edwin3060

Hmm I must be one of the few who don't mind the gullet then-- even though I got the Hasegawa kit as well and I agree that the Hasegawa kit looks better. I guess in the end (to me) it is kind of like the Bandai 1/72 VF-25 and the DX-- the model kit looks sleeker but the toy is alot more playable?

HLJ's review of Hasegawa's new releases from the Shizuoka Hobby Show. Notice the comment about the 1/48 YF-19. "Launching Hasegawa's new 1/48 Macross series will be this YF-19!" Not sure if Scott from HLJ got some insider information but the word "series" typically implies more than 1. I'm guessing that Hasegawa will eventually scale up all of their 1/72 Macross stuff to 1/48. Probably more of a way to thumb their noses at Bandai with the side benefit of raking in the cash.

http://www.hlj.com/shs09hsghigh.html

Next up, 1/48 YF-21?

Well at least Bandai would spread the different versions out a little, releasing maybe 1 or 2 kits at most a year, right?

Simply amazing... and is that a 1/72 Ghost from the RVF-25 set painted in the Ghost X-9 scheme I see there? Nice!

That looks like a major loss for Boeing-- how much is a Dreamliner, anyway? Hmm.. will Boeing be in financial trouble soon, seeing as to how 1)F-22 production is ending 2)continued C-17 production looks increasingly unlikely and 3)Dreamliner facing problems? Seems like they are having problems with both their military and commercial contracts. The F-18E/F/G is the one bright lining in an otherwise dark cloud.

I've seen the RVF go into combat with it extended.

Perhaps the need to detect/transmit signals to co-ordinate between Skull and the other squadrons etc outweighs the reduction in maneuverability. For that matter, we've never seen the RVF-25 operate in atmosphere, and in space, the aerodynamic drawbacks of the fins are nil-- and depending on the mass of the fin, the limitations on maneuverability might not be significant as well.

Her hopes and dreams seem to have shrunk as well...

That's what training with a restrictive EX-Gear will do to you!

IMHO, it's because the gunpod itself is "stealthy". The facetted design. Probably some type of coating. Of course, there's some suspension of disbelief, because how could a battroid (even if it is made out of stealthy materials) remain stealthy? - "what the hell is he firing at us?! There's nothing on sensors!!"

1 word: Metamaterials. I'm not sure if that technology has been incorporated into the Macross Universe though. But I agree with sketchley-- I think that it is the gunpod itself which has a stealthy design. Once you fire the weapon, the stealth would be negated.

Great review!

The blue one doesn't look too bad I suppose. A VF-X Ravens scheme would be nice still. I agree with LSB that the VF-19A didn't sell well because the toy was ugly and not very good to begin with. Despite getting multiples of the other 1/72 M+ valks, I never got the YF-19 or VF-19 because they were so hideous and full of gaps that barely looked like the valkyrie it was supposed to represent. It's one of the few valk toys I couldn't convince myself to get just for the sake of having for completion or what not.

That said, it would be nice if Yamato tweaked the fighter a bit so the profile would look better. I know I keep ragging on the 19 for that gullet, but I recall the reason it was that thick was to accomodate the landing gear. However, the release of the VF-11B shows that Yamato can have landing gear and still have a slim profile. Both planes have the front landing gear in pretty much the same location so I don't see why they couldn't improve the 19. The way it is right now, the fighter's profile kind of makes it look like it is slightly pointing up due to the way it slopes and looks more like a wedge to me. Other than that, the current 19 looks pretty good from front and dorsal angles.

Some lineart of the YF-19 actually shows it with such a gullet.

Credits to M3

Ouch.. thanks for the info!

Klan+ Michael's Super parts FTW!

this still doesn't explain why the orange is flat and oversaturated compared to the rest of the image. Even though the orange one is a few millimeters further back on the acrylic block than the blue one the lighting and camera angle is the same for both images. The reflectivity and visible level of detail should be the same. if it's not a shop then either they managed to jack up their cameras setting between shots or they went in to clean up the photos and managed to mangle the one they used.

another option is that they made One toy (blue and red) took a couple pictures then shooped the orange one to see if they liked the look (because I'd think a 15 minute edit in photoshop is cheaper than producing a one off recolor of a toy). once the decided the liked it they made a production sample but didn't bother to re-shoot it.

I don't know-- how do you quantify flat and oversaturated? And how do you know that that is an effect of photo shopping, rather than a quality of the paint/tampo printing itself? From all the Yamato photozoom pictures so far, my guess is they have a camera on a stand, and a photo booth of some sort, and just snap away--probably done in-house, by a Yamato worker who probably has an interest in taking photos-- not a professional photographer that they have to hire every time they want a shoot. So, every time they make a prototype (which they would have to do anyway, just to make sure that the colours come out right when printed, which is a non-trivial task) they can just snap a few photos, in less than 15 minutes. Granted, photoshop may be used to design the colour scheme in the first place.

MacrossJunkie: Aww that sucks. I wish Yamato would use the improved Isamu sculpt, since they already have it for the VF-11B!! A case of the left hand and the right hand not communicating I guess.

Maybe you have to remove her head to close the cockpit hatch? It doesn't seem like the 'face' plate of the Q-rea will fit over any helmet, unless the helmet is disproportionate to the body.

ANA is the 787 launch customer. That particular one won't go to them though, they (along with most other airlines) have refused to accept any delivery from the first half-dozen built. (they won't be up to par)

O_O Really? What is the reason for that (not being up to par)? Why build them in the first place then?

I didn't know that starship troopers had a following in Japan!

Given that Yamato has already displayed the prototypes, I think that taking new pictures and posting them up would be much faster than going to all the trouble of photoshopping.

The blue/black version looks like Max custom VF-19A would be, hehe. Much nicer colour scheme than Blue/red, but still not as nice as Orange/black.

Maybe the VF-X2 colour will be made after these releases? Yamato seems to be in the mood for releasing new colours now rather than rehashing old ones-- They released a new VF-1S Low-Vis-but-Bright-Yellow colour rather than the m&m or any other 1/48 LV colours, afterall.

Hmmm pass. The grey is abit too dark for my liking, making it look too cartoonish.

I'll be laughing my head off if the Battroid mode looks exactly like the 1/60 Chunkykin counterpart.

If that were the case, then this is a huge pass for me (in the very least it still would be cheaper!).

Seriously, seeing how Bandai is VASTLY better at making model kits than toys, I expect this 1/48 to look nothing less short of the perfection of that which is its CGI counterpart. If it's so, then I'm glad I passed the DX line!

You took the words right out of my mouth

The Q-Rea seems to be closer to production that the VF-27, so maybe Q-rea in September, VF-27 in October? I hope the VF-27 comes out sooner too though.

The Klan figure is going to need a lot of painting, and looks to be missing the bottom half of the body. I don't think it can fit into the torso of the Q-rea otherwise.

I think the hip position of the VF-27 will be the same as the VF-25, since the crotch block is the same (in the anime). The different position of the top of the legs, etc could be because the VF-27 legs are missing the intake, which stays attached to the chest, unlike the VF-25 where the intake is part of the legs.

Jeez. "Stealth bomber photographed breaking sound barrier"

"A stealth bomber is frozen in time as it breaks the sound barrier during a test flight above the Californian desert"

Bad enough for the headline to be wrong, even worse for the byline to repeat it!

Yea-- editors aren't what they used to be I guess-- or whoever comes up with the headlines/bylines. The actual article is alot more accurate though.

Re 787: Is ANA the launch customer for the Dreamliner?

Re F-35: Meh-- I think that is advertising hype. HOBS capability can help level the playing field, but launching missiles at high angles will still decrease the probability of hit, etc. Maneuverability will still be useful and very relevant.

I am so sorry that I mis-translated it....

It actually says the canopy, arms and legs design are inherited from the VF-22 line. Not the engine.

No problem. Thanks for making the effort to retranslate! Haha I am practically giddy with joy at the 1/72 VF-27.. I've wanted one ever since I got my first VF-25 kit.

c'mon people, wake up, Yamato building Macross Zero Tomcats?

Let's talk about an old topic: the SV-51 Ivanov, was there ever really a reissue with wingfold fixed? I mean, they're selling for a lot less than the original price-tag, and my Nora has these sad sagging defective wings (lucky me) that don't lock tight in fighter and ....you get the point.

Thing is, how do I know if the Ivanov is a good or a no good by flipping the top of the box? somebody said if it has clouded canopy it's a high chance you get wings that cannot fold??? I am really tempted at these discount prices...but it's such a risk, damn reissues with no visible markings!

No idea about the other issues you mentioned, but my Ivanov has no wing issues-- so it might be an individual thing?

VF-1D reissue in June.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10082441

Nice! Will be getting it this time round I think, especially if it will come with the fixed shoulders.

I wonder what scale this is in? I might get one if it is 1/8 scale like the Banpresto figures.