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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I was at Target yesterday, and looked to see if they carried this, but no. I guess I'll have to get mine at B&N. I haven't been since the pandemic started, and our mall has been at limited opening, so perhaps I'll make a trip this week. I was going to get it at HLJ, since they hosted Matt, and will likely be the only carriers of signed copies (not that it's important to me- it's a nicety, but that's about all), but they want $50 for a copy(before shipping), whereas B&N have it for $28. I'm a B&N member, so I'll probably pay about $26 for it. "Good business is where you find it."
  2. M'Kyuun
    Thanks, MaxFan2112! And welcome to the thread. @Valkyrie Hunter D Your Huey's looking good. It's rather challenging, especially at smaller scales, to capture rounded shapes with any kind of accuracy. LEGO's palette has certainly improved in this regard, but, to a great extent, you're still relegated to creative sculpting with square-based bits to do the job. I'd recommend checking out Ralph Savelsberg's Flickr as a source of inspiration. I keep hoping they'll make a rounded cheese slope, as I run into the same situation again and again, where that extra little bit of roundness would really inform the look of a model. With all the money they throw at one-use parts, like the music note pieces for the Trolls sets, I can't understand why they won't make more universally useful elements like rounded cheese slopes, inverted versions of many of their modified plates, especially clips and clicky hinges, etc, etc. Or a plate with studs top and bottom- what a lifesaver that part would be. Or the old maxi-fig hand (1x1 round plate with a ball joint. I'm still surprised that such a useful part, which would compliment the Mixel ball joint system, hasn't been updated and released by now, but no). One would be inclined to think that, with the small army of AFOL MOCers-cum- LEGO Designers developing sets now, there would be more input from those designers into the palette and we'd see a lot of those 'dream' elements being produced, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'd love to know why, and if there's some way we, as a fan community, could make those requests heard. I wish there was a place on IDEAS just for new element submissions. While I'm completely clueless to the magic of CAD, there are plenty of AFOLs with expertise in the field who I'm sure would likely flood the platform with submissions, and I'm sure many would be things I'd like to see added to the palette.
  3. M'Kyuun
    I agree. I supported the Haslab project, but part of me wishes maybe I should have gone for this instead, as it does a far better job in the two areas I tend to prioritize- bot mode and engineering. Unicron is nigh impossible to realize into his planet alt mode without panel-forming; it's the only practical solution, but how that panel-forming is handled and integrated makes a world of difference, pun intended. And those differences are stark when comparing the cleanliness of this Unicron to Haslab's version, festooned with its plethora of obvious and non-integrated accordioned panlels. I still think the basic sculpt of the Haslab is excellent- the artistry is not in question- Takara's peeps are talented, and that makes a close up inspection of the Haslab version a feast for the eyes. Too, Takara got a lot of the details right, such as the asymmetrical circular patterns on the chest. And of course, the Haslab's planet mode is gorgeous, and very accurate to the animation model. But for all its pluses, at the end of the day, I'm a robot guy, and the Cell version is superior in that respect. So, I'm saddled with a little regret; for a price tag in excess of $600, one is inclined to think the engineering would be far better, and all those panels integrated more seamlessly into the bot mode. Alas I'm committed, and I'll reserve judgement when I finally have it in hand, likely next year. However, as of this writing, I find myself drawn more to the Cell (Zeta) version for all it did right in favor of the robot mode.
  4. M'Kyuun
    @bluemax151 I wasn't aware that there was a movement to censor Japanese fiction. Do you mean written fiction (i.e. novels, periodicals, etc), manga, anime, or something else?
  5. M'Kyuun
    I spent two years in Okinawa, and have watched any number of anime in the native Japanese, and with that meager experience with the language, to my ears Matt Alt's pronunciation just sounds all kinds of wrong, especially for a guy who lives in Japan, married to a Japanese woman, and who translates the language to English as a profession. When Scott Hards says Japanese words, his pronunciation sounds proper. Every time Matt says Gun-dam, it drives me crazy. Like, DUDE! Language quirks aside, I didn't know he was part of Toybox DX. Pretty cool. I definitely appreciate his bringing awareness of Japanese pop culture to the English speaking world. I'm going to have to track down his books and give them a read. I kick myself ever so hard and chronically for my lukewarm interest in Japanese culture and society when I was in Okinawa. I was a small town 19 year old with a very, very narrow worldview. In hindsight, I would have absolutely loved a career doing what Matt's doing, certainly far more than the military for which I was always a round peg trying to fit into a very square hole. Edit; After watching the whole vid, two things are quite poignant to me, as I sit in front of my flat screen monitor surrounded on all sides by toy robots: the effect of Japanization of Western society, primarily through our obsession and consumption of electronics, and the subtle effect of their pop culture finding a global audience through media and toys. When I was in Okinawa from '90-92, stacked stereo systems, laser, and CD players were all the rage, and the stuff I saw in Okinawa was years ahead of what was out in the States. Most military folks took max advantage (I was just a lowly dorm rat Airman, so my stack system was small and compact, yet still years ahead in its capabilities of anything I saw in the US years after I returned). It was really like stepping into the future from that POV. From a toy and pop culture POV, I started young, around 4 or 5, watching Battle of the Planets (Science Ninja Team: Gatchaman) and Speed Racer. Then, in 1984, a little show called Transformers had an enormous impact on my life. I started getting into anime in the 90's with Macross Plus being my gateway into anime and Japanese toy collecting beyond Transformers. I never played many video games as a kid, so my voyage into that moneypit and time sink also began in my late twenties with my purchase of a Playstation 1 and the original Armored Core game. It's a very interesting concept that we have all, regardless of ethnicity or country, become, in essence, Japanese through our consumption of these imported obsessions, if you will, inherent to Japan. To my mind, we're better for it, certainly more enriched.
  6. M'Kyuun
    Give it time; just about every mold they've done has been released in various color schemes, so you may get your wish. Personally, I'm not crazy about the reuse of the gator mold for a shark, but I do like the gator. I think a dedicated mold would have worked better, but it is what it is. The longnecks are both cool, and a lot of the figs in this line give me a Zoids-lite vibe. Shame about the Stego back plate inaccuracy, but it won't dissuade me from getting one. Most of these guys are so stylized already that I'm pretty forgiving of minor stuff like that. I wish they'd give them better articulation. That's been my biggest niggle with the line.
  7. M'Kyuun
    This thread has gone silent; time for a few updates: The Predator. Looks like there's a Stegosaurus in the works. More dinos is a good thing. POs are up for Leonardo, Darkwave, and Stargazer, as well as the Landbreaker mentioned a few posts back.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Nice paint job, Duymon.
  9. M'Kyuun
    I'm actually not too concerned about finding deluxes. I PO'd pretty much all of them from the last wave, and have since had numerous opportunities to pick them in-store. In fact, my local Wally had them the last time I visited (last week). They're both on the pegs, and on a stand in the aisle for the Netflix figs. So, although I have most of the figs I want PO'd already, figs that I'm so-so about , like Elita-1, I'll wait and probably snag in the store should the opportunity present itself. Voyager and leader, OTOH, are a rarity at my local Walmart, for some odd reason. I usually have to go to Target, or one of the other Walmarts in the area to find voyager and larger class figs. It's weird. I've been anticipating a Soundwave for Earthrise, and I think he looks ok, even if his legs are inside out for transformation, compared to the original. The thing that really bugs me is the downsizing of the cassettes- just why? It would have been cool to have cross compatibility with the old G1 cassettes and the MP cassettes. Anyway, still want him. I've got a notification alert on it now, so hopefully the next time it becomes available, I'll catch it in time for a PO.
  10. M'Kyuun
    Congrats to Donny Chen, the first Chinese citizen to have an IDEAS submission put into production. The fact that he's a piano teacher, and obviously a deft hand with the brick as well, give this model a very cool backstory, as well an elegance we've not seen in many submissions prior. Like the Sian, in keeping with LEGO's recent campaign to reach the adult market, the presentation is unambiguous in that regard. Soo too are the price tags for both of these sets. The piano will set you back $350 USD, and about $450 CAD. The build itself is amazing, both for the functionality of the action, and for the aesthetics. I'm curious about the electronics involved: will it rely on a cell phone app to make music, or is there some internal 'sound brick' that produces tones when the keys are pressed? I certainly hope the latter, and I hope, probably too much, that the tones correspond to the keys. Even with a limited keyboard, it appears to have two octaves, which is plenty to pluck out a tune. I lament the current toll that the Covid pandemic has taken on social events. Even as many have turned towards a virtual option online, there's certainly a great diminishment in not being there to take in all the sights, sounds, and opportunities they offer in person. I'm a regular attendee and exhibitioner at BrickCon in Seattle, and know the joy of being on both sides of the stanchions when taking in all the many MOCs that folks bring each year. To the point, this piano set would make an excellent interactive MOC for the public to engage with. More so if one had the tenacity to expand it into a full sized keyboard, and I'm sure, given the pedigree of many of my fellow AFOLs, it'll happen. Anyway, its a bittersweet rumination that I hope will take solid form, given we benefit from medical victories and eventual decline of this disease over the coming months.
  11. M'Kyuun
    The LEGO Osprey 42113, set to release 1 August, has been cancelled by TLG, citing their internal policy to not produce sets based on modern military vehicles. The cancellation is addressed on The Brothers Brick, including a statement from TLG. Although I understand their stance, regardless, this is a very disappointing decision, as I was very much anticipating this set. I'm an ardent fan of the Osprey, and this was something of a dream set, as I never imagined a licensed set would be produced. It has, but few copies will likely get sold, as LEGO will likely issue a recall. Sad news indeed.
  12. M'Kyuun
    That's an interesting point; while HBT is a finite resource that they need to beg, borrow, and steal (often the latter), missiles seem to replicate magically and infinitely, as I can't recall their ever looking for spare ammo. Infinite ammo has been a trend in tv and movies forever, though, so I give it a pass.
  13. M'Kyuun
    He was the same age as me, so that's sobering. And I'd also venture to say he was probably in better health; my addiction to sugar means I have a forever-gut, high cholesterol, and somewhat high blood pressure. When it's your time to go, there's little argument to the contrary. I enjoyed Grant on Mythbusters; he was uber-nerdy and loved his robots, trying to put them to use whenever he could for a scenario. He seemed a genuinely good human being, of which we shall never have a surplus, and his loss is a loss for all, but especially for his family and close friends, to whom I express my deepest condolences. The world dimmed a little when Grant's light went out.
  14. M'Kyuun
    I just watched Mospeada for the first time recently. I never saw RT, so I went in with a clean slate, so to speak. IIRC, the Inbit were looking for a new home at the urging of a Light force (a bit of Yin and Yang going on here), and they sensed the Dark force in humanity, hence their aggression. But yeah, they were basically terraforming the Earth while conducting experiments on various lifeforms, including dinosaurs, to determine a suitable form in which to live on Earth. My understanding was that the Inbit were energy creatures who had to artificially produce a body in which to live, be it mechanical like the Crabs, or biological. No surprise, they determined that the human body is the most suitable, b/c y'know, hubris and storytelling. My own choice would probably be a shark (apex predator with very long history on a planet that's covered in water). Anyway, they're essentially trying to restore Earth to its natural state, and fighting the humans along the way. But, apparently the Inbit attended the Stormtrooper Academy, as they rarely hit anything they shoot at. Then again, accuracy is a challenge for our intrepid band of human protagonists as well- it takes an Itano Circus for Stick to take down one fairly close range Inbit in one scene, and he actually laments using all his missiles on one enemy. It must have been an in-joke to the producers that this hardcore military guy can't shoot for sh!t. The characters were ok, but nothing to really write home about. Ray was probably the most likeable, given his carefree personality, although he was assigned the role of "Peeping Tom" pervy dude. Always gotta be one. Yellow - IDK- he/she made for a good distraction when the others needed to pull off a clandestine mission, and in his more philosophical moments, I liked him. I think he was also the most proficient fighter in the group as well. Mint was annoying. Jim was serviceable. Stick, appropriately named b/c he had one shoved firmly in his ass was a stereotypical hardcore single-minded military dude, all mission, little substance. Houquet was the typical tough chick with a soft heart. Aisha was an interesting character that didn't get near enough exploration- it would have been a neat turn in the show had they presented the second half through her perspective and thoughts. Alas, no. She was essentially a human pet. Solzie was the sterotypical alien chick who falls for a human dude, but I did like how they showed her character taking a bit of time to change her mind about fighting humans- she wasn't an immediate convert to the human cause. The appropriately named Battlar was Stick on the Inbit side, a two-dimensional kill-em-all military type with little substance beyond. The Ride Armor started out as the driving gimmick , but towards the middle, and more so towards the end, the Legioss takes more precedence, and finally the Tread makes an appearance toward the last few eps. As a toy commercial it did a pretty good job of showcasing the Mospeada and Legioss, as there are plenty of battle scenes to show them off. As a narrative, it's a bit slow-going when they're not in battle, as it's mostly about the band of unlikely heroes traveling from town to town looking for fuel (HBT), tangling with other humans, and making their inexorable way from South America to North America to find and destroy the Inbit home base, Reflex Point. There were a few cool ideas, but honestly, it doesn't feel like they were trying to make it anything more than what it is- a fairly bland us-vs-them tale with some cool mecha thrown in to sell toys.
  15. M'Kyuun
    I like how that hobby mat is perfectly reminiscent of the old G1 background. Every time I see it now, I hear the intro/outro music between commercials.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Thanks Mike. I asked the same thing in a PM, so disregard. We have a Hobbytown here in Spokane, so I guess what I'll do is take Optimus for a trip to the store and try to eyeball a good match for the legs. I thought the Tamiya you used was pretty close, though. I'll let you know if I find a better match. I like being able to store it directly on Optimus, though, and it's just one of those niggling things that you know they could have done better, but didn't. Because they hate us. Edit: After giving it a bit of thought, I'm guessing the secret leader figure will be Ultra Magnus in his Earth truck mode. I'd be down for that, as I didn't like his Siege alt mode at all. His bot mode was lovely, though. If they can make his cab look like ER Prime's, with Siege's bot mode, that'll be a good a marriage.
  17. M'Kyuun
    Good point, but in truth, I absolutely love Earthrise Prime. It's glorious. I thought the butt wheels would bug me, but that niggle pales in comparison to all the rightness of it. The transformation mechanics are extremely well done and unique, the aesthetics, minus a few paint apps, are spot on, and in hand, it's a joy to both transform and pose. It's better than what I had hoped we'd finally get if Hasbro ever did a G1 faithful Optimus in the Generations line. I love that we got a trailer with it, as well, even if it's not completely faithful to the G1 toy. It's close, and we're incredibly fortunate to live in a time when any number of third parties are producing upgrade kits. Even with its minimal warts, this is going to be a difficult toy to top. I won't be surprised if, a decade from now, we're still talking about and making comparisons to Earthrise Prime. Which makes the contrast to Earthrise Arcee all that more glaring. The disparity is such that it feels like two different entities with vastly differing levels of engineering prowess designed these toys. Optimus was designed by their 'A' team, Arcee was designed by the janitor.
  18. M'Kyuun
    I'm thinking about cancelling my Earthrise Arcee and ordering Elita-1 instead, as I prefer T30 for my Arcee. I don't think I have an Elita-1, so it'll do. Hey Mike, what blue paint did you use for you Earthrise Prime? I've been trying to find your review, but that was so many pages back, I couldn't find it and gave up. Anyway, It's a pretty good match, and I'm thinking of doing some painting on mine as well. I installed my Nonnef upgrades, and I'm kinda torn about it. The bits over the wheels and the swing out stanchions, minus the parts-forming feet, are all done well, and all that dark blue in line with primes legs in truck mode just looks right. I wish the trailer hitch attachment had been made tighter at the hitch point where it plugs into Prime's legs, and looser where the trailer attaches to allow for a more natural rotation. As it is, the hitch sits down too far into the legs and catches, which prevents the trailer from turning at all. It's easily remedied by a rat file, but it's a bit of an oversight that Nonnef should have caught when he was, I assume, taking measurements for the design. Honestly, I don't understand why HasTak placed the hitch point so close to the cab when they've got almost the whole length of the leg to work with. In the real world, there's generally more space between cab and trailer to allow for a good range of rotation. I was looking forward to putting the Roller together, but holy moly, those tolerances between connection points are crazy tight. Too, the finished Roller is a bit too big (I get why- the Titan Master compatibility), but it just looks off. Too, Nonnef didn't put much effort into detailing Roller. And, Roller doesn't roll. The outer walls of Roller's hull are too thick, and prevent the wheels from spinning. They spin fine before putting those side bits on, so it's a measuring issue on Nonnef's part. It's fine as a filler for now, but I may have to look for an alternative. I may just get Hasbro's set from Pulse, which also has a more proper looking gun for Optimus. I don't know why they couldn't have made a better looking gun with a double hinge to compact it in truck mode, but I think they get a perverse bit of pleasure out of making things almost but not quite right for these things. It's insidious.
  19. M'Kyuun
    The Zeta does look good (love the antenna on the head), but I think I'll hold out for the Iota, as I like the dark green and it has a completely different head design, with an antenna to boot. Head antennas are cool, what can I say. By the time the Iota releases, hopefully all the bugs that are present with the Eta will have been long addressed. IMHO, as I've stated before, I think it's a foregone conclusion that Sentinel very likely designed the Legioss and Tread simultaneously in anticipation that their Legioss would be a good seller. The issues with it thus far have been minimal by comparison with many other high end toys over the years, and on the whole, it's a very solid release. By anyone's standard, it's by far the best Legioss toy ever released. So, I'd say be patient, let Sentinel address the issues with the Eta, wait for the Zeta to release, and if sales are good for the Zeta, I don't think it'll be long after that Sentinel announces a Tread for the Eta. Just my two cents, but I have a feeling that's probably how it's going to go.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Well, y'know, we're not limited by 80's technology or mindset anymore, so why not put the faction symbol on a flip-able panel so it's facing appropriately regardless of mode. Seems a simple enough solution to me. In all honesty, I've never really noticed which direction the logo was facing on my Seekers; my focus is always on the engineering- what they did right, what they could have done to make it better. That's usually the main area of criticism for me. In the Earthrise vs Siege comparison, the bot mode for the Siege toy exceeds that of the Earthrise by a fair margin. It's toy de-evolution at it's most disappointing. Actually, no- T30 Arcee to Earthrise Arcee is the most egregious case now. Beyond disappointing; it's downright depressing.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I'm usually of the same opinion, as my local Walmart gets TF stock in very sporadically and often with significant periods of time elapsing between stockings. That said, they have gotten all the Earthrise deluxes, and a few of the voyagers (they never carry leader or bigger) enough times over the last 6 months or so for me to have gotten them. They now have the Netflix display, with all the regular second wave figs as well as the Netflix repaints, and they've had them for awhile now. In fact, this is the longest I've seen them keep mainline TFs on the shelf in years, no exaggeration. I'm assuming the same for the next round of Earthrise Wally exclusives. I'm hoping they'll stick around a little longer. At least it gives folks a better opportunity to get them. My area is pretty hick, and in the last decade, I've never once encountered another adult TF fan in the aisle, although I did come across a LEGO scalper once. I suspect there are TF scalpers making the rounds, but my hope is always that kids or older fans like me get them first. Got both the Coneheads and the Autobot 2-pack (Ironhide & Prowl). Once on Amazon, I just typed the names of the characters into the search box, and they pop up. Good luck! So who's gonna be selling Thrust to complete the Coneheads?
  22. M'Kyuun
    Mark, the product guy in the livestream seemed, um, artificially giddy. Had a good laugh when they did the voices for the Movie clip. So, I'm glad to see Earthrise Bee, Ironhide, and Soundwave (tapedeck) coming, as well as the inevitable coneheads. I thought they said awhile back that Bee was going to be his own mold apart from Cliffjumper, but he's not. He's a heavy remold, and I'm think the partsforming was utilized so they could slap different back ends on to them with no additional engineering. Ironhide, too, suffers the partsforming trend, but he does look good in both modes. I hope the van roof/shield can fold up and attach to his back. Prowl looks great- can't wait. The Datsun Bros design, by none other than a certain Kawamori, has always been my favorite from G1, so I'm happy to see it done well for Earthrise. I like the Siege mold, so getting two variations that are similar, but with enough tweaks to differentiate them, tickles my fancy. Much like the first wave of Netflix redecos, I've no interest in the second wave, either, except Bee and Soundwave. I have no guesses for the unknown leader pack. I'd be through the moon if it was a gun Megatron, but we all know that ain't happening. I guess the exclusivity issues are going to continue as a regular part of doing business. I guess it's good for Hasbro from a financial POV, but on the collector side, it sucks. I'm not worried about POing the Walmart exclusive figs, as my Walmart seems to have good stock of the last wave right now, and they're warming the shelves. the Amazon stuff is what I'm worried about.
  23. M'Kyuun
    Bittersweet news: I like BW, and I don't mind their making BW in Generations scale, but I'd much rather they continued Earthrise until they've completed all the G1 characters before moving on to another branch of Transformers lore. I suspect there are going to be more folks upset than happy about this. Given how the fandom, for the most part, has embraced this line, it seems a rather obtuse move by Hasbro. If I was their marketing guy, I'd tell them to milk the G1 teet until naught but dust emerged.
  24. M'Kyuun
    Oh, for the love of Primus! They have way too many bots yet to do from G1, and possibly even G2, to segue into Beast Wars. Gotta admit, I like that poster art, though. But no! Finish G1, then do whatever. Concerning the Quintesson Pit of Judgement , it's a cool idea. I'm not really all that plussed for it, but YMMV. At first I thought that was a plastic backdrop- that would be pretty cool. The scale looks really wonky to me between the figs, but it may just be due to the smallness of the backdrop. You could almost fit Hot Rod or Kup in the pool with the Sharkticon, one at a time, though. This is the shallow end. Hopefully the next wave of Earthrise will be shown tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a tape deck Soundwave.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Jenius has a talent for selling these things, doesn't he? You might almost consider it, dare I say, genius. ducking and running away...
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