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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Some in hand pics of ER Soundwave, courtesy of The Allspark. Honestly, it strikes me that the G1 toy was designed better, articulation notwithstanding, and could accommodate realistically sized mini-cassettes that did a much better job passing as such. This version transforms with the legs inside out relative to the original, which looks weird with his knees sticking out on the sides. Moreover, shrinking the cassettes eliminated their use universally, and resulted in much more simplified robot modes and cassette modes that are barely passable as such and generally only from one side. I'm wondering where his weapons cum batteries go in cassette player mode. They definitely don't tuck into a nice compartment on his back like the original. Compared to the original toy, other than the articulation, just about every other aspect feels like a step backwards. This Soundwave, not superior.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Likewise... a bit shocking. He was six years my junior, far too young to deal with such illness, and certainly to succumb to it. Seeing the shape he was in as T'Challa, one would never suspect he was battling cancer; just incredible endurance and will. Terribly sad loss. RIP, good sir.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Honestly, from the review I saw (PrimeVsPrime), it's very evocative of G1 Prowl. However, it's missing virtually all of Prowl's iconic markings in bot mode, so Hasbro cheaped out on paint apps that would have enhanced the look of this figure. Guess I'll be doing some custom work on him, or possibly getting the eventual Toyhax labels. He doesn't appear to come with any shoulder rockets, which should be standard accessories with these guys along with their gun. The other negative is that both he and Bluestreak have the spoiler that carries over from Smokescreen. I wish that had been an exclusive add-on for Smokescreen instead of part of the mold proper. As niggles go, it's minor. I can live with it. Compared to every other Prowl that's been released in CHUG, this is by far the most faithful to the original, and that makes me happy. PrimeVsPrime voices some of the same concerns we've been mentioning concerning ER Ironhide. It's a rarity; he's usually very positive and rarely finds fault with the figures he reviews- affect your best British accent and say with enthusiasm, "they're really fantastic!"
  4. M'Kyuun
    You, my friend, are in the minority opinion here, methinks. I like the Siege mold, too. It's close enough, and yet different enough, to his earth mode that I find it appealing. One of the reasons I usually detest Cybertronian alt modes is that they're lazy (thinking Siege Soundwave), ugly, or just unrelatable. The Siege Datsun bros are sleek and relatable without being carbon copies of the earth modes, and I like that. I even like the slipper toes. I see a lot of guys on TFW already looking to chuck their Siege Datsuns in lieu of the ER figs. FWIW, I like both, but I'd be lying if I said I preferred the Cybertronian over the ER. The G1 Datsun design has been my all-time favorite Transformer since I first laid eyes on the toys. G1 Prowl was my first Transformer- I still remember opening it in the back seat on our way home from the store. I also acutely remember my disappointment when he had no articulation from the waist down. I fell in love with the box art for that figure, and it thrills me that we've finally reached a time when the actual toys are living up to that old box art. That said, even though I have MP Prowl and his bros (eternal thanks to Hasui-san) , and New Age's Prowl, which is a pint sized, yet glorious take on the character, and just a fun toy in its own right (and travel friendly, too-pop'em right in the pocket), I'm so looking forward to getting ER Prowl. Just like with Prime, we've been waiting 35+ years for accurate homages to these characters in the main line, and I'm stoked that we're finally getting them. That said, it's dismaying when they forsake the opportunity to make a definitive take on a character in lieu of chintzing and going for the spectacularly terrible remold, complete with egregious parts-forming. As for the feet on the van dudes, had they employed a method to spin the feet 180 at the ankle rocker so that the tops of the feet formed a nice rounded backside for the van, I think it would have been a fine solution that involved very little additional engineering. There still would have been a gap between the feet, but I think it would have looked better than what we got. How anybody in production looked at this and high-fived is beyond me. Most unseemly, Hasbro. For real, man. Two-thirds of their car modes are detachable shells; the least they could have done to ameliorate the mediocrity of their design, or lack thereof, is to vary the shapes/details of the shells a little per release. We're not worth the effort, apparently. The girls work as nice action figures, but as Transformers, they fail abysmally. Wasted opportunity. Once again, it's remarkable the design dichotomy in this line- some figs are very well executed, and some...aren't. I lament the situation b/c I feel this is probably the most focus on G1 we'll see in the main line for a long time, and I wish that there was a constant standard of design quality across the board. This should be the definitive line of G1 updates, aside from MP, with the same level of care put into each figure. That's what I was hoping for, and while they've delivered on many, the lack of consistency is disheartening. Sure wish there was a third party willing to right the wrongs of this line, so to speak.
  5. M'Kyuun
    I can't say that I'm all too impressed with the ER remold of Siege Ironhide/Ratchet. Egregious partsforming aside, I wonder why they didn't give these Vanette guys dark or blue tinted windshields and paint the rest of their windows to match. It would have helped the look in van mode considerably. Granted, they would have been prominent on the shins, so I guess I answered my own question. Bottom line, they should have just given these guys a dedicated mold which could address the peculiarities of the alt mode more judiciously. As for Lifeline, I really don't want more than one copy of this Arcee mold, and I already have Arcee PO'd, despite my misgivings. As good as this line has been for most, I think these two figs represent the poorer efforts. Given the prominence of Ironhide's and Ratchet's characters to the original series, it's disheartening to see them relegated to bad remold fodder. I gripe, but as Technoblue said, if these are representative of the final toys, the clean ER look is definitely appealing. Hasbro owns me. Edit; Sigh, PO'd. Time for coffee and self-flagellation.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Possible pics of Kingdom Cheetor, warpath, and Blackarachnia. Since most of these leaks have proven true, I'm going to assume that this is the real deal. That said, that's a mighty fine looking Cheetor, certainly the best looking original version in the main line, including the original toy, which wasn't so good. There is a notable disparity between the group shot from above where each copy has two bluish nubs above the shoulders that don't appear in the stand-alone cheetah shot. Hopefully the stand-alone is what we're getting. BA is looking good, too, although one can only guess at her spider mode. There really aren't many ways to make such a small lithe bot transform, and I assume she'll take some cues from the MP, which isn't much bigger than this. The angle on Warpath isn't great, but he's looking pretty Geewunny to me.
  7. M'Kyuun
    B/c I'm an articulation junkie. The more, the better, so long as the joints are good. A couple quick shots I took.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Agree about the tail having no sideways motion- would have been nice. I also wish Lynx's feet could rotate ; they're fixed forward, but they do have an excellent range of up/down, and lots of ankle rocker, so you can really splay his legs out at the hip with feet flat in an aggressive posture. The Lynx can rotate his neck side to side, but the range is laughable. I wish they could have improved that a little, or make the head itself rotate. The head can rotate longitudinally very minimally, and has a small range of up and down, but no side to side, which would have been more useful. IMHO, it's probably the weakest area for articulation between the two figures. I never looked at any of the third party takes on Sky Lynx, but your pics really show just how much detail, even from a distance, that HasTak put into this figure by comparison. In case no one noticed, the Autobot symbols on the wings are backed in gold, rather than just placed up against the white background. It 's a nice touch that looks sharp. I definitely prefer HasTak's approach to the wing mechanics; it has a nice organic look to it, and due to the multi-hinged ratcheting armatures, the wings can be oriented through a nice range. I finally put mine in base mode. It's meh, but kinda cool that they still managed it without too many compromises to his crawler/Lynx modes, other than the weak tabs that are supposed to secure the panels to which his back legs attach. Ironically, they lock in the base position with a snap, but not in Lynx/crawler mode. That and the friction joints at the 'elbow' of the wing armatures (mine are already too weak to bear the weight, but the body joint has a strong ratchet) are the only major issues with mine. Oh, and one of the tail linkages on mine is missing a pin, but it works just fine for now. Overall, excellent toy.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Got my Landbreaker on Monday, and it's a pretty fun little set. I very much like the construction theme they went for, and the tampos look crisp. I wish they'd make pilots to accompany them; I guess DiaClone figs work, but man, those little guys are crazy expensive. So for now, my Mole and Groundhog remain delightfully sentient. I still haven't transformed them into their box modes; I'm having too much fun messing with them as construction vehicles. The combined vehicle mode seems the least fun to me, and the combined mech mode is all kinds of fun. The articulation is excellent. I haven't explored the modularity as of yet. Honestly, my interest in that capability is rather low. However, after they've released their undersea set, I may get the itch to want to swap a few parts just for sh!ts and giggles. Anyway, thought I'd share a few thoughts and see if anyone else here got this set.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Actually, you'd have a Suburu Outback, but this horse is long dead. Suffice it to say, I just never liked the look of that particular Prime. IIRC, they made a toy of him in the Titanium line eons ago, and I think that's the only official toy that's been made. They prob think its ugly, too. I'm kinda surprised that HasTak don't mine the comics more than they do for toy options. I own any number of IDW inspired figs despite having never read the comics from which they originated. As I've always maintained, a cool toy stands on its own merits regardless of associated media. I never thought MTME prime was cool, though. I'm in a mood, so forgive me if my actions on the dick meter are off-scale high. Just enjoying the back and forth, no foul intended.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Just received my copy of WFC commander class Sky Lynx, and despite historically not caring for the character or his design, I gotta gush about this toy. First thing was the heft and substantial-ness of this thing. There's no die cast to speak of, but it feels heavy , especially the Lynx half, and solid in hand. It's incredibly detailed all over- I don't think there's a blank surface on it anywhere. The number of points of articulation is incredible, and fortunately, thus far, they're tight enough to bear that weight. I was especially surprised by the legs on the Sky half, as his bird legs always look too skinny in pics; however, in hand, they're actually 1/3 the width of the shuttle, and have five points of articulation from hip to ankle, including two in-line swivels. The fore and aft toes can rotate, and when each is rotated 90 degrees relative to the foot, it looks like it's ready to grasp prey. I still wish the toes could splay, as I think it would help the look of the feet, but with so much range of motion possible from the legs, I give it a pass. The wings, too, are on multi-hinged linkages that offer any number of posing possibilities. I expected the neck to be pretty limited , but again, Hasbro surprised me with the range of motion, both up/down and left-right that really offers some very expressive posing. The head is on a ball joint which offers 90 degrees of up/down, 360 head swivel, and just a smidge of confused dog. The mouth can open (and the tongue has a flame thrower mounted to it), but the box art is deceiving, as it's open range is fairly limited. Still with all those sharp little teeth, he looks menacing. The Lynx also benefits from a pleasant amount of articulation, including limited range double-jointed knees which can give the impression of digitigrade posture for the back legs. I guess you could do it with the front legs, too, as they're basically identical, but it would look weird. The front shoulder blocks can also pivot out away from the body, so that's an extra bit that HasTak didn't have to do, but I'm glad they did. The aft body is hollow, and there's a door strategically placed to cover his backside. I guess if you put minicons in there, had Lynx in a squat and opened that door, he could literally poop out his passengers. As EmGo likes to say, it's a thing you can do if you wanna do it. I haven't put Sky Lynx in his base mode yet, but one negative I have about my copy is that the side panels to which Lynx's back legs attach, which are on hinges for base mode, do not tab very firmly and tend to pop open every time I try to manipulate the back legs. I wish they'd put some sort of a snapping or locking connection there. The friction tab just isn't up to the task. The connection between Sky and Lynx is solid, though. It takes a bit of a push to set the aft tab before snapping the front of the shuttle down, but once it's in and snapped, it holds together firmly. Given the heft of this toy, that's a good thing. The resulting dino or dragon mode is splendid. All that articulation lends itself to all sorts of posing possibilities, and the size of the figure gives him both presence and a sense of menace, especially with that spikey grin. This is definitely a gem within this line. Highly recommended.
  12. M'Kyuun
    I've read your comments more than once praising that particular comic as being quite excellent. Perhaps I'll see if I can find it online somewhere. I doubt it'll make me change my mind about the design aesthetic, though. The Station Wagon was a very functional and somewhat dependable vehicle, but it's still ugly as sin.
  13. M'Kyuun
    Never was too crazy about that particular incarnation of Prime, and yeah, not feeling this toy. I'd be remiss if I didn't complement the impressive range of articulation they achieved. I'm just not crazy about the design itself in either mode. However, if they ever did a version of either Animated Prime or Fall of Cybertron Prime, or IDW Prime, I might be interested, as I like MMC's stuff. And yeah, I'm aware that there are already 3P versions of IDW and FoC Prime available; I've passed on both, but I'd be interested to see what MMC would do with the designs.
  14. M'Kyuun
    The term 'uncanny valley" is generally applied to non-human yet humanoid entities, most commonly robots, but it could apply to intelligent apes as well. I'd never thought of it in that context, but I think it applies. I think there's also an argument for its application to CG renders of real people, especially deceased persons or older actors made to look like their young selves. Anyway, the effect is usually intensified the more realistic the entity in question appears to be human. The uncanny valley is that "off" feeling that's somewhat disturbing. Pedantry aside, I never got that from the Apes films, new or old. Whereas the original apes were obviously people in costume, I can, however, see getting a little creeped by very realistic apes acting and speaking in a human manner. Honestly, for all the negative feedback Affleck's Batman received, I don't hate his portrayal so much as disagree with some of his actions, like branding the bad guys. It seems an over-the-top action for the sake of it, and to make Batman seem more gruff, I guess. I get that Snyder's intent is to portray him as a guy who's been pushed a bit beyond his limits, but it seems more like sadism and desperation. The Batfleckmobile was a neat design, but I can't get behind all the guns or blowing up bad guys. It stands in contrast to his cardinal rule- no killing. I hope Reeves takes those things into account as he fashions his take on the character. Interestingly enough, however, Bob Kane's original Batman carried a gun. So there's historical precedent if Reeves wanted to go there. I kinda like the modern no guns interpretation, though. The whole appeal of Batman is that, in a world of super-powered heroes, he's super-powerless, but certainly not powerless. That he earns the respect of his superpowered peers, and oft acts as a leader for them, says something about the power of his resolve, resourcefulness, and intelligence. Bruce Wayne is a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully that comes through in Reeves' film.
  15. M'Kyuun
    The name of the company producing Red Falcon is TT Transformable, which is a bit misleading, as Takara-Tomy are also known widely by those initials. names aside, I like it from the front, but I'm not at all crazy about how the legs look in bird mode (they form obnoxiously large and rather inorganic looking boosters that contrast with the otherwise sublime look of the rest of the bird mode). Not to my taste, but if you like it, fantastic. Admittedly, I'm not really a fan of overtly sexualized...anything, really. Moreover, my feminine body preference tends more towards petite with a modest chest, so Nicee stands as a contrast (one of my hopes is that she'll come with swappable chest plates to meet different preferences). That said, what she appears to offer in engineering and style won me over to her enough to make a PO. I hope she turns out to be a good figure. I'll keep Nicee separate from the rest of my MP figs, as she doesn't really fit the aesthetic, but there was definitely some love and artistry put forth in her design, and as an alternate depiction of Arcee, I find her appealing. With no obscenity implied (you may infer all you want, though), I hope she has a smooth transformation mechanic and is just fun to mess with. I don't know much about Windblade as a character, but I like the design, especially the way Sarah Stone, and Sara Pitre-Durocher have drawn her in the comics. If BigFirebird matches the same aesthetic , especially in the face, as Nicee, I'm definitely interested to see how their interpretation turns out.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Some nice history there, thanks for sharing. I was thirteen when Transformers landed in '84, and after watching that first three-parter, I was solidly hooked. The maturity, the story, the portrayal of both bots and humans- everything about it was next level awesome to me. I continued through first season loving pretty much every ep. "Fire on the Mountain", IMHO, was the weakest ep, but still enjoyable for T-cracker's making fun of Starscream and for the rare appearance of Skyfire. I never developed the "too old for toys" phase, but b/c I was acutely aware that it was unseemly at the time, I kept my buying on the downlow. Come second season of Transformers, the writing took a definite turn away from what IMO made first season so enjoyable; the maturity in the first season's writing was lost, as well as the sense of urgency to stop Megatron. It devolved into silliness, and in great dismay, I stopped watching it with any regularity. I'd catch an ep here or there, but I was usually disappointed in the direction they'd taken. Characters like Powerglide and Warpath annoyed the ever living crap out of me- just couldn't watch it when they were on. Terrible! When the '86 Movie hit theaters, I was excited, but also apprehensive. I never got to see it in the theater, so I ended up seeing it on VHS at a friend's house. I thought it was so-so. The animation in some scenes (the breaking beakers of chemicals when Unicron attacks Krannix's planet still stands out in my mind as one of the most beautifully animated scenes) was well above par for that time. But the quick and cheap deaths of the Autobots, the death of Prime, Blurr, Daniel, the transition of Megs into Galvatron, the Quintessons, the Junkions, and other assorted items annoyed and dismayed me. So, while there are some things about the Movie that I like (the entire Prime and Megs showdown, Unicron's transformation), it didn't have the impact on me that it has had on so many other Transfans. First season set such an indelible tone in my head, and I wish to this day that they had continued on with it into the following seasons. Alas, not to be. I bought a toy here and there pre and post Movie, but after I graduated in '90, I was off to Okinawa for two years, which was pretty much a Transformers blackout, as our programming was very select on the military's Far East Network, or as we called it, the "Forced Entertainment Network", which heavily favored sports, a topic for which I have never had any use. I am nerd to the core. To their credit, though, Star Trek Next Generation was on there. One would think being in Japan would have been a grand opportunity, but I was a very narrowminded 19 year old with little interest in learning about my host culture, a fact that makes me want to travel back in time and administer the grand-daddy of ass-kickings to my younger self. I did buy my first Gundams over there, though. I remember seeing the train Transformers in a toy shop not far from base, but I didn't buy them. I wish I had, as they were in Japanese packaging, and they were never sold here in the States. Anyway, my interest in TFs didn't pique again until Beast Wars, although like many, I was iffy on the whole organic alt mode thing. The show was fantastic, though, and once they moved into Transmetals, I got more into collecting. RiD and the Unicron Trilogy didn't interest me much beyond a few toys- the shows were unwatchable. The advent of MP-1 in 2003, followed by Classics in 2007 set me on the road to becoming a much more dedicated collector, as the G1 influence of those figures struck a chord that remains at the core of why I'm a fan. As long as it never diminishes, I'll probably keep buying these little plastic puzzle-bots until I croak. I'm also from PA, so I used to buy a lot of my TFs at Ames (and Fisher's Big Wheel). In fact, I think I bought G1 Prowl, my first TF, there. Small world.
  17. M'Kyuun
    That transforming plane is pretty interesting. I'm already on board for BigFirebird's Nicee, but if they're venturing into doing their own stuff, and it looks like this, then good for them, and for us. They're also producing a set of five kawaii fembots that transform into different bikes, and then further combine into a gestalt called Magic Henshin Girls. Not sure if that's based on anything or their own invention, but it has its charm. You mentioned seeing the jetformer in Windblade colors, but nothing about that says Windblade, especially in light of Nicee's design. I'm thinking their Windblade will also have an obvious level of femininity that can't be ignored. Honestly, given how much time has passed, I'm surprised they haven't teased at least proto shots if indeed they are doing Windblade. They did release some artwork, which is much more in line with what I'd expect based on Nicee. For anyone visiting that FB page, scroll about halfway down to see some colored renders of V2 MP Seekers.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Yep. At the moment, I wasn't thinking about the G1 stuff falling under the title. i stand corrected, and yep, definitely down for Cyclonus, and likely most of the other G1 characters. My preference is far more for the bots transforming into something mechanical, but I did enjoy some of the solutions employed in the BW toys to make the transformations possible. Actually, IIRC, I didn't buy a whole lot of the organic creature toys, but I did buy some. The polar bear was the first one I ever bought, as well as the first release of Primal and Megs as a bat and an alligator, respectively. I bought them before the show even started airing, so imagine my disappointment when the polar bear dude wasn't in there. As for Primal and Megs, the ape and T-Rex modes were definite upgrades. TBH, I think the only original core BW figs I own are Primal and Megatron- oh, and Inferno "For the Royalty!"; I can't recall how many others I bought, but I remember most of them didn't really appeal to me. I had far more interest in the toys when Transmetals came along, and I know I bought a slew of those guys. I liked the aesthetic for Beast Machines, as well, and I bought a few of those too. I regret that I never picked up a copy of the more show accurate Thrust toy they made. As for what follows Kingdom and the WFC line, my preference is for them to do something completely new. If indeed they revisit RiD or the Unicron Trilogy, unless they pepper something G1 or Animated in there, I'm pretty much out. I didn't like the shows at all, but I remember, b/c I'm a TF fan, and that's what was on offer at the time, I bought a number of toys from that era. Anyway, I generally form a sentimental attachment to my toys, but I never did with any of the toys from that whole period. The designs didn't appeal to me, and I thought the toys I did buy were rather poor. However, I think I'm in the minority so far as my opinion and interest in RiD and Unicron Trilogy goes. If they do revisit those shows next, I'm happy for the fans who will finally get updated toys for their collections.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I thought Reeves' Apes movies were done extremely well. I was hoping for at least one more, but I guess he's moved on. From PotA to Batman is a big step; Apes has its fans, but that franchise is niche compared to the juggernaut that is Batman. I hope he does a good job with it. Like with the Nolan films, I think he's smart to try and give us something different than what's been done already with live action. On the bright side, it can't be worse than Snyder's take. As for the challenges of becoming Batman, I don't know about you guys, but purposely taking that first leap off of a tall building and putting full trust in my gear would take more courage than I think I possess. Leap accomplished, the next challenge would be swinging free and clear of any obstacles that might entangle you or just stop you in a most abrupt and bone-crunching fashion. As Squidd mentioned, there were the briefest glimpses of Bale's pre-Batman struggles. I think Reeves could add a normally unseen dimension of the character by exploring Batman's early learning curve. It might add some levity as well. Also, from a psychological POV, it would be fascinating to watch Bruce cultivate both of his personas with purposeful intent to create an unquestionable contrast between them.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Looks better to me than the MS, although I could live without the red detail on the thighs. I want to see heir cassettes and how they compare/contrast with the MS versions. If they can actually pull off decent cassette modes and bot modes, I may just have to get a set. Argh- I really don't want to get sucked into collecting legends. When they're done this well, though, it's hard not to be impressed. The NA Seeker is just a brilliant design- I kinda wish a 4th party would upscale it to voyager.
  21. M'Kyuun
    The T30 Rattrap was, and remains, the best version of the character to date. The Kingdoms doesn't look bad for what looks to be legends scaled (guess that's what "core" is now?), but given what a company like NewAge or Magic Square, for that matter, would do, it comes across as a bit lackluster. Pass for now. The only Kingdom figure I really have any serious interest in is Dinobot, as all previous main line Dinobot figures left a lot to be desired. If they make him at a voyager scale, I'm hoping he'll be a good looking figure in both modes, but much more fun to transform than the MP. The gap on that Wally reissue G1 Starscream is a bit extreme, especially when seen next to the original Diaclone toy. Sheesh.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Odd that, as it seemed like a good seller to me. But then again, the lack of any notable presence by Maketoys this year is concerning. I still have their take on Thrust PO'd, and that toy was serendipitously supposed to come with wing fillers for Skycrow, the only other Maketoys Seeker I own. I hope they're still in the game. If nothing else, they offer a far more affordable alternative, especially now that Takara have thrown in. It's fair to say that V2 will likely fall into the $250-300 range. That stings a bit. However, with an official one out, odds are more likely that the market will be flooded with used copies of Maketoys Seekers, so if V2 ends up sucking, I'll probably pick up a Meteor & Lightning to fill the ranks. As for filling out my Generations ranks, my Target Seeker 2-pack should be arriving on Saturday. It'll be the first time since I started this hobby in '84 that I'll have all three first season Seekers standing together on a shelf. I own all three of the Classics Seekers, but Skywarp came boxed with the Ultra Magnus recolor of Classics Prime, and I never opened them- they're still MISB somewhere amongst the many boxes of toys I've accumulated over the years. As it turns out, it was a Target exclusive, too.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Ah, it was only a matter of time. But yeah, particularly in that scene, he comes across as being this close to losing control. I guess it works for intimidation factor, but it's inefficient. If they play it right, that may just be the charm of this Batman movie relative to the others. Focus on the growing pains, if you will. I suppose the car makes sense for a guy who's still starting out, but it feels more FnF than Batmobile to me.
  24. M'Kyuun
    At this stage, with only a gray proto to go on, and no idea what the fighter mode looks like, I think it's a bit too early to drop the gavel. I have niggles, but I'm not going to discount it just yet. I still need Starscream and Thundercracker to complete my first season MP Seekers, so if this ends up turning out well, I may just be in for two. Honestly, I hope it does. Gonna be expensive, though.
  25. M'Kyuun
    What looks like a second wing on the back is actually the lower wing panel; the wing splits apart allowing the tail boom and stabs to sandwich within the main wing surfaces. I might've considered it elegant engineering if they'd kept the hinges internal and unseen. But, the hinge for opening the wing surfaces is huge and can clearly be seen. My concern is that it won't tuck away flush in fighter mode, either, leaving a huge hump just under and slightly behind the leading edge, which will be clearly visible from straight-on, spoiling (both figuratively and literally) the wing profile. I too think they should have just found a way to tuck them into the lower legs, as there's already a big panel there with what looks like some sort of swiveling mechanism built into it. The idea of employing a false chest doesn't enthrall me, either, although that seems to be the case. I like the solution Maketoys employed, where the actual canopy is supplemented in bot mode by just a little bit of faux canopy to finish the look. I don't see the need for a false cockpit, just better engineering to use what the alt mode provides already. The other design choice that favors my bent toward Maketoys is the fact that, despite a small buttflap, its overall back kibble is relatively minimal and more compressed, enabling a thinner side profile. From the profile pic of V2 doing his ab crunch, there's a bit on the back of his lower waist that looks to me like it needs to be untabbed from all the upper back kibble. I wonder how that's going to impact waist swivel? The legs are cleaner on V2 than Meteor, even with the big hinge, but honestly, the tail booms on Meteor's legs never really bothered me. The deep knee bend is nice; the enhanced articulation is definitely a good selling point for Takara's offerings; for the last few releases, however, other factors have dissuaded me from going in on the official toys, especially when I felt third party got it closer to what I wanted in a MP figure. I'll echo @mikeszekely's sentiments concerning the null rays; those things are chubby, stumpy, and just the wrong shape altogether to my eyes. They should be thinner and longer, extending beyond the hands. The only good point I see about them is that they appear to hinge into place for fighter mode (why else would that linkage be there?). Hopefully, they'll get a lot of fan feedback and change them before final production. So far, I'm not seeing a lot to sway me away from the Maketoys version; both nail the essentials of the toon look pretty well. I definitely don't like the look of the giant hinge connecting the lower wing surface on the Takara V2, but how it looks in fighter will be a big deciding factor. I think we've all come to expect by now that with jet-formers, the alt mode is always the sacrificial lamb, and I fear that may be the case with this toy. It remains to be seen. Hopefully fighter pics will come soon.
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