation by inserting a leg into the tail, it hinders the scorpion's ability to pose the tail in an offensive/defensive posture over the head due to the leg's inability to match the tail's flexibility and the leg's tendency to want to fall out of the tail in any position other than resting. The cost of putting a leg into the tail meant that the legs had to be kept short and relatively thin. The result is a stubby looking figure that looks odd proportionally, especially with those huge claws that touch the ground if his arms are relaxed at his sides. Had they made him a voyager scaled fig, I think they might have been able to find a better solution, or just followed the original toy's design and have the legs pass through the body with the feet forming the scorpion's head. With all the innovative solutions they've been bringing to these BW figs, I was really looking forward to Scorponok, as he's usually more of a background character who doesn't get as much love as others, and I was hoping they'd really come out with an amazing figure for him in this line. Unfortunately, I think he's a little underwhelming. The Ark is pretty cool overall. I detest everything about the hands, and hope third party will make a better set. Not sure if it's just my copy, but the chest doesn't lock very securely. I never realized how far it stuck out from his waist- he's got a serious energon gut going on. I was surprised, as he comes with some assembly required, i.e., the back quarter panels that go around the huge leg gaps and terminate in the round bits on either sides of the engines. I saw that and though to myself, it's almost as if Hasbro themselves designed it that way for third party to easily make a swappable add-on with some sort of folding panel to cover those big holes, knowing they didn't have it in the budget to do it themselves. Of course I doubt my little pet theory holds any water, but the fact that those bits do come off easily offers plenty of opportunity to intrepid parties looking for a better solution. Finishing up, I've been customizing my Kingdom Red Alert to more closely match his G1 toy. The blue on the intakes below the knees is a little darker than I thought it'd be; in hindsight, I wish I'd added a drop of white to it, but I'd already wiped off my first attempt, and with the second going on fairly smoothly by hand, I didn't want to go back for round three. I thought about trying to paint the tail lights to sorta match the Countach, but that would likely require masking, and I just didn't feel like getting that involved. I'm lazy.
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