regult

I saw the chibi Ranka, Klan, Sheryl and Alto (G set?), I loved them, and they're quite massive...a lot bigger than I expected, but shops in HK had random price-tags and I just couldn't convince myself, honestly statues and figures were never my thing. I did get a A-prize Klan for quite a good price though, Sheryl was much more expensive here, the shop owner said that Klan was sitting on the shelves while there was higher demand for Sheryl and Ranka, therefore "A" prize was cheaper than "B" AND "C"!!! I guess Hong Kong and Japan figure collectors both like to see more "flesh" colored plastic than a tight flightsuit?? Klan in flightsuit really rocks.

Saw the plain "S" in many shops in Hong Kong's Monkok area, prices ranged from HK$280 to HK$360... and since it has the wrong hip/leg placement, I definitely will wait. I am probably going to pass on the rest of the SMS squad until we get the armored with the new cod-piece in battroid. Hopefully they'll get that fixed for the plain VF-25s too, but I am not counting on it. So, sorry, no new toy to share with everybody this time!

I am going out to the urban jungle and see what happens, maybe I can resist, maybe my wife will confiscate my money, maybe I will show you pictures of some new macross toys later...wish me uh...luck (?). I too prefer the Armored "S", but you never know what the curse upon us may do.

Thanks for clarifying, as you can see I totally misunderstood the Japanese... Yamato making kit sets? that's weird!

Wow, thanks everybody for the detailed suggestions and photos. Makes my first attempt at the "F" like a bad joke, and it was hard to decal! I will try to assemble the clean configuration Ozma sometime before going for the others. I am glad this discussion is going into more details regarding model making than other sidelines and diversions!

OMG it's going to be a painful year of Macross prosperity but wallet emptiness! Do I hear "listen to my song" from a distance?!?!

Thanks G-man for the report, price is a bit steep for my liking, I got my "F" for only HK$228 in Richmond 111, not willing to pay more for the Ozma "S". I have never purchased anything from online yahoo sellers in HK, they're less polite than they are in their tiny shops. I will only have time to hang out on Sat, so if anyone sees these little guys at a good price, I'd appreciate you let me know! I was supposed not to buy any more 1/100s?!!?! what happened since yesterday!??! my 1/72 kits are still staring at me from behind!

Thanks for the very detailed instructions, but I am lost in one step: FUTURE...I don't even know what that's supposed to look like here (Hong Kong), I remember there was a page with the different brands and names the polish goes by, but in any case, I haven't used it ever. Is it possible to decal, panel with gundam "oil based" marker", clear coat and assemble (the "shell")? I am planning to only clear coat the outer shell, and leave the skeleton alone, except maybe some of the joints like arms, legs, hands and head laser. I heard there are problems with gundam markers and enamel based clear coats (water based marker+enamel based rattle can=disaster?). Somebody else (can't remember who at this point) had used a rattle can to clear coat the model and said it was simple. I am picturing myself doing the squeleton and the shell, sanding the seams, pulling them off, decal, panel line with gundam marker (oil based), let dry (one day? two?) and then clear coat with a can (the curvy contours are difficult to paint right? should I hold the can about 30 cm away from the parts? Sorry for all these questions, but I am really not experienced and I stick to 1/72 VF-25s because the DX toy is too expensive for what it is...If there was a half-decent line art accurate and reasonably priced toy that does not vaporize in the box, I would willingly give up on these beautiful but fragile kits. Thanks again to all experienced modellers for your imput, I hope I can complete the SMS squad sometime soon and share family pictures!

here: http://www.yamato-toys.com/ec/items/detail.php?gid=1352 1/60 ファンレーサーモデルキット 2009年5月 出荷予定 メーカー希望小売価格　 3,000円（税込） （ 30 ポイント） It's small, it's cheap and the picture looks fine...is this IT? or did I miss sth?

Take a look at these 1/200 DIECAST models if you want detail and craftsmanship...price is of course higher than that of a Gashapon, but truly amazing detail, you'd think it's a 1/72 or even bigger if I hadn't told you it IS 1/200! Too bad they never made anything Macross (license?) but a company from Japan (Gulliver) did a diecast MAVE Yukikaze.

It's tempting to just pay around HK$ 2XX for a VF-100s and walk home... they may not be 100% anime accurate or transform smoothly (transform??) but the prospect of having a nice looking valk right out of the box (at that price) is enticing! I have the entire SMS squad in 1/72 form, but who knows when I will really put myself to building them properly!? I must look at that pile of 1/72 boxes and stay away from the VF-100s!!!

Granted, not a huge pile up of broken DX VF-25's yet, but that's the essence of complaining...we all want something that does not break out of the box, and being in the upper levels of valk pricing, that expectations grows high too. I don't want to get into Bandai vs. Yamato really, but I have to say there is also a lot of complaining about the V 2.0 1/60 VF-1 and mines are ok, and I haven't heard of a pile of broken shoulders as was the case with the VF-0

Seems Bandai is getting a lot of attention with their VF-25, and also a lot of bitchin' concern...well that's another durability myth blown to pieces! (*Yamato says "welcome to the club") (EDIT: I should refrain from using harsh vocabulary)

I am not sure it is a great idea to try modding the super and armor parts so you can have fun with only one basic VF-25. Honestly, these are not as expensive as the toys, and you'd be way better off with 1 of each, and don't transform them too often or they'll break apart really soon, no matter how careful you are. I am going to have to study the coating techniques before I make the entire skull squad. My first "F" has pretty much all decals destroyed, and I am not planning to buy an airbrush+pump, so a rattle can of clear coat or that water-based "wax" will have to do, what do you guys reckon?

Greg is right, I think there is no way to make this model look like a model and keep it transformable, not even the works in Japanese magazines are in perfect condition, there is always some decal peeling or some paint missing in the hard corners. Handling (not transforming) could also be a threat to the finishing, even with a clear coat applied. Looking forward to the non-transformable "F" coming out! and Greg, would you please post more pictures of you "S" from different angles? say head-on, from the back, from below? Also, did you just glue the parts or did you mod the kit to make it fixed (besides the wing folding hinge mod of course)?

I too, but seems chances are low..seems more plausible to be a transformable toy. I wish too...but too early, Bandai is still milking the latest VF, so I am not holding my breath for Yamato to take on the Messiah so quickly. ANOTHER new toy (line?) from Yamato in times of economic turmoil?! curse the financial crisis, I am taking a loan to buy more toys!

Nice collections everybody! I have the 4 kits of the basic configuration plus the Super "F", waiting for the Armored "S"...but so far the only one assembled is the standard "F"...the others are still in their boxes until the day I can really put them together and clear coat them so the decals don't peel off. I don't have an airbrush, and so far heard of only 1 model builder using a rattle can...anybody else recommends that?

Are they any good?=Why would you want tiny transformable toys? 1/100 is small enough for me!

AFAIK only the F and S ever used Armor Packs, so there is not a huge need for a standalone with 4 colors to customize your bare VF...I personally prefer them bundled really, so I can have both on display, and not bother taking things apart for diversity. These are models, and once built, I don't even think transforming them often is a good idea.

Just spotted your posts...I asked the same question on the first version of this discussion, sometime last year. Certainly, a bigger VF model (1/48? 1/32??) with more robust/smooth articulations, locking tab mechanisms here and there, moving hands, more range of movement, small parts broken down to correct colors for the lazy modeler, actual metal parts for the internal skeleton, etc. would be uh...PERFECT! If it happens, it may take years, or maybe Bandai is crazy and we'll get the kit by the end of 2009? To take up where azrael left (whenever I see his avatar I think "gubaba", while gubaba is another member!), I wonder if the markets for gunpla and other stuff like Macross toys and models are so different. I mean, a PG kit set is not outlandishly expensive compared to what a Yamato or DX toy is selling for these days. OF course, with a toy you open the box and instant fun (or breakage, or inaccuracies and frustration), with kit sets, you open the box and get sprues, sometimes metal rods, stickers, decals and hope for free time. Model builders and toy collectors are really so far away from each other?

You're welcome, the VF really looks funny with huge pink hands, you can clearly see they're of different magnitudes in the "mano a mano" comparison shot! I cannot help you with more Gundam to VF hand comparisons, as I said, I only have 1 ZakuII in my model collection. A smaller one would probably work, and the socket/ball joint problem may be easily solved with clear coats or the good ol' superglue solution (or non-permanent bluetac!) That breakage makes me think twice about the Super-pack installation. I have the 25F w/Super pack in the box, and I am probably going to get the Armored 25S...but I now realize how stupid it is for that small piece to bear the weight of the boosters/missile pods...maybe we need multiples of that hinge included in the kit. Bandai is nice enough to include the SMS stand with the Armored (they know it cannot stand on its own)!

I do, I love it in person (that rainbow glow) but on my TV Hikky, the "mirror" apparently made a scratch on the finishing, I barely touched the inside of the cockpit canopy to verify if there was a scratch or it was dust and the thing got worse! Bare fingers and there was a smudge, no more rainbow. I used water to see if it was a stain from my greasy fingers, and then more coating gone. Since it was beyond repair, I used a cotton swab and some alcohol, the whole thing is now gone. Don't use enamel based thinner, that may "cloud" the clear plastic. If you hate it, alcohol will do the job. I miss my coating!!

I know from my other hobby (diecast aircraft models) that this kind of "bootleg" happens quite often; and it is sometimes up to the factory managers to not just turn their heads away from the stealing, but as you say, to intentionally produce surplus and make their own sweet-back door profit. License owners cannot always have full control over what happens. Of course some surplus is legit stock for replacing defective items returned from distributors/retail or keeping inventory in case there is more surprise demand. The most common "bootleg" as pointed out is NOT from the factory next door, but QC-rejected stuff from the legit manufacturer that "accidentally" did not "properly disposed of" the defectives. And you guys keep talking about the helmet...I just wish I had one! EDIT: micro/loli/chibi Klan was IMO a trick from the script writers to profit twice from the same character, catering for the boobcon and lolicon niches...

At your service (Zaku II V2 Char custom is the only Gundam I own)! 1) no, the Zaku hands don't stay in the VF sockets...the ball joint is not smaller, but it just does not stay. For the picture I used blue tac 2) look at the massive size of Zaku's hands! they make the VF look funny. I expected poseable hands with the VF kit, but instead got the fixed ones, and thought of the switch long time ago when I built the VF.

I don't want to blame Overdrive for wiping Yamato's butt for poor QC and design, but I just wish to get my SV-51 wings and save the 200-bucks toy from misery. But unfortunately, I am probably the only one asking for SV-51 wings for Nora, so I would have been luckier if I asked for a pair of VF-0 arms for Focker? I am not even sure they're not cracked since it's in fighter mode all the time. Do we need to set up an account BEFORE placing the request or was it "parts arrive at Overdrive>notification sent/received>account open>payment settled>parts sent>received>collector is happy"??