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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    PvP's effusively enthusiastic reviews are always fun; one could make a good drinking game from his constant repetition of descriptors like 'fantastic', 'awesome', and 'superb'. I sometimes wonder if he's a paid reviewer for Hasbro, as he seldom has much negative to say. I hope not, and that he legitimately enjoys these figures as much as he seems to. If he ever gets tired of doing toy reviews, he has a future in advertising with his rapid well-enunciated elocution and lovely British brogue. As to Rodimus, I think it's nigh beyond dispute that this is the best official Rodimus figure made to date. It's certainly not without its flaws (the break in the exhaust pipes, the back wheels of his car mode clearly visible when attached to the trailer, too much car poking out of the trailer when attached, very little ground clearance because of transformation hinges, trailer a bit too long). Some may not like the face sculpt either, but I do; I think it gives him an air of gravitas, and it actually makes me wish that they'd written him as a competent leader in the old toon instead of a self doubting whiner, which was out of character from how he was portrayed as Hot Rod. I digress. The aforementioned nitpicks aside, I'm pretty impressed with what Hasbro's done here. This looks so much better than the MP toy, and does much more right than not. I also appreciate the little drawer on the trailer's underside, as it's a great storage solution that doesn't mar the look of the vehicle mode, and provides a better option than having accessories strewn willy-nilly about the vehicle. Crappy weapon/accessory storage is one of my biggest nitpicks with Transformers in general, so when I see efforts like this, I have to give credit. Although I've never been a huge Rodimus fan, there's a lot to like here, and I'm very glad that I put in a PO for this guy. Looks like a great fig, and likely one of those iconic ones that we're still talking about twenty years down the road.
  2. M'Kyuun
    The Hiya Toys' ED-209 is a nice looking toy, especially for its size, but I ended up not waiting for it, and bought the larger Neca version last year. I just watched a review of the Hiya, and I'm glad I went with the Neca. It's larger, more detailed, has better sound quality and more sound effects/phrases lifted straight from the movie soundtrack (that can be a good and bad thing) and pretty much the same articulation. Unfortunately, neither version has any articulation in the feet, which sucks b/c you can't recreate the fun scene where ED is testing the staircase with his toes before taking a tumble and throwing a tantrum (one of my favorite scenes in the movie, and just one of the best robot scenes in any movie). Essentially, It also limits him to basically a static standing pose, as trying to pose him in a walking pose looks awkward and will more than likely result in his tumbling over. I assume the same will be true for the Hiya. It's frustrating and unfortunate to have such a well done toy, but that lack of foot articulation limits a lot of the fun that could be had.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Great quote. I was unfamiliar with the TSR-2, so Wiki to the rescue. Neat looking plane, with a similar MO as the later B-1 Lancer- low and fast penetration into enemy territory, pop and drop, then turn tail and GTFO as quickly as possible. From the reading, it didn't meet original specifications, and those specs had to be reduced. Cost overruns, inter-agency squabbling and politics conspired to end her before she really ever got started. Unfortunately more cool aircraft than we'll likely ever know about have fallen to those axes. One wonders how many black program aircraft are buried out in the desert. The YF-23 is a constant reminder, though, just hanging out in the AF Museum. So much unfulfilled potential.
  4. M'Kyuun
    Digging this guy. Wish there were a few paint apps to pick out the wires and such on his side panels/wings, and that his horns weren't hollow- seriously, Hasbro, how hard would it be to make those things solid or put some gap fillers in the box? Instead we get Daniel. I do like the weapon storage solution, but I don't like that it's white against the proper gold of the tail. I think it would have been better executed if the gun was completely ensconced within the tail. It's a concession, and better than just pegging it onto his shoulder or some other odd place on his dino body. The back feet definitely look disproportionate in this view. It's not too bad from the side, but, yeah, it would have been nice had they found a way to make those feet wider. Fans Toys, a la Perfect Fusion, managed it with Cesium using a similar folding technique. Has/Tak should have taken notes. Ah Hasbro, why try when nobody makes them. Still, it looks to be a good fig, and I'm sure third parties will come along with solutions for the hollow horns and swords, and probably some removable slip-ons for the back feet. The horns stand out to me as something that shouldn't have passed , but Hasbro. I do think it's interesting that they came up with a new transformation for the legs, and that it's not terrible. Perhaps someday they'll do a 'behind the toys' segment explaining the departure- I always enjoy that sort of thing. Anyway, it's nice to see another G1 leader sized Dinobot in the official line, and all things considered, looking pretty good with minor nitpicks. Sure beats the slag out of the PotP Dinos. I'll just be going now.....
  5. M'Kyuun
    Totally down for some Daily Bugle action. I'm really surprised to see Punisher in the lineup; given the nature of the character, this'll likely be the one opportunity to get him in LEGO form. Nice to see this done in a more deluxe build- they could have just made it like the Avengers' Tower, simplifying it to meet a $120-150 price point for mass retail in the big box stores, but given how iconic the Bugle is to Spidey lore, I'm glad Mark got his wish to design this at a larger scale with all the detail an Exclusive allows. The minifig lineup is impressive as well, although I wish Bobby Drake, AKA Iceman, had been included so we'd have the full team from Spiderman and His Amazing Friends, which I watched religiously as a kid. Firestar is a pleasantly surprising addition (funny that the reviewer didn't know who she was), and a nice nod for us 80s kids who watched her, Spidey, and Iceman take on the gallery of villains every Saturday morning growing up. The Goblin's smashing escape is pretty darn cool, and I appreciate its inclusion. That particular feature was also something the designer, Mark Stafford, long dreamt of doing since his pre-LEGO AFOL days; it was a passion project for him, and it's cool to know that he got to actualize it as a set.
  6. M'Kyuun
    That's a very short service life for such a complex and expensive airframe, considering it only entered operational service in 2005, and many Cold War era planes are still actively flying. Had the right plane been chosen back in '91, I wonder if the F-23 would have enjoyed a longer operational life. It would have been prettier doing so, anyway.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Which is odd, as I would expect Takara to be more careful about trying to get the details right, starting with the right model of truck. The new Hasbro branding isn't wrong; it's just not applicable in this case.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Yep. I was gonna say that MOC's over a decade old now, but it still looks pretty good. He also built a pretty nice VF-1 back in the day. I'm pretty sure this is fully transformable, which is notable b/c the legs are better proportioned than the Yammie. I started building my own YF-21 around 2003 or so, but abandoned it for lack of skill and parts necessary to do it justice. This model was posted on Brickshelf around that same period, IIRC. It's quite well done, especially in light of the palette back then. It's nice to bring some of these old Macross MOCs to light again, as so many were really well done and show off the skill and creativity of the builders long before we had all the complex curved slopes and wedges that we have now.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Sad state of affairs when a 67 second toy commercial has Peter Cullen voicing Prime, but not their Netflix animated series. And while the bot mode looks good, the truck mode suffers.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Here's a pic of the real truck from the film. His pipes are straight with hinged lids at the top, yet the SS version had a subtle, but not unsightly, curve at the top. Not sure what they were thinking when they did the MP version's pipes- such a pronounced curve looks terrible as well as being inaccurate to the source. Since it's a real truck, thus likely requiring a license to produce, one might be inclined to think that the subtle details of the real truck would be captured in the toys, but apparently not. Guess Freightliner has more to worry about than whether or not toy details are on the money. Anyway, you can look at the real thing and pick out any number of details that are inaccurate; I can excuse a lot of it on the SS version, but the MP should skew closer to the source, IMHO. Those subtle details are kinda what sets it apart as, well, Masterpiece, y'know. Anyway, I'm happy with my SS toy, and feel no compunction whatsoever to get the MP. Too, as others have mentioned, I think some of the third party efforts did it better. Why do they insist on putting glare shields on this guy when he had none in the film, but details that he does have are ignored or poorly represented? Stuff like that bugs me. It feels like deflection- they f'd this, and this, and this, and this up, so -glare shields!
  11. M'Kyuun
    I concede your points, but I dunno, there's always been something about Skyfire's design in both modes that I liked. He is boxy- no argument there, but I've always dug it. Truth be told, I prefer the Skyfire design over the Jetfire VF-1, as it was unique to Transformers, with design nods from the original VF-1 toy. Of course, he too benefitted from a great deal of mass shifting going from his bot mode to space transport- pretty commonplace in G1 toon.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I think it's still too early to judge, as this is just a prototype. Funny that they posed him with MP-10 instead of MP-44. Anyway, not feeling any pressing need to retire my FT Phoenix just yet.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Concur about Mirage: it should have been an all new mold. I have the Siege, which is ok, but the Classics fig is still one of my all-time favorite TF toys. As for the Grimlock repaint of Dinobot, I'm only just lukewarm on that mold as the original character, so a repaint holds no interest.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Nice box and presentation, but I doubt it would ever happen, what with LEGO's anti-violence policy. They'll allow for 'fantasy' violence, but Airwolf by virtue of its adult content and too-close-to-real world weaponry is a bit beyond what LEGO would consider appropriate, IMHO. I'm still surprised that the A-Team was represented in Dimensions, as it was chock full of violence, albeit in an 80s cartoonish fashion where thousands of rounds are fired but the heroes seldom get hit, and the baddies suffer near bloodless deaths when hit. Such a great time to grow up! Airwolf was a bit darker than a lot of 80s shoot-em-up shows built around an advanced vehicle, which gave it an edge. Too, Jan Michael Vincent (RIP) made Stringfellow Hawke one of the more memorable and darker protagonists of 80s tv shows. I wish we had a modern equivalent- it was always a thrill when Dom or String headed out to their desert hideaway to fire up 'The Lady' for a mission. There's nothing like that on tv today, and that's a shame. Thanks for sharing the pic, @sh9000. Even if the set's just a MOC, the trip down memory lane was worth the post.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Looks good. Very much enjoyed the first season. Love the platform- easy to binge a few eps at a time, or just one (if you're attention deprived like me), and it allows for a nice variety of stories and visual styles. Also, I assume it's a good way for new or unknown artists to get their work out to a broader audience.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Noticed that, too, which made the idea of his being a stowaway, which implies a knowing act to board a craft illegally, moot, and his placement within the alcove behind the panel couldn't have gone un-noticed by a technician securing that panel. I've done my share of securing aircraft panels, and checking for FOD, loose tools, clothing, rags, etc (unconscious coworker's body), is an ingrained part of the process before screwing the panel down. Occasionally rags or a tool get missed, but an adult body would be kinda difficult to overlook. Just sayin'. The old too many peeps, not enough O2 trope is an oldie but a goodie, and I enjoyed that aspect and the acting side of the film. I think this was the first time I've ever seen Anna Kendrick show emotion beyond flippancy and sarcasm; IMHO, she sold the performance. Toni Collette's good in just about everything she does- undersung actress.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Meh, no interest in The Nightmare Before Christmas, but then my interests are pretty much limited to sci-fi, mecha, space, and City. IDEAS doesn't even have a mecha, or a generic sci-fi theme. Sad. If the NBC sets become a real thing, that's great for fans. I'm hoping and praying for a Macross project to make it to production, although my concern is that they won't be able to find a 'safe' way to realize the transformation, or that it, too, will end up like Voltron with a paucity of articulation in order to 'preserve stability'. So many cop-outs to avoid facing the need for better joints and their reluctance to produce them.
  18. M'Kyuun
    For the depth of her dishonesty, the harm she has caused to countless people, for giving people cause to distrust science and those who practice in good faith, I hope the courts have no mercy on her. Too often attractive but despicable people get off easy despite the profundity of their crimes, and I hope they make her an example of proper justice fit to the extent of her crimes. I hope she sees the world through bars for the entirety of her life going forward. Likewise her partner and any others in the company who knew the truth but kept the charade going while getting richer. My heart goes out to Holmes' baby- this is the legacy she created for him/her. It's unfortunate that the misdeeds of criminals often follow their children. Hopefully, the kid rises above it all and becomes a better person. It's rather amazing how many influential people jumped on board, and even Walgreens, very quickly without ensuring that what she promised really worked as advertised. How much of that eagerness to be a part of Theranos was due to genuinely wanting to make lives better, or just plain old greed?
  19. M'Kyuun
    If so, that's a transformation beyond even Unique Toys' Challenger- lots and lots of folding to end up with such a clean and minimal looking bot. Judging by the size of the visible tires, it looks to be about 1/3 of the fire truck mode's mass. Interdimensional pocket? Are XTB really a bunch of physicists from CERN? or Los Alamos?
  20. M'Kyuun
    Ok, cuz like Scyla, I was thinking that's a new extreme even by Takara's standards.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Slag (nice to have the proper name again) is looking pretty good. He's a little squarish, but it's not so egregious as to ruin the Triceratops mode. I appreciate the transformation engineering, especially the chest narrowing bit, and the way the robot head still goes into the Tri-C head, but with a more accurate lower jaw than we usually get if the chest plate is used. I don't mind the gun storage in the tail per-se, but the barrel is a little too long and white, which robs it a little of looking proper. As weapon storage, though, it's far better than we usually get with official TFs. It's better than Grimlock's solution (FWIW, I wish they'd allowed his gun to tab onto his back with the barrels pointing forward, but the stupid Wheelie thing ruined that possibility). The faux toes on his back bugs me a little, but honestly, I think the leg transformation works well, and the actual toes are pretty well hidden at the base of the Tri-C tail, so it's a diversion from the original design that still works well. I'm just not a big fan of faux parts, but sometimes they work better than not, like Hot Rod's chest. The Daniel slug is garbage, and I wish fervently that Hasbro would eschew adding poorly done slug figs in favor of making a better core figure. In this case, Slag's horns are hollow, so a better mold, or hole fillers would have been a better use of plastic and the budget. Too, maybe some panel flaps to cover the hollow bits on his back legs, or maybe some fold out bits on the back feet to make them a little wider and not so odd looking. Many folks are going to clamor for a sword, but I have a feeling Hasbro won't miss the opportunity to double dip on these figs and give us tv versions at some point down the road that'll come with swords. If they do and they have the trans-brown sheathing over various bits like the G1 toys had, I'm totally down for them.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I was pretty happy when Beast Wars ventured into the Transmetal stuff, as robo-animal forms just made more sense to me, and I even liked that they had third 'transportation' modes, for lack of a better term. That said, Primal's Optimal Optimus version never did a thing for me- it just looked clunky, cheap, and unappealing, especially compared to the majority of the rest of the line. Even now, almost thirty years later, it looks like something lifted from a completely different (cheaper) toyline and shoehorned in to give him a 'big' toy to match Megatron's Dragon mode. Honestly, I wasn't taken with Megs' Dragon, either. Guess I'm a tough crowd. All this BW stuff coming from Kingdom makes me wonder if they're going to venture into Transmetal territory with new toys, or Beast Machines for that matter. I wouldn't mind, as I liked many of those designs, still have a lot of those toys in storage, and wouldn't be opposed to updates, if done well.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I'll chime in a third.
  24. M'Kyuun
    The Autobot cassettes, the Omnibots, the Constructicons (The CW version was crap, especially the Hasbro release. Takara at least tried a little harder and gave their bots more articulation where the American releases had none.), a decent Astrotrain with good looking alts, a proper G1 Megatron (never gonna happen, but Primus knows I wish), better Decepticon cassettes (it's lamentable when the 80s toys look better than a modern toy, and when third parties can create better looking and more articulate versions at about half the scale), and better Seekers (The Classics mold was good for its time 16 years ago; lamentable again that between Takara and Hasbro, the best they could come up with is essentially upscaling an old figure. All the creative folks must have been on holiday that week). There's a fairly reliable rumor that Insecticons are coming, new Dinobots are trickling out, and eventually, I assume, Gears and Brawn will get their updates. Brawn and Gears were far more prominent characters than Huffer, so if he got a new fig, it makes sense that those guys will get theirs as well. Honestly, while I'm basking in all the G1 glory that the current line, and it would seem the next, is bringing us, I wouldn't mind seeing Transformers take another creative leap as they did with Animated, Prime, even Beast Wars, although, for my personal tastes, keep the alt modes as vehicles and mechanical things. And for Pete's sake, do a better job on the next toon production, especially the voice acting. Get Cullen and Welker in there while we still have them with us and they're able to do it. They're not getting any younger, and nobody owns the characters like they do, especially Peter.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Yes and yes. As a mecha MOC builder, the first point is foremost in my mind at all times, especially when I'm working on a project. It's 2021, and as I mentioned, with all the former AFOLs cum set designers working and giving feedback, I assume, to their superiors, it just seems like new joints would be a more periodic addition to the palette as the usefulness of older joints ebbs in the face of larger mecha and creature builds making their way into sets. In short, advancement. I am very happy, however, to see the number of SNOT bricks, curved parts, and various new wedges are finally making their way into the palette. the clone brands have a bit of a head start, and LEGO's playing catch-up. Now they just need to apply that innovative spirit towards joint systems. The old Technic figure was absolutely amazing, especially for its time. Heck, it had more articulation than a GI Joe fig, which was pretty much the paramount of fig articulation in the 80s, at least in American toys. The Japanese one-upped us there with their GI Joe inspired Microman figs, known as Micronauts here in the States. Anyway, I think it'd be great if they brought it back as a way to interact with some of the large car and construction sets they've been making over the years, or just build a theme around it like they did in the 80s and 90s. LEGO needs to hire us as consultants- we have good ideas!
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