So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So, somehow despite paying extra for EMS shipping from Singapore, I still managed to get my MP57 after everyone who preordered in the US did. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled with the outcome of this.

MP57 is of course Skyfire/Jetfire, and is the most recently reelased figure in the Masterpiece line up. After seeing the pretty good job that Hasbro/Takara did on the Siege version, I figured that this figure would just be that one, but with much better production values.

Turns out I'm only half right.

Being in MP scale, Jetfire is huge. The box is 20.5 inches long, and is basically the entire length of the Jet mode. Photos have put the Jet mode at the same length as the combined Convoy/Optimus Prime 3.0 with its trailer attached.

Of course, the character mass shifts during transformation to result in a robot mode that is canonically twice as tall as Convoy, but in Jet mode is a flying fortress capable of troop transport. To show this side of things, the set comes with three mini figures - Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Not sure why specifically these three, but that's what they chose..

The mini figures are actually decently articulated, with no articulation on the main torso whatsoever and very basic arms and legs. Which is normally fine (and expected) for figures of this size, but I REALLY thing they should have either given Jezz wrists of maybe considered the awkwardness of how things look with his hands fused like that.

Otherwise, accessories include two additional faces, a battle mask, his rifle, two thruster effects, Decepticon/Blank chest plate and the same Base/Stand that came with the Seekers and Dinobot,

Jet mode features landing gear that are manually operated (I say this because I remember the original G1 toy featuring spring mounted goodness) and there are various compartments you can open up for the mini figures to fit into/use, specifically the cockpit, under the fuselage, in the jetpack, and in the red pods on the lower legs. The pods are also accessible in robot mode should you so wish.

Being an updated G1 toy, this toy can assume the infamous Gerwalk mode that was the result of repurposing a Robotech toy. I honestly can't recall it actually being used in the show, but then again I can't remember many things.

Gerwalk mode can be achieved with or without the arms deployed, but of course the process is a bit more involved than back in the day. In order to make Gerwalk mode a bit more stable, the figure has die cast metal hips that provide additional support for the legs.

While yes, you can actually put the figure in Gerwalk without the support, for your own sanity you're probably going to want to do it, especially if you're displaying it in said mode for a longer period of time.

Transformation into robot mode is for the most part straight forward. MOST part. When you get to the backpack though, you're likely going to want to throw the figure out the window. The whole shifting mechanism is based on sliding panels, which are notoriously bad because of misalignment issues and just general friction. Couple with that some questionable QC and you've got a very frustrating time and getting things to shift and hold together.

The QC issues don't appear to be limited to the backpack as I have had a somewhat difficult time getting the shoulders to slot into their tab properly. I've also got a loose joint on one of my wings, though fortunately that doesn't really affect much. Getting the various accessories into the backpack cavity was also a bit of a challenge due to fit issues. I also found that the heels had to be put in just the right position for it to fold out correctly.

The resulting robot is tall, though when compared to other figures it's not as excessively large in comparison as comparing vehicle modes The goal was G1 accuracy, and you have to admit they did a bang up job from that respect. Proportions were always wonky so no criticisms from me in that regard.

Due to the weight of the figure, the legs are pretty much all ratcheting joints. Which is great from stability perspective, but not that great from an actual posing perspective. The actual hip joints are strong enough for standing robot mode, but the legs will splay out in Gerwalk mode. With the "ab crunch" hip joints deployed, the hips CAN be strong enough, but as always, test and observe. Actual range of motion is pretty typical, and the waist has flaps so you can move the legs out to the side.

However, it should be stated that the figure at least can stand up. My Siege figure has some issues with a loose hip, so it's either stand up straight or do the splits.

The rest of the body is.. pretty standard, really. There's no waist joint, and the shoulders technically are standard shoulders - but because there are additional flaps needed to move the shoulder in place, you technically have Butterfly Joint-type range of motion, but yeah, it looks weird. Elbows are single jointed but you're able to maximize range of motion. Hands are the typical MP hands with semi-fixed positions. The head can actually pull up a bit for additional range of motion

In general, you're probably not doing any dynamic battle poses without the stand, and even then you're doing them with the figure facing forward because there's only so much you can do laterally.

Speaking of heads, the facial expressions are alright, and the battle mask appears to be useable with or without an underlying face (though I think it fits better without the face under, so that might just be me forcing the thing on). It attaches with a magnet, so the grip is just the right amount to hold it in place. The faces, on the other hand, are friction based and can be a royal pain to get on and off. The other head gimmick to mention is in the head there's a meter of some sort. I don't remember the purpose of this, but I think it had to do with his changing of allegiances between Autobot and Decepticon (Jetfire was a scientist associate of Starscream).

So there you have it. Was it worth the wait? Ehhh.. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it turns out the lack of waist was my smallest concern. It just feels to me like the QC guys dropped the ball, because if they can get smaller figures to tab and slot n perfectly, there's no reason a figure that is at least double that size can't get it right. I mean, the new Seekers are much more complicated transformation wise and I don't have any problems like I do with Jetfire... though I guess the weak hips on the seekers is a problem I avoid here.

I think overall, though, unless you're looking specifically for a G1 styled Jetfire, you should probably consider the Siege figure, especially if you get one that doesn't have joint issues. It's like 1/3 the price, about the same size, and is significantly less frustrating to deal with.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

As part of the initial lineup of Figuarts releases for the Dragon Ball Super: Broly feature length film, two characters were announced - Fully Power Broly and SSGSS Gogeta, both characters that existed in the Dragon Ball universe, but not officially in canon. With the movie, these characters are now legit official, and not just the fever dream of ner.. I mean, enthusiasts, everywhere. I had preordered the Broly and received it several months ago. Recently, I came across an ad on Kijiji (surprise, surprise) for a well priced Gogeta. Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity, and added him to the collection.

If you haven't followed Dragon Ball for a while, don't worry, the formula hasn't changed. Power creep is still the basic solution to all of the universes problems, and SSGSS Gogeta is the solution to the Broly problem. The current highest power level Saiyans can reach (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan) added to the perfect fusion of the two main lead characters, Goku and Vegeta. I haven't seen the movie yet, but based on the clips I've seen and blurbs I've read, it seems that even at these power levels, it was more or less an even fight, despite Broly only going Super Saiyan (hence why he's not blue). It's neat for me to own this, as I happen to have the SSGSS version of Vegito, their other fusion, as I went to Fan Expo last year.

The set comes with what you'd normally expect to see from a Dragon Ball Super Saiyan. There's the figure, one depowered head with smirking expression, then three expression for SSGSS mode (neutral, attack, smirking), a few hands (close fists, battle stance, Ki blast, open palm) and well, that's it. No Ki blast, no stand, but you read enough of these, none of this should be surprise.

Lets talk sculpt first. It's kind of subtle, but the look of the characters did evolve slightly for the movie, even compared to their contemporary TV series counterparts. To me, maybe due to larger budget, but the characters seem less swole, and more ripped. Muscle definition across the board is quite impressive, and it feels that these aesthetic has in fact been carried over to the entire Broly movie line. Muscle definition of the chest, abs, and arms are really well done. Definitions on fabric is great, especially the detailing of his sash, pants, and leg bindings. This is all coupled with a fantastic sculpt that invokes the look of the on screen model. Furthermore, this figure is built on what I call the Dragon Ball 2.0 body, allowing for more accurate proportions, including not having everyone share the same head size (not exactly new, but noted for completion sake). Overall, what you see on screen is very well realized in your hands.

Paint work is overall tack sharp, as with the rest of the recent Dragon Ball line. From a paint bleed perspective, very little noticeable, with the most obvious being the yellow at the base of the collar on the back and some where the hair and the ears meet. No areas of heavy spray to note, and bonus points for the use of a glossier paint for the hair. No QC issues to complain about, with all finishes being nice and all parts coming together as one would expect.

Articulation is where this line (at least with the males) shine. Gogeta features toe, ankles, double jointed knees, thighs, hips, waist, ab crunch, shoulders with chest compress, biceps, double jointed elbows, wrists, head, and neck. For those looking for bonus points, the sash has a point of articulation for the pieces of below flowing off the waist, and technically, those yellow things on his shoulders are attached to the body with a ball joint, which as an added bonus means it doesn't fly off the body at the slightest opportunity. Due to the 2.0 build of the body, the hips and thighs feature a design that lowers the actual joint approximately 1/8 of an inch from the spot traditional figures place it, allowing for greater range of motion, filling in the gap with a small piece of plastic. It looks a little weird when staring at the waist area if the figure is standing straight, but lets be honest, not too many people are going to leave their figures standing in museum poses. One of things that Tamashi Nations didn't do, and I'm guessing due to aesthetics, is that if the divot on the forearm was deeper, you could get the arms to bend a bit more. Of course, that wouldn't look as nice so, I guess you wins some, you lose some.

All this description should give you an idea of the incredible amount of freedom you have when displaying this figure. It's this incredible potential for poses that makes the lack of any effects or a stand that much more maddening, and the lack of aftermarket support for Ki blast is odd, considering how much money Bandai could make.

That's really about it. I like Gogeta, as I do the rest of the Dragon Ball line. Not just because I like the characters, but from an articulation and quality perspective, this is one of those lines where Tamashii Nations brings their A++ game, and honestly lack of space and pricing is the only thing holding me back from being a completest.. not that doing so seems even remotely possible, given how hard getting some pieces is, and then there's the potential for some convention exclusive recolour or version 3.0 or something. As always, if you're looking for a great action figure, pick up pretty much any of the more recent male Dragon Ball release. What they can do will blow your mind almost as much as what they left out.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So, somehow despite paying extra for EMS shipping from Singapore, I still managed to get my MP57 after everyone who preordered in the US did. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled with the outcome of this.

MP57 is of course Skyfire/Jetfire, and is the most recently reelased figure in the Masterpiece line up. After seeing the pretty good job that Hasbro/Takara did on the Siege version, I figured that this figure would just be that one, but with much better production values.

Turns out I'm only half right.

Being in MP scale, Jetfire is huge. The box is 20.5 inches long, and is basically the entire length of the Jet mode. Photos have put the Jet mode at the same length as the combined Convoy/Optimus Prime 3.0 with its trailer attached.

Of course, the character mass shifts during transformation to result in a robot mode that is canonically twice as tall as Convoy, but in Jet mode is a flying fortress capable of troop transport. To show this side of things, the set comes with three mini figures - Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Not sure why specifically these three, but that's what they chose..

The mini figures are actually decently articulated, with no articulation on the main torso whatsoever and very basic arms and legs. Which is normally fine (and expected) for figures of this size, but I REALLY thing they should have either given Jezz wrists of maybe considered the awkwardness of how things look with his hands fused like that.

Otherwise, accessories include two additional faces, a battle mask, his rifle, two thruster effects, Decepticon/Blank chest plate and the same Base/Stand that came with the Seekers and Dinobot,

Jet mode features landing gear that are manually operated (I say this because I remember the original G1 toy featuring spring mounted goodness) and there are various compartments you can open up for the mini figures to fit into/use, specifically the cockpit, under the fuselage, in the jetpack, and in the red pods on the lower legs. The pods are also accessible in robot mode should you so wish.

Being an updated G1 toy, this toy can assume the infamous Gerwalk mode that was the result of repurposing a Robotech toy. I honestly can't recall it actually being used in the show, but then again I can't remember many things.

Gerwalk mode can be achieved with or without the arms deployed, but of course the process is a bit more involved than back in the day. In order to make Gerwalk mode a bit more stable, the figure has die cast metal hips that provide additional support for the legs.

While yes, you can actually put the figure in Gerwalk without the support, for your own sanity you're probably going to want to do it, especially if you're displaying it in said mode for a longer period of time.

Transformation into robot mode is for the most part straight forward. MOST part. When you get to the backpack though, you're likely going to want to throw the figure out the window. The whole shifting mechanism is based on sliding panels, which are notoriously bad because of misalignment issues and just general friction. Couple with that some questionable QC and you've got a very frustrating time and getting things to shift and hold together.

The QC issues don't appear to be limited to the backpack as I have had a somewhat difficult time getting the shoulders to slot into their tab properly. I've also got a loose joint on one of my wings, though fortunately that doesn't really affect much. Getting the various accessories into the backpack cavity was also a bit of a challenge due to fit issues. I also found that the heels had to be put in just the right position for it to fold out correctly.

The resulting robot is tall, though when compared to other figures it's not as excessively large in comparison as comparing vehicle modes The goal was G1 accuracy, and you have to admit they did a bang up job from that respect. Proportions were always wonky so no criticisms from me in that regard.

Due to the weight of the figure, the legs are pretty much all ratcheting joints. Which is great from stability perspective, but not that great from an actual posing perspective. The actual hip joints are strong enough for standing robot mode, but the legs will splay out in Gerwalk mode. With the "ab crunch" hip joints deployed, the hips CAN be strong enough, but as always, test and observe. Actual range of motion is pretty typical, and the waist has flaps so you can move the legs out to the side.

However, it should be stated that the figure at least can stand up. My Siege figure has some issues with a loose hip, so it's either stand up straight or do the splits.

The rest of the body is.. pretty standard, really. There's no waist joint, and the shoulders technically are standard shoulders - but because there are additional flaps needed to move the shoulder in place, you technically have Butterfly Joint-type range of motion, but yeah, it looks weird. Elbows are single jointed but you're able to maximize range of motion. Hands are the typical MP hands with semi-fixed positions. The head can actually pull up a bit for additional range of motion

In general, you're probably not doing any dynamic battle poses without the stand, and even then you're doing them with the figure facing forward because there's only so much you can do laterally.

Speaking of heads, the facial expressions are alright, and the battle mask appears to be useable with or without an underlying face (though I think it fits better without the face under, so that might just be me forcing the thing on). It attaches with a magnet, so the grip is just the right amount to hold it in place. The faces, on the other hand, are friction based and can be a royal pain to get on and off. The other head gimmick to mention is in the head there's a meter of some sort. I don't remember the purpose of this, but I think it had to do with his changing of allegiances between Autobot and Decepticon (Jetfire was a scientist associate of Starscream).

So there you have it. Was it worth the wait? Ehhh.. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it turns out the lack of waist was my smallest concern. It just feels to me like the QC guys dropped the ball, because if they can get smaller figures to tab and slot n perfectly, there's no reason a figure that is at least double that size can't get it right. I mean, the new Seekers are much more complicated transformation wise and I don't have any problems like I do with Jetfire... though I guess the weak hips on the seekers is a problem I avoid here.

I think overall, though, unless you're looking specifically for a G1 styled Jetfire, you should probably consider the Siege figure, especially if you get one that doesn't have joint issues. It's like 1/3 the price, about the same size, and is significantly less frustrating to deal with.

I won't lie - I was ecstatic that HK acting legend, Tony Leung, was in Shang Chi, along with other legends like Michelle Yeoh and Yuen Wah. Because quite frankly, Simu Liu and Awkwafina just don't do it for me.. hell I'd take Ronny Chieng over those two.

Fortunately for me, being the main villain meant Tony Leung was destined to get a Hot Toy, which I eagerly preordered. Two years later it finally arrived into my little group here. For lack of better terms, I'd call this Wenwu's modern garb, as he wore that business suit in Shang Chi's youth, and of course, there was the true Mandarin look.

Unlike Wonder Woman, Wenwu used a great variety of props and special effects in the film. You get forearms with the 10 rings on it, you get the 10 rings loose, you get ring blast effects, slide effects, and of course the one effect when they're playing tug of war with the rings.

The head looks fantastic from the side, but face on.. well, it's really about head tilt and lighting. I mean, ultimately it's OK and better than average, but to me it's more like some random older Chinese dude - though covering up the eyes with sunglasses does help.

Actually, covering the eyes of all the Hot Toys generally helps.

Featuring an outfit that is predominately cloth, and not skin tight, this means that Wenwu can actually pose. Don't go expecting Phicen levels of articulation of course, but there have ben so many figures that have had restricting outfits, it's very rare that you're able to use all of the tools provided to you. It's almost like Hot Toys went and completely redid their body, when it fact it was always there.

Poses where the arm goes overhead are pretty touch to accomplish, as well as anything with really deep leg movement.

Sculpting work on the outfit and accessories is quite good, traits which have always been Hot Toys strengths. The little engravings on the 10 rings are quite nicely done. The raised tendons on the forearms... very nicely done.

Paint work is astonishing as always. The face and forearms perfectly match, and the smaller details, as always, are quite good. I mean, just check out the paint on the 10 Rings... absolutely gorgeous, despite being so tiny.

Build quality wise, there's a few things that are leaning towards the sketchy side. Swapping out the forearms is a test of your courage - more specifically swapping out the forearms with the rings on it because there's really no good place to grab on to. Then there's the tug of war effect - the rings on there are actually just glued on and, as I learned, aren't exactly the most secure, which is kind of a problem when you're basically prying open the one fist that isn't really meant for holding a round object and effectively forcing the hand to do its job.

Do I think this figure is going to be the next Hela or other obscure but highly desirable piece? I seriously doubt it, and fully expect the value to tank, just like pretty much every Hot Toy out there. But that doesn't matter - the universe has finally allowed an opportunity for an aging HK actor to get an action figure, an actor from an era of film and television that apparently, Simu Liu completely missed, despite growing up in China.

The figure could suck and I'd still get it.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

I had preordered each of the new wave of Fashionista dolls sight unseen on Amazon. My orders now have photos of them all! A couple of them are also on Barbie.com and I have noticed that those names don't match the Amazon names. Here are the photos for your enjoyment!

Update 5/27/2018: On her Way! She is also in stock and can be ordered!

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

So, somehow despite paying extra for EMS shipping from Singapore, I still managed to get my MP57 after everyone who preordered in the US did. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled with the outcome of this.

MP57 is of course Skyfire/Jetfire, and is the most recently reelased figure in the Masterpiece line up. After seeing the pretty good job that Hasbro/Takara did on the Siege version, I figured that this figure would just be that one, but with much better production values.

Turns out I'm only half right.

Being in MP scale, Jetfire is huge. The box is 20.5 inches long, and is basically the entire length of the Jet mode. Photos have put the Jet mode at the same length as the combined Convoy/Optimus Prime 3.0 with its trailer attached.

Of course, the character mass shifts during transformation to result in a robot mode that is canonically twice as tall as Convoy, but in Jet mode is a flying fortress capable of troop transport. To show this side of things, the set comes with three mini figures - Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Not sure why specifically these three, but that's what they chose..

The mini figures are actually decently articulated, with no articulation on the main torso whatsoever and very basic arms and legs. Which is normally fine (and expected) for figures of this size, but I REALLY thing they should have either given Jezz wrists of maybe considered the awkwardness of how things look with his hands fused like that.

Otherwise, accessories include two additional faces, a battle mask, his rifle, two thruster effects, Decepticon/Blank chest plate and the same Base/Stand that came with the Seekers and Dinobot,

Jet mode features landing gear that are manually operated (I say this because I remember the original G1 toy featuring spring mounted goodness) and there are various compartments you can open up for the mini figures to fit into/use, specifically the cockpit, under the fuselage, in the jetpack, and in the red pods on the lower legs. The pods are also accessible in robot mode should you so wish.

Being an updated G1 toy, this toy can assume the infamous Gerwalk mode that was the result of repurposing a Robotech toy. I honestly can't recall it actually being used in the show, but then again I can't remember many things.

Gerwalk mode can be achieved with or without the arms deployed, but of course the process is a bit more involved than back in the day. In order to make Gerwalk mode a bit more stable, the figure has die cast metal hips that provide additional support for the legs.

While yes, you can actually put the figure in Gerwalk without the support, for your own sanity you're probably going to want to do it, especially if you're displaying it in said mode for a longer period of time.

Transformation into robot mode is for the most part straight forward. MOST part. When you get to the backpack though, you're likely going to want to throw the figure out the window. The whole shifting mechanism is based on sliding panels, which are notoriously bad because of misalignment issues and just general friction. Couple with that some questionable QC and you've got a very frustrating time and getting things to shift and hold together.

The QC issues don't appear to be limited to the backpack as I have had a somewhat difficult time getting the shoulders to slot into their tab properly. I've also got a loose joint on one of my wings, though fortunately that doesn't really affect much. Getting the various accessories into the backpack cavity was also a bit of a challenge due to fit issues. I also found that the heels had to be put in just the right position for it to fold out correctly.

The resulting robot is tall, though when compared to other figures it's not as excessively large in comparison as comparing vehicle modes The goal was G1 accuracy, and you have to admit they did a bang up job from that respect. Proportions were always wonky so no criticisms from me in that regard.

Due to the weight of the figure, the legs are pretty much all ratcheting joints. Which is great from stability perspective, but not that great from an actual posing perspective. The actual hip joints are strong enough for standing robot mode, but the legs will splay out in Gerwalk mode. With the "ab crunch" hip joints deployed, the hips CAN be strong enough, but as always, test and observe. Actual range of motion is pretty typical, and the waist has flaps so you can move the legs out to the side.

However, it should be stated that the figure at least can stand up. My Siege figure has some issues with a loose hip, so it's either stand up straight or do the splits.

The rest of the body is.. pretty standard, really. There's no waist joint, and the shoulders technically are standard shoulders - but because there are additional flaps needed to move the shoulder in place, you technically have Butterfly Joint-type range of motion, but yeah, it looks weird. Elbows are single jointed but you're able to maximize range of motion. Hands are the typical MP hands with semi-fixed positions. The head can actually pull up a bit for additional range of motion

In general, you're probably not doing any dynamic battle poses without the stand, and even then you're doing them with the figure facing forward because there's only so much you can do laterally.

Speaking of heads, the facial expressions are alright, and the battle mask appears to be useable with or without an underlying face (though I think it fits better without the face under, so that might just be me forcing the thing on). It attaches with a magnet, so the grip is just the right amount to hold it in place. The faces, on the other hand, are friction based and can be a royal pain to get on and off. The other head gimmick to mention is in the head there's a meter of some sort. I don't remember the purpose of this, but I think it had to do with his changing of allegiances between Autobot and Decepticon (Jetfire was a scientist associate of Starscream).

So there you have it. Was it worth the wait? Ehhh.. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it turns out the lack of waist was my smallest concern. It just feels to me like the QC guys dropped the ball, because if they can get smaller figures to tab and slot n perfectly, there's no reason a figure that is at least double that size can't get it right. I mean, the new Seekers are much more complicated transformation wise and I don't have any problems like I do with Jetfire... though I guess the weak hips on the seekers is a problem I avoid here.

I think overall, though, unless you're looking specifically for a G1 styled Jetfire, you should probably consider the Siege figure, especially if you get one that doesn't have joint issues. It's like 1/3 the price, about the same size, and is significantly less frustrating to deal with.

Jae Lee's Superman and Wonder Woman

First off sorry to have flooded your Flickr Feed with so many pictures. I cannot believe the amount of detail that went into these particular figures. They are based on the Art by the incomparable Jae Lee, and sculpted beautifully by Jonathan Matthews (who also I believe sculpted the Greg Capullo Designer Series as well). I have never had figures from DC Collectibles that got me so excited since the announcement of Batman The Animated Series.

These figures go so well with the other New 52 especially the other Designer Series by Greg Capullo.

I preordered these on Amazon but when I saw them in person I just knew I had to get them right then and there.

Hey there, if you haven't already checked out my Kickstarter please take a minute I just updated the page with some more information and photos. Get yourself a preordered copy of American Restaurant the upcoming photography book now:

www.kickstarter.com/projects/americanrestaurant/american-...

I had preordered each of the new wave of Fashionista dolls sight unseen on Amazon. My orders now have photos of them all! A couple of them are also on Barbie.com and I have noticed that those names don't match the Amazon names. Here are the photos for your enjoyment!

Update 5/27/2018: On her Way! She is also in stock and can be ordered!

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

"Psst! Here's a secret for you. I plan to buy photos from SJH Foto!"

The Six-Pack team are from Long Island NY *(near New York City) They preordered our services during the tournament

Allright, I'm prepp'ed for the 28th. Black Ops Annihilation DLC, that is. I preordered and I'll be ready to take it on with Brickstar and some other dudes.

I'm gonna fill these Bottles and drink them during the game^^

So... I think it's been like nine months since I preordered her. As you may recall, 2020 was a rather hectic year of scrambling. Since her early release is Australia back in October, information and photos have been trickling in about this figure, mostly with people being upset at the chest on this figure.

Of course, wouldn't be the first time that people just kept ragging on and on about an aesthetic feature of a figure without actually thinking about where the money REALLY is, which in this case is the transformation and articulation. So now it's my turn to take a stab at it.

Presenting MP-51: Arcee.

I have no idea what you have to do, but I never seem to get the MP releases that come with the coins, nor am I ever offered the option of actually buying them.

Arcee is arguably the most famous Fembot in Transformers history, definitely amongst G1ers like myself because unlike Elita-1, Arcee actually had a role on the show. Fun fact - Arcee is the American name for the character, with the Japanese name being Ariel.

For those in the Transformers collecting world, 2020 was kind of a big year for Arcee, with two mainline release, this MP, the third party Nicee, and the third party Peach Girl. Nicee came along in October or so and it wasn't bad at all. It had a love/hate aesthetic and decent engineering for a small company and a reasonable price tag of around $90 USD. MP Arcee here was on preorder for 12,000 Yen or about $115 USD, though her retail price was 15,000 Yen.

I'd say in terms of content, Takara-Tomy didn't so much as surprise me with how many accessories she came with, but rather I was somewhat surprised with how many GUNS they packed in with her, as she comes with three weapons in total, each with its own blast effect. She also comes with a holster (not sure if it actually can hold her pink pistol, but there is an opening for it), three additional faceplates (smile, annoyed, and I think just speaking, and a protruding weapon she must have used in an episode or something. Sadly, no mini Daniel to inappropriately be attached to.

Vehicle mode does look like it popped off my 80s TV screen, both in terms of form and colour. It also goes to show that the designers of the Earthrise Arcee at least got her alt mode generally right. One of the nicer things about these movie designs is that unlike the 1984 line, there's no real standard with regards to what these should look like in real life. Otherwise, the only real other things to note about this mode are that it has a fairly detailed cockpit and the wheels work. Oh.. you can plug in her various weapons in this mode as well, if you're into that sort of thing.

Transformation to robot mode is that long and complicated process that you've come to expect from Takara,-Tomy, all in the name of getting that show accurate bot mode as much as possible, - not just as a static image, but as a three dimensional object.

The collapsing of the rear and cockpit areas in particular must have been a nightmare to come up with., though I'm sure it was not as annoying as coming with up the expanding mechanism for Megatron's legs, or the sheer madness that is apparently the newest MP Optimus Prime.

The resulting robot would have been perfect if they had fixed the chest. It looks to me that the overall issue that in order to keep the head the right size, they had to compensate with a smaller chese to make it all fit in car mode. I think if they had made a two piece or fold out chest it might have looked slightly off with all the hinges, but the overall chest would have been the right shape.

The overall body itself has a pretty screen accurate silhouette. The backpack is not accurate, though they did their best though to be honest the top heaviness of the figure bothers me more than the inaccuracies, even on the show her shoulder pylons were always fairly substantial, albeit without that giant car hood between them.

In addition to swapping out faces, Arcee has a targeting visor built into her head, which can flip down and be applied to any of the four faces.

Of the three MP quality Arcees I own, MP Arcee has the most articulation and overall best range of motion.. She's got toe, ankle tilts, ankle side titlts, double jointed knees, thigh twist, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulders with an additional joint to allow for crossing of the arms, double jointed elbows, wrist, fingers, neck, and head. As part of the transformation, her thighs pop out, and this allows for a great deal more flexibility when posing her legs, though I suppose some people would call it cheating. I say if it's good enough on camera, it's good enough for me. I also really enjoy the range of motion for her head, which makes poses of Arcee in prone position actually feasible.

The soles of her feet are made of metal for that bit of extra help keeping her stable. I think they should have made her entire leg out of the metal because she needs the weight.

From a Paint and Build Quality perspective, well considering that Hasbri.Takara-Tomy has not let me down with regards to the main line, its generally pretty rare that I run into something that is truly bad. Mind you, there were stories circulating about how MP Beast Megatron and Hound weren't exactly made of sterner stuff, Arcee seems to hold together just fine, with no real fragile areas that I can see. Paint work is nice and clean, as is the finish on the parts, with excellent colour selection across the board. As for joints.. if you can get Arcee to balance properly, you're gonna find that she holds together nicely. Everything fits into its intended groove, notch, or tab.

In my books, MP Arcee is a very competently designed addition to the ranks. The chest thing is unfortunately, as is the top heaviness, but she really is fun to play with and pose, which combined with a pretty good overall aesthetic overrides these two drawbacks. Of course, as always, your mileage may vary, as some people understandably can't get over the chest thing.

Just remember, though, there's more to a Transformer figure than one part.

I preordered this Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece action figure of Marlon Brando as don Vito Corleone from the Godfather ages ago, but it didn't arrive until now. However, good things come for those who wait and this figure has really lived up to the expectations.

Banpresto Demon Slayer Kimetsu no Yaiba: Kyojuro Rengoku - Figure vol.10

My goodness! How long has it been since I last updated my Rengoku shrine?! I've received so many new idols that posting them together will be a little overwhelming. So today, I'll be focusing on my prize figures first, and I'll share my plushies at a later date. I've already taken all the pictures, and just need some time to go over them.

Today I showcase my Banpresto Rengoku figures. Both are pretty amazing especially considering their very affordable price point. Of course, minor defects are to be expected since they are prize figures, but overall I reckon they did a fantastic job capturing Rengoku's likeness and fiery spirit. The details in his hair and clothes sculpts are impressive, and I adore how dynamic his signature flame cape seemingly flutters, especially in the Vibration Stars figure. His teeny tiny nichirin blade is beautifully detailed with a gorgeous metallic sheen that makes it look so authentic.

Overall, both figures are amazing and I'm absolutely thrilled to add them to my Rengoku shrine. If I had to choose a favourite, I think the VS figure takes the cake, with his commanding battle pose, blazing scowl-smirk and intricate mini flame nichirin blade. These guys get me so hyped up about my ArtFX Kotobukiya Rengoku figures due for release in November! I preordered two so I can debox one for display. November can't come soon enough!!

Well, I have finally decided to get the D300. Normally, I would wait for the first wave to settle down and save a lot, but with photography, the strategy is diferent. If you already have a competent camera and only need a new one for bragging rights or for the heck of always having the best, I would recommend to wait until the price and demand subsides. Otherwise, if you need one today to replace that 5 year old 6.1mp camera, get what is available and chances are, you will never make a wrong purchase -- especially if you stick to the two major brands which is Canon and Nikon.

Now the question is, do you pre-order or not? The good thing about pre-ordering is at least you are already in line when it arrives -- that is, if it does arrive in time at the store where you preordered it. What if it comes out at the other store first and then your money get stuck on the first one? If you have a lot of cash to spare or your credit card has a high credit limit, I guess you can get the other one then if the first one does come out, you can always return it - I assume without a 15% restocking fee? If it has then your screwed... or else contact me and I'll buy it from you minus taxes and 10% off. lol!

----

Well, more butterfly photos at this time. I haven't processed everything I took with iamchrisjett last Friday.

PS: Could somebody please tell me how to upload to my web server? I am so illiterate on these things! I got an ugly test site at www.silverph.com but I want my gallery to appear at www.silverph.com/photography. How do I do that? Please help! My blog site is at www.silverph.com/journal

You are right, Jim, Costco has the best return policy but what I hate is that they bundle it with lenses and accessories that I don't need.... unless the accessory is a wired remote and a vertical grip. I also like the "Bill Me Later" option from stores like B&H and Adorama. No interest for 6 months!

March in Skagen.

Rough weather and somewhat rough picture, handheld, a lot of crop.

If I push the camera further, I'll get banding.

But that will hopefully soon be a thing of the past.

I have preordered the new Olympus OM-D E-M5 for delivery next month...

HDR made from a single exposure.

Post processing was done in Adobe LightRoom, Nik Silver Efex and Photomatix.

***Press L for best view***

Do omnis run big? I am preordering these. Usually where a 10.5 sometimes 10

I finished this dress yesterday and I'm actually going to do my first preorder ever, yay! I want to finish this set as soon as I can, so that I can send them out before December. Details about it can be found on the listing.

I'll only be making three sets, apart from this test set (which I'll be keeping since I messed up the stitch for the socks. The preordered sets will have nice stitches if my sewing machine will co-operate ;P )

If you are interested in a set like this for your pukifee, this link will take you straight to the listing on Etsy:

www.etsy.com/se-en/listing/478795008/red-green-and-white-...

Thanks for looking! ^w^

Toys R Us has Doc McStuffins toys now...I preordered these plushies a month ago. :)

Preordered during December Happy Dolly Days

Arrived 3/12/2018

LE of 825 Worldwide

Available through Dealers

To say that Little Jersey Shore Texas A&M Aggie Ring ’84 was ‘excited’ this afternoon would be an understatement. Little Jersey Shore Aggie Ring was as excited as any little Aggie Ring I think I’ve ever seen. You see, a few weeks ago, Aggie Ring had preordered the newest Willie Nelson album and today was its release date. Yes, I know what you’re thinking…. “Everyone knows that all Aggie Rings love Willie Nelson. It’s in an Aggie Ring’s job requirements…” However, this Willie Nelson album isn’t just any Willie Nelson album. It’s a JAZZ album. American Jazz Standards to be specific. If there’s anything Little Jersey Shore Aggie Ring loves, besides a good cigar and top shelf bourbon, it’s Jazz!

Anyway, all the way home from the UPS Store, Little Jersey Shore Aggie Ring was “Whooping!” and spinning all about. I kept telling him to “contain” himself and act with at least some dignity but all he did was “Whoop!” and yell. At one point, we were stopped at a red light and drivers on both sides of us kept looking at the Aggie Ring and myself to see what all of the “Hullabaloo” was all about. All I could do was wave nervously and give them a “thumbs up.”

When Little Aggie Ring and I got home, I was going to put the new Willie Nelson album on the home music server, but Little Aggie Ring jumped up and down and yelled out. “Whoop! Get a photo of Willie and me!” I took the photo for the Little Aggie Ring and the two of us are currently enjoying a spot of bourbon and listening to the new Willie Nelson Jazz album together.

It’s just another day in the incredible life of a Jersey Shore Texas A&M Aggie Ring.

Figma Lily Saber (1.0 and 2.0)

I've always liked Figma over Figuarts. Though from a quality perspective they're pretty close, it usually comes down to the licenses. One such license is the Fate Series, which is an anime adapted from an eroge (erotic game) which pits various spirits called servants, which are based off of historically important beings, into battle for each other.

I've only watched the first series, Fate/Stay Night, but it did leave a lasting impact on me as it was quite well adapted and introduced many interesting characters. One of these characters is the sword wielding Servant (aka Saber class) Artoria Pendragon, aka. King Arthur of Camelot.. but, you know, turned into a female.

For a while there (and to a certain degree even now), whenever you mentioned the name Saber in relation to the Fate series, most people turn to the though of this particular version.. effectively making her into the mascot for the series.

As she was quite popular, she spawn two addition versions, as it were - an Alter or "dark" version, which made an appearance in the game if you took the bad route, as it were, and Lily Saber, which I honestly have no idea, but I believe is sort of a prequel version to the more traditional version, as she is still somewhat kawaii and all that. Lily Saber was introduced in the Fates/Unlimited Codes fighting game.

Lily Saber is the focus of this particular discussion.

Having stated she was an original creation of the Fates/Unlimited Codes fighting game, the only way originally to get the Figma of this character was to buy the special edition of the game. Naturally, this lead to her being pretty expensive. There were Figma of Lily Saber not in her armoured dress, but I have no idea how hard they were to get.

Of course, things change, and a new armoured Lily Saber Figma ended up a general release figure as part of the Fates/Grand Order mobile game lineup.

There was about a decade of time between the original release and this newest one - surely it wasn't just a repackage, right?

Well, I'm happy to say that no, that is not the case.

Somewhere along the line of releasing 350+ figures, the Figma system got upgraded. They weren't bad to start with, but the new 2.0 bodies were generally bigger, had better designed bodies and limbs to allow for greater freedom of movement, and got rid of one of the most annoying things of the 1.0 bodies, the stupid needle thin plastic posts used to attach hands to the bodies.. I say stupid because I broke mine.

So with that out of the way, lets look at Lily Saber 1.0 & 2.0.

Both releases have their strengths. The 1.0 release only came with two expressions, but had an extra hair effect piece for that windswept look, an extra piece to convert the standard Figma stand into one with a grip rather than a peg, and one extra set of hands for a tilted hand grip. Furthermore, the paint on the armour pieces are a metallic silver versus a flatter pearl grey.

The 2.0 release, as mentioned, is a larger figure. It doesn't come with a windswept hair effect, but it does have a posable ponytail. This release comes with three expressions (with a bonus 4th one if you had preordered through the GSC store). Due to the nature of the wrist pegs, the tilted wrist fists are no longer needed and not included with this package. Furthermore, it's not your eyes, but rather, yes the colours seem to be brighter and more vibrant on the 2.0 release. Her face is different and more "formed", but I'm not sure if that was an artistic thing, or a source material thing.

Both only come with her entry level weapon, Caliburn, even though every PVC statue I've seen of her comes with Avalon, her second more powerful sword. Both figures feature the white lace stockings and undergarments.

I think what you'll find as the biggest difference between the two figures (and the dealbreaker/game changer) is that the 2.0 doesn't just have greater movement for the limbs (and hair), but it also has a much more articulated skirt. This allows for a greater variety of display options, presuming you're willing to take the time move the various panels into position.

So overall, while they both look nice, I think if you're going to add one Lily Saber to your collection you're probably better off just going straight to the 2.0 release. It's bigger, has more display options, and is more durable. But as I said before, 1.0 is no slouch either.

This is my Christmas themed shot for this year of Alter´s 1/7 Scale Yuuki Mikan from the To Love Ru series.

I just received on December the 20th , I preordered her and she actually should have been Rereleased in November over here . Well that doesnt shorten my excitement for this figure !

But that aside I wish you sinful holidays ,lots of presents and a good time together with your family and/or beloved ones .

And remember it´s about giving not just receiving !

Your´s Jaque.

Figma Lily Saber (1.0 and 2.0)

I've always liked Figma over Figuarts. Though from a quality perspective they're pretty close, it usually comes down to the licenses. One such license is the Fate Series, which is an anime adapted from an eroge (erotic game) which pits various spirits called servants, which are based off of historically important beings, into battle for each other.

I've only watched the first series, Fate/Stay Night, but it did leave a lasting impact on me as it was quite well adapted and introduced many interesting characters. One of these characters is the sword wielding Servant (aka Saber class) Artoria Pendragon, aka. King Arthur of Camelot.. but, you know, turned into a female.

For a while there (and to a certain degree even now), whenever you mentioned the name Saber in relation to the Fate series, most people turn to the though of this particular version.. effectively making her into the mascot for the series.

As she was quite popular, she spawn two addition versions, as it were - an Alter or "dark" version, which made an appearance in the game if you took the bad route, as it were, and Lily Saber, which I honestly have no idea, but I believe is sort of a prequel version to the more traditional version, as she is still somewhat kawaii and all that. Lily Saber was introduced in the Fates/Unlimited Codes fighting game.

Lily Saber is the focus of this particular discussion.

Having stated she was an original creation of the Fates/Unlimited Codes fighting game, the only way originally to get the Figma of this character was to buy the special edition of the game. Naturally, this lead to her being pretty expensive. There were Figma of Lily Saber not in her armoured dress, but I have no idea how hard they were to get.

Of course, things change, and a new armoured Lily Saber Figma ended up a general release figure as part of the Fates/Grand Order mobile game lineup.

There was about a decade of time between the original release and this newest one - surely it wasn't just a repackage, right?

Well, I'm happy to say that no, that is not the case.

Somewhere along the line of releasing 350+ figures, the Figma system got upgraded. They weren't bad to start with, but the new 2.0 bodies were generally bigger, had better designed bodies and limbs to allow for greater freedom of movement, and got rid of one of the most annoying things of the 1.0 bodies, the stupid needle thin plastic posts used to attach hands to the bodies.. I say stupid because I broke mine.

So with that out of the way, lets look at Lily Saber 1.0 & 2.0.

Both releases have their strengths. The 1.0 release only came with two expressions, but had an extra hair effect piece for that windswept look, an extra piece to convert the standard Figma stand into one with a grip rather than a peg, and one extra set of hands for a tilted hand grip. Furthermore, the paint on the armour pieces are a metallic silver versus a flatter pearl grey.

The 2.0 release, as mentioned, is a larger figure. It doesn't come with a windswept hair effect, but it does have a posable ponytail. This release comes with three expressions (with a bonus 4th one if you had preordered through the GSC store). Due to the nature of the wrist pegs, the tilted wrist fists are no longer needed and not included with this package. Furthermore, it's not your eyes, but rather, yes the colours seem to be brighter and more vibrant on the 2.0 release. Her face is different and more "formed", but I'm not sure if that was an artistic thing, or a source material thing.

Both only come with her entry level weapon, Caliburn, even though every PVC statue I've seen of her comes with Avalon, her second more powerful sword. Both figures feature the white lace stockings and undergarments.

I think what you'll find as the biggest difference between the two figures (and the dealbreaker/game changer) is that the 2.0 doesn't just have greater movement for the limbs (and hair), but it also has a much more articulated skirt. This allows for a greater variety of display options, presuming you're willing to take the time move the various panels into position.

So overall, while they both look nice, I think if you're going to add one Lily Saber to your collection you're probably better off just going straight to the 2.0 release. It's bigger, has more display options, and is more durable. But as I said before, 1.0 is no slouch either.

so, i can honestly say that i always thought that these cats were cute but i never ever felt the need to have one... till i saw the yellow girl!

the coloring just jumped out at me and screamed "must have!"

i love the bright yellow and orange and the pink of her nose!

i'm glad i was able to find one since i hadn't preordered or anything like that.

since she's my first (and likely only) nikki cat, i'd love some advice.

any recommendations for clothes and/or shoes?

i have nothing for her to wear!

So In the world of strange things I think one night late at night I thought i was preordering a Middie, lack of sleep has made me a complete basket case.. so when a Full Sized zinochka Showed up I was like O_O.

Needless to say I Do love the stock its pretty darn hilarious, so I guess that was a Happy Accident :)

I am patiently waiting to get the Sony RX100 that I preordered from my local store. Knowing what the HX9 is capable of, I can't wait to shoot with the RX100.

If the image quality is as good as the Nikon V1, I will be more than satisfied.

bit.ly/tcz2V5Reviews from buyers of the Nook Tablet have been averaging 4.5 out of five stars on the Barnes and Noble website.

Nook Tablet Review 1

NOOK TABLET is FANTASTIC - HoPe ThIs HeLpS OtHeRs!!!

I previously owned a Nook Color (whick I sold to purchase the Nook Tablet) and my duaughter owns a 3rd Generation Kindle (Kindle Keyboard they are calling it now). She will be giving it to her brother to get one of these for Christmas. This machine is fantastic. While your non-Barnes & Noble content is limited to 1GB on the machine itself (1GB can be about 200 of any combination of books apps or songs...that is a pretty good amount of information)....and you can add anything you want to an SD card...up to 32GB. This is not so very different from Amazon's approach...they want you tied to the content they offer as well. (The machine also has 1GB of RAM...which is different....but is not what people are talking about...) It IS MOST CERTAINLY possible to side-load content...books, music, movies.... APPS FROM OTHER SOURCES.....without rooting the device...directions can be found online if you search Nook Tablet sideloading. I have found that the content Barnes & Noble offers is very sufficent...they don't have as many apps...but from the looks of things...the app library is growing by the week...looks like new apps are being added every Wednesday...according to the dates of on the new apps. The screen is beautiful. Movie clips that I have seen so far look excellent. Much more vibrant than the Nook Color. Everything the Nook Color did...this does and does much faster. This machine is very afforable...worth the money... and should do what the average person would want it to do and more.

click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=U7af*jYbGrQ&sub...

Nook Tablet Review 2

The most AWESOME thing since iPad!

1. "HOT" Design! I like it because it has a unique light design, my wife likes it because it looks "fashionable" and its VERY LIGHT (in fact it feels like it weights 1/2 of iPad. SIMPLE! SIMPLE! SIMPLE! Pull it out of the box, turn on and it is set up in and ready for internet and book/app browsing in under 10 minutes! RUNS REALLY FAST, just like any other computer in the house - no delays. 2. Volume Controls and Power Buttons > On The Body > Convenient Unlike Amazon Fire where you have to exit a program to adjust the volume. Unlike Samsung Galaxy where you have to search for the "On" button every time. Central "n" button "wakes" it up and puts it to "sleep" 3. BATTERY LIFE > don't need to re-charge it like apple all the time 4. SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT > oh I may have already mentioned it 5. BRIGHT COLORFUL SCREEN > no worse than iPad, except i like nook better because it is easier to hold 6. INTERNET, BOOKS, MOVIES, APPS, FACEBOOK, EMAIL, ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF, basically, a fully functional tablet. 7. I love it because it is light and it literally fits in the pocket of my leather jacket, while being large enough to reed freely 8. My 1-year old loves it because I downloaded about 6 different apps including "Sounds for Kids" and every time he is about to cry, I run the app and teach him about different animals, cars, musical instruments, etc.. I also purchased Dr.Seuss animated apps and "cars" animated apps and a variety of children games for him to learn alphabet and he LOVES it. Also, unlike iPad he does not abuse the on/off button, because it is not standard and in the shape of an "n" so he leaves it alone. 9 My wife loves it because she can read all of her gossip magazines and it is super light to carry around when she carries all the other stuff for the baby or during shopping (which is when I get to use it) :) 10. Everything is super simple, well designed, fashionable, animated, easy to use, self-explanatory and, basically my new favorite product to take around with me after iPad, which I now will use mainly for work. 11 and a half stars!!!! 11. Oh, and also I love it because it has books in different languages!! 12. And it is my understanding that Barnes and Noble offers free wi-fi where you can read any digital book, without purchase for 1 hour! 12 stars!!!

click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=U7af*jYbGrQ&sub...

Nook Tablet Review 3

Barnes&Noble Has Won Me Over!!!!!

I just got my Nook tablet yesterday (first one I've ever owned btw) and was immediately in LOVE!!! I actually preordered the Kindle Fire initially a few weeks ago, but now I know for sure I made the right choice with the Nook Tablet. Unfortunately I had a very small and cosmetic issue with my new tablet in regards to using the cloth from the screen protector pack; the cloth stained the edges of my tablet...as well as my fingers (Probably wouldn't have been a big deal if I hadn't just got it yesterday). However, went back to the store this morning, briefly explained the issue and it was exchanged!!! No series of questions asked and no problems; it was awesome!!! The customer service was amazing!!! So, if you need another reason to buy the Nook Tablet other than it's just an amazing device to begin with, remember......Bricks and Mortar baby!!! Try to see if you can get that kind of service with the Kindle Fire.......I Don't Think So!!! Thanks Barnes&Noble for being you =-)

Also, wash your screen protector cloth before first use so you don't have the same issue I did.

My laptop is being annoying and not wanting to read my camera's memory chip at the moment (hopefully the latest few 365 photos will be up in the morning). Since I had been a while since the last time I sat down and compiled a wishlist, I decided to make one up. I just preordered Banshee last night otherwise she would be on the list too.

So, somehow despite paying extra for EMS shipping from Singapore, I still managed to get my MP57 after everyone who preordered in the US did. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled with the outcome of this.

MP57 is of course Skyfire/Jetfire, and is the most recently reelased figure in the Masterpiece line up. After seeing the pretty good job that Hasbro/Takara did on the Siege version, I figured that this figure would just be that one, but with much better production values.

Turns out I'm only half right.

Being in MP scale, Jetfire is huge. The box is 20.5 inches long, and is basically the entire length of the Jet mode. Photos have put the Jet mode at the same length as the combined Convoy/Optimus Prime 3.0 with its trailer attached.

Of course, the character mass shifts during transformation to result in a robot mode that is canonically twice as tall as Convoy, but in Jet mode is a flying fortress capable of troop transport. To show this side of things, the set comes with three mini figures - Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Not sure why specifically these three, but that's what they chose..

The mini figures are actually decently articulated, with no articulation on the main torso whatsoever and very basic arms and legs. Which is normally fine (and expected) for figures of this size, but I REALLY thing they should have either given Jezz wrists of maybe considered the awkwardness of how things look with his hands fused like that.

Otherwise, accessories include two additional faces, a battle mask, his rifle, two thruster effects, Decepticon/Blank chest plate and the same Base/Stand that came with the Seekers and Dinobot,

Jet mode features landing gear that are manually operated (I say this because I remember the original G1 toy featuring spring mounted goodness) and there are various compartments you can open up for the mini figures to fit into/use, specifically the cockpit, under the fuselage, in the jetpack, and in the red pods on the lower legs. The pods are also accessible in robot mode should you so wish.

Being an updated G1 toy, this toy can assume the infamous Gerwalk mode that was the result of repurposing a Robotech toy. I honestly can't recall it actually being used in the show, but then again I can't remember many things.

Gerwalk mode can be achieved with or without the arms deployed, but of course the process is a bit more involved than back in the day. In order to make Gerwalk mode a bit more stable, the figure has die cast metal hips that provide additional support for the legs.

While yes, you can actually put the figure in Gerwalk without the support, for your own sanity you're probably going to want to do it, especially if you're displaying it in said mode for a longer period of time.

Transformation into robot mode is for the most part straight forward. MOST part. When you get to the backpack though, you're likely going to want to throw the figure out the window. The whole shifting mechanism is based on sliding panels, which are notoriously bad because of misalignment issues and just general friction. Couple with that some questionable QC and you've got a very frustrating time and getting things to shift and hold together.

The QC issues don't appear to be limited to the backpack as I have had a somewhat difficult time getting the shoulders to slot into their tab properly. I've also got a loose joint on one of my wings, though fortunately that doesn't really affect much. Getting the various accessories into the backpack cavity was also a bit of a challenge due to fit issues. I also found that the heels had to be put in just the right position for it to fold out correctly.

The resulting robot is tall, though when compared to other figures it's not as excessively large in comparison as comparing vehicle modes The goal was G1 accuracy, and you have to admit they did a bang up job from that respect. Proportions were always wonky so no criticisms from me in that regard.

Due to the weight of the figure, the legs are pretty much all ratcheting joints. Which is great from stability perspective, but not that great from an actual posing perspective. The actual hip joints are strong enough for standing robot mode, but the legs will splay out in Gerwalk mode. With the "ab crunch" hip joints deployed, the hips CAN be strong enough, but as always, test and observe. Actual range of motion is pretty typical, and the waist has flaps so you can move the legs out to the side.

However, it should be stated that the figure at least can stand up. My Siege figure has some issues with a loose hip, so it's either stand up straight or do the splits.

The rest of the body is.. pretty standard, really. There's no waist joint, and the shoulders technically are standard shoulders - but because there are additional flaps needed to move the shoulder in place, you technically have Butterfly Joint-type range of motion, but yeah, it looks weird. Elbows are single jointed but you're able to maximize range of motion. Hands are the typical MP hands with semi-fixed positions. The head can actually pull up a bit for additional range of motion

In general, you're probably not doing any dynamic battle poses without the stand, and even then you're doing them with the figure facing forward because there's only so much you can do laterally.

Speaking of heads, the facial expressions are alright, and the battle mask appears to be useable with or without an underlying face (though I think it fits better without the face under, so that might just be me forcing the thing on). It attaches with a magnet, so the grip is just the right amount to hold it in place. The faces, on the other hand, are friction based and can be a royal pain to get on and off. The other head gimmick to mention is in the head there's a meter of some sort. I don't remember the purpose of this, but I think it had to do with his changing of allegiances between Autobot and Decepticon (Jetfire was a scientist associate of Starscream).

So there you have it. Was it worth the wait? Ehhh.. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it turns out the lack of waist was my smallest concern. It just feels to me like the QC guys dropped the ball, because if they can get smaller figures to tab and slot n perfectly, there's no reason a figure that is at least double that size can't get it right. I mean, the new Seekers are much more complicated transformation wise and I don't have any problems like I do with Jetfire... though I guess the weak hips on the seekers is a problem I avoid here.

I think overall, though, unless you're looking specifically for a G1 styled Jetfire, you should probably consider the Siege figure, especially if you get one that doesn't have joint issues. It's like 1/3 the price, about the same size, and is significantly less frustrating to deal with.

Yay!

Aria, TJ, Sooki-Sooki and Gavs are ready to ship!!

So, somehow despite paying extra for EMS shipping from Singapore, I still managed to get my MP57 after everyone who preordered in the US did. Needless to say I'm not exactly thrilled with the outcome of this.

MP57 is of course Skyfire/Jetfire, and is the most recently reelased figure in the Masterpiece line up. After seeing the pretty good job that Hasbro/Takara did on the Siege version, I figured that this figure would just be that one, but with much better production values.

Turns out I'm only half right.

Being in MP scale, Jetfire is huge. The box is 20.5 inches long, and is basically the entire length of the Jet mode. Photos have put the Jet mode at the same length as the combined Convoy/Optimus Prime 3.0 with its trailer attached.

Of course, the character mass shifts during transformation to result in a robot mode that is canonically twice as tall as Convoy, but in Jet mode is a flying fortress capable of troop transport. To show this side of things, the set comes with three mini figures - Prime, Wheeljack, and Jazz. Not sure why specifically these three, but that's what they chose..

The mini figures are actually decently articulated, with no articulation on the main torso whatsoever and very basic arms and legs. Which is normally fine (and expected) for figures of this size, but I REALLY thing they should have either given Jezz wrists of maybe considered the awkwardness of how things look with his hands fused like that.

Otherwise, accessories include two additional faces, a battle mask, his rifle, two thruster effects, Decepticon/Blank chest plate and the same Base/Stand that came with the Seekers and Dinobot,

Jet mode features landing gear that are manually operated (I say this because I remember the original G1 toy featuring spring mounted goodness) and there are various compartments you can open up for the mini figures to fit into/use, specifically the cockpit, under the fuselage, in the jetpack, and in the red pods on the lower legs. The pods are also accessible in robot mode should you so wish.

Being an updated G1 toy, this toy can assume the infamous Gerwalk mode that was the result of repurposing a Robotech toy. I honestly can't recall it actually being used in the show, but then again I can't remember many things.

Gerwalk mode can be achieved with or without the arms deployed, but of course the process is a bit more involved than back in the day. In order to make Gerwalk mode a bit more stable, the figure has die cast metal hips that provide additional support for the legs.

While yes, you can actually put the figure in Gerwalk without the support, for your own sanity you're probably going to want to do it, especially if you're displaying it in said mode for a longer period of time.

Transformation into robot mode is for the most part straight forward. MOST part. When you get to the backpack though, you're likely going to want to throw the figure out the window. The whole shifting mechanism is based on sliding panels, which are notoriously bad because of misalignment issues and just general friction. Couple with that some questionable QC and you've got a very frustrating time and getting things to shift and hold together.

The QC issues don't appear to be limited to the backpack as I have had a somewhat difficult time getting the shoulders to slot into their tab properly. I've also got a loose joint on one of my wings, though fortunately that doesn't really affect much. Getting the various accessories into the backpack cavity was also a bit of a challenge due to fit issues. I also found that the heels had to be put in just the right position for it to fold out correctly.

The resulting robot is tall, though when compared to other figures it's not as excessively large in comparison as comparing vehicle modes The goal was G1 accuracy, and you have to admit they did a bang up job from that respect. Proportions were always wonky so no criticisms from me in that regard.

Due to the weight of the figure, the legs are pretty much all ratcheting joints. Which is great from stability perspective, but not that great from an actual posing perspective. The actual hip joints are strong enough for standing robot mode, but the legs will splay out in Gerwalk mode. With the "ab crunch" hip joints deployed, the hips CAN be strong enough, but as always, test and observe. Actual range of motion is pretty typical, and the waist has flaps so you can move the legs out to the side.

However, it should be stated that the figure at least can stand up. My Siege figure has some issues with a loose hip, so it's either stand up straight or do the splits.

The rest of the body is.. pretty standard, really. There's no waist joint, and the shoulders technically are standard shoulders - but because there are additional flaps needed to move the shoulder in place, you technically have Butterfly Joint-type range of motion, but yeah, it looks weird. Elbows are single jointed but you're able to maximize range of motion. Hands are the typical MP hands with semi-fixed positions. The head can actually pull up a bit for additional range of motion

In general, you're probably not doing any dynamic battle poses without the stand, and even then you're doing them with the figure facing forward because there's only so much you can do laterally.

Speaking of heads, the facial expressions are alright, and the battle mask appears to be useable with or without an underlying face (though I think it fits better without the face under, so that might just be me forcing the thing on). It attaches with a magnet, so the grip is just the right amount to hold it in place. The faces, on the other hand, are friction based and can be a royal pain to get on and off. The other head gimmick to mention is in the head there's a meter of some sort. I don't remember the purpose of this, but I think it had to do with his changing of allegiances between Autobot and Decepticon (Jetfire was a scientist associate of Starscream).

So there you have it. Was it worth the wait? Ehhh.. I mean, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it turns out the lack of waist was my smallest concern. It just feels to me like the QC guys dropped the ball, because if they can get smaller figures to tab and slot n perfectly, there's no reason a figure that is at least double that size can't get it right. I mean, the new Seekers are much more complicated transformation wise and I don't have any problems like I do with Jetfire... though I guess the weak hips on the seekers is a problem I avoid here.

I think overall, though, unless you're looking specifically for a G1 styled Jetfire, you should probably consider the Siege figure, especially if you get one that doesn't have joint issues. It's like 1/3 the price, about the same size, and is significantly less frustrating to deal with.

ホテル網走湖荘

Dinner at Hotel Abashirikoso. We had preordered two kani-gozen and two menme-zukushi meals when making the hotel reservation.

We also ordered this children's bento for Ethan as we worried that there may not be enough food to share with him (and being a prearranged private-room dinner, it would have been difficult or impossible to order extra dishes a-la-carte). We needn't have bothered though - there was just so much (glorious!) food that everyone struggled to finish it, stuffed and happy.