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technoblue

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  1. technoblue
    HaHa! I wonder what terrible secret Ed would’ve uncovered while tracking the Bebop and her crew? That could be interesting and would be a twist from the anime’s plot, where Ed invites herself onboard when the others take on a bounty to capture a rogue planetary graffiti artist and discover a satellite with evolved AI.
  2. technoblue
    That's a good point. I figure we will get a faithful image of Earth after the accident if the crew ends up going there like they eventually did in the anime.
  3. technoblue
    Hm. Villeneuve wants to do a trilogy that spans from Dune to Dune Messiah. That could be very interesting to see. In recent interviews, he seems confident that he will finish the two-part Dune entry, at least. https://www.darkhorizons.com/denis-villeneuve-teases-a-dune-trilogy/ And yeah, for the moment, that’s good enough for me.
  4. technoblue
    The stills look all right, but I’m a little worried because Ein is on a leash and still no sign of Ed.
  5. technoblue
    😅 Oops. MTRM-11 and MP-52 are not transformed correctly in those alt mode comparison shots. On second thought, I think that it's better to simply judge these things in hand with your own eyes if you can. Kuma has his own stylized artistic angle going on in his MTRM-11 review and I thought that profile image was simply showing some of what you can do in fighter mode since Maketoys made the first highly poseable figure back in the day? From my own experience, owning the three MTRM Seekers, I can say that the back end is well-able to sit flush and straight in alt mode if you want the classic look instead. I mean, didn't @M'Kyuun already share another photo showing this up thread? As for MP-52, I don't know what is going on with the stock profile photo. All I can say is that it's exaggerating how the nosecone looks in hand. I'll leave it at that since I don't want to push my opinion or continue the debates which have been beaten into the ground at this point. There is a lot to like about DS-01 too, and as long as this new "Seeker on the scene" is adding something to the hobby and bringing joy to other fans, it's all good.
  6. technoblue
    I have the ADV Platinum DVD set and the standard blu-ray box set from Japan. I'm thinking I'll skip this "ultimate" box set and wait for a limited edition or whatever it is GKIDS plans to announce in 10 days. Maybe a steelbook release? I would be down for that, more so if it retains a tiny bit of the artwork from this set.
  7. technoblue
    I did have the helicopter on preorder but ultimately cancelled it. I’ve decided to skip this and wait for the next jet fighter in the series.
  8. technoblue
    DS-01 has an interesting mix of design decisions, but I agree with @M'Kyuun on this one. The alt mode presentation isn't far removed from MP-52 and what is changed doesn't really compel me to swap out what I have. I like the ER comparison and think it is more apt personally, since this MP Seeker employs the standard alt-mode brick of a fuselage that is already familiar to those collecting the mainline releases. I see that DS-01 has the arms tucked into the legs in alt mode; I have to wonder if that choice is what kept the aft end of the fighter so bulky? I mean, it's nice to see a company try something different, but why not try to push the envelope and get more of a balanced F-15 alt mode? Curious. Anyway, it could be a limitation of the design or intentional like MP-52's sculpted undercarriage that mimics the toon fighter. There are other aspects of the design that do stand out as clever to me, and that remind me of my Newage Seekers: the split nosecone transformation, the vertical and horizontal stabs (how they fold into the legs). The real cockpit detail in bot mode. The waist swivel. All of that is nice to see but not enough to get me on board with it.
  9. technoblue
    Phew! I appreciate the extra buffer.
  10. technoblue
    The comments in this thread remind me that I still need to watch Nadia. After finishing the Rebuild movies, I think I will start over again from there.
  11. technoblue
    Like @mikeszekely, I’ve cancelled most of my Pulse preorders. I still use the site for selects releases and other exclusives that pop up and catch my interest but that’s about it. Added to which, all I need to do is walk through the local super market to see how messed up logistics have been for the last year and a half, and the situation is still dire. Like Mike’s Walmart example, I can speak to similar examples just trying to buy food and other basic necessities in my local area (no bananas one week, no lettuce the next). Oh well, I’ve come to accept that toys are not a high priority.
  12. technoblue
    Thank you, Mike. I try to keep an open mind, which is why I don’t put up too much of a fuss. At the end of the day, I hope we are all enjoying this hobby. Back on topic: Yeah, I’m excited about Takara’s official Cliffjumper release. The green prototype’s bot mode is rough, for sure. It looks like Takara is focusing on alt mode first (and that’s okay) but I hope that alt mode accuracy isn’t getting prioritized at the cost of bot mode accuracy. We’ve seen just that happen in older MP releases and I gotta admit I am a little worried that Takara could slide back into bad habits. Ideally, what I would like to see as this inches closer to retail is a nice balance between the two modes. With regard to the third-party options… I still hesitate when it comes to FansToys, and that causes me to miss most of their preorders. Parkour looks good, but it is only a render at this point. All FansToys renders look good, even Rouge looked good as a render. I won’t be selling my copy of MMC’s Helion as he is most excellent. I’m still debating whether or not to pick up the alternative color release, though. I let go of XTB Toro some time ago, so no XTB Cliffy for me anymore.
  13. technoblue
    Yep! Different opinions and all. I'm not going to apologize for mine and I won't ask anyone here to apologize for theirs. Is the prototype perfect? No. I didn't say that it was, either. It's early and obviously pieced together with what I guess were parts that they had lying around along with parts that show some remolding work. I mean, the legs and feet even have yellow and grey MP-45 pieces. It may even be part of some proof-of-concept sample. Given that we don't have any real information (just leaked photos), I do think it's terrific for what it is. The alt mode is already very close and I expect that the bot mode will be refined, which is why I'm looking forward to actual news of its development. I think it's way too early to call out the smiling face as a negative. Again, I am expecting that it will be refined some more. Myself, I have appreciated the emotive faces that Takara have included in their later G1 MP releases, and I wish Bee 2.0 had included a couple more for a total of five (given the price point). With any luck, Cliffjumper will have one or two extra faces and some nifty bonus add-ons.
  14. technoblue
    Thanks, @lechuck. I think this MP Cliffjumper prototype looks terrific, and I was happy to see it shared over on the other forum. Although MP-45 wasn't a perfect release for me, I am definitely in for a pre-order of this guy and I'm looking forward to learning about what to expect at retail. The chibi alt and the Choro-Q toy details (especially those wheels) are enough to get my attention, but it looks like the alt may even fit together better than Bee 2.0 and that would be really cool. With regard to MP-45, I wasn't put off by the transformation, the backpack, or the feet at all. IMO, those are all superficial things. My copy did have paint chipping right out of the box, though, and that was a major bummer. I returned it and the second one was all right. When the quality is there, I think MP-21 and MP-45 are both a good fit to anyone's collection. Anyway, I do hope Takara has locked down the quality for Cliffy here. That will be a huge win for them (like their new Starscream) if they do.
  15. technoblue
    Eh, say what you want about the multipart SciFi miniseries. I mean, the effects were sometimes charmingly low budget like classic Doctor Who and other times off putting, but that team did forward the story past the war for Arrakis and Paul’s rise to power. That gives SciFi’s effort true cred, in my opinion. Lynch’s version wasn’t a very good adaptation. As much as I respect him for his work in other projects like Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks, his version of Dune was too subversive for its own good and lends to this mythology that Herbert’s series of novels cannot be translated to the big screen. Spoilers for Lynch’s version: Villeneuve’s film has some tough hurdles to overcome. It has to show that Herbert’s novels can be entertaining and can attract modern-day audiences when many people are reticent to go out and about. If it does well, I’m hoping that we will see some of Frank Herbert’s later plot points realized on the big screen. There is so much more to Herbert’s story than this snapshot we get of Paul Atreidis in the first book. Really, Herbert created a cautionary tale. Dune, without the later novels is unfinished in that context.
  16. technoblue
    The previous movies are available too. Amazon made them available to prime members at midnight, staggering the release for each timezone.
  17. technoblue
    Yeah. It isn't as obvious in the shared photo above, but Magic Square is employing their own version of the window gimmick. The truck windows shift to the backpack in bot mode. Without paint, these alt-mode pieces don't stand out to me. It remains to be seen if that will hold true once we get to see the painted prototype of v2 or if those pieces will pop out at certain angles like they do on NA Prime. I think I've only seen photos teasing bits and pieces of the v2 trailer, myself, but nothing showing the whole kit and caboodle in alt mode. All that is to say, I have no idea what the final release will include. It will be fantastic if it is a full set with fun add-ons, but I won't be put out if we get a barebones option instead. I already have two copies of LoJ v1 Prime: MS-B18X+ and MS-B18W. I picked up the W release to go with the Ultra Magnus armour and the X+ release is G1 Optimus with the trailer and metallic paint apps. I got that to match up with my copy of MS-B36Y Megatron. The LoJ v1 mould still holds up very well so I can understand the sentiment of those who are content to stick with it and who are skipping v2 and/or the NA release.
  18. technoblue
    I haven't seen any newer photos, but the grey prototype of MS v2 Prime is quite comparable to MP-44 (flipped below to give the same angle). At least, I think it is. I'm a tall person IRL, so longer legs and slightly shorter torsos are a-okay in my book and don't trigger me at all. At this stage, I do like how MS is trying to match the panel line detail of the official MP. I recognize NA is doing their own thing and I think that's cool too. The pelvis/shorts/pants area is not as angled where it meets the top of the thigh. Instead, it seems a bit squared off to me. That's interesting since I've read that NA has a few of the former DX9 WiP designers on their team. NA Optimus really doesn't look to share many design cues from DX9 Dutch at all. Thanks guys. It should be a fun distraction from life, the universe, and everything.
  19. technoblue
    Eh… If we’re making comparisons to MP-44, then Magic Square’s v2 Prime is a closer take with the shin detail on the legs. Neither NA nor MS implemented MP-44’s flippable window transformation gimmick, although I think MS arguably scales it down better by moving the truck window/cab detail to the backpack in bot mode. NA’s version of the window gimmick makes for an extra-thick chest that stands out in certain photos, but maybe it will look better in person like their Bee and Cliffjumper? It is interesting how NA reverses MP-44’s design cues in the bot-mode torso. Anyway, I’m still getting both the NA and MS Prime updates and I’m looking forward to compare them once they’re both out in the wild. Also, I’m excited to compare the MS v2 update to its v1 counterpart.
  20. technoblue
    Ok. A much better opening than that trailer.
  21. technoblue
    According to this, yes. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_ca/C1939504 I was assuming Seto was making some kind of a joke since the representing law firm is Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP and it is clearly noted in the filling that they are representing ScarJo and Periwinkle Entertainment.
  22. technoblue
    I’m not feeling this one. For now, I’ll pass.
  23. technoblue
    Oof. IANAL, but I think the actual court filing makes its strongest arguments when it focuses on the breach of contract and Disney's unwillingness to renegotiate terms after introducing options to Disney+ customers. Alas, the lawyers also go on some odd tangents that are very poor/weak and I'm not understanding their endgame there. I can only guess that they are using a shotgun approach with the hope that some of the better complaints will stick. I thought this complaint about lost repeat ticket sales was one of the more sensible ones: Here's a link for anyone else wanting to read the full filing: https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Complaint_Black-Widow-1-WM.pdf Anyway, I agree that the part about piracy is dubious. Pirates will pirate, after all. I guess, since it was bound to happen anyway, Johansson's lawyers are attempting to use it in their favor. The part of this that goes sideways for me is when the lawyers add a complaint stating that Black Widow actually needed the traditional cinema/theater to perform well. This one is odd and might hurt more than it helps. It gets back to my comment on new technology and growing pains. The lawyers seem unprepared to tackle this without falling back to a pre-streaming/pre-pandemic POV. That may come back to bite them. Oh. I have to make a confession. I haven't even seen Black Widow yet and I'm not in a rush. I've really been waiting to see the new Dune film, but I don't even now if I'll be able to see that in the theater at this point. What can you do?
  24. technoblue
    Ah, my bad. True. The studios see $$$ and want to benefit from that as long as they can. It will still be interesting to see how much of a fight Disney puts up this time. They clearly aren’t ignoring it like they did with Mr. Foster.
  25. technoblue
    Huh? I'm not doing anything of the sort. I'm looking at this as a contract dispute with (hopefully) little to no bias. I'm sorry but I'm not going to dump on some woman I don't know personally and will probably never meet. Streaming is a new format and just like so many other new media formats before it, there are bound to be growing pains when it comes to royalties, licensing fees, and other standard contract payments. Disney is trying to dodge its contract negotiations, which is something that they are wont to do. To speak to something that is more in my wheelhouse, remember that we are talking about the same Disney that refused to pay author Alan Dean Foster book royalties for his Star Wars and Alien novelizations after their Lucasfilm/FOX acquisitions. There is a history of misbehavior at work in the company. https://winteriscoming.net/2021/04/23/disney-star-wars-author-alan-dean-foster-settle-royalty-dispute/ The reason this new case is interesting is because there are now a number of studios profiting off of streaming technology. If some studios insist on writing trash contracts without cutting fair percentages that include such services, then they definitely should be hearing from the lawyers. That's how this works. To think that other actors and other contract workers in the industry aren't watching this with keen interest is to be missing the forest for the trees. For me, who the employee is, how high profile they are, or whether or not I agree with what they say publicly (or not) doesn't really matter. The point is that Disney truly doesn't care about its contracts and is hiding behind the pandemic to keep from renegotiating terms. That is my take away in this case and the company's misbehavior affects more people than Johansson.
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