I think IF’s last major slate of announcements was last year’s Shanghai Con, so that might not be such a blue text worthy idea after all!  

 

That's the main reason I find these designs so enticing. It's something new. Not groundbreaking, but different and cool all the same.

 

Hell yeah finally a decent IDW Cyclonus! I am so here for it, although the alt mode looks a bit messy.

FINALLY someone does a movieverse legends-sized figure! I am so here for this! I don't care if it's not movie accurate at this scale, and I appreciate that they put their own spin on it. The IDW colors look good on it too but I'll be sticking with the movie colored one. I would be into a TLK-styled reshell as well, since I love mercedes cars and the black and red looks good on the character.

Yep, god forbid they do something that's not the same shit...

Heck yeah! It's such a good and original take on the characters.

TBH usually their "original" take is usually just "G1 with some new angles and details". This feels much more original to me.

 

LoL, well given IF announced their complete 2021 release line up and accounted for the most numbers of figures, they being the most discussed topic from SGC in this thread is an understatement of the obvious.
 

 

Speaking only for myself, it's refreshing to see a new take on old characters and not just a spin of the color wheel to get the next flavor of Froot Lewps Prime. Since I had MP Lio on order, I didn't get their samurai Lioconvoy, but in gray/black with wings -- essentially making it a gargoyle -- I'm all in for that one.

I won't be getting everything, the completionist in me always takes a back seat to rent and food, but I'm looking forward to a few gems in 2021.

I also collect some of the beastbox so that Voltron is looking pretty sweet, even if the proportions are a bit wonky.

Lastly, the TFC Megs will counter Nucleon Blast Prime quite well.

I need to start saving now.

 

Yeah, many of the "new" ideas in 3P aren't really new so much as old ideas just stylized, but actual new design directions like this aren't something you can just find anywhere else.

 

I figured that was the case but it still horrifies me see millions are sparks flying out of a decrepit steam engine. You cant tell maintenence and safety isn't a priority.

Well in regards to the American Rail Network (Amtrak) its more a shit-show than anything. The lines we have are operating only as dedicated freight services. Amtrak barely owns any of the track it operates on meaning the one's they dont have their trains sidelined while a slow freight passes. The company can barely afford to make dedicated services, let alone provide ant new ones. You'd think with the US Postal and Rail service being both laughing stocks people would recognize government-operated services dont work but I guess not.

Then there comes America's attempt for High Speed Rail which has turned into a comedy of errors. Only the NorthEast Corridor exists and has regular operations. California tried to make one but lets be honest the governor probably wanted some more money seeing as the funds disappeared before the first section of track was even prepped. Florida keep trying but forgets zoning is a thing. Now Texas is trying and people are protesting it because it may ruin some scenic views or something.

 

i really like the feudal Grimlock...ratchet and ironhide look very nice too...

 

Government operated services don't work? Tokyo Metro/Seoul Metro/Hong Kong MTR/"I can list all the metros of major cities in East Asia here" would disagree. The major lines in many East Asian cities are usually municipally owned and their record is sterling. Also high speed rail in China is government owned. But then again the issue IMHO is never about the Government vs the Private Sector.

Go travel and ask questions especially uncomfortable ones. You'll realize soon enough that most things are not about A vs B, there's usually, C, D, E, and F lurking in the background, and those are even more important than both A and B or there's interplay between all or some of them that makes the issues more nuanced.

My expectations are not high and perhaps that's part of the problem. Forget the Gold Standard, the Japanese Rail System or even the next tier: what the Taiwanese and the South Koreans have. If we can get something approaching the High Speed Rail systems in Europe, I am happy enough.

 

Government services don’t work if you nominate and employ people who say “government services don’t work” for decades while defunding public infrastructure so you can give big, big tax cuts to big, big businesses...  

 

I think it's more than that. Nothing works if no one demands accountability, and the ultimate freedom is ZERO accountability right?  

 

Yeah, I live outside DC and can say that the METRO here is a giant money wasting black hole of unaccountability. They call for more and more money while withholding FoIA requests. The expansion to the Dulles Airpoint--which was first envisioned back in the late 80s--is now endangered by substandard concrete usage; the MD expansion is mired in a bureaucratic and construction nightmare, and the shiny new headquarters in downtown DC will ironically have 4 stories of parking deck.
I'm of the belief that government services can be exceedingly beneficial; however, they have to be stringently monitored or else inevitably spiral into nigh unending depths of graft and corruption.

In other news, I love the revealed IF Alpha Trion. That might be the best bot mode of the character I have seen on a transforming figure--mainline or 3rd Party.

 

You just made me want this guy now!

 

Oh I'm aware there are other networks, government operated, in other countries that are stunning. Japan being one of those examples where the trains are always on time to the second. Issue is USA (and I think UK) doesn't have that sort of accountability hence why our rail networks are nothing but a joke. I'd say more but I think this video covers everything I could say,

 

High-speed rail requires overhead electric lines on every single inch of track. The cost to do so in sparsely-populated areas (western US) is generally considered prohibitive. Amtrak works in the Northeast because the Pennsylvania RR wired it up MANY years ago, and Amtrak can take advantage of it. It'd never happen if they had to build it themselves.

 

If we follow that argument i.e. sparse population, the first railway lines a century or two ago wouldn't be laid. Many areas in the US used to be sparsely populated and yet they eventually developed into major areas. It's simple. Communities follow jobs, not the other way around. With a sensible industrial policy, once those electric lines have been built, you can build other things that feed off that.

And remember, Japan was bombed to smitherens. It would be too easy to pull out the pity card every day, every month, heck for the rest of your life saying that this can't be done, that can't be done. Heck, didn't we go to the moon once?

 

Ah yes, the TFW boards

"Train Fans Worldwide"

 

Sorry for interrupting the discussion on trains...

On the topic of IF Figures I really like the Not Grimlock I think I'll keep on eye out for him

 

I can't believe I told them to stop. A day later and I'm now engrossed.

 

I have to admit, I've become a bit invested in it as well

Wait...is..is this how it starts? Is this how one becomes an enthusiast and connoisseur of the railways?

The hooks have dug in too deep!