drifand

Thanks for the link... interesting to see the innards of the P2 version. Can't help but wonder if some 1/6 collector/customizer could stitch together proper fabric sleeves to replace the sure-to-melt rubber originals. :-) BTW, I got lucky today. My regular toy seller managed to dig up a 'No. 1' AV-0 from his stocks and I bought it right away. Hope to finally get some time off to shoot a couple of pix this Saturday.

They are packed in window boxes so that you can see the numbering on the shoulders and shields. So, if you buy from a real store, you can pick the one you want, but if you buy from HLJ, they claim they they are unable to sell a specific unit. See for yourself: http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65182 I definitely took a chance when I ordered one from these guys. After all these years and they still haven't evolved their service to match expectations. A more customer-focused policy would be to at least offer the chance to buy a guaranteed set of both 1 & 2. The window box makes their stand a lazy and unhelpful one. And that's on top of their "if your combined order takes more than X days to come into stock, the available items will be shipped first. Remember, you AGREED to this condition." I will definitely remember, HLJ.

Well, my AV-0 arrived from HLJ. I drew a '2' on this one. Key points to note: PLUS POINTS: - Nice size and sculpt. AV-0 looks great next to the Ingrams and Griffon. - Tampo markings down to the license plate are razor sharp. - Clear parts include the patrol lights, green forehead scope and blue main visor. - The chrysanthemum is a separate golden chromed piece, just like the Ingrams'. - Cloth-covered detented joints all over. - NO SCREW HOLES. (But that also means no taking-apart for experiments.) - Revolver CAN be stowed in chest holster (if you jiggle it carefully) - Stun stick can be stowed in opening arm compartment. - Obligatory 'slasher attack' arm looks neat (but not sharp enough at the tips) MINUS POINTS: - Sub-standard molding. Up close the wavy surface on the thighs and un-crisp panel lines disappoint. - Paint application only so-so. Touch-ups are a must, especially on the chest dividing line between the white and black halves. - Joints can detach WITHIN the cloth covers.Re-attachment is slightly difficult. - Shoulder armor comes off too easily during posing. - Empty chest holster doesn't stay shut. Sloppy. - Handle on shield-grasping hand does not 'mate' well with slots on shield. OMISSIONS: - No opening cockpit or pilot. - No chest patrol lights ala Ingram's swap-out option. - No ballast in the feet/legs. (And no way of opening them to add your own.) - No instruction sheet. That last point may seem superfluous for such a simple (but pricey) action figure, but I was on the verge of busting a vein trying to fit the gun into the chest holster. I very nearly believed the holster could only be opened to display the gun deployment and not actually stow the weapon. After much experimenting, I found out that you had to stick the barrel into the cavity as far as you can go, THEN push the holster grips upward onto the gun. CONCLUSION: This toy won't seem to be worth 6,500 yen to the modern robot-toy fan. The quality feels more like a semi-pro garage toy with some choice parts and minor fit and finish issues. Perhaps another 3-6 months down the road, you might find another blow-out sale for less than 4,000 yen. For me, though... I am still pleased to be able to own the 'forgotten Zero'. The first movie's sinister AV-X0 usually gets the spotlight while the production version in the manga and OVA tend to be sidelined. I will definitely seek out the No. 1 unit at the local shops despite the toy's flaws. I just hope the upcoming Mecha Action Brocken will enjoy higher production values.

The command car is part of a series of 6 random-packed figures. You might still find sellers offering the lot but I don't find it good value for money. Best offer I've seen in Singapore is about US$45... that sucks when I really don't care for the other figures. Even a random pick would cost US$10 a box.

Very impressive line-up... but it's missing the brown movie-edition Hercules! As for the AV-0, looks like there's no escaping the rougher than hoped-for sculpt. One of the first thing's I'd try to do is to paint the shoulder wells in dark grey. Then fix the underpainting on the chest where the white/black edges meet.

Ah... Peter F Hamilton, another love him or hate him SF author. Personally, I find he's at his best (and most lucid) when writing single-volume novels like his gritty 'Greg Mandel' stories. One of my favorites is 'Fallen Dragon' which explores alien bio-tech and corporate-sponsored terraforming. His multi-volume epics like the souls-from-another-plane 'Night's Dawn' series, or the galaxy-spanning 'Pandora's Star' are still pretty entertaining, but the huge cast becomes a challenge to keep track of, and the main characters seem to veer toward comic-book cliches... with high libidos to boot. One more recommendation for the military-SF sub-genre: 'Old Man's War' by John Scalzi is excellent for its well thought-out technological premise and supporting world view. Borrows the best of Heinlein and Joe Haldeman and mashes it into a convincing tale of 'super experienced' bio soldiers holding the line against competing alien races for limited resources.

This kind of argument will only degenerate into rhetoric. There have always been controversial SF authors with socio-politcal POVs that irked a portion of the left/right wing supporters. But the best ones like Heinlein (and Banks) never forgot to tell a good story and keep the reader entertained. I like some of my Sf with a good dose of 'civic mindedness'... balanced by regular helpings of intelligent exploration of near and far-future trends, galactic empire intrigue and PF Hamilton sexual excess.

Some dealers in Singapore are marking down the Aoshima Legioss for close to bargain basement prices... like US$130 for all 3. But just one look at THAT disastrous red Legioss was enough for me to say 'Never'.

Thanks for the pix and review links. I actually saw the Peacemaker in person and I think the cloth shrouds are: 1. Not as bad as the worst case shown on Toysdaily. 2. Still not as well fitted as the diecast Ingrams. Chief culprit are the smaller 'armpits' that can't accept the ends of the shrouds. I think with any CM's Corporation release, the PRICE will always be an issue. The Mecha Action Peacemaker is definitely not 'worth' the asking price for what it offers, but then again, there will be Patlabor fans like me who value having a real semi-decent toy of the design than nothing at all. 6500 yen is expensive, but not outrageously unaffordable. After all, these are the folks selling no-gimmick soft vinyls for 5,000 yen! In a way, it's the same scenario with their Mospeada offerings... I like their Ride Armor even though it is expensive, but can't stomach the 'r@re tax' for the more questionably designed Legioss/Tread combo. Different price/pain threshold for different fans/priorities. I'm still looking forward to my HLJ delivery, and if I can finesse the toy to my liking, will probably buy the 'other' numbered version as well from a local dealer.

Iain M. Banks... his 'Culture' universe is beautifully imagined, stories well-told. Plenty of AIs and high-technology involved, but it's usually in service to very human-centric plots. His 'orbital' structures were inspired by Larry Niven's slightly over-ambitious 'ring world' designs, and in turn inspired Bungie's HALO. Best jump-off point: "The Player of Games", or perhaps the superb "Use of Weapons".

Yup, those parts were a bonus for folks who already own the first Garland... so Hargun Parts != Hargun Toy

A second for Kazutaka Miyatake's Design Works. Short of eBaying for OOP Artmic volumes, you might be interested in getting this book: http://benippon.com/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1211 It covers lots of popular designs like Mospeada, MZ23, BBC and also less famous ones like Zillion (which had a very nice toy made by SEGA).

For all we know, the 60,000 figure is just to work up the hype. When it turns out to cost only 30,000 yen or some such, we'd eat it up like nothing. :-)

It's hard to say whether a Hargun will be produced, just because its shield and rifle were made. Could be a teaser, who knows? All i know is, Im still waiting for a definite and proper reissue of the original Garland. Customer not under the generous auspices of Yamato USA still have to deal with the original shoulder problems. Which is a d@mn shame.

I wonder what will Toynami call it since they already have their own 'Masterpiece' edition-in-a-faux-book. 'Super Masterpiece'? 'Masterpiece Extreme'?

Thanks for the tip, I managed to slide the shield onto my Proto as well... BUT found that it actually kind of cramps his style. For one thing, the weight of the shield tends to pull the forearm cover open. And I always believed that shields are more effective when attached to the forearm 'sides' instead of 'bottoms', especially when posed in an 90-degree ++ bicep-curl.

Oooh. That's pretty bad news for the AV-0. And now I'm waiting for mine to arrive from HLJ... Lets see: - No opening cockpit - Badly sewn cloth shrouds - 2-piece 'pants' that cannot conceal the crotch due to the narrow codpiece. - Uneven molding? Aiyaiyai.

I was so bamboozled I mis-posted! Wow!

What impressed me about the video was not the shoulder torture... it's that JoshB managed to fit the Hargan shield onto the ProtoG! I never did dare to 'force the issue' with my toy, especially after the comments that the Garland had 'subtly different' parts compared to the ProtoG. I really felt that the shield's clip was too narrow/tight to fit the ProtoG's forearm struts. I could probably force it on but could I get if off again without damaging anything? As for repaints, maybe another 'silver factory scheme'? Or they could just go Gucci with a black/gold ProtoG ala Macross 25th.

The 'Economy' is a Brave Gohkin probably because it still manages to share quite a few parts from the original Ingram, e.g. the arms, waist and most of the legs. They are just maximising their investment in the diecast molds. And I am SURE we will see the C.L.A.T. repaints eventually. :-) And after the MechaAction Brocken, I don't think a Helldiver is out of the question. I just hope they go the whole hog with a properly designed cloth shroud that reaches out from the chest to the shoulders, instead of 'cheating' with a partial molded shroud.

Here is a pretty cool thread on TBDX, with scans of some prototype/unproduced designs. Also mentions some of the illustrators/designers involved: http://toyboxst.inwards.com/phorum/read.php?4,146094,page=1

AND zombies.

Let's just hope she doesn't get any hotter... as in 10,000 degrees hot.

Wasn't that on Takara-Tomy's plate? It would be the perfect follow up to the VOTOMS Dual Model Zwei series, although not likely to be 1/18 scale, of course. I/48 would be most excellent.

Does the SE come with Deunan's panties or what?