Matt Random

Still waiting on the very much needed VF-0S 2nd release. The VF-0A fixed a lot of the VF-0S flaws. If you look to the past, or ask others to do it for you, you'll see that Yamato tends to release an improved variant or two before going back and doing a 2nd release of anything.

I want a Skywarp. I'd like at least two Seekers so that I can display both modes at once. Aside from the inevitable Seeker repaint I can't think of much I'd actually pay money for. A Cyclonus would be great but I doubt the character is significant enough to warrant the MP treatment. I'd maybe go for a Hot Rod or Grimlock.

I was thinking about getting Soundwave but have decided not to now that I've seen it. I really don't like the dual cassette deck. I prefer the flush door of old. I had the opportunity to play with a Classics Jetfire today. Not a bad toy but it is certainly a transformer. The Good... - Fun to play with. Wings sweep is expecially fun in fighter mode. - Nice robot mode if the armor isn't attached. - Fun play features. - Best landing gears I've ever seen on a transformer. - Includes splittable gun in addition to missile launchers. - Armor attaches securely. The Bad... - Blocky proportions. The jet looks super deformed. This is quite a let down compared to the wonderful proportions of Starscream. - Ratchet joints with very coarse teeth prevented me from getting the poses I wanted. - Simple transformation. The chest transformation is kind of neat though. - Robot arms hanging off in jet mode. - Armor looks over sized. Especially the helmet. - The backpack sits high which makes it look odd if not in strike canon posture. - Armor attachment points on the arms are HUGE. I also saw Grimlock and Mirage. Grimlock uses two different colors of gray plastic. An oddity I noticed is that the dino torso had a messy paint wash applied but no other part of the figure looks to have a wash.

I knew I should have waited on the 0A. I wonder if the gray ghost will only be available with the Shin 0A. I'm wondering if I should cancel my YF-19 preorder since I have a feeling that the fast packs are going to be sold with the 2-seat version. I have very little room for display now so I need to be very selective.

So will the fast packs and booster be an add-on set with the extra swappable seat or is it a second YF-19 release?

I saw the Classic Jetfire yesterday. It looks like a nice addition to the Classics line but I don't think it would look good in a Macross display. It has the blocky look of many Transformers jets which tend to look like they'd be more at home in space rather than within an atmosphere. Macross jets are much sleeker since they are based on atmospheric jets.

Macro mode has a very shallow depth of field since the aperture is open very wide. Macro mode is intended for mostly flat objects such as coins, individual flowers and insects. You are getting good results on the front, side or back shots since the entire object lies within the depth of field. You can try adjusting the shutter until you get a sharp focus throughout if your camera offers this. You may also try the portrait mode if your camera has this since the portrait mode often has a wide aperture setting in order to blur the background.

I was going to wait for the second release but I'm paranoid so I went ahead and ordered from BBTS. I usually buy from HK stores to save a few bucks but with Yamato QC being what it is I decided that a good replacement policy is worth the extra money. I've been very lucky with Yamato QC so far but I don't think my luck will hold forever and VF-0S was a bit too shoddy. You know, as I write this I'm wondering if I should just hold for a v2 since the VF-0S was quite shoddy. These things cost a fortune so I expect much better QC.

I spent a few bucks today to get a light setup. I'm using 3 gooseneck desk lamps ($2 on clearance at Target), GE Reveal 60W bulbs ($2 for 4) and a thick plastic sheet to use as a diffusers ($7). I'm still experimenting on the positioning - especially the top/front light. I used a sheet of paper towel over the lamps for more diffusion in the front light shots. I used the tone curve in Lightroom to balance the exposure. Mirage with front light... Mirage without front light... Click Me Starscream with front light... Starscream without front light... Click Me

I don't have anything Macross related handy so here are some scaled prop replicas (couple more links below the pict). The fill light I'm currently using is tungsten (small incandescent household spot bulb shooting from across the room). I prefer tungsten since it provides a nice range from gold to white if a dimmer is being used. The problem with my current approach is that I need to have a good amount of natural light coming in through the window. Needless to say that moving clouds wreak havoc with this primitive setup. I'm thinking of picking up a couple of tungsten shop lights on small tri-pods and adding a soft theatrical lighting gel so that I can have a controlled environment. Anakin E3 Saber Anakin E2 Saber

The equipment I use is a Canon 30D w/ 17-85 EF-S IS lens. I shoot on a tripod and use the timer if I'm concerned about camera shake. My setup is a blue cloth backdrop and natural light. I want to move to a more conventional setup using a cardboard backdrop and fixed lighting. Settings... - ISO 200-400 - P mode - no flash - custom white balance using a white card - I want to get a gray card soon - AEB at +/- 2/3 EV - Use the upper end of the zoom range to avoid feature distortion (avoid extreme zoom setting of a lens since it tends to have distortion)

I prefer the middle one. The short one can be good for battroid poses. I don't much like the long one I have.

I wish the VF-0 didn't have the rotating seat so that the fighter cockpit wouldn't have the gap behind the seat. The cockpit on the 1/48 VF-1 is beautiful. The cockpit on the 1/60 VF-0 isn't near as nice.

Vermillion21 - is your avatar a huge robot maid? I really have no idea what it is but the thing in front looks a lot like a vacuum to me.

I was comparing the MP and Classic SS figures tonight. These are two of the best ever representations of the character. The MP is a great looking jet and a very nice looking robot. I really like the real world style colors, the nullray cannons and the wing mounted missiles. I especially like the chest missile launchers. The Classic is a great looking robot and one of the best looking jets to come out of the mass market Transformer line in quite some time. The jet mode does have a lot of junk hanging off the bottom but it isn't near as bad as other recent TF jets. Most importantly it is a great toy in that it can quickly be transformed between modes. To summarize: MP SS is a great collectible and Classic is a great toy. I'm happy to have both.

In my opinion the mistake was made long, long ago when Hasbro decided that the enemy leader for their new transforming robot line should be the gun mold. Think of how different things would be now if the jet or walkman mold would have been picked instead. The decision is ancient history and the politics surrounding guns aren't going to change anytime soon. I personally prefer the tank Megatron. When I was a wee lad I never quite knew what to do with Megatron. He was either a giant robot that transformed into a gun the size of a semi or he was a normal sized gun that transformed into a tiny lil' robot. I never got Soundwave or more than a couple of the mini-Autobots for the same reason.

I received SS today. I have mixed feelings about it. Beautiful, highly detailed toy but I'm afraid it will have removable wings soon. I was super careful (I own Yamatos after all) and I still got cracks in the wing hinges. The problem is that the toy is just too tight. One end of the metal pin is pentagonal and is presumably intended to hold the pin in place but everything is so tight that the pin spins and stresses the plastic. The canopy hinge on mine wasn't fully painted out of the box. The shoulder stripes didn't have any defects. There's some nasty blotches in the panel lines and at least one bubbly area in the paint (jet piece on the forearm). The second transformation went better. I've found that it helps to pop the back piece up first (the piece with the airbrake) so that the wing hinges don't have to be bent sideways to clear the tab on the back piece. I may have been able to avoid the stress marks and the cracks if the transformation in the instructions had been laid out this way. I can't wait to get home and play with it some more. Hopefully the wing hinges will stand up to the test of time.

I agree. I prefer the first prototype. I have to admit that I remember the G1 toy much more clearly than the cartoon or comic look. I don't mind the fins on the legs since it reminds me of the G1 toy. I think the leg, foot and arm shape was also much more accurate. I never really saw that prototype as too blocky but I do agree that the wings sit way too low on the back. I went ahead and ordered SS since I can't buy a toy based on the first prototype and the production model will still look quite nice in my Yamato cabinet.

The markup saved me money. I was tempted by Hotrod and Bumblebee but didn't want to pay an additional $3. By the time these show up at Wal-Mart the hype will have probably dies down which will make it easier for to talk myself out of the others. The Skywarp & Magnus pack will be very tempting since Skywarp is my favorite Seeker and this mold is nice.

Fry's is an electronics store so the $3 mark-up isn't too suprising. They don't have the toy sales volume of Wal-Mart and such. I picked up Starscream at the Fremont, CA store today on my way to work (1/2 mile out of my way). I don't mind paying the extra $3 since it saves me time and gas in the long run. The jet mode from the top is perfect. I really like the new markings. There is a seat in that pilotpit. The jet profile certainly isn't sleek but it is much better than the Armada or Energon versions. The transformation is much more complex than the G1 version and is a lot of fun. The whole nose section of the plane rotates and turns around during transformation. Very novel. The bot mode is great too. It really evokes the feeling of an updated classic. The articulation is pretty good, however the wings get in the way of the arms and the nosecone gets in the way of the head. The hips on mine are really lose. I can fix that with a little nail polish or superglue.

For the people that have it, do you feel it is worth the money? Prime was certainly worth the money. Big, solid well made toy. I'm still on the fence.

I included die-cast in my feature list to get some info on how much is included. I'm not the type of person that measures a toy by the amount of metal. Prime had too much on the chest which led to chips around the matrix doors and top heaviness. I thought the Binaltech paint jobs looked great since cars have glossy finishes but the chipping was just too much of a concern. The best BT/Alts to me are the Alts that use the metallic plastics (Mirage, Tracks, etc). The less die-cast on SS the better. If I get one I don't want to be worried about chipping it.

What is the list of gimmicks for Starscream? I've see the following. Did everything make it into production? Do the intakes on the chest open? - Opening engine covers for whatever reason - Working airbrake - Professor shaped blob - Extra missiles - Two facial expressions - Diecast?

I just noticed this thread. Sixth-scale figures are one of my major interests right now. I prefer cloth cloth over plastic since it is more realistic. I think 1/6 is the smallest scale where cloth works. On anything smaller the weave and weight doesn't look right. I currently have... - Cool Girls Panzer Cop - Hot Toys Batman Begins - Cool Girls Catwoman (great figure!) - Custom Indiana Jones - Custom Cool Girls Batgirl I have the Medicom Batman Begins and Sideshow Luke Skywalker up on Ebay right now since I just don't have the space. I have all the other Sideshow Star Wars figures preordered but will probably cancel. I'm really looking forward to the Sideshow Lord of the Rings line. I have some slightly dated pictures on Google: My Collection.

Whereever did you aquire that LED lighted "steps" peice? 416583[/snapback] It is something I picked up IKEA a couple of years ago. It was in the lamp section.