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Scyla

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  1. Scyla
    I opened my VF-171EX Itasha and I quite like it. No qc issues or missing pieces (nipple guns, cockpit strut, mini flaps) so far but the lower leg rotation joint is scary as always. I have to say that in my opinion the VF-171 has the best transformation scheme of all the Frontier Valkyries. After handling to versions of the toy I think I know what to do so transforming is possible in quite a breeze. The only thing I don't like it the metal swing piece that is used as the hips. Depending on the tightness of the hip joints the locking mechanism just don't seem to work right most of the time. I think I'm a bit sad that there are not more options regarding the head turret and the add-on sets. [edit:] I think I should get an Alto and Luca Custom also so I have a squad but at the moment I have no room and my soon to be completed Frontier (VF-27Beta) display. I also need to get a YF-25 some time down the road. I also could imagine to leave my VF-171CF naked on display in Fighter-Mode so I don't break anything and switch the chest and leg armor over to Lucas unit.
  2. Scyla
    I opened my copy today and I have a few qc issues. First NY packed the box sloppy. The toys where wrapped in bubble wrap but the rest of the box was not padded out so the toys could rattle around in it. The box is really scuffed up but the toy inside was fine. Secondly I have several small blemishes on the toy. There is a scratch of black paint on the die cast spine piece. I'm not sure how to remove it because I fear that the underlying paint coat will also be removed if I use some kind of solvent. I have to see how visible it is in Battroid-Mode and decide than what to do. I also got two R-marked pieces for the shoulder armor. It is the piece that sits on top of the pauldron. I attached it and could not tell if there was a difference between the two parts. Can someone confirm if they have an L and an R piece and if they are different. If so has anyone to L marked pieces? I also got black paint from the black trapezoid on the lower leg run between the two halves of the leg. It looks like some accidental panel lining. Has someone already tried to disassemble the legs? Since it is from NY there is no way to get a replacement of some kind of compensation so I have to look myself into fixing the problems. They are not big issues compared to outright breakage but still I'd like to have a pristine toy. From handling it in Fighter-Mode it feels real nice and I'm looking forward transforming it. Right now there is SRC GaoGaiGar on my desk and I enjoy posing so the VF-19 will stay a bit longer in its box. One quick additional question. Does the rear landing gear fold out or lock into place? I've extended the it but it isn't straight. There seems to be a joint in the middle of the metal struts but I was too afraid to push the assembly any further.
  3. Scyla
    I think a Takara Blast-Off based on the Alpha-Bravo skeleton is a possibility.
  4. Scyla
    Hard to tell. I would say no but I don't own the toy. Many who have the toy have a Stockholm syndrome and would say yes but can you trust them? No that that's out of th way I would say it depends on your tastes. I think it looks cool but has several issues. The individual bots have several parts-formery bits and each has its own set of problems with production quality. In limb mode the arms have the weird thigh gaps in their for arms and some parts that don't lock into place (Blast Offs arms for example). On the other hand the truck bed as a 6th member makes for a great and powerful silhouette. I think if your not playing with the individual toys and you dig the looks Warbotron is a good center piece of a toy collection. From the combiners I own I really like Feral Rex because each individual bit is a great transforming robot toy that is fun to play with. Unique Toys Ordin sounds like it has a great combine mode from the reports but I thin that the individual bots, with the exception of Troll, are lacking. From what I've heard Warbotron improved their design and engineering for their Computron. So if you like their aesthetics and you are a fan of the Technobots you might find a better offering their. I think Baltmatrix reviewed all the parts of Warbotron so you can search for his reviews if you need more input for your decision:
  5. Scyla
    I don't get the whole dog-fight discussion. I don't think that the F-35 was ever designed to win dog-fights. However I've talked to an ex fighter pilot the other day and he said that the Russians had some underground strips where their Migs could start once the enemy fighters where flying overhead. So all the reconnaissance wouldn't detect them. He concluded that all fighter jets should have at least some abilities to survive a fight with an enemy jet. I don't know if this is accurate but I don't think that this is a situation the F-35 would be in often. Your thoughts?
  6. Scyla
    Are you planning to do a Battroid to Fighter transformation video. Somehow I find them much more useful. Especially the one you did for the VF-22S. Now seeing the full transformation in a commented, high resolution video I think Bandai tried deliberately to differentiate the VF-19Advanced from Yamatos/Arcadias design which resulted in some over engineered albeit cool bits. One question. Can the shield be placed only in an off-center position? I'm looking forward for part 2. Good job on the review.
  7. Scyla
    That is the reason why I don't like ball-joints for the most part. You can never tell if they are in the right position. Worst example in my collection is the stealth bomber Megatron and his hips. I always have a problem getting his legs aligned in alt-mode because the hip joint has no distinct locking point.
  8. Scyla
    I really like the blue highlights. It would be a bummer if they aren't present on the final toy. Than again it doesn't seem to be line-art accurate right? The parts should be a darker gray don't they?
  9. Scyla
    You should invest in a mobile Gunpla workstation you can put in your luggage.
  10. Scyla
    I want to buy the Omnigonix one but haven't heard any news since the delayed March release.
  11. Scyla
    Can someone explain to me what the difference between this figure and the ones from Daiki Kogyo are. They seem to be similar in scale and price and style (cast-off swimsuit versions). I have the first two releases from Daiki Kogyo and would rather have a consistent line from one company/sculptor. On the other hand I would rather have a complete line-up than an incomplete one so I'm eying this figure.
  12. Scyla
    There aren't that many Decepticons in the first season of Transformers. The third party companies have that all covered so far with the exception of the Constructicons which seem a bit of a risk for now. I'm really surprised that Takara hasn't tackled a Megatron V2 or Galvatron. The villains seem very unpopular toys in Japan which is a shame because some of my fondest childhood memories involve G1 Decepticons.
  13. Scyla
    Noooooooo. Package with the VF-19Advanced was caught by customs. That will be one expensive Valkyrie toy. >.< Of course I'm always grateful to pay my taxes so my country can thrive strong and prosper!!!
  14. Scyla
    [edit:] Damn it! So I really like the Arcadia YF-19 and I think I will prefer it as a toy over Bandais offering. However I'm always staggered when I see an image of the VF-19Advanced underbelly. The way the chest tubes store away gives it such a sleek look.
  15. Scyla
    I literally forgot about that. Thanks for the reminder.
  16. Scyla
    In my rant post I gave a few suggestions what could have been done. The main thing imho would be to collapse the abdomen so the tray sits on the lower legs and not hovering in mid air. After I made the initial post I had also the idea to compare it to their Quakewave which has basically the same problem. G1 Shockwave collapses the legs straighten out his arms and is not a space lazer gun. Instead to mimic the G1 toy transformation Fanstoys implemented an ingenious leg transformation to get rid of the back of the gun and allow for beefy legs. In addition they implemented extra flaps and transformation steps to hide the feet and designed a way to store the tip of the gun on the back of the toy without looking like it (it basically turns inside out). That is some cool and intriguing engineering which makes the toy so much more interesting and fun to play with for me. This is also the reason why I think the argument, that G1 Perceptor was a boring toy and this is the only way it should transform because it is accurate, is not a valid excuse for the way Tesla turned out. However I can't wait to have Fanstoys Sever in hand because he looks like a awesome transforming robot toy. For good measure I threw in a Fan Project Quake into the order so I can have a mini Shockwave that other toys can hold. I also think that Fanstoys Willis, Grinder and their not-Insecticons look great.... ...which makes Tesla a really awkward specimen.... .... *rant rant rant*
  17. Scyla
    I would be the Darth Vader of directors. Quick question: is there any information on what the head laser does while deploying the landing gear. on the VF-1/0 single head laser Valkyries. I assume that it rotates out of the way but in some images the room between the landing gear and the tip of the gunpod look rather narrow.
  18. Scyla
    The problem is I really want to love Tesla but I just can't at the moment. I have all the other Fanstoys releases and they are all great. That is the hard part. I want Tesla and I want to put him next to my other Fanstoys/Takara Masterpiece Transformers so I can have someday the complete G1 cast but he just doesn't to it for me. Maybe I give in and buy him in the future.
  19. Scyla
    After some consideration I came to the conclusion that my main problem is that the transformation is not obfuscating the Robot-Mode enough. It just looks too much robot in microscope mode to me. The best comparison that I could came up with is MP-10 (and that is universally loved by TF fans right?). On MP-10 there are a few transformation steps that help to distance the robot-mode from the alt-mode. Stuff like the lower abdomen parts swinging around, the face grill, the panels that cover the wheels on the lower legs. The same the other way round. The swingable parts with the vent detail hide in alt-mode so that it doesn't look like Convoys legs, the flip out side view mirrors help to make it not look like a box on wheels and so on. On Tesla all this is missing. The robot swings up his arms and sits down = lackluster. In my opinion there could be a few steps to help my specific problem with Tesla. I listed a few on TFW. For example they could compress the lower abdomen so that the tray is on the same level as the legs. the arms could compress like in the line art so that the look more like cube than robot arms, there could be a sliding mechanism to slide the legs backward so that the torso sits in the middle of the microscope. They could have implemented a mechanism to hide the blue thighs so that it doesn't quite like a sitting robot. Or they could have a mounting armature for the microscope that flips up from the back so that it looks more like a piece of science equipment. At first I thought this might be compromises so that Tesla could have a tank mode but it seems that isn't there either. TL:DR Teslas transformation doesn't hide the robot mode enough for me.
  20. Scyla
    I see. For me the bummer on Gamlins version was always the gray details. Also the combination of a red canopy, the not quite black main color and the gray and yellow highlights doesn't seem aesthetically pleasing to me.
  21. Scyla
    I really want to like Tesla but I just can't. The toy feels so lackluster to me that I'm not able to bring myself to spend money for it. Maybe Make Toys will release one in their Remaster line. On the other hand if some of the reviewers that have the toy get their videos out and I get a better look at it I might change my opinion. Hopefully Kapow Toys sends out my Sever soon. I'm really looking forward for a giant robot Stegosaurus.
  22. Scyla
    Maybe I should try tomorrow morning to snag one. I really like the look of the Strike Freedom. The preorders usually go up before I go to work so it might be worth checking out the retailers. On the other hand I already have a RG Strike Freedom so that will do I guess.
  23. Scyla
    I think it's the color of Gamlins VF-22S. The color scheme doesn't work nearly as well as for M&M. It looks like some gaudy knock-off.
  24. Scyla
    I don't understand why Bandai didn't produce a few extra shoulders when they produced the RFV-171 and VF-171EX Itasha and just threw them in the box. I'm sure enough people would order to get replacement parts for their VF-171CF.
  25. Scyla
    I have to ask. Do we have line-art for the VF-2SS landing gear?
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