eriku

Thanks for the link. I mentioned their review but I forgot to post a link.

So I'm not the only one who plays the DS while pooping? Excellent. Aside from that it's a lifesaver on the bus. That said, I'm all over Dragon Quest. I've hope for a long time that it would make it to the DS.

Heh, I had the same thought last night when I was playing with Groizer, but I'm glad they didn't go the route of two seperate toys because I like the small amount of transformation involved with the chest piece. But yeah, it's one walnut-sized piece away from two seperate toys. As for Yamato branching out to gokins, they've done it before but on a lesser scale. Several years ago they had a line of diecast super robots called "Heros" or something like that. I have their Mazinger from that line and even though it's not as big or as extravagent as a SOC it is a very, very nice toy and solid as a hammer.

Not directly SOC-related and a little late to the picnic but I just got Yamato's Groizer-X from their GN-U Hagane line and wow, wow, wow, WOW this is a great toy! I mention it here because this is seriously at SOC level in terms of sculpt, fit, finish, accessories, die-cast content and overall presentation (the box itself turns into a freakin' launch pad/base!). It's a parts-former, but it really has to be since there is not realistic way to morph flat angular wings into cylindrical limbs. Parts forming is at a minium with just the arms and legs being swapped for wings and rear jet. It's just about the freakiest looking jet you'll ever see, which is exactly why I love it. I'll cut the review short and just direct you to CollectionDX for Sanjeev's excellent comprehensive review with tons of pics. I'll be following Yamato's GN-U Hagane line very closely, especially with Danguard on deck. If you love the super robot toys in the SOC line, you'll love Groizer. right now is a good time to nab one because BBTS has them on sale: $115 for the green one (that's the one I got) and $120 for the standard black one.

You can accept the shoulder design all you want, but I just don't like it. The feeling of the arms not being locked in place and flapping on a fragile hinge completely negates the extra range of movement for me. When I move the arms I don't think, "Wow, what a wonderful range of articulation!" I think, "Huh, it feels like it's not fully transformed but I guess it is."

Yep, they always offer a shoulder to cry on...

Now that I've had the 1S for a few weeks I have to say the shoulder issue kind of spoils the toy overall for me. Mine hasn't broken, but what bothers me even more than the potential for breakage is just the fact that the shoulders simply hang there without pegging into or resting on anything. It's a big sore on an otherwise perfect toy. It's almost as if they couldn't figure out how to secure the shoulder pieces (why not use the 1/48 method?) so they just gave up and hoped nobody would mind. In Battroid mode it's typically the arms that get posed more than anything, so the fact that they are so worrisome and unsecure actually makes me avoid the toy. It sits there saying "Come on, play with me!!" and I reach for it...and then just sort of withdraw my hand with a wince and decide I'll just enjoy it looking pretty on the shelf rather than allow myself to get annoyed by something that should be providing enjoyment. I think that while my 1/60 is still safe and unbroken I'll pack it up and dump it in the For Sale forum and hope something better comes along.

I'm right there with ya. It's not even a maybe for me, I just downright hate how he looks in both modes. Tank mode looks like a chunk of grey plastic, bot mode looks like a Bayformer throwaway with Galvatrons head, chest and lower legs slapped on at the last minute. I also don't like how his arms and hands look like they're from two different transformers. Add to that the dozens of reports of loose joints and leprosy and yeah...no thanks. I'm glad a lot of Galvatron fans like him though so at least it wasn't a total waste for Hasbro. One thing that intrigues me about him is I keep hearing that he has a set of extra mystery feet and a mysterious hook on one arm. I saw one fan configuration where they transformed him like a 4-legged animal. Is there possibly an unmentioned 'space cannon' mode he can be put into?

Good, I don't think his character is interesting enough to revisit as a major vilain in another movie anyway.

Too bad it wasn't six minutes so his name could bear some bitter irony.

Yep, there are some photos of it floating around out there. I have one saved on my computer at home that I can upload tonight. It looks amazing so far. The big 'however' here is that, being a CMs toy, it'll probably be somewhere in the 'OMFG!' price range. Not that that will stop me. :EDIT: Found the most recent photo. there's an earlier photo without the armor bu I can't find that one at the moment.

Heh, yeah the 51 has them all beat. I'm really not intending to complain because I still like the 19, the 25 and the SV51. They're just not as eye-catching to me as others. Sort of like how I like all apples but I find some are tastier than others.

I had one, and while it was a nice toy I wouldn't say it's unbeatable. Every toy leaves room for improvement.

It's a VF-0 toy, and that fact alone makes it comparable. As for being a parts-former, that's nothing more than an assumption. Bandai has stated the VF-25 would require parts to be removed for transformation but they have said no such thing for the rest of the 1/100 line.

The movie contained in my link is much better.

I've been wanting a Roadbuster (or the Calibur from Dorvack) for ages and I finally scored one on Ebay for $15. It's dirty and well worn with no accessories but otherwise in great shape. This thing really reminds me of the Chunky Monkey 1/55 (same scale actually) in how sturdy it's built and how clever the design is. The lack of hip articulation is a bummer but otherwise I absolutely love it. I'd love to see Hasbro revisit this design with the Universe/Classics line. Hopefully the upcoming Roadbuster repaint of Animated Ultra Magnus wont hinder something like that happening. But even if that doesn't happen CM's is working on an updated version as one of their next Brave Ghokin releases, with full armor and everything.

Yeah, and it's primarily for that reason I don't care for the 19 toy either. I think it's to a lesser degree than the 25, but both are residents of Leg City. Ironically the reason I can't warm up to the 21 is because it lives too far away from Leg City.

This is good news, but I think I'll take Bandai's VF-0 for a test flight before trying another Yamato.

I've always thought The Legend of Zelda would make a fun movie.

I think "undead" is the accurate term for people like Ozzy. It's even more accurate for Keith Richards.

I would much prefer a VF-17 to the 171, but the 171 is probably the closest I'll get for the time being.

He's been dead for years, unfortunately.

VF-171 has me the most excited.

Harry Morgan was born in 1915, and he's been looking old since the days of black & white. Hope he makes it to at least 100.

I'm betting on a 2009 release for this thing now. Weather it's an accurate point of reference or not I'm basing my assumption on Bandai's SOC line where they typically show a production model or near-produiction sample several months before it hits the street. We've been looking at finished photos of Daimos now since April or May, if not longer, and that still isnt' due out until the end of this month. Bandai hasn't shown anything for the VF25 that looks even remotely close to finished yet, so I can't imagine how they'd be able to finish the sculpting and tooling, send it to the factory and get thousands of them produced and packaged by December. Of course they could just be keeping this under wraps and it could be in the factory right now for all we know. That doesn't seem like Bandai's style, but maybe they're doing things differently with the Macross franchise. Isn't speculation fun?