magicsp00n

The usual retail price that I've seen in Japan for new valks is about 14800 yen. So that's a pretty good price. I've seen certain valks (like the stealth 1J) for as low as 10900, but for the VF-1S you can feel good about that price.

I'll try to get down there to check it out. Is there any door fee for non-contestants? I didn't see anything on the website...

I've used Windex for cleaning my airbrush, but I don't know that it'd be good to mix with paints; it's got that blue tint. Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol works very well for cleaning or removing paint. If somebody else claims that it's a good thinner for spraying, I'd believe it. Though really, the best stuff to mix with if you're spraying is probably the Tamiya thinner. I know you're looking to save money, but every time I skimp on something like this I end up wishing I'd spent the extra couple of bucks to get the result I wanted.

One thing about the IMAI design is that you have to pull the rider's head off in order to get the armor to fit over his torso. It's sort of forgivable (but still creepy) for a model, but I wonder if that'll be the case on the toy. Looks like the opening in the pictures is too small to fit the helmet through, decapitation may be required...

There's actually an import shop near me (Orlando) that still has a 1st edition Hikaru for sale. But that's because they grossly overpriced it - I think $200 - and nobody will pay that much. So it's been collecting dust on their shelf for a few years now.

TV Max 1A. Why has there still never been a TV Max 1A?

Merry Christmas, everybody.

I'll agree on the clippers. I grabbed a pair of Baby Nippers from Yodobashi Camera a couple weeks ago and they're much nicer to use than the old wire cutters I had been using. Any kind of clipper is better than the X-Acto knife I used to cut parts off the sprue with. I managed to stab myself with that far more times than I can comfortably admit. It's much easier to build a kit without bandaids on your fingertips...

I still wish for a TV Max VF-1A. That's all I want. They made Angel Birds... howzabout a Max?

Hey guys, I had a quick question. I'm in the home stretch of finishing my PG RX-78-2, and I'm looking at that sticker sheet. I know it's pretty commonly agreed that the standard Bandai stickers are not so good, but can I find custom decals for this kit anywhere? I was in Japan last week and saw plenty of MG decals in the shops, but no PG, or 1/60. Searching the web hasn't revealed much, either. Anybody know where I can get my hands on a set?

That was fantastic, the bit where Space Gandam shoots the demon guy in the junk with his head guns.

From dannychoo.com today, a shot of one "in the wild" from the Plamodel Radicon Show.

I'm still hoping for a TV VF-1A Max. That's all I want. Just hook me up with the Max.

That's quite the treasure chest there. I've got the opposite situation happening. I'm positive I have a jetfire in a box somewhere at my dad's place, but for the life of me I can't find it. I've been the happy recipient of toys from friends' childhoods, though. That's how I got my first 1/35 Legioss.

I've got a green 1/35 sheet. PM sent.

Holy crap, that's a lot of boxes. I have one 1/40 Orgroid that I got in Japan last year. I notice that just as I'm getting interested in a 1/40 Nikick the prices are jumping up on ebay. *grump*. I always think it's interesting that everybody in the US recognizes Orguss toys from their childhood, but nearly never know what they were called or that there was a show associated with them. I had a little Orgroid and Nikick when I was a kid, but didn't know up until a couple of years ago what they actually were.

My wife is awesome. When I worry aloud about whether I should be spending so much money on a particular toy, she says "That's okay, you can buy it for me. That way you're not spending the money on yourself." Besides being sweet, this strengthens our marraige because she knows exactly which valks are "hers" (she points them out to friends when they visit) and I have no doubt she would take her toys with her if she ever left. You gotta have the support of the wife if you've got a hobby, though, and you have to keep it in check. I have a good friend who screwed up his marriage because he couldn't keep his stamp collecting obsession to a reasonable level. He spent all their money on stamps, she left him, and he ended up having to sell the stamps to pay the bills anyway. Dang, yo.

Nobody seems to have mentioned it yet, but if my fading memory serves me correctly, a wad of No Doubt's "Ex-Girlfriend" video borrows heavily from Kite. Peep the video here

A friend of mine went home to France this past Christmas. He decided to do some organizing, and knowing that I'm freakish about transforming robot toys, he brought back one of his childhood collection as a gift for me. He didn't know what it was, just that it was a toy he liked when he was a kid. When I told him it was a 1/35 Gakken Legioss/Alpha and that they're pretty hard to come by, he said it was a good exchange to know what the heck it is after all these years and to have somebody appreciate it instead of sitting in a box. Good friend, I say. But of course the toy needs some work. It's got a lot of yellowing, and pretty much all the pieces one might expect to be missing or broken were. Fortunately we've got some recasters here on MW covering our backs in these sort of situations. SILVERDRAGON and nightmareB4macross hooked up some tag-team action to get me the parts I needed. Gun, headfin, and pilot from SILVERDRAGON (See this post: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...pic=17160&st=0) Knees from nightmareB4macross (See this post: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...16365&hl=alpha) These guys were good to deal with; no problems, easy communication. SILVERDRAGON did the headfin recast as a special request. A little before and after in the attached picture. Sorry for the graininess of the photo. I was eager to get the parts on and didn't want to take time finding proper lighting. I didn't do any sanding or cleanup on the parts; I may do some later, but I'm satisfied with leaving it how it is for now. I don't know what the original gun color was, but I like the deep grayish-blue of the recast. I don't have a non-faded green section to compare it to, but I think the knee color is pretty good as well. If you've got some busted or missing parts and need replacements, give a shout out to our recasters. And if anybody has any suggestions on whether I should repaint the Alpha or leave the charming yellowing (according to my wife) in-place, I'm open to ideas.

I just got one today. (thanks, wife.) I agree with all the positive comments. I think it's a great toy. One of the things I like the best is that it has no stickers. I don't have to go through the "doesn't look quite right vs want to keep as mint as possible" mental trauma.

I love you, Amazon. Between this and the Gundam blowouts they had recently, we're getting some great stuff on the crazy cheap.

Game developer for EA.

Bedazzled. I can watch that junk all day long.

Oh, stop it. Do you guys wait around all day for some newbie to accidentally say "Robotech" or "Veritech"?

You'll have to get them from a private seller. The company that made them is out of business, according to this thread: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...l=flexi+display