VF-1James

As far as I'm told, the parts will be offered seperately, so if you don't like something, you don't have to get it from this guy. I was working on a more anime version of Roy before- I sent it to the Hong Kong guy, but we didn't end up using it, because it didn't have removable hair. That in mind, I haven't given up on that yet, and hope to redo it to match the line-art from the movie/TV. With the help of some other MWers, it shouldn't be too hard. And again, the whole "$250" thing was just an estimate. All I really know is that it will cost a lot. It kind of has to, because this was made by such a small shop- and at such a small run, they have to charge a lot just to break even. Unlike a garage project by a fan, there was hired labor involved here, which they have to pay for. But damn, I still think they did a fantastic job on it (the quality is pretty evident from the images). And yes, the chest computer has a light in it, it's not a reflection. So once the guy starts taking orders for these, I'll let you know. I think the armor, the suit, and the heads will all be sold seperately. You'll have to buy the body yourself from this site: http://www.volks.co.jp/en/goods/index_good...sbct=37&sbct=79 The Neo Guy body is simply the best body out there- in terms of quality, sculpt, and articulation, it can't be matched. Hot Toys has some pretty good bodies themselves, and so does Medicom, but neither company has a body that's as nice as the Neo Guy. Trust me, when you get it, you'll understand. The tan version of the Neo Guy is a limited edition thing though, so it's probably a good idea to get one sooner than later. They've had them for a while, but they won't be restocking them, as they are not part of the normal line I guess. When they are gone, they are gone- at least, until they decide to reissue them, which won't be anytime soon. Also, this body is hard to get outside of Japan. So if you want to use a deputy service (like Rinkya), that's fine, but ordering from the site itself is probably a better idea. The body for Hikaru (and Max, should he get made) is the Obitsu slim male body. It's a pretty thin body, but not as thin as the Volks male bodies (not the Neo ones, the regular ones). Because it's less girly than standard Volks male bodies, I went with it. This body is about half the price, and much easier to get (HLJ carries them). If you're not happy with my choices for the bodies, or just want to use what you have at home, that's okay I guess. The only trouble I see with that, is that the heads may not fit, and the suits may not either. I think you should go with what I'm using, because I am using them for a reason (being a 1/6 scale figure enthusiast, I looked around at all the bodies, and settled on these as the best, as well as best suited for the characters). Anyway, my two cents on the bodies... I'll let you guys know how the customizer will charge for the parts, as well as what everything will cost, when I hear from him about that.

First of all, I like the face. Secondly, I like the hair too . You know, I really wasn't sure when I saw those early pictures of the heads before (remember, I posted them a while back). Roy looked kind of ugly, and his painjob was pretty bad. However, this new version looks 100 times better to me. Not only is his skin color right, but the paint has no slop either. And to me, it looks a heckuva lot like the CM's figure, in terms of the sculpt. But I don't really like the way the CM's figure is painted (THAT doesn't feel like Roy to me). The hair- yeah, it's a bit dark. I'm going to have somebody paint mine though, airbushing details onto the armor, ect., so I'll probably get them to add just a hint more yellow into the hair. Actually though, I don't think his hair being a bit darker looks too bad though. His hair is a bit different as well, and as it's been said, it's more realistic. However, (and this may only go for me) I actually like the departure from anime. There's just so much of it on TV nowadays, I feel like the market is saturated. So for me, this Roy may be a person in Hong Kong's take on the character, but it feels fresh. It's funny how I keep jumping in to defend this figure... Hey, I paid a lot for this project, what do you expect? Lol, but seriously, it's Roy, and a damn sweet looking figure to boot. When I get him (along with the Hikaru), I'll post my review of them. Anyway, Hikaru should be coming up very shortly here, because he's already been sculpted and everything- Roy's just first, 'cause I think he's cooler . Wonder if the guy will make a Max, now that his CM's figure has been released? Only time will tell... I'd love to have a full set of Roy, Hikaru, Max, and maybe even Kakizaki. Damn, they'd look awesome together (already thinking of them in front, with my 1/48 Valks in back- too cool)...

I think the helmet just needs the shield part in the front (will be added), and it will look pretty great. Other than that, I told him the back should be colored black, so we'll see what he does with that. If he doesn't (he should), it's pretty easy to touch up for anyone with a little bit of brush talent (even I could probably get it right). We'll see- I'm still going to have somebody paint mine when I get it, to bring out even more detail in the figure. Also, I'm not sure on it yet, but I think these figures may have multiple hands... In the early pictures I got, the customizer showed some spare hands he was making for the figure, but I'm not sure if he ended up going that way or not. I hope so, because that would add even more posability to the figure. I keep forgetting to ask him... Oh well, I'll have to see about that.

OMG, OMG, OMG! Sorry guys, but words can't describe... Anyway, too excited; take a look at the photos!

I know everybody seems to hate Tony Oliver, but you know, I thought he was one of the better actors actually. His portrayal of "Rick" was very different than Hikaru though. When I saw the original Macross some years back, it dawned on me that Hikaru wasn't nearly as ponderous, and he was a bit more of a turd. However, I don't care about Hikaru that much as a character... What really upset me was how Robotech changed Max and Roy... Max became Leonardo, and Roy became a mentor (actually giving "Rick" advice, instead of making fun of him all the time- plus, he was less of a womanizer as well). But in terms of acting, I thought Tony Oliver was pretty good. Reba West is the one that should really be the topic of everyone's negativity towards the Robotech cast.

yeah all they do there is surf and go fishing.. which is starting to make me wanna move there.. 345934[/snapback] If you do, we can start a San Clemente branch of Macross World. And once that happens, the babes will be soon to follow... Right?

I seem to have buyer's remorse on almost every six inch figure I buy... I purchased the first two waves of SOTA's Street Fighter figures, and I find that I regret that decision now, because they're not as cool as I wish they were (the designs are off). I also am very, very disappointed with Square Enix's Play Arts figures. I bought the Final Fantasy VII Avdent Children line, as well as the Full Metal Alchemist line from them. I was really unhappy at the quality, because two of them broke when I was removing them from the box!!! Now my Alphonse is missing a leg, and Sephiroth has lost his fist hand (digging out the peg after heating up his arm wasn't too much fun either). I still need a Cloud, but I'm really glad I didn't get the Japanese one on Ebay for $200, because I would have been kicking myself for months over that one. Guess I'll pick him up in a few months when he's released state-side, but I'm not overly eager about this upcoming purchase either. 12" figures don't let me down as much, because there is almost never any problem of joints breaking, or paint sticking together. Also, the head sculpts are usually better, and with the larger scale, have more detail in them as well. So I have to keep telling myself that the way to go is 1/6. I'd say that with the 1/48 Valks, the honeymoon was about two months for me. Oh sure, I still love them, buy them, and transform them sometimes, but those first two months were magical. I still love my VF-IS in the Skull-1 paint scheme, but we don't sleep in the same bed anymore, so to speak. The addition of the fast packs also makes the toy seem that much cooler, so I wonder if the GPB armor will make me hot for my Valks again? We'll see. If not, I may end up having an affair with a few more Binaltech Transformers pretty soon, even though I know they can't really compare to the coolness of my Valks .

I'm in San Clemente, CA; I've yet to find any anime/artist/comic book clubs here since I moved though. Lonely place this is.

Anybody watching the new Guyver anime? It's not too new for those people that have read the manga, but it's still pretty cool (a lot better than the early 90's one).

So he's adding pointless LED lights to the uniform and not doing something that you actually want?! Doesn't sound like he's giving you what you want. Sounds like a punk to me. 344735[/snapback] It would seem that way, yeah .

More news: First of all, the images are being delayed ... Or course, does anything ever actually come out when you expect it to? Seems everything I look forward to always gets pushed back. Oh well, I'm used to it by now. I guess the guy is trying to add LED lights to the uniform. I wonder what that means? Where would he put them? Probably in the backpack and maybe in the chest computer- he could possibly put them in the shoulder armor as well. I have no clue, because I was surprised to hear that he was trying this, though he wasn't clear as to where he was trying to add it. I'm looking forward to seeing if this works out. Grrr... He said he doesn't want to do the height modification to the body, because it's too much work, and not worth it. I told him (as I keep telling him) that it is worth it, and that Roy MUST be taller than Hikaru. I am also using the fact that only die-hard fans will be buying the figure as leverage with him- telling him we only want the best. So we'll see what happens with this. I had an idea this morning; instead of resculpting the legs, he could add an extender peice, much like Medicom's "Real Action Hero" base body comes with. I want Roy to be at least an inch taller, so he better be . That's all for now. I want pictures, pictures, pictures! Everybody save your money for this (that is, everybody that's interested). He said the suits are completed as well, so I guess he's just waiting on the recast parts to come back from the factory, and then he'll show me. Need that piece for the legs though, or I don't think you guys will want this figure- am I right?

Hey guys, I'm just saying it's on the way. Soon enough, we'll all get to see pics of it. All I know right now is that it's coming. Hopefully this Friday, but probably next week some time. I want to get the word out, that's all. Like I said, I promised the guy I would. Also, the price is just my guess, and has no relation to reality really. It's just that with these sorts of things costing so much nowadays (have you seen how much Medicom's stuff costs?), I just made a guess. Afterall, all of this had to be sculpted by somebody, and this is not a big run or something, but a small business that is making a very limited run for collectors that want them. So don't expect a Toy's R Us kind of price tag on these. Also, we're going with the Volks Neo Guy body for the Roy figure. As cool as the Medicom RAH body is, I think the Volks one is better- plus it comes in tan, which Roy really needs to be, right? The RAH body does not come in any variation that I know of. Anyway, just wait till you see them. You'll have to buy the body yourself though, as he's just selling the parts, the suit, and the heads (not sure how he's going to do it yet). So I guess you could go with whatever body you wanted, but the parts are being made for the Neo Guy (for Roy). Hikaru is going to use the Obitsu (slim) male body. So they should look good next to each other. We'll just see: For sure, I'll post pictures as soon as I get them, so watch for it.

Don't forget Katie Holmes (she was almost totally overshadowed by all the other teriffic actors in Batman Begins). I'm also going to have to say that Paul Walker gets my vote for worst actor. Then again, Ice Cube in XXX 2 was pretty... It was just amazing that they ever made the damn thing at all.

Did anybody see this? Is talking Gundam a "no, no" on these boards? Oh well, I don't much care for it, but I saw this, and just thought to post it. Seems kind of detailed. http://www.1999.co.jp/dbimages/user/hobby/...g/10044961a.jpg Man, Japan sure makes cool stuff. I think Bandai made this (of all companies). Right now, Medicom owns me with their Marvel figures, and Lupin III collection. Love you Medicom!

No, not yet. I haven't actually seen the final product yet actually . I was just told this morning that it is pretty much ready to go though, and that I'd get pictures next week. I'm excited, and just want to let you guys know that it's coming. After months, it's finally creeping into view of the finish line. Just wanted to let you guys know, so you can start planning your finances. I've already paid for mine (I've sent him more than enough), so I am just trying to get it out there to other people now (that was the agreement I made with him). So next week, we should see a fully-assembled, finalized (I hope!) Major Roy Focker in his flight suit. I'm sooooo looking forward to it- the anticipation is just killing me.

We're talking about a 1/6 scale (around 12") action figure of Roy in his movie flight suit. Hikaru should be right on his heels too. Why Roy first? Well, I just like him better as a character, that's all... And these will be way cooler than a GI Joe; I wouldn't even group them together. With this kind of price range, you have to expect a high-quality product- GI Joes are for people that are on a budget, and little kids. These are for die-hard Macross fans, with a healthy pocket book .

Hey all! According to what I heard from the HK guy, the DYRL Roy is in the final stages. He's been delayed due to the fact that a company they hired to do the casting wasn't up to snuff (or so he says). I guess the guy is in Malaysia right now, so he said when he gets back next Friday, he should have some pictures of the Roy for me. Can't wait... So guys, start saving! I'm sure this will run somewhere around $250 (with all those armor pieces). I don't have an exact figure, so it could be a lot more, or a lot less. I'm just making a guess here... Stop buying those lousy CM's figures, and buy these instead! The guy that's making them said the quality will be way better than those anyway. Just wanted to let everyone know that it's coming soon (finally!!!), and to save up for it. I hope we can sell ten of these things, so he won't be pissed at me for giving him a project that wasn't worth his effort. Here's to the hope that this will go well. Cheers!

I had an idea this morning about the TV flight suit. I think that it is impossible to make it look perfect with the way it opens in the front. However, what if we just had it sewn directly onto the body, so that it wasn't removable? It would certainly improve the look, but then we'd have to get extra bodies for the flight suits. Is this a good idea, or are you guys not willing to do that? Perhaps he can do two versions, because I don't really want that opening in the front.

Yeah, we were kidding, this is an open conversation, you're more than welcome to comment. I'm dumping it because it just won't fit anything, it's going to be too large for the body that Hikaru will use, and too small for the one Roy will use (we're modifying that body to make it taller). So there's no way it will work for me... I don't know if I wasted my money on it or not yet, he wasn't clear on what he's charging me now... I do know that I've spent $340 on this project so far, and I hope to get something completed here soon from him. Based on the fact that he seems to be copying the head designs from the CM's figures, I hope he'll do a Max sculpt soon as well (but I'll probably just wait for EXO's one anyway). So EXO, is it one or two blue stripes down the middle? I know the regular uniform has two stripes on the collar, but the flight suit keeps changing on me. Even the line art is unclear of this...

Yeah, of course it's rude to ask... Hehehe, there's no problem if you REALLY want to see it, but it sure isn't that amazing. I don't mind that he wants to use leather though, I think it could work. So anyway, we're sending this one to the junkyard, but doing another one. I don't know why in the world he made this, because I told him we were doing the DYRL version first. Oh well, he made it, it failed, and now we're back at the start of things. I hope he'll wow me soon enough though... Another question Exo, do you know how many stripes are on the front of the flight suit? In some images, there are two stripes, but a lot of times, there is just one single stripe. 80's animation is so confusing sometimes... BTW- this should probably be in the Toy forum.

hey... how's the project going? The stripe goes all the way up to where the collar meets the shoulder. Also note that the stripe on the side from where the armpit down to the feet have lines that goes across. 329811[/snapback] Hey, the project's going I guess... I hope he'll get on it again soon. Thanks for the tip EXO, as that's what I probably would have gone for as well. And yeah, I know about the lines on the leg stripes- the HK guy didn't do them on his prototype costume, so I complained. He also made the costume for the body Roy is using, so it just didn't work out at all, and he has to redo it (I guess something got lost in translation here- a favorite of mine ).

Should the stripe on the sleaves of the TV show flight suit continue on the shoulder, or does it stop where the arm and shoulder meet? I've seen it both ways, but wondered if there was an official way it should look. If not, what do you guys like better?

You KNOW I'll be getting a few of these now. Way to go Yamato, you finally made the hands we've been seeking.

Personally, I really love all the armor and stuff, but the heads are a bit iffy for me. I don't like the Roy all that much, but that Hikaru has something, even if he's a bit different looking. I do not, however, think either one of them look too young (maybe Roy a bit, but Hikaru's age looks about right). I think everyone here grew older, and forgot just how young Hikaru actually is.

Yeah, I get the feeling only like 3 people here care...