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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    Definitely promoting the song, but more than that, it felt rather long and disjointed, so you get no real sense of what it's really all about- what's the end goal? To prevent a dystopian future? The time stuff is cool, and it seems like they're using it to a different effect than we usually see in sci-fi, although to my eyes, it looks more like telekinesis. Still, I like sci-fi, and this looks interesting. From all the stuff going on in the trailer, it seems to me it'd be better realized as a series.
  2. M'Kyuun
    This I remember. I don't recall the land mode, but that just makes it better. Totally down for a toy. Might have to cobble one together with LEGO. Kinda reminds me of the Bubbleship from Oblivion, except, this preceded it by over a decade. Perhaps Daniel Simon is a closet Macross 7 fan.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I just saw these listings over on Twitter and figured I'd check in. Along with Sandstorm, who I've never heard of, there's also a G2 Megatron. Never cared for the G2 colorations, so pass. Too, I didn't even bother getting the ER version of Megs; too similar to the Siege toy, and I vehemently dislike his obnoxiously huge cannon sword. IMHO, the Siege version is better. Huffer! At long last, they're making Huffer! I'm very cautiously happy. I'm guessing Wheeljack is a reissue. Tracks is ok, but really, there are so many other characters from first season that still need figs in this line. Huffer's a good sign that more minibots are coming, though. Fingers crossed. Never heard of Slammer or Wingfinger (terrible name). I agree about T30 Waspinator- it's already a really good fig, so I'm not sure how they'll improve on it. Airrazor's a nice addition; she hasn't had many toys over the years. I wonder if Silverbolt's going to make an appearance, too. His romancing of Blackarachnia was one of the more enjoyable elements of season 2. I wasn't crazy about the Fuzor designs, but Scott McNeil made Silverbolt an unforgettable character. Anyway, I hope these leaks keep coming, and they keep bringing more good news of additional G1 characters to the line. Hopefully, we'll at least have all the first season characters when they're done.
  4. M'Kyuun
    It's also available on the LEGO website. Forty bucks seems a little steep for that, but then again, this is LEGO. I have the Betrayal at Cloud City set (75222), which incorporates that scene, so easy pass for me. This has been one of the sparsest LEGO buying years I can remember in a very long time. Out of all their themes, very little has really been that appealing to me this year. I was very much disheartened to learn of their canceling the Osprey set. Moving into September, with the release of the fall sets, there are a number of them that I'm looking forward to getting, but on the whole, it's been a slow year for LEGO acquisition. More money for other stuff, I guess. I started collecting Beast and MegaBox figs from 52Toys this year, so I guess it's a tradeoff. Universe help me if next year is packed with goodness across all my collections. This stuff tends to get expensive really quickly.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Every time I see something like this, or watch yet another vid of one of Boston Dynamics' amazing robots, I can't help but think we're inexorably heading towards Cameron's Skynet scenario.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Ever since seeing Macross Zero, I've wanted a fully transformable Octos. I still want a 1/60 Variable Glaug. I made my own with LEGO, but it's not quite the same. I also want an Fz-109a Elgerzorene, or an Az-130a Panzerzorene. The enemy mecha from M7 got no toy love, which is a shame. I also want a VF-14 Vampire, b/c who doesn't want a valk based on the A-12/SR-71? What's the transforming police mech from? It's silly in a good way.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the shout about the Target Seekers. As I do most evenings, I checked the link last night and lo and behold, they were in stock. Needless to say, I got my PO in ASAP. I checked Wally for Soundwave after that, but he's still MIA. Hopefully that'll get restocked soon, and then I think I'll be good for the exclusives I want, at least for now, or until the next core character they make exclusive. It'll probably be Huffer. At voyager scale, I think you're going to get your wish for Cyclonus; he should stand at least as tall as Prime and Megs. I'd like to see a pic of his jet mode. Unpainted, the proto still looks pretty good, so I think I'll be rather pleased with his bot mode. Looking at his elbows, looks like only 90 degrees of bend- kind of a bummer. I wish greater than 90 degree elbow and knee bend were part of the articulation improvement philosophy for this line. Then again, it took 35 years to make ankle rockers a standard. Sheesh. Not sure I have another 35 years in me to wait. At that point, I'll be more concerned about my own articulation, or lack thereof. I think it'd take a concentrated effort to make a worse Cyclonus than CW; I didn't like that mold for Silverbolt, but it at least fit the blocky G1 aesthetic for the character. It was in every way wrong for Cyclonus. I passed on both, no regerts. I'm surprised Galvatron isn't part of the '86 SS line. Or did I miss something?
  8. M'Kyuun
    Not a bad lineup, although I wish there was more G1 in there. Still, I have my Generations Rhinox, Waspinator, and Rattrap on display with my MP BW figs. I thought all three were well done. I'm curious to see how the Kingdom figs look, as the BW stuff in the main line has always been hit and miss for me. I passed on Generations Cheetor, as it looked really wonky to me. Likewise Dinobot. The only decent representation of Dinobot thus far is the MP (IMHO), and he's pretty chunky due to basically turning inside out, and sports a cheat for his chest. I notice he's not listed, but I'm sure he'll be in the next wave. Hopefully he'll be leader scaled, as he was taller than Primal in bot mode, and since they seem to be more cognizant of bot scale in this line, it would make sense. With having MP versions of Primal, Megs, and Blackarachnia already, and my enthusiasm for BW toys waning, at least in the MP arena, my excitement quotient is rather low. Guess I'll wait and see how they look/handle, as I don't find the MP versions very much fun to transform. If these are fun to mess with and look good, then I'll likely get them. Out of all these, I'm most excited for Cyclonus. CW Cyclonus was unmitigated shite. I like Universe Cyclonus, but the prospect of getting a far more G1 representation is exciting. The last deluxe Warpath was a really good figure; I'm curious to see how they'll make it better. Hopefully there's a deluxe Powerglide coming too. It'd be great to get a deluxe Huffer that can tow Prime's mini-trailer (it'd actually scale better to Huffer, methinks). We haven't had a decent official G1 Huffer since the original toy, and it'd be sweet to get him in this line. I've got the Magic Square version standing in, but I'd love to have a properly scaled ER version.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Truly. But it was repeated maneuvers like this that spelled her doom, constantly exceeding the load limits on the airframe. She lost her left stab during a high-G maneuver and crashed. Fortunately, the pilot was able to eject safely. The SU-57 is a pretty bird. The thrust vectoring setup is ingenious; the vectoring occurs in a single plane, but the augmenters are canted at angles, which allows for vectoring in all three axes, depending on how they're independently deflected. The engines are also linked to the flight control systems, which through thrust control and vectoring, assist in maneuvering the aircraft. The F-22 only vectors in the pitch axis, and as Chronocidal mentioned, the F-35 doesn't have thrust vectoring, except for the F-35B version(Navy/Marines), and that's only for hover and landing configurations. So, it would seem, our Russian friends have a leg up, so to speak. Thrust vectoring is great for airshows, but in practical terms, I believe the US goal in air superiority currently is look first, shoot first, minimal close engagement. We don't want to get close if we don't have to, as it puts the aircraft and pilot at risk. It's why stealth is a salient feature of all modern US fighters and drones- we wanna see the enemy without being seen ourselves, as much as possible. The F-117 opened a lot of eyes to the benefit of low observability, and that philosophy has carried forward since the Nighthawk proved itself over Iraq. To my way of thinking, it's preferable to the gung-ho dogfighting mentality of the 40s-80s. Planes are expensive, the technology prized, and, while pilots may be replaceable, humans are not. It's in our best interest not to lose any of these assets in combat. That's not to say we shouldn't be prepared for close encounters (of the jet jockey kind, not ET), as one never knows how a situation might evolve. Too, our guys, and theirs, often escort the other when we edge a little too close to borders; if such encounters took an aggressive turn, our pilots need to be ready to engage. It's a fact of life. I just hope it never comes to that, or what lies beyond that first step.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I waited decades, even passing on the Yamato Garlands, to finally get a Proto-Garland, my favorite variant. Arcadia did a good job, even though they fudged the cockpit/half figure. The only other criticism I have is that the hips barely have any lateral swing to them, and on a modern figure, that's a bit of a letdown. It can do an "A" stance, but it's pretty limited. Otherwise, it's a gorgeous figure.
  11. M'Kyuun
    Ah, makes sense. Thanks.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Russian pilots are just straight-up ballsy; I imagine the F-35 could do this, maybe, but I highly doubt the powers-that-be would ever permit it. The only way an American fighter would ever be maneuvered like this would be well into the test phase, and likely not even then. Or if something went catastrophically wrong. That's a heck of a way to give slip to a bird that's chasing you and turn the tables. That is, if the pilot isn't too dizzy to aim afterwards.
  13. M'Kyuun
    I can't speak to Omega, as I don't own any of the Titans, but Jetfire, or Skyfire, as he should really be called, is a worthy figure. I got delivery notification today that I should be receiving my copy of Sky Lynx next week. He's never really been of interest to me before, but this is one cool looking toy, and I'm actually a little excited to get him. I'm hoping Snapdragon, who I've also got PO'd with Pulse, will be shipping soon. It's a really nice update to a design I've liked since I was a teenager. The real question in this line is, "Where is Jazz?" We're getting updates of obscure characters, but yet Jazz, who was pivotal to G1, even surviving getting munched by Unicron, remains MIA. Granted, it'll be difficult to top the Reveal the Shield mold, but given how well the ER Datsun Bros have turned out, I have faith that they can create at least as good a figure for this line.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Beat me to it! My Coneheads came unexpectedly this afternoon, and I took a bunch of pics figuring I'd do a quick writeup in the interim until Mike gave his full review. When I pulled up the thread- Coneheads! I'll add a few pics I took for consideration. I'm also of two minds about this mold; the Classics was well done, but it is over a decade old, and given all the articulation we got with the Siege mold, it would have been nice to get a new mold that carried over the articulation of the Siege version while improving on the shortfalls of the Classics, such as the large gaping hole between the intakes in jet mode. A step back from its predecessor, the ER version has a large hinge under the nose to allow it to split for transformation. It negates any ability to have landing gear, and spoils the sleekness that the Classics enjoys. I'm also not a fan of the chest band between the intakes in bot mode; it's both inaccurate and irrelevant, and yet it's another of the undesirable holdovers from the Classics toy. Negatives aside, given Hasbro's track record with jetformers, this could have been far worse, so choosing to upscale the Classics toy and make a few changes, for better or worse, seems a good compromise. It's not a bad toy, but having its root design in one from around 2007, it just feels a little dated. On to the toys themselves. Both of my Conies have nice crisp paint apps, and I'm especially enamored of Dirge's kneecap paint apps, which echo, and IMHO, improve upon, the G1 toy's stickers. They're not exact to the G1 toy, but I think I like this design better. The purple backdrop with small yellow and red details just looks sharp. Both of my figures were pretty tight overall in all the moving parts dept, save for Dirge's right forward winglet. It's not completely floppy, but it gives the impression that floppiness is its eventual destiny. Guess that's just part of getting old, even for toys. I'll echo Mike's sentiments here about the shin panels, as they don't lock into anything in fighter mode, and I can see much handled toys suffering from permanently deployed spoilers in their futures, just waving in the breeze. Not the best. One cool deco point is that both Dirge and Ramjet have Decepticon symbols on the tops and bottoms of their wings. The regular Seekers only have it on top. I always thought it was neat that the engineering differed on the Classics mold for the Coneheads' heads to be the nose of the planes. Of course, it made for a stubbier nose, and the face could be clearly seen from below. Tradeoffs. However, being able to hide the entire conehead inside the forward fuselage in the same manner as the regular Seekers allows for simplicity in the transformation and preserves the longer nose. Unfortunately, it does nothing for that big hinge on the bottom. C'mon Hasbro, we know you can do better. Final thoughts: while I wish they'd made more improvements in their translation from Classics to Earthrise Seeker, it's still one of the best jetformers they've produced. Since it's one of their most milked molds in any line, Coneheads were a forgone conclusion, and it's nice to see that these aren't just straight repaints, but have new chests and shins to go along with their heads and wing bits for differentiation. They didn't have to, but I appreciate that they did. I'll be happy to get Thrust, my fave of the Conies, and hopefully, should the Universe smile upon me, the Target Seeker two-pack to complete my collection.
  15. M'Kyuun
    Unfortunately, LEGO doesn't like odd numbers, so the number of odd studded parts is woefully inadequate to the demand and necessity. I agree, however, that a 5 stud diameter dish or plate would be proper. The 5 stud dish that David referred to is just too deep and the wrong shape for the AT-AT hip. I still think that plates are more apropos for the job, and what I intend to try is using macaroni bricks to line the front of them to try and add thickness to the hip as well as cover the Technic joint. I'll use macaroni tiles to create the circular exterior detail. Hopefully I'll be able to closer approximate an accurate look. And, yeah, the feet could do with another layer or so. Something else I noticed was that the sides of the new AT-AT are almost flush as they go around, but there's an obvious 'step' between the fore and aft sections of hull on the movie model. I may have to mod that as well, which may prove challenging due to the hinging system they employed for the center panels. I'm almost tempted to try adding the large teardrop shaped moving sections to which the hips themselves attach. LEGO has never even tried on any of their AT-AT models, and generally only imply they're there with subtle shaping. Might be worth trying. I really wish, after all these years, they'd just give us an ultimate UCS AT-AT with all the bells and whistles. I think the lackluster choice of joints is what's preventing them from doing so. With so much focus on mecha these days, it's a glaring disparity that, Mixel small ball joints aside, they've made no new joints since the ratcheting(Exo-Force) series in 2004, and the large(Bionicle) ball joint system in 2007, with few to no additions since. I wish they'd make a larger more robust set of ratcheting joints that are up to the task of supporting larger mecha builds. As a mecha MOC builder, I can attest they're sorely needed.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Good review, Mike. The GERWALK shot is pretty cool. If they're going to just make the car a shell, it'd be cool if they could somehow massage it into a trenchcoat of sorts instead of the huge backpack. It defeats the purpose of having a lithe robot mode only to be saddled with a backpack that's thicker than the fig itself. At least the forearms on this Arcee contribute to the car mode; that's more than ER Arcee. I agree with Mike's point about pricing between the WFC lines, and Cyberverse. The former , to my eyes, have always seemed the more premium- better sculpts, more complexity, better paint, etc. The Cyberverse toys have every appearance of appealing to a younger age group 6-10, I'd reckon, and the quality of those toys adjacent to the more 'mature' WFC lines bears that out, so the pricing should reflect that disparity as well, but it doesn't. I don't generally collect the Cyberverse stuff, although I may pick up a fig here or there that appeals, so the personal impact is low, but the fairness of it , or lack thereof, bugs me a little.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I'm also ok with the ratio of G1 to BW- I'd rather it were 80-20 respectively, but 60-40 is ok. At least they're still doing G1 in the next wave. I wish they'd leave BW out of it altogether and let it have its own line under the Generations banner, TBH. I don't mind their doing BW (I love BW, and I have quite a few toys from various lines over the years). However, I see WFC as Hasbro's golden opportunity to just go all out on the G1 stuff, make all the major characters so that the core groups from first season , the '86 Movie, and and whatever else they want to throw into the mix get their updates in the line, and thus make all the Geewunners happy. I think it's safe to say that's what most of us want. Once that's accomplished, move on to BW, or whatever else they want to do with Generations. I see it as a way to give G1 a rest for a while and focus on something new. Constant rehashing just creates fatigue- I think we're primed, pun unintended, for another Animated-esque sort of creative outing in the brand. I don't mean copy Animated, but a new show in the same creative spirit- a new direction, new characters, different setting, original story. Aside from the abhorred Bayverse, I think it's good to breathe new life into a franchise from time to time. Honestly, as much as I revile the Bay films, I have to acknowledge that some very creative toys and engineering approaches came from those designs that influence the way HasTak does business since '07. Moreover, the movies made a lot of revenue for Hasbro and Takara, which has kept the franchise thriving, and given the partner companies the money to keep toys across numerous lines coming. For that I'm sincerely thankful. I'm not sure the brand would be where it is today without Bayverse. Your concern about a commander class Rodimus is valid; why would he need to be that big when Optimus is a leader class with his trailer? Rodimus' battle chariot isn't even as big as Prime's trailer, even the shrunken one from ER, if Hot Rodimus is in scale with ER Prime. Well, it's just rumor for now, and hopefully that's misinformation., as it makes little sense in context. They mention concerning the unnamed "gangly" Titan as possibly being the Ark. Somehow, that doesn't track, either. Then again, I always imagine Omega Supreme from Animated whenever a transforming Ark is mentioned. That's a toy I'd love to have. That could be their next Haslab project- I'd be all in.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I agree with your print argument, especially for the price point of these sets. A little history: out of five large minifig scaled AT-AT sets, only the original 2003 set and the 2007 sets had 6-wide dishes for the hips and 4-wide dishes for the knees, both of which were printed. The 2010, 2014, and 2020 sets have no printing and use the same 4-wide dishes for both hips and knees. The prints definitely added to the look of those first two sets, and it's a trend I wish they'd have continued, especially when we see all sorts of prints appear in other themes. Additionally, I think the 6-wide dishes looked better, and are more accurate for the hips. Those printed dishes can still be found on Bricklink, but they're a little pricey. Honestly, though, for accuracy's sake, the rounded areas of both knees and hips should be made with plates and detailed with tiles, with maybe some stickers to add the necessary mechanical detail, as well as some better shaping for the upper leg to give it a bit of an angle and blend better with the joint. The hip area on the 2020 version looks incomplete, like a large truck with undersized wheels mounted. The top of the hip could definitely benefit from some filling out to cover the Technic hinge, both on the leg itself, and the structure supporting it. i think I'll be doing some modding when I get a copy.
  19. M'Kyuun
    Stumbled on a list of rumors for the Kingdom wave of WFC and thought I'd post it. If these prove true, I'm not feeling the skeletal stuff. I'd much rather they give us a full team of voyager scaled Dinobots. Anyway, just rumors for now, so take it with a grain.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Or a lot of Kragle.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I wonder why a whole plethora of useful and practical parts haven't been produced, but I digress. I haven't got the new AT-AT set yet, but I intend to once they become available (usually 1 Aug is the release date for fall sets here in the US, but due to Covid, I believe it was pushed back a month. All new SW sets on LEGO's site say "Coming Soon"). In the meantime, I've watched a couple reviews; my impression is that the head design, long time coming, is superior to any other AT-AT thus released, as it can accurately hold two drivers side by side, as well as Gen Veers commanding from behind the drivers. It's rather cramped, but I give kudos aplenty for the effort. No reviewer I watched had the head hatch criticism. Since it's not structural, but is basically a lid, I guess that was enough for it to pass LEGO's internal testing. From the pic, it looks as if that 1 stud wide plate is held on by a 1 stud wide cross plate and a 1x2 cheese slope. That's not much surface area, but again, it's just a lid. Of course, this is LEGO, so you can mod it as you like. My criticisms align with yours: the dishes on the legs would have greatly benefited from printing (they used to print them, but quit about three AT-AT sets back. Another discrepancy that I think they got right with early AT-AT models, chief among them and still my personal favorite, 4483, is the use of larger dishes for the hip joints and smaller ones for the knees. That's accurate to the movie model, and looks better than the 4 stud wide all around dishes LEGO's been using on the last few releases. The legs strike me as too narrow on this new set as well. Again, I look at 4483's and to my eyes, they look right, relative to the whole. YMMV I don't care for the Technic joint at the hip being exposed, either. Some plates to cover it (or a 6 wide dish) would have helped the aesthetic. A plus for this set is that the legs are spaced wider enabling the internal fourth toe on each foot, an accuracy that has only been represented on the Technic Motorized AT-AT set from 2007, and the 2020 set. Of course, I'm referring only to the large minifig compatible sets. The inclusion of a speeder bike, which can stow in the posterior of the AT-AT, and has featured in a number of AT-AT sets over the years, harkens back to the SW: Incredible Cross Sections book from 1998, a year before LEGO acquired the SW license, and five years before my beloved 4483. One feature I wish they'd include is a second deck within the main body. The central structure of most of the AT-AT sets has been tall enough to allow for it, but LEGO never seems inclined to want to do it. It doesn't help, either, that there are usually empty seats in every AT-AT set, and this one, unfortunately, maintains that trend. Hopefully, there will be a Snowtrooper battle pack in next years lineup to help fill the seats in the newest version. One point of contention with the AT-AT has always been the method of ingress/egress for the intrepid Imperial troops who man it. LEGO doesn't give us any answers. Hasbro, however, did with their glorious 174 Imperial All Terrain Armored Transport , which solved the problem by having an inverted T-bar for the troopers to stand on attached to a winch. It's simple but effective. It's something that could be be modded into a set relatively easily, but I wonder that LEGO haven't thought to do it themselves. They did, however, build in a winch to re-enact the scene where Luke winches up to toss a thermal detonator into the AT-AT's belly. There's even a hinged belly plate to simulate Luke's cutting it open. For the few things it gets wrong, my overall impression of the 75288 AT-AT is that it's the most accurate set to date. The play features are relevant and look fun. I wish it had more Imperial Snowtroopers, but isn't that always the wish with large troop carriers in LEGO? looking forward to its availability here in the US, as I'll likely be picking up a few of these.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Skycrow is my only Maketoys Seeker, and I think it's a really nice figure overall. But you're not wrong about those hinges on the stabs- they're fidgety and weak, requiring exhaustive repositioning to try and get them straight. It's not much of an issue for me, as he stays in bot mode 99% of the time. But every now and again, I get the urge to transform him and the hinge by the head and the stabs both give grief. I'd rather Takara just fold the stabs up flat behind the wings in lieu of splitting them open to encase them. With few exceptions, I agree for both Siege and Earthrise. Finally getting a proper Skyfire (wish they would've used the name) was a wonderful surprise, something I honestly never thought we'd get. While it's not as polished as FT's Phoenix, it's still a great effort by HasTak. ER Prime exceeds my expectations for a main line Optimus. It's a briiliant figure. The only weaknesses of the mold are the wheels folded on his butt, and elbows that only bend to 90 degrees ( I would have liked more range, but it's easily forgivable for everything else it does right). It's the G1 update in the main line that I've longed for since 1985. It's also one of the most fun OP toys I've ever owned- I just can't bring myself to put it on the CHUG shelf- it begs to played with and posed. Aside from Arcee, I think my biggest disappointment in the line is Astrotrain. The bot mode looks great, but both alt modes have too many concessions, and they ruin the figure for me. Overall, though, HasTak have given us some really nice G1 homages in the line.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Thus far I haven't had any issues with the alt modes, save maybe Megatron. Due to all the origami in his upper torso, the gun looks like a puzzle, and the upper torso doesn't have the proper shape of the gun slide. The third party versions all retained it. Heck, even my New Age Megatron has a properly shaped upper torso. To me, that has always been an iconic part of his look, and it was spoiled due to to the way Takara engineered it. I appreciate the extra bit of butterfly articulation at the shoulders, but I almost think I'd rather have the nice rounded upper torso. The legs on that figure are brilliant, though. Back to Dobber's statement, I think the alt modes have been done well, but I'm not a car guy, so my eye for little details specific to each make and model is lacking. Now, Starscream will be a different story. If things are off with his F-15 mode, I'm more apt to notice. From the CAD, his design is one of those that I wish paid homage to the toy design at least so far as including the shin thrusters, which, to me, are again, iconic to the look of the Seekers. I'm not at all a fan of the flat trapezoidal panels they used instead. It would be nice if they included optional shin thrusters so you can have either look, depending on your preference. I'm also not feeling the back plate extending below his crotch. The Seeker is a pretty clean and simple design; the arm transformation is the greatest departure from the original toy, and getting them to tuck in cleanly while maintaining proper fuselage shaping is the biggest challenge. At this point, it's been done about the same way officially and unofficially for over a decade, so there's good precedent (Takara were first to the solution with both the Classics Seeker and with MP3; it works, and everybody else has pretty much followed the formula with little changes here and there. As the old adage goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it). I guess what I'm saying is, it doesn't need Saturn V levels of engineering. I'm still a fan of the Maketoys design, and the New Age Seeker is just a brilliant toy. If we're interpreting the CAD correctly, I don't feel that the wings need to split apart, or why the stabs can't somehow fold into the legs. All those additional moving parts on a large structural piece are concerning, as issues from alignment to stressed pivots/joints can be potential problem areas as time goes on. To my way of thinking, it's an unnecessary bit of engineering. I guess we'll see once they roll out a proto. Going OT, I watched Prime vs Prime's review of ER Bumblebee, a heavy remold of Cliffjumper. While it retains the partsforming aspect for the rear of the car, the VW Beetle mode is a thing of beauty. At first glance, it looks like V1 MP Bee. The entire car is painted in a metallic yellow, with trans-blue windows that are unobstructed by robot kibble. Moreover, the back window is an insert, rather than a single trans-blue piece with yellow paint. as a result, everything looks very uniform, at least on PvP's version. The bot modes share virtually all the same parts, except, of course, for the heads. As remolds go, it looks really good. I hope it's not another exclusive. I'd like to know who PvP's supplier is- guy gets everything early. I'm jelly.
  24. M'Kyuun
    In the case of Ironhide/Ratchet, I'll let the toon versions slide- so much better than the toys. What was Kawamori thinking? But, as far as a greater marriage of alt mode with bot mode, I'm there with you. I will say, however, I have Magic Square's Light of Freedom, and I love how they tuck the wheels away seamlessly in the legs. The overall design takes any number of cues from MP-10, but improves upon that design, IMHO, in various ways. It captures the toon look, but still has a satisfying level of detail in bot mode. I'm really happy with it. I've been passing on Takara's MP figs since Sunstreaker, as there were things about them, beyond just the toon aesthetic, that I didn't care for. Between the feet and the huge backpack, V2 Bee looked terrible to me. I wasn't a fan of Hound's floating head ( I realize Jeep made them resort to it, but I wasn't crazy about it). Arcee's odd shaped chest and disorganized backpack, like v2 Bee's, just detract from what is an otherwise decent looking figure. Regardless, I think MMC did a much better job on the bot mode, while still giving Azalea a passable vehicle mode. Since I favor the bot mode, the Takara was an easy pass. The engineering has become very complex with these latest figs. That's not a bad thing if there's a logical flow to the transformation and everything proceeds smoothly from one step to another. When it becomes an effort to transform the toy, or there are extremely fragile bits that will break with the slightest misstep, then a lot of the fun is eroded, since the transformation is a large part of why many of us are into these toys. Too, Takara has to introduce many more concessions into the engineering for the sake of converting a realistic, often licensed alt mode into a plain bot that resembles the cartoon. These concessions are often the reason behind faux parts, shell-forming, or just a lot of panel-forming to try and hide all the vehicle detail. That's part of the reason I liked the original approach to MP; many of those engineering concessions were unnecessary. Alas Despite my contrary view, I'm happy for you, and all the other fans who've longed to have toys that looked like they stepped off the screen. I get it; it's just not for me. MP Prowl, designed by Hasui-san (I believe it was his favorite character, hence his extensive work on the design), was and is my dream Transformer toy. G1 Prowl was my first Transformer back in '84, and MP Prowl was the culmination of 30 years of hopes and wishes for a modern update. My reaction isn't so much shock as dismay. However, I'm resigned that this is the direction for the foreseeable future. I'm still willing to give each release the benefit of the doubt. I'm curious to see the new Seeker mold, even if my expectations are a little grim. Regardless, I'm still hoping that more of the first season roster gets an official MP figure. I'll judge each on its own merits as to whether it appeals to me or not. At the very least, I hope they can reach some sort of agreement with Porche so we can finally get Jazz in this line.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Rather than the specific CAD drawings for the MP figs, what I meant was that Hasbro and Takara-Tomy should have generalized pieces of art of each of the characters as references for pretty much all their toys. Perhaps they do. IDK. Then again, with each iteration of the characters, I suppose generalized art needs to be created. I don't believe Takara bases an entire design on cartoon stills, but I definitely believe they reference them to try and nail the toon look. I suppose I may have come across as harsh or condescending. It wasn't my intention, but rereading my comments hours after I posted them, I cede the point and apologize. Transformers is my second favorite hobby, and I maintain long-nurtured biases. Believe it, or don't, but I generally strive to maintain a positive outlook when I post. Too many things that strike me as negatives within the hobby are happening currently, and I let my emotions color my commentary. Again, I meant no offense. I certainly don't consider fans that like the current MP aesthetic "morons"; it's not to my taste, but there are certainly many who do like it, and that's their prerogative. I'm just glad that third parties afford us other options. I'm a battroid guy, so I don't mind a chubby fighter if the YF-21's B-mode looks close to the lineart, which is admittedly, replete with concessions. A little hypocritical, I know, but there it is. And landing gear on most valks should be white, as the majority are inspired by American military jets, and that's the standard. As for VF-1 collars, I got nothin'.
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