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  2. Tking22
    Yup, got spoiled with Tom Hardy double duty, he's got the new series on Paramount, and he had a new movie on Netflix. Mobland is great, I miss Taboo.
  3. TangledThorns
    Not yet but its on our list!
  4. M'Kyuun
    If so, ugh. It's reminiscent of what they did with poor Legacy Silverbolt by adding all the gestalt armor onto his Concorde-ish mode leaving him far less svelte. I think Takara was just looking for an artificial way to bump up the price on BP and added a superfluous "stage" accessory which they then ham-handedly attached to the valk mode. IMHO, it adds nothing to either mode and it's just a big hunk of plastic that would stay in the box for perpetuity. A big hunk of plastic, I might add, that I'd rather not pay for given my druthers. Your "face of Optimus" argument does makes sense from a marketing standpoint, as he's very likely the most iconic character in the franchise (not sure if there's a poll to back that up). However, I remain steadfast in my belief that trying to comport all these crossovers, especially the VF-19, with Optimus' look just doesn't come off well, IMO. I'd just rather have a Fire Valkyrie over this kludged design. I love the YF/VF-19's design, so my bias plays a role, but honestly, which looks better, the actual VF-19 or Takara's mash-up? You know my answer. Likewise, my thinking extends to all the other crossovers they've done where they tried to use an established TF character rather than inventing a new one. I think the GI Joe crossovers, particularly, suffered from that approach. YMMV, of course.
  5. Today
  6. VF25-F
    Aomori Nebuta (floating lantern) festival in August 2025! This year with May'n attending, she has her own custom design lantern (pix below). I hope it turns out fine cause it looks like a horror story! XD https://ubgoe.com/projects/857?fbclid=IwY2xjawKS06dleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFSTjk4MGVMS2hyZzdMdzdHAR6gzuh-q3WpQYhL08wWhshlMlnpw7s5zOZtxwKzDaptbLQVwaxZsAVUWKpE8Q_aem_kcMjS3yMwZLtOsDfikEd-w
  7. Big s
    They look like smaller, yet simplified versions of their 1/72 kits, but I feel like this scale will work for more diverse displays
  8. Big s
    Is this a different version than the one that already came out?
  9. Scyla
    To me, Transformers in these crossovers (Hasbro or Takara) are always the smaller franchise. So from my point of view it makes sense to use the most recognizable face of the Transformers franchise. And to me it makes sense that this was the reasoning of Takara to base all SynergenX releases around Prime (and Megatron for Godzilla). Anyhow, Adamas Machina Predaking looks absolutely fantastic. I don’t know what it is but Lion heads on the chest of Japanese robots just draw me in. GaoGaiGar, Tryon-3 Predaking:
  10. captain america
    Captain's Log: Thursday, May 15th, 2025 Because this model project has so many large components, it's important that I hollow therse components out as much as possible, and that';s what's happening in pic 49. There are several reasons for this, and not all of them are immediately obvious. 49.HEIC -Firstly, it saves on casting resin, which immediately affects the cost of the kit -It also saves on overall shipping weight, which affects the total cost to the customer -Thirdly, it makes a kit easier to build, since the parts need much less structural reinforcement at the joints -Lastly, it improves kit balance. Because it's a very top-heavy design, all of the lower body component will be cast solid, and the weapons drums and main gull will be hollowed, making it easier to pose and less likely to topple-over. In pics 50 and 51, we see the first appearance of polyester putty to manage the complex curvatures and shapes around the shoulder protrusions. I always add extra putty, then when it starts to harden, I can trim-away some of the excess with a knife, then allow the rest to harden and sand parts to the desired shape. 51.HEIC50.HEIC Pics 52 and 53 show the creation of smaller detail parts: I take smaller pieces of Renshape and carefully cut, shape, and sand them before adding them to the kit surface. 53.HEIC52.HEIC This follows in pics 54 and 55, only with styrene. In reality, I will use many different materials to achieve the desired result. This particular component is the shoulder joint, which was neglected by the line-art, and most of the commercial offerings. I thought this would be an ideal component to “greeblify”. It provides just enough realistic, mechanical detail while still fitting-in with the overall aesthetic. 55.HEIC54.HEIC Pics 56 and 57 show the back-end of the huge missile containers, which went through the whole line of operations: the band saw, the mill, drill-press, the Dremel and then hand-shaping. It was a component I was worried about due to its complex shaping, and yet I was able to make it symmetrical and didn't even need to use any putty! 57.HEIC56.HEIC Pics 58-62 show all the progress I have so far. It's hard to convey just how massive this model is with the camera; it really dwarfs the Thomas Hawk in terms of shelf-presence! At this point, most of the major components have been fleshed-out, so next week's update will consist of small, but important refinements. Stay tuned! 62.HEIC61.HEIC60.HEIC59.HEIC58.HEIC
  11. Papa Rat
    I am also looking forward to these.
  12. Big s
    Moderoids are snap kits
  13. Big s
    I need these to go with my 1/100 Valkyrie kits
  14. jvmacross
    👍
  15. mikeszekely
    Who's cashing in on who, though? I haven't seen a ton of evidence that Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, Star Wars, etc fans who weren't already into Transformers bought into those crossovers. Seems to me to be more there other way around, selling Transformers fans on franchises they might not normally collect. Arguably even moreso for Macross; I think mashing iconic vehicles with a franchise about vehicles turning into robots from the same period probably has more crossover appeal than taking the transforming jet from a show and making it transform into a robot from a different show that people might recognize as the one that turns into a truck. Actually, based on the demographic data of that poll, the people must likely to buy into a Macross crossover are exactly us- men at just the right age to already be fans of both franchises. It doesn't make any less sense to me than an Optimus/Basara/Fire Valk, aside from the fact that Basara is associated with a mecha more than Sheryl. To be clear, though, I'm not saying Takara needed to make a Sheryl/Bumblebee/YF-29, though. All I'm saying is that just like they didn't use the most popular character, mecha, or Macross series for the Macross crossover they also don't need to use Optimus for every crossover every time either.
  16. Papa Rat started following Wave 1/100 destroids
  17. Papa Rat
    As seen on HJWEB
  18. SteveTheFish
    I'm watching Kousaka's video of Aoshima's booth. Looks Kaneda has gone all-out with the whole furry thing. Sheesh. Yet he won't make a VFG of Misa riding a VF-1 Valk.
  19. troyness
    Anybody know if this Moderoid kit is a snap together?
  20. Scyla
    Metal Build 1.5 Gundam preorder at Anime Export (¥53480, pay now): https://www.anime-export.com/index.php?product=92228
  21. shazam
    The Anakin/Darth Vader figure and the Obi-Wan Kenobi from Ep II look amazing. While I don't have room for the Darth Vader figure with the medical gantry, I am going to get the Obi-Wan Kenobi Ep II standard version. So many Hot Toys Darth Vader announcements this year which makes you wonder what could possibly be next.
  22. mohes96123
    mohes96123 joined the community
  23. shazam
    https://www.youtube.com/@kinokousaka/videos
  24. shazam
  25. Scyla
    I absolutely think Basara/Fire Valkyrie is the face of Macross in Japan. Yes he might not be as popular as Sheryl but the combination of iconic character, mecha and music makes him an ideal choice (I mean what mecha is Sheryl known for? The Koenig Monster or the transport shuttle?) And don’t forget, Frontier did a whole tribute to Fire Bomber and Basara M7. And I really this is a line is meant to draw other people into Transformers and to them and not for Transformers fans who know who the other characters of the evergreen roster are. Sure some people might know who Bumblebee, Starscream and Megatron are but non are as iconic as Optimus Prime. If you really want to cash in on the Macross fandom use something that they know for sure. Sometimes it is hard to imagine what the outside world looks like if you are neck deep in the fandom. But if people know anything about Transformers it’s Optimus. [edit:] A Bumblebee/Sheryl/YF-29 makes no sense to me. [edit2:] I also cannot comprehend the notion that to the average Frontier fan an Optimus Prime mecha has any kind of draw because they are not in it for the Valkyries (or their pilots) but for Sheryl/Ranka and J-Pop music.
  26. shazam
    Super7 Thundercats Ultimates Panthro
  27. mikeszekely
    But that cuts both ways. Like, Optimus is THE guy when it comes to Transformers, sure, but guys like Bumblebee and Megatron, and maybe Grimlock and Starscream to a lesser extent, are still pretty well know. Are we really going to argue that Basara/the Fire Valkyrie is THE face of Macross? In the All Macross Big Voting poll in 2019 Macross Frontier was voted as the most popular production, Sheryl Nome was voted as the most popular character, the YF-19 was voted as the most popular mecha. Assuming we want to stick with Frontier, then, the YF-29 ranked higher than the Fire Valkyrie on the mecha side. But, just like I think Bumblebee or someone is popular enough on the Transformers side, Basara/The Fire Valk is popular enough (Basara was the second most popular character after Sheryl, the Fire Valk was the 4th most popular mecha after the YF-19, VF-19S, and YF-29, and Macross 7 was the third most popular production after Macross Frontier and Do You Remember Love. I guess all I'm saying is that, yes, if you're not doing original characters then it makes sense to mash up the popular ones. But it doesn't have to be the same single popular guy every time.
  28. davidwhangchoi
    Looks like Sky Lynx
  29. Chronocidal
    Will be sure to compare and post some pics when I receive one, and check if there are any fixes compared with the first release. I think one of mine is coming by airmail, so we'll see how soon it arrives.
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