RTShark

I don't think the Warbird was ever called a Bird of Prey. The main Romulan ship that was seen in the original series was called a Bird of Prey however. This is the one that has a main saucer-like section with two "wings' extending off of either side with the engines on the end, and a large orangish bird painted onto the bottom. It was really bad in Babylon 5 also. Not so much scaling ships up or down on purpose and calling them something new, but just inconsistent scaling in general. Anyway. Based on photos I've seen of the toys the Q-Rau looks about right (in terms of scale) next to the 1/60 Valks to me. I know there's the whole 1/48 obsession (with good reason I will admit) but the 1/60 looks right to me in this case.

Agree totally here. It's definitely *not* the over the top style thing that I was expecting (which was actually a pleasant surprise). Don't expect Campbell as Elvis to do Ash style one-liners or anything like that, but it is worth checking out. Very character driven... Some funny action scenes as said above, and a bit of quirky humor. I rented it to watch and will probably be buying it at some point.

Barre, Vermont USA Latitude: 44.20896 Longitude: 72.607693 Thanks.

See... Here's where I run into problems. I used to "justify" the stuff I collected to other people by saying well this is worth so and so, and that's worth such and such. I don't do that anymore. I say here's this thing that I have because I like it. If you can respect that cool, if not, well, your loss, not mine. (Basically, I don't apologize or justify to anyone how I live my life and use my resources so long as I'm not hurting anyone with the way I do it, life's too short for that). As far as justifying to your wife by pointing out how much something is worth... What if she responds: well, then if it's worth so much we should sell it so we can do this or this or this with the money? Because if it's about the money, then it's about the money. Just something to consider.

Well of course not. If they were these (or any) discussion boards would be a lot less interesting. I think so and so. Yeah, I agree with that. Yep, sounds good to me... and so on. If I thought everybody was like me, I'd already know they agreed with everytyhing I had to say, and therefore there'd be no point in saying it. We're all putting our opinions out there because we know that other people don't agree, and therefore we have something to discuss. I consider price when I'm trading stuff or reselling stuff or when I'm buying something. In general - it's an artificial measure of quality. If I have a cool toy that's worth money then I'll keep it. If I have a cool toy that's worth nothing, I'll keep it. If I have a crappy toy *cough*MPC*cough* I'll get rid of it either way. If you want to make money there are much more efficient ways of doing it than speculating on collectibles, unless you happen to get lucky and hit on buying something cheap that's worth a lot of money. Me? I don't collect these things to make money, I've got a job for that. I want cool toys.

If I want an investment I'll look into the stock market. If I want a cool toy I won't buy an MPC Valkyrie.

But... it's (paraphrasing from the MPC box): the most accurate representation of a Veritech ever rendered in 3 dimensions" and "no detail was lost or forgotten" (except for really basic ones like proportions, the position of the landing gear and big swing bars which were never seen in the animation). I guess you did hit the nail on the head, though. A total lack of imagination in the design of the MPC was it's biggest flaw and was there from the outset. Every other manufacturer added something that wasn't there before through their various major lines. Takatoku started the whole thing. Bandai innovated on their work with the HCM, Yamato innovated first with the 1/60 by finally removing the swing bars (allowing a much truer to animation version of the Battroid) and then again to the extreme with the 1/48... What did Toynami innovate? Light up visor? (which I don't hate as many people here seem to, but when you look at what other companies have added, it kinda pales in comparison).

Shin... It looks like you're responding to my post, because of the point by point comparison. If you are you're a little confused about what I said, and if you weren't I apologize profusely. My point by point comparisons were 1/48 vs. MPC and I rate the 1/48 higher in all ways. 1/48, then 1/60 then MPC I actually thought my 1/60 was better in this regard than my MPC. In fact both 1/60s that I've handled have been much better than the single MPC I've handled. Of course the 1/48 beats them both. Agreed that they're about the same. 1/60 is IMO a superior toy to the MPC so 1/60s at current prices are a much better deal than an MPC at any price. This is probably the only area where 1/60s and MPCs will beat the 1/48, and even then some MPCs won't (Rick and Roy). I think the 1/60 wins in this area also. The only mode on the 1/60 where this could be a problem is Gerwalk where the 1/60s legs have a tendency to not be stable. Agree strongly here. 1/48 is the best. If I were picking solely between 1/60s and MPCs I'd buy 1/60s, though. Heck, even with a 1/48 in my collection I'll probably buy more 1/60s before I buy another 1/48 simply because of price and the fact that the 1/60 *is* a nice toy. Just not as nice as the 1/48...

Read the post. I was talking about MPC Roys and Ricks that are going for more on the *aftermarket*, NOT at SRP. Average price for a "naked" 1/48 seems to be about $120 + shipping. RIck and Roy MPCs seem to be hitting that and more on the aftermarket. My point is if you're going to spend that, you're much better off with a 1/48 than an MPC as the 1/48 is superior in pretty much every possible way. If you care to disagree with that point, that's fine, but make sure you understand where and why I'm getting the numbers I am before you dispute them.

dunno? it was a gift from one of my dads artist friends....then i made it mine! Looks like pretty much any standard light table that printers or artists would use. I work in a print shop and we had a bunch that were pretty much just like that. They were used for paste-up and and stripping. With current tech there is not as much call for them and there's only one or two left around that are just being used as normal tables... EDIT: Just saw the updated pic taken with brighter light. Definitely somewhat different than the light tables we have, but still similar.

I bought Takatoys stickers for my 1/48 and they are well worth it. The only drawback is that you have to cut them out yourself. But decent scissors, or even better a sharp hobby knife, a good straightedge and a little patience will work just fine. It's also nice to keep the original stickers mint for what that's worth. I wouldn't buy replacement stickers solely for that reason, but it is a nice side benefit. The other advantage is multiple copies of most stickers on the sheet. Back-ups in case of mess-ups, I also think you could probably (I'd have to look at the sheet again to make sure) sticker up two (or more) Valks with one sheet. Enjoy.

I think this is something that most of us can agree on. I have 1 1/60 and 1 1/48. I used to have an MPC before I sold it. I think the 1/60 is a better toy than the MPC, but the main issue for people who don't like the 1/60 is the legs, which doesn't bother me (I'd rather have removable legs which results in the Battloid mode matching the anime better than huge ugly-ass swing bars)... But... For the price, there's no reason to spend that kind of money on an MPC when the 1/48s are available for less. The 1/48 is superior to the MPC in just about any quantifiable measure. It is more durable, more detailed, more poseable and more accurate to the line-art. The only issue where the MPC would normally win is in terms of cost, and if some MPCs are selling on the aftermarket for comparable prices, the choice should be clear for anybody who's seen both close up. I also feel the need to say that I'm not biased automatically in favor of Yamato over Toynami. I shouldn't have to say this, but I bought Toynami products, giving them a fair chance. If I dislike their products, it's not because I didn't give them a fair shake.

Joking? I'd have to see pretty solid evidence of this to believe it considering how strongly C&H's creator protected it from just about every licensing attempt imaginable no matter how much money they offered him.

I used to use candles and lighters to inflict "battle damage" on my Star Trek models. Everything from simply using the "soot" in the flame to mark sections of the hull black to actually trying to use controlled melting on certain parts of the hull to make it look like the ship had been hit with phaser blasts or torpedoes... Never mind the flamethrowers we made from burning rags and cans of spray paint....

Nah. I'm more into Guiness and Harp's. Haven't even had those for a while. <sigh> Anyway. Look, I'm not saying I'd modify my 1/48 into that... I'm just saying, why jump all over somebody if they did want to? OK yeah, Robotech sucks, yeah heard that before (I gotta admit that I don't care much for it now, but I do still hold a soft spot for it for introducing me to anime in the first place)... Yeah, the MPC sucks, I happen to agree here, but my hatred of the MPC does not extend to those who like it, and even if it did why should I care what somebody wants to do to their own property? And besides as I said in my original post, the light up visor was kind of silly, but let's face it there is a *lot* more wrong with the MPC than the light up visor. Can you honestly say that if Toynami didn't put the light up visor on the MPC that it all of a sudden would be a great figure? Even if there was one on the 1/48, the 1/48 would still rule. Can you honestly say that if the 1/48 was exactly the same toy but with a tiny little light in the head (that you don't even need to turn on) it would all of a sudden suck? Anyway... it appears Wolf was kidding... All well and good, but the point remains. Lighten up guys, aren't we all here to have fun?

Personally I wouldn't bother doing that to mine, but I think it's a little silly to get up in arms over someone wanting to do a mod to their own figure. If WolfX wants to modify his own personal property, why should anyone else care? Who cares if Toynami did it? It was a little silly, but it certainly wasn't inherently evil... and let's be honest, the MPC had a heck of a lot more wrong with it than a light up head idea that didn't work as well as they wanted. Take off the light-up head? The MPC still sucks. Put a light up head on a 1/48? It still rocks. Anyway... He's modding his own figure. Nobody else's.

Well I've never been bothered by Spiders but my brother hates them. We were watching LotR:Return of the King in the theater and he kept whispering "that's just wrong" when Shelob was stalking Frodo... Wonder if I should send some of these links over to him?

Well, personally I love the 1/60s and might have recommended them if there were different options on the list. Like, if the two 1/48s (which really can't be had for $200 unless you get lucky) was: one 1/48 and one 1/60 I might have seen fit to recommend that. The other issue is the imperfect transformation. Personally, it doesn't bother me, and I'd rather have the closer accuracy to the show in Battloid that the removable legs allow than a large external swing bar like the MPC has. OTOH if he was only a casual Macross fan I might even recommend something like one or two 1/60s and then spend the money on other stuff. If he's only a casual fan then spending the dough on the 1/48 might not be worth it and that'd allow him to get a Valk and still have lots of money left over for other stuff. So, given the options you presented, I don't think it makes sense to suggest the 1/60s, but with different options available I'd definitely recommend one to anyone who doesn't mind the removable legs.

If it was easy to get two new 1/48s for $200 I'd have recommended that. As it's not I said 1 1/48 w/FPs. A new one should be able to be had for right around $200, including shipping. Just curious: No MPCs on the list? (not that I disagree - just curious...)

I did. Decided to just go ahead and try it. Through the combined efforts of a Dremel and a Power drill... I also decided to just up and glue the pieces on. I got most of them to stay on fine by themselves, but one of the arm pieces I took a little bit too much out of the elbow area of the arm. It did work though and I now have FAST packs attached to my old style VF-1S.

I have to ask. I know you like MIB toys. Have you ever taken your MPCs out of the package? Your 1/48s? Protecting their business is fine. These tactics are not (though I will note that we still have not seen confirmation that this has been happening again). HG is the one trying to control the fans and prevent them from having choices. Not the posters on Macross World. HG is the one whose forum mods are instructed to delete posts and lock threads that even *mention* the name of a competitor. This doesn’t happen on Macross World. It’s funny that all of the things that you say we’re doing, are in fact done by Harmony Gold, which you’ve managed to overlook. OK. Speaking for myself and I assume most of the posters here: I don’t care if you like the MPC. I don’t care if Joe-Bob down the street likes the MPC. I don’t care if anyone likes the MPC and wants to buy it. It’s out there. If they buy it and like it. More power to them. None of us are trying to stop that. That is not the issue. We’re *not* trying to prevent people who might like the MPC from buying it. But when we’re continually attacked for our opinion of the MPC, and told by certain fans of the MPC that our opinions on it are not valid for some reason or another, well that gets old. The MPC is not popular here, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a post saying that people who like the MPC have an invalid opinion for one reason or another, like you’ve consistently done to people who don’t like it.

I guess transmitting the sound on multiple frequencies is out of the question? I've never seen M7, and at 50 some-odd episodes I probably won't bother... I mean, the concept of fighter jets shooting little speakers into enemy craft? I'm sorry, that just turns me off right there. Note I'm not saying anything about the rest of the series, I haven't seen it so I can't. But like I said that concept alone turns me off from even wanting to see any of it. (and I'd like to thank Agent One for saving me the pain of seeing something like that. )

Is PayPal OK and if so I need to know where to send it. Thanks very much for doing this... Also in regards to 1/60 parts if anyone has some: I'm looking for Legs and Arms from a Super 1S Skull One. Backpack from any white FAST pack equipped Valk. Backpack is probably the most important piece. I think I can modify my existing 1S to take the FAST pack parts, but the backpack seems like it'll be the hardest to modify. Thanks!

I did buy Harmony Gold products. I bought an MPC. I regretted it the instant I opened the box. I won’t now (mostly). I may buy the Alpha MPC, but if I do it’ll be on the aftermarket for significantly less than retail. If I can’t buy it that way, I won’t buy it. Once again the MPC comes up. In another thread recently you were ragging on somebody who owned an MPC for putting it down. You said he must be lying because he obviously liked the MPC but was just bashing it to fit in. Never mind the fact that, like me he bought it because he thought it would be cool and then was disapointed. I asked you in that thread, which you didn’t respond to, so I’ll ask again: You rag on people who never bought an MPC who put it down for talking about something they don’t know about. You’ve ragged on people who did buy an MPC who put it down, because, obviously they must love it and they’re just putting it down to fit in. Which is it? Can't have it both ways. Who's allowed to say anything bad about the MPC? Those who bought it, or those who didn't? I'll just guess at the answer: Nobody, right? Well, I could care less about fitting in. Heck, I’ll even say that I don’t hate Robotech. I like the original series’ better (from what I’ve seen of them) but I don’t hate the existence of Robotech. How could I? I wouldn’t be into any of this stuff if I hadn’t watched that first. If you want to discuss this stuff, how about answering some of these questions instead of just making the same claims over and over and disapearing when you’re challenged? And to be fair, people are genuinely angry at HG (and I am one of them) because, even if this current C&D thing is not true or is being overblown, they have done everything they can to make it hard for fans of Macross to get quality Macross products in the US. Even that wouldn’t be so bad if they were actually filling the gap (that they’ve created), but they’re not.