Matt Random

I've taken my 19 through one complete transformation cycle now. The quality is much better than the non-FP version I had. The gunpod is straight, the rear wheels cant outward (though still not enough w/o some modding), the chest/head/shoulders don't detach during transformation, the little shoulder flap doesn't constantly fall off, the fighter neck locking mechanism isn't near as tight and the head assembly easily rotates for transformation (the head would lock into place too tightly on the my non-FP version). The only QC problems I had was that one rear was folded away before the paint was dry and one of the intake covers likes to pop off. Getting the FPs on the fighter the first time is a bit tricky, but every thing is solid once you figure it out. I always liked that the 19 could be converted to a two-seater so I'm happy to have that feature. Having a little Yang is nice. OK, so that sounded a bit weird. I like the fold booster a lot more than I expected and think it looks nice on the fighter. Too bad Yamato couldn't include the batteries on a $240 toy. Unfortunately, I don't have any setting around. What's worse is that I have 14 LR-41s sitting in a drawer!

So the YF-21 comes with cancer? I guess lead in our toys wasn't enough. Now they contain carcinogens.

This is a good idea. It would prevent people from selling a Yamato that they've had on display for a year or two as 'new in box.'

I'm torn on this one. On the one hand I've never been a fan of the design. On the other hand, I feel compelled to give the 19 a buddy. The whole Zero fiasco has taught me to never get the first release of anything Yamato does (maybe not the second or third either). Looks like I may be waiting a long while since this comes with fast packs which would mean a second release in the anime colors is probably a ways down the road. I wonder if the seat cover comes off like in the anime. Looks like the top is a separate piece. It would be a simple, but neat feature.

Mine credit card still hasn't been charged! The Hikaru 1S pilot is gummy.

Me too. I'd been contemplating getting the 19 FP and the sale was the impetus I needed to take the plunge.

Yeah, I finally caved and got it. I guess that darn Macross bug bit me again. Thankfully, no buyer's remorse on this one!

I picked up one of these since I really like the Zero design and wanted one that will hopefully stand the test of time. The only issue I had is that the shoulders were way too tight. I couldn't even move one of them. All is fine now that I loosened up the screws. No stress marks. All the other joints are nice and tight but not overly so.

My Sovereign Studios 1/6 scale Indiana Jones. Runners up are my custom Cy-Girl Batgirl and my 1/48 Hikaru Strike.

The wing joints have been black in every picture shown so far. I noticed it the first time and it has bothered me ever since. I hadn't noticed the silver over the engines before. That looks really bad.

Skywarp is my contender for Toy of the Year! In fact, I sold my Classics Skywarp since this is the only Skywarp I need. The finish is a very nice gloss which works well for the black color scheme. The plastic feels very nice. Comparable to the Transformers Classics toy. I've transformed it 3-4 times now and don't see any stress marks at all. I don't feel the need to be near as gentle with Skywarp as I have to be with Starscream so I can enjoy the transformation process a lot more. The quality of Starscream is indeed lacking. The plastic feels fragile and mine developed stress marks and cracks during the first transformation. I'm afraid that the wings are going to break off at some point. One nice thing about Starscream is the panel lines. Skywarp could maybe benefit from some panel line inking on the non-black parts.

This is shown on How it's Made on Discovery Channel from time to time.

As nice as this looks I'm having a hard time convincing myself to take the plunge. These things have become too pricey. I could use the $250 for a lot of other goodies.

One nice thing about Leader Prime is that the rear wheels have enough movement to get them out of the way when posing. The wheel assembly even has a joint in the middle so that lower portion of the assembly can be angled 90 degrees. The kibble will be even more of an eyesore in some positions. There isn't a lot of movement in the feet even though ball joints are used. Balance is also an issue. All the weight is in the chest which makes for a high center of gravity.

I think Leader Brawl may be shipping by himself. I didn't see any other leaders all three times I've seen Brawl.

I generally like the automorph. The gimmick worked well on leader Prime and wasn't bad on Ironhide either. Unfortunately, the gimmick is poorly executed on leader Brawl to the point where it reduces the fun factor.

The legs are nicely articulated, however, the bulk on the back of the legs make this mostly useless. There is a lot of good articulation in the arms and hands. The toy is fun to play with in bot mode. A lever on the right arm extends the gun and flips up a sight thingy. Sliding the lack panel on the left arm flips the blades into place. The sound effects in tank mode are kind of fun. Push the canon to get a canon sound. Turn the upper turret one way to get a gun and missile sound. Turn it the other way to get a different gun sound. Turn it to the 45 degree mark in either direction and the sound effect repeats indefinitely. I returned Brawl. I managed to get it into tank mode once, but was unable to get the skirts aligned when I tried a second time. After 10 minutes of screwing with the skirts I decided that I didn't need a toy that increased my stress level instead of providing some relaxation.

Leader Brawl Review - save your money The Automorphs ruin this toy! The head launches up through the chest at the slightest touch of either the lever or the bottom of the neck assembly. The other automorph is in the tread skirts. The forward section of each skirt is spring loaded and connects under the gray light thingies. Unfortunately, getting all the skirts in place takes more tinkering than an Alternator so I can never get the forward skirt to stay clipped in place. All the while, I keep triggering the head automorph! The robot and tank modes look good, but it is the engineering that kills this toy. I returning this as defective. Hasbro can have this piece of crap back.

I found the leader Brawl at Target in Dublin, CA. I also saw the deluxe trucks and new jet. No sign of 08 BB, Arcee or Ultimate BB. Brawl looks good. I left the store with him even though I previously had no plans to pick it up. I haven't opened it yet so I can't say much. The missile launchers glow green and the main barrel glows red. The sounds are nice combat sounds (cannon, slow automatic weapon and a missile). The head rising enhanced automorph is much faster than on Prime. I really prefer the slower mechanism.

I think the ones around here started following that policy about a month ago. The Transformer area is just a sea of pegs and a desert of dusty, barren shelves.

I don't think there is any holding back going on here at the store level. Maybe the DC level. The TRU near me isn't renovating (still has the 'classic' isle design) and hasn't had anything for weeks. They took down the TF feature area and put up a back to school feature area. Target finished the reset and only put out the new Real Gear. The scanner says no deluxes are in the stockroom. No new Joes are in the stockroom either.

Did you happen to see what wave number was marked on the box? Who else was in the box?

Toy companies don't worry much about scale. They worry more about keeping all the toys a consistent size. The Yamato 1/48 VF-1, 1/60 VF-0 and 1/60 YF-19 are all roughly the same size. I believe all the Revoltechs are roughly the same size, so I wouldn't expect to see accurate scale with the Macross stuff.

I enjoyed all the comedy in the movie except for Mr. S7. His stuff was just a bit too corny and out of place. I noticed a couple of times that the Autobots where in car mode instead of bot mode when it would have made more sense - . It really struck me as odd and got me wondering when if the FX budget was stretched or if GM just wanted a longer commercial.

Nothing that came out of Botcon excited me. Leader Brawl looks like it may be a brick and the clear plastic is silly. The movie Osprey looks like it may have propeller hands which I don't care for. I do like that they have plans for some of the movie vehicles to be made into movie TFs such as the Osprey, S7 SUV and buggy. It seems like a good way to extend the franchise. The Seeker exclusives killed what little interest I had in the Classics line. I'm thankful that Skywarp, my one and only Classic, wasn't one of the exclusives. I have no interest in the new show. The look, characters and plot just don't appeal to me. The only Transformer I'm looking forward to at this point is MP Skywarp. The 08 Bumblebee would be a must have if it was yellow and gray instead of yellow and black. The Ultimate BB would be a lot more appealing if it had clear windows, a more accurate chest, interchangeable right arm and no motorized gimmicks. The toy as it now stands is intriguing but $90 is just too much for something that I'm not totally sold on.