M'Kyuun

Saw it today...besides the accent differences, everything else was really good...wish there were more animated movies like this. Nice little geek nods, and the night fury dragon was a great character, as mentioned. I can relate to the main character, as I'm the only male in my family who doesn't hunt and fish. I'd rather look at stuff on the internet, build something with LEGO, fidget with one of my hundreds of transforming toys and figures, or immerse myself in sci-fi/fantasy of one medium or another.

The cell animated version looks excellent, better to me than the CG. It captures the fierceness I remember as a kid. The level of violence is what got me hooked on the show way back when I was about 4 or 5...loved that people would actually die. That, and every week there was a new giant robot insect for the G-Force to battle. C'mon, who doesn't love giant robot insect battle machines with weapons and gimmicks galore? There was also the occasional tragic love story thrown in for good measure. The live action vid looks a bit silly to me...there are just some things that don't translate well to live-action. I liked the updated Astro-Boy by Imagi...it wasn't a bad movie, although I think some of the writing could have been polished more. For any movie like this, Brad Bird should be involved, even if he's only an editor. I liked the overall look of the movie though, and I thought the dude who voiced Astro did a good job. Shame that Imagi are shutting down. Not a good time in history for live action anime translations: first live-action Evangelion, and now Gatchaman.

Like many others here, my introduction to Macross was through Robotech. I'm glad and thankful to Mr. Macek for recognizing that Japanese animation had value back in the 80's and that he worked to bring that to the US, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with his treatment of the material. Beyond that, it seems that he truly loved and championed sci-fi; and so, we've lost another pioneer. Thanks, Carl. May you truly rest in peace.

Scroll up and check my post #83...those are some of the issues with battroid. Additionally, the shuttle mode is pretty wide, esp the shoulder parts (not streamlined at all...they stick out like Prince Charles' ears). And of course, there's the infamous gap between the wings and fuselage in shuttle mode. In gerwalk, it droops a bit, and requires a bit of patience to get the kneecap panels to sit in the indents in the feet to give it some support. The legs contain a lot of linkage, both fore and aft, and no ratcheting, so it has a tendency to be floppy when the legs are unlocked. While I like my Yammie, if I didn't own one, I'd be more willing to hold out for Bandai's..it's better looking in shuttle mode, the head stowage and placement looks to be much better, and it has panel lining and lots of tampo, based on the pics. The Yamato monster is very plain, with sparse paint apps, and very little panel lining. I'm hoping that Bandai will correct all the wrongs inherent in the Yamato toy. At the time, though, it was a bold choice for Yamato to make the thing, and it was fairly impressive, but a number of years have passed, and Bandai should have had ample time to study its strengths and flaws and produce a better Monster in their DX line. I look forward to seeing more development pics/reviews, and most likely I will add a DX Monster to my collection. Hope this helps.

True. When I happened upon it for the first time in my Designworks book many years ago, I was wow-ed. I knew of thee monster, of course, but seeing that converted into a full 3-mode variable mech was sure impressive, and the shuttle mode just seemed appropriate and fitting for such a massive machine. Mr. Kawamori, IMHO, has an excellent imagination, and equally impressive design skills.

Besides actually liking how the VB-6 looks, I think what you said is also a large part of the appeal. I'm glad Bandai is taking a stab at creating this. I had hoped Yamato, back when they were making M-Zero toys, would have also tried making an Octos, as well, just to make something non-valkyrie, but still transformable. Besides, the Octos was a pretty cool design.

Broke out my Yammie VB-6 yesterday for the first time in over a year. Bandai's is looking much better. The head placement on the Yamato version sits too far behind the shoulders, it barely locks together in battroid, the battroid is "scrunched", the legs have nearly no articulation at the hips and their attachment is contrary to the lineart (the joints should attach directly to the flaps that fold down on either side of the nose in battroid). And, of course, the arms are pretty floppy, and the legs nearly the same when not locked together. Gerwalk sags a fair bit. Despite these and sundry other flaws, I still like it, though. I guess it has 1/55 appeal..it's not very accurate, but it's the only toy of its kind for the time being, and it's close enough to the source to be more than recognizable. And I'm generally just a fan of transformable toys, and Macross designs, of course. EXO's propped up Yamato looks pretty good. I love the battroid mode of the VB-6, and that pic make the Yammie version look much better than the actual toy's battroid as designed. Looking at the pics of Bandai's shuttle compared to Yamato, the gaps between the legs and the arms is far reduced on Bandai's ...the whole shuttle looks much sleeker. The gaps on the Yamato are huge.

The VF-27 looks good in all 3 modes; however, the thighs are a bit thick, and movement is a little restricted in part by the chunkiness, but also b/c of the canards (really crappy design to put those canards where they'll most likely contact the upper legs in battroid). The slightly too-high placement of the thighs and the lack of a locking mechanism to keep the crotch angled out, as seen in the anime/lineart, are really the only detractors. After handling my YF-21 and Yf-19 for the first time in prob a year, I have to say I enjoy fiddling with my VF-27 much more. It is a very solid toy, holds poses far better, and just looks great. Love to see the metal showing through the ankle guards. And, unlike my Yammies, the gear are pretty easy to extend and retract without resorting to toothpicks and tweezers (no paint means no scratches, either). Absolutely no regrets buying this thing. I need to break out my SV-51 and put it next to the VF-27. It's prob my favorite Yamato valk, along w/ the VF-0. I'd like to get Grace's VF-27, but I'm getting my backyard done, so there's a significant deferrence of funds happening, and sacrifices must be made (plus, I promised the wife, who generally doesn't care what I buy, as far as toys go, so I owe her)

Bandai's attempt already wins for a sleeker design, which is closer not only to the Frontier look, but also the original lineart. I never realised just how bulky the Yamato Monster looked in shuttle mode until I saw these pics. Big difference. Nitpicks: - The body, to me, looks a bit too fat, and so diminishes the slightly lankier look of the lineart. - Also, in keeping with DX tradition, the hip joint looks like it's mounted lower on the leg than it should be, so that the top of the leg will hinder any chance of getting an "A" stance out of the battroid. I like the Monster's battroid mode best out of the 3, and I hope there is a lot of ratcheting goodness in Bandai's version. Pros: - Sleeker shuttle mode - Tampo FTW I hope they find a way to give the legs more functionality and poseability. Aside from the over-extending kneecaps, the rest of the leg doesn't seem that complex. The new movie Prime toy is overall more complex than this, and it manages an excellent transformation, aesthetics, and poseability, not to mention it has to look like a real vehicle. I would expect the same from Bandai, who have the expertise and resources, to solve the problems so inherent on Yamato's toy. Hope Bandai takes their time, examines the failures of the Yamato version, and designs a superior toy.

Seconded. Comparing gears between Yamatos and Bandai, I know the gears are far easier to extend on my VF-27 than on pretty much any of my Yamato valks. The gears aren't painted on my VF-27, so the tradeoff is less accuracy, but far easier to get the f'n things out of their wells. Passed on the VF-11C, but kinda sucks that the legs pop off. Never was an issue with my VF-11B, which, IMHO, is a damned near perfect toy.

If you do score one, be careful when bending the knees...I was transforming mine for thee firsttime, bent the knee (my angle was just slightly off, I guess) and the leg snapped off in my hand. The post to which the knee joint is attached is not very thick, and the knee ratchet is pretty tight for its being attached to so narrow a piece of plastic. I ended up drilling a hole and sticking a piece of wire in there to hold the two halves together. I nearly cried when it happened, as I literally only had it out of the box for about 10 minutes. Hope I'm the only one this has happened to. Is MP Grimlock a Walmart exclusive? I personally didn't care about all the Takara extras...just the fig himself. I don't acknowledge much of anything from the original show beyond season 1 and the movie. Too much silliness in season 2 and beyond...Seaspray, cosmic rust, drunk on energon, ...I thought it all was dumb at 13. My views haven't changed.

Too bad he didn't have the Yf-21 to duke it out with...would have been even better, and looked cooler than fighting a stick figure. Pretty unique and entertaining. "Join us!"

I have both Mindwipe and Skystalker and still haven't tried any combos yet. I love Skystalker, and prefer to keep him alone so i can play. Mindwipe is a pretty decent fig as well, although his legs look a little wonky to me, maybe too short, I dunno. It's not b/c they're goat legs, either. Overall, he's a pretty good rendition of the F-117, albeit with some artistic license thrown in. Best of all, no underplane robot syndrome...nice and flat on the bottom. hasbro, takara, why can't all your aircraft figs be like this? I like Dirge as well..interesting transformation, and he's a decent Harrier wannabe. His cockpit arm is kinda crappy, but I still like him. Managed to find TFA Arcee and Cybertron Ratchet. Love em both, but Arcee is near and dear. Waited a long time for a G1-esque Arcee with a car mode, and IMHO, they dun good. I got Scattershot, too. I like the fig...neat transformation and great poseability. The guns on his arms suck b/c they cannot really be positioned out of the way for free hands very well. So I have him double gunning and he looks pretty good. Some of the scout class figs are surprisingly good, sometimes better than the Deluxes. And speaking of double-gunning, ROTF Brawn is a pretty nice fig in his own right, though he's nearly a shell former, but he comes out of his vehicle mode with pistols in hands, and can assume some cool poses. I love his head...menacing for an Autobot.

Got my Brera custom VF-27 today, and I have to say, it's a damned fine toy. Getting the battroid's chest into position took some fidgeting, but I got it finally. (I generally never open the instructions on any of my valks, and this one is no exception. Transformation is pretty simple overall) I have to question the logic, however, of placing a set of vanes on the aircraft in such a position that they will lie directly behind the upper thigh in battroid. On a toy, or on a "real" machine, where the legs would be in motion and potentially move back and snap them off, it seems to me that the vane placement is a bit of a design flaw. Then again, I think the hips are supposed to jut out further from the fuselage than they do on the DX, and the 1/72 may have better clearance. Still, I wish both vanes could hinge back parallel to the acft fuselage to give more clearance for those big hips. Quality wise, everything, except the oft mentioned wrists, are pretty tight, and allow for some very excellent poseability. There is so much glorious tampo on this thing (decals be damned, this is how printing should be on collector grade toys). The white paint apps, on mine at least, look like they could have stood a second coat of paint, as the red shows through a little. Overall, I'm glad I got it, and really no glaring faults, beyond the hips are slightly too high. It's a concession, and I can live with it. As others have mentioned, it's pretty sturdy, and I love, love, love seeing the metal bits in the ankles and arm joints. The gear could stand to be white, but at this point, I'm just glad they look like proper gear, and extend from their wells with relative ease. Recommended!

I've been on the fence for a long time, but I finally ordered a VF-27 through HLJ.

As much as I like the Vf-27, I'm on the fence about getting a DX. The hip placement still bugs me a bit, and the crotch piece in every pic I've seen never seems to angle out as in the art. To me it's noticeable enough to degrade the overall look of the valk, along with the too-high hipline. I like skinny bots, and the VF-25, and 27 by extension, has a pretty excellent aesthetic. If anything, the legs look too much like robot legs and feet in fighter mode, IMHO. That minor nitpick aside, I think it looks great in fighter, esp with the improved landing gear, and the backs of the legs look like they sit more properly, i.e. higher, than the Vf-25. So I'm curious, does the crotch angle out more? I think it'd add a bit to the look, hips notwithstanding. It'd be cool if someone did a mod to the DX's crotch to allow the legs to move down about 1/4 inch or so. I'd like to see the difference it'd make. edit: Just saw the b-mode pics of Brera's DX VF-27 with the crotch angled out a few posts back. Looks good. Not crazy about pink, but Grace's green machine looks promising.

Sorry, I misunderstood. I have it on PS3. My plasma is a piece, so I can't get the HDMI to sync with the tv's DVI. It still looks good with my current connections. It's a gritty looking game.

I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I'm about 60% through. I'm a slow gamer, b/c I like to look around and just enjoy the game. There's a nice detective element to the game, including "detective mode" that illuminates everything in a bluish cast, and highlights electrical panels, removable grates, various hidden clues, and shows enemies wherever they are as skeletons. The "free-flow" combat looks good if you have good timing to counteract enemies' attacks. I'm so-so. Bonus: Mark Hamill voices the Joker and Kevin Conroy voices the Batman. Mark Hamill obviously had a great time in the studio. Of course, there are quite a few gadgets, but they're doled out as the game progresses. Except for scripted fights, it's pretty free-world for Batman within the confines of Arkham Island. There are also Riddles and various items hidden about for every area. Finding stuff and solving the riddles are probably my favorite aspects of the game. It sets it apart from your standard beat-em-up superhero game. I'd definitely recommend getting it, or at least rent it.

Picked up Jolt and Blazemaster from ROTF. I bought Jolt on impulse, but let me just say the box pics do not flatter this figure at all. He has some great poseability, except for the head due to a pointless wedge shaped piece that sits directly behind the head. It has no part in the transformation, no part of alt mode. It's just there. I wonder what the designers are thinking sometimes. Blazemaster has been on my buy list since pics first floated on the internet, and he doesn't disappoint. While Takara can't make a jet for poo without showing robot parts hanging out, this guy is a thing of beauty. The colors on mine varied alot from the box (I'd prefer the gold colorings..most of the gold parts on the bot based off the pic are white on mine. This, a single thumb with no fingers, and the inexcusable lack of forward and back shoulder rotation due to the ball joint facing forward are my only gripes). The rotor has a spin mechanism, but it folds nicely on the arm. The gear extend and retract. I get an Airwolf vibe everytime I look at it head on in chopper mode. Anyway, the bot mode is very lanky, and all the excess kibble folds nicely on its back. Transformation is a bit of a pain, but the final chopper is worth it. As a really impulse buy, I also picked up ice ream truck Skids/Mudflap. The final truck is neat, if not a bit of a novelty. The separate bots are very small, about Scout size. Each has a quite a bit of poseability for its size. I hate the fugly heads and the asymmetrical hands, but overall, the bots resemble their screen likenesses, and the ice cream truck is well done, and, well, kinda cute.

I'm American, and I approve JBO's message.

I agree with everything you said. Moreover, what it's really missing is the "big reveal" of the aliens. I still remember that first scene where a visitor is exposed. That was pretty awesome stuff, and especially awesome for a tv miniseries back in the '80s. There was alot of great tension in the original, and I doubt they'll be able to recapture that as well in a remake. I'm hoping it'll be good.

Today's ep was great. I loved the semi-serious tone and the past sequences. The humor was a little more subdued, but still there. My sadness is deepened knowing there's only one more episode. Hopefully, there'll be a TF:A movie down the road, or a decision to proceed with a fourth season after all the movie hype dies down. I'd love an Ultra-class Omega Supreme toy. Sure the scale would be way off, but it'd be great to have an Ark that transforms.

Got mine today. Looks fantastic. No issues thus far. Everything's nice and tight, including the fingers, which are usually very floppy on my valks. The gear are a pain, as stated, but add so much to the realism, and the doors flush right up with the legs and fuselage. It's a thing of beauty, and all the little sliding panels and such are great touches. The heat shield snapped tight, first try. The transformation is simple, almost intuitive, if you're used to handling transforming toys. One of the hinged shoulder panels came off of mine while I was rotating the shoulder into position, but it snapped back on with no further worries. So far, this feels like a solid toy; there's very little flimsiness or delicate parts, really, beyond the head laser. My only gripes are the limited elbow articulation( c'mon Yamato, double jointing should be standard on a high end toy), and, although it's not in the current design, a little more articulation could have been possible if the shoulders were mounted on ball joints. Overall, a great looking toy with some neat engineering to overcome "anime magic". To anyone on the fence, I'd recommend it highly.

Seconded. I have alot of transforming toys across a variety of lines as well, and I still dislike the Movie aesthetic. Moreover, what really irritates me are transformer characters that do not look like they could transform into anything but a pile of metal shards, i.e. Megatron and Frenzy. Scorponok didn't transform into anything either. The tank version of Megs from the second movie looks about the same, except he has treads on his legs. His Cybertronian tank form looks like a pile of scrap on a set of treads. I don't like the look of Bay's Devastator, either, and the Ravage and Soundwave toys do not transform into anything realistic. They can make anything turn into anything given enough artistic license and a large budget for computer animation, but it feels like a cheat. I'm still hoping that Bay will lose interest in the franchise, and someone like James Cameron will pick it up. Cameron would have been my only choice for helming Transformers.

Wow, I knew of most of these, but I just posted the few newer ones I'd seen on brickshelf. Macross has a nice little niche amongst LEGO fans. Pretty cool. I've got my own mini-fig scale VF-11 and YF-21 in the middle of builder's hell. I need to finish my VF-11. It'll be perfect variable, including the heat shield. These are pics of GLA-GLA's perfect variable LEGO Konig Monster.