Mospeada

[tekering]

8 hours ago, Tober said:

MEP Toys' Ieega/scout prototype

Why photograph it with a Toynami Alpha, when they're so clearly out of scale?  Even an Invid Shock Trooper should be smaller than that, next to an Alpha.

Might look okay next to an old Gakken Alpha... and would probably suit the crappy '80s toy proportions better, too.  

Edited August 27, 2019 by tekering

[Tober]

39 minutes ago, tekering said:

Might look okay next to an old Gakken Alpha... and would probably suit the crappy '80s toy proportions better, too.  

Not digging the aesthetic?

[tekering]

2 hours ago, Tober said:

Not digging the aesthetic?

Not at all, no...  Not the color, not the shape, and certainly not the proportions.

This is what I expect an Invid Eager to look like:

MEP's looks like a Matchbox toy.  

[Tober]

Yeah, I'm rather underwhelmed as well.

[Mazinger]

If the MEP toys version is as durable as the old Matchbox toys, then I'll gladly take a couple.

Would be nice to have some more swivel on the leg to get a more Gerwalk-y pose, but I fully understand that as a Mospeada fan, I will always be a beggar.

[Convectuoso]

I'll stick to these two

[EmilianoAlfaro]

[captain america]

On 8/27/2019 at 12:14 PM, Convectuoso said:

I'll stick to these two

People who have crabs are awesome!!

While I appreciate what Meptoys is trying to do with their figures, the aesthetic isn't up to the standard of modern collector-grade toys. Depending on what's going on with Genesis Breakers, maybe proper Inbit toys will get a shot. Failing that, I've at least got the kits covered.

[Bolt]

57 minutes ago, captain america said:

People who have crabs are awesome!!

 

Your inbit crabs are unrivaled 

[easnoddy]

 This looks like it's part of the crappy Robotech ReAction figures. Or a happy meal or cereal box toy. Why would they put this little effort into it?

[tekering]

2 hours ago, easnoddy said:

Why would they put this little effort into it?

I don't think it's a lack of effort...  I think it's a lack of talent.

We can't all be Captain America, after all.  

[captain america]

3 hours ago, tekering said:

I don't think it's a lack of effort...  I think it's a lack of talent.

We can't all be Captain America, after all.  

In fairness to Meptoys, you'd be horrified at just how much liberty a factory can/will take when they tool your designs unless you have people on-site riding the design team like  2$ whore while breathing down their necks and checking on them every 5 minutes. This one time when I was still in the toy business, I had made a sculpt for an original action figure that was then sent to China for sampling. The bloody thing was already sculpted, no guesswork involved or necessary, they just needed to pantograph it... What got back looked nothing like what I'd sent them. It was like going from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jon Lovitz.

[Knight26]

9 minutes ago, captain america said:

In fairness to Meptoys, you'd be horrified at just how much liberty a factory can/will take when they tool your designs unless you have people on-site riding the design team like  2$ whore while breathing down their necks and checking on them every 5 minutes. This one time when I was still in the toy business, I had made a sculpt for an original action figure that was then sent to China for sampling. The bloody thing was already sculpted, no guesswork involved or necessary, they just needed to pantograph it... What got back looked nothing like what I'd sent them. It was like going from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jon Lovitz.

I'm almost curious to see that.

[Mommar]

5 hours ago, captain america said:

In fairness to Meptoys, you'd be horrified at just how much liberty a factory can/will take when they tool your designs unless you have people on-site riding the design team like  2$ whore while breathing down their necks and checking on them every 5 minutes. This one time when I was still in the toy business, I had made a sculpt for an original action figure that was then sent to China for sampling. The bloody thing was already sculpted, no guesswork involved or necessary, they just needed to pantograph it... What got back looked nothing like what I'd sent them. It was like going from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jon Lovitz.

Do you have any more of these Jon Lovitz action figures?

[captain america]

31 minutes ago, Mommar said:

Do you have any more of these Jon Lovitz action figures?

No, all that material belongs to the toy company. The point I was trying to make is that you can give a subcontractor EXACTLY what you want (3D sample, blueprints, etc.) and they'll still find a way to f*ck it up. People who know how to do things right seem expensive to the untrained eye, but then when you factor-in multiple re-works and missed shipping windows only to realize that mediocre talent is the most expensive thing you can buy.

[sketchley]

1 hour ago, captain america said:

No, all that material belongs to the toy company. The point I was trying to make is that you can give a subcontractor EXACTLY what you want (3D sample, blueprints, etc.) and they'll still find a way to f*ck it up. People who know how to do things right seem expensive to the untrained eye, but then when you factor-in multiple re-works and missed shipping windows only to realize that mediocre talent is the most expensive thing you can buy.

Didn't they have signed proofs, etc.? (or is this part and parcel with 'mediocre talent'?)

When I was working as a graphic designer at a manufacturing company in Vancouver, we always got signed proofs for the bottle labels (stickers) from the printing subcontractor before they mass produced them.

... admittedly 2D prints of Illustrator and Photoshop files are easier to proof than 3D molds...

Edited August 30, 2019 by sketchley

[Perrych]

1 hour ago, captain america said:

No, all that material belongs to the toy company. The point I was trying to make is that you can give a subcontractor EXACTLY what you want (3D sample, blueprints, etc.) and they'll still find a way to f*ck it up. People who know how to do things right seem expensive to the untrained eye, but then when you factor-in multiple re-works and missed shipping windows only to realize that mediocre talent is the most expensive thing you can buy.

It is amazing that Chinese factories will screw up a mold and then charge you for the fix, push your work back while they do otherr jobs, force so many redoes, and still US companies claim it is cheaper doing business over there.  I can’t help but think of the health of middle managers who are overseeing production as the stress must be terrible -or you would just give up caring.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Perrych

[DewPoint]

Strictly based on my experience, to most people their job is just a job.  Passion and care for a project is solely based on their personal pride or love for their job.

[Darth Mingus]

I think this is a fairly gross generalization.  The chinese factories also output our beloved valkeries.  I think most of the smaller factories are run by apex capitalist...you send them a sample and they will grab whatever molds they already have try to pass it off, then charge you more to “fix” it if you complain.  The middle managers on the NA who are just doing a job don’t really give a crap so they accept the shipments and then wonder why this crap does not sell.  If a company cares and finds a good partner, the chinese are capable of doing quality work.

[Roy Focker]

From my understanding you pay for different grades of QC.  The same factories make goods for multiple companies.  A major brand with a rep for quality is going to pay for extra QC and will have their own rep on site while very small operation doesn't.

[Numbninja]

Does any one here knows of a good chinese company that create molds?

[sketchley]

53 minutes ago, Numbninja said:

Does any one here knows of a good chinese company that create molds?

I think you'd have better luck closer to home.

In addition to what Captain America (and others) have said, you will also have to do deal with extra costs like:

• translation costs
• shipping costs
• wire transfers (starting from $60 USD just to send money.  That's $30 for the sending bank, and $30 for the receiving bank, or thereabouts)

and then there's the 'fun' stuff like:

• fluctuating exchange rates
• fluctuating tariffs and other import duties

Edited August 30, 2019 by sketchley

[captain america]

8 hours ago, Darth Mingus said:

 If a company cares and finds a good partner, the chinese are capable of doing quality work.

That.

I think the common denominator among the companies that produce the nicest collector toys is that they either have a very effective or longstanding (and maybe both) relationship with their manufactures. One knows what to expect (good and bad) from the other and are capable of resolving the numerous difficulties that arise in the licesnsing/manufacturing process. The talented guys are the most cost efficient/productive and are, in many ways, the glue that keeps the operation from unraveling.

[sjoebarry]

Is this Toynami MPC Shadow Beta an extremely rare item?

[mcfly50]

I’m pretty sure this was never released. 

[sjoebarry]

48 minutes ago, mcfly50 said:

I’m pretty sure this was never released. 

Well..... that’s a VERY rare item then.

[mcfly50]

Ha. True. 

[505thAirborne]

3 hours ago, sjoebarry said:

Is this Toynami MPC Shadow Beta an extremely rare item?

Was a damn shame this became Vapoware... would have bought at least three of them. 

[sqidd]

Hey guys

I'm for the most part a Macross collector but because Robotech was such a big part of my childhood I have a soft spot for Ride Armor's  and Legioss/Treads.

I want to pick up one Legioss/Tread for my collection. But I don't know what to get. What is the best example made? If you could only have one with attractiveness and size (bigger=better) being two big factors what would you get?

Thanks!

[Mazinger]

You probably want to read through Jenius’s reviews on Anymoon.com. That’s about as detailed while comprehensive of the various releases as anyone needs.

[captain america]

On a related note, the 1/12 Motocycle Freak accessories set is available again for a limited time, in case anyone's interested. Just PM me for info.

[sqidd]

7 minutes ago, Mazinger said:

You probably want to read through Jenius’s reviews on Anymoon.com. That’s about as detailed while comprehensive of the various releases as anyone needs.

After reading through everything the options seem pretty grim. Nothing scores well. Am I wrong that it seems like it's a choice of picking the best of the worst?

[seti88]

32 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Hey guys

I'm for the most part a Macross collector but because Robotech was such a big part of my childhood I have a soft spot for Ride Armor's  and Legioss/Treads.

I want to pick up one Legioss/Tread for my collection. But I don't know what to get. What is the best example made? If you could only have one with attractiveness and size (bigger=better) being two big factors what would you get?

Thanks!

Keep an eye out for sentinel’s upcoming legioss shown on prior page. Positive feedback from samples shown so far.

no corresponding tread announced tho.

Am on the fence abt it, only due to the price point, as other merchandise vying for attention..

[tekering]

40 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I want to pick up one Legioss/Tread for my collection. But I don't know what to get. What is the best example made?

While Legioss are plentiful, Tread are not...

For aesthetics, Toynami is still your best bet.

Sentinel's Legioss will undoubtably be a significant improvement, but at a significantly higher price... and a matching Tread is purely hypothetical at this point.  

[levzloi]

42 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Hey guys

I'm for the most part a Macross collector but because Robotech was such a big part of my childhood I have a soft spot for Ride Armor's  and Legioss/Treads.

I want to pick up one Legioss/Tread for my collection. But I don't know what to get. What is the best example made? If you could only have one with attractiveness and size (bigger=better) being two big factors what would you get?

Thanks!

If you want both, and are just looking for a display piece, my recommendation is to go ahead and get the Toynami or Aoshima, the Beta/Tread is a very impressive piece that's pretty well built.  The Alpha/Legioss on the other hand is very delicate, and should be handled with kid gloves.  I have the red Alpha/Beta, and have them connected with the Alpha in Battloid mode.  It looks really good, although I have to pose it looking and firing down at a target ahead and below it because the arms wont stay up.  Otherwise I'd wait for the Sentinel like the rest of us.