Graham

Doubtful, Bandai doesn't seem to do obscure paint variations for Macross toys. Graham

Damn, those screenshots remind me just how much I love the VF-17 and the opening to Macross 7. I personally think Macross 7 still has the best opening of all the Macross anime and it's still my favourite of the three Macross TV series. Graham Mah lips are sealed suh. Graham

I took Sketchley's translation to mean that the size/postion/shape of the canards show that it is a VF-19A variant or something close to an A variant. Nothing to do with the actual performance of the VF. Graham

I think we can all agree that transforming VF toys have come a long way in anime-accuracy, details, gimmicks and articulation since the days of the Chunky Monkey back in the 80s'. However, all this comes at the price of increasing complexity and to some extent, greater fragility. Both Bandai and Yamato can and do make excellent toys, but both companies have had their share of QC, material, engineering and design issues. Unfortunately, nothing in life is perfect and with toys of this complexity, issues can and do arise unfortunately. Unfortunately customer demand has driven the demand for toys of increasing accuracy, articulation and complexity and now that genie is out of the bottle, we can't go back to the days of the limited articulation Chunky Monkey of yore, as the dismal sales of the reissue 1/55 a few years ago showed. Basically, what this rambling post is trying to say I guess is that both Yamato and Bandai has shown we are not yet at a stage where we cannot have our cake and eat it too. We can have the accuracy, complexity, gimmicks and fantastic articulation we demand, but all this comes at the cost of toys which occasionally will break. Of course, this doesn't excuse toys which come covered in gluey fingerprins or with sloppy paint apps. But as the old saying goes "you pay peanuts, expect monkeys" (refering to factory assembly workers, not us the paying customer, as we definitely don't pay peanuts! ). Graham

You can see the thrusters on the botton of the backplate. Graham I'm happy with my two so far. I'm sure given the design of the shoulder and hip ball joints, they will loosen after time, as per all Bandai's Frontier VF toys. However, I'm personally will to accept that risk, as the toy looks great in all 3 modes. I suppose it's a bit easier for me, as I'm buying from a physical store, so I have the peace of mind of being able to open the box and inspect the toy in the shop when I buy it, so can check for any obvious paint chips, scratches, or other defects and exchange immdiately if necessary. Graham On mine, I angle the left and right shoulder (collar bone) plates (the parts with the circle-bar vernier) back almost as far as they will go in battroid mode. this seems to lock the neck plate solidly in position in battroid mode. Graham

Thanks for posting the video, although it's difficult to tell what color Ozma's YF-29 is, unless it's supposed to be Matrix green Graham

+10 to all above points. Graham

Same with me. Graham

Which brings to mind the Monty Python version: ♪ "All things dull and ugly, All creatures short and squat, All things rude and nasty, The Lord God made the lot. Each little snake that poisons, Each little wasp that stings, He made their brutish venom. He made their horrid wings. All things sick and cancerous, All evil great and small, All things foul and dangerous, The Lord God made them all. Each nasty little hornet, Each beastly little squid-- Who made the spikey urchin? Who made the sharks? He did! All things scabbed and ulcerous, All pox both great and small, Putrid, foul and gangrenous, The Lord God made them all". ♪ Quite apt for describing the Vajra, damn those bugs! Graham

Let's hope Bandai releases a YF-25 toy based on the v.2 1/60. But given that they don't go in for mold-milking as much as Yamato, the chance is slim I'd definitely buy a YF-25 and VF-25A Cannon Fodder if they made them. So, lorn_13, are you going to paint your custom in correct YF-25 colors? I'd love to see that. Graham

I also mentioned to Yamato that quite a few Macrossworld members had been asking about a 1/60 Fz-109. Graham

I think Renato mentioned he had a magazine with pics of the alternate YF-29 color scheme(s). Scans please? Oh, and do you get to play Isamu's VF-19 in this game? That would be super cool! Oh and any VF-171 or VF-171EX in the game? That might sway me towards buying it and a PS3. Graham

Just spoke with Yamato Japan. 1) Canopy windows are supposed to be purple, as per Kawamori's instructions. 2) They will double check with Kawamori and Big West regarding the color of the intakes. 3) Confirmed the VF-17S ankles are ball joints, but the ball joint tray that holds the ball joint will be chrome plated on the inner surface that hold the ball joint (same as VF-19S), which should make it tighter and more durable compared with the VF-19Kai ball joint tray, which was just painted on the inner surface. Graham

Sorry, mis-communication with Yamato HK staffer. VF-19S is still on schedule for late-November 2011. Graham

For those of us without the game, can somebody please post a pic of what Ozma's YF-29 looks like in fighter mode. Hope it still has the big skull on the back. Graham

Heard their may be a delay with the 19S. Don't know the reason, but it may be pushed back a few weeks, so we could be looking at mid-Dec now. Will try to find out more. Graham

The Nightmare is not supposed to look pretty. It's supposed to look ugly, mean, tough and terrifying, striking fear into the hearts if it's foes. It's not supposed to be a pretty Valk like the VF-19 or VF-11.

Bandai did release a 1/72 scale plastic kit of the YF-25 Prophesy, but it it was limited edition IIRC. It has beautiful box art by Tenjin. Graham

I'm pretty sure that is an ABS test shot. Graham

Latest pics from the new Dec 2011 issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine. Graham

Latest pics from the new Dec 2011 issue of Dengeki Hobby Magazine. Graham

Or how bad...... Graham

Pardon my ignorance, but what does DLC stand for? Nevermind, found out "downloadable content". As someone whose most modern game console is a PS2, I've never had to put up with this particular blight before. On another note, the new December issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine has a multi page article featuring a scratch built model of the Kawamori designed fighter for Assault Horizon. Graham

Largest may be the pre-assembled Arai 1/24 VF-1 from many years back. Graham

As I've mentioned previously, I've had a few Bandai white platic toys yellow in the box, including a v.1 VF-25F. Bandai toys seems to use white plastic that is very prone to yellowing. I've also seen a few other people's indoor display v.1 VF-25F toys that have yellowed quickly Hope the same fate doesn't befall the v.2. Graham