thirty

so is the plastic and paint color actually different from the first release or is just a lighting thing?

This color of dark maroon photographs as a lighter almost pinkish color. Definitely a trick of the picture taking process. In person, the color is much darker. Sorry I don't have the original to compare to.

Reading the instructions it seems the gunpod attachment piece is optional and only makes gunpod very solid in fighter mode.

It's definitely renewal-worthy I think.

Question for the early owners of this beauty : The instruction manual shows the karate-chop hands mounted for fighter mode. You could still have the new articulated hands in there, right?

Yes, the clip on the Gunpod itself is suffiencient for holding the Gun in place. The external clip is added to sheath the gun handle to make for a super solid connection, but the Gun clip is stable as is.

I will try the articulated hands out tonight when I get home, but they should work.

Never had a chance. Got to click the "Add to Cart" button though. What fun.

Most shops in Akihabara, Tokyo sold out of this kit in 1 to 2 days. I saw a major chain restock tonight, and it was flying off the pallete. The kit is HUGE, and heavy.

It would be a great display piece, but that's what models are for and hell, didn't they come out with a 1/72 model exclusive?

Yes, I saw the 1/72 clear version a few days ago in Akihabara, Japan. Just checked today, its still there.

Are there any transformation videos out there for these toys? Checking the instructions, I am clueless!

Wizartar has a very nice transformation video :

There is an additional step to the transformation, you can pop the waist out of a very stiff connection from the cockpit and get a little bit of waist swivel going on. This is good for popping the cod piece forward like it is shown in the show.

You have the Luca RVF-25, so be mindful of the sensor wing attached to the left arm of the battroid mode. There are three "tips" at the end of this sensor array, they can break if you force the wing tip against something "immobile". I just pull the wing arm out, and extend the wing so it is away from the main body during transformation so that it doesn't get in the way (and broken) while I am moving the various other parts around.

If the Radome is a pain during the transformation just remove it and put it back on when you get to the desired mode.

And I swear to god I'm about ready to pistolwhip the next person to whine about line art in a thread... line art for anime is not the same as artwork designed with consideration for modelkit/toy production, and as such should not be expected to match with such Nazi-like enthusiasm, nor should it be.

I hope you are not referring to my post about the Qrea hips that was dripping with sarcasm. Ahhhh internet, how you mangle communication and intent so.

I get a chuckle everytime I see someone here complain about the V25 DX's hip placement. Let's consider how much weight that tiny swingbar would have to support, especially with Super pacs or worse yet Armor pacs on-board. The model kits have a hard time standing up with Super pacs on... And the DX's don't. Kinda important design issue.

No I actually mean the White part of the shoulder (outer casing) with the single red dot painted on it.

***EDIT***

I am definitely aware of the fact that Bandai had reused the molds from the VF-25F and VF-25S for the VF-25G and RVF-25 and they definitely had a lack of "future thought" on their behalf. I can't tell since my VF-25S won't be coming in until they release the armored set and I noticed on jenius' website that Ozma's shoulder's are the same color as the bottom half of his wing connector/body. Can anyone confirm if both the bottom half and shoulder's have both been painted or only the shoulders? Thanks.

Ozma's shoulders are the same color as the bottom of his wing. But Ozma's wing bottom is also painted. Unlike Micheal and Alto's customs.

Thanks! Its a LQ diorama, but phone camera makeup result

Im very interested on VF-25F ProShop Clear Ver. and i found 2 Japan online stores:

http://bulletmonkey.com/?pid=11272647

http://store.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/first-jp/2103bnd00019.html

Can anyone translate me if the items are "In stock Now"? Or these stores are selling preorders?

Tonight, I saw this clear kit at a "second hand" shop in Akihabara, Japan. They were asking 4800 yen for it. I didn't have my camera on me at the time. Don't know if that indicates a online store release, or if somehow someone got an early one.

***EDIT***

A nice example of such a situation where Bandai should have thought things through would be for the VF-25G's shoulder parts... they were casted in blue, but painted white, why? They had already casted white parts on the VF-25G (the bottom half of the wings) why not just do the same for the shoulders. That is just dumb if you ask me honestly.

Do you mean the shoulder part with the five "dots" on it? The diecast part?

What I can't understand is why the Bandai 1/72 model kits are so bad. I have built plenty of HG Gundam kits, and with a tiny bit of paint, you can make them look very good. I have seen a fair bit of completed frontier kits on window display at hobby shops here in Tokyo, but with a few exceptions they don't look so great. The decals (stickers and water transfers look crap). Sure they incorporated a swing bar for the hip placement, but it is unsightly as well.

There is no pre-mixed paint set to go with the macross kits like there is for almost every Gundam kit. I am surprised to see this coming from Bandai.

There are pros on this board, and I have seen pics of beautiful finished kits. But your above average modeller is going to have a rough go at it, which is usually not the case with HG gundam kits.

I wouldn't say that, the paint jobs on the Soul of Chogokin line is immaculate and those figures make Yamato Valks look like Happy Meal toys. Perhaps they've had trouble on the DX's but Bandai can put out first class paint jobs.

I have the four DX valks, and after four transforms so far, I see no paint chipping. Where does i usually happen? After reading all of the paint/tampo horror stories here I was prepared to be let down, but so far, I don't see any wear. Perhaps I am being too careful when I am transforming them?

Damn!

My wife was all nervous about whether or not I would like it, but from the look on the box I told her it looked like the "new" Elint Seeker. I told her I wasn't familiar with it other than knowing it was from the Frontier series and that Elint variants are uncommon and that I would definitely keep it.

I just bought this RVF-25 used in Tokyo. Its an amazing piece. Super tight joints, tight waist connector. Yeah, the plastic color difference is more noticable, but its not an issue at all with the armor on.

Love the Radome, love the head.

The only Grrrr is that the ghost will be exclusive. I will have to track that down when I come back here in the fall.

Just to keep this fever going w/o swine, the Quealuun Rea model kit does look good:

Now the 1/72 line is having hip design issues? That does not match the lineart at all.

Geez, get it right Bandai !

does anyone have tips to prevent this from happening? the peg that connects keeps coming off when i put the booster thingys on the wing

It looks like you might be pushing the legs back to far and naturally disconnecting the peg. If you position the hips too far back this will happen.

Is this a first or second release Alto?

I don't have this issue with the re-release Alto.

Thanks for the translation! I don't really understand the engine part though-- from M3, the VF-27 uses the Shinchuushuu/P&W/RR/MG FF-3011/C Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines while the VF-22 uses the Shinnakasu Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2450B thermonuclear engines which has about half the thrust (which means that the VF-27 has eight times the thrust of the VF-22!!).

I am so proud to work for one of the companies that is in the Valkrie engine consortium !

About VF-25S armored:

Release day pushed to August: http://www.tamashii.jp/item/200908.php

New blog post about preparing their show display: http://www.tamashii.jp/staff_diary/diary.p...98&level=01

I think I see a slightly longer neck and straighten head guns.

I hope I get to go to this show. Depends how the work schedule goes the next few days though.

This is Yamato perfection.

Is this the new Yamato that has... actual competition?

Did Yamato step it up a notch in fear of Bandai?