Cyclone Trooper

Ultimate Scale SDF-1: 1/1000

It could be a simple diecast skeletal system with two separate snap-on armor sets...sort of like the old Dougram mecha figures from the early 80s. One to make the original blue and white TV version and a second to make the DYRL version. And it would have to include 1 Prometheus, 1 Daedalus and 2 ARMD carriers to attach as arms. The ship's "skeleton" could be completely transformable, but appear relatively undefined and blocky, allowing for easy application of armor parts. For example, the ship's bow/main cannon booms would be nothing more than rectangular blocks that you could afix either the TV or DYRL style cannon tips onto it, etc.

Of course something like this would probably run every bit of $400 US...

Awesome work dude! But your canopy illustrates the one single thing I never liked about the VF-2SS: how freakin' exposed the pilot is! You've got mad skills, my friend...kudos!

I've had the WAVE Macross all of 48 hours and have already obsessively poured over every scrap of line art I could get my hands on to check the accuracy of this ship's mold. And I gotta say that the folks at WAVE did the ship justice...except in one area: the arms. Not the ARMD platforms; those were beautifully represented. I'm referring to the upper "biceps", if a mile-long ship has such things. Since when has the SDF-1 had double-jointed elbows? To me, this makes the arms appear somehow not-quite-right, enlongating the upper arms too much. In Storm Attacker mode, nearly all of the line art shows only one "bicep" on each arm assembly. Its the housing that has four wing-like finials protruding from each corner. The TV version of the SDF-1 doesn't have these housings...only the movie version does. See below...

Photo courtesy of Macross Mecha Manual

So I took it upon myself to do a small modification to the SDF-1's arms to more closely resemble the line art. The simplest mods are usually the most effective. I removed the lower bicep housing and the second "joint" that would normally attach to the ARMDs. I then used super glue to build up the insides of the connector rings, since the lower ones are slightly larger than the ones in the upper elbow. Once it dried, the ARMDs fit snugly into the new upper housing. The end result is a shorter arm with a more anime-accurate look. The other great thing is that both of the ARMDs sit much more snugly against the ship in Fortress mode. No "drooping ARMD syndrome" with the new configuration.

I'm sure others have done this very same thing, but I thought this turned out very nice...

True. I have my fair share of HCM Pro Zaku IIs...especially from 08th MS Team. But Gundam has a far more diverse "universe" of products than Macross does. And you also have a whole spectrum of price ranges that you can get your Gundam fix (no pun intended) from. MSiA figures run in the $10-$15 range, while 1/60 model kits and the new SHCM Pro figures run into the hundreds of dollars. For the most part, Macross is pretty much in the $100+ range, depending on what you're looking for. But I'm only speaking for factory-fresh items, not second-hand markets like eBay. I know you can occasionally luck up on a 1/60 v.2 Valk for a steal, but that's not always the case. You're more likely to find the Holy Grail at a flea market!

As a whole, Macross merchandise is generally a wallet-assassin, no matter where you look for it. Gundam, not so much. Q-Raus are STILL going for $100 to $150 on eBay, 1st and 2nd releases. Yet no one seems to be that interested in buying them...at least from what I've seen. And honestly, I wouldn't want to drop $90 to $100 on a standard Regult, then pay another $80 to $100 in a few months for the "Regult Fast Pack" set just to get the missile launchers and non-posable figure. But that's just me. Yamato did one hell of a job with the destroids. Those particular mecha each have individual "personalities" that make them unique and interesting to look at, even though they're supposedly modular in design. Zentran mecha are all the same army-builder units. Sure, you'd get repaints, like Kamjin's Nousjadeul-Ger or the DYRL Regult with a green paint scheme, but beyond that, not much else.

My point here is basically that the price to produce Yamato items may play a huge part in whether enemy mecha end up a reality.

If the canopy seems to be more in line with the VT-1 instead of the VF-1D, then its probably a cost-cutting measure, nothing more. Use an existing mold to make 3 Valkyries (VT, VE, and the 1D) instead of making three separate and distinct molds. But that could also mean that the VE-1 and VT-1 will see the light of day quicker than we'd expect them to.

I'm wondering if the reason why Yamato is steering clear of enemy mecha is because the Q-Rau sales sucked so bad back in '04. Everyone complains about the Q-Rau lacking so bad compared to the 1/60 Valkyries...but lets face it folks, exactly what was everyone expecting it to be? Its a suit of missile-laden power armor, not a transforming mecha. As far as design, Yamato was spot-on with the toy. No missile-firing gimmicks or light-up LEDs. Just a bad-ass Meltran mecha.

Any company will look at their bottom line before they'll look at rabid fanboy enthusiasm (or lack thereof) when assessing whether or not to make a certain product. Trust me, I'm just as much a rabid Macross fanboy as anyone else on here, but I also work in management for Toys R Us, so I know how the supply/demand formula works from a retail point of view. If the product is only marketed to a very small demographic, then it will usually only see a small production run (read: limited edition, store exclusive, etc.) or a company will simply not bother making it at all. If the Q-Rau tanked as bad as I've been reading here on the forums, then there may not be more enemy mecha down the road. Glaugs and Regults won't feature anything ground-breaking either. Posable legs (arms, in the case of the Glaug) and movable cannons, similar to the Revoltech version...but that'll probably be about it. Whether these things would come with a pre-posed Zentran pilot or not is dependent on whether Yamato wants to risk taking another bath with enemy mecha or not. The Zentran Nousjadeul-Ger power armor will most likely be based on the same principle as the Q-Rau. Just an 18" "action figure" with an opening pilot's compartment, rotating shoulder cannon, and limited articulation...if 34 points of articulation is considered limited. I also base the articulation on what the Q-Rau has.

I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble here. I'm just saying that I understand why some toy manufacturers tend to shy away from "bad guy" stuff. It simply doesn't sell as well nor as much as "good guy" stuff. The only possible exceptions to this rule seem to be in the Star Wars and GI Joe lines, where both sides are equally represented with a ton of figures and/or vehicles and accessories. I truly hate comparing Macross to something as horrible as Power Rangers, but they both have their origins in Japan, and therefore can sort of illustrate my point here. PR was brought over to the states and reworked for the US market, much like Macross was in a certain TV show I will not mention. For years, the bazillions of incarnations that PR has gone through has had one constant: 5 to 6 hero figures and 1 enemy figure in its lineups. That 5:1 ratio speaks volumes.

I'm like anyone else here in saying that I'd love to see every Zentran and Meltran mecha ever given screen time to be made into some form of toy (er, collectible). But I'm also tending to look at this with cautious optimism, not with stern or overzealous conviction that Yamato will "hear the cries of the masses" because in the grand scheme of things, we're just a niche demographic, not its sole bread and butter source.

But...I could be completely off base on this because I'm basing everything on how most toy companies and retailers operate here in the US. Things MAY be done completely different in the Asian markets...

Thanks everyone!

After asking her how she knew what to look for, she told me that she's been "researching" DYRL (and the SDF-1 in particular) from my old Gold Book I've had since 1988 and various Macross mecha websites, though she doesn't recall which sites exactly. She's known for years that I've been a die-hard Macross fan since I was a teenager, and apparently got inspired to get the SDF-1 by me watching DYRL for the umpteenth time about a month ago. What makes this all so great is the fact that she had no idea that the SDF-1's launch date and my birthday coincide! When I told her this today, she grinned and commented that she was the best wife ever for picking such an appropriate gift.

How true...

I'm a professional lurker here on the boards. Not much of an active participant, mainly because I feel like anything I could contribute to any given thread is generally voiced ten times over by other members who beat me to the punch, so to speak. I just read Macross World for the articles! lol But today, I had something VERY cool happen. Today, February 7th, 2009, is my 36th birthday (yes, I'm a dinosaur)...which is also the last known "rebooted" launch date of the SDF-1.

This morning, my wife tells me that I have a surprise birthday present sitting on the dining room table. It was a box about the same size as a Yamato Destroid box, complete with cheesy birthday wrapping paper and multicolored bow. I opened it and saw that my gorgeous wife had tracked down a WAVE SDF-1. It's one of the original "blue steel" versions, but I didn't care! The DYRL version of the Macross has always been my absolute favorite design of the battlefortress, and I had missed out on the original releases. I know many on here hate the 1/5000 scale and the weird arm assemblies, but I for one am blown away by it. She told me that she got it from an eBay seller in California (perhaps someone on here?) and went to great lengths to keep the whole thing a secret from me.

The significance of today's date and receiving this awesome SDF-1 wasn't lost on me. Just thought I'd share...

Hi everyone.

Long time lurker here. I have a question for anyone (which would probably be EVERYONE) who purchased the Aoshima Legioss and have had problems with it. Against my better judgement, I went ahead and ordered a "Lancer" type from BigBadToyStore.com. For the most part I was lucky when it arrived today. I think I may have gotten the only one Aoshima's made that has a perfect paintjob on it. The only two problems it does have is a loose right shoulder and the neck mechanism doesn't allow the head to sit flush with the underside of the Legioss in fighter mode.

I had read somewhere on here that its because the mechanism is put in upside down or backward or something. Can someone direct me to the threads where the repair for these two problems are located. At $90, I can't allow this thing to get broken because I'm ripping into it the wrong way. Thanks in advance for any info anyone can provide.

That Legioss looks like the unmanned version. Look at the intakes and shoulders!