schmungbeen

Without sounding too much like an idiot, nor being someone who is able to read Japanese - that heatshield (to me) looks blue under all that shadow.

I may be wrong - it may be the shadow.

It may also be the relative proximity of that shadow to the blue above it. I dont know. Im not a doctor.

But Ill tell you something I do know. I will be getting this.

Argh, darn you, VF-1D. The counterintuitive nature of this toy continues to annoy me. I kept on transforming it yesterday to get used to it, I have done it at least six or seven times now. It gets more difficult each time!! This has never happened with any other transforming toy for me before.

Aside from the hip bar, now I have to do some extensive adjusting with the position of the fuselage to get it from fighter to batroid and vice versa. That means ripping up all the skin on my thumbs from the die-cast inner chestplate. Secondly, the right foot will no longer pull out of the lower leg! No matter how hard I try, it won't come out, even though it was not so stiff before. After forty minutes of struggling (remember I had transformed it several times before), I gave up and left a toy in mid-transformation on my desk probably for the first time in my life and just went to sleep. This morning I tried again, I even used a dishcloth to get more friction, but to no avail. Then I figured that I should just try to swing the feet in the closed position and use the leverage to get the whole thing to slide out. With a lot of torque it finally worked. But that's what I have to do every time now! The left foot pulls out with no problem.

OK, so at first I was worried about breaking this toy, but now I am worried about this toy injuring me. Definitely not fun. I will try to do more transformations, but to be honest, it as really put me off and although I considering the Ostrich and Elint, I don't think I will be buying more. Hobbies are supposed to be fun, and this is really far from that.

That hip bar can be a problem, but I've never really spent more than 30 seconds getting it in - Its an artform I think, that develops over time. Neither have I had to use excessive force on most of the things (except maybe unclipping the legs from the fuselage with the fastpacks on). I've never heard of a toy getting tighter the more you move the joints! - Thats awesome, and should probably be patented. Though... maybe not for a transforming toy...

someone knows if the vt1 head is removable

I would imagine that, like all of the other V2 valks so far, the head would be removable.

THANKS!!!

By the way, you can get replacement parts for the arms. I got 2 arm replacements for my 1S for free from HLJ (but I bought it from there, soooo....) - But I havent been terribly delicate with my other V2's, and they are holding up very nicely. Just enjoy it!

hlj is now starting to ship these bad boys. Can't wait!

You've just become super unpopular here now!!!!! j/k!!! you opened the door for that one.

Hooray!

At the risk of being unpopular, I was never a huge fan of the VT-1. That head is just rank - although I do like the colours and different nose/cockpit design. I will probably get the VE-1 when it comes out... which it will undoubtedly - love that radar dish!

These valks without weapons are almost wasted in battroid mode

HOLY SH!T

I have but one question: WHEN?

I'm definitely getting two of the Elintseeker and Ostrich. No doubt in my mind.

Speaking of two-seaters, when is HLJ going to start offering the VF-1D?

It already has - early bird was over a week ago or so

Recently got the tomahawk in the mail -and I must say, it is brilliant! Certainly dont regret buying it, the quality is top notch! If anyone thinks the price point is too high because you don't get ennough in it.... think again. It is expensive, but to be honest, I think its worth it! I may even get another one...

I've been using a sort of mechanical pencil with a thin lead. It hasnt smudged yet, and I've transformed it a few times. The soot effect is pretty good. When the destroid arrives will try the gundam markers to line it.

This lowsy thread just made me buy a tomahawk and some gundam pens... Why!? WHY! On a related note, I've been using a small-ish pencils to do some panel lines on a VF-1A (not destroid, i know), and it does some awesome work - getting carbon char onto it thats actually carbon...

Pretty sweet! - I like the head.... Maybe cause its different. But Probably wont pick up any of the TV's except Rick and Max's 1J.

Yeah, Im with the blue heatshield on the 1/60 1s Max... though I dont think ill be picking it up anyway, the 1A DYRL will do me just fine.

Too much stuff coming out all at once! Not...enough... Money!

Apart fm first 1S Focker & the 3 Hikaru 1A/J/S, there will be no fast packs included for all next coming releases.

But I guess fast packs may be back again for 1J Max/Millia (not announced yet), just like the previous 1/48 releases.

I may have missed something, but how do you know they arent going to release a fast pack bundle set for the Max 1S?

True - I have done modeling so I'm sure I could do a pretty fair job.

But, not sure if anyone can relate or not, but I plan to not apply any stickers to the high priced items I'm buying this year. The economy is too darn shaky and I know I could at least sell them on eBay in a pinch.

So I was leaning towards "officially" weathered versions for the time being as a precaution in case I had to sell them.

Although I do not know how well one of a kind 'home' weathered versions are in the resale market.

I dont know... If its well weathered then i'm sure people would pay near what you paid for the thing new... Most of those customs, like the enigma custom for example, are more awesome than the originals anyway - and if it looks better and people are assured of quality... Bam

Oh - saw the other topic... Sorry! - well at least theyre available...

Hey all - saw this on the hlj website when ordering some of the newer stuff - They appear to be new stands for the macross figures

http://www.hlj.com/hljlist2/?Maker1=YMT&am...e=Sci&Dis=2

They seem to be MUCH cheaper display stands for macross stuff by yamato... Has this been reported before and I missed it? I mean... What are they!?

Is one a base part, and one a stand part? And clear brown!?

bah! Answers!?

Indeed... Most distressing

Hi guys

All of the next wave of valk's are now on early bird preorder at HLJ - all kakazikis (TV and DYRL) and all Max VF-1's. Also early bird for the defender OD

I dont know, it looks really sweet to me

I havent seen the review, but all of those comments are a bit too nitpicky for my liking - we all know transformers was the benchmark for all western cartoons! I loved robotech, but transformers will always be the 'eleven' to robotechs 'ten'...'for that, you know, little bit of extra oomph'... I think a comparison to jetfire is well warranted.

Also - re. the armored valk - come on, Rick was pretty much cannon fodder throughout that whole show - he just seemed to survive... What a lifestyle!

How well have the 1S Hikaru and replacement arm hinges held up?

Its holding up nicely actually - wonderful strait out of the package. I've only changed it to battroid once now, and it holds up well, but time will tell i guess. The replacement arm for my Roy 1S seems to be the same as the Hikaru 1S - i.e. just as sturdy.

Thats right, thanks Kyp.

Haha, as soon as I got my replacement arm for the Roy 1/60 the other arm now has a crack! noooo!

But in good news, the 1/60 VF-1S Hikaru came yesterday - what a fine specimen it is!

Thanks! Will try when I get back home...