Dio

Bruce Leroy's climactic victory over Sho'Nuff in The Last Dragon still ranks as one of my most enjoyable fight scenes in the history of film. Arnold's escape scene where he saves his wife in True Lies is also an awesome one.

For me, PT is preferable simply because of the eliminated step of having to find and reopen the box, pop apart those damnable plastic trays, replace the desired parts on the display piece, and then return the box to storage. In this regard, the Beagle/Toynami Cyclones offer superb innovation by making the display stand double as a parts storage container. Having to carefully store/retrieve something as small as the Armored VF-25S neck extension piece to change modes is an irritating step in what I feel should be a straightforward process, but that's just me. I also liked how the 1/48's, despite how many around here may feel about it, had articulated (albeit spindly) hands as a default, and could be swapped to the bulkier style if preferred. It makes the extra parts feel just like that - "extra." Not necessary for one's full enjoyment of the toy in any configuration.

Oh how I love Rampage Jackson. If anyone's familiar with the beatdown he's receiving on this season of Ultimate Fighter, though his ability to maintain crude humor in the face of adversity is nothing short of inspirational. I'll give this movie a shot just out of nostalgia.

Finally got tired of dancing around it and invested in a MPC Scott Bernard Cyclone after reading the reviews. Needed me some motorcycle action. Should arrive in 5-7 business days.

OMG I actually had one of my questions answered in that interview. Mine was in Part 3, from user "Majin Vern." I've learned much since then

My vote's for Basara. There have already been several comments which outline the concept of piloting + performance at the same time, so I won't harp on that. However, many of the posts fail to recall he DID "shoot" at his enemies, and he did (on several occasions) score "hits" on multiple enemies which the regular fleet valkyries had trouble hitting with live ammo. A speaker pod bullseye is still a bullseye - he could even hit Sivil at a distance, and she's human size. And let's not forget Speaker Pod Gamma - he flew into the the face of the enemy flagship and blew Gepelnitch's helmet off, which ranks right up there with DYRL Hikaru taking it straight to Bodolza.

As a superfan of Macross 7 who loves The Last Dragon... I really hate that I fit your stereotype Can't wait for the Samuel L Jackson remake! As far as Alice... I'm optimistic. It's source material that I think Tim Burton would do well with. I think when Tim Burton gets his hands on a story/franchise that isn't already stylized enough for him, bad things happen, but when it's something already several shades of creepy like Sleepy Hollow or Alice in Wonderland, he can work wonders with it.

Man, I GOTTA have those new Animated figures. Will purchase all of them - and I love that most Animated figures are at the smaller, more affordable size classes. Wingblade Prime looks a bit wonky, but I think the armor is supposed to be oversized like that for the Voyager compatibility. I'm a bit surprised so many of you aren't fond of the Voyager Prime, to me he's the greatest figure in the line, so much so that I bought a second one for my cubicle at work - but you're definitely entitled to your opinions. Human Alliance Barricade I will preorder the instant he's available. I MUST have him. The HA line is shaping up to be one of the best to date, I rank it up there with Alternators in terms of detail and complexity, and would even give it a little extra credit for having a little more interactivity. Bludgeon looks cool, but I'd approach with caution - he could be awesome, but then again he could be Classics Galvatron 2.0. The worst part about all these is going to be the wait, I just know it.

Till the End of Time was a great play-through, but.... damn. First RPG to ever take me 62 hours to get all the way through, and that was without any experience grinding or pursuing optional side quests/trying to gain rare items. I even skipped getting an entire main character (not sure how it happened). After about the first 50 hours the game takes a SHOCKING twist, the kind that amount to the writers giving me a giant middle finger (Family Guy reference there). After that point I just sort of felt like I needed to complete it for the sake of finishing what I'd started, unfortunately. The game literally takes you through the ages, from medieval to modern to futuristic and beyond - I suppose the title is quite appropriate in that regard. Mechanically, the game is awesome. I loved the real-time aspect of the battles (I'm a die-hard Valkyrie Profile fan) and it remained engaging through the entire course of the game without becoming monotonous or overly complicated. The story, aside from the M. Night Shyamalan style twist toward the end, remains quite interesting and has some great characters along the way.

That toy is too complex for a 6-year-old. As an adult collector and mechanical engineer, it honestly competes with my 1/60 VF-25G in my head over which toy is the better value for the investment, in terms of complexity and appearance.

Saw it. Loved it. Maybe I'm more easily entertained these days, but yesterday was a great day all around.* I went in having read several of the reviews decrying it as racist, too much action, Bay's juvenile sense of humor, etc, but was honestly happier with this movie than I was with the first. If anything, I think it was too short with the scope it was trying to convey, as we got pretty minimal time with the supporting cast (honestly, what did Lennox really achieve in this film?), and many of the scenes seemed to just rush into one another at a fast pace that I could see being off-putting to some viewers. I am bugged by the perception of the movie as racist. The Twins, which reviewers decry as horribly negative ethnic stereotypes, had the numerous black theater-goers howling with laughter at the showing I attended. To offer my perspective, Sam's insane parents were probably the funniest to me, both the crazy out-of-touch mom and the cheapskate dad - would that make the film racist against white suburbanites? I see the film as actually being more inclusive because of the diversity of comic relief - theater-goers from different ethnic groups or walks of life can all go in and see characters which reflect the zaniest sort of folks they are likely to have met in their own lives. And like another post above had stated, characters of differing ethnicities are portrayed in roles both professional and heroic, as well as humorous and inept. Let's also not overlook how the Twins really were able to shine when they needed to. I am glad I bought the comic adaptation, and would recommend that everyone who's seen the movie also check it out, because some points were lost in the film that could have helped explain things better. In the comic, for example, I would recommend this film to anyone who's on the fence about it. As I describe it to people, it's "more of TF1." Everything you would have liked about the first film is in this one 150%, and anything you might have found off-putting about the first film is also in this one 150%. *I dubbed yesterday "Valhalla Day," in honor of the fact that I woke up, spent all day at war (Jiu Jitsu tournament) and all night feasting and celebrating (sushi and TF movie).

I'm holding out for the Target Exclusive version of the Fallen, it's way darker and really enhanced by the flame coloring, while the first release version seems a bit muted by comparison. Also got roped into getting the bike sisters (well, just Chromia for now), but I gotta have them all just to see that combined mode. If you just get one figure, I honestly say get Leader Prime. Bar none, the best movie figure that has been produced from either film.

Your opinion is diametrically opposite that of mine, but I do respect it. That "Teen Titans" aesthetic is precisely what draws me to the show - looking less mechanical while at the same time accomplishing toys which fully convert from robot to vehicle with very little appearance of kibble from the other mode to indicate what they turn into. The toys also, in robot mode, seem to exude personality that reflects that of their TV character (like Bumblebee's smirk or Starscream's sneer). Contrast that with the new movie line, which seem to have a more neutral appearance (expressionless) and a decidedly more realistic, mechanical style (tons of kibble). If the latter is your preference, you've got some good stuff coming your way. Still, if you can stomach the aesthetic of the Animated show, it did feature countless homages and tips of the hat to the original, and despite looking so radically different it really did a terrific job of bringing back the "feel" of Transformers, not to mention telling a story from a Western style and perspective instead of redubbing anime - as Westerners we're more likely to grasp the subtle nuances in humor, phrasing, storytelling, etc that we wouldn't pick up in a translated Japanese show. Beast Machines has sort of a similar appeal for me - certainly not for every TF fan, but it did have some positive points. Animation-wise it was shown almost like it was ripped from the pages of a comic book, and featured a much darker (albeit less Transformer-y) storyline to bring a sequel, and resultant conclusion, to the Beast Wars franchise. Where BW took Transformers in a different direction, BM went even further in that direction to the end of its road rather than bring it back to the original franchise, and I can see where a fan who preferred the more vehicular Transformers would disagree with where it went.

Picked up Leader Prime, Sideswipe, and Knock Out yesterday. It seems the tolerances on these toys are much tighter than previous lines, and by that I mean transformation is difficult on par with an Alternator. Still, amazed how everything locks together so well in both modes. Ironically, I dropped by Wal Mart on completely unrelated business and bumped into an actual Hasbro merchandise rep stocking the shelves for the 5PM launch. She was quite pleasant and we ended up having quite a nice conversation about collecting, what interests me about the toys, and everything from letting kids pick first to some of the more interesting scalper situations I've seen. I definitely plan to get Jetfire (gotta complete the set), whatever Human Alliance action figures go on sale, and the Legends Devastator. Target exclusive Superion is a maybe... I've got the original Super Link set but I'm a sucker for combiners - and from the looks of it, this movie seems to focus on the concept as its gimmick. The "Mech Alive" gimmick is much cooler than the Automorph of yesteryear's line, it's subtle and doesn't seem to sacrifice articulation. I do, however, find I'm still much more able to discriminate for this line, maybe because of the aesthetic (a little out there for me, I preferred the more "character" look of Animated) and maybe because of the economy. Bumblebee looked like the same one I've already got, just with a body kit, new head, and a lack of a right hand, and some of the others will probably need some good characterization in the movie for me to notice them. I'm probably overthinking this. Speaking of, Psychology time: Does anyone look at a $40+ toy and think to themself, "How can I spend so much on toys with the economy going like it is?" I dunno, I felt a twinge of guilt but at the same time it wasn't what I would call a "big" or "irresponsible" purchase, and I would hate it more if I missed out on that one stellar action figure when I come back and they're all sold out (in this case, Leader Prime who I assume will be teh popular one from this line). Then again, consumption is what will drive the economy to become better, because I just paid a small profit to the toy producer, the retailer, the advertiser, etc. Complicated situation, I suppose. Maybe it's to do with the terrible irony of all these TFs being products of a GM license...

Without any spoilage, I have to say... that last episode should have been longer, like maybe a 3-parter instead of 2. It seemed like they had several great ideas they intended to expand on, but just didn't have the time and wanted to roll it all out before the movie becomes the main course for Hasbro over the next 6-9 months. Then again, that was my impression of the overall 3rd season... Still, I'll say I enjoyed every minute of it. It's a shame we haven't gotten many TF shows of this quality over the years, but hopefully the enthusiastic fanbase will resonate with the ones making the decisions going forward and we'll see some similar performance in future TF lines.

Sorry for the late response, I've been incredibly busy with work and house hunting, and haven't gotten any online time in a while PsychoD got it mostly right, though I'd also recommend snipping the exposed corners off the styrene pieces so the T-shaped groin connector can fit in ok with just the lower part of it (the part that experiences the "bite") being pinched by the grey clip. I'll take some photos when I get home on Sunday to illustrate, but I appreciate Psycho posting some photos in my absence, I hope it's helping everyone deal with their loose groins!

I added two pieces of styrene, about 3mm by 5mm to either side of the softer grey connector, and now my 25G is almost tough to transform in that area. A "pinch" of about .030 inches tighter makes a huge difference in the amount of bite the connector has... so two pieces of .015 (I used one side .020 and the other side .010) should be enough to do the trick. Others have mentioned using paper, but the card stock I stuck in there seemed to want to fray pretty quickly and ended up not holding well. Alternatively you can remove the connector (one small screw) and coat the outer sides of the "hooks" with a little nail polish/superglue, and reinstall it. Not sure how well it would work though, I'm already happy with my method.

In my opinion, no. He's easily the worst Classic, structurally, and coupled with a lack of stability in bot mode and the difficult (not complex, just difficult) transformation, he's just not a very entertaining figure. If you have a love for the character you might feel otherwise, but I was left feeling pretty disappointed.

My experience with BBTS has been pretty good thus far, I got the shipping notice yesterday for the 25G I had preordered way back. I haven't had any trouble with them in the past... wish they had carried the 1/72 models though, I ended up having to order my 1/72 Alto from Image Anime at a slightly higher price. I hadn't ordered the RVF-25 but I am getting more and more tempted from the photos you guys are posting! Might just get the Armored Ozma though, it's about the same cost.

On the topic of the wing transformation, the YF-19 folds both its wings in half Swiss-army-knife style and then holds them on with pins that amount to little more than a belt clip. The YF-21 does the same with its underbody panels, while its wings fold neatly into the backpack. The VF-1 folds them straight back, but in such a way as to prevent the legs from rotating more than about 45 degrees forward without having to move them out of the way to provide clearance (seen occasionally on super-pack models with wing-mounted missiles in battroid mode). With the wings being on split mechanisms (instead of one central core body), the VF-11 probably takes the durability from this arrangement in the wrong direction. The VF-17, by contrast, beefs the design up slightly, so I'd probably say it has the "ideal" wing orientation of the mecha we've gotten thus far. This leads us back on topic, however, as I think the wings on the VF-25 are intentionally swept back in battroid mode to simulate angel/fairy type wings. The wings on the 27 (like the SV-51) lend themselves to a more bat-like or gargoyle-like appearance. While they're fundamentally the same piece of equipment, they have radically different visual associations that tend to accentuate the character piloting them. If we also compare the swing bars of the 25 to the similar upper-chest mechanism of the YF-19, I'd say that, proportionally, the VF-25 has a sturdier core body setup because there's more meat between the flanks of the robot and where the pilot is located. For the 19 (or any valkyrie, really) to have a more robust waistline than the 25, the cockpit would have to be much thicker width, which wouldn't lend itself well to a high-performance aerodynamic design.

Valkyrie? Valkyrie. 'Nuff said.

Nailed it on the head - you have to have a character for the audience to relate to, and a generic, quasi-defined "everyman" is the one that most will be expected to gravitate to. It's what makes you feel like you're part of the action, because if the character is defined too well, you're going to be excluded by the things that are different. Gloval was mentioned above - how many of us here fantasized at one point about being behind the helm of the SDF-1? Probably fewer than those who wanted to be in the seat of an armored VF-1J like the more reactive Hikaru. I mentioned this a long time ago, but Alto is designed to appeal to the adolescent male. Sure, not many adolescent males do Kabuki, but that's more of a means to emasculate the character and portray him as at odds with his stuffy parent figure (something adolescent boys probably can relate to). He's got women of all persuasions fighting over him, gets to fly a cool plane, has to negotiate with his friends whose eccentricities can irk him from time to time... aside from the scene he participates in (futuristic space combat), how is he really any different from say, Sam Witwicky in the 2007 Transformers movie? Marketing, pure and simple. Though this does make me feel good that I was more of a Michel fan... I suppose I'm more like him than I am Alto

Was born in Houston, so yes, I have always been a naturally-born Texan

Found Samurai Prowl and Waspinator yesterday, got great things to say about them. Samurai Prowl takes the awesomest deluxe in this line... and makes it awesomer. Though I was a little disappointed they took the prototype and altered it for the released version - this toy has just the wheel-sword, where the proto had a wheel that separated into a sword and shield combo (and is even shown on the packaging!). I was also a little disappointed they took away the unfolding shuriken, though you can still take the... hockey puck things out of his knees and think of them as hologram generators or something. All things said, the figure retains everything I loved most about the original and gives it extra goodies, and they also fixed the hip design that could sometimes pop out, replacing the 90-degree ball socket thing with a traditional ball joint and swivel. I bought two. Waspinator is cool, albeit simple, and the toy has a lot of character which makes for a huge variety of entertaining display poses.