Cyclone Trooper

So to breathe some life into this thread until we get some definite news of any new Destroids, I'd like to ask those of you who own any of these mecha how they stack up against other Yamato offerings lately (Version 2 Valkyries, redesigned FAST Packs, etc.)? I ordered the Olive Drab Tomahawk last week, so I'm wondering what the "wow" factor is on it. I've honestly heard mixed reviews about the Destroids with everything from awesome articulation to complaints that the missiles should be spring-loaded. Just interested in what other Destroid owners think...

I'm waiting for a 1/60 Olive Drab Tomahawk from Overdrive. It should be here in a few days... As far as the VE-1 goes, I think he just means that he's preordered it and is patiently awaiting its release.

I know I'm just full of questions these past few weeks about various aspects of Macross, but it's not just to boost my post count, I swear! My latest pondering comes from one of the early scenes in Macross F when the "Firefighter Destroids" are putting out the fires around the interior of Frontier's City Island. In the years following Space War I, it seems like the Destroids fell out of use as direct combat units for some reason...then for a period, fell into complete disuse altogether. Frontier's relatively small Destroid mecha compliment consists of the very generic-looking Cheyenne Mk II, which is a direct descendant of the equally generic-looking Cheyenne Mk I from Macross Zero. The Tomahawk, Spartan, Phalanx or Defender (or any kind of upgraded versions) are all gone and the Konig Monster isn't even technically considered a Destroid at this point...just a REALLY big Valkyrie. Were Destroids considered too destructive for close-in urban combat, should it erupt inside colonization ships? Or were ground-based mecha simply not agile enough to effectively fight against enemy units? Did Kawamori simply not show much interest in these mecha in the years after SDFM and DYRL...showering all his love and energy into Valkyrie designs instead? While Frontier does have Destroids, they seem to be relegated to tertiary roles that were lower down the ladder than where the original Destroids occupied. Just wondering why these awesome mecha have been overlooked for so many years...

There was also the Zentraedi Power Armor at the beginning of Macross Plus that seem to be the "male" equivalent to the Q-Quilqua. A heavier version of the Nousjaedul-Ger outfitted with clamshell-like missile pods on its back. Are these units that have been part of the Zentran/Meltran arsenal for millenia and were just "off camera" during Space War I, or are these newer designs created since then? Notice that both units' chest weaponry seem to be exactly the same...or damn near the same.

Throughout the entirety of the Macross mythos, we've seen a progressive evolution of Earth's (and by proxy, its colonization fleets') Valkyries. From the VF-0 Phoenix prototypes to the cutting-edge VF-25 Messiah, and everything in between. While the design standard has remained essentially the same--Fighter/GERWALK/Battroid--the Valkyrie has seen practically dozens of variations spanning a 50+ year timeline. It seems to be human nature to keep trying to "reinvent the wheel" so to speak... But in sharp contrast, Zentran/Meltran technology has remained standardized for literally hundreds of thousands of years. The same Glaugs and Regults that took part in Space War I are the exact same models that were used during the Schizm War against the Supervision Army. In Macross F, Klan even makes reference to a long-dead Nousjadeul-Ger pilot floating in space and the fact that he's been dead for over 7000 years...yet his weapons are still perfectly usable. By all appearances, its the exact same power armor suit featured in DYRL. While there are variations of these mecha, practically all of them still retain identical body styles. The Regult, for example, comes in three flavors, only being differentiated by the weapons mounted on the pod's ventral hull. The Q-Rea uses the same basic spaceframe as the Q-Rau with only slight stylistic differences and weapons loadout. One would be lead to believe that the two models of Meltran armor could mix-and-match weapon systems, based on how similar the two units are. So here's my couple of questions... Had the Zentraedi and Meltrandi reached the pinnacle of mecha and weapons development back when humans were still wearing animal hides and just discovering fire here on Earth? And is this the reason why none of the Protoculture factory planets and satellites never really "upgraded" anything at the same fever pace the humans have maintained over the 5 decades since Space War I? There's probably been tons of material published on this, but I have yet to come across anything that addresses this particular area of Macross history...

I've scoured eBay and a few other sites looking for the macronized Max figure shown in your Q-Rau, but I can't seem to find him anywhere. Am I to assume that it'd be easier to find the Holy Grail nowadays than it would be to track one of these figures down? I'm looking for one to possibly put in my new Q-Rau, but thus far, to no avail...

The VF-1J came today! As a long-time Macross collector who has a relatively small collection consisting mostly of a handful of the old V1 1/60 Valkyries, a single 1/48 Valkyrie and the WAVE SDF-1, I gotta say that the V2s are lightyears apart from the first ones! For everyone who already has entire squadrons of these newer Valks, what I'm gushing about is really old news...but I am absolutely amazed at the improvements, some of them even over the 1/48s, such as the double-jointed elbows and shoulders, allowing for much more dynamic positioning of the GU-11. The Version 2s have pretty much all the anime-accurate gimmicks seen in either the TV series or DYRL. I love the removable cockpit/nosecone and the ability to attach it to the forearm. I've seen tons of pics here in the forums showing this particular feature, but actually being able to do it myself just adds to the enjoyment of the 1J. About the only thing missing is the "slide-out seat" in Battroid mode. And now that its all decked out in the DYRL FAST Pack armor, the dark greenish-blue of the armor actually looks really good against the light tan/beige of the Valkyrie itself. I've fallen in love with Yamato again. I've crossed back over to the Dark Side. ...god my wife and wallet are going to REALLY hate me now.

Personally, I don't see it...

Well...false alarm, sort of. My Valkyrie didn't show up. Instead, it was the Strike/Super FAST Pack set I had ordered along with it. Knowing my luck, it'll be another 3 weeks before I actually get the Valk itself, considering it was shipped SAL...

Actually, that's a good thing for my wallet that the VE-1 has been pushed back a month. It can take a small breather before getting raped just in time for Halloween...

Got a notice in my mailbox this morning that I have a package from Japan waiting at my local Post Office. My first V2 Valkyrie arrived finally! I'll be picking it up later this afternoon. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning...this is ridiculous! Hopefully the Max Q-Rau that a fellow MW member snagged for me will be here soon too...

How about this... Since it's en vogue to do prequels nowadays...how about a Macross series covering the height of the Protoculture and the Schism War between the Supervision Army and the Zentraedi/Meltrandi? I'd love to see an "origins" story like that. It'd cover a lot of as-of-yet untouched Macross history (or prehistory, as the case may be). Exedol specifically remarks on how their culture had been reawakened after 500,000 years...so a prequel covering the events of how their culture was robbed from them that long ago would be an interesting story to tell... And of course it'd have to include the origins of "Ai Oboete Imasu Ka" and the first person who sang it to tie everything together, or it just wouldn't be a Macross series. Minmay sang it in DYRL, Ranka in Macross F...so there HAD to be an original Protoculture singer/performer who made it so culturally significant to the Zentraedi. I'd love to know about her...

That actually makes the most sense, all things considered... Now...WTF is up with that Phalanx's head unit? That's definitely not standard-issue!

For decades now, its been common knowledge that Macross Valkyries use a unique ranking system with their Valkyries in the TV series: the head unit. While this is kind of ridiculous from a military standpoint, it's mainly used as a way to differentiate different heroes onscreen, aside from color scheme. VF-1S is generally assigned to the squadron commander, the VF-1J to combat aces or second-in-command, and the 1A to anyone else barely eligible to climb into a Valkyrie cockpit. In DYRL, this ranking heirarchy gets loosely translated onto the big screen. But it seems that the 1J is completely cut out of the equation established in the TV series. Skull Squadron, for example, consisted of a VF-1S and VF-1As only (at least those seen in the movie). When Max got his upgraded Valk, he completely bypassed the 1J altogether and got a brand-spanking-new 1S. The only time that we see the existence of the VF-1J in DYRL is in a 5-second scene during the final battle of Space War I...all decked out in GBP armor. In terms of usage in battle, I've always viewed Valkyries outfitted with a GBP system to be little more than a 6th Destroid that just happens to have one hell of an advanced escape pod: the Valkyrie itself. But that's just my personal view. Considering the proliferation of "specialized" Valkyries in DYRL such as the VE-1 and VT-1, is it possible that the 1J somehow got relegated to being the only Valkyrie designed to accept the GBP? I'm sure no one else has questioned this particular point of view before, but it could be entirely possible...at least in the DYRL universe.

A VERY cool fellow Macross member recently just hooked me up with a Max Q-Rau for my fledgling collection (again, thanks Valk009!) of 1/60 Macross mecha. I know that it wasn't exactly the best mecha design for Yamato to start with as far as enemy mecha go, but thus far, its the only one we have...not counting the Toynami Regult coming out at some point in the future. I needed something to square off with the CF-1J I'm still waiting for from HLJ. So here's my question to those of you who collect each and every Max Valkyrie that comes down the pipe: Do you include the Max Q-Rau among the rather lengthy list of mecha that Jenius piloted throughout his career? Or do you strictly limit things to transformable Valkyries only? The reason I ask is that I don't think I've ever seen the red and blue Q-Raus included alongside their U.N. Spacy counterparts in anyones collections. They seem to always occupy a separate niche as the default "enemies". Just curious...

Actually, I don't think drag is much of an issue with Valkyries outfitted with FAST Packs. These booster packs/radar radomes are exclusively used in zero-g environments like deep space (at least in DYRL). Almost always, you see a pilot jettison all of the extra armor and boosters of a FAST system just before entering atmosphere to reduce drag. So the 45-degree angle of the tail section wouldn't necessarily be a weak point when being used in that way. I agree with a few theories on here about the strange design being largely due to allowing for a more raised ELINT radome on top. I would agree with the cockpit/canopy theory except for the fact that the whole tail section CAN fold completely up like a "backpack" in GERWALK and Battroid modes without the FAST Packs attached.

Y'know, reviewing DYRL, you are correct. When Hikaru pitched the tent underneath the VT-1, it clearly shows the tail section/backpack in the same place as any other Valkyrie's would be. So apparently the weird 45-degree-angle configuration seems to be specifically for FAST Packs. But why, I wonder?

There's always been a small detail about the VE-1 Elintseeker and the VT-1 Super Ostrich that's baffled me ever since the 80's: the oddball configuration of their tail sections with FAST Packs and in Gerwalk mode. One would think that, being a completely modular design, the VF-1 series chassis would largely have the same basic parts across all models, aside from the head units, grade of thruster engines, etc. But apparently not. The tail section of both of these "specialty" Valkyries does not fold up flush against the ventral hull like those of the VF-1S, 1J, 1D, or 1A. Instead, it sits at nearly a 45-degree angle with the tail fins still locked into "flight" position instead of folded up, then FAST Packs are attached. I'm not sure what the purpose of this particular configuration is...unless it was simply a design choice by Kawamori to further differentiate the VT/VE from the rest of the Valkyries appearing in DYRL. Anyone mechanically-inclined or with a extensive background in VF-1 design history care to share possible reasons behind this strange design?

But if it DOES end up being a highly-overpriced limited-run exclusive...is anyone really going to be shocked by that? Not I...

Yes, that's what I meant. I paid for faster shipping, which cost me 3660 yen (roughly US $40.41), and it was still shipped SAL. And since its the weekend, I can't contact HLJ until Monday...not that contacting them will do any good since the package is already on its way...

DAMN! I just checked my order status and its already shipped! HLJ wasn't kidding when I was told that it'd expedite my order! Now for a halfway off-topic question... The shipping method is "SAL - Small Package" (even though I paid for EAS, but go figure...). Does this pretty much mean that it's going to take forever and a day to get to my front door? I have no way of tracking it either... HLJ's website says that it could potentially take up to 45 days. But what's been the experience of others who have had things shipped via SAL?

That is sheer, unadulterated beauty!

Been a while since I've posted anything... But I just paid for my very first V2 Valkyrie, the VF-1J Mass Production from Hobby Link Japan. I also got a Super/Strike FAST Pack set to go along with it. Though HLJ may be a tad more expensive than Overdrive, I'm really impressed with it. After going back and forth with HLJ's customer service over a problem with my credit card (my bank flagged a transaction from Japan as "suspicious activity and froze my account), I gotta say they're a top-notch outfit. I was promised that my order would be expedited because of all the trouble I had with trying to process my order. The rep that I was in email correspondance with was someone named "Corky" , but he was very friendly, courteous and quick to respond to my emails. Hopefully I won't have to wait a month for it to get here to the US...but time will tell.

No, we at least know that the DYRL SDF-1 had a "McDonald's" (the Golden Arches are seen on a giant holo-billboard) and a "Humburger Po-Po" where Minmay and Hikaru went on their date. Hmm...Humburger Po-Po. That sounds kinda dirty...

Comparing the modern toy lines with those of the bygone era of the 80's is never a fair one. I get this same argument from hardcore collectors at work over the new GI Joe line. Back in the 80's, the mantra truly was "bigger is always better" in the toy industry. It was the decade of greed; the "Me" generation where the world economies and stock markets were booming. Hasbro never batted an eye at releasing a 7-foot-long aircraft carrier for 3.75" figures...or huge multi-level Defiant Shuttle playsets that could hold literally 50+ figures comfortably. And this is what a lot of the older collectors want to see again: vast aisles of huge product from one specific toy line (in this case, GI Joe) with four or five different big-ticket playsets dominating the bottom shelves. It must be a nostalgia thing...lol Back in the day, stores allocated shelf space a lot more liberally to a particular toy line than they do today. In 1989, you would have seen an entire (or mostly entire) aisle dedicated to GI Joe merchandise. Not so in 2009. The TRU where I work generally only allocates 4 to 8 feet of shelf space per toy line, and sometimes more than one toy line shares that same 4 feet. Star Wars usually gets the lion's share of space at 8 feet, along with whatever movie-merchandise is currently being sold in tandem with its theatrical release. But everything else is condensed into 4 foot areas. The "BFM" Millennium Falcon was not purchased in huge quantities by stores last year, and were generally placed in floor stacks in the middle of walkways. And those did not sell well AT ALL for TRU. And this is the major issue that someone at Yamato seems to have realized. Just because they COULD make it ridiculously large, doesn't necessarily mean that it SHOULD be done. And it definitely doesn't guarantee that the sheer size will make it a sure-fire seller. Quite the opposite in today's economic environment, just as Graham said. If you go back through this thread, you'll find several of us NOT living in Japan even wondering aloud where the heck we'd put a 2 1/2-foot SDF-1 in our homes...so its not like Yamato is totally off-base in rethinking the scale. Either way, if it doesn't simply end up another case of vaporware like the Monster ended up being, it will be released in whatever scale Yamato ultimately decides upon...and we can all choose to purchase it or turn our collective noses up at it in favor of hoping that another company will release one the size of an '84 Buick at some point in the future.