I’ve been playing about with Lightroom a bit more, tinkering with shots taken for previous reviews. I definitely think I’m getting far better image clarity than I was with Photoshop. Note too that the images I’ve been using are jpegs. Theoretically I should get even better results by setting the camera to save in RAW format.
In all instances the original Photoshop image is either left or top, with the Lightroom version right or bottom.
So until now I’ve been snapping pics as jpegs and then fiddling about with them in Photoshop. Following the lead of fellow Transformers collector Maz, instead here I’ve played with snapping in RAW format and then tinkering in Lightroom. Better? Worse? I have literally no idea.
Thanks to the very kind people at Kapow, I’ve been lucky enough to get some hands-on time with one of Fanstoys’ most anticipated upcoming releases, FT-10 Phoenix. A couple of peeps in the collecting circles I move in rubbed their hands with glee at the news, I think in preparation for an anticipated mauling. Well, there’s good news and bad news…
Thanks to the kind people at Kapow, I’ve been offered a chance to assess a pre-release figure for the first time – Fanstoys FT-10 Pheonix, their Masterpiece version of Jetfire/Skyfire. I’ll be preparing a full review this weekend, but in the interim…
Not all KOs are equal. It used to be that buying a KO meant sacrificing quality. Nowadays, that isn’t always the case. While it’s certainly true that some knock offs are still low-brow alternatives of the source material, it’s not uncommon for modern KOs to match or perhaps even better the original.
Finally got my hands on an RiD Soundwave. Nice figure. The arms a little fiddly in bot mode but he’s got a pleasingly interesting transformation and I like his unconventional (for Soundwave, at least) alt mode. Certainly puts the somewhat disappointing Starscream to shame. Man, what a fall from grace compared to the incredible First Edition Deluxe TFP mold that was. Not to say he’s without credit – the bot looks very sleek indeed, but the tolerances on the legs are all over the shop and those shoulders like to pop out far too easily. Neither compares to Megatronus, OBVIOUSLY, who is one of the best deluxes in recent times are arguably the high point of the RiD line? Although there’s some fine competition – Fracture, Drift, maybe Optimus and even the humble Bumblebee are all fine bots.
Apologies for the ongoing lack of ‘proper’ reviews. I’m getting a lot better with my new meds so reckon I might be up to some photography soon (and there are OH SO MANY figures to choose from – Maketoys Downbeat and Gravity Builder in particular screaming out at me). I’ve also been bogged down in another big project which has just entered a bit of downtime, so fingers crossed.
You know that thing where you take a punt on a Transformer you’ve been eyeing for a while, and you don’t really know what to expect, and then it turns up and it’s just an absolute delight? Well, I missed the boat initially on both of the Takara TAV Optimus Primes. However, I saw both the vanilla and the Supreme versions on Chimungmung recently and took a punt on the pricier one. And he’s glorious! He’s absurd, obviously, and in no way fit for a TF Prime collection due to the obscene size. But he’ll make the most joyous of additions to one of my Optimus shelves.
I take particular delight in the way you think the roof of the cab is missing, but then the feet swing all the way from the bottom to the top to complete it. Fittingly ridiculous. God, I love it.
(And props to Chimungmung – he was only dispatched late last week owing to Chinese New Year and he’s here today, complete with a complimentary emblem sheet).
My god, Downbeat is superb.
ben parfitt 