Ivan

Should be airing now. Anyone seen it yet?

Great news! But why 3 am??? Cheapest time slot they could get? Or because most macross fans are night owls?

I agree. It makes no business sense to re-release the stand if the new clamps are not included. As for the prices, they are more reasonable here in Asia. Back in the US, they were going for USD50-60. I bought the original one in Macau for USD30, and the new one in Singapore is going for USD40.

I am located in Singapore. Yeah, that's the one I was referring to. I believe they come with the clamps for the YF-19 and the SV-51

I believe the new one just came out very recently and is different from the chrome/black version. Thx.

I saw a new version of the display stand today. Does anyone know what the difference is besides packaging? Thx.

BTW, what happened to Graham's interview with Yamato couple weeks ago? I thought Graham had collected a bunch of questions from MWer's and was going to get back to us. Any idea? Thx.

Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_dpORYXFkg "Chaiyo Productions Co Ltd announced the launch of its first Bt100-million ( USD$2.5 million) Ultraman series on 2 Feb 06, which will hit television screens in more than 12 countries throughout Asia. The 52-episode television series, called “Project Ultramanâ€, is a joint venture between Chaiyo Productions, which holds about 50 per cent in the project, Apex Toys Co Ltd which holds a 10-per-cent share, and the Chinese toy-maker Ruishi Culture Developing Co Ltd, which has about 40 per cent. Chaiyo expected to realise at least one billion baht (USD$ 25.4 million) from the Ultraman character next year, including gains from merchandise and advertising on TV. The new series will promote awareness of Chaiyo Productions’ new Ultraman superheroes – Ultraman Elite, Ultraman Millennium, and Dark Ultraman. Hong Kong actor Ekin Cheng is cast as Ultraman Elite, while Mathew Dean is cast as Ultraman Millennium, and Ray McDonald as Dark Ultraman. The new Ultraman series will first be seen on CCTV’s entertainment channel in China in December, followed by Thailand in December or January, and then Hong Kong and Taiwan, said Perasit Saengduenchai, chief executive officer and director of Chaiyo Productions. He said the company had also been approached by local television stations in Brazil and Argentina, which would like to screen the series. About 40% of the productions had been completed. 80% of on-location photography was filmed in China and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. Chaiyo Productions Co claims ownership of the Ultraman copyright worldwide television broadcast and merchandising rights to Ultraman superheroes, except in Japan. Ultraman rights is still disputed in Thailand, the case has gone to the International Trade and Intellectual Property Court. The Tokyo Supreme Court ruled early 2005 that Sompote Sangduenchai, the founder of Chaiyo Productions, owned the rights to Ultraman characters everywhere except Japan, ending a dispute with Tsuburaya Productions." (Source: The Nation, Bangkok Post) No idea what the story is about, but the trailer looks awesome. However, seems like copyright issue involved could turn into another Big West vs HG disaster. Don't these people learn from the past?

Finally opened up the new YF-19 tonight. Very well designed, and transfomation was quite straight-forward. After watching Graham's video, I was able to transform it without looking at the instruction manual. My only issue is that the wings can't seem to lock into the legs well. Graham, any idea how I can do that? Thanks. And oh, here are some pictures [attachmentid=38976] [attachmentid=38973] [attachmentid=38974] [attachmentid=38975]

I bet Graham already has a sample in his house and is reviewing it.

I actually thinks the Jetfire bot mode looks too chubby. His fighter mode is okay though.

Do backdoor release have QC issues?

Can someone point me to a picture of the YF-19 box? Thanks.

Samples? You mean Yamato gave away multiple sample YF-19's? Don't they cost money?

Interesting article about how labor shortage in China could potentially mean delay in toy procution. Hasbro and Mattel will definitely be affected. Wonder if any of Yamato's products will also be delayed. http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/09/news/inter...dex.htm?cnn=yes

Captain Tsubasa Taken from Wikipedia: Saw this when I was in grammar school in Hong Kong. Considered by many in Hong Kong to be a classic, this was one of the first animes to have no bad guys. Sure, there is the hero and his archrival, but everyone is just following his dream of winning the football tournament. The plot is character driven, and every player is very well drawn out. My only complaint is that the pace drags too much (takes forever for a game to finish) and the moves can become exaggerating and even silly. Other than that, it's one of my favorite shows of all time.

Given that Graham has yet to post in this thread, do you think all this discussion will help at all?

The movie was never released theatrically in Hong Kong, but they did show it on TV some time afterwards. Somehow it was the Japanese version and at the very end, the narrator told us that at some point Optimus Prime will return. In retrospect, I agree that Hasbro was a lot more daring and creative back then. Rather than coming up with different verions of Optimus Prime (like they do now), they were willing to kill off the main characters and introduce a new leader. That was just cool. Too bad Hasbro is totally risk-averse now, and I doubt we will ever see anything like that again.

I think the best way to settle this is to do this kind of comparo: Alternator Mirage vs Toynami-Valk [*] A Transformer Alternator Mirage is $19.99 retail. [*] It's not exclusive, but it's pretty rare to find. [*] Perfect Transformation, even if it only has two-modes vs the three-modes of the toynami-valk. [*] Alternator-Mirage is prettier, great poseable, non-floppy, and had quality plastic-construction. So how then does the Toynami sdcc-valk compare against it, i.e. what makes the Toynami sdcc-valk justifiable at it's price ($20+) against the local Alternator competition? 421943[/snapback] Well, there could be many reasons. First, the transformers toy line has a much bigger customer base than macross, hence they can sell a lot more. Second, Hasbro is a much bigger company with a lot more resources, so they probably didn't have to invest as much capital upfront to design the toys. Furthermore, the fact that the alternators line is a joint venture between Hasbro and Takara helps keep the cost down.

I currently own six 1/48's, and that's more than I had planned when the 1/48 was first released. I try to buy only those that I like, but this can get tough sometimes. I also gave in when they re-released the Hikaru Vf-1S and bought a second one in Hong Kong. The price was just too good (US $96) I do open my valkyries and play with them, but most of the time I just leave them in the boxes. I like to display my toys in their boxes, as I find that more attractive.

I got my Hikaru VF-1S last week and got to say I have no complaints. I own a whole bunch of Banprestos, and the Toynami 1/100 is definitely head and shoulders above. The transformation is simple, and I don't need to worry about breaking any delicate parts like I do with the 1/48. Plus, they are small and easy to store. $20 is also a fair price in my opinion. Like others, I defintely hope Toynami go crazy with this line and make as many variations as possible. The Yamato 1/48's are just too expensive for building a squadron.

Not sure if this has been shown before. The girl is cute though.

Could someone please take a picture of the TV Hikaru VF-1J with the Stealth fast packs? I'm tempted to get the Stealth fast packs reissue, but not sure if they would go together. Thanks.

Could someone please take a picture of TV Hikaru VF-1J with the Stealth fast packs? I'm tempted to get the Stealth fast packs reissue. Thanks.

New picture of Classics Grimlock and Mirage http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=104862