mpchi Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 (edited) What a surprise! Rabidlydog actually already arrived when I got home from work. So how was it? Very nice, but not without flaws. The purple color is perfect, with a light sand grey airbrush sprayed all over, making the purple plastic with a soft light tone. Weathering is not bad, in quality similar to DMZ-01. However, the soft sand airbrush is all over all purple panels, making it very prone to scratches. It even came with some right out of the box, and really is quite unavoidable especially after some handling. Its quite a bit heavier than DMZ-01, partly due to the diecast claws and the slightly bigger size. No loose head dome or loose visor. While almost all joints are tight, the hips are looser compare to DMZ-01. Not real bad, but it made the figure harder to stand straight without holding the gun on the right hand because the claw on the left is weighing the figure down towards the left. When holding the gun, its much more balanced. The attachment of the backpack is also loose, making the backpack pops off quite often. You can add a piece of foam tape on the connection to give it more friction and stay more snug. The backpack is especially fun though. Awesome land mine dropping gimmick with retracting panels while you open or close the drop hatch. Buttons work well to trigger the drop. Though the reload hatch is harder to open without worrying scratching some paint with your nails. And the backpack swing joint lock for the down form is super tight. I almost thought I broke the thing when I finally got it swing all the way up. The claw is fun too, heavy and spring loaded, while the 'thumb' can be retracted to pop out the little cannon. The Chirico figure on the other hand is not so great. Same (sucky) microman body, but the helmet with clear visor wasn't executed very well on mine. Can barely see the eyes, and no painted blue hair inside where there is supposed to. Even worse, the Chirico head without helmet looks like a retard. The eyes were printed way too low on the face. Sad that this is supposed to be an improved version 2 Chirico. My version 1 actually looks better. Here are some of my main gripes: - Slightly loose hips & heavy claw made the figure somewhat harder to balance. - Gun handle too small for the trigger hand to hold the gun securely. It wobbles a bit, even if you manage to keep the fingers from falling. - Backpack hinge lock way too tight when you want to do down form. - And here is the most disappointing one... They completely sealed the screw holes on the feet, making it almost impossible to take it apart without breaking something. Why? To stuff a whole bunch of coins to add weight to the feet, as well as tighten the loose ankle swivel joint that all DMZ has. This really hurts the playability of this figure as the added metal weight can let it do very extreme gliding poses, now not being able to do this simple mod like I did with DMZ-01. I managed to yank out the toes with a skinny screw driver without breaking it, while stuff as many dimes in there as I could (18 dimes each feet), sealed them with some kneaded eraser, then popped them back in. But the back of the feet is still hallow, so the effect is definitely not as good as my attempt on DMZ-01, which I basically filled the entire feet with dimes and pennies. This Rabidlydog definitely has fewer loose joints than my DMZ-01, but the way they tried to seal off some parts makes it harder, if not impossible to get those loose bit fixed, which is quite unfortunate. With the slightly unbalanced weight issue it has, it needs this mod even more than DMZ-01. Sigh... Overall, still very happy with it, aside the sealed feet. The dog is great, with same level of execution as previous DMZs, while fixed some of the past issues. Chirico is more disappointing, but at least you get a new helmet. Especially when HLJ has it for 30% off, its definitely a great buy. (Still can't figure out why HLJ dropped the price of a new release like that). Edited July 10, 2007 by mpchi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Pilot Off Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 wat!!! so soon?? mine was just shipped today from HLJ.... drapped the price maybe because bandai released their model kit too??? maybe.... its very competitive because of some etched and metal parts..i saw the pics and its really poseable.. and it can stand upsidedown on its hans without any support.. too bad im not skilled at model kits esp painting.. hehehehh.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dax415 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 speaking of the bandai kit, has anyone bought it and put one together yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 (edited) While not an ideal mod on the feet, with only added weight on the toes, it still helped on pulling some signature Votoms poses. It can lean pretty good as you can see. The weight of the claw did help on counter balancing in that pose. Imagine when both feet is fully stuffed! As for the other fixes, I just left the backpack hinge lock unlocked. While it leaves a wide gap on the top of the backpack, it doesn't look bad. In terms of the hand, I did my usual super glue trick to thicken the finger pegs. Now they are pretty secure without being permanantly glued. While some foam tape are added on both sides of the gun handle. Now it even has soft cushy grip for Rabidly's comfort LOL. Now its pretty snug. P.S. Real toy look more purple than these pics. Edited July 11, 2007 by mpchi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Pilot Off Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 awesome poses mpchi.... cant wait to have mine.... thanks for the reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAND CANNON Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 'Scuse as I butt into this thread, but.............DAMN! http://dalong.net/review/etc/bt1/bt1_p.htm Are they planning on more releases in this line? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 The Brutishdog has already been announced as the next release in the Bandai 1/20 Votoms plamodel line. I'm sure Bandai will milk the molds for all they're worth and we'll see many Scopedog variants. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Pilot Off Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 that kits is nice but the problem is i dun have the skills to paint one.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 that kits is nice but the problem is i dun have the skills to paint one.... Same here. But that kit is really impressive for those that have skills. Bandai really did a great job. While the sculpt at certain area is not exactly how I like it, but its level of detail, with the price its asking for, is pretty much the best package I've seen, as long as you love the modeling part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 yeah, I'd be all over that Bandai kit if I had any painting skills. Looks like a really fun kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GRAND CANNON Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Isn't that part of the atraction to the kit? No painting required. Just some panel lines and decals/transfers.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 (edited) Stole this pic from ToysDaily. Looks like Fyana is coming soon, and will come with an open helmet and extra head for Chirico. Rock! ::EDIT:: excuse the dual images, I'm a dolt and don't know how to remove one of them. Edited July 26, 2007 by eriku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drifand Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Chirico + Hoodie Fashion. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 Guess thats the up-side on the Yamatos. While not as playable, they got kickass pilot figures. Takara's microman looks like crap in comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted July 26, 2007 Share Posted July 26, 2007 (edited) Guess thats the up-side on the Yamatos. While not as playable, they got kickass pilot figures. Takara's microman looks like crap in comparison. Yeah, I've played with the Yamato Chirico figure countless times since I got it (so many cool poses), and the actual Scopedog maybe twice. The 'Dog has the "wow, that's big" factor going for it but other than that I just don't enjoy messing around with it. I've had a lot more fun with the Takara 1/18, which is to me is a perfect blend of sculpt, build, deco and scale. I've even enjoy the 1/48 Burglarydog more than the Yamato, which is like the size of the Yamato's hand. Edited July 26, 2007 by eriku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 The Yamato pilot figures are great. Though since I don't have any Votoms stuff in 1/12 scale, their size just look out of scale in my collection. Too bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 The Takara 1/18 Vanilla + Red Shoulder Custom Parts set was released in Japan on August 22, so I'm expecting it here in Hong Kong within the next day or two. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowerV2 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 2 types of Fyana http://www.hlj.com/product/YMT34515 Space type http://www.hlj.com/product/YMT34529 Udo Town Type Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bandit29 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Twin Moons has a Yamato sale going on right now. Some 1/12 Votoms stuff is discounted. http://www.tmpanime.com/index.php?main_pag...=20a&page=1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 (edited) Can't wait to pick up a Fyana for my BD... and when the Yamato RS set comes out, that'll bring my 1/12 'Dog collection up to 4... kinda scary. The 1/18 Rabidlydog looks great and I'm still debating getting it as well... it might make a good friend for the 1/18 Turbo Custom when it comes out (I cannot wait!) The new 1/20 models look amazing as well and I cannot wait for more releases... I've got the Scopedog with metal extras sitting at home and the new BD on its way from hlj... they are gorgeous kits. And wow... that link you posted has some amazing deals on the Yamato dogs... I'm especially impressed that they can offer the Red Shoulder dog for so little when it is limited to *200* pieces worldwide I should grab another. EDIT2... crap... I should actually pick up that Melquia armed forces dog for 70 bucks... Edited August 23, 2007 by promethuem5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Damn, 2 versions of Fyana?? Not that different, but still. At that price there's no way I'm buying both. Probably go for Udo town version. And Vanilla is out already? I've got some catching up to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bandit29 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 (edited) for those too lazy to click back a page lol http://www.tmpanime.com/index.php?main_pag...=20a&page=1 I don't buy big expensive toys anymore but I like to pass along info for those interested although that Red Shoulder for 80.00 is tempting.. Edited August 23, 2007 by dejr8bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 (edited) I just grabbed the purple Melquia forces 'Dog and another Red Shoulder... both for less than the MSRP of one Scopey... it's been a good day EDIT: and I'm debating grabbing a Strong Bracchus and another RS so I can do the two pit-fighters, but I'm more a military guy than a gladiator guy, so I can live without. Edited August 23, 2007 by promethuem5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 http://www.votoms.net/pailsen/dvd/index.html Limited Edition of the 1st volume of Pailsen Files comes with Takara's 1/48 Scopedog Pailsen Files version. It looks like its using the new "The Next" body as well. Looks neat. Might have to get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 25, 2007 Share Posted August 25, 2007 Not really alot to that weapons loadout, is there... Hopefully one of the good fansubbers gets right on this series as it comes out, or else heads will roll. (I'm suuuuper excited!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 According to the new Hobby mags, the Takara DMZ #05 Scopedog Turbo Custom has been delayed until December. New photos in the mags show it will come will an all new Chirico figure wearing the OVA green military uniform and beret. Will get the pics scanned tomorrow. Hoping to pick up my Vanilla + RSC parts set today. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 (edited) Sweet. I'm in no rush to get it, and the Chirico figure sounds rad. I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna manage to display 5 Yamato Scopedogs... actually, 6 once the RSC comes out. Gah... EDIT: Just looked on HLJ and What the hell is this?? That's the best way to get one of the 1/12 pilot figures I've seen... totally unfair. Edited August 27, 2007 by promethuem5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Just picked up the Takara 1/18 Vanilla + RSC Parts set during my lunch break, for HK$299 (US$38.34) from the Animate Branch in Sugar Street, Causeway Bay. Won't have time to open the box until I get home at about 11pm tonight though. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 27, 2007 Share Posted August 27, 2007 Ahhhh.... give us some pics! Please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Here's a scan from the new October issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine of the upcoming DMZ # 05, 1/18 scale OVA Scopedog Turbo Custom with new Chirico figure. Not sure when the exact release date is now, as Dengeki Hobby say December, but Hobby Japan magazines says November!? Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Ahhhh.... give us some pics! Please? I'll try to take some tonight. The 1/18 RSC set looks really cool fitted on DMZ #01, even better than the magazine pics. The only difficulty I had was getting the backpack locked in place..........it's a super tight fit. I had to push so hard, I thought I was going to break off the attachment hooks on the back of the Scopedog! Now I'm scared to try to remove it. Graham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Woowee! Posable hands and a sweet alt. Chirico? The TC looks amazing... it's saying 'paint and decal me' to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpchi Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 Yeah, finally the poseable hands becomes a regular accessory. I love the idea of having this variation of Chirico. But can't say I am excited about the face sculpt. From what I get from Rabidlydog, the Chirico face is pretty jacked up. And this new one don't look any better. Hope the beret is removeable, then I can use my less jacked up older version Chirico head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 I find microman figures hideous no matter what, so all that really matters to me is the helmeted head so he can pilot the 'Dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auto Pilot Off Posted August 28, 2007 Share Posted August 28, 2007 the one problem with chirico fig is the small head and big hands.. body wise is ok... sigh.... but turbo customs rock.. esp with articulted fingers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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