WONDERFEST 2004 thread!

[twich]

I am excited about the Vf-0's being produced, but I am quite sure that all of us are eagerly awaiting the VF-0D....why are they not making one yet? And what of the SV-51?

So, the YF-19FP is very difficult to produce? I hope that it is worth all the wait and all the anticipation.

Twich

Edited August 30, 2004 by twich

[Graham]

So, the YF-19FP is very difficult to produce? I hope that it is worth all the wait and all the anticipation.

Yep, the YF-19, is very difficult to get right if you want a really nice looking one. I wrote a fairly long post a couple of month ago detailing all the problems that have to be resolved to make a YF-19 that looks good in all three modes. Can't be bothered to hunt down the post tho.

[Graham]

as for NEWS there is 2 version of the 1/100 VF-0 toy planned

the VF-0S & VF-0A the 1/48 VF-1 GBP Armored parts are in the pipeline and will be announced next year. the 1/60 Monster will also be finally released next year

however, the YF-19 with fast packs will still be delayed due to the difficulty of this toy. (looks like something superb will be produced, if it ever gets done)

No plans of reissuing the 1/48 Super & Strike Fast Packs

No plans of the Male Power Armor and the Garland looks awesome

Noel

Congratulations on getting all that info out of Yamato Noel. It's nice to know that Yamato are still willing to talk to you, even if they no longer want to talk to me

Graham

[Drad]

... even if they (Yamato) no longer want to talk to me

Graham

Graham,

Let me say that regardless of what happened with that whole fiasco with Ms. YouKnowWho, I appreciate everything you've done in the past and what you and Shawn continue to do for us as a community of Macross fans. Yamato's stance toward you is regrettable, but we're all still here.

Thanks Graham.. and thanks also to Shawn.. for giving all of us a wonderful place to play.

-Brandon

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

BGC and Megazone 23 toys...dayum. The folks at Yamato really know how drain an old skool anime fan's wallet. Thanks for the news, Noel! I'm glad that the YF-19 is still in the works.

[Hurricane29]

Thanks everyone for the news. !/48 GBp, now that is an awesome idea. The 51 probably hasn't been heard from because look at it. Its a stick figure, incredilbly hard to make I think.

[scand]

there is 2 version of the 1/100 VF-0 toy planned

the VF-0S & VF-0A

the 1/48 VF-1 GBP Armored parts are in the pipeline and will be announced next year.

the 1/60 Monster will also be finally released next year

1.) Very sweet. But no VF-0D? Thats the best looking one!

2.)Nice, That will make a lot of folks Happy.

3.)It's music to my ears to hear the MKII is still coming!

[eugimon]

wow... so much to look forward to..

while megazone isn't one of my favorites, the sculpt looks good...

and wow... gbp-1s for the 1/48!!! super cool.

I'm still sad over the delays in the yf-19 FP... Graham did write up a great response on why... and I'm cool with that... but still...

[Graham]

wow... so much to look forward to..

Actually, I don't want to sound like the voice of doom, but I'm worried that there are not many new Macross products coming. Makes me wonder if Yamato is slowing down or losing interest in the Macross license.

I mean of all the toys announced, only the 1/48 GBP is really new. Everthing else has been known about and been in development for a long time. The YF-19FP, 1/100 VF-0S, 1/60 Destroid Monster have all been in development for 1 to 2 years already.

There's no 1/100 SV-51 or VF-0D, no new 1/48 VF-1 varients (VT-1 & VE-1 cough, cough), no larger perfect variable VF-0 & SV-51, no enemy mecha and Destroids in any scale announced

Frankly, the Yamato Macross release schedule is looking a little threadbare compared to the past few years: -

• 1/60 Max Q-Rau = September 2004.
  
• 1/100 VB-6 Konig Monster = November 2004.
  
• 1/100 VF-0S = Late 2004 (TBC).
  
• 1/100 VF-0A = Release date TBC.
  
• 1/60 Destroid Monster = 2005? (Release date TBC).
  
• 1/48 GBP Armor = 2005? (Release Date TBC).
  
• YF-19FP = Release date TBC (I'll believe it when I see it).
  

Graham

[eugimon]

well, considering how slowly yamato puts out info on their upcoming lines... I see things like the GBP armour as signs that there are other things in the pipe...

guess I'm just being hopeful..

my personal take on the mac zero toys... I think yamato and big west are scared to invest as the series hasn't been doing too well from what I hear..I think once the series is complete and the casual fan picks up the collection, the boys in charge will be more willing to commit to larger/perfect versions of the toys.

edit: spelling

Edited August 30, 2004 by eugimon

[Bariaburu Faita]

Ah, glad to see Noel was there taking pictures, my camera sucks. I`ll skip posting pics of the VF-0, Monster and Garland since he probably has better ones.

Here is a pic of the central area before the mad rush of people trying to get their promotional bottled water. Man, stick a cute underage girl on anything and people will line up to buy it at wonderfest;)

[Bariaburu Faita]

Here are the Atelier-sai BGC action figures. They are articulated and are about 50% bigger than the Yamato ones(very rough guestimate since I didnt have a ruler on me)

He is still negotiating to find someone to mass produce it and market it. It will probably cost a couple thousand yen. He eventualy wants to make a variable motoslave but is first working on a simple exo suit that the hardsuits fit into.

[Bariaburu Faita]

Here is the Garland with rider shown at the Atelier-sai booth. The Garland is identical to the one at the Yamato booth. The rider has no facial details or clothing, just an articulated dummy at this point.

[eugimon]

post them... post them....

the more angles and pics we get, the clearer picture we'll get of what they actually look like...

besides, sometimes not so good pictures show the product more truthfully than the nice looking ones... just think of all those pics that make the MPC VF-1 look good...

[Bariaburu Faita]

For those of you into variable bikes, here is a very nice one of a kind piece. Machined out of aluminum! Perfect variable no parts swapping.

[Bariaburu Faita]

And another one, not quite as cool looking though. Still an impressive transformation.

[Bariaburu Faita]

Here are some nice upgrade parts for your YF-19 and 21`s. Very nice paint jobs too.

[Bariaburu Faita]

The other half of the booth had some machined metal parts. Such as head lasers, Antenna, and even micromissiles.

[EXO]

So these are not the BGC that Yamato is making... any word on which series they are based on Howard? 2040 or the original? There's a debate going on in the other section. I'm thinking it's 2040 based on Rinna's suit. Either way it's a lovely sculpt and bigger than Yamato's small figure is great news also, though I'm sure I want that one too. Hopefully he can get someone to manufacture it and soon. Great news indeed.

And a 1/48 GBP pipelined is another thing to look forward too... hope it materializes...

[EXO]

Hey Gobotfool, it looks like they are reissuing Leader One...

That figure on the Garland looks familiar... a Takara blank Microman???

[Bariaburu Faita]

Here was my favorite. 1/144 scale perfect variable VF-1 resin kits!

So many display options with 1/144 scale. Just a tad larger than the variable KM gashapon, but with no parts swapping.

The interesting thing about the kits is that they are held together with wire. This gives the kit some "give" when transforming so you have a much lower chance of breaking anything. Infact he had a display piece for people to play with. He told me "Go ahead, transform it a couple times, and dont worry about breaking it"(in Japanese of course)

The downside is that the parts dont all fit tightly and has some floppyness in all modes. Think of it as a smaller banpresto that doesnt fall appart when you look at it. It is also quite pricey considering its size.

I asked if he had plans to do the YF-19 or 21. Unfortunatly those are too complex to do at this scale. I then asked if he could do the VF-2, and he said that was simmilar to the VF-1 so it was doable, but he didnt think he could sell any due to the low popularity of Macross II. I got his buisiness card so if enough of you guys show interest I might be able to convince him to do a VF-2 at a future wonderfest.

[Bariaburu Faita]

I have got pics of the following

1) Konig Monster

2) VF-0S

3) Garland

but will post them when I get back on Sep 2nd

as for NEWS

there is 2 version of the 1/100 VF-0 toy planned

the VF-0S & VF-0A

the 1/48 VF-1 GBP Armored parts are in the pipeline and will be announced next year.

the 1/60 Monster will also be finally released next year

however, the YF-19 with fast packs will still be delayed due to the difficulty of this toy. (looks like something superb will be produced, if it ever gets done)

No plans of reissuing the 1/48 Super & Strike Fast Packs

No plans of the Male Power Armor

and the Garland looks awesome

ok, thats it for now,

will have more pics soon

Noel

Sorry I missed you at wonderfest. Any chance of visiting me and Rob in Osaka before you go? I tried PMing you about meeting at wonderfest but no response.

[Graham]

Here are some nice upgrade parts for your YF-19 and 21`s. Very nice paint jobs too.

Wow, that looks like a VF-19F or VF-19S conversion in that pic (dark blue and grey one in the middle).....lovely.

Graham

[Graham]

Ah, glad to see Noel was there taking pictures, my camera sucks. I`ll skip posting pics of the VF-0, Monster and Garland since he probably has better ones.

Please post your pics of the VF-0 & VB-6. We want as many pics as possible, whether or not they are good or crappy.

Graham

[Bariaburu Faita]

wow... so much to look forward to..

Actually, I don't want to sound like the voice of doom, but I'm worried that there are not many new Macross products coming. Makes me wonder if Yamato is slowing down or losing interest in the Macross license.

I mean of all the toys announced, only the 1/48 GBP is really new. Everthing else has been known about and been in development for a long time. The YF-19FP, 1/100 VF-0S, 1/60 Destroid Monster have all been in development for 1 to 2 years already.

There's no 1/100 SV-51 or VF-0D, no new 1/48 VF-1 varients (VT-1 & VE-1 cough, cough), no larger perfect variable VF-0 & SV-51, no enemy mecha and Destroids in any scale announced

Frankly, the Yamato Macross release schedule is looking a little threadbare compared to the past few years: -

• 1/60 Max Q-Rau = September 2004.
  
• 1/100 VB-6 Konig Monster = November 2004.
  
• 1/100 VF-0S = Late 2004 (TBC).
  
• 1/100 VF-0A = Release date TBC.
  
• 1/60 Destroid Monster = 2005? (Release date TBC).
  
• 1/48 GBP Armor = 2005? (Release Date TBC).
  
• YF-19FP = Release date TBC (I'll believe it when I see it).
  

Graham

After seeing the Yamato booth and comparing it to pics of previous years, I is most certainly a case of Macross content going down, and other content going up. It looks like Yamato is diversifying their product line, which is a good thing for any company to do. This is better for their bottom line and provides a much more stable income.

Plus they have a trend of spending more time on development on future products. I would much rather have 1 good macross toy a year than 6 poor ones. Does anyone wish that they spent more time on the GPB and released it late, but with less flaws?

They still have a ways to go on QC, they are no Bandai. But the VF-0 shows they are listening. I hope they keep on the track they are on now. I can wait a couple years for a good YF-19FP.

[Sumdumgai]

Alright I've got my hopes rekindled, now it's just a waiting game for the YF-19. I'll be willing to wait another year as long as it's good!

[Fort Max]

Wow, lots of good news there, Garland and BGC figures are all cool, 1/48 armour set would be very welcome and teh YF-19 hasn't been cancelled.

Lots to look forward too.

Fort Max

[Ignacio Ocamica]

No male power armor?

Why Yamato?

Am I the only one that likes the DYRL? Nousjadeul-Ger?

Well, at least there are some good news.

[glane21]

Here is the Garland with rider shown at the Atelier-sai booth. The Garland is identical to the one at the Yamato booth. The rider has no facial details or clothing, just an articulated dummy at this point.

That is indeed one of those "blank" Micromen figures on the Garland, so that gives an idea of the scale of the bike. The figure is obviously a little too small, though, and I hope they make a properly sized Shogo Yahagi for it.

At any rate, it looks beautiful! I've waited 20 years for a transforming Garland toy. I've had a pretty shitty year so far and this makes me smile a little at least.

Praise Yamato for coming through on this one.

[bandit29]

Why do I have the feeling the YF-19 FP will be like Yamato's Escaflowne?..awful.

Its nice too see some other Macross stuff coming. I'm kinda interested in the

VF-0S and VF-0A.

[bsu legato]

To me it sounds like Yamato's success will only hurt us Macross fans in the long run. Now that they're branching out into other lines of high-end transforming toys, there's less and less Macross stuff coming down the pipe. Of course, we do get a Garland out of the deal....so maybe I should just shut up.

A 1/48 GBP-1 does sound nice. Hopefully they will reissue the VF-1J at the same time.

[Jawjaw]

I'm disappointed that Yamato did not comment on making a vf-0d, or a sv-51 for that matter. I understand that the sv-51 would be very trick but the vf-0d shouldn't. I would be content if they just made diecast fighters of both.

Everything else sounds pretty good. If Yamato is going to make another yf-19, I rather wait and get the best possible than another "could be better" version.

The 1/48 gbp armor is a suprise. It's going to be pretty expensive but I'm sure it will look good.

[EXO]

Here is the Garland with rider shown at the Atelier-sai booth. The Garland is identical to the one at the Yamato booth. The rider has no facial details or clothing, just an articulated dummy at this point.

That is indeed one of those "blank" Micromen figures on the Garland, so that gives an idea of the scale of the bike. The figure is obviously a little too small, though, and I hope they make a properly sized Shogo Yahagi for it.

At any rate, it looks beautiful! I've waited 20 years for a transforming Garland toy. I've had a pretty shitty year so far and this makes me smile a little at least.

Praise Yamato for coming through on this one.

That Garland is gonna look great next to my Popy Keneda...

Hope everything is well Glane... glad to see you posting.

[kensei]

The 1/48 gbp armor is a suprise. It's going to be pretty expensive but I'm sure it will look good.

Naw, it couldn't have been a surprise. Would you think that Yamato would pass off a chance at milking us more with the 1/48 line? I hope that they release a valk with armour and armour only set. Hey, it could also mean more Valkyries!

[Hurin]

Thanks for all the information.

I hope someone asks about re-releases of the 1/48 VF-1 valks themselves. Looks like they said there won't be any more FAST Packs released. But I don't know anybody who can't get their hands on a set of those if they tried.

Even if they won't answer, as someone already said, it might reinforce in their minds that there is still a demand for the 1/48 VF-1, and every little bit of encouragement helps.

Of course, this is the part where people say that they are personally tired of the VF-1 and don't want Yamato distracting itself by re-releasing a "played" line.

Best Regards,

H