Beware of Blast

Ya know, someone over at ToyboxDX, once mentioned that GB's transforming feet was unneccessary, that it served nothing more than to drive that SOC's price higher and that the entire undertaking was a masturbatory act on the part of Bandai's design team as though to tell the world, "Look, LOOK how CLEVER we are! "... lol! Although negative as hell, you NEVER get people making a statement about Yamato's valks like that. And the GB still retailed for cheaper than a deluxe 1/48 Stealth VF, or a 1/60 YF19.

Dude, shorter posts please. You missed my point. I'm NOT saying diecast metal is better than plastic. I am saying anything else out there is BETTER than Yamato's Plastic. Bandai's 1/55s' plastic weighs about the same as Yamato's but they have better sculpt and panel line impressions. Hell, Yamato even used diecast metal for their Garlands and they broke! Yes. I am SINGLING OUT Yamato. Anything they manufacture will turn out slightly crappier than any competitors, if they did not FLAT OUT meet with disaster.

The paint chipping and scrapping off evertime ya transform a Yamato is because they're nothing but a bunch of no-good-too-cheap-for-epoxy hobos. Even the Hasbro Titanium 6"ers has better quality paint. It can only happen to Yamato.

Come on man, I may be going out of my way to attack Yamato or its people in charge. I didn't expect my replies and comments to be misinterpreted as an attack on anyone who don't share my thinking!!! I just have a different opinion that's all. Look, just don't read my comments as though I'm pissing on your beloved investments... as far as the QC, breakages and what not, I'm pretty much in the same boat with you guys. Don't read the posts drunk. Otherwise, it's game over man! And besides, references like "...it's as though Yamato had raped my sister or something..." will be met with similar garbage. Don't think as though I enjoy pointing my peanus Yamato's way, well I admit, I used to enjoy point "it" to them for the right reasons anyway. Or what else would you expect? edited to add:- As far as flubs are concerned, most of examples I mentioned are almost flawless. Almost. I even pointed out that the dumb design problems the Bandai Aquarion had... but it's still light years more durable in playability than any of Yamato's VFs can hope to be. And did I mention that the Aquarion is also a Kawamori design? I'm sure most of you would know that already. That is just a sample of how great our VF toys could be and how much we have been shortchanged by Yamato all these years.

Guys, I have more than just seven pieces of 1/48 Yamato valks... quite alot more than that of Yamato's stuff. And like most of you, back in the day I was THRILLED to bits when we're finally getting more Macross related stuff. My disdain for Yamato products is only a recent development - The 1/48s may seem good and problem-free as new, but if any of you who transformed them more than just once, please scrutinize it closely as it ages. You will see that they are not so well built. The Bandai's SOCs and some of its GD toyline do have complex transforming toys like the Macross VFs. Some of the best examples that come to mind are the SOC Gunbuster and the Dancougar - it is every bit as complexity-mad in transformation as the Yamato 1/60 YF19 but with better build quality, more durable and more pleasing to the eye in finishing. The Gunbuster has diecast metal parts and hinges that hold every crucial moving parts. Parts that are suppose to lock together fit nicely, shut snuggly and open fluidly without the snapping, popping, and flailing limbs heart attack moments you usually get from transforming a Yamato valk. Yamato's problem is they are relying too much on nubs and pegs molded into the plastics to lock the transforming parts together. That will contributed to stressing out the crucial parts held together by plastics on an already fragile toy. The SOCs utilizes both diecast metal and plastic and yet when you transform any of them, you don't get the snapping, popping, parts-seemed-nearly-breaking-heart attack moments. In fact, they rarely use nubs and pegs to lock anything together. I used the Bandai Chunky Monkey as an example cuz I think more of you can relate better when I make the Yamato VFs vs competition comparisons. Just look at the quality and durability of the two. We all know that the Yamatos are more beautiful. And if any of you just try your hands on a SOC Gunbuster or a Bandai Aquarion (despite it's back heavy kibble and weak knees) you'll see that accuracy, elegance, and grace originally present in the line art and animation it not sacrificed for the sake of durability. sebastian, you once said on a 1/60 YF19 thread that... There is no doubt that we'll treat them with grown-up hands. But we can no longer admire the Yamato's VFs with "kids eyes" no more that we can no longer pay for the damn things with most regular kids' weekly or monthly pocket money or allowances or a regular joe's salary without pain. That because we didn't use to see with "kids eyes" and we threw b1tching fests over how bloody inaccurate, ugly and foolhardy a move that Toynami is making a new veritech by copying the old HCM Macross valks - never mind their bait & switch advertising and marketing tactics. What Yamato is getting from me now should be no different that what Toynami got. The fact that we can't get a better VF1 from anyone else is a testament of how WEAK we are - hence the "some of us have really low standards when it comes to quality" statement. That includes me.

I have 7 1/48s, each one of them exhibit problems ranging from minor to major. Rubber seepages being minor to cracked hip socket/intake blocks and floppy wings that can no longer hold still when I mount missiles on them in Battroid mode, being major for me. I'm a strictly transform, pose gently and leave'em collector, and they were fine when they were taken out of the box-new, afaik. I have no BP8 problems as I've taken extreme care not to stress the hinge or drop the toys. One of my 1/48 DYRL Hikaru even had HAIR painted over on his left legs black panel (where you put the UNSPACY sticker). At first, I thought... okay, musta been a loose brush - no biggie. Then I recalled that the panels were actually airbrush painted, so I scrapped the hair off and it turned CURLY! If there is ever a truly memorable WTF moments in toy collecting, that was it. And I do collect SOCs apart from Macross VFs so this is where I can't help but compare them to each other - in terms of their price range proximity, build quality and finishing. Not only do the Yamato VFs (especially the 1/48s) fail to match in build quality and finishing, they were pricier than most of the SOCs. The only SOC that surpasses a Yamato 1/48 VF in price point, is the IDEON - but everything else about the IDEON blows Yamato 1/48 VF away. But lets not compare SOC to Yamato shall we? Let just stick to Macross toys alone. As ugly and inaccurate as the old TAKATOKU/Bandai 1/55s are, the Yamato 1/72, 1/60, 1/48 VFs still CANNOT bring itself to compare with the Chunky Monkeys in terms of build quality and finishing. And I'm talking about comparing the almost new Yamato 1/48 VFs to my yellowed Chunky Monkeys The Chunky Monkeys are more than 20 years old and they're far from expiring. Yamato 1/48 VFs aren't even ten years yet and they look and feel as though they might not pass it.

Yada, yada. This is thread is made because someone bought a 1/48 for the first time and is underwhelmed. What I find are gushers coming in to tell him otherwise. Don't blame me because I don't jump on the same bandwagon.

Hey foolio! A car from Yamato would present erratic startups, engine dying off in the middle of a freeway, gear stalls when you accelerate, shock absorbers collapsing when you land from climbing a speed bump at 10mph. (taking from your analogy) I ain't talking as though the damn things oughta be indestructible. It should fvcking do its job like most toys of the same price points thats all. Btw, I AM trying to sell some of my Yamato stuff for truck full of cow manure (am not even asking for a fertilizer plant for it) - I'm sh!t outta luck. Some of you have VERY low standards for quality. Ya bendover too much for Yamato.

Actually, compared to many other toys with similar price range out there, all Yamato toys are the scariest. And if ya observe from this pov, Yamato's 1st releases are ALWAYS plagued with problems however minor (and they usually aren't minor), and then there's the after-sale-service... BY THE CUSTOMERS! Look around the threads here you'll come across some members providing custom stickers, resin parts, custom hands, talks about self-fixes, talks about seeing the shrink, their fees, suicides, murders... Very seldom will you find a company with CONSTANT product problems with repeat business! And then you'll notice that this whole Yamato ballyhoo ain't so bad! If ya notice the mini-industry that it spawned as a direct result of its ineptitude, ya get a small group or smart, enterprising customizers making small profits to feed their future Yamato fixes! Win-Win! Bandai, Takara can only DREAM of having a sub-industry like that. In the end this all became evidents that point to one ultimate conclusion - Yamato's stuff are beayootifully designed, stupidly made, exhorbitant pieces of crap. The 1/48 VFs despite its winning qualities and forgivable transgressions, underwhelming certain collectors is an understatement. It's not because they know less or some of you knew better - it's just there are so many toys out there that is less problematic. Ya'll gotta wake up. Period.

As someone who has bought Yamato's stuff for as long as their company is old, I'm inclined to believe that it's only Yamato that screws up their products the most often when compared to other companies out there. Bad QC and CAD drawings not durability-tested enough aside, I saw Yamato repeating stupid mistakes, and make the dumbest decisions - Unnecessarily huge shipping cost-jacking-low-quality flimsy boxes, they put expensive magic tape in places to prevent paint chip, and THAT tape itself is the cause of your paint chip. We can keep arguing about company sizes, economics of scale etc, etc... one thing's for sure, no person(s) running the other companies are as retarded as the ones running Yamato.

It's only a matter of time. Muahahaha!

The fun bags are ruined!!!

Last time Discovery channel covered his rocket powered wings, they did report of his close brush with certain death as well... wings not deploying and rockets not working for short bursts, then coming back on.

Yeah, I too dream of people flying like the Rocketeer some day. Although I shudder at the thought of its fuel consumption, it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

IIRC, he became molecularly unstable so he's constantly shifting in form and size.

Cool for skydiving with a little twist. Too bad it only last minutes and he can't take off from the ground.

Ken Ishikawa (who designed the 1901 series) and Taku Sato (who sculpted the Ken's linearts) have gone shopping at the huge toy shop in the sky. Fewture might not complete this line. So get your while it's still possible.

Here's more info lifted from ToyboxDX by Matt Alt himself. I'm VERY looking forward to the fully-transforming Bryger. Hopefully no Yamato Syndrome on that one.

Me! Awesome figure. Nice paint job and details overall... his missile mode is just some panel switching away - I expecially like the work done on GR's tiny face. On the minus side, his cannon comes packed with GR2. So ya hafta dump money on a second figure.

Ah yes... along with the the broken 1/60 YF19 that I gotta find ways to fix or just live with it as it is, as well as posting warnings here as a way of fixing myself over what the Yamato Syndrome has caused me... not sleeping tight, not eating right, not peeing straight, not able to avoing pinching one in the middle during a dump... because one cannot help but blame and console himself for being so stupid or loosing it because of an expensive impulse buy, I'd say it's NOT the PERSPECTIVE that we've lost. But rather, it's Yamato who has LOST it, that needs a knock on the head. Hindsight is a damn good thing to have, no?

big F, that part is supposed to be glued to the wing. Just make sure yours is glued tight.

Getting the toys as investments - it's not only in order to gain profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value... getting emotional satisfaction, personal entertainment, enjoyment counts as well. Like I said, I REALLY wanted a SWEET 1/60 YF19. I'm not even asking for PERFECTION - Just that Yamato come up with one that does it's job. The 1/60 YF19 that I (and most others) have here are only delivering HALF of its promise - Looking beautiful but NO QUALITY. Most warbirds by the lowest bidders (even your 757 and 737 examples) deliver and fulfilled their roles. Yamato did not. As for This b!tch fest has long outlived its welcome. We see the issues so let's move on, it was never intended to piss on your investment, neither it is a popularity contest. Unless you're Yamato, you do not see the issues because to you, they're minor. Don't make any calls to MOVE ON as though the issues have been resolved, because they're not.

I was not the one who compared warplanes to yamato products. but you're right on the $10 mil warbirds are built by the lowest bidder as in most military contracts. But heh, AT LEAST the lowest bidder KNOWS what is QUALITY and they mostly delivered. Unlike Yamato. That's why I suggested that Yamato should take up government projects. Government mofos look at the invoice of the lowest bidders and think that's the final amount they're gonna pay - without realising the ultimate on-going cost to maintain these things. Maybe they do, so they take more and more out of your taxes. It's not their money But you missed the point. We ain't dealing with no governments. We're talking about consumer products. I am a consumer. I shouldn't have to worry about cargo doors not shutting properly, wiring not long enough, scratched fusealge, etc. That's Yamato's or the lowest bidders' job. The only problem for us is there is no government protection when our valks fail - Heh, although relevant, the analogies are getting ridiculously funny. What I don't understand is why when someone b*tches and moan about quality (especially when it's Yamato) gushers like you would take it that we're pissing on your investments. We're not. I'm a fan as much as you are. They just need to improve their game. If Yamato can get it right the first time or AT LEAST not screw up so much, everybody wins. About my lemony 1/60 YF19, I have never expressed my desire to sell it. This is where YOU and Do not Disturb missed the point. It's not just my 1/60 YF19. My money is spent as well. I am not going to worsen my situation by selling a new broken toy for half price or any amount of money. I can live with one more broken toy. You guys may have the money to spend but don't prey on unfortunate people like this - be above the whole Yamato furore. I even got a more sincere deal from Eugimon who's willing to trade my lemony 1/60 YF19 (stressmark on fuselage and grey tabs) with his nice 1/72 YF19. But I already have one.

I have a very nice 1/72 YF-19 too. I just want my 1/60 '19 to be just as sweet. But thank you bro, I really appreciate the offer.

The thing is, you can't talk about the toy itself without dragging in Yamato’s practice. That's the same practice and attitude that has gotten us the subpar (although beautiful looking valks) everytime. As nasty as some may think of mine and others' posts, they are still only about Yamato, their practices and their product. No character assasination or name calling there.