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technoblue

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  1. technoblue

    Hi-Metal R

    technoblue replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    I wonder if this this means that you can swap out the leg armor, and opt for a standard R/L Sylvie configuration (with no gunpod attachment) or the Nexx configuration. I wish we had more pictures of the available parts configurations to confirm. Gotta be patient and see. I'm more curious than anything at this point. I'll definitely be ordering one.
  2. technoblue
    What did Lego do to the Ship in the Bottle set? I was thinking about picking it up, but I don’t know much about it. I’ll be getting Voltron for sure, but as others have noted it looks like I won’t be keeping the out-of-the-box look for long (like UCS Hulkbuster). I want something like the original articulate lions too. All that stuff will have to be modified I guess. I wonder how much the extra mod parts will cost on top of what Lego wants for the base set? * sigh *
  3. technoblue
    Classy, but that wasn’t my point and I’m not intentionally jerking people around for laughs. Something with the shading and detail seems off to me, making the animation in those early episodes with Sousuke and Kaname look uncanny? It is very strange. Maybe I don't have the art vocabulary to describe what I'm seeing very well, but like I said before it makes the characters look flat. Usually good shading adds depth and detail for both manga and anime, giving two-dimensional images the illusion of three dimensions. I wasn’t seeing it in the streaming version of FMP! IV. Instead, I saw something that looked more like Gonzo's FMP!--inconsistent. Perhaps I was more forgiving with the original series. Now, though, with so much good quality anime to choose from, to see inconsistent styling which reminds me (remember this is all IMO) of a throwback to an anime from the early 2000s does get in the way of the story. I would rather watch something I enjoy than force myself to like something that keeps breaking my disbelief. As for the plot, I found myself getting drawn to petty distractions like the initial cliches: Sousuke’s inability to express himself well, the introduction of another Dr. Evil-type mastermind (Leonard). I guess I'm just not that much of a fan these days. I'm sure you are right and it gets better. Things often do, but this one isn't for me. I’m sorry my opinion has ruffled your feathers, but it is what it is.
  4. technoblue
    Yeah. Rouge is frustrating. The wheel locking mechanism doesn’t always work, meaning that you will be fighting with it while transforming her to alt mode. Tansforming her shoulder pauldrons is convoluted rather than intuitive. Also, her playability is made worse by a poorly thought out swappable chest gimmick. I don’t know what FansToys was thinking with that one. Each die-cast chest piece has two tiny plastic screw mounts to connect to her skeleton/frame. The problem is that the tolerances for these plastic pieces are off creating a tight fit in bot mode. If one is unable to transform Rouge exactly right, the paint will flake off as the chest rubs against her lower abdomen—not fun. On my copy, the toon-accurate chest lost the most paint. As an aside, FansToys went all in on a more humanoid look, which to me isn’t really Arcee. I was hoping for more of a robot look. I was surprised how there wasn’t really a balance of options this time. Oh well. Most of FT’s movie bots have been disappointing me. I completely understand where @mikeszekely is coming from now.
  5. technoblue
    +1 I couldn't get passed the first couple of episodes. There was something about the animation that made the characters look unnaturally flat and two-dimensional. It was unnerving and took me out of the show completely.
  6. technoblue

    Hi-Metal R

    technoblue replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    Yes. It’s dependent on the release. Nexx’s Valkyrie is listed as a general-sale item on the Tamashii site and will be available at all the usual online shops, but depending on how popular it is the preorder window could be short.
  7. technoblue
    It was announced back in 2015 with the reactive armor and the Garland (which is due out soon). I guess Arcadia has their own timetable. It's pure speculation, but the 0A brownie (and any Zero reissues) might have been delayed in order for Arcadia to get a handle on the quality. Now that the 0S has been released twice (in both standard and premium format) with good quality, we might see more of the others. Of course, that is if there is time to fit any in before the SV-51 gets released.
  8. technoblue
    Yeah. I hope the 0A brownie is still in development, even if it's just another made-to-order thing. Same with the PF 0D. I hope we get to see that too.
  9. technoblue
    I'm not bothered with Arcadia's pace or their release strategy. If I had the benefit of a complete Yamato v2 collection by now, I would be happy with how Arcadia was giving my wallet a break between their Macross Zero projects. But that's just me. As it is, I'm still looking to pick up a couple VF-1 Valkyries. No, not the 35th Anniversary VF-1. I'm skipping that one; but I am interested in seeing Arcadia reissue other rarer VF-1 Valks, like Max and Milia. A PF Super Ostrich would be very sweet if they get to more DYRL releases. If they do other TV releases, then a PF Max 1A would be nice. Anyway, I'm in no rush to get everything all at once. I can wait. If Arcadia doesn't make anything on my wish list, then Bandai's an option. If Bandai doesn't make it, then I guess I don't really need it.
  10. technoblue
    I would be stoked to see Arcadia release a PF 0D, with the same high quality as the 0S. I'm not sure about the 0A, though. Maybe if they do the rumored ghost booster box set, or if the mass production 0A finally becomes a reality. Yeah, a 0A brownie would get my attention, no doubt.
  11. technoblue
    Yeah, I noticed the dissonance from that scene right off the bat. Not really a trend in western music which leans more toward consonance, and certainly not common for Star Wars. It tickled the part of my brain that knows how to read/play music and has studied music theory (long ago), but I guess if there was one thing that felt out of place that was it. I don't know if they were trying to make the music seem more alien or what, but whatever they were aiming for it missed the tonal mark.
  12. technoblue
    That's Saber Miyamoto Musashi from Fate Grand Order. It looks like the 1/8-scale Ichiban Kuji from Banpresto.
  13. technoblue
    I missed that. I thought you were giving a macro-level criticism. Apologies for confusing things. Literally, it probably won't work like Marvel, but I can see Star Wars coming to its own. There are elements in the older comics (I know the don't count anymore) where force powers are far more influential/powerful than they were in the movies (even the prequels with Yoda bouncing around all over). It would be pretty cool to see force powers used without restraint. I think we saw some of this in TLJ. It came with a cost, though. It would be interesting to see a Dark Jedi use force powers similarly. Rebels and Clone Wars (the animated series) did a good job fleshing out light side and even neutral force users. I would love to see more development of the dark side mythos. And I don't mean that in a creepy way.
  14. technoblue
    There was a line of dialogue...spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the movie...
  15. technoblue
    Like @Keith wrote, I was very comfortable with the actors too. Alden was able to pull off Han very well IMO, and I thought he got all of Solo's mannerisms down. I had no idea it wasn't Peter Mayhew in the Chewbacca costume. That actor was spot on. New Han and new Chewy played well off each other. I guess I don't get your point. Why would you say that Star Wars is a stagnant franchise? The prequels were released, and two popular similarly-animated TV series have been developed and completed. Lucasfilm was sold, which I admit is a debatable point, but Disney is now releasing multiple movies per the Marvel paradigm which will soon result in another complete movie trilogy, a rumored new trilogy, and additional side-stories. I think Star Wars is the healthiest its ever been—and that isn't even considering the toy/model/gaming market. I think the responsibility of who needed/wanted these stories lies with the creators first. In other words, Lucas when he had the rights and now Disney. Fans are always clamoring for their favorite thing to be shown on the big screen. Maybe not Han... maybe someone or something else... or maybe more of Han was exactly what fans wanted, and Disney decided to use this story to ground the new mythology of some larger tale? Who knows? Not sure if we'll ever get to see that data either. But Disney owns the franchise, so they should have the metrics on hand to determine what will do well. Does that mean each movie will be a success? No. I can see how Star Wars is having growing pains, but I still have a positive feeling for what lies ahead.
  16. technoblue
    Interesting. Are you implying that Star Wars (and Solo in particular) might be stagnating due to poor branding/marketing on Disney's behalf? You could be onto something.
  17. technoblue
    As this very thread shows, there are fans who were happy to see more of Han Solo on the big screen. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. It's also worth noting that Lucas and Kasdan had been planning a Solo film before Lucas sold everything to Disney. http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a849876/george-lucas-solo-a-star-wars-story-han-solo-movie-disney-lucasfilm/ The fact that Disney completed the film could be contractual or there could be another reason. Anyway, I'm glad it was completed in any case.
  18. technoblue
    I wouldn’t read too much into Solo’s opening weekend totals. Memorial Day has a history of dragging films down. Solo might not match Beverly Hills Cop II or the original Star Wars as a break-out May blockbuster but it is in a healthy spot. https://www.thestreet.com/amp/slideshow/13588285/1/10-biggest-memorial-day-blockbusters-in-movie-history.html I got to see Solo at the cinema yesterday with the family. It was a treat—had fun with all the new characters. L3 was awesome. Really enjoyed seeing the Falcon’s early days, and I’m very curious about that easter egg that was revealed near the end. Honestly, I’m really into the new generation of Star Wars films. Change isn’t ever easy, but I have a good feeling about this.
  19. technoblue

    Bandai DX VF-31

    technoblue replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Welp. I'm happy to save more money on these DX reissues. I don't need the VF-31J Kai or the modified VF-31F. I could be tempted to pick up the VF-31S on release day if the armor parts set is a real thing. The VF-31E, if it's ever given an official release date, would be nice too. Not to mention the rest of the SH Figuarts Walkure team.
  20. technoblue
    True, but the fact that we have to mod Koot says a lot about how FansToys has changed the direction of their modern designs (outside of the dinos). I forgot about Willis. I have Willis and Gun Dog. Gun Dog, for all the stylistic choices Maketoys made in the looks department, is a lot more fun. I'm not as upset with Willis as I am with Rouge, say, but I won't deny he has a high fiddle factor too. Getting all the junk stuffed into his chest in bot mode isn't fun. It's another instance where the transformation has to be done exactly one way in order to clear all obstacles. Gun Dog remains out on the desk where I can transform him back and forth when I want to. Willis remains behind glass where I'll probably never touch him again until I move.
  21. technoblue
    I have to agree that FansToys seems to be moving to more statuesque 3P Transformers that sacrifice a fun transformation gimmick to get the look right. I know some fans are not bothered by that at all, but for me if a figure includes the gimmick then that adds a lot to the fun value as well. Of the FT figures that I do own, I would say Quakewave and the Dibots strike the best balance between fun and aesthetics. I don't mind that the older releases like Quakewave, Scoria, and Sever sacrifice some cartoon cues to keep the transformation fun and clever. The only other FT releases that I own are Apache, Koot, Rouge, and Sovereign. From this group, Sovereign is definitely the top pick. I started noticing FT adding an obvious fiddle factor, as emgo describes it or over-engineering as Mike describes it, with Apache and Koot. Apache was okay, but for the leg transformation which is a bit of a mess. Koot was okay but had some steps which foreshadowed the bending plastic parts around other plastic parts that they decided to implement with Rouge. Ironically, the plastic origami wasn't what gave me my wake-up call. It was those horrible die-cast chest parts. Rouge was the first time I've seen FT mess up die-cast parts so spectacularly. Not only is the gimmick useless, due to the toon accurate chest not tabbing in, but the different tolerances of the two pieces also cause the paint to rub. I'm not sure how this was missed by the QC team. For me the paint started rubbing/flaking off in the first five minutes of handling. Oh well.
  22. technoblue
    The SV-51 is another one I'm hoping Arcadia delivers on with the first run, whenever they get to releasing it. I don't want to see disintegrating plastic parts again, like I did with my Yamato Nora. Sad day.
  23. technoblue
    And I just pre-ordered Nendo Kamina yesterday...this reveal is not good for my addiction. I don't need another Nendo. I don't need another Nendo. I don't need another Nendo. Hummm.
  24. technoblue
    I hear you on that point. I could use a release, even a standard 0D will do, where the intake warning markings match.
  25. technoblue
    Man, they got me hook, line, and sinker for MP-29+ I must say. Sadly, I got out of Beast Wars MPs, and will be passing on dino Megs. I wonder if this new version of MP-10 will be MP-10+ or if it will have a new number designation? The teasers look good so far, and I don't mind if the whole thing adopts a more toon accurate look like modern G1 MPs. I will be keeping MP-10 anyway, and this gives me more of an excuse to stand MP-10 with Maketoys Despotron. I think those two look better together, anyway. With this new version, I'm hoping Takara will give us a better match for their official G1 Masterpiece Megatron (MP-36). That could be a cool display, if everything works out.
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