M'Kyuun

At the risk of bogarting this entire thread, I have another review for you. as I mentioned in my 10497 review, I had designs on using my second copy of the set to build one of the semi-official alternate builds, also based on 1979 Space sets, and also designed by Mike Psiaki. I followed through, spending the lion's share of my yesterday well into the late evening toiling away on not only the ship, but a few side MOCs. The design I chose to do was 10497_01 which is intended to be an update to set #924 Space Transporter as it was known in Europe, or set #487 Space Cruiser as it was known in the US. I don't own a copy of the Space Cruiser, so I'm afraid stock photos will have to do. Group shot with (L-R) 10497_01, 497, and 10497, or maybe less confusing, Space Cruiser 2.0, Galaxy Explorer, Galaxy Explorer 2.0 (GE2). For the remainder of the review, I'll use these terms. As you can see, the Space Cruiser is about the same size as the original Galaxy Explorer. It follows many of the same design cues as the GE2, as the original Cruiser shared similar cues to the Galaxy Explorer. I love the slightly elevated position of the copilot, as well as the inclined fuselage/canopy. To me it just looks very sleek and aerodynamic. While I'm not the biggest fan of stickers, in this instance I wish LEGO had included a set of stickers for "LL924" and "LL918" to correspond with the alternate models. Both alternates use the printed LL928 bricks prominently, but I'd like to have a proper LL924 on this ship, which I intend to keep permanently. Note the carryover of the brick-built white downward arrow from the GE2. Such a great detail. being a much smaller ship, Space Cruiser doesn't have a living quarters, and those double windows serve a purely aesthetic function. The Space Cruiser also shares the same retracting landing gear design as GE2. I like the asymmetrical antennae on this model. The original had a single antenna, replicated here by a 6-stud long bar w/stop inserted into a 1x1 round brick. The fit of that bar is rather loose; it doesn't fall out, having more friction at the very end than where it sits flush with the stop, but there is a little slop so that it can move side to side a little bit. They really should have put a few light bley 1x1 round plates with open studs in the set to give it a firmer base. Alas, no. This bit of nondescript cargo differs from the white cargo box that came with the original Space Cruiser. In my mind, it's some sort of generator utilizing similar tech to the engines, but honestly, imagination prevails and aside from the two light bley containers w/flip-down doors, the function and purpose of the remainder is up to the builder. If Mr. Psiaki has offered an explanation, I'm blissfully unaware. Another notable omission from this update is a forklift to facilitate handling of the cargo. Having a plethora of leftover parts after completing the Space Cruiser, I embraced the challenge of building one using only the leftover parts. Due to the four-stud wide design of the original cargo build, I had to modify it so that my forklift, whose forks are spaced 6-studs wide, could pick it up, as seen in the previous pics. I replaced the half cylinder piece with some angled bricks to try and maintain the rounded look of the container while putting some 1x1 red and white cylinders within to simulate tanks of some sort. I put a tap in there too, as a way of interacting with it and providing a hint of functionality. I also added some side runners to provide a lifting surface for the forklift. Fortunately, the cargo bay is 6-studs wide, and the modified cargo fits perfectly. Incidentally, that grey and blue bit sticking up is the locking mechanism for the cargo doors. It needs to be lowered to near horizontal prior to closing the cargo doors so they can pass under the large tail stabilizers. Once the doors are in closed position, you simply press the lock down and all is secured. After finishing my forklift, I still had a lot of parts left over, so I decided to try and replicate, still using only parts from the set, something akin to the white cargo box from the original set. With a goodly collection of parts left over still, I built a little depot for storing cargo. In summary, by not having the numbered bags to go by, but having to pick the parts out of a rather large pile brought back the nostalgic feel of the pre-millennial sets before part call-outs on every step. It made for a longer build time (I don't organize or sort my parts out - I just dump and build), but enjoyable all the same. Forging into MOC territory with the forklift, cargo, and depot builds well into the evening was fun and freeing, if that's the right word. I've long been a MOC builder and tying myself purely to the parts available in the set put a fun constraint on realizing these additional builds. I hope they prove inspirational to anyone else attempting the same. As to the updated Space Cruiser itself, if you like the design direction of 10497, and desire an updated 487/924 for your collection, as I do, this is definitely a beautiful and complimentary model. IMHO it makes a great companion piece for the GE2, and if nothing else, provides for a fun build experience beyond the primary model. Cheers and keep clicking those bricks!

Thanks F-ZeroOne, I appreciate it greatly. Of course, I can't recommend it highly enough, but so far as space is concerned, I feel ya. Even so, I wasn't going to let this set slip by after it's pretty much topping my wish list for decades. Gonna build the Galaxy Cruiser update with my second copy, and I'll probably get a third copy just to do whatever with. Fortunately, I put up some shelves earlier this year, and I'm going to get creative with some display possibilities to try and fit all this blue and grey loveliness. I hope you end up getting a copy, but if not, there are plenty of sites that do good reviews and real-time build-ups so you can enjoy it vicariously. It's never quite the same as building it yourself, but I find it a relaxing and rewarding way to enjoy sets I likely won't buy. Whatever you decide, I wish you well.

I'm only just catching up w/ all the Batgirl hoopla, mostly thanks to its trending on Twitter. I never really had any expectations built up for this, so I'm a bit neutral about its being shelved. However, if they decided to do a Batgirl tv series, I'd love to see them cast Sadie Sink from Stanger Things as the eponymous heroine. The girl has chops, and bonus, she's a natural red head, perfect for a young Barbara Gordan learning the ropes as a burgeoning crimefighter. Hire Dina Meyer, who played Barbara Gordon in 2002's Bird's of Prey to play her mom, and with whom she shares a believable likeness, unlike so many other odd parent-child castings. Cast an 18 year-old Dick Grayson and a Batman in his thirties as mentors and friends. With good writing and prod values. I think it'd make for a good show.

10497_01_BI_AltDig.pdf10497_02_BI_AltDig.pdf Here they are. _01 builds an update of set #924 Space Cruiser. _02 builds an update of set #918 Space Transport (One Man Spaceship). Only one model can be built at a time with a single copy of 10497 Galaxy Explorer. Hope this helps. Happy Building!

NP. I actually wasn't planning on doing so in-depth a review, but after I posted the pic of it just sitting on my kitchen table, I realized there was a lot I wanted to share about it. This is a dream set, one I didn't think was going to happen when Castle won the poll, and Bionicle was looking very likely to win at one point as well. The announcement of this set was a huge sigh of relief followed by a huge wave of anticipation. I'm also happy that I have the original to do a comparison, and I thought was the best way to do a presentation. I hope it was enjoyable. And yeah, Fed Ex's tracking is unreliable at best. They got me this time, as usually they're late by a day or two, and this time they were a day early. Totally unexpected, and dismaying when I found they'd been out on my porch for an extended period in very hot weather. I love that they did the old computer graphic, too. It's always been one of my favorite decos. If you look at the copilot's panel, it's reminiscent of the old Asteroids game, but the silhouette of the ship is the Galaxy Explorer. LEGO humor at its finest. 😊 Thank you most kindly. Futuron had one of the finest looking aesthetics of all the Space themes, IMHO, and some great sets. I only had two sets from that theme as a kid: 6848 Strategic Persuer, and the gloriously beautiful 6932 Stardefender 200 😍. I wouldn't balk in the least if LEGO decided to do an update of the Stardefender. Space Police was a cool theme, too. I wouldn't mind homages to the sets you mentioned, either. I'd also favor some Blacktron or Blacktron 2 updates. So many good sets and creative themes from that era.

It does look nice (many of their models do). Unlike LEGO, it benefits from many more customized parts to approximate the realistic look of the actual aircraft, but it does have nice shelf presence. Congrats on finally getting a copy. Sounds like it makes you happy, and that's awesome. So my two copies of 10497 were delivered on Sunday, a day early, and they sat on my porch in 100 degree heat for a day and through a round of sprinklers the next morning (Monday) before I discovered them. Really wish Fed-Ex would knock on the door when they deliver stuff. Fortunately, they weren't pirated, and though the boxes both suffered a bit of wear, the contents seem to be fine. I've been into LEGO since I was about 6, and Classic Space definitely appealed to me more than any of LEGO's other themes. That said, I never had any of the old blue and grey ships from '79. I remember getting smaller sets and looking at the pics of the Galaxy Explorer and the Galaxy Cruiser in the foldouts and catalog booklets that used to accompany sets back then. I miss those. I didn't get a copy of the 497/928 Galaxy Explorer until my forties, and the first set I bought was incomplete, at which point I bought a second used copy which gave me the parts to finally complete the set. It sits on my shelf as I type. Like most CS fans (I use the term broadly, encompassing LEGO space themes into the 90s), I've a great deal of nostalgia for the old Space themes, but there has always been a certain allure for those original blue and grey ships- they were majestic in their use of colors, in the shaping, in the realistic features, in the playability. Jens Nygaard Knudsen (Jan 1942- Feb 2020) is not a household name, but it should be for the many millions of children's lives he has touched through his work at LEGO. Jens designed the minifigure. He also designed the entire first wave of the early Space sets, including the venerable Galaxy Explorer. He chose the blue color, from a then very limited palette, because it seemed to him "more technical". One may be inclined to think an obscure film called Star Wars influenced the wedge-shaped ship designs, but Mr. Knudsen finalized the Space sets in '76, a year prior to Star Wars' release, and three years prior to the US release of LEGOLand Space. The launch of Castle, Town, and Space brought immediate success for LEGO and a much-earned promotion to Chief Designer for Jens. In total, Jens worked for LEGO for 32 years before retiring in 2000, designing elements and sets that would become iconic, revered, and still much sought-after to this day. I can't adequately put into words my immense gratitude for the influence and joy Jen's work has brought me throughout my life. In reviewing this new Galaxy Explorer design, I thought it altogether fitting and proper to first pay tribute to the creator of Classic Space and the minifigure who breathed life into LEGO themes. I consider him one of my personal heroes, so great has his work's impact been on my life. Tak. 10497 Galaxy Explorer came about as the result of a poll LEGO submitted to the public to gauge interest in what themes LEGO fans would like to see in a 90th anniversary set. The race was close between several themes, and ultimately Castle and Classic Space were chosen to receive updates homaging the classic sets. The designer for the updated Galaxy Explorer is a talented AFOL-cum-designer named Michael Psiaki, whose work with LEGO I followed for years prior to his employment with LEGO. I was very pleased when I found out he had secured a job as a designer; he has since proved his prowess with the brick, designing sets like the Expert Creator Mustang, F40 Ferrari, Harley-Davidson Fatboy, 007 Aston-Martin DB5, as well as 3-1 sets like the beautiful Blue Power Jet. and the incredible Ideas Saturn V. Some quick history; In Europe, the Galaxy Explorer was released under set number 928, whereas in America, it was set 497. Apparently differing set numbers based upon region was more common back in the late 70s, early 80s. Set 10497 pays homage to both iterations through both the set number and the printed LL928 on the side of the ship itself. The LL stands for LEGOLand in case you're not familiar. So, let's start with the original set. This was the flagship set of the first wave of LEGOLand Space in 1979, and oh what a beautiful set it is. Big, eyecatching color scheme, awesome spaceship, a cool printed baseplate for it to land on, a cool baseplate with crater detail to explore, a little buggy, a communications tower, and four of the then all-new astronaut minifigs, two red and two white, to play out space adventures. In my mind, the appeal of this set has not diminished one iota since its initial release. Old vs new. Obviously, this is not a 1:1 set, but more of a stylistic and minimized homage of the original. Unlike 497 with its spread of baseplates and comm center, 10497 concentrates solely on the main ship, giving it a modern feel while doubling its size from the original. The basic silhouette is still the same looking down, but from the side the fuselage rakes at a steeper angle in lieu of the stepped shape of the original's cockpit section for a sleeker side profile. It also uses the UCS X-Wing canopies in trans-yellow to cover both the crew compartment and a newly added living quarters behind it. Looking at the grey wingplan, 10497 eschews the multi-layered sandwich of plates of 497 for a thicker wing plan that uses SNOT techniques to give the outer edges a nice bevel topped by tiles. The entire ship is built upon a Technic frame covered in plates and wedges, and is very sturdy. Crew compartment: 497 10497 Instrument panel: While 497 had printed slopes , 10497 has printed tiles. I'm particularly enamored of the ship status panel in the center; it's a cool RW touch. While I'm mentioning printed tiles, I'm pleased to say that there are no stickers in this set; all graphics are printed so as to more faithfully replicate the building experience of the original set. 497 10497 Crew quarters 10497 An added bonus to getting an update to an old design is that new features can be added. In this case, a small living quarters is located behind the crew compartment. In this first pic, you're treated to a couple printed tiles and a view of the beds, each with an alcove built in so the astrofigs can sleep with their air tanks on. Cargo compartment: 497 10497 Although similar to 497's cargo functions, there's one additional change: an extendable ramp. The white plates with grey Technic pins serve to hold the buggy in place allowing the wheels to spin freely while the ramp is pulled out. Once fully extended, it simply inclines due to gravity, and the buggy rolls out. Although this robot comes with 10497, it wasn't part of the original 497 set. It was part of set 6809 XT-5 and Droid from 1987. This is an exact copy of that droid, a personal addition by the designer. Airlock: This, too, is a feature not found on the original 497. It allows passage from the crew quarters to the cargo compartment via a sliding door. It's a clever SNOT build that works very well. The door slides so effortlessly that I wish they'd incorporated some sort of mechanism by which to secure the door in the closed position. External details/features: 497 10497 A couple notes: While the downward arrow was a printed brick on 497, it is completely brick-built on 10497 using a specialized tile developed for Nexo Knights. The grey door on 497 was merely a detail, as it simply opened into the cargo compartment but served no other purpose. On 10497, the doors are replaced by specialized box elements which originally showed up in M-Tron sets in 1990. Making use of the boxes, the right one contains a black air tank (wish it was light bley to match the tank in 497) and the left box contains a couple taps with trans-red and trans-green studs which I interpret to be marshalling wands). One other observation I want to point out is the omission of the printed grill detail found on 497. A new brick with that printed grill for this set, or even having it brick-built using the grill tiles would have been cool. Finally, while the wing mounted engines on 497 were a stationary detail, on 10497 they can unsnap from their moorings, and by flipping them over and adjusting the little levers, they can become rocket sleds of a sort. It's silly, and my least favorite of the set's features, but it's not out of the realm of whimsy and fun that LEGO's known for in other themes. Notes and final thoughts: The box art for 10497 is lovingly reminiscent of the space sets of the late 70s and 80s. I wish they'd gone full-bore and produced an old-school box with a plastic insert to highlight specialized parts/figs with a lid style flap. I loved the packaging from that era, and to have had it reproduced for this set would have been just one more checked box towards total nostalgia fulfillment. Alas, they didn't. The instruction booklet, much like many of their other specialized sets, have snippets of info interspersed throughout, which always brings an added bit of enjoyment to a building project, especially when said project has personal meaning, as this set does for me. Set 10497 contains 1254 pieces and retails for $99.99 USD, which going by the antiquated 10 cents/pc methodology, is a great buy. But beyond the financials, this set represents a long-wished-for dream come true for LEGO Space fans all around the world, including the designer himself, who wanted to do an update of 497 since he joined LEGO in 2012. Classic Space represents something intangibly cool to so many people, many of whom I've met or interacted with via conventions and online. These folks keep CS alive through their passion for LEGO and their amazing MOCs, and other paraphernalia. The appeal of CS remains strong, and I'm one of many who would love to see it and many of the other Space themes revisited. 10497 whets the appetite for more sets done in this fashion, and I hope LEGO will surprise us in the future. For now, aside from Benny's Spaceship in 2014, LEGO Space has gone silent since their last original Space theme , Galaxy Squad, debuted in 2013. My hope is that 10497 will prove enormously successful, providing impetus to LEGO that there's room on shelves for more than one Space theme. Cheers, and play well.

I wish they'd borrow more ideas from third party, but at least this demonstrates a willingness on their part. Regarding your Silverbolt aircraft carrier idea, if Has/TT were more competent when designing jet alt modes I'd be all for it. But, with only a single alt mode to deal with, their attempts to make jetformers are overburdened with concessions. The Aerialbots were hindered further by their need to form limbs hence the blocky bots-wearing-jet-carcasses approach to their G1 toys. Unfortunately, that egregiously compromised aesthetic has followed us into the 21st century with unshakeable tenacity such that even the majority of third party attempts, most at MP scale no less, have copied it. Dreamstar Toys are one of the few to move away from the G1 aesthetic to produce more realistic looking jets, although their take on the bot modes is very stylized, more akin to Bayformers than G1. Additionally, much to my disappointment, as well as they did on the limb-bots' jet modes, their Silverbolt shares the same block-o-bot undercarriage that seems to plague all instances of the character in toy form. I keep waiting for someone to make a more integrated Silverbolt that actually looks like a proper Concorde, but that seems to be an insurmountable challenge, or nobody cares enough to try. @mikeszekely and I have had this conversation, and though we differ in our opinions, I still think it's wholly do-able. Even with a titan budget, I'm not sure they'd be able to pull it off. I look at The Ark, and there are so many things that could have, and one would expect would have, been done better on a titan class fig. The hands suck, the little cannons that dot his carcass are molded detail instead of being separate rotating features, the enormous gaps in his legs that should have been covered by hinged clamshell panels, the gap at his elbow that similarly should have had a folding cover, the lack of a fifth engine bell (which should have been engineered in even if it had to separate and fold away to form the feet), etc. I like it, but I'm not blind to its many concessions. While I'd love all-in-one combiners from Hasbro, I just don't think it's financially feasible, and I think the engineering required would be too complex for their age market. I remember back in the mid-2000s when Bayformer toys were becoming very complex, and parents were complaining b/c little Johnny or Susie couldn't figure them out (and I suspect, neither could the hapless parents when they tried to help). Admittedly, I had trouble figuring some of them out, and the instructions weren't always the clearest (thank Primus for all the video reviewers). So, I make the argument that even with a larger budget, I think the all-in-one approach is impractical.

I think you make a good argument for the direction Has/Tak chose. I posited my opinion in a previous post, but essentially, given the bevy of restraints under which they must labor to produce a safe and functional toy within tight budgetary limits, I think they went the best route to give purpose and function to all parts of the figure while striving to maintain the G1 toon look of Menasor. Are there concessions? Yep, but I think they were judiciously acceptable concessions relative to the ultimate aim of making a toon accurate Menasor/Stunticon team. The designers at Hasbro & Takara-Tomy are fans of this stuff; they know they can't do everything they'd like to do to make the 'perfect' fig within their imposed limitations. I don't always agree w/ their choices, but thanks to their behind-the-scenes revelations on Instagram, I'm developing a whole new respect for the hurdles and hindrances they face when designing these things, and an appreciation for just how well most turn out in retrospect. I would absolutely love it if Hasbro/TT could follow MMC's example as it pertains to combiners. All-in-one is the ultimate engineering approach, IMHO. It's hard to do, and unfeasible for mass-retail toys aimed at 8 year-olds. Reality sucks sometimes. But, at least it exists within the MP level of collecting, and that's something to be celebrated.

Great review, Mike! I'm not the biggest fan of the frame w/ ornamental cars to form a combined bot, BUT, this is a case where I'll make an exception. I don't know that they'd have been able to pull off an all-in-one Motormaster at even a commander class budget. It's a tall order, and I don't think the final result would have been as faithful as this approach. The engineering is still pretty amazing when you consider the puzzle aspect of the trailer with all the different parts, which also have varying levels of transformation individually, plus the cab section, all of which has to create a base mode (It's not great, but points for trying- they don't have to, but it's a little extra playability that costs you nothing more than time) and merge together to form the torso and limb frames, all of which needs to be sturdy enough to bear the weight of those additional deluxe carbots. And it all has to meet strict safety laws and such, plus be easy enough to be manipulated by an 8 year-old, yet still appeal to us old 40-50 year olds who grew up with it, b/c ya know, although we're not technically the target audience, we're the ones with the nostalgia and the passion for G1 and the disposable income to have rooms full of this stuff. Not that I would know anything about that. 😉 So, my copy of Studio Series '86 Sludge came today, and I'm rather quite pleased with him. I complained about Takara's, specifically Hasui-san's, reinventing the wheel with some of these SS86 Dinobot transformations, but honestly, I was pretty impressed with the design. I think moving his chest back to let his arms form the back legs was a really clever move. His dino butt is way too chunky, and I so wish they had the budget and inclination to give him a longer and slightly articulated tail which would be useful and apropos on an Apatosaur. Moreover, Sludge often used his tail in the toon in combat, and it'd be great if this figure could pull it off, too. Alas, no. Wish they'd worked out a better neck joint- it totally breaks sculpt and looks weird when his neck is bent down. The hip and knee ratchets on mine seem pretty solid thus far. Like Mike, I wish his legs pegged together a little more solidly, but I can live with the slight gap. now onto the main reason for my post. Not content to suffer the stock figure's toe udder in dino mode, I bought BDT Studio's upgrade kit to replace the stationary toes with a set that can rotate into the tummy void that seems to have been made for just that purpose. My thoughts on the kit (BDT-35C) are as follows: Ok, so on the left is the stock toe as it comes on the fig and on the right is the corresponding BDT upgrade. here you can see the variations in size, sculpt, and color. the grey is a slightly darker shade than Sludge's plastic, but the gold is a much deeper bronze than the paint used on the fig. Of course, you can always try to do a better color match yourself if you choose to get the kit. It doesn't bother me. The toe and the base are simply held together by friction; no screws. There's a short length of black plastic tubing somehow embedded in the base and for now it provides enough friction to allow the toe to hold a position, although it wouldn't really be enough to bear the weight of the whole fig. Also, note that the stock toe base has a center piece at the top whereas the BDT base does not. These bases are only held onto a double hinge linkage by two very small protrusions on the inner walls. The center piece helps keep pressure on that connection on the Hasbro base, whereas the BDT is a much weaker connection without it. Not sure why they didn't engineer that into their design, as it would have greatly improved the strength of that joint. As is, it holds ok on mine, but care must be taken when manipulating the joint, as it'll come off very easily. Big oversight on BDT's part. Hasbro toe on the left, BDT on right. Note the center plate on the Hasbro toe base that maintains pressure on the joint. The BDT would have greatly benefitted from having it too. The following show the range of toe up and down respectively. Here Sludge is showing off his brassy new toes. I like that the grills in the front are actual grills and not just molded detail. I wish they'd painted the insides of the toes black or dark grey though. The base color of the 3d printing material is white, and you can see it when looking through his toe grills. Finally, the reason for getting this kit in the first place. Behold, Sludge with a mostly flat tummy! Sludge is ready to pummel Decepticons now without worrying about getting hung up on a speed bump; the downside to the upgrade is there's no place to put his hand cannon except pegging it onto his hind hips, and that's if you don't have his former feet-cum-rocket packs installed. I really wish they'd made his gun collapse enough to store within his big dino butt under those folding panels with the faux G1 toy's toes on his back. Alas it's too big, and with the BDT toes installed, the belly storage option is gone. (Didn't like it anyway). Maybe a third party will make a collapsible gun, or one that separates into two bits that'll fit in his booty. Then he'll truly have junk in his trunk, so to speak. Look at that svelte undercarriage! Those stock toes were udder nonsense. I can't stop myself. It's a marked improvement over the golden mammary formed by the stock toes. I imagine they just didn't have enough room in the molds or the budget to squeeze out two additional parts to allow for the toes to bend organically. For now, the BDT kit suffices, as it's the only folding toe option that I'm aware of. Fortunately, at $17 bucks, it doesn't set you back too much, and I think the improvement to the dino mode is worth it. The tenuous connection is its greatest flaw, but with care, it works. While the moveable toes are almost certainly the main draw of this kit, there are two additional bits that come with it that allow you to make use of the old toe pieces you removed. Admittedly, it's not the best, but it's an option if you choose to use them. I'm not too plussed about the rocket packs, but I guess it's nice that they gave you that option, and it offers something to make the castoff official toes useful. I appreciate the thought more than the execution. In summary, this kit fixes my main gripe with the stock figure. However, the kit could certainly use some refinement, especially the base where it has a tenuous connection. I was really surprised when I was able to easily pull the toe piece off revealing a less than cleanly cut bit of black plastic tubing affixed to the base providing the only means of friction. It's obvious that these were designed quickly and cheaply , but as the only option I'm aware of currently to give him a much-needed breast reduction for a reasonable price, I give the kit a soft recommendation.

Nichelle wasn't just a tv star, a movie star, or a role model; she made literal history against the backdrop of bigotry and stereotyping not only of women's perceived roles, but black women's roles in American society in the 60s. On the Enterprise's bridge, Nichelle was smart, competent, courageous, dedicated, strong, and beautiful; she was an ever-present beacon for women, especially Black women, to look up to and emulate. In and out of uniform, Nichelle was a hero to many, and I wish her fond farewell. RIP

My understanding is that was the initial intention, but something changed after Grimlock's design. The transparent bits were scrapped from all remaining Dinobots in lieu of just painting those affected areas gold to match the animation. That sucks as being able to see the mechanical bits through the smoky clear plastic was one of my favorite features of the original toys.

Thanks, and thanks. I had no clue.

It's ironic that the US followed by Japan seem to be the last countries to get Transformers toys when both countries are responsible for designing and producing them. I can't help but feel a pang of envy when UK fans are showing off the latest releases a month or so before they show up here. Guess Japan has it even worse. That totally sucks, and FWIW, I'm sorry.

😊 Sludge isn't the brightest, the most ambitious, or the fiercest of the Dinobots, but I dig him. Agree. That's my big 'wonder if' too. I really don't need two sets of these guys, but given my druthers, I'd prefer the more toy-styled versions, especially if they all have the transparent covers over mechanical innards like the originals. 😍 I'd love to see them do chrome, too, but that'll never happen.

So, regarding Diaclone, I'm aware of the various Diaclone repaints we've gotten over the years in both MP and most recently the WFC/Legacy stuff. I have the MP + Gen Selects versions of blue Bluestreak, one of my favorite repaints of my favorite TF design. I wasn't sure if there was any other continuity between Transformers + Diaclone, but apparently not. BTW, greatly appreciate the research and breakdown of the Diaclone story, @JB0. So Sludge was the only Dinobot I had as a kid, and I've harbored a soft spot him ever since. When Grimlock was announced, and in leader scale no less, I was pretty excited, anticipating an eventual Sludge. While Grimlock stayed pretty faithful to the G1 toy, the liberties taken with Slag's transformation concerned me a little. I still think he turned out alright, but I still don't know why they'd deviate from a tried -and-true formula beyond "because they can". So now Sludge takes even more liberties than Slag, and while I think it benefits the Apatosaur mode, especially the legs, I too dislike the bit of red from his bot chest showing (which would normally be completely obscured by his wings, and the god-awful toes just dangling under his dino belly where there's a suspiciously perfect-sized void there to accommodate them if they were on a hinge. I suspect that was the plan, but budgetary restraints / lack of room in the allocated molds wouldn't allow it. My copy of Sludge should arrive this week, and in anticipation, I've already bought BDT's upgrade kit which will give him hinged toes. They are 3D printed, but feel solid and while the striations from the printing process are visible on just the gold toe bits, it gives the impression of machined metal (if you've ever used a milling machine, you know what I mean). I wish the toes ratcheted, but they're just friction, and not as tight as I would like. But, they have enough friction to stay folded, and really, that's all I really expect from the kit to improve the dino mode. I'll post some pics with the mod installed once I get my Sludge in hand.

Regarding your Diaclone conversation, beyond the rebranding of the same toys by Hasbro, I didn't think there was any connection between the two lines at all. I wasn't aware of Diaclone until probably my late twenties-early thirties when I started getting on the internet and discovering Transformers forums. Diaclone never interested me beyond the shared toys and the history of how Transformers came about. I can understand if Takara tried marrying the two brands for their domestic market- makes sense, but outside of Japan, not so much. Indeed they are! As am I if only b/c I have no space for anything anymore. And though I say that, I still buy a fair bit of the Hasbro mainline, the occasional legends fig, the occasional MP scaled fig (official or 3P, generally the latter), the rare Macross release (got the anniversary VF-25 coming as we speak, although I have no idea where I'm going to put it), a fair bit of LEGO, and other assorted toys. Toys are my life; it's a hard thing to give up, but I have tried to make more discerning purchases over the last couple of years. As for display- most of my TFs are together on an overcrowded set of shelves, on my desk, on my coffee table, in a couple Detolfs in my dining room. My 3P legends stuff, and other assorted bots are just kinda grouped together in a mish-mash on one part of my desk (I have a huge semi-circular desk with lots of shelf space that's very nearly full at this point). Doesn't stop me from buying the figs that stand out to me, though. This robot collecting business is a sickness....but I can quit anytime I want.😇

Why not keep both; each does something better than the other. And, they're small, so they take up little room.

IDK. By balanced, I was referring more to how well her bot and car modes were executed. She's one of the better Arcee toys I've seen from that perspective, especially for her size. Scalewise, only Dr. Wu knows what he was scaling to, but I'd assume he was aware that she was a bit on the tall side even for Magic Square. NewAge has their own scale, too, so maybe that's the point- there's no standardized scale, so free-for-all. But it does make it frustrating to form a cohesive collection when you're cherry-picking figs from different companies

Nothing wrong with that; you like what you like. I've liked robot & mecha related stuff as far back as I can remember. And building toys. Forty+ years later, nothing's changed except I'm fatter and balder. Impressive collection. Nothing today, not even Transformers themselves, have the presentation value of those old boxes. That box art was a huge draw- it's the reason I bought Prowl as my first TF toy. I still love the box art for Prowl to this day.

My copy of DR. Wu's Amie came today so I thought I'd do a quick review. Amie comes in car mode, but when it comes to G1 Arcee, I think most folks are probably more interested in how well her bot mode turned out. IMHO, Amie doesn't disappoint. While she does sport a sizeable backpack, said pack folds up quite compactly into a loose semblance of her shoulder pods. Considering the entirety of her car's fore and aft fenders comprise the pack, by comparison with other Arcees, this is pretty well executed and , IMHO, acceptable, if forgivable as a well-implemented concession. Amie's backpack cleans up better than Takara's own MP fig, as well as any number of other erstwhile Arcee figs, both official and non. Amie's articulation is on par with today's expectations. her head is on a ball joint, which in turn is on a neck stalk that itself is on a pinned hinge. Despite both joints, she can only manage about 10 degrees of up (without breaking sculpt- more if you do), about 5 degrees down (again more if you break the sculpt by hinging the white bit that forms her collar). her shoulders are on ball joints giving 360 rotation and 90 degrees adduction. She has bicep swivels for 360, double jointed elbows for the full range, and oddly a pinned joint that allows her wrists to bend a touch past 90 towards her elbows. It's not necessary for transformation so I'm not sure why it's there. Her wrists don't swivel, sadly. She has a 90 degree ab crunch, & 360 waist rotation. Her hips can flex forward 90 degrees, back nearly 90 (they're inhibited both by the lower posterior torso sculpt and also by the backpack if she's standing straight. She has thigh swivel cuts for 360. She has double jointed knees for 180 bend, ankle pivots that allows 90 back (in line with the calf for transformation), about 5 degrees up, no rocker, per se, but the toe sections can rotate 360 for transformation. Despite the few limitations, I found her to be a fun little fig to pose. Her backpack is a tad heavy for her size and her rather diminutive feet, but with a little adjustment, I was able to get her to assume any number of poses reliably. Amie comes with a pistol and a rifle, and a separate Arcee face that apparently fits a larger Arcee figure. Neither the box nor the instructions give any indication as to which fig it's for. I didn't take a pic of it, as it obviously wasn't for Amie, having left it and the obligatory collector's card (why?) in the box. As you can see, neither the rifle nor the pistol has any paint, but at this scale, I can forgive it. They're decently sculpted, however, and fit snugly in her hands. Comparisons: L-R : MMC's Azalea (MP scale), Hasbro Thrilling 30 Arcee, Hasbro Studio Series Bumblebee Movie Arcee, and Dr. Wu's Amie L-R: New Age's Harry (Prowl), Amie, and Magic Square's Blues (Jazz) Sorry for changing the arrangement - I took the car shot first and then realized a more effective comparison in bot mode could be achieved with them on either side of her. Car mode: Dr. Wu achieved a fairly accurate representation of Arcee's car mode, sans driver's cabin interior. A little seat detail would've been nice, but the car looks good and at this scale, I'm not going to quibble. There's also adequate ground clearance for her to roll on her little grey plastic wheels. A few transformation steps: I like how Dr. Wu did double duty with her ab crunch joint, as it also enables her entire lower torse to fold 180 degrees. It's a smart use of the joint, and I appreciate it. I also like that her chest forms the front of her car mode, with the concession of her shoulders sitting slightly too low to accommodate the chest linkage. Her pistol tabs into the bottom of the car just behind her head- it's rather precariously placed and one hopes it won't inadvertently fire. 😬 The method of forming her backpack is simple and effective, and while a bit too large and not quite the same shape as her pods are generally illustrated, it's a clever bit of engineering that gives her an accurate car mode and a bot mode with a compact, virtually kibble-free backpack. I only wish the Hasbro versions were so well executed. I think Amie is a well-balanced legends scale Arcee. She's not without her flaws, but I think they're fairly minimal for how well she cleans up, for the range of articulation she offers, and for her fairly accurate car mode. With New Age's Machinenmenscsh already getting reviews, there's no arguing NA has the better bot mode, although her car mode has a camel hump due to the way the legs fold over so her feet can form the seats. Most peeps are going to get her regardless ( I may join them), but I'm curious to see what Magic Square might offer in an Arcee fig. Final thought, if you're in the market for a well-executed pocket-sized Arcee with a good balance between bot and car modes, Amie's a good buy IMHO.

I didn't want the original Jumpstarters. I probably saw commercials for them, but whether or not I did, I knew what they were and what they did- and what they didn't do- and readily passed on them. Even as a teen, I thought they were crap, essentially Transformers in name only. I guess I've always been a transforming robot snob. 😁 The TR toys were the worthy updates I would have wished for had I been wishing for updated Jumpstarters. 😊 I wasn't.....but, that didn't stop me from checking out early reviews and eventually picking up a copy of each, which I found pleasantly well-done both in how well they captured the look of the original toys (with a little license), and the simple yet satisfying transformation. Just transformed Topspin while writing this- couldn't help myself. Man, I wish Hasbro had put some sort of paint apps on his thrusters- a little too plain back there. Love his alt mode, though.

Not for this toy in particular, but for general Transformers and my Macross collecting, this site has proven both essential and invaluable over the years. Forever grateful to all who share info, links, reviews, and all manner of heads-ups, and personal passions for these glorious lumps of plastic. 🙏

Yeah, that's not a half-bad repaint of a pretty solid fig. Both of the TR Jumpstarters were well-executed- the OG toys were terrible, IMHO. I liked the direction Has/Tak took in just making them straightforward TF figs, eschewing the old pull-back, pop-up gimmick that made them crappy Transformer toys. I'm not a big fan of single-step transformations; misses the point of the toyline entirely, IMHO. But then, I've never been much of a fan of electronics or motorized gimmicks in most toys, especially something like Transformers where it's more of a hand-puzzle. The combination of tactile and cerebral puzzle-solving is at the core of what makes transforming toys so intriguing and enjoyable. Anyway, I'm passing on this personally (I have TR Twin Twist & Top Spin, so I'm good), but for folks who like a particular character or mold, repaints are a great way to enjoy it in a different sense. In my case, although I already have the awesome Kingdom Cyclonus figure, I just couldn't pass up the Generations Selects version with all the G1 toy deco. Although I've been resisting, part of me still wants the Generations Selects G1 toy colored Galvatron, one of the few '86 Movie toys I actually owned as a kid. Just a lot of nostalgia with that color scheme.

Simple, they just politely requested the Uffizi Gallery to turn the painting around long enough to take a quick pic. You're welcome.

Wish they'd come through with Priss and her Motoslave. Of the Yamato BBC releases, I only have Linna, whose limbs fall off if you sneeze across the room. Their Motoslave isn't the sturdiest or most stable thing, either. I'd love to see what Figma can do with it.