D_Unit

Thanks for the heads up. Since Tamashii's going to build on demand; I'll just wait to see if Bandai does their own stand alone fast packs in the future.

OMG, I just got mine for 135 a couple of hours ago?!? One of my local toy retailers wanted $250 CDN ($210 US)... ha! Man this is getting out of hand.

I ordered my Alto from Angolz today. The $CDN was up a bit this week so I saved a whopping $5. I won't get the Ozma until I see what Bandai does next. Right now I'm hedging my bets. HLJ states that the Alto is discontinued and is not likely to be restocked. However, this could also mean that Bandai will come out with another version(s) in the future to milk us. Just like what they, Yamato, Takara-Tomy, etc... has done to toy collectors since time began. BUT, if the powers that be in these various companies do understand what the current economic situation can do to their bottom line if they overestimate the consumer's willingness to yet again "take it up the *ss"; they'd better at least try and let the early adapters have some sense of security with their initial purchases. BUT, being aware of what goes on in the corporate world; the chances of a company serving the interests of the public over their need to make as much money as possible is slim. So I guess I'll have to be happy with my purchase now, and to keep a smile on my face latter when the newer, better, cheaper? versions gets released. BTW, I'm inclined to pre-order for the Tamashii fast-packs; I know they cost a lot but they look so much better than the Bandai versions (on the Luca & Micheal)... or an I only looking at the prototypes and the final versions will be just as detailed? Decisions... decisions...

I guess I'll have to pay Ultra Action a visit one of these days. I haven't shopped from them for years (since the rise of the $CDN = Online Retailers for me) but I remembered that their prices were pretty reasonable.

Good thing I got back to the forums before I did anything drastic, there's a set of Alto + Ozma on eBay for $370 shipped. That does it, I'm going to stick to my guns and wait it out. Thank-you all for your input.

Oh snap! OK now, I'm seriously considering going into debt to get these guys before they're either sold out or become too expensive. Or I can remain agonizingly waiting and sweating... must be strong... can't give in...

I really hope prices won't go up anymore on these guys, that and the Canadian dollar doesn't go any lower, that and these guys will still be around when I have the money for them (within 6 months). From the beginning of December till now; I got a 52" 120HZ TV, 1080P Camcorder, new DVD+USB player, color laser printer, Masterpiece Beta, CM's Ingram, Iron Gear, and a heck of a lot of other toys/games/stuff... The irony is, the Bandai 1/60 Macross Frontier toys were supposed to be at the top of my list of things to budget for; now I'm flat broke. The good news was, only the Masterpiece Beta was bought not on drastic sale (but I guess I still went overboard). As for the price of the VF-25's, I can't really think about how much they cost; I can only try and find a good a deal out there as I can. In the mean time it's ramen noodles, watch movies at home, wear the same old clothes, and skip having my hair cut for me.

If you're brave enough you can use the Bandai Action Bases ($5 - $10). Below is my review of them with pics of Yammies on them: http://loopydetails.com/index.php?/Core-Ar...ase-review.html Put don't kill me if your $150 toy falls off one of those things and brakes.

Having graduated with a BBA; I'm actually glad I don't have to deal with that stuff for a living. In the end, nothing seems to escape the macro yet every region is uniquely organic. I've was at Guangzhou at its "height" last year, a very energetic yet polluted at the same time. There were new suburbs being built (mostly in the form of new apartments), really clean and western looking. Of course 1/2 hour drive away are miles upon miles of factories and warehouses. Even a crowded city such as that one, there were many niches of people. There were Muslims selling their freshly made food in the markets and I saw an all black community (near the city center). Being aware of the looming crisis, I cautioned my relatives there not to invest too heavily on real estate. Still, no matter where you are or who you are; people usually find their way in life (unless they're totally retarded). I'm pretty confident of people no matter where I travel to; except when I come back to to North America that is. I swear; it's like TV, fast food, and lack of social responsibility has turned people into imbeciles. Anyways, back to the subject. I don't know if the large manufacturing brands can afford to move right now. They might save a few bucks going to Cambodia or Vietnam (I've been there too); but I doubt any organization can muster the credit in order to do. China has the ability to generate their own demand base and therefore retain the use of some of their manufacturing capacity. Regardless, things are way too unstable now to make any predictions.

Mirror's edge is a ton of fun. It's not perfect but it's a really fresh take on a new genre of gameplay. I've only played the first mission so far and I've already died numerous times. The controls are solid and the gameplay is very smooth. It takes some getting used to but it's addictive as hell. The controls on my 360 controller was more cumbersome than my Dualshock 3 (I rented the PS3 version but I'll probably have to borrow my friend's 360 version again 'cause I don't have time to play it before it's due back).

Yamato's are fairly priced when compared to other imports (they could have been priced a little lower though). With the devaluing Canadian dollar (even worst than the $US), I'll probably have to choose my next purchases from them very carefully. Either that or wait for a sale. The way the economy's tanking, there's a good chance some online retailers will soon have to discount massively (but the flips side to that is they go under and there won't be any toys to buy). I remember when the $CDN was worth only 63 cents $US and the old 1/60 Yammies were over $100; but I still got them because the economy was good and people were sure about their economic situation. What good is a $50 new 1/60 VF-1 if you have no job and no money. With all that said I'll probably put off buying "retail" (Hasbro) Transformers and save the money for Yamatos and Takaras. I should be thankful that Macross toys aren't released in the frequency of Transformers. Actually correct that; I should be thankful I have food, shelter, and transportation... toys are a bonus.

I finished 3 of the 4 environments so far. The AI partners are quite smart and way better at aiming that I am. I was too lazy to read the instructions and I later found out I can throw gas tanks and fuel canisters before blowing them up (I was waiting for the zombies to get near them before that). Playing at the hardest level is probably the way to go for co-op. It's definitely worth buying if you have a bunch of friends and you like to play co-op over and over again with them (I'm moving on to Mirror's Edge and Red Alert 3 after this one). I'll probably have it reviewed by next week; my PS3 & Xbox 360 reviews: http://www.loopydetails.com/index.php?/DVDs-Games/

I just got my Tomahawk also and I love it. Great articulation, excellent quality. Looks awesome in all angles. This figure is solid as heck and a lot of fun to play around with (if you actually wanted to play around with it). Below is a link to my full review with pictures: http://www.loopydetails.com/index.php?/Cor...-vi-review.html The weathered version does look much better. My only excuse for not spending the extra $50 (more or less) on it is that none of my other Macross figures are weathered either (well... that and I'm trying to budget myself in lue of of the economy right now). But for anyone with the extra cash, I do think the weathered version is the better choice. Now to save up for the Defender.

Bit off topic but I just got Dead Space. Been playing it all night yesterday, there's usually a lot of hype about video games but this one really freaking lived up to all of it. Sooooo bloody scary... it's like playing a hi-def version of Event Horizon and The Thing... I wasted valuable time going to work, coming home to mix music, & eating today. I think if I can skip bathing and sleeping; I might be able to finish the game by tomorrow morning.

Go to your local hardware store and buy yourself a tube of construction adhesive (around $5). One tube should last you a lifetime but the thing might dry up on ya. It's infinitely stronger than Crazy/Super Glue (just don't get any on your skin). It's quite thick & gooey and usually only comes in light brown. It dries overnight but once it's dried, it's stuck for good.

There's plenty of faults to this figure that I could tell; Priss's joints are loose and she'll fall apart when you try to pose her. Her butt (hips) is too narrow for the bike's seat. Neither of the figures can stand very well (if at all) without the use of the stands. I also find the coloring of the bike/Moto Slave a bit dull. Still, it was a ton of fun to transform and play around. The Moto Slave's plastic is very strong and take plenty of abuse. The joints on theMoto Slave are also very firm and there's no "limping/slagging" of body parts when posed. The parts are tiny and I guess all the intricate details won me over (so I guess I'm a bit biased on this figure). I'll probably get more of these toys when the other ones come out. Here's a link to my full review with images: http://www.loopydetails.com/index.php?opti...s&Itemid=59

Loved the movie. I still remember watching it with my childhood friends on VHS at a Summer sleep over. I got the DVD and I've watched it at least 5 times by now.

Dub for me, I have mild dyslexia.

I don't know where else I can post this but I thought it would be interesting to share. I found this little cherry tomato growing out of my garden and I took some photos. It's pretty strange compared to other mutant vegetables/fruits that I've seen on the web. It looks a lot like a mutant/martian or something out of an Anime. I wrote a little article about it with photos for anyone who's interested in checking it out some more: http://www.loopydetails.com/index.php?opti...s&Itemid=59

I've been watching this forum longer than other forums, yet my postings here are comparatively few. Why? It's because I'm usually astonished (and somewhat intimidated) by the high level of knowledge and skill display by the members here. So all I got say is wow! And that's an understatement.

Thanks! I'm really glad that I posted in Macross World Forums. I actually only posted on 2 forums (the other is a Trance forum) so far (and I only told 5 of my friends about my site). Two of the major reason is because I'm trying to build up some self confidence before I let more people know; and the fact that I respect the people/forums that I've told so far enough to look at my site (with all the dumb writing mistakes that I make).

Actually, I've just went through a bunch of legal mp3 download sites and it looks like it's O.K. for me to have a direct download link to my mixes as long as they are my mixes and not another DJ's. I actually saw some DJ sites that have the same player setup as mine but also have a download link underneath. Their mixes also have top-name label tracks in them. I guess you can expect to be able to download my mixes soon.

Thanks! The player that I use for Joomla can only stream. There is a way that you can get to the files (I think). Just search google for saving streaming audio files. It would be cool for my site if the player can at least cache the mp3 files (that way visitors don't have to re-stream all the time; saving the site's bandwidth). I guess it's a copyright function that all streaming plugins use. I have a direct-drive turntable, and I borrow my friend's CDJs & mixer. But for recording and editing for the web; nothing beats Virtual DJ. They have a trial for download so you can try it out to see if it's good your needs.

Hi miriya: Actually I'm a designer also (with coding experience). At times I came pretty close to throwing my computer (along with myself) out the window while setting up my site so I know how hard Joomla might seem to be. I can probably answer some question that you may have. But I'm embarrassed to say this would be the first time I've ever used Private Message through a forums so please be patient (I'm pretty sure it's stupidly easy). But first I can give you a few hints if it doesn't break to rules of the forum too much: - Use the latest version (or at lease 1.5.2) - Set your Joomla to Legacy Mode - Choose the right template (and learn some basic coding) - If one plugin/extension/module doesn't work, just use another; no sense in hitting the brick wall more than once - Download a free beginners guide to Joomla After you figured it out, you wouldn't believe just how easy and awesome Joomla really is (unlike Wordpress which is so easy to start out but useless as heck once you want to do more with it).

Crap, thanks Vic; on closer inspection I do have to slide the bottom half of the back pack up. Now not only do I have to retake my photos, I'll have to take back the "turtle" part of my review. Yep, expect a revised version soon... just great, stupid me.