kajnrig

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...

I was talking about this in the M-Delta thread as well (with links to other discussions in other forums): http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=43414&p=1298661 EDIT: With regards to your question, dizman, there's this post from the Gundam Eclipse discussion:

Adding context to the above: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=43414&p=1298737

Gah. The forum I got this from has stupid hotlinking issues (can't link to the specific post without isolating it from the discussion afterward). Oh well. Here's the post in question: http://gundameclipse.net/single/?p=709810&t=5193504 And here's the discussion afterward (go down about halfway to get to the above post): http://gundameclipse.net/topic/5193504/36/ We're all discussing this P-Bandai web page: http://p-bandai.jp/bc/images/net-s_tokushu/international_delivery.html It seems there are three proxy services: Buyee.jp (which NZEOD uses and recommends), From Japan (which I used just a bit ago to snag something, I had a good experience), and Samurai Buyer. Sorry for the convoluted mess of links. >.< --- On a related note, I ordered a P-Bandai kit through a US store, Tatsu Hobby - the MG Powered GM. I've purchased other things from them before, and now have two other P-Bandai preorders with them. Their P-Bandai prices are probably a bit high compared to using the above proxy services, but I've always had a good experience with them, so... just an FYI.

There's that, but also it's likely a more accurate representation of what the ACTUAL gear design is that Kawamori came up with. (As they appeared in episode 2 or 3 or whichever, with Mirage's 31C.) The DX and Bandai kit both have to compromise on the landing gear design in order to satisfy other requirements. I imagine the (eventual) Hasegawa kit will feature similar gear design to the Tomy Tec one.

Transformation isn't inherently a problem. If it can be achieved without compromising on the representation of the subject, then I don't think anyone would complain. Of course, such a thing is nigh impossible. Many Gundam kits transform, but while they might take on the right final shapes and such, they aren't exactly representative of the "actual" transformation. Armor panels opening/shifting, internal machinery moving around, etc. The Bandai VF-1, for all its faults, manages to faithfully reproduce the leg swing bar, and that's commendable. (I can and do fault it for all of its compromises elsewhere that ultimately negate that faithful reproduction, though.) By that definition, a bunch of these double ball joints glued together would be the ultimate Gundam model, whereas this would be tripe of the lowest caliber. You do realize that a good majority of (pre-modern) 1/72 F-14 kits DON'T have swiveling wings, right? The F-14 has inflatable air bags that "fill in" the empty space of the plane when the wings are fully open. A model kit with swinging wings would be an improper, un-"detailed reproduction" if it did not also have inflatable air bags. Most make do with allowing you to position the wings, then providing you with extra parts to "fill" or "empty" the air bags as appropriate.

P-Bandai means "Premium Bandai." It's something Bandai started a couple years back where kits (and other items) not well suited for mass production can be ordered directly from them and produced on an as-needed basis. (Recent Gundam kits include the MG Powered GM, MG Altron, MG Heavyarms Kai, etc.) Unfortunately, P-Bandai is only available to customers in Japan, so until recently overseas customers had to resort to ordering these limited-run kits through proxy services, which would add various markups/service fees/etc. to the regular price. Bandai now has partnered with certain proxy service companies to allow overseas customers to get in on these P-Bandai kits. Fees and such are still applied, but there are now at least "official" proxy services.

85m height / 350 scale = 24.3 cm = 9.6 in. Taller than a 1/72 VF-25 (21.7 cm), and 1/100 Gundams (18 cm). That's not bad at all. I suppose it's too much to ask for an 18-incher to challenge the Neca toys...

Huh. Dunno where HLJ is getting this info from; anyone want to confirm? EDIT: Probably the above Japanese press release?

Did the regular release feature Ghosts? I don't think it did... Bandai re-issues might be your best bet for them at this point. EDIT: While we're at it, did the regular RVF feature anything that might not be included in this one? The 25G has the speakers and Ranka figure (and copilot seat?) that I don't believe made it to the Super version.

Yes. Resident Evil Damnation was super good. Dumb as a brick, but the goodness was off the charts. Perpetual heartthrob Leon S. Kennedy versus TWO Tyrants AND a horde of Lickers AND the entire state of not-Russia? I'm not surprised in the slightest that this movie is getting the drubbing that it is. After the hype had worn off Advent Children, I realized it for the mess of a movie that it was, and I'm coming into this one with the low low low LOOOOOW expectations it deserves. The problem is (probably) that it treats itself with such reverence and so little self-awareness. The dialogue is (probably) super stilted and awkward and melodramatic. That seems to be the Squenix way. Anyway. Visuals look damn good, at any rate.