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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I didn't realize it has been that long since Gears got an update, and yeah, that fig was just ok; an update is certainly due, and it would have been great to have him as a slightly undersized deluxe with improved articulation. While I think the TR version of Windcharger, and Tailgate by default, was a good fig, I would have liked to have had him, and Brawn as well, whose TR toy was also a marked improvement over previous versions, as small deluxes in the WFC line. Concur wholeheartedly with the Insecticons getting new versions in this line as deluxes. I love the legends Insecticons we've gotten, although the lack of consistency between them due to their being released years apart in different lines is an obvious concession. I'm glad we got the ones we did; Primus knows we waited long enough for them. Having just completed the team in the last big toy trilogy, I'm not at all surprised that they weren't revisited, but it would have been nice. While the Cosmos fig they've released and rereleased over the past 6 years is a really good fig, it's obviously not G1 Cosmos, and he's yet another character who was due an update that would have been nice to have as a small deluxe in WFC. Powerglide, too, even though the legends fig we got in Titans Return was really well done. At the end of the day, I think I'd prefer to have most of the smaller characters who've previously been done as legends class figs get the small deluxe treatment going forward, or Hasbro needs to upgrade the articulation standards for legends to reflect those of the deluxe class. Third party is well ahead of Hasbro in this area, and it'd be nice to see Hasbro step up their game. Speaking of third party legends, I'd love to see MS or NA take a stab at making improved cassettes for ER Soundwave; HasTak's are rather poor, and beggar something better. I think that's all I had to gripe about. In light of all the toylines from my childhood that have come and gone, I'm incredibly grateful that Transformers, my absolute favorite of all the 80's toons (that I got to watch in my area, which excludes both Robotech and Voltron), is still going strong, especially in the toy arena. We're spoiled, and I try not to forget it, even when I don't get everything I want.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Man, I'm still waiting for a ship notification for Thrust. Other than being saddled with the mediocre upscaled Classics inspired mold, he looks pretty good. The black definitely looks better than the brown on the old Classics toy. As he's my favorite of the Coneheads, I'll be happy to have him once Target decides to send him. However, I just got notification from Hasbro Pulse that they're shipping some items out earlier than expected, so I should be getting Kingdom Cyclonus, Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Blackarachnia, and Warpath sooner than anticipated. Out of all these, I'm most stoked for Cyclonus, followed by Warpath, whose previous Generations fig was pretty good in its own right, although not very G1. It does seem a glaring omission, however, when Warpath gets a new figure but not Gears, Brawn, or Windcharger. I'm a huge fan of the first season of G1 Transformers, so it vexes me somewhat when I see those characters ignored in favor of later season characters.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I question why they made the Datsun Bros, whose ER fig is already accurate to the G1 character, when so many other figs could use an improved fig, such as the Vanette Bros, Arcee, or an improved Astrotrain. These Datsun figs are ok, but they're clearly not based on the G1 model. What I want from third party is improved versions of the not-so-great WFC figures.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Relating to Animated, I thought the show was great, but I was also impressed by how well Takara was able to take Derrick Wyatt's very exaggerated toon designs and turn them into functional toys that retained nuances, of varying degrees, mind you, of the characters' toon likenesses. As I said earlier, it wasn't for everybody, but it remains one of my favorite TF toy collections, and I keep them on permanent display on my desk. (I have a big desk) As for BW toys that didn't make the cut, it's indeed a shame that they're not making Terrorsaur, who's way overdue a good toy, and Inferno, who was one of the most entertaining characters on the show. I have both his BW organic and Metals toys, and, while they were cool for the time, it would have been nice to have an update for Kingdom, especially since we're getting Airazor and Tigatron to fill out the Maximal ranks. The Preds are suddenly seeming a little understaffed. I have little interest in UT stuff, but then again, it's been a long time since I've looked at any of that stuff, so there may be something that interests me coming out of it, should they make some new toys. My liking a toy has never had much connection with any related media, so if something looks cool, I'll probably get it. @mikeszekely I nearly forgot to say thanks for expounding on the 'insider' situation, as it were. Seems he/she has been right in the past, and the info sounds plausible. It's still early in the year, so Hasbro may change plans, as is their wont and right. It's still nice to know what's projected. Let's hope the good news comes to fruition. Cheers!
  5. M'Kyuun
    Nice breakdown of the rumors, Mike, and much appreciated. Shame they're not doing Gears- I have to wonder why, as it'd be great to get a WFC version of him to the same standard and scale. It'd also be nice to get Windcharger and Brawn to complete the 1984 Minibot lineup. Perceptor seems an odd omission as he was rather prominent in the '86 film and thereafter. Granted, his alt mode isn't the most exciting. Too, they gave us a pretty good version of him in TR, but a new version without the stupid headmaster gimmick would have been nice. Maybe upscale him to voyager as well; the original toy was larger than the car bots, so it would be fitting. Hasbro aren't wrong about Kingdom Ultra Magnus; but again, this is a prominent and much loved character; I'm sure the argument could be made for a two piece mold (bot and trailer) to homage the G1 toy. I think they should reach out to fans via the various fansites to gauge interest. I'd be down for a copy if it looked good. Repurposing ER Prime for Magnus' core bot mode and building his trailer armor around that would be leagues better than what we're getting with Kingdom. I PO'd one, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it looked like crap. Hoping the Dinobot news is on point. It's time, and I doubt a better opportunity will arise anytime soon to do it. Too, a well designed team of G1 Dinobots will sell; I don't think there's even a question. I'm down for @mikeszekely's idea to expand the Dinobot team; there will always and forever be something alluring about dinosaurs, and there's something equally captivating about robotic dinos, and even more so when they can transform. It's undeniably cool. Sad that they aren't pursuing a Knight Rider crossover; I think that would have been extremely popular. Too, I think they could have made additional money from that license by producing a villain two-pack of KARR and Goliath. Huge opportunity lost, for Hasbro and us. I would have bought all of it. I was never a Tutles fan, but that, too, has quite the fanbase, and it's a shame that it won't get made. I still think they should work out a deal with Mattel to do a transforming Batmobile. Given what a turd WFC Astrotrain turned out to be, I'm not as saddened by the 'no Blitzwing' news. TR Blitzwing is IMHO a really good version of the character, and he has better alt modes than WFC Astrotrain. He doesn't have waist swivel (due to transformation design) or ankle tilts, but otherwise, he's thus far the best G1 Blitzwing they've ever produced, and despite his few shortcomings, I love him. Bltzwing is my favorite of the G1 triple changers, so I waited a long time to have a version at least this good. Astrotrain probably ranks as my biggest disappointment in the WFC line; I was really excited when he was announced, especially after the travesty that was TR Astrotrain, but the poor design of his alt modes just put me off to the toy. His bot mode looks great, but the unfinished looking shuttle mode, and the misshapen loco with unaligned wheels ruined him for me. This could have been an excellent toy, should have been an excellent toy, so the fact that they fell so far short of the potential just leaves me disappointed and sad. I wish they'd just upscaled him to commander class, if only for the budget, to give him polished alt modes and a really excellent bot mode. Making him slightly bigger, given his large alts, wouldn't have been out of place IMO. I wish they'd gone that route. Blaster would be a nice addition, I guess. But I have a feeling he'll just be a Soundwave retool as well as his cassettes. I can see them making Steeljaw from the sh!tty Ravage mold. I continue to hate that they didn't keep the cassettes to real world mini-cassette scale to work with all the other versions. Boggles my mind why they wouldn't. WTF does Hasbro have against Animated? I realize it's not everyone's cup, but like Beast Wars, it was an experiment, and one that was popular and successful, and retains a following. Would it be so bad to throw the fans a bone and make something for the anniversary? In my mind the Unicron Trilogy was the most god-awful thing they've ever done, with equally crappy toons and toys, and yet they're making stuff for it. At the very least, an American release of Animated Blackout and Wing Blade Optimus Prime, both of which were Japan exclusives, like Prime's Flying Vehicon and Breakdown, would be welcomed. Blackout costs a small ransom these days on the secondary market, so the opportunity to get him at a decent price would be wonderful. Too, the thought of their repurposing the upcoming Kingdom Ark toy into Animated Omega Supreme, depending on how said toy actually turns out, is a happy one. Animated OS is a bit of a Grail toy. If this is all coming from a Hasbro insider, then it's nice to have a bit of insight and a forecast of what's coming down the pike. I enjoy, for better or worse, knowing the reasons behind why certain toys are made and some aren't. It doesn't do much to mitigate the disappointment when a much wished for toy isn't being made, but it's still nice to know why. Thanks for sharing the news, @mikeszekely.
  6. M'Kyuun
    If that Cheetor with the dark blue and green eyes is legit, then that's some cold slag Hasbro's tossing at us. That should have been the first release. Blue Bluestreak in both Siege and ER molds please. The rusty one , which I read somewhere is supposed to be dead Barricade, is interesting for the novelty factor, but not really very nice to look at. YMMV I'm about done with the Ironhide molds, both Siege and ER. I like the Siege version better, but ultimately, I feel it was one of the weaker molds in the line, and adding a convertible roof and a new windshield to give him an earthy makeover is like frosting a turd. Underneath, it's still sh!t. I really wish they had put in the effort to make a dedicated mold for the ER Vanette dudes. Maybe in another decade. Got my Gigawatt today after a bit of a shipping scare. He showed up in a pristine box, though, as well as the contents. He was worth waiting for, IMHO. First, he comes in a G1 styled box which really gets the nostalgia juices flowing. The paintwork and the tampo are great, and all the car's salient features from at least the first two films are there. My only complaint is that the Mr. Fusion accessory does not want to peg in on the car and pops off with the slightest provocation. It holds onto the stock of his rifle only slightly better, but again, the least bit of jarring causes it to fall off. I tried to mount it on top of his rifle where there are molded bits for it, but I had no luck getting it to stay on there at all. I'm not sure where the issue lies, but it's a bit of a bummer that it won't stay on very well. As a heavy retool of Siege Sideswipe, the transformation is similar with a additional steps to account for detail bits on his shoulders and to flip out the Flux Capacitor on his chest. Speaking of his chest, it's a big slab of Delorean hood, but in hand, it doesn't really bother me. As film crossovers go, I'm happy with both Gigawatt and Maverick (no interest in getting Ecto-1), and if Hasbro continues to do them this well, I hope there are more to come.
  7. M'Kyuun
    I absolutely detest the Bay films for the cinematic travesties that they are as both films, and more importantly, films about Transformers. What Spielberg was thinking when he handed the reigns over to Bay, who obviously never had any connection to Transformers whatsoever, is beyond me. That's the big difference between Travis Knight's film and the Bay films. There's at least a sense that Knight has a an idea who these characters are, and indeed he has been a fan since childhood. Plus one for fans if he ever decides to make another Transformers film. However, Bumblebee is far from perfect. The thing that bugs be most is how Bee, who we see as a competent warrior in the beginning of the film, is reduced to a puerile pet for Charlie, mostly for laughs and forced sentimentality. Regardless of memory loss, which itself is a convenient, if annoying, McGuffin to drive the plot, one doesn't necessarily lose their maturity in the face of amnesia. Bee ostensibly has centuries of age over Charlie, and should be a mentor instead of the equivalent of a mechanical dog. Too, the lack of a speaking voice for Bee has been a yoke about his neck since the first Bay film in '07, and I think it was an absolutely terrible idea. Keeping him mute disallows for him to make any sort of intelligent remarks or conversation, reducing him to an odd-noise making character who has to pantomime every thought, which is often played clownishly for an attempt at humor. I'm not laughing. It's a huge disservice to the character. I loved the way Bee interacted with Spike in the original show; Spike was our perspective on these characters, especially in the first three eps, and it was written on an intelligent level without condescension or clownish behavior. John Cena is, well, John Cena, and his military character is pure stereotypical rubbish. As a military retiree, the straight-backed stick-up-your-ass military stereotype gets old, but it has become such a staple in films and tv that I doubt it'll ever go away. Believe it or not, there are a lot of chill people serving. just saying.. On to the good- the movie did have a lot of heart; there was real emotion in the film, a palpable connection between Charlie and Bee. The overall story was simple and made sense, and wasn't the giant convoluted mess that the majority of Bay's films dissolved into. It was a movie about friendship, and in that regard, I think Knight did a good job showing that. The opening Cybertronian scene was a nice treat; if anything, it showed us what we could have gotten from the beginning so far as the designs go. It's a fun film, and the only film within the Bay-verse that I can actually sit down and enjoy.
  8. M'Kyuun
    @mikeszekely Great review for Cyclonus, and you echo my sentiments all the way through. I normally don't go in for Cybertronian alt modes, but I absolutely fell in love with the G1 toy's jet mode, and while some of the curviness of the toy's nose was straightened and the design made slightly boxier for the Movie/toon animation, the changes were subtle and he still retained a beautiful jet alt mode that, while futuristic in 1986, wouldn't look so out of place in 2020 if the US or a foreign company produced its like. Too, Cyclonus has the distinction, crappy CW fig notwithstanding, of eschewing the typical boxy-bot-wearing-an-aircraft-shell routine that has been Has-Tak's go-to for the past three decades plus. For so prominent a character in the later seasons of the animation (and I, too, like the sense of nobility they gave him despite being a Decepticon in the toon- it was one of the few good things about the toon at that point), the dearth of Cyclonus toys was remarkable for a long time. Enter Jizai Toys, back in the mid aughts, who created a homemade transforming Cyclonus figure that was nigh perfect for the time, especially given the lack of alternatives. I remember being in awe of that fig, but unfortunately, Jizai's kits were only sold at one or two Japanese venues and in very limited numbers, so acquiring one on this side of the pond was nigh impossible. When KFC first announced their Cyclonus, I recognized it immediately as the Jizai model; I'm still not sure why I never picked one up, but I do remember that KFC was known for quality issues. Anyway, I never got a copy. It shows its age today, especially next to this new Kingdom fig, but there's still a certain charm to it, and for a homemade design, still has good presentation in both modes, so my hat's off to Jizai, whoever he is. The Generations Cyclonus was a bit of an odd duck; I'm assuming it was based on an IDW design, because it sure wasn't G1. Nevertheless, I found it to be an interesting take on the character and a pretty good fig to boot, and again, lacking alternatives, I welcomed him into my CHUG collection with open arms. I still like this figure quite a bit; even with the far more G1 accurate Kingdom version coming, there's still a place for him in my heart and on my shelf. I'm a sentimental old man-child when it comes to my toys. As for the Kingdom version, I can't think of too many other characters for whom I've pined so greatly for a good G1 representation with modern articulation standards. Along with Mike's nitpicks, the only other one I have is that I wish he had hands that could open like ER Prime's. I think that, along with rotating wrists, should be a standard for all these figs, as the old permanent closed fist with a hole in the center is a bit of an anachronism in definite need of a systemic update. However, I can't overstate how happy I am that Has-Tak have taken purposeful strides towards improving articulation and detail in the WFC lines, and though I feel the line has any number of misses, there are a lot of good figs that have come out of it too. Where Classics dangled the possibility of finally getting updated G1 figs as we remembered them, it took a different more stylistic direction, which was cool, but also tinged with a bit of disappointment. Thirteen years later, this G1 fan is finally, for the most part, getting what he's wanted all along, and I'm grateful.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Give it time; the Chinese copy everything.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Been awhile, so I'm playing catch up. The vid with the guy flying his RC Flanker virtually from a cockpit view is pretty impressive. I kept waiting for him to do the cobra maneuver , but alas, he didn't. Still, that model flies well. The amount of thrust that those ducted fan engines can produce is pretty impressive. The Su-57 is a pretty impressive bird, definitely inspired by the YF-23. Looks like the Russians aren't down with nixing the horizontal stabs and enclosing the exhaust like Northrop did with the YF-23. Funny how they only seem to concentrate on fuselage characteristics for stealth with little consideration for IR or radar return from the exhaust section.
  11. M'Kyuun
    returning to the TFC Toys discussion, it'd be great if they did a transforming version of the Su-57, which looks to be quite heavily inspired by the YF-23. Since there will likely never be a transforming YF-23 toy, this would be the next best thing. I'd love to have it in this color scheme: The digital blue camo with the red Russian stars is pretty neat, though.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Good review, as always, Mike. Since I have the MP, and find it to be a so-so fig engineering-wise when compared to the rest of her BW MP figures, I think that this is ultimately a better attempt. There is, of course, the fact that the toon version was more stylized, but either way, as you mentioned, finding a way to get that toon accurate bot mode to form a fairly accurate representation of a black widow spider poses some serious challenges, and I give Takara-Tomy props for getting both of the Blackarachnia figs as good as they did. All things being equal, based on this review and vid reviews I've watched, this is the better toy, which is how it should be. I like that the legs on this version can actually support the weight of the spider, as it offers far more poseability than the MP, which, unfortunately, just sits on the ground. I'm glad they went the more realistic alt mode direction with these, as it offers some diversity for those of us collecting both MP and Generations. For those who can't afford the MP figs and wish that these were more toon accurate, my hope is that Hasbro will rerelease these guys with more toon accuracy at a later date, as they're well known for repaints and slight remolds, and from what I see, most of these guys just need different heads sculpted to reflect the toon. As for Kingdom Blackarachnia's spider mode, the shoulders , to me, are more reminiscent of way-oversized chelicerae, the appendages which house the venom glands and the fangs, and it would have helped her spider mode greatly had they been cast in black. But, that would have messed up the look of her bot mode, so it's a concession. It also would have been cool had they put little retractable fangs, or small molded fangs on the shoulders. I'm dreaming now. It's always fun to what-if on these things. The claw hands indeed do an alright job masquerading as large and odd shaped spinnerets, but they don't hold a candle to the even odder array of eyes staring at you from the business end of her abdomen. I almost wish they'd left those black, or hit them with a color with less contrast, but the bot mode was certainly the priority here, and in-hand, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal. Considering what an atrocity the original toy was, both as a tarantula and an even worse black widow, this is a well-done take on the character with the best beast mode any Blackarachnia fig has ever sported. She even displaces my beloved Animated Blackarachnia, although to be fair, she was a rather stylized spider to begin with. I'm looking forward to getting my copy whenever she finally ships from Pulse. I took a trip to my local Target today, inspired by reports of these figs popping up in my state, and was met with complete disappointment, as their TF section was pretty well picked over, especially their Generations stuff which was basically four copies of Ironworks, a copy of Doubledealer, and a hand full of two different micromasters, none of which was the shuttle guys, so I walked away dejected and bought an armload of 2021 LEGO sets instead. Ironically, they had two packages of the Decepticon Clones on clearance for $17 a piece. Never thought I'd see that. I didn't know if anyone here needed them at this point, so I left them for some other lucky fans to find. Hopefully fans and not scalpers will pick them up. According to tracking, my Gigawatt is scheduled to be delivered today, so I'm still waiting for it. I just watched Ready Player One a day or so ago, which used the car to pretty good effect, and I'm looking forward to having him in hand. I've always loved the idea of flying cars since I first saw the Shield Flying Car in the old Spiderman and His Amazing Friends cartoon, and later in a friend's comic book that had cut-aways of various Marvel devices including Iron Man's armor. The flight-capable version of the Delorean has always been my favorite, and I'm glad this toy can replicate it. The giant slab of hood as his chest is a bit unfortunate, but livable given the special nature of the fig. Hopefully, more tv nd movie vehicle homages will be forthcoming, as there's a nerdy but cool factor to them that's fun. Gigawatt update; a couple hours after I posted and no Gigawatt on my door, I rechecked my shipping notification for tracking, and now it shows pending with no scheduled delivery date. Bear in mind, I first received my shipping notification on Monday, so tomorrow will be a week, and it's coming from St Paul MN to Spokane, WA, not too far, even by ground. Not a good sign. Fingers crossed I don't receive a destroyed package that's been hastily taped together.
  13. M'Kyuun
    From the list, Tracks is a character I could take or leave, but since they're releasing him, I'll be getting him. I really wish they'd completed all the Season 1 Minibots, at minimum, as the figs we got for TR/PotP were decent, but it'd be nice to have versions that are even closer to the G1 look and have improved articulation. As for most of the repaints, I don't have much interest, either. Except Pipes- not b/c I have any familiarity with the character, which I don't, but b/c I generally like Huffer's design, and after waiting 37 years for it, I think they did a good job of capturing the essence of G1 Huffer in both modes. It's a nice bonus that he can also tow ER Prime's trailer, which, IIRC, only happened once, in the first season. Pipes will offer a slight remold and slightly different transformation as well as a nice blue color scheme, which looks nice IMHO. I'm also curious to see if Tigatron is a new mold. I have a feeling he will be, as there doesn't seem to be much upscaling of molds in this line. I'm also of the opinion that they should fill out the Predacon ranks with Terrorsaur and Tarantulas, who both featured prominently throughout the series. Not counting Transmetals, AFAIK neither has ever had an update to the original BW toy, so it'd be nice to see that for both. Given the animated size difference between him and Blackarachnia,, who originally shared a toy mold, I'd love to see Tarantulas done as a voyager, as that'd actually make his toy about the size of a real tarantula, which would be awesome. It would also allow for better engineering to try and hide his bot bits, as well as change it up from Blackarachnia's toy. I'd love to see them figure out a way to use his hands as pedipalps, which is what they were intended to represent on the original. Hopefully, one of the designers at Hasbro is a Macross fan, and reads this thread. I was never really a fan of Galvatron's alt mode, and although I liked Leonard Nimoy's personification of the character and voice in The Movie, I vehemently disliked how he was portrayed in both behavior and voice (sorry Frank) in the toon. I couldn't stand eps that he was in. I have the TR version of Galvy, and I like it alright, save for the crappy spring-loaded helmet gimmick and the stupid Headmaster gimmick, of which I've never been a fan. It's a foregone conclusion that the Kingdom version is up against third party precedents who've proven within a reasonable range of accepted standards that a decent G1 accurate Galvatron is possible at CHUG scale. The TR toy obviously had concessions to allow for a third mode, as well as some stylistic touches. Regardless, it does an ok job for my taste, as my feelings about the character are lukewarm to start with. However, I must confess some small curiosity to see just how well they pull him off in this Kingdom version. Cyclonus, OTOH, has always had my attention more for his design than his animated depiction. I've watched a number of reviews of his SS'86 toy, and he's certainly one of my most anticipated figures. I think he could have stood some more paint apps, especially in and around his engine exhausts, but the engineering and the final look of both bot and jet modes is outstanding. The only other niggle I have is that he looks a little too short to me in the legs, although the knees can be adjusted somewhat to add a couple mm of height. It's a completely subjective observation, and honestly, the figure is better than what I'd dared hope for. Can't wait for him. Yep. I still need to get the stuff to build a shelf that'll hold him. Twenty pounds is quite a lot for a single figure, not to mention the height and width. Although not even close to scale, he's still a big fig, and I scarcely have the real estate in my cave to accommodate him. My wife already gives me grief about the lack of room in our house due to my collections, so I can only imagine the level of incredulity when he arrives in his huge-ass box. Sigh.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Congrats, Enphily! This is a toy that was soooo long in the waiting, but well worth it for all that it accomplishes, especially when compared to the many toys/models that preceded it. I think most of us are now waiting to see if they do a Tread. Clues on the Legioss point to yes, even if no formal announcement has been made.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Sarcasm at its best, Tekering. Had a good chuckle, so thanks. In truth, I'd rather the more prominent G1 bots, specifically those from first season, and moreso, the ones who haven't had MP figs yet, got the MP treatment, but as I didn't go in on Savant, I have an interest in this, should it prove true. The sheer amount of detail on that artwork strikes a suspicious contrast to their hyper-toon plain bot mode aesthetic, so my enthusiasm is well-tempered. @mikeszekely- While I appreciate your look at Paleotrex, it's not a fig that's on my radar from Kingdom. However, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for us from the line. From a G1 perspective, it's full of win, and I'm anticipating the reviews leading up to their wide releases, and finally having them in my mitts to enjoy. The more I see of SS '86 Grimlock, and the level of engineering brought to bear, the more I hope that Has-Tak will do the whole team in the same scale and to the same technical level. They can just do Snarl under the Kingdom banner, since he, for whatever inexplicable reason, didn't get his 15 seconds in The Movie. I doubt I'm alone when I say that the lackluster combining Dinos from PotP only fueled a greater desire for more accurate G1 Dinos in my Generations collection, and seeing what they've done with Grimlock, that desire coupled with this opportunity for Hasbro to make the complete team has never been greater.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the review, Mike. I was completely unaware of this guy, but as a Prowl fan, it offers something a little different, and yet close enough to source to be recognizable. I agree with your sentiment about using a slightly retooled version of this fig for Barricade. Not sure what's going on with those rear fenders, but swap those out for solid ones, recast him in black, tweak the front and back ends to more closely resemble a Mustang, and he'd make a fine Barricade. However, I'm not at all sad that they reused the ER Datsun-ish mold for Barricade, as I like it, and intend to get as many of the variations of it as they'll make. I only wish Hasbro had given them all the appropriate weapons, but Nonnef seems to have us covered in that regard. I haven't seen much Cyberverse at my local Wally since before Christmas. I'm hoping the new ER stuff will start showing up soon, as I intend to get my copy of Bee in store, since they want $42 for it online. It was $50 , but the price has been coming down incrementally over the past couple of weeks. Still, I refuse to pay double the price. I got my shipping notice from Target last Saturday for Gigawatt; he should be showing up on Sunday. Kinda looking forward to getting him, even if I've never been a super-fan of the Back to the Future films. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but not in the same way I like Predator, or Terminator, or Aliens, or Robocop, or Blade Runner. I generally like my sci-fi on the dark side. I've always thought the Delorean, especially the flying version, was cool, so to have not only a nice version of the car, but one that transforms as well, is a double treat.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I guess it's cool that they retained the cassette-in-his-chest gimmick, but I'm guessing the meaning of it will be lost on most younger fans who've no idea what a cassette player is. Moreover, as a G1 guy, the gimmick doesn't fit the alt mode at all, which was what made the original so cool. I fully understand wanting to give Soundwave a relevant alt mode going forward, but I wish they'd chosen something other than a truck, or perhaps given his cassette bots a different alt mode as well- maybe barrels or crates to be carried in the back, which becomes his chest in bot mode. At least then the gimmick would have a modern translation and retain its relevance, while still having the fun-factor of smaller minions deploying from his chest. Another thought that occurred to me would be to give him an armored bank truck mode and perhaps give his minions an ATM sort of alt mode, which would continue the spy-in-disguise motif while keeping complementary alt modes for both Soundwave and his minions. That's what I'd like to see with Soundwave going forward. Got my Cordon and Spin-out. I think they did a really good job with this mold. I do wish, however, that they'd painted the forearms on these two to match the rest of their car modes- being all black on an all white and all red car, respectively, sticks out noticeably. They painted Sunstreaker's forearms, so it's a bit of a head scratcher why they didn't follow suit with these guys. As @mikeszekely mentioned in his review, the choice to make Cordon's windshield perfectly clear does it no favors, especially with an obvious black armature behind it that's painfully obvious. Even had they used a lighter blue tint, I think it would have helped the look of it a bit. Sliding inexorably into 2021, I'm looking forward to the rest of ER and the Kingdom releases. More domestic reviewers are starting to get their grubbies on the new figs, and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with what's coming. Grimlock and Cyclonus, in particular, have me excited, and the upcoming Hot Rod looks to be the best official toy he's ever received, if not the best toy period. Good stuff to look forward to. It's a positive note to start the new year in light of the hardships of 2020.
  18. M'Kyuun
    That jet mode is better than the most recent MP Starscream, but it's not without its liberties. The thing that sticks out to me most is how far forward the intake ramps are, and how stubby and wide it makes the nose look. It gives me more of an F-4 vibe than an F-15, just looking at the forward fuselage. If that F-15 actually transformed into a robot, the proportions would be more forgivable, but it doesn't, which makes me wonder why they didn't skew more towards real world accuracy. Alas, it's neither here nor there, as I've zero interest in non-transforming Transformers, especially at that price range. For $2000, it should transform as a minimum feature, but I digress. This is for a completely different audience than myself. And therein lies the beauty of options. If you can find joy in both toys for what each brings to the table, that's wonderful. I'm sure, had I bought her, I could have found some fulfilment in her articulation, her car mode, her paint and sculpt, among others. Had Takara released her prior to MMC's Azalea, I likely wouldn't have hesitated. But they did, and ultimately, for my personal taste, I got the Arcee for me.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Judging by the placement of her bot bits in car mode, I'd guess her transformation is similar to that of MMC's Azalea. MMC did a far better job of compressing her car kibble into a rather compact backpack, as well as achieving a better looking sculpt for her chest. MP-51's oddly shaped chest is a concession to allow for butterfly joints. Normally, I'm all for greater articulation, but on this figure, I'm not a fan of it's impact on her final look. Azalea may not have as much articulation, but she has plenty to suit my needs while presenting a lithe feminine looking bot with a well-designed mechanism for compressing her car fenders into a good semblance of her animated back pods. In my opinion, she's still the best G1 Arcee fig to date. Not perfect (I wish her lower legs weren't so stilted, and I don't understand why they made them the way they did rather than anthropomorphically shaped), but in all the major ways that count, she's the best realization in a transforming toy. That said, thanks for sharing pics, @treatment. Her car mode looks amazing, and your photos make her look good. I do wish Takara had taken some hints from MMC's solution to compressing the backpack, as I think it's the worst aspect by far of this figure, worse than the chest. If they'd succeeded in making a compact backpack, I probably would have bought her. However, having a figure already that does both the chest and backpack better (IMHO), I just didn't feel like this figure exemplified 'masterpiece' to the standard that I would have expected and preferred, or that we've seen accomplished with other MP figures. My opinion aside, I hope she proves to be a fun and fulfilling addition to your collection, Treatment.
  20. M'Kyuun
    The simple answer is that none of the third party figs of these characters has appealed to me for one reason or another. I have nothing against third party; indeed, my MP collection has more third party figs than official. While I'd like to complete my first season bots, I'm patient and willing to wait and see what else comes along, be it Takara or third party. The way Takara's been going, odds are I'll be going for third party. And if I never end up filling those spots, so be it. I haven't lost any sleep over it yet, and after seventeen years (wow, hard to believe it's been going that long), I think I'll be ok.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Been chilling to Enya of late. Two of my faves: Book of Days Orinoco Flow
  22. M'Kyuun
    Nice first season group shot. I'm only missing Gears, Brawn, and Windcharger in my MP collection (I keep hoping Takara will complete the minibots, but I'm starting to think it ain't happening). Anyway, nice collection.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Got an in-stock notification for Netflix Bumblebee; I was getting ready to add to cart when I noticed the price: $50. And yeah, I checked to make sure there was only one in the cart. I don't think this is a secondary seller, either, as I have Walmart checked. Not sure what's driving that price, as he's just a heavy remold of ER Cliffjumper. Anyway, I'm not paying $50 for it, and I think I'll wait to see if it appears in my local store at a more reasonable $20.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I'm still fence-sitting on the J-20 and the chopper, but the Flanker fig looks awesome, and I love the look of the Flanker, which makes this guy pretty much a sure-buy. I also wish they'd do more than just Chinese planes (I understand why, too), but man, a YF-23 from these guys would be amazing.
  25. M'Kyuun
    QTF. Absolutely gorgeous. The only thing that looked remotely fake to me were the cows. As someone born in the early 70s, to see this kind of evolution in computer graphics in all forms of visual media over the past few decades is just incredible, to the point where it's gone beyond the sci-fi of my childhood. Don't even get me started on Boston Dynamics and what they're doing for robotics. Sheesh. Pertaining to the Russian plane everyone's commenting on, I'll just chime in that something about it looks off to me, too. Specifically, the cockpit section looks too big in contrast to the rest of the plane, giving the whole an oddly disproportionate, almost super-deformed, look.
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