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That pose/viewing angle in battroid isn’t doing the figure any favors. I did a double take the first time I saw it because I honestly couldn’t figure out what the heck I was looking at. That said, I’m still buying 2 or 3. Maybe 1-2 more once I’ve had a chance to futz with it in person.

Wonderful comparison, but I think it's more illustrative to align the valkyries on a feature other than the tip of the nosecone (see attached). That said, I have no idea if each of the valkyries in your/Anymoon's image was scaled correctly.

I imagine you can repurpose the belly plate holes to fit all manner of custom accessories. But you'll limit the use of the official display stand if I'm seeing things clearly (see pic).

Thanks for the share! I wasn't familiar with the ventral belly plate and was trying to visualize it fitting on the plane's dorsal surface. That's badass.

"Shut up and take my money!"

Wish I could help. I’ve ordered from them since forever but I’ve never paid much attention to how long it takes BBTS to receive their pre-ordered stock. I tend to pre-order and then pretty much forget all about it until I get the shipping notice. That said, BBTS has always been pretty responsive when I’ve made inquiries about ETAs. I’d give them a jingle if you haven’t already.

I hear you. It looks fierce with the armor. My naked ones need to hit the gym.

The vendor pricing differential is interesting. Eknightmedia's price is about $30.00 below their competitors, and eknightmedia requires a non-refundable $30.00 reserve payment. I'm wondering if they're making a calculated gamble by under-cutting the competition on price in order to drive traffic, while betting that a number of folks will change their mind, fail to follow through, and walk away from their $30.00. If the math works in their favor, those who walk away from their $30.00 will be subsidizing everyone else's purchase.

Amiami's now "order closed".

Secured one at Ami Ami just now. Thanks again for the links, All!

Thanks! I went round and round with Tamashii Nation's website(s) earlier today trying to figure out ordering.

It sounds like a lost cause, but I like a challenge and I'm tempted to pull mine out of storage to get a better understanding.

Yikes. I appreciate the heads up. Do you still have all of the fragments? I’m wondering if I can one-off a replacement part. I’d need all of the fragments to test out my idea though.

I bought one from Mandarake maybe two years ago but have never transformed it. I take it I should leave it in fighter mode. Are the arms the only trouble spot?

Thanks for the alert! I put myself down for one. Because I'm all about supporting the MW community, if I win, I'll make him available for conjugal visits.

You said the quiet part out loud. Apart from Macross Plus, I honestly haven’t enjoyed the source material since the original series as a 10-ish year old. I’ve tried rewatching the original trilogy since then many, many times but couldn’t stomach it beyond 2-3 episodes. Macross Plus pulled me back in during undergraduate but there wasn’t an accompanying toy line (that I was aware of) so I fueled my passion for mecha by buying 1/55s and Transformers. A big part of me would like the Macross franchise to mature(?) and ditch the songs/sirens angle.

Sweet Jesus, get in my collection! I have the blue version. I picked it up from Mandarake during a stretch where I bought every single Chogokin they had for about a month straight. My wallet still hasn't recovered. I don't know what it is about this design but it just speaks to me. And I haven't even seen the animation! I have zero storyline context but I love the design.

I'm a longtime on/off collector of Transformers as well, and you're right, that community is something else. The quality of Transformers has nosedived over time, and I'm typically stunned(?) by what Transformers fans will embrace in terms of quality, design, and QC. You sound like a kindred spirit: I became a neuroscientist in part because of my fascination with Transformers, Macross, the man-machine interface, etc. from an early age. [Full disclosure, I left neuro when I realized I couldn't live (or even date) on a post-doc's salary. Proud to say I'm much happier now that I've moved into pharma.]

OMG. Can’t you just be happy Bandai cares enough to put their blood, sweat, and tears into a 20-yr old franchise (or thereabouts)? Sweet Jesus, save me from these ignorant, unappreciative hordes. You honestly believe your shitting on these pre-release images will manifest something better at this point? Talk about cutting off one’s nose to spite their face. Look at its construction and design! These guys worked their ass off to translate 2D images into a miraculous 3D valk. Go ahead and sit this one out. I’ll buy enough for the both us us.

I hope the quality is there. I've owned at least one of every commercially-available alpha fighter ever produced and I have yet to be impressed enough to keep even one of them. And w/r to the cyclone, I was pretty stoked to get the Sentinel RIOBOT version until I went to transform it: what a piece of complete junk that was. Before I could even transform it once, the lower leg popped off because the meshed thigh is connected to the plastic calf with just a dollop of glue.

Actually, I dislike both Yamato and Toynami equally. 😜 That said, I’ll be picking up multiples upon multiples of the cyclone and fighter if they get released. 🤞🏻

I haven't seen this advertised here or anywhere outside of Toyark. I'm not a huge fan of Yamato Toynami, but these look amazing! https://www.toyark.com/2023/07/20/sdcc-2023-toynami-robotech-display-508536

Yes, please!

I might be alone on this one, but I kinda miss the joy that came with toy hunting. As an undergrad in 1997, nothing brought me more joy than taking a study break in the middle of the night to tour a handful of Walmarts down the mountain in hopes of finding the latest Beast Wars release. Sure, I was driving around in a Chevy Celebrity that was on a fragment of its last leg, never knowing if I'd have to piss in the radiator to keep the engine from seizing, but those drives were always an absolutely magical experience - especially when the search paid off. Fast forward to today, completing collections has never been easier, especially where it concerns what I used to consider grails. For example, I picked up an MIB 1/55 Elintseeker and an MIB 1/55 Superostrich last week and the euphoria of finally having a 100% complete 1/55 collection barely lasted an hour; I used to be able to ride that "high" for days, if not weeks. And this is a goal I've been chasing for nearly 40 years. Anyone out there missing the chase as much as me?