vendetta

Just what I had hoped for, woo-hoo! It's Focker time finally.

Got a Ghost for my VF-0S waiting for me. =]

I'm guessing this is the movie color version; it seems to follow the movie motif with the baby blue super packs. I'm digging this color a lot more than I dig the super pack colors though. Hrm, maybe I'll wait for a TV color release...

That VT-1's a real beauty. I almost caved in for one during HLJ's free shipping promotion, but $170 was about $20 than I was willing to spend on it in the end. =/ I really hope the dollar gets stronger (or the yen weaker) sometime soon! Here's another pic of my 3 1/60's, with a special guest star that I found today while sifting through my junk: Hopefully I'll have something new to show in my next pictures. =]

The VF-11 seems like an especially bad "value" compared to other Macross toy releases. Still, it seems to be a solid toy, and I'll pick up a VF-11B eventually if I can ever get one for ~$150 shipped. The C's nice, but Macross 7 never did it for me.

Looks light but I'm still really digging it. The tiny figures it comes with are painted too. That'd be pretty cool if they came like that with the final release. I might have to pre-order this thing soon.

I agree; the YF-19 looks the best of the three. Cool stuff. I really need to get me a YF-19 and 21... That low-vis VF-1J is really well-done too. It reminded me of the VF-11B at first glance, sans the bullseye heatshield. Here's a pic of my 3 Valks all in fighter mode. I like it, but some Flexidisplays would really spruce it up. They should be able to support the Ozma right? The included Bandai stand sucks.

Are they going to have the shoulder improvements made in recent V2 releases? If so I'll wait until December for this thing.

Quick group snap of stuff I received today interspersed with the rest of my Macross collection: The new adds are the 1/60 VF-0S and Revoltech YF-21 and Regult. The VF-0S is cool but slightly disappointing, probably a result of getting it after the SV-51. Still, it looks really nice in each of its modes, and QC-wise everything seems to be okay except for a very irksome crack in part of the gray part of the leg under the knee armor. I gotta find me a cheap Ghost Booster for it now. I'm digging the Regult more than I thought I would too... very nice toy.

Damn straight.

Yep, I used those two little ball-joint things in the back to support the armor. It can be kind of hard getting them to go into the back of the leg armor.

Dang, those are two big hauls - very awesome. So I decided to finally try Gerwalk mode on my DX Armored Ozma. I've had the toy for a while now, but I'd avoided Gerwalk mode because of unflattering photos of DX toys in Gerwalk I'd seen on various sites. After finally transforming it to Gerwalk, it turns out that I actually kind of like it! But only if it's on the stand and you aren't viewing it head-on. It was kind of a pain getting it the way I wanted though. The chest area is really cramped in Gerwalk, with the Armored wing attachments, shoulders, hip armor, chest armor, and shoulder missile pods all making for a very crowded fit. And yes, I know the tampo on the shoulders is coming off.

I hope so... I ordered it from Toy-Wave.com, which claims it's the 2008 reissue of the VF-0S.

Finally had some time to try transforming my Nora: I think I might like its Gerwalk as much as its Fighter mode. I can't wait to get my VF-0S in the mail. After that it's on to Macross Plus stuff...

I think it's an upcoming Hasegawa model kit.

Two more pics of my Nora. It's really a sweet piece, and I think it was a nice choice for the first of what will hopefully be multiple Yamato toys. I should get to learning how to transform this thing soon to check out its other forms and appreciate the engineering put into it. Next purchases: VF-0S and YF-21! Well, maybe just one of them for now...

Revoltechs for me. I'm a big fan of the line in general; the poses you can do with these things are phenomenal, and relatively speaking they're a great value.

I got my first Yamato toy today, and my second Macross toy overall, Nora's SV-51. I really dig this thing. I haven't transformed it yet, but it's an impressive piece, not just visually but also from minor fidgeting with it to affix the weapons and stand attachment to it. Now I have to decide whether or not to get a YF-21, VF-0S, or a VF-1 next, or just get all of them, haha. I really want a VF-1, preferably a VF-1S, but the shoulder hinge thing scared me out of getting one. I guess I'll hope for a VF-1S Focker restock with the smaller diameter pins they started using recently. The VF-0S I'm debating about, because it might be more worthwhile waiting for the eventual re-release with Reactive Armor, which I'm a big fan of. I also like the Ghost booster, so maybe I should get an improved Shin's VF-0A with the ghost booster if that is ever re-released and get my VF-0S fix with the Reactive Armor bundle when that ever comes out. The YF-21 is probably the one I'll end up getting soon. It seems to be a very solid Yamato release, judging from owners' comments here, and I'm a big Macross Plus fan. The VF-11B is too rich for my blood currently, so I'll wait for a sale on that if that ever happens. I really wish the YF-19 was executed better, as it's my favorite of the 3 Mac+ Valks. I'm hoping for a v2.0 of that sometime down the line. My collection's going to look kind of eccentric with an Armored Ozma, Nora's SV-51, and a YF-21, but whatever. =P Here are the pics:

Same here.

I got mine a couple days ago, but I've only recently had time to fiddle around with it. My initial impressions are very positive, although my expectations are probably much lower than most others' here, as it's also my first Macross toy. Transforming it is pretty straightforward now that I've done it a few times, and it seems like it'll hold up pretty well from multiple transformations. My main gripe would be the flash apparent on some pieces, very much like what you'd see after cutting a model piece off a plastic sprue tree. The forearm armor was also annoying in the beginning, as the design, as others have pointed out, isn't ideal for staying on. I'm interested to see what future releases Bandai has in store for this line after the Alto movie release and MacQuarter, as I'm undecided as to whether or not I want to invest further in the line. Seeing others post the 4 Messiahs together makes it awfully tempting though...

Late to the scene, I know. I really like this thing. It's big, has a satisfying heft to it, and looks menacing. Do I like it enough to get the other three Messiahs? Maybe, but I want to see what Bandai does after the Alto movie bundle and MacQuarter. I may just try a Yamato product in the meantime - I want a VF-1, but the shoulder issues on the earlier releases put me off to them, and those are the ones I'd prefer getting. I did always have an affinity for Nora's SV-51, which is on sale at various places and seems to be a mostly problem-free release.

I'm definitely going to paint the base; it looks cheap unpainted. This thing needs to get here. Now.

My Anime Export armored VF-25S shipped yesterday. Can't wait for that sucka. Depending on how much I like it I may pick up the Michel and Luca DX's too. Not sold on the upcoming Alto bundle though... I'd rather wait out for a possible release with normal colors.

I got my e-mail from Anime Export about adding extra money for EMS shipping - another 2490 yen on top of the 2490 yen I already paid. Oof. EDIT: It looks nice in the photos and all, but I'm starting to wonder if it's worth the ~$230 shipped it came out to be.

I really need to try a service like that sometime. I was browsing on Tenso's website, and I tried working out the cost of this thing if I had gone through this route. It's 13,692 yen shipped from Amazon, which is ~5,650 yen off retail. Assuming it's 2 kg (the DX Luca is 1.2 kg, as a reference), that equates to a S&H fee of 4,980 yen. In the end you're still getting the thing shipped for under its retail price. It seems there should be some kind of additional service fee, but I didn't see it while browsing the site.