jenius

On that note, the best Toynami product to date, in my book considering price/durability/look has got to be the metallic superposeable alphas... and I think you can gnaw on them too! Little note, they're even more poseable then they at first seem because a lot of the joints are ultra tight... the heels are a good example of this.

I think, rabid fanboyism aside (to which we all seem guilty at times), we should all take a look back and realize (as Godzilla points out) that Yamato didn't start from greatness, it ascended to it. Toynami's first major product was the VF-1 MPC. Their second major product was the Alpha which improves greatly upon the VF-1 MPCs in every respect EXCEPT durability. The paint is better, the diecast is more prolific, the transformation is extremely complex, there are missile compartments everywhere, the toy was a real stab at something great. Sadly, because of the durability problems, it too leaves much to be desired. There next product is the Voltron which received pretty universally great reviews. Some claimed it could have been more ambitious but after the overly ambitious Alpha project I can't really fault Toynami. So, I like to think Toynami is growing and I think the world would be better for all anime fans if Toynami some day could reach a point where it is actually competing with Yamato. Can you imagine how sweet the toys might get? So, swearing off Toynami seems harsh. Upgrading from MPCs to 1/48s... well that's an easy call. I absolutely hate the Yamato 1/60s but I'm a very happy man I didn't swear off Yamato because of them.

It utilizes over-technology to automatically lower the landing gears when the toy is within a couple inches of any surface. The gun has also been improved to actually fire like the ol' Takatoku guns. I was pretty surprised that they actually decided to include depleted uranium rounds... I think that's just taking detail a little too far. Hey, Yamato wasn't f**kin' around this time! PS - for the gullible, nothing I have said is true. Hopefully no one needs this disclaimer.

Crap, I don't get it, I feel like I'm fairly in the loop on this production but some of you guys seem to know some stuff about the actual story that I haven't heard. How do you know this show sucks? If the character designs and CG are similar to shows that were eventually deemed Good, and that's all we have for RT so far, how can we deem it bad? I seriously don't get the jumps here unless someone can point me toward some background on the actual story of the show... This rumor gives me an immense amount of hope. First of all, more MOSPEADA would be huge. Sadly it makes me a bum on the HG (of all company's) bandwagon. I need their sequel to succeed in order for MOSPEADA to have its product line increased. The good news is, if HG has to make an anime that can be marketed as a sequel to GCM then they're going to have to drop the fruity Sentinels bit and stick more to GCM's themes. Basically, this could be a win - win situation. GCM gets a sequel and Robotech has a defined direction. Actually, I think the Prequel comics were meant to put a nice tidy bow on all things Sentinels. I haven't read them but from what I understand the comics also served as a means of thinning the herd out a bit. A big chunk of characters will stay back in the Sentinels solar system while the new animation seems to focus on the few that came back for the last big battle (or got lost along the way). Basically, it looks like Stig and Aisha (errr) will be joined by a few characters from the first two arcs and a couple characters from the Sentinels arc to make the cast. Since this is one movie-length OVA I'm sure it will have a very primary set of characters and a crap ton of tertiary "cameos" that huge RT fans will love and non RT fans won't even notice. If it were a whole series they might run into the problem of trying to tell too many people's stories, since it's only movie-length they're going to have to take one or two people and run with them (Stig and Aisha from the look of it). Man, knock the CG or the characters all you want, but leave the mecha designs out of this...

i know nothing about CG and all it entails but your project has my stamp of approval.

Sweet, it looks like Hikaru is no longer the Stealth's pilot either.

Seriously? Reusing MOSPEADA art? What are they thinking? How dare one chapter of Robotech actually have a visual tie to the last chapter!? I'm also irked by the production animation not being completely fluid as well. I expect more from unfinished products. LOL As a huge MOSPEADA fan I definitely got my fingers crossed that this doesn't suck and can somehow lead to more MOSPEADA products being released. As I've stated before, the character design (which, while completely standard is not bad) will mean much less than the story. As much is "out there" still isn't enough to condemn or praise this... especially since no one knows what the story will be. I think we can gather no mechs piloted by musical instrument though so we're off to a fair enough start... I also don't see any involvement of a card game so my fears of Robo'mon are diminished.

Or Vandread... but I dug Vandread.

I believe that was actually a bumper sticker on Ishtar's spacecraft.

Christ man, what toy would you do that to anyway? Is your point that I should have added that to my review? I guess I could make another review for people who intend to allow their children to run around and throw their toys.... but I think we all know that doing that with any of these is a pretty bad idea. The big Gakken won't have knees or wings, the MPC won't have arms, God knows how bad the little Gakkens will be destroyed.

First of all, many of Macross' episodes are bad by 80s standards (we're all familiar with AnimeFriend). Second of all, the point is we don't love Macross (especially now) because it looks so damn cool. We love it because of the story. Hence, dismissing any new shows because of the way they look is a little ridiculous. Here's an example: "OMG, did you guys see a commercial for that show South Park? It looks like the characters are paper cut-outs!" Sure, some designs just aren't going to appeal to some people. Like the Harlock series, I had a buddy once ask me if the entire show was composed of women... some of which were trying to look like men. There's certainly nothing that stands out in these screen shots as garrish... nothing to give your an eye an orgasm either. I just think you can tell from the people bashing it already who was going to bash it no matter what.

How does the Ishkick score an OL of 8? It's the only one on the list I know

So far I've found all of the nay-sayer comments very funny. We love 80s cartoons but we hate this one because of the visuals. What? Seriously, I still throw in MOSPEADA occasionally... the visuals usually don't hamper my entertainment too much. Here's a modern show with modern visuals that are certainly on par with anything kids watch after school... which was all the original Robotech was. Keith brings up the most legitimate points as to why it's going to fail. Oh no, he forgot to bring up any. Honestly though, the skepticism is warranted since it's in its Nth delay now. Areaseven, I'm hoping, was being funny. It does remind me of how people in Trigun occasionally get very cartoony faces to show embarassment or pain... and I really didn't dig that at all. Basically, anyone who enjoys Macross should tread very softly when picking on new anime shows lest someone start posting screen pics from original Macross episodes.

Sivar, what number Alpha MPC is that? The vents look baby blue, is it one of the first 3000? It's a nice start to a collection.

No, thats Marcus Rush, Marlene's younger brother.... 389063[/snapback] What? Marlene has a younger brother? 389149[/snapback] Yeah, so now let's play guess the caption to figure out why this Marcus kid would be pissed at Scott... A) "You sick bastard, rather than getting over my sister you named your new girlfriend after her??" B) "Wait, I only let you hang out with my sister 'cause I thought you were gay!" C) "Say 'Admiral Hunter' one more time bitch... try me!"

Christ didn't invent the cross either... it's funny how symbols get claimed huh? I hear the number 666 also existed prior to "the beast." Point is, if you know a symbol has been appropriated you're rolling the dice by using it.

You know what's scary? None of these pics show what the men look like below the waist. We might be in for some giant bulges to compensate the women for all the T&A on screen. Yikes...

That is pure awesomeness. I haven't seen Arcadia of my Youth, where can i get it fo' cheap?

It's a utopian society. PS - yes i know you're a woman, yes I'm just being funny. It's a trend in the rest of the animation world (and the real world of movies too) so why fight it... let's just all enjoy the supple ride.

Sweet, does this mean Scott isn't going to get along with Jack Baker? That's what it looks like.... but I'm not sure who's who with all the redesigns. I love the future.... women are going to have sweet tits and wear outfits that prove it all day every day. YES! I think that black guy prays to Crom.

Can you tell I'm home sick this weekend by the number of my posts?? I doubt they'll hold off that long on releasing the next 5000 Rooks and Lancers. For the record, I just *think* toynami releases them in 5,000 chunks, I may be wrong. Anyway, the third round of releases, the final 10K-15K will almost certainly not be released until the Beta (unless the Beta is never going to come out). Here's how I think things will happen: 1) Toynami ships #s 5,000-10,000 of the Rook, then Lancer, then Shadow MPCs throughout the course of this year. 2) Toward the end of the year Toynami makes a definitive statement about the MPC Beta coming out to help drive sales of the currently on the market Alphas. 3) Toynami releases the Beta MPC (fingers-crossed) first or second quarter of next year. 4) Toynami has an interesting option at this point. It can hold off on releasing Alphas 10k-15k and repackage them as a Gift Set with the Beta of the same number. Either that or it can trickle out the remaining alphas in between releases of the Betas. Alright, I'm no betting man but that's kind of how I see things panning out. I saw one website that I believe had Lancer's green Alpha on pre-order which leads me to believe that someone at Toynami must have acknowledged that more Alphas will be available at some point this year. Now, do you guys think Toynami should make fewer than 15K Betas? I'm wondering if they wouldn't be smarter limiting it to 10K.

Glad it helps. A note on sells, when I found my red one was broken I took a look to see if I could find an online retailer trying to get rid of them. Pretty much everywhere is sold out and the rest have put them back up to MSRP. That means the first 5000 have pretty much all sold for every make. I know the second 5000 Scotts have already shipped so, while these things may not be selling great they are still selling. Also, if you wait the next 5000 Rooks and Lancers ought to be flooding the market and driving prices down again.... but who knows when. Now it's time for: FUN WITH COMPARISONS!!!!

Here's a quick review I threw together for the Toynami Alpha: The Pros: 1) Most poseable transforming Alpha toy to date. 2) Diecast, there was a Gakken Diecast toy (and it's cool) but the MPC has nearly as much diecast and transforms into all three mode. 3) The sculpt is beautiful and the best representation yet (better, in my opinion, then the Imai models they are modeled after). 4) Detail. Very nice panel lines in what seem to be appropriate areas. There are also a good amount of details painted on rather than decals. 5) Speaking of decals, it's my understanding the decals that come with these things are great. 6) Extras. Removable gun clip, tiny cyclone, rubber wheels, and lots and lots of missile bays that actually open. 7) Not that I care, but the box and packaging is standard Toynami goodness. The Cons: 1) Fragility. Refer to the attached image 1- Red circle - the hands are super poseable and detailed but they are made of a rubber type compound. There is a metal pin toward the end of the palm that is used to attach the four fingers to the palm. This pin is seated in a tiny portion of rubber. If you open the hands and close them enough, or insert the gun and then twist the gun or something like that, the rubber wears enough for the pin to unseat and the four fingers fall right off the hand. Yellow circle - the arm attaches to the legs in fighter mode via a peg. At the factory this peg is inserted into the leg for shipping. It is not unheard of for the toy to arrive with this peg then broken off of the arm and stuck in the leg. Green circle - this one irritates me the most since I just found out one of mine was broken here (and I've transformed it twice and put it on my shelf). As you can see, the entire arm has to extend to reveal the white portions (bicep region). In order to extend the arm you must tug down on the forearm. There is a thin plastic rod that attaches the middle white section of the arm to both the lower and upper portions. If this rod breaks from your tugging the arm falls right off at the bicep or forearm. WHY WAS THIS NOT METAL? Anyway, I think the problem might be even worse. Unless someone plays with my toys and broke this thing I think that, if the toy wasn't manufactured right, then adhesive applied to either end of the rod could cause the rod to be straining while the toy sits on your shelf in fighter mode. So, if the arm was slightly twisted when the adhesive was applied, and you have it sitting straight in fighter mode, the rod will be constantly trying to return to the twisted position even though the rest of the arm is seated via pegs into the leg. Eventually the rod just snaps and six months later when you pick it up the arm just falls right off. 2) Build quality - too many of these things are a little screwed up straight out of the box. I have a red one where the head constantly wants to pop down in fighter mode. I have several with cocked heads (see attached image 2). Sometimes the missile flaps aren't quite seated properly or are warped. Sometimes the paint has minor smudges (I think they improved this over the VF-1 series though). 3) Either the transformation is too complicated for a toy this small or the build tolerances are too sloppy. This thing can really fight you during transformation. It's not even so much a learning curve thing... sometimes things just take an excess amount of patience. 4) Friction joint in the shoulders. The arms are heavy because Toynami put diecast in the forearm. Throw the big ol' gun in the hand and now the arm is very heavy. After a few transformations and arm movements it's very possible for your Alpha to never be able to lift it's arm and point the gun forward again. 5) The whole toy is glued together. Even areas that have screws also have portions that are glued. If it breaks there is no repairing it. Customizing it would be very very hard. 6) the shoulder mount needs to be removed for full transformation. The Gakken 1/35 didn't have to do that (but the Gakken 1/55 didn't even have a shoulder mount). 7) the landing gears. Sometimes they come crooked but I consider that part of 2. The real problem is that they are a milimeter longer than the mid section of the plane. Many people complain there Alpha lays on its chest with its landing gears off the ground. Usually, when that's said, it's because the toy is transformed improperly (it's friggin' hard). Still, even when you do it right there's no room under the chest at all (see image 3). Mentionables - Many people complained about the arched back in fighter mode. As I just mentioned, often this is because the toy was transformed wrong. However, even when it's done right the vehicle still looks slightly arched upward... but the only time you get that affect is when you stare at it directly from its side. The verdict - My verdict for the MPC alpha is the same as it was for the MPC VF-1. I give it a 7 of 10 (I give the Yammy 1/48 a 9.5/10). It really pisses me off too because I'm a HUGE Legioss fan and this toy has so much potential that it just doesn't live up to because of the overall fragility. What do I recommend? If you can find it for half price to as much as $60, buy it. KEEP THE RECEIPT. When you get it home, treat it like a model you just built. If something is stuck be forceful but always be patient. If something seems like it's fighting you, come here and ask for tips (i check the forums pretty often). This thing does look BEAUTIFUL if you just successfully get it into a pose and leave it alone. I'm gonna tack on some more pics as examples - PS - I want a Beta so I do hope these continue to sell so maybe I'm a bit biased but I think this has been a pretty open review. For the record, I have owned 13 Alpha MPCs and have broken 3 (blue one's hand, shadow's shoulder, and I might be to blame for my red one's arm but I have no idea how), have received 1 broken in the box (red's arm tab), and have received two I felt were of inferior quality (crooked landing gear, miscolored part, that sort of thing).

Nice! Congratulations. Man, $450 can buy you all sorts of loot... Here's to hoping you even get a little more later!

I'm not a fan of the RPGs for anything other than toilet reading material but I seem to recall the idea that the wreck was probably booby-trapped and it would just fold somewhere... chill for a decade or whatever, then fold somewhere else. The hopes were that it would eventually find itself somewhere where it would be investigated and the investigators could then be enslaved. Who knows though, that could all just be some crazy conclusion I drew.