mechaninac

EXO, I wish I could reach through the interwebz and waterboard you into spilling the beans...

Or would Bandai just go back into the Macross hybernation, with rare instances of mediocre product releases, that they cultivated during the late '80s, all of the '90s, and much of the 2000s? It wasn't until Yamato had demonstrated that yes, there was a market for high-end, high-quality, high-price, model-like Macross merchandise that Bandai started to dedicate any effort to the franchise. I commend Bandai for their MF products, V1 25s and 27s excluded; but I wonder, if there was no competition/inspiration, would they go back to their old ways?

Occupational hazzard?

I want one of those really bad, but I just refuse to pay the going rate so I keep hoping that Bandai will reissue the 25s, in their release order, as soon as possible after the RVF-25-Luca hits the shelves... but, oh the temptation...

What fantastic overkill for toy display... I love it!

My only issue with the Detolfs is that they're not dust proof; they do cut on the dust accumulation, but you still need to clean regularly. Other than that, they're great for the price.

yeah, the 2JA and 2SS have nothing in common from a design/engineering point of view, other than doing what every other VF does: go fro F to G to B modes. You could, maybe reuse the pilot sculpt, if the suit designs are the same for both Valks -- not sure, and perhaps -- a very small possibility... would need to refer to whatever scarse lineart there is-- some of the landing gear components. It would be like trying to have parts of Yamato's VF-1 be reused/retooled/repurposed for the VF-11. That does not stop me from pinning/dreaming that either Yamato or Bandai, or any other toy maker willing to give it a shot, would tackle the VFs from M2, in the now standard for variable mecha toys, 1/60 scale; I'd even purchase a Metal Siren, even though it's one of my least liked, however unique a design it is out of all VFs. In a perfect world Yamato's change to Arcadia would open the door to the possibility that the M2 license would be something they'd be willing to pursue; if anything, the release of the VFX VF-4G shows that making an expensive, limited edition, toy of an obscure subject that only a limited number of fans truly appreciated and desired is a viable endeavor to produce. It can be argued that there is, among Macross collectors, an equal and/or greater number of fans of the VF-2SS as there is for the VF-4G, with less interest for the 2JA and MS.

I just love how people make excuses to justify why they think they did not overspend for their overpriced purchases... easier to sleep at night, I guess. I have VF's by both Bandai and Yamato and have no delusions that product from company Y is worth almost 2X more than a similar product from company B. I have overspent on both, but by far, I have overspent far more on Yamatos than on Bandais on a one to one basis because the latest Yamatos are far more expensive than a comparable Bandai. And again, Bandai is an example of what a Yamato could cost because we are comparing apples to apples (VF's of similar, albeit not exactly equal, materials, similar constructions, complexities, manufacturing, assembly, etc., with no quality issues from either company) -- it's not like comparing SOCs to Yammies, so willfully ignoring the price disparity, even in light of many other factors, is silly. To me it's not about complaining about the price, but honestly looking at what my purchasing money gets in terms of bang for the buck. If I feel an offering from either company is too pricey, I skip it or wait for a sale; but if it's something special that I really want, i'll buy it (Ex: the ludicrously overpriced, under-accessorized VF-4G... did I want it? Yes. Did I buy a copy? Absolutelly. Was it grossly overpriced for what you actually get? Hell yes.).

Macross Frontier Valks being ready made for conversion into transforming kits and toy forms... granted. Bandai having more financial muscle and a far greater range of licences and products to offset the cost of production for any one toy line... granted. Licensing fees, maybe, but Bandai foots a great deal of the bill for sponsorship, production, advertising, etc of all the licences they hold as exclusive, so it's a minor difference at best. Bandai VFs and Yamato VFs are made of the same plastics, metals, etc. And Bandai tampo prints all liveries on the toys while Yamato gives you peel off stickers. Both companies utilize similar factories and comparable workforce to manufacture, assemble, package, ship their producst. I'll grant that Bandai's considerable size likely gives them an edge in their ability to negotiate better rates with suppliers and manufacturers, but not enough to justifly an almost 2:1 price ratio the Yamatos carry. Bottom line, Yamatos are overpriced, not because Bandais are cheaper, but because Yamato over-charges. Assuming that a comparison between the price disparities of similar products by two different companies is the sole supporting basis for an observation is born out by shopping for said products... baseless.

You'll get no argument from me there. There is no denying that Yamatos are grossly overpriced; one only needs to compare MSRPs (Before anyone finds it pithy to point out that they end up being just about equally priced due to the scarcity of Bandai's products, I'm specifically talking about MSRP, not dealer mark-ups, Ebay, etc.) between Bandai's equally complex Macross Frontier offerings to Yamatos' latest VFs to see that the yammies cost far too much, and Bandai's aren't cheap to begin with; but it's the nature of the beast, you either suck it up and collect what you can within your budget or just exit the game... whining about it solves nothing and makes one look like a malcontent.

I did preface my list by stating that they were flaws in my eyes, and made clear that the finish was a personal preference; hence why I've had such a hard time commiting to buy one. I can certaily understand liking the covers on and reducing the amount of small parts to potentially lose; nevertheless, I would just like to have the option to remove them regardless how silly and unrealistically close to the front they are, but in the VF-19s that choice is denied. However, I will not excuse the ankles; increased side to side range is a plus, but not at the expense of front to back adjustability... they could have done better, and they could have revisited the design for the S variant and beyond.

Why would you take exception to his statement? The very fact that you do not complain about the prices means you do not fall into the range of people he described.

Envy.

The VF-19s have 3 design/execution failures (in my eyes) that have kept me from pulling the trigger on a purchase: It's high gloss finish is off-putting to me, specially since all other VFs Yamato have ever produced have had a matte finish. It stands out too much against its M7 stablemates. Obviously, this is personal preference issue and not a flaw per se, and I have Macross Frontier VFs that are also glossy but they they appear, to me, to be less so -- closer to a semi-gloss than the 19's auto-show mirror treatment. The non-removable intake covers. There's no way in hell I'll ever be convinced that their engineers could not come up with a solution/compromise that would allow those covers to come off to show the compressor blades like on all other Yammies, no matter how shallow they would end up being. It just strikes me as a deadline thing that had them settle for "good enough". The ankle design being a step backwards from the YF-19's. Other than my issues with the design/engineering choices, all the VF-19s are attractive enough, but I still can't bring myself to buy one...

If I'm not mistaken, that is the idea. A pallet system allowing different mission-specific pods to be swapped out from between the legs (in fighter mode). Now, whether Bandai will ever make different pods to replace the default missile rack is another question entirely. Now Bandai, isn't it time to give us all a peek at a further developed prototype?... Please.

Elitist... Macross collecting is characterized by products that, for the most part, cater to an older, more affluent consumer base of collectors willing to pay a premium price for a premium product. That there are many among these collectors with the financial wherewithal to afford multiples or any one, or all, of these premium items is not elitist in the least; after all, these folks aren't professing their superiority over those who cannot keep up. They are simply endulging their particular fetish within the bounds of what they can monetarily support. And for a company to cater to this affluent group of collectors of a very niche property within a niche hobby isn't elitist either, it's ambitious, commendable, and risky. The buying habbits of some collectors can certainly be considered as examples of conspicuous consumption and, in some rare cases, even hoarding, but elitist... no. Edit: In other words, don't get elite confused with elitist.

The difference between Alien and Prometheus, vis-à-vis unanwered questions, is that the former feels like you're only getting a small slice of a much greater backstory/universe that leaves you wanting more, and the latter just makes you say WTF?!!!

No, size and scale are two completly different things. Size refers to a subject's physical dimensions: a cesna and a 747 are not the same size in 1:1, so they would not be 25 cm long if converted to kits at the same scale. Scale is the fractional multiplier by which a subject is represented in toy or model form: a 25 cm cesna is a much larger scale than a 25 cm 747... same size, different scales; size and scale are mutually exclusive unless the objects being compared are of equal dimensions in real life. This upcomimg Kshatriya may be the same height as a MG Sinanju, but unless the K (22.3 meters73.163 ft 877.953 in) is the same height as the S (22.6 meters74.147 ft 889.764 in) in the show, which they are, they would not be the same scale. So, regarding the K model, it is MG 1:100 scale as long as the S standing next to it is a 1/100 Master Grade kit.

Maybe after they've been put in context... a long shot.

VF-4G is in the house!!! Ogling posted pictures was nice, but it does not compare with actually having this toy in your hands... beautiful. $300+ beautiful? Probably not, but no regrets.

"Yammies" has a much better ring to it, like yummies. "Arcadies" sounds like the name of one of the royal families in Dune.

You mean it's a thread about nothing? Why does that ring familiar? Twoducks, do not fret. The name may have changed, but that nauseous feeling in the pit of your stomach when you get a bum product from them will still be the same...

3 things were planned? Do tell... I know you can't... sworn to secrecy lest they break your kneecaps or something, and all that jazz...

Give the guy a cigar, preferably an exploding one...

If the name change/restructuring means they take a brake from releasing new stuff in their Macross licences for a few months, or even the entirety of 2013, I will not be one to complain; after all the stuff I bought in 2012, culminating with what now seems to have been Yamato's swan song -- the VF-4G, my wallet can use a bit of a breather. Besides, there will be penty to keep me occupied in the Macross front with Bandai's upcoming offerings.