Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0

According to Paul Gilchrist's book it was an airshow demo. The F-15A did have the better t/w ratio and the Tomcat crew knew it. To compensate, the Tomcat crew let the engines run to burn off some fuel and decrease the weight of the aircraft while the eagle did its demo. This would give the Tomcat a better t/w ratio then to take off with a high fuel load. This enabled the crew to pull off more impressive manuevers due to the lighter wait, that and flying low while doing the manuevers was impressive to the Shah(whom I read as most of you have, already had his mind set on the F-14 to begin with). I've heard Snodgrass does good knife fights with the F-14, using dissimlar engine settings(in order to increase roll rate per side of plane).

Not just the color scheme but the 2 extra guns! Man thats what really gives me incentive to buy this sucker.

It's actually 1/17 scale in some areas. BTW this originally came out in 2004 I believe. And Godzilla.. unfortunately the weapons from this bird are NOT compatible with the BBI Hornet. They have different attachement points/hinges.

WELL SAID I can't find these yet, have they been released nation wide yet? The people I know of who do have them got them from AX, ordered online, or from Frank and Sons. I keep waiting for these to show up@my local comic shop

I actuallly think the Ravage is a cool convept and executed well. I just don't like the look of it from the sides but other than that to me its great. I hope we get an Alternator Soundwave now.

From what I remember its flying vertical and I believe hanging/stalling. Either that or flying 90 degrees parallel to the radar to break the lock, its been a while but I did hear of this some years back. BTW guys the Oceana air show was decent. F-104 did a surprising demo(replaced a plane that could not fly that day, forgot which one). F-15C demo was very good as usual. Blue angels had a good display but GOOD GOD they took so long(they were scheduled for 3 but started@3:45pm). I still wish there was a lot more planes on static display...like way back when I went in 97. Now THAT was a great airshow. I did get some shots, I'll post them later this week.

I wonder how the flight characteristics compare, like if the new fighter is a lot better than the F-5.

Yes but in an interview(as much as I don't believe this myself) it is mentioned that Kawamori says the F-111/F/A-18 inspired the VF-1's fighter mode, not the F-14. The main reason I'd like to see Jetfire as an F-14 is mainly because years back, when alternators/binaltech first arrived, a lot of people such as myself kept begging for a jet starscream, preferrably an F-15. I also wanted a jetfire. I think the majority of these boards wanted jet alternators. As for myself...I love F-14's which all of you know, so a transformer F-14 with a realistic alt mode and superb articulation in robot mode is pure bliss for me irregardless of which character is used(closest being jetfire and leokaizer). *BTW while I think alternators are cool I will never be fully content until I see more jets in either masterpiece or alternator line....actually as long as we get realistic jet transformers catored to collectors I will be happy....this aside from the mainline classics line and all*. But since Jetfire was a VF-1 toy in g1 and the VF-1 is like the F-14, and the F-14 is my favorite plane, and VF-1 my favorite mecha design, an F-14 Jetfire is just a mishmash of goodness to me at least. That is the most confusing sentence i have ever written online but I think you guys get the jist of what I am saying LOL.

They don't but its always been my wish that they made jetfire into a realistic F-14 at some point. I designed one for fun 2 years back with the alt mode being the F-14B F101DFE testbed(similar color scheme, red and white, with dark blue line trim). And plus since Jet/skyfire is Starscream's rival in the g1 comic/cartoon, it would be cool to have Jetfire as a masterpiece or alternator. Better a fighter than a cargo plane, thats how I've always felt about him.

They comprise of 2 arm pods and 2 rocket boosters on the backpack with cannons that flip out/fold down over the shoulders in robot mode(not shown in pics but you can see the slots where they plug in). What these pics do not show is the battle helmet that folds over Jetfire's face as well(the VF-1S looking battle helmet he has in the DW g1/Stormbringer books). Also he either has 2 guns that combine or a double barreled gun that is not shown in the pics either. The arm armor kind of hides the fact that the arms are sticking out to the side, and the top of the shoulders resembles intakes(the top of the legs does not, they are hinges). Still $20, FINALLY a jetfire after g2 that turns into a FIGHTER plane rather than a cargo plane, an homage to the original toy and an F-14 without being exactly F-14. IF kawamori decides to make a MP-06 Jetfire as an F-14, then I'd be really anal about it but for a mainline mass market $20 release, this Jetfire is great to me.

423677[/snapback] Yea only the HIkaru 1A and Cannon fodder versions. And the rest of the 1/55 reissues cost way more at this point. This isn't 2003 anymore, the resale value of those has gone higher.

I think they will alternate....in other words which toy is designed first and gets all its kinks worked out first. For example, the VF-0S is out, the VF-0A is coming out and so is the YF-19. We have heard nothing concerning the YF-21 or VF-0D, however of the 2, the VF-0D is the easiest to tool since it does share similar parts from the VF-0S/A mold. The major differences being the 2 seat cockpit/canopy and the wings. The YF-21 would be an all new mold with no mold sharing between any existing mold...therefore it would be easier, take less time, and be more cost efficient if the VF-0D would be next in line after the YF-19. Not saying the YF-21 wouldn't come out, just if it came down to logics and all, the VF-0D would be next.

Because some people can't afford the 1/48, whereas some can afford the 1/100.

They were asked about it a few weeks ago@the SDCC panel. The 1.72 scale one was a rumor from a trade show during 2005 I believe. FRom the SDCC panel:....

I remember watching it when I was 4...I kept waiting for Optimus Prime to come back but he NEVER DID!! Alas in the movie that is...and that was the biggest dissapointment to me. As I got older...I realized Hasbro had some balls to pull that poo off. And in every script he was supposed to die regardless....I so wanted him to kill off Hot Rod.

whats bad about the other jets? i was tempted to buy theier F-16 and F117. Also@radio shack over xmas I saw a duct fan A-7...anyone buy this? And how about the estes warbirds over@walmart? They have corsairs and P-40's are they any good?

Its out. Showing up@walmarts. $70. S1 Atlantic grey scheme. BTW guys I got the marineflieger F-104@Walmart for $40. No wonder people are saying its the best 1/18 aircraft out there! The slats, flaps, and rudder move! Also its a beaut and constructed well. The detail is very very good. You can see the engine from within the nozzles and I forgot the nose looking part but its in there too. The inlets are detailed too. And SPRING LOADED/LOCKED LANDING GEAR! Must buy guys, must buy!

Your talking about taking shipping into account and all that. Msrp is $19.99. The SDCC one was $25. Which wasn't bad. Thats how much Alternator Nemesis Prime was and noone really raised a stink about his price. Sure it took gas and all that to get to SDCC but when you got there, thats how much they would charge you. Gas and all that only takes into account if you were reselling what you bought to cover the expenses of you going there yourself and buying it for said friend. The RT price + shipping is ordering it online. if you were to walk into a store like suncoast, a local comic shop, and anime store or whereever, you would pay 20$ for one+tax.

So what movement do you think this will have? i have never messed with rc stuff...but since this has no string attached to it via handle(forgot what those were called) and since it is cheap...I am thinking of buying..

I'm fully back that suggestion, although i'm doubtful it will pan out. 421968[/snapback] Well, I understand that it may be prudent not to reveal information regarding future releases, but for the projects they've already announced, what's with keeping pics secret? Can anyone see the reasoning behind this? I mean secretly giving Graham a prototype to post a review to coincide a new valk's release makes complete sense. But what's the purpose of giving him pics of a resin mock up that he can't show until AFTER the the next month's hobby mag comes out? A wider range of fan feedback (always valuable overall), maximizing hype and excitement, touching base with the fans on a more personal level, all of this would be benefits of showing something exclusive to the forums. I do realize it might have something to do with a deal they have with the mags for exclusive pics, but why not release a hype shot for the forums of a different angle of the toy? I guess it's just my crazy logic~ 421992[/snapback] They probably give him pics early out of friendship. He has known them for a while. Plus they can trust him. The thing with the mags, they usually want EXCLUSIVNESS in order to break the news to the world. That way they hype people into buying the magazine. The more hype, the more readers. They want to be the first to unveil the product in general, not just a different view. Dengeki Hobby and Hobby Japan probably compete for first dibs. As the internet has grown and grown and more action figure sites have come out, there have been less magazine sales and its a LOT harder for a magazine these days to even be the first to break the news or unveil something. Look at Toyfare magazine. Everytime a new figure or lineup is to unveiled in an upcoming issue, either the testshot or prototype is unveiled unofficially on the net through less than legal means and usually posted on boards that can be sneaky and get away with it. Look at how back in 2003-2004, nearly all gijoe and transformers fans already knew what they would get for later in the year or 2005 solely through the illegitimate sales of leaked testshots and samples on ebay. The magazines that were set to unveil stuff were not the only ones pissed, hasbro themselves were pissed; there is such a thing such as industrial espionage in the toy industry and its much more menacing than a lot of you think. Sure we can say "but they're just toys", but its a lot more than that. People's jobs are at stake. Still toy makers know that theres still a world outside the internet. The magazines are meant to keep the buying public informed of whats going on. And most of the time, when some pics are shown too early, the toy itself may not be ready for production. This is why you get pissed off department heads complaining about leaked samples and pics previewed too early in advance that were meant solely for retailer solicitations for buyers and such like Jesse Falcon of Toybiz. And why would a company want to show the public something that isn't in production yet? It would only antagonize their patience. Case in point? 21st century toys' Avenger bomber. Which just came out last weekend after THREE YEARS OF WAITING And put it this way. If Graham were to show Macrossworld fans pics of toys that he was not cleared to release, do you think Yamato would keep talking to him? Nope. I think they just show him the pics earlier than the mags can show because they have known him from years and he has earned their trust. Thats the way it works with insiders in the action figure industry. The minute you give out info to the general public when you are not supposed to, thats when the sources stop talking to you. Its happened a LOT with tf insiders, and insiders for marvel stuff. Anyways, since legally Yamato cannot cater to us in regards to Macross, is it even legal for them to touch face with us and deal with us directly? Even when we tell Graham stuff, when it gets to Yamato its through a 3rd party. For example I wonder if Harmony Gold would raise hell if FLEX Nishikawa were to post here via translator. That would SUCK. But since this whole legal BS is still going on... Sorry for going OT but you guys probably saw where I was coming from.

OOooo. These seem small...are they small enough to be flown indoors? Also What are the controls like? Is there controls for yaw, roll, and pitch? And a throttle?

Your right. Not to mention Alternators are MASS MARKET. TRU, Walmart, Target, most of them investing in hasbro for them. The same cannot be said for Toynami. And the only rare alternators are the ones that a-are exclusives(so far only nemesis prime) b-come out at the end of the year c-come out at the end of the seasonal assortment(Swerve). For the most part within 3-4 months most are in saturation and relatively easy to find. Besides we are comparing valkyries here. What you are doing is almost like comparing a 1/48 to MP Prime and trying to justify why the 1/48 costs more....only in your comparison your asking why the valk costs more, but you guys get my drift. thing is if anyone had a choice between a 1/100 and a 1/48 or 1/55, I am sure damn near all of us would pick the 1/48 and 1/55. But we all know unless there is some super duper clearance sale, niether one of those will ever be $20. Again for the msrp, I wasn't expecting a mini me 1/55, MPC or 1/48. The pics from fall toyfair clearly showed that. This also looks a ton better than the 1//100 taka/bandais. Sure those are OG, but those were nothing more than minime simplified 1/55's; the bargain line of Macross way back when. The articulation and aesthetics of the toynami 1/100 outshines the old taka/bandai 1/100. I'm sure those things were probably around the same price range as well. For $80, Yes I would have expected much. For $20? I certainly wasn't. Now I realize a lot of you feel burned from ordering the VF-1 MPC's when they came out; I don't blame you, but this is a different toy. And a totally different price. This isn't hasbro we are talking about here, this is a relatively small company, not a huge corporation. I mean if we can say that Yamato is a small company compared to bandai and justify their prices with no bias since they are small, surely we can do the same for toynami with regards to this particular product. I would have felt ripped off ordering the MPC for full msrp but I certianly wouldn't feel ripped buying a 1/100 for $20. Not when the only same scale alternatives are vintage ones on ebay and model kits that will inevitably break in my hand.

I think the preproduction samples should be put through 1-2 months of playtesting. That way Yamato can guage what tolerances they need to increase on decrease on their toy, and how rigid some mechanisms are, and what parts need to be redesigned in order to make the toy more durable and have less returns or requests for spare parts. I am sure Yamato would love to do multiple production runs with NO parts redesign....it costs them more in the long run and especially since they have to alter or create new tooling. So play testing for that long would find most problems and they can have scotch free production runs later on solely to meet demand, not for parts that have to be redesigned and have version@'s and 3's and so forth. Saves them AND us a lot of money in the long run.

but you do. you have to remove the heatshield/canopy depending on the mode. take a look at it again, the heatshield and canopy designs are similar to 1/60s. you can't leave the canopy on and have it in battroid or the chest plate doesn't lock down. you can't leave the heatshield on and have it in fighter mode since it looks stupid...especially with the raised skull emblem. i know i sound like a broken record here but the reason why i'm so unhappy about the $20 price tag is simply the fact that i can get a 1/55 for $20 more. think about it, the 1/55 is far superior in every way compared to this thing, its bigger, better, more durable, bascially more bang for your buck. so how is this thing not a rip off? how can anyone justify a $20 price tag? *shrug* 421912[/snapback] Your comparing 2 very different scales and products. The way I see it, $20 either buys you the 1/100 toynami toy, or the 1/100 bandai/imai swap transformation variable kit. The whole review is basically going about talking about what the $20 is getting you. For $20 I don't think anyones expecting a 1/55 or 1/48(which for some reason everyone is comparing this to, come to think of it, I don't think anyone dared compared the banpresto to those 2). And where as some of you make it a point to compare it to the 1/48 or 1/55, why is there no mention of the old takatoku/bandai 1/100 toy from the mid80's? Same scale, and all. Toynami's got more articulation than that thing, the only thing that the old taka/bandai 1/100 has over the Toynami is the retractable landing gear, not like they were anything to write home about in regards to aesthetics. And on THAT one, the canopy/heatshield were the samepiece...in fact...PAINTED even. The canopy WAS the heatshield on those ones. Me, I've always wanted something small and those model kits fit the bill except all models break in my hands. That is why I want the toynami and don't really think its a rip off. For $20, I want something I know will not break in my hands, not something that I have to build, paint, and assemble myself only to watch it crumble. (This is my experience I manhandle all my toys and models, and my models break, my toys do not).

By perfect transformation I just mean "perfectly variable", as in you don't have to take it apart and reassemble it like some old SDF-1 toys and the Yamato 1/60 line. I won't hold the heatshield against it since you don't really NEED to swap heatshields and the original Takatokus didn't even have heatshields and they were "perfect transformation" toys. I'll go back and edit the wording though, I think "perfectly variable" is much more concise. Edit - For the record, I am not a "Toynami supporter" but I do come across that way at times because of how much I hate the Yamato 1/60 (VF-1) toys. I would like to believe that if this exact 1/100 toy were made by Yamato, Bandai, or Banpresto I would have created the same impression of it. I also am a pretty easy going guy so as long as toys don't fall apart in my hands I tend to enjoy them in some respect. I am a Legioss/Alpha supporter though, I have to admit that Edit II - Did anyone notice the art on the back of the box shows Hikaru with a black heatshield on his VF-1S? Also, for the member who photo shopped the weaknesses of the sculpt down (shoulders and chin)... great job! 421782[/snapback] I tend to think your just an unbiased reviewer. Its almost as if anyone who says the MPC wasn't crap is labeled a toynami supporter. They ain't perfect, but I always thought the VF-1 MPC's weren't as bad as a lot of people said they were, they definitely did get better with the Ben vol2 and afterwards. And the 1/100 is the best price toynami has ever slapped on a product. zAnd from the reviews, it seems well worth it. And I too did not like the 1/60 VF-1 as much.