Scyla

Hm, all my goods from NY came wrapped in bubble wrap lately. If my memory serves me right. However I miss the hand written thank you notes.

So I'm not really an expert on how the third party stuff is working. I always assumed it is tolerated by HasTak because the third party companies releasing stuff that doesn't interfere with the release schedule of official Transformers toys. This seems to me like they are getting a bit to bold strolling around in HasTaks turf. Couldn't this force HasTak to unleash their lawyers since MP-22 is right around the corner? However this is an easy pass for me. I don't like how the trailer cap basically sits in the core of the robot and they don't get the face right. I figured most third party companies have a problem with faces that don't have a mouth plate. Takara seems to do a much better job. I'm eagerly awaiting the first prototype pictures of Ultra Magnus.

In addition the VF-25 angles do look pretty beefy. Something that I would've liked to see on my VF-19.

Is there any reason why Arcadia decided not to print the triangle-marking on the chest? It was seen on in the animation at some point iirc.

Can someone estimate when the preorders will start for this one?

I'm sure it is accurate to the manga.

The head turret on the YF-30 looks great. I do need some of the display cabinets that showroom has. That looks classy. On the other hand I need a classy room for the classy cabinets displaying classy toy so I probably stick with my current setup.

Those Seven Deadly Sins figures remind me of the devils in Bastards.... and much like Bastard I like the designs but they have just to much boobage for my likings. Maybe with a b or c cup... (anime dimensions of course)

Anime Export seems to have an open preorder on that Satan figure. http://www.anime-export.com/product/18311 Not sure you want to shop there I think they require full pay upfront.

I think it is the unit name of this plane.

Also true is the fact (if we are talking about the same guy that is) that ebay refunded the buyer because it was listed under electronics. And please can we stop to try harm other people because Mommar and Kicker received a defective copy? You know for most other people money has some real value. It is not like we are all billionaires where money is used to determine the size of our d.... *sigh*

I just had this thought that maybe the wing broke off due to huge differences in temperature during transport. You know getting from melting hot to icy cold in a short amount of time (e.g. during air transportation) so this lead to tension in the wing part forcing it to snap. Maybe they got some fluid inclusion during molding that would make this an issue for all copies. On the other hand I'm in no way an expert in injection molding so this could all be some weird theory in my head. Quick question for those who have Isamus bird in hand. Does it have the molded detail behind the visor that the old one has?

Thanks for the reply. I might have to get me some printed stuff just to satisfy my curiosity.

Since you seem to be pretty in to 3D printing do you mind a question regarding the surface structure of the printed part. From my experience they are pretty grainy when printed with powder. I have only had some printed parts from a HP Design Jet my hands so it is pretty hard for me to imagine how the printed pieces look and feel.

I agree but on the other hand the VF-17 and YF-21 use their tail fin as bullet proof shields.

I assume the rear stabilizers can fold in to give the heel room to move in Gerwalk- and Battroid-Mode. Personally I would rather have the sliding mechanism like it was implemented on the 1/60 Yamato YF-19. I also would preferred a gun-pod that was line art accurate in color and with vents on the barrel cover. And that the Fast Packs are still as fiddly as the old ones (see JoshBs review of the old YF-19) is a slight disappointment. Regarding the amiami refund policy. I think they are one of the major domestic Japanese online shops when it comes to anime goods. So I'm sure they know that the will earn slightly less when all of their foreign customers don't order from them anymore. This policy is not to annoy foreign customers. It is a calculated risk and they figured out that it will be more profitable to lose some customers and don't offer a full refund with included shipping for defect goods.

Well that is awesome. Can you paint the arm black?

I don't understand why Kawamori opted not to slide the tail fins into the main wing. I think it might have not enough kibble otherwise.

Thanks for the quick reply. Yeah I figured as much and assumed the printed pieces would be quite pricey. I will follow this thread closely but take your time because to much stuff will come out in the next couple of month so I have to wait for a new job to get some of these. I really admire your effort you put into this. Keep it up.

I just received my MMC Leo Dux and it is amazing. Even the shipping box is top-notch. It is made out of thicker cardboard than any other shipping box I got send to me ever. The box for the toy itself is neatly held into place by thick foam blocks. A few observations: I don't understand why the cannons on the back are colored the way they are. I would have preferred it if they where painted with the gun-metal highlights the other guns have. I think it looks as good as a lion as any other transformer does sans the clamp-formers that have animal fur parts all over robot mode. It is a nice cybertronian lion. Even the hind legs are look in proportion to the rest of the body. That leaves me with high hopes for their Tigris/Felisaber release I have a few minor paint blemishes. Mostly on the gold detailing of the shins/knees. The left leg of the toy does not seem to lock securely into place in the default Feral Rex position it holds up fine no but I'm worried what happens when I add Tigris, Talon and maybe Felisaber to it. I love the way you can store anything the toy comes with on the toy. The two huge hatches can be stored on the back of the toy where the wings should beg in I don't like that the way the cross guard is stored in robot mode (on the back of Talons wings) and in alt mode (at the underside of the lion chest). With some imagination you can see it as an extension of the mane but it relies only on the friction of a hinge to stay in place so I'm worried it gets loose over time I'm stoked for MMCs next offerings. This one is gonna be a monster but I doubt I will display him in combiner mode because I have no room. Now I have to order some Reprolabel faction stickers to sticker him up. It even has a spot for his (Decepticon) insignia on his left shoulder.

Well that was unexpected. Hopefully the high MSRP will make the scalpers a bit cautious if they want to invest into this one. So is the price with the 8% sales tax? I assume as much because of the odd-numbered price. So it is 20k Yen without tax and we get like 10% off with HLJ that would be 18k Yen for the YF-30? If someone can get a preorder in without resorting to the inflated prices NY offers. I'm glad we finally get a confirmation that Bandai will release the YF-30. Do we know if it is a regular or web shop exclusive release?

Two quick questions that came to mind. First how are the hips different from the VF-19? When we first saw the renders of the new YF-19 there was a discussion that hips are pretty different from the VF-19. Second, why are there no clips in the wing roots that hold the metal bars into position? My idea would be an indent in the metal bar and a plastic clip in the wing root so that the hinge bar can clip into position. From what I heard the wings purely rely on the friction of the joints. Is there no room to implement such a feature. Now that I think about it, a slot and tab in the wing/wing root connection point would suffice.

I'm sure you cannot offer them through Shapeways due to copyright issues right? On the other hand people on boards offering garage kits sometimes so I don't have any idea how licensing works for small production runs. Maybe it falls under fair use? I think the stand looks cool. Do you have any idea how much this would cost? As cool as they are I think I cannot afford to buy a set of stands for my Valkyrie fleet if they are something like $100 plus international shipping. I know Shapeways service can become pretty costly when it comes to larger items.

I'm curious why Kicker and Mommar got so vastly different answers from amiami.... For the ones who have the bird in hand. Does the plastic feel similar to the plastic of the old Yamato Valkries or the new Arcadia VF-1? I can understand why it would feel different than the VF-19 because the Excalibur has a different finish. I think someone on the board explained that matte and glossy plastic are the same the only difference is the finish of the molds they're cast in.

Give as a release date already. Including information abound web exclusive weapon packs so we can switch out the missile pod against something more reminiscent of a BFG and conformal missiles for the hard points the toy has.