Chronocidal

Just saw this pop up on my Amazon page, probably brings it closer in line with the import price, if not even lower.

https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Frontier-Valkyrie-Chogokin/dp/B0BGR4Z27D/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_bmx_gp_oa5mc7io_d_sccl_1_3/145-2860478-7794866?pd_rd_w=eoaM7&content-id=amzn1.sym.cb7b1ced-6cd6-4a13-a63d-cb1faaf99eb2&pf_rd_p=cb7b1ced-6cd6-4a13-a63d-cb1faaf99eb2&pf_rd_r=9R504FQXR1W7BYW90VV3&pd_rd_wg=3rUWp&pd_rd_r=749463a1-3c6a-466c-a50f-27b34ab31da5&pd_rd_i=B0BGR4Z27D&psc=1

It's really difficult for me to put into words how much I hate the entire concept behind rare/chase variants in toys of this level of production.

I would not call the production quality on these worthy of collecting.   They make decent knick-knacks, but the quality is just not there for the most part, especially at the prices they're generally starting at.

Though, I think my opinion got pretty soured by that X-Wing two-pack.. it has some of the most bizarre production flaws of any X-Wing of any type I have ever seen, from any manufacturer.  I'm just calling the droid R-deux D-deux, because his upper paint is so lopsided it looks like a beret.  

Are they considering updating the numbering on them?  

I actually wonder.. given the change in exchange rate, this release might wind up cheaper than the original, and include the super packs.

I had the same thing happen with the re-released Arcadia Fire Valk.  The recent reissue with the sound booster cost me the same as the original Yamato release without it.

If they re-release the entire squad, and only include the missing super packs with the re-release, so help me I will rip Bandai's tonsils out through the internet.

Yep, this was the obvious example, and it's all the more annoying that the super packs didn't come with the sound pack from the get-go, because all except Chuck were using it.

With how obsessive Bandai is about only including specifically what was shown on-screen with any release, they completely flubbed that one from the start.

2 hours ago, Mommar said:

Were they?

Yeah, the biggest problem outside of the arms fitting on the AX line were the wing tabs no longer fitting into the legs, because they somehow completely forgot the size tolerances needed for those parts.  Fortunately they were too big, and not too small, so they could just be filed down to fit, but it was still a pain.

Also, the sloppy spine joint in fighter tended to get even more sloppy on my copies, but that's always been pretty variable.

Then there's the experience I had having to re-drill one of the tail fold pinholes with a pin-drill because they skewed it off-center until the tail wouldn't fold properly.. front gear doors not fitting correctly, sloppy nose section joints, etc.

The AX releases just felt like worse copies of the 31 series, making it feel like Bandai bootlegged its own design.

Boy, would it really kill them to actually apply the decals to their own model, just to make sure they even fit?

It always looks so bizarre with them just photoshopping them in.

1 hour ago, Mommar said:

This is the 31, not the 31AX.  It already fit together fine.  It was Bandai's best engineered Valk.

Hey now, never underestimate their ability to mess up a good thing with later iterations.   Some of the worst-fitting parts of the 31AX were still using the same design as the original.

Definitely a nice setup, but it feels like a kick in the head after the situation with the Ideas Shuttle.  

I'm curious about what scale it's supposed to be though.  Would be great to re-use that pad as a Saturn V display, but it looks like they shrunk it down to a completely different scale.  Artemis is literally using recycled SRBs from the Shuttle launches in the 80s, so they should be the same size, but these are a 3-stud diameter, when the 1/110 scale of the Saturn V would put them at 4-studs.

May still try and grab one though.  Will probably wait until mid-summer to beat the rush.

16 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Ah. Looks like you forgot the golden rule of collecting.

Maybe a different one.. Mine's "Buy what you have room for, and can afford."  

Yeah, fortunately another I can sit out on entirely.  Of course not including the reaction missiles either, because Bandai gonna Bandai.  

Really think they should have sweetened the deal by including the sound booster though, since it's not likely to ever see the light of day again, and it was specifically paired with the super packs in the series.

I think the blue was actually a side effect of some of the weird coloring seen on other Star Wars toys at the time.

It was never really clear in the movies, but some of the color filtering did make the Ties look darker blue-gray, and many of the toys echoed that.  The one that sticks in my mind is the Action Fleet version, which was definitely closer to blue than gray.

Impressive panels.. but it feels like they make the ball uglier with every iteration.  

Still might try and grab one though, it's not too bad.

On 4/14/2024 at 8:54 AM, Urashiman said:

Only the ordinance missing. So I checked Macross Zero Episode 1, just to figure what I need. That‘ll be two AIM-9 and six AIM-7.

Then a blurry memory came up. I remembered what I wanted to do and why.

The GWH kit only has two AIM-7…

urgh…

I wanted to 3D print the missing four. Hahahhaha

I‘ll finish what I have for the F-14 and add the missing ordinance later.

Before you go printing Sparrows, take note of the fin shape.  They used AIM-120 AMRAAMs on the Mac-0 F-14s.

They were never cleared for operational use, but the Navy did test using them.  Apparently they scrapped the idea when the upgrade wasn't deemed worth it, considering the limited use compared with the Super Hornet that was already in development.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/even-though-the-aim-120-was-successfully-tested-on-the-f-14-the-amraam-integration-into-fleet-tomcats-was-scrapped-heres-why/

That's just.. they need to title it the "Never touch me" edition.  I wouldn't bet the chrome will last through a single transformation cycle.

This is literally one you pose once, then lock it behind glass, or better yet, seal it in resin for eternity.

Whether it gets released or not, it won't look anything like that prototype.

I'm genuinely concerned about them attempting to make that into a transforming VF-11 derivative, because it shares almost nothing with the source design, and I have no idea how it will hold together in fighter mode with completely round arms and legs.

2 minutes ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I think KC looks better at least it has fast pack armor, but the Bandai one will likely not break if you move it around. not sure anyone really copied anything, its more of lazy imagination and not getting consumer feedback at least on one side.

Copy or not, clear plastic has different structural properties than most others, and it tends to be much more brittle, or just fail in other unexpected ways.

The clear plastic adapter that came with my TV super packs can attest to that, as the plastic formed a stress fracture after a few hours holding the valk.  I boxed back up the stand before it could fail and dump the valk off a shelf.

36 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Is it just me, or does this look super weird with the combination of clear, metallic plastic, and metal coating parts?

Definitely not just you.  

However..  I am all for this sort of behavior by Bandai.  Yes, please Bandai, keep making these sorts of event exclusives for all your future events.

Saves me a ton of trouble trying to get them if you keep making them this ugly.

I do remember seeing a teaser of something like this a few months back, probably a tiny teaser attached to something related to the VT-1 release.

Otherwise.. yeah, no thanks, that's a nice chunk of money saved.  Helps me recover from the summer salvo hitting this year with the monthly releases stretching from May to probably September.  

Ah, good.  Something I can skip with no regrets.  

So that's definitely an interesting development.

I think I have a grand total of one Fujimi kit in my collection, and it's an ancient 1/48 F-14A kit from 1978.   I'm not going to attempt to compare the accuracy of it, but it's probably the best fitting 1/48 F-14 kit I have, and I remember it being several huge steps above any other manufacturer in terms of ease of assembly, even to this day.  It just went together perfectly.

Guess I'm glad I at least got a pair of good Tie fighters out of the deal to match with a Vader version if I ever get one, but the X-Wings are pretty bad by comparison.  My initial instincts about the mold were unfortunately on the nose.

Pretty sad, the quality of the Y-Wings I grabbed got my hopes up, but these things are just weirdly sloppy and mis-molded messes.  I guess that's what you should expect as the first product in a line, but still disappointing.

Boy I wish Bandai would give its folks a lesson in how to pose mecha so they don't look like they're bored out of their minds.

5 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

If they make a VF-19, I don't see any reasons for Bandai to not make a YF-19 in HMR

What I'd really love to see is them exploring the larger variety of VF-19 variants in this cheaper line.  Maybe pull some of the racing designs in, or more paint options we saw in games, or the Master File.. maybe a Nothung?  Please?