drifand

Hey, no problem. I used to call those 'clickety-click joints' 'ratchet joints' too. But strictly speaking, ratchets only go ONE WAY, that is, you twist it in one direction, and the ratchet prevents the joint from falling back, ever. The right term, I learned later, is 'detented joints'. Each 'click' or stop is a single 'detent'. Cheers!

OK, let's just all agree to enjoy our superlative 1/46.2371 scale CM's Patlabors! :-)

And I've just gotten an email from a local seller that the TV-Edition will be arriving very, very soon. My wallet is trembling in anticipation.

Yes, the shoulders and elbows are pretty tightly detented.

Although Megs has quite a good range of movement in the hips and legs, the real limitation is the big scope. It's size and weight means there are only a few good arm positions which can combine with a nice stance that counterbalances well. The shoulder and elbows are quite tight, so it's not that difficult to get things right. I do wish Meg's upper arms had a swivel joint for even better poses but the amount of space available to the designers is really limited. Also, although Megs has a 'waist joint' to enable transformation, once in robot mode the diecast 'spine' locks the torso in place... so that means no roundhouse-punch poses.

Kinda busy with work right now, so it's hard to make time for a good photo session. I haven't tried the new Rumble/Brog yet... maybe on the weekend. :-)

Just got my MP-05 Megatron today in Singapore. Pre-ordered for 100SGD (cheap!) NO ORANGE CAP, YAY! First impressions: It's no MP-01, the metal is used for key areas like frame/armatures, feet etc. Funny thing is, Takara/Tomy made the plastics look like metal while the cheap looking chrome on the diecast parts looked like pastic! It won't pull off any really cool action poses (too wobbly), but I think it meets the standards for a very nice 'show-accurate' Megatron display piece. The robot mode feels quite fiddly, with the shoulder pieces and folded pistolgrip/calves easily shifted out of place during play. The big-ass scope is nice (VERY bright! Don't point it at eyes) but tends to clash with the folded gun-barrel. Transforming into gun mode for the first time is HELL. I spent over 40 minutes figuring out the right way to do things, especially on how to fold the hip/groin area. And the last step of getting the trigger/pistolgrip to mate correctly with the upper half is really not easy. HOWEVER, I have to say that after 2~3 transformations, it does get easier in that you become familiar with the trickier parts, and the super-tight detents in the elbows get a bit looser as well. The completed gun is HEUG – I wouldn't bother with a 'Perfect Edition' if they ever re-issue Megs with the stock and silencer. If anything, I think Megs is harder to transform than SS, but because of the superior size and looks in robot mode, I find it much more satisfying to own, even if there aren't any other gimmicks besides the 'working' trigger and safety lever. MP Convoy: 10/10 (Looks great, feels great, plays great) MP SS: 6/10 (Looks nice, feels light, plays OK) MP Megatron: 7.5/10 (Looks great, feels light, plays so-so)

Not bad at all, nice custom!

Haha! Next thing ya know, we'll be discussing our favorite POSITIONS!

Nah, it'll only SEEM larger because of hueg box.

May I ask why is that? GGG is one of the most energetic and enjoyable robot action series I've watched so far. Come to think of it, it's very much the '300' of anime! Fighters SHOUTING!!!! all the time, few against many, brave against the unrelentless, sacrifice, over-the-top fighting, even... babes!! ;-) Another enjoyable series I liked that gets vilified: G-Gundam. Yes, yes, it's not REALISTIC, but it's a damn sight more entertaining than the usual UC politico-angst drudgery... plus a good ending too.

Interesting! Megahouse got a bit of a bad rep from a Japanese reviewer recently for the poorly done 1/100 Limited-Model L-gaim & Vatshu (costing 133,400yen... each!), so I'm anxious to hear a different take. For relatively close-up photos, it's best to use a tripod and NO FLASH. If you don't have a tripod, use a stack of books or a chair to prop up your camera - it helps to steady the shot. As long as the toy is within 3 ft/1m of your cam, make sure you use the Macro mode (the 'flower' icon). If your camera has too much resolution (6MP++) for a web pic, you can usually select a smaller size (1200 x 800, or less). If you've shot less than 5 pix, I'm sure the bbs can take the load as attachments.

Now THAT I'd like to see

For goodness sake, it's 1/48 scale. The measurements of the head height (up to tip of antenna) of 17-18cm (depending on how you position the neck) corresponds to MAHQ and other reliable labor tech-info. And the pilots will fit a 1/48 scale Votoms cockpit very nicely.

Looking good but locally, the first run of Palm Action toys were really obscenely overpriced. Think nearly 30USD for a puny PVC action figure! I'm just looking at these as a harbinger for better made Orguss toys, hopefully in SOC or SPEC line-ups.

'Kid in black' is a homeless orphan and video game whiz, exploited by Utsumi (Schaft) to become the pilot for Griffon. Each time he fought Noa he thought it was a game, right up until the final showdown. SO IF YOU BUY IT MAYBE WE'LL GET A DIECAST GRIFFON!!!

I used UHU... applied a thin coat on the finger-peg, plus a a bit in the slot. Wait 5 minutes then assemble with rifle-grip in position. Wait another 10-15 minutes to 'dry'. Fix thumb back in w/o glue. Seems like a long wait but the UHU is strong enough to hold without becoming a seriously 'un-rippable' supaglue bond. Also, UHU gives you a bit of leeway when putting the pieces together... I get nervous with supaglue's 'instant bite' which can become a 'grip of death' if you joined them wrongly.

Thunderbirds 2086 rocks! I watched the chinese-dubbed version back when it was shown on Singapore tv. Wish it gets released on DVD as a subbed series... I mean even Galaxy Rangers eventually made it. :-) I had a bit of browser problems with the link on the site, here's a direct URL: http://www.andersontv.co.uk/dsl/2086Shockwave.WMV

For pricey SOCs, when in doubt, WAIT. They always get reissued (eventually); sometimes they're improved (GX-01R), and cheaper too (SOC Dancouga). Check out the actual reviews before taking the plunge, especially if it's not a childhood hero reincarnate.

ALT RUMBLE arrived in Singapore over the weekend... 45 SGD from most sellers. Quick run-thru: - Gimmicks are back! Steering wheels, opening doors/hood/boot + engine/weapon. Additional weapon stowed in boot, but what it's disguise is... is anybody's guess. - Both weapons are hard to stow in car mode... the available slot/pegs are not intiuitive nor secure. When I opened my package, the weapons were already loose and rattling in their respective compartments. - Red plastic molding is acceptable (face it - paint will always look nicer) - Transformation is quite straightforward, although the manual assumes you will know how to separate some of the trickier locking pegs. - Chromed piledriver hands are spring-loaded and can be 'fired' by pressing a small trigger. When extended, the piledrivers do not lock into place - which means they rattle around quite a bit. Could be better! - I like the head sculpt (suitably aggressive), and also the detailing on the 'heritage' chestplate. - Posability is pretty good: Legs allow kneeling pose, waist turns. However, I haven't been able to put Rumble into a 'double piledriver on the ground' pose. - Caution! Achtung!! The pivoting reinforcement spar that runs along and under the doors is prone to breakage if you're not careful in dis-engaging the locking pegs. Overall, not bad... quite a fun Alternator. I'll rate it 7/10

Hmm, my micro-chirico is either stuck in the cockpit or in some kind of action pose running alongside the 'dog. He's also good enough to pose in a climbing-up-the-tank scenario. The worst thing is definitely his crap hands. They should just make them ball-jointed and that would eliminate at least one pair of redundant 'piloting' hands. As for the Scopedog's swap out hands, I thought about it and decided to GLUE the pistol-grip set in-place for the right hand. I simply don't see a situation where my Scopedog would ever be posed with the right hand empty, so a 'permanent' grip on the AT-rifle seems like a good compromise. Not ideal but it makes an already enjoyable toy much more fuss-free during play. It'll be interesting to hear how you find the 1/12 when you get it. Most Votoms fans buy into one or the other, not both. :-)

I say let Bandai supply all the mainstream, affordable new Macross toys and let Yamato become the 'B-Club' supplier of pricey, fragile but ever so accurate, obscure VFs. Afterall, Yamato being a 'small' company will probably never match the larger economies of scale to actually bring down their prices for a mass market. They sure haven't in the last 5 years, don't think they ever will unless some serious competition comes in.

It's for THIS March and the cloth covers are definitely there: http://www.cmscorp.jp/product/pat_bg_13tv.htm

BANDAI - Their quality, while not 100% perfect, is still a lot more reliable and predictable compared to Yamato. Maybe they'll just buy over Yamato and apply some real checks on their short-sighted design processes!

Really sorry to hear about this - and you're perfectly justified in being angry. I only hope you bought this through a reputable seller and can get it refunded/exchanged. FWIW, this is definitely a case of the factory at fault, not the design of the toy. If the toy hadn't been damaged, you would probably have become a CM's convert... Again, my sympathies to a fellow Patlabor fan. You should take plenty of big, clear pictures of the damage and contact the seller. If they're not helpful, maybe your creditcard company will be. I seem to recall a very paranoid eBay'er who VIDEO'd the opening of all his purchases... from the condition of the package received up to the unwrapping of the goods inside... very handy in several bum-deals he got, but not easy to pull off for most of us excited, rip 'em open types!