Who’s the last member of the Toy Triangle? Mikel. He’ll have something in this space next month. But he joins the rest of Hot Plastic Injection for this month's ToyChat.

ToyChat is a monthly discussion between Ben, James, and Mikel.

We join the conversation already in progress…..

Ben:	btw, Mikel, did you put the wing thingies on your Unicron?
Ben:	I put mine together yesterday and it was a pain in the ass
Ben:	and I'm still not sure I set it up correctly
James:	What were the wing thingies? The grey stuff?
Ben:	yeah, and the clear plastic hemisphere things
Mikel:	I put the wing thingies on Unicron wrong the first time
Mikel:	but once i transformed him into the planet i fogured out the right way they fit
James:	See, you all have me scared about Unicron.
James:	Once I open mine, his ass is staying in robot mode.
Ben:	i haven't even tried transforming him into the planet, let alone try using that chest cannon
Mikel:	but once i transformed him into the planet i started liking him
James:	And he's gonna ditch that crappy minicon.
Mikel:	he was super cool in planet mode
Ben:	how come?
James:	I think he's super cool in robot mode.
Mikel:	i actually like him now . .  he grew on me
James:	Ah. You didn't like him at first.
Ben:	I've got him in a decent pose in robot form, I dunno if I wanna mess with him just yet
Mikel:	i didn't like him cause he was hard to put together now that i figured him out he's pretty cool
James:	That's cool. Gives me hope.
Mikel:	i was playing with Rodimus Prime last week . . . He Sucks
Ben:	Rodimus? you picked up a Rodimus?
Ben:	Why?
Mikel:	I had him when he first came out
James:	Rodimus sucked ass as a toy and a character. Who wants a motor home?
Ben:	Hot Rod, he was cool... Rodimus... I dunno man
James:	Springer shoulda led the Autobots.
Mikel:	He looked cool in the movie
James:	Yeah.
Ben:	let's make him look older by uh, adding some lines to his face.
Ben:	I didn't like his design, personally.
James:	There are a ton of Transformers that looked better in the show/movie. Take Ironhide and Ratchet.
Mikel:	And Galvatron.
James:	You know, I always imagined Ironhide the toy as having a big happy face on his windshield.
Mikel:	The toy sucks too
James:	I don't remember the Galvatron toy that much.
Mikel:	He SUCKS
Ben:	yeah, he had a sticker for a face, what was up with that?
James:	Truth be told, most of the Transformer toys suck.
Ben:	Ironhide and Ratchet I mean
Mikel:	yeah
James:	They still do.
Ben:	I liked the cars like Bluestreak and Jazz
James:	That's the problem. They can't look as cool as they do on the cartoon.
Ben:	and I wanna pick up the Silverstreak Binaltech when it comes out in March
Mikel:	Jazz will always be cool
James:	Yeah. Those two, Prowl, Hound, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were the best.
Mikel:	and the Dinobots
James:	Soundwave had this little head.
Ben:	There's rumor that the new RX-8 is gonna be the Binaltech version of Jazz, you guys see that?
James:	Yeah. How can I forget them.
James:	What's the RX-8 and Binaltech?
Ben:	Binaltech is the Japanese name for the Alternators
James:	I tuned out the Transformers after I saw Unicron was coming out.
James:	What's an Alternator?
Mikel:	I don't like any of the new stuff. I did like some of the Animal stuff though
Ben:	like the Subaru Impreza Smokescreen
James:	I especially hated that crap.
Ben:	and the Dodge Viper Sideswipe (I think)
James:	The only time I saw it was when you had it in Target last weekend.
Ben:	really?
James:	Yeah.
Mikel:	the new sideswipe is cool
James:	I really don't follow Transformers stuff.
Ben:	the Japanese version has more diecast, which is why I left that one at Target
Mikel:	I kinda do
James:	I like G1.
Ben:	the American ones are mostly plastic
Ben:	I don't follow Transformers stuff specifically, just cool robots in general
James:	Especially when they added that dumb ass kid to the cartoons and Optimus Prime was acting all like he was telling him the history of the Transformer.
Mikel:	here here!
James:	If it doesn't have "Gundam" or "Macross" on it, I ignore it.
Ben:	if it's robotic and it's got metal in it, there's a good chance I'm keeping an eye on it
Mikel:	yeah
Ben:	heh
James:	Now, if it said  "Spice Girls" or "Military", I'd be on it like white on rice.
Ben:	speaking of Gundam, Bandai's gonna be coming out with Gundam Seed toys to coincide with it showing on Cartoon Network
Mikel:	Military Spice Girls?
James:	I want Zeta Gundam first.
Ben:	including a 12" mega figure, probably the Strike
James:	That'd be cool, because there was a whole military scene in Spice World.
Mikel:	12" Strike?
James:	12" Spice?
James:	;)
Mikel:	It'll be mostly plastic right?
James:	Seriously though, we need Zeta Gundam.
Ben:	most likely
James:	It'll wind up being all plastic.
Ben:	those other 12" gundams were all plastic, right?
Mikel:	i want a 12" ZETA
James:	And did anyone ever spot the 12" Sazabi or Re-GZ?
Ben:	I never got to pick any of those up
Ben:	doesn't Mikel have the 12" Sazabi?
James:	I never saw them on toy store shelves
Ben:	and the Nu Gundam
Mikel:	yeah i gots them. they are pretty cool
Ben:	oh
Mikel:	i would also like a nice 12" RX-78
James:	I thought they made a Re-GZ, too.
James:	That would be cool, but I doubt they'd import that.
Mikel:	is that the one with the rocket pack?
Ben:	I don't remember which one the Re-GZ is
James:	The Re-GZ? That's the one in the beginning of Char's Counterattack.
Ben:	they sorta came out with a 12" RX-78, the electronic one from Thinkways
James:	The one that wound up getting blown up.
Mikel:	with the cone shaped rockets on the side?
James:	I'm still kicking myself for missing out on those.
Mikel:	Yeah i got that too. didn't see them in the stores though. got them at J-Toys
Ben:	if you can put up with Amuro's wacky American voice
James:	Oh yeah, Mikel, Bandai is coming out with another pair of Gundam Nikes.
Mikel:	cool. what color?
Ben:	flaming hot red
James:	No, that's not the color.
James:	It's infrared.
Ben:	uh, wha?
Mikel:	Char Shoes!
James:	Exactly.
James:	They stop at an 11. I need those in an 11.5
Mikel:	but they look too ronald mcdonald-ish though
Ben:	hahaha
James:	Those are the color of Char's Zaku.
Ben:	you caught me off guard with that one
Mikel:	too much red and yellow
James:	and his modified Gelgoog.
James:	Y'all don't know fashion.
Mikel:	yeah i know . .  but too much red and yellow
James:	Those are teh hottness.
Ben:	right
James:	Get those and dress them up with a Yao Rockets jersey, or better yet, an Atlanta flames jersey, and you're good to go.
Mikel:	they need to put the Zeon symbol on there somewhere
James:	if they were on the tongue, or the heel, I'd squeeze my foot into an 11.
James:	It's frustrating 'cause I could get them with ease. If only they fit...
James:	Ben should get them so I can live vicariously through him.
Mikel:	they need to make regular army green ZAKU shoes
James:	Those're probably next.
James:	Green isn't a popular shoe color, though.
Mikel:	now that would be cool
Mikel:	better that McShoes
Ben:	I'd get those Gundam ones we saw before
James:	Shut up. I like those shoes.
Ben:	McShoes and a side order of fries
James:	You shut up, too.
James:	Those are hot.
James:	H-O-T.
Mikel:	the zaku shoes should have a red light on them
Ben:	Red Comet Extra value meal
Mikel:	hahahahah
James:	Those are not McDonald's colors.
Mikel:	if they had more white like his helmet it would be okay
James:	But his Zaku doesn't have any white.
James:	Don't you have a Zaku lying around.
Mikel:	i'm talking about his uniform
James:	The "Red" in the "Red Comet" is acutally more pink.
James:	They's made to resemble the mech, not the uni.
Mikel:	and that's where they screwed up
James:	No, they didn't. Those shoes kick ass.
James:	Period. :)
James:	And if I get a pair, I'm going to staple them on your car.
Mikel:	if i designed them they would be ALL red and a big ole yellow symbol
James:	They can't be all red. There needs to be yellow to set the red off.
Ben:	I thought we were supposed to be talking about toys
Mikel:	yeah . . . the SYMBOL
Mikel:	yeah toys are cool
James:	The symbol can be yellow, too. But there needs to be a second color to separate the red. Otherwise, it'll look like you have red blobs on your feet.
Ben:	I managed to pick up one of those Joyride Studios Madcats
Mikel:	thats the only one i never see
Ben:	brought me back to the days when I played Battletech at North Pier
Ben:	it's decent, though not nearly as much diecast metal as I'd like
Ben:	I think they also come as model sets you can put together
Mikel:	only the best mech ever
Mikel:	Horizon made a really big model of one a while back
Ben:	I think I remember that
Mikel:	too bad it was only vinyl
Ben:	yeah
James:	I wish they'd bring back the Battletech centers.
Ben:	me too
Mikel:	yeah
Mikel:	huh?
James:	But seriously. What's the best toy (or toy line) out there?
Ben:	right now, arrows point at the Masterpiece Convoy/Optimus Prime
Mikel:	Pretty much anything Japanese
Ben:	I've read nothing but glowing reviews of it
Mikel:	The U.S. has a lot of catching up to doo
James:	That's not fair, Mikel. What about Marvel Studios?
James:	21st Century Toys?
James:	and McToys? :)
Ben:	ewwww
Mikel:	Marvel studios leave much to be desired
James:	There's good stuff coming out of Japan, but the American companies are doing some good things, too.
James:	Like what?
Mikel:	ToyBiz in general does
James:	I hate their chase figure mess.
James:	But their stuff is super-poseable.
Ben:	I can't really say anything about American companies 'cause my main focus is the robots, and Japan pretty much dominates that scene
Mikel:	granted the articulation is good but the final product in comparison to the prototypes suck. paint application is awful. joints get stuck . . .
Mikel:	and the whole chase crap
James:	I've never had a stuck joint, but I've had the nasty paint.
James:	heh. That was started by McToys.
James:	Jakks does a good job with the wrestling figures.
James:	Joyride did OK with the Halo figures.
Mikel:	they are good solid figures but nothing outstanding
James:	DC Direct does a good job.
Mikel:	American toys are good solid toys but they don't compare to the overall design and creative quality of Japanese toys
Mikel:	DC Direct SUCKS!
James:	There are some dogs in Japan, too. Just like there are dogs here.
James:	I like DC Direct.
Mikel:	they follow the footsteps of McCraplane
James:	how so? DC Direct figures move at least.
Ben:	paint apps aren't always consistent
James:	I've never had that problem.
Ben:	I usually have to dig around
Mikel:	DC direct has great Sculpting but 4 bacis articulation points don't make a great figure
James:	Maybe I'm lucky.
James:	The JLA line was nice.
Ben:	yeah, gotta have at least 20 :)
James:	You all sound like anime otaku, you know that.
Mikel:	the only reason i get DC Direct is because that is the only way to get some of these characters
Ben:	I don't think so
James:	Mikel does.
Mikel:	anime otaku?
Mikel:	how so?
James:	You said nothing good comes out of the US.
James:	And there are good things.
Mikel:	there are good things or else i wouldn't be buying them but i think Asian toys are better quality
Ben:	speaking of dolls, I read that someone took the outfit off her Supergirl fig and put it on a My Scene Barbie and it looked good
Mikel:	I wanna take the super girl outfit and put it on a Cy Girl
Ben:	that's a thought
Mikel:	the redhead
Ben:	speaking of Cy Girls, Bloody Rose and Ice are on my list of figures to get
Ben:	nice looking sculpts
James:	I remembered where I saw Bloody Rose before. They had her at SDCC as a limited edition when Mikel and I got overcharged at the BBI booth.
Mikel:	cool figure
Ben:	oh yeah, I think I remember that too
Mikel:	i want the Akiko Fuji figure
Ben:	yeah, that looked nice
Ben:	when's that coming out?
Mikel:	it's out
James:	I was just talking about McToys being a good toy maker, and my Yao figure fell down, and I had to go digging for the basketball he came with.
Ben:	heh
James:	What was everyone's least favorite toy of 2003?
Ben:	Alias Figures
Mikel:	Flavas
Ben:	wearing McShoes
James:	Would you quit with the McShoes thing.
Mikel:	and sports jerseys
James:	Flavas ranks up there.
Ben:	it's teh hottness
James:	My least favorite was the Yamato Valkyrie
Mikel:	WHAT!
James:	Big disappointment.
Mikel:	blasphemer
Ben:	I liked it, except for the fact that mine was missing a piece
James:	The fingers are small and brittle, the nose cone keeps falling off, and it ain't as super posable as advertised.
Ben:	darn Yamato quality control.
James:	I was disappointed.
Mikel:	the only thing i didn't like was the stickers
James:	Those sucked, too.
Mikel:	the new versions fix the finger problem
James:	Mine is stickerless, and it's hidden on a shelf behind my Alpha and Cyclone.
Mikel:	i like mine a lot
James:	Dunno if I want to sink $100 to check the finger thing.
Ben:	the VF1A, 1S, or both?
Mikel:	I do cause i want VF-1A
James:	All.
Ben:	I'd like to pick up the TV version 1J with fast packs
Mikel:	yeah that too
James:	I was interested in the Super Valyrie, but now, I dunno.
Ben:	and I'd kill for a Q-Rau
Mikel:	a what?
James:	Queadluun Rau
James:	AKA Female Power armor
Ben:	yeah, what he said
Ben:	it's gonna be huge
James:	That I want. They can't mess up its fingers.
Ben:	heh
James:	Oh yeah, every Aquaman figure released is on my "Most Disappointing" list, too.
Mikel:	I just hate shoes in general.
James:	They hate you, too.
Mikel:	Aquaman RULES!
James:	He sucks almost as much as the Green Lantern and Green Arrow.
James:	No. I take that back. I like the lantern on JLA.
James:	Just Aquaman.
Mikel:	OKAY you do not insult GRENN LANTERN. making fun of Aquaman is fine , it's standard but NOT GL
James:	I like the cartoon GL. Not the comic book one,
Mikel:	Any GL is good
James:	besides Flavas, what else do you dislike.
Mikel:	actually I like Flavas. they make me laugh
James:	They make me shake my head.
James:	It's inner city kids as seen by WASPS.
James:	You know what my mom said when she saw the white Flavas? "Look. Justin Timberlake."
Mikel:	haha