Vifam7

How tight are the joints on these GN-U figures? One of the biggest positives about Revoltechs are the clicking Revoltech joints that keeps them tight and not becoming floppy messes after repeated play.

The lack of a stand is a huge minus in terms of play value. Does anyone know if these figures are compatible with Gundam stands?

All I ask for is -

1. A decent story. It doesn't even have to be canon or faithful to the original series.

2. Some decent actors.

3. Not have that rolling herky jerky fast-forward MTV style camera work. Transformers made my eyes hurt.

4. Some cool looking mechs with well done action scenes. But I'm sure it'll be some kind of cheap-ass CG crap with ugly looking "Veritechs".

I just got my 2 boxes today. Quick notes to these VF collectibles -

1. They are REALLY SMALL. I mean, if you thought the 1/144 Chara-works Valks were small, these are microscopic!

2. You can get one complete set if you buy one box of 10.

3. Size wise they match perfectly with Bandai's HCM Pro line and Takara's old 1/200 World Wings Museum figures. However, they don't match too well with Herpa's 1/200 diecast airplanes.

4. The sculpt on these figures are much better than I thought. Yamato certainly made the right call by making certain parts out of ABS plastic. Use of ABS plastic on the wings and tailfins makes these Valks look sharp despite being tiny.

new pics from yamato and comparaison 1/48 vs 1/60

yamato

Interestingly, at the very end it mentions not only a Destroid Tomahawk to be released this Fall but also a Destroid Defender. Same 1/60 scale.

Some new pictures (new angles and closeups) of Series 1 figures. http://d.hatena.ne.jp/type97/20080609

I have 2 boxes ordered at HLJ. They're currently being processed for shipping!

I don't like the wash given to these figures. Especially the VF-1. Maybe I can take a little bit off with Gundam marker eraser pen.

In any case I see a pretty big gulf here between opinions. Besides the wait and see people; its either the classical modelers, who want a static display model that looks good, or the more gunpla oriented crowd who wants to build something and play with it a bit. I think Bandai has tried to placate both, we'll see if its a failure or a success.

Also, should the anime and/or the kits be successful, it possible that Bandai may expand the lineup to include non-transforming kits (especially if the call for one is loud in Japan).

Meanwhile some of the more skillfull modellers out there may find ways to convert or scratch-build pieces to make these kits look the way they want it to look. Aftermarket add-ons and conversion kits are also a possibility.

I didn't notice this before but looking at battroid mode, that shoulder/arm joint looks scary (as in, it looks like a place where breakage can occur). The part that seems to hang and looks like plastic 'reverse C'. Attached to it looks like a balljoint.

Camera angle tricking my eyes or is that really all that's holding the arm?

I've been trying to push the idea of GNU Fighters, but no luck yet.

Graham

If these 1/200 collections become a success, perhaps they'd consider making 1/200 scale diecasts (considering they've already did the sculpts - save the landing gears)? I personally would love to have diecast Valkyrie fighters like the Yukikaze Mave .

The 1/200 Yukikaze Mave and fighter planes released by Herpa, Gulliver, and Hogan seem to be quite popular.

I wouldn't read too much into what the loud mouth Nationalists and DPJ troublemaking fools say. Besides, the LDP still controls the more powerful House of Representatives in the Diet (which also allows them to choose the PM).

Personally, I think the chances of Japan getting the Eurofighter is extremely slim. Besides, they're looking for a major upgrade in capability. The Eurofighter comes nowhere near what the Raptor offers. Buying the Eurofighter is like buying an upgraded F-15 or Super Hornet, except at a higher price.

On a separate note, Lockheed-Martin and Boeing are probably already working on Congress to sell their ware to Japan. Afterall it's going to be a very lucrative contract!

If I had to bet, I think Japan will eventually get a slightly downgraded Raptor.

The largest prize was always Japan. Speaking to colleagues familiar with the situation there, the government of Japan will buy Eurofighters if they don't get F-22 and will not be satisfied with another F-15. The Government of Japan wants a true next generation air superiority fighter not more of the same. The Japanese have already communicated this threat at high levels and will not back down. If the LDP falls next election and Ozawa comes in (and stays around longer than the Hosokawa government), you can almost be assured the Eurofighter will be selected (if the fighter program isn't cancelled.)

I can't imagine Japan buying a non-U.S. fighter (no matter what party/administration comes into power). But the prospect of such a thing happening is VERY intriguing. Even if Japan says they don't want another F-15, I wouldn't be surprised if they buckled under US pressure and accepted an upgraded Eagle (I wouldn't mind seeing a F-15J-kai with the ACTIVE technology included ).

However...

Israel was promised fighters by Clinton when he left office, yet the China export controversy probably delayed them getting them by a few years. However just a few days ago, Senate House Committee Chairman signaled his willingness to reverse his position on blocking a sale to Israel. Given the two presidential candidates position, I'd say there is a fair chance the F-22 will be sold to Israel. If thats the case then there is a much greater chance that Japan might be able to procure it as well.

If Israel gets the F-22 then it's likely Japan too will get it. However, I'm not sure if Israel will get the F-22. After the suspicions of Israel helping China develop the Lavi-like J-10 fighter, I'm not sure the U.S would be quick to sell F-22 technology. Japan too recently had some issues with leaks concerning classified AEGIS radar technology.

Just received it yesterday and WOW, GX-31 Voltes V is a spectacularly awesome figure.

Has anyone picked up the custom die-cast sword accessory/replacement? I'm considering it, but wondered if anybody had one and thought it was worth it...

From:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Voltes-V-GX-31-Diecast...6QQcmdZViewItem

The review at CollectionDX suggests that the wrists aren't stiff enough to hold a diecast sword.

I can't find the link or remember the web site name, but I'm pretty sure I stumbled across it a while back. I'm looking for a web site that has a list of all SoC figures released with pictures. I'm in the market for a Mazinger, but I want one that looks old school(ie: somewhat simplistic) but has all the add-ons/gimmicks. My search through ebay is yielding more confusion than answers.

I think what you're looking for is this: http://www.collectiondx.com/node/635

or this: http://www.collectiondx.com/node/560

Thanks for pics Kaze , looks interesting but Bandai are over doing it again as usual. Well its confirmed from Guntoa :

GFF Gundam Alex - w/ Chobham armor and frame system, September, 4,725 yen

I think I'd rather get the Super HCM Alex (which in the works according to pics from Wonderfest). The Katoki-fied Alex is blah (IMHO).

I'm kinda on the fence with GFF figures. Indeed, the detail on some of them are absolutely fabulous. And there are some mechs in the lineup that are not available anywhere else (like the Gundam X Divider). Best of all they all (save the Metal Fix line) pretty much come in 1/144 scale (my favorite scale).

That said, there are some things about GFF figures that I'm not too fond of. First, I'm not a fan of Katoki and his 'touchups'. His RX-78 Gundam Ver. ka is the worst (IMHO). Secondly, GFF figures sometimes have too many fiddly parts and pieces that tend to fall off too easily. Other times they come with too many unneeded/unwanted extras that could've been omitted or sold separately. Like my GFF Gundam X that comes with an option to turn it into a GX Bit. (who in the world wants a GX Bit figure). I'd rather do without those option parts and have the toy a bit cheaper. And finally, I hate those rubber hands. Pain in the ass to put the weapon in and have it stay in position.

As for the PVC vs. ABS plastic argument. Given my experience with HCMPros and a SuperHCM against MSiAs, EMSiAs, and GFFs - no question, toys made with ABS is my preference.

Whoever did the wash/panel-lining needs to be shot.

Is it me or is the sculpt of the Black Knights VF-1 special different from that of Hikaru's 1J?

I wish they would release the non-silver plated versions. The 1/144 4-in-1 non-silver plated kits are quite hard to find these days.

I'm a little curious - why does everyone like V so much?

I didn't hate it, but I found it rather depressing and I got the impression that the production staff didn't really have their heart in it. However, this may be because of the order of shows I watched at the time - SEED, Destiny, then Turn-A, then V. It may be that my impressions of V have been coloured a bit by how refreshing I found Turn-A overall...

I'm one of those who didn't like Victory all that much. I thought it was really good until the story moved into space. Once the story moved into space, events seemed to go at a much faster pace (resulting in what I felt as a less impactful story). Dunno maybe I need to rewatch it. The last time I saw Victory was over 10 years ago...

I am honestly impressed! And with me coming in on this release on the front end, I can guarantee that I will purchase each and every release and won't have to play catch up like I did with the 1/48 line. Very impressive indeed! Does anyone know if these will have full tampo printing or will there be some decaling to apply?

OO

The bottom of the pic says "Some decals have not been applied".

This is rapidly devolving into one of the dumbest arguments on the internets, and that's really saying something. Why don't we just wait til the god-blasted toy comes out, then we can start a new round of idiotic arguments because the yamato drones will bitch that the macross logo is 2 mm too low or some such insanely nitpicky crap.

BTW, the idea that bandai hates macross (or has 'to prove themselves' when it comes to making macross stuff) suggests a prepubescent mentality amongst those who suggest it. The reason Bandai hasn't sunk more resources into macross toys is BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T THINK THEY COULD MAKE ENOUGH MONEY DOING SO. Yamato disagreed, and maybe they were right. Bandai evidently agrees with Yamato now, because they're making Macross F toys. This entire toy-making enterprise is just a quest for the most efficient way to remove money from your fanboy wallets. There's nothing special whatsoever about Macross, it's just another extended toy commercial designed to sell crap you don't need. Get over it.

Love,

Shag

Yes, yes but where would Macrossworld be without all the bitching, calling people names, and concocting conspiracy theories? :lol:

On a separate note, I'm surprised that there has not yet been any pics or promotional articles about the 1/100 line.

the beginning was about the soviets trying to find the body that Indy found at the roswell crash site. Different skull/body from the ones the conquistador found. Irina jokes/comments that they might be cousins.

Okay. Thanks.

Overall I felt the movie was okay. Certainly nowhere near as good as Raiders or Last Crusade, or even Temple of Doom.

Generally I felt that the setup for Indy going after the skull and it's treasure wasn't as good as the prior films. I agree that some of the CG segments were pretty obvious.

The whole 'killer ants' part was stupid IMHO. I know big vermins and bugs are a part of Indiana Jones movies but I thought it was stupider than ever before.

I musta of nodded off during the movie.

I missed something... or rather I didn't understand one part of the movie. Um, what was the deal with the crystal skull and whole thing about the conquistador finding it, and Indy going after it in Peru (the whole conquistador burial chamber)? I mean, the beginning of the movie says Indy found it just fine several years ago and the Ruskies took it.

I wonder how many of us will break their 1/60 VF-1 upon first transformation because we think we can transform it wthout reading the manual first?...

Shouldn't be a problem for me if the toy comes in fighter mode out of the box. If not, I'm in trouble.

Why does the heatshield look like it's floating above the canopy (in battroid mode)? Is that the way it's supposed to be? Or is it just an odd camera angle?

Looks good nonetheless.

nevermind

I'd like to add that I would prefer the complaints to be separated from one's love or hatred of a particular company. I hate it when it read something like:

"Oh look, crappy design by Company A, as usual they are the suck, I hate them. Company B rulz"

or

"Oh another QC problem by Company A, as usual they are the suck, I hate them. Company B rulz"

I also don't like it too much when I see products unfairly and overly pre-judged on prototypes (see GNU-do, new 1/60 VF-1, DX VF-25)

Make Robocop a chick. Get the mecha-valk-girl fans to watch.

Already been done. It was called LADY BATTLE COP. 1991 Japanese movie. It sucked.

ADV released it on VHS long long ago.