peolesdru

Oooo... Sounds risky. I can't endorse such an action.

Man, I don't even know the "tailfin trick" Have any links to it?

What's with the white text on a white background. Kind of hard to read.

I put up transformation videos for my recently acquired Yamato 1/60 VF-11B

Fighter to Battroid:

Battroid to Fighter:

Have fun!

Here's my new 11B shot in my home-made lightbox. Just starting out, so be gentle. I also plan to do a "How to Transform" video for the 11B, to add to my series on YouTube.

it's tight but there is.

just make sure the part that lifts the cockpit up is slid back (the "up" position)

so it looks like this on the inside.

the slide in the cockpit pod in the direction the arrow is pointing; first down and forward...

then pus the back part strait down.

then just slide the little gray lifting piece forward to lower the cockpit pod all the way.

and viola! heat shield deployed with no tools.

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou

I've got lots of video transformation guides over at YouTube - just look up "peolesdru"

Shouldn't this go in the Transformers thread, rather than the "YF-21 FAST packs" thread?

PS--thanks for the video, I should be getting my YF-21 next week.

You're welcome. And correct - we slipped wayyy off-topic. and Viz: You have definitely out-geeked me, my hat's off to you, sir.

You, sir, are a champion rationalizer. Being one myself, I can respect that quality in others. Personally, I blew a gasket in my rationalization gland when the Star Wars prequel movies came out and it hasn't fully recovered.

But I could buy that - let's say the spaceship computer (Teletran 1?) looked around and assumed that the vehicles were the actual inhabitants. Or at least the chosen alt modes of the local inhabitants. Teletran doesn't realised, based on it's assumptions, that F-15 jets are never purple - it just figures each vehicle would be an individual, so surely they all have their own style so purple shouldn't be an issue based on that. Based on its assessment, it figures that the denizens of this planet are just even MORE into having identical alt modes (like the Cybertronian seekers do) which would explain why it didn't simply make Prime *any* wheeled vehicle or Skywarp *anything* with wings.

I'm just having trouble with the idea that Teletran didn't realize there would be humans around to see through the disguises and yet assumed that the presumptive highly advanced mechanical life forms were too stupid to see through the charade. And also there's nothing (I recall) to indicate that there are *any* non-transforming vehicles on Cybertron. They're all alt modes. And Prime always transforms into the same alt mode - are we to believe the Decepticons were powerless to simply look for his alt mode driving around and attack it? And I thought only Lucas could come up with plot holes that big.

Peolesdru totally agree with you. If hasbro put at much effort into the jets as they do the car robots (all the movie toys have good alt modes and let's even mention the alternator and binaltechs which go for the model look) we could have had the f22 looking like what you see in the movie.

Jets don't seem to be their thing.

The thing I do like about the TF though, is how some robots purposely don't look humanoid but more like parts put together that may approximate the human. Battle 7 in macross 7 is an example of something looking too humanoid to my taste. And the faces on the valkyrie you see on the custom vf-19 aren't really that great. Compared that to brawl in transformers animated movie: he is basically a hulking mass with loads of guns all over his body to remind you that he is a walking robot weapon not a humanoid robot holding weapons and trying to follow the human form closely. (which imo isn't necessary considering these are just living alien beings with mechanical bodies who shouldn't be close to us in appearance. ie aliens don't have to have two legs, two arms, 1 head. They might 4 legs, claws, buglike eyeballs, wear armor plating unique to their body like how we have unique fingerprints, a tail etc)

A crawling alien like scorponok might have survived for millions of years using it's low profile to survive a desert planet environment. If it natively had an upright humanoid form, then that mode might only ruin its method of preying on its enemy, just as a snake is useful as hiding in the grass by slithering under cover. It's still a robot, just not humanoid. In fact I like optimus prime a lot better if he just didn't have a mouth. If the cyborgs in gits can communicate to each other without using it, why not aliens? It's just a cartoon, but robots that don't have to follow a humanoid shape (just an approximation of it) is what I like. It's just more interesting that way imo.

As I've just pointed out, Takara at least managed to get it right when it came to MP Starscream. Even Classics Starscream is a decent design. My fantasy is that the next movie will strongly feature Starscream (pretty likely), and they'll make a leader-class toy of him (fairly likely) and in the process decide to skip the electronic crap and make the thing like a Yamato (zero chance).

I don't think there's a good reason for robots to have humanoid form unless they are interacting with actual humans. So in Macross we have these jets that turn into giant mechs. The only real purpose to their humanoid form is because it looks cool in a show and the audience can easily relate to humanoid mechs. Same thing with Transfomers - they're all sort of knocking on the fourth wall when it comes to the rationalization for being humanoid.

There's a lot of fanboys that gripe about the Transformers movie but there's plenty of holes to punch in the whole underlying mythology. Why do they disguise themselves if they're going to constantly turn into humanoid form to duke it out while the humans run away screaming? Hell, in the cartoons the Decepticons hardly ever even bothered using their alt modes as a disguise.

Like that would work anyway. "Holy cow, is that a Decepticon?" "Nah, it's just a PURPLE F-15" "Oh, ok then. Whew." And it's a bit of a stretch to believe that any of the combatants are fooled for one micro-cycle (if you will) by any of the disguises. Also, if they're sentient robots why the hell do they turn into human-scaled vehicles when they're on Cybertron? If I wanted to avoid Decepticons on Cybertron, I'd turn into gleaming roadway or something. Or a weird spire thingy.

Oh well - the biggest hole I can poke in the movie, by the way, is this: If the Decepticons had been smart enough to just BID on Sam's glasses then Sam would have happily packaged them up and mailed them to them! There are more holes of course - it wouldn't be a Michael Bay movie without them. (Remember the spinning space station in Armageddon? How the hell was the artificial gravity oriented along the axis of rotation? The axis of rotation would have ZERO gravity. Ugh!) They're still fun movies though.

And I agree with you - the Decepticon forms are the best ones in the movie - they're all kind of creepy and mis-proportioned and ungainly. Like Bonecrusher - very clever design. I only wish they'd made a larger toy of him. I guess if you're not shaped like a human you join up with the Decepticons. Makes membership in the Autobots look like a beauty contest in a way: "No way buddy. Your arms are way too long. Off to the Decepticons with you!"

Have you seen the masterpiece series transformers from takara? Check out their skywarp/starscream/thundercracker.. very good designs

http://flickr.com/photos/7834016@N02/2224170312/sizes/o/

Come on now. I did mention I have internet, right?

I of course have Masterpiece Prime, Masterpiece Starscream (see Takara, you CAN make a good jet!) and Masterpiece Megatron. My next video will probably be on Megatron, since he gives people fits. I remember seeing a color guide drawing of what seemed to be a MP Megatron with a tank alt mode. It was fascinating because it appeared the treads were folded over on the lower legs in robot mode in such a way that it would be the first tank transformer in history with working treads in tank mode. Man I sure wish they'd make that thing.

Edit: I just remembered that the old deluxe go-bot tank actually had working treads, but he didn't have any knees as a result so I figure it doesn't count completely.

Peoles, just noticed your from winchester, my parents own a log cabin up in the Winchester mountains. I'm shocked a macross fan lives up that way

Technically - and I hope I don't get shunned by this forum for this - I'm not a "Macross fan", but rather a "transforming toy fan". You'll perhaps notice that I don't post anywhere but the toys section here: because I have nothing to contribute to any other discussion. I will say, however, that I like the driving premise behind the designs: these are supposed to be real planes that convert to practical humanoid forms and are specifically for warfighting. Very cool. Also I saw "Robotech" back when I was a kid. (Now I'll really get shunned!)

Out here in the boonies (we only have 2 Targets, 2 Walmarts and a single TosRUs! We live like animals, I tell you!) I might have never known about Yamato and their wonderful toys but for Al Gore's amazing inter-web-a-tron. My first Yamato was a YF-19 (the second release, with "anime colors" - it's blue), followed by a 21, an 11, the 1/48 VF-1, the "new and improved" 21 (1/72), then the 1/60 19, the SV-51 and now the newer and even more improved 1/60 YF-21.

Yamato makes birds way better than HasTak. If you want to be amused, look up the new Transformers Universe Silverbolt. It is either a robot with a plane for a backpack or a plane with a robot strapped onto the bottom. And although somewhat an extreme example of the type - it is the quintessence of the Hasbro transforming plane design philosophy - all of their planes are much the same: looks like a plane from the top, looks like s**t from the side. Also reference the horrible missed opportunity that was the Movie Starscream toy. *shudder*. Nothing satisfies that airplane turning into a humanoid craving quite like a Yammie. Apparently we can all look forward to Hasbro screwing up an SR-71 Blackbird next year, if the rumors hold true.

I'll get the new 1/60 VF-1S when funds permit and look very much forward to a newer, bigger 11. Also it would be just super if Yamato would make something completely new (well, besides the 51...).

I checked your videos before I transformed my YF-19FP for the first time, and it helped a lot. Thank you

Sometimes it really matters how you handle your Yamato while transforming

That's very cool. I've had the 19 for so long I thought I was just doing some catch-up on my video series (and satisfying a request from LowViz). It's nice to know it turned out to be timely.

Thanks for the assist again, LowViz.

I'll be happy to do a video for the 1/60 VF-1, just as soon as someone buys me one.

For anyone who's interested:

I vote chartreuse.

Because peolesdru has been cool enough to give us a bunch of very insightful transformation videos, it's only fair that I respond to his one simple request (with COLOR PICS!!).

Much appreciated! I think I've never seen that hole because I didn't realize the leg had a joint there and THAT would be because I never bother with gerwalk mode.

A few observations after futzing around with my second YF-21:

Your SECOND YF-21??? Well, la-dee-da!

By the way, my video on fastpacks is up, as promised. I started another thread for it.

Here's my video on the topic of applying and removing the FastPacks on the YF-21:

It's not too hard when you get used to it. I'll try to put up a video tonight.

Can someone take or link to a picture of this pinhole on the knee they talk about? I'll be damned if I can see any such thing. What am I missing, here?

Picked up mine yesterday and spent a good long time examining and transforming it (with the help of dru's awesome video guide) and i really love this bad boy. I got it in a cool ascending pose on the display stand (kinda like the shot of the jets from the intro to RahXephon)

On a side note. I cant seem to get the lower back part (the part that slides) flush with the rest of the plane. Any ideas to get it down?

Thanks. As far as I can tell, it doesn't go completely flush. You can lock down the nacelles to some extent, but it never seems to be completely flush - although it is very nearly so.

However, I do have a couple of small problems with it. The first is similiar to the problem I have with SV-51r: I have trouble hiding the hands in fighter mode (maybe it's just mine).

The second is the rear landing gear don't lock into place in the 'landing gear down' position which was a problem mentioned by Graham in his review. Other than those things everything else is spot on.

Hey, no problem when you roll it forward!

For skinny robots it's hard though.

I'm handling my transformers Leader Class Brawl right now and loving the ratchet joints on the hips. Click click click. And they can do the same range of motion that a balljoint on a yamato would do.

..So I do still think it is possible to have good poseability and clicky joints (well at least on fat chunky robots) but that since the robot modes of valks are generally skinny, it would spoil the look of the robot and people would complain about ugly joints appearing in robot mode.

Can't have it all I guess....

I don't know - the voyager Animated Megatron is just the latest example something with very small click joints.

That's good news. How are the hands? Do they feel brittle and wobbly when holding the guns?

No. The hands are fantastic. I still have little pieces of paper stuffed into the wrist joints of my 1/48 VF-1. While the 19 and the 51 didn't suffer from that, the hands were still fugly. The 21's hands are the way hands should be.

Thanks for the videos. Could you do a fighter to gearwalk video?

To be honest, I don't think I've put any of them in gerwalk mode, with the exception of the 1/48 VF-1. Sorry to say, just not a fan of gerwalk mode.