transfan52

I think some ppl have a misconception of why transformers are so much cheaper then a valk... Sure I admit there's a larger market and wider appeal for transformers but have you ever bought the recent transformers toys you can get at walmart for 20 or less? They're made with the cheapest of materials and probly have lead paint applied on them... I left my animated bumblebee figure in my car in the middle of summer time when it was 100 degrees farenheit... You know what happened to the toy? It got cooked and literally messed up the plastic and deformed to entire toy! I'm sure if I left a yamato valk in the blazing sun it wouldn't be as bad. Although more expensive yamato valks tend to have better materials for plastic and overall better construction... There are exceptions though with some qc issues but for the most part they're better in quality in almost every way.

I know Im a little late on the whole gundam figure thread lately but I've been interested in the HCM-PRO lineup. My main figure collection consists of GFF, zeonagraphy and MC lines... Im used to figures with lots of detail... poseability isn't really an issue with me because I don't pose my figures that much ne way.

But im hearing so many mixed opinions about the HCM-pro line I don't know what to believe... Some ppl say they're rubbish while others praise their detail and poseability. Overall how would any of you guys say they stack up to the GFF or EMSIA design... Im curious because Im thinking about picking up a cheap one myself to see if they're any good.

Well the most obvious answer as to why valks cost so much is simply the amount of money, time and effort it takes to design and manufacture these products... A lot of hard work goes into the development process which takes thousands of man hours to do. Also many ppl in these companies are getting paid big salaries and the only way to make up for that loss is to charge sky high prices... Also manufacturing these toys is very expensive... new machines and molds have to be created for each new toy-line that is developed. Also macross valks cater to a niche market... its not like transformers that have a wide appeal around the world and can be sold easily overseas without restraint.

Last the economy right now isn't helping things either... china's manufacturing companies are in trouble and a lot of factories are laying ppl off and closing down as we speak. Those are the major factors right now why they are so expensive.

NEVER buy used games from gamestop. I've read their policy on buying used games... basically, as long as there isn't a crack or a deep gouge in the disc they'll buy it back. Even if there's a scratch, their policy is to buy it and then resurface it.

Well I used to buy alot of used games back when I was playing PS2 and I never had a problem with any of them not working... Gamestop also tests the game to see if it boots up and is playable if it looks damaged. Not to mention that you can pay 5 extra dollars for a game-play guarantee. Meaning that if you find the game damaged or unplayable your entitled for a full refund or exchange of a product with equal or lesser value.

WOOT! I finally beat the game... I didn't just dive into the main quest though as the game would be too short with that alone. I think I spent a good 60 hours on my first play through and I didn't even discover everything yet before maxing out my character I chose the neutral path but Ultimately choose to have a good ending rather then a bad one...

Overall I'm really satisfied even on my first play-through! I don't think im gonna play this game again anytime soon as it takes so much time and effort to find different things to do and play it over again but the ending climax is satisfying indeed. I won't go into details though as that will spoil things for everyone that hasn't beaten the game yet.

How many rads do you need to be exposed to, to become a goul?

Being that 1000 rads is the limit id say probably 800 at least... even at 600 rads you still look normal.

It seems like the ppl posting on this board are hating on the 1/60 VF-1A... Ruskii do you even own the VF-1A? I think not... Just because your mad that your VF-1S was broken out of box doesn't mean all the 1/60 v2 are that way... I own the VF-1A and while its not the most appealing version I haven't heard any complaints about shoulder breakage for that one and mine is just fine... If you don't like the VF-1A head though you might as well get the VF-1J hikky or VF-1S hikky, they're sure to be problem free.

Hello I have been a long time macross fan and I've been fascinated by its technology but I never quite figured out why the VF-1A gunpod extends while in battloid mode. Is it to prevent overheating or to increase firing range? Those are my guesses but I really don't know honestly.

Please enlighten me on this subject and feel free to talk about the macross technology and weaponry in this thread! thanks!

Well after seeing the latest pics they still look good but very... toy-like not much detail as far as the paint job and decals go... Its still an early mock up but I do hope the proportions are slimmed down slightly with a better paint job and tamp printing if possible... LOL even stickers would help at this point...

So I've toyed with the old Fallout games before, but I am curious about this one. Has Bathesda made it so you can basically go out and do w/e you'd like like you could in Oblivion? Or is the story substantially more in your face? How is the character creation vs Oblivion? Better, worse, the same?

Well if your looking for an open ended rpg then this is the right game for you... There are some things I don't agree with however... First off the max level cap is at lvl 20, But there are waay more quests, items and experience to go around so you might be able to do 12-15 side quests at most before you max out your character... After lvl 20 you can't add ne more points to your stats.

You could still do the other side quests but the only thing that'l change is your characters karma rating depending on what you do... nothing else. After lvl 20 all thats left is the main quest which is pretty short and linear. The good news is you can keep replaying the game another three or four times as there is multiple endings depending on what you do in the game. Its still loads of fun and the world is so vast and expansive.

I haven't beaten the game yet but I didn't spend that many hours on the main quest and im already over halfway done. If you really want the full experience this game has to offer I recommend doing lots of side quests before you embark on the main quest because once you beat the main quest its literally game over... The game does end and after you beat it you cant go back to do other quests.

The game does have 200 hours of playtime total if you were to explore every nook and cranny the game has to offer but most ppl will probably play the game over twice at most... It'd take forever to see everything this game has to offer.

Does it keep freezing up in V.A.T.S? That is when the game crashes on me the most.

So far I'm really enjoying the game. Though, I really miss all the hilarious descriptions of individual items in the inventory menu. Bethesda spent all that time writing those books for Oblivion, you'd think they could have spent the time to recreate the hilarious descriptions the pip boy gave in fallout 1 and 2 for one's inventory items. I also miss the text box, while the gore has been pumped up, one of the best parts in the old game was the silly descriptions of the gore given in that little text box. Oh well.

If I had one serious complaint it would have to be that , while enough of the game mechanics of fallout 1 and 2 have carried over, it still feels like a fallout mod for Oblivion,albeit a super high-quality one. (it'll be interesting to see if V.A.T.S finds its way into future Elder Scrolls Games. Still the best part about fallout was the world, and it is really nice to see it represented in full 3d glory. I just hope that by the time fallout 4 roles around that they will do more to distinguish its gameplay dynamics from Oblivion, and please bring back all the hilarious text commentary.

I never really liked or played the 2 original games before this one... I heard they were good but most ppl didn't like the turn based strategy of the game. IMO it made the game waay to slow and boring. If they ever made it more like the first two again I think they would lose alot of fans because the majority of ppl playing 3 say that this is a better combat system.

The reason oblivion sold so well was because it wasn't a typical turn-based rpg and you had total control of a battle most of the time if you knew what you were doing and had enough skill to dodge and hit the enemy even if it was a few lvls ahead of you. IMO thats what sets these games apart from the typical JRPG.

Well I like the color of the VF-1D and battloid mode alot! I just wish the canopy was more anime accurate but with the economy the way it is I can see why yamato might not want to spend more money on a different sculpt... Oh well I guess this is the best rendition were gonna get for now.

I'm abit pissed off now cuz the game keeps hanging on me, and no patch is released yet. Wtf bethesa. Sigh. I'm still stuck in Megaton doing the quests. Sigh.

Are you sure you have enough ram? the minimum requirements is at least 2GB... a good sound card and a beefy video card might help too... Not many ppl are complaining about the PC version... You might wanna take a look at your setup and see if there is any software that is interfering with your game.

Little Big Planet is out this week. Saw a few of you on last night. It's a cutesy little platformer from the 2 levels I played, but I'm having way more fun making Sackboy make stupid faces on screen.

LBP isn't my type of game... Nothing against the PS3 or anything its just that there is so much games coming out that I would like to play first. Fallout 3, left 4 dead, deadspace and gear of war 2. If LBP was the only game coming out this month id probly play it but right now there is just so much other games id rather play first.

Started playing Fallout 3. Its pretty fun. I've decided to play a seductress sharpshooting thief for my 1s time round. Me and alot of other ppl on the net are having trouble with memory leaks in the game when the game will suddenly hang when a checkpoint is reached IE: quest begins/ends or entering/exiting an area. It happens randomly and getting abit annoying especially if you don't save often. Made it to Megaton and decided to call it a night.

Well if your playing on the PS3 version it is known to have that problem... I got the 360 version because of that fact... NE way I think this is a great game and even if you didn't like oblivion I think this game would be good for newcomers also because the gameplay is a bit simpler than oblivion and the leveling system is more refined.

About the GFF Metal Composite stuff:

1) What's the general verdict on these - good, bad?

2) Are these scaled at 1/100?

3) Is articulation on par with MGs?

Not really contemplating buying one of the current offerings now, but if they ever announce Nu/Hi-Nu, Unicorn, Xi, Penelope, or V2 Gundam, then I don't think I could resist.

Well I currently own the RX-78 and the two psycho gundams and the QC is awesome! The figures are really tight and sturdy with lots of metal on vital contact points. You can let them fall on a concrete floor and nothing will happen to em! Theyre that strong! If you want a good quality gundam figure than this is it.

Well the price range of a typical GFF MC is around 100-150 dollars depending on size and amount of accessories each one has. The psycho gundam mk 2 is around 140 with shipping... the zeta plus is going to cost around 180 dollars plus shipping... so the average total cost would be 210 for customers outside of japan...

OK, here is my plea to those who know. Since it dosen't look like Ace Combat is going to make it to PS3 anytime soon, and Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. is not being released this year; does anybody know of a flying combat game for PS3 I can stick under my Christmas tree this year?

I think the closest game you can get for that now is warhawk... and even that isn't a total flight game... There hasn't been many games that touch that genre for any of the next gen systems really... Ace Combat 6 and that's it...

I have had my 1A Hikaru for almost 3 weeks now. Done a total of 3 transformation cycles, and I can see not visible stress/damage marks any kind. I don't think I'll transform it for a while as to not push my luck , and it will stay in fast-packed fighter mode for the conceivable future.

The one thing I noticed during my last transformation was that the swing bar lid in front of the cockpit (the one used for clipping the leg swing bar during transformation to battroid) would not stay tightly closed in battroid form. I recall that the first transformation that I did, it snapped shut very tightly, almost to the point where some force was needed to both clip and unclip that lid.

Well that's the tricky part... You see the two pegs that fold in next to the nose cone area sometimes flop out and if that happens it jams the contact and keeps the metal swing bar from locking into its place. This is the part I think you have to worry about most because to get it right you have to unlock the chest and move the entire body up to fit the swingbar in its place. Dont force the nose hatch open or you can break it... That's the only real part I had difficulty with while transforming it to battloid mode for the first time.

Well I waited a little bit to see what ppl had to say about the VF-1S and im glad I did... it seems a great number of the first batch with S&S parts has the infamous shoulder breakage at the arm... I went out a bought a VF-1A hikky after reading reviews that most ppl said there were no problems with... Its a shame that we have to be cautious about every new yamato release for problems... You'd think by now they would know how to manufacture a problem free toy. Bandai's first releases almost never have the severe QC problems that yamato has.

GA Graphic's preview of tomorrow's "Robot 魂" show.

LOL every pic I see of this toy looks awkward and not very appealing... Whoever is posing these figures doesnt know how to transform them right lol...

Graham wrote:

This is interesting. The same thing exists in Poland - except in our law there are "toys" and then there are "Adult Collectibles." If you designate something an Adult Collectible, then it does not require any such certification from approved laboratories.

So, unless Yamato is marketing these Valkyrie to ages 5-10, which would be crazy, could they not simply not call their products toys and instead call them adult collectibles, or does Japenese law not distinguish the two? It strikes me as almost impossible to think that Japanese law does not distinguish between adult collectibles and toys - unless perhaps Yamato valkyrie are sold in toy stores alongside other explicit toys, and Yamato would rather pass lab tests to certify the Valkyrie as toys in order to be able to place their products in large chain toy stores?

Kaiyodo, for example, explicitly distinguishes by writing on its' box that Revoltechs are not toys, and not meant for children, and that they are collectibles for adults.

I noticed Yamato apparently at one point was hoping to sell their Macross stuff in Europe as toys because they slapped EC certificates on the 1/48 VF-1S - but they didn't put it on other Valkyrie... perhaps because they didn't pass EU legal muster as "toys" - which is lamentable, but at least in Poland the law explicitly stipulates the existance of "Adult Collectibles."

I wonder - doesn't Japanese law have a seperate category as well for this?

Pete

Well toy stores in japan have walls filled with SOC's, Gundam GFF's as well as yamato valkyries... So im guessing the toys have to be manufactured using safe materials that wont be toxic and poison children when they are manufactured. Recently governments have been more strict on manufacturing practices than ever before due to the amount of recalled items that have been manufactured in china for safety reasons... Its not surprising really...

You couldn't be more right. I've been watching some items on ebay that are going for much less than they used to. I've cut back on my toy spending considerably, but I will save up and try to get some things here and there that I feel are good deals on stuff that I always wanted but thought to expensive in the past. Also, people will start to put things up for sale that they wouldn't have in the past, so you may see some rarer items out there.

Oh I know what you mean man... Things are getting expensive and I've been seeing alot of ppl on ebay selling a big part of their collection for less than I would've imagined... Even ppl on this site are trying to get rid of any extra toys or models they might have so they can have some money to pay off bills or whatever. The price of bandai's SOC line is cheaper than ever before now because there is such a glut of them on ebay atm.

You can be a member of the Sith Empire but be "good". This is certainly interesting.

LMFAO wow what an oxy moron I thought the sith were all evil just by affiliation... Its like being a nazi and being a good guy? hmm...

Well if the rumors are true I would try it out at least... I have yet to come across an MMO that fully satisfies what im looking for... The only MMO I ever played for more than 6 months was everquest 1 and FFXI but soon after my interest faded away as there was a lack of variety or things to do in game other than fight...

I don't like WOW either the graphics are too cartoony and it just seems like a generic glorified MMO. Theres nothing special to it IMO its just easily accessible and not too difficult to get ahead in... I guess thats why its so popular... The reason why no other MMO has even eclipsed wow is because the developers made their games too difficult and a chore to get ahead...

If they want to succeed they should follow WOW's gameplay example... Not totally but they shouldn't make things too challenging as that will turn possible customers away.