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technoblue

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  1. technoblue
    That was just a sidebar. :P I like my Arcadia 4G. I think it would be cool to see Arcadia continue with the mold and release additional paint schemes. I think having something different would help to boost/keep interest between their new projects. On a related note, I hope this pause with the 4G and the Roy box set is temporary.
  2. technoblue
    I guess I'm confused by what people define as holy grail. For me, holy grail items are items that I never expect to see released rather than items I missed or that I couldn't afford when they were available. And since the VF-4G and the DYRL SDF-1 have been released, with the 1/60-scale VF-4G has getting two releases from two companies, I don't count either as holy grail items. My holy grail items include things like a 1/3000 scale TV SDF-1, 1/3000 Battle 7, 1/60 VF-17T, or 1/60 VF-11MAXL. The Macross 7 stuff is niche and enigmatic, even among Macross fans, so I doubt I'll ever see those items hit the market. The TV SDF-1, with the MegaHouse version testing the waters today could go from holy grail status to reality, but time will tell.
  3. technoblue
    Has the VF-4G become a false grail?
  4. technoblue
    Mr. K has a knack for dodging the machine translator. This looks like a repair log of some sort to me. He may be trying to help a customer verify parts for a fix (but that's just a guess on my part).
  5. technoblue
    I completely agree with you about the head, and the head armor, Scyla. Maketoys did a better job with those out-of-the-box details. It may be a long shot, but it would be cool if MMC offered an alternate head at some point like they have done for the Feral Rex bots. I had no idea where to put the bicep armor. I left those pieces on the trailer, which is why they are missing in my pictures.
  6. technoblue
    I had to keep reminding myself that this was for sci-fi films only, and then I was happy that I've only seen three that got ranked: Star Trek V (too many questions) Superman IV (too much spandex) Highlander II (not enough scotch)
  7. technoblue
    Speak of the devil...pre-orders are up for the X releases of Stomp and Soar. I placed my Stomp order immediately, but I have a conundrum with Soar: Do I take the red or blue pill? Edit: I decided to go with FT-05XT. Not only does this scheme look like the toy box art, but it also looks closer to the art from the old comics.
  8. technoblue
    Space Robo looks fantastic.
  9. technoblue
    BBTS sent out my replacement for Sever last week and it arrived today. This is the first return that I've had to process with them, and it was quite painless from start to finish. The new toy is in great shape, unlike the first copy that I received which had a bum shoulder. Next to MMC's Hexatron, Sever is also one of the larger 3P Transformers that I own. Given that I sold off MP Star Saber, and will soon sell my last copy of MP Ultra Magnus, the only other transforming things that I have which match Sever in height are my Yamato/Arcadia Macross Zero Valkyries. I had Nora's SV-51γ out on display in Battroid mode, for instance, and her Valkyrie was staring down Snarl. Yeah, he's tall, but not bulky like Guttur is in robot mode. I know some prefer that hulked out look for the dinobots, but it is not for me. I prefer Sever's look and I like how he still transforms into a robo-stegosaurus. The short story is that there are options, and everyone can pick up something fun. I'm in for the X versions of Sludge and Swoop. I'm still debating whether I should complete the team with Fans Toys' version of Grimlock and Slag.
  10. technoblue
    I hope Takara doesn't skimp on the details if they do decide to release an MP Jazz. But I fear the trend for cartoon accuracy.
  11. technoblue
    I don't see her expression as emotionless. I do think the change is subtle between the different faces, with her glaring face adding angles to the brow/eye line along with those pursed/serious looking lips. It definitely is more of a business face than the kind face that has been on display with the figure thus far. I think a third face would be cool to add variety, but I don't know if I would want a yelling face on Samus like the one included with the Motoko Kusanagi figmas.
  12. technoblue
    Yeah, I started losing hope with the last update. And then when cdjapan had stock and I didn't bite, I decided that I really didn't need this Valkyrie at all. There are too many good things on the horizon. Those of you who are still waiting for HLJ have one less obstacle/person in line ahead of you.
  13. technoblue
    On the KO, the hinge for the hood is one of those joints that is not as stiff as the one on the official version. This makes it easier to place as a hood in alt mode, but in robot mode the pieces have a tendency to flop around on the back of Tracks' legs. The hood, itself, is the same exact size on both toys and uses the same exact pieces. On my copies, those parts do not click into place or have any tabs. At least, not that I can see by inspecting the pieces. What the KO does have is a lip of blue metallic paint on the inside edge of the engine compartment. This helps to give a better illusion of a closed compartment when the hood is down. My official Tracks only has this lip of blue on one side of the engine compartment. And that's unfortunate, because the silver paint does stick out even when the hood is placed in exactly the same spot on both toys. With regard to your other question, my official Tracks is less of a tolerance nightmare than my KO. The KO does not want to click together in alt mode without a lot of mussing and fussing. I think the cockpit/chest area on my KO acts a lot like it does on your official MP, David. It angles up and creates an obvious gap. You can see the differences in the profile shots below. The KO is on the left. For me, the real downer is something that I have been noticing the more I have been comparing the two cars: the KO copy appears to have dimples in the plastic, whereas the official MP does not have any dimples that I can see. Here's another shot of the KO. Three dimples are visible. One on top of the car to the right of the Autobot symbol and two at the rear of the car.
  14. technoblue
    Jazz has some new paint: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/1054199-generation-toy-jazz-j4zz-69.html#post13680341 I dig it. I dig it more than the silver Martini-esque racer from the earlier photos.
  15. technoblue
    I'm in no way a Beast Wars fan, and I have to admit that the Cheetor prototype is looking very cool. Edit: Rain stalled the outdoor chores this morning, but I was able to do my MP Tracks comparison! At first glance the official Takara version of MP-25 Tracks and the KO release look dead-on exact. I fooled myself because I opened and transformed the KO first, and I hadn't had a chance to check out the official version until I put both side-by-side today. Once I did that, there were things that stood out. I think one of the questions MP collectors will have to ask themselves is, are the differences worth the asking price of the official Takara release? For instance, Takara does a better job with the packaging. But I know there are others who think that stuff is fluff/superficial and saving money is more important. Hopefully, this comparison will go to further explain what you are getting for your hard-earned cash. Here are both versions in alt mode. The KO is displaying the autobot symbol. Alas, my KO has a paint smudge on the bonnet/hood that is visible, especially when the light hits that metallic blue paint. The official version did a better job with full, clean coverage. And the colors seem to pop more. I don't know how else to describe it. Perhaps the official Takara release received an extra coat of color in places where the KO did not? I'm not sure. In alt mode, my Takara copy also locks together very well. My KO has an issue where the back piece does not want to lock in place on one side. In robot mode, it is getting somewhat difficult to tell these guys apart. The obvious difference (and what most people point out) is that the KO has rubber tires, which is nice and makes for a very smooth roll. But it is not a 100% win since one of the wheel rims on my KO had warped plastic out of the box. You can see how it looks now in the image above, which incorporates a fix where I attempted to work some of the plastic back in shape. I can live with it, but that plastic is soft in that area, and I'm not sure if it should be. BTW, the KO is on the right, and the knackered rim is KO Track's right shoulder.For the official version, all of Track's wheels, even though they are plastic, are in excellent shape. Here is a closer shot of both to get a better look at the head sculpt: Getting away from defects, both the official MP and the KO come with ratchets in the arms and legs. The official version feels like it has more pronounced ratchets and slightly stiffer joints in places (the hips, the ankles, the shoulders, the chest piece, the little white missiles, and the wings). On the KO, the ratchets are softer and the joints are easier to work with (some might say that they are looser). I didn't think that this hurt the figure in either case, but time will tell. Both the official version and the KO have the same locking tabs in robot and alt mode. I didn't notice any new tabs in the KO version. The one noteworthy difference is that the official version will slip out of the tab slots in spots (like at the shoulders) if I am not careful when posing the toy. The KO avoids this problem due to the fact that most of the joints are easier to manipulate. My hope is that the official version will loosen up some over time like the larger MPs have done.. Of course, KO tracks includes all the same accessories as the official release (even the stand). I did appreciate that the stand was taped to the plastic clamshell in the official MP box. It was a subtle thing, but it was also a nice touch that was not included with the KO packaging. So is the KO worth it? Maybe. The price is right, no doubt. The problem is with the defects because you might find that perfect one and be happy or you might get a dud, and that creates a sort of lucky draw for these. Granted, the same can be said for the official MPs. That said, I am happy with both Takara's Tracks and Road Rage. KO Tracks seems to be more of a novelty, albeit a fun one.
  16. technoblue
    Is anyone else planning to pick up PX-07 Triton (Paddles)? I was planning to pass, even though it is a remold of Neptune and I think Neptune is one of the better figures in this line (next to Vulcun/Grimlock). But Planet X went and included an incentive this time: new translucent swords for Caelus. It's silly that this would make me flinch for the new mold, but it has. I didn't mind having the opaque swords when there wasn't an option to have something else, but now there is.
  17. technoblue
    If the price was higher, I might be more picky about the paint. I'll try to post some lousy cell phone photos this evening or tomorrow. I think there is enough of a quality variance between each KO release that it's better to wait and see, or just stick with the official version, but when a good one comes out it is a bummer to see what Takara might have done in some parallel universe.
  18. technoblue
    I can confirm that there is a lot of good in the KO version as I have both it and the official Takara MP Tracks (I was curious after reading about the KO's improvements). And as a transforming toy, I do agree that KO Tracks is better. The locking tabs are improved, the joints aren't as loosey-goosey, and I do appreciate those rubber tires. The one area that is luck of the draw is the paint. My copy has one smudge spot on the hood of the car, and some imperfections on a couple of the painted wheels. I want to take a closer look at the wheels later to see if there is an alignment issue with the tires, but these are minor issues for me. The only other KO I have at the moment is Exhaust, and Tracks improves on that. As an aside, I consider Exhaust a safe KO release too.
  19. technoblue

    Hi-Metal R

    technoblue replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    Hope that helps.
  20. technoblue
    It seems solid with all those ratchety joints, but bot mode scales too big for my taste. I would like this version better if that mode scaled closer to MP Soundwave's height and no taller than MP-10 at the head.
  21. technoblue

    Hi-Metal R

    technoblue replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    Max fell in love because Milia appreciated his video game hobby. I think Kakizaki was trying to beat his high score or something. He couldn't have that kind of competition. It's really not meant to be taken that seriously.
  22. technoblue

    Hi-Metal R

    technoblue replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    You know, Max sure got around. I wonder what ever happened to Ben's twin brother? I think his name begins with a K...
  23. technoblue
    Phew! I'm caught up with the "final season" of Bakemonogatari, which I noticed does not include the last volume of Owarimonogatari or any of Zokuowarimonogatari. I did "read" ahead and spoil myself somewhat with Ougi. Mostly, after catching up with the anime, I wanted to confirm if my suspicions for this character were correct and they were. Now I can't wait to see it play out.
  24. technoblue
    By combiners, are you including all combining toy robots (like the chogokin releases) or are you limiting yourself to Transformers only? Either way, it sounds like an interesting idea to me.
  25. technoblue
    Yeah, the usual US stores have them like BBTS, TFsource, The Chosen Prime, Toy Dojo... For other stores, I've seen stock at TF-Direct, Ages 3 and Up, and Kapow Toys. No Japanese sites, though.
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