jenius

I'm really glad the heat shield is gray and not black. Would have been interesting if it were a Stealth skull squad valk... As for the eye piece, I don't think I mind the lack of color there. Maybe if it were yellow? I dunno. All in all, as of right now I like it slightly better than the camo LV but I don't find either really jumps out at me. I can't wait to have them in front of me to really compare though. [sarcasm]What really would have sold me on this valk would have been if they could only find a way to put it in a bigger box. You know, they were on the right track with the 1/60 Elint and Super Ostrich which had several inches of useless plastic. I think they just tried way too hard to cram this thing into a tight spot. [/sarcasm] I'm seriously going to have to sell my luggage so I have somewhere to store this thing.

i am going to get piss drunk and watch it in the theater with a bunch of piss drunk friends and it will be hilarious... even if it's not.

Gooo - you want the aliens to talk to each other? I like the thought that the Alien are really intelligent and kind of sense what needs to be done (like in Resurrection where they kill one of the Aliens in a cell so his blood will burn through the floor and they can escape) but I don't like the notion of them chatting at all. The Predators? Definitley (although I think they should be very quiet for the most part too). This script sounds like everything it should not be. Why not remake Aliens but instead have a squad of Predators show up. Focus on a few survivors of the colony trying to reach the last means of escape on a far side of the base while avoiding both aliens and using their skirmishes as diversions. How does a Predalien make sense? When an alien jumps out of a human it's just an alien not an alienuman.

very bay area if i'm not mistaken. i'm pretty sure i recognize that view. Tis definitely wedding season, i had to rent two tuxes this weekend. congrats! all looks very nice.

I would say so. Then again, if they stopped making new Macross would that be the end of Macross? Yes, but only in one way. I think since we have seen two new games, a rehashing of the DVDs, new comics, and several lines of toys in near history Robotech is more alive now than it has been. They might be trying to ink some deal that also includes merchandising rights of some sort and other craziness and maybe that's the hold-up. Maybe things can't get penned until there's officially a Shadow Chronicles video game in the works or some suchness. There's definitely something afoot here but it doesn't necessarily spell disaster. As George W Bush might say, perhaps this is all a case of "strategery."

Wasn't ADV going under or something like that?

for you guys with the 1/100 takas... sell them to me! I hate you so much.

That isn't quite right. The storyI heard was that they went to find funding and got nothing but hesitation. Still, they were convinced there was more money to be made from Robotech so they pulled enough funding to make an OVA. If the OVA does well they think it shouldn't be difficult to acquire funding from the folks who hesitated the first time around and then make an entire series, or, at the very least, follow-up OVAs. Obviously this isn't like Sentinels where they had funding and then had it yanked leaving behind only a few completed episodes that they then spliced together into an OVA. What this might be more akin to is Robotech 3000. That was a project that I think was due to become an OVA and never came to fruition. However, we've already seen more screen caps and animation then we ever got of Robotech 3K. I think these additional pics must be an indication that progress is still being made... if not very slowly. Yes, this project is already a year late. The Prelude comic was supposed to have the last episode come out like a week before the OVA did. That way there you could read the comics and then buy the OVA and not sit there wondering why some of the major Robotech characters are back and others aren't. It also satisfied the people who enjoyed the Sentinels since it seems like the OVA won't go anywhere near that storyline... it has concluded in the comics.

Damn dude, that's harsh. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he's not done with it yet. He's also working with wood... maybe he has a buddy that will do some engraving for him at some point. Even if it has no detail, he made a friggin' SDF out of wood! Do the aircraft carriers have elevators in their decks?

He said the head's funky because he used a recast one.

That thing looks like the old Arii 15th aniversary macross toys.

You know, back when I worked on cars there was a rule. The rule was that all show vehicles should have three distinct colors. I can't tell too well from the picture but I think you're sporting a silver and purple (decals) but are missing the trim. Now, if you have a softer silver being used as trim my monitor probably just isn't picking it up. Of course, that rule was not a be-all end-all rule. Lots of people prefer the simpler two-tone approach. The original LV has light gray, dark gray/black, and light blue as its three colors. I think yours would maybe benefit from a silverish glossy and a different silver tone flat. You could incorporate that second tone along the chest and heat shield. I totally do not mean to diss what you've done, it's great work, I'm just throwing out some suggestions worth only what they cost.

Missing deadlines is a god-given right of the toy industry. Changing your mind without a moment's notice is also a god-given right to the toy industry (and women). It would seem yamato is just exercising their rights. Still, it will take them quite some time to perfect Toynami's ability to completely miscalculate release dates- Pet Peeve number 429 - People who spam eagerly watched threads with posts like "yeah whatever..."

My 2 cents (worth nothing, off vague recollection): 1) The mech designs were nice but needed a bit more face time, especially the metal siren. That's not to say it wasn't on screen enough but more to say that when the show was over I couldn't accurately visualize what some of the mechs had looked like. Usually this is because, when the mech is on screen, it's zipping around and involved in such flurries that I don't get to truly appreciate it's aesthetics. This probably relates to the limited episode count. 2) The dub is BAD. There are scenes where people have HUGE pauses for no apparent reason. The old report will tell Hibiki something like "You... don't know... what... it's like out... there." Seriously dude, spit it out. 3) The ending - been there, done that, thank you for adding nothing compelling. At least Ingues was a big departure... oh wait, no he was almost the exact same villain as the DYRL villain and he was doing almost the exact same thing. In DYRL the SDF-1 is beat up from the final assualt.. the big difference in MacII is that it's almost entirely destroyed. Not a big enough difference in my book. 4) How dumb was the whole Hibiki being a reporter who gets an enemy emulator plot? Ouch, that was painfully bad. Not quite Basara bad, but still super bad. 5) The Metal Siren was TOO cool. It was the typical invincible super mech that shows up and saves the day. Granted, it didn't entirely save the day but still, it seemed nearly capable. "Transforming from Battloid to God mode!" MacII is better than Mac7 so anyone who thinks Kawamori was needed can sit on it and spin. I feel like I enjoy all of Macross but the only two shows I would tell any casual cartoon fan they NEED to see out of the Macross universe are the original TV series and DYRL. Everything since has been pretty iffy (except the mech designs which, with the exception of the Mac7 sound force, have been GREAT).

Dude, Kevin needs to write a book after this whole legal mess settles and describe this "treachery" as I, and I'm sure many others, am genuinely intrigued! Honestly, I pick on people all the time for using the RPG statistics as anything meaningful in relation to the cartoons it is derived from but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy leafing through my own copies of those books. Even when the art seemed off to me I enjoyed it for being someone else's perspective on it. As an accountant who has seen many horrible things happen to intelligent companies my heart really goes out to this group. I hate to see someone forced ot sell their prized possessions, I hate to see someone forced to go public with their dirty laundry, but I very much respect his love for his craft enough to do both. Good luck to the crew at Palladium. I see RT.com has a new poll for members about this very situation.

I don't know how I feel about the paint scheme but it looks like the job was impeccably done. Really impressive stuff, not a drip or smudge to speak of.

I'm gonna ignore the whole fire aspect of this thread. I'm gonna stick to the "what's your most prized toy?" Limiting to one is damn near impossible. My first BIG purchase was a perfect condition Taka SDF-1 though... I think that gives it a special significance to me.

CFs can be found ultra cheap right now. $130 should be a pretty easy mark to find them at.

Didn't we used to have a "Look at the deal I scored on eBay" thread? Somethin' like that. I think it might also fit the "auctions of great absurdity" thread too. Either way you are a lucky man. I still have yet to transform my YF-19... I'd buy one for $50 just so I could see in person what it looks like in jet mode!

Usually, yes, but in the 1/48 world it doesn't seem to matter. Since the later editions have obvious improvements it kind of counters the "rareness" factor of the first editions. Another good example of this is the M+ YF-19. The first edition seems equal in price to the 1.5 and 2nd editions. Some day, way down the road, the 1st editions will probably all appreciate a bit better than the reissues. Buying 1/48s as an investment is a very bad idea though with Yamato being so willing to offer reissues.

Uh, Sithlord, if I remember your collection correctly, you have three of FRIGGIN' EVERYTHING. Why did you decide to single out those particular items? Sad fact, As a rule I don't keep duplicates. The only time I have two of something is when I'm mixing and matching pieces or came across something at such a great deal I'm just holding it for an investment (and the stray "ooops" gift someone gives me). 3 x Rick Hunter MPC (Don't laugh, I bought them as half price for an investment and am hoping eBay will convert them into xmas shopping money this year) I also have a few extra Alphas but heck if I know which ones at the moment... they'll probably get sold around xmas too

I agree with everything you said but this part: Confuses me. The 1/60 got the Q-Raus and just about every valk you can get and is now getting the 0S. The only VF-1 1/60s I think were skipped were Max's 1A and Hik's VF-1S. Sure, enthusiasm these days is 1/48 based... but that's just because the 0S hasn't hit yet As far as the 1/60 vs MPC thing goes, like you said, it's a personal taste thing. If you're going to display the thing in fighter mode then there's no doubt the 1/60 is the big winner. If other things are more important then hey, maybe the MPC has some pluses. I just try to do a little stickin' up for the MPC because of the rabid hate people 'round these parts spray at newcomers for either having purchased the MPCs or considering it. If it's not a 1/48 VF-1, it's just a VF-1, if you're getting the item for an extreme discount in either case you'll probably be happy with what you got. Wait a minute... I think I see a dead horse somewhere else I need to beat.

I own approximately 8-10 of each type of toy and stand by my opinion. They're both just average toys with a plethora of things that could be better... things that are better on the 1/48. This whole "easily broken" image the MPC has is strange to me... it certainly *feels* easier to break than the chunkies but I don't really know anyone who has broken an MPC. Obviously I'm not saying they aren't breakable, I just don't see them as fragile. A few of mine have taken falls. Both the MPCs and the 1/60s make a similar thud when they fall from a distance (not that I wanted to ever know that). With the MPC missiles fly off and the toy needs adjusting, with the 1/60 the legs pop off and need to be put back in, I wouldn't describe either as fragile. Definitely note that I'm just talking about about the VF-1 MPCs here. The Alpha MPCs are definitely easy to break but damn if they don't look pretty.

The MPCs are equal to the Yamato 1/60s and you can get both of them for about $45 pretty easily (depending on which ones you want). Wheareas the Yamato 1/60s have annoying screw top covers that flake off and get lost, a nearly useless GERWALK mode, funky hips in battloid, and squashed heads the MPCs have floppy legs in fighter mode, a much worse sculpt, and less poseability. I'm in the minority in prefering the MPC over the Yamato 1/60. Honestly, if there's one thing we all agree on its how great the Yamato 1/48 is. No offense to chunky monkey fans but the only reason to own a Bandai or a Taka is for purely sentimental reasons... or to give a kid a toy that's cheap and not easily broken. Edit - Yamato's Mac+ toys are pretty terrible. I love 'em straight because I love the mechs they depict but otherwise those toys are BAD. Think of an extremely fragile toy with a complex transformation and paint that chips off if you look at it funny and you've got a Yammy Mac+ toy. I think that's the real reason they're becoming collectible... because most of them get broken. Don't mention that around here though.

but people do like the original LV. Like I said, this looks like a bad custom CF. They shouldn't have made it so obvious they were just splashing paint on a pre-existing toy. They started fresh with the LV, they should have made the brown tone darker on this toy so it looked like they were starting fresh here too. Instead, I see it and think "What happened to that CF?" The other paint schemes you mentioned would require Yamato to start from scratch also, I think that's what we all want.