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M'Kyuun

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  1. M'Kyuun
    I hadn't noticed the LE hinges until I went back and reread some the latest posts with full attention. I don't see how they're going to hide those, unless they act as clips for the underside part of the wing, and fold away in jet mode. Still, even if that's what's happening, there needs to be a recess or a tab somewhere on the upper LE for it to latch on to. Either way, the LE is spoiled, figuratively and aerodynamically. Like Chronocidal said, it's a livable solution just to have the tail booms fold up onto the back, and have the stabs fold accordingly for flatter stowage. It's not the prettiest, but it gets the job done without compromising the look of any of the other structures. This looks like another case of overengineering for the sake of it. I really hope that's not a fake cockpit; there's absolutely no reason for it. I can live with it for a character like Sunstreaker, where the dimensions of the windshield vary greatly between car and bot modes, and the concession offers a better version of each. But the Seeker design, like so many of Kawamori's variable jet designs, is built around the entirety of the plane becoming the robot, and if companies like Maketoys and New Age can pull it off without resorting to fakery, Takara should be able to do likewise. I feel my cautious enthusiasm for this slowly ebbing away.
  2. M'Kyuun
    Looks promising. So is Cartoon Network actually going to broadcast it, or are you going to have to pay for a subscription to Crunchyroll to watch it? CN don't have the best record when it comes to animation.
  3. M'Kyuun
    That would be an elegant solution that, in my mind, would eliminate the need for a voluminous backpack. From the CAD, I don't think that's the direction they took. I'm thinking stuff sandwiched under more stuff, with even more stuff sandwiched under that. It's the Takara way. Digressing from Starscream, I took a cue from @mikeszekely and did some customizing of my Earthrise Prime. Instead of the Toyhax labels, which I'm still deciding whether I'm going to get, I opted to spray OP and his maintenance droid, and hand paint the rest of the details. I took Op for a roadtrip to Hobbytown, where I and a couple associates tried to eyeball match the color to ER Prime's hands. We settled on Tamiya TS-51 Racing Blue, which in reality is a smidge darker than the color used by Takara. Had I to do it over, I'd probably go with Pearl Blue, as it looked a little lighter. However, it's pretty darn close, so I'm not losing any sleep over it. It has a nice metallic sheen to it, and for the most part, despite my lack of experience spray painting, I managed to do a fair job on it. However, close inspection will reveal areas that got a lighter spray, and there are a few droplet marks on the bottom of one of the legs and feet. I sprayed some paint into the cap and did a little touch up by hand, but it pales in comparison to handiwork of many our fellow members. I ended up painting the canopy on the maintenance droid twice, as the acrylic mixture I was using wasn't laying down very smoothly, and after I finally had it where it was satisfactory, my hand accidentally brushed up against it and made a slight ripple. I made a valiant effort to fix it, but it was beyond helping. So I wiped it off, made a new mixture, using two different paints, and tried again. the result is what you see in the pic. It's still not as nice as a spray job, but it's the best I could do by hand. Fortunately, if I do end up getting the Toyhax labels, the acrylic paint wipes off fairly easily with a wet rag. I generally don't bother customizing my Transformers, but I felt that this figure could really benefit from it, especially after seeing Mike's and another custom on the TFW boards. This definitely entailed the most masking I've ever done for anything. It was an exercise in deliberate tedium, but I believed the end result would justify the labor, and it did. I wish my painting skills were better, but I gave it my best effort, and while it's not as crisp as I'd like, it looks better now than it did before my labors. I have to live with the mistakes, but I'm pretty sure I won't be losing sleep over it. Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple pics.
  4. M'Kyuun
    It'll be nice when Takara gives us proto shots as well as a couple different views of the alt mode to kinda see what's going where, and how much of this guy's alt is going to end up on his back. I forget who mentioned it (sorry, but thanks for the observation) that both sets of stabilizers are part of the backpack in order to clean up the legs. That's fine I guess, if they can compress them down. Still, as I pointed out, ole Screamer's looking a bit thick from back to front, with a fair bit of backpack, that extends below his crotch (don't like that), and a beer gut courtesy of his protruding canopy. I would think they can do better, but, again, a drawing doesn't equal a working prototype so far as visual appeal. It may look fantastic. I hope so. Looking at the arms, it does look like there are linkages on the null rays. If they just swing into place without being removed, I'm all the happier for it. Perfect transformation, baby!
  5. M'Kyuun
    Yep, the Fallout games have been doing this at least since Fallout 3 (never played the originals), offering multiple endings based on player choices. I assume this will do something similar, albeit in a more limited form (how many choices can they offer in a 1.5-2 hr film? There has to be some linearity to the story for cohesion). It's an interesting way to present the story, though. I'm willing to give it a watch. I've long felt that DC do a far better job with their animation than Marvel. DC tend to tell grittier stories, I think. All the way back from B:TAS, to Justice League, I thought they did a great job with writing the characters, choosing really good VAs (and VA directors- Cheers, Andrea Romano!), and addressing the not-always sunny interpersonal relationships between the characters. It made for really compelling storytelling that found an audience with adults as well as kids, a mean feat back in the 80's and 90's when it wasn't cool to be 'nerdy', and especially not cool to be an adult indulging in such things as toons and toys. I was flipping the bird to convention even then. I'm proud of my nerd cred!
  6. M'Kyuun
    Honestly, given that articulation , as well as toony smoothness, top the requisite list for Takara's MP line, I wouldn't be concerned about waist swivel or ab crunch, or knees and elbows capable of bending well beyond 90 degrees. While I'm not a big fan of the absolute Sunbow aesthetic, I absolutely love and laud the new direction Takara has taken in regards to articulation in the MP line. Growing up with TFs that had no articulation below the waist, and often minimal articulation above, articulation, or the lack thereof, has long been one of my major peeves with Transformer toys. Although I've been steadily moving away from official MP figures for the last few releases, it's the one positive that I can point to consistently. It seems to come at a price though, as concessions to sculpt are made to allow for buttefly joints and such. I'll reserve actual judgement once we have a fully colored prototype to gawk at. I really want this to be a good figure. I have holes in my collection begging to be filled, and it has been awhile since I last bought an official MP toy. Already, many of the issues with the first two versions have been addressed, especially the fuselage/head sitting too high in relation to the intake ramps in bot mode. I hated that about MP3/11. So, now it's just a matter of waiting until Takara decides to tease us with some actual proto shots. I'm being cautiously optimistic about this one.
  7. M'Kyuun
    Likewise. They took a few liberties with The Killing Joke that had folks up in arms, and changed the identities of the antagonists in Gotham by Gaslight and Hush. The latter bugged me, as I was pretty excited for Hush. It was still a good movie, overall, but changing Hush's identity just didn't sit right with me. I guess they did it to keep it fresh for the fans? I would have preferred they stuck to the comic as-is. I think the same sentiment applied for most fans of Killing Joke. Anyway, I've never been much of a comic collector, but for some reason, IIRC, I bought an edition of Death in the Family. I have no idea where it is now, as over the years, as most folks do, I've accumulated a lot of stuff, much of which is boxed up and secreted away in every available nook and cranny of my little house. I have a whole box of Iron Man comics, and it's likely packed with them. I digress. DitF is the only Batman story with which I have a connection through the comics, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. I liked how they spun Jason's story in Batman: The Arkham Knight. Honestly, though, they already told Jason's story in Under the Red Hood. The difference here is that, like the original comic, they're giving the option to the viewer, interactively (Jason Todd's fate in the original comic was decided by a telephone voting system), to decide Jason's fate. Kind of a neat throwback, I guess. It's an interesting way to present material that's generally linear; now you can watch it multiple times making different choices.
  8. M'Kyuun
    Full sketches of MP Starscream V3, thanks to Transformers Never Die on FB.. He's looking pretty thick from front to back; his intake ramps are completely behind his head, and his cockpit canopy extends out like a beer gut. The trapezoids on his shins are flat and too wide. (I hope at least they'll include optional shin thrusters). There's a lot going on on his back, so it's tough to make out, but par for the course with recent MP figures, he's got a MT. Everest summit-worthy backpack. I was hoping this would rival the Maketoys, as I only have Skycrow, and was holding out to see if Takara would make a new Seeker. Well, they have, and I've got a bad feeling....
  9. M'Kyuun
    Nope, those are light trans-blue 2x2 slopes, PN 3039. They've been showing up in a quite a few sets over the past few years.
  10. M'Kyuun
    At least he has plates, and tail spikes, even if they're not asymmetrical. Here's a colored shot. Fortunately, those colors aren't final. I like the colors they used for the longnecks, especially the Brachiosaur. Some tan and dark green would look nice. Back plate arrangement notwithstanding, I like the overall sculpt, especially the neck and head. I was afraid it might be more like Snarl, with the head just tacked onto the body. The legs look like they're single piece units with no articulation. That's my pet peeve. I hope it at least has the ball jointed ankles like their Triceratops, but it doesn't look like it.
  11. 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."
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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?
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. M'Kyuun
    Nice paint job, Duymon.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. 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.
  25. 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.
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