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Ride the wave, and rise above it all!

Finally got me a Yamato VF-1S Hikaru. From Mandarake for 9k yen. Not a fan of Arcadia super bright whites, I even dislike a bit the Yamato white gor TV releases. Gotta love Yamato DYRL releases off white or the Bandai DX off white. Got a set of Strike parts to equip it later.

Temptation won me over- I preorderd the Pose+. My inner child is all a-giggle.

I envy you your nostalgia. For whatever reason, Robotech didn't air on any of our stations growing up, or it did and I wasn't aware of it, as I would have loved both the Mospeada and the Macross portions of RT. Southern Cross, what little I've seen of it via RT, seemed like a step backwards concerning the mecha and I instantly lost interest in watching it any further than a few eps. My experience with the Legioss, oddly enough, comes via Gobots via the Monogram Leader One model kit, which blew my teenage mind with its intricacy, its articulation, and its ability to transform seamlessly, not to mention all the opening panels and retractable landing gear. It represented everything I wished Transformers toys would be but weren't. I had little experience building models, especially one this "elite", but I managed it. I neither painted nor stickered my copy, but I loved it just the same- for the short time I had it. my dog, just a pup then, somehow got ahold of it and chewed the nose up. I was bummed but I held on to the thing for years- in fact, I may still have it in a box somewhere. there's just something about the Legioss' design that speaks to me; it's definitely more of a sci-fi plane than say the Macross valks, which are far more grounded in realism, one of the traits I adore about Macross, but there's a cool factor to the Legioss. It just looks great in both modes, IMHO. Anyway, I got the Toynami Bernard Alpha years ago, craving a decent looking Legioss/alpha toy. Of course, the Toynamis were riddled with issues, and my copy was not immune. I still have it, but it's just a deskoration at this point- I try not to handle it too much and transformation is pretty much not happening. I jumped on Sentinel's Legioss, a beautiful toy that's a touch fiddly. It hangs out in my Detolf. Now the Pose+ shows up with the potential of being a more robust, easy-to-handle toy, and I'm slavering all over it. 🤤 As I mentioned, I'm extremely tempted to get it, if only to have what's basically the most detailed version of the Legioss yet produced, right after the Sentinel, which previously held that title. That they're making it with an eye to playability appeals to me as well, as I tend to be a little heavy-handed with my toys sometimes, which is why I tend to refrain from transforming the more involved ones in my collection, short of initial procurement. I have a lot of transforming toys, but most of them have only been transformed a couple times, or just once b/c I'm afraid of breaking them or b/c the process frustrates me. Patience is definitely not one of my virtues, so it's better that way and I enjoy them as the beautiful things they are. Anyway, that's my ramble. Here's a pic of the box for that model. Of course, they had a same-scaled version of the Ride Armor that they called Cy-Kill. Kinda funny now looking back. I knew these weren't actually Gobots, but I had no awareness of Mospeada, either, so for years I had no idea where the design came from. I believe I owe it to this site, actually, for educating me on Robotech, and all that's associated with it, so thanks MacrossWorld!

Thanks. The pearl over off white has such a nice silky look to it and adds a certain perceived depth to the surface. I had to repaint a few pieces after final paint layers were applied since I notice some poor surface prep on my part. Tiny scratch here and there. I need to slow it down and really inspect my pieces better at the primer stage to avoid so much work later on. I am contemplating what to start next while I finish up this build. Was thinking the Terror Mirage. I want to paint it like a stealth bomber or Blackbird scheme. More to come as always.

Oh I thought that blue set was waterslide. Thanks for checking and seeing me straight!

Great review, as always, Mike. My copy of this guy and Thundercracker are on their way, so I should have them in hand soon. It's a shame they didn't expend just a wee bit more engineering effort towards cramming more of the roof/hood kibble into his legs to clean him up a bit and make his legs look a bit slimmer in bot mode. Perhaps a third party will come up with a solution. Love the integrated weapon storage, which at this point in the franchise, IMHO, should be a standard feature for all Transformers. I hate tabbing guns willy nilly on the outside of vehicles, as it looks terrible and ruins the whole disguise aspect. The ankles are indeed weird, but as you pointed out, totally within sacred toon accuracy. 🙄 Regardless, I'm glad we finally got him. Now they just need to give us a proper G1 Mirage- the WFC figures were inaccurate to both toy and toon in numerous ways and it deserves a good representation like the others we've been getting. 'Til then, my Classics Mirage is filling the role. Love that figure but, admittedly, it's not entirely accurate either. We need a proper G1 Mirage in Legacy.

hacchaka.net has a picture review of the H-Metal R FATTY, if you're still waiting for you're delivery....🤗 Looks like they don't have any problem with the FATTY in (Standby Mode) either 🤣 A colourful set of characters! 😉

Yeh, I hear you @M'Kyuun, my inner 10 year old boy watching Robotech every day after school is screaming "BUY IT!!!" - I still remember the birthday I got my first Gakken Blue Alpha Robo whatever is was called. Pure unadulterated JOY! 😍

I agree, I haven't ever gotten masking fluid to work for me either. I wish I could, especially on canopies.

Jeepers, this thing looks amazing, and it' sounds like it's engineered to be handled and played with. I'm so tempted, but I'm having a hard time finding spots to display my HMR figs, so I don't know where I'd put this monstrosity, and the price tag is a bit steep. I love my Sentinel, but I don't really like handling it. This chunky beast looks like it might be a little handier. All the features they baked into this thing just tug at my core being- just beautiful and cool. It's a most impressive toy judging from these early looks.

The Urban Camo armor came with two sheets of stickers, but no waterslide decals.

Did anyone ever come up with a fix for the droopy canard? If not, I guess I will resort to the same "fix" that I used for the YF-21 antenna issue: keep buying and exchanging it on Amazon until I get a copy that isn't messed up.

Remember I was mentioning track pad issues on my lenovo? Seems like it's a common issue and may need to be grounded properly "If anyone is still having this issue with any Lenovo laptop, the solution is easy. I have now fixed 8 Lenovos (different models) with this same problem. The ribbon connector for the trackpad is located under the battery. During assembly, Lenovo just barely plugs this ribbon connector in. After some use (with heating and cooling of the battery or just movement) the ribbon connector no longer makes good contact. Simply open the laptop, remove the screws that secure the battery, unplug the battery and remove it. The ribbon connector will then be visible. Pull it out with the little tab (you will notice it is not very secure) then re-insert it firmly. The trackpad/touchpad will work after this."

@Papa Rat The Speltor is really the epitome of Nagano's Renaissance Robot Design 😍 Great work on the finish! And yeah, stick to the tape.

I was looking through Ozzie Collectibles this afternoon and noticed that the Miriya VF-1J is now In Stock. So I placed an order and I should get it sometime next week. I am still waiting on my suppliers to get in the Max VF-1J. https://www.ozziecollectables.com/pages/search-results-page?q=robotech

He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe 200X Man-At-Arms 5.5" Action Figure x 2

Ooo, that came out really well. I'd say don't worry overmuch about the wings, since they kind of mysteriously retract seamlessly into the edge of the airframe in a manner that suggests the designer probably did not think too hard about it themselves.

I’m not religious, but Amen to that. 💯

Looking forward to Windcharger. I'm just waiting for one more item from my preorders at The Chosen Prime to be available to ship my Roller's Stash for free. I'd buy Windcharger over again if he came with Wheeljack in a Studio Series 86 Battle Damaged Set.

Batman.

It was fun. That was maybe 8 years ago. If you ever watched HLJ's YouTube channel, that's them. One guy I met that day told me at lunch that he was at a pawn shop somewhere in Japan and found a new-in-box sofubi of the Nostromo ship from Alien by Halcyon just sitting out in front for a cheap price because the shop didn't know what it was. Now there are a lot of new people I don't recognize, but I know those who've been around a long time. I used to watch Gunpla TV when it was Syd and Ryan, but while I got to meet them, those two are no longer there. The next time I attend a hobby show, I'll have to go for at least two days because I end up talking to so many people that I don't get to see everything I want to see.

Still waiting for those last two Age of the Primes Deluxes, though they're apparently on their way and I hope to have them soon. But hey, Barricade turning up a bit ago wasn't a fluke; a new wave of Studio Series figures is also trickling out. And while I happen to think Barricade is cool, I'm betting you guys are probably a lot more interested in Deluxe-class Windcharger. What's to say about Windcharger? The new Studio Series toy is pretty cartoon-accurate, giving his gray torso a bit of a bluish tint (more subtle in real life than in my pictures, I assure you) that the original toy and Power of the Primes didn't have, but depending on the the episode (and how your TV was calibrated) the cartoon usually did. He's got a tad more sculpted detail on his torso and knees than the cartoon, but the important details like the bump-out chest, the ribbed thighs, and the trapezoid with a disk slot above it on his crotch are from the cartoon. The wheels on his feet fold away to be more cartoon accurate, and while the wheels on his shoulders are still visible they rotate to kind of mimic the C-shaped bulge on the animation model. So I'm mostly pretty content with how Windcharger turned out... until you get to his feet. Because that sure is a lot of kibble. What's more, from other angles where you can see the inside of his foot you'll find that it's mostly hollow, with just the wheels folded into them. It's passable, for a Deluxe, I think. If it were an MP toy, though, I might expect some way to better hide his shoulder wheels and tuck some of the kibble on the back of his feet more in to his feet. Studio Series Windcharger comes with accessories, which is more than the original or Power of the Primes toys can boast. You get one effect part, and one pistol. Windcharger's articulation is adequate, but a little weird. So, his head, which is mostly a box, just swivels. However, there's a little switch on the back of his head. Moving the switch moves his face within the box, so he can actually look up. Pretty clever! His shoulders are ball joints, so he can swivel them and move them almost but not really 90 degrees. his biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees. His wrists are ball joints, but the cut is to allow them to fold for transformation. If you fold them, then twist them, then fold them back, you can get a limited wrist swivel. His waist swivels. His hips can go 120 degrees forward or backward, and 90 degrees laterally. His thighs swivel. Now here's where things get a little weird, but it's actually cartoon accurate. He has a knee bend that can go about 90 degrees just below the ribbed detail on his thighs. So gray bit below the hinge his actually his his lower leg, and all the red stuff with the car kibble is actually his feet. Now, his feet have a tiny shred of up/down tilt, and he's got 90 degrees of ankle pivot... it just looks weird, because anatomically his ankles would be like two thirds of the way up his shins if he were a human. Windcharger can hold his pistol in either hand, just as you'd expect. The effect part, which is supposed to represent his magnetic powers, plugs into a cutout on the bump out on his chest. When he's not shooting or magnetizing stuff, the pistol uses a small peg to plug into his butt, while the effect part can tab into his back. Windcharger's transformation is a bit like the PotP toy, or a Prime Vehicon. Spin the wheels on his shoulders, and tuck his hands down. Move the faux roof on his back out of the way so he can shrug up and tuck his arms against his body. Now, you unfurl all the kibble from his feet, and fold the wheels out. Fold his feet over part way, then tab them and all the kibble together. Fold the feet the rest of the way and they'll form the rear of the car, while the kibble will slot over the faux roof and his shoulders to form the roof, hood, and nose of the car. I suppose it's a bit of a copout... his arms and feet really turn into the car, but most of the top and front are just his unfurled heels. But it's hard to argue with results. SS86 Windcharger captures the big-wheeled, buck-toothed, generic sportscar look of the cartoon. That is to say, you look at it and it really doesn't resemble a Firebird, but not resembling a Firebird is correct if you want to be cartoon-accurate. His toes not lining up with the roof? Cartoon-accurate. Circular headlights and grill that looks more like a '74 than early '80s model the molded pop-up headlights on the G1 toy suggested? Cartoon-accurate. He rolls in car mode, of course. There's a slot in the grill that you can plug the magnetic effect part into. But best of all, his pistol has slots cut into the sides. These slots fit over the same tabs behind his rear wheels that lock them into place in robot mode. (Mostly) hidden weapon storage, my favorite kind! Windcharger is not an amazing toy, the way Studio Series Optimus and Megatron are. His transformation is, arguably, a tad simple for a Deluxe, with most of his robot mode just chilling out on the underside. Getting his cartoon feet into the actual rear of the car gives him kind of wonky proportions, and his articulation is just fine, nothing special. But, y'know... I think that's prefectly good enough. Aside from some kibble on the backs and hollowness on the inside of his feet, he looks good in bot mode. He looks accurate in car mode. He comes with a pistol and storage for it in both robot and car mode. He's better than the Power of the Primes toy. That's really all I needed from him, and if I'm not mistaken he's a wrap on the cast of Season 1 Autobots (although we know some guys like Sunstreaker are getting Studio Series do-overs, and some guys like Mirage need Studio Series do-overs). So, yeah, recommended.