1/1 LowViz Lurker

A lot of that I think is because it was cannon fodder mech I bet. Nobody likes mechs that get killed easily and in the very first ep it is obvious it is not the heroes choice of vehicle. They are as popular as the brownies in SDFM. If you had a choice between Roy Fokker or generic plane that always gets shot down you will go with the bad ass. And notice how the Alto 171 had no problems but the quality control probs are only the grey-blue CF 171? hmmm Perhaps they know it will sell bad so they only put half assed effort? Generic pilot planes in toy form break just like the show.

I disagree. Nobody said the reviewer HAD to listen to our suggestions. We just think the suggestions would help inform people about the toy because ankles might be a deal breaker for some. (not us who are happy with ours and who already bought it, but for those that might want that info and yet to purchase one still) Nobody offering suggestions HAS to write up their own review. That's ridiculous. We can choose to read a review, give a suggestion and not be reviewers ourselves. We are not being rude. We are genuinely wishing to help by offering advice. It doesn't mean they have to take any advice. And it doesn't mean we could do any better by trying to compete with the reviewer who did the review. No one said we wanted to be reviewers just because we might want to hear more about the negatives about a toy. I'll repeat: we do not want to be reviewers and take his job. It's merely suggestions. He is under no obligation to listen to us. He is not my boss and I am not his boss. It's a free society. He can do what he wants we can do what we want. And there is no point telling us to go shop around for a better deal. It's not about us because we already own one. We are just offering friendly advice. Some people want one (not me in particular since I own one already and am satisfied) but are hoping that a cheaper alternative comes along later at price they can swallow. So price is a deal breaker. Maybe they are not as big fans of yf-19 as us or perhaps they will get one later, or maybe they are deciding between this and some other toy, (for instance this and older yf-19,and maybe upgrade to arcadia later on when prices go down on the second hand market) that's all I'm saying.

If we don't mention price in review and how it affects your "happiness" then we are ignoring a big part of what makes the review useful for anyone still thinking abut buying the product. Now we are both happy. We are both glad arcadia is able to give us these wonderful toys. Nobody said we wanted to go ahead start our own toy companies and do better job than the toy companies. hehe But we would all be lying to ourselves to say that we would not have been even MORE happy if they were set back to the price levels of yamato VF-19S. If price rises, surely it is fair to scrutinise a toy more than before? I think most would agree. It doesn't mean we are not happy. It doesn't mean we could do better. It means reviews need to factor this into the equation. I remember when I bought a Beagle Mospeada ride Armor. Best toy of the show I have ever seen. Very glad to pay the huge price. But... If I were to review it, I would not fail to mention the cost and how it may be out of the price ranges of the average toy collector. Paying that much for a toy is unheard of anywhere outside of the hardest core fans of the show. It might be worth it to those who can easily afford the high price tag but for those that collect many other toys, they like hearing about comparisons to things of a similar nature and complexity if high price is a deal breaker.

Don't forget the advertising banners that sponsor the website if it is a free review. They can influence what scores a product gets. If the item is of a product from that company? Guess what? It's going to be a positive-only review since it pays the bills to keep the site up through the ad revenue. This happens a lot in games reviews where you will have reviews that give scores based on whether it is a small company that they can afford to piss off, or a big one that they can not afford to piss off. Been going on a long time. Watch any tv show with ads for certain pharmaceutical products. Will those shows ever say anything bad about the drugs or the negative side effects or anything negative about company that sponsors the show? Probably not.

And your complaining about criticism over reviews. You should be grateful people put in the time to suggest improvement. Add your own criticism yourself and then you can complain! People rely on honesty and reviews to be informative to kow if the toys are worth the money. The best thing you could do is let the reviewer know what they'd like to see so they draw more viewers. Nobody is complaining since it was all free and did not pay for it so what is there to complain about? They are just offering suggestions on what they would like. lol Who says we are not grateful?

VF-27. It has the long range sniper weapon to go with it. Kill people in one shot and then disappear without anyone seeing you. If you are a cyborg assassin who cares if you die you are barely human anyway? Probably the most deadly robot mode imo. All opinion of course. Screw stats. Dyson was able to avoid Guld's sophisticated brainwave control system missile spam in macross plus by simply killing the engines and pretending to be dead as he hovers and glides, while Guld cries like a little kid mourning his best friends passing; leaving himself open to an attack. It's all about who is piloting the machine. Low tech solution can sometimes beat hi tech weapons. The ewoks (cuddly bears in a forest) beat the hardened stormtroopers in star wars FFS. Anything can happen. Maybe the machine malfunctions because the other side paid someone on the rival team to sabotage the vehicle and weapons. Didn't we see vf-11 gunpod jam in macross plus? And that is supposed to be mass production item too. Now imagine all the problems with the newer stuff?

Ah but this is slowly changing. The VB-6 is like the optimus prime of mac frontier using its big gun on its body to one-shot battleships kind of like the "critical hit" robot that goes for the head. (the macross equivalent of Gundam's "mobile armor" - heavier than normal sized robots but with tank-like body and and larger weapons that are better at damage dealing, combined with the high speed to get to the location in time to punch a hole in the skin before the enemy ship folds out) VB-6 monster in action in frontier: If all the valkyries are shot down, destroids are backup defences that are called in for heavy jobs. At close range the battroid mode of valkyies only shoots with gunpod on the ground level. Destroids have more weapons overall. How they would present the fights would determine who the hero really is. You saw movies like diehard in the 80-90s right? That's how they could present the story where the larger the number the easier you are to be seen. A random guy is stuck on the ground and the cannon fodder valkyrie pilots have all been shot down. Now it is the destroids job to go and hunt the alien mecha that threatens the surviving colonists on a planet with hostile climate and limited resources. You technically already got this with mospeada. The fighter mode was only ever used sparingly because they were grossly outnumbered and if they exposed themselves the heroes were doomed. It would never happen since macross is all about the fighter pilots. But a side story would easily work. They do it with patlabor and show the limits of the robot all the time but the hero still comes to the rescue. And it comes with the assistance of trucks to delver it lol Where would a destroid be better than a valkyire? Inside caves and network of underground bases. The valks do not have enough gunpod ammo to go for long durations of time and rely on flying back to a base to be resupplied. If they have destroid with ability to hold heavy loads of backpacks that contain supplies and send them on mission in places where lock on weapons would be useless, then I can see destroids as being heroes. Much like bumblebee being sent in to disable bombs in transformers despite being semi-useless in the cartoons as the guy that just picks up humans in his body and drives them around. Since destroids are cheaper and don't transform they could probably send a lot more of them and if they break down, there is always some spare parts for them to get and use these to replace busted parts of the ones they are using in order to keep them in service. Let's be honest with ourself: it would require less skill to pilot a ground mech but the benefits of being easier to use means an average joe can look like a hero given the speed the machine moves at. If you are holding loads of ammo and you have thicker armor, you should not be doing dodgerolls and fancy moves anyway. Ramming into people and shielding yourself is probably more practical in confined spaces. I think if they had enemies in macross that were a lot more heavily armored and hid themselves under the surface of a planet, there would be no excuse for UN Government not to bring back the destroid. Having superior firepower and better armour with manually-aimed weapons is just more suitable in situations where you battle enemy with unknown capabilities. The skill would lie more in being able to shoot with accuracy to hit enemy weakpoints in the armor to disable its usefulness, than dodging micromissile swarms and flying away like a little insect.

Plus and SDFM are the two best macross series. Why do I like SDFM so much? It's not AIMED at anyone in particular. It's something that can appeal to more than one group. Why do we need homosexual characters? Why do they HAVE to be the lead? Why does singing have to be the only representation of a culture? That's why SDFM was the best. It's not trying to shove political ideas in our faces. It gives us the audience the room to make our own decision. Were the UNG stubborn for trying to kill the aliens and be masculine and take the tough guy stance? Maybe but they wiped out a huge amount of alien with that grand cannon. Were the females too naive to think all the aliens were going to join the UNG humans and serve us as slaves? Maybe. But minmay's music actually woke up quite a few of them despite there being a lot of rogue zentradi out there who want to be professional killers full time instead of integrate into peaceful society. One side is masculine, one side is feminine. Both are wrong. You can't attain true peace by using force. (when you encounter enemies much stronger than you you are screwed. Being masculine won't help you. If you try to be soft to the aliens they may interpret being soft as you being weak. (you get situations where minmay is singing and her song has no effect on kamjin because he is exposed enoughto human singing that he is immune to it as a tactic. So being feminine is not the solution. The truth is something in between. SDFM didn't try too hard to go in either direction. The hero was neither masculine (he was pretty pathetic actually) nor feminine but more in between. The show isn't trying to be politically correct nor is it trying to criticise one side. It's giving you situatios where either can be bad. The female zentradi gave up their feminity and became great killers in the DYRL movie. So saying masculinity is bad is ok. The male zentradi in the DYRL gave up sex for love of killing more than loving. So saying masculinity is bad is ok. . ....But the lack of masculinity in the form of super weapons like the SDFM to kill aliens in a single shot from the cannon also means that being feminine is bad too because without force you are not going to beat the bully. (the giants are much bigger and stronger than us - they will only respond to demonstration of power) Minmay needs defence: she is singing for the defence of humans. But without weapons how is she going to sing? while being shot at? Someone has to protect the singer. Can't we have a show that is balanced? Neither side is right neither side is considered the wrong side? Macross 7 didn't have that. It basically shoved its cock in your mouth and says that singing is the solution and if you don't like me, too bad you will have to suck my cock anyway and weapons are not of any use. That's oversimplification of what went down in space war I. Without the right combination of weapons and singing they would not have won the freedom. It was somewhere in between where a pilot with enough sklll could use his weapon to disable the zentradi regult with well placed shots and this would let the pilot exit the machine without killing people. There was respect for life and that is what peace is about, not being a pussy and going into battle unarmed and just hoping they don't kill you and your wife and kid goes without a daddy to provide food on the table back home if you lost the bet. So you can understand why people did not like M7 compared to Plus and SDFM. In those two other shows you have a lot more maturity. Perhaps war vets can even identify better with the characters? They don't like killing as they have religious belief that life is sacred and we should love our enemies, but if they have to kill to live (which is what both sides of wars usually claim when they don't want to do peace talk) they see no other solution but a nonlethal form of defence? (shoot the machines, but let the alien flee until they can't kill you anymore) Most people have masculine and feminine inside them. You are not one extreme or another exteme. If you can give a us a show that is not shoving your political belief in the audience face then it can make everyone happy. I would rather something more mature and realistic. I know in the world of anime all kinds of unrealistic things can happen in them but what I mean is in the way characters react to things. If basara is a good pilot and meets and alien singer who is more talented than him and even better as a pilot I think that would create a much more interesting story than a show where he basically does the exact same thing in each episode and it gets reptitive. The twist of the show would be that humans are not the best and most morally superior race in the universe. You would have a situation where the humans would be considered too violent and maybe basara singing is offensive to them in some way. (rock music in the 60s was offensive to socially conservative people back in the day) This would make for interesting story since you can't force aliens to listen. They may attack BECAUSE you are singing lol and not because they are necessarily warlike by default. How would basara survive in a alien world full of censorship? He can't rely on music. He must rely on other things like books or some other form of expression. In SDFM music took the spotlight but that's not the only thing that represents a country's/races culture. It could be food that is unique, ways of thinking, form of self defence. (eg bruce lee's entrance into the western world and bringing a lot of the martial arts to america through his movies for instance and birthing the mixed martial arts idea which was taboo at the time) One thing I have noticed in all the macross show is the assumption that humans are the most cultured of the races and we are rscuing others with our culture. What about races that are peaceful but they just don't want UNG expanding into their zone? Wars are not fought just about differences in lifestyles. It could be something as simple as technology or resources. One side could envy the other side because it has more. And they fight for control over a specific resource. (maybe it is rare and both sides need it so it's not even about right or wrong, just two sides competing to survive) When people say they would like something more gritty and realistic, they are reacting against the super robot format of macross 7. Not the idea of having a rockstar character. They may like the music in macross 7 but don't agree it was realistically presented. Doing a live performance is not the answer since if basara dies of old age all people will have left is his music cd. lol What then? The space devils return and the humans are doomed? What if not everyone has basras spiritua powers to heal plants and do other things using music through a live performance? When you put godlike characters in these real robot shows it turns off the fans of those shows. Just go back to the way we had it in SDFM where it was presented in a semi realistic way. Captain Global survived by using good strategy, weapons were used in a way that was defensive, and singers were not the foolproof method of winning. (minmay was still captured by kamjin, hikaru was still necessary to rescue the princess etc ) Macross Plus did a good job of being balanced too. You didn't see Dyson as the bad reckless person in the end relying only luck, but the pioneer who proved the importance of experimentation and taking risks using limits of the time. Without innovation and unique ideas society is stuck in time and we don't progress and advance. Robots and computers don't innovate or create, so how can you have interesting music that is only derivative? It saddens me when people say macross plus doesn't feel like it belongs in macross universe. It simply isn't true. Go back, watch it and analyse the story. It's basically the same thing but AI robots take the place of aliens and use human music against us to brainwash rather than awaken. It makes for a good sequel to SDFM because the main character gave up on her dreams and we see the dark side of entertainment industry where pop idols get exploited for commercial reasons and the way entertainment can be used to corrupt people through brainwashing rather than let them create what they want to sing. You see this all the time in the real world where art/expression go against the business aims and the creator/innovator is a puppet, much like the zentradi restricted in how they can behave. Her music isn't what singlehandedly beat the AI, it was using human creativity to get past defences and the song woke the pilot from brainwashed sleep state. Exact thing in SDFM. But unlike 7, it wasn't nearly as repetitive. And the main character did not have to be this Ghandhi-like figure. They are just ordinary people doing a job, they can in fact be killed in battles, and if they make the wrong decision there are consequences which gives it semi-realism within the sci-fi universe that makes sense. (eg no godlike pilots with resistance to death as seen in gundam wing where dying means you just get sick for a few days like in a final fantasy game, and no explanation for how it is even possible for someone to survive it - what's the point of even watching if there is no danger?) This is what we mean by gritty/realistic.

No there are certain things that can't be refuted because they are problems in all the toys. Like "are the ankles loose so that standing up is risky after going into gerwalk mode?" Or "do wings make it more delicate with the wing gimmick than without?" that can be covered. These are questions people will ask in comment section anyway right? It's not unique to one or two people, but the toy's inherent design. In the old yamato yf-19 for example you can not refute the statement "it has no lock on the chest". Because it is missing on all of them. Similarly you can't say that the wings are not going to get floppy on the new yf-19 compared to old one which did not have the gimmick. That statement of raw fact can't be challenged. Because the old toy was never designed to have hispeed. And some might prefer less gimmicks if it means less chance of the toy wearing itself out. (after all the missiles add weight) It's neither positive or negative because you are sacrificing one thing to get another thing. (in this case durability for extra gimmick) By giving that information about the trade-offs (positive and negatives) you are leaving it up to the reader to decide if OVERALL its better or overall worse, ...but at least you informed them to be able to make that decision. This statement can't be refuted: "having a stand so that your robot does not fall off the shelf due to weak balljoints is better than not having a stand. If it had a stand it would be better" It's not the same as saying whether you like the paintscheme or the colour because you fancy a certain colour over another based on personal taste only. Or talking about whether yours came cracked due to an accident by clumsy worker. A loose toy will always be < a tight one that doesn't loosen. That's why people loved the MacF VB-6 monster because it improved on the design for doing cool poses. Not because the one they had was non-defective due to bad luck. Some things are subjective, but an informative review will look at the factual stuff too. (for eg comparing lineart of the toy and judging how close it got the the original design compared to another toy which isn't as accurate and then telling us what wasn't authentic in the toy. For instance the yamato VF-17 gunpod storage gimmick isn't how it works in the show and that is not up for debate. It's either true or false.).

Ok but informative reviews are more helpful to those who have yet to buy the toy. I get what you mean by passion. But the toys are masterpieces that other collectors have placed high standards for and generally want info before they take the plunge. It's not about being negative or positive but telling us both positives and negatives so we ca make informed choice. They are just suggestions. And yes you do not have to remind me "but that's your opinion" Uh yeah whose else would it be? I own one. I like the one I have. I am satisfid with it. You can put that in the market research survey. heh But I'm curious why others seem to think it is worse than vf-19. If the quality is worse they need to reflect that in reviews (by mentioning other toys like the vf-19 that yamato released or the yf-29) so the next toys are of the same quality as previous releases. This is a premium toy. If you paid high price you got to tell them what is so wrong with it and explain clearly what you think wasn't as good. You can be positive on some parts and negative on others. Doesn't need to be either/or. Doesn't mean its a job. Your just telling what you liked or disliked. I'm pretty sure the people making these toys are fans themselves and want the feedback about the product for future reference. Especially if it means more money for them. One thing i think would be good is wings have some lock for the swing gimmick sort of like the 1/48 vf-1. When you put the missiles on the hardpoints, it can hold the weight without the wing getting loose and floppy. I have no idea how to solve it though.

I think if they were to put in a gay hero in macross he would have to be a hard gay like the characters in Gears of War. Haha. Make them destroid pilot, and definitely he has to be bald. I think a post apoc world with bikers in leather outfit fighting a dictatorship which censored certain types of music would be a good setting. You guys saw road warrior right? This is set waaay into the future and earth was destroyed again like in the rain of death episode in SDFM ad all the trees and plants were destroyed and its just desert. The valkyrie is in place of the v8 interceptor and extremely rare robot. The cops can't handle the anarchistic gangs and are all corrupt by this time anyway. And so a gay masculine zentradi defector who use to repair weapons decides to fight the gangs and fight the dictatorship to obtain freedom to sing (songs and emotion is banned just like in the movie Equilibrium) and unite the sides. Destroids are the only robots powerful enough to take on the two sides and bring true peace. Valkries are too fast and too rare to be used in underground bases where the cities are at this time. At the end of the story it is discovered he is bi-sexual and he leaves his human boyfriend which results in a fight between a destroid and valkyrie which is piloted by the jealous ex. After the destroid shoots down the stolen valk the public is safe from wars and can sing songs and people can have sex to repopulate earth once more.

Yeah he doesn't need to but it would make for interesting review since the himetal already had the vf-19. The VF-19 Himetal came out close to VF-19 (fire and blazer) by yamato. If you want interesting reviews, better to mention all the possibilities. Sorry I disagree. Not trying to piss you off. If you think its fine, think its fine. I think it could be better to include as much info so that people don't have to use the comments section to ask questions that could be covered in the review by making it longer. This is the yf-19 not just a new VF-1 repaint. It deserves loads of scrutiny since it isn't going to be as milked as VF-1 which every toy maker has done a rendition of. Arcadia has boost the price of stuff and they need to be talked about in the review in the same way people talked about hi metal being expensive. It is part of judging whether a toy is worth hunting down. No different to comparing VF-17S by yamato to the old bandai chuky munky Vf-17S. Yeah it might be unfair since one is a mass production toy but reviews do it. And so I don't think speculating about what a himetal yf-19 would be like is inapropriate since this was cancelled and they were going to do it. VF-19 Himetal was critically a success. It's a 1/100 toy but it pulled off a complex robot and wasn't crappy. If enough interest is shown in smaller cheaper alternative to the bigger toys by arcadia, then maybe you will see them bring it back? A review can be as interesting or dry as it wants to be. For instance with the Himetal VF-1 they have a better transformation mechanism for the arms. I think if someone reviews a new 1/60 yamato, mention should be made that it isn't as good as bandai's solution to the arms. As things get better in time, standards are raised. What you thought was awesome 10 years ago is only ok today. 1/48 used to be the gold standard for the VF-1, then 1/60 v2 came out. Then after V2 1/60 himetals came out and one-upped the v2 in making it better and easier to transform. "But the yf-19 himetal didn't come out did it?" Yeah but it was GOING to come out and the VF-19 is a close relative of the YF-19 which he added to his pictures in the review. (very easy to imagine how a YF-19 would have been like as a Himetal since the VF-19 is completed in that line already) I think as the cost gets higher people will settle for a less detailed but cheaper alternative. But prices don't seem to factor much in reviews for some reason despite how many fans of other toylines (transformers fans) read the reviews and interested to know the quality and value of the toys being covered in comparison to what else is out at the time. A good masterpiece TF is just as complex as macross toy and they came with stands. (ie masterpiece starscream for eg)

Transforming can take a long time though. hehe Some people just buy toys because they are easy to handle and won't break easily. Those transforming bandai mac f kits were pretty good but they probably get worse the more you touch it. I don't want to build the thing so it's also a patience thing for me. Maybe I see toys as pre-built model.

Lets say for example yamacadia does a re-release of vb-6 monster which is better than bandai one but more expensive. I as a owner of the existing bandai vb-6 would want to know if the improvements o the newer and improved one would be enough to justify the extra cost that the new monster brings. (perhaps extra gimmicks that were not there for instance) The point I was trying to make was this: The review shouldn't just be about "how we've improved since the older toys and how technology has advanced", but whether the improvements are big enough leap to justify paying a bigger amount.... or alteratively getting the older toy at cheap price. (provided the older toy is still widely available) Ok I 'm not saying he has to do it that way but that it would help us who are thinking of buying the toys if he guaged "how worth it" the toy was for its current price given what the competition offers. This is what most people are going to do if money is an issue. To those who just want "the best that money can buy because price is not an issue to them" it is not needed. But you want your reviews to appeal to as many people as possible and cover as many issues is what i am saying. Many people would like stands with their toys for instance because it makes posing easier not because we are greedy people but because it helps with the presentation of the toy on display. Mention this in your reviews when comparing to bandai offerings to give the reader a indication of where their money could have gone. But counterbalance it with explaining the quality of offering. (not as much paint scratching on yamarcadia toys etc) For instance I paid about the same for yamato monster from years ago as I did with the bandai mac F monster. But the new one also comes with the stand. That added value as well as quality. It's not just that "technology got better and the quality is superior overall". You are getting MORE for your buck too. If yf-19 came with a stand (like they did for sv-51) the issues about the ankles might not be as big an issue for those who want to do cool poses in battroid mode. The diecast (which adds weight) combined with balljoints that get loose are the two big reason you won't be posing this in anything other than usual standing poses so the lack of stand hurts it presentation-wise. If something this expensive falls off the shelf.... let's just say it's going to hit the ground harder and with more force than the all-plastic yamato yf-19. You don't have that fear with Himetal or smaller toys. You can do extreme poses, and use balljoints without them getting loose, and even if they do fall they won't hit as hard. If they hit the ground or get broken, they are probably less of a hit on the wallet too, since they cost less to replace. People see value in that. 1/48 vf-1 yamato toys had that problem when they made the FAST packs diecast.. It meant the toy felt expensive but it felt risky to pose on the shelf too because if it falls you'd wreck it more easily too. This is where the stand comes in: you can present them in interesting way without as much fear.

Because the yf-19 looks like it was matched close to the release of yf-29 which are both dyson planes and both have the forward swept wings. Much like vf-17 and vf-171 being released close together. Reviews should keep in mind what else is out at the time that you can get with your money not just how good the item is. Everyone likes macross but how much do you like the product for the cost? That is something people always argue about on these boards as prices rise higher. "was it worth the extra money in relation to the improvements?" (some people might actually prefer older toys - eg some transformers repaints of figures may used worse plastic than previous releases or have some giimmicks removed to cut cost) It's a harsh reality of being collector. If you see a great toy but don't think it is worth the price you may not think its worth buying. For me reviews are all about telling the people if the item is worth it for what you get. But it is just suggestion that can help people. Why do people insist that this toy is worse build quality than previous yamato toys despite being higher priced? That is something reviews should definitely cover and explore the claims. Maybe explain how this is so. We want to hear this stuff before taking the plunge. (not me in particular but those reading the reviews who have yet to decide whether to buy one.) That stuff is more important than you think. Especially for people who were not crazy about yf-19 enough to pay such high price. Some people like the toy but just not like it at current price given that they got vf-19 at normal price. It's a bit like how you see arguments about game systems: "ps4 can have the 1080p with 60 fps and is cheaper but the xb one has to cut the frames per second down to 30 and it was initially a morre expensive console. " Logic says one is more powerful and cheaper than the other so one offers a better deal. When deciding which to get you go with the better deal. This is how i think toy reviews should be. Many complained that the bandai himetal was expensive for its size because at the time yamato had better deal offering vf-1 toys at 1/60 for a bit extra more. People back then were looking at who offered a better deal and they made the choices based on value for money. There was nothing wrong with Himetal they just wouldn't buy it because you could get better deal with yamato. So why can't they do that with arcadia and reviews of their products in comparison with similar sized bandai ones? You don't think it's fair? I'm interested to hear why.

A ground drone that follows the monster would be great. It has treads, guards the monster from either side and more agile than a normal destroid. At close range it goes into bot mode to take advantage of pint point barrier system to block attacks from incoming enemy fire directed at the monster. I think something like a ground version of what luca had with his flying drones would be good. The monster can attach the drones to its body for space and these would have limited flying ability in zero G environments much like the regult in space. Maybe they can 'surf' on the konig monster like a surfboard while it is in shuttle mode lol So you might have one behind, two at the side and the monster takes the front position focusing all its attention on firing the big cannons on its back while the other guys take out smaller enemies.

Is that why they don't do the tampo printing? That the toys are limited run in general? I always wondered why they don't do the simple stuff like for instance way back when the konig monster came out I was unhappy that they didn't print the two eyeballs symbls on the sides. So I guess we can just put it down to them being a smaller company?

A lot of people brought up how they think the plastic is worse than the VF-19. I don't know if that is true or not. How do you guys tell if it is worse plastic? Just the thickness? Maybe if you forward this criticism to the people at arcadia they can improve on re-releases of this toy?

If they were to do premium edition versions of the toys where everything was tampo printed I would probably buy it. The 30th anniversary VF-1 though with all the colors of the rainbow? Naaah. not my thing. Maybe they should do a poll asking how much collectors would pay to have a toy where you didn't have to add the stickers and do limited run of these for the lazy people like me? I find it annoying to do personally. And then there is the problem of them rubbing off easily over time. I could make an exception for VF-17 though since it is a stealth valk and having logos would be stupid. The marking would not make sense.

I think in your review you could make speculation as to what a YF-19 HiMetal would have been like if it exists. Put the VF-19 HiMetal next to the yamato VF-19 and then send a hint that you would like to see Macross Plus toys at smaller sizes to get better battroid poses without stands. Arcadia are not the only company doing macross stuff. Always keep in mind the competition when doing a review. For instance if bandai were to make a toy of similar size and complexity would it cost as much? If not, you should tell the reviewers that they are getting a great toy but maybe it would have been a bit better at lower price to match what is already on the market. (ie mac Fronier.merchandise that is floating around right now on second hand and new market) You assume that a guy who is about to buy something is limited in funds and can choose between this and something else which is just as good but cheaper. Comparing to older toys from the same company when the dollar was of different value is one thing but if you factor in how much this costs to say YF-29 or some other equally-complex transforming jet people can get a good idea of whether it is value for money. I can do a review of 1/48 today and say wow I got it cheap and its a great toy. But it would be meaningless to compare it to new toy that costs more due to the inflation of dollar. Best to compare a toy to something that is on the market right now made with the same tech of modern times just like people do with their PC rigs, as opposed to what happened in the past for toys that are no longer easy to find anymore.

chest guns? I thought those were secret beam sabers for cutting up robots at close range.

Totally agree. Such a shame Arcadia have no plan to do variable glaug. I like how it changes to three forms much like the VB-6. You could say that technically V Glaug is not a valkyrie. It is more like a robot with a fighter mode added to it. haha. V Glaug is not in GERWALK mode when it is in chicken walker form since that was its original robot mode. Instead of floating on a cushion of air and hovering the glaug was always seen kangaroo/bunny-hopping with the boosters to assist its jumps. Now if the destroids could all transform by default into tank modes I think they would be great addition to the human forces. Why? Because if you are lower to the ground you can roll (get to where you need to go faster and shoot with more stability. They already had a transforming sub in Zero. It's time to give the ground destroids (other than monster) some extra mode imo

I would like to see Himetal return though. I know its dead. The risky mecha like VF-2SS in himetal form would be a great start. Think of all the cool poses.

But that was when yamato toys were cheap. hehe You got to look at the times. (they were still alive) If Bandai were to do Himetal YF-19 I know people would look at that as a nice cheaper alternative to the bigger 1/60 and this would force Arcadia to set theirs a bit lower out of the pressure of competition. They were late to the market so by the time himetal VF-19 came out people were already convinced NOT to buy it because yamato was doing the 1/60 vf-19. I bet part of the reason they put such high quality attention on VF-19 was BECAUSE they were scared of what bandai could achieve at 1/100 scale. So that scared them into using highest level plastics etc. But you didn't see this with VF-17. It was expensive even though it is a much simpler transformation than VF-19. A 1/100 VF-17, YF-19 and YF-21 would sell. Put them next to a VB-6 Monster. and they would make great display pieces. Perhaps when the next tv series comes out bandai could consider 1/100 himetal again. 1/100 destroids, enemy mecha, and good guys mecha would be awesome if they can pull off decent PT and do cool poses. The big toys that use ball joints is ridiculous because unless you have a stand those ball joints just go to waste because of all the weight bearing down on it! But they work well on smaller and lighter figures. VF-1 HiMetal is in some ways superior to 1/60 VF-1 v2 in the area of FAST packs (no ugly bar connecting the two pieces) and transformation. (simpler shoulder mechanism) despite less detail.

I actually am not a big fan of high speed mode to be honest. It wasn't really seen that much in the anime. I know that one day when I swoosh the toy in plane mode they will get loose. I would have preferred it if they didn't include that gimmick and just went the route of the VF-19. If I were to do a review I ould mention how it might not feel as fun to hold as a VF-19 if that is what you do with your toys a lot. Come on Bandai. Bring back Himetal macross toys. Now is the time when there are people complaining about arcadia prices being high. Your timing sucks.