I have their Deathsaurus, and it is excellent, so I suspect this one will be a great toy as well.
EDIT: It's also just impressive how they managed to make that car alt-mode out of Deathsaurus's space-dragon/Doubledealer's vulture mode. MMC is known for being very business-cautious, and for their Reformatted line, probably 90% of the molds are released with an existing plan to remold them into another character (to maximize income while minimizing work and risk). Sometimes it's a pretty obvious and minor remold, but with this one I think they really came out of the left field.
We pretty much stopped too. I still pick up the occasional Stitch for my shelf, and we have an ongoing collection of nice people (Mr. Rogers, Steve Irwin, Jim Henson, etc) that I think we might add the new Dolly Parton to, but that's about it.
I really wish they'd reissue their Strika. Missed out on her the first time and so far it's the best representation of her I've seen.
Yeah, I think she's on a lot of people's wish lists. The Reformatted line is prooobably sunset at this point (there's been some mixed reports, but they all trend towards the line either having no new releases at all, ever, only reissues, or having an occasional special new release every once in a rare while; in any case, it's very much on the back-burner), so I dunno how likely Strika is to get a reissue. I think the last time MMC was asked about her, they said "not in the foreseeable future".
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited March 2023
My gaming store got in the weirdest thing. It's from a company called "HandMade By Robots" and it's knit/doll like versions of popular characters. Only.. they aren't actually knit or stuffed or anything. They are vinyl, patterned to look like wool and other fabrics.
Like... hell, set yourself apart and make actual stuffed dolls at that point. Not weird plastic thingies.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Does anyone else on the forums own a Metroplex?
Looking at videos/reviews, I get the impression that my ratchets may be much looser than they should be. So I started to take him apart...
This is the main ratchet I want to focus on - the ab crunch. It feels very weak given the amount of weight is on the top of the figure. Unfortunately, I've been stopped by pins - if I want to disassemble this ratchet, I need to figure out how to get the pins out without damaging anything.
The main thing I'm curious about: Can you hear two ratchets in the ab crunch, or just one?
The mold LOOKS like there are spots for two ratchets, on either side. But one of mine doesn't make any sound but feels like it is rubbing. The other is super loose and makes a different sound depending on which direction you twist it, which was a sign of a broken ratchet in my other toy.
So I want to see if anyone else can distinctly hear 2 ratchets, on either side of the waist.
First is the Covenant of Primus. This is a Transformers lorebook that is basically the Bible (not story bible, but religious bible) for the Aligned continuity (which included the War for/Fall of Cybertron videogames, Transformers Prime, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) and Transformers: Rescue Bots of all things). It details the creation of the first 13 cybertronians (demigods known as the Primes) up to the arrival of the Autobot/Decepticon war on Earth, presented as a translation to English by way of Alpha Trion, one of the Thirteen, as a gift to the people of Earth.
The biggest problem with this book is that, not to put too fine a point on it, it's horribly overpriced. Even when it was first released back in 2013, it was $100 for a 160 page hardcover book. Why is it so expensive you might ask? Well, they couldn't just release a book, no that'd be too easy! They had to include a special transforming Autobot sigil to store the book in.
You can even slap some batteries into this thing so it makes transforming noises as you open it.
Completely ridiculous and kinda pointless and jacks up the price of an item that already isn't exactly Shakespeare. Now, you might ask, how did I get ahold if this when the asking price of $100 makes me balk in 2023, let alone the ridiculous numbers it's going for today? I have been eyeballing this book for years now, but the price has always been exorbinate.. until I found a charity auction. At that point any sense of proper value went out the window and I could go hog wild because who cares, it's for charity. I wound up paying a little more than I had hoped, but less than some of the auctions I've seen for it, so I think I made out okay. Though now I have this stupid autobot shield to deal with. Luckily it comes with a hole that allows you to hang it, though the box only says to do that after you take out the book.
As for the book, I read the first chapter and it's not great but I'm exactly the kind of nerd who will eat it up regardless, so hey, whatever.
The second item I have to show off is the A.L.I.C.E. frame for my Haslab Proton Pack.
This is a real deal heavy duty equipment frame that was used by the use military, and was used to make the original proton packs back in the day. Here's the straps the Pack come with and here's the pack with the Alice frame added.
I dunno if I got the right frame, but it fit (mostly). Installation was surprisingly easy, get the straps off was the hard part. I looked up a guide since I didn't want to break my $400 toy, but I could have figured things out on my own I think. I made the mistake of going 'This was really easy' right before putting on the last bracked and it turned out the frame as slightly misaligned. Got it on without too much trouble though. The brackets and screws were actually included with the Pack and it was designed to take the frame, which is a really cool thing of Hasbro to add that they totally did not need to do.
@Athenor I use this pin punch set to remove pins from transformers. The only trick to it is figuring out which end of the pin is knurled, as that's the side you want to come out first.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited March 2023
I grabbed a singular punch, mainly because I don't trust Amazon. But yeah... Hopefully this can get in there far enough.
Edit: YEEES! IT DOES! Okay. Hopefully this will work.
Edit 2: Boo. It doesn't seem to be doing the trick. I think it's working on another pin, but the large pin wasn't coming out. So I suspect I'll need the soldering iron solution.
I mean, even if the punches are just total trash tier material, they're still steel, and I'm knocking pins out of plastic. I hope you can get the larger pin out without damaging anything.
That is the beefiest Optimus Prime I've ever seen. Something about that Bumblebee doesn't quite look right.
Also we got product for "Shine" toys which were the name for Transformers: Rise toys, which WAS the upcoming videogame until it swapped studios and became Transformers: Reactivate, which still isn't out. This was a two pack for a voyager Optimus and deluxe Soundwave. Who knows if they'll ever see the light of day though.
Forever Zefirocloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered Userregular
Optimus looks decent, the details list him as 6.5 inches which should be bigger than the original which is nice, but still too small IMO. Also a lot of empty area (which I'm sure a 3P will fill in), but definitely the best of the bunch
Bumblebee looks cheaper, yet is probably more durable than the original. Definitely front heavy, they didn't do a good job of collapsing his hood/wheel area in. Listed as 4.5 inches, overall meh
Barricade looks cheap and really poorly engineered, like a figure in one of their more younger kid-friendly lines. Lots of gaps, stuff hanging off, pretty disappointing. Also listed as 4.5 inches
IDK why they put these under the "Studio Series" line when it doesn't seem like they've put in the work to keep give them the higher quality that the SS line is supposed to present. But then pretty much all TF stuff seems to be going downhill except for their G1 stuff (particularly the Dinobots, which still have some disappointing cost-saving decisions, like missing core accessories and those lame preposed minifigs)
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I'm panel lining everything including the inner frame and adding additional colors with Gundam Markers, Sharpies, and Molotow Chrome. Not doing a full paint job because I have other projects already waiting.
From several years ago, here's a Mega Sized Zaku II I did in a desert color scheme. We were talking about removing seam lines, and you can see this is a case where I did so as the legs and bazooka would normally have huge seam lines down the middle of them.
Okay, so. I stink with pics, and I am pretty lazy, and some of this may need a little explaining, but here we go.
So here is the big pic of everything laid out I got, minus some Gachapon toys, and a small plush Akita I picked up in Akita prefecture.
The nendroid not on the couch, and the office chair wheels were not part of the haul. haha.
So the anime figures are the first story.
In the past non-posable figures did not make much sense to me. Like you buy them, you can never move them, and they just sit there. They aren't "toys" , so why bother? Anyway, I came around, and now I see what they offer. I don't know I could bring myself to spend what some of these figures cost, but I decided I wanted a few for myself.
I figured for this trip I would be able to pick up my first figures for some of the books I am reading, and a few other really popular books / anime. Undead Unluck, Sakamoto Days, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. I was sad that there wasn't anything for Undead Unluck or Sakamoto Days, which I was most looking forward to!
Well, let me tell you. As popular as Chainsaw Man is, there is a DEARTH of figures for the show. So I had to settle on the neat ramen toppers you see there. You are supposed to put them on the top of your instant ramen to keep the lids closed while they heat up. I don't really eat enough instant ramen to need such a thing, but they look pretty cool on the shelf, so there you are.
My favorite character in Jujutsu Kaisen, is no ones favorite. Aoi Todo. So while JJK merch was all over, there wasn't much of him. I did find what you see there, which was a cool series of the main character Yuji Itadori with my dude battling Hanami. It was a great fight in the anime and makes for a pretty cool little figure display.
Moving on from that, Vegeta is my favorite character in Dragon Ball, don't @ me.
Finally one of my favorite characters from One Piece is an antagonist who hasn't been in the show / series for a while. Borsalino, aka Vice Admiral Kizaru. When I was in Japan for the first time in 2018 I saw that figure, and passed on him because at that point I wasn't really into figures. I regretted not getting him then, so when I happened on him again this year, I rectified that mistake.
As I have explained to @Betsuni , now that Macross valkyries are being released in the states, I am making up for lost time. Also, now that I am traveling to Japan if I see one new on the shelf, I will probably scoop that up too. Which is how I ended up with The Hi Metal behind the kaiju.
Which, speaking of the Kaiju. That's Shin Godzilla, Millennium Godzilla, and Angirus protecting my home from Gigan, Mecha Godzilla, and Destroyah. Those are basically cheap kids toys, they are like $12 each, and I've seen them every time I've gone, and regretted picking them up every time. So this year I decided to address that mistake and bring some home with me.
The hard to make out green and white box is a die cast model of an E5 series Shinkansen. It was the first actual Shinkansen train I saw in person on our first trip, and due to the elongated nose I feel is probably the most striking. So when I visited the Railway Museum and had a selection of neat die cast models to pick from as a keepsake, it was an easy choice which one would come home.
If you have ever been to, or ever go to, Japan, you will see plastic food in the windows of restaurants. It is ubiquitous. Near one of the places we stayed this year was a store that sold lots of plastic food as souvenirs, so I got three of my favorite pieces of sushi as fridge magnets. Tuna, Fatty Tuna, and Salmon.
Now, you probably noticed a couple of items I haven't mentioned yet!
We went to the Gundam Factory in Yokohama to see the life sized moving RX-78, which is officially designated RX-78F00. We had to do this since we did not want to miss it since it was being removed at the end of this month. Well we learned while there that they announced another extension till 2024, so if you want to see it there is still time!
Now if you are thinking that there would be exclusive merch at the Gundam Factory in Yokohama, you would be correct.
The first neat thing is a small below entry grade level model of RX-78F00 that everyone got with paid admission. It's pretty weak if you know gunpla, but it was also free! So cool!
The other thing I got, which is only sold directly at the Gundam Factory is a Chogokin of RX-78F00. Since I don't have any RX-78's at all, and it is the grand daddy of all Gundam, I figured it was appropriate that I buy one.
He is super awesome, I will probably take more pics when I open him up since the box doesn't begin to do him justice. There was a "night time effects" version as well, but that was sold out, sadly. It looked even more rad.
Well thats about it minus some gacha, like I said. I hope this didn't bore yall since the pics are terrible!
HexDex on
If you are reading this add me.
D3: HexDex#1281, PSN: DireOtter, Live: DireOtter
+10
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Those pictures are great!
I know I hype Kotobukiya a lot, but... they are making Chainsaw man statues, just as a heads up.
Was moderately surprised to discover the Stuart/Roald 2pack of Funko Pops on clearance at a local Gamestop.
Had known about the Letterkenny Pops but hadn't heard of this pack, and Stuart is one of the wife's favorite characters from the show, so that was an easy purchase.
+1
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Been putting this off for a bit, but...
CHOO CHOO FUCKERS!
Yukikaze has arrived at the station! #3 of the trainbots, the second Shinkansen, the heavy hitter of the group, the other leg...
We're halfway there!
Like before, this release came in a special "Direct from Japan" slipcover that frankly I don't care about. I suspect they do that to avoid confusion for anyone "Accidentally" buying this.. but given the price, I don't see anyone doing that.
Big thing is that this is where the head resides! Raiden isn't really a partsformer, but they couldn't get his head into Shouki, so here we are.
It also came with an interesting booklet about the trains. It's all in Japanese and I haven't hunted down a translation yet, but it does have mold previews of the remaining figures!
Train is train.. and part of the delay is that I didn't want to transform this back after the hell that was transforming it the first time. The instructions are just horrid, and the typical "just transform it" stuff from Emgo and the like aren't out yet.
Thankfully I was pointed to Takara Tomy's official transformation video, which basically shows what each step of the instructions actually means. It helped me get over my fear that I was going to break some parts -- which is good, because apparently a lot of these are breaking right out of the box/factory due to a bad leg assembly!
The legs are very, very hollow. They don't clip in where you'd expect (even with a tab that looks like it was purposefully designed to peg in), so they are not as secure as I'd like. But beyond that, the rest of the fig is just insane. There's even some hidden inner thigh joints that let him splay out his legs further and avoid issues that the earlier trains had!
Raiden's head just kind of... sits in the backpack. This is the same as all the rest of the Raiden accessories, it seems. His backpack is already quite large (and this seems to be a theme of the trainbots), but I really don't mind it.
I also love the touch of the little thrusters, complimenting Shouki's.
So yeah.. 3 of 6! For as similar as they are in alt mode, they are WILDLY different in transformation. They have panels hanging all over them.. but I'm okay with that.
... and I just got notification from Hasbro that another big item I ordered is on its way. Whee.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited March 2023
Soooo... Good news, bad news.
Good news is that after a week of various attempts, I have FINALLY dislodged the pin on Legacy Metroplex. I haven't gotten it fully off yet, and I'm deforming it in the process, but it's finally giving up its secrets. It required soaking the piece in near-boiling water to loosen the entire mass of plastic, and then a ton of force on the pin punch side.
The bad news is that said secret is a completely empty ratchet cavity. Like.. just completely missing parts. It's extremely obvious, even at this point, that there should be SOMETHING in there. I was hoping it was just installed upside-down or something easy to fix. But being empty like it is explains a ton, including how much friction there has been.
What this means is that I'm likely SOL. I doubt I can get the pin back in properly, and even if I did, I don't have the part. So I need to start hunting for a replacement torso piece. Maybe I can get it cheap somewhere.
Edit: Spoiling the old images:
AHA! Finally got it. I basically had to destroy the pin head, but I'm okay with that.
There was no way in hell I was going to get this apart non-destructively. Usually with pins, you see them make use of cross-hatches that bite into the plastic. But this? This was held in there with ribbed steel. Either there was a matching punch on the other side, or it just went in with a TON of force.
So all my attempts at heating up just the pin were accomplishing nothing. There was too much thermal mass, especially given the size of the pin.
Getting it apart pretty much confirmed the ratchet functionality, though. I mean, I knew it from the other half, but you can see how it goes together and uses the parts themselves as part of the ratchet. This also explains the large pin. It doesn't keep the parts together, but keeps them in place once there.
The more good news is that it looks like this should be just as strong via friction, as if the pin were never installed. The way the piece slots together and then assembles into the larger body should (emphasis on should) keep enough pressure for now.
But regardless, there's no true way to fix it. I don't even know if 3d printed ratchet replacements would be possible. Still.. maybe I'll come across a junked one on ebay or something.
Interestingly, a tiger-stripe Grimlock was also pictured in Hasbro's ad, but doesn't appear to be available anywhere yet
Hasbro also has a Warehouse Sale going on through Pulse, 30% off for regular customers, 35% for Premium, with a lot of good stuff in it. Kind of tempted to get that ZAP Dino Megazord...
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
I'm not interested in any of those figures (there's a Mirage in the next wave that will probably be watermelon colored and I might be tempted by that), but I love that this brand is strong enough that the theme of "garish, unreleased decos" is enough to support a store exclusive line.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I'm not interested in any of those figures (there's a Mirage in the next wave that will probably be watermelon colored and I might be tempted by that), but I love that this brand is strong enough that the theme of "garish, unreleased decos" is enough to support a store exclusive line.
It's the kind of thing that perfectly fits for an exclusive line. Nostalgia throwback, smaller production numbers, doesn't piss off people if it's only at a single retailer.
Honestly, the Velocitron stuff (having at least 3 unique molds) was a lot worse.
Forever Zefirocloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered Userregular
Yeah these are fine as exclusives, Cosmos was not
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
+2
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Good lord. everything decided to come in at once.
Whelp. It's ZAP TIME! And my first purchase of a Zord since.. jeez, 2018? whenever Toys R Us collapsed.
I passed on the ZAP Dino Megazord and Dragonzord because I had the Legacy editions. But when they said the 3rd one would be the Astro Megazord...
What insanely nice packaging. I mean, I'd expect that for how expensive this guy was, but... It is still appreciated. It just feels premium. For reference, this was around $180, similar in price to the HasLab Victory Saber and the typical price of Transformers Titans (though Metroplex was $200).
Slipping off the outer cover (and all the stickers holding it in place), we get to the inside.. and see it's quite thick still.
Yet more sealing stickers and we actually open the box...
And under that control panel? Woah. That's bigger than I was expecting.
They say it's plastic free packaging, so I'm not 100% sure what this bag is made out of. It feels wild. But let's keep removing bits!
With the flash lighting it up, all I can see is a "Sad T." Under that were 4 compartments holding various bits and bobs. Taking them all out...
Again.. the Astro Megaship itself is extremely large. When I was a teenager, my bros got this particular Zord, but I always loved the idea... and I swear it was smaller than this.
This is no transformer. Just look at those giant hands, just hanging out there underneath!
While the set does come with super tiny Space rangers, the shuttle also has a nice touch!
It also has its booster sled / cannon.
But what about the Megazord itself? Well...
First and foremost: Articulation! While not perfect (especially in the shoulders and ankles), it is very accurate to its TV self. I'd like it to do more, but.. already it is easily my most expressive Zord. The hands and head are made of softer materials to allow them to work with the ball joints, but the main body is extremely solid plastic. The ratchets are super tight. And he has waist articulation! That's kind of a big deal! You can get some wider poses by unplugging some parts, and of course the hands are swappable. It feels like there might be some more joints/articulation I'm missing, especially with said ankles, but I don't want to risk damaging anything.
But how does he stack up to what came before? Well.. getting out my Legacy Ultrazord would be a little bit of a challenge right now, so I'll just put him next to my Tiger Megazord, and...
Again. Damn. Just a whole other level.
There were some complaints about the materials, floppiness, and overall design of the original ZAP Dino Megazord. But frankly? This is just another level. I know the ship doesn't combine with any others or do some of the more advanced gimmicks, so they could leave it pretty simple... but that has also resulted in just a wonderful figure. I'm so happy I jumped on this.
Posts
EDIT: It's also just impressive how they managed to make that car alt-mode out of Deathsaurus's space-dragon/Doubledealer's vulture mode. MMC is known for being very business-cautious, and for their Reformatted line, probably 90% of the molds are released with an existing plan to remold them into another character (to maximize income while minimizing work and risk). Sometimes it's a pretty obvious and minor remold, but with this one I think they really came out of the left field.
https://kotaku.com/funko-pop-spider-man-harry-potter-post-malone-pokemon-1850178280
We pretty much stopped too. I still pick up the occasional Stitch for my shelf, and we have an ongoing collection of nice people (Mr. Rogers, Steve Irwin, Jim Henson, etc) that I think we might add the new Dolly Parton to, but that's about it.
Like... hell, set yourself apart and make actual stuffed dolls at that point. Not weird plastic thingies.
Injection molding is probably loads cheaper though.
The store owner LOVES Scooby Doo. And from a distance, it does look knit! Well.. depends on the model, I guess.
Looking at videos/reviews, I get the impression that my ratchets may be much looser than they should be. So I started to take him apart...
This is the main ratchet I want to focus on - the ab crunch. It feels very weak given the amount of weight is on the top of the figure. Unfortunately, I've been stopped by pins - if I want to disassemble this ratchet, I need to figure out how to get the pins out without damaging anything.
The main thing I'm curious about: Can you hear two ratchets in the ab crunch, or just one?
The mold LOOKS like there are spots for two ratchets, on either side. But one of mine doesn't make any sound but feels like it is rubbing. The other is super loose and makes a different sound depending on which direction you twist it, which was a sign of a broken ratchet in my other toy.
So I want to see if anyone else can distinctly hear 2 ratchets, on either side of the waist.
First is the Covenant of Primus. This is a Transformers lorebook that is basically the Bible (not story bible, but religious bible) for the Aligned continuity (which included the War for/Fall of Cybertron videogames, Transformers Prime, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) and Transformers: Rescue Bots of all things). It details the creation of the first 13 cybertronians (demigods known as the Primes) up to the arrival of the Autobot/Decepticon war on Earth, presented as a translation to English by way of Alpha Trion, one of the Thirteen, as a gift to the people of Earth.
The biggest problem with this book is that, not to put too fine a point on it, it's horribly overpriced. Even when it was first released back in 2013, it was $100 for a 160 page hardcover book. Why is it so expensive you might ask? Well, they couldn't just release a book, no that'd be too easy! They had to include a special transforming Autobot sigil to store the book in.
You can even slap some batteries into this thing so it makes transforming noises as you open it.
Completely ridiculous and kinda pointless and jacks up the price of an item that already isn't exactly Shakespeare. Now, you might ask, how did I get ahold if this when the asking price of $100 makes me balk in 2023, let alone the ridiculous numbers it's going for today? I have been eyeballing this book for years now, but the price has always been exorbinate.. until I found a charity auction. At that point any sense of proper value went out the window and I could go hog wild because who cares, it's for charity. I wound up paying a little more than I had hoped, but less than some of the auctions I've seen for it, so I think I made out okay. Though now I have this stupid autobot shield to deal with. Luckily it comes with a hole that allows you to hang it, though the box only says to do that after you take out the book.
As for the book, I read the first chapter and it's not great but I'm exactly the kind of nerd who will eat it up regardless, so hey, whatever.
The second item I have to show off is the A.L.I.C.E. frame for my Haslab Proton Pack.
This is a real deal heavy duty equipment frame that was used by the use military, and was used to make the original proton packs back in the day. Here's the straps the Pack come with and here's the pack with the Alice frame added.
I dunno if I got the right frame, but it fit (mostly). Installation was surprisingly easy, get the straps off was the hard part. I looked up a guide since I didn't want to break my $400 toy, but I could have figured things out on my own I think. I made the mistake of going 'This was really easy' right before putting on the last bracked and it turned out the frame as slightly misaligned. Got it on without too much trouble though. The brackets and screws were actually included with the Pack and it was designed to take the frame, which is a really cool thing of Hasbro to add that they totally did not need to do.
Edit: YEEES! IT DOES! Okay. Hopefully this will work.
Edit 2: Boo. It doesn't seem to be doing the trick. I think it's working on another pin, but the large pin wasn't coming out. So I suspect I'll need the soldering iron solution.
https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/03/07/transformers-studio-series-war-for-cybertron-figures-revealed-pre-orders-live-476927
That is the beefiest Optimus Prime I've ever seen. Something about that Bumblebee doesn't quite look right.
Also we got product for "Shine" toys which were the name for Transformers: Rise toys, which WAS the upcoming videogame until it swapped studios and became Transformers: Reactivate, which still isn't out. This was a two pack for a voyager Optimus and deluxe Soundwave. Who knows if they'll ever see the light of day though.
https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/03/04/transformers-reactivate-shine-rise-voyager-optimus-prime-deluxe-soundwave-product-descriptions-476812
Optimus was way too awesome to be a deluxe.
Bumblebee looks cheaper, yet is probably more durable than the original. Definitely front heavy, they didn't do a good job of collapsing his hood/wheel area in. Listed as 4.5 inches, overall meh
Barricade looks cheap and really poorly engineered, like a figure in one of their more younger kid-friendly lines. Lots of gaps, stuff hanging off, pretty disappointing. Also listed as 4.5 inches
IDK why they put these under the "Studio Series" line when it doesn't seem like they've put in the work to keep give them the higher quality that the SS line is supposed to present. But then pretty much all TF stuff seems to be going downhill except for their G1 stuff (particularly the Dinobots, which still have some disappointing cost-saving decisions, like missing core accessories and those lame preposed minifigs)
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
https://www.kotous.com/star-trek-vulcan-science-officer-bishoujo-statue.html
I.. suspect this one will be extremely popular. It's also a bit on the restrained side for the series.
My current project:
I'm panel lining everything including the inner frame and adding additional colors with Gundam Markers, Sharpies, and Molotow Chrome. Not doing a full paint job because I have other projects already waiting.
From several years ago, here's a Mega Sized Zaku II I did in a desert color scheme. We were talking about removing seam lines, and you can see this is a case where I did so as the legs and bazooka would normally have huge seam lines down the middle of them.
So here is the big pic of everything laid out I got, minus some Gachapon toys, and a small plush Akita I picked up in Akita prefecture.
The nendroid not on the couch, and the office chair wheels were not part of the haul. haha.
So the anime figures are the first story.
In the past non-posable figures did not make much sense to me. Like you buy them, you can never move them, and they just sit there. They aren't "toys" , so why bother? Anyway, I came around, and now I see what they offer. I don't know I could bring myself to spend what some of these figures cost, but I decided I wanted a few for myself.
I figured for this trip I would be able to pick up my first figures for some of the books I am reading, and a few other really popular books / anime. Undead Unluck, Sakamoto Days, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. I was sad that there wasn't anything for Undead Unluck or Sakamoto Days, which I was most looking forward to!
Well, let me tell you. As popular as Chainsaw Man is, there is a DEARTH of figures for the show. So I had to settle on the neat ramen toppers you see there. You are supposed to put them on the top of your instant ramen to keep the lids closed while they heat up. I don't really eat enough instant ramen to need such a thing, but they look pretty cool on the shelf, so there you are.
My favorite character in Jujutsu Kaisen, is no ones favorite. Aoi Todo. So while JJK merch was all over, there wasn't much of him. I did find what you see there, which was a cool series of the main character Yuji Itadori with my dude battling Hanami. It was a great fight in the anime and makes for a pretty cool little figure display.
Moving on from that, Vegeta is my favorite character in Dragon Ball, don't @ me.
Finally one of my favorite characters from One Piece is an antagonist who hasn't been in the show / series for a while. Borsalino, aka Vice Admiral Kizaru. When I was in Japan for the first time in 2018 I saw that figure, and passed on him because at that point I wasn't really into figures. I regretted not getting him then, so when I happened on him again this year, I rectified that mistake.
As I have explained to @Betsuni , now that Macross valkyries are being released in the states, I am making up for lost time. Also, now that I am traveling to Japan if I see one new on the shelf, I will probably scoop that up too. Which is how I ended up with The Hi Metal behind the kaiju.
Which, speaking of the Kaiju. That's Shin Godzilla, Millennium Godzilla, and Angirus protecting my home from Gigan, Mecha Godzilla, and Destroyah. Those are basically cheap kids toys, they are like $12 each, and I've seen them every time I've gone, and regretted picking them up every time. So this year I decided to address that mistake and bring some home with me.
The hard to make out green and white box is a die cast model of an E5 series Shinkansen. It was the first actual Shinkansen train I saw in person on our first trip, and due to the elongated nose I feel is probably the most striking. So when I visited the Railway Museum and had a selection of neat die cast models to pick from as a keepsake, it was an easy choice which one would come home.
If you have ever been to, or ever go to, Japan, you will see plastic food in the windows of restaurants. It is ubiquitous. Near one of the places we stayed this year was a store that sold lots of plastic food as souvenirs, so I got three of my favorite pieces of sushi as fridge magnets. Tuna, Fatty Tuna, and Salmon.
Now, you probably noticed a couple of items I haven't mentioned yet!
We went to the Gundam Factory in Yokohama to see the life sized moving RX-78, which is officially designated RX-78F00. We had to do this since we did not want to miss it since it was being removed at the end of this month. Well we learned while there that they announced another extension till 2024, so if you want to see it there is still time!
Now if you are thinking that there would be exclusive merch at the Gundam Factory in Yokohama, you would be correct.
The first neat thing is a small below entry grade level model of RX-78F00 that everyone got with paid admission. It's pretty weak if you know gunpla, but it was also free! So cool!
The other thing I got, which is only sold directly at the Gundam Factory is a Chogokin of RX-78F00. Since I don't have any RX-78's at all, and it is the grand daddy of all Gundam, I figured it was appropriate that I buy one.
He is super awesome, I will probably take more pics when I open him up since the box doesn't begin to do him justice. There was a "night time effects" version as well, but that was sold out, sadly. It looked even more rad.
Well thats about it minus some gacha, like I said. I hope this didn't bore yall since the pics are terrible!
D3: HexDex#1281, PSN: DireOtter, Live: DireOtter
I know I hype Kotobukiya a lot, but... they are making Chainsaw man statues, just as a heads up.
I have not!!!!
I just saw TFW2005 had some pictures of the dealer hall... and have been fighting with my latest trainbot and the insane paneling of it.
I don't follow the figure side of Gundam much, so I'm interested to see more of that Chogokin.
Had known about the Letterkenny Pops but hadn't heard of this pack, and Stuart is one of the wife's favorite characters from the show, so that was an easy purchase.
CHOO CHOO FUCKERS!
Yukikaze has arrived at the station! #3 of the trainbots, the second Shinkansen, the heavy hitter of the group, the other leg...
We're halfway there!
Like before, this release came in a special "Direct from Japan" slipcover that frankly I don't care about. I suspect they do that to avoid confusion for anyone "Accidentally" buying this.. but given the price, I don't see anyone doing that.
Big thing is that this is where the head resides! Raiden isn't really a partsformer, but they couldn't get his head into Shouki, so here we are.
It also came with an interesting booklet about the trains. It's all in Japanese and I haven't hunted down a translation yet, but it does have mold previews of the remaining figures!
Train is train.. and part of the delay is that I didn't want to transform this back after the hell that was transforming it the first time. The instructions are just horrid, and the typical "just transform it" stuff from Emgo and the like aren't out yet.
Thankfully I was pointed to Takara Tomy's official transformation video, which basically shows what each step of the instructions actually means. It helped me get over my fear that I was going to break some parts -- which is good, because apparently a lot of these are breaking right out of the box/factory due to a bad leg assembly!
But hey. We've arrived.
The legs are very, very hollow. They don't clip in where you'd expect (even with a tab that looks like it was purposefully designed to peg in), so they are not as secure as I'd like. But beyond that, the rest of the fig is just insane. There's even some hidden inner thigh joints that let him splay out his legs further and avoid issues that the earlier trains had!
Raiden's head just kind of... sits in the backpack. This is the same as all the rest of the Raiden accessories, it seems. His backpack is already quite large (and this seems to be a theme of the trainbots), but I really don't mind it.
I also love the touch of the little thrusters, complimenting Shouki's.
So yeah.. 3 of 6! For as similar as they are in alt mode, they are WILDLY different in transformation. They have panels hanging all over them.. but I'm okay with that.
... and I just got notification from Hasbro that another big item I ordered is on its way. Whee.
I still maintain that ge should have been Devastator's nemesis, not Omega Supreme.
Good news is that after a week of various attempts, I have FINALLY dislodged the pin on Legacy Metroplex. I haven't gotten it fully off yet, and I'm deforming it in the process, but it's finally giving up its secrets. It required soaking the piece in near-boiling water to loosen the entire mass of plastic, and then a ton of force on the pin punch side.
The bad news is that said secret is a completely empty ratchet cavity. Like.. just completely missing parts. It's extremely obvious, even at this point, that there should be SOMETHING in there. I was hoping it was just installed upside-down or something easy to fix. But being empty like it is explains a ton, including how much friction there has been.
What this means is that I'm likely SOL. I doubt I can get the pin back in properly, and even if I did, I don't have the part. So I need to start hunting for a replacement torso piece. Maybe I can get it cheap somewhere.
Edit: Spoiling the old images:
AHA! Finally got it. I basically had to destroy the pin head, but I'm okay with that.
There was no way in hell I was going to get this apart non-destructively. Usually with pins, you see them make use of cross-hatches that bite into the plastic. But this? This was held in there with ribbed steel. Either there was a matching punch on the other side, or it just went in with a TON of force.
So all my attempts at heating up just the pin were accomplishing nothing. There was too much thermal mass, especially given the size of the pin.
Getting it apart pretty much confirmed the ratchet functionality, though. I mean, I knew it from the other half, but you can see how it goes together and uses the parts themselves as part of the ratchet. This also explains the large pin. It doesn't keep the parts together, but keeps them in place once there.
The more good news is that it looks like this should be just as strong via friction, as if the pin were never installed. The way the piece slots together and then assembles into the larger body should (emphasis on should) keep enough pressure for now.
But regardless, there's no true way to fix it. I don't even know if 3d printed ratchet replacements would be possible. Still.. maybe I'll come across a junked one on ebay or something.
No harm in trying.
Edit: SNEAK ATTACK!
... didn't want to keep bumping the thread, so I'm posting this 2 days later.
Technically this would not be possible in the real world, but it's my train damnit. (also wouldn't be possible if I put it on the tracks.)
G2 Toxitron - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers-Legacy-Evolution-G2-Universe-Toxitron-Action-Figure-7-Walmart-Exclusive/1790971437?athbdg=L1102
G2 Jazz - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers-Legacy-Evolution-G2-Universe-Autobot-Jazz-Action-Figure-5-5-Walmart-Exclusive/1046593811
G2 Cloudcover - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers-Legacy-Evolution-G2-Universe-Cloudcover-Action-Figure-7-Walmart-Exclusive/2427806803
G1 Thundercracker - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers-Retro-G1-Thundercracker-Converting-Action-Figure-5-5-Walmart-Exclusive/2336738411?athbdg=L1102
G1 Hound - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Transformers-Retro-G1-Autobot-Hound-Converting-Action-Figure-5-5-Walmart-Exclusive/1379068896?athbdg=L1102
G.I. Joe:
Big Ben - https://www.walmart.com/ip/G-I-Joe-Classified-Series-Nightforce-David-Big-Ben-Bennett-Action-Figure-6-77-Walmart-Exclusive/1806834516?athbdg=L1100
Range Viper - https://www.walmart.com/ip/G-I-Joe-Classified-Series-Range-Viper-Collectible-Action-Figure-6-76-Walmart-Exclusive/1887913985?athbdg=L1100
Star Wars:
Clone Commander Jesse - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Star-Wars-The-Black-Series-Clone-Commander-Jesse-Star-Wars-Action-Figure-6-Walmart-Exclusive/2570237337?athbdg=L1103
Interestingly, a tiger-stripe Grimlock was also pictured in Hasbro's ad, but doesn't appear to be available anywhere yet
Hasbro also has a Warehouse Sale going on through Pulse, 30% off for regular customers, 35% for Premium, with a lot of good stuff in it. Kind of tempted to get that ZAP Dino Megazord...
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Honestly, I'm interested in Cloudcover and Toxitron. Maybe Grimlock depending on how it looks.
It's the kind of thing that perfectly fits for an exclusive line. Nostalgia throwback, smaller production numbers, doesn't piss off people if it's only at a single retailer.
Honestly, the Velocitron stuff (having at least 3 unique molds) was a lot worse.
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Whelp. It's ZAP TIME! And my first purchase of a Zord since.. jeez, 2018? whenever Toys R Us collapsed.
I passed on the ZAP Dino Megazord and Dragonzord because I had the Legacy editions. But when they said the 3rd one would be the Astro Megazord...
What insanely nice packaging. I mean, I'd expect that for how expensive this guy was, but... It is still appreciated. It just feels premium. For reference, this was around $180, similar in price to the HasLab Victory Saber and the typical price of Transformers Titans (though Metroplex was $200).
Slipping off the outer cover (and all the stickers holding it in place), we get to the inside.. and see it's quite thick still.
Yet more sealing stickers and we actually open the box...
And under that control panel? Woah. That's bigger than I was expecting.
They say it's plastic free packaging, so I'm not 100% sure what this bag is made out of. It feels wild. But let's keep removing bits!
With the flash lighting it up, all I can see is a "Sad T." Under that were 4 compartments holding various bits and bobs. Taking them all out...
Again.. the Astro Megaship itself is extremely large. When I was a teenager, my bros got this particular Zord, but I always loved the idea... and I swear it was smaller than this.
This is no transformer. Just look at those giant hands, just hanging out there underneath!
While the set does come with super tiny Space rangers, the shuttle also has a nice touch!
It also has its booster sled / cannon.
But what about the Megazord itself? Well...
First and foremost: Articulation! While not perfect (especially in the shoulders and ankles), it is very accurate to its TV self. I'd like it to do more, but.. already it is easily my most expressive Zord. The hands and head are made of softer materials to allow them to work with the ball joints, but the main body is extremely solid plastic. The ratchets are super tight. And he has waist articulation! That's kind of a big deal! You can get some wider poses by unplugging some parts, and of course the hands are swappable. It feels like there might be some more joints/articulation I'm missing, especially with said ankles, but I don't want to risk damaging anything.
But how does he stack up to what came before? Well.. getting out my Legacy Ultrazord would be a little bit of a challenge right now, so I'll just put him next to my Tiger Megazord, and...
Again. Damn. Just a whole other level.
There were some complaints about the materials, floppiness, and overall design of the original ZAP Dino Megazord. But frankly? This is just another level. I know the ship doesn't combine with any others or do some of the more advanced gimmicks, so they could leave it pretty simple... but that has also resulted in just a wonderful figure. I'm so happy I jumped on this.