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The VF-25 prices are still crazy. I checked some Japanese sites, they are offerring a 25% discount on them (under 10000 yen). (25F is now prety sold out, but I saw 25S last time I checked). Hong Kong is generally selling at an inflated price of 50%+. I am still waiting it to drop to US$100 and I'll consider buying the DX.

1/48 and 1/60 are different things for me... The former is more like a collectible for display, and the latter is more a toy. And I do want a Vermillion Squad in 1/48.

I very much agree with you on most of the selection on future sets. But for some reason, we never get the desired products when it comes to gashapons. Look at the CMS Marcoss Collections; we have so many Minmays and we don't even have one Hikaru in his classic TV suit (pilot suit or otherwise). Or if they like to issue Minmay that much, we never have her in the red Chinese dress (but get TWO dolls in that outfit in different colors). I am ready to pay for figures like the uniform versions for Hikaru/ Focker/ Max/ Kakizaki, same thing for SMS squad and also for their pilot suits. Here's a photo I took earlier: I'll wait for Michael to take photos for Khan Khan. To be in similar size with adult-shaped Khan Khan? Michael would have died for that.

In fact if Bandai bothers to do it right (like its many other products), I would prefer Bandai to do it. Better technology, larger economic of scale, hopefully it would be cheaper.

It's about time to dig this thread up I guess. Any concrete news on when would they be sending out the packages?

I don't think the license will be slipped away from Bandai in at least 5 years. Given that even Macross 7 has an OVA series 2 years after the TV show, I can't see why they won't want to make one too for Macross Frontier.

I've been told that Graham has confirmed VF-4 is already on the list? Just that it's not near the top. Please let me know if my memory fails me (again).

It is also sad to note that "if you don't like the DX, you have a problem". You must be a Yamato fans so you bash the Bandai DX; you are afraid of new/ different stuffs; or you don't even know what is good for you. IMO, this is all about personal preference. I'd rather see "Damn you! Sheryl/ Ranka is better" discussion. P.S. I buy a lot from Bandai and I love the goods. I tell people to buy the VF-25 model kits whenever I can. Me no Bandai basher.

I am so excited to hear this! Where do I find spaces for all that?!

After watching Frontier recently, which is 26 years after the original, with bigger budget and technology for the anime, I was torn between Minmay and Sheryl. Still, after some thoughts, Minmay is THE legend... So she got my vote. Sheryl is a star, but would the next Macross uses her as a reference...? Doubt not. I love Sheryl though. Interesting character! Thought she was cold-hearted in episode 1, but it turns out that she's just rude.

I agree with Radd on that Bandai could have done a far far better job, on a toy with both durability and accuracy. (If they air-brushed the 1/72 model with the stripes, we have a close product there already.) And compared with other valkyries like YF-19, the VF-25 transformation is quite simple already. However, I don't see much competition from the view of Bandai. Macross Frontier is the hottie... Like it or not, if you want a MF product, you can only get it from Bandai. Look at Bandai's other products, and we all know what they are capable of. But MF is so popular that they don't need to put much effort to make it sell. My theory is that they intend to give you a far-from-perfect product. In 2nd round, they would offer something more up to standard so people would be tempted to buy even they already got the DX. We'll see. BTW, if the scale is 1/55 instead of 1/60, I would declare that they just wanted to complete the chunky monkey series.

I saw the prices on Japanese sites, and some of them are offering 25% discounts. Only us who live overseas have to pay dearly for them. At under 10000 yen, I think that's acceptable. BTW, the head of the model head can held much higher than that in the above photo to be anime-accurate!

Thanks for the info! I just assumed that the "pilot trance" milia are the same. Didn't imagine they have 2 versions for this...

I just checked the box; it says both "Yamato" and "CMS". CMS made it; Yamato sold it. And the Milia bundled is the same one in the 3-figure set too I think.

Hmm... I think CMS didn't issue a Milia figure? Yamato did. CMS issued the Max...

The same feeling came up even for my 1/60 v2 too, in those 2 weeks that I was working on my VF-25 models. The VF-25s are so slim and detailed that anything else are big and chunky. After a few weeks, things will get back to normal...

Personally I like the q-rau's... The articulation is not good, and there're not enough gimmicks, I agree. But it looks exactly what I expect from a Q-rau toy. When I look at them I feel content. It goes with the new 1/60 series, which adds to the value.

I believe they are named Soundrops.

Similar view here... Yamato has already an excellent transformable line... Why bother to compete with Revoltech on this front? At least, why Macross? Maybe it is really THAT cheap to manufacture, so Yamato wants to milk every drop of it in the 2009 Macross upsurge.

- I see what you mean; but I still think it does not make complete sense. Helping someone and expecting reward (in power/ wealth) is one thing; helping someone so she can mind-control you later is another thing to me. - Following someone is easier; following orders is more difficult (bite them but not me). How do they control the Vajras without songs/ Vajra network access? Thanks again!

Thanks for replying. But ... - More like being controlled by Grace. - You mean the Galaxy people can manipulate the Vajras? How? I thought that is feasible after merging with the Queen, not before?

As we are talking about fictional characters, there isn't a right or wrong answer. (and even if they are real persons, "best pilot" is difficult to quantify all the same) I am ranking basing on my own viewpoint, which is my perception on "how good they are designed/ portraited to be". #1 Max - The Zentradi is a race of war people, and Milia is the best among them. And then Max defeated Milia! #2 Milia - See above. #3 Focker - In Macross Zero, DD is a malicious top ace who mentored Focker. But DD never managed to hurt Focker. In the original series, Focker is the seen-them-all veteran. It's like in an RPG, someone may get better attributes, but Focker has level 99 (not without good attributes, mind you). Yeah he was captured once and killed midway through the show, but that is just the plot. #3.25 Ozma - He is a clone of Focker. Alto awed more than once by what he can do with the 25S. And a draw with a cyborg in the dark? (somehow good piilots are also good at knife-fighting in the Macross universe... Remember M&M's 1st date) #3.25 DD - Basically on par with Focker. But Focker outlived and improved. #3.5 Nora - She is almost as good as DD. #4 Hikaru - Hikaru is actually good in his own right. However, he needs to look less gentle and more vicious to make fans to think he is a serious deal I suppose. #4 Isamu - He showed his pilot competency. However, I won't say he is an ace as Focker is. #4.5 Guld - He loses to Isamu by a very small margin. #5 Mikhail - He is #1 and Alto #2 in school, and that implies how they are designed in terms of mecha skills. #5.25 Alto - He might get closer to Ozma near the end of the show (in the 25S vs 171 scene), but then Alto was very serious and Ozma was not. A feeling is that Alto is good, but not as good as the fellows above. - I didn't watch Macross II... - Yes, no Macross 7 characters. As stated at the front, I have been ranking by perception. I do not perceive M7 serious on mecha piloting or anything (a guitar controller? fly out to the midst of battlefield and sing?).

I suspect I would be sneered and splited at, but this is the best place I would get an answer: At the end of Macross Frontier, we know the Galaxy is involved. From wikipedia: "Captain Wilder reveals evidence that proves how leaders of Macross Galaxy fleet were behind Vajra attacks on Macross Frontier fleet and that Leon was conspiring with them." - Why would they join such a plot? What would these people gain by helping Grace to be the Queen of the universe? And attacking a sister colony fleet? - Why don't the Vajras attack them? The WHOLE galaxy population are implanted with the crystal thing (so the Vajra acknowledge them as friends)? - We see the Galaxy battleship (in battroid mode alright). That's the whole Galaxy fleet and no islands? If that is the case, when Frontier "defeated" it, did they kill the civilians too? Thanks all!

Thought I've read that it would be Feb 25...?

Same story for DYRL Hikaru/ Max VF-1A/1S.