Drad

That was a hell of a deal. Wow.

I'm not too fussed about the colors not being spot-on. Gosh, it took this long for us to get them at all. I'm happy.

Missing Link Optimus Prime toy deco in KO G1 box. Couldn't source a pristine genuine G1 box, unfortunately. Best I could do. This thing makes me so happy.

(Yes, I have the TV color version opened, with the KO trailer.)

I love my big DX Valks but these guys are easier to handle and play with. Friend of mine brought Kakizaki back from Japan for me, and I just ordered Max and will probably cave and buy Hikaru's armored set even though I have the other two. It's a sickness, I tell you.

Regults/Glaugs really need a re-issue as well as more enemy mecha overall. Maybe even some Zentran/Meltran soldiers. Is this the first Macross toy line to offer enemy units?

Now we just need a TV Roy VF-1S.

And some Queadluun Rau. And Tomahawks. And..

C'mon, Bandai!! How many years already??

1 hour ago, no3Ljm said:

IIRC, Hikaru's stand came with Kakizaki's VF-1A.

Ohh okay. I didn't realize that. I figured they'd use the release of Max and Kakizaki to sell yet another Hikaru VF-1J. Color me surprised.

On 12/26/2023 at 5:13 PM, Convectuoso said:

My Vermillion squad has been delivered at last!

Beautiful. Congrats!

Does anyone know when the VF-1J Hikaru with the included character stand is due out?

6 hours ago, CoryHolmes said:

Success!  It took a few minutes with an emery board (the only suitable sanding option I had) to get each side of the chest to the point where they'd slide up enough to get to the next steps.

 

With all the other fiddly bits of the transformation, I'm honestly disappointed by the Punch -> Counterpunch conversion.  I was really hoping for more than "flip shoulder pads around, flip arms, bend knees other way, turn figure around". 

I was thinking of getting this figure since I always thought it was a cool idea. Now I'm not sure though. The Fiero would've been nice to have, heh.

Hey @mikeszekely, didja get your copy of this guy yet? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I like him, he's great for the price.

My horrible pic. I was not prepared for the sheer weight, size and presence of this guy. Small imperfections aside, I am thoroughly gobsmacked by the quality of this set especially for a KO. I now have a small inkling of how owners of the official Blitzway Voltron must feel about their wonderful pieces.

.. these are so beautiful. Sadly I lack the skills and talent to build them.

Help.😄

Baiwei TW-1027. Not bad for $23.

Sure beats the pants off my first Valkyrie.

I didn't see Kakizaki or Max go up at all anywhere, and now Anime-Export lists them as sold out.

12 hours ago, fifbeat said:

I just love the size of it, man! 😃 I wasn't expecting it to be this big! 

The figure itself is outstanding but is it weird that I love that retro Takatoku-esque packaging?

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

I want to get in preorders for Missing Link Convoy and JAXA Prime, but I wish I knew if some domestic stores were going to carry them.  How's shipping with Amiami?

I would guess you'll prolly end up paying about $40-$50 for the pair of Missing Link Optimus Primes. I believe DHL has gotten rid of their emergency circumstances surcharge too. Might save some money actually.

6 hours ago, MKT said:

 

Nice. What are these?

Couple of random finds. Custom-made challenge coins.

On 11/29/2022 at 12:31 PM, lechuck said:

On the topic of backpacks, it might be worth pointing out that the one on MS-02 is a bit too wide which breaks the upper body silhouette to some degree. MS unfortunately did not engineer the truck roof top collapse inwards, so your left with this somewhat unsightly bracket around the body.

The hands throw me off, I like that their fully articulated, but at the same time it looks ugly because all the fingers are the same length.

Considering all the things that MS-02 gets right, I'm willing to overlook those shortcomings. Heck, I'm not even a fan of the hyper-toon look.. in fact that change in aesthetic direction is what made me quit collecting Masterpiece Transformers altogether (well, that's part of it but the rest isn't relevant here). What Magic Square has achieved with this latest iteration of Optimus Prime is just so impressive that I had to pick him up.

He's amazing! Looks like a non-transformable figure like Hasbro's R.E.D. line or Super7's Ultimates and yet not only does he transform but they managed to streamline the process and make it fun instead of frustrating. One of the gripes I have about the push toward near-total cartoon accuracy is all of the compromises that need to be made to achieve that seamless, kibble-free look in both modes. Often times the result is the figures being heavily over-engineered which makes them more shelf queens than toys. I understand that we all have our preferences but I do like to play with my toys from time to time. Having a shelf full of expensive transforming "toys" that you're afraid to touch and require you to take a day off to transform isn't my idea of fun. It's just sad.

Magic Square showed me that these are toys to be played with and that they can look incredible in the process. MS-02 Light of Peace is Sunbow Optimus Prime from my childhood. Looking at it takes me back to simpler times, devouring bowls of sugary breakfast cereal with my little brother while watching cartoons on our small (though we thought it was huge back then) TV. I'm grateful.

TV Roy still to come, I hope.

True but then they couldn't sell us the same toy twice.

Hopefully we'll see a TV Roy VF-1S at some point. I'd be down for that.

Definitely getting Drift as well as Magic Square's upscaled Prime 2.0! Excited for both of them. I have the Legends scale MS Prime 2.0 and really enjoy it. Such amazing engineering for that scale. I hope the larger version turns out just as well if not better.