VFTF1

That's a good question. I think I have some kind of method for that - but basically it usually boils down to "be delicate...or something like that... Pete

Well - regarding the "spoiler" rumor... I would just like to point out that in the first Movie, Megatron supposedly "dies" too... and clearly we see that doesn't last long. But - that's good. That's how Transformers are supposed be. Ripped apart in one episode - up and running in the next I think the movie is about as "serious" as you can expect this franchise to get. Even the most adult oriented and "serious" Transformers works always had a big BIG dose of "suspended belief" - and not so much for the "talking robots" part as for other aspects of the plot. I mean - Warwithin was pretty standard fair if you think about it. The Autobot battle with Trypticon should have- by rights - seen Autobots being annihilated left and right - instead they actually gave Trypticon a run for his money - and did anyone seriously believe anything "truly" bad happened to Skids? Again - Transformers has always been whacky super robot fun. I personally enjoyed it most when it went into "inter-galactic/star wars" mode - with episodes like some of the season 3 eps (Quintesson Journal, Money is Everything etc) and comic book issues like Matrix Quest Bird of Prey. These are examples of good stories that take themselves seriously but not TOO seriously. In a way - all of Beast Wars was somewhat like this as well. I really can't be too down on the franchise - the "kiddie" stuff is not necessarily bad - look at Animated. That was great fun. What was bad was the Trilogy - but not because it was "made for kids" - rather - because it F#CKING SUCKED!!!!... I really don't know how else to discribe it... it was just so ....terrible...I think part of the reason was because it took itself WAY waaay to seriously and there wasn't much of a conscious effort at deflating the pathos.... The Movie is well balanced. But...yeah...I guess it'll be interesting to see what they come up with after Animated. Pete

I think we need to find out what happened to Megaroa---aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!! (beaten to death by MW members) Pete

For me it would be the 1/60 no doubt about it. But not really due to price differences or any such consideration. And also not due simply to it "transforming." It's not just that it transforms - it's that it looks perfect in all three modes, comes with super and strike parts etc etc etc - that gimmick with the removable nose...everything... I like poseable mecha figures like Revoltech. I prefer their wacky anime design to what Yamato have given us in GNU. I prefer the Revoltech Macross to the GNU Macross Plus for instance. Why? Because the Revoltech molds take full advantage of being non-transformable and therefore go all out in giving us pure anime inspired poses/sculpts. The Yamatos just don't look that appealing to me when compared to Revoltech Valkyrie... Pete

That's Sharon Tate? The girl who was later tragically murdered by the Mason family?? Now I'm sad you told me... As for the VF-1D -- About the longer nose and the swing bar - have you guys noticed how in the comparison shots of the battroid mode a few pages back, the alignment of the chest caviy on the 1J and the 1D are different? I can't quite pinpoint it - but it's got something to do with the placement of the nose in battroid mode - probably recompensating the length difference. It looks like the nose on the 1J is lower while the 1D it is not. Lower in the sense of "below the chest cavity" - obviously both noses are probably the same "length" in terms of where they reach to between the knees. In any event - this is a marvelous marvelous piece. The only thing that I'm mildly annoyed about is the 1/60 head sculpts on Minmey and Hikaru. Minmey looks like a blob. She needs some big blue eyes to make her look cute. As for Hikaru - he looks like GI Joe or Action Man or something... He needs a bob of his hair sticking out from under that helment. He looks way way too old Like a mature man and not the boyish er...boy...he was at that point Pete

Now, now Don't bite the goose that lays the golden egg which feeds the horse with the hand of the greeks from who you shouldn't take gifts especially if it's a stranger with candy. Hasbro wouldn't have reissued them if not for the high prices that G1 was going for prior to TFC and the other reissue lines Pete

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want the SMS windbreaker and beanie!! And the salamander! Where can I get them!? Where where!? Pete

Your welcome Pete

Not impressed Sorry Yamato - but you made your v.2 TOO GOOD. I can do all of those poses with my version 2 1/60 VF-1 - and it's transformable. Oh - and the trigger finger actually fits into the trigger. Oh - and the back of the knees actually look anime accurate - whereas the GNU back of the knees...don't. Not that I'm "mad" or anything. I understand they're competing with Revoltech/other small poseable anime action figures... But... you can really tell it's a sort of marginal line. Pete

Quick answer: No. You must be doing something wrong. This isn't a problem on any of the 5 v.2s I have Pete

Morpheus: Very cute Polidread: Excellent! Pete

They look so nice next to the Yamatos I'm happy to see more pics of them side by side. Really lovely. Can't wait... Pete

Yay! This is my favorite valk and getting TV Minmey will be an added benefit. Pete

Regarding the designs - I'd add one more thing: In my opinion, it's hard to judge the movie designs based on STATIC PICTURES. This is one thing I've come to suddenly realize - I was very critical of the TF designs going into the first movie, then, I SAW THEM MOVE and it was like OH WOW! These are great! Starscream especially. Starscream looks like an ape thingy in a static picture - but on screen, when he MOVES - he looks AWESOME. A LOT of the design in these is about getting them to look a certain way WHEN MOVING - these have to be LIVING robots. These are not designs made primarily to fit into a comic book format or the limited motion 2-D world of animation. That said - we really don't know what the Fallen or Destastator "looks like" based on those still shots because we haven't seen them move yet. Movement helps convey presense and character. Remember - the designers were definitely concerned with how these things would walk, pivot, turn etc when thinking them up - it's not just about having it look good on a still splash page shot. Pete

It's Friday the 13th! One day before my birthday weee Anything bad happen to anybody today? Are you superstitious? My girlfriend says I shouldn't be superstitious because only people who live in the countryside are that way. I told her to try to remember where I live (in the countryside of course) Then again, she bought a black cat and now has the flu ... If not - consider the re-re-birth of this thread the first bad thing to happen to you today, and a fulfillment of the superstition that bad things happen on Friday the 13th That said - anyone going to the new movie? I would, but it's not out here in Poland (second bad thing to happen today). Watch your step, and don't go camping And watch a Jason movie to remember that it could be worse Pete

Nice collection Macrosssnake Where can I get that White Base? Pete

Well - judging from my own observations - you guys are in the majority. I as a person am in the minority (again!). I LOVE the G1 reissues - not only for the chance to get the crispy clean mint version of the figure, but for the boxes. Actually, the Hasbro Commemorative boxes are by far the least sturdy in this regard, although they are pleasant in their own right and better than any other box Hasbro has ever made (save the original G1 boxes). But the TFC and Encore boxes are just utterly lovely. I'm a big big reissue fan and the lack of joints doesn't bother me. I think I wrote somewhere once that it's ironic that I can't stand Macross chunky monkeys from Bandai - but I prefer "chunky" TFs from G1 to the modern "poseable" ones. This doesn't mean I don't like Henkei - I do. Henkei is great. Beast Wars and Animated too. It's just that ultimately even Henkei departs fairly often from the G1 aesthetic - and it's the LOOK that interests me most. Well - that and the feeling that my dreams are being fulfilled. I'm still 5 years old in my mind, and I have these memories of walking into Sears and looking at the toy aisles and seeing aaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllll those beautiful boxes of G1 Transformers and wishing they were mine. Once in a while, my dear mum would get me one and it was like a dream come true. But my collection never reached any huge level, 'cause my folks didn't have the money. I remember saving up 12 dollars for Devastator gift set over the course of like...8 months And I got him! That was an amazing day... and I'd take him down to this little pond next to a bigger bond and play with the Constructicons...sniff... So - I guess I mainly buy them for sentiment. I love teh G1 Marvel comics and the G1 toys and everything about it... But I guess I'm in the minority. Pete

Very impressive. Next to the VF-1, the VF-11 is the other Valkyrie I wouldn't mind having a fleet of... Pete

I think what the SDF-1 set could really use is a bunch of 1/200 fighters. But then again - wouldn't that mean it would also have to be 1/200? Oh. scratch that I guess Pete

And I was just itching to write: "can you transform him and show us how he looks?" - guess that'll never happen now Check out the 1/35 EFGF M61A5 from Bandai's UC Hard Graph series - you won't be dissapointed Pete

Oh sweet mother of Pearl! Those 1/72 Messiahs look so adorable! And even though they are not 'in scale' they look MUCH better alongside the Yamatos than the DXs! I really like these pics! Great shots! Pete

Wacky as this sounds, but I get the feeling that Hasbro has lately become a victim of its' success on this score... that is to say: I think the demand for G1 figures is dead and gone. Even Takara Encores are released basically one a month. Can you imagine any other line of figures being released one a month - sometimes one every three months? I personally love them. But I'm 30. There have been now three major generational gaps between G1 and the present - BW, Unicron Trilogy and the Movie. Intersperced with that are things like Car Robots/RID and Animated... Very very very few people are interested in G1 collectibles IMO. The market demand is just not there to sustain it. This doesn't mean people don't like G1 - but just that they don't have enough of a sentimental attachment to the actual Diaclone moulds to want the reissues... Naturally - this is my hunch/unsubstantiated opinion on the subject. Pete

Ok. I'm starting to prepare myself for the VF-25S 1/72. I don't have it yet, but it will probably be mine by March/April. At this stage, I am going to want to do two things: a) buy materials, b) start practicing on a "simple" kit. My simple kit is going to be Getter 1 from Bandai's Mechanic Collection line. I always loved Getter 1, and I have the SOC version and the Revoltech - and I won't mind building a couple of MC kits as well and practicing painting on them. I'm going to want to do a few variations. Maybe weathered Getter 1 - whatever - "go wild" - get the hang of it and such...(of painting)... I'm now going to go shopping for some paint. It's pretty easy to shop for Getter 1 paint. RED. YELLOW. WHITE. However - can you guys tell me what colors I need for Ozma? I mean - something more specific than just "grey" Can I choose gun metal and the like? That is - it won't matter what shade of grey I choose will it? If my gray paint doesn't match up to the factory painted part from Bandai - that's not going to cause a problem is it? Sorry for the uber-newbie questions. Hope someone can fill me in Thanks, Pete

Wow. JBO - from now on I will always listen to you in the ways of Macross. Guide away. Pete

Mr. March: I just read your Pimp My Valkyrie section APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE!! I LOVE THE WRITING! IT'S GREAT!! BOW! KISS! WAVE!! ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!!! Pete