drifand

For model kits, I actually suspect the makers leave in little imperfections so that seasoned modelers can have the satisfaction of making it 'perfect'

Really love the engine detailing! Question: I read on another thread that Hasegawa's fighter kits have a 'unusual' angle for the lower legs... can they be straightened?

Dude, what has an honest opinion about my personal experience of Yamato done to impugn on your personal taste and sense of honour? :-) Did I address you by name when I related my PERSONAL experience that guided my opinions and choice regarding this new product? Please!

And how do you defend the record of broken Yamato VFs? This thread is about the new kit. Stay on or get off.

Again, back on topic: I have enjoyed seeing the development process of this new kit, been heartened by the gradual improvements like the loss of the terrible gap under the backpack thrusters. And also laughed at all our reactions to fugliness, and sighed with relief when test shots don't actually stand like they need to pee-pee all the time. Head size? Maybe a little big, but if '3D printing' can save broken toys, then kit bashing with Hasegawa parts should be even easier... and this IS a kit. Most of all, I'm happy to see the ingenuity and innovation that went into the mechanical design: real leg delivery panels, dammit! Practical? Durable? Don't know, but it won't cost a lot to find out. This is a NEW way to enjoy the classic VF-1 design. Good times.

I'm sorry for your loss. Having an expensive toy of a subject you care about fall apart through no fault of your own can be a painful and dispiriting experience. Now try to imagine what it feels like to have that happen over and over again across different iterations, variants and related series... Like I said, we value different things. Bandai BAD because 'Y U NO TRY HARDER TO RESPECT LINE ART AND MODERNIZE VF LIKE GUNDAMN?!' Yamato BAD because 'Y U NO THINK ABOUT HOW MATERIALS WORK AND FIT BEFORE YOU MAKE THINGS?!' I guess the ideal situation is having the best of Yamato aesthetics and the best of Bandai's production acumen. Best; not worst. I think the 1/60 YF-29 and VF-171 showed this kind of promise. And 3D printing shouldn't even have to come into the picture. We all choose what we can live with and what we can't. FOR ME: Inaccuracies? Subjective. If it isn't too ugly I can imagine it away as I play with it. Documented physical failures? Would rather not have to deal with it. Logic tempers passion.

Here's the thing... we obviously value different things while being very passionate about Macross. Nothing you say will change my opinion of Yamato: auteurs in highly detailed mecha-model design, that have improved and innovated on the ART but nevertheless, keep stumbling on the CRAFT. It is the high promise they offer that makes the pain so much more unforgettable. Similarly, Bandai doesn't inject as much passion into the ART of Macross toys and models. They may even have lowered their standards in crafting the Frontier v1 toys - I loathe v2 bullsh*t from any vendor - but, I am confident all my Bandai-made Macross toys will be in one piece 20 years from now. I don't know if there will still be a cottage industry of hobbyists recasting spare parts for the unlucky owners of whatever-overlooked production deficiency from Yamato. So back to the topic: This kit is innovative and some Macross fans will enjoy it more than other alternative choices. I certainly respect your right to support your preferred franchisee; more power to your luck!

I'm just glad I have the choice of not having to deal with the uncertainty of Yamato's beautiful yet never-quite-fully-thought-out CAD designs. Most definitely will purchase the new kit for the sheer pleasure of putting it together and enjoying the most canonically accurate transformation produced to-date. Hurrah!

Just watched the Bluray for the sake of the subtitles only to find Bane had been redubbed. Auralnauts FTW.

Two words: DETENTED JOINTS!!! Ah yes, I can pack away the Yamato at last!

My first reaction is that it was all a dream... JUST LIKE IN THE SHOW!

So, did anyone get the WHAM Helldiver? I never did see it in shops here in Singapore or in Hong Kong...

Well, now that Yamato has the 1/60 kit on the way, maybe they will ship a load of the correct parts trees to their USA HQ and appease the majority of their affected overseas customers. Good luck to everyone else.

Just got back from a toy hunting trip in HK with 2 pals. We scooped the DX for HK$1250~$1280 at Richmond Centre on Argyle Street, Mongkok. Fabulous bargains all over town :-)

Somebody needs to pose the Quarter in ship mode against the Zoids Whale King, the ultimate 'playset' mecha!!

I took my dad and mum to a 3D screening this afternoon. The new 3D goggles were pretty comfy as long as you weren't wearing big glasses as well. Overall, nicely done even if the story was predictable. The local cineplex was OK but IMAX would be the most immersive experience. Interestingly, the movie previews were also in 3D: Shrek Final Chapter, Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton), and I have to say I found THOSE two a little jarring in the use of 3D compared to Cameron's considered approach for Avatar. It may be hyped to the max but it's still at least a 7/10 cinematic experience.

Try shooting with your cam on a stand... best tool any toy shooter can have short of a spiffy new camera. :-)

Ah, the mocking bit was pure comedy, and yes, I did embellish the fight But good toys are like that - they let you relive your favorite moments from the show. Now that I think about it, the Mk-II actually showed up again on the last episode, in a beige/black scheme, piloted by a bank robber and had to be stopped by the newfangled AV-0s. I suppose if the sales figures for these were good enough, CM's would have made that variant as well. But reality bites.

Next up is TV episode 39 'Mass Production Plans', in which Shinohara Heavy Industries revamped the disastrous AVS-98 Economy into the more powerful AVS-98 Mk-II Standard. One by one, the SV2 pilots - Noa, Ohta and Gomioka (from platoon 1) - put the new Labor thru its paces. As it learns the pilots' movements, the machine becomes more efficient, until SHH manager Jitsuyama declares the Mk-II is ready for a one-on-one fight with its predecessor, the Ingram... Noa is selected to face off the Mk-II, which is piloted by a factory test pilot. It will be a match of newer technology versus greater experience. Armed with a staff, the Mk-II is ordered to attack while the Ingram must defend. The Mk-II charges forward in an instant, but Noa is focused and waits for the right moment. As the Mk-II comes within range, Noa side-steps and trips the new machine, disarming it in the blink of an eye. From the observation deck, Jitsuyama blurts out 'IMPOSSIBLE!' Noa's Ingram snatches the staff and taps the downed Mk-II in victory. Inside the cockpit the stunned test pilot is fuming mad at his 'failure'. The Ingram turns away, as if dismissing the threat. The enraged pilot picks the Mk-II up off the floor... ... and makes a cowardly attack from behind! Without missing a beat, Noa grabs the Mk-II's arms and judo-throws it onto the floor. Noa finshes the move with an arm lock. Jitsuyama tells his pilot to quit. The Mk-II has been defeated! Following the fight, Cpt. Nagumo could not accept the Mk-II as an 'upgrade' and poor Platoon 1 had to soldier on with their old Pythons... until the advent of the vastly superior AV-0 Peacemaker. The End.

The Griffon fights with 'life-like' motions and quickly dispatches the underpowered Economy model. As the Griffon lifts up the pulverised AVS-98, Ohta fires off a salvo of shots in desperation, only to smash into the back of the AVS. With a mighty throw, the Griffon takes out both labors, leaving a stunned but alive Asuma to retrieve the operating disk and return it to a worried Noa. Of course, the Griffon flies off in the end leaving the remains of SV2 in the rain.

Now that I've had some time to detail up and play with the CM's AVS-98 duo, I thought I'd share some more pix with the 'Labor nuts here :-) (D)Evolution of a high-spec product. Life imitates art: just as in the anime, CM's AVS-98 Economy and Mk-II Standard are 'cheaper' variants of the original pricey AV-98 Ingram. All-plastic construction with the best quality to-date for a 'Mecha Action' Patlabor figure. The Peacemaker was iffy on its PVC finishing and the Brocken was downright broken with its terrible joints. I've covered most of the screw holes with colored stickers. Here's my take on TV episode 31 'Tragedy in the Rain'... Asuma brashly takes the showroom model Economy for a spin on the last day of the Tokyo Labor Show, and found the joints and reaction sluggish compared to the finely tuned Ingrams. Ohta confronts Asuma over his irresponsible actions. Before they come to blows, Schaft enters the fray. A container truck comes between the two and out springs the Griffon! Ohta typically and literally loses his head in seconds even as Asuma charges forward...

The Megahouse Type 303 is really nice but since my Tachikomas are the 1/24 WHAM variety, I decided to get the same scale armed suit. Then, just for the heck of it I put some black 'blu tack' and suspended my blue Tachi on the ceiling of the glass shelf :-) I guess that's ONE advantage of the super-light WHAM figures!

Well, i just got my CM's AVS-98 Economy and Mark-II from HLJ's Black Friday sale. At 5,880 yen each and free shipping, it was finally 'SANE' enough to get So, yeah - these are GREAT FUN. None of the joint problems on the Brocken, nor the iffy parts-fit on the Peacemaker. Two more really good reasons for getting the CM's series of Patlabor toys... I've really had enough of 'lonely line-ups' for Patlabor! One important mod I just did for both of these figures: I opened up the legs and stuffed them full of lead fishing ballast. Now both are nicely weighed down and much more stable for posing. One thing I discovered while putting back the legs: it is NOT easy!!! Those factory workers must have a hard time assembling these toys. Really gives a new perspective on the original 'crazy' prices. In the morning I'll redo my shelf and take some pix. Still hoping for a CM's Helldiver... even a softbi. Edit: Shelf Pic Decided on Economy vs Griffon and Mark-II as a 'reflection' of the Ingram

For the SOC version, I only got the black 03 and silver 04... the original 00-01-02 I couldn't bear to own because of the relatively dull paint colors. If they ever re-release in 'anime color' editions, I MIGHT consider. Instead the SPEC editions are exactly what I was hoping for: Size is almost exactly the same as the original LMHG kits by Bandai, nice details, great colors, AND you can even get a couple of soft vinyl Angels to go with them. Still hoping to see the white 'devils' in SPEC one of these days. :-)

I really feel that some of Sheryl's/May'n's best songs need the correct accompaniment during live performances. For example, Yosei sounds beautiful on the album but the the overlapping vocals and chorus is practically impossible to recreate on-stage. So the best live version of Yosei so far has to be from the Budokan concert where the music was stripped down to Yoko Kanno on piano and no backing vocals - pure and powerful; whereas at AFA08, the musical arrangement sounded a bit awkward. For Diamond Crevasse, it's 'easier' and May'n always sounds great singing it live. But if you want the most evocative performances, again, the arrangement has got to be minimalist: like Budokan's encore duet with Megumi... and now with Fukuyama on acoustic guitar at AFA09. Magical.