Ed.Coli

I'm not praising it because it's a new Macross series, I'm praising it because, in my opinion, what it does well, it does very well, and what it doesn't (like the ending), well, it doesn't. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean your opinion is final. To you. I thought it was okay.

So by this you mean: Yeah, so much for your "expertly veiled" insult. Me? I was okay with the ending; it just needed more closure.

Here. (In Japanese, though.)

Old, but cool. But I wonder where the driver would go after transformation? It looks painful.

"Easily changed disguises fit YOU and your puppet?!" Did they actually expect kids to smear that crap on their faces?!

If hobbyists can improve the existing VF-19A/YF-19 sculpt by simply adding on ball joints and a new head, why can't Yamato?

No, it really does have three barrels. From Cyclone's Mospeada page:

Now, a more thorough supplementary review: First off, here's the "FRAGILE!" label. This got my heart racing, especially after all the QC mishaps I'd read about in the old thread. http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/b1.jpg First off, the box, as with all the other MPCs, is really swank. The certificate of authenticity is even removable! I also got a laugh out of the "no removable parts" guarantee, obviously a stab at Yamato's 1/60 collection. (One thing though; the alpha does require removable parts, namely, the shoulder sensor. Is this the same message from the MPC "veritechs?") http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/b2.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/b3.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/b4.jpg The instruction manual is also really nice; way better than the black and white Yamatos. The manual also comes with a bio and information page, and a sticker placement guide; another plus! http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/am1.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/am2.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/am3.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/am4.jpg Now, the toy itself. The thing came packaged in fighter mode, with all the pieces resting snugly in a plastic tub. All the pieces were easily removable, as well as the toy, and showed no signs of damage or wear; a departure from the "exploding" first-issue alphas. A thorough inspection revealed no immediate paint errors; everything is nice and clean. Everything locked together tightly; nothing was loose or dangling. I could even grab this thing by the arm thrusters with no fear of them detaching. The tailfins and missile hatches are sturdy, and show no looseness or flopping. The landing gear is very snugly fit within the wells, almost scarily so. One of the things I think alpha owners overlook is the fact that the rear landing gear will actually lock into place with an audible snap; no, you are not breaking your toy! Also, the nosecone can be pushed down to fix the "arched back" syndrome present in many of the pictures. Though I wouldn't recommend placing anything heavy on it, the alpha can hold this position quite well. Now, onto Guardian/Armo-Diver mode! The transformation is explained very clearly and thoroughly in the instruction manual, though that could be partly because of the instructions being in English. The legs can cant outwards slightly, giving it a more anime-accurate "leg-spread" position than the Gakken. Another plus is the fact that the heels and toes of the feet are rotatable to allow everything to sit even with the floor/table/whatever. My only major beef with the toy lies here; the kneecaps' locking method is way too fragile, consisting of two frighteningly thin pegs that lock into ridiculously small holes in fighter and soldier mode. One should take extra caution when shifting the position of the kneecaps. Finally, battloid/armo-soldier mode. This thing is way more posable than the awkward MPC VFs. The hips are "pseudo-ball jointed," giving them an edge in posability, and also allowing for a more "spread-leg" stance than the weird MPC legs. On mine, the arms are nice and tight, with enough looseness to pose without any scary exertion. The hands are solid, and I really like how snugly the gunpod fits in them. Also, a cool feature not in any other alpha/legioss toy/model; the cockpit vanes actually fold back in soldier mode, giving a more accurate to the anime look than the Imai or Gakken's ugly gaps. Some cons? Yes, but just a few. First, as mentioned before, the belly hangs too low in fighter mode. Also, as stated above, the kneecap locking mechanism seems really fragile. That's it, really. I think the Green Alpha/Legioss is a fantastic toy, and I have no qualms about paying full price (though I did get free shipping; thanks Kevin!) I think this toy is light years ahead of the terrible MPC Veritechs, and if the QC on all of the green ones is as good as mine, then this version goes a long way in helping ease bad memories of the old MPC VFs. I think Toynami has an actual masterpiece on its hands, for once. Finally, some tips in transforming your alpha/legioss: -Some have complained that the arms do not sit flush with the legs when you transform it back to fighter. This can usually be remedied by checking to see if the lower legs are locked into the tabs on the hip, and if the waist of the fighter is retracted completely. If done correctly, the arm tabs should be right on top of the leg holes, providing a clean, snug fit. -Some have also complained that the nose arches too high upward in fighter mode; this can be remedied simply by adjusting the head so that it is not in the way, and applying gentle pressure downward. -Also, the toes and heels can be adjusted in Fighter mode so that the thrusters do not look too much like a crab. And now, the pictures: http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a1.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a2.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a3.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a4.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a5.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a6.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a7.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a8.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a9.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a10.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a11.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a12.jpg http://www.pole-land.com/images/mpcalpha/a13.jpg

Well, MAHQ says the 1/48 is correct...

No, it was on the shipping label. But, putting that kind of warning on their MPC alphas' boxes would probably be helpful, given the number of horror stories from the past thread.

Don't worry, commands are ridiculously simple, handled by the D-pad on the controller. Really, it becomes second nature really quickly.

So far, mine is holding up fine. It seems that all the QC errors of the first release were fixed; joints were tightened, paint was applied correctly, nothing exploded. I'll post some pictures after I get "not busy." Here's what I posted in the old thread:

Cool! I sent you a PM.

Actually, I was referring to Adam Warren and his covers. Now, I have nothing against his art, and by damn, he is great with covers (Did them for PSM some time ago), but every time I look at his faces and their ridiculously huge eyes, I can't help but wince, and my mind screams "DERIVATIVE!!" I have no beef with those who were raised on that particular style, but I think the philosophy of finding your own unique style and sticking with it should hold fast, especially in comics. Hmmm... I wonder what Robotech/Macross would look like with Liefeld at the helm?

While some of the covers look good, and others merely okay, these do tend to lean towards one of my bigger beefs in the comics industry; just pick a damned style already. As someone who works in graphics, and as a plain ol' freelance cartoonist, I am sick of artists trying to draw in a certain style just because it sells, or because it appeals to a larger demographic. Dammit, there is nothing wrong with American comics; we don't need any more pseudo-japanese crap. Except for Rob Liefeld, who is universally loathed anyway. Okay, rant off. Commenting on the comic page, the detail shots are actually quite good. It's just the wide-angle shots with the mecha all suffer from poor perspective issues and just plain bad space management (see the frame with 3 battroids cramped around each other).

Got my Green (#1365) yesterday in the mail from Valkyrie Exchange (Many many thanks!), with a certain level of apprehension having read this entire thread during my lurking days. Box came with a "FRAGILE!!" label slapped on, so that didn't help. Anyhow, the packaging is swank, but you knew that already. Didn't have much time to look over it in depth, since I'm 6 kinds of busy, but from what I saw, it was very solid, none of the dreaded QC mishaps that I've been reading so much about. The paint app is spot-on, the joints are solid and tight (regarding the landing gear, almost TOO tight), and it hasn't exploded yet, so that's a plus. The size surprised me; this seems way too big for a 1/55 scale, especially compared to the 1/48 IMAI kit. From the crazy complaints about size, I almost thought it'd be some tiny thing, but it was respectably sized, and had good heft. Another plus for this one! Honestly, I can't speak for those who had crappy MPCs, but I think that Toynami finally created a true Masterpiece. In my opinion, this thing was worth every cent I paid for the preorder, and I have none of that "customer's remorse" that usually comes after a dissappointing purchace. Having handled one of the infamous MPC VFs, this Legioss/Alpha really blows the rest of Toynami's crap outta the water, and, IMO, puts the company in the higher echelons of the transforming toy industry. If they really did fix all the QC issues in the 3rd run, then by damn, you need to run the hell out and buy a green one. Anyhow, that's just my personal experience. Pics soon.

Yeah, I did a search on the forums, but Rohby only did a recast for the 1/48 (which I unfortunately do not have).

First off, Hi. I'm new, obviously. That said, has anyone considered recasting any of the 1/60 Yamato pilot figures for the pilotless first release VFs? I've got a custom VF-1a that would like someone to fly it around, instead of just an empty chair. Again, hi.