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@tekering I live in the PNW and see cars that beat up daily. No huge claw marks but definitely random panel colors and tons of rust. I think it’s looking great! Oh, and thanks for the kind words ✌️The panel lines on this are so shallow so cleanup on those was a little hairy. Also the decals went down better than anticipated. I get so nervous applying them. Definitely a something I need practice with. @Thom yeah this is my second ARII ship in the fleet. The sculpts on these are laughable and if you squint really hard they look great! Hahaha. Besides that I think the tiny SDF-1 that comes packed with it is the best part.

I meant specifically with the Zentran side, but yes those count as well. Always found it interesting that the Meltradi ships were not only used as Vinderance ships in VF-X2, but interestingly as UN Spacy stand in ships as well, since not only the Landing Ship Tank is used for the Embatelion cargo ship in Mission 3, but they also have an fleet of them in Mission 9, as their LSTs and Gunboats are used to launch reaction weapons against Vinderance.... ...Which makes this comment very funny to me, at least as one of many reasons. VF-X2 directly challenges that wonderfully, since Mission 9 has the twist that you were manipulated to do the antagonists dirty work the whole time: the UN themselves. While it is mostly the Earth-centric Latence faction and not the overarching UN as a whole, the game puts you in the position that questions if characters who are antagonist coded are always bad. In a way, Aegis, and you as the player, is in the same position as the Zentradi and Protodevlin, where the true protagonists are convincing you to join the better side. Aside from VF-X2's turning the status quo over your head, I personally disagree with that notion when SDF not only emphasized how humanity and Zentradi aren't that different when it comes to their lust for war/control/power, but on the other end of their coin because of their similarities that's what should unite them as one. It just feels like the franchise makes their supposed coexistence a one-way street, where Overtechnology seems to only improve human technology, and when a Zentradi character stands out from the rest of the humans, whether by appearance or personality, they're mostly singled out for how predisposed to violence they are. Even with human characters who as much, if not more, despicable things. It's "Schrodinger's Savages," where cultured Zentradi are just green skinned humans who are perfectly integrated until the plot needs them to not be for the sake of having easy, nondescript antagonists, whether it's them being naturally violent or having their genetics be taken advantage of. It's in most series one way or another, but it got to its worst in Macross 7 Trash, where it flat out states that they didn't even have emotions until they interacted with Earthlings. (Keep in mind I'm purely talking in a narrative sense and not in-universe, it always just bugged me how disingenuous it felt, especially when future stories, especially Frontier when that was being aired at the time that claim was made, always play with the notion that being on the protagonists and antagonist sides isn't always that black and white.) Theoretically yes, but there's been more then enough examples of cultured Zentradi that pilot said mobile weapons. There's wiggle room with Black Rainbow and the rouge Zentradi like with the ones from M3 with varying backgrounds, but I heavily doubt all of Delta's Marines are from the defector's generation. Klan Klang especially, since she takes the upmost pride regarding her heritage. I suppose the compromise for both in universe and production parties would be making more VFs with more Zentradi technology like the VF-5000, VF-22, and VF-14 lineage, but most of them are rarely depicted in material proper, and when they do, they're modified to look more conventionally heroric like 7 Dynamite's VF-5000G, or even more monstrous like the Varauta Army's catalogue. In terms of the player character I understand, it's also why Ace Combat opts to call player characters by callsigns then as developed characters. The other male characters really feel like they don't have any excuses... Interestingly enough after the events of VF-X, it's said that he retired from the military at some point and become a Interstellar Express Valkyrie pilot, so that's interesting I suppose. Always wondered how that'd work in practice when Frontier made nods to that, how would they handle or carry cargo compared to a dedicated cargo plane?

Guess someone was just trying something different. (not that different is always better...) Oh, right, more than likely Gundam! Still prefer Macross as a primary course, myself.

Nice! I have a couple of these as well, but the big ones I am turned off from doing because of the odd shapes, such as with Breetai's ship. Did get a couple of the smaller ones a short while ago though. @tekering A happy client is a paying client! Not having read the story, it's looks really good.

I think that He-Man movie will have bigger issues than Jared Leto, lol.

That model was a sloppy, low-rez amateur job painted very poorly. I wouldn't give it a second thought. More importantly, what's with all the Valkyries with turquoise canopies? 🤨 Nah, you're thinking of Gundam. Macross is much more niche, virtually unknown outside the otaku community.

16cm would make Ride Armor equal in size to Aoshima's 1:12 convertible kits.

Great! We can finally get some solid info, like measurements and MSRP. At a height of 16cm, that would make Ride Armor slightly smaller than the Sentinel figures... about equal to the old 1:12 Aoshima kits. ¥8000 per kit seems a little steep, but not unreasonable.

This is what I found on Nin-Nin-Game, ~16cm MB

I'm not sure how true all that is. I've seen that Fire Bomber is generally revered as a classic band in japanese pop culture, while general macross awareness has spread to girls through frontier and delta music. Mecha hobbies like gunpla, armored core gaming, has been getting popular with japanese girls as well. Had they priced this thing dirt cheap to the point of seemingly subsidized like some main character starter gunpla units, this could have been the gateway drug to DX Macross collecting for a lot of new people with a little nostalgia bait marketing. A one and done super robot looking display piece of a legendary front man should in theory be an easier sell to casual new fans, than something like a whole rainbow airshow military attack team. Instead of not having domestic fans, there seems to be a lot of japanese fans refusing to buy it. Their criticism is the same as we have here. The fans want the full sound force, as seen just above, and accessories like sound boosters. What bandai has shown though, is consistently declining QC, non commitment for accessories and completing rosters, and now, worst of all, fleecing their customers with sky high pricing on a barebones item under the guise of inflation. Unfortunately for them, they miscalculated and priced it out of demand and affordability, while over supplying as if fans are mindless moneybags. Very few bought into their insane pricing, causing the never closing PO listings to reveal the slow sales. Then they reinforce their noncommittal status by rolling out the half baked 17 with no ability to wear a super pack, building a very serious wait and see audience, because it's very clear a hypothetical storm valkyrie and sound boosters would be just as screwed, if those ever even had a chance of being made. The sound force collectors then see no reason to start a new collection when their yammie/arcadia actually has a sound booster already. The backfire keeps compounding because all the retailers want to clear inventory and get into panic clearance. This being so new, would never sell for a loss, so now with a still profitable price drop, everyone can see as plain as day, the insane fleecing behind the MSRP. PO buyers are burned and pass the sour mood onto the wait and see buyers, reinforcing the whole price drop watching game. To really execute themselves and their M7 plans, they surprise drop the anniversary Kairos for cheaper than this thing. Formerly limited, they retail release it this time, so everyone rushes there, only to realize its a small production run, so the panic buy compounds. Now none of the small budget fans have money spend on this, no matter how cheap it gets. Seeing these sales, speculation for the fate of Blazer Valk sets in, stopping the last of the collectors from wanting to even start this set, so it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Thus sales of of this will continue to be worse. At this point, everyone is familiar with how bandai interprets their sales numbers. They are going to say nobody likes toys anymore, and toss out the perfectly good molds because their storage is not profitable, and instead, sink funds in some meme worthy collapsing investment bubble again. Crypto, VR, metaverse, NFT, AI, DX Chogokin Labubu, you name it, they've done it. It makes it pretty hard for fans to buy into this product line with bandai's attitude being like this. Story of bandai's life. I cry everytime.

Nice! I've been punting Soundwave around... It's just a matter of time before I cave.

So I picked up my first two Star Trek sets this morning! Hoping for more...🤗

Sharon Stone

The Moderoid kits are up for preorder at a number of places like Good Smile, HLJ, Hobby Genki, etc.

Phantasm

Jared Leto is in MOTU film. Now that is alarming

I pre-ordered the two-pack set

It wouldn't make sense if Hedorah was the villain. Would not mined if he was.

i want the sound force

From a signing at Hollywood Amoeba Records

Just about done trashing the bug. I was afraid I might've gone too far... ...but the client is apparently pleased. 😅 Fabulous panel lining! 😍 Never seen those flame effects on the legs before. Cool decals.

You know the really funny/stupid thing.. this is essentially the exact same mistake Yamato made: spending a mountain of money developing a line of toys so niche that they really didn't even have enough of a domestic market to turn a sustainable profit. Bandai could easily milk the market for all it has to offer if they focused on something there is an established domestic demand for... but no, they just want to chase a market that is likely even smaller than the one Yamato targeted, because apparently they're just completely certain Macross 7 will be profitable this time. In a market where it never originally aired, and is probably the most mocked in the franchise as a whole. But what do I know. I'm not one of Bandai's market analysts. Maybe they just know history better or something.

Lol. Nice! I caught some dungeness yesterday and we had some with our turkey today.

Message sent to you with photo of it

I will. It has the same image as the blue Macross bag I have