GU-11

I own a Mighty Block stand, and I personally think it's okay--does a decent job of what's it's designed to do. Even when mounting a VF-22S Gamlin (jet mode) on it at a tilted angle, it looks very stable and secure. The only bummer about it is that it cannot support Battroid mode for the larger VF's like the MacZero (I think) and MacPlus lines (actually, can it even support Battroid mode for 1/60 VF-1's? Haven't tried it myself.). In fact, it can't even support the YF-19 figs in jet mode due to unbalanced weight distribution. Personally, I don't use stands for Battroid mode (IMO, unlike the Revoltech figs, the legs on most Yamato VF's aren't poseable enough to make truly dynamic aerial poses, anyways). Since jet mode is probably the most stable configuration for use with the Mighty Block, I prefer to save some money and buy a few more Mighty Blocks for my Valks. Of course, I'll still have to get a few of those re-issued Launch arm stands for my VF-0A and Macplus figs. BTW, is the reissued Launch Arm stand able to support display on Battroid mode like the old versions?

I own a Mighty Block stand, and I personally think it's okay--does a decent job of what's it's designed to do. Even when mounting a VF-22S Gamlin (jet mode) on it at a tilted angle, it looks very stable and secure. The only bummer about it is that it cannot support Battroid mode for the larger VF's like the MacZero (I think) and MacPlus lines (actually, can it even support Battroid mode for 1/60 VF-1's? Haven't tried it myself.). In fact, it can't even support the YF-19 figs in jet mode due to unbalanced weight distribution. Personally, I don't use stands for Battroid mode (IMO, unlike the Revoltech figs, the legs on most Yamato VF's aren't poseable enough to make truly dynamic aerial poses, anyways). Since jet mode is probably the most stable configuration for use with the Mighty Block, I prefer to save some money and buy a few more Mighty Blocks for my Valks. Of course, I'll still have to get a few of those re-issued Launch arm stands for my VF-0A and Macplus figs. BTW, is the reissued Launch Arm stand able to support display on Battroid mode like the old versions?

Just wanted to post a heads-up in case anyone here encounters a similar problem with the one I had with my VF-22S Gamlin. Remember that post I wrote about the Gamlin's cockpit area refusing to budge during transformation (yeah, the thread that got locked because it wasn't posted here)? Well, I attempted a DIY fix, and I finally found the real problem. Using this pic from Scorched Earth as a reference (sorry, my digital camera's still with my sister, and my camera phone is out of memory): Notice how the cockpit slides up and over the nose? Well, mine refused to budge. I removed the head section of the Gamlin to get a better view from above, and started prying at what would be the Battroid's "collarbones" if it were human, hoping to separate the parts I thought were glued together, or at least get a better look of what was inside. To my surprise, the whole cockpit area started to move, and I was able to force it into place. It turns out, there's a mechanism under the cockpit that's responsible for sliding the cockpit, and it's hinged by a screw on each side. The screws were turned in WAY too tight, which made it nearly impossible to move. I had to loosen the screws by almost three rotations before the cockpit will slide smoothly. Well, at least it got fixed.

The Dynasty/Samurai Warriors games. I mean, how many time can you rehash a format over and over again? Over a dozen times, apparently. Still, it's my way of de-stressing, and I can't recall how many virtual Yellow Turban, Wei and Wu lives I've snuffed out using Guan Yu. Roar, Blue Dragon! SW - The Force Unleashed. I got the PS2 version, which is probably even buggier and WAY shorter than the PS3 release, but few fun things come in the form of electrocuting stormtroopers with your finger tips, and hacking at random alien riffraff with a light saber in a cantina. Splinter Cell games. The first time through is already somewhat of a chore, especially the first game's sneaking mission at the FBI headquarters. Logically, there shouldn't be any point in replaying such plot-driven games, but there's something about being a middle-aged SIGINT ninja that just brings me back over and over again. Ace Combat 4 to 6. Six games have gone by and we're still playing at Luke Skywalker's X-Wing heroics in the final stage (or was it Han Solo?), infiltrating huge-ass buildings to shoot at some weak spot, before hightailing it out of there through a veritable aerial obstacle course. FFX. Tidus annoyed me to no end, but I came back for the blitzball. Death by Degrees. Don't ask me why, but controlling an ass-kicking blonde chick through cliched enemy environments and fighting enemies using those annoying left/right analog sticks worked for me. The graphics weren't half bad either, for a PS2-era title.

Yeah, I also got the feeling that DYRL gets more love in Japan than the TV series. But about the HG/BW licensing issue, I thought the whole problem was that characters and/or mecha featured in Robotech could not be marketed by another company in the US, although HG's copyrights holds no jurisdiction in Japan. There shouldn't be anything stopping Yamato and/or Bandai from legally producing and selling SDF-Macross merchandise domestically (Japan)--they just can't market them on US soil. As for Milia's TV Q-Rau, I suspect our best chance of ever seeing one made by Yamato or Bandai is during an anniversary or commemoration event of the SDF-Macross TV series, but even then, it might just be a repackage of previously released VF-1's with some new accessories included like the Anniversary Plus set for DYRL's VF-1S Roy and VF-1S Hikaru. Still holding a candle for Millia's TV Rau, but I'm honestly not keeping my hopes up.

Beautiful work! Love the way you painted the eyepiece; IMO, the metallic green looks even better than if you were to set it in colored plastic! Now if only Yamato made a 1/60 full transformation one...

Good point. I guess this whole QC issue could have been avoided if they'd only used non-knurled pins in the first place.

IMO, QC problems have always been Yamato's Achilles Heel, and some of the problems are partly due to the way the parts were designed. If you look at the way VF-1 mold's shoulders were designed, it's not all that surprising that a few would tend to break during assembly. A thin sheet of plastic hinged with needle-thin pins isn't exactly the safest way to connect an arm to a Battroid's body, but I guess that's the trade-off for a complex, movie-accurate transforming figure. Having said that, the majority of Yamato's designs have been spectacular, and the company remains one of my best hopes of seeing a movie-accurate figure of my favorite Valks released.

Heheh, guess I haven't been doing my homework.

Gosh, what, is this a courtroom in here? While I don't actually have documented evidence, quite a few of my friends (physical offline ones) who also collect Macross figs say the non-VF figs they want are ironically the ones that Yamato never produces, those being the TV Regults, Glaugs, and Milia's Q-Rau. Even if there are only six of them, technically, I'm still not the only one who's willing to buy a Millia-type TV Q-Rau. IMO, I think if there's any non-Valk that might stand a chance of selling at all it would be the TV version enemy mecha. Just my theory (so don't quote me on this), but I think most collectors are always on the lookout for a Regult or Glaug of the same scale to pose with their Valks for a diorama. And in the case of Milia's Q-Rau, IMO it has the added advantage of being the featured in one of the more memorable fights with Max inside the SDF-1--technically, it's a "pre-hero" mecha, except it's not a Valk. In fact, being a relative newcomer to Macross, I'd actually mistaken the red DYRL Q-Rau as the TV one (been ages since I watched SDF-Macross on TV as a kid), and genuinely intended to buy it to be paired in a fight with my TV Max VF-1A. It was only later that I realized the one Milia used on TV was green. I can only speak for myself in regards to why I didn't buy the DYRL Q-Rau's; I didn't watch the anime as a kid, and it therefore holds no nostalgic value to me. As for the destroids, I didn't buy them due to cash constraints. I'm looking to at least complete my TV Valk collection before investing in other mecha.

I voted 'yes', because I still haven't bought a DYRL Roy VF-1S yet, and the release of a TV version would be perfect.

Honestly, I have no idea why Yamato releases low-vis versions, but never the more asked for versions. Case in point, Milia's TV Q-Rau vs her DYRL version. I think I can safely say that I'm not the only one who wants a TV Q-Rau to pose with my VF-1A Max TV version, and it's so easy for Yamato to just recolor the DYRL Q-Rau in TV version green. In the case of Roy's VF-1S, basically all Yamato has to do is paint a generic pilot in Roy's colors and throw in a pair of readily available TV hands, and then package it as the VF-1S Roy Focker TV version. Bob's your uncle. But the fact remains that Yamato just doesn't want to release a TV Roy VF-1S package for whatever reason, and we'll just have to make do with the currently marketed DYRL Anniversary Plus set. Still, it would have been really nice if Yamato had included a pair of TV version hands and a TV version Roy pilot in there--like I said, all they had to do was to paint the generic TV version pilot in Roy colors. Of course, you could always cannibalize a air of TV hands from a VF-1 you're currently keeping in storage. As for the pilot, though, you could buy one from EXO (not sure if he's made any seated pilot sets, though).

I just want to clarify that I don't hate Bandai, and am NOT trying to bash the company. In fact, I've been a real fan of its Gundam kits for years. As for the popularity of its 1/65 Fire Kai and Blazer, two out of the five or so articles I've read mentioned that the designs were found to be wanting, and implied that they didn't sell too well (don't ask me to provide links as proof; it's been years since I last read them). I didn't try to pass this off as a fact. And when I said that Bandai's stagnated in its designs of Macross figure, I admit I haven't factored in Banpresto. My bad. At worst, I was misinformed, but I just want to make it clear I'm not trying to mislead anyone or spread disinformation.

IMO, technically Yamato has more experience in Valk design in that they've been constantly researching VF designs for the past decade, and have been making leaps and bounds. Bandai's designs, on the other hand, have stagnated since its last venture in the mid Nineties, with the Mac7 1/65 VF-19 Fire Kai and Blazer. IIRC, those did not sell too sell, and Bandai has stayed away from Macross merchandise until recently with the MF franchise. All this time time when Bandai's washed its hands off Macross, Yamato's been one busy company, releasing VF after VF, each new one a massive improvement of the earlier one (hinge pin issues and QC problems notwithstanding). AFAIC, Yamato's the turtle in that old turtle-races-bunny story, closing in the space between it and the napping bunny that is Bandai. IMO, Yamato's biggest problem lies at the manufacturing end. While some of the design facets of the VF's are arguably questionable (fragile hinges held together with needle-thin metal pins), most of the customer complaints (mine, anyways) are about QC issues--glued parts that aren't supposed to be glued (my Gamlin VF-22S, dammit!), missing parts, etc. While I understand that such complex figures will inevitably be more prone to mistakes and QC problems, some of the issues are a obviously caused by absentmindedness on the part of the factory workers. Some of these grunts should really be given a proper sounding off for these mistakes. I mean, we ARE paying hundreds of dollars for these things. An acceptable level of QC isn't too much to ask, is it? EDIT: Sorry about the double post. Horrible net traffic today....

IMO, technically Yamato has more experience in Valk design in that they've been constantly researching VF designs for the past decade, and have been making leaps and bounds. Bandai's designs, on the other hand, have stagnated since its last venture in the mid Nineties, with the Mac7 1/65 VF-19 Fire Kai and Blazer. IIRC, those did not sell too sell, and Bandai has stayed away from Macross merchandise until recently with the MF franchise. All this time time when Bandai's washed its hands off Macross, Yamato's been one busy company, releasing VF after VF, each new one a massive improvement of the earlier one (hinge pin issues and QC problems notwithstanding). AFAIC, Yamato's the turtle in that old turtle-races-bunny story, closing in the space between it and the napping bunny that is Bandai. IMO, Yamato's biggest problem lies at the manufacturing end. While some of the design facets of the VF's are arguably questionable (fragile hinges held together with needle-thin metal pins), most of the customer complaints (mine, anyways) are about QC issues--glued parts that aren't supposed to be glued (my Gamlin VF-22S, dammit!), missing parts, etc. While I understand that such complex figures will inevitably be more prone to mistakes and QC problems, some of the issues are a obviously caused by absentmindedness on the part of the factory workers. Some of these grunts should really be given a proper sounding off for these mistakes. I mean, we ARE paying hundreds of dollars for these things. An acceptable level of QC isn't too much to ask, is it?

Why was my thread about the Gamlin VF-22S locked? AFAIK, I didn't post anything offensive, or bash Yamato (unless you consider a legitimate QC complaint as bashing). More confused and curious than angry, really.

Thanks, man! Tried it again, and I just had to tug at the shield harder to get it to lock. I'd be one happy camper if I haven't gotten Yamato'ed by my Gamlin VF-22S the same night...

I bought the Gamlin VF-22S Sturmvogel II a few months ago, and due to its complex transformation, decided to leave it in its box until I could find some time to work on it. That time was yesterday, and during the last part of the transformation to battroid (opening the cowl to reveal the head) I discovered that the bottom part of the nose won't slide back like it's supposed to. It seems to have been stuck or glued to the upper cockpit portion. I'm lucky to have been able to at least open the cowl and complete the transformation. Except for the fact that the nose doesn't slide up, it looks fine on display--honestly, I'd feel a lot better if I didn't pay almost 300 USD for this thing. While it's not exactly the end of the world, it really galls me that I forked out all that cash for a fig with such blatant and utterly stupid QC problems. I mean, how could something as obvious as that get passed through QC? I bet the factory workers could have sent a Barney the Dinosaur plush toy down the conveyor belt and the idiot QC inspector wouldn't have been the wiser! To add insult to injury, it's been a few months since I bought the fig, and there's virtually no way the store owner is going agree to replace it. He did open the box up for me to check for damage, defects, and broken parts, of which there were none, so I can't really put up an argument. While it would have been impossible to transform the fig at the store, I guess it's still my fault for not giving the fig a thorough check when I got home. I guess one lesson I'll be taking with me from this is to never procrastinate in checking my purchases. I don't suppose there are any remedies for this, or am I gonna have to live with this? Thinner to dissolve the glue or something? BTW, anyone else got Yamato'ed the same way?

I'm not sure if this can be considered an issue, but my VF-11B suffers from a loose lower heatshield. Unless the battroid is either upside down or lying on its back, it always slides back down into the nose. My only remedy for it is to raise the cockpit pod up a little to keep the lower heatshield in place. The picture on the manual suggests that the upper heatshield is supposed to latch onto the lower one and secure it from sliding down, but try as I might, it just doesn't work that way on the real toy. Is this a bona fide design issue or am I missing a few steps here?

Heheh, I feel kind of bad for being overly suspicious, but in my own defense, I grew up in a household where I'm the youngest child. Paranoia mode automatically kicks in on every first day of April--I plead post-traumatic stress disorder. And Razerwire, sorry for doubting you.

Yup, which is why it makes perfect sense (or at least feasible) in SK's vision of the Macross universe, but is both impractical and way too expensive in the real world.

Very true, regarding the better look tampo's give a fig as opposed to decals and stickers. In fact, it's one of the reasons why I don't apply any of the included stickers on my Yamato VF's. That shiny border of transparent cellophane kind of takes away the realism of the fig. As for the possibility of the photo being faked, thanks for clarifying. Didn't want to make any accusations, but what with this being April Fool's Day and all, paranoia's pretty much in the air.

Let's take the newest jet fighter in the USAF as an example--the F-22 Raptor. Throughout its manufacturing process, it was panned as overly costly. To date, only 187 Raptors were ever produced, and production has currently been stopped. Now compared to a VF, a Raptor is arguably low-tech and therefore much cheaper. And if 187 Raptors could cause US governmental coffers to scream in pain, the development of VF's (considering we even have the technology to build giant transforming robots in the future) could easily bankrupt even the wealthiest countries in the world. As has always been the case in any military's technological procurement, cheaper almost always trumps better.

Just my two cents' worth, but it definitely looks like a QC snafu at the factory. I don't own the fig, but if only one side of it is upside down, then it's likely a production oversight. I guess that's one of the merits of applying your own decals and stickers; as opposed to being paid peanuts to slap stickers and decals onto a toy you couldn't care less about, as an owner you're far more careful not to make any mistakes. Or is this an April Fool's joke, and I just punked myself by replying to this thread? Come to think of it, the photo might have been made by using the part on the right side and attaching it upside down on the left side. Not saying you're actually trying to punk anyone, but seeing as today's supposed to be April Fool's (yesterday where I live), you just never know....

Here's hoping, indeed. Funny why Yamato chose to release a pair of less popular DYRL Q-Rau's (Milia's red one and Max's blue one) instead of the original green TV version. AFAIK, the TV version is much more in demand, and the DYRL ones have proven to be somewhat shelf warmers. Heheh, my bad. Been a while since I watched the DYRL fight scene between Max and Milia.