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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Not to undermine his other cinematic works, but, like most Westerners, Chiba-san will always be known to me as Hattori Hanzo, swordsmith unparalleled from Kill Bill, my favorite Tarentino film. To be honest, I had no idea who he was when I first saw the movie, as I've not watched much in the way of Japanese cinema. But even in the brevity of his appearances, there was something genuinely likeable about him, and yet believable as this incredible swordsmith. Love the scene where he throws the knife back into its holder in the kitchen. Real or faked, I don't know, but given his many black belts in as many disciplines and lifetime of martial arts training, I'm betting real. RIP, good sir.
  2. M'Kyuun
    It's that attitude by the fandom at large that has given Takara-Tomy license to produce atrocious jet alt modes all these years. If the fandom, as a whole, stopped accepting compromised and inaccurate aircraft modes, then perhaps we'd see better. But for some reason, people seem far more accepting of them as compared to car alts, which will never in this or any other universe, dimension, or otherwise, come within a fraction of the coolness of aircraft. Aircraft superior, cars inferior.😜
  3. M'Kyuun
    While not Transformers per se, new pics of TFC's Craft series transforming Chinese attack chopper showed up on Twitter sporting a shiny silver coat of paint. Not sure if that's accurate to how the Chinese paint their military choppers, but it looks pretty sharp nonetheless. Nice vibes of the old Boeing-Sikorsky Comanche stealth attack helicopter from the mid-90s. What is it about load out pics that speaks to coolness factor? Anyway, I POed this guy, and seeing these pics does nothing to excite regret. Bot mode looks a little spindly, potentially fiddly, but the overall toy looks pretty neat to me. I hope it's solid, with a mildly complex but fun transformation that doesn't require uncomfortable bending of things around other things to achieve. OK, you can get back to discussing MP scaled Starscream toys again....😉
  4. M'Kyuun
    I agree. MP-52 has much more pronounced lumps and bumps on the fighter's underside, as well as the big faux canopy cover, and the too small forward fuselage. For anyone even remotely interested in planes, specifically the F-15, it's a hard thing to overlook. I get that the Seekers, by design, are going to carry over some of the bot characteristics, like the prominent knee pads and chest intakes, but both the Maketoys and DS-01 versions prove that you can still pull off a pretty accurate toon Screamer with a less compromised jet mode. I really wish NewAge would upscale their legends Seekers, as they employed some really cool solutions and aside from parts of the forearms hanging out on the belly, it's a pretty sleek and mostly accurate F-15 (the wings need to extend back a bit more, but in a MP scaled interpretation, I'm sure they could find ways to eliminate or fix both of these issues).
  5. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, pretty impressive. I found him and Overdrive on BBTS and POed them. I looked, but couldn't find a listing for Camshaft. Guess I may have to look at Chosen Prime. I realize they're renders, and thus idealized, but XTB are hitting all the right notes so far such as capturing the real vehicles, the flight/weaponized modes, and the the strong nods to the G1 toys in the look and details of the bot modes. Nostalgia just pours out of the screen when I see these things, and let's face it, the Omnibots , for some unknown reason, have received little love over the years, both officially and non. With so many obscure characters getting toys in the TR, PotP, and WfC lines, I figured we'd finally get mainline updates, but that hasn't happened. Getting them at MP scale and complexity is even better, though, and I sincerely hope they turn out well. The only other XTB toys I own are Apollyon and Eligos, both of which have their issues, but still look pretty good on the shelf, especially Eligos. I just love the look of that fig in either mode; it's the transformation that's frustrating. Too, one of the pegs that holds the cockpit section down snapped off years ago and remains embedded in the hole (crappy design IMHO). But for the few warts, they've both held up as decent looking figures. If XTB had come up with the leg mechanism that Takara used on MP-36, I most likely would have skipped MP-36 altogether. Maybe. Anyway, from my experience with two older XTB figures, the transformations are involved and not in a fun way. But they do a good job on sculpt and paint. I haven't kept up with how they've evolved, and I certainly hope they have. I hope these guys not only look good across modes, but also have interesting and fun transformations that make it enjoyable to go through the process. Edit: BBTS now has XTB's take on Camshaft. Got him POed now as well, so at long last, I'll own all three Omnibots. (I only got Downshift when I was a kid- I had to bust him out yesterday and do some comparisons to the XTB version- nice update, IMO.)
  6. M'Kyuun
    I think I might; one of the theaters in the Northtown Mall in downtown Spokane is showing it. I've never seen TF:TM in a theater, so it'd be a neat experience. I just watched my old DVD yesterday. Man that soundtrack, especially the Stan Bush songs, still grabs ya. "And you can win if you Dare!"
  7. M'Kyuun
    As with MP-52, the Classics Seeker, and the Earthrise Seeker, the entire forward fuselage is too shallow vertically, as the bottom where the nose gear are mounted should sit only slightly above the bottom of the standard intakes, or right about where the gap is between the white bits between the red chest areas. The Maketoys fighter is pretty accurate in this regard; it's a shame they didn't copy MP-03's rotating chest intake gimmick to clean up the bottom even further.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Options are good, b/c opinions vary. Just checked my email; lo and behold, my Red Alert is also shipping from Pulse. Kinda odd when I've had eight other Kingdom/SS86 figs POed for some time now, and this guy, a more recent PO, is shipping already. WTF is going on with Hasbro's distro?
  9. M'Kyuun
    Man, I've been wanting Omnibots for so long, and XTB struck a perfectly updated toy look that appeals to me. I have no where to put these, and as I'm in the process of looking for a new house in a strong seller's market, probably shouldn't spend the money on something so frivolous, but the temptation is strong. Sooo strong.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the replies, guys. I was starting to wonder. Anyway, I'm patient, and these reviews are nice for for whetting the appetite, so to speak, and also informing on the positives and the negatives. As for Rodimus, like JBO, I'm kinda take him or leave him; he's not usually a character I feel I need to have. However, I like toys, and this is a well done toy of the character that offers more than pretty much any previous release. I do wish, however, that they'd employed some similar shoulder articulation as the excellent Cyclonus. All things considered, he's certainly better than the PotP version, which I have, as well as the MP version, which I don't. I don't mind the alt mode interpretation; he's traded in his sportscar younger alt mode for something a little more mature (station wagon- so apropos!). Speaking of a more mature character, I think they may have gone a little overboard with those huge bags under his eyes- his face gained more planes to convey having aged a bit, but he didn't go from 17 to 70 in the space of the time it took Optimus to say, "Arise Rodimus Prime". Alas, it is what it is. It won't stop me from enjoying him when he finally arrives. As for distro, my local Wally, just two miles down the road, barely got anything Transformers well before the pandemic had its effect. I just don't think they order stuff. The second closest Wally, where I worked for a few months many years ago, continues to be , generally, better stocked and with a better variety of figures across classes and lines. Ironically, my Wally is a SuperWally, while the one I worked is the smallest Walmart in Spokane. Go figure. Beyond toys, my Wally has been pretty good about keeping the necessities in stock, for the most part. They, too, suffered the typical shortages that stores everywhere suffered at the onset of the pandemic, but they've since recovered from the initial madness, and have been able to keep stuff like TP, towels, hand sanitizer, etc in stock for months without issue, not to mention fresh produce, dairy, and food in general. In fact, I'm taking my mom-in-law out there in a couple of hours. I check the toy aisles every time I go, but I'm generally met with the same empty, or nearly empty, pegs and shelves in the TF section every week. Sometimes they surprise me, though, but those times are few and far between.
  11. M'Kyuun
    I don't mean to derail, but with all the new figs showing up at retail, has anyone who POed through Pulse received shipping notices for anything? I sure haven't. One would think POed items would ship before they start hitting shelves, but apparently our paid membership's privileges only go so far.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Likewise from start to finish. Well, other than the FT comment. I'm happy with my MMC. Still, all things being equal, I wouldn't mind a BB/CJ set that mirror their choro-Q alt modes at some point. I thought about the NA figs, but haven't bitten. But MP-45, and now this MP fig, if that proto is legit, nail the alts, but suffer too egregiously in bot mode for my liking. But if it makes you happy, then that's fantastic.
  13. M'Kyuun
    'Preciate the insights, Mike. While I was never crazy about Tracks as a character, the Corvette alt mode & flying car gimmicks won me over as a kid, and continue to do so, as I also have the RtS and MP versions. Prior reviews I've watched of this toy had me a wee bit leery for all the seeming lack of fidelity in the lower legs. Sounds like it is an endemic issue with the mold, but perhaps not as egregious as other reviewers have made out. Still, it sucks that it has issues at all, and I think your suggestion would have given us a sturdier figure. Alas, naught to be done about it. The unpainted wings are a bummer as well, as to me, they're one of those defining parts of his overall look, and just having them stark white doesn't look quite right. I also wish they'd integrated the back cannons by having them fold away into the alt mode, but again, no. And though it's never been part of Tracks' design, I've wished since owning my G1 Tracks that the front wheels would tilt downwards in flight mode to complete the look. Still do. As far as the wings and roof crest go, a sticker sheet would have been a nice low cost option in lieu of paint or tampo. Alas, all this wishing doesn't make it so.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Just got back and checked in- glad I did. 'Preciate the link! Got him and perceptor. I'm happy.🙂
  15. M'Kyuun
    I hope not. I'm surprised that's all the new 86 SS figs- I figured there'd be a few more, maybe another Dinobot, or an Insecticon. Anyway, the Fanfest segued into snoozeville as soon as they were done with the SS86 figs. Don't care a lick about Shattered Glass. I do hope they show TF: The Movie around here, as I've never seen it on the big screen, and that'd be a nice thing to experience. Waiting for them to talk about the upcoming Legacy stuff, but they're dragging feet, and I'm going to have to go take my mom-in-law to an appointment, so I'll likely miss the part I actually care about. C'set la vie. Why can't we get a good TF game? That footage looked like a promo cut scene, not actual gameplay. WfC and FoC were done very well. A G1 styled game would be great in that format. Well, Fan thing is over. Pretty underwhelming. Guess more to come on the 24th. Hopefully Legacy stuff will be on display. I thought they said stuff would be up on Pulse at 1100 ET, which would be about 2PM my time (PT). Either way, I'll be home by by then, and standing by, although Perceptor is the only thing they showed that I'm interested in. I'm not too plussed by the ER Seeker mold, and I never cared much about the Coronation scene regala for Screamer. Too, I never cared for the Sweeps' alt mode, so having Scourge, I don't need another flying bar of soap. I will say, however, that the bot mode for that mold is pretty striking: Scourge is standing right in front of me on my desk at present, so I'm admiring it even as I type. That alt mode though- ugh!
  16. M'Kyuun
    I've thought about getting the Go better upgrade for Sunstreaker and the foot kits by 115 Workshop, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. It bugs me a little that these things cost nearly as much or more than the entire fig, and due to their 3D printing, have the tell-tale rough patterns that necessitates some potential finishing work. Oh, Fan Friday starting...gotta go watch what little I can.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Figures my mother-in-law, who doesn't drive, has a medical appointment tomorrow morning right in the middle of the Hasbro Pulse Transformers event. I was looking forward to it. Hopefully, I'll get back in time before everything is already sold out on Pulse. Given the hoops I as an adult fan have to jump through to get TF toys, I feel bad for any kids that might actually want to get these things; their presence in brick and mortar is fleeting at best, with long interludes of little to nothing on the shelves. It definitely wasn't like that when I was a kid, and it makes me wonder why it's not being addressed both by stores and Hasbro. How do they expect to sell their products if they're never available? It's ridiculous.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Sorry to steal your thunder, Mike, but yeah, hopefully we'll get to see pics of everything on Friday. I didn't realize that Ratchet was of the smaller class; I figured a Studio Series version would be their way of making a better version than the lackluster Earthrise version. Guess not. I'm guessing blue Bluestreak will probably be some sort of exclusive. While I wouldn't mind having it to add to the collection, if they make it too expensive or difficult to obtain, I can live without it. I have MP blue Bluestreak, and I'm pleased just to have that.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Just popped in to TFW to see what's new. New Transformers Legacy/Evolution/Studio Series Listings Found - Leader Dragon Megatron, Armada Starscream, Soundwave, Energon Monster, Bulkhead, Tarantulas, Skids, Dragstrip, Ratchet, Rumble, Kickback, Laserbeak, Wheelie, & Blaster - Transformers News - TFW2005 So, just reading through that link should give those of you collecting the mainline hope for some improved figs over what we already got in the WfC line. I'm excited to see SS86 Ratchet, as Earthrise left a lot to be desired, especially those terrible feet and partsforming roof. Hopefully, this version will fix both issues in a fully integrated 'perfect' transformation, with a much better van mode. Seeing Dragstrip in that lineup, it looks like we're indeed going to get a new spate of combiners. That should make a certain fan named Mike pretty happy. Personally, I wish they'd started with the Constructicons or the Combaticons, but I'm patient. I'm curious to see how they tackle the combining gimmick without resorting once again to a huge joint that the rest of the bot needs to be designed around. Hasbro made out very well financially for the first half of 2021, so I hope that's reflected in the toy budgets for this upcoming line in overall quality, paint apps, more ratchet joints, overall improved articulation ( give all figs rotating wrists as a minimal improvement), better engineering to cover gaps, incorporate better solutions to stuff like Wheeljack's wings or Sunstreaker's spoiler, and for the love of Primus, give these figs all the weapons and accessories that their G1 counterparts came with so we don't have to continue to rely on third parties to provide all these upgrades and accessories at the same if not higher, cost than the figure itself. They're doing a pretty good job on the figs, with a few missteps along the way, but if they're well within the black financially, it would be nice to see that reflected in the product, and not going into upper management's pockets. I hope they redo the Triple Changers for Legacy- Astrotrain had a nice bot mode, but both of his alt modes left a lot to be desired, and we could do with a new Blitzwing, since the TR version had its issues as well.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Human nature; nothing to be done for it. Except evolve into an emotionless collective machine intelligence where all voices are one, and perfection is guaranteed every time by virtue of all decisions thereto made by the hive mind. I think I'll take the occasional ranting, thanks.🙂
  21. M'Kyuun
    In the toy or toon debate, my greater tendency is towards the toys. After all, they existed before the toon and were the basis for the animation models. In the case of the Vanettes, I prefer the animation model to the toys. The animation did give better proportionality, which is the one strong point of the animation. In all other regards, it's the toys that I look to for actualizing the details, as Danth pointed out (the circuitry details among many of the figs, as well as other sculpted details and real vehicle details that carried over to the bot modes, even Jazz's wings). I love mechanical details, especially realistic details like electrical cables, circuitry, hydraulics, gear detail, etc, so the more you can cram into a robot figure, any robot figure, Transformers or otherwise, I'm all for it. While I enjoyed the toon, at least First Season, the animation flaws often stuck out to me (I was thirteen at the time, so a bit more critical and observant of errors, fudged transformation sequences, dodgy proportions in both bot and car modes, which happened a lot in both cases, the 'mass shifting', and other inconsistencies and animation goofs that might not be so apparent to younger children). I loved the stories in First Season. 'Fire on the Mountain' is probably the weakest ep, due to all the human stuff, and just a thin plot. But it had Skyfire in it, and since his appearances were rare, I was still pretty happy with it. But I think they did a good job of maintaining the overarching story of the Decepticons' attempts to amass resources to create energon cubes initially to return to, then to revitalize, and finally to bring Cybertron to Earth via a space bridge. It was all so unique and creative to me, storytelling wise, and provided opportunities to use unique characters like the Dinobots. It was just good stuff from that POV. I haven't watched First Season in probably five or six years, but it all starts coming back to me when I talk about it, along with that old excitement. So yeah, there's certainly an argument for nostalgia coloring one's preferences, both toy and toon. If, like Mike, the toon was all you had, well it makes sense that that is where your heart lies b/c that's what you had. I was fortunate enough to have a handful of G1 toys, which I messed about with quite a bit: Prowl, Jazz, Wheeljack, Ratchet, Soundwave, a few KO cassettes, Huffer (of course), Sludge, Shrapnel and Kickback, Long Haul and Scavenger. I think that's all I had from First Season. I also had a few figs from later seasons, including Galvatron, but by that time, I was getting close to graduation and entering the military, so my collecting pretty much went on hiatus until Beast Wars came along, and piqued my interest with , holy crap, articulated figures! Like most, I was skeptical about the animal alt modes, but once I started watching the toon, I was hooked, and that's where my TF toy collecting really started in earnest. But there was always that hope that we'd someday get idealized, fully articulated versions of the old G1 toys at some point, and now we're spoiled for choice. I never imagined it would happen; I hoped, but didn't have much faith. Never happier to be so wrong. It's still slightly disappointing that the toys are all leaning towards the animation look, but given that or nothing at all, I'll take what's available with gratitude, and maintain a flicker of hope that eventually more of the old toy details will creep in over time. But as I've said many times, given how many 80s properties are long dead and nigh forgotten, I'm extremely grateful that Transformers, my absolute favorite toon and toyline from the 80s, is still flourishing, and I'm able to get the toys that I could only dream of as a kid and young adult. While we all have our preferences concerning what we want in the toys, I think its worthwhile to just be thankful that these toys exist, that the franchise is still alive and well, and that there are so many options available to us as Transformer fans for toys and merch of all kinds. It's easy to fall prey to cynicism and being critical, and much harder just to take a moment, appreciate what we have, and just say thanks. To all who keep, and have kept, Transformers alive and thriving, eternal gratitude.Yeah, even you, Michael Bay.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Well, all trends come to an end eventually; it's merely a question of time and interest. G1 will always be the heart of Transformers for as long as the franchise exists and remains popular, but the nostalgia that drives the current total animation accuracy trend will likely end when we old Geewunners become one with the Matrix. I hope it happens before that, within my lifetime, but the current trend has a very strong following. Even the third party legends makers are going that way, except Iron Factory, who do have always taken their own direction. But, I do think there are those of us among the old guard who aren't as crazy about the slavish toon direction, such as myself, who wouldn't mind seeing improvements to characters such as I outlined for Punch/CP, or a return to what has been called the 'hybrid' style during Hasui-san's watch. I prefer the carry-over of realistic details from vehicle to robot, mixed with G1 toy details, animation proportions, and copious amounts of articulation. That combo works for me, and yields the best of all worlds, IMHO, except when it detrimentally effects the look of the figure as in MP Arcee's chest. I can live without butterfly joints if it impacts the look to that extent. I think there's there's room in the fandom for the toon stuff, and for 'hybrid', but, MP Skids aside, the hybrid stuff just doesn't carry the same weight of approval right now. Hopefully that'll change, or some company will take it upon themselves to go that route. I remain hopeful.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Curious to see what they, um, roll out. I'll see myself out.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I understand the desire to make certain toys 'just the way they've always been' in most regards, but IMHO, Punch/CP is a bit of a unique case where the original toy manifested the limitations of what they were willing or able to do, but if better were possible in a modern toy, why not. The PotP shares the same shortcomings as the original toy, so far as the bits of each alter-ego is clearly visible, and they share an alt mode. In my eyes, these characters could benefit from today's engineering to hide the alter-ego bot bits, and furthermore, change the alt mode, at least in some notable degree, so that they don't both turn into the same exact blue car. I'd like to see someone take a stab at it, as I think it'd be an overall improvement.
  25. M'Kyuun
    I'm a short dude at 5'2", and the proportions of this look just fine to me. It's a little more anatomically correct to actual human proportionality than most TFs, and most general depictions of robots in various genres, which usually have foreshortened thighs. The similarities, thanks to that comparison shot (Thanks, Technoblue) are beyond coincidental; they're totally going for the MP-44 look in bot mode, and I'm fine with that. I already own Light of Freedom, which departed from the thinner more lanky look in favor of a chonkier bot, which works for me in the MP scale. I'm glad this isn't just a shrunken down clone of LoF, as their LoJ V1 was. I am curious, however, if they're employing some of the same tricks as Takara and NA with two sets of windshields to delineate the truck's windshield from Prime's chest. I hope not, but if they do, I hope it's well executed, and not as obvious as NA's method. Too, I hope this isn't just a scaled down MP-44- MS have proven themselves to be adept designers, so some originality is appreciated. I'm curious if V2 is coming with the trailer. None of the proto shots I've seen have shown it, although there was one proto shot with the repair drone, so it follows that there will be a trailer. Then again, LoF didn't come with one, nor the ability to connect it to a trailer, which was a surprisingly important omission for an Optimus figure. That trailer, whether you display it or not, is part of the character, and leaving it out is like making Soundwave with neither the cassettes nor the ability to even store them. It's a salient feature of the character from the beginning, and the omission is notable.
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