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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    @mikeszekely Great review for Cyclonus, and you echo my sentiments all the way through. I normally don't go in for Cybertronian alt modes, but I absolutely fell in love with the G1 toy's jet mode, and while some of the curviness of the toy's nose was straightened and the design made slightly boxier for the Movie/toon animation, the changes were subtle and he still retained a beautiful jet alt mode that, while futuristic in 1986, wouldn't look so out of place in 2020 if the US or a foreign company produced its like. Too, Cyclonus has the distinction, crappy CW fig notwithstanding, of eschewing the typical boxy-bot-wearing-an-aircraft-shell routine that has been Has-Tak's go-to for the past three decades plus. For so prominent a character in the later seasons of the animation (and I, too, like the sense of nobility they gave him despite being a Decepticon in the toon- it was one of the few good things about the toon at that point), the dearth of Cyclonus toys was remarkable for a long time. Enter Jizai Toys, back in the mid aughts, who created a homemade transforming Cyclonus figure that was nigh perfect for the time, especially given the lack of alternatives. I remember being in awe of that fig, but unfortunately, Jizai's kits were only sold at one or two Japanese venues and in very limited numbers, so acquiring one on this side of the pond was nigh impossible. When KFC first announced their Cyclonus, I recognized it immediately as the Jizai model; I'm still not sure why I never picked one up, but I do remember that KFC was known for quality issues. Anyway, I never got a copy. It shows its age today, especially next to this new Kingdom fig, but there's still a certain charm to it, and for a homemade design, still has good presentation in both modes, so my hat's off to Jizai, whoever he is. The Generations Cyclonus was a bit of an odd duck; I'm assuming it was based on an IDW design, because it sure wasn't G1. Nevertheless, I found it to be an interesting take on the character and a pretty good fig to boot, and again, lacking alternatives, I welcomed him into my CHUG collection with open arms. I still like this figure quite a bit; even with the far more G1 accurate Kingdom version coming, there's still a place for him in my heart and on my shelf. I'm a sentimental old man-child when it comes to my toys. As for the Kingdom version, I can't think of too many other characters for whom I've pined so greatly for a good G1 representation with modern articulation standards. Along with Mike's nitpicks, the only other one I have is that I wish he had hands that could open like ER Prime's. I think that, along with rotating wrists, should be a standard for all these figs, as the old permanent closed fist with a hole in the center is a bit of an anachronism in definite need of a systemic update. However, I can't overstate how happy I am that Has-Tak have taken purposeful strides towards improving articulation and detail in the WFC lines, and though I feel the line has any number of misses, there are a lot of good figs that have come out of it too. Where Classics dangled the possibility of finally getting updated G1 figs as we remembered them, it took a different more stylistic direction, which was cool, but also tinged with a bit of disappointment. Thirteen years later, this G1 fan is finally, for the most part, getting what he's wanted all along, and I'm grateful.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Give it time; the Chinese copy everything.
  3. M'Kyuun
    Been awhile, so I'm playing catch up. The vid with the guy flying his RC Flanker virtually from a cockpit view is pretty impressive. I kept waiting for him to do the cobra maneuver , but alas, he didn't. Still, that model flies well. The amount of thrust that those ducted fan engines can produce is pretty impressive. The Su-57 is a pretty impressive bird, definitely inspired by the YF-23. Looks like the Russians aren't down with nixing the horizontal stabs and enclosing the exhaust like Northrop did with the YF-23. Funny how they only seem to concentrate on fuselage characteristics for stealth with little consideration for IR or radar return from the exhaust section.
  4. M'Kyuun
    returning to the TFC Toys discussion, it'd be great if they did a transforming version of the Su-57, which looks to be quite heavily inspired by the YF-23. Since there will likely never be a transforming YF-23 toy, this would be the next best thing. I'd love to have it in this color scheme: The digital blue camo with the red Russian stars is pretty neat, though.
  5. M'Kyuun
    Good review, as always, Mike. Since I have the MP, and find it to be a so-so fig engineering-wise when compared to the rest of her BW MP figures, I think that this is ultimately a better attempt. There is, of course, the fact that the toon version was more stylized, but either way, as you mentioned, finding a way to get that toon accurate bot mode to form a fairly accurate representation of a black widow spider poses some serious challenges, and I give Takara-Tomy props for getting both of the Blackarachnia figs as good as they did. All things being equal, based on this review and vid reviews I've watched, this is the better toy, which is how it should be. I like that the legs on this version can actually support the weight of the spider, as it offers far more poseability than the MP, which, unfortunately, just sits on the ground. I'm glad they went the more realistic alt mode direction with these, as it offers some diversity for those of us collecting both MP and Generations. For those who can't afford the MP figs and wish that these were more toon accurate, my hope is that Hasbro will rerelease these guys with more toon accuracy at a later date, as they're well known for repaints and slight remolds, and from what I see, most of these guys just need different heads sculpted to reflect the toon. As for Kingdom Blackarachnia's spider mode, the shoulders , to me, are more reminiscent of way-oversized chelicerae, the appendages which house the venom glands and the fangs, and it would have helped her spider mode greatly had they been cast in black. But, that would have messed up the look of her bot mode, so it's a concession. It also would have been cool had they put little retractable fangs, or small molded fangs on the shoulders. I'm dreaming now. It's always fun to what-if on these things. The claw hands indeed do an alright job masquerading as large and odd shaped spinnerets, but they don't hold a candle to the even odder array of eyes staring at you from the business end of her abdomen. I almost wish they'd left those black, or hit them with a color with less contrast, but the bot mode was certainly the priority here, and in-hand, I'm sure it's not that big of a deal. Considering what an atrocity the original toy was, both as a tarantula and an even worse black widow, this is a well-done take on the character with the best beast mode any Blackarachnia fig has ever sported. She even displaces my beloved Animated Blackarachnia, although to be fair, she was a rather stylized spider to begin with. I'm looking forward to getting my copy whenever she finally ships from Pulse. I took a trip to my local Target today, inspired by reports of these figs popping up in my state, and was met with complete disappointment, as their TF section was pretty well picked over, especially their Generations stuff which was basically four copies of Ironworks, a copy of Doubledealer, and a hand full of two different micromasters, none of which was the shuttle guys, so I walked away dejected and bought an armload of 2021 LEGO sets instead. Ironically, they had two packages of the Decepticon Clones on clearance for $17 a piece. Never thought I'd see that. I didn't know if anyone here needed them at this point, so I left them for some other lucky fans to find. Hopefully fans and not scalpers will pick them up. According to tracking, my Gigawatt is scheduled to be delivered today, so I'm still waiting for it. I just watched Ready Player One a day or so ago, which used the car to pretty good effect, and I'm looking forward to having him in hand. I've always loved the idea of flying cars since I first saw the Shield Flying Car in the old Spiderman and His Amazing Friends cartoon, and later in a friend's comic book that had cut-aways of various Marvel devices including Iron Man's armor. The flight-capable version of the Delorean has always been my favorite, and I'm glad this toy can replicate it. The giant slab of hood as his chest is a bit unfortunate, but livable given the special nature of the fig. Hopefully, more tv nd movie vehicle homages will be forthcoming, as there's a nerdy but cool factor to them that's fun. Gigawatt update; a couple hours after I posted and no Gigawatt on my door, I rechecked my shipping notification for tracking, and now it shows pending with no scheduled delivery date. Bear in mind, I first received my shipping notification on Monday, so tomorrow will be a week, and it's coming from St Paul MN to Spokane, WA, not too far, even by ground. Not a good sign. Fingers crossed I don't receive a destroyed package that's been hastily taped together.
  6. M'Kyuun
    From the list, Tracks is a character I could take or leave, but since they're releasing him, I'll be getting him. I really wish they'd completed all the Season 1 Minibots, at minimum, as the figs we got for TR/PotP were decent, but it'd be nice to have versions that are even closer to the G1 look and have improved articulation. As for most of the repaints, I don't have much interest, either. Except Pipes- not b/c I have any familiarity with the character, which I don't, but b/c I generally like Huffer's design, and after waiting 37 years for it, I think they did a good job of capturing the essence of G1 Huffer in both modes. It's a nice bonus that he can also tow ER Prime's trailer, which, IIRC, only happened once, in the first season. Pipes will offer a slight remold and slightly different transformation as well as a nice blue color scheme, which looks nice IMHO. I'm also curious to see if Tigatron is a new mold. I have a feeling he will be, as there doesn't seem to be much upscaling of molds in this line. I'm also of the opinion that they should fill out the Predacon ranks with Terrorsaur and Tarantulas, who both featured prominently throughout the series. Not counting Transmetals, AFAIK neither has ever had an update to the original BW toy, so it'd be nice to see that for both. Given the animated size difference between him and Blackarachnia,, who originally shared a toy mold, I'd love to see Tarantulas done as a voyager, as that'd actually make his toy about the size of a real tarantula, which would be awesome. It would also allow for better engineering to try and hide his bot bits, as well as change it up from Blackarachnia's toy. I'd love to see them figure out a way to use his hands as pedipalps, which is what they were intended to represent on the original. Hopefully, one of the designers at Hasbro is a Macross fan, and reads this thread. I was never really a fan of Galvatron's alt mode, and although I liked Leonard Nimoy's personification of the character and voice in The Movie, I vehemently disliked how he was portrayed in both behavior and voice (sorry Frank) in the toon. I couldn't stand eps that he was in. I have the TR version of Galvy, and I like it alright, save for the crappy spring-loaded helmet gimmick and the stupid Headmaster gimmick, of which I've never been a fan. It's a foregone conclusion that the Kingdom version is up against third party precedents who've proven within a reasonable range of accepted standards that a decent G1 accurate Galvatron is possible at CHUG scale. The TR toy obviously had concessions to allow for a third mode, as well as some stylistic touches. Regardless, it does an ok job for my taste, as my feelings about the character are lukewarm to start with. However, I must confess some small curiosity to see just how well they pull him off in this Kingdom version. Cyclonus, OTOH, has always had my attention more for his design than his animated depiction. I've watched a number of reviews of his SS'86 toy, and he's certainly one of my most anticipated figures. I think he could have stood some more paint apps, especially in and around his engine exhausts, but the engineering and the final look of both bot and jet modes is outstanding. The only other niggle I have is that he looks a little too short to me in the legs, although the knees can be adjusted somewhat to add a couple mm of height. It's a completely subjective observation, and honestly, the figure is better than what I'd dared hope for. Can't wait for him. Yep. I still need to get the stuff to build a shelf that'll hold him. Twenty pounds is quite a lot for a single figure, not to mention the height and width. Although not even close to scale, he's still a big fig, and I scarcely have the real estate in my cave to accommodate him. My wife already gives me grief about the lack of room in our house due to my collections, so I can only imagine the level of incredulity when he arrives in his huge-ass box. Sigh.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Congrats, Enphily! This is a toy that was soooo long in the waiting, but well worth it for all that it accomplishes, especially when compared to the many toys/models that preceded it. I think most of us are now waiting to see if they do a Tread. Clues on the Legioss point to yes, even if no formal announcement has been made.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Sarcasm at its best, Tekering. Had a good chuckle, so thanks. In truth, I'd rather the more prominent G1 bots, specifically those from first season, and moreso, the ones who haven't had MP figs yet, got the MP treatment, but as I didn't go in on Savant, I have an interest in this, should it prove true. The sheer amount of detail on that artwork strikes a suspicious contrast to their hyper-toon plain bot mode aesthetic, so my enthusiasm is well-tempered. @mikeszekely- While I appreciate your look at Paleotrex, it's not a fig that's on my radar from Kingdom. However, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for us from the line. From a G1 perspective, it's full of win, and I'm anticipating the reviews leading up to their wide releases, and finally having them in my mitts to enjoy. The more I see of SS '86 Grimlock, and the level of engineering brought to bear, the more I hope that Has-Tak will do the whole team in the same scale and to the same technical level. They can just do Snarl under the Kingdom banner, since he, for whatever inexplicable reason, didn't get his 15 seconds in The Movie. I doubt I'm alone when I say that the lackluster combining Dinos from PotP only fueled a greater desire for more accurate G1 Dinos in my Generations collection, and seeing what they've done with Grimlock, that desire coupled with this opportunity for Hasbro to make the complete team has never been greater.
  9. M'Kyuun
    Thanks for the review, Mike. I was completely unaware of this guy, but as a Prowl fan, it offers something a little different, and yet close enough to source to be recognizable. I agree with your sentiment about using a slightly retooled version of this fig for Barricade. Not sure what's going on with those rear fenders, but swap those out for solid ones, recast him in black, tweak the front and back ends to more closely resemble a Mustang, and he'd make a fine Barricade. However, I'm not at all sad that they reused the ER Datsun-ish mold for Barricade, as I like it, and intend to get as many of the variations of it as they'll make. I only wish Hasbro had given them all the appropriate weapons, but Nonnef seems to have us covered in that regard. I haven't seen much Cyberverse at my local Wally since before Christmas. I'm hoping the new ER stuff will start showing up soon, as I intend to get my copy of Bee in store, since they want $42 for it online. It was $50 , but the price has been coming down incrementally over the past couple of weeks. Still, I refuse to pay double the price. I got my shipping notice from Target last Saturday for Gigawatt; he should be showing up on Sunday. Kinda looking forward to getting him, even if I've never been a super-fan of the Back to the Future films. Don't get me wrong, I like them, but not in the same way I like Predator, or Terminator, or Aliens, or Robocop, or Blade Runner. I generally like my sci-fi on the dark side. I've always thought the Delorean, especially the flying version, was cool, so to have not only a nice version of the car, but one that transforms as well, is a double treat.
  10. M'Kyuun
    I guess it's cool that they retained the cassette-in-his-chest gimmick, but I'm guessing the meaning of it will be lost on most younger fans who've no idea what a cassette player is. Moreover, as a G1 guy, the gimmick doesn't fit the alt mode at all, which was what made the original so cool. I fully understand wanting to give Soundwave a relevant alt mode going forward, but I wish they'd chosen something other than a truck, or perhaps given his cassette bots a different alt mode as well- maybe barrels or crates to be carried in the back, which becomes his chest in bot mode. At least then the gimmick would have a modern translation and retain its relevance, while still having the fun-factor of smaller minions deploying from his chest. Another thought that occurred to me would be to give him an armored bank truck mode and perhaps give his minions an ATM sort of alt mode, which would continue the spy-in-disguise motif while keeping complementary alt modes for both Soundwave and his minions. That's what I'd like to see with Soundwave going forward. Got my Cordon and Spin-out. I think they did a really good job with this mold. I do wish, however, that they'd painted the forearms on these two to match the rest of their car modes- being all black on an all white and all red car, respectively, sticks out noticeably. They painted Sunstreaker's forearms, so it's a bit of a head scratcher why they didn't follow suit with these guys. As @mikeszekely mentioned in his review, the choice to make Cordon's windshield perfectly clear does it no favors, especially with an obvious black armature behind it that's painfully obvious. Even had they used a lighter blue tint, I think it would have helped the look of it a bit. Sliding inexorably into 2021, I'm looking forward to the rest of ER and the Kingdom releases. More domestic reviewers are starting to get their grubbies on the new figs, and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with what's coming. Grimlock and Cyclonus, in particular, have me excited, and the upcoming Hot Rod looks to be the best official toy he's ever received, if not the best toy period. Good stuff to look forward to. It's a positive note to start the new year in light of the hardships of 2020.
  11. M'Kyuun
    That jet mode is better than the most recent MP Starscream, but it's not without its liberties. The thing that sticks out to me most is how far forward the intake ramps are, and how stubby and wide it makes the nose look. It gives me more of an F-4 vibe than an F-15, just looking at the forward fuselage. If that F-15 actually transformed into a robot, the proportions would be more forgivable, but it doesn't, which makes me wonder why they didn't skew more towards real world accuracy. Alas, it's neither here nor there, as I've zero interest in non-transforming Transformers, especially at that price range. For $2000, it should transform as a minimum feature, but I digress. This is for a completely different audience than myself. And therein lies the beauty of options. If you can find joy in both toys for what each brings to the table, that's wonderful. I'm sure, had I bought her, I could have found some fulfilment in her articulation, her car mode, her paint and sculpt, among others. Had Takara released her prior to MMC's Azalea, I likely wouldn't have hesitated. But they did, and ultimately, for my personal taste, I got the Arcee for me.
  12. M'Kyuun
    Judging by the placement of her bot bits in car mode, I'd guess her transformation is similar to that of MMC's Azalea. MMC did a far better job of compressing her car kibble into a rather compact backpack, as well as achieving a better looking sculpt for her chest. MP-51's oddly shaped chest is a concession to allow for butterfly joints. Normally, I'm all for greater articulation, but on this figure, I'm not a fan of it's impact on her final look. Azalea may not have as much articulation, but she has plenty to suit my needs while presenting a lithe feminine looking bot with a well-designed mechanism for compressing her car fenders into a good semblance of her animated back pods. In my opinion, she's still the best G1 Arcee fig to date. Not perfect (I wish her lower legs weren't so stilted, and I don't understand why they made them the way they did rather than anthropomorphically shaped), but in all the major ways that count, she's the best realization in a transforming toy. That said, thanks for sharing pics, @treatment. Her car mode looks amazing, and your photos make her look good. I do wish Takara had taken some hints from MMC's solution to compressing the backpack, as I think it's the worst aspect by far of this figure, worse than the chest. If they'd succeeded in making a compact backpack, I probably would have bought her. However, having a figure already that does both the chest and backpack better (IMHO), I just didn't feel like this figure exemplified 'masterpiece' to the standard that I would have expected and preferred, or that we've seen accomplished with other MP figures. My opinion aside, I hope she proves to be a fun and fulfilling addition to your collection, Treatment.
  13. M'Kyuun
    The simple answer is that none of the third party figs of these characters has appealed to me for one reason or another. I have nothing against third party; indeed, my MP collection has more third party figs than official. While I'd like to complete my first season bots, I'm patient and willing to wait and see what else comes along, be it Takara or third party. The way Takara's been going, odds are I'll be going for third party. And if I never end up filling those spots, so be it. I haven't lost any sleep over it yet, and after seventeen years (wow, hard to believe it's been going that long), I think I'll be ok.
  14. M'Kyuun
    Been chilling to Enya of late. Two of my faves: Book of Days Orinoco Flow
  15. M'Kyuun
    Nice first season group shot. I'm only missing Gears, Brawn, and Windcharger in my MP collection (I keep hoping Takara will complete the minibots, but I'm starting to think it ain't happening). Anyway, nice collection.
  16. M'Kyuun
    Got an in-stock notification for Netflix Bumblebee; I was getting ready to add to cart when I noticed the price: $50. And yeah, I checked to make sure there was only one in the cart. I don't think this is a secondary seller, either, as I have Walmart checked. Not sure what's driving that price, as he's just a heavy remold of ER Cliffjumper. Anyway, I'm not paying $50 for it, and I think I'll wait to see if it appears in my local store at a more reasonable $20.
  17. M'Kyuun
    I'm still fence-sitting on the J-20 and the chopper, but the Flanker fig looks awesome, and I love the look of the Flanker, which makes this guy pretty much a sure-buy. I also wish they'd do more than just Chinese planes (I understand why, too), but man, a YF-23 from these guys would be amazing.
  18. M'Kyuun
    QTF. Absolutely gorgeous. The only thing that looked remotely fake to me were the cows. As someone born in the early 70s, to see this kind of evolution in computer graphics in all forms of visual media over the past few decades is just incredible, to the point where it's gone beyond the sci-fi of my childhood. Don't even get me started on Boston Dynamics and what they're doing for robotics. Sheesh. Pertaining to the Russian plane everyone's commenting on, I'll just chime in that something about it looks off to me, too. Specifically, the cockpit section looks too big in contrast to the rest of the plane, giving the whole an oddly disproportionate, almost super-deformed, look.
  19. M'Kyuun
    OK, so I'm a bit behind. going back to your review on Cordon and Spin-out, I hadn't noticed that the arms are black, which really mars the look of the car modes, and the fact that there's no police livery applied to Cordon. The clear windshield was a misstep, too, as the two with colored windshields, with detail behind them, illustrate what an improvement it makes. That black armature is such an eyesore; why oh why wasn't it molded in white so as to be less obtrusive in both modes? Like you said, let's hope Toyhax comes to the rescue. I'd also like to see a blue Bluestreak. I love my MP toy, but there's always room for more. With Mattel holding the license for Batman toys, it's unlikely that Hasbro could get it, too, even in a limited capacity, as Mattel would likely litigate it out of the realm of possibility. From a business perspective, I could understand it, but quashing the possibility of a transforming Batmobile would be extremely disheartening. As far as doing Marvel comics, they're already doing an X-Men crossover, so the door's open to more Marvel stuff. I'd love to see a Hulkbuster that turns into one of Stark's sports cars. Y'know, doing transforming GI Joe vehicles seems like the biggest no-brainer; it would combine two of Hasbro's biggest properties in a way that I think fans would love. They've already done Star Wars, although many of those toys left somewhat to be desired. Then again, most of those designs pose some serious challenges to being interpreted in a transformable format. The vast majority of the Joes' vehicles, and Cobra's for that matter, were based on real world vehicles, albeit with tweaks. But, they'd be far easier to translate than most of the Star Wars stuff, and if they were done at least as well as the ER stuff, I think we'd get a pretty nice collection of GI Joe Transformers out of it. With Maverick, they've already got a potential Skystriker, and I think that paint job would greatly improve a lot of folks' opinion of that figure, which, IMHO, is one of the best jet-mode Transformers ever made. The lack of paint apps on ER Soundwave that appeared on the Siege version just makes you shake your head and wonder why. I already mentioned the lack of color apps to the little button-looking details on his knees and shoulders, but the lack of the red stripes on his weapons and wrists is hard to ignore once it's pointed out, as they really add a lovely contrast, not to mention they're accurate to the sticker details of the original toy. I guess the cost of the new molds for his cassette player mode ate up the paint budget. Sigh. Might have to try fixing it on mine.
  20. M'Kyuun
    Yeah, they're the perfect size for stocking stuffers, not to mention there's a nice variety of animal forms to choose from, with more coming later in 2021. Too, they have a kawaii aesthetic that's pleasing, transformations that aren't terribly complex (younger kids will probably need some help), and most of the molds come in different color schemes for some variety. Great gift idea.
  21. M'Kyuun
    Appreciate it, but I got my shipping notice from them three days ago; it was in my junk mail, and I missed it initially, but discovered it today. So, I'll probably have them in hand by Monday or so. No interest in Sandstorm, but I am anticipating getting Thrust later this month. Hopefully the release date doesn't get pushed back again.
  22. M'Kyuun
    I hope that storm doesn't play too much havoc on your side of the country. FWIW, my family all live in PA, albeit on the western side of the state, so I have cause for concern for all acquaintances, be they friend or family. Be safe Mike, you and yours. Glad to hear you're getting your Soundwave from Wally, Mike. I've been checking my Wally this week for Netflix stuff, but they've received neither that nor the wave of ER figs with Sunstreaker yet, so I'm glad I got my chance-PO in when I did. I got my copy of Maverick today, and I'm pretty pleased with him. The paint certainly could be better, and the main gears are just weird, but in just about about every other respect, for a Transformer jet, this is a really well done figure for the minimal amount of concession to the jet mode. As a Macross fan, the obvious relationship in design to the VF-1 is most agreeable, especially given that Kawamori based the VF-1 on the F-14, and so we come full circle. It's a trend I'd love to see become a norm in TF jet design, although I think I'm in the minority in that opinion. TF fans love their blocky bots that turn into heavily concession laden jets. I will never understand that, but it is what it is. I ended up ordering Spin-out and Cordon through Entertainment Earth, since Pulse was sold out at the time, and have yet to get a shipping notice; however, I have received my Sunstreaker, and given how well that mold turned out, I'm looking forward to having the other two mold-mates. I usually don't double or triple dip on molds, unless there are significant changes, but since I didn't get MP Cordon, this offered a less expensive yet still good alternative. Plus there's something inherently cool about the emergency/police liveries that I've always liked among TF figs, which I think goes all the way back to my first TF toy, G1 Prowl. I briefly fence-sat on POing X-Spanse, but c'mon, it's a fairly well done, nearly bot kibble free SR-71. The aircraft enthusiast in me just couldn't pass that up. I do wish that the forward fuselage had more involvement in the bot mode, like becoming the arms, but relatively speaking, its still better than most of the official Silverbolt toys that have ever been done, and that's a small win. I so wish they'd done the more stylized Blackbird from the early X-Men films, but beggars can't be choosers. I'm curious to see what their next crossover will be. I pity the fools if they make BA's van from ER Ironhide's mold. Original KITT and Airwolf top my list. At least Hasbro seem to do a pretty good job with helos, so I have faith that the latter might actually turn out alright. It'd be even better if it had the retractable guns and rocket launcher, and hell I'll be crazy and and say retractable landing gear, too, but I think I'm asking a bit much from Hasbro. And if they do do a KITT, they need to do a slight remold of ER Prime into Goliath. It's a must. I'd love, love, love an '89 Batmobile and Tumbler TF figs. Both are Holy Grail toys in my 'want list'.
  23. M'Kyuun
    I don't believe there is, either. There's a separate topic for 52Toys, which is where I've been posting since starting my collection this year. But yeah, nothing really for generic transforming toys. Then again, there aren't many transforming toys that I'm aware of outside of IPs for which we already have threads.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I think that, ultimately, will prove out to be the most practical solution if indeed a true spaceplane as described is attempted. SpaceX's accomplishments over the past few years make me think that it's on the horizon. It was reusable, but nowhere even close to the idealized level that was projected. Too, as @Thom mentioned, it couldn't takeoff like a plane, as was the original vision. It required an enormous amount of maintenance, and as you say, was likely a financial sinkhole. But without it, we wouldn't have had the vast array of satellites, both commercial and government, in orbit, nor the ISS, which relied entirely on the Orbiter to get the modules into space and get them assembled. Nor would satellite repairs have been possible. What do we have now to repair a wayward satellite? There's certainly a need for a manned space vehicle that can haul large cargo into orbit, intercept said objects for retrieval or repair, and to bring them back to terra firma. An actual spaceplane with at least the capacity of the old shuttle will again be a large vehicle requiring a great deal of engineering, not to mention some powerful propulsion systems, and perhaps a new way of thinking about how to achieve the necessary propulsion in a staging capacity to reach escape velocity. I like Thom's idea for detachable rockets. Seems the most practical approach for achieving the requisite power whilst shedding weight on climb. I stand corrected, sir. The tiles were actually ceramic, and very brittle. Despite numerous incidents of foam breaking off during launches, the management at NASA became complacent about the occurrences, as no serious damage had been done to the shuttle until STS-27, Atlantis, whose crew knew of the damage and, having no recourse to survey the extent nor attempt repairs in orbit, felt a certain apprehension that it would be their undoing upon reentry, such that Cmdr Hoot Gibson intended to leave a scathing rebuke to NASA as his final message. Upon landing, over 700 tiles were damaged, and a bit of aluminum hull had melted. A very close call whose occurrence didn't change anything, and Columbia paid the price for their negligence and complacency. One of Columbia's astronauts was Michael Anderson from my adopted hometown of Spokane, WA. What a shame that highways are named after him in memoriam instead of a living honor for his accomplishments, and that Lt. Col Anderson isn't with us still, perhaps teaching physics to the next generation of astronauts. Fortunately, Columbia seemed to shake them up, and more concern was exercised thereafter; no other shuttles were lost, and the last modules of the ISS were lofted before its retirement. I haven't checked that link, yet, @JB0, but I shall, and thanks. I own "Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Space Shuttle and her Crew" by Mike Leinbach, who was a mission director for the shuttle program, and later headed up the search efforts for both debris and the remains of her crew. Given his intimacy with both crew and craft, it's a compelling read, and he rightfully assesses NASA's role in a deservingly critical light while heaping praise upon the thousands of volunteers across several states who aided in the search efforts, some of whom lost their own lives in the process. Good read.
  25. M'Kyuun
    Partsforming aside, they did a great job on Bee for this line. Part of me would have liked his alt mode to be a little more chibi to reflect the G1 design, but this works well. I daresay, this is an improvement over MP Bee v2. So I got my tenth anniversary TF: Prime Breakdown and Flying Vehicon two-pack today. My emails led me to believe that delivery was rescheduled to tomorrow and neither I nor my wife heard the delivery guy on the porch. Alas, I didn't discover that it had been delivered until 10PM, four hours later, when I getting ready to go to bed. My excitement was piqued, however, so I at least had to open them up and check them out. I managed transformation for both without instructions. Having the original car Vehicon, transforming the flying version wasn't too much of a stretch. Thing of beauty, it is. Love it. It definitely gives me a cool Batman vibe. Breakdown wasn't too difficult to sort, especially once I figured out how to get the arms in place. Getting the rear end of his truck mode proved to be a bit trying, as the legs fold but don't really lock into anything or each other, which allows for a lot of flex in his truck mode if you're trying to get things tabbed and you're squeezing from the front. Once I readjusted my approach, I finally succeeded. Love the beefy truck mode they gave him. Good looking fig in both modes, and I'm glad they finally gave him a US release. Shame it took a decade. Now the odd stuff: Both Breakdown and Vehicon came with individual plastic bags containing sprues, a second set of instructions, and a sticker sheet. In my 36 years of collecting Transformers, I can't recall ever having this level of assembly required. Essentially, the sprues contain the parts to make their respective weapons, which also transform into little beast modes. I'm going to wait until tomorrow to do the assemblies and sticker-work, but I thought I'd let folks who bought this set know what to expect. I certainly wasn't expecting little model kits with these guys, nor a very G1 looking foil sticker sheet for both the figures and their weapons. I don't mind putting the weapons dudes together, but, man, I hate putting stickers on, and wish they'd come painted/tampoed instead. Bellyaching aside, I'm looking forward to completing the look for both of these guys and giving them their weapons. Fun, fun.
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