1/1 LowViz Lurker

Ok show it off. Hey, when is graham going to review the toy? ?

You think so? He was roy's teacher. And roy can fight even when drunk.(see dyrl for evidence - not made up by me) They need an old man in macross I think. Like the trainer in hajime no ippo.

The cola kid who peed his pants in SDF:M. A grown up one of him training pilots would be cool. They could have a flashback episode of how he first encountered a giant robot (hikaru's VF-1D) which almost crushed him and minmay. From that day he has wanted to teach young and reckless pilot how to control the robots properly so they don't crush other people accidentally like how he almost was on that one fateful day as a little kid. And that's why he became a trainer. The fear that bad pilots would end up killing people accidentally. (show him as being grumpy and strict and always wanting a cola from a vending machine) There would be a lot of humour in this as he almost dies trying to train people each episode(like the flower girl in macross 7 failing to get close to basara) but his advice would introduce certain things about the valkyrie that an audience might not be even aware of, so it would be like an introduction to valkyries for noob watchers of macross. (like the introduction of transformation in macross zero and how roy had to get the pilots thinking out of the box to make the most use out of the variable machines to prove his point) There's your old guy. He would be like ivanov in skill, but cranky like the old mechanic in macross zero.

Although I agree that the core of macross is SDF:M, it's worth keeping in mind that a TV series just has more room. Those events wouldn't be suitable for an OVA. It's a "One Year War" just like the one in gundam. (its a world war and a majr event in human history like what world war II is in our history in the real world) So of course there is going to be more mecha, more fleshed out backgrounds, more danger (the humans are not on the brink of exitinction) and more attachment to the characters. (because you get to know them over the course of the tv series) ....But that doesn't make Macross Plus crap. It's still a valid addition to the macross "universe" where there are billions of stories and people living in it with experiences unique to them. Eden is just as much an interesting place as earth was in SDF:M. We just didn't have time to see it. Nor the need for firing of the main gun to kill groups of alien ships. So there is going to be less action on a larger scale, and more 'focus' on the individuals involved in the project super nova, with the central theme being Why pilots are still necessary despite endangering their life. Machines are convenient but are they trustworthy when they can be turned against you? (ie the satellites going out of control and attacking friendly targets for example) Humans wouldn't self preserve like a drone but sacrifice themself if they an save lives and go on crazy rescue mission for love or pride - emotions that drones and AI lack. The theme of 'love' and 'being true to your heart, not your logical brain' is in there but myung blocks it out (due to some pain she experienced in the past) just like Misa does in SDF:M. (loss of boyfriend on mars) Also the theme of "competition and rivalry" is in there just as it was between Roy and Hikaru (for Minmay's attention) in the early eps of SDF:macross where it is hikaru rescuing minmay able to be her protector (like Guld in macross plus acting all high and noble?) and then later Roy rescuing both hikaru and minmay. (one upping hikaru and "leaving him behind" making him look helpless, just like Dyson was helpless when his YF-21 was falling from the sky and being humiliated in front of everyone after acting so confident at the start of the episode). So yeah although the TV series is going to outshine the M+ OVA in terms of scale, macross plus is still faithful to the themes from the first tv series. It's just dressed up differently. Just because japan didn't accept it, shouldn't get in the way of you accepting it as a valid part of the macross universe. (sticking close the themes without redoing things exactly as they were before)

Yeah. I really like it. So I'm convinced. The dangling wings and stuff make me nervous that's all.

Battroid mode can't point the cannon forward like in the pictures I've seen from the vfx game. Maybe add a bit more detail, have the little gun on the chest there, and the two things at the side of its arm open up. (these have been forced shut) Maybe add stiffer clicky joints on the hips. Make the individual barrels posable. (you can sort of pose them by twisting them but I was thinking you just push them up or down) Landing gears etc

That's good to hear! I am actually more a fan of this toy in fighter mode actually. That's what has sold me on it so far. I was waiting for 2nd release ivanov but getting impatient. So that's why I'm asking about it. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being best, 1 being worst) what would you give it including all the previous yamato release as comparison to this? I've never really bought the idea of the inspector gadget-like "head on a skinny stick" gimmick, or the flapping wings idea but it does give you this sinister theme. That the machine is sorta like an angel or demon with bat wings and if you saw one flying in the air it would freak you out. The weirdness/different look helps it stand out more. (the gunpod looks cool too!) Oh and poor cannon fodder, no love for the brownie! Maybe they should release a high vis scheme "training" valk like the VF-1D orange or something?

Thanks for the input. For me this is going to be put into fighter mode mainly. So damn skiiiiiiny! So you will be avoiding any future macross 25 toys and stuff? What if bandai for example makes a koenig monster that defeats yamato's effort and the Lego Konig Monster? (I hear it's going to be in this series)

They don't. Look at the megazone 23 Garland first releases: you only have to email to get the replacement shoulders, just like with toynami products. I'm sure the japanese don't have much to complain about because they have support us overseas buyers can't get. (due to the Harmony Gold legal issues making it hard for yamato to officially support the overseas buyer for Macross products?) It's just those outside japan who buy first releases that get screwed isn't it? (and these are toy modders and people that actually like pulling stuff apart and applying fixes and stuff) For the rest of us who are outside japan: wait for the rich kids' toy reviews before making an order and there shouldn't be any hassle. And anyway Graham has mentioned somewhere deep within the bowels of the forum that some new QC guy has been hired so things might be brighter for future "first release" guinea pigs. Urgh don't ask me to find it, but trust me, he said it. So lets just withhold judgement for now. Hopefully this means no fragility or major first release goofs in future? (You could always sell your first release on ebay for cheap and then with the money go and buy a second release if you are not happy)

I have been looking at pics of it and it looks pretty good. Instead of reading 1000000+ pages of text which is scattered in various threads about the toy, I created this thread to ask: Issues! (1) What are some of the loose, floppy, annoying bits that plague it if any? Last I heard this had no QC issues and was safe for us overseas buyers to risk buying over the ivanov. (2) Any dangerous stages in the transformation to look out for (similar to having to be careful with the backpack hinge on 1/48 yamato? Or the nubs which can break off or stress of the konig monster? ) If there are any, have you got some pics to show me what is fragile/scary enough to warrant attention on the first attempt trying to transform it? (3) Should I just wait for the 2nd release ivanov or the new Cannon Fodder SV-51 instead? Will there be any further changes improvements in those? (4) And lastly: why is the SV-51 so loved? It doesn't look realistic imo to have these beefy missiles hanging off the skinny wings like that. Is Kawamori crazy? Will the wing joint loosen over time to have it in hang in battroid mode with missiles attached? Just looks so damn scary! Like it might go limp. (I'm referring to the pic in battroid mode where the wings are hanging out)

But the later releases have fixes to them don't they? Was the home for you or for the valks though?

Toyntoys doesn't have it on their site anymore. Must have been scared by all the negative comments..

That's why they have the funny sounds (which you press a button to activate) built into the toys now I bet.

Sounds cool. But given the prices I probably wouldn't buy it. If the YF-21 had perfect grade "internal skeleton" details or 1/48 style FAST PACK internal detail where clear covers makes a difference, then yeah of course. Because you can appreciate what's inside it with clear plastic. But isn't it hollow? The only thing you'd notice is the pilot in his rotated seat. They should focus on other things like giving us a glowing pin point barrier magnet which sticks to the arm shields. All it would be is a green circle that sticks to the shield for battroid mode. There should also be a "green fist" to recreate the pin point barrier punch in the robot brawl in the anime.

The toynami needs to be rereleased with fixes. Make these newer ones "non-masterpiece editions" and treat the other ones with the special box as similar to "low visibility limited releases".

I love classic mirage too. Just the wheels sticking behind him ruins it. It would have been good if they hang pointing towards the floor like the wheels of those transforming bikes in bubblegum crisis. Dinobots are the exception: as long as in the cartoon they show them as primitive warriors whose beast mode makes them scary, then I'm all for 'animals'. But normal animals have never appealed to me for some reason. Classics grimlock is one of my favourite classics toys. The tail articulation is great. Ruined a little bit by short arms.

Love the covers on the back of the leg and how they flip out. When is yamato going to make some bubblegum crisis 2032 mecha like the k12, and that thing priss used which transformed her bike into a aliens-style power loader? Do they have the license?

Yep thanks for the pics. Good to hear no shoulder problems. *prays this translates into no hip breakage or shoulder breakage for vf-11 if it ever comes out*

Well I believe they'd just do what they did with 1/48 wouldn't they? Some are stand alone, others with FP. And for those who want to buy seperate (or extra FP to put on non-FP valks in the tv series) they will release a seperate FP parts? Hopefully the boxes are tiny.

I believe it depends on how desperate you are to have it. For example I am not desperate to own all the master piece transformer toys despite being cheaper than yamato valks, but that doesn't mean the MP are not "worth" what you pay for them. Worth to you as a fan varies from person to person. Like a music CD might not be worth the price you pay at retail for it but if you could get it cheap you might be tempted to buy it. Your desire to own something might change (look at the low visibility vf-1 for example) depending on whether the item is easy or hard to come by. (eg I bought the Qrau because I am a fan of the armour, but know it isn't really "worth" the high price compared to the transforming valkyrie toys which are loaded with gimmicks and detail. But because it is the only enemy mecha, I wanted to jump at the chance to buy it as support for more of that to appear.) Some people have 1 expensive hobby, others have many and if you have other interests you might not be willing to put all he money towards a bunch of toys. What I do is sacrifice one thing I like for another thing I like and only purchase the must have items. (I have no completist collector desire) Then wait for prices to drop. (regardless of whether it is affordable it makes good sense to be patient and buy stuff when it goes on sale: many games I buy for example are cheap more because of the age and time I purchased them more than their "worth" as a good game) So instead of having a Cell phone, I might view it as non-essential and just not have one. Wanting to upgrade the computer? Just go without a new upgrade. Fuel expenses? Maybe ride your bike! Like to eat fancy Food? Just go without it. Need to buy clothes? Stop wearing expensive labels for 1 year. heheh.. So you trade one luxury for another luxury. Sure a toy just sits there to collect dust, but so does a trophy, a family photo, a painting you frame on the wall, books that you haven't read in years that you've collected throughout the years and many other things. But people find personal worth in them. Maybe like with comic book it has something to do with rareness of the issue, or maybe part of it is to do with reliving their childhood (adults out to collect old star wars figures) or something else: like people who have amassed a large stamp collection. For some it is as simple as "I'm a fan of this show" and they have lots of money so the high cost doesn't bother them much. All of this stuff is 'worth' something to those people that value it for whatever personal reason. And because taste varies you tend to spend the amount of money based on this materialistic 'desperation' level to own it. At the end of the day, how much it is worth is dependent on how big a fan of something you are. ie I'm not a HUGE fan of starwars or transformers so I can live without them, regardless of the high quality of the item itself. But it's different for macross: there was once a time when toys were hard to come by so it must be that people are used to paying high price for stuff and so this 'desperation' level to obtain toys is upped a few notches. Maybe it should be nicknamed the "low visibility" effect which would have a double meaning: 1. the item isn't easy to find, so asking price is upped, due to low visibility, and (2) the item refers to the limited quantity of the LV toy, which suddenly makes the diehard collectors want to pay good money to exclusively feel they have "the complete collection" over their rival collectors as bragging rights to feel special)

Not as much as small chest boobs in battroid mode for the legios. It reminds me of revoltech optimus prime with his tiny truck windows. The manboobs signify strength!

Thanks for the scans graham. Looking at it closer has helped. Great some GERWALK pics. The needle nose doesn't bother all that much compared to the chest intakes. I have rewatched a bit of mospeada and in the anime the legs are not always bulky and chunky but actually quite slim. (could they have been influenced more by this than lineart accuracy I wonder? Like how superposables and revoltechs are changed in body proportion to make the figure more like a comic book artist's own interpretation of the mecha?) The main advantage of the CMs is how it will end up being something that is sturdy enough to transform and handle. Those happy with toynami, good for you. But personally one of the reasons I won't buy that has to do with the fear of breaking it while transforming it. Argh.....I just wished that the aoshima one didn't have the QC issues... Just as I view the Valkyrie as a fighter plane first and a robot second, (therefore I don't mind it being skinny in robot mode) I look at the legios as a robot first that transforms into a plane. It's just the blocky nature of the body that gives me that impression. I've always felt the battroid mode just looks tough and heavy (sort of like a destroid) compared to the valkyrie. (that is when it isn't using GBP) That's one of the main reasons why I like the look of the toynami version since it feels like a robot from the 80s, where the blocky body was part of the appeal of the mecha. Hopefully we see more toys made of the legios and tread in the future.

I've just been in the mood to rewatch mospeada again after seeing all these toys. The Beagle looks the best. The CMs has me the most interested (PT) so far. The MH seems to look the "most ready" judging by all the pics seen. (great posability!) Toynami - I'm scared it will fall apart but we'll see. Someone (a rich guy) has to buy all of them to compare side by side and post a review. And YES the suggestion of another company attempting legioss and tread sounds like a very good idea. CMs made the chest bits a little too small. (almost like how yamato makes tiny hands hehe) Yamato doing that would be great idea, but don't they already have their hands full with macross and megazone 23? I was so hoping aoshima would be the high qaulity version of the toynami If no one else makes the Legios and tread I will probably eventually cough up the dough to get the CMs but given all the yamato macross toys...I might just wait and see what happens. (maybe they drop the price?) And does anyone feel the characters look really anorexic on the MH? Almost like they did it on purpose because of all the armour they put on? Poor guys must strain under all that weight to carry the armour..

I actually like the default grey used for the anime. Maybe yamato can make a custom heatshield (skull squadron) of the vf-11? Don't forget the one important thing missing from the 1/72 version: The ability for the wings to be fully swung outward.

Woot great scan of the belly of the beast. Please let it be prob free like nora. Reasons why we always complain: -shipping -can't get replacement pieces like megazone 23 toys (hg issue) -toys are generally more expensive than toys from bigger companies (hard to justify for poor ppl) thus QC has to be good enough for us outside japan to take the risk of first release. Those gimmicks like the PT landing gear, and finally being able to put the gunpods in the samurai skirt armor/belly plate is a major improvement from the original 1/72 toy. Hands don't look too bad either! Whoever asked about head turning: how on earth are you going to do this when it is inside that hood thingie? Would seem a bit hard to try to manipulate this.