calubin_175

Every DX Chogokin has gone up leading up to April. VF-25A >12k ( I got the last one at 12k) VF-25F starting from 16k YF-30 20k plus Such is Macross collecting. I think the ceiling for the low tier ones would be 18-20k and then 30k for the YF-29s.

Is Shin's VF-0A the same as a standard VF-0A aside from the option parts? Shin only piloted a VF-0A in episode 6 and the product naming is just to distinguish it from Roy Focker's one and also to associate it with the protagonist to attract more customers.

I've pulled off the YF-30 from my wishlist despite its rising prices and good battroid proportions. I just don't want to get too addicted and think that I have to get everything complementary(e.g. rival to the YF-29B) even though I don't like the design. Same with Isamu YF-29, good price, but would rather pay more for his VF-19Advance. I only need to get VF-25G to complete my VF-25s.

Not even sure if I should get it. Auction prices are 19,000k plus, and I've kept losing out. I fell in the love with the YF-29B Percival but thought that maybe I'll need the Chronos to complement it as a Macross 30 rival. At the moment I have: YF-29 Alto + Super Parts VF-25F Alto + Armor Parts VF-25S Ozma + Armor Parts VF-25G Michael super Parts Only RVF-25 Luca + Super Parts VF-27 Gamma Brera with Super Parts YF-25 Prophecy VF-25A Standard + super parts. YF-29B Percival on order. So no other Macross 30 character. Not getting the VF-171s and the Ozma and Isamu YF-29s since their less advanced VFs represent them more. Will be getting VF-27 beta x1, x2 if it drops after market. But we all know that all web exclusives hardly drop below official price unless it is used or has a fail review score. YF-29 Isamu is only below official retail unopened if it is bundled with super parts and it also has a negative point of the tornado guns not being able to stretch forward. Will need the VF-19Advance Isamu when it comes out even if the battroid will have stability issues with the boosters.

The missile container looks silly, but is it based on any real world aviation component?

The VF-22S tend to look super awkward in gerwalk mode since the main engines remain intact on the fuselage when the legs fold downwards. The VF-171 also looks awkward but mainly due to the wings not being about to spread wide enough and there is lack of reduction in length on the fuselage after folding the leg downwards.

One limitation of the Macross toy line and even the franchise is that there is too much emphasis on the personalised VFs which is reflected in toys as well. There are hardly any CF or anonymous versions where you could imagine any character to be piloting it. The best thing was the unpainted Yamato 1.60 VF-1 v2 kit which could even be painted in purple to reflect the player's unit in PS2 SDF Macross. Custom squad building could only be done with the brown VF-1, 25 and green 27. There is also the elusive brown VF-1J Obviously the VF-25F, G and RVF-25 and S are personalised and almost one of a kind variants as they were still in operational testing stage. Then again, as Macross works are historical fiction within a fictional universe, Alto and co may not even have existed. I just make my VF-25F piloted by Gilliam instead of Alto. So buying 2 to 3 identical colour standard colour VFs would be a great idea for display. After all, mass produced units aren't mass produced unless you could display more than 1 of them.

Macross collecting is expensive.Most after market items average at 20k yen including the DX Chogokin renewal line. Now Arcadia new molds begin at 30k and reissue molds with parts from 20k. Don't forget these large scale, full gimmick, high end toys are considered as the "definitive version" of VF toys, meaning there is no better substitute, hence prices will only go north. Gundam toys etc tend to have a model kit substitute hence won't go up as much. As collectors, we tend to treat the obsolete version as junk, aka an expense but with Macross, there is little chance of perfect substitutes once a good version has been released. But then again, a 1/60 VF v3 would be likely. Usually one mold of a classic design would last up to 10 years or so. I expect to see a VF-1 v3 once Vf-0s and maybe SV-51s are renewed, in time for Macross Delta most likely around 2016 to 2018. Actually, I think it would be good if they release Delta towards the end of 2016 and then have a movie version/sequel to celebrate the 35th anniversary in 2018.

Odd thing is, the VF-171EX Alto preceded the vanilla VF-171. Are both of them meant to be identical in terms of the fuselage and the triangles? I think the VF-171 is one of the more difficult transformations due to the nature of its design. I am not sure about Yamato's VF-17, but the VF-22 series is another frustrating one minus broken parts.

Is there any chance they would have fixed up the durability of the triangles? Are the RVF-171EX and VF-171EX alto just as bad as the VF-171?

http://tamashii.jp/item_brand/dx_chogokin/ They've really had their hands full starting from 2013, including option parts. Prior to that, their releases from 2012 were a bit sparse. Meanwhile, here are the former VF HI-Metals. http://tamashii.jp/item_brand/vf_hi_metal/ They've excluded the web exclusive ones which include VF-1J Max, VF-1A x3 movie ver plus super parts. There was also sound booster and stand for Basara's VF-19Kai. A YF-21 was also in the works but was never released. I would like to see how its proportions compare with Yamato wide ones. Bandai tend to have sleeker proportions.

Thanks Sketchley. Great Mechanics had a lot of new write ups and analyses. Too bad they haven't released a Macross Great Meachanics compilation book. I was really fond of the new considerations brought by the VF-25, the high performance of the VF-19 and danger of getting into insurgent use, and lastly the role of the FAST Packs, especially the ones for the VF-1 which compensated for the base craft's inadequacy. The Super Pack of the VF-1 did certainly refit the atmospheric fighter into a space fighter. Hence the trope of having unnecessary wings was somewhat alleviated. The categorisation of offense + speed with the Strike Pack and Tornado was also nice. It also went to demonstrate that beam weapons have always been around but only in heavy form.

Other than Master File and Macross Chronicle, are there any comprehensive Macross mecha books that don't focus on visual design lineart but on technical and development info? Obviously I am not asking for new technical info beyond the bare minimum. How about books that include non animated ones such as the VF-4 and VF-3000? Entertainment Bibles come to mind but they only cover up to the early 90s.

BANDAI MACROSS LIVES! Though, much like the VF-171EX Maruyama, I think the green VF-27 as a web exclusive may flop since it is an inferior mould compared to the 25 and 29. I am surprised that the naming of the product is unchanged from the version 1. DX超合金　VF-27β　ルシファーバルキリー　(グレイス・オコナー／一般機)I would think they would have changed it to distinguish it from the older version. But since it is a web exclusive, it won't matter too much. Not sure if I should pre-order two as the standard version head doesn't offer much unique features compared to the commander head. It may not even be worth pre-ordering as 18k seems a bit over priced. I think most ppl would pay 14-15k-ish considering it is an inferior mould.

Damn. Well I bought it at way below retail anyway so I won't be too disheartened if the price drops. But I doubt it will. Since hlj only requires 3000yen for EMS unlike NY and Amiami which requires 4700, HLJ is still the cheapest. It is a remarkable toy no doubt, but I think it is just too expensive, though somewhat justifiable. I just hope that the VF-0A and S would be at a similar price and production quantity. However, the 0D has has only left very little impression on me when I watched Macross Zero many years back. Though I wasn't a Macross mecha buff at the time and was only attracted to the VF-0 designs through the Yamato toy propagandas.

Lancelot, the same seller in Brisbane is sending my VF-0D soon.

Correct me if I am wrong, but if the VF-25 is designed as a passive stealth craft, then exterior missiles would have been minimised. However, I don't think stealth applies to all opposing factions that don't rely on radar. I think pretty much everything after the VF-11 has stealth factors, hence the internalised missile bays, gun pod storage and angled shaped gun pods.

I was bidding on a RVF-25 Luca Renewal + Super Parts and Ghost Set last night and was utterly surprised that all 3 competing bidders where using a proxy service.

http://www.taghobby.com/1-0/1-1/megahouse-2015%E5%B9%B43%E6%9C%88%E7%99%BC%E5%94%AE-variable-action-hi-spec-%E3%80%8A%E8%B6%85%E6%99%82%E7%A9%BA%E4%B8%96%E7%B4%80%E3%80%8Borguss-35000yen/ I felt that it was a childish version of the VF and less utilitarian, without the western sci-fi philosophy influence. I can't confirm whether Miyatake Kazutaka's macross was heavily influenced by western sci-fi designs or not, but I am just assuming it is. Meanwhile, his design of the Orguss reverts back to the roundish style.

At the moment the super pack and torando pack of Michael's is the cheapest of them all, some even going for lower than official retail. This was a case of too many option parts in the market and too few VF-25G owners. At the same time, most people would just tend to buy one option part for their one VF-25, unless they own multiple units of the same VF-25. I think the merit in selling option packs separately via web store is that for those characters with multiple packs, the buyer is not obligated to buy them all or to buy multiple bundled releases akin to the DX version 1s. For me, I went with armored pack for both Alto's and Ozma's, the rest being or planning to be super pack, so no tornado packs at all. I also tend to buy YF-29s only if they're bundled with the super pack during a sale.

The issue is not so much how many missiles are fired on screen as it will always be distorted by plot considerations. I am just wondering whether it is physically plausible to fit more loads of the 15 tube rockets within the space of the armored pack booster. If I compare the similar physical traits of the two different boosters, it does appear to be able to fit multiple loads where the exhaust vents are, which is also similar to those on the leg double load missile pods.

http://jungle-scs.co.jp/sale/?page_id=619&id=1089729 Seriously, this is record low for an Alto YF-29 Super Pack.

Managed to snag a VF-25F Alto Renewal unopened for 13k yen from Mandarake. I was surprised that it fit into a <2kg small packet as I thought their stores don't have long short boxes, maybe it is on a store to store basis. This is way below the current market price of 16k in Yahoo Auction. So I got Alto VF-25F + Armor Renewal for 40k in total before shipping, not too bad for today's prices.

The 90 per booster appears to be way more than the VF-1 super pack boosters. It reminds me of the 2003 Playastion 2 Macross, stil the best fighter simulator centric Macross game, where the micro missile count is at 999.

So Super Pack has longer uptime while the Armored Pack has low uptime but higher rate of fire, designed for assault missions. Of course, the packs serve totally different roles. The super pack is more standard, while the armored pack is more specialist. The booster's 3 tube is really for interception and hence the Super Pack really does not really boast heavy firepower independently compared the Armored Pack. Leave the heavy firepower to warships and destroids and heavy missile mounted VF-25s.