Mazinger 154 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 46 minutes ago, Lolicon said: Opened up my VF-4. She looks great! But why are the UN Spacy kite, intake markings, and stabilizer stripes painted brown instead of red? Makes this VF-4 look like the evil Lightning, like the evil Superman from Superman III. Good question. Seems like Bandai was aiming to hit the colors from Flashback 2012, which if I remember correctly, did seem a bit washed out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seti88 710 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 And here you have it folks! The mystery of the 018! http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/ via tochiro’s twitter Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ArchieNov 129 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 6 hours ago, Carceroth said: Got my copy today from amiami and I love it aside from the glaring flaw that the canopy section will not sink at all like the videos and instructions tell you to. It's like it is glued into place and no matter how hard or gently I apply pressure it wont sink. So i guess no battroid for me. It does sink. Maybe your copy has an issue? On the bright side, you're not missing out on much by not having battroid mode. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
F360 452 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 10 hours ago, Carceroth said: Got my copy today from amiami and I love it aside from the glaring flaw that the canopy section will not sink at all like the videos and instructions tell you to. It's like it is glued into place and no matter how hard or gently I apply pressure it wont sink. So i guess no battroid for me. A photo might be more helpful so other can take a look to see possible solutions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Domcalmet1 57 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 The answer is here http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/?fbclid=IwAR1cWp9dNKJYbbU6tdLT2jhj50Bk9djTSUV-TR2SOjnpphPP58Z-aH1wjUU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Domcalmet1 57 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 15 hours ago, Lolicon said: Did anyone ever figure out what SDF-018 refers to? It's also on the Yamato sticker sheet so it's not something Bandai just pulled out of their ***. because of a Kawamori illustration answer here http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/?fbclid=IwAR1cWp9dNKJYbbU6tdLT2jhj50Bk9djTSUV-TR2SOjnpphPP58Z-aH1wjUU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Domcalmet1 57 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 14 hours ago, 505thAirborne said: I've got my Flashback 2012 book in front of me, no where does it show or mention an SDF-018, so that's either something that was mentioned in a backstory somewhere or yes, Bandai reached behind & pulled something out of their... answer http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/?fbclid=IwAR1cWp9dNKJYbbU6tdLT2jhj50Bk9djTSUV-TR2SOjnpphPP58Z-aH1wjUU Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carceroth 2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) 32 minutes ago, F360 said: A photo might be more helpful so other can take a look to see possible solutions. Here is an image I literally cannot push down on the cockpit it will not budge no matter how hard I try. Even with the fin removed from the back of the nosecone Edit: I FIXED IT i just put consistent pressure and it popped down. YACK DECULTURE! That was hard the last time something took this much effort was the VF-0Ds Feet extensions Edited March 27, 2019 by Carceroth FIXED IT Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RDX17 39 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 ^Instead of pushing down on the cockpit, perhaps working it loose from the undercarriage. My guess is that it's just an over-tight attachment in this case. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carceroth 2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Just now, RDX17 said: ^Instead of pushing down on the cockpit, perhaps working it loose from the undercarriage. My guess is that it's just an over-tight attachment in this case. yeah i managed to get it to pop loose but boy was that hard! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RDX17 39 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Carceroth said: yeah i managed to get it to pop loose but boy was that hard! Excellent news! Right out of the box these HMRs can be quite stiff. Glad to hear you were able to work it out though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
F360 452 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 53 minutes ago, Carceroth said: Here is an image I literally cannot push down on the cockpit it will not budge no matter how hard I try. Even with the fin removed from the back of the nosecone Edit: I FIXED IT i just put consistent pressure and it popped down. YACK DECULTURE! That was hard the last time something took this much effort was the VF-0Ds Feet extensions glad the fix was just push it real hard. hahah . kinda remind me of those old game strategy guides that tells you to "keep shooting until it dies" but back then, most of the games are about shooting everything on the screen. want to rescue someone? just shoot it. want to heal yourself? just shoot it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slave IV 785 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 2 hours ago, seti88 said: And here you have it folks! The mystery of the 018! http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/ via tochiro’s twitter Thanks for the info!...not a big deal to me but knowing it was from SK himself, I look forward to the backstory involved if any someday. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bolt 319 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) On 3/25/2019 at 3:17 AM, tekering said: And "MEGA ROAD-01" on the ventral strake...! Can't one of you Macross gurus clue us in? It’s a call back to an 80’s garage kit Kawamori did the artwork for.. Courtesy of @Tochiro http://www.decultureshock.com/the-vf-4-and-the-curious-case-of-the-sdf-018/ Edited March 27, 2019 by Bolt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carceroth 2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) Ok so I got it all transformed and my final thoughts are. Honestly despite my momentary problem with it the figure itself is kind of incredible. They managed to shrink my beloved Arcadia/Yamato down with no part swapping at all. the tampo is lovely the posing is great with nothing sacrificed from its larger brother and I just love it. Little jerk managed to mangle my fingers first with the cockpit sinking and right after I transformed it to battroid the sharp bit on the side of the leg stabbed my finger and extracted the blood price from me. so my final review is 10/10 sacrificed my blood to Kawamori would buy the repaints take my money Edited March 27, 2019 by Carceroth added some extra details. Also i realized i didnt extend the doors on the back of the legs RIP Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shizuka the Cat 328 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 23 minutes ago, Carceroth said: Ok so I got it all transformed and my final thoughts are. Honestly despite my momentary problem with it the figure itself is kind of incredible. They managed to shrink my beloved Arcadia/Yamato down with no part swapping at all. the tampo is lovely the posing is great with nothing sacrificed from its larger brother and I just love it. Little jerk managed to mangle my fingers first with the cockpit sinking and right after I transformed it to battroid the sharp bit on the side of the leg stabbed my finger and extracted the blood price from me. so my final review is 10/10 sacrificed my blood to Kawamori would buy the repaints take my money No parts swapping at all? So, integrated landing gears? No panels that need to be removed to free up the legs from fighter to gerwalk mode? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davidwhangchoi 132 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 is there an echo here look back at seti's post and read before posting Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carceroth 2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 22 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said: No parts swapping at all? So, integrated landing gears? No panels that need to be removed to free up the legs from fighter to gerwalk mode? I meant things like swapping the entire canopy out for a heat shield. The fighter mode leg covers I get but I mean those are pretty minor cosmetically though that is just my opinion. and landing gear I do not count again my opinion. I guess i should have been more specific. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VF-Zer0S 35 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Mine just came in and it’s beautiful. Didn’t think a stand was included at all so it was nice. Just gonna leave it in fighter and swoosh it around my newborn. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Reïvaj 134 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 It really looks like a scaled down Yamarcadia... Am I wrong? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Carceroth 2 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 2 minutes ago, Reïvaj said: It really looks like a scaled down Yamarcadia... Am I wrong? its extremely close aside from the landing gear and leg covers in fighter mode the transformation is almost step for step. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rdrunner 122 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 2 hours ago, Carceroth said: I meant things like swapping the entire canopy out for a heat shield. The fighter mode leg covers I get but I mean those are pretty minor cosmetically though that is just my opinion. and landing gear I do not count again my opinion. I guess i should have been more specific. I think it’s pretty darn good as far as HMR transformations go with next to zero parts swapping. The only part that really needs to be removed from fighter to battroid is the engine intake cover at the knee joint. The undercarriage covers for the legs in fighter mode I can ignore anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rogueload 590 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 If anyone has a extra vf-4 let me know. I’d wouldn’t mind having one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sh9000 8,003 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 9 hours ago, sharky said: Are you getting 1/100 scale aircraft? I assume that's what it scales to, correct? If one was interested in getting some is there a particular company that is better/best to consider? Yes they are 1/100 aircraft. The HMR VF-1 is close enough in scale to them. Plus they can transform. So far the diecast Air Fighters Collection is pretty good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shizuka the Cat 328 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 HMR VF-4 currently available from... Loopaza: $119.99 + ??? shipping https://www.loopaza.com/hi-metal-r-the-super-dimension-fortress-macross-flash-back-2012-vf-4-lightning-iii.html AmazonJP : 14,352 yen + 1,200 yen Amazon Global Shipping (DHL) to the United States https://www.amazon.co.jp/HI-METAL-超時空要塞マクロス-ライトニングIII-ダイキャスト製-塗装済み可動フィギュア/dp/B07K1L79XQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1553728623&sr=8-1&keywords=マクロス+vf-4 Nippon-Yasan: 15,500 yen + ??? shipping https://www.nippon-yasan.com/figures/26613-hi-metal-r-vf-4-lightning-iii.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seti88 710 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 5 hours ago, Slave IV said: Thanks for the info!...not a big deal to me but knowing it was from SK himself, I look forward to the backstory involved if any someday. It’s all in Kawamori’s head now...might be as simple as paying homage to the f-18 at that time! 4 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said: is there an echo here look back at seti's post and read before posting It’s a macross crack den!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UN Spacy 308 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mechaninac 248 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I got slightly Bandai-ed on the copy I received from Amazon.jp. Whoever the sleep-deprived line monkey who assembled my VF-4 was, he/she/it used two right main body missiles (the ones that swing up from the main fuselage) so that the right side missile sits flush in the down position, but the left side, because the strut is reversed, sits about 1 mm proud of its intended recess; in the great scheme of things, it's a minor thing, but it is still frustrating because once you notice it you cannot help but be acutely aware of it to the point of it becoming a slight, yet nagging, eyesore... I have to display it showing the right side of the fighter so as to keep the "offending" side out of sight. This may be something I could, perhaps, address by disassembling the fuselage, cutting the strut, turning it 180o and cementing it back so that the erroneous right missile's strut's curvature mimics what a correct left strut would've been and give it the correct orientation. I think, however, that I'll wait until I have my copy from CDJ, and it that is perfect, I may just display the gimpy one in battroid, where that issue won't matter. This has had the result of dampening my enthusiasm for this piece considerably. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kkx 56 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 4 minutes ago, mechaninac said: I got slightly Bandai-ed on the copy I received from Amazon.jp. Whoever the sleep-deprived line monkey who assembled my VF-4 was, he/she/it used two right main body missiles (the ones that swing up from the main fuselage) so that the right side missile sits flush in the down position, but the left side, because the strut is reversed, sits about 1 mm proud of its intended recess; in the great scheme of things, it's a minor thing, but it is still frustrating because once you notice it you cannot help but be acutely aware of it to the point of it becoming a slight, yet nagging, eyesore... I have to display it showing the right side of the fighter so as to keep the "offending" side out of sight. This may be something I could, perhaps, address by disassembling the fuselage, cutting the strut, turning it 180o and cementing it back so that the erroneous right missile's strut's curvature mimics what a correct left strut would've been and give it the correct orientation. I think, however, that I'll wait until I have my copy from CDJ, and it that is perfect, I may just display the gimpy one in battroid, where that issue won't matter. This has had the result of dampening my enthusiasm for this piece considerably. So sorry to hear about this and really hope the CDJ one will be perfect. My copy from Amazon.jp also has a small defect. Not as serious as yours. A mark was left on the bronze metallic paint on one of the shins. It looks like the part was press against something before the paint is fully dried. I have been trying to match the paint color with Tamiya dark copper, but it was too light/yellow. Need a bit of dark brown maybe. Alcad copper is too red. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Master Dex 100 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Mine is out of customs as of yesterday but didn't make it to me today. Hopefully I'll see it tomorrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sh9000 8,003 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 My VF-4 x6 at NY hasn’t shipped but it’s ok since they’ll be coming by registered ferry anyway. I’ll probably pay for my VF-1D x4 at NY this weekend. Hoping to get billed for my VF-1D at Amazon JP soon and have it shipped during release day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
seti88 710 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Am i wrong to want bandai to release roy's scheme of the vf-4, this christmas...... or max and milla for that matter.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sh9000 8,003 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 I’d be ok with that. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
derex3592 982 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Just got to Gerwalk and now Battroid. No issues, everything locks together great. Step 12 in the manual is important. Push down, then pull forward slightly to lock down the chest plate over the recessed cockpit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
davidwhangchoi 132 Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 2 hours ago, seti88 said: It’s a macross crack den!! amazing pics in here. it looks like a winner from everyone's comments. i wish the intake warning tampos had some print on em instead of red triangles but i guess this toy is so small it's hard to do. i don't think i've opened one HMR ever. all mine are boxed up in my bedroom. this maybe the first one i open Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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