GDomino

Been racking up points against the Zangief players. It's funny how I now get comments that I'm cheap when I'm using Akuma to teleport away when they get too close and use the multiple fire ball tecnique to keep them away. karma.... hah!

Sounds like there is trouble with some of the Mad Catz joysticks

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3172875

Dagnamit... I just ordered me a standard edition version on the bay for a decent price... I hope I'm not so unlucky. Anyone here having issues with theirs?

BTW, I just want to vent about how cheap some Zangief players are.... the next one on my list are the Blanka players... Thnx.

Im doing pretty well with Dan.

i can't seem to unlock Akuma. I thought u had to beat Arcade with everyone, which I did, but he didnt unlock.

Fav characters are Honda and Fei Long. best of luck tryignt pull off Guiles Ultra or Super.

I couldn't figure out how to unlock Akuma based on the cheat information provided at most gaming sites, even after several tries, until a friend of mine told me that to guarantee getting him, play the easiest setting and try to get at least 1-2 perfects, 1-2 Ultra finishers, and not lose a round to anyone, including Seth (so obviously no continues either). Akuma will pop up right after you beat Seth, before the ending movie plays out.

Getting Gouken is fairly similar, except you use Akuma to get 2-3 perfects, and 3 ultra finishers, which is a breeze on easiest once you have Akuma.

I've had it since Thursday night and have already clocked in 24 hours of game time, which I haven't done in any game since the last PS2 AceCombat... Got Gouken in that time frame too with about 16 hours of online play, so my left thumb is sore as hell using my dual shock pad. How is the MadCatz stick so that I can save my poor thumbs?

I saw the movie first which in turn lead to me watching the anime (on Cartoon Network no less so I don't even know what is being butchered) and so now I wanna get a version with good subs, and I might wanna track down scanlations also. I would have to say that for a condensed version of the anime or even manga, it was still a great watch. I showed my sister this movie who isn't really into anything Japanese and she thoroughly enjoyed it herself (and imagine her reaction when I told her The Ring was originally a japanese movie). Intelligient writing and she even liked the ending. I myself thought the ending could've been better, and felt it was a bit rushed, but still a great movie IMO... I mean if you watch anime or JDoramas, it's almost a given that most endings will be disappointing, but nevertheless the writing and character development is usually better than anything we see here in the US (that is if you have the patience to watch anything Japanese).

Getting 2 of these for sure!!!

just look at the details of the fig here:

http://www.shueisha.co.jp/s-book/gunmu/com/

(right click to zoom in and the last pic can rotate 360 degress)

I bought the whole series solely to build Pitt, who is absolutely incredible. As for the other figures, I don't like their characters enough to have even taken them out of the packages. Don't know what to do with them, actually, anyone want them?

Pitt was worth the price of admission though. My only problem with him is because of a mistake I made putting him together. I didn't see the waist chain in the package and assembled him without it. It's impossible to take his torso apart again to put it on. Oh well, not that big of a deal.

I'm looking forward to Monkeyman in the second series, too. And I'm praying to the toy Gods that they make a Maxx figure.

I liked Pitt so much that I am in the process of building another one, mainly because I bought the varaints of Savage Dragon and Super Patriot. I'm looking for the 2 packs in my area but I can't find them. I want Conan and Waarl, heard they were actually good. I also want Clown Face and Panda since I liked the comics back in the late nineties, being it was hyped as the most controversial for it's day.

I'm not looking forward to the LCBH series 2 though, being that all I'm familiar with is the Darkness, but I am looking forward to the series 3 with a mean ass looking Ice Giant as the BAF to go with the Conans.

As far as the belt chain go, I actually did the same thing, but it's an easy fix... You can just cut the chain at it's smallest width and then super glue it once you have wrapped it around his waist.

It's a dry month for robot collecting for me, so I impulsively bought this series when I saw them at Walmart.

Toybiz (known for their Marvel Legends figures), now called Marvel Toys, is back making highly articulated action figures. The irony of it is that Marvel Toys is [supposedly] still a subsidiary of Marvel, but the Marvel toy production license was given to Hasbro, so Marvel toys has had to branch out to making characters from independent comic books. The first BAF (Build a figure), Dale Keown's Pitt, is trully an awesome figure, so I had to write about it to encourage some of you diehard Macross collectors to check it out.

Who the hell is Pitt you say? Well, go here if you don't know.

I like big hulking comic book characters and this figure has become my favorite plastic figure, replacing the Icons Hulk. For those of you that know, the Icons Hulk isn't heavy on articulation, but is a huge chunk of plastic and just looks awesome in my opinion. So that speaks a lot for this Pitt figure becoming my new fave. Just check out the details on this figure; chains galore, nice sculpt, and it has all kinds of red and gray shading/washes. It may not have a lot of accessories, make that none, but it does have presence!

Here's some comparison shots with the Icons Hulk(s) and to compare them with some of my [recent] diecast robots so you can see how much shelf space it can take up!

...and finally a Hulk vs Pitt like in one of the Marvel Comics cross overs:

So, if you want to build a Pitt figure, you have to buy all 6 figures in this series. The good news is this series actually has fairly well known characters like the Witchblade, Judge Dredd, and Savage Dragon, so you really do get your money's worth for getting all 6. The characters that you may not know are still fairly decent and if you don't want them, you can always give them to your nephews (like I did) or to your kids.

You can go to this site for better pics of Pitt and the other figures in this series: http://lcbh.marvellegends.net/LCBH/LCBH01/

You can still order series one from BBTS by the way, if you can't find these at your local Wally World.

any idea where i can find this:

http://www.konamistyle.jp/ecitem/item34468.html

Exactly where you found it. The naked MMS bodies can be ordered online from that JP Konami store. I don't think they ship outside of Japan though... or you can try Yahoo Japan.

You guys might be misinterpreting the email from that post... HLJ carried the non-exclusive Getters, I don't remember them having the exclusive Black Getter though but maybe they did... The Mazinger and Great Maz were announced to have a non exclusive full production run, so the slightly lower MSRP as well. IIRC, the "non-silver" (or non-anime recolor) Boss and Dabulas were the context of that email from that RJ member, and HLJ is taking preorders for the silver Boss Borot and Dabulas but not the anime accurate versions (which is believed to be the exclusives). It's just odd that the anime re-colors would be the exclusives, but understandable since these technically aren't based on any anime, but Sato's imagination of what these would look like in an industrial age.

Volks' Custama Rei and Asuka seem to be out.

Anyone else know details for the high price?

Here's a gallery and a review in japanese:

http://pony-hp3.web.infoseek.co.jp/CUSTAMA-P.htm

Pic from pony-hp:

Yep, the Tyrants are vinyl with minimal articulation and seem a bit overpriced at about 5000 yen a piece and the Command car is part of a gashapon set, again overpriced at 7800 yen. I don't think the Command Car will be diecast. But for the diehard fans that want to make their own Patlabor dioramas, they have these options....

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the in scale Tyrants and the Command Car from CM's also up for preorder at HLJ.

I think tisinc99 has them for pre-order and its slated for a 07/07 release. I believe its for $159. Im not sure about the scale though.

You mean this one? http://www.tisinc99.com/gho194483.html

It seems like it's the Fewture EX Gokin version they have on preorder. Also coming from tisinc99 is a dead give away since they tend to overprice their Japanese import toys.

My patlabor came in this morning. I was so excited to open it. Taking the styrofoam insert out of the box a quality control paper falls out. I say, hey.. a good sign already. Then I take the figure out slowly out of the styrofoam. The right shoulder is already dislodged, but hey.. I snap it back on... Then I notice that the replacable front shoulder plate comes off!! The peg that connects it is broken!!! Looking it over, this clamp thing under the on-off switch is broken, I find the broken piece in the styrofoam tray. I say..ok. what else.. I start looking it over again.. I find chipped paint already where the hatch opens to store the gun.

This thing maybe diecast, but the plastic parts really suck. And Quality control? I dont mind paint chipping if I did it, but not even a minute out of the box..I see that. It sticks out so much cuz you can see the dark metal under that white enamel. Figuring how much I paid for this figure... Arrrrggh!!! Im not looking forward to any legioss figures at all. In fact no more CM's. Bandai, Takara and maybe yamato for me from now on.

Where did you get yours from? I've read you can also contact CM's customer service and they should be able to replace your defective product. I heard they even cater to international customers.

I'm waiting for the Good Smile version. I want the works with the 1/20 size, opening cockpit, a posable Kusanagi, and diecast to boot.

Another pic of the Good Smile Company version:

This one. . .

I've got one on the way, but I wanted to know if anyone may have one for a pre-review. . .

Hate to burst your bubble but the pic you posted is the much more expensive diecast version by Good Smile Company, slated to come out some time this year. See below:

I believe the one that just came out is the MegaHouse ABS/PVC version that has a molded Major Kusanagi figure, not an articulated one.

FYI, Fewture is supposed to release a diecast version also, under their EX Gohkin line coming out in May, but won't be as detailed as the Good Smile Company version and no figure included.

I know there are plenty of excuses like shipping costs, low volume production, weakening US dollar, higher complexity designs, etc. however it still doesn't add up IMO. I would think R&D would be cheaper these days with experience and computer designing. There have been plenty of 1/48's produced but the cost has shot up. Quality has improved but still inconsistent and nothing to brag about. I felt like the YF19 was a step down in quality and design from the 1/48 VF1's but cost a big chunk more. Things like a display stand or a few simple add on parts cost as much or more than other diecast transformers like Binaltechs. Cost just seems to go up from one model to another for little or no reason. I know Macross is not as popular as Gundam or Transformers but they always seem to sell well enough on online sites like hlj, bbts, twinmoons, etc. Even on ebay, prices remain fairly strong.

That's what I'm saying as well.

Keep in mind that it's not just the valks but there's milking from the separate "accessories" as well, i.e. Fast packs, GBP, or Miriya pilot figure for Q-rau. And let's bring in other lines that have been perceived as overpriced like Votoms (remember the separate Chrico figure), Escaflowne, the BGC hardsuits, & Garland.

You're pretty funny to think that you think $125,000 is enough to run a business for one product line. They probably spent close to that to develope the model not inclduing the manufacturing run. They would of been out of business a long long time ago if that was the case. It takes a small group of poeple to run a buisness like Yamato and you can bet that if that's all they made you"re not going to be seeing macross yamato for long. You're too funny!

Speak for yourself bra... If you read the post again, I was using "generous" numbers based on Sketchley's calculations and a generalization of the VF-19's only run so far with a "generous" quantity run as compared to your estimates of 15-20k units, and 5 production runs in limited quantities of the VF-1 variants, with a note stating the obvious that they "could make a lot more".

Knowing how much a product costs to be manufactured is misleading at best. The $2 USD product mentioned in my previous post cost something like $0.98 CAD in materials, and $1.50 to 1.85 in labor, overhead, and etc..

Anyhow... as for the above figures, it was based on imports costing double the domestic retail cost ($200/2 = $100. Fairly similar to the $120 USD paid in HK - also an import into that country. )

The $200 USD is obviously not issued by Yamato - given that it retails for far less in HK, and Japan doesn't use the USD as it's currency.

All of the other questions were answered in my previous post. However, just to clarify - that $12.50* isn't to any customer. It's to a wholesaler who is buying somewhere in the ballpark of 5,000 to 10,000 (probably more) units. Distributors, paying at least double the wholesale cost of $12.50, would still be purchasing hundreds, if not thousands of units.

It's all to do with the economy of scale, etc., my friend.

*Edit: the $12.50 is an estimation based on similar experiences. It may not be accurate, and it is probably higher. The point of the figure is to highlight the small sum that Yamato actually receives, in proportion to the total amount spent on the product.

Daaamn, That's even more generous than I thought!!! Like I said in a previous post, even if Yamato makes pennies, multiply that by thousands and it becomes substantial.

To make the math even easier, let's assume that Yamato made $ 10 USD for each 1/60 YF-19 (even more generous than Sketchley's estimation above of $12.50 which "could be more") multiplied by about 7500 units made in this production run (again generous according to toyaddict's estimated prod run of possibly 15-20K), that is $75000 that Yamato made from this YF-19 run alone.(I know the the items still have to be sold to customers instead of taking up floor/shelf space). And let's assume that they are now making $5 (generous estimation) for a cheaper 1/48 VF-1 variant multiplied by 2000 (less projected sales) units times possible 5 variant rereleases the end of last year going into this year (again being generous). That's $125,000 from these alone. This is to demonstrate the possible total profits from these "generous numbers", which doesn't include other releases such as the VF-0 variants, Garland, and others that may come. SO it could be a lot more.

That's USD $125,000 at best they could possibly make this year. By all means it's not the Microsoft busting profit margins, but it isn't miniscule also.

You guys seem to forget about the real issue here, they still had major SNAFUs in which the big loser here is still the consumer that got that subpar toy that broke or could break (and maybe some of the involved retailers are losers too for returned/replaced items). I am perplexed at people saying "just don't buy the damn toy." Well, it's kind of too late for that if you paid and received a broken product! And Yamato's basic answer is, "we'll be making improvements on the next run - better luck on your next purchase, you may get a perfect product next time, we hope to have your business still, chump!" Oh and lets not forget that most of the middlemen aren't accountable (and why should they care, they got their money and some) because by common law, the people held responsible will be the manufacturing company who made a defective product. It's not like I can call the Better Business Bureau or call my Congressman to file a complaint about a Japanese company that gave me a broken toy. Where can I really ask to be compensated for a "luxury toy"? Really....

Call me (us) "whiners" if you will, but did it ever occur to some of you guys that some of us “Yamato haters†were originally “supporters†of theirs, who have seen what this company was capable of and had optimism for what they could become, and now have just had it, because of constant disappointments? Believe me, some of the things you “supporters†are saying, I’ve read or said myself countless times. I started in this hobby in 1999, just about the time when Yamato started making Mac+ toys, and became a member to MW in 2000-2001. Back then, I saw them as a “company for the people,†saviors from the expensive after-market toys that were difficult to hunt down; AND I can honestly say that even BoB, Drifand, and many others that no longer post were their biggest “groupiesâ€; biting on every release, and were vocal defenders of Yamato from “haters†that came from RT.com. We were more forgiving back then and more accepting of flaws we saw (i.e. Tab B on the original YF-19, non perfect transformation for the 1/60 VF-1, rubber seepage from the 1/48 VF-1 hips, etc), only to see improvements later on. The common mentality was “they are just starting up, and they seem to be making improvements, a step in the right direction.†Price wasn’t even an issue for me, $120 for a 1/48, “not bad†I said, “considering all the gimmicks†the 1/60 didn’t have. Go back to the old boards, you’ll see some of our “blind†optimism. So yeah, I was a “supporter†until about 7 months ago when two back to back Yamato (first release) purchases broke on me. So I haven’t purchased any since. But after 6 years of experience, not only on Macross toys but going into other toys, I expect more from them. I opened my eyes to seeing that this toy company is no different from other toy companies out there. They are out for the bottom line, that’s the reality of it. So just like every other company out there, they need to be judged and scrutinized for their flaws, for what they really are (at this time). I’ve seen their “goods†and their “bads,†unfortunately their “bads†outweigh their “goods†from what I’ve seen here and personal experience. Will I buy from them again? Maybe, if I see the improvements we have been asking for all this time start showing up in their toys.

Maybe I am being vocal now because I still hope to see the best come out of this company. So if anything, I don’t want them to fail. So forgive me all "ye high and mighty supporters" for betraying the cause....

Your're missing the point. Dicast cars is a totally different market which is much much larger. World wide consumption of diecast cars is in the millions that would drive production cost significantly lower due to volume. Macross has a market of no more than probably 20K units production run and you want to compare to a diecast car that has a production run of maybe 500K?

Check out CMC's diecast cars bra, some come in quantities of less than 5000-15000 units, hand made in Germany, and a lot times come in less than what a YF-19 costs. Yes apples and oranges, but "bang for buck" can't be helped sometimes for toys. It can't be helped that Yamato be compared to Bandai as well. since toys aren't exactly the easiest to compare with different gimmicks, materials used, etc. But Yamato is a toy company, Bandai is a toy company, Takara is a toy company, SHE is a toy company, they all make transforming toys, they all have to deal with QC issues, they all have to deal with manufacturing costs, procurement costs, shipping costs, inflation, and are affected by oil prices... What is bang for the buck for their products at the same price ranges? Consumer's mentality. That to me is "apples to apples".

1) Shouldn't the same costs affect other collectibles, for instance diecasts toys as in the melting/molding of zinc? Yes it does affect other collectibles and all prices have gone up over time you probably just didn't notice. But not all retailers are equal some buy very small QTY maybe a case or two so their prices are always reflected. Melting of metal and oil does not really has anything to do with each other except that oil powers the machines. Oil is an acutal raw material of plastic...by the way look certain precious metal you can see a dramtic increase in prices. 1 ton of aluminum and 1 ton of steel is very close in price now. China is consuming so much and in return to produce products for the world the prices will only go up since raw material is not infinite

So you're saying that pound for pound, plastics are actually just as expensive as diecast (zinc) because oil is a raw material to produce it. Then diecast collectibles should be more expensive right since they have both plastic and diecast? I collect 1/18 diecast cars as well and I've heard the opposite, plastic is obviously a cheaper alternative to metals. Modelling companies like Minichamps, Autoart, CMC, and even Hotwheels are considering using more plastics to save on costs due to rising oil prices; not only for the the sake of making more plastics, but the for the shipping side, and because recycled plastics are actually cheaper on the long run also. It's a sacrifice that these companies are considering instead of passing the increased costs to the consumer. Diecast will be there, just less of it, meaning more plastics to maintain the same or slight increases in prices but not at the cost of say 10-30% mark ups.

2) Is diecast that much more difficult to integrate into designs and is it more expensive than say the plastics, PVC, or whatever special plastic Yamato plans on using? No it's not but it's alot more expensive than plastic. Look it up people sell by the TON prices vary from country to country.

So diecast is actually more expensive now??? I have CMC Mercedes 1/18 reprods that come in at less than what Yamato charges for a valk, and have complicated moving parts and more detailed. Bandai produces diecast toys with moving parts and are also just as complicated in engineering design and some are just as big a collectible as Macross is (see next point also). So how is it that Yamato is so special in jacking up their prices? So nope, I don't buy that either...

3) There are other similar sized JP toy companies out there like Aoshima, CMS, Max Factory, etc.. with more obscure licenses yet they manage to keep their diecast and non diecast toys at mostly manageable prices. How is this possible? You ansewered your own question they are obscure license with limited fan base and cannot withdstand the test of time like Macross as a brand which has worldwide fans that spans 20 + years. Maxfactory figure how many moving parts does it have? None you gotta compare apples to apples buddy. You cannot compare a Porsche to a Civic b/c they are completely different aside from have 4 wheels and steering wheel.

Alright so you're saying licenses like Godanner, Gunbuster, Getters, VoltesV, Dancougar, etc are so unpopular and are obscure that they haven't witstood 10-20+ years, and has no worldwide appeal or fanbase? And yeah Yamato really makes Porsches in their toys right? So the SOC Gunbuster must be a Ferrari in build then, and comes at about the same price? I am so sick of hearing "Apples and Oranges", it's a played out fruity defense... so comparing a WRX STI to a Lancer EVO is like apples to apples eh? Gomen but uh-uh....

I bet when Yamato gives us the finger and let Macross die, the same whinners will complain that there's nothing more to choose from.

Thik about that... Yamato may not be holding anyone hostage, but like I said in an earlier post, they do have the advantage of the fact that they are the only game in town. They can take advantage of this fanbase's fears that they won't be around anymore, so there are those that will continue to support their practices as long as they provide the supply, even if "every now and then", the product they provide is slightly flawed and may piss off some folks.... slowly chipping away at their costumer base.

But they know there is always that next chump errr newbie around the corner.