The Official Yamato VB-6 Monster Thread

[Sildani]

I had 3 VF-11B's... one after the other. My first one, The shield was too long, so in fighter mode it would not attach to the transformed arms and sit flush with the rest of the fighter's upper surface.

The second one transformed perfectly... but the assemblers had given it two left canards. So one was properly dihedral, the second had anhedral.

The third was perfect... until the right hip snapped.

My point is, what if that clip was installed backwards on accident, and is a one-off problem, like with my second 11's canards?

I will wait for more reviews. I waited for a 1/48 until MW reviews said that the VF-1J was practically free of defects. Then I jumped, happily.

Don't lose hope, people. The Monster might be all right, yet.

[soze]

Check this out.

The label above indicates a "mystery piece", which, according to the article, hides a kind of small missile or something, and is even hinged.  However, it does not move much and the author thinks that it may have been a gimmick which was canned afterwards.

The lower one points to a tab which on the instructions and the package photos is depicted as facing backwards, yet on the actual product faces forwards, resulting in the legs not locking properly in shuttle mode.  Is this why on every pic I see of the shuttle the sides are "hanging" instead of being straight?

Good luck getting Yamato to answer anything before the new year.

Oh, dear.

Wouldn't call it a mystery peice. Although it's not mentioned in the instruction manual, this missile launcher is shown in the VB-6 line art in one of the VF-X2 game books.

The legs still can lock in shuttle mode, you just gotta make sure that when they go on the tab you pull them back about 1-2mm. It's still not a very good lock though and they do fall off the tab quite easily. Yes, it probably would have made more sense and been more secure if the tab was facing backwards.

Graham

Well, I have mine. Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes. I think it's supposed to be like that. I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said. And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine. I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

[EXO]

Well, I have mine. Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes. I think it's supposed to be like that. I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said. And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine. I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

you... have... yours???

[soze]

Well, I have mine.  Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes.  I think it's supposed to be like that.  I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said.  And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine.  I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

you... have... yours???

[Anubis]

Well, I have mine.  Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes.  I think it's supposed to be like that.  I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said.  And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine.  I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

you... have... yours???

PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICS!

[Aegis!]

You know, I'm actually happy to see people bitching about a new toy, while others praise it.  It's been too long (dammit Yamato), and now we finally have something to sink out teeth into again.

I mean holy crap, it's a VB-6 for crying out loud.  The last one we thought Yamato would make.  MOST OF US should buy at least one for that fact alone (minor QC gripes aside), so Yamato will immediately could have an incentive to dive into the rest of the VFX-2 valks.  If this obscure sucker sells good, it might open the door again.  Even if not, this is still one that will skyrocket in value once they stop making it, and I guarantee we'll start seeing a lot of "Where can I get a Monster" threads when the stock finishes.  At least I'm not seeing any initial reports of "it fell apart in my hand" on the VB-6 unlike another item from another company that we all looked forward too forever and it came out a more QC ridden POC than Yamato could even concieve of.

At least the initial impression is good, and there are no crtical flaws.  A stupid flaw in the reversed piece, but not killer.

A VB-6, former legend of rarity in the resin field, long sought after, now in 1/100 toy form.  May the rest of the 1/100 resin kits soon be adapted as well.

Anyone going to pose this thing wrestling some MG Gundams?

Mate , those are my thought exactly. 100% agreed.

Well, I have mine. Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes. I think it's supposed to be like that. I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said. And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine. I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

sooooo....that means Graham´s sample might have been an isolated case ?

Just a question thought: Does the gaps still remain after perfect locking ?

I hate to say this but I think all of people´s whining and bitching may have been uselesss.

A few things people should´ve taken into account when complaining were:

- You just read ONE review , that review is lmited to ONE (faulthy) toy.

- Get the toy before you bitch

- Just as Graham didn´t notice the knee bending feature , it was also plausible that he couldn´t figure out or notive the right way to lock the legs , which is quite comprehensible given the fact the instruction manual is so fu**ed up.

Edited December 31, 2004 by Aegis!

[mechatek]

Well, I have mine.  Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes.  I think it's supposed to be like that.  I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said.  And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine.  I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

you... have... yours???

Hmm, verrrry interesting. Could this mean happiness for the F&S peeps on the VB-6 list? Inquiring minds want to know!

[VF-1Guy]

I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Mine shipped yesterday so I should have it in a week or two. The reported flaws seem minor to me comapred to some other toys I picked up this year.

The last Yamato toy I got was the GBP back in Feb.! I have gone too long without Macross

[UN Spacy]

I say we get a Bomber Squadron going. Much like the Low Viz crew on MW........let's get a VB-6 crew in here.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Before release:

"OMG! It's so awesome!! I CAN'T WAIT!"

Or

"That's cool, but it's not worth it."

Release is late:

"OMG why is it late!! This is stupid! I want it now!! Wait, the price is kinda expensive..."

Or

"Why can't Yamato ever release on time  "

More pictures are shown:

"Dammit, I want it! I can't wait! That's sooo awesome!!"

Or

"*sigh* Once again Yamato fails. It sucks hardcore. I don't have one, but I'm going to talk about it like I do."

Day of release:

"IT'S OUT!! I'm so happy!!"

Or

"Hey wow, its out, does it come with crappy stickers?"

First day after release:

"OMG THIS IS SO AWESOME! I LOVE IT!"

Or

"This thing is a piece of CRAP! Once again Yamato fails us all. I'm never buying anything Yamato makes AGAIN! Yamato can suck donkey ****!!"

Next announced release:

"Yay!! They're coming out with that!!"

Or

"Wow, that's pretty cool. But it's probably not worth it."

Ad infinitum.

Ah.. the internet and forums. But you got to love complainers for keeping talk on the new stuff active. I find that within all the bad there is also good too. Without knowing all the little bits that are worth complaining about, how can you make an informed decision?

Take console game machines for example. I remember having bought my Xbox as an early adopter who was excited to be able to get one early paying a good price for it. Then I realised that early machines had a faulty drive that later, reduced-price machines didn't. Sometimes it pays to be patient and wait. By expecting the worse, you protect yourself from more pain on occassions when you actually have bought the thing and are stuck with something you may not be happy with. (like all those who got the faulty alphas but can't be bothered returning them )

At least with a pair of good shoes you can try before you buy. If you get stuck with ones that may feel uncomfortable the customer will be unhappy. I believe the attitude of a company should be that "the customer is always right". Even if other customers think that one whiny guy is wrong, they are still right. The reason being that any criticism should be taken in a positive way to improve the relation and if possible try to make everyone happy, not just the loyal fanboys, yes men or apologists, but everyone. To give an honest review you have to seperate your own bias or your own pet hates from the review and be able to give the facts so others can make the informed choice. "Does this thing move?" "will this last if the joint looks like thay may break if you are not extra careful?" "How does this compare with other toys in what it does?" etc

Personally I had always set my mind that I was going to get one, (and still am, but I'm not a "preoder guy" not even with games) but I don't think there has to be a crowd for complainers fighting a crowd of "complainers who are complaining about the complainers. (this always happens in forums) We all have our own reasons for liking or not liking a certain thing but it's good that people are voicing them in the end.

I think what's important is that people know the difference between a review and impressions. Impressions give a quick summary of your first impression of the toy without as much detail examination (it's mainly: "So as a fan anticipating this, what are your feelings now that you;ve bought one? Does it have that new toy smell?" - these feelings can then change over time or with further examination of the toy) whereas in a review you got to compare it to past efforts that have been done before and say what things could be improved upon without making it seem like a personal complaint or fanboy wishlist. Kind of like comparing one olympic athlete to another athlete's performance, where there can only be one winner in a race) Then hopefully in the review you have some kind of rating system as a guage for those who buy lots of other things too. (Take pc benchtests for a good example, it helps seperate the company-generated hype from reality) Some may have a broader knowledge from other purchases they've made in the past, and need a standard of some sort. When comparing two very good competitors you need people with an anal-retentive attitude towards things.

If something can be improved then it should be taken as a good thing because if the advice is taken it means the product can be ones step closer to being better than every other product that came before it. The more people you make happy, the better reputation and more profits are made. (Remember there are some people who won't buy a good quality product just because of the color) If people didn't have a place to complain on a forum, would HG have buckled under pressure to accept returns of thier toys? If it weren't for complaints, feedback -both negative and positive - I probably would not have ended up buying any yamato vf1s because I would have just accepted that toynami vfs were good enough and as fans we should be happy that these toys exist - even if it meant that newer, uninformed people who are not toynami fans are led to believe there are no alternatives. I, and probably many others who are a silent majority probably would have been ignorant that there were much better stuff out there.

Some of the complaints may be valid, others not. But it's reasonable for customers to be able to research as much as possible about the toy (including tiny faults) before making an informed purchase. What angers me more are those that listen to complaints, but out of weakness buy the thing and complain afterwards. "Boohoo, I wasted my money on this! Now I want to be compensated!" I say to them: Then why did you buy it?! Ignorance is no excuse when you could have done your research first, right?"

It's like they were given a warning, they knew the risks, but didn't heed it, and then blame the company for selling it to them instead of themselves for buying it. If you take a more laidback, common-sense safe aproach you will always win in the end. (even if an item sells out they will make more to address the high demand - companies are greedy) When enough see the complaint to be valid, such that people are withholding thier money, what happens is prices get reduced, the competition hears the complaint and tries to address it by making even better stuff to muscle in on the market, and everyone gets happy in the end because the stakes are risen and the bar is raised again, creating a new standard to measure others with. The only time this doesn't work is when there is some monopoly and you don't see any improvement because the company has too much leverage and no longer needs to listen to the complaints or suggestions and peope are forced to accept lesser standards.

Edited December 31, 2004 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[calvin]

and the award for longest post goes to....................(drum roll).................

1/1 lowviz lurker............

valid points, well presented and very true......................back to the games

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Yeah I surprise myself sometimes with how long I can make my rants go for..

Lucky I have no large sigs or the server would crash.

[Vostok 7]

Yay if Soze has his, that means me an' Godzilla will be getting ours soon!

Woohoo!

Vostok 7

[Graham]

Here's a close-up pic of the damaged hole in the arm, which ataches to a peg in shuttle mode.

I'm a bit worried that sooner or later, the hole will shear at it's thinst edge.

Graham

[soze]

Yay if Soze has his, that means me an' Godzilla will be getting ours soon!

Woohoo!

Vostok 7

Hmm, verrrry interesting. Could this mean happiness for the F&S peeps on the VB-6 list? Inquiring minds want to know!

Yes. Although you guys will get it after recovering from being drunk on New Year's Eve for your guys' own good.

[promethuem5]

hmmmmmmm....if it breaks, you might be able to repair it with some styrene sheet.

stinks tho...mebbe your just over stressing the part? forcing the peg in crooked wo/ realizing it?

[Graham]

hmmmmmmm....if it breaks, you might be able to repair it with some styrene sheet.

stinks tho...mebbe your just over stressing the part? forcing the peg in crooked wo/ realizing it?

I may well be doing it incorrectly and missing some special trick, but getting the arms locked into place in shuttle mode is a bit tricky as they sort of have to be twisted into postion. It's difficult to describe, but when you have one, you will know what I mean.

It's far to early to start panicking anyway, as we need to wait and see does everybody else have the same problem or not.

Graham

[Graham]

Here's another potential problem. Notice the white stress mark on these two pegs.

These pegs are used in both Shuttle & Gerwalk mode, but use different holes for each mode. They seem to be under some stress in Gerwalk.

Graham

[promethuem5]

whew. at lwaat tbise will be easy to fix,,,,,

(*sorry about spelling....im in the dark watchibg new ywears stuff)

[Graham]

Here's a pic in Battroid mode of the kness sort of bent backwards. Good luck getting the Battroid to stand without support if you do bend the knees though . In this photo, I'm using a chair back for support.

Standing normally with the legs locked straight is no problem and doesn't require support.

Graham

[soze]

You know, I'm actually happy to see people bitching about a new toy, while others praise it.  It's been too long (dammit Yamato), and now we finally have something to sink out teeth into again.

I mean holy crap, it's a VB-6 for crying out loud.  The last one we thought Yamato would make.  MOST OF US should buy at least one for that fact alone (minor QC gripes aside), so Yamato will immediately could have an incentive to dive into the rest of the VFX-2 valks.  If this obscure sucker sells good, it might open the door again.  Even if not, this is still one that will skyrocket in value once they stop making it, and I guarantee we'll start seeing a lot of "Where can I get a Monster" threads when the stock finishes.  At least I'm not seeing any initial reports of "it fell apart in my hand" on the VB-6 unlike another item from another company that we all looked forward too forever and it came out a more QC ridden POC than Yamato could even concieve of.

At least the initial impression is good, and there are no crtical flaws.  A stupid flaw in the reversed piece, but not killer.

A VB-6, former legend of rarity in the resin field, long sought after, now in 1/100 toy form.  May the rest of the 1/100 resin kits soon be adapted as well.

Anyone going to pose this thing wrestling some MG Gundams?

Mate , those are my thought exactly. 100% agreed.

Well, I have mine. Don't have time to take a detailed look at it, but as far as the tab goes. I think it's supposed to be like that. I just pushed the legs a bit back to make the front flush with the joint like Graham said. And as far as mine goes... it locks just fine. I can shake it up and down without it detaching.

sooooo....that means Graham´s sample might have been an isolated case ?

Just a question thought: Does the gaps still remain after perfect locking ?

I hate to say this but I think all of people´s whining and bitching may have been uselesss.

A few things people should´ve taken into account when complaining were:

- You just read ONE review , that review is lmited to ONE (faulthy) toy.

- Get the toy before you bitch

- Just as Graham didn´t notice the knee bending feature , it was also plausible that he couldn´t figure out or notive the right way to lock the legs , which is quite comprehensible given the fact the instruction manual is so fu**ed up.

I think when it comes down to it..... If you own one... you will love it regardless of small flaws. The most noticeable thing wrong with my monster is that the "mystery hinged piece" on the arm is loose on one of the arms. But if that piece is some scrapped idea, I'm just going to glue it tight. Other than that... the hole in the arm piece that Graham talked about... it does have potential to wear out on the thin end... but mine didn't look chewed up like his did. Mine still looks good like it will stay that way if you transform carefully.

I just transformed it to gerwalk, and I don't have the heart to change it to anything else yet.... gerwalk is just too cool. So I'll take pix and what not later after I drool over gerwalk.

And yes.... holy crap!!!! It's a VB-6 MONSTER!!!!

[Bariaburu Faita]

What about sanding down the pegs, or tapering so they dont stress the holes as much?

[Aegis!]

If something can be improved then it should be taken as a good thing because if the advice is taken it means the product can be ones step closer to being better than every other product that came before it. The more people you make happy, the better reputation and more profits are made. (Remember there are some people who won't buy a good quality product just because of the color) If people didn't have a place to complain on a forum, would HG have buckled under pressure to accept returns of thier toys? If it weren't for complaints, feedback -both negative and positive - I probably would not have ended up buying any yamato vf1s because I would have just accepted that toynami vfs were good enough and as fans we should be happy that these toys exist - even if it meant that newer, uninformed people who are not toynami fans are led to believe there are no alternatives. I, and probably many others who are a silent majority probably would have been ignorant that there were much better stuff out there.

Unfortunatelly , this is not always (if ever) the case with Yamato.

When people start to hold back their money or start to complain about a product they simply painc away and just cancel the project or further releases right away ( VF-0 , YF-19FP or 1/60 Monster...all of them have dissapeared from the horizon because Yamato´s panic to failure) in fear that their investment will get them not refunds back.

Really , when was the last time Yamato actually heard us ? isn´t it time we stop and realise no one is at the other end of the line ? If they actually cared about our opinions then we wouldn´t see much complaining , would we ?

I for one could be playing with a VF-5000 at this moment if they cared about us , but as some else coined , ¨Yamato just ain´t our whishlist factory¨ , they make money out of our valk addiction.

I don´t know , I prefer to play safe and not risk this seemingly limited possibilty of getting a Koenig so I´ll just buy one , so far all the complains I´ve heard are either ( I would assume) isolated cases or simple nitpicking. You can still play and transform the thing , given my experience in regards to Yamato toys and other companies , for me such tiny details aren´t really worth worrying about.

that´s just MHO though

[UN_MARINE]

hey... so the tabs ARE separate pieces guess i spaced out while reading Graham's review

anyway, i don't think it's too much of a problem, it's the arm pegs that have me worried now

then again, it's no biggie, guess i'll just have to treat those parts with respect, just like the BP 8

...and if anything "interesting" shows up, i got my toolbox ready

now all i need is a monster...

[soze]

Here's a close-up pic of the damaged hole in the arm, which ataches to a peg in shuttle mode.

I'm a bit worried that sooner or later, the hole will shear at it's thinst edge.

Graham

Graham, so the hole your'e refering to might've also stretched the indentation of what can be suggested as part of the multi-gun barrell arm or perhaps an exhasust vent. The attached pic will give you an idea what I'm describing. So my question to you, was this origianlly oval or rounded much like the other indentations?

The indentation should be a perfect circle, not round. The other one is a circular indentation with a square hole in it for the square peg to go through.

There is a slight "bridge" indentation connecting the two deeper indentations. I think Graham's picture might not be clear enough, but I believe his small circular indentation is ok. It's just the camera angle, and the sight of the small ridge within the indentation that makes it look oval.

Edited January 1, 2005 by soze

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Really , when was the last time Yamato actually heard us ? isn´t it time we stop and realise no one is at the other end of the line ? If they actually cared about our opinions then we wouldn´t see much complaining , would we ?

I for one could be playing with a VF-5000 at this moment if they cared about us , but as some else coined , ¨Yamato just ain´t our whishlist factory¨ , they make money out of our valk addiction.

I know, but what if they do fix a problem that some of the complainers whine about because they took it very seriously? (there was one guy in the roy reissue thread with a missing piece) You got to at least try to let them know by providing some feedback. If they don't know about it, chances are nothing would get done. It's for thier own good even if they don't know it. Kind of like a kid who doesn't want to brush his her teeth but you make them do it. heh.

I bet even if they do not respond, they are still listening. It's just a matter of if enough people complain, or if it will affect the bottom line. Take the toynami thing for example: I bet all those who buy something and are upset by the thing who do not complain, are probably glad now that they are accepting returns for faults.

I just feel it is normal to be able to still complain about something but at the same time still feel you can support the product and company, you know what I mean? But there is always going to be some who think: "If ya don't like it, don't buy it" which isn't the point. We want to buy, but also like it. Fans are still enthusiastic about the release and WILL buy it, (just like with the toynami alphas) but they still wish for the QC and hope they aren't going to be the unlucky one who gets one with a missing piece, one with a part that was put backwards, a loose limb etc If they are unlucky and do get one, complaining about it, isn't a sign they aren't interested in the toy, since they wouldn't have parted with thier cash in the first place!

If yamato thinks that, (enough to cancel every project at the slightest complaint) then they've misinterpreted. Note to yamato: For all those who are sitting back and waiting for reviews, it is not that we are not interested in the toy, quite the opposite, we are just laidback and want to know more about it first. (otherwise we wouldn't come to forums to gobble up the latest information, would we?) We're the guy who go to EB, reads reviews, and don't mind returning stuff that doesn't satisfy us, rather than keeping something that might make us unhappy and being miserable. For some of us, buying an expensive thing whether it be a tv, or new piece of hardware, import game systems from an importer who has them early, etc...we like to at least know as much as we can before diving in. (early adopters pay the most, and sometimes get burned the most, but that doesn't stop them from wanting to pay a good price for something they really want.)

It's normal. Customers can have stupid reasons for not liking something, but in the end, if they are unhappy with something, it's best in the long term to listen to complaints imo. History proves it.

Edited January 1, 2005 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Aegis!]

Really , when was the last time Yamato actually heard us ? isn´t it time we stop and realise no one is at the other end of the line ? If they actually cared about our opinions then we wouldn´t see much complaining , would we ?

I for one could be playing with a VF-5000 at this moment if they cared about us , but as some else coined , ¨Yamato just ain´t our whishlist factory¨ , they make money out of our valk addiction.

I know, but what if they do fix a problem that some of the complainers whine about because they took it very seriously? (there was one guy in the roy reissue thread with a missing piece) You got to at least try to let them know by providing some feedback. If they don't know about it, chances are nothing would get done. It's for thier own good even if they don't know it. Kind of like a kid who doesn't want to brush his her teeth but you make them do it. heh.

I bet even if they do not respond, they are still listening. It's just a matter of if enough people complain, or if it will affect the bottom line. Take the toynami thing for example: I bet all those who buy something and are upset by the thing who do not complain, are probably glad now that they are accepting returns for faults.

I just feel it is normal to be able to still complain about something but at the same time still feel you can support the product and company, you know what I mean? But there is always going to be some who think: "If ya don't like it, don't buy it" which isn't the point. We want to buy, but also like it. Fans are still enthusiastic about the release and WILL buy it, (just like with the toynami alphas) but they still wish for the QC and hope they aren't going to be the unlucky one who gets one with a missing piece, one with a part that was put backwards, a loose limb etc If they are unlucky and do get one, complaining about it, isn't a sign they aren't interested in the toy, since they wouldn't have parted with thier cash in the first place!

If yamato thinks that, (enough to cancel every project at the slightest complaint) then they've misinterpreted. Note to yamato: For all those who are sitting back and waiting for reviews, it is not that we are not interested in the toy, quite the opposite, we are just laidback and want to know more about it first. (otherwise we wouldn't come to forums to gobble up the latest information, would we?) We're the guy who go to EB, reads reviews, and don't mind returning stuff that doesn't satisfy us, rather than keeping something that might make us unhappy and being miserable. For some of us, buying an expensive thing whether it be a tv, or new piece of hardware, import game systems from an importer who has them early, etc...we like to at least know as much as we can before diving in. (early adopters pay the most, and sometimes get burned the most, but that doesn't stop them from wanting to pay a good price for something they really want.)

It's normal. Customers can have stupid reasons for not liking something, but in the end, if they are unhappy with something, it's best in the long term to listen to complaints imo. History proves it.

You´re right in most if not all your comments but one thing you don´t understand yet is that Yamato has CEASED ALL relationships with Macross World , for some reason they now no longer trust us or whatever and for that very reason is that they possibly no longer enter this forums anymore.

Isn´t their silence towards Graham enough proof that they no longer have an interest in our boards or what we think. This closure of relationship is just another excusse in favour of their ¨we only care about the Japanese market¨ policy.

[Graham]

I've gotta say despite the wear-and-tear issues I'm having with some of the pegs and holes on my VB-6, I'm getting to like it more and more day by day. It just looks so imposing in all 3 modes.

I've got no regrets about buying it. My only problem is finding somewhere to display it. Standing at 44cm tall in battroid mode, there's no way it can fit in my display cabinet. Guess it's going to have to be displayed in either Shuttle or Gerwalk mode, but something is going to have to be removed first to make room for it.

Graham

[Feyd-Rautha]

forgive me,but..

how much is this behemouth?

[Renato]

forgive me,but..

how much is this behemouth?

I think it's around Y15,000, last time I checked.

[FlyingPika]

Do u thing yamato will release it with the pegs the right way?

As far as im concerned this is not nit picking, its a big mistake.

Can any1 forse any other versions of it being relased?

Was it the same paint scehme in VFX?

[do not disturb]

Other than that... the hole in the arm piece that Graham talked about... it does have potential to wear out on the thin end... but mine didn't look chewed up like his did.  Mine still looks good like it will stay that way if you transform carefully.

good point. i mean, Graham kind of went overboard(IMO) with all the TF'ing he did. if i get a brand new toy, i'll TF it into one mode and it'll sit there for months before i TF into another....thats just how i am. i've only TF'ed one 1/48 more than 3 times and that was cause it was my very first one. all the rest of my valks have been TF'ed twice if that, this includes the 1/55/60/72. WTF, its not like i actually play with these, its more like just stare at them with a lot of ooo-ing and ahh-ing.

i think the solution is pretty simple, like any other toy, if you take care of it and keep the handling it to a minimum, it'll last a long time. but the more and more you TF it, the more you play with it and handle it, the more wear and tear you'll cause over the life of the toy. toys are meant to be played with but not to the degree of playing if you're paying a $150 for a toy as opposed to $50.

just my 2 cents.

[Graham]

Yeah, it's true I have transformed this toy about a dozen times so far, including in a dimly lit restaurant where I couldn't really see what I was doing . That's not a huge number of times though.

I'll also admit to being fairly rough during some of the tansformations. Hey, gotta find out where the potential weak spots are !

However, for those of you thinking of not buying this toy just because 1 toy so far (mine) shows some wear, Id advise you to wait until more people have the toy and more reports (either positive or negative) start coming in before you decide to cancel.

And at least here in HK, the VB-6 is not too expensive. A shop near my home was selling them for only HK$780 (US$100).

At very least you gotta give Yamato some credit for having the guts to produce a toy of such an obscure mecha as the VB-6. And from the intricate transformation, you can tell that the designer put a lot of heart and soul into the design.

Graham

[xstoys]

OK, I guess someone has to be first... I BROKE THE LITTLE TAB, but only one side of the tab.

And in only 1 day of playing with this toy. But I still like it & it still transforms with no problems.

[Montarvillois]

At very least you gotta give Yamato some credit for having the guts to produce a toy of such an obscure mecha as the VB-6. And from the intricate transformation, you can tell that the designer put a lot of heart and soul into the design.

True true...

I agree with you. This is the type of thing we usualy only see a obscure resin kits from Japanese hobby shows.