Graham

Love this article from The Daily Mash: 45lb baby leads to Schwarzenegger divorce My favorite part: "The tower of knuckles will part from his wife Maria Shriver, who in turn will begin the slow surgical process of reversing all the work she has had done to make her look like her husband." Gotta say, he has spectacularly bad taste in women (both the wife and mistress). Graham

Very cool, if I knew how to play guitar, I'd be all over that. Graham

And just to clarify, I have never and would never throw away any 1/48s. What I did throw away are all my old v1 1/60 VF-1 toys and the old Mac Plus 1/72 toys. My 1/48s, while no longer on display are all safe in storage. Graham The joint being too right, possibly causing people to pull too hard? Graham

As long as you don't pull too hard, and remember to support the area, I don't think this will be a problem. And if the area can be unscrewed, it may be fixable. Graham

I think when Renato says the manin guy, he may be refering to either the CEO (my friend), or the head of macross product development, not an actual designer per se. Graham

Arghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! Bangs head against wall. No, No, No, they couldn't. Every single part of the VF-17 is different to the VF-171 (except the gunpod). You cannot use a common mold. This irks me no end, the same as people who say you can make a YF-19 into a VF-19F/S/P/Kai just by repainting it and changing a few bits. NO YOU CAN'T they are almost 100% different. Rant off. Graham

Transformed mine through 10 cycles of fighter to Gerwalk, through battroid and back again so far and no breakage, no cracks and no stress marks. I checked carefully last night. Just found some yellow paint wearing off on the chest. For the Gerwalk hip joint, I stabilise it with my thumb and forefinger of my left hand and then gently pull it from click to click by grasping and pulling in a slow and controlled manner with the thumb and forefinger of my right hand. No problems so far. Graham

No, it is not a fingerprint magnet. No, it does not feel greasy. No, it does not show micro fine fine swirly scratches. Yes, future variants will also be glossy, as you are correct, it is a product of the surface texture of the mold. Graham

Glad you got them to work for you. I tried them, but never felt they were safe enough. Always tipping over, never tight enough on the joints. In the end I threw them away. Graham

I'm gonna be mighty pissed at the next person who posts about Megahouse ride armour, Toynami 1/100s, or Bandai HiMetals in this thread. Take it elsewhere please guys and stay on topic. Graham

I doubt the newer Yamato stands will work with the VF-19 Kai. Those stands only work with something as light as a v2 1/60 VF-1 without FAST Packs, anything heavier and they topple over. And the VF-19 is a heavy toy. In my opinion those new stands are poorly designed and not suitable got 1/60 VF toys. I personally fast prefer the older launch arm stands as they as fast more stable. Graham

Just comparing the VF-19Kai with the YF-19BoP , which is supposed to be one of the best of the YF-19 variants and there is just no comparison. The YF-19 is full of gaps, ill-fitting, poorly sculpted (large gullet) and does not lock together at all by comparison. Yamato really does need to go back and apply the lessons learned from the VF-19Kai to an all new YF-19(V.3). But first they should finish the VF-19S/F/P and VF-17S/D. So locking forward to the Blazer. Graham

I still say in the week our so I have had this toy, it is as close to perfection of any toy I have ever handled from any manufacturer. It certainly knocks the socks off of any of Bandai's Macross efforts. Yamato have come such a long way. Graham

No, they are not, but if you pull up the bicep cover, there is another joint under that, which gives you a wider range of movement. See the 2 attached photos, which show (1) the bicep cover up showing the second joint and (2) the bicep cover down. Graham

Gotta say after multiple trasformations, nothing is broken on mine. 1) The Wing root joints are perfect on mine, no cracks or stress marks and hold up the wings perfectly in battroid with no sagging. 2) The Gerwalk leg joints (behind the intakes)are likewise perfect. I always transform this joint on any VF in a controlled and careful manner and have never had a problem breaking it. Photos please. 3) The crotch piece is fine on mine. Don't see how this could have a problem. 4) I have no idea what peice of the nose you guys are saying you have broken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Photos please. Really, I still think you guys must be a bunch of 300lb ham-fisted gorillas with acid extruding fingers and not actual real people. The thing is I've actually met Renato a number of times, and yes just like 'Revenge of the Sith' Vader, he does have small hands I do however suspect that he is actually some sort of were-beast, that transformings into a hulking, toy-destroying monster whenever he gets his hands on a toy. I also find the transformation to and from battroid easy, although I would recommend following the instruction manual the first couple of times until you know it by heart. Graham

Because HLJ sucks? Seriously, they are slower than slow at processing orders out if their warehouse. If you absolutely need anything in a hurry from Japan, never use HLJ! If you don't mind slow, they are ok. Graham

Personally, I've always liked the Macross 7 mecha and prefer the VF-19S/F/P/Kai over the Mac Plus YF-19. Also prefer the VF-22S over the YF-21. And of course the VF-17D is my all time favourite VF. Just picked up a second VF-19 Kai. Graham

Then you are not pulling hard enough. Graham

Patience. Graham

Sorry, no review from me just yet. I wanted to do one, but the fates were unkind to me. First my review sample was 2 days late, meaning I'd lost the weekend set side for the review, then I was in hospital got a few days for some minor surgery, them my home internet connection dies Will do one soon though. It really is a kick-ass toy, best Yamato have ever made IMO. The engineering and QC in this toy is top notch. Best VF toy so far. By the way, the whole back piece is diecast. Graham

Don't obsess on the CAD details and shape too much, still preliminary stage and could change. Graham

What the heck is a "manhwa", from the original post? Graham

Have wanted a decent VF-17 toy since 1995. Graham

I'd also prefer an S first, but will still buy at least two of each. Graham I'd also prefer an S first, but will still buy at least two of each. Graham

Eyes are painted. Graham