Hurin

Congrats on the USS Flag. I used to launch my 1/55 Takatokus off of mine. Before my father gave away all my GI Joe stuff. Man, had I kept it all, it'd be worth a few thousands on Ebay right now I'm sure. I made $3k on my old Star Wars collection! H

I, Hurin, would like to state for the record that I do not endorse this view and would like to be fully divested from it and the thread in which it was stated. I do not wish to be involved in any pwn-age handed down by the MW-old-timers. I wash my hands of this. May God have mercy on your soul. . . H

Okay, one more time: I like LebHead's site. It is great. Even the Toy Overview area is great, as far as it goes. But, it really doesn't give the details a truly descriminating buyer would need. For example. . . Here is all it says regarding the 1/48 appearance/quality: Here is all it says about MPC appearance/quality: This is pretty vague. Sculpt accuracy is pretty much ignored. Q/C is only vaguely referred to. . . etc. Look, nobody doubts that Leb is respected and credible. Everything he says above is true. However, in order to appear unbiased, it appears that the article leaves a lot of details out about each toy. So, for the purposes of this thread, it really doesn't answer any questions other than who each manufacturer is and which toy each manufactures. And, truly, I have a feeling that was the actual intent of Leb's article rather than to give a critical review of each one. Leb's article, in my opinion, isn't even intended to answer the original purpose of this thread. It's a "who's who" of Macross toys. . . not a "Which is better quality" review of them. If Leb ever comes here and reads this, I trust he'll understand what I'm trying to say and might even be less offended than those who for some reason feel the need to stick up for him when nobody is attacking him. H

I think I just did. . . But, let's not turn this into a: "I appreciate Leb more than you!" thing. I love his site. It's a great resource. But that guide to toys isn't exactly a review. As I said, it is more of a history lesson. It is uncritical. A review is critical. That's its nature. H

The final thing I will say on this: Everyone owes it to themselves to get at least one 1/48 Yamato before they go out and buy the whole line of 1/60s. Why? Because it has been noted by some that after you get your hands on your first 1/48. . . actually get to own it, handle it, and get used to it. . . it's hard to consider spending hundreds on what may then seem to be an inferior line (1/60s). Now, please, I realize some people still love the 1/60s even after they get some 1/48s. But, there are those who won't feel similarly and will be stuck with their 1/60s or will sell them at a loss. I just think it is the safer bet to save up and buy one of each (perhaps even a 1/55 Bandai as well) before you go out and spend hundreds on a line you might not even like once you really see an alternative. In other words, spend $150 now to get a 1/48 rather than regret the $700 you spent on 1/60s that you then later regret. So, my final advice would be: Start with a 1/48. Then get a 1/60. Then get a Bandai. At that point, make your decision about what you want to collect as in informed collector. Sorry, but the Toynami MPCs don't even factor into this in my book. I just can't conceive of wanting them except for in a "completist" sense. I was sorely tempted when TMP was off-loading them for $29 each. But then I looked at my old MPC and reminded myself of why I never bought them when they were new. Best Regards, Hurin

Cheat crap is still crap.

Ah! You must be new here.

Ah, but someone is trying to say that all these opinions are meaningless, save one. H

Nothing against LebHead. But the fact is that nobody is unbiased. And, when you go out of your way to appear unbiased, you tend to overlook a lot of things that would otherwise be noted as flaws. Looking at the Toynami overview on that page, it seems like a white-wash to me. It's more of a history lesson than a review. There is no mention of sculpt accuracy or even general appearance. It only vaguely refers to people getting upset about die-cast content and "QC issues." So, well. . . I think the bias in that review is to seem unbiased. But when you try too hard to seem unbiased, you end up being too nice to all sides. Some things deserve criticizm. Just my 2 cents. H

So, essentially, you're saying that everyone's opinion should be ignored except LebHead's. Sounds good to me. . . Though here's mine: Toynami: Had one. It was just pure crap. Sorry, but it was. Flimsy. Inaccurate and ugly sculpt. All of the drawbacks of the Banai ("chunky monkey") sculpt (swing bars) but with none of the durability. I unloaded my only one on Ebay for a handsome profit (it was Rick Hunter 1J) a year after I bought it. Bandai (Takatoku) 1/55: I grew up with these. But the sculpt and design really show their age. They're really only good for nostalgia or unless you're going to be really rough with the toy you decide to buy. I had a good collection of the original Takatokus (even GBP-1S Armor and VF-1S Strike) and then completed a Bandai re-release collection. But, after getting a few Yamato 1/48s, I sold them all. Even nostalgia wasn't enough to overcome the Yamato dominance. Which brings us to Yamato: Yamato 1/60: To me, you'd really only want to get these if you don't have the cash for the 1/48 line. The other things going for it are that there is now an enemy mecha (the Q-Rau, er. . . "female power armor") available in the 1/60 line and more may be coming. Also, there are some valkyries available in 1/60 that will probably never be available in 1/48 scale (VF-1D, VT-1 Super Ostrich, etc.). Yamato 1/48: This is the ultimate Valk. It's the biggest, most detailed, most accurately sculpted*, and just plain "WOW! THAT'S PERFECT"-looking valkyrie toy ever made. You can't go wrong, if you've got the money. A 1/48 valk with the optional FAST Pack armor all decaled up. . . nothing beats it. So, that's my opinion. Can it stay? Best Regards, Hurin * Some would argue that the 1/60 is the more accurate sculpt. But, to me, it just doesn't look quite right. I think the 1/60 may be more accurate in the arms. . . but that's about it. And I just never liked the way the heat shield looked on the 1/60s. And, while the nose is reportedly very accurately sculpted on the 1/60, again, it just doesn't look right to me.

If your FAST Packs are causing your battroids backpack to flop around, try this thread. It even has pictures to illustrate how things should be done so this won't be a problem anymore. H

Another week, another opportunity to post a link to this thread. Should answer all your questions (with pictures!). H

Uh, there is a feedback area for questions like this ("Where did my post go?"). H

My 1/48 Hikaru 1A took about a five-foot spill yesterday. I adusted him on his clear-tripod stand and then went out with the gf for ice cream. When we came back. . . ouch. He had fallen off the stand and dropped off the bookshelf in fighter mode (w/ FAST Packs). FAST Pack Armor and reaction missiles were everywhere! Yet, there was no permanent damage. I checked the backpack hinge first. Thankfully, it was still intact. So, proof positive that the VF-1 does have energy converting armor. H

Hehe, that reminds me of when my friends and I used to watch Batman: The Animated Series in our dorm's TV room. The women (it was co-ed) watching with us would wait for Batman to catch himself by grabbing a ledge after falling several stories and then they would say: "That's so fake." To which we'd all respond: Uh, which part is fake? The part where he would have torn his arm out? Or the part where there is a superhero wearing a giant bat suite swinging around a ficticious city via a rope? H P.S. Believe it or not, we weren't called dorks for watching Batman. The real ire was reserved for those watching Jerry Springer or something similar.

No. . . I don't. What I will admit is that some animators can be sloppy and/or that you never actually see a battroid standing beside that zentraedi in the first episode. As for Britai, he's a lot taller than your average zentraedi. . . and Dolza is even taller than he. So, that's not a good comparison. But others have already addressed this. . . H

What Exo said. Plus: Nobody (including Roy) ever said that the battroids were exactly the same size as a zentraedi. Rather, it was said that the valkyries were designed to combat the zentraedi who were known to be giants. In other words: Just because they were designed to combat the zentraedi does not mean that they need to be the same size as them. Indeed, if I were designing a battroid, I'd make it bigger than the opponents it would be facing. Further, they may (though I doubut it) have wanted to make the battroid smaller, but found it impossible to create a transorming freakin' jet any smaller than what eventually became the VF-1. So. . . the scale is correct according to the stats. . . and math. This reminds me of the guy who accused Yamato of stupidity and wanted everyone to get upset with them for painting "UN SPACY" on the legs of the VF-1J Hikaru 1/48. But, funny thing was. . . the UN SPACY was supposed to be there. Preconceptions are a dangerous thing when asserting somebody/thing is wrong. Best Regards, Hurin P.S. This is Macross discussion board. If you don't want to be flamed by the purists, quickly learn the original names for the characters and mecha. Example: "Rick Hunter" = Hikaru Ichijo

Ewilen: I'm with you. As a guy who played Battletech all the way back to when it was "Battledroids". . . I think battlemechs should be ugly, blocky things. Walking tanks. . . I liked how Technical Readout 3025 (original, out-of-print, not the newer one) made some of the Macross designs more utilitarian looking. . . blunting some of the edges and make them seem more "tank-like". . . But that's just me. . . H

Here's a thread with pictures to illustrate what they're talking about.

There is just something so funny about a panel-lined joke machine. H

It's always a shame when someone puts trying to be funny ahead of coming up with a decent answer scheme for their poll. Then again, it's always a shame when you come to the Toys area and find yet another pointless poll. I'd say about 95% of the polls that show up here do so because first someone decides they'd like to make a poll. . . then they just invent a topic so that they can do so. But then again. . . I'm probably just bitter. . . and venting. . . since I'm working on only four hours of sleep. Meh. . . H

Episode 5: Transformation. I think it's the CF scheme with just the head difference. Isn't there a brief shot of a CF 1J during the fighting within the city before the Macross takes off (and then folds to Pluto)?

One odd thing. My vf-1s Hikaru Strike (since sold) definitely came with a "screw-on" black heathshield rather than the clip-on one shown. I was the original owner. . . so I know it hadn't been swapped. Was there a clip-on variant? H

Grabbing something by a weak point and shaking vigorously will just as surely break it in 0g as within a gravity field. Momentum and mass are not affected by gravity. . . only weight. H Edit: Rather than momentum, I wish I had used the word "intertia."

I've yet to see any decent Macross artwork commissioned by HG. If you see anything that looks great that they've used in their promos or other materials, you can bet that it originally came out of Japan. I've long ago learned to assume that if it looks good, and it's been around for a while, HG didn't do it. The new stuff they're using for the MPCs and stuff is okay. . . but it looks to cartoon-ey for me. H