Salamander

Having just received the Real Robot Revolution SPT Layzner kit from Bandai, it seems that they are learning. The thing has *tons* of internal detailing, much better than the MG Patlabors (which are pretty bad at detail, sadly). Some soft vinyl tubing, too. The only thing I'm really annoyed at is that Bandai included a decal sheet for some parts, but the remaining markings are just stickers...

I've got a fairly big collection - all of the common European 1980s releases, one or two vintage Japanese Zoids, some European Zoids 2, a fair amount of the Japanese ones that were sold from 1999 onwards. The last on I bought was the Shield Liger Mk. II reissue. Most of the latest Zoids are kinda boring, though. Try the collectors' shop 'A Space Oddity' for some vintage stuff and some modern stuff. Prices are quite high, though.

1/48 probably, like in this Japanese auction: http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/90381364 I'd like to have that kit one day, but not for 7500 yen a piece...

Reinforce inside of nosecone with piece of styrene card (1-2 mm thick), drill hole in swing bar, drill somewhat smaller hole in nosecone, put screw in swing bar hole, screw screw into nosecone hole without tightening it too much (tightening it too much will strip the hole). If you want a sturdier connection you can carefully put a drop of superglue in the nosecone hole before putting in the screw, but you've got to put in just the right amount, otherwise the leg will be immobile.

Very nice. Out of curiosity, would you have any pictures showing how you prevented the paint from scraping off?

About 10 cm tall

A quick question: How do you manage to tape the other person's voice? I mean, the other person's voice is usually quite unhearable, even close to the phone.

#1 - Matchbox VF-1 Super Valkyrie (the horrible big scale one that can fit action figures in the cokcpit) Gun Pod

Your Hyper Police Robo is mistransformed around the chest and upper legs. Hasblow registered 'Machine Rescue Robot' and 'Machine Robot Rescue'. Them being low slug-like idiots, they first made a spelling error and then did some shitty research (they appear to have missed that which 'Machine Robo' has always been called in Europe). Bandai owns 'Machine Robo Rescue'. I presume they also still own 'Robo Machine' and its derivatives.

Many of the later Gobots and Super Gobots are kick-ass. Personally, I think the Super-Gobots Clutch and Spy-Eye are among the best ever made. Good luck on finding them, though.

Powersuits combined mode, highly stylised. Sadly, the actual toy, although it is very cool, is a brick and doesn't look like that at all. I should specify that this one is the Tank Comander Powersuit (IIRC, the Gobots name is Grungy), not the Air Commander one so often seen on Ebay.

I have ordered twice from HLJ this month. The second package arrived after two weeks, the first still hasn't arrived... It will probably take 5 weeks or so, like another one that still wasn't there after three weeks did. If it has been lost, that would be the first time since I started ordering from HLJ (that's around 15 packages; everything went by SAL)

The Bandais have some metal bits internally to the joints, IIRC.