Graham

Bigger pics & flyers now added to the main site: - YF-19 w/FP & Fold bundled set. FP & Fold set only. Graham

Will have much bigger versions of the pics going up soon. Graham

The big ship was called 'The Odyssey' IIRC. Graham

Not much to tell, at least not much I can reveal. My contact was pretty tired from travelling, so I didn't want to push him too much for info. I made discussing the VF-0 & YF-19 problems top priority, but after getting that out of the way, we mostly drank and ate a lot. I was pretty hung over the next day. I did learn some interesting stuff about some new non-Macross projects tho. Graham

I have the advertising flyers for both the bundled YF-19+FP/Fold and the standalone FP/Fold set. I'll post them soon as well as some really large pics of the fighter & battroid with FP/Fold. Graham

LOL! Graham

Planning to, perhaps this weekend if real life doesn't get in the way! Graham

And we usually, get a new thread on this every couple of months with someone claiming to have discovered a previously unknown new VF design by Kawamori.....yawn! Been there, done that, played the game, read the threads. Graham

The following issues with the YF-19 have been reported by multiple sources, so can be considered genuine problems. Personally, I don't consider any of the reported problems as major. 1) Wonky gunpod: minor aesthetic problem only. Easily fixed by owner. To be fixed by Yamato on later versions of toy. It's a shame this slipped through the checks, but it did. At least it is easily fixed. 2) Stress marks or cracks appearing around the two screws in the grey plastic area under the cockpit: Does not compromise structural integrity of toy. Does not prevent transformation. Is not even visible in Fighter, Battroid or Gerwalk modes. Possible causes: 1) Over tightening of screws during assembly at factory, 2) incorrect application of force by owner during transformation, 3) material defect or incorrect choice of material by factory (ABS not strong enough for stresses imposed)? Factory will hopefully change material or redesign affected area for easier transformation. 3) Left shoulder flap detaches too easily when fully extended. Pretty much every toy from every manufacturer (Bandai, Takaraa, Max Factory, etc, etc) has small parts that do not attach firmly enough and fall off too easily. A very minor issue. Hopefully, to be fixed on later issues. 4) Rear landing Gear unable to cant outwards. This was a design decision by the factory, not a QC problem, therefore not a genuine issue. It is easily modified by those that desire outwarded canted rear landing gear. Short of a part snapping in two or plastic crumbling away and a limb dropping off (ala VF-0A), none of the above are major issues in my book. Graham

The problem with putting 'MAJOR' in caps in the thread title, is people see it and start panicking and thinking the toy is crap, when it's not. Parts are not breaking off on the YF-19. The two small stress marks or cracks in the grey areas under the cockpit do not prevent you from transforming or playing with the toy. Shoulders and bicep swivels breaking on the VF-0 is a major issue, but that is the VF-0. This is a YF-19 thread. Graham

The figures are getting pretty hard to find now. Most places are long sold out. I really had to hunt for my Guyver I and paid HK$300 (approx US$38.46). Graham

Finally decided to buy a Max Factory Guyver I figure yesterday after hesitating since it was released. I’ve liked Guyver since watching the original OVA in the late 80s’ early 90’s. I just started watching the 2005 TV series, which I’m really enjoying, despite the somewhat dodgy subs on the HK bootleg DVD set The glowing reviews of the Max Factory Guyver I figure on several websites convinced me to buy it. Sculpt, articulation and paint application are all excellent, however, my particular Guyver I toy came with a number of problems. Firstly, the left and right shoulder armor have an annoying tendency to pop off with whenever I move the arms, heck even just picking up the toy often causes the armor to fall off. None of the reviews mentioned this little quirk. If they did, it may have been a deal breaker. It’s a pity Max Factory couldn’t have come up with a more secure way to attach the shoulder armor. Secondly, the left chest cover for the mega-smasher also falls off very easily when in the open position. I may have to coat the metal pin that holds on the cover with some clear nail varnish. The last problem was the fit of the High-Frequency Swords on the forearms. The right sword fit too tightly on the forearm peg, whereas the left sword was too loose and constantly fell off. When I tried to remove the right sword, the black plastic peg in the forearm actually broke (the ball came off the end of the peg). Luckily, I was able to fix it. Graham

I'm all over that Ground type. It's about the only Gundam design I still like enough to buy a toy of. Hope they make a Gouf Custom for it to fight. Graham

I'm going to allow this thread to stay open for a while, as long as members restrict themselves to discussing any problems and fixes for the 1/60 YF-19 toy. This thread is not to be used as a let's bash Yamato thread. Neither is the thread to be used for members to insult each other. I'm also editing the topic title to remove the word 'MAJOR'. I suspect some of the high emotions witnessed here may have been caused by the topic title, which IMO is somewhat misleading. Graham

Even Yamato was surprised by the reports of VF-0 shoulder and bicep swivel breakages on Macrossworld. These didn't show up during testing and don't seem to have been reported in Japan (as yet). A harmful chemical reaction between the ABS and rubber parts, which weakens the ABS causing it to become brittle and crack is suspected. The arm should not crack so easily. Graham

There seems to be a lot of exaggeration and uneccessary Chicken Little-ish "The sky is falling" panic going on at the moment IMHO. A slightly wonky gunpod and a couple of small stress marks that don't affect anything and are not visible accept during transformation hardly make the toy a turd and in my book come under the category of minor issues. If anybody thinks the toy is a turd, send it to me and I'll be happy to supply a warm and loving home to any unwanted 1/60 YF-19 toys. I think it's a beautiful toy and a fantastic peice of enginnering. I'm sure these extremely minor issues will be worked out soon. Graham

English Electric Lightning was a beautifly aircraft, but not the 2-seater version. Graham

I picked up a Ulysses 31 DVD box set last year. Can't remember what region or system it was, but that's irrelevant as all my AV gear is multi-system, multi-region anyway. Those toys look great. Wonder if I could persuade Yamato to make updated toys? Graham

The piece is also glued in place, so even if it cracks it shouldn't affect transformation. Yamato are going to look into it. No promises yet, but hoopefully, it will get changed to POM. and also the angle of the tan tabs changed as well. Graham

The Low Vis was a limited one time only run produced in very small quantity and will not be reissued. Graham

Oh, I know a thing or two about more than toys. Certain contacts talk regulaly with a certain other company and news filters down through the grapevine. This is neither a confirmation or a denial, but I can't say anything at the moment, and I doubt Egan will be allowed to either. Graham

If I was going to get back into Gundam, I'd be very tempted by the upcoming MG Hi-Nu Gundam and also by the 08th MS Team hover APC, which is just out. Saw it today in a shop, huge box. Graham

What the heck is a Haydonite? Graham

Is that a joke, or are those going to be actual TV progs? They all sound terrible. Graham

Questions printed and packed in my bag. Topic now closed. Graham