Time to Procure a Valkyrie

Wow, that's a lot of parts to be swapping for the 1/100's. Fuck that noise.

Somebody built the "Obama type" from Macross F:

[gamu-toys.info]

"Obama"!?

MAN! I gotta watch this show!

1/60 Alto Fast Packs are going to cost 4000 yen, apparently.

Now that I think about it, they're probably just to going to release a deluxe set of accessories for Alto and Ozma's VF-25s that includes both the super packs and the armored packs. Also we've got a new variant. Ozma special preview type!

Personally, I'm hoping that they make a VF-27 (sure, there's the Banpreto SD figure, but I want a transforming 1/60 one!), and then recolor it for the movie and sell in in a giant exclusive two-pack with Alto Super/Armored VF-25 ("Final episode version", or something...)

/Macross F fanboi.

Just received my 1/60 Tomahawk today. Given all the horrible reviews for Yamato products over the years, this was really a leap of faith by me. However, given the design, I had little choice but to buy. Funny, too - my first Macross toy ever is the Tomahawk! Anyway, Yamato's QC seems just fine on this. Very nice paint job, plastic seems to be of high quality, and I can see very little that would be weak or easily broken save for the little antenna that sticks up. Even that is made of a material that seems like it'll take some bending. Everything is nice and tight. No floppiness anywhere.

Sure, this is a very simple toy as it goes. No complex transformation or anything here. Still, it's very solid, has some decent heft for the size and is definitely larger than expected! It's a full 8 inches tall. Fit and finish are very nice and I love the fact that there's labels to put on it.

Score a win for Yamato on this one!

More serious than thou

[www.megaupload.com]

Macross Age. Look at Kawamori playing with his toys.

Is it me, or are the newer Valks (after -Plus, and -7) starting to look more and more the same? It's like with Gundam. Same shit...only these look more like Aquarion mecha than actual Gundams...

The SV-51 was a nice change...but the VF-25 is VERY unimpressive to me...

I like the bit where Kawamori wants a VF-9 toy. That's the origami airplane. [www.new-un-spacy.com]

So the super pack is up for pre-order. Anybody in Japan want to order one for me?

[tamashiiwebshouten.jp]

fujikuro Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just received my 1/60 Tomahawk today. Given all
> the horrible reviews for Yamato products over the
> years, this was really a leap of faith by me.
> However, given the design, I had little choice but
> to buy. Funny, too - my first Macross toy ever is
> the Tomahawk! Anyway, Yamato's QC seems just fine
> on this. Very nice paint job, plastic seems to be
> of high quality, and I can see very little that
> would be weak or easily broken save for the little
> antenna that sticks up. Even that is made of a
> material that seems like it'll take some bending.
> Everything is nice and tight. No floppiness
> anywhere.
>
> Sure, this is a very simple toy as it goes. No
> complex transformation or anything here. Still,
> it's very solid, has some decent heft for the size
> and is definitely larger than expected! It's a
> full 8 inches tall. Fit and finish are very nice
> and I love the fact that there's labels to put on
> it.
>
> Score a win for Yamato on this one!

As far as I can tell it's a great representation of what Yamato can theoretically produce but it could stand some tampoing (which is pretty much standard on the valks now) and I still feel for the price the heft of the thing is not sufficient. They should have at least put lead weights in the feet or something.

I don't have the Tomahawk, so my opinion might change - but my favorite Yamato toy is their Q-Rau.

The tomahawk is nearly perfect. Overpriced, maybe - but that's (sadly) par for the course these days. I'm happy to pay some buck for a truly awesome toy. It's when I pay a lot for a pile of shit that I get pissed off..

The Tomahawk is, indeed, amazing. Wish the joints were a tiny bit tighter (the upper torso flops a bit on the ball-jointed waist). And the lack of tampo-printed labels is kinda inexcusable...tampo looks about a thousand times better than the stickers provided.

Still...I'ma get the olive-drab version and try to weather the thing up. We'll see about the other destroids.

Yeah, I'm waiting for them to do a Spartan.

As for the labels, I kinda get the feeling Yamato would like you to "build an army" with these guys. The labels encourage you to customize in order to do so.

More serious than thou

[ga.sbcr.jp]

VF-11 pics

Any revelations on how the heatshield works?

I think it folds down out of the torso to protect the pilot.

It's mysterious. Terribly mysterious.

Is it still going to get more panel lines? Because as it is now it looks less detailed than the 1/72.

Also, the shield doesn't sit flush with the fuselage in front of it in fighter mode...

Well, obviously you and I don't need to buy this :-)

Good discount at HLJ:

1:48 M&M: 50% off
1:60 SV-61: 40% off
1:60v2 VF-1A, fast pack: 20% - 25% off

All the Megazone Garlands are 50% off too, even the proto. Unfortunately the strong Yen made even more gains vs. the dollar today so the savings will be eroded away by the exchange rate.

[ga.sbcr.jp]

Max VF-1S

[ga.sbcr.jp]

VF-11

No need to paint much?



[hk.myblog.yahoo.com]

[www.toyark.com]

DX VF-25 pics

Wait--Yamato has announced a 1/60 Max (assuming it's the movie style VF-1A)?

Did the VF-1D already come out?

No, it's the Max VF-1S from the Max vs. Millia fight towards the end of the movie. I don't know what's up with the VF-1D, but Kawamori already has one. That cheeky bastard.

[hima-toy.cocolog-nifty.com]

DX VF-25F

[ga.sbcr.jp]

Defendah

Pics of Obama's DX:

[www.toysdaily.com]

Hmm. Not really winning me over here. I'll stick the the models.



__________________
MoonBaseTom Season tickets available. Call now.

Pics of Altoid's DX:

[www.toysdaily.com]

[gamu-toys.info]

More Defendah

Well, I missed the Japan launch for the DX but managed to pick one up in Singapore this afternoon for about the equivalent MSRP.

Impressions:

1. Most definitely a toy, versus 'display model' by company Y.
2. Nice heft and balance, although poseability is limited by hip joint design.
3. Shoulder joints were VERY stiff, made me worry about twisting the complex metal linkages in the wrong way.
4. Surprised that the hands did not include proper hinged-fingers... only pre-posed PVC swap-outs. Tsk.
5. Biggest disappointment is in the weapons - cheap looking plastic for the gunpod and no stowage for the combat knife. The gunpod attachment piece in fighter/gerwalk mode also cannot be intelligently stowed away, (e.g. hidden in the shield)

Finally, as a comment on the mecha design itself: the cockpit seems very much exposed even though the rear fuselage 'covers' it... kind of.

Worth ¥12,600? Hardly, especially without the signature Super Pack (which one will have to jump through seven hoops of hellfire to obtain from the Japan-only online store).

At least no show-stopping toy leprosy yet. I'll call this one a 6.5/10. Now I'm HOPING Bandai will do a proper 1/72 Konig Monster and break me in with the kits instead.

Proper hinged fingers? Man just give it up. Fixed posed hands are always superior to hinged fingers. It's just one of the things you can't do properly in robot toys.

[www.toysdaily.com]

See how it stacks up.

Swap out hands are fine for poses and such, but for a realistic mecha, the DX requires the stock 'chop-chop/salute' hands in-place for fighter mode. You cannot leave any other style such as the most useful weapon-grasp, closed fist or open palm - the detachable shield is shaped against such contingencies.

Just to refresh your memory on how Bandai could have done better, just look to the SOC Walker Galliar, Iron Gear or Gunbuster. All three offer you the option of a retractable hinged fist. Don't like it? Swap out to your heart's delight. I haven't met a 'modern' transforming toy that needed to remove its fists to transform since Clover's dying days. Heh.

Do any of you guys know when the full armor versions will be out?