mechaninac

$11,800.00 for a 2000 Mazda Miata. Not a hobby, but I've been wanting one for years, and you could consider it a toy.

$182.00 for a VF-1J w/FP, shipped. Love the thing but I've promissed myself I'll never spend that much for a hunk of plastic again.

Major...

Man, I hope that your positive experience with the final pre-production sample translates into the mass release version. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

I think most people around here, who are not Macross purists with an ax to grind about HG's "butchery" of original source animes, soured on Toynami/HG not so much because of the inferior quality of the MPC VFs, but because they blocked the mass importation of all Macross related items, thereby causing US and World wide fans (Asia rim excluded) to have to pay huge premiums to specialty importers in order to aquire coveted items. I remember when the M+ toys were going to be available domesticaly through Toycom for around $40.00 retail and HG killed those hopes. That's where I believe most of the animosity comes from...their hubris in claiming, and winning, ownership to a property that they had no hand in creating.

I stand corrected on the Macross Plus movie...Cheers

I believe Toynami will make their money on this item, because they are the only ones making it. It's not a monopoly, they're just the only ones licensed to make specialty items of this kind. Monopolies are companies that have total control of a certain industry, not a specific item

Semantics. Perhaps the word monopoly was misused, but the point is still a valid one: when it comes to Mospeada related toy items, Toynami is the ONLY game in town; if you want a new Legioss/Alpha transformable toy, the MPCs are the only choice other than outrageously priced MIB Gakkens with less then half the features (only things going for those are their size and nostalgia factor). HG/Toynami will charge whatever they think they can to maximize their profit margin. I don't begrudge them for doing it, it's a free market and they are entitled to it.

I agree that this MPC series will most likely do well, or at least much better than the Veritech series, and will hold their value much more than those; though I do believe that if the Stick/Scott's Alpha has anywhere near the same QC/design/engineering/assembly problem and bad reviews as Rick's FV-1J than the bottom will drop...fast. That being said, I have pre-ordered the first Alpha on the assumption that it will be a hit and sell out, and, if not reasonably priced, at least reasonably engineered and finished, and nobody will know that until they hit the shelves. I will, however, wait on the subsequent releases to drop in price if the first one proves to be a disappointment.

I know Toynami's track record is not the best thus far, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt this time around; besides, I want the Alpha MPCs to do well so that they will have reason to produce the hinted-at linkable Tread/Beta bomber.

The only ones I know for sure are available in English dubbed versions are Macross Plus and Macross II OVAs and movies. DYRL? is available in English as the horrendously butchered "Clash of the Bionoids", but that doens't really count.

Other than the too dark overall color (could be the camera, the lighting, my monitor, or just my own preferrences), words simply fail to give adequate praise and admiration for this beautiful custom. A thousand bravos.

It's no wonder I see MPC VF-1 Veritechs toys gathering dust on the shelves at various toy stores. Some Robotech fans we got here in America.

Wrong, the whole MPC line are targeted at people who were fans of the show way back in 1985 and beyond; that would make the average buyer somewhere between 27 and 35 years old, and would make any sales to kids a plus, but not the make-it-or-break-it proposition on a 15K p/unit run. Hell, the first MPC started to sell out untill the unfavorable reviews started popping up all over the internet, and the consumer voted with their money as they always do.

The reason that the MPC VF series are languishing is simply due to competition...there's that strange concept of capitalism again...there are Bandais, Banprestos, transformable kits, Hasegawas, and, of course, two lines of Yamatos. The market is currently saturated with Valkyries, and the consumer will invariably gravitate to the better product regardless of price.

That's exactly the type of anti-Harmony Gold diatribe that I have seen on this website for about 2 years straight

Agreed. Frankly, I think that some people just react to anything Robotech/HG/Toynami the way a vampire reacts to a cross or garlic. It is completely emotion driven.

The real reason HG/Toynami will charge $80.0 US for their Alpha MPC is simply that they can. When you have a monopoly on a product, as HG has on any toy related to Mospeada, you can set the price you want to charge; limited production, eager fan base, and no competition give them the leeway to do so. That's just simple Business 101.

HG/Toynami are banking on their product being good enough to sell well so that their investment will pay off, hence the high price...amortize the tooling fast and reap the profits afterwards; however, should the toy bomb on the market place, either because not enough people think it's worth what they think the market will bear, or because they just plain suck, then the price will drop as retailers try to dump their inventory of an unpopular item.

In the end, this is just plain old Capitalism at work...the buyer will eventually decide what the product is worth and everything will shift accordingly.

The only 1/48 VF-1 that has the TV pilot is Hikaru's VF-J and VF-1J FP. The upcoming M&M VF-1Js will also include TV sculps. Everything else has the original release DYRL? pilots, excludding the Low Vis with it's M0-esque pilot and the new VF-1S Hikaru with its resculpted DYRL? figure (huge improvement over the original).

On a somewhat related note, is anyone recasting the VF-1J's, VF-1A LV's, and new VF-1S Hikaru's pilots? Like GianS I'd love to get a hold of the new pilots without having to buy a whole VF-1 toy.

That 1/100 X-02A on page 2 looks ubber cool...

Invid/Inbit would be GREAT candidates for he super-poseable line. As would Zentradi power armors/Queadlunn Rau and the Southern Cross Bioroids.

I agree that they'd make excellent fodder for the SP line, in a scale somewhere between their Alpha SPs and up-coming MPCs; ditto for Zentradi soldiers and male power armor, and Southern Cross enemy mecha, but why would you want a Q'Rau from Toynami when Yamato has just released their 1/60 scale beauty?

I just love the name Pheyos. That word, in Portuguese, or Spanish I suppose, means: ugly ones. The only difference is that in Portuguese the spelling would be "feios", but it's an apt description any way you slice it.

They look like internal organs with guns

Like kidneys with attitude

Graham! Please tell Yamato that if they made a Glaug, they hit _2 markets in one_.

Not only will they sell boatloads to Macrossfans, old school Battletech fans would snap them up too.

C'mon man its a freaking MAD-3R Marauder! Who wants the butt ugly Daishi, Nova Cat etc etc....

RHTT, you're absolutely right...Battletech fans would indeed snap them up. I've read somewhere that some Battletech tournament games are played with large scale models instead of the tine 1/280 scale miniatures. Armorcast makes the MadCat, Vulture, and Atlas in 1/60 scale...a Glaug would be a perfect fit.

A little off topic, but since thE last few repplies mentioned the pilots....Is anyone doing recasts of the Low Vis pilot, the new DYRL sculpt of the Hikaru 1S, and the TV pilot from the 1J?

Frankly, the original DYRL pilot's sculpt suck ass; I'd love to get a hold of the new ones...without having to buy a whole new VF-1.

Actually, I don't think I see any Constitution Class Starships in that pile. They look like kitbashes or something to create Destroyers, Scouts, Tugs, and other non-canon/semi-canon filler ships of TOS era...Damn, I hate sounding like a Trek geek

The proportions look better in battroid, but I bet it wouldn't transform into the other two modes very nicely.

If I remember correctly, if it had ever made it to limited production, the model wasn't going to transform at all. I think you were supposed choose a mode and go with it. Also, the nose section had it's radome shortened to improve the battroid mode's proportions, but that caused the fighter to look stubby up front. Don't take my word for it, go HERE and check it out.

It's an outstanding piece of work, but it too had it's fare share of compromises.

Well, the MPC Alpha already has two big problems.

1.  It's small

2.  It's $80

At that size for that price, it's just not worth it.

1. Yes, it is small, but it make sense in two ways:

a. The VF-1s MPCs were 1/55, so the family scale consistency is maintained.

b. More importantly, the larger the scale, given the mass of this thing, the harder it would be to create a stable lock for the possible linkable Beta/Tread. I suppose that a larger scale (1/48 would be very nice) with a lower diecast content would be better, but 1/55 is what Toynami is offering and that is what we have to deal with.

2. Yes, $80 USD is a bit much...about 25% too much, but there is no competition for the Toynami Alpha; the bastards at HG have the Mospeada licence locked tight, so their product is the only game in town if you want a new Legioss toy. You could always pay 3 times as much or more for an old MIB Gakken, but most people can't or won't. Besides, call me blasphemous, but I think that Toynami's has a better looking sculpt, and will probably blow the old Gakken's wings off in the features and poseability departments.

...And back to the sculpt, I think the picture below properly conveys my statement on the issue.

Comparing a garage kit that would have cost well over $300 to a mass produced toy isn't really fair. They're two completely different animals.

Just my 2 cents...

Beautiful work! Awesome Max and Kakizaki 1A customs. The Max looks absolutely perfect, but is the Kakizaki's brown supposed to be that dark? I thought the tone should be closer to a medium-light tan color...minor nitpik, and it may just be a camera thing; besides, I don't think I would even attempt a custom on a 1/48...not unless I could get one for less than $50.00 US...like that will ever happen.

WTF, put me down for one set too.

Alright, its about time that the colonial marines made it to the "Movie Maniacs" series. And I'll add my voice to the chorus...I want a Dropship (1/72 or larger) with unfolding missile storage wings, opening payload ramp with removable APC, folding landing skids, rotating VTOL nozzles, in-scale figures, opening cockpit?, the works.

Does anyone remember the the action fleet version of the Aliens' vehicles? Even though they weren't supper accurate, and compromises were made for playability by little kids, they were pretty nice; but today, they fetch way too much money...upwards of $60 USD. I'd love to see a rendition of all the vehicles, especialy the Dropship, made with the adult collector in mind. That would rock!

It'll probably be some time, but I'm sure will see them over the next couple of years. For now, anyone who wants a GBP armor will have to make do with the 1/60 version.

OMDG...

Must.......See......More......Pictures......

Congratulations on your first, and probably not the last...these damned things are addictive, 1/48 VF-1. Man, that is the one Valkyrie I still want to get, but it is currently too expensive in the USA.

I'm glad you found my FYI useful; there are other, less obvious, improvements akin to those introduced on the Low Vis, but Yamato dropped the ball by not selling the reissues with the new pilot sculpt included with the VF-1S Hikaru.

Here is another piece of advice: If you plan to leave the toy as is, other than doing the panels, buy Takatoys stickers for your Valkyrie; they are much better than Yamato's stickers and you get to keep those mint in their bag. If you intend to do any customizing that requires painting and sealing than try to get Anasazy's decal sheet (he makes self-adhesive stickers also, but I haven't seen them in person; anyone who has can give you a review) since they will look better than stickers and much more "model-like".

Now if Yamato would only release other VFs in 1/48...