Random Thoughts From Out of Nowhere

[Dekafox]

Looking up more info on it, it apparently came out in 85 originally, so not sure - depends on if Krang and co were in the comics I guess. However it looks like they're kickstarting a new edition: https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ge-mutant-ninja-turtles-and-other-strangeness

 

[Caldwin]

Uh...wasn't looking to start a whole go out and buy the book, compare stats and do this scientifically thing. This was more of a grade school playground batman vs. superman type thing. I was just thinking probably the mind flayers would eat like kings for a while.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Depends how long it'd take the Utroms to mobilize and counter-attack. One big consistent thing with mind flayers is that they don't have huge numbers on their side. Against Utrom tech, they wouldn't hold out for long in an all-out war.

So, the mind flayers have an early advantage at hit-and-run attacks, but in a drawn-out conflict, the Utroms win by attrition.

 

[unluckiness]

Despite the variation over different Turtles incarnations, my biggest takeaway ofUltroms is that they are generally incompetent so assuming a decent DM, they’re losing.

 

[Caldwin]

Depends how long it'd take the Utroms to mobilize and counter-attack. One big consistent thing with mind flayers is that they don't have huge numbers on their side. Against Utrom tech, they wouldn't hold out for long in an all-out war.

So, the mind flayers have an early advantage at hit-and-run attacks, but in a drawn-out conflict, the Utroms win by attrition.

I like this. It could be a whole crossover horror story. Utroms start disappearing and the hero Utrom finds out it's because these monsters from a different universe are eating them. Then it's an all out war with massive losses on both sides through attrition. Utrom society is only saved because of numbers.

 

[unluckiness]

I bought a knockoff figuarts Kong for like $12. Think i’ll just buy an official one. Paint’s shit and tolerances are all over the place. I can fix paint but the falling-apart ness isn’t something i can do much about. In fact, I had to fix the eyes, mouth, chest scars, axe handle and ace blade. Also it’s not technically bad but the monke was oddly glossy out of the box.

Really proud of the beady little eyes. Could stand to look angrier but that’s on Bandai

 

[Caldwin]

I've never been too keen on knockoffs. Back in the day, just the very word "knockoff" was synonymous with low quality.

But it seems like there's been a shift in recent years, particularly with Hasbro products where the official stuff is overpriced and horrible quality while the knockoffs...in some case...can actually be pretty decent if not actually really good.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It was one thing when KO makers created their molds using disassembled toys. It's another thing when they're creating their molds from stolen CAD, and just using the original molds when no one's looking.

 

[Princess Viola]

I got a KO of the old 1/55 Takatoku Valkyrie for like $30 on Amazon recently. It's all plastic and the company who makes it (HappyWell IIRC) has been making these KOs since the mid-2000s (I think their earliest ones had diecast still) but it's honestly totally fine.

Like it's got all the same articulation, transforms the same, plastic quality is...I'd say it's like roughly around what you'd get with a Transformer figure around the same price so it's not like the brittle 'Oh this is definitely gonna break easily' feeling plastic you get with cheap KOs. Honestly pretty good if you don't wanna or can't drop hundreds of dollars on a real chunky monkey lol.

 

[Superomegaprime]

It was one thing when KO makers created their molds using disassembled toys. It's another thing when they're creating their molds from stolen CAD, and just using the original molds when no one's looking.

Then there is those who take the original mold and upscale it and sometimes make a few minor alterations, that seems to be the norm at times, from what I can see, they tend to mainly take the most popular characters and do that, or at least the molds they think could use improvements or those looking for the figure having missed the original run, so far, not seen any attempts at recreating the Haslab figures

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I'd be surprised if the HappyWell Valk's plastic is really any worse than the original. The 1/55 Valk's reputation for durability is kinda overblown. It's not bad, but it's not this nigh-indestructible tank Macross fans sometimes make it out to be.

 

[Princess Viola]

Transformers fans: Jetfire is one of the most fragile G1 Transformers toys.

Macross fans: The 1/55 Valk is the most durable toy EVER made!!!

Me: OK but y'all are talking about the same toy here, you know that right?

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It's one of those things that remind me how good Transformers fans have it. The durability we expect is apparently premium by other standards.

 

[Princess Viola]

I think it mostly has to do with Transformers, with exceptions, mostly being a line of children's toys. So HasTak designs and engineers the toys with the expectation that they will be actively played with.

Whereas a lot of other mecha franchises these days make their figures exclusively for the older collector market, where you'll typically just have them on display and only occasionally take them out to play with them. You don't need to be as durable with your toys if the expectation is that these will be handled by teenagers and adults who aren't going to be flying them around and bashing them together like a 7 year old might do.

Shout outs to the Macross Tiny Session toys though. I only own one of them but it's pretty cool lol.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

The downside with collector-aimed lines is that, since they're not built to be durable for play, their joints tend to fail after a few years. And some lines just love to shove them full of die-cast metal parts, so the extra weight breaks them down even faster. It's one reason I've never invested in a Soul of Chogokin figure (aside from the price tag).

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I bought one SOC. Xabungle. The hips appear to be connected. They can spread. They can swivel. But they seem to have no independent forward or backwards movement. They barely move forwards or backwards at all, and only together.

This was 2005. Meanwhile we had Cybertron toys on retail shelves.

 

[unluckiness]

I have six. Voltes V, Daimos, Megazord, Dragonzord, Gaogaigar , his hammer and Shin Mazinger Z. Shin Mazinger is about as good as it gets but has some issues with proportions due to tranformation and being a retool. Voltes is okay in terms if quality but has shit articulation that he can’t pull off his iconic poses. Daimos is in the same boat but with a side of floppy legs due to more die cast. The Megazord was floppier than I’d like out of the box but isn’t bad and can hold a pose. GGG was terrible. He doesn’t even attempt to support his own weight. The hammer is a hammer but way too big and heavy that even with the included stand it’s a chore to get GGG in a decent pose. The dragonzord’s shoulders disintegrate, they didn’t sent out replacements since it happens about a year after release and they have the gall to reissue the damn thing.

Overall, hug Bandai. Takara has its problems but at least their characters get other options for toys.

 

[Princess Viola]

Hasbro spent like $500 million to buy Power Rangers and now they've literally given up the damn toy license to another company.

I miss Bandai America and Bandai America sucked ******* ass.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

I've heard the Metal Robot Spirits line of Gundam figures are solid, but they're also expensive, tend to have limited production runs and rarely get reruns, and whoever decides on the releases has a hard-on for obscure 00 variants. How much of a market is there for ten very slightly different versions of Gundam Exia at $200+ a pop?

 

[Princess Viola]

I think the only collector-aimed mecha figure I own (outside of my few MP Transformers) is one of Yamato's original 1/60 scale VF-1 Valkyrie figures from like...2001-2002.

It's fine? I mean I paid like $120 for it and I knew going in about the figures shortcomings (it fuckin partsforms,: you have to remove the legs when you transform it, the transformation is still a pain even with the partsforming, the hands used for transformation can't hold the gun well, and overall you can just tell that this was their first go at it) but it's fine? Obviously I'm not taking it out all the time and playing with it, but I've handled it several times, transformed it, posed it, I don't feel like it's gonna break or anything. And as far as I know, it doesn't really have any breakage issues or at least no major ones where it's like 'EVERYONE WHO HAS THIS FIGURE BE CAREFUL WITH THIS PART, THAT IS WHERE IT WILL BREAK IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL'.

Only thing I'm careful of is where I put the legs when they're detached and I'm transforming the rest of the figure because most of the diecast is in them and I don't want to risk chipping the paint (I think there are a couple minor blemishes but it was like that when I got it, it is an over 20 year old toy, I did not buy it expecting it to be in 100% pristine condition)