Cyclone Trooper

The WAVE SDF-1 was a birthday present from my wife back in February of this year, and it took her quite a bit to track it down. I'm perfectly happy with it, now that I've seen the alternative.

Well...this didn't turn out to be vaporware, but it may as well have been. Hats-off to those crazy/rich enough to throw over $2k + shipping (I don't EVEN want to think what that'd be!) on this. My sense of nostalgia would have to override everything else in my life, including my marriage, kids, bills, and food (no matter how many Big Macs that may be) to justify buying it. Definitely a pass...

So here's a question... With all the ire against the Yamato Q-Rau, what could Yamato do to create a V2 Q-Rau? The main body, head, and upper missile pods are perfect as-is. The arms and legs could be more anime-accurate. The arms are a tad too banana-shaped, leaving the forearm tri-blasters in a weird position. The legs, to me, could use a lot more hip and knee articulation as well. And yes, each and every variant should come with the appropriate pilot figure... So what do you all think? Could a V2 Q-Rau be worth the hard-earned cash? Or would it end up a shelf-warmer similar to the original and the Destroids?

Or at the very least, a "Basic Grunt" repaint from DYRL. All that would have required is recasting it in shades of purple with no retooling of the design whatsoever.

I'm about 5 years late to the party on this, since I just recently acquired my first Q-Rau...the Max version. But for the mecha that it represents, I have to admit that it's pretty spot-on. The absence of a pilot figure with the Max Q-Rau isn't really a big deal to me, but I do like the way Yamato was able to get the interior of the battle suit as close to anime-accurate as possible without going overboard with hundreds of the blood vessel-like wires surrounding the pilot. The Gold Book even goes so far as to show that some of these wires attached to control rings that fit over the pilot's fingers. No, it doesn't transform...but none of the original TV/DYRL enemy mecha ever did. The only possible improvement that could be made would be giving the hips slightly more articulation and no parts-swapping on the lower missile pods, but aside from that, this toy is damn-near as perfect a representation of the Q-Rau as we could ask for. The smooth organic design of this particular mecha lends to its rather plain appearance compared to a VF-1 or Destroid...but that's how it appears in DYRL. I may be in the small minority here, but my Q-Rau doesn't (yet) suffer from the "Floppy Mess Syndrome" that I've heard so many others have complained about. Well, the head WAS a bit loose, but that was easily fixed. The legs, and arms on this one are all very tight...and a single drop of Super Glue tightened up the head unit. The fingers on the hands were surprisingly tight. I had read somewhere that the hands are usually two of the floppiest things on the Q-Rau. Personally, I like this toy... Honestly, I can't see what else Yamato could have possibly done with this mecha design-wise. I think this may be a prime example of anime magic not transferring very well to a 3D version of a mecha.

That may also work against it too. Instead of making the Spartan with an average price point of $75.00 US, bundling it with another mecha would drive the two-pack up to be even more expensive than the VE-1 or VT-1.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time Graham checked, Yamato had no intention of making the Spartan, much to many MW members' outrage...hence no "complete" set of Destroids.

The Destroids DO have a few obligatory markings tampoed on them. The white stripes on the legs (and hips of the Defender). Aside from that, everything else is decal-tastic.

Well...the Phalanx COULD be headed the way of vaporware. It wouldn't be the first Destroid to see a resin prototype leak onto the internet, then disappear altogether. And since Yamato has already stated that it isn't going to produce a "complete" set of Destroids, who knows what we may or may not get. It's similar to Zentraedi/Meltrandi mecha...we've gotten a single enemy mecha since the 1/60 line started back in the late 90s/early 2000s, with no apparent plans to make anything else.

I meant something along these lines... photo courtesy of www.anymoon.com

I've pondered the price point myself. And the conclusion I've reached is that the Destroids DO have a gimmick like the Valkyries have, except its not transformation. The Destroids have the whole "modular mix-and-match" gimmick instead. Apparently this is what Yamato considers justification for these mecha costing anywhere from $75 to $100 US, depending where you buy them. Being able to create Tomahawks with Defender arms, or a Defender with chest-mounted missile launchers is something that I'm sure SOMEONE finds to be a cool feature. Me...not so much, but whatever floats your boat, I suppose. And in order to take advantage of this gimmick, you'll have to purchase multiple Destroids. It's a wonderful marketing strategy, if nothing else. The way I look at it, by the end of SWI, when UN Spacy crew and material were dwindling, I'm sure there were all kinds of "Frankensteined" Destroids cobbled together out of spare parts of other Destroids, so Yamato took the modular nature of these toys and ran with it. The way that the arm cannon barrels are completely removable on the Tomahawk would suggest that there could possibly be an aftermarket accessory pack made that would update them to construction models like they appeared in Macross 7. The Tomahawk's arms were converted into giant shovel buckets similar to those found on a back-hoe. I know something like that isn't likely, since it'd almost be a guaranteed non-seller, but the option is there if someone ever wanted to tackle a custom project...

Honestly peter, that's also where I'm at too. I'm 36, so I grew up in the exact same era that you did...and the only two Macross series I can really say I like is SDFM and DYRL. And I can pretty much cite the exact same reasons you listed. Macross Plus was probably the only "newer" Macross offering I halfway liked. Everything else is pretty much what sketchley said: juvenile breast-fetish, coming-of-age crap that so much of modern anime is geared toward...

Actually I had not. That interview actually puts a whole new spin on things. I guess everyone can disregard my original post because I stand corrected on several points. All Macross series being "TV series/movies" within the Macross universe WOULD explain the liberal use of different design elements. And it also allows for the vastly different "flavors" of the varies series as well.

*also deleted...

Yeah, the hatchet decal is on the first decal sheet that comes with the OD Tomahawk...which I'm assuming is the same one that comes with the original Tomahawk. The two decal sheets allow for a ridiculous amount of customization. I'm a little surprised that the original color schemed Destroids don't come with the second sheet of decals.

*original post removed by author on his own recognizance...apologies to all for coming across as a troll. That was not my intention...

And the last shot...

I'm adding a few more decals to mine today and was pondering this same problem, as a matter of fact. The easiest way to apply the numerical decals to the mecha's rounded "belly" is to use an X-acto blade to cut out the number and letter designation you want, trimming away all excess plastic around them. This will allow for easier application to the mecha without the decal wrinkling up. Hope that helps!

Yes. This seems to be an inherent design flaw with the Tomahawk. But see my post above on how to fix the floppy waist...

Okay, this is ridiculous! After playing around with this thing for a few hours, and completely disassembling its modular pieces, I SOOO want the Defender now! There are actually parts on the Tomahawk that are removable that haven't really been mentioned in reviews. The quad-barrel chest cannon emplacements all have removable barrels; the paneling behind the cockpit is removable; the arm cannons' barrels and "elbows" are removable...hinting that other weapon systems could be used in place of the particle cannons; and the hip-mounted missile covers can be removed. I was kind of surprised at the sheer size of this thing. If nothing else, it's definitely "beefier" than the Valkyrie...and even moreso than the Q-Rau in some ways. I know some people have complained that the Destroids should have some kind of gimmick, considering their price point, but I'm damned impressed with them as-is. The only con against the Tomahawk is the same one that practically everyone who's gotten their hands on one has mentioned: a really floppy waist. Mine was so loose that the mecha was at a permanent 45-degree angle looking up at the sky. But a simple fix got rid of the floppiness: Krazy Glue. I took apart the waist/cockpit assembly by removing 4 small screws in the back of it, then slid the waist section out of its housing. It's nothing more than a round bowl-shaped piece with two small pegs on each side. Two plastic rotator cogs slip over the pegs and keep the waist section connected to the upper part of the mecha. I put a few drops of glue on the pegs and them reassembled the whole thing. I then slowly worked the waist up and down until the glue began to tighten it up, making sure it didn't permanently bond the plastics. The end result now has my Destroid able to stay facing forward without any problem whatsoever...

Well, I picked up my Destroid this morning and spent a few hours today applying decals. I used a mixture of styles, using both decal sheets. I'm actually surprised at how many more a Destroid comes with compared to a Valkyrie. I love the color scheme on this mecha...it looks like something a real military would use. Here are a few shots of the finished product...

The Destroid I ordered on Friday is now sitting at my post office. It only took 2 days for it to get here!

As I have mentioned in a few other posts, I had ordered an OD Tomahawk Destroid from Overdrive last Friday. It's the first time I've ever placed an order with Overdrive, but the prices on Yamato Macross items are significantly cheaper than HLJ, especially the "older" stuff like the Destroids, the first-run "shoulder-cracked" Valkyries, the Q-Raus, etc. Based on several positive posts about Overdrive and the fact that it apparently has a sweet arrangement with Yamato to get spare parts at a discount for your Yammies, I figured I'd bite the bullet and give them a try... I gotta say that Overdrive is aptly named... My Destroid is sitting at my local post office as of 1:24am this morning (Wednesday). Because I placed my order on a Friday afternoon, EST, it wasn't even processed until Monday. But it was shipped out the same day that it was processed via EMS and it took only two days to get to the US. It came from Japan to New York, and then straight to Maryland, where I live. I'm absolutely amazed at how fast this whole order was pushed through! I wasn't even expecting to see the damned thing until the end of the week or possible next Monday! Hobby Link Japan has an awesome customer service staff (very polite and courteous), but I had a bad experience where I paid for EMS shipping and got my very first version 2 Valkyrie shipped SAL instead. It wasn't the end of the world or anything because the Valk eventually arrived, and HLJ did reimburse me for the shipping mixup. But it was just kind of frustrating that I paid for the faster shipping and someone pushed it through with basic shipping instead. I understand that mistakes happen and people are only human, but first impressions are everything, y'know? I think I'll be sticking with Overdrive from now on when I find myself needing a Macross fix.

It's a healthy mixture of both. You'd be shocked at how some on here can outright purchase entire cases of these $150+ Valkyries. Granted, I'm not one of those lucky few, but I don't think my wife would allow an influx of Macross collectibles of that magnitude.

I've heard about a feature in a few reviews that the cockpits of the Tomahawk and Defender actually have detailed control panels and monitors. It's always mentioned in passing and none of the review photos ever show this particular feature. Could someone snap a quick pic of the cockpit interior showing its details? EDIT: I would have answered my own question if I had simply went back a few pages before posting this request. Anyhow, the cockpit detail is really cool, IMO. http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...st&id=66446