Actar

Nice. Confirmation of ratchet joints.

Now, I'm really curious as to how that backpack works. If it requires an external piece to secure it, how can the backpack still move up and down while still allowing the clip to line up? Hm...

I can't wait to get the figure in hand to see if the hinges can be finagled into something a little bit more palatable.

I really hope the lock pin isn't critical for fighter mode. It's the only mode that seems to require it. I might be wrong, but I'm hoping that the legs would be enough to prevent the back of the plane from collapsing in on itself... I just realized how blessed we are as Transformers fans that we don't have to be blindsided by stuff like this. Whatever happened to 完全変形?

Mine's being shipped by Hobby Genki!

My biggest question at this point is how vital all these extraneous pieces are. Will it be just slightly more fiddly/wobbly? Or will the damn thing struggle to stay together without them?

That ankle rotation has to be a ratchet joint... right? Right?

Now, it all comes down to the feel and build quality...

Well, you called it. Still flabbergasted and reeling from the fact that they couldn't engineer a flip-out peg or clip like on the Yamato. At least it looks like the legs can be lowered if so desired.

If I had to guess... they wanted them to be more aesthetically pleasing, to match the YF-19's wing length, to differentiate themselves from Yamato, or to reduce their weight to place less stress on the joints. I'm okay with the look, but both lock pin and backpack connector do look to be a direct result of it.

I'm seeing stuff like backpack lock pins and battroid joint parts and that doesn't bode well... I mean... I could stomach all the other inaccuracies and proportion issues, but I was at least expecting to be able to transform it without having to keep parts off to the side. I assume it's going to be all loose and floppy without them? When was the last time we had an external brace/joint? The YF-30?

No, no. One set of FP plates. There are thinner guns that need to be used, though.

That does strike a rather imposing silhouette, I have to admit.

Will have to get it in hand to be sure, but the redesigned backpack looks to be raised up with the addition of a new hinge/frame/bracket that still adds a significant gap between the "shelf" and backpack, even in the lowered configuration. It's cool that Bandai added the option, but I think I personally would have gone with the slightly more inaccurate but cleaner looking prototype backpack. Of course, a raised, completly collapsed backpack would have been the ideal, and it still remains to be seen why Bandai needed that "shelf" to begin with.

My point is that they initially seemed to engineer the backpack to fit snugly against the back. All the contours line up nicely in the original prototype. While it is propped up in the final version, more akin to the line art, it makes the backpack protrude far more obtrusively, possibly creating the gap that people have been complaining about.

I don't know if they reengineered the backpack to sit slightly higher to follow the line art, but I find it much cleaner and tighter on the original prototype. They made everything sit flush, but changed their mind later on.

Curious to see how the backpack attaches without the stand. Gap might be reduced without having to sandwich the stand in the middle.

Wow, I'd really appreciate it! I'll definitely take you up on that!

Looks like it's my fate to constantly miss out getting this for a decent price...

Wooh! On my birthday!

Pre-ordered another from my local store. Gonna be a month late, but that'll be a good backup.

Again, try adding it to your cart. I think the price should drop.

For what it's worth, I just ordered one for ¥43,927, not including shipping. I think they remove the tax when they realize you're shipping to a foreign address.

Thanks! I ordered one just in case. (^.^') I find it really interesting how it's still showing up as "On Sale Soon" on one of my browsers...

Do they charge immediately or only upon release?