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RavenHawk

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  1. RavenHawk
    eBay. They go for more (once you factor in shipping, evening combined) if you get them individually, but there's a seller that puts up lots of the set every once in a while (I think it's a store in Hong Kong), and then discounts them by 30% every few weeks. That, plus a 15% off coupon, got them to where I was comfortable with the price. The crazy thing is, people on Amazon are trying to sell the same figures for over $100 a piece.
  2. RavenHawk
    Big week for Megazone items for me. Both my Freeing E=X Garland and my set of Organic figures came in. Starting with the Organic figures: Holy crap, these things are tiny. I mean, I knew they were small, based on a couple CollectionDX reviews, but somehow it just didn't sink it. These are small... as in, they pretty much fit riding on the old Yamato Garlands (a little too big for Arcadia or Freeing, though). That said, they're surprisingly posable, and are just kind of fun. I paid $50, including shipping, for a new-in-box set of all 5 (Garland, Proto Garland, GR-002 Military Garland, Hargun, Space Hargun), and I feel like that's the limit of what they're worth. Wouldn't pay a penny more, but I don't feel ripped off either. Plus, I finally have a Hargun! On to the Freeing E=X Garland: All of the complaints about this toy are correct and are justified. So very many things are wrong with it... but... I opened the box and, of course, the legs flop off to the sides. I then decided to have some fun and try to figure out the transformation without looking at the instructions. It took a long time, but I did it. I would liken it to devoting your evening to one of those Hellraiser puzzle boxes, with an arguably similar pay off at the end. Having said that, and leaning the final robot mode in a corner so that it can sort of stand up, it looks gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. I love the look of it. My thoughts at this point were, "What a unique way of shipping an assembly-required poorly-balanced statue of a robot. Instead of putting the parts on runners, stick them into a vaguely motorcycle-shaped mashup for shipping, then they can get taken out of the box, fall apart, and the buyer can assemble their robot statue and stick it somewhere for display forevermore. Novel!" A few days later, I transformed it back... and back again, with the instructions this time to confirm that I did it right the first time. And then I transformed it a third time... and it was kind of fun. The arms pop out of the sockets constantly, but don't break. Just set them aside and pop them back in after you're done with the legs. The thighs are constantly splitting apart into two pieces, a couple other parts do similarly... but they don't break. Just slide them back together. The leg transformation is very cool. Finicky, but cool. Cooler every time you do it, as it feels more intuitive. Basically, the engineering is really impressive, it's just that the execution is horribly horribly flawed. However, the more I transform this thing, the more I enjoy it. Again, every complaint that others have about these is completely justified. Despite that, I still like it, and am glad a transforming toy of this exists. I got mine for half price, and I'm ok with that. Now, if I'd paid full price for it, I'd probably be violently angry. If anyone wants to see pics of any of the above, let me know and I'll post some, but I figure most have already seen them.
  3. RavenHawk
    I wouldn't say legally "required", but yes, they'd risk losing their registered trademarks. I don't think I'd agree with you on the physical goods side of things. They're still protectable by copyright. Statues can be protected by copyright, architecture, etc. To me, these are a clear case of derivative works... but I think I've already derailed this thread enough. I think that Hasbro could go after these companies, but what matters is that Hasbro isn't going after them, and the collector market has a wonderful selection of awesome things to choose from, whatever your tastes may be.
  4. RavenHawk
    I'm sorry, but this article is just horribly misinformed. This is the kind of stuff people read online and then think that it is based on actual statutes and caselaw, and leads to more and more misconceptions. Some of my favorite parts: "You see, if someone were to release a graphic T-shirt with beloved Autobot Bumblebee’s face on it, it’s not a big deal. If that T-shirt had Bee’s face, the Bumblebee movie logo, and the Transformers brand logo all present, that’s a big no-no. The logos and branding are trademarks that cannot be duplicated for individual sale." Except that the shirt with Bumblebee's face on it WOULD still be infringing. There would be very strong arguments that it would infringe the copyright on that face design, it would infringe commonlaw trademarks associated with it, and would likely be considered false designation of origin, unfair competition/deceptive acts, "passing off", etc. "These companies, affectionately referred to as ‘Third party” in the collector’s community, are safe from large corporations taking action against them because they are very carefully avoiding infringing upon trademarks and copyrights. They never use actual names of characters, often opting to create fun word play that closely resembles it or one based on character traits. They do not include trademarked faction symbols, brand logos, recognizable semiotics or sign symbols, or any verbiage specific to their unique playability (i.e. Headmaster, Duocon, Triple Changer)." Similarly,these figures that look darn near identical to the originals, and are clearly and intentionally based upon them, are still derivative works, which are protected by copyright. Oh, and changing a name to something very similar to a trademark, meant to make you think of the trademark, but not actually identical to the trademark... that still very often falls under trademark infringement. "The only thing that these new versions of old classics might infringe upon is intellectual property and that’s a tough one to defend." Yeah, uh, the trademarks and copyrights you've been talking about... those are intellectual property. Don't get me wrong: I love 3P stuff. I just don't like when people who don't properly understand what they're talking about talk about it like they're experts. In my opinion, and this is only a personal opinion, I suspect that Hasbro doesn't go after 3P companies and products because, though they would have a strong chance of proving copyright infringement and commonlaw trademark infringement in court, it just isn't worth the hassle for something that isn't eating into their profit much, if at all, would not lead to much of a financial award from the court compared to the cost of getting there, and would damage their reputation. The stuff that is directly knockoffs, in registered trademark infringing packaging, and is literally chipping away at their profits, however, is a different story.
  5. RavenHawk
    Thanks. I knew I must have missed more.
  6. RavenHawk
    The old Marvel comics were really way better than they had any right to be, and IDW kept the old series going while doing a new/rebooted one. The new one was really good last I read it, and the old one... well, I still have my copies of the Snake Eyes trilogy.
  7. RavenHawk
    Those were the only two that I noticed. The second one was blatant, but the first one I actually rewatched that part of the episode, in the hopes that there were some easter eggs like that (I missed it the first time around). Were there others?
  8. RavenHawk
    I feel dumb... but I think I missed most of them.
  9. RavenHawk
    What mess? I haven't read IDW's GIJoe stuff in about 3 years or so (maybe more like 5), but I remember liking it before that.
  10. RavenHawk
    from the pics I've seen, I agree with you on all of that except for the cowl. It just looks... off... to me.
  11. RavenHawk
    I have the two-pack of Crash Hog and Dumpyard pre-ordered from BBTS and am really looking forward to it. Great review! FYI, this is the only piece of concept art I remember seeing for Wreck Gar (from Floro Dery, who I believe did the bulk of the movie concept art).
  12. RavenHawk
    I will admit that I've ordered a few things directly from them over the years (i.e. when they were on clearance). Their shipping rates are excessive, and the items aren't packed very professionally. That said, one time when I had an issue with a product and emailed them to let them know, Steve emailed me back apologizing and send out a replacement within a day. I think he might be the only employee there.
  13. RavenHawk
    I don't get the love for Wingblade (I might be misremembering her name). It sort of felt like one of those "Hey everybody, here's the next hot character that you all love. Take our word for it." I guess the design appeals to other people, just not me (beyond reminding me of how cool I thought Thrust's jet mode when I first saw it as a kid). Wasn't this character a contest winner at IDW or something along those lines?
  14. RavenHawk
    I posted in another thread a couple weeks ago how shocked I was getting in some recent actual "toys", and not being worried about breaking them. I've gotten so used to collectibles or toys that are 30+ years old.
  15. RavenHawk
    I got to of each from the original release, precisely to a) keep one in each mode, and b) to do my part to keep the line going and hopefully get a full set. I just wish that when they did re-releases they added in some new accessories or something. Actually, I take that back. If they did, I wouldn't be able to hold back and I'd get two each of the new ones too. As it stands, I can't justify getting the new releases just for the minor improvements (and my bank account is probably happier for it).
  16. RavenHawk
    Big yes to that!
  17. RavenHawk
    I kind of wouldn't mind seeing them take a stab at the Alpha/Legioss at this scale.
  18. RavenHawk
    For around half of what it was going for with a number of retailers when it was first released (and around $100 less than what the cheaper retailers were offering it for then), I decided to pull the trigger. Really, the biggest factor was my concern that we might never get an Arcadia E=X, and I'd be regretting having passed this up down the road. So many of my collecting choices are motivated by my continued regret for having passed up the Studio HalfEye Maneuver Blade...
  19. RavenHawk
    Just rewatched the series of MZ23 movies... which led to the craving for new toys/display pieces to fill up those Megazone shelves in my display cases. Went online, saw that there were no updates on new products from Arcadia since the images of the full color Proto Garland a couple months back. That means that we will probably be getting the Proto Garland not before mid 2019... hopefully the Hargun, but not before mid 2020 (I'd guess)... and who knows when for the E=X, if ever. Look what you made me do, Arcadia!
  20. RavenHawk
    I have mixed feelings on it. I get why they did it, design-wise and Aramaki-redesign-wise. It also makes for a decent look with the figure on it. However, from a motorcycling point of view, it doesn't make sense considering the terrain these bikes would be designed to be able to ride on. Overall, I am extremely happy with these toys, and am really glad that they exist. I intend on grabbing every one they put out, including any variants they might do later to capitalize on their molds. That said, from a minor gripe approach, I think the bikes should be a bit bigger relative to the figures, and that might also have helped with foot peg placement.
  21. RavenHawk
    One thing to keep in mind with MAAS toys is that (at least with one of their designers, but possibly all) their designers design the look and transformation of the toy, but then leave it to the factory to make sure it works with this like how parts tab in together, etc. So, depending on the specific factory, there could be a wide range of quality of the final product.
  22. RavenHawk
    My hopes for the Houquet figure (besides the obvious, you know, that we actually get one) are reinforced by seeing the old Beagle prototype again: I hope that we get something genuinely new. I know that a lot of folks want to see a lot of the classic MOSPEADA design but, to me, this Sentinel line is something unique. If they want to do a classic looking line later, awesome, please do! But, for this current line, I like the reimagined look and I'd love them to go as far as they can (within what they can afford, having to reuse molds) towards a very new and updated look. Preferably more to it than just some of the new line's parts from the first figures, and the rest is old/classic Houquet.
  23. RavenHawk
    Maybe Arcadia could have done that, releasing their MZ23 kickstarter stuff first, and then putting in the corrections to their main line. (I just noticed that their character figure for the kickstarter seems to just be a repaint of their GFP line of figures... which also haven't come out yet)
  24. RavenHawk
    Weren't there model kits of the Bioroid in the '80s (the Matchbox one later doesn't count, since it was so far off from the lineart)? This was posted a long time ago on this site: Found this while doing a quick search. Gotta love the hover bike. http://www.zormaster.com/southerncrossmodels.html
  25. RavenHawk
    I have two of the Mayhem Mekanics/Unrustable Bastards (Spector General and Otomo), and those were "produced" by MAAS Toys (according to the box). Very very high quality, though I don't know if they use the same factories for every one of their product lines. I think they may switch, since I think I heard that that line was a different manufacturer than some of their previous stuff (I may be wrong though).
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