sharky

Here's another deal for the Memorex BD player. http://www.buy.com/prod/memorex-blu-ray-pl.../208287862.html

I agree that Anakin's modified jedi starfighter is a seriously cool looking vehicle. One comment I will post on a review later is that the cockpit seat is pushed to far forward. I don't know why they did this. When I put in my Anakin/Darth Vader ROTS figure he is sitting much to forward and he can't even really look out of the canopy. They should have put the seat further back and a little higher. I will see if I can modify it somehow in the future.

Does anyone have a good tip on how to straighten out guns and other things. My General Grievous starfighter has this canon that mounts underneath, but it came seriously bent. My thought was to heat it in order to soften it. My first idea was to get it over a gas burner on my cook top. I was trying to be careful not to melt it. Well, I got a bit impatient and the tip bubbled up and got scorched. I just cut the tip off. That took care of the tip, and I think it looks better that way. It still was bent, so I boiled some water and started to dip it in for a moment to soften it. It worked for the most part in that it got soft enough to bend, but I had a hard time getting it really straight after it cooled down. BTW, the bottom canon looks like an x-wing canon just in a gold color. As I said, I cut the tip off so that it doesn't have what I call blast deflectors on the tip. I think this gives the canon a look more in line with the style of General Grievous's starfighter anyway. I serious need to post pics.

I could only find this site that had a repainted PTE A-10. From the proportions it looks great. I will probably get it if I come across during one of my TRU runs. http://www.joecustoms.com/customs/customs_...icle&id=597

C'mon, buy it. Don't be a JAFO. Catch you later.

Did you get the A-10, and do you have pics? In what way do you feel it's better than the F-22? You totally got my attention because I really like the A-10.

You can't blame Yamato for people spending more than they can afford. If a person spends more than they can afford they have no one to blame but themselves. The price of a Yamato valk should be whatever Yamato wants it to be. If they want to be greedy and make more money it is in their right to do so. It is our right to buy or not buy based on the price. It's simple. If someone is unhappy with the prices Yamato charges then DON'T BUY THEM. If enough people agree, then they will see a decline in sales and will need to re-think their pricing structure or get out of the valk business altogether. Doesn't look to me that Yamato will be stopping anytime soon, so there you have it. The market does decide if something is too expensive. One person refusing to buy something due to a high price is not enough. I can't understand how people can b**ch about things that are to expensive. If you want something you can't afford then figure out a way to make more money, or save for it like everybody else. What is not productive is whining about the price of things and whining how you can't afford it. (not directed at Queen Kittan or anyone in particular).

I have the VF-1J gerwalk. IMHO the gerwalks are not completely horrible. Very much in the style of the SDF:M. I got mine at a very cheap price IIRC. They're nothing to write home about, but are good to have just for collecting.

Maybe a 1/200 scale would be cool and definitely build-able in somebody's home/basement. The reason I say 1/200 is because we have models and toys already in that scale, so you could populate it with various mechs.

Ohh, I'm drooling. Actually, I have been wondering when they would make this style of Jedi starfighter with the center seated droid. I prefer this style over the others. I also like that you can actually put in a droid figure. I will definitely be on the lookout for it now. One thing I am not doing is getting very many The Clone Wars figures. I only picked up Ahsoka because she is not in the live action figure line, and she is a good figure with good articulation. I'm just not digging most of them for various reasons. For one, the articulation on most of them is not as good. I don't like some of the stylized versions of Yoda, Anakin, etc. either. I will be getting a Legacy Collection/Saga Legends Anakin/Darth figure for my modified Jedi starfighter. He is much better articulated than the Clone Wars Anakin.

A 1/48 scale SDF-1 would not have "tiny" valks.

That's what she said

Not saying it's a good player or anything, but it's nice to see prices dropping lower and lower. Memorex BD player $139 http://www.woot.com/ The deal is today only BTW.

Mine is the opening song from Pac-Man just before you start a level.

That's what she said

You like what I did there? Have you seen the newest line of Star Wars and GI Joe figures? These are not the same figures I had when I was a kid. Even the ones from a few years ago seem pale in comparison to the newest ones. The GI Joe figures are also entirely new. Compare these new ones to the old ones and you will see the difference. Take a look at this Biker Scout figure as one example http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/...kerscoutart.jpg You're telling me that's not cool figure with full articulation with ball hinges on many joints. Here's a good pic of the evolution of the Luke Skywalker Bespin figure. You can see that the last one is articulated in a similar fashion as the Biker Scout http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/...0Day%20|%20VTSC Here's a GI Joe. Destro never looked this good when I was a kid. http://www.hasbro.com/objects/products/ima...eader:%20DESTRO Edit: Correction. Upon further review I need to restate that I want Figma figures for Macross. Wow! Why haven't I seen these before? Those are the coolest anime figures I've seen in a long time. Can someone tell me how tall these figures are? What do the typically cost?

Yeah, the only action figures I have are the micronized Zentradi and the large armored Zentradi still new on card.

Nice one, Flo.

That 1/12 scale Zaku is way bigger than a 1/18 scale valkyrie. That Zaku proves my point about going overboard. When you examine how that Zaku is scaled and actually constructed I am not surprised at the cost. I'm sure that it was also a very limited production as well. I'm not even saying that a Japanese company has to do it, but it would seem like if it was going to happen a Japanese company would. Actually, I was thinking if HG licensed Robocrap to a company like Blue Box(aka Elite Force) or 21st Century toys they could do a non-transforming toy for a reasonable price point. Look at this F/A-18 for sale on ebay for $200, and that's not even the original retail price. It was priced around $80 brand new. http://cgi.ebay.com/-F%2FA-18C-Hornet--1:1...bayphotohosting

That's odd that people would say that because compared to other anime Macross seems very character oriented. I mean look at Macross Frontier. Compare the screen time of the main characters vs the mecha. I think that would settle the debate. I think that the Japanese for some reason just aren't into action figures so much. Off the top of my head I can't even recall any Japanese action figures in the traditional 3 3/4 genre from any anime of recent history.

The thing is, it's not really 1/18 scale. They are some other scale and badly proportioned. The fact that it can hold a figure is of little consequence IMO.

No, I mean vastly different than the Matchbox VF-1 with huge cockpile.

Now you're just being silly. But, didn't someone make a full scale mock up of an X-wing IIRC. Edit: Ah yes, here it is. http://www.aymnetwork.com/full-scale-lifes...wing-sale-e-bay

Having worked as a mechanical engineer designing various products. I can assure you that even with 3D CAD tools designing something like a Yamato valk is difficult and I am sure takes a great deal of time and effort with a team of designers. You are right in that it is easier than it used to be, but that just makes it possible to create more complex designs. Years ago something like a Yamato valk probably wouldn't have been attempted. There are just to many areas were you might have interference and fit issues to deal with unless you had some 3D design software. Refining and modifying a design through several design iterations would have been very hard to do back in the day. As far as the manufacturing process, I am not in the toy industry, but having examined the Yamato toys I would think that there are a large number of process steps to go from raw plastic and metal to a finished painted product. Not easy by any standard. My honest opinion is that the cost has more to do with the relatively smaller production runs. What I mean is that with a relatively smaller production run, you need to raise the price per toy to pay for the development and tooling cost. Since these are made in China, the fact that there is a ton of manual labor to put them together and paint isn't really an issue. Labor is cheap in China. The real factors deciding price are the payback schedule required for the initial capital expenses such as tooling, the total development cost, and the number of units that will be built within the acceptable payback schedule. Most US companies will figure a year or two, but it may be different in the toy industry.

Also, check out this F/A-18 Hornet toy in 1/18 scale. This jet is about 17.07 meters(or 675.98 inches) long. That would put this toy at around 37.55 inches at 1/18 scale or just over 3 feet. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/27674...054075123JcnyIC