Chronocidal

Those front pods are only used outside the atmosphere. They're in Macross 30 as well, but there's actually no situation where you can equip them, since the only mission that takes place outside an atmosphere is the opening one, and you're locked into using a VF-25 for that. I'm pretty sure the YF-29 you fight in the opening has them equipped though, and you see them in some of the splash images during loading screens.

Well you know, valks take a heck of a lot less room if you don't pack them in the original boxes. If I ever have to move long distance with them, I'll likely pack them tightly in styrofoam peanuts, fold the boxes, and stack the trays. Plus, a lot of valks can be taken apart to an extent, and it really helps find ways to pack them together in small spaces.

Same here, though I'd be satisfied if they just made the game-style super packs for Isamu's. They look so much better in the game than in the movie.

Actually, I've seen a cutaway of the Falcon. I don't think a lot of people actually realize how big that thing was supposed to be to begin with. Yes, it technically was a freighter, but seeing as how the common cargo it was carrying was something that had to be hidden anyway, the Falcon was just about the Star Wars Equivalent of a minivan with a stash of cocaine in the tires. I think the entire living area we saw was actually where the cargo would normally be stowed. To build the full sized exterior would have probably broken Lucasfilm at that point. Anyway though, I honestly don't see why anything is even being debated for this. Kawamori knows what he's doing, and pretty much covered all the bases. The entire point of the advanced technology in Macross was that you could cram all the fancy machinery required for a mech into the frame of an aircraft, and have no one actually be able to tell from the outside. So, bottom line.. it's magic. The plane is exactly the size it has always said it is (which is a fairly standard size for a small fighter), and everything works because the plot says it did. Just because the animators weren't able to convey that scale correctly doesn't mean the plane has to be a different size.

I can't argue that the series was made with marketing in mind, but really, there are definitely parallels in the real world. Reminds me a lot of the F-5 design lineage.. You had the F-5A Freedom Fighter, F-5E Tiger II, F-20, and X-29 design progression: base model (in several variations), upgraded base model, advanced model, and experimental prototype built with a mashup of parts from other aircraft (with forward-swept wings, and the same designation number even ). We're just missing the dedicated trainer variant at this point, to fill in the spot for the T-38 (or the VT-1). I think development trees like the VF-24/25/27/29 happen more often than one might initially think. Off the top of my head, the F-14, F-15, F-16, and F-17/F-18 all have had pretty similar design developments (or at least proposed developments), and now you've got the JSF trying the same thing from the get-go. Then you can toss in the all the Mirage and Tornado development trees too. And let's not forget the development dodecahedron that encompasses the Su-27 family. It just makes sense, aircraft companies love re-using proven design components. It not only saves money on development and production, but it reduces risk and cost for buyers as well, since you may already own support equipment that will be forwards compatible, and you may already have people trained to work on the components. Anyway, back to the actual topic... I put in an order for two, I just hope it doesn't come due until after Christmas.

I guess some people might be upset just because Bandai keeps reinforcing that perception that they really don't care about Macross, through either their marketing actions, or lack of product testing. Personally, Bandai's bad design decisions in the past few years have left a really bad taste in my mouth that just won't go away, because they keep doing things to bring it back. At the same time, at least they're making things, and keeping the brand alive. I just wish that Bandai's company structure didn't essentially amount to a half dozen different entities, all producing things independently without taking any input from the others. Seriously, it feels like directly competing rival corporations have better communication between them than Bandai's separate departments. I mean, at least when rivals see a good move by a competitor, they have the sense to copy it. Meanwhile, every separate product by Bandai seems to have to go through a few iterations before they start solving the problems the other departments already addressed. Anyway, apologies for being so negative when I haven't even built the kit. I guess I'm just disappointed, because I would actually have loved for this to be worth getting.

Seriously doubt it will have this, because the YF-19 didn't have a hatch there to begin with. The panel behind the head is full of thrusters on the YF-19. I'm pretty sure that was just a convenience change for Macross 7, so you could have Basara leaving his valk in battroid all the time, and not having to use a runway.

Assuming you mean the rotation point at the engines, I just coated the outside flat surfaces of the wings with something to tighten them up while level. The hinges are still floppy when not centered, but they hit a nice solid point when they're level now.

I don't think that canopy is even transparent. Even if it is blue though, I'm not worried since it looks awesome. Looks like non-gloss on this one as well. I imagine the colors are nowhere near final though, since the pylons will probably be color matched, and the plane itself is missing all but the most basic markings. If they don't tampo the insignia on the nose this time though, I'm going to be upset.

The fact that the legs are entirely cockeyed. Now, I haven't built one myself, and don't intend to, but I would trust the people here who already built them, and all the other supporting evidence saying they borked up the leg tabs. CAD has a way of allowing you to make something that looks like it should work perfectly, and then failing miserably once the models are brought into the real world. If there's a mistake being made, then oh well, but I have a really hard time believing so many experienced modelers would make the exact same type of mistake during assembly. Every single one I've seen built looks that way, leading me to think Bandai didn't test their molds enough.

If by "love" you mean taking the extra time and effort to rework/redesign/scratchbuild the things bandai blatantly screwed up, then maybe. But I mean, the fact that they screwed things up isn't a matter of opinion. Unless we're chalking up the legs being entirely cockeyed as "a new interpretation of the design." Liberties taken with the design are one thing. Failing to test your molds to make sure the model assembles correctly is another entirely.

Notice, they aren't showing you a view that shows how the alignments between the parts (don't) work in fighter. But yeah, they really screwed up the leg packs hard. I think somewhere along the way, they realized that their borked-up kneecap design wouldn't actually be able to fold shut with the packs on unless they cut the height of the packs down. Now, the legs are barely drooped at all, because the tanks on the back of the leg have to be half (or less) the size of what they should be.

Oh that's interesting.. the wing is dual layers. I didn't realize it before, but you can see the change in material colors between the sections along the back edge. Have to say, I like that much better than a simple panel over the top of the hardpoints on the upper surface. As far as ratchets go, I wouldn't expect much with the wings, but the VF-19's hip mounts were a quantum leap in quality over the old YF-19's, so I wouldn't be concerned about them getting floppy. They're still friction joints, but they're assembled in a way that gives you access to the screw, so you can at least tighten them yourself if they get loose. Also.. VF-0D, yes please, but I kind of doubt I would buy another VF-0S. Aside from a few changes in construction and materials, I really don't think they need a redesign that badly, since accuracy and looks were never a problem to begin with. I can think of a few ways they could be improved, but nothing nearly as dramatic as the YF-19's improvements. I'll anxiously await being proven wrong by the 0D though.

Darn, they moved it. It was basically just the VF-19 Active, but in battroid mode. Honestly it has one of the coolest looking designs I've seen for battroid yet. Also, whoa. Is that the concert Sheryl from the Diamond Crevasse performance from the concert in ep6/7?

What I don't get is why they seem to forget that there was a previous Jetfire remake that was pretty much entirely the same thing, but they never bothered to cry foul then. Also, wow.

Oh, its not likely at all that the neck cover is integrated, sadly. I just mistook the actual neck for the cover in that pic. If this transforms like the VF-19s, there's no room for anything under that chest piece. Really, I don't know if I even care if the YF-19 has a neck cover at all though, since the cover is black anyway, and doesn't "disappear" like on the fire valk. They might make the neck gray underneath like before, so the black will cover that, but the gray never bothered me that much on the first version.

They tried to deliver my F a bit ago when I was at work, so tomorrow it'll be zooming around my office.

Yeah, those look just like the hinges used for the double fold on the masterpiece Starscream wings, so I'd bet the back half of the tail can do a 180 fold and lay against the forward half. Honestly, I didn't mind the sliding mechanism on the first version, but it was pretty sloppy. I don't know if I like the broken tail design, but it's no big deal. I'm just thrilled the leg packs can actually mount the full sized missiles. Also looks like the neck cover does recess into the fuselage, but I don't know where it will fit in battroid.

Well I'm sold for two at this point. I seriously want some bigger pics to pick apart the details, but that is looking incredible. I think this is the first time I've seen them actually advertise with a profile view too, and it does look slimmer than the VF-19. Two things I'm curious about though (well more than that, but the two most pressing:P ) ... First, what's that little colored panel in the middle of the tails? And second.. could they be mounting the wings entirely with magnets to get those positions? Can't wait to see more of this.

Whoa, are those VF-19s Hasegawa conversions, or entirely new kits? They're definitely looking like they share a few components, but I wonder how extensive the replacements are. Also.. holy cow. I wanted the VF-19 Active before... but I think it just became my favorite battroid ever.

You know, yes, that stand is ludicrously huge for a VF-1, but it would probably work wonders on any of the other larger Yamato valks. In the long run, they probably oversized it so they don't have to make a new stand for every valk they (re)release. I've got plenty of Bandai stands and adapters for my VF-1s, but I might grab one of these to use with the upcoming YF-19, or maybe a VF-4. It's double dipping (or triple dipping if you count the TV release) for Roy, but I kind of don't mind that much. Plus, you know. As bulky as this stand is, it's still more attractive than the massive lumps of plastic Bandai uses.

Yeah, they should be included. They definitely have the slot to mount them on the packs, so leaving them out would just be entirely boneheaded.

Given the quality of the die-cast some of us have seen, I don't think that would add to the price. Plus, I wouldn't expect that to be the new price-point for a standard VF-1. That thing is covered head to toe in tampo printing, and I'm pretty sure that will have added a significant amount to the cost of this one item. Given the standard prices of the Bandai stuff though, I wouldn't be really surprised or upset if the price of a VF-1 went to $120, and a fast-packed version went to about $160.

Ah, wasn't aware there was any mixing with that game, since I gave up on the demo and never gave it a second thought. AC6 wasn't nearly as bad, if you ignored the storyline, and just enjoyed the flying.

You know, I think this is why I stopped reading all these good books that people talk about. As the creativity of Hollywood dries up like a desert, they all wind up being made into movies, and then everyone feels let down because the movies aren't as good. Ever since Harry Potter, I've taken to waiting for the movie to be made, and then read the book after. I haven't been let down since.