DarrinG

I received my first non-Toynami VFs last week; the 1S, 1J and 1D v.2s from Overdrive. SOOOO - variable toys CAN be made well and not flimsy and rickety! I have only had time to take out the 1D but I could not believe how solid and well made this thing is. And how the quality of materials, and time taken for every detail, makes the price seem more justified. I skipped on the v.1s and the 1/48ths so these are my first Yamato valks. Some quick takes as a new v.2 owner: • Do not like the 1D colors, not sure they will grow on me either. Loved the packaging photography colors though, wish they were like that. I like more realistic takes on color, more military - this is not. May have to customize. • From the comparison pics I like the v.1 head sculpt better. Like more green on the face, this has the gray more predominant. • They should come with gun-straps, the holes are already there for them, and these are big $$$ • Transformation is so complicated I got stuck and had to pull up the Collection DX video to get through it, but was AMAZED at the engineering and precision of the parts. • Solid, solid, solid - feels so well made. I did not think something this complex could still be this solid and clean. To think the Legioss/Alpha fighters could have been made like this well. I thought the Legioss design was so complex that Toynami did the best that could be done (and my previous experience was with mostly Imai and Arii model kits so I was pretty satisfied). Yamato shows what IS possible; variable toy perfection. Yamato - can you please make the Legioss in 1/55th now? • You find yourself saying - "they thought of everything!" From the knee guards to the back-pack clip, to the way the missile clusters clip on - attention to every detail that makes a long-time fan very happy . . .

Since it may be tough to add gimmicks to the Phalanx design to justify the price, I would love a missile truck transporting spare missiles to load, with a loading crew of course.

Got the Red Beta. Love the Annie illustration, still a massive, grin-creating box . . . Quick takes: • Great job on the new head sculpt and adding more red to the arms and gray to the body - making it different from the blue scheme. • Pilot still so freaking hard to get in. I could not get his butt-peg to go down in so the cockpit would not close all the way. Got frustrated eventually and just tried to pull the pilot straight out. Well, I snapped off the controls, bummed me out, will need some super glue. • Hips still completely loose but the soldier mode looks great no matter. • Pulled out my red Alpha for a hook-up. I have not played with the Alphas much and I see why there are so many complaints. Rickety, fragile and more rickety. ---- The Beta is a toy, the Alpha is a model kit - no way around it ---- • Blue looks better linked up in fighter mode, red better in soldier I think. I had fun in Photoshop with the pic below, may start doing more of those if I find time . . .

Got my Defender Weathering Special. This is a great piece. I took this pic in my cube and threw some disc drive packaging material behind him. A few quick comments: • My ammo packs do not click in very firmly, especially the large ones. Anybody else have that same issue? • Love the detail in the cockpit. Is there any scenerio where it would be ok to display with the main door off so you could see in better? I suppose if the techs were craning it back into place after repair, but the pilot would not likely be sitting there waiting to get sealed in. • Liked that they took out the floppy waist joint of the Tomahawk. • Chest lights would be the only way to seriously improve upon this Defender - its awesome.

As ALWAYS Jenius's site is invaluable for reference: "but oddly, while it features the attachment points for a gun strap, no strap is provided" http://anymoon.com/blog/2008/08/04/yamato-...1s-superstrike/ Awwww - now I understand. It can't be too hard to make one (or 2, or 3 or 4) but they should have included it. The 1D had been sitting in fighter mode on my desk until I can get to messing with it more. The color is growing on me, especially since I can't see the box photos I loved. Minmei should have had a peg on her bottom or something to secure her inside the cockpit (no jokes please) ! Her hair is moussed solid so that will stay in place . . .

I love the illustration that will make up the Beta Fighter book bindings. I don't usually like goofy but it just works. Speaking of - do you think we'll get to see 2 NEW sets of bookends for the Cyclones and Betas???? Like Stick firing a rocket, scope extended at an Armored Scout? And the Blue Beta blowing Corg's Commander Unit away? Not sure we will as some of the Alpha MPC bookends are still up for sale on RT.com . . .

Wait - there are 2 sets of holes in the gun pod for the very metal rings I'm talking about - I think. What's up?

Just opened my first v.2 - the 1D. Thing that I noticed right off is that I like the orange MUCH more in the box photography. The orange on the actual toy seems too cartoony and harsh or something. Maybe I'll warm to it. The figures are great - perfect detail for their size. Hard to close cockpit over Hikaru's head though. And the cockpit rainbow colors are hardly visible in person. Thing feels super solid. A gun strap for $100 bucks please, with metal rings like the Beagle Galant would have been very nice. Landing gear work and click into place with measured authority - very nice. Will try my first 1/60 - ever so careful on the shoulders - mode change soon . . .

The more I think about it the more thankful I am for this giant expensive SDF-1 coming out, TV or DYRL. Because when the 1/60 TV VERSION Monster comes out I can send the link and price of the SDF-1 to my wife and say: "See honey what I had self-control over and didn't buy? All I want is this other little green robot instead. It's 200 or 300 dollars cheaper!"

They're doing such a great job on the new Mospeada Art Book its taking extra time?

Got to look over the ride-armor a little more this morning. Can I say that just folding out the foot stands had me saying "wow"? The mechanism for the footstands is impressive for gosh-sakes! The Galant rifle; the awesome strap with metal rings, the thumb power up switch - the detail is awesome. The way the material feel in your hand! The plastics feel and look great, very low shine. The neck screw-hole did not bother me as much as I thought it would. BADS; front missile launchers flop out of place, windshield going cookoo if I breath while holding it, wish they could have made small yellow plastic lights (like the turn signals) to go into the boot lights. They would have had to make a small depression for it but it would have looked much better than the yellow paint and covered the seam there. And face sculpts? Who cares with this dark face shield! It looks so bad (great I mean) with it down I will likely never display it otherwise. Have not even tried to convert this to armor - enjoying this part too much . . .

Although I will not be getting it, I hope this SDF is a HUGE success for Yamato. So huge they release the 1/60 TV version Destroid Monster. THAT I will find a way to get.

Atlas Shrugged - anybody read that? If they get people to buy at the price they set more power to them - even if its $800 bucks or more for this ship! And if we're frustrated at all by that, all we have to do is come up with a product ourselves that people love so much they pay $800 a pop for. We then make big bucks, can give away money to the needy, and easily afford a few SDFs for ourselves in the process. And when we get there we'll understand how bizarre it is that folks squawk about our products or price, and that we can't do this and that when we've put all the blood, sweat and tears in and they haven't. Make any sense?

OK - I've seen enough. It's way cool . . . (took this pick in my cube and added the background)

Dude - a cat knocking around a Beagle? Not good. Just got my Cyclone today. Will get more reaction out soon (to the none of you anxiously awaiting my comments) but the first things I noticed: • Still do not like the Scott illustration on the outside, if that is indeed supposed to be Scott / Stick • The book-style box already had scuffs and wear right out of the box, & not sure why they had to put a label on the back instead of printing those notes right on the box (must have been last minute edits) • Was not sure about the Toynami head sculpt at first but it quickly grew on me. from the 1,000 pics of the Beagle head that I've seen I like this a little better. • Liked the look of the cloth but it made me nervous the whole time I did my initial posing tests - it makes fragile creaks and sounds just to let you know it will tear at any second! • Picked up the bike -- S M I L E -- wow, just wow. The windscreen flopped around, but wow. More later . . .

If we live long enough to see a RTLA Movie: • The designs will be updated but we'll all be able to recognize what they are. • We'll love some of the updates and be disappointed with others. Depends on the person. Reading this post its easy to tell who'll hate everything. • I see why Jenius says to start with the Mospeada portion, but he's all caught up in the legal issues. Let's dream a little dream instead: (take a deep breath, ease down the negativity for 5 minutes - even though much of it is warranted through the failures of so many that held your precious dreams and so massively crushed and botched things up in the past for you) A. They start with Macross and get it perfect. PERFECT. Skull-1 is the coolest Skull-1 we could ever imagine, updated design based on some of the later Macross series VFs and some sheer Hollywood talent. Tobey M turns out to be the fan we can trust. We're so stoked we pee ourselves. B. They change the name from Robotech to something else so we're not embarrassed to urge our co-workers on at the water cooler to go see it. And sadly for some, no transforming SDF, at least not into a robot with boat arms. Maybe the main parts do move around so they can fire the main guns, but into something else cool - something updated just as well as the previously mentioned Skull-1. We all love it and agree they did the right thing. Means different toys anyway - right? C. The first movie is massively successful worldwide, we each see it 5x. There's so many new toys and models we can hardly track them all. They're understandably scared to go into the Masters plot line with Dana for the second film. But hey - they're not constrained by the animation and can finally do the gap fillers we've always dreamed about . . . D. SDF-3 rolls through the screen, we get to see all our favorite Macross heroes run into the Invid while out searching for the "Masters" as the second movie opens. Meanwhile back on earth, ATAC and TASC and the rest are awesomely cast and are all piloting DESTROIDS, VFs and old Zentradi mechs when the Masters arrive! As they should have been. We love the new characters and get to see Tomahawk and Monster squads do battle like the first movie didn't get to show. Angelo Dante is definitely a Monster Captain. E. We all say -"Now if the Bioroids were like that in the Southern Cross I would have been a HUGE fan" - The Bioroids make the Zentraedi look like playground bullys and the earth quickly must develop new mechs just to keep from total destruction. "This is nothing like the Southern Cross I feared" we shout! We're so relieved they didn't mess it up we pee ourselves again. F. The hovertanks are rolled out o do battle with the Masters (perfectly updated, closed cockpits of course, we finally get our Toynami MPC line based on these updated designs). We all (almost) universally agree on MW posts that they're just as cool as the Skull-1 and SDF Hollywood updates. No other SC mecha are even shown - Horaah! But the individual body armor of the 15th Squadron turns out to be very cool and a logical step towards the protective suits that eventually bare the Mospeada ride-armor designs. G. The Mospeada story line sells itself for the 3rd film, just like Jenius stated earlier in this post. But our Macross heroes simultaneously fight the Invid Regent across the distant galaxy so we get our fix of all the characters we love. --Someone want to take it from here, I'm beat . . .

My rule has been only items from the original Macross or Mospeada TV series. No DYRL, no Zero, Plus etc, etc. So unless Yamato comes out with a green TV version Q-Rau I will not be getting one. But even avoiding Megahouse and CMs altogether, there's has been so much that's still come out that fits in my guidelines! I can point to 300 things I've passed up but the several I'm getting seem to all be pricey choices. So I sold $1,000 worth of stuff on eBay to finance some of the new VF-1 v.2s, Destroids, Cyclones and Beta Fighters.

I would NOT buy an Invid Overlord and I'm buying most all the cool stuff that's coming out right now. Just sold 2 Jack Archer MPCs because, as we're discussing, times are tough and I can no longer afford to scarf up or keep things that are not from the original series. I will also not be getting a Maia Shadow fighter no matter how its improved, and probably nothing else from the SC. Would however get all 3 Gosu versions if they were done fairly well, removable pilot or not. But as it was said earlier, I might be in the minority wanting these mechs and companies are afraid of taking the chance on bad guys. But these can be displayed with the 4 Alphas I already have and spent big bucks on so I would get them in a second. _____ !! Speaking of in the minority - on the Devastator Cyclone - again, this was never in the original series. I would rather have Lunk's jeep in the $39.99 range to go with my eventual $1,000 in ride-armors than one more $200 plus piece that doesn't fit with the rest. If it was part of an Appendix Pack that would be more than fine though.

I TOTALLY agree. I overwhelmingly prefer the Toynami Alpha/Beta more military colors. If it is CMs we'll need to dull the Inbit commanders down with weathering kits I guess. Just make them whoever you are - I will buy all 3, shiny or not . . .

There's not really a problem for Toynami Alpha owners if CMs does the Invid mechs, just as long as they do them in the scale of their 1/48 Legioss - not their 1/18 ride armors. And if they're starting with the commander model I'm pretty sure it would be the 1/48 . . .

Hmv mosp artbook For some reason I think this site looks iffy. Has someone else here pre-ordered through them? I may wait to see the new Mospeada book pop up somewhere else. ------------ There's still the rumor that someone is going to make the Invid/Inbit Commander in the 1/55 1/48 scale (humanoid pilot). That makes the most sense since they can come out with at least 3 color versions from the same mold. And I'm all for that since it will need to be fairly profitable if we ever hope to see more in the future. Another good reason is it can have a real removable pilot. The other lesser crabs were only piloted by blobs of green jelly and what fun is that to play with? Don't answer that. Jenius might have some inside news that he's not divulging yet. I bet its CMs.

Episode 20 was a standout for me too. The man betrayed by his friends with the kick-butt missile sidecar. That would sure come in handy in traffic jams. He seeks revenge only when its raining. Does anyone have a good source to order the new Mospeada Book? I saw one link but it was all in Japanese.

There's constant tension in my cube . . . .

"You people make me sick. Well I'm not the only one fighting the Invid, there are others who aren't ready to roll over and play dead for them you got that!" (or something) Remember how I felt in Jr. High, thinking; this is soooo cool.

Oh - and robotech.com is finally shipping my pre-ordered cyclone . . .