Jump to content

M'Kyuun

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5079

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by M'Kyuun

  1. M'Kyuun
    Despite my low opinion of the G1 toys, mostly b/c of their lack of articulation, I'd be lying if I didn't say these bring back a lot of warm and fuzzy memories of a lot of time spent looking at these as a kid. Even now, there's a strong spark of nostalgia that goes to full bright whenever I see these or some of the old box art. They definitely had a good marketing team at Hasbro- it's amazing how something like this can still stir up excitement nearly thirty plus years later. I wish they still put these brochures in with today's toys. To @tekering & @mikeszekely Thanks for setting me straight. I never had much interest in the Titans, so my knowledge of their packed-in minions is woefully poor. I can see the resemblance to the original now that it's been pointed out. Not my cuppa, but a nice companion piece for those who own titan class Metroplex. Looking forward to your pictorial. I enjoy seeing the old-new comparisons. G1 Galvatron is a mixed bag. HUGE liberties were taken with his animated appearance, such that it's difficult to equate the toy with Dery's very stylized take. Of course, that makes it difficult for today's toymakers trying to translate something that stylized compared to the original toy. As a toy, though, G1 Galvy had his positives if you can evaluate him apart from the animation. He had hip and knee articulation, ratcheted even! which were nigh unheard of among the majority of TF toys at the time. His arms had an impressive range of articulation, also ratcheted, for the time as well. Sure, his biceps were huge and bulky and his forearms puny by comparison, but it was to facilitate the transformation, and back then it didn't bother me as much as it would today if a similar contrast ended up on a modern fig. He even had a waist swivel. He had lights and sound, if that sort of thing floats your boat ( I've never been much of a fan of electronics in my toys). He could become a ground cannon, a sci-fi pistol, and a robot, making him a 2.5 changer, since you just folded the arms up parallel to the body and extended the handle for a grip to form the pistol. Still, as a toy, I thought he was pretty cool, and def one of the best to come out of the '86 Movie lineup, and honestly, one of the best in the whole line due to all the articulation he possessed.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Had I known this Blaster was coming, I'd have passed on the CW version, which was a bit oversized and couldn't hold a regular tape. Definitely will pick this guy up. Why oh why did they have to make the cassette from trans plastic?- usually doesn't bode well for longevity. Pipes doesn't look too bad; I like the Huffer mold. But I'm not really feeling the white arms, which in turn become white smoke stacks, thus ruining the realism a little. His silver weapons, which are supposed to be his stacks, look odd sitting on his hitch deck. Wish they'd changed the transformation a bit so his arms moved to the center of his cab letting the silver bits become his stacks instead. No idea who the third guy is. looks just so-so to me. Not sure if it's mistransformed here, but you can clearly see his face looking up asking Primus why the hell he got stuck with such a poor design. Big beefy bot, with tiny forearms and even tinier hands. Just looks all kinds of disproportionate. Same boat financially; I usually split my birthday/Christmas requests between LEGO and Transformers. I don't think I even had as many G1 figs as you did. I would sometimes ask for other stuff, too, though, like Zoids, or another building toy brand called Brix Blox, which I built with as much as, if not more, than LEGO. Anyway, by '86, I was 14 turning 15 and my dissatisfaction with the TF toys due to their lack of articulation was eroding their appeal to me. I still bought the odd bot here and there, but in '90 I joined the military and lost touch with TFs for probably about a year or two. I remember seeing the train bots in a hobby store near Kadena, but I opted to buy my first Gundam instead, which impressed the ever living stuffing out of me for all its glorious articulation. I went on to buy a few more, including the then new F91, which I still need to finish after nearly thirty years. Tough model to paint by hand. Anyway, the appeal of G1 toys, but not G1 itself, was already pretty low by the time I was in my late teens. G2 didn't really appeal to me either, except for the Cyberjets, which had ball joints for all the major joints and represented in my mind a revolution, and hopefully, a harbinger of good things to come. Then came Beast/Machine Wars and while the animal forms weren't my preference, I loved the direction the toys were taking with more complexity and articulation. Classics had the promise of, finally, the old G1 toys reimagined with articulation, but they still weren't quite what we wanted, were they? MP answered that desire, but the releases were sporadic and slow in releasing, and then the whole toon-centric direction lessened its appeal for me. And now WfC/Legacy are finally, FINALLY, giving me what I wanted in the box nearly 40 years ago when I bought Prowl in '84. The line's not without its stinkers, as you mentioned, Mike (UM for sure, Astrotrain, Arcee), but the vast majority have been winners IMHO. The 13 year old me within rejoices every time I pick up a new one of these figs- I constantly daydreamed, pondered, and imagined what those old toys would look like with improved articulation, and now I can hold the accumulation of those hopes and dreams in my hands. much like MP, WfC, SS86, and Legacy are dreams come true for me. I don't even spare a thought for the old G1 toys. But, just like in Toy Story, all toys should be loved and cared for for the joy they bring to their owners, be they young or old, and I'm glad yours have a good home where they'll be loved and appreciated. I wish you every success in tracking down the rest of the figs you're missing; I hope you achieve a complete set, or complete to you. They still make for fun fidget toys- simple yet satisfying.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Just saw RT at Walmart on Monday. Not sure if it was DVD or Blu-ray; didn't care. But it's out for those who want it.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Nice collection going there, Mike. I only own Galvatron and Springer out of that crowd. All things being equal, I'm far happier with my WfC figs; the old toys just hold no appeal for me. That said, I'm glad you were able to find these guys in such good shape for your display, and that they bring a measure of happiness and satisfaction.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I finally got my copy of Kingdom Gnaw yesterday, and since Mike already did a comprehensive review, I just want to post a few personal thoughts. First, I love how close they got to Dery's design, from sculpting to colors, he's about as close as you can get in a $20 toy. It exceeds expectations, IMHO- just a lot of character for a 2 dimensional army builder bad guy from a few scenes in TF: The Movie. For negatives, the ankle rockers, the shoulders, and the lower jaw (which is a PITA in bot mode, as Mike mentioned, for its lack of locking mechanism in bot mode) are a bit looser than I'd like; they're not floppy, and it will hold any pose I put it in, they just feel a little too loose for a brand new fig. Design wise, the one time where a ball joint would have been preferable, they instead used a pinned friction hinge for the Shark mode's shoulders, which greatly reduce the poseability in alt mode. I also wish the hands had been molded in a scratching pose instead of resting at his sides. All in all, a nice addition to the G1 cast of characters, and at deluxe scale, I think he works better in comparison to his previous smaller legends and Cyberverse toys.
  6. M'Kyuun
    I was stationed at Kadena, Okinawa as my first base. I was a bout 20 when I showed up, and about 22 when I departed. Unlike the vast majority of my military brethren, I never cottoned to alcohol or parties, and I remained quite antisocial. My second year there, the Air Force underwent a complete organizational restructuring, and as a result, my little F-15 component backshop merged with the old SAC backshop. One of the guys who transferred over was an older Tech Sergeant, who became a mentor and friend to both myself and my roommate, also in his early twenties, who also worked with me in the shop. The three of us would often jump in my car and we'd go sight-seeing around the island. I was very much an introvert, very small-minded, having come from a rather conservative and sheltered upbringing, and having those adventures with both of my friends, both of whom were far more worldly than me, helped to open me up a bit. So, that little bit of growth was an accomplishment before 24. Too, I got pretty good at testing F-15 PRCAs.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I terms of livery, yeah, Maverick is pretty plain. Ironically, Roy Focker's VF-1S copies the VF-84's look, especially the vertical stabs. As to blending in aesthetically, it's not much different than the old Takatoku Jetfire, minus the FAST packs and far more striking paint job. The similarities to the VF-1 can't be denied, which makes me wonder how they managed to get it released without HG raising a stink. I guess they changed it just enough to appease them. Anyway, I'm glad that they chose the design they did rather than the usual blocky bot wearing half a plane on its back that converts into half a plane toting a giant block of robot on its belly. I hated it when I was a kid, and I hate it more now, especially since technology, toy design, and engineering techniques have evolved expansively since the 80s, and a lot of that blockiness can be mitigated through clever engineering. By way of digression, I'm rather pleased with TFC Toys' take on the Aerialbots, which arguably hew closer to the Bayformer aesthetic than G1, although the mechanical transformations drive the look of the bots rather than CG artists' whimsy. While their Siverbolt suffers from the usual block o'bot under a Concode, the rest of the team's alt modes are far more accurate to the real aircraft, which appeals to me greatly. I have their Harrier and F-16 figs POed. I was at my local Wally yesterday, and I was pleasantly surprised to see a lone copy of the Sweep and Wreck-Gar, as my store seldom carries anything larger than deluxes. They also had a couple copies of Paleotrex, Tracks, and Waspinator. While they rarely carry leader class, they've had the original leader class Optimus Primal and Megatron figs, as well as Cheetor and Rattrap. I wanna say they had one more '96 fig, but I can't remember who it was. Anyway, they've been shelf-warming for awhile. I'm a little surprised, actually, at least that OP hasn't been sold out- as toys go, he was pretty amazing for all the stuff they packed into him. Neither the MP nor the Kingdom toys managed to faithfully pack in all the features of the original, and honestly, I don't really feel like they improved upon the original's engineering by much either, articulation notwithstanding. I was at Target this past weekend, and I can't recall seeing any ER or Kingdom figs. They had a number of Cyberverse figs, though, but I haven't picked up any of those toys this year. One of the figs was Thunderhowl, which had intrigued me back when the toys were first revealed; this was my first sighting, and I was a little tempted, but I put him back.
  8. M'Kyuun
    @mikeszekely I also want to convey my appreciation. My copy should be on its way anytime, but this is a nice heads up to kinda soften the blow. For the price, I agree, it should have been better, especially JP93 (that is indeed a remarkably rubbish name). Incidentally, I was just at Target this last Thursday, and I saw that exclusive pack, which reminded me of this set. Had a private chuckle. I'm thinking the majority of the budget was licensing (both JP and Ford), and then paint and tampo for that Explorer. After that, they probably didn't have much money left to work with, which is why T-Rex has sparse paint apps in bot mode (dino mode looks good, sleepy eyes notwithstanding- drab, but that's accurate to source) and JP93 was done on the cheap, feeling every bit a notable step back in a line that has, for the most part, been making strides in quality and design. I'm glad they went with a new mold for JP93, but after owning many WfC figs, it's hard not feeling a little disappointed, especially for the price. Ball joints throughout used to not bother me, but since reading your reviews, Mike, I've tended to adopt your disdain for them, at least on deluxe and above. I think they have their uses, but given their propensity towards quick wear and floppiness, my druthers would be to have pinned friction, or better yet, ratcheted joints, for nearly everything, at least the main joints. It's a shame they went simple with Explorer (I think I'm just going to call him that, b/c JP93 is terrible), but as I said, I'm always excited by a new mold, and given the likely budgetary restraints they had to work with, I'll just accept it as a casualty of doing business with IP holders. I'd love to be a fly on the wall, or have some insider insight to the decision making process when doing a product of this nature. I'll chime in that my favorite crossover is still Maverick, as it's similarity to the VF-1, and Macross designs in general, put it well above the majority of TF jets in design and alt mode accuracy. It's not perfect, but compared to the majority of uber-sh!tty jet modes we get, it's an outstanding entry. I, too, wouldn't mind a Knight Rider crossover- I kinda wonder, with the upcoming Legacy Laser Prime with ER Prime's trailer, if they would do both KITT and the tractor trailer that hauled him around as a way to milk the teat just a little more. With Pontiac being defunct, I wonder how that would affect licensing? The other crossover I'd love to see is Airwolf, especially if they went to the trouble of giving her all her retractable weapons and landing gear.😍 I'd love a transformable version of The Lady - cue up a YT vid of the Airwolf theme song and swoosh the ever living hell out of that thing- purely for aerodynamic evaluation, of course. 😜 As for the Turtles, it's not exactly what you're after, but 52Toys has a Turtles set in their MegaBox line that not only do the cube transformation, but combine to form a so-so version of the Party Wagon. It's one of those squint and it looks better kinda deals😄, but the thought is there. I've never been into the Turtles, but honestly, for what they are, I think 52Toys did a really good job on the Turtles themselves so far as their being action figures that turn into cubes goes. YMMV
  9. M'Kyuun
    I concur; that's a really sweet looking car mode. ❤️ I just really don't have the room. I'm also not crazy about whatever it is that the back bumper/spoiler attachment is supposed to be in her bot mode. It fills out the the car mode beautifully, but it'd be better if that was part of her transformation. Aw well, I'm not getting her so I don't need to worry about it.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I bought Nicee, and I don't have any regret, but had I known then that Mocha was coming, I would have waited. As it is, my MMC Azalea stands in for Arcee in my MP Detolf, and I keep Nicee on my desk. Her stylized look keeps her from blending well with MP, but I appreciate the fig for what it is.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Not a Shattered Glass fan to begin with, but that Megs is fugly to the max. Having the Siege mold, I didn't even bother with his Earthrise version. I didn't like the oversized cannon-sword thing, and the difference between his being an "H" type tank or standard dual treaded tank was insignificant. The Siege toy serves as a good G1 incarnation until a better fig comes along, or gun laws change and they can make him change into a Walther P-38 pistol again. As for sightings, I've been seeing Fossilizers, Tracks, and Waspinator, as well as reissues of the 90's original BW figs, but little else in Generations. I saw and passed on Gnaw a couple weeks ago, but he's since shipped from Pulse, so I'll likely have him in hand next week.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Her legs form the sides of the car, and if her backpack is left attached and her shoulder pods attached as such (they can be placed on her hips, too), then her backpack forms the cabin, hood, and front fenders. It's actually fairly similar to Thrilling 30 Arcee's transformation, with exception of her bot chest forming the front lip of her hood, for obvious reasons. In short, there is actual transformation involved; it's fairly simple. but it's there, which is more than can be said for Earthrise Arcee. This version has an additional removable piece that forms the back of the car with the spoiler and taillights. In one pic above, she's holding it as either a weapon or a shield of sorts.
  13. M'Kyuun
    At 50, I can't say I've accomplished anything of note within the entirety of my life, but at 24, I was a Senior Airman, or a newly minted Staff Sergeant in the Air Force working hydraulics and aerial refueling systems on MC-130E Hercules aircraft out of Hurlburt Fld, Fl. I had some fun experiences during that period of time, as we went to some cool places and did some neat things. When I was about 25, Hollywood used our plane 64-0559 to film scenes for Air Force One. We never met any of the film's stars, but doing the filming was a memorable experience on its own, especially when filming scenes with the 747- we flew with the ramp down, and reeled out a 200 lb dummy dressed in a suit to represent Harrison, which was AF property then used for Fulton Recovery System training, to film the scenes when he's dangling on a cable in front of the 747's number two engine towards the end of the film. Had that cable snapped, it would have been catastrophic. Fortunately, all went well. Those of us who went out to do the filming also got an advanced screening of the film, which was pretty cool. The movie hasn't held up well, IMHO, but I still have good memories of our stay in Ventura while we did the filming. Incidentally, at the time, Rick Springfield of "Jessie's Girl" fame had a tv show where he played a cop or something, and they were filming an episode for the entirety of the two weeks we were staying there. Didn't meet Rick, but the British fellow playing that ep's baddie was a really personable guy. No idea what his name was. While they were filming a scene, I was hanging out by the sound guy, and he handed me his headphones while they were doing a live take- just incredible fidelity- it picked up everything. Cool experience that I'll never forget.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I saw this series mentioned recently in another forum, and it aroused my curiosity. I think I watched the first ep a year ago or so, but I'd forgotten about it until the recent mention. So I binged it tonight on YT, and overall, it was a pretty neat series. I absolutely love the premise of the aliens, known colloquially as "Peddlers", selling each exo-frame for a chunk of limestone, and the gradual and eventual adaptation of these fairly simple exo-frames into all sorts of combat uses, which philosophically, speaks to humanity's lower inclination towards violence and fighting. Despite the aliens' statement of absolute neutrality in human affairs, one suspects they understand us all too well, and the violent exploitation of these exo-frames will be to their benefit. If they do a second season, it would be cool if that ulterior motive was explored in an ep or two. While I thought it was well animated, and the stories are engaging, some of the English voice acting leaves a little to be desired, and some of the dialog comes off as clunky, awkward, or stereotypical. Overall, though, I enjoyed it, and if a second season gets made, I'll watch it too.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Dude. That's some great looking weathering. It makes me all the more aware of my absolute lack of talent. Gotta agree with your sentiment about having an original, non-established character- he can be whatever you want him to be. Too, hat's off to Toys Alliance for creating such a distinctive figure. I'm not really into post-apoc as a genre, but I can appreciate what goes into it in terms of imagination, and this guy represents something different in the world of Transformers. Honestly, for what it is, the vehicle mode looks great, and I love the bot mode as well. Just a cool toy.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Man, I hope. The old Yammie just doesn't do it for me, but that Bandai proto sings to my soul.❤️
  17. M'Kyuun
    Wheeljack is by far the best looking of those figs, so far as both alt and bot modes go. I really like Brawn's bot mode; the alt mode is so-so, but as far as Cybertronian alts go, it could be far worse. Alas, poor, poor Soundwave- that alt.🤮 Like they couldn't be bothered to even try cooking up something relatable. Ravage, likewise- like Mike said, he looks more like a wolf, and he turns into a cube with unspecified purpose. 52Toys this isn't, and again, it just feels like no effort was put forth to give either of these guys relatable alt modes, which renders their ability to transform a bit moot. Ratchet fared pretty well, though- his alt mode shares similarities with any number of sci-fi rover concepts I've seen over the years, and that's just fine. At least it's relatable. Shockwave is very reminiscent of the Prime toy; odd that they made him core class instead of voyager or even deluxe.
  18. M'Kyuun
    That makes two of us!😄 Honestly, I haven't been this excited for a LEGO set in a long time, and I'm a pretty ardent fan- my ever shrinking house is full of the stuff, and they keep making more, so I've had to start becoming a little more choosy. But this AT-AT is so bought. I'm already trying to figure out where I'm going to put it, as I'm pretty much out of flat surfaces to put anything. rest assured, though, I'll share my thoughts on it once I have it. I'm envious of all these Blog and Vloggers who've been getting free early copies of this thing to review. I can understand wanting to be done with a project- sometimes you just get fatigued. That's when I'm happy it's just a hobby and not designing something like a park ride, a real car, or aircraft where lives matter if you get tired and institute a mediocre solution out of frustration or fatigue. I don't envy engineers the pressures they face when trying to design something, especially if they're treading new ground. I'd be a poor engineer. Anyway, your engines make great looking feet. I've messed with those triangle tiles before (really useful parts), and they can be tricky to stand on their base like a pyramid to form the Blacktron logo. Here's a simple way I found to do it: I realize the colors are reversed on the triangles, but I only have two yellow ones and a bunch of black, but for demo purposes, I think it illustrates the technique ok. The resulting logo is fatter and shorter than it should be, but it approximates it well enough using what LEGO gives us. Anyway, I hope this is useful , whether or not you choose to use it on your Betrayer. In all your LEGO endeavors, I wish you every success. Keep building, and build what makes you happy; that's the important part. I appreciate the kind words, and your valuation of my input. I'm honored, man, and happy to help if I can. Leg godt, bro!
  19. M'Kyuun
    I've been saving my points for years for just such an eventuality. I have enough to cover a pretty good portion of the tab at this point, at least half. As I've said before, this is THE SET I've been waiting for since they started the UCS line in the early 00s, really since they picked up the license in '99, so I'm down for a copy on day one. I just have to figure out where I'm going to put it.
  20. M'Kyuun
    It's coming! Full pictorial review on the Brother-Brick This things rocks.😍
  21. M'Kyuun
    Hey @danth, just seeing this. I was thinking those engines looked a bit chonky, but otherwise, the salient details of the ship were present, especially the modularity which was one of the main gimmicks of Blacktron 1. Incidentally, I always thought the frame with it's command pod removed was a bit odd looking myself, but I always figured it would just stay put wherever it landed until another command pod, like the Battrax's, would snap on. Concerning the engines- a bit thick as engines, but I love the look of them as feet.🤤 I must confess, I didn't get the Blacktron symbol from those yellow triangle tiles until you said something, at which point I facepalmed. The fact that they're raised above the wing's surface and form the logo better from certain angles threw me. Anyway, I totally missed the joints on first glance, and was surprised by the mech; wonderful idea for the frame, as it gives it some purpose, and elevates the cool factor. I assume you lose the cargo container as a tradeoff, but if this had been the direction of the set back when it came out, I would have been over the moon. I always liked robots, and by '87 when this set came out, I was in full thrall with everything and anything transformable. I would have gone bananas for this. Heck, if this showed up on shelves, I still would. Great job, man! It's one of the most creative updates of an old Space set that I've seen; few dabble in the dark art of transforming mecha, so I applaud both the concept and execution. Very cool. 👍
  22. M'Kyuun
    I wonder how much stuff has been destroyed from actors shoving everything off a desk , table, etc in anger or frustration? If I did that every time I got pissed, I'd be out hundreds if not thousands of dollars of stuff that I actually cared about. That's what I thought about watching the Guilty trailer. It looks like the usual melodramatic stuff that Hollywood puts out, but I may give it a gander at some point. Saw Last Night in Soho at the theater. It was a matinee on Thursday, and I was the only one in the theater, the first time that's happened in many years. Enjoyed the film; although Anya Taylor-Joy is showcased heavily in the trailer, the film follows the journey of a young woman named Eloise, Ellie for short, played memorably by Thomasin Mckenzie, a relative Hollywood newcomer. Based upon this performance, I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of Ms. Mckenzie. Without spoiling anything that the trailer hasn't already given away, Ellie identifies with a another young woman from the past named Sandy, (Taylor-Joy), and that association leads her on an unexpected path. There's a bit of a mystery/horror vibe to the film. I thought it was beautifully shot, with a lot of very cool effects to illustrate said association between the two leads. Mckenzie is adorable, and her likability and vulnerability keep you invested emotionally with Ellie throughout the film. Both leads gave strong performances in their respective roles, but Mckenzie really carries the film, which is impressive for a young actress whose name I didn't know before entering the theater. I do now. Nod to Matt Smith, the former eleventh Doctor from Dr. Who, for playing a character a bit seedier than the role he's most known for, and playing it well. Diana Rigg plays a good turn as the world weary landlady, Mrs. Collins.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Different strokes. You're correct; my preference is absolutely for realistic details to cross over b/c that's a mechanical reality, and as a former aircraft mechanic, those details matter to me. I can go so far as appreciating Dery's stylistic interpretations of the bot modes, as, IMHO, they improved on the G1 toys' bot modes, often significantly. The color issue is, of course, a matter of personal preference. My own preference is for the toy colors/real vehicle colors. Choosing colors from the animation b/c they're the artifact of the limitations at the time, animation errors, inconsistencies, and simplifications due to the hand drawn nature of the show where the actual colors based on a physical product are known seems odd to me. But, again, different strokes. Nostalgia reaches us all differently, and I can respect that. However as Mike put so succinctly, Takara's focus on the slavish toon aesthetic is pushing us "hybrid apostles" away, and we are envious of the fans who favor the toon aesthetic, b/c they're getting what they want, but there's no second option, besides third party, who incidentally are all moving towards toon 'accuracy' over realism. Seems petty, but everyone wants what they want, and in the MP case, only one party is being served. The upcoming MP Skids is an exception, and I'm curious if Takara is testing the waters to see how the old more realistic, AKA hybrid, style will fare among consumers. I'm down for a copy, the first G1 MP that's interested me in several years. I'm very curious to see how it does in terms of demand, as it may cause Takara to consider different versions of the same characters in the MP line going forward, or at least more 'hybrid' figs. Guess we'll see. I'm glad Pulse is offering MP figs now, as that'll provide a gauge of demand and profitability outside of Japan. Personally, I never felt the need for G1 styled interpretations of characters from Prime. It had its own aesthetic, inspired heavily by Bay's movie designs. I'm not a big fan of Bayformers, but there was enough stylistic interpretation with the show and toy designs that I came to appreciate them for what they are. That said, this isn't the first time that Has/Tak have taken characters from one line and reinterpreted them to fit another, and ultimately, since one continuity generally borrows from another in this franchise, I'm fine with it. We've gotten a number of great toys from this trend: Animated Lockdown and Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown Animated Lugnut and Reveal the Shield Lugnut: and of course Animated Bulkhead, Prime Bulkhead, Bayformers Hound and Legacy Bulkhead: I think Legacy Bulkhead has more in common with the Animated version than Prime, and moreso with Bayformers Hound (possibly an interpretation of the Animated design) which is based on a real vehicle. Honestly, I would have left Bayformers Hound out of the comparison, but I cribbed these photos from the net, and you work with what's available. The Legacy truck mode isn't based on a real vehicle per-se, but like most of the G1 alt modes in the WfC and now Legacy lines, they hew close enough to the licensed vehicles to look the part without having to pay licensing fees. Good compromise, IMO. Anyway, the only real issue I have with Legacy Bulkhead is that he has more in common with G1 Inferno in bot mode than his namesake. Not a dealbreaker, and I'll happily accept him into the fold when he finally releases. That MFT V2 Springer looks great- really nice update to their first go.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Literally just received my SOC GoLion (Voltron), and it's beautiful. All that shiny metal looks amazing, and the toy has some serious heft to it. Articulation is more limited than I thought it would be for both individual Lions and Voltron. However, it does the job as a display piece. I'm not willing to drop $700 for the Blitzway, even though it appears to fix some of the SOC's weak points, especially hiding the legs away in combined form. Love that, but I'm admittedly not a rabid Voltron fan; I didn't grow up with it, I've yet to see the original show, I couldn't get interested in the 2011 show, and I love the Netflix show. That's my history with Voltron. That said, after passing twice before on the SOC version, when it came available again for its second rerelease, I thought I'd finally go for it. I'm glad I did. As for my need for a more articulated and playable Voltron toy, I have MC01 Elvis preordered, and I suspect it will prove to be a rather fun little figure. I like, too, that it will fit in with the rest of my MegaBox toys from 52Toys. At that scale, he'll be a perfect coffee table toy to mess with while I'm watching the tube.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Despite owning a handful of the G1 toys, I never had any of the official tapes as a kid, except Buzzsaw, who came with Soundwave. I had KOs of Ravage and one of Rumble/Frenzy who was molded in red and white plastic. Nevertheless, my love for those little convertible rectangular wafers was ignited, and has stayed with me all these years. I still don't own any of the Dino cassettes, but I keep hoping for decent official ones (likely won't happen), or for good to great 3P, which are far more likely. I've passed on the KFC offerings due to questionable quality, but I keep hoping that Ocular Max will do them, or FT in their current line, which would probably be optimal given their higher than average quality and engineering at the original scale. Just the same, I'm quite enamored of OM's takes on Ravage and Rumble (didn't get Frenzy). their Condors are ok, a little disappointing after handling Jaguar. However, I'm hoping they'll continue to pump out cassette bots in the full size cassette scale until they've covered the whole roster. I'm in agreement that they scale better with MP, and that there was a bit of mass shifting involved with them, like most of the TFs in the old toon. At least we got Ratbat in Siege, but I hear you so far as those cassettes leaving a bit to be desired. Since Hasbro opted to go for a smaller scale with their cassettes, I hope Dr. Wu, whose Beastbox/Squalktalk set I own and really like, will eventually get around to doing all of the cassettes in that scale with much improved engineering and better looking bot modes.
×
×
  • Create New...