Scyla

Just looked at the Yellow VF-2SS images over on amiami and it just looks terrible. The non-smoothness almost looks intentional in Fighter-Mode... the most offensive part is how wonky the shoulder pads look. I get that is probably hide them due to the slimness of the line art but could they be at least aligned with something? ...but I so want a PT 1/60 VF-2SS... its maddening, it killsme slowly from inside.

Seeing this on veefs twitter feed I wonder if the finished toy will have the knife in the forearm shield gimmick: https://pbs.twimg.com/tweet_video/CXFeJe6WcAAM1nv.mp4

I bought something terribly expensive that I probably shouldn't have. Its regarding its material value to price ratio the most expensive toy I've ever bought.

Was this stated somewhere. I thought Kaname is with Delta 1 because she is the leader of the Walkure idols so it would be fitting if she is paired with Delta 1. I also think the costume of Mikumo fits much better with Delta 2s paint-job.

I will wait for the black and teal PM Prime repaint. This will fit much nicer into my collection than an Ultra Magnus or regular PM Prime. I think the MP-22 is the definitive Ultra Magnus and I don't need anything else. Maybe one 3rd Party company will do one in the MP scale but I doubt it. Seeing how Takara seems more interested in BW Masterpiece Transformers right now I could see that the independent toy makers finishing all the G1 bots that Takara didn't do and than move onwards to BW also.Of course this could all be a 20th anniversary thing but only so who knows. I'm definitely digging the TR Galvatron though. I really like the old deluxe tank Galvatron though so I'm not sure if I need a update with hollow limbs.

According to the poll at least 49 people feel the way you feel.

I really wish we had someone like Dr. Killinger that produces small runs of upgrades for Macross toys. I'd love if I could buy a correctly molded (give me these vents) and colored version of the YF-19 gun-pod. The VF-19 gun-pod from Macross 7 just doesn't go well with the YF-19.

I agree with you that the there is no landing gear door on the underside of the VF-31. However you can see panel lines that look like the landing gear doors on the YF-30. My theory is that this is an early prototype where they just sculpted in all the panel lines but without any function. So on the finished product there would be a bay door. You can also look on the hinge for the wing. That looks nothing like a functioning joint would look like. Maybe they just forgot to model the panel lines for the rear landing gear doors or they are so faint that they don't show up in the imagery. The other image was just to provide more evidence that this might be a early prototype that is used as a paint master for example.

I've looked up some of the images of the VF-31 prototype. Since it was speculated in the SV-262 thread about the VF-31 not having landing gear I found this image: You can see that the panel lines for the landing gear doors are present but not as fully fledged bay doors. This, to me, is an indication that the prototype is a very early stage and more of a statue than a transformable toy. I think the next image is also an indication for this: The arrows point to areas that don't look like I assume they would on a finished product. To me they look more than stuff that is cut out of a block of polystone or printed with a 3D printer and than smoothed out. Maybe someone with more experience might chime in. In the image you also see some working hinges and joints (look at the hips) which could be used as a counter argument. I believe they might be in place because they used parts of the YF-31 to create this model and thus having hinges and joints. In addition the GERWALK-joint looks to me more like a simple swivel and an extending joint like it would be present on the finished product. Of course I could be wrong but that is the impression I got from the toy.

But in the preview episode you don't see Delta 3 exchanging the pods. In one scene the idols are dancing on the radar dish and in the next the Valkyrie takes off with the radome stored away. I can see that from a toy perspective you have two different parts for the sake of anime accuracy (for example the transformable hands on some of the SoC figures) but since it is Kawamori who is designing the mecha I would assume that there is an transformation laid out for it. Especially since we see the boomerang recharge container transforms in an accurate way. Given the round shape of the radome it probably won't transform in an rectangular container but I could seem it folding up into a somewhat rectangular shape that results in a smooth aft fuselage.

I was under the impression that the VF-31 showed during the Macross Delta events was a non-functioning prototype without any working joints or features. Thus I would assume the folks at Bandai didn't take the time to sculpt in landing gear doors. The prototype of the SV-262 looks more like a transformable prototype and I think you can make out even doors for the landing gears. They look small though and the landing gear needs to be pretty long to facilitate the gun-pod. The fin on the gun has an hinge to fold away I can't think why this would be if it wasn't for landing the craft in Fighter-Mode. I think they could have gotten rid of the landing gear a long time ago if the wanted to so why do away with it now? I need the landing gear to display my Valkyries they are just too damn big with stands, especially the Bandai ones. [edit:] Here is the image I was talking about. I included some highlights to show what I think is the rear landing gear door in yellow. The part, whatever it is, is only on the underside of the Valkyrie and due to the way I think the legs work would serve no other purpose than being landing gear doors. The area on the nosecone (highlight pink) could be for the front landing gear. The shape looks odd but who knows what the Drakens are up to.

Third time's the charm right?

I know that he is a Headmaster. The outer helmet shape still looks weird. I hope Japan does a black and teal version of Powermaster Optimus Prime. Since I don't own CW Leader Ultra Magnus I want to experience the mold.

He looks like he has better hip joints than MP Soundwave. In my opinion the head looks pretty derpy. Something about the head creast to face to sun shield ratio is not correct.

I think Dr. Killinger did some prototypes. IIRC he said that these guns weren't feasibly so they never made it to the final stage. That are the only guns I know about.

I don't know about that. Sure MMCs Carnifex looks is clearly Overlord but not really the IDW Overlord form Last Stand of the Wreckers, Terminus Hexatron is Sixshot but run through a lot of edgy filters, Impactors alt-mode is not a Metal Slug tank. Of course the DJD guy look the part but they fit in nicely with all the other Reformatted toys. I know MMC is going for an IDW homage but they have enough aspects that make them unique (some might say to their detriment). I think it gives the toy a unique identity that I seek out. If I hadn't a dislike for motorcycle transformers I would be more curious about their Unrustable Bastards announcement a few TFCons ago. [edit:] I hope you like what you are getting into. Just don't overhype them. They are fun figures. A few things I like to add. The hands on Bovis and Fortis are very tight for they weapons. I used to put the hand-foot mortars into their hands and left them their over night so that the hands get a little bit wider. After that the melee weapons where easier to insert. There is also a video how you can insert them more easily ( ). Next there was an assembly error on Bovis and Fortis elbow ratchets. They where inserted the wrong way this would lead to scuffs in the ratchet part which might be ecstatically displeasing. There is a guide buy David Hingtgen over at tfw2005 explaining it in detal (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/tutorials-how-tos/964197-mmc-bovis-elbow-fix-replacement-guide.html). The problem does not hinder the functionality of the joint tough and it might be possible that it was fixed with later runs. Tigris comes with replacement ratchets should you need them.Next Fortis comes with a replacement part for Bovis. IIRC there could be an molding issue on Bovis' crotch but I never seen any image of this so you are probably fine. Finally take your time with the toys you can do so much with them. Bovis' guns can store in his shoulder pauldrons for example. I loved to play around with different bawler poses for the leg bots.

I've always thought that the differences in the rebel crafts stem from the fact that they are not a standing military force. So it would make sense if their equipment has much more irregularities than the Imperial forces. The rebels just assembled their forces form many different sources that's why they are all scuffed up and not as shiny as the Imperial Tie-Fighters.

So this is what I'm gathered from listening to the Macross Speaker Podcast. If I got anything wrong please let me know. The Macross toys are being produced with the Japanese audience in mind. In Japan you have to problems. One personal space is severely limited. Two disposable income is not that high. This means Japanese fans have to think twice if they buy an collectible or not. When you have to decide to either buy the hero Valkyrie or the faceless enemy mech because you can't afford both I also would go for the hero mecha without a second thought. Here are some problems. First I think Char and Vegeta are not perceived as villains (probably because they are hot ) but if you look at guys like Freeza or Cell you have to go through the web shop exclusive route because the audience for those is limited. Regarding the Regult releases. I think one of the reasons why they where sold out rather quickly was the fact that there was still a hype going for Macross merchandise. Ever since the Renewal releases the market was overheated with several scalpers in place and people who bought the hype (like me ) who thought this would be their only chance to get an item. I think now the market realized that they might not be that desired so the hype is coming down slowly. Also as jenius stated Regults are a good army builder set and you can see that because most people who posted about their orders said that they bought multiple units. When I look at these points it makes sense to me that the Glaug was not that desirable. It is a huge toy for a high price that was never piloted by the hero and the Macross hype is cooling off.

Well he fits well with Feral Rex. Honestly my Reformatted toys have a shelf on its own where I put them all. Like I said prior to Cynicus and Anarchus I had no interest in the IDW comics so I just bought them because they are cool transforming toys. I think MMCs designers have their own artistic style that only sorta fits with the retail Transformers. They are their own beast and thats why I like them.

Of course this would be even better but I don't think Macross could be that popular to warrant such an expense in money and manpower.

Or you could ask MMCs customer service for a replacement.

Well I guess this could be a possible explanation but I'm still curious if someone else noticed it (i.e. bugged by it) and if there are some questions that came up during discussions with Transformers designers during events such as Botcon. I can't be the first that noticed this right?

I will try to answer your questions. I also collect 3rd party Transformers and have several toys form the companies you mentioned. First I would like to say that if you think they handle like a model kit I think you never touched one of the transformable VF-25 kits form Bandai. They are finicky as hell. Second if you want to have a move solid experience I would recommend the V2 VF-1 from Arcadia/Yamato or the Macross 7 VF-19 toys from Yamato. They are solid but still more delicate than your average Transformers toy. Third I will no continue with an overly long post of why I think that this is the case. Here we go... Now one of the reasons why the DX Chogkin toys are the way they are is that they have to follow a given line-art (the one from the show). Since the transformations and proportions of the toy resemble a somewhat realistic scheme they can't take as much artistic freedom as the engineers of Transformers can. Basically everything is laid out for the engineers. In addition Shoji Kawamori (the designer of most of the Valkyries) is a fan of fighter-jets thus the Fighter-Mode of a Valkyrie reassemble a sleek aircraft shape as close as possible. Lastly Satelite (the production studio of Macross Frontier) created 3D models of the Frontier Valkyries and the designers have to recreate all the parts on the toys otherwise the collectors (read: I myself) wouldn't be satisfied with the result. See also the V1 VF-25 toys. You can watch Peaughs video reviews on them. As a result the toys are not as solid and sturdy and easy to transform as say MMCs Spartan because the base design is a very lithe looking mecha. With Spartan MMC could design an engineer the joints and thick and sturdy as they wanted they could have a simple transformation with few moving parts they didn't need to include a feature where a part is attacked at one end of the toy and is reattached at the other end in a specific way, they didn't need to mold sharp bits and thin plastic pieces because it was their robot design an no one else. A freedom that the Bandai designers didn't have because the YF-29 toy needed to look like it did in the show and it needed to function like it did in the show. So lets look at parts that are problematic on the YF-29 Durandal. First the joints. Since the base design has very little room for joints you need to design them as small as possible. This lead to some problems where the hip and shoulder joint aren't very stable because there is not much room in there. In the show the VF-25 Messiah is held together by magnets if I remember correctly so the designer didn't include room for them. Next I would like to focus on the thickness of the plastic. The plastic can't be too thick because the toy wouldn't look like in the show it would look too rounded. As an example take the spikes on the inside of the lower legs on the YF-29. They are small and easily bend if you are not careful but they need to be there for the looks. The same goes for other areas. Since the Valkyrie is so lithe several areas have thin plastic and thus handling the toy is more delicate than a very stylized Transformer. Now we come to the shield part. The shield has several functions to fulfill. First it needs to mount in a specific place but the area where it mounts needs to be thin because of the base design. Than it needs to house the dagger and have room for the hands. In addition the shield in the line art doesn't have any attachment point. Thus Bandai decided that the mounting point needs to be retractable. All these issues lead to a connection that is not as secure as it could be. Bandai refined the design with the VF-25 Renewal so the YF-29 is not in any way perfect. Not lets get to the Yamato/Arcadia toys. They are not as delicate to handle as the Bandai toys because they have a vastly different design language because Kawamori designed them in the 80s/90s. Even the VF-0 that was originally modeled in 3D has this because canonically it is the predecessor of the VF-1. If you look at the Valkyries from Macross Plus or 7 especially they are far bulkier than the VF-25 family thus Yamato had more room to work with and the toys are more solid as a result. Since the designs of the Valkyries they released are based in drawings and Lego/balsa wood models they also have more artistic freedom for their designs. If you look at the VF-17 for example. While it is a good looking toy that is easily identifiable as the Nightmare there are some areas that don't follow the line art. The wing backpack is too large and too far away from the main body. The Battroid-Mode is not as chubby as the line-art, the gun-pod doesn't fit in the legs in one piece etc. I don't want to imply that Bandais design is perfect and I believe that Arcadia could do a more solid job on the Messiahs (even if it costs $500 and has two applied markings in total). However they will still be more delicate to handle and more finicky to transform that your blocky Transformer. The base design is just not suitable for a sturdy toy that looks like the line-art. If you look at the Bandai releases for their Macross 7 toys that are mainly kids toys you can imagine what a YF-29 would look like if it was designed like a toy and not a collectible. Finally I would like to discuss the state of 3rd party transformers. They also have some terrible finicky toys that are no fun to handle and parts falling off or breaking all over the place. If I compare the YF-29 with toys like the Xtransbots Apollyon or MMCs Cyclops I think the are easier to handle and don't break as fast. Especially Cyclops with his small tabs and outer shell pieces or Apollyon with the delicate silver pieces that end up on the inside of his lower legs without any place to go are prime examples where the base design is not up to par with the more solid 3rd party offerings. Or take the transformation of Maketoys Sonicdrill and FansProjects Diesel that have over the top transformations without real reason for it. Especially Sonicdrill could have a much simpler transformation for what he achieves. Don't get me wrong I like both toys because of their transformation but they really are a clusteruck. Or take MMCs Airborne Squad that have many small bits that are easily bend out of shape leaving nasty stress marks. Also keep in mind that the YF-29 was released in 2011 which is now four years ago. I think if the would do a Re-Renewal VF-25 they would take into account what they learned in the last few years. If you look at the newer releases like the YF-30 or the VF-19ADVANCE you can already see that they are better designed as the YF-29. That is true for all good toy companies they learn from their mistakes. I believe MMC s Knight Morpher Commander was released around the same time (2010 I think) which is a great debut piece but not nearly as sturdy, good looking, quality feel and fun to handle as their Spartan. To come to a close (finally). What you should take from that is if the base design is a blocky robot that transforms through magic into a block alt-mode than you can design a toy solid as a brick. If you have an aerodynamic Fighter-Mode that transforms into a lithe Battrdoid-Mode through a predetermined number of steps you have to make compromises. I also think that once you are familiar with the YF-29/VF-25 toys you can transform them in a breeze especially once you worked the joint for the neck-plate in. I also think they lock together solidly. Also keep in mind what you get for all the parts that don't work 100%. The toy transforms ins magnificently painted, highly posable and looks like it stepped right out of the show. Now lets see what the other three people answered while I was writing this wall of text.

I have a question to the Transformers historians out there: Why where the feet of the G1 combiners off-centered. Since I never owned one of the them I was curious why this decision was made. The worst offender probably G1 Computron where one foot is perfectly centered (Lightspeed) while the other isn't (Nosecone): If anyone knows more about it please let me know. Has it to do with ancient toy engineering or the fact that the Scramble City limbs all had to work as legs?

Since I have no experience with western (i.e. American) comics it is a bit weird to get into the storytelling in those. I figured that I haven't found the right mindset for it yet. Regardless I have MtmtE volume 3 to 6 on my desk so I have plenty of stuff to read in the next few days. Regarding Anarchus. I'd loved to have some sort of data pad included as an accessory that he can hold and inspect. He is a journalist after all.