eriku

According to my tracking info from AmiAmi mine was shipped at 8:15PM last night and cleared Chicago customs at 10:46am this morning. Looks like they're using fold boosters for international mail now.

If it's made of cheese I hope it at least melts nicely because I'd like to put it on a pizza, maybe even a nice lasagna.

Paid for mine at AmiAmi, I suppose I'll get it on Monday. Haven't gone into a high end Macross purchase blind like this since Bandai started the DX Frontier line. Hopefully it's a better experience than that...

Anyone need a MIB armored VF-1J before I toss it on ebay?

I've actually never noticed any downgrade in plastic or build quality between Yamato and Arcadia VF-1s. On the contrary, Arcadia VF-1 toys seem to be a bit more refined and smoother to transform. Based on that and the far superior Arcadia VF-0 (hip issues are nothing compared to all of the issues on the Yamato) I have no worries whatsoever about the VF-4. I fully expect it to be identical to the Yamato, if not slightly refined.

That's where I've been, that's where I'm at and that's where I'll stay.

Thanks for the tips, david!

Thanks. I guess I'll just have to open it up and see why it's stuck. I know there are screws holding the hip parts together, but are they glued as well? Sorry if this has been answered in the past, it's a big thread and I didn't see the info after skimming. ::EDIT:: Found your tutorial CY, I'll use that as a guide.

I've transformed and posed mine a number of times with no problems over the last few months, but I've never utilized the extending hip joints. Tonight I tried extending them and one of them wont pull out at all. Is that a sign that I've got an impending hip explosion? Would it be advisable to just take the hip apart and see what's going on in there?

Oh wow, I stopped following this thread early on when this was thought to be cruiser mode only. Now that I see it's transformable I've got it preordered. Been waiting for a TV SDF-1 for years. Partsforming sucks but whatever.

I have to pick at mine to get them off. The only thing loose on mine is the fists that are on the arm armor. They wobble a bit.

That's another complaint I've read a few times that isn't an issue on mine. The side missles (assuming you mean the ones on the hips) are rock solid. :/

Same here, no sagging backpack on my GBP 1J.

I don't think there has ever been a production toy with 100% perfect consistency, there's always going to be a few samples here and there with one problem or another. Damn humans!

I like how both look, I never said I can't tell any difference. Sorry I don't share your scorn. The feet aren't crooked on mine.

Fighter mode looks great to me, no better or worse than Arcadia's. *shrug*

Got my GBP today and love it. I'm having more fun with this one than the Arcadia GBP, mostly because this one is just easier to handle due to the size and the fact that the armor stays on more securely. Arcadia's is beautiful but it's really not much fun to handle and pose because armor pieces fall of easily, especially the chest which is held in place mostly by wishes. I'm happy to have both. The Arcadia can stand there looking wonderful, the Bandai can go 'pew! pew!' and 'swoosh! swoosh!' - and also look wonderful doing it.

According to MW Member Jarrod who was there to see it in person, it only 'looks' finished, but it's actually an early prototype with all of the joints just sculpted to look the way they do, but they aren't actually functioning joints.

Fantastic! So good to see the whole thing in better lighting. It's beautiful.

Thanks for the photo, I added it to the first post. I love the rivet detailing, really lends a lot of visual dynamics to show what a big machine/toy this is. Hopefully we'll see more than the leg soon.

Fortunately it seems the light doesn't make the entire head glow like the Toynami.

I brightened it a bit. The fists do look big, but if you look at the base of the fingers it appears they may be individually jointed, so taking that into account those big mitts could easily fold up into the forearms.

Yeah, it definitely has the proportions of a transformable toy.

Woah! Thank you for the photo! I'll add it to the first post.

It's a shared dream - many of us have outlined similar ideas over the years which is why this is so cool to see as a possible reality. I remember as far back as early 2000's people daydreaming about a toy of this nature, listing all the extra features and accessories that they'd like to see. When the 1/48 came along with its removable nosecone, larger size, opening hatches and other details it felt like a step closer. My personal daydream was a little different in that I always specified the more unwieldy 1/18 scale, but I'll take this one gladly.