Magnus

When did they release that Lilly Marlene?

WTF?

That's totally a Katoki drawing! Looks very nice. It's funny though - usually Kunio's mechs are the ones which look a bit more rounded and plump than Katoki's, but here it's the other way around. This Impulse has thunder-thighs

Just watched Episode 12 - WOW!

SPOILERS

We FINALLY get some MS action after 3 episodes of talking! And man, does it ever rock! Shinn goes SEED mode and takes out a friggin fleet! I got chills when I saw Sword Impulse using its anti-ship sabers against the EU fleet, taking out ship after ship! This ep should prove that Shinn is indeed an ass-kicker. The Zamzazar mobile armour was pretty cool too. Athrun returns to Zaft, and FINALLY launches the Saviour! And next episode.....the return of Kira with the Freedom Gundam (and yes, she's still nuclear baby!)

We also see the Deuterium Beam used to recharge the Impulse's power cells - my nitpick is that I think this was waaay too quick - it was active for like, 5 seconds, and granted Impulse a full recharge. Plus, it works by targetting the middle of the V-fin, admittedly a tiny and highly moving target

I think this episode also lays to rest the issue of the power capabilities of the Gundam and Zakus - it's all dependent on who pilots them - we saw grunt Zaku's getting blown away by the new EU MS. But then we have Impulse, which was vaporizing ships and those same MS by the dozen!

Hot Damn, I can't wait two weeks!

Well, I finally opened up the Scott Type Alpha I bought myself for Christmas (how sad is it when the best Xmas gift you get is the one you buy for yourself? .

It's 5919, and I have to say I was lucky, as I didn't seem to get a dud. The only types of problems I had with it were that the right leg thigh joint (which swivels outwards) seemed a bit looser than the left leg. But apart from that, the knees work fine, the hands and arms are stiff, and no broken pieces. Also, no paint smudges, and only the tiniest of chips on the die cast.

It transforms fine into all three modes, and I can even get the belly off the ground by about half a milimeter if I try really hard.

Without any flaws, its a fun toy. My only gripes are that the die cast in the legs weighs them down VERY much. Also the head could have used a firmer attachment to the body. Also, the fingers are damn hard to unstick from each other, and I have to be pretty careful with them

It's more fragile than I thought it would be - I was hoping for a solid toy, instead it reminds me of the 1/48.

All in all though, I don't feel that ripped off, especially considering I paid 40 bucks for the thing However by no means is this thing a masterpiece - for 80 dollars, I would expect a LOT more bang for my buck.

Anyway, I might just go ahead and buy the Shadow once it goes down in price!

Ok, so know what MMM is, and I know what GFF is.

But could someone explain what HCM Pro is? How large are they compared to MSIA's? How expensive are they? What's their main feature (poseability, metal, accuracy?)

I've seen every Gundam series out there, and to be honest, the UC stuff interests me the least. Zeta especially....I think this series is HIGHLY overrated - personally I was bored for most of it, and found it lame. 0083 is a good OVA though.

Of them all, i'd say my favourites are Gundam X, Turn A, and now the Seed stuff. Wing I only liked for the designs. G Gundam was just silly.

Happy to report that my first one was a dud and the second one is much better than the first. The joints are much tighter and the arms, head cowling and beam saber hilts all stay attached much more firmly. however, the toy still cannot balance in MA mode though

Aaah, GREAT news! Thanks for clarifying that! I just hope mine don't have any QC troubles.

Thanks for the review Graham!

Out of the three, I was thinking Abyss would be the most sturdy, and Gaia the weakest, but Chaos is crap eh?

I know that the Freedom AMSIA had terrible hip-socket beam saber holders. Those handles fell off at the slightest tough - I wish Kunio had laid off on using them for Destiny

The arm-socket thing sounds like it might be more of an individual defect than reflective of the entire line - I had the same problem with the first Force Impulse Gundam I got, but the second one had no such trouble.

Is there any way of using the tried and true "hot water" method to undue the warping on Chaos? How sturdy are his legs when in MA mode?

Ooh, I just ordered Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss off of ebay, and should have them next week.

Come on Graham, spill the beans! How are they?

You know, is it just me, or does it seem as though the main 'protagonist' (Shinn) really doesn't get any screen time at all?

I mean, out of an entire episode we see him punch a wall. And that's more than he's gotten in other eps. His character really seems to be neglected, which is kinda bizarre given that he's supposed to be the main

Forbidden's energy deflection made use of the mirage colloid, which is prohibited by the treaty. Now that the treaty's effectively useless, people will probably start incorporating that into their weapons.

Bwah? How did it employ Mirage Colloid? Besides, like another poster mentioned, the same technology is in use in Shinn's shield.

What i'd like to know is what the new EA Gundams are like. Come on, they HAD to have built some, especially since they've been making pilots like Sting and co. I'm really surprised that there aren't any featured in the series yet, that and ORB produced Gundams.

To be honest, ZAFT was the last side i'd expect to build brand new Gundams, especially with their new Zakus.

In Episode 49 or 50, Kira makes use of Freedom's multi-targeting ability without being in Super Seed mode. So no, there's no "Zero System" or "Nu Frame" bond between Kira and Freedom.

Hmm, well I sent an order request to HLJ about 3 weeks ago and since then have heard neither hide nor hair from them. Is this standard?

I think you named the ones I like in there too. Namely due to them being the theme songs for various Gundam related shows

How popular are bands like TM Revolution in Japan?

How small are they compared to MSIA's?

Hey Feyd, what number was the one you sent back? I just got my Alpha in the mail, and was originally planning on keeping it closed away until Xmas for myself, but I might open it up and inspect it to see if the QC is crap. Mine is 5919

Ahh, no wonder there was such a disconnect between the first movie and the sequels!

Just wait until February Fayd, and you'll be able to find them in most Wal-marts

Ya, true enough. The only thing is, i live in Canada and shipping would be double for me

I just won a Scott Alpha from ebay for $60 bucks as an xmas gift for myself. I hate the fact that it feels more like i'm playing at a roulette table than buying a toy

Each time you mail them your dud back, you have to pay shipping costs though right? Or does Toynami cover that too?

If it costs you an extra 40 dollars to keep sending duds back over and over until you get a good one, is it worth it?

yeah the Xamel is a lump, but I really dig The O. I don't find its sabers to be that weak though. If you want a REAL example of wet noodle beam sabers, get any of the figures from the Char's Counterattack MSIA line. Those things literally bend under their own weight!

Over at gundamwatch.net, they have nothing but rave reviews for the GINN MSIA. In fact, i've heard people say that its the best fig out of the entire Seed MSIA line (which is saying a lot, I think). I've got on shipping out to me as we speak. So far, i've heard nothing bad about it, so i'd say go for it.

When you say that the hand 'disintegrated', did it literally crumble into a pile of dust?? Is it at all repairable?

I'm considering buying myself an Alpha for christmas, but i'm scared poop-less that if I order a Bernard, i'll end up with an 80 dollar plastic mess. However, I really like the colour scheme of the Bernard over the Rook.

So i'm wondering, for all you Alpha owners out there: now that you've had some time with your bernard, has your opinion on it changed? Is the QC truly that horrible? Should I just go with the Rook?

Help! I need advice!