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M'Kyuun

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Been chilling to Enya of late. Two of my faves: Book of Days Orinoco Flow
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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'.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. M'Kyuun
    I'm curious to know what you think was terrible about it. Seriously, without malice or sarcasm. Are you involved in the aerospace industry, or have a hand in some of its design? I'm especially interested if you have a personal context, although a well argued point is always welcome regardless. For my part, while I think it was a remarkable vehicle with unmatched capabilities, having worked on a Rockwell product, the B-1 Lancer, I can attest that their engineering so far as maintenance friendliness is concerned, leaves much to be desired, and the folks tasked with keeping the shuttle fleet flying have my deepest sympathies. A major sore spot was the vulnerability of the ceramic heat shield, which ultimately spelled the doom of Columbia, and nearly so for one of the other shuttles. For our next design, I hope the scientists and engineers involved create a more robust, durable, and less labor intensive process, as that is one system that certainly needs to evolve. My other thought on the matter is that scientists and engineers were still dreaming big in the 60s and 70s pertaining to space. I think these folks were inspired, and Apollo was that shot in the arm that made them feel like damned near anything was possible. To that end, there were all sorts of expectations for what a space plane, or at least a "space pickup' would, should, and could do. Reality, much like gravity, is a difficult force to overcome, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if many expectations and desires for the developing shuttle program had to be round-filed due to any number of realities that limited its performance in various ways. If you can elucidate in that regard, Dynaman, then you have the proverbial floor, sir. Too, you may be correct concerning another spaceplane. Still, I'd love to see it- the enthusiast in me loved the shuttle, and the idea of a shuttle, and having seen it and seen the possibilities with such a vehicle at our disposal, there burns within me (I'm sure I'm not alone) a deep desire to see a successor to the venerable STS program with 21st century technologies brought to bear. There's a certain romantic quality to the Shuttle that just isn't possible with rockets and capsules, no matter how spacious and clean and 'futuristic' said capsules have become. Dragon's a thing of elegance and beauty, but there's something deeply cooler about a spaceplane that's difficult to articulate. Edited to correct my my error concerning the heat tiles being comprised of foam. They were ceramic.
  20. M'Kyuun
    I hope that desire for a new spaceplane to replace the retired STS comes about within the next decade, as there's certainly a need for such a vehicle. The Shuttle was and is irreplaceable for its ability to haul large cargo into space, and to retrieve and repair satellites in orbit. Falcon Heavy can take largo cargo up, but we still haven't a feasible way of retrieval and repair in situ in orbit. Time for a spaceplane 2.0.
  21. M'Kyuun
    I wish they'd scale up to deluxe and voyager scales to provide alternatives to craptastic Hasbro releases.
  22. M'Kyuun
    Good points from both of you guys that I hadn't considered: that this was intended, ultimately, to be a vehicle used in lunar and Mars' atmospheres, which don't support aerodynamics well, if at all. I was thinking of purely Earth missions. To that end, I think a secondary landing system would be useful for an Erath demonstrator, but, evolving its ability to land vertically and intact for reusability on other worlds is an imperative. The sight of these SpaceX launch vehicles landing vertically is still unbelievably amazing, one that was pure sci-fi until SpaceX accomplished it with Falcon 9. I'm in awe of what they've accomplished and look forward to seeing them continue to trailblaze.
  23. M'Kyuun
    As incredibly impressive as landing a rocket on its tail is, since they're positioning this one on its side in flight and using conventional stabilizers to control its flight aerodynamically, why not just land it that way? Install some retractable gear and let it glide in. Or, put some chutes in the nose in case there's an engine fault, at least as a backup, so the entire rocket isn't a loss. I don't think they should abandon what they're doing, but given the amount of money that's wrapped up in each rocket, not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears involved, have a contingency plan in place just in case. That would be my approach if I ran a space agency.
  24. M'Kyuun
    I was at my Wally yesterday, and they didn't have any of the latest figs, so no Soundwave, Bee, or Elita-1. They've actually been keeping their Transformers section reasonably stocked this year, a first in a very long time, so I've little doubt it's just a matter of time. I must have been dozing when all those ER POs came out, b/c I missed Soundwave, and I don't remember if I got one in for Bee or not. I skipped Elita, although if I had my druthers, I wish she'd come with ER Ratchet instead of Lifeline, as at least she has a different head, and she featured in the old cartoon.
  25. M'Kyuun
    It's unfortunate that the media, and humans in general, tend to crave bad news and failure over anything positive. As for myself, it seems to me that every new accomplishment by SpaceX elevates what once was science fiction into reality. It's exciting. They've more than proven that they have the right stuff for this generation and its goals of furthering human work in space. At this point, NASA sits on the sidelines, launching the occasional satellite with little fanfare or media attention, and with little in the way of notable innovation, at least not on the scale that SpaceX is currently trailblazing. The Mars rovers are still some of the most amazing accomplishments by NASA, as well as Apollo, and the OSIRIS-REx probe. It's a shame that stuff like OSIRIS, which is an incredible accomplishment, essentially gets overlooked b/c, I imagine, there's really no human drama involved. Apollo suffered the same fate pretty much as soon as Neil and Buzz stepped foot on the moon. Norman Mailer, in his book Moonfire, essentially says the media became bored once they landed safely. Apollo didn't interest the media again until Apollo 13, and once that ended, thankfully, well, Apollo never again enjoyed much media attention, despite its increasingly successful contributions to science. It's a sad but true commentary on the obtuse and negative nature of humanity.
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