Graham

Now for some comparison shots with the Force Impluse MSiA and the MMM Strike Gundam. Graham

Next with the Beam Saber. Graham

Now for some action poses. Graham

If you like mecha toys and you like the Impulse Gundam design, then you absolutely should buy the MMM GQ Force Impulse Gundam toy from Bandai. This is an amazing toy IMO. Definitely my favorite toy release of 2004. I am extremely happy with this toy and can't stop raving about it. Extremely well finished, with great articulation, especially in the shoulders and feet. Not only are the ankles on ball joints, but the front and rear foot sections also have separate ball joints meaning that the toy can do a flat foot pose even with a very wide leg stance. The toy can also separate into it's 3 componant sections, the 'Chest Flyer'. Leg Flyer' and 'Core Splendor'. While the MMM Impulse's die-cast metal content is lower than the older MMM Strike Gundam (only the Impulse's hip joint/groin, shoulder joints, ankles and feet), the toy still has decent heft and the distribution of the die-cast allows for a good centre of gravity and superior balance. Bandai have improved on all the design flaws of the earlier MMM Strike Gundam. Gone is the removable armor which limits articulation. The front skirt armor on the Impulse is well articulated, meaning that a kneeling pose is a snap. The Impulse has a far firmer shield attachment than the Strike. The Impulses Force pack attaches very firmly. Also gone is the ugly overly long kneck of the Strike as well. The toy comes with 1 x Core Splendor with removeable underwing rocket pods, 1 x beam rifle (handheld or attached to rear skirt), 1 x Force Impulse Flight pack, 2 x beam sabers with removeable hilts, 1 x collapsible shield, 2 x folding knives, 1 x shield bracket (for attaching shield to chest flyer), 18 x screw hole covers, 1 x instruction manual, 1 x spare hard plastic 'V antenna, 6 x hands ( 2 x fists, 2 x gun/saber/knife hands, 2 x open hands) & a a little extra white thing that is supposed to attach to the waist of the Leg Flyer. The 3 component sections of the toy lock together very well, all though it did take me a while to get the hang of it. The only downside to this toy is that the rear skirt armor is slightly loose and does fall off from time-to-time. Also, you have cut the the 18 screw hole covers from their spru and put them on the toy yourself. A word of caution here. Make sure to RTFM. The screw hole covers are not generic. Each one is numbered and matches a specific hole and although they may fit in other holes, they will not be flush and are a devil to remove one pushed in. Here's some quick pics. First of all the box and inner tray with all it's contents. Graham

The MMM GQ Force Impulse Gundam is just out here in Hong Kong. I just picked up one during my lunch break for the price of HK$499 (US$64). Price will probably come down in a week or so. Despite the high price I couldn't resist buying it . I nearly didn't find it, as when I first checked the nearby toy shops during lunch they didn't have it, so I was cursing Bandai for not having the toy out in time for Christmas. Anyway, I went and bought myself some lunch and then just a few minutes before it was time to head back to the office I on a whim decided to go back and check one of the toy shops as they often get new Bandai stock arriving during lunch hours. And lo and behold, there was a big pile of freshly arrived Bandai cartons sitting on the shop floor, which just happened to contain some newly arrived MMM GQ Force Impulse Toys . Anyway, the toy comes in a rectangular window box measuring 33cm wide x 24cm tall x 6.5 cm deep. The window on the front of the box, which displays the robot takes up about a third of the front of the box. Measuring the Gundam through the window, it appears to be about 16.5cm tall. I'd take a photo of the box and post it now, but the only camera I have on me is my cell phone camera and as my antique office PC does not have bluetooth, I have no way to transfer the photos . I'm going to do something which I'm not well noted for, that is be patient . As much as I want to get this toy out of the box and start playing with it immediately, I'm going to wrap it up, put it under my Christmas tree and not open it until Christmas day, as it's my present to myself. So that means no review or pics until later. I'll just say that what I can see of the toy through the window box looks awesome. I can't wait to pose it together with my MMM Aile Strike. Graham

It's OK, I know my pics were crap, but in my defence they were taken in about 5 minutes, late at night, under bad indoor lighting, when I was tired. Graham

Yeah, I was surprised that Lego didn't make it along with Corgi and Dinky diecast toy cars and Micronoughts, which were pretty popular in UK in the 70s. Graham

'Accuracy'...........Stormies, yeah right Graham Didn't Obiwan comment on the accuracy of the shots on the decimated Jawa transport and said Tusken Raiders couldn't have made such accurate shots in Ep 4? IIRC, wasn't Obi Wan referring to the blast points on the Sand Crawler, not the blast points on the Jawas. I mean you don't really have to be very accurate to hit something the size of a Sand Crawler . Graham

Very nice fan drawings. Graham

That list really brings back memories. I had so many of those toys growing up as a kid in UK in the 70s. Graham

The Starbird was one of my favorite toys when I was a kid. It was a starship that made cool sounds and could come apart and be reconfigured in different modes (such as a shuttle). The litttle gray things on the end of its wings are fighters. I really wish I still had it. It got played with quite a bit and eventually ended up getting thrown away after a few years of abuse from me. Oh wow, I used to have one of those as a kid as well. I've been trying to remember what it was called recently. Graham

'Accuracy'...........Stormies, yeah right Graham

Oh and here's some pics from the Feb 2005 issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine of the upcoming HCM Pro Force Impulse Gundam and HCM Pro Zaku Warrior, which are both due for release in March 2005. I'm definitely picking these up as the HCM Pro toys are great quality. Graham

Well, the Feb 2005 issues of Hobby Japan and Dengeki Hobby magazine just came out today and no new news or pics of the Yamato VF-0S at all . Cough.....vaporware....cough! Graham

Wow, Bandai are really pushing Impulse Gundam toys. As well as the already released MSiAs, soon to be released MMM GQ toys, upcoming HCM Pro and various gashapon toys, it looks like there will soon by a GFF (or GFF type toy) of the Force Impulse Gundam. Both of the newly released February 2005 issues of Hobby Japan & Dengeki Hobby magazines have a small article (shown below) that if my guess is correct seems to show that a 13cm tall, CAD designed GFF type toy of the Force Impulse will be released in March 2005 for a price of ¥4,179. While I can't read the article (somebody else can hopefully provide an accurate translation), I notice that 'G.F.F.' is mentioned in both articles. The number '0001' is shown, perhaps implying that this is the first of a line of Destiny GFFs, parallel to the UC GFFs? Graham

Yeah, but this is no longer the good old days, where we could expect an 'ultimate version' of every Valk from Yamato. In these lean times we gotta take what we can get my friend. I expect this Liquid Stone YF-19 will be the only variable YF-19 we see in a long, long while. Graham

Looks like the hands are removable and cannot retract or fold into the forearms. No biggie, I can live with that for 1/100 scale. I wonder if the final item will be fully painted or not, or sold as shown in the photos molded in 3 colors (cream, black and clear)? Graham

Yep, those are the Chaos, Abyss and Gaia MSiAs. Nah on the merging. I think it's better to keep the 3 separate main Gundam threads we have now (models / GFF / SEED Destiny). Graham

Um......a spider with a fridge on it's back? Just kidding guys Graham

Yes, the Chaos MSiA can transform, but it's impossile to get it to stand up in Mobile Armor (Gerwalk) mode as it's just too top heavy. At least I have yet to find a way to get it to balance by itself without resorting to using some sort of stand. Graham

Funny, funny song and oh so true (unfortunately). Unfortunately I think we are going to be in for a long dry spell as far as new Macross products are concerned. All signs seem to indicate that Yamato is going to drop Macross after the release of the VB-6 and 1/48 GBP. Both those projects have been in development more than a year, but AFAIK, nothing else new is in the pipeline. Of course my info is very dated, so I could be wrong. I'm getting more and more sure that the YF-19FP is as dead as the Dodo. After Kawamori got all anal and rejected the first prototype, it seems like Yamato don't want the expenses of starting all over again with another sculptor. Heck, I'm even getting a feeling that the 1/100 VF-0S is going to be quietly dropped due to the overwhemingly negative response it has received both here and in Japan. The 1/60 Destroid Monster is probably another dead project. As for Hasegawa, who knows? Some more battroids would be nice, but I'm wondering did the VF-1 battroid kits sell well enough for them to risk making other battroid kits? And a VF-11 and VF-17 fighter would be nice as well, but how well would they sell outside of a small group of hardcore fans? Graham

YF-19 is a big plane. 1/100 scale is not that small. Graham

Picked up a second Chaos MSiA last night as I found one selling for just HK$69 (USD8.80). This is cheaper than the HK$99 (US$12.70) I paid for my first one. Happy to report that my first one was a dud and the second one is much better than the first. The joints are much tighter and the arms, head cowling and beam saber hilts all stay attached much more firmly. however, the toy still cannot balance in MA mode though . Graham

I'm incredibly hyped about this and will be looking to get at least two or perhaps more depending on the price. By hook or by crook they will be mine! As I mentioned in the other thread, it looks like the gunpod may not attach in fighter mode. Heck as I grew up with 1/55s with no fighter-mode gunpod attachment I can live with that . Another thing to consider, is that if this is resin, it may be quite fragile and may not lock together very well. It may also suffer from floppy joint syndrome and require constant tightening of joints with a screwdriver, just like the old SHE kits. But heck, I don't care.....It's a variable YF-19 that actually looks pretty good in fighter mode, so I can forgive it . Graham

Gotta say I'm really hyped about the 1/100 YF-19 esecially as it's not a Yamato product . I haven't been this excited about a Macross toy or model for a very long time. Graham