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TheLoneWolf

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  1. TheLoneWolf

    Hi-Metal R

    TheLoneWolf replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    I completely agree. Incorporating an internal heatshield and landing gears will mean more complex mechanisms that will need to be manufactured, which will probably increase the MSRP. And, not only could these changes make the toy more expensive, but it might also increase the risk of it breaking, since it's such a small scale. The only safe changes I'd like to see would be a fix for the crooked gunpod in fighter mode, reinforced ankles, upscaled TV pilots (they're way too small), and a new VF-1S head. I don't think any of these would jeopardize the toy's infrastrusture nor significantly increase its cost.
  2. TheLoneWolf

    Hi-Metal R

    TheLoneWolf replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    I'll start worrying about Arcadia when Bandai actually releases an old-school product (hello Hi-Metal YF-21), and if that product sells well (and hello to you too, original Hi-Metal toys).
  3. TheLoneWolf

    Hi-Metal R

    TheLoneWolf replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    There never was a mass produced Milia Hi-Metal, not even as a web exclusive. If Bandai does pull the trigger this time, it'll be a first. The Milia from EXO's photos looks like it's a repainted Hikaru VF-1J, as there are lots of instances of white plastic showing beneath the red paint. As others have noticed, Bandai never made TV style arm armor for the Hi-Metals. The web exclusive Super/Strike Armor sets that were sold separately were DYRL style. Though Bandai did include TV style stickers, in case buyers were determined to equip them on TV valks anyway. It wasn't an ideal solution, but since the Hi-Metals were supposed to be mid-range toys, I'm not surprised Bandai cut a few corners.
  4. TheLoneWolf

    3P SD VF-1S

    TheLoneWolf replied to skullmilitia's topic in Toys

    I'm with bbrain on this one; we've already got enough chibi VF-1's on the market. If I'm going to be tempted to buy a new one, then it'll have to be a bona fide home run. This one comes close, but the long wings and lack of landing gears make it a pass for me.
  5. TheLoneWolf

    Hi-Metal R

    TheLoneWolf replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    OMFG!! I never thought I'd see the day the Hi-Metal line returns! I've always a big fan of this underrated toy line. I'm not going to buy the Roy, Hikaru, and Max VF's since I've already got them, but the rest are instant pre-orders for me, no matter how much they cost. I hope the line succeeds this time around for the sake of the Zentradi mecha. 1/100 might just be the best fit for them in terms of scale and budgets.
  6. TheLoneWolf
    I seem to remember a while ago that Graham said that Big West's toy licenses are indeed scale exclusive*. It's a good business practice too, because as a licensor, it's in Big West's best financial interest to provide their licensees with a ripe market to exploit. If Big West allowed licensees to produce toys in any scale and from any show that they wished, that would pit licensees in direct competition with each other. While that situation could benefit fans in terms of quality and cost, it would cut into the licensees net profits, which would deter other companies from doing business with Big West in the future. *As jenius mentioned earlier, we don't know how long these licenses last. They could be perpetual, which would be unusual, or they could be limited-term.
  7. TheLoneWolf
    Ah, I see what you're saying. I agree that Arcadia's license probably isn't a perpetual license, and that technically anything could happen when it expires. But the fact that Yamato's VF-1 license seamlessly transferred over to Arcadia is very telling. Generally, licenses are non-transferable (even in the event of bankruptcy) unless permission is granted by the licensor. If Bandai had any aspirations for that license, Yamato's liquidation would've been an opportune time to make a move. Since Yamato "retained" that license having it transferred to Arcadia, that tells me that a) Big West was pleased with Yamato's handling on the VF-1 license and wanted to continue their business relationship, or b) there was little interest from outside parties (ie: Bandai).
  8. TheLoneWolf
    I don't see Big West terminating their SDFM/DYRL 1/60 VF-1 license with Arcadia in order to sell it to Bandai. If Japanese law is anything like American law, Big West would be at fault for a breach of contract with Arcadia, and the financial penalties would most likely be severe. Plus, after the failures of Bandai's 1/55 Origin of Valkyrie and 1/100 Hi-Metal toys, I can't see Bandai wanting to revisit old-school Macross toys. Releasing modern Macross toys is paying dividends and I see Bandai sticking with that formula for the foreseeable future.
  9. TheLoneWolf
    Nothing to see hear. Those model kits are being sold by a private seller, not by Amazon directly. It'd be no different if I sold Macross kits through my personal eBay account.
  10. TheLoneWolf
    If Tenjin did make any remarks concerning the Makuros, it'd probably be best if those comments weren't publicized, since he provides artwork for Licensed Third Party products.
  11. TheLoneWolf
    Ah, I see what you're trying to do now, my mistake. Actually, there's already a battroid conversion kit for Hasegawa's YF-19. Check it out below. http://gokigenn.exblog.jp/i8/ Regrettably, its proportions look a little wonky to me. And if you keep scrolling down, it looks like very little was recycled from the stock YF-19; most of the parts look like they were scratch built for the conversion. I don't know if that was purely an aesthetic choice, or if the sculptor felt there was no other way to pull it off.
  12. TheLoneWolf
    Those kits are in two completely different classes. I've built Bandai's 1/100 VF-19 Kai and its fighter mode is very poor. While its details are average, there are lots of noticable gaps and the leg attachment is an eyesore. Battroid mode is what this kit does best. If you sand down the battroid's torso and apply a nice paint job, it could actually look decent. Something else to note is that the stock stickers are awful. They're made of foil, and pretty thick too. Here are some good pics of this kit. Though, it's a straight build; no paint or detailing was applied (aside from the stickers). http://www.geocities.jp/lifezoids/VF-19.htm While I don't have Hasegawa's 1/72 YF-19 kit, I doubt any of Bandai's 1/100 parts would fit, even with a good amount of kitbashing.
  13. TheLoneWolf
    Good to hear you, Valk! What, no IRC mention? Tochiro, I didn't think the audio was a problematic at all.
  14. TheLoneWolf
    No, because even though the 1/48 line is dead, it could lead to confusion in the marketplace. I can see some unscrupulous sellers peddling knock-offs to unsuspecting customers as genuine Yamatos. And even if the knock-offs came with their own distinctive packaging, I'm sure some sellers would use knock-off parts in genuine Yamatos, and then pass them off as 100% genuine. eBay is flooded with Frankensteined 1/55's, I'd hate to see something similar happen to the 1/48's.
  15. TheLoneWolf
    Judging by some of the responses in this thread, I don't think that's the case. Personally, I don't give any weight to the TF community's usage of "third-party," because they don't use it consistently, nor with much accuracy. Yes, it's just semantics, but I think our community values such distinctions. After all, folks here are quick to correct newcomers who use "Macross" and "Robotech" interchangeably. Newtype78, your posts took the thoughts right out of my head. If it helps, when referring to the third-party products, such as Master Made's, I use "unlicensed third-party", or UTP. When it comes to your Captain America cup, I call it a "licensed third-party" product, or LTP. And if it's a product for which no license is generally required, such as cell phone cases, then I use "general third-party," or GTP.
  16. TheLoneWolf
    I completely agree that it's hard to say what will, or what won't, ever be released. I think if an unlicensed third-party agreed to avoid anything that was made in the past 5 years, that that would be one small step in the right direction. Actually, according to one of the pictures on your website, it looks like Calibre Toys may be releasing a super deformed SDF-1 figurine as part of its Robotech Anniversary line (the SDF-1 is just a white silhouette on the placard). It's also supposed to be released in October 2014, the same month that Master Made's super deformed SDF-1 is scheduled to be released. While Master Made's SD SDF-1 is in a completely separate class than Calibre Toys' offering, there's no doubt that MM's product will diminish CT's impact. Additionally, CT will be releasing SD VF-1's separately, which MM is including with their SD SDF-1. While I never had any intention of picking up Calibre Toys' products, it still sucks for them that their timing coincides with Master Made's superior toys. Not to mention that Calibre Toys was founded by one of own members, Noel.
  17. TheLoneWolf
    I could support an unlicensed third-party toy, but only if it's reasonable to conlude that the lawful rights holder(s) has no intention of exploiting that particular work in the forseeable future. A perfect example of this would be the VF-2SS from Macross II, which Yamato/Arcadia has repeatedly shot down.
  18. TheLoneWolf
    As listed in the Compedium, this was the first video release.
  19. TheLoneWolf
    Harmony Gold probably told Creavision that at the very least, once Warner Bros.' live-action film rights expire, that they (Harmony Gold) will no longer be contractually obligated to block Robotech: Valkyrie Project. In other words, expect Robotech: Valkyrie Project part 3 to be released in another four years.
  20. TheLoneWolf
    And so the list of failed animated Robotech projects grows by one. Robotech the Movie: The Untold Story Robotech II: The Sentinels Robotech 3000 Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles and now... Robotech Academy I have to admit, when this Kickstarter was first announced, I thought that it would meet its goal. While I have no faith in Team Robotech to produce any worthwhile stories, I thought that nostalgia and fan ignorance would be enough to move this project forward. Thankfully, I was proven wrong. Even though die-hard Robotech fans may not realize it, the failure of this project means that Team Robotech won't be able to misuse fan money on a disastrous project. If Team Robotech wants to produce any more half-baked projects, it'll have to be on their own dime, as it should be. If Kevin McKeever truly has any marketing acumen, he'll use this episode as a potentially valuable tool for data mining. He should find out why this Kickstarter performed so poorly, whereas Palladium's Robotech Kickstarter was a resounding success. As we all know, the truth won't be pretty, but if Team Robotech truly loves the franchise as much as they profess, they'll use the data gathered to rectify the numerous weaknesses that caused Robotech Academy to fail. Though I wouldn't hold my breath.
  21. TheLoneWolf
    Honestly, I don't feel too bad for them. To me, it looks like a circumstance created by complacency and apathy. They've voluntarily chosen to remain employed at Harmony Gold and collect an easy paycheck, in exchange for producing relatively little work. Nothing's been stopping them from looking for more challenging work elsewhere.
  22. TheLoneWolf
    Nice work, thanks for posting it!
  23. TheLoneWolf
    I hope it's 1/60 because it'll scale perfectly with my Yamatos. Plus, being an ultra-niche toy, it'll probably be expensive. Scaling it up to something like 1/48 would make it even more expensive.
  24. TheLoneWolf
    I always suspected that was one of the factors involved. Like you said, Hollywood's legal departments are only human. If Warner Bros. had a legitimate reason to mistrust Harmony Gold (fanboy posts on the web don't count), I'm sure WB's attorneys would've researched Harmony Gold's rights thoroughly. While Harmony Gold probably made a healthy profit off WB's eagerness, that boon may come back to haunt them in the future. When WB's rights expire, they may caution other studios about the legal complications involved in making a live-action Robotech movie.
  25. TheLoneWolf
    Ouch, Tommy Yune just blatently invalidated what Kevin McKeever wrote on RT.com just five days ago. Either this is a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or Team Robotech is already losing faith. Any way you cut it, this is not a healthy looking Kickstarter. jenius, thanks for those updates!
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