kajnrig

I prefer the movie version, but my take on the questions: 1) Myung likes and dislikes Isamu for his attitude. The reverse is also true. This dynamic extends to Guld as well. All three of them also tend to misdirect their anger towards each other. You hurt the ones you love, and they all love each other in their own ways. 2) Artistic effect to showcase how fast they're going. In most countries around the world it's illegal to go supersonic except in specifically-defined zones and altitudes because the sonic boom that results can cause physical harm to the surroundings. (Also, video of the window-breaking phenomenon:) And I believe it's implied if not stated outright that they're in an abandoned part of Macross City at that point, so no casualties. 3) I think the full exchange goes something like Guld [struggling with the Ghost]: "It's no use. I have to remove the plane's limiters. [To Isamu:] Oy, Isamu. How's it going over there?" Isamu: "It's going great! I even found Myung!" Guld: "Is that so? [To both Isamu and Myung?:] I never had the chance to say: I'm sorry." Isamu: "Hey!" [Here he infers what Guld will do.] Guld: "I'll be done here soon. Was hoping to have a drink with you afterward." Isamu [not wanting to accept that Guld will do what he thinks Guld will do]: "Yeah, sounds good." Guld [as screen cuts to Myung, who's also coming to the same conclusion as Isamu]: "Here's a toast to our seven-year reunion. Well, then. I have to go now." Isamu [his fears confirmed]: "Hey!" Guld starts out the conversation knowing that he'll have to disengage the limiters, and more than likely die to take out the Ghost. He takes a few moments to say his final farewells, at which time Isamu and Myung realize what's going on. In the OVA he crashes into the Ghost a few moments later, but in the movie he chases it a little longer for dramatic effect. 4) Drama. There might be legitimate physical justifications, but mainly it's for dramatic effect. EDIT: It's in fighter mode with its landing gear deployed.

http://hlj.com/product/KZC10002 http://www.collectiondx.com/news_item/81016/kitz_concept_super_deformed_robotech_vf1s_roy_fokker Saw the HLJ link on my Facebook page, and brief researching turned up the CollectionDX link. It's branded as a Robotech toy, but all the same. I dunno if it already has a dedicated topic, but in case it doesn't, I figured I'd share for those who are interested. MSRP of 8800 JPY.

Confirmed stickers only. Will post pictures as proof in a bit.

Bloody hell. Just received mine from From Japan that ended up costing me somewhere around $80 total...

Amen. I would, in a heartbeat, buy an artbook or even just individual poster versions of them.

This. I think a fixed-mode 2-set would make for a better display piece anyway. The major feat (and what would be an engineering marvel) is a working cape-to-wings mechanic, or a sword with working extendo-blade.

I'm honestly surprised (in a good way) that so much of us are as hyped as we are. I'd have thought my post would go with nary a response. In response to Sandman, it might have been popular in the west, but I'm pretty sure it just came and went in Japan. The movie itself only happened due to Western demand; the creators and main audience were well and ready to move on to The Next Anime.

Here's resurrecting a decade-old thread for some news. Courtesy of Gundam Eclipse member Kiske: Anyone else hoping for a new tooling from anyone of any mecha from this show? I've been eyeing those old Kotobukiya resin kits for ages now and might finally bite in time for this.

Hm. Glue has got me thinking a question: How well/poorly does this kit hide its seam lines? All the pics suggest it's done a great job. And what is the paint application like? Did they paint over sections that have to be glued together, thereby rendering plastic cement less effective? (Because there's a layer of paint between the solvent and plastic, you see.)

The kit is 1/144 scale, so the fighter mode kits are a bit larger than the Mecha Colle VFs (which roughly scale to 1/200 or something like that). This scale also means the battroid kit will be roughly 1/4 the size of the 1/72 kit (1/2 the height and 1/2 the width).

It's the same for the 31C. My bet is that either they'll wait to see how well the fighters sell as an indication of demand or they didn't have plans for B/G modes in the first place.

An FYI that that's the Bandai VF-25, not the Hase one. Lovely colors nonetheless.

Copy-paste from my GE post. ~$30 shipped for RG Sinanju ain't bad, is it?

That's true... I wonder why that is? Maybe due to (I think) the thicker plastic they use for canopies leaving less room? Or it could just be Bandai's iffy relationship with pilot scale.

It would be more accurate to say it's "compatible" with the 1/72 kits... if you have an Action Base. All the promo pics of these busts with the VFs (both Mecha Colle and 1/72) have them mounted onto Action Base 1s. That said, I can't wait for the Mirage/Kaname ones to come out.

Same, just got my payment request.

The Bandai pilots are just the upper halves; the lower halves are molded into the cockpit. (Unless you're talking about something else...?)

I'm waiting for my HLJ payment request on the 31A as well. (Getting kind of paranoid about it, too, checking my email every couple minutes or so...)

This isn't strictly gunpla, but it's Bandai's very first Perfect Grade, and yay the lights are on!

...yeah, I went a bit overboard with the pointed debate. I remember getting into this debate in the past with other Gundam fans who were really into the Bandai modus operandi of 1) overengineering and 2) making a mix of model kit and toy and I think the strong feelings from then trickled back into my mind. That's enough of that.

All I'm trying to do is understand your definition of what a model kit should be. You say that it should be a detailed replica of the actual thing, including articulation and transformation. But the transformations/articulations of these toys/models don't reflect the "actual" transformation mechanics of their various source materials (which we know from various design docs, sketches, sometimes in-show footage, etc.), which would make them NOT detailed replicas of the actual things. I guess I'm puzzled as to what specifically you mean by the word "detailed." If a detailed VF-1 model kit should transform (and JUST transform, no specifics of the transformation needed), then would a parts-swapping model meet your standards? Why or why not? The old design sketches of the VF-1 have all sorts of proportion discrepancies, as well. It's not quite as obvious as the M+/M7 designs, but it's enough that the various transforming toys/models don't look quite "right" in at least one of the three forms. The Yamcadia toys favor Battroid mode and make for awkward(ish)-looking fighters, as do the old Toynami toys, and (to my eye) the Bandai kit doesn't look very appealing in any mode. The Hasegawa kits, being limited to only one mode, are afforded the ability to make that one mode look as good as possible, even if the same part differs from mode to mode. You said as much yourself: they are "full of beautiful details." And going back to your definition of a model kit (ie "a detailed representation"), they should therefore be your standard for VF-1 model kits. I've always wondered about this myself, and, mechanically speaking, one could argue that they're just an Overtech skeleton surrounded by airbags or otherwise cushiony material which inflate in Battroid/Gerwalk mode (maybe to pad anything it grasps?) and deflate for storage. I haven't seen any detailed design sketches of the SDFM hands, so it's as plausible an explanation as any. Rendering it in model kit form would be as simple as providing "storage mode" hands in addition to the regular expanded hands. I'm not sure what "argument" I'm supposed to be hypothetically making here. Well, the "real" VF-1 also doesn't have any way to lock the backpack into place in battroid mode. So again, you're wanting them to compromise the detail of the kit in order to ease assembly. 1.) I have never built this kit and don't intend to, though I don't know what bearing that has on the discussion. 2.) I don't know where you got the idea that I (or anyone here) am a fan of this kit. Certainly you've done a good job with it, but praising your work is not the same as praising it. By the same token, critiquing your arguments isn't the same thing as defending the kit.

Who ISN'T ever afraid of doing that? Lol.

Speaking of, it's odd that Hase are opting (or being left unable to do but?) to release their SV-262 before ANY VF-31 variant. Any word on a 31E release? It's about the only Bandai Delta release I'm still looking forward to... unless they decide out of the blue to start a -171 run.

Them bike shorts, man... EDIT: Also yes, you would be correct.

Yeah, it's pretty neat. I only know about it because I got really into F-14 models a while ago, and a lot of modelers talk about dealing with that specific detail. HLJ did a build video of the newest Tomcat model (by Fine Molds) and talked about it as well: https://youtu.be/Shm1JqLLcPI?t=2m23s (Also check out 17:51, where he demonstrates it visually.) Well, you yourself said that models should be "detailed representations" of their source material. And that if they want to represent a transforming mecha in detail, then they should also transform. But "detailed" and "transforming" aren't synonymous. The Yamcadia/DX Valks all transform insofar as they take on the "final appearances," as it were, of their various source materials. But a real VF-1 doesn't have exposed pegs and sockets in all three modes. A real VF-1 doesn't use ball joints that achieve poses through friction. The Yamato VF-1, which you claim is "far better" than the Bandai kit, features legs on a swing bar; this is inaccurate to the actual transformation. You might say that it's a small detail that can be ignored because the final outcome is essentially the same as the actual VF-1, but whether the final outcome is the same/similar isn't the point. You said that models should be detailed representations of their source material. A swing bar in place of actuators is neither detailed nor representative of the source material. The Yamato VF-1 and Bandai VF-1 differ in many aspects of their transformations. Which of these is a more "detailed representation" of the "real" VF-1? The Bandai kit's wings retract into the main body in order to fold all the way back; the Yamato toy's do not. The Yamato toy's arms peg directly onto the gunpod handle in fighter mode; the Bandai kit needs an adapter. Both of them have grooves in their arms for said gunpod gimmick that persist outside of fighter mode, whereas the real VF-1 doesn't. In order to achieve their transformation gimmicks, all of these toys and models necessarily have to be less detailed representations. Even the Hasegawa VF-1s, which I consider the best representation of the VF-1 in all three forms (aside from some ridiculously gorgeous resin kits), have to make concessions for the sake of ease of construction/stability of model/etc. This is all to say that your emphasis on transformation and articulation is misguided, as is your equating of transformation/articulation to detail. An F-14 with moving wings is all well and good, but if the air bags behind it don't inflate/deflate like they should, then what's the point? --- With regards to your other point, the "real" VF-25 was designed with simpler transformations/parts in mind. The franchise introduced some sort of magnet-based Overtechnology that allowed for faster and simpler transformation using fewer parts. This trickled down into the model kits as well, which explains why it doesn't have the same "defects" as Bandai's follow-up VF-1. (Though in reality, it was just that Bandai made a lot of design decisions that selected for gimmickry rather than prudence.) That being said, the Frontier kits have their own share of problems that make them less "detailed representations" of their source material. And again, the Hasegawa kit seems to be an overall better representation of the actual design despite being limited to only fighter mode. EDIT: I should also add, like VF-1A Grunt, that the work you did on these kits is pretty darn impressive. The frosted canopy on the VF-1 is a bit of a shame, but actually it doesn't look that bad here. It looks like maybe Roy and Claudia are just having some fun inside there, if you know what I mean. Cramped spaces and cozy environs...