magicsp00n

A display case featuring products from our favorite toy company. The only items in the case that they actually had in stock were the VF-1S, VF-1A, and purple Scopedog. The rest are just there to tease people like me. I also found the Milia Q-Rau shoved on a bottom shelf somewhere.

Pile of 1/48, some Scopedogs, etc.

My heart rate was actually increasing by the time I got to this point.

I have returned from my trip, complete with some photos. This store is a-freaking-mazing. Keep in mind that this is only the toy section, on the seventh floor. And only the toys. The rest of the floor has video games, CDs, DVDs, and bikes. The other floors are packed with computers, electronics, and appliances. Prices are about the same as in the other shops I found. Some items were cheaper (I believe the Red Shoulder Scopedog was mad cheap), some a few yen more. I picked up a 1/48 CF for ï¿¥13,980.

Awww yeah! Thanks fï½ï½’ the tip! I'm in Tokyo　right now. (My first trip to Japan, and and I haven't come across any Macross toys yet, amazingly enough. I've been in Osaka/Kyoto all weekend.) I'll try to find the shop tonight or tomorrow.

I didn't see any posts from anyone else currently working in the games industry, so I figure it's my duty to say a few words. I would have posted earlier, but from the title I thought this was another "which 1/48 should I buy?" thread, so I didn't read it until today. I'm a programmer for EA. I can't speak from personal experience about the art side, but I know piles of artists in the studio, and the hiring experience is pretty similar between programmers and artists. Let's dispel a few myths first: 1) The games industry is not as closed as one might think. It is not that case that a recruiter would sooner spit on you than look at your resume. Why? Simply, people get paid for referrals. Recruiters get paid for new hires. If I hand off a resume to one of our recuiters and the person gets hired, I get a bonus. With that in mind, I'll hook anybody up who's interested. Money for me. 2) You don't have to be young and cocky. Anybody who thinks this must have been reading those god-awful ads in the game magazines with taglines like "without people like me, you'd still be playing Pong." These make me want to vomit. This is a business. The most important thing is to be able to finish the product. It's very hard and it takes very long hours to put a game out. If you don't have consistency and dedication, you're going to have trouble. We hire a wide range of age groups, from fresh out of college, to people in their 30s and 40s. If you really want to make games for a living, age isn't particularly important. And nobody wants to work with a cocky jerk. 3) Specialized schools for game design are a waste of your time and money. I don't know specific details about the AI, but I know of many other schools, such as Full Sail, and they are not looked upon well. They charge far too much money, and don't produce students who are ready to work. A college education demonstrates more than simply having learned a trade. It shows that you have dedication and resourcefulness, that you can follow instructions and complete assignments that you don't necessarily like, and that you can see a long-term project (at least four years long) through to the end. People who go to specialized schools for game design are generally exhibiting the opposite of the above. They want to get done fast and somehow beat the system, which isn't necessarily a positive thng. Now, with all that in mind, a more traditional university should be fine. Even a specialized art school is good. The Ringling School in Sarasota, FL is a big favorite of our recruiters. But a specialized game school is not a good idea. Get an education that will help you long-term. You probably won't want to make games all your life. Take a good variety of classes, build up a nice portfolio. If you need to work part-time to pay for school, then do it. Just be smart about your education. And somebody send me a resume so I can get a referral bonus, dammit.

I live in Florida, where it's crazy humid right now. I've never been able to have good results with a clear coat. Sometime when my wife isn't around to get upset with me, I'll try spraying inside my air-conditioned house.

I've seen one of the super-scale veritechs in person, at AnimeNation, and it's not so nice. It's one thing to drop a pile of money on a big robot, but for all its size it's actually less detailed than even their MPC toys. I think you could probably make your own for a lot less and have it be better. I usually don't hammer on Toynami like some other folks tend to do, but I don't know what they were thinking with this one.

If you're using acrylic paint, I've found that soaking heads in Windex works pretty well.

There's an anime shop near me that still has a pile of these on the shelves. Selling for about $15 a pop, I think.

I'm also interested.

So... how was this an urgent need?

I've never seen a Bandai Max or Millia come with super armor, only the VF-1s. Is that correct?

Do you want to count the Imai models?

For those keeping track, blastotoys.com now has preorders up for $139.95. http://www.blastotoys.com/stores/previews_...ublisher=Yamato

I wonder if they'll come up with a "Bulky Lee" pilot name like they did for the Low Vis...

I grew up reading the manga, which I liked very much. I just saw the movie last night, and I think it's The Hotness. The only problem I had with it was that I didn't much care for the English voice actors.

I think DC is having him back simply to rub it in... after trying to "stick it to the big guys" by being one of the founders of Image, he now has to admit his failure and go back to one of the Big Two to get his rent money. You know how it works. He's now broken. They'll humiliate him for awhile... then kill him.

I also think Xenon is a better name, but Microsoft evidently didn't want people to look at PS3 and think it's more advanced than their new system, so they had to come up with a bigger number.

I think that's a great update to the look, while still keeping very true to the original. Nice style.

The TV Max 1A has always been my favorite. Someday I WILL have one... Someday...

For those of you keeping track, GameStop.com just lowered their price on the volume 3 alpha to $59.99. http://gamestop.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=321802

I just ordered a Scott from robotech.com about two weeks ago and it came with the cell. I don't think they've been selling a whole lot of the alphas through the website.

Stop by the KidRobot store!

I picked up the Green Alpha last night, and it's a hella good-looking toy. I don't enjoy the terror I feel when transforming it, unsure if any piece is going to snap off, but it sure looks good on the shelf.