tekering

On second thought, I may be misreading the situation. My own frustrations with Japanese bureaucracy may have led me to the wrong conclusion. 🤔 Hatanaka's belligerent behavior may actually be a cry for help. Note his body language in particular, the way he brays like an animal in amazement of the engineering being demonstrated, yet he's not even looking at his people he's reacting to, much less the product being presented. This strikes me less as insincerity, and more like outright rebellion. While Hatanaka's onscreen attitude suggests he's the one in charge, that's probably not the case. I assume there are company executives and directors advising him on his behavior in front of the camera, and he may be so frustrated with their demands on his performance that he's deliberately overdoing it. He's probably so sick of acting surprised about products he knows all about (and has likely lost interest in) that he's secretly trying to sabotage the whole enterprise. I imagine he's reached the point in his career where acting like a drooling fanboy on camera is so embarrassing, he wants us to know it's all an act... and he's performing it under duress. Blink twice if you're being held hostage, Yuichi!

I tried my best to make it out, but that Hatanaka Yuichi (the Big West representative in the apron) WOULD NOT SHUT UP. He's so incredibly insincere, so exaggerated in his reactions to what everyone else says that he drowns them out with his fake enthusiasm. That patronizing jackass makes videos like this unwatchable.

It could've been a lot smaller, really. 1/3 of the box is empty space. 🤨

Geez, look at this massive box! 😲

Even you have to admit that scale is whack. 😅

That model was a sloppy, low-rez amateur job painted very poorly. I wouldn't give it a second thought. More importantly, what's with all the Valkyries with turquoise canopies? 🤨 Nah, you're thinking of Gundam. Macross is much more niche, virtually unknown outside the otaku community.

Great! We can finally get some solid info, like measurements and MSRP. At a height of 16cm, that would make Ride Armor slightly smaller than the Sentinel figures... about equal to the old 1:12 Aoshima kits. ¥8000 per kit seems a little steep, but not unreasonable.

Just about done trashing the bug. I was afraid I might've gone too far... ...but the client is apparently pleased. 😅 Fabulous panel lining! 😍 Never seen those flame effects on the legs before. Cool decals.

Yeah, I much prefer the sculpt on Cadet Ezra: My favorite of the Rebels figures are this two-pack, however. They're not very posable, but they totally nail the aesthetic.

The initial Rebels figures were very toon-accurate, I thought... Mind you, I prefer that TVC Zeb. Oh, I'm happy to oblige you there. 😋 Best HasLab of them all! 😍

The advantage of predominantly-painted surfaces is vibrant, consistent colors, which has often been an issue with unpainted plastic molded in specific colors (that never quite match the painted parts). Transformers collectors know what I'm talking about. 😒 No corners cut or expense spared on the paint app's here, though! Even the smallest tampographed markings are crystal-clear. More importantly, the specific shade ThreeZero used is pure red, neither as fuchsia as the HM-R nor as maroon as the Yamarcadia 1:60. It's very anime-accurate to my eye. Well, as most of you know, ThreeZero's VF-1 is basically a downscaled DX Chogokin, with all the pros and cons of that design. The side-fillers are welcome, but are fiddly and require parts-swapping; the wings are never perfectly aligned in battroid mode, and the missile mounts are really tight; the legs are heavy with die-cast, so the entire leg assembly is likely to pop off during transformation. If there were factory QC issues with previous releases, there's no evidence of them here. I don't have problems with the canopy or the intakes or the landing gear or the sliders or the joints or the paint or anything else others have complained about. Some of the joints are scary tight, but I expect that with a brand-new toy; in fact, I prefer it. The double-jointed elbows are particularly appreciated: My only gripe would be the unsightly gap that cuts through the roundel on the port side of the nosecone. It's much less pronounced on the starboard side. Of course, I do wish it had come with FAST packs... ...and didn't have that Robotech-specific "Miriya Sterling" label on the canopy. 😅

I'm no jenius, but I've got plenty of pics and feedback to share... ...if anyone's interested, that is. 😉

New "Luminasta" Ranma 1/2 figures by SEGA.

I would think that would be the preferable option. You can buy yourself a replacement if you want it, or be content with the broken one you got for free. 😋

Good god, they're micronized Zentraedi! 😲