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Dio

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  1. Dio
  2. Dio
    I'd slow down and stick to your original plan. Every combiner toy has its positives and negatives, but none is perfect, and racking up $500 sets just for completion's sake just leads to disappointing clutter. I went with green Giant years ago, and have felt the pull to get Hercules (IDW style!) as well as the later editions (Larger scale!), but moderation has really helped me to appreciate what I got initially, as well as keep my display clean and presentable. I've even been able to more seriously focus my collecting interest (CHUG scale, Cybertronian modes), which has helped me to recognize just what I like about the toys. The money savings has also been a good thing, particularly since having a kid. Your written reviews have been informative and well-written, but video reviews are a different game entirely, involving planning, editing, writing, etc (not to mention equipment). I'd try converting some of your written reviews into video and see how it pans out first.
  3. Dio
    Hmm, Messer is seeming like even more of a Guld expy. In 0.89 he had the whole high-speed-mode missile evasion sequence (a pretty obvious shout-out), then the Var episodes and flashbacks, and hanging on to a single song from Kaname as his sentimental good luck charm... Definitely an "at risk" character, narratively speaking, but we have seen that trope inverted in recent series. Guld also lacked a Freyja, so the ingredients are different this time.
  4. Dio
    1/72 SV-262Hs Draken III (Keith) pre-order is up on HLJ. http://hlj.com/product/BANN07587/Sci
  5. Dio
    Count me in on this theory as well.Also, I am totally on board with Lady M being Myung Fang Lone, which would make her the last of the Macross Plus triangle to receive a character resolution. Years later I could easily see her being the brains behind a tactical music force whose mission is to counter a rage disorder. Couple that with her experience working with a semi-autonomous virtualoid idol and affecting brain chemistry, and Mikumo (the latest model) could definitely be her attempt at redemption. There's also a clever metaphor in the plot, as the antagonists are propagating the mind control/rage disorder by cheaply distributing (one might say "sharing") apples. "Lady" M also kind of implies she's older and unmarried, which is chronologically accurate and an easy conclusion to draw from how things went with Isamu. It has been stated that the show is a callback to Plus and 7, and giving Myung resolution as an ancillary character is quite appropriate to that theme.
  6. Dio
    X-0 might be a little on the low-demand side by collector standards at this point, since Maketoys Cupola fits the popular MP scale, and the Titans Return deluxe Chromedome is on the horizon for CHUG fans. I think I remember the original price being around $60-ish, so I'd say you probably got a fair deal.
  7. Dio
    Dang it, I was out on travel all last week and it seems every Takara Blurr pre-order has sold out when I wasn't paying attention. I'll have to track one down if more pre-orders open up or wait for after release. The Titans Return line is going to be an interesting mix and match for me between Hasbro and Takara versions, very piecemeal. I wish there was an easy comparison site between the versions, because it's not just paint apps that differ on this line.
  8. Dio

    Bandai Sv-262 DX valk

    Dio replied to seti88's topic in Toys

    From the transformation video it seems the backpack reverses the wings forward similar to the VF-2JA, but the clip was zoomed in on the shoulders unfolding and didn't really show the wings. I think I recall the wings folded 90 degrees up in F mode, so if the Ghost packs rotate 180 degrees counter to the wing pack during transformation, that makes total sense.
  9. Dio

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Dio replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    After getting a closer look at the heads, I would like to change my vote to Delta 04. Delta 02 is a close second, but I am not fond of the back decal. Also, from those photos it looks like the Gerwalk joint (upper thigh) is opened slightly in Battroid mode? Seeing that small gap on a figure would make me think the joint had loosened.
  10. Dio
    The stress-free way I do it is to disconnect the car bot from the shoulder block first, rotate it to align the slot with the peg, and then stick the sword hilt through the block to push the peg out, rather than yanking and twisting. Pushing the peg out eliminates the possibility of stressing the joint that was posted earlier, which IMHO is not designed to be pulled on anyway (too much of a stress point because the peg is offset from the disc-shaped portion and causes a bending moment when it is pulled on).
  11. Dio
    I concur, with just one exception. Bagheera seemed to have the same exaggerated "jungle cat" walk that many CG animals suffer from, where the back and shoulders bounce up and down too much with each step. Coincidentally, Shere Khan moved very naturally, so it's odd that they would miss on just one of the cats. Fast motion looked natural though, and animals fighting was very convincing (albeit Disney-fied, which is not unexpected for the target audience). Shere Khan definitely had a more personal hatred of Mowgli in this version, and I agree with him being one of the best villains in recent history. In literally every scene he appears in, he is an absolute beast seething with hatred. Hearing Idris Elba voice him in the preview was what sold me on seeing this film, and he did not disappoint.Ben Kingsley was also incredible as Bagheera, he dominated every scene he was in and delivered every line with exactly the right amount of feeling. I think I could just sit and listen to a conversation between those two. Neel Sethi did an awesome job, which at first seems on par with other young actors until you consider just how much CG he was acting against. His interactions with his animal companions were more convincing than the live actors in the Star Wars prequels, and he moved very naturally when climbing and traversing all kinds of obstacles. He nailed all the intangible and subtle things that older, experienced actors even overlook from time to time. I was not sold on Scarlett Johansson's performance, it seemed like a bad fit for the character Kaa. The snake was supposed to be hypnotic, but came off as a little too articulate and seductive, while also being used as an exposition aid that seemed to be shoehorned in without a good segue. Great actress, but misplaced in this film. Overall, I liked it both as a standalone movie and for the homages to the original, but would have done a couple things differently. Disney has already greenlit a sequel, so we can look forward to more in the future.
  12. Dio
    Chocolate (2008) Starring Jeeja Yanin, this movie is a spiritual successor (and even includes scenes from) Ong Bak, and advertised the leading actress as the "female Tony Jaa." The movie itself centers around an autistic girl who is born to parents from rival Thai and Japanese crime syndicates (a Romeo and Juliet-style story), and has a savant talent for any physical activity that she sees, including the Muay Thai gym down the block and Bruce Lee/Tony Jaa films. When her mother develops cancer and cannot afford medical treatment, she finds her mother's syndicate debt book, and goes on a quest trying to collect the money, which draws her into the world her parents tried to shelter her from. This is one of the better fight scenes from the film, but not the final/best one so as to avoid spoilers for those who haven't seen it yet. Warrior (2011) Starring Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy, this film is a powerful sports drama in the vein of the Rocky series, and features some incredible fight scenes and choreographed Mixed Martial Arts. The story involves two estranged brothers and a father with prior sports/fighting backgrounds, who each for their own reasons return to the ring and get set on a collision course to reconciliation through a high-profile MMA tournament. The fight scenes are fantastic and realistic (speaking from experience as one who trains in it), but what makes them really shine is the heart and writing behind them - no fight is in this film for its own sake; every one has emotion and purpose, and is relevant to the story. As above, this is one of the earlier fight scenes in the film, but is by no means dull, and the fights only get longer/better from there.
  13. Dio
    In case it helps, I've got a first run MP-10 Hasbro version, and the only loose joint is the trigger finger. I had it on display continually since I got it (found it wild at a TRU, believe it or not) up til about last January, and even put it in crazy/unusual static poses for days at a time.
  14. Dio
    Just gonna say, despite the differences from previous series and individual elements that I would neither expect nor include in a Macross series if I were writing it from scratch, Delta still feels like Macross to me. It's the intangible X-factor that, were I to try to define it in detail, I would quickly find contradictions to shoot it down. To put it another way, there are pieces of every Macross that I have to overlook in order to accept them. If a one-time magical girl sequence (that may well be tongue-in-cheek) and a Valkyrie-riding singer (who may get some context in upcoming episodes) is all I have to gloss over when I look back on this series, I will be quite happy.
  15. Dio
    Would the mods be up for a limited time "Predictions Time Capsule" thread where we can each make one post of predictions about the series, the thread remains open say, up thru the 3rd episode, then it gets locked down until after the final episode? I recall some great speculation about Frontier (several points which I nailed early on) but it ended up scattered through multiple feedback threads and there was never a good follow-up review.
  16. Dio
    Dang it, I watched that video, and after hearing the plastic feels like Maketoys quality (and it has rubberized tires!) I just had to pre-order it. I really like my Titanium WW Optimus, and this will be a fine upgrade.
  17. Dio
    Quite right, but strip off the detail plates and turn the inner skeleton around, and you've got more or less the same thing. Sort of like wearing a t-shirt backwards, but in this case it's the kibble. Compared to Ares though, they have made some great improvements in the sculpting and flow of the details. Ares had a more angular look based on simple geometric shapes, which worked for me because it looked more Cybertronian as a result. In the cases of Poseidon and their Liokaiser, they've really refined the shaping to look more organic and contoured, while keeping the same skeletons and innovative, no-nonsense transformations. If I had any interest in the Seacons I'd snap these up. Those new Constructicons don't really do much for me, however. Gravity Builder is too squat, while the TW combiner is too lanky. They do make my Giant look a little less impressive, though.
  18. Dio
    To me it looks like fish parts on the Ares figures, in terms of design philosophy. The individual figures are more refined, but on a similar framework. As an Ares fan, I can dig it.
  19. Dio
    What is with the open hands on the individual Victorion figures? Seems like an odd thing to remold just for the sake of doing it.
  20. Dio
    I'm also onboard for Seraphicus Prominon, mostly because I collect the Cybertronian aesthetic and this one fits it to a T. I am already considering ways to weather it though, as the pure white is a little overbearing, even with the detail molding to break it up somewhat. Their upcoming Alpha and Beta figures will make great heralds for him (yes, I know it isn't story canon, but neither is he).
  21. Dio
    Obligatory.
  22. Dio
    Still speculating that Phasma is going to be the assigned nemesis for Finn, the setup is obvious and he needs one since Kylo v Rey ended up being the primary hero/villain pairing. Who goes up against Poe is up in the air though, the First Order needs to churn out a Red Baron next movie. Maybe they'll flesh out TR-8R with some kind of unlikely survival/revenge story too, though that's high-school-lunch-table levels of speculation.
  23. Dio
    I got my Cloud 9 Quakeblast yesterday, and am already thinking of getting another. It is that good. I plan to spend some time tonight replacing a couple of the LEDs with pink ones for a better light color, and then just need to track down a good transparent Decepticon decal for inside the chest. Credit goes to a couple of the guys over on TFW who thought of the mod first, it really completes the picture.
  24. Dio
    Yep, definitely the WfC/FoC style I'm looking for. At least 3 of the Stunticons had official game designs, if you factor in the DS games, but PX wouldn't need to hold too closely to them. I collect Cybertronian style primarily, so they cater directly to my interest, and another combiner in that theme to go alongside Bruticus would be awesome.
  25. Dio
    Planet X has knocked their previous figures out of the park thus far, and though I own the Hasbro version of Optimus I find this one highly interesting. If it's too big though, I might pass since he shouldn't stand even with say, Grimlock (Vulcun). I'm eagerly awaiting their Aesclepius (Perceptor) next, and hope they can get back to figures that don't already have a toy out there, like the other Insecticons or the Stunticons. Heck, they could make a mint if they'd make the generic troopers with a few swappable detail pieces to distinguish one another.
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