drifand

Here's an improved GIF:

That's a great job for an imaginary "stealth" variable jet. In real life, of course, the numerous protrusions behind the cockpit will probably light-up every radar around!

Had a few good laffs at the movie: - The overly fervent (un-named) crusader's rants whenever Tiberius or Balian tried to reason for peace: 'God WILLS it!' His facial expression was a hoot. Every time! - Balian, a blacksmith for most of his life, suddenly gains the wisdom of farmers and masterminds the construction of a well and aqueducts to benefit 'his' people. Riiiight ... - Balian, once again, suddenly possesses master seige-warfare expertise and supervises the range caliberation of the city's defense catapults before Saladin's attack. - The cowardly priest's (?) outburst just before Balian went to ask for surrender terms with Saladin: "Convert first! Repent later!" - Victorious Saladin in the Jerusalem palace, respectfully placing a fallen cross back upright on a table with a sagely expression. (Groan) Unreal. Unbelieveable. Entertaining. :-)

No, those absolutely suck. A friend did buy the whole LOT at one go because he was so starved of good Macross merchandise, but seriously, the figures just look like second-tier goods. Even the Banprestos have better play/display value.

For me, stickering a toy = ownership. No one else will do it exactly the way I would, mistakes and all. I've been enjoying this part of discovering a toy's design since the 80's when I encountered Takatoku's INSANE amount of detailed stickers for Orguss and Macross toys. Finding ways to curve a sticker nicely over a rounded surface has been one of the biggest challenges to-date. "MIB" is overrated.

Put it on the Hikaru 1J, it's the most iconic fit. Give the TV-style Super Armor to a VF-1S.

That's a really nice custom, Graham. If I had a go, I'd try for a glossy deep red finish - so that it'll look more like a toy instead of a model :-)

Vote goes to DEADEND - excellent redo of the craptastic open-top LAMBOR, with badass paintjob, street detailing and mean looking face. Easy to TF too. MEISTER is a cool car to base off of, but the thin upper arms look weak and keep popping off. GRIMLOCK and SMOKESCREEN are tough to TF, especially if you're worried about the paintjob.

Looks best in fighter or gerwalk modes. 1/60's got it beat for battroid proportions, especially for the arms and chest.

Congrats on a great find! Hope you'll find the variant for the Nikick as well, and for as cheap too!

Shoulder adaptors on the 1/48? (shrug). From the CAD diagram, it seems the too-long nosecone will also have to be "adapted" as well. Shows insufficient forward-thinking, but excellent detailing and gimmicks otherwise.

I totally agree Drifand One thing is once someone has a complete collection of Yamato, Bandai and Takatoku what else is left but these other toys? I for one am not going to buy 8 of each version, one is enough. My collection is well rounded and completely encompasses all Valk toys Nice collection by the way. I always wonder though, why doesn't anyone ever display Valks in GERWALK mode? Thanks, dude. I haven't had time to update my shelf pix, but here's a more recent shot: Definitely try to show all 3 modes where possible. After the necessary mods to the shoulders and hands, my trio of 1/60 VF-1J's are probably the nicest looking bunch in the whole shelf... The old 1/55's are a solid (and stolid) reminder of how innovative mecha toy designs were back in the day, and how far we've come since then.

You guys just don't know how to appreciate funky old toys. These obscure finds are a real treasure for the dedicated macross collector! I managed to get one of these in HK for a friend a couple years back - his surprise sure beat just getting any other typical Bandai or Yammy. :-)

Original post by Blazeagle on TBDX... AQUARION Site (click on the "mecha" link on the side bar): http://www.aquarion.info/chara_mecha/index.html Early info on Chogokin toys courtesy of Zincpanic: http://www.zincpanic.com/view_article.phtml?id=22803

MBG-24C GERWALK NIKICK SUPER REAL 1/40 DIE-CAST PLASTIC SCALE MODEL & HIGH TECHNOLOGY PRODUCED BY TAKATOKU TOYS Superb attention to detail - from package design & materials, to actual molded & clear-parts details, paint application on large-size toy and insane amount of model-level stickers. Originality - otherworldly presence reinforced by "alien" text and symbols, exciting hard-SF mecha design with a high degree of industrial realism and a significant degree of asymmetric elements. Top-notch toy engineering... from the 80's! - almost indestructible plastics and good placement of metal; spring loaded hinges galore, complex yet durable detented joints, fold-away landing gear... NOTHING is discarded in any transformed mode - the gunpod actually stays in place. Affordable... even today - sold for less than 20USD back in the day, and commands about 150USD nowadays for a MIB specimen. And isn't even "RARE!!! HARD-TO-FIND!!!!" on eBay. Mine has lasted over 15 years of hard play from childhood days. This is the only toy I'd take with me to a desert island. Thank you, Miyatake-san. Thank you, Takatoku Toys. For more info on Orguss toys, see the TBDX Datafiles.

About 90~100USD for a slightly beat C-8.5 specimen I saw today. Whatever faults this toy has, the fighter mode sure is sleek. The shape of the nosecone/cockpit section looks so much better than the Yamato YF-19.

Those were supposedly based off of the 1/72 kits... and they took the easy way out with Tomahawk's dimple belly. Whatever scale they decide on I hope the Spartan gets a better deal - it needs opening missile pods and articulated/different pose hands. And a gunpod, please?

I wanted to enjoy this movie but came away disappointed. The plot itself is actually a noble one, but the STORYTELLING is startlingly bad, as was the hamfisted acting for the "rock posse" neo-humanoids. Lots of unintended audience laughter during the screening I was at - a sure sign of misdirected, over-emoted scenes. Because this is live-action, I found it extra hard to empathise with the cast who basically had less going for them than some of Oshii's self-philosophising cyborgs.

1/60's first... then DX 1/48 Perfect Detail versions for those who live in houses with spare rooms Or maybe, just MAYBE, Yamato will spring the ultimate surprise... All destroids in 1/100 scale to stay in line with the Konig Monster. Then a new release of REALLY improved 1/100 perfect transformation VF-1's.

Gunwalker is a bit too niche even though I love the military-styling. To really "play" it you need lots of ferrous metal floor space so that the electromagnetic feet can "walk" on it. The set only includes a single laminated base plate of about a square foot in area. If you just want a cool mecha for display, it'll fit the bill much better. Very nice detailing, crisp molding, realistic figures. Gunwalker looks great with the 1/35 Gasraki Tactical Armor kits: I bought mine in HK for about 80USD equivalent, so the $74 price seems pretty fair. BUT, the package is pretty heavy(!) mostly because of the metal base plate, so beware of the shipping charges.

Looks great, Toonz! I'm thinking of getting one of theose standalone Ikea cases just for my Gunpla... But seriously, DUST is a major problem for me even with glass doors. :-P

The 4 barrels are removeable - simple slot-ins. But with custom long-barrels, you'd be "stuck" in either Battroid or Gerwalk mode as the Shuttle won't be able to accomodate them.

The best Batman origin story, to me, has to be the YEAR ONE mini series, with story by Frank Miller and art by David Mazzuchelli. If this movie can capture some of the dramatic storytelling from that comic book, I'll be pleased as punch.

I enjoyed WXIII for the drama and atmosphere. It was a very interesting "excursion" into the world of Patlabor! The animation (by Madhouse) and music (Kenji Kawaii of course) were very well done, close to anything Oshii could've produced with Production IG, yet DIFFERENT, because the director focused on telling a human story instead of harping on all kinds of deep philosophies. If all you're hoping for is more mecha labor action, this is not it. Come to think of it, the first 2 Patlabor movies weren't too action packed either, except in spurts. To me, Patlabor as a whole will always be about characters first.

Since money and playability are your major issues, try hunting for a Bandai re-issue 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie. Tons cheaper than the original or any 1/48, loads easier to play. Plus it is a true representation of the original wave of Macross mecha glory. All the important "stickers" have been printed on it, and the cockpit/heatshield has been redesigned for the better. Very good buy! As much as I love the proportion and size of the 1/60's, they need quite a bit of work/modification to offset some bad design issues, and they're not "easy" to play with. 1/48's are the best only if you don't mind the wierd Battroid proportions and glassy heat shield.