Alpha OTS

Dang, I'm going to have to try that! Nice shot!

And even when they did the recent show accurate Dinobot repaints in the 10th Anniversary line here and in Japan, they left something to be desired in the execution. Green bones? A deluxe or voyager sized Armada Megatron and Starscream with the articulation that they should have had is a pretty good idea.

Downloaded Undertow yesterday. Disliked it quite a bit. Shortly after I'm done playing it, I get a text message on my cell from my brother: "This free game sucks!". Yep, sure does make up for the down Live time.

Definitely. Every part that had to be carefully and gingerly put into a precise place on the Smokescreen mold was given a LOT of leeway and those same parts now click and snap into firm and easy to fold to places like they should have. Looking at that Classics Sunstreaker. First thought was that it looked like a 1:32 Roadbot. Not that that's a bad aesthetic; it just didn't immediately remind me of Sunstreaker. Second thought, I'm definitely seeing the Punch/CounterPunch design of the mold in that pic. That's pretty clever, imo. Maybe we will see an actual Punch/CounterPunch repaint of this mold with an Autobot sticker on the hood and a Decepticon sticker on the roof?

I can never keep the scales straight once it's outside of deluxe and basic. I usually like my figures around the deluxe scale or slightly bigger(which I guess the Voyager was). Bigger than Jetfire isn't too tempting for a figure I only ever had a slight affection for. Then again, this being Macross World, I can see why others are all excited.

Wasn't Jetfire an Ultra though?

Bummer. I was hoping Galvatron would be in wave 1. I too hope Powerglide isn't bigger than Jetfire. That'd just be wrong, somehow.

No ratchets, all tension. Mine's pretty good, but I remember reading about others getting loose ones in the first wave. He's been released in how many waves though, so I don't know if he was fixed like the X-wing was. There was also the Vader Episode 3 Jedi fighter.

The ep 2 one easily. The ep 3 one does have excellent arm articulation though. He's one of my favorites, but that's primarily because he's a Vader TF. Despite the shoulder placement, he's one of the most articulated of the line. Negatives include the head, which needed to be mecha'd and wasn't, it's the same head as a normal Vader figure. Also the color placement of the chest is visible from the front of the ship mode, and the arms don't really collapse into anywhere; the Tie wings just help hide them. Like all in this line, being a Star Wars vehicle and/or character really helps you overlook the negatives.

I think Maul was in the second wave. I haven't seen him on a peg in ages. I really like the Fett figure, but like all the others, he has issues. Also like all other SWTFs, the ship mode is the best part of the figure. I really have nothing negative to say about the ship. Bot mode has proportion issues. The arms are much too long, and they're not as bulky as they should be. Parts of them look empty. Because the back part of the ship becomes the legs and there's no true waist, it doesn't have the articulation there it should. The legs are much too close together, and also pretty skinny. It really looks like he has to pee. They did do a good job of making an actual jet pack for him, and other little details really do make the mech look like the pilot. May as well throw this image link in quick because normal Vader was mentioned.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

Would that make this a Batmanime? < cue drum roll >

In my experience, it's the same QC as the others only the hands are claws and much thicker so you don't have to worry as much about them breaking apart. Others here say its better.

:D :D It's funny because it's true.

I kind of got the impression that that was how he was dealing with the catastrophic situation he found himself in. He clearly wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed either. "You know about Superman!?"

I meant the red & white EP 2 colors, which lets the vehicle evoke more of an OT A-wing vibe. I don't care much for the new movies, so personally, I prefer the OT figures out of this line. They're the only ones I have on display. Anyway, this Jedi fighter has ratchet joints in the elbows, knees and ankles. All the joints have good tension. I can't see anything that can be shaved away to free up the shoulders. What's getting in the way is the front shell halves of the ship which clip pretty firmly to the back. They're sticking out laterally enough to stop the shoulder from going any further than what you see. It's difficult to see in the picture what I mean because it's hard to see the depth around those two parts. That clone mask is pretty flat btw, and doesn't look as good in person. As to ranking, that's tricky. I'd rank this as one of the top New Trilogy figures. This is the Jedi fighter that they should have been using over and over instead of the other one that they've rode into the ground, which was ok the first two times but should have been retired after that. Darth Maul's the only figure so far that I think has nailed the mecha-looks-like-pilot concept without gimping the figure. Every figure outside of him and the Darth Star has an issue or two(or three or four) with articulation and/or proportion. The Chewbacca half of the Falcon is really nice, but the Han half is a mess. If Maul and Darth Star are As, and the X-wing is a C, this Jedi Fighter is a B+.

Sadly, it can't raise his arms 90 degrees forward. At best it's about 20 degrees, and the rest of the forward articulation is provided by the elbows. The SWTF line has real issues with useful shoulder articulation it seems, unfortunately. Despite that, it is one of the better molds, and is one of the best looking in both modes. The way the hyperspace ring clips on in bot mode is pretty clever even if it's a huge weighted backpack. The mold provides a clip for one of the rings to act like a third leg, but because the regular legs are so long, it really hampers useful leg poses. Still neat nonetheless. It'll definitely look far better in Obi-wan A-wing style colors. You gave me an excuse to dig this out and play with my digital camera so you can see for yourself as well as witness one of *the* ugliest robot heads ever invented.

So you gave in and finally bought one, eh? Sounds about the same as my impressions. I had no idea there was a new version out with ratcheted legs. Frankly, I didn't know it was a problem that needed fixing because the friction there was always sufficient on mine. I have more problems with the friction on the knee joints because that's what has more trouble balancing the backpack. I didn't have any issues with the hexagon holes for the guns. They're all symmetrical. I never bothered with the shoulder mod as I kind of like the look of all four thrusters sticking up behind the head and shoulders. Mine has to grip the lightsaber by the bottom of the hilt, and it's not a good grip either, but it's the only way he'll hold it. It's not a terrible SWTF, and it's not the best either. Being an X-wing helps lots. Yeah, it's about a C. And Alternators will always be my favorite line. I consider it and the MP line to be one and the same even if it isn't officially. Yeah, they're more show pieces than playable figures/toys, but that's what I want out of the line at this point.

Episode 7 was pretty good. Liked the Ratchet background with Arcee. Really liked how that ended too. Surprised even. Didn't much care for episode 5. Seemed pretty formulaic, and didn't really advance any characterization like episode 7 did. Still miles above the typical AEC episode though.

Grimlock, eh? I know he's been one of the top choices in mp poll threads on other boards, so it's not that surprising. Eh, I have the WSTF Grimlock. That's enough for my Grimlock needs.

I took away three things from that article. 1. There are multiple reasons you'll get a RROD, but most are related to heat issues on different parts of the machine, and all due to lack of proper qc. 2. Stand your machine vertically for a larger surface area exposed to more air to dissipate heat and allow for more air flow. 3. Don't use piggybacking usb coolers as they don't improve the air flow and might make it worse. Sounds like they're speaking specifically about the Nyko Intercooler. I wonder if it's quite the same issue with a usb cooler like the ones you can sit underneath the 360 if you're standing it vertically. Using the usb port to power a fan adds just a little bit of heat. Sounds like a neglibible amount of heat to the overall problem though, but it does contribute.

Yikes, that back shot makes it look worse, imo. Not primarily because of the leg transformation, but because it shows the leg's hollow, and that coupled with the colors are really giving me a "cheap" vibe.

I knew the colors were bugging me, but getting my Toynami out of storage and looking it over, ouch. Yeah, the QC's a problem, and I have to handle it gingerly, but for my needs it *looks* how I want. The CM looks too much like a toy. On purpose or not, that's not something I'm in the market for. Maybe if I see it in some dynamic poses my opinion will change, but right now, between the cost, the deco, and the design, reality's sort of hit me, and I'm not feeling the need for this or the Tread.

That's about a billion dollars worth of lego blocks right there.

Madness! They're not meant to do such a thing. Alphas live and frolic on a high gravity alternate Earth. Toynami told me so, and if you watch the show......err.....oh......nevermind.....