In regards to complaining, I would like to point out that there are two camps of complainers:
The group that is super extra anal-retentive about every little detail being absolutely perfect and in accordance with whatever TV series or show is being reproduced in model or toy form. These people tend to fit the stereotype (not physically, of course, but attitude-wise) of the comic book guy on The Simpsons. They will always complain about everything, but not necesarily without good reason. It might get annoying to some, but then again, you have to ask yourself why whatever company is being complained about doesn't employ a few of these detail-crazed people to ensure accuracy? Or, if these type of people are employed at the company, why aren't they heeded?
Then there are the people who just complain because they want to know that they are getting something really and sincerely ultimately great for their hard-earned dollar. These people usually have less money to blow on their hobbies, and what some guarantee that their money will not be burned without a very satisfying return. I fall into this camp. I couldn't give less of a damn about how accurate the VF-1J is, or whether or not it ever had the TV fastpacks on it during the show, or whatever. All I want is something that is extremely well made, highly articulated, and has proportions that match very exactly what the original design was (otherwise, why bother?) You can change the proportions if it makes it look a bit better, although that is subjective, of course, and you still won't please everyone.
My only gripes with the Yamato 1/48s so far is simply that I hear a lot about the quality of them being somewhat mixed, and I truly do not care for Fokker's Valk's proportions. I think the chest is too big, or the head is wrong, or something... It just doesn't look as slender and graceful as it did in the show. Otherwise, the only complaint I can think of (I'd like to get it all out now) is that the damn things /are/ expensive, I can't afford any of them at the moment, and I worry that they will all be selling for astronomical prices before I get myself in a position where I can throw money at my hobbies again...
The moral of my post is obvious, and perhaps annoying: You can complain about the complainers, but they will never stop. They are everywhere (or perhaps, 'we' are everywhere). Perhaps we should all just be content... But it is hard to be blindly content when money is so hard to come by these days. I think we would all very much love to be happy, but we just want the absolute best for the money. While many people may be perfectly thrilled that they have anything at all, some of us aren't. We've been waiting for a long, long time for someone to produce Valks that were worth a damn in the first place (the HCM Bandais being the only good ones I remember), and now Yamato has come to help. But they just automatically put themselves in a dangerous position by doing so, because any group of fans that hang on to a show for years and years after it first came out can be expected to be a bit crazed. Especially the ones that actually go to an internet forum and discuss it. At least, some of us. I'm not saying everyone here is deranged. Although I think we should all at least admit, even if in a kind of sideways manner, that we are all gigantic dorks that are obsessed with something that has come and gone... It was really great, but the world has now moved beyond it. And posting on a forum about it is even a bigger testament to this. This forum is the warm yellow lightbulb to all of the Macross-struck people of the world. There are bound to be some really complainy people on it.
The moral of the moral of this post is also obvious, and I'll state it here for those of you still reading my ungodly rant: I know that it is frustrating that people are never pleased. But they will never be. Ever. Especially those people who are really into something like Macross, and analyze every little detail. And especially also those people who just want their money to be swapped for something of truly equal value.
I think that's it. If you are going to be offended by something I wrote here, I apologize for that in advance. There is a real possibilty that some things here didn't exactly make the trip from my brain to the keyboard without being harmed somehow along the way. So if you find your blood pressure rising (which is possible, given all the fanatics here), then just calm down a bit, grab a glass of water, and watch Macross a few more times.
Cheers,
Gregory Scott
