drifand

Just got it today. Looks beautiful, plays terribly. Mine is the diecast version, so there's a high risk of chipping the gorgeous paint job while struggling to get the too-tight joints to budge. The shoulders/wheels are a b*tch to get out of the chest and harder still to get into position, mostly because of the protruding magnetic strut (used to connect to the steering rod). This is one toy that's definitely NOT meant for playing and much better suited to a life on a display shelf. Forget about staging TF battles with this one. By the time you get it from one mode to the other, the enemies would have been LONG GONE. I still like the balance look of both modes. Maybe I'll spring for the plastic version so I can leave the diecast one in car mode...

Man, you make it look like it's worth $300! Great job on the decals and detailing!

The large Ride Armor may be "GREAT" compared to the small ones, but if it was released as a modern toy I'd be bitching on it worse than the 1/48! The armor looks great, no doubt about THAT, but the rider figure can't actually sit properly in the saddle, or assume a proper rider's posture. That's the single biggest fault with this toy. If you just want to display in transformed mode, I guess it's fine, except maybe the leg joints grow weak over time and the toy will tend to flop due to the top-heavy design.

Spare parts for a bootleg of an unpopular toy? I think you'll be better off listing this one up for spares in the For Trade section and trying to score a genuine on off eBay. Maybe someone is willing to let go of a "complete" Blazer bootleg?

For those who haven't seen the Hasegawa stand, here's a link from HLJ. Definitely NOT accurate, but the design does have some smarts - there's plenty of clearance underneath, even for a FP Valk & gunpod or a VE-1 with everything on. And there's a little "hook" on both support truts to catch the wing for a secure elevated pose. Too bad there's no sideways tilt, and of course, it's a KIT. I doubt it can take a hefty 1/60 Valk safely over a long period of time. Ther other thing is... it seems the Valk will be resting on its wings. No big deal for a lightweight kit, bad stress for a 1/60. As is often the case, Yamato has a POTENTIAL winner in their hands. I do hope Yamato finds a way to improve the bottom clearance so that the 1/48s can take their gunpods along. And most of all, beef up the base of the pivot arm. Hopefully they'll have a means to securely lock the various hinges too.

Same here. Each time I see those ingenious Hasegawa full-transformation customs I start dreaming of a PG-style valk... It IS possible to get nicer proportions than the 1/48's.

This part...

Just an observation: From the pic, the base hinge for the armature looks a little on the THIN side. And the weight from above will exert a direct stress against that part. Sure hope it's made of sturdy stuff! You don't want Fragile-hip Syndrome Part II!

Funny that you should be the one to bring up the "dead horse" again. Grand Canyon? Last time I checked, the GC was a beautiful natural and national monument - hardly appropriate for a mere lapse of good production design. I prefer "drain gutter" myself, but whatever suits you. It's your previlege to pay good money for whatever floats your boat.

Yeah, GobotFool - that's exactly it. The Battroid mode is most important to me, not the Fighter or Gerwalk, so the lanky arms really detract from the overall looks especially when the chest is so bulky. Thus my preference for the 1/60's rendition... better looks but poorer construction.

Gratitude/Gratefulness is appropriate when you're a "saviour" appearing after a period of darkness. But it is just as easily lost when you use it up with questionable design choices and QC problems that seem to affect customers radomly with little or no recourse (due to whatever legal reasons). Whining is bad, eh? It'll be worse for Yamato and Macross if apathy strikes.

Patlabor is good, but P2 is even better! Try JIN-ROH for a gorgeous and sombre movie, while Blood the Last Vampire is great for pure action. I'm not familiar with anime comedies, but the few episodes I've seen of Crayon-shin Chan had me in stitches. The Azumanga Daioh series is also great, but 27 episodes is waaay too much to take in at one go. For Miyazaki films, don't forget Laputa Castle in the Sky - the new Disney edition is great, but the original soundtrack still beats out the dub and re-done musical score. Bebop the movie... was nice, but did anyone else feel like they spent too much effort making the background and environment TOO earthlike? The title sequence might as well be filmed in modern day NYC.

When breakfast cereal makers ran out of things to say about their stuff, they resorted to making bigger boxes just to "squeeze out" the competition on supermarket shelves. Maybe Yamato just wants the buyer to feel they're getting more for their money. The profit margin on the 1/48s must be huge.

Hmm. The TV-style FPs would be really cool on a VF-1S, but since the 1J's arms are slightly different, would the FPs fit the VF-1S? I think I'll wait for the product to hit the shelves and eyeball it up close... and probably just settle for the non-FP version if I really like it. I also hope the TV-style hands are included for BOTH versions. If it only comes with the FPs I'll skip the whole deal on principle.

The HK pirated edition of the Azumanga series is sooo sweet, almost all the jokes came thru w/o a hitch in the English subs. I gave my set to a cousin and now I can't buy it anywhere in Singapore :-P Hopefully, the ADV release will "reference" the pirated discs for the subs and go one up on the few glitches in translation... might lessen the potential for fan disappointment.

Technically, the M&Ms were the best of the lot with all the incorporated fixes and a beautiful paint job. But my vote goes to the Hikaru 1J - most iconic of the TV-series and still comes with those arm covers to allow an almost picture-perfect display in Battroid mode. Couldn't care less for the FPs though. The 1S head looked slightly squashed and the various 1As had problems in other areas. To me, the 1D, VE-1 and VT-1 are semi-crippled due to problems with the newer chestplates and change in proportions. A Valk that can't hold a mode properly just ain't right in my book.

Yamato's are POTENTIALLY the "best" and most "accurate" Valks you can buy. You just have to live with some uncertainties like fit/finish - especially for the 1/60s, but to a much lesser extent for the 1/48s. The quality of construction that goes into the 1/48 is undeniable, it just whether YOU like the design and proportion compromises in the various modes. Me? I still find the 1/60s better looking when considering all 3 modes, but the whole line-up is now considered second fiddle by most in the Yamato scheme of all things Macross. The 1/48 is too bulky in the chest in Battroid mode, with odd looking arms and hands. The legs are a real work of art though and the fighter mode is unbeatable short of a Hasegawa or M-Club kit.

OK, I take back what I said. No need to blame anyone yet (except Kawamori for his anime magic). Let's wait and see how they solve this problem of aesthetics on the 1/48 GBP-1S. I seriously doubt Yamato designed the nosecone to be removeable BECAUSE of the GBP-1S. Afterall, Big West's objection is the reason why Yamato couldn't fix their 1/60 gunpod problem earlier. Would BW object to the "no-nosecone" solution? Your guess is as good as mine.

Having to remove the nosecone in order to have a nicer GBP-1S is of course "workable", but what will Mr. Kawamori say to that? It would also show a certain lack of foresight on Yamato's part when designing the 1/48. Even with CAD... sigh.

1/60 FPs ain't never gonna happen until Yamato is sure they can't sell any more 1/48 FPs. "Just business, folks. Nothing personal."

Very neat! But guys, why not shoot a couple of scenes with the various panels OFF? That's make it even more realistic! :-)

I know I've said in before a 1/60 GBP may not be possible beause of the chestplate design blocking the shoulders, but who knows? If the edge of the GBP chestplate doesn't wrap over the edges of the VF-1, maybe the shoulders won't be blocked. For all we know, Yamato could remake the VF-1s as better proportioned, semi-perfect transformation (no integrated heatshield) toys in an all-new universal 1/72 scale...

Excellent work on a classic toy - the cockpit detail is fantastic! The 1/55s may not be line-accurate in fighter mode but they sure look great for a 20-year old design. They were made in a time when toys were meant first for kids and STILL managed to be innovative and highly detailed. These will always be the toys that made Macross real for me... :-)

The more I look at 1/48s in Battroid mode, the more I see in my mind's eye how badly distorted the GBP may be due to the nosecone's length. Even for the 1/60s, I expect the armor to be highly restrictive if it's ever made. We should forget about any cool poses for an Armored Valk - it's either hatches open or closed. And that should be cool enough. :-)

That's incredibly brazen! And it has happened before, even on more respected works. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story and gorgeous painted artwork in KINGDOM COME, a friend pointed out that the so-called Bat-Sentinels were actually based on the Griffon from Patlabor...