Review #98:
Combiner Wars Smokescreen,
Sky Lynx, and Sky Reign
-- Sky Reign Review Series #4 --
It has been far, far too long since I updated this website. I know I go on the occasional dry patch, but this time it has been almost two years, which seems ridiculous even for me! But we live in, shall we say, interesting times... And there's nothing like a worldwide pandemic that has large chunks of the Earth's population stuck at home to get those review-writing creative juices flowing again...
So, after being away for so long, do I have some exciting new toys to review for you all? Maybe. But to start... I thought I would take care of some unfinished business. And thus, we shall go back in time to the ancient past that is Combiner Wars! Of course, I am sure anyone reading this won't be too surprised. After all, it would be weird if you were reading this review without having first read the title! And so as you should already be aware of, today we will be looking at the final two members of the group that makes up Sky Reign, the Combiner Wars figures for Smokescreen and Sky Lynx. And then, of course, we will be looking at the combined form of Sky Reign, himself.
The reason this review is unfinished business is, of course, that we have previously looked at the three other members of this team. But for anyone who needs a refresher, or who has just missed one or more of the previous reviews, here's some links to get you up to speed: Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Hound.
So, after being away for so long, do I have some exciting new toys to review for you all? Maybe. But to start... I thought I would take care of some unfinished business. And thus, we shall go back in time to the ancient past that is Combiner Wars! Of course, I am sure anyone reading this won't be too surprised. After all, it would be weird if you were reading this review without having first read the title! And so as you should already be aware of, today we will be looking at the final two members of the group that makes up Sky Reign, the Combiner Wars figures for Smokescreen and Sky Lynx. And then, of course, we will be looking at the combined form of Sky Reign, himself.
The reason this review is unfinished business is, of course, that we have previously looked at the three other members of this team. But for anyone who needs a refresher, or who has just missed one or more of the previous reviews, here's some links to get you up to speed: Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, and Hound.
So, getting into this review proper, we will start with the final limb-bot, Smokescreen. If Smokescreen looks familiar, it is because we have taken a look at this exact mold once before when it was used for Combiner Wars Prowl. Deco aside, this mold is identical. So for thoughts on the mold itself, check out that earlier review. Here, I will be discussing purely how this mold works for Smokescreen.
And in vehicle mold... it mostly works. It's a good looking Smokescreen, and painted well with vivid reds and blues, a nice white stripe, and great silver wheels. The coloring on the side is broken up slightly by the unfortunate chunk of unpaintable plastic, but there's not much that could have been done about that. |
The only major issue is that this mold was designed as an emergency vehicle... and thus, has a molded in light bar on the roof. They try to hide it somewhat by making it the same color as the rest of the roof, and it can be easy to miss if you aren't looking closely. But once you do notice it, it's hard to ignore it. While on one hand, I understand wanting to make Smokescreen look as close as possible to Prowl, I do wonder if there could have been another way.
Prowl was a remold of Dead End, and Dead End didn't feature a light bar. But the head and chest pieces needed to make Prowl and Smokescreen look right could have been gang molded with everything else used for the updated police car version of the mold. So while Dead End's vehicle mold may have suited Smokescreen better by lacking a light bar, it could be that the light bar was just something we had to live with if we wanted a robot mode that would work for the character.
I have also wondered, alternatively, why they couldn't have just filed down the lightbar from this version of the mold? Yes, for the most part, these extra characters in Combiner Wars have just been repaints with new heads. But Trailbreaker surprised us with a few additional remolded parts. So why not Smokescreen? But then I considered that there is a hinge for the transformation within the lightbar, and it is possible that remolding this spot to remove the lightbar could have made the area with this hinge too thin. Ah well, so we live with Smokescreen having a lightbar. I think there are bigger issues in the world right now. I can get over it.
Shall we take a look at weapon storage? As is usual for Combiner Wars figures, the vehicle mode does have it, but it is far from subtle.
I have also wondered, alternatively, why they couldn't have just filed down the lightbar from this version of the mold? Yes, for the most part, these extra characters in Combiner Wars have just been repaints with new heads. But Trailbreaker surprised us with a few additional remolded parts. So why not Smokescreen? But then I considered that there is a hinge for the transformation within the lightbar, and it is possible that remolding this spot to remove the lightbar could have made the area with this hinge too thin. Ah well, so we live with Smokescreen having a lightbar. I think there are bigger issues in the world right now. I can get over it.
Shall we take a look at weapon storage? As is usual for Combiner Wars figures, the vehicle mode does have it, but it is far from subtle.
Smokescreen features the same triple barreled shotgun that Prowl had, but this time covered in a glorious silver paint. Like with Prowl, it can be jammed onto the vehicle mode's roof. Or, if you also want vehicle mode storage for the hand/foot/gun thingy, the gun can be stored on either side of the vehicle.
That's about everything there is to say about the vehicle mode. Let's take a look at Smokescreen in robot mode.
That's about everything there is to say about the vehicle mode. Let's take a look at Smokescreen in robot mode.
There's not too much to say about Smokescreen in robot mode. He's identical to Prowl except in his coloring, and that is not a bad thing. So it's probably best to let these pictures speak for themselves.
So, is this the best Smokescreen since sliced bread? Hell no. If you've been collecting Classics style Transformers long enough to still stubbornly insist on calling them "Classics" rather then "Generations," there was a 2009 Universe Smokescreen (who you can also see in the above linked Prowl review) who wasn't too bad. He certainly lacked the sticky paint issue that plagued the version of Prowl who used that mold, and so doesn't have that negative association going on. On the other hand, if you are a newer collector or just someone for whom that 2009 figure wasn't good enough, there is a Smokescreen coming out later this year in the Earthrise toyline that looks positively amazing.
But if you were a fan of the Combiner Wars play pattern who wants a Smokescreen who can work within it? This Deluxe class figure from 2016 is one that can fill that very specific need very nicely.
But if you were a fan of the Combiner Wars play pattern who wants a Smokescreen who can work within it? This Deluxe class figure from 2016 is one that can fill that very specific need very nicely.
Moving on, we come to the final member of the team who will make up the combiner known as Sky Reign, the 2016 Voyager Class figure of Sky Lynx. This is a figure I had some slight mixed feelings about, even when it was first released, but which overall I felt had more good then bad.
Sky Lynx, in vehicle mode, is actually two vehicles. He is a space shuttle mounted on top of a crawling transport vehicle. His G1 toy, which I had as a child, could separate these two vehicles, while in this toy they are permanently joined together. This does make things a bit awkward, as now Sky Lynx is basically a space shuttle with a big blue and red box permanently attached to his undercarriage. |
To add insult to injury, that blue and red box on the undercarriage has no wheels on it. This is a far cry from the G1 figure which featured motorized rolling action! Now, do I expect motorized action on a modern figure? No, especially on a figure already adding in a combining gimmick not present on the original. But some plain, old fashioned, non-motorized wheels would have been just fine and are most conspicuous in their absence.
There is a slight change I have made to this figure. The vehicle mode features a trio of tale fins. The two side ones were, originally, forward swept fins. I personally didn't care for this look, and so I turned the fins around. This was as simple as popping them off, and popping them back on again facing in the other direction. This doesn't have any effect on the figure's ability to transform, or to function in any of its modes. That being said, there is a reason these fins were originally forward swept, which I will explain more when we get to one of the other modes.
Above are two pictures highlighting this change. To the left, my copy of the toy, with one of the altered tail fins circled. To the right, an image lovingly stolen from another review website, Ben's World of Transformers, showing the fins in their original configuration. This image also shows an alternate vehicle mode storage option for the figure's accessories.
Overall, not a vehicle mode that I see as perfect, what with its inability to separate to account for the fact that this is actually two vehicles combined together, or the fact that the vehicle that is supposed to be able to roll doesn't have wheels. But it looks good, and feels like Sky Lynx in vehicle mode. Let's move on now to robot mode.
Overall, not a vehicle mode that I see as perfect, what with its inability to separate to account for the fact that this is actually two vehicles combined together, or the fact that the vehicle that is supposed to be able to roll doesn't have wheels. But it looks good, and feels like Sky Lynx in vehicle mode. Let's move on now to robot mode.
And here we come to my biggest problem with Sky Lynx: his robot mode. As in, his singular robot mode. His one and only. Remember how I said the original toy split into two seperate vehicles? Well, each of them had a seperate bestial robot mode, which then combined together to form the singular robot mode that this toy has. The space shuttle was supposed to become a prehistoric bird. The crawler transport was supposed to become a lynx. And finally, the two together would become the glorious four legged bird that is Sky Lynx. This toy just cuts straight to the chase and gives you the final Sky Lynx. Yes, it does also form the chest for a combiner team... But any toy that is a modern reinterpratation of a classic toy is going to loose some points if it fails to do something as basic as have all of the needed modes.
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That all being said, this is a pretty good looking Sky Lynx in the one robot mode it does have. He really captures the look and feel of at least the combined form of Sky Lynx as I remember him from my childhood. Some people also complained that a Voyager class toy was too small for Sky Lynx, who was one of the bigger toys in the G1 toyline. But for me, the size wasn't as much of an issue as the inability to seperate the two componants.
Sky Lynx comes with two weapons (which is two more than his G1 toy came with) that, in his robot mode, I honestly think are best put to use as tail extensions. Otherwise, he has a short and stubby little tail that is just not nearly majestic enough for him.
His articulation is pretty good, but not issue free. He has three points in his neck (four if you disengage a tab holding his neck in place) where the neck can be moved up and down. Additionally, there is a 360 degree swivel in the base of the neck. His mouth can open and close. His wings can move up and down, and the blue portion of each wing can also be swept forwards or backwards.
The legs also have a decent amount of articulation on the surface, but the legs are where the problems lie. The feet are somewhat loose, and while it is not impossible to get his legs into a good looking pose that the feet can support, it can be a bit frustrating. But when you do manage to get him into a good pose, he looks fantastic!
His articulation is pretty good, but not issue free. He has three points in his neck (four if you disengage a tab holding his neck in place) where the neck can be moved up and down. Additionally, there is a 360 degree swivel in the base of the neck. His mouth can open and close. His wings can move up and down, and the blue portion of each wing can also be swept forwards or backwards.
The legs also have a decent amount of articulation on the surface, but the legs are where the problems lie. The feet are somewhat loose, and while it is not impossible to get his legs into a good looking pose that the feet can support, it can be a bit frustrating. But when you do manage to get him into a good pose, he looks fantastic!
So, before we move onto combined mode, what are my final thoughts on this toy as a modern version of Sky Lynx? Well, he was pretty much the first Sky Lynx toy since the original G1, so between 2016 and now, it was either this toy or nothin' if you wanted a modern version of a Sky Lynx toy. Is he perfect? Nah. He is a bit small, and more importantly, he lacks the ability to seperate into two seperate vehicles/robots. But what he does do, he does pretty good. So if this is the only option? I'll get over my issues and enjoy having this toy in my collection.
That all being said, guess what? Remember what I said about Smokescreen getting a new figure later this year in the Earthrise toyline? Guess who else is getting one? Yup. Sky Lynx. And this upcoming Sky Lynx seems to tick all of the boxes that I had minor complaints about with this one. Size a bit small? This upcoming one is a Commander Class figure. (A new size class between Leader and Titan that so far has only one other figure that we haven't looked at on this website.) Want Sky Lynx to split into two components and have all of the modes that that implies? You got it with this one. It looks like a fantastic figure, and unlike with Smokescreen (where I think I will stay happy with what I already have) I really look forward to this new Sky Lynx. So is this one worth keeping around? I think the answer to that comes down to if you want a Sky Lynx who is part of a combining team. And to help answer that question, I think it's time to bring in the rest of the team.
That all being said, guess what? Remember what I said about Smokescreen getting a new figure later this year in the Earthrise toyline? Guess who else is getting one? Yup. Sky Lynx. And this upcoming Sky Lynx seems to tick all of the boxes that I had minor complaints about with this one. Size a bit small? This upcoming one is a Commander Class figure. (A new size class between Leader and Titan that so far has only one other figure that we haven't looked at on this website.) Want Sky Lynx to split into two components and have all of the modes that that implies? You got it with this one. It looks like a fantastic figure, and unlike with Smokescreen (where I think I will stay happy with what I already have) I really look forward to this new Sky Lynx. So is this one worth keeping around? I think the answer to that comes down to if you want a Sky Lynx who is part of a combining team. And to help answer that question, I think it's time to bring in the rest of the team.
Above we see the team that forms Sky Reign all together in vehicle mode. Wheeljack is, of course, slathered in glorious Reprolabel upgrade stickers as seen previously in his review. Sticker sets exist for the rest of this group, too, including the two figures looked at today. I may get them eventually... but honestly, I don't feel those sets do as much for their figures, and there are a ton of other sets I do want whenever I get around to my next Reprolabels order. So I may prioritize, and not worry so much about these guys.
Anyway, to get back to the point, if you can get past the scale issues of a tiny space shuttle with four cars, it's not a bad looking set. Heck, in this case, the shuttle is the larger central figure, so they're already looking better then the Combatacons who have their shuttle as one of the limbs!
Below, a look at the group together in robot mode. Not a bad looking bunch of Autobots.
Anyway, to get back to the point, if you can get past the scale issues of a tiny space shuttle with four cars, it's not a bad looking set. Heck, in this case, the shuttle is the larger central figure, so they're already looking better then the Combatacons who have their shuttle as one of the limbs!
Below, a look at the group together in robot mode. Not a bad looking bunch of Autobots.
But now, let us stick them all together, and see what we get!
Looking at the torso and especially the head, Sky Reign seems to take a lot of cues from the Lynx portion of Sky Lynx, including a wonderful animalistic head that you just don't see that often on a Transformers combiner.
Sky Lynx's two weapons combine to form a longer sword apropriate to his size. If you want, you can also stick another weapon in his other hand. Personally, I think Smokescreen's huge-arse shotgun still looks good in this larger robot's hand. |
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Sky Reign, magnificent and glorious Autobot combiner! I've talked about Combiner Wars style combiners enough on this website between things such as Superion and Ultra Prime, that I'm not sure what I can add when it comes to discussing the combiner in general, other than to say, "Look at the pretty pictures of what this one looks like!" Well, there are a few specifics to discuss, I suppose.
First, the chest plate. Remember the tail fins on Sky Lynx I turned around? The main effect that has is on the aesthetic of the combined mode. I don't think it looks bad with them angled downward as they are on my figure. But if I had left them alone, they would have angled upwards. I have another image lovingly stolen from Ben's World of Transformers to show you what the chest would look like if left alone. |
If you don't want left over pieces, there are spots the other robots' weapons can be stored. Hound's gun looks good still attached to him. And if you don't mind them looking ever so slightly awkward, there are ports on Sky Reign's back that can accomidate Trailbreaker's and Wheeljack's weapons.
Technically, Sky Lynx's shuttle's nose area is supposed to be hanging downwards according to the instructions, but frankly, that can come off looking a little... well... phallic. I think it makes for a much cleaner looking combined form to instead have it tucked in pointing upwards against the combined mode's back. The joints in this area are more than good enough to keep it in place there.
Articulation is, for the most part, identical to any other Combiner Wars gestalt. There is one slight bit of bonus articulation in the shoulders where, due to how Sky Lynx is articulated, the combined mode's shoulders can also flex forwards or backwards a little bit in addition to any standard articulation found there. Some care must be taken when posing the shoulders in general, though, as it is very easy to accidentally move joints other than the ones you want to. It's a bit fiddly, but in my opinion far from a deal breaker. What is slightly more concerning are the combined mode's hips, which are a bit loose... But honestly, this is far from the only Combiner Wars style gestalt with looser hips then I might have liked. I think it's probably more worth mentioning when the hips aren't annoying as all heck. Should it be this way? In an ideal world, probably not. But I've learned to live with it, and just do my best to get my combiners into good looking poses I can walk away from without too much worry that they'll fall over if I look at them funny. And I only get the occasional face planting gestalt, so I must be doing something mostly right.
Articulation is, for the most part, identical to any other Combiner Wars gestalt. There is one slight bit of bonus articulation in the shoulders where, due to how Sky Lynx is articulated, the combined mode's shoulders can also flex forwards or backwards a little bit in addition to any standard articulation found there. Some care must be taken when posing the shoulders in general, though, as it is very easy to accidentally move joints other than the ones you want to. It's a bit fiddly, but in my opinion far from a deal breaker. What is slightly more concerning are the combined mode's hips, which are a bit loose... But honestly, this is far from the only Combiner Wars style gestalt with looser hips then I might have liked. I think it's probably more worth mentioning when the hips aren't annoying as all heck. Should it be this way? In an ideal world, probably not. But I've learned to live with it, and just do my best to get my combiners into good looking poses I can walk away from without too much worry that they'll fall over if I look at them funny. And I only get the occasional face planting gestalt, so I must be doing something mostly right.
Overall, though, Sky Reign is in my opinion a good looking combiner. And frankly, the limb-bots are a general mish-mash of randomness, so that mostly comes down to the fact that Sky Lynx makes for a pretty gosh darn good looking head and torso.
I did just rag on the limbs slightly for being mostly functional chunks of randomness in this equasion, but it is worth remembering that Combiner Wars limbs are completely interchangable, and this review wouldn't be complete without a quick look at him with his limbs switched around. So here we go:
I did just rag on the limbs slightly for being mostly functional chunks of randomness in this equasion, but it is worth remembering that Combiner Wars limbs are completely interchangable, and this review wouldn't be complete without a quick look at him with his limbs switched around. So here we go:
I personally like the first set up I presented slightly better just because I like using the slimmer cars for the arms and the chunkier truck and jeep as the legs, but this preference is marginal at best and this set up also looks quite good. Unlike pure G1 combiners who, while they were advertised as having mix-and-match limbs, did have that one configuration that was supposed to be the right one, the sky's really the limit with these newly introduced combiner teams from Combiner Wars.
Use whoever you want for whichever limb you want. Heck, even mix up teams between Ultra Prime and Sky Reign. You could get some more symmetrical limbs that way, since three of the four limb-bots share molds between the two teams. You'll get no judgement from me! I really feel like some of the new teams introduced in Combiner Wars (and the really random hodgepodge of torsos and limb-bots, many without assigned teams, that we'd get a few lines later in Power of the Primes) really opened up the whole Scramble City style of play that G1 intended to give us in a big way that G1 was never able to fully realize. Embrace it! Have fun with it! Remember, folks, these are toys, after all.
Now that we've looked at the combined form, and seen the glorious Lynx head it has, just a quick digression back to Sky Lynx himself. I don't normally feature "fan modes" in my reviews, but it is a thing that many people have tried to make a Lynx mode out of Sky Lynx. One example that I found in a quick Google Image Search and that didn't look too shabby to me is presented here for your consideration.
Personally, not my thing. And a thing that will become much less relevant when Earthrise Sky Lynx comes out and is all, "Hey, I have a real Lynx mode!" But it is a thing you could do if you wanted to. (The picture to the left actually came off an eBay auction, and I would not be surprised if the seller just swipped it from somewhere online as well, so it this is your picture and it isn't properly credited to you, I do apologize.) |
Well, that is just about everything I have to say about these toys other than some quick final thoughts. So before that, here's a few quick photos of the shelf that these toys live on. (From past reviews in this series, you may recall that they and Ultra Prime lived on the same shelf as Metroplex. Well, it's been a while, and they've gotten a new home along with some prehistoric friends.) First, as individuals:
Then, combined:
Wow, just to comment on image quality... Those last two photos are ones that I had taken long previously with my cel phone. All the other photos (aside from the few I pointed out that I borrowed from other sources) from earlier in this review were taken with a camera that one of my girls, who is a very good photographer, gave to her mother (and by extension, to me) because it was an extra camera she didn't need anymore after she got an even better one. And man, is the quality night and day. I am kind of thrilled to have this camera available to me now for my reviews going forward. I think I will be able to provide much better images for you, my readers, to enjoy.
To the right we have one final image of Sky Reign, this time standing with a standard sized DVD case to offer a sense of his scale.
So... final thoughts. If you're just looking for a Smokescreen and a Sky Lynx, I won't lie. You can do better. Smokescreen has had better Classics style toys before and since this one. Sky Lynx... Well, this was his first and so far only ever Classics style toy, and if I had written this review just a month or two, I might have said, "Good enough! Live with it!" But we do know now of an even better one on the horizon. So if all you want is the best Sky Lynx ever, definitely skip this one. But in a way, these toys are definitely a case of the sum being greater than all of the parts. Sky Reign is a great combiner. And you probably need Smokescreen to make Sky Reign. You definitely need Sky Lynx. |
So if you're into new, totally made up combiners with no basis in the mythology from the 80's (which, I will admit, I initially saw for what it was: an excuse to pad out the toyline and sell repaints, but which I have since totally drank the Kool-aid about) then Sky Reign is a great combiner to have in your collection, and by extension, Smokescreen and Sky Lynx can find a home with you, too, as they have with me.
That wraps things up for this review. So now a few words on... well, on what's on everyone's mind in this time. So if you're just here for the toy reviews and don't want anything beyond pure escapism from what you're reading here (or if you're reading this well after the fact, when this is hopefully no longer relevant) feel free to stop reading this now. I won't be mad! It's okay.
For everyone else who is still reading, here we go...
Stay safe out there. Covid-19 is not something to take lightly. But remember, even as we are supposed to "social distance," we are all in this together. Really, "social distancing" is not the best term. Because even as we are physically distancing ourselves from one another, I feel like this has been a time where many of us are coming closer together as a society in a world that has been seeing a lot of division in recent years.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Don't be selfish thinking you can still go out and do whatever you want. You're not scared of getting the disease? You think your freedom to do what you want is more important? Fine. But don't be an idiot going out and doing things health officials have advised against. Because doing so isn't just putting yourself at risk. It is putting everyone around you at risk.
And speaking of people putting themselves at risk: be damn thankful to anyone out there working an "essential job." Especially health workers who may not have access to proper masks and gloves. Homemade masks (if they even have that) may be cute, and are certainly better than nothing, but they are no where near as effective as real ones. These people are putting their health and their lives at risk for us every day. And even the delivery driver out there bringing you your pizza that you ordered... They would be a hell of a lot safer staying at home right now. Remember this when you tip them. Which you'd better be doing!
Don't hoard supplies. No one needs 20 rolls of fracking toilet paper. I have a family of five at home, and we've not even tucked into the six-pack we bought just in case when we finally saw some on the shelves somewhere. We're still allowed to go to stores, people. And if everyone wasn't going crazy buying certain things up like the world was going to end and only a fort made of toilet paper could save them, there would still be plenty for everyone. And if you yourself aren't a health professional, especially don't hoard masks and similar supplies. You don't need them. They do.
Finally, as important as it is to remember that we're all in this together and we all have to make sacrifices, it's okay to not be okay with it all. One of my girls, the one who gave us the camera, is supposed to be graduating from high school this year. And we are all prepared for the fact that she probably won't be getting an actual graduation ceremony. (Or a prom. And forget about her school trip to Paris, that definitely ain't happening!) She was feeling bad about feeling bad about missing these things. There are people dying out there after all, what should her not getting to walk for her graduation really matter in the grand scheme of things? Well, it does matter. She has worked damn hard in her academic career, and she deserves that recognition. I'm upset she won't have that. So it's perfectly natural for her to be upset. And it's not selfish. It's human.
We're all human here. We all have things we're going to be missing out on. And it's okay to be upset. Find someone you can talk to about it. Don't keep it bottled in. Get it out, so you can keep yourself sane and keep moving forward in a safe fashion. Eventually, if we all work together (from a distance, ha ha) we will get through this. And then we can pick up the pieces, put our lives back together, find some ways to maybe make up for some of the things that we had to miss, and just move forward from everything else and get back to enjoying what futures we have.
It will likely get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. In the meantime, best wishes to you and yours that you all stay safe, stay sane, and stay healthy. And hopefully I will see you all again soon with another review.
Review added 25 March 2020 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed.
For everyone else who is still reading, here we go...
Stay safe out there. Covid-19 is not something to take lightly. But remember, even as we are supposed to "social distance," we are all in this together. Really, "social distancing" is not the best term. Because even as we are physically distancing ourselves from one another, I feel like this has been a time where many of us are coming closer together as a society in a world that has been seeing a lot of division in recent years.
Keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Don't be selfish thinking you can still go out and do whatever you want. You're not scared of getting the disease? You think your freedom to do what you want is more important? Fine. But don't be an idiot going out and doing things health officials have advised against. Because doing so isn't just putting yourself at risk. It is putting everyone around you at risk.
And speaking of people putting themselves at risk: be damn thankful to anyone out there working an "essential job." Especially health workers who may not have access to proper masks and gloves. Homemade masks (if they even have that) may be cute, and are certainly better than nothing, but they are no where near as effective as real ones. These people are putting their health and their lives at risk for us every day. And even the delivery driver out there bringing you your pizza that you ordered... They would be a hell of a lot safer staying at home right now. Remember this when you tip them. Which you'd better be doing!
Don't hoard supplies. No one needs 20 rolls of fracking toilet paper. I have a family of five at home, and we've not even tucked into the six-pack we bought just in case when we finally saw some on the shelves somewhere. We're still allowed to go to stores, people. And if everyone wasn't going crazy buying certain things up like the world was going to end and only a fort made of toilet paper could save them, there would still be plenty for everyone. And if you yourself aren't a health professional, especially don't hoard masks and similar supplies. You don't need them. They do.
Finally, as important as it is to remember that we're all in this together and we all have to make sacrifices, it's okay to not be okay with it all. One of my girls, the one who gave us the camera, is supposed to be graduating from high school this year. And we are all prepared for the fact that she probably won't be getting an actual graduation ceremony. (Or a prom. And forget about her school trip to Paris, that definitely ain't happening!) She was feeling bad about feeling bad about missing these things. There are people dying out there after all, what should her not getting to walk for her graduation really matter in the grand scheme of things? Well, it does matter. She has worked damn hard in her academic career, and she deserves that recognition. I'm upset she won't have that. So it's perfectly natural for her to be upset. And it's not selfish. It's human.
We're all human here. We all have things we're going to be missing out on. And it's okay to be upset. Find someone you can talk to about it. Don't keep it bottled in. Get it out, so you can keep yourself sane and keep moving forward in a safe fashion. Eventually, if we all work together (from a distance, ha ha) we will get through this. And then we can pick up the pieces, put our lives back together, find some ways to maybe make up for some of the things that we had to miss, and just move forward from everything else and get back to enjoying what futures we have.
It will likely get worse before it gets better, but it will get better. In the meantime, best wishes to you and yours that you all stay safe, stay sane, and stay healthy. And hopefully I will see you all again soon with another review.
Review added 25 March 2020 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed.