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M'Kyuun

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Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    Someone needs to put a Black Series 6" Luke in the driver's seat, as I think that'd be pretty close to scale. It doesn't look that off to me, but as SW vehicles go, the Landspeeder is pretty meh. I want that C3PO, though. Honestly, now that I've got my UCS grail (the heavenly AT-AT), my interest in SW has waned quite a bit. Def not buying as much as I used to. I'm looking far more forward to picking up Buzz Lightyear's XL-15 than any SW stuff. And the Tallneck.
  2. M'Kyuun
    I wasn't aware of its effects on plastic. I don't recall having those issues personally, but apparently some have. We of the pre-internet days seem to have been made of sterner stuff.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Yay! Good for you, man! Close enough. It won't have the same sheen as chrome, obviously, but I can totally understand their reservations against using vacuform chrome, as it generally peels over time. This is one of those situations where a concession is completely understandable. Even if they continued to omit the hinge, at least put mechanically detailed wings on him and paint them silver. Of the Bayverse characters, I would think he'd be among the more popular Decepticons. He should have had his own mold for ER; if nothing else, it would have been an interesting way to cross-universe with Binaltech/Alternators Grimlock and Wheeljack. too, I wouldn't be opposed to their creating a new character for the mold. I'm not completely beholden to the lore, so if they want to reuse a mold and give it a completely new identity, I'm fine with it. If it's a really good mold, I'll double dip. I had to look him up, such is my Armada ignorance. TBH, I think I have that toy somewhere in the bowels of my closet, unseen and untouched for many years. But yeah, as a base, with some major retooling, I could see that working as a G1-ified Blackout. Again, as do you, I think he and Barricade need their own molds to really pay proper homage to the original designs even while giving them the G1 makeover. But, we both know a hypothetical Legacy Blackout will likely be a retool, and since Armada may be getting some Legacy love, a probable Cyclonus update isn't too bad a place to start. That's a good call, Mike. Hopefully someone from Hasbro is reading this and taking notes.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, Kickback is good. Just fix the wings. Y'know, as much as I love the pseudo-Datsun mold, I kinda wish they'd done something more Mustang-ish for their ER Barricade. I wouldn't mind seeing a Legacy Blackout, either, although if they wanted to keep its alt similar to the CH-53, it'd have to be its own mold. There just isn't anything else close, except perhaps Vortex from the Combaticons. If they get around to doing Bruticus, perhaps we'll get a repaint/retool of Vortex as Blackout. I'd prefer it had its own mold, though, keeping the salient feature of Bayverse Blackout, which they could repaint as Grindor to get some mileage from the mold. I saw a different Velocitron mentioned on Twitter (don't remember which one) as a potential release this morning, and that gave me hope that Override would be coming too. as I mentioned previously, my hope is that they'd keep the basic leg and foot transformation- she has a pretty cool looking alt mode and I'd want to see that carried forward in an update. Can't think of a suitable existing toy that would make a good retool/repaint. Guess we'll wait and see.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I missed this, so the recap is much appreciated, Mike. Speaking to the energon weapons, I get what they were going for, and if I truly believed kids were going for these more than us old crusty G1 fans, I'd be fine with it. But, I don't believe that, I have zero use for the energon weapons, and wish the budget for those had been put to better use on the primary figs. As to the Legacy combiners, while it'd be nice if the CW figs worked with them, honestly in terms of making improvements to the overall figs and combined forms, I'd rather all effort was placed on making the best figs possible without trying to do cross-over compatibility. Too, I think the CW figs would look out of place with the Legacy figs just in overall aesthetics. The CW figs just look cheaper b/c they are, and they're far more stylized than the very toy/toon-faithful Legacy figs. The resulting combo would look odd, methinks. So far as doing spread releases vs boxsets, I honestly don't have a preference. Boxsets are convenient, sure, but they're also an expensive single buy, and more than likely would end up becoming dreaded exclusives that are in high demand, short-stocked, and inevitably difficult to obtain. By putting the individual figs out in waves, it's a little easier on the wallet and by making them general retail releases, easier to obtain. Too, there's the anticipation and fun of collecting all the necessary figs to finally piece together the gestalt. It's a play pattern that's been ongoing since the original G1 Constructicons, and I think they should continue it both from a marketing perspective, but also as it helps them with repaints/remolds of different figs. As to packaging- 100% closed boxes with nice box-art. The fig is protected not only from damage and theft, but also germ transfer from uncovered coughing & sneezing, and unwashed hands all over the exposed parts of the figs. I applaud Hasbro's commitment to decreasing plastic waste, and I'm all for closed and sealed boxes for everything. I'm pretty meh about Machine Wars, but I'd like to see them try to tackle Trans-Metals. I know the vacuform metallic paint is a bit of a showstopper for them; it's just not good, they know it, and want to avoid it. Finding a suitable alternative is what's holding them back for now. I hope they solve it, as the TM BW figs were some of my faves. Still have a buttload of them in storage. And one has to admit that that shiny paint and vibrant colors made those toys look sharp. I have little fear that we'll see any updates of Animated, as that particular theme seems to be the red-headed stepchild that they'd rather shove in a trunk, double-lock, and forget it ever existed despite the huge fanbase it still retains. That may be a good-thing so far as their trying to translate every non-G1 theme into a G1-esque look for Legacy. I'd rather get updated Animated toys that looked like Animated. Judging by the Prime toys they're doing, there's something lost from the original figs in the translation. Those originals, for the most part, were pretty sharp looking, with some rather interesting and complex engineering. the Legacy takes, not so much thus far. It's in Targets as well; just came across one earlier this week.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Even on discount, I doubt I'll spare the expense as there are things I like better about the SS toy. It's been a while since I messed with my copy, so I took him down this evening and transformed him for the first time in a couple years. The transformation itself is rather apparent, but some of his bits, like the split fairing over the cockpit, didn't want to stay together very well. Still, the helicopter mode is quite large and impressive, and, a few obvious tabs, slots, and hinges notwithstanding, accurate to the MH-53 Pave Low, which I've had the opportunity to see and clamber around in (but sadly never flown in) having worked Spec Ops many moons ago. I still wish they'd fixed the hands on this release, but IIWII. Had I known Grindor would be released with better paint apps and swiveling hands, I would have waited. Alas, retrospect. Funny that the CAD is already in the wind. Blackout, IMHO, is one of the better '07 Bayverse designs, with an alt mode that positively sings to my soul, and a bot mode that I genuinely like. I should be excited about this release, but I'm feeling rather ambivalent about it. IMHO, it just doesn't represent much of an evolution from the SS toy. I'm left feeling a bit 'meh' by it. I look forward to seeing the eventual reviews and comparisons, and perhaps something will convince me otherwise, but for now, I'm probably going to pass on this guy. On a different note, I've voiced my general disdain for the UT toys, but perusing Twitter, one poster reminded me that this gal existed. Despite kinda digging her alt mode, I don't think I bought her toy back in the day (which is ironic, as I bought any number of other figs which I thought were much worse). Anyway, if Has/TT are embarking on updating UT characters, I wouldn't mind an update of Override as long as they preserve the leg portion of her transformation. The shape of her shins and feet forming the front fenders is just aces and gives her alt mode an iconic look. 😍 However, if they chose to make the entirety of her shoulder form the back fenders to slim out her chest, I'd be down with that decision. I think I'd prefer she had Hulk arms over that wide chest.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Appreciate the review, Mike. Looking forward to this guy. I'm one of those that wishes the thighs would collapse and tab into the lower legs and that his wings mimicked the G1 toy's more mechanical details with a spray of silver paint. It's my main niggle as the rest of him is so faithful to the original toy, and then they go and try to make the wings look organic. IMHO, that'd be like making the heads on the Dinobots look organically accurate while the rest of the dino body looks robotic. It's both weird and uncanny. Too, those wings could have benefitted from an additional hinge at the base to allow them to flare out like real insect wings in flight. The closed chest doesn't bother me as this isn't meant to be a Diaclone, and IIRC, none of the Insecticons ever used that feature from the toys in the animation. It was simply an interesting, if somewhat mysterious, feature of the G1 toys. Speaking from personal experience, I didn't learn about many of the G1 toys' origins as Diaclone and Micro-change until I was an adult, so those weird cockpit-like cavities in the Dinobots and Insecticons made no sense to me when I was buying them as a teen. Accordingly, I generally disregarded them, as they served no purpose; beyond nostalgia, they still don't. However, had Has/TT kept that feature intact for these new Insecticons, it would have offered an excellent opportunity for weapon storage had they invested the money they wasted on those useless and unwanted energon weapons in making the actual G1-inspired weapons fold into little cubes that would fit in their chests. To me, that's the desired solution. After 40 years, as part of the design evolution, perfectly integrated weapons should be part of the package with these things. Sucks that it's not. Alas, IIWII. To end on a positive note, I am rather pleased with how this fig turned out overall. While it is a bit simplistic, and perhaps a step backwards compared to the superior grasshopper mode of the legends scaled TR figure, as an updated G1 toy, it succeeds. It's not perfect, but I still dig it for what it is, and it's one of my more anticipated Legacy figs, along with his arthropod brothers Shrapnel and Bombshell.
  8. M'Kyuun
    For those interested, MPM Blackout has been revealed. I already have the Studio Series version, which itself is a pretty good fig of this guy. Not sure what this really brings to the table that would make me want another leader scaled Blackout at a likelier higher price tag. Looks nice, though.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I really don't have the room for a complete collection, but I do have a smattering of faves that I wouldn't mind having. I too hope they won't be too-high priced either, or I'll be skipping all but maybe one or two. Curious to see how these turn out, though. Never had any M.A.S.K. stuff as a kid, so the chance to pick up a few updated toys is definitely appealing.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I didn't even know what it was initially until I scrolled down to the atrocious alt mode. This is a prime example, no pun intended, of why I generally loathe the UT toy designs. I consider it one of the lowest points in the franchise. If you like it, though, good for you, and honestly, for the sake of the UT fans, I hope they make more. Every fan deserves updates to their favorite lines, and not everything has to be G1 all the time.
  11. M'Kyuun
    So, my copy came yesterday, and while Lechuck's criticisms are valid, especially those too-skinny arms and the faux hatchback detail on the calves, it's still a decent fig. As to the transformation, as Lechuck pointed out, stowing the arms when going to car mode, and on my copy anyway, trying to tab in the little panels in his arm pits proved to be a little frustrating. I still like him, but there's definitely a simplicity to him that does indeed feel more like an overpriced CHUG than what we've come to know and expect from the MP line over the last few years. But, Skids is a pretty undersung and lesser known character, so I'm just glad he got an MP fig at all, and that it turned out at least as well as it did. I wish Hasbro would put this kind of paint on their Generations line. That'd be sweet.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, my Eagle does the same. I love that they both have retractable gear, but it kinda sucks when it's not really useful b/c CG is off. But I'll echo your sentiments about its combined mode- the most fun and interesting of their combiners thus far. I love the lanky, and somewhat creepy, look of its bot mode. Too, the near-futuristic jet modes. Raven takes some cues in profile from the B-1B Lancer. I have yet to put mine in their box modes- been keeping them combined since I got them. I haven't had any issues with the florescent paint flaking or chipping on my copy of Tukuru. I just wish it was a lighter paint that didn't require a black-light, which I don't possess. I can only enjoy the designs when the light hits it just right. Still, between the red and Neon Blue, I'll stick with the latter, as I like all the trans-clear blue accents throughout the exterior casing and the color blue. It's a very cool design-- really appeals to me, and reminds me of the Deus Ex games, and to a lesser extent, Ghost in the Shell. I'd love to see something akin to it in an anime or a live-action sci-fi show/movie. It makes a lot of sense in a space that's limited, cramped and in need of something to handle logistics, repairs, and defense.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, TBH. The engineering involved isn't quite on the same level as creating a completely convertible and highly articulated robot; it'd be a nice side hustle for some of these companies, and with 80's nostalgia at a high point, a good gamble methinks. I'm looking forward to seeing what Ramen does with it. I didn't have any M.A.S.K. toys growing up, so this'll afford me the chance to pick up the ones that appeal most to me. I simply don't have the room for all of them, but I have my faves. But I'm sure there are die-hard fans out there who would love to have a shiny new collection of updated toys, much like us Transformers fans. In retrospect, I'm guessing M.A.S.K. was Kenner's answer to Transformers, without directly copying what Hasbro was doing. Ironic since they'd be the ones producing the Beast Wars toys in the mid-90s, albeit under Hasbro's ownership. (Hasbro acquired Kenner in 1991)
  14. M'Kyuun
    No kidding; besides Transformers which has found a young audience thanks to Bay (God how that HURTS to admit), most of the other 80's properties are only being buoyed by us old-timers who grew up with them, and I wonder if they're ever going to find an audience again. Stuff like M.A.S.K. was such a cool concept and the original toys, while products of their time, were still pretty amazing, and IMHO, deserve a second life. Hopefully Ramen will do justice to these things and spark a small revival.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I've never been a Howard Stern fan, but I have to admit, that was a really nice tribute to Gilbert. I also have to admit that I've never thought much of Mr. Gottfried, but having seen more of his work of late, the guy was amazing for his intelligence, quick wit, and quirky sense of humor. To have come from such a humble beginning and achieve what he did on sheer smarts and talent is inspiring and laudable. RIP Gilbert. Keep 'em laughing wherever you are.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Got my POs in for Motormaster, Tarantulas, Knockout, Wildrider, and Elita-1. Hmmed and hawed over Blitzwing (my favorite triple changer), but ultimately, I passed due to his subpar alt modes, especially that inexcusably awful jet mode. For now, I'll remain content with the TR fig. That Robosen Prime and now trailer are pretty cool, but it's both big and really expensive, and I don't own a cell phone, which makes controlling it from the app impossible. I'll enjoy it vicariously. I do like the direction it portends, though. Sad, though, that we'd never be able to get a G1 Megs like that- the scale thing, for one, not to mention all the gun laws that prevent it. I guess a tank alt would work, but just not quite the same is it?
  17. M'Kyuun
    Nope- they're his "cape". Mark the designer did his best to justify all the kibble, but it looks like the fenders can simply be pushed back into place for a more compact backpack. It's still a pretty big chunk on his back, but personally, I think it would look better all together as opposed to being spread out. Shame they didn't show it all together as an option. I think their Menasor solution is good. I don't like the snap-on body part direction for a combiner; I'd rather the individual bots became the limbs themselves. However, they're going full toon here, and ultimately what they came up with works very well. I particularly like that the arm bots can be snapped onto the arm frames which automatically unlocks the arm bots' bodies so they can separate. That's a cool bit of engineering. I dig stuff like that. As to Motormaster himself, he's a commander class fig, where the core bot is a voyager scaled to ER Prime in both cab and bot modes. He certainly fared better than UM, who desperately needs a completely new fig where the cab doesn't look like hammered crap. Too, there don't seem to be any superfluous add-ons to justify the commander class price; instead, you get a MM fig that looks pretty darn good and a trailer that does double duty as a battle station, of course, and forms the Menasor frame. As I said, the snap-on solution works for this particular combiner, and perhaps for potential Protectobots and Aerialbots down the road, but I don't think it'll work for either Constructicons or Combaticons, should they make them as well. I definitely don't want the snap-on solution for them, so I'm curious to see how they'll approach them if indeed they do. Tarantulas looks incredible. Glad they gave him a new, larger mold than Blackarachnia. Colors aside, his spider mode looks more realistic than BA's- a little creepy. Love it. Not the biggest fan of Elita-1's car mode, BUT she's not a shellformer; she actually does transform, and her bot mode looks good to me. As an earth mode iteration, she works. I passed on her WfC Arcee recolor, and now I'm glad I did. Knockout. The Prime figs really had a distinctive look, heavily inspired by the Bayverse designs, but toning down a lot of the extemporaneous detail and smoothing out their body parts to look less fragmented. I didn't care for it at first, but it grew on me, and the toys, especially First Edition, were pretty amazing both from an aesthetic and engineering POV. So, trying to G1-ize those designs kinda diminishes them of what really made so many of the original designs so striking. That said, I'm a sucker for this plastic crack, and honestly, I think this is one of the better translations thus far. The SS86 Jazz mold serves it pretty well. I wish they'd tried to capture more of the Prime bot mode cues, but I get what they're going for, and it turned out better IMHO than Arcee. That original Prime Arcee design is beautiful and hard to top. No interest in Shattered glass or G2- I generally don't like the color/mold changes that either of these bring to the table. Glad that they're doing them for those who like G2 and follow the comics, though. It's a big fanbase, and everyone deserves toys.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Same thoughts as you, Mike; if the hands, feet, head, and possibly groin/thighs are separate bits for future gestalts, that's acceptable. I don't expect Hasbro/TT to start rolling out all-in-one combiners like MMC given the restraints they're working under. But I do hope that they're able to sort out a way to combine the actual bots without requiring whole frames for them to basically just snap on to. Not sure how they'll do that without resorting to some form of the CW combining peg, but they've got a lot of smart folks working on these on both sides of the pond, so hopefully they'll come up with good solutions that result in good looking individual bots that combine into good looking gestalts. I have all the bots to form CW Menasor, and I probably did combine them at one point, but not for a long time. My CW Bruticus, OTOH, has been combined with the aid of some 3P add-on feet and hands since I've owned the whole lot of Combaticons. Shame Hasbro didn't imbue the core bots for these things with stronger hip joints, as they tend to be a bit floppy. Hopefully the Legacy/SS86 combiners will fare better. I don't have much faith that they'll do good Aerialbots, especially with toon accuracy at the fore, but if they go on to do a new Devastator or Bruticus, I hope they turn out great.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Considering they've already done neo-Lamborghini figs with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, it follows that Breakdown will likely resemble those two in his alt mode. I'm down with the 'close enough' approach to avoid licensing fees, which would only impact the costs of these things. They're already getting expensive enough. As to the big guy himself, from the box art, he looks like G1 Motormaster. I'm thinking that the two-piece theory is correct- the cab will be separate from the trailer. I'm guessing that's the groin and tops of the thighs of the combiner frame visible at the top of the trailer behind the cab. I'm guessing the cab will just fold into a cube and insert into the gestalt frame, and he'll have both the regular head and the gestalt head built into him. For stability's sake, I guess it's a better way to go, but honestly, I much prefer it when the various bots actually form the limbs of a combiner, as they did in CW. If they go on to do Bruticus and Devastator, I hope the bots themselves form the limbs on those gestalts.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Meh- I'm rooting for Bell's V-280 Valor. This looks like the future. Ironically, or maybe not so ironically, Sikorsky went with a design that's reminiscent of Soviet helicopters, which often favor coaxial main rotors. It also looks like it crawled out of the 50's backlog of concepts.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Whoa, Vera Farmiga!- if you told me she sang, I'd be thinking something folksy or maybe pop, something with a lighter touch. Admittedly, what she's singing isn't to my taste, but props to her for doing it. Harkening back to toon intros, the ones that continue to play in my head, and get sung in the shower, are M.A.S.K., Galaxy Rangers (No Guts, No Glory), Mighty Orbots, Pole Position, Bionic Six, the original (and best) Transformers theme. There was something uplifting, inspiring, and fun in all those old 80s songs. The whole period, really- despite being under the Cold War umbrella of impending nuclear doom, it was a very positive upbeat period, which is reflected in much of the pop culture media of the time. And then grunge happened....all downhill from there. 😄
  22. M'Kyuun
    I appreciate the review, Mike. I fear I remain unswayed in my earlier opinion of the fig. Those immobile shoulder stacks just bug me, but beyond that, I just don't really find him all that appealing, and never have. Glad you like him, although I'm sorry that he's not quite the definitive figure you were hoping for. What bugs me is that for the price of admission, members should get their toys before they appear on shelves. Seems a poor way of doing business when retailers are getting their stock before the manufacturer's store. I've had the opportunity to pick up two figs that I have POed and aren't currently due out until next month on Pulse; I left those toys in the store, willing to wait, but the fact that I have to wait for the source's store to send me my toys when I could have cut them out and bought from the retailer at potentially lower prices seems counter to a good business model. I guess they're doing well enough from all the goddamned exclusives and retail contracts that Pulse is really just a write-off side-hustle of no real consequence. It certainly seems to be the low priority for receiving stock, which makes premium membership feel lesser than.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Gotcha; looking forward to your thoughts on it. I'll just say that I lost interest in the fig due to the immobility of the shoulder stacks. Had they been able to rotate as part of the arms, I'd be far more inclined to get him. Too, I have zero familiarity with the character beyond seeing the various iterations of the toy over the years, none of which have ever interested me. Laser Prime just never grabbed me like other bots with whom I had no familiarity have. I'm also curious to see how the rest of the Stunticons pan out, especially Motormaster. I have CW Menasor, but most of those figs left somewhat to be desired, especially in their wobbly combined mode. Judging by how Dragstrip comes apart, it's a fair bet they're going to make Motormaster the gestalt's frame to which the carbots all just attach- essentially, he'll wear them, rather than their actually becoming the limbs. Not really crazy about that approach, but it's toon accurate, and apparently that's what they're aiming for. The major positive from going this direction, one hopes, is far greater stability in combined form. I'd love to see some A-tier engineering applied to Motormaster where the cab and trailer have an all-in-one transformation, and the cab can still rotate in tractor-trailer mode (like CW Ultra Magnus). Personally, I wish they'd started with the Combaticons or a new Devastator, but I'm sure they'll come eventually. SS86 gives them the opportunity to redo Devastator at least. I've never had much interest in any of the Autobot combiners. The Aerialbots would be up my alley, but I detest the boxy G1 designs, especially the atrocious jet modes. If they actually put forth some effort to make the jets sleek and more real-world accurate while approximating their G1 bot modes, I'd be down, but we all know that'll likely never happen with Has/Tak. Heck, the third parties rarely stray from that look. So frustrating for anyone who likes planes.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Having worked on older aircraft in the Air Force (tankers built in the 50s and MC-130s built in the 60s), it's always impressive how well these old birds have outperformed their life expectancies, sometimes by decades, with decades of planned service ahead of them. Somehow, I don't think we'll get the same performance from stuff like the F-22 and F-35.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I wonder if they're doing these under license or, you know, just third-partying it like Transformers? Since Hasbro seems to show no interest in reviving M.A.S.K., despite the how cool the concept is, and its similarity to Transformers, I'm glad to see somebody showing interest in the property. With a really well done toon to help toy sales, M.A.S.K. could be a winner for Hasbro. What kid doesn't like a normal everyday vehicle that turns into a flying vehicle or a tank? the idea of hidden weapons in a car has worked for James Bond since the 60s. There's something intrinsically cool about it that has certainly always appealed to me.
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