Plamo: The Chitocerium XXII-Tanio Alb (Good Smile Company)

You know what, let's just call this the nanokitty. Moving on...

So, I picked this up on a whim during a black friday event, on the simple reasoning of "kitteh!", rather than any familiarity with the line. Good Smile Company is a rival to gunpla's Bandai Visual, and I have no prior experience with their work. They seem to do a lot in the way of licensed anime figurines, with robot kits being just one thing they do. Their name sounds like a cyberpunk megacorp, but that's as far as my opinion goes.  is, in so far as I can figure out, a kit-first and artist-promoted enterprise where everything is a 1 to 1 representation of a “fragment”. I'm hitting a bit of a language barrier with this one, where the official English descriptions seem to be mechanically translated metaphysics. The vast majority of the line seems to be gothic and rather artesy dolls that store/sleep in hexagonal boxes, obviously edging into waifu territory, with nanokitty here being a low cost entry. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, fucking tiny. It came in a box smaller than some dvds, or letters for that matter. The completed kit is bite-sized. Nanokitty can perch inside a bottle top. Don't drop any of it, you won't find it again.

Actual construction is a simple if delicate affair. The merest application of glue is needed to secure the major ball joints, and the white plastic is quite forgiving with respects to nub marks. The black plastic is obviously less so, but you do get a selection of alternate tails and a spare head with closed eyes. There is also a display base, but this is less to support nanokitty, and more to stop it blowing away next time you cough near it. The articulation is for all intents and purposes, perfect. Uncanny, in fact. Nanokitty has a porcelain doll vibe going on, but it poses so easily. I cannot conceive of a more mobile quadruped at this size. I would adore for engineering like this to be applied to something bigger and less fiddly. Its that elegant.

I'm an easy mark for cats, and oddities, but I was unexpectedly blown away by this. Is it art? I dunno, but if it isn't, it's damn close. 

 

 

A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Sky Lynx (And Sky Reign) In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Voyager, 2016.

Modes: Dinobird, Shuttle, Combiner Torso.

Transformation Style: CW voyager, beastformer.

Play Patterns: Beast and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry.

Points of Interest: A newly combining modernisation of the 1986 original. No partner legend toy. THIS EXISTS.

 

The Good
His dinobird mode has 26 joints, 4 in the neck and head, making him very expressive. He can't wield his weapons in the normal sense, but there 5mm ports on the wings, and dedicated tabs for tail storage. His shuttle mode captures the G1 toy, with a sci-fi spin. The torso mode is both distinctive and attractive, its lynx head, colours and chest granting much character. For this review, I've been forced to use a few stand-ins, but Sky Reign impresses, not least due to his combined sword weapon. He looks good in all three modes, and the play value is there, and boy, does he stand out on the shelf because he's so weird. Also, he's vaguely adorable.

 

The Bad
Sky Lynx has been the subject of repeated reports of loose joints, my example being effected. The back feet don't always hold a position, and the major ratchets are too soft. This is problematic in the combined form, not least because the shoulder assemblies don't lock in place. Its not as bad as a problem as say a first run of Motor Master, but it is an issue. Less subjectively, there's a few too many gaps here, and the lynx head isn't properly hidden.

 

The Mediocre
Due to his reduced size and combiner role, Sky Lynx has lost some modes, but you can fudge a lynx form. The lack of a true robot form will bother some, and I personally prefer to transform the torso mode differently from the instructions. The shuttle mode arguably does a better job than the CW Aerialbot moulds at concealing the robot forms, as while there's stuff under the wing, its not obviously limbs, and its meant to be there.

The Alternatives
Commander Modesty is so hugely odd that no directly comparable options exist other than the G1 toy. There's incoming release of the Liokaiser set which we know includes a repaint of this, but little else. This leaves almost any CW voyager, but none of those are beasts.

 

The Verdict
Sky Lynx benefits immensely from being completely unlike the rest of Combiner Wars, both visually and in play, while retaining most of the strengths. This is another one of those toys nobody expected, a welcome break from the monotony of the line, and has much to enjoy. However, the loose joints took the shine off things for me. This is not a consistent flaw, and one I intend to fix, but I would be remiss as reviewer to not mention it. Its also a marmite concept that suffers from having to combine with a load of repaints. Definitely good, but not mandatory.

Youtube Highlights: He needs no sympathy

Well, its been another week, here's some more videos to while away your Sunday with...


Warner Bros. Pictures unleashed a new trailer for Suicide Squad, the third film in their DC cinematic universe and the most interesting by a country mile. One criticism of that universe is that it seems to be a humourless and depressing dirge of a franchise, this trailer however makes the film look like it has some sense of humour. Yes, the Joker is a hard sell, and fans can find understandable reasons for concern, but I actually went and brought the source material after this.

Unfortunately, this has also meant I've had Bohemian Rhapsody in my head for THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. Not helped by the fact I keep mixing up the original, the one from Wayne's World, and the one The Muppets did. Its awesome, BTW.

Warner Bros. did however do something to remind the world at large how corporate they are, cancelling support for Mortal Kombat X on the PC platform. AngryJoeShow has this to say:

Speaking of games, This Exists took a stab at explaining Dwarf Fortress. This is a game I want to try, but its so impenetrable it baffles me. Ever hear of Boatmurdered? It sounds insane.

The sequel to Terminator: Genesys, A.K.A the one which did really well in China only, was cancelled recently. While most people consider this a good thing, BanditIncorporated  made an impassioned defence in the form of a "Hitler Reacts" video. I don't agree with him, but he makes a good case.

And finally, because this is the internet and I am legally obligated to post cute kittens, here is a cute kittens video. Coming via Cole and Marmalade, here's a look at San Diego Humane Society’s Kitten Nursery.

Sorry for the mood whiplash, there.

Caturday Night Lights: Some cats just don't like cars

Source: FunnyChannel.

Caturday Night Lights: A Flanking Action

Source: Leon Hudson

Caturday Night Lights: James Bond Edition

Well, its time for a little, silly feline diversion, and as I went to see the new James Bond film today, Spectre, here's the famous cat from that franchise.

Image Copyright United Artists, sourced from Cinema Cats

This cat belongs to villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and first appeared in the 1963 film From Russia With Love. The cat was never named, and was apparently played by a selection of Turkish Angoras. Said cat, along with Blofeld was extensively parodied in the Austin Powers films, so much so, nobody really remembers the originals. There, the cat had the name "Mister Bigglesworth", and was to begin with was largely identical to the above, but would suffer a cryogenic accident, going completely bald.

Image Copyright New Line Cinema, again sourced from Cinema Cats

What is absolutely spectacular about this, which I just chanced on and I've found multiple sources for, is the name of the Sphynx cat playing the now hairless Mr  Bigglesworth. "SGC Belfry Ted Nude-Gent". I'd imagine once the film-makers heard that, they considered using that name in the film.


As for the new Bond film? Errr, its okay? Its got some good action, but I wouldn't advise thinking about it too hard. Maybe wait for the DVD?

Caturday Night Lights: Should this be a regular thing?

Hi there folks, one thing I've noticed is that this blogs pageviews always nosedive on a Saturday. I can only assume people have more of a social life than me. So, I've been toying with the idea of doing a regular post, just something daft to fill the game in schedule. And in the grand tradition of the internet, lets make it a cat.

Source: Dmitry Emelushkin

Should I do this again? Please let me know in the comments.