Salamander

The fighter mode looks like a non-transformable mock-up (note lack of transformation lines on nosecone)

... Wait. You...are...suggesting...that...to...cut...breakage...YAMATO...(of all that you can choose of)...MAKES THEM?!? This does not compute. Brain hurts. At most, I'd ask Yamato to make the base design, then choose a capable company whose engineers actually know something about QC and what kind of materials you need to use for certain parts to prevent them from breaking AND that has factories upon which they can enforce their quality standards to actually finish the design and produce it. And no, I do not neccessarily mean Bandai or Takara.

I really wish people would stop thinking that Bandai has never made complex transforming toys, or that Macross designs are inherently more complicated than other designs...

Er...it isn't a picture of the model kit, is it? (with the wrong sign)

Would making them look like Bandai Chunky Monkeys make them too close to the VF-1 line-art, or could HG pull that off? (looking at the changes made to bootleg toys to make 'em more legit, I'd say they could get away with it...)

The retail price in Japan is 7800 yen - about 72 bucks or 46 Euro ( wow, the dollar is really falling, isn't it? I wonder when 1 Euro will be 2 dollar...). The previous non-FP reissues were 6800 yen, but the dollar was a lot higher then compared to the yen, so back then it was a lot cheaper for you US guys. I think the price has remained about the same for us Europeans. So it looks like a currency issue, really. Is the paperwork still the same, or did Bandai include a nice little booklet this time (like they do with SoC releases)?

Registered SAL or airmail. Usually still significantly cheaper than EMS to Europe (+ less import duties)

Psst. I believe the topicstarter misspelled "Toynami". A Mod should fix that. A toynazi is something else altogether. Concerning the Valks, they look pretty good, although a bit too PVCy to my likings...

And: Excuse me, but these kind of statements make me boggle. Bandai (well, their design office Plex) has been designing transforming toys for at least as long as Takara, including really complicated ones (already in the early 1980s). Back then, they designed tons of really complicated toys for various sentai series and (especially) Machine Robo (known as Gobots overseas). Suggesting that they do not know how to make complex yet show-accurate transforming toys 'a la Yamato' is....inane. Especially considering what they've turned out in the Soul of Chogokin line the last couple of years. Maybe you should pick up such nice transforming toys like (only mentioning the ones I have, other people might comment on other Bandai toys): - SoC Xabungle: about the size of a 1/144 Gundam model kit, with diecast, tons of accessories, and an accurate transformation. - SoC Dancougar: One of the first transforming SoCs, and a really fine one. It also strikes a nice 'average' between how Danny looked in the show and the vintage toy... - SoC Irongear: This is like a giant big cool playset, with tons of opening panels, a buttload of small PVC Walker Machines, some pretty cool accessories, and of course it transforms. Some cool vintage stuff: - Flash King (from sentai series Flashman, 1986): Simple transformation, but you've got to admit that the way each jet becomes an arm and a leg is incredibly inventive (hint: it doesn't involve taking the jets apart...). - Super Gobots Raizor and Nightfright (1985): realistic helicopters (okay, Raizor is a cross between an F-4 and a helicopter) that change into pretty well proportioned robots. See if you can figure out Raizor's transformation by only looking at the helicopter and robot modes... A lot of the later smaller Gobots are quite complicated too. Also, Bandai /= Gundam. They might be the motor behind the franchise, but they're certainly more diverse than some people assume. There's loads of other companies that have made and are making transforming toys, some good, some excellent, some bad, some trying-but-not-exactly succeeding. I'm not saying that Bandai is perfect (they're not), but they certainly aren't the retarded newcomers that some people here seem to think they are.

I suspect that the tooling isn't made from pure aluminium, which is a rather soft metal that certainly won't be able to stand many uses, but rather from dural or some other mix of aluminium with another metal. At least it should have some form of surface treatment to resist wear more...

Considering the last 1S reissue didn't use the fugly head design, I doubt the Strike will use the fugly head design. Unless you can come up with a sensible reason for Bandai to produce two 1/55 1S Valks with different head designs...

Looks like black paint to me.

This has to be the most ludicrous comment yet in this thread...

Have you ever seen SOC prototypes? Some of them look like someone played around with loads of styrene sheet and low grade resin, eg. they ressemble a bunch of boxes that really only vaguely ressemble the subject while having a transformation with...issues. The prototype of the VF-25 looks like a prototype that's just above that - one made to show off the transformation while also looking somewhat more like the subject it's supposed to represent. Besides, it's a resin prototype, so it suffers from all of the problems those have like heavy parts and joints that cannot support the weight. Those SOC prototypes also look like they are full of issues, too. But they do not compare to the final product. I'll reserve my judgement until Bandai comes with a multi-media test shot showing off the diecast.

My latest Yahoo Auctions Japan scores: http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/105353799 and http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w11563721 I'm actually quite shocked about the price these two auctions went for. 2300 + 1600 yen (+ 1010 yen shipping within Japan)? I had expected a lot more. Sure, they're played with, but should include the boxes and instruction sheets. Some of the sticker sheets are missing, but I've already got the reissues too. I think the essential (VF-19A and VF-17D) sticker sheets are there. The VF-17D is missing the gunpod, but AFAIK that one is the same as on the VF-17S. The VF-19 Kai and VF-19S gunpods are mint on sprue. Including middleman costs and shipping the lot should end up at about 75 bucks... :D

Except that Gobots don't exist in Japan. So that'd be Machine Robo, except that the main hero doesn't really transform, but rather summons a large robot, kicks butt, gets his butt kicked, summons an even larger robot, and wins. Although the anime was decently popular, that was mostly due to the female lead character, AFAIK... I'd think "Galvion" if it has to be from a transforming robot anime, except that the Galvion anime failed miserably, despite having very nice music, and some really cool robot designs...the toys (designed by Takatoku) were never brought out widely, either (mainly because Takatoku went bankrupt). Uh, what have we left? Dancougar? Unlikely, there's the SOC already. <draws blank on transforming robot animes>

That was one of the worst animated fights I ever saw - annoying dweeb Valk pilot. Still, the animation itself was pretty decent...

Fit for Natalie beat me to it. Ah, well, here's the pic, should it be pulled from that URL: [attachmentid=37359] Good robot modes, 'vehicle modes' remind me of Rocklords, except that they're worse.

The problem with these things is that the paint tends to scratch horribly whenever they are transformed (or even, moved), as Imai engineered them way too tightly, not leaving enough room at joints (the color pics on the instruction sheets often showed scratched paint, IIRC). Couple that to not exactly tear-proof decals, and...well, should be obvious.

Mach Blaster: http://www.zincpanic.com/toy/13351.html

The UK Wikipedia has a rather nice entry with regards to Zoids: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoids

Some more (includes helicopters): Raizor (F4 Phantom crossed with helicopter) - Super Gobot Nightfright (Mil M-24 helicopter, IIRC) - Super Gobot Bolt (twin tail WW2 bomber - P-47 I think) Flip-Top (Navy helicopter) Water Walk (Cessna floatplane) Wrong Way (Apache) Warpath (Apache) Twin Spin (Sikorsky cargo helicopter) Spay C (space shuttle) Spay C (Super Gobot) (Space shuttle Challenger) Chaos top half (X-29, IIRC) Jet & Transport combinator top half (F-15) Helicopter & Transport top half (Helicopter) Sky Spy (SR-71 Blackbird) = Snoop Fantasy planes: Vamp (monster) - regular and super Pincher (monster) Hornet (monster) Fitor (futristic plane) Cop-Tur (futuristic helicopter) Bladez (monster) Breez (helicopter) Guide Star (shuttle) Odd Ball (plane) Sky Flyer (plane) Power Suit body (transport plane) Fangs (monster) Fright face (monster) Gore Jaw (monster) Heart Attack (monster) South Claws (monster) Weird Wing (monster) Re-Volt top half (crazy eagle monster) Traitor top half (crazy bee-like monster) Twister (helicopter) Robot Winch Helicopter (large helicopter) Raizor, Spy Eye, and Nightfright are really nice designs, by the way. From Machine Robo: Apollo Robo (Saturn V launcher) Mach Blaster (futuristic jet) R-Jetan (futuristic jet, gerwalk, tank, robot) Eagle Winner (F-15) Rotary Kid (futuristic helicopter) Machine Robo Rescue ('MRR') Jet Robo (jet) MRR Sky Robo (jet) MRR Gyro Robo (V-TOL jet) MRR Helicopter Robo (helicopter) MRR Shuttle Robo (futuristic jet shuttle) MRR Machine Commander Robo (jet + two tank-like vehicles combine into bigger jet) MRR Stealth Robo (Stealth fighter) MRR V Stealth Robo (Stealth fighter combines with additional parts into large flying wing) There's more, but then the list would get really long...

Having just received the Real Robot Revolution SPT Layzner kit from Bandai, it seems that they are learning. The thing has *tons* of internal detailing, much better than the MG Patlabors (which are pretty bad at detail, sadly). Some soft vinyl tubing, too. The only thing I'm really annoyed at is that Bandai included a decal sheet for some parts, but the remaining markings are just stickers...

I've got a fairly big collection - all of the common European 1980s releases, one or two vintage Japanese Zoids, some European Zoids 2, a fair amount of the Japanese ones that were sold from 1999 onwards. The last on I bought was the Shield Liger Mk. II reissue. Most of the latest Zoids are kinda boring, though. Try the collectors' shop 'A Space Oddity' for some vintage stuff and some modern stuff. Prices are quite high, though.

1/48 probably, like in this Japanese auction: http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/90381364 I'd like to have that kit one day, but not for 7500 yen a piece...