MasterPiece Collection v1.1

[jenius]

Now for a review:

Shadow Fighter #1 (serial number mid 3000): Not bad first impressions. Nothing obviously broken, landing gears all popped out nicely and appeared straight. One tail fin doesn't lean outward as nicely as the other. Cockpit opens easily and closes tightly. Gun's a bit of a PITA to get to stick in the desired spot and clearly would kill the pilot if fired. Checked the joints and usual trouble spots, all seems well so I didn't even transform it, just displayed in fighter. Sadly, the front landing gear doesn't quite sit down and no amount of massaging corrects this. It's just barely off the ground though so I'm not fretting.

Shadow Fighter #2 (serial number low 4000): This is one of "those" shadow fighters. Vents are smudged but it looks like a little eraser attention should correct that. IT HAS A FRIGGIN GREEN HINGE BEHIND THE COCKPIT. That's right, someone put Lancer's hinge on a Shadow Fighter at the factory. Wonderful! Turn it upside down and one of the screw covers is missing... seen ths before on Yammies so I'm not too surprised. The right arm is a little loose at the elbow hinge but nothing too substantial. Forearm isn't as tight as it should be so it wants to pop off the shoulder joint in fighter mode. Front landing gear needs so much love if it was a clitoris there'd be guaranteed orgasm by the time you can get this thing out. Rear left landing gear takes an insane amount of effort to get to the position it should "pop" into... no pop. Speaking of insane effort, getting the cockpit open nearly required the jaws of life. Transformation is sweet, all other joints are tight, acheives Armo-Diver without any worries and holds a pose.

Shadow Fighter #3 (serial number mid 4000): NICE! This is one of those ones everyone hopes to get. Arms are locked pretty tight together in fighter mode (very minimal forearm gap) and paint has no visible flaws. Landing gears appear to work fine and cockpit pops right open. Transformation is actually HARD because the joints are all so tight (with exception to the hips... they could be a bit tighter). I had to yank so hard on the legs I was frightened. Shoulders, forearms, and chest all rotate and extend snugly. Battloid looks nice... the head is perfectly straight! First time I have ever seen an MPC with a perfectly straight head.

[wwwmwww]

Now for a review:

323186[/snapback]

Nice review... thanks. May I ask what the story is behind the clear guy in the back left hand corner of that picture? I don't check this thread nearly often enough it would seem but I don't think I've seen one of those before.

Carl

[jenius]

Nice review... thanks. May I ask what the story is behind the clear guy in the back left hand corner of that picture? I don't check this thread nearly often enough it would seem but I don't think I've seen one of those before.

Sure thing, apparently they released three superposeables for the Shadow Fighter. There's your standard one, the metallic one, and a clear one that was a magazine or con exclusive (I forget which... someone here could probably clear this up better). BTW - If you want one and you're in the US I received a second one as a gift and haven't touched it.

[aaajin]

ouch...the MPC alpha bug bites me...Im gonna go on a buyin frenzyyyyy

aaajin

[Axelay]

Wow. I am very jealous now. Could you take more pics of how you have them displayed?

I'm still looking for a sub-$65 blue Alpha, by the way. There are a few on eBay now starting at $49, so I'm still hopeful I can snag one soon.

[aaajin]

Ive just snagged one $68 shipped

[Cyclone]

Sure thing, apparently they released three superposeables for the Shadow Fighter.  There's your standard one, the metallic one, and a clear one that was a magazine or con exclusive (I forget which... someone here could probably clear this up better).  BTW - If you want one and you're in the US I received a second one as a gift and haven't touched it.

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Clear Shadow Fighter was a ToyFare exclusive, Metallic Shadow is a Robotech.com exclusive.

Complete round-up, Metallic Blue was a Toynami booth con exclusive, Green Gamespot and Red AFX, but nowdays you can buy all four metallics at RT.com Store, but the clear is only available via Wizard's online store or bay of E.

[Osean]

FYI BBTS has the Blue Alpha back in stock for $64.99! I'm gonna pick up a couple

[jenius]

Wow. I am very jealous now. Could you take more pics of how you have them displayed?

Yeah, i've posted this a couple times before but I don't mind doing it again

(forgive my lack of a green MPC... still waiting to find the perfect deal on that item)

[jenius]

Here's what my Shadows looked like before the MPCs arrived -

It was clearly a bit lonely since Gakken never got around to them.

[Axelay]

FYI BBTS has the Blue Alpha back in stock for $64.99! I'm gonna pick up a couple

323729[/snapback]

YES! That is precisely what I've been looking for! Thank you, Osean!

[Axelay]

Wow. I am very jealous now. Could you take more pics of how you have them displayed?

Yeah, i've posted this a couple times before but I don't mind doing it again

(forgive my lack of a green MPC... still waiting to find the perfect deal on that item)

323743[/snapback]

WOW. Now that's an impressive Alpha collection. Thanks for the pics.

[Kin]

Jenius, when are you going to complete you collection? (green one and the shadow toynami alpha)

[jenius]

Hi Kin, figured out I'm a completist eh

My Shadow Fighter review post a couple days back, I believe, has a picture of all the shadow fighters I own including the three MPCs. I'm pretty sure this is every Shadow Fighter ever made. I also posted a pic of the same shelf before the MPCs arrived so it might cause some confusion.

Beyond that there are two things I know of that I'm missing. 1) The I-men figures. 2) the green MPC.

I do eventually plan on getting those but I've been really busy lately scooping up vintage Macross toys. Anything vintage takes precedent for me since I'm pretty sure if I don't have a green MPC two years from now I'll still be able to find one pretty easy. I also had to finish my Yammie 1/48 collection before prices go too outrageous.

I'm currently trying to do this very same type of display with the characters from Macross. It's very expensive and you could never fit all of their toys into one cube. Hell, you can only fit a tiny percentage of the toys into one cube so I'm having to learn some restraint

[sidearmsalpha]

Does Toynami sell parts? I just broke the toe part on the blue alpha -- that plastic piece that connects the toe to the rest of the foot. Doesn't make sense that the toe is metal, but the piece that actually does the bending is plastic.

[zeo-mare]

thye will replace parts for free, i broke the hand on mine and they sent me a new one. all you have to d is email them and let them know it broke and you would like to get a replacement part.

chris

[sidearmsalpha]

thye will replace parts for free, i broke the hand on mine and they sent me a new one. all you have to d is email them and let them know it broke and you would like to get a replacement part.

chris

Ok, that sounds good. I thought I would have to pick up another one since I picked it up on eBay. Thanks, Chris.

Anyone else bust a foot? I transformed it a few months ago and left it in armo diver mode, then yesterday, I decide to pack it back in its box, and one slight movement of the front part of its foot, and it breaks. That joint must have stiffened over the time it was on display. I guess it helps to have a screwdriver handy with these MPCs to loosen the screws on certain parts so they'll give.

Edited August 31, 2005 by sidearmsalpha

[Eazy D]

Has anyone had problems with their blue alpha MPCs having inverted heelspurs? Mine had one inverted heelspur straight out of the box. I bought it MISB off ebay about a year back. Would toynami help me out or is it just a lost cause?

Dave

[wolfx]

Hi guys....i got my 1st Alpha which happens to be a shadow fighter. Its serial number is 1120 out of 15000. I am annoyed at the arching back in fighter mode and tilted nosecone. Bah.

But someone please tell me...how does this damn thing hold its gun? Am i missing its handle or something cause i can't find any possible way for its claws to grab the gun in any way.

EDIT: Silly me....found out the claws can be pulled forwards a little to accomodate the gun to be put over the claws. Manual skipped a step which was to open the sensor housing....though it has not sensor. I kinda snapped it open and its not broken but the hinge has stress marks on it now....hard to budge open.

Edited September 5, 2005 by wolfx

[jenius]

Dave, my experiences with Toynami have been very good. If you have a credit card statement or receipt of any kind I suspect they would replace your inverted heel Scott. I do remember another member once complaining about having something inverted in their leg that kept it from behaving properly. Possibly the same problem so you might not be alone.

Wolfx, there are some common complaints among new Alpha owners.

1) The instructions suck.... and yes they do. You're one of the fortunate ones if all you have are stress marks when all is said and done. I actually broke my first Scott by trying to pull out on the rear hatch instead of pushing (the hatch behind the sensor mount). Oh well.

2) The hands fall apart... and yes they do. Fortunately you'll avoid this problem by going straight to the shadow fighter since those don't have the uber fragile design and there's no finger manipulation necessary in holding the gun.

3) The vehicle has an arched back in fighter mode. This is true but only slightly and usually if it's pronounced in any degree there is something you can do to help reduce this. Of all the Alphas I have displayed in fighter the arched back isn't noticeable. Think back to when you first took the toy out of the box... if the back was super arched then you may be out of luck. If the thing looked okay then there's probably some latch you can massage or joint that can be compressed an iota more to smooth things out a bit.

[Kin]

Dave, my experiences with Toynami have been very good.  If you have a credit card statement or receipt of any kind I suspect they would replace your inverted heel Scott.  I do remember another member once complaining about having something inverted in their leg that kept it from behaving properly.  Possibly the same problem so you might not be alone.

Wolfx, there are some common complaints among new Alpha owners. 

1) The instructions suck.... and yes they do.  You're one of the fortunate ones if all you have are stress marks when all is said and done.  I actually broke my first Scott by trying to pull out on the rear hatch instead of pushing (the hatch behind the sensor mount).  Oh well.

2) The hands fall apart... and yes they do.  Fortunately you'll avoid this problem by going straight to the shadow fighter since those don't have the uber fragile design and there's no finger manipulation necessary in holding the gun.

3) The vehicle has an arched back in fighter mode.  This is true but only slightly and usually if it's pronounced in any degree there is something you can do to help reduce this.  Of all the Alphas I have displayed in fighter the arched back isn't noticeable.  Think back to when you first took the toy out of the box... if the back was super arched then you may be out of luck.  If the thing looked okay then there's probably some latch you can massage or joint that can be compressed an iota more to smooth things out a bit.

326046[/snapback]

Reading all about those problems I think I'll use superglue.

[wolfx]

Dave, my experiences with Toynami have been very good.  If you have a credit card statement or receipt of any kind I suspect they would replace your inverted heel Scott.  I do remember another member once complaining about having something inverted in their leg that kept it from behaving properly.  Possibly the same problem so you might not be alone.

Wolfx, there are some common complaints among new Alpha owners. 

1) The instructions suck.... and yes they do.  You're one of the fortunate ones if all you have are stress marks when all is said and done.  I actually broke my first Scott by trying to pull out on the rear hatch instead of pushing (the hatch behind the sensor mount).  Oh well.

2) The hands fall apart... and yes they do.  Fortunately you'll avoid this problem by going straight to the shadow fighter since those don't have the uber fragile design and there's no finger manipulation necessary in holding the gun.

3) The vehicle has an arched back in fighter mode.  This is true but only slightly and usually if it's pronounced in any degree there is something you can do to help reduce this.  Of all the Alphas I have displayed in fighter the arched back isn't noticeable.  Think back to when you first took the toy out of the box... if the back was super arched then you may be out of luck.  If the thing looked okay then there's probably some latch you can massage or joint that can be compressed an iota more to smooth things out a bit.

326046[/snapback]

Thanks for the feedback, Jenius.

I was playing around with my shadow fighter yesterday. It wasn't as crappy as most ppl make it to be. To me it was a pretty alright toy.....not worth the uber price but alright.

I guess i'll say what i don't like about it 1st since its easier to define.

1.) Arched back....buggerit....i can't stand to look at it in fighter mode. It looks too weird. The lower part of the nose cone's angle is off making the nose look like its pointing upwards. Should have made it symmetric to the top. But this maybe due to wrong transformation out of the box. I'll try transforming it again to night and see what happens.

2.) Plastics....wth...is this made from a plastic tree like gundam kits? I see white marks where i assume it was cut out of plastic trees. At least paint it back over them for cryin out loud.

3.) Joints....overall joints on the figure were so-so but the worse one I thought were the hands! The shoulder joints are weak...heck...i'm not sure what's keeping it together. Pulling the arms out of shoulders was a nightmare. I swear I can see the plastic straining when I pulled the damn thing out, thinking I would snap it in half after applying so much force to get it to dislodge from the shoulder in fighter mode. As for knee joints, the knees don't bend back much, so battloid can't crouch.

4.) Instructions, for the slightly intelligence impaired. I couldn't find out how to hold the gun. They even missed out on the "butt" compartment. I digged the damn thing with my fingers...wouldn't budge so i thought it wouldn't move and decided to rotate the torso from guardian to battloid mode. Big mistake. The sensor housing came off with stress marks on the flimsy joint. Thankfully nothing broken. I then used a small screw driver to pry the butt compartment open later. Now it opens up with ease.

I saw some pictures back in this thread of fully stickered Shadows. They look great! Can't wait to sticker mine up later.

[Axelay]

Say, here's a thought. Could those of who who own Alphas list a few suggestions or tips as to how to properly transform them and keep them from breaking? I will be getting my first one any day now and I'd really like to be able to keep it in decent shape. I'd definitely appreciate it.

[Mervin]

Got my first Alpha(Scott) and 1 of the knee joint was glued and wouldn't bend forward or backward. I didn't want to force it after hearing all the Alpha horror stories.

To fix it, I disassembled the leg, then knee joint assembly. I used a hobby knife to carefully pry and separate the glued joint apart. It's fixed now

The shoulder sensor joint was also glued, I'm working on that one next

[Eazy D]

Thanks for the info jenius

I can't help but think that although toynami's alpha affort is supposed to be a masterpiece (and as such has more detailing and articulation than a gakken) It may not really be that much better than a gakken even though its nearly 20 years newer.

I don't have a gakken myself but i've seen a few pictures of it and it seems pretty solid and playable. It reminds me a lot of the bandai and takatoku valks in terms of the chunky monkey styling.

I was hoping anyone with a gakken could tell me how solid and durable the toy actually is. Better still, if anyone has pictures of their gakken i'd love to see them. Does it suffer from the huge crab legs in fighter mode that plagues the toynami alpha?

BTW - a word of warning to new alpha owners. The toynami hands are CRAP. They look good admittedly (like real human fists) but my alpha had a left thumb on the right hand and the hand fell to pieces when I tried to articulate it a bit.

Dave, my experiences with Toynami have been very good.  If you have a credit card statement or receipt of any kind I suspect they would replace your inverted heel Scott.  I do remember another member once complaining about having something inverted in their leg that kept it from behaving properly.  Possibly the same problem so you might not be alone.

Wolfx, there are some common complaints among new Alpha owners. 

1) The instructions suck.... and yes they do.  You're one of the fortunate ones if all you have are stress marks when all is said and done.  I actually broke my first Scott by trying to pull out on the rear hatch instead of pushing (the hatch behind the sensor mount).  Oh well.

2) The hands fall apart... and yes they do.  Fortunately you'll avoid this problem by going straight to the shadow fighter since those don't have the uber fragile design and there's no finger manipulation necessary in holding the gun.

3) The vehicle has an arched back in fighter mode.  This is true but only slightly and usually if it's pronounced in any degree there is something you can do to help reduce this.  Of all the Alphas I have displayed in fighter the arched back isn't noticeable.  Think back to when you first took the toy out of the box... if the back was super arched then you may be out of luck.  If the thing looked okay then there's probably some latch you can massage or joint that can be compressed an iota more to smooth things out a bit.

326046[/snapback]

[nightmareB4macross]

Thanks for the info jenius

I can't help but think that although toynami's alpha affort is supposed to be a masterpiece (and as such has more detailing and articulation than a gakken) It may not really be that much better than a gakken even though its nearly 20 years newer.

I don't have a gakken myself but i've seen a few pictures of it and it seems pretty solid and playable. It reminds me a lot of the bandai and takatoku valks in terms of the chunky monkey styling.

I was hoping anyone with a gakken could tell me how solid and durable the toy actually is. Better still, if anyone has pictures of their gakken i'd love to see them. Does it suffer from the huge crab legs in fighter mode that plagues the toynami alpha?

_______________________________________________________________

Eazy D,

Gakkens Legioss are the best representation as far as the toys go. They have great proportions (does not suffer from crab leg syndrome), great articulation (though limited), and have an indestructubility rating of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The only thing that could make these specimens better would be a swivel hip joint and posable hands. I have all three and would never trade them for Toynami stuff or anything else for that matter. I am contemplating on acquiring a Toynami Alpha once the Tred make it debut for purchase. But until that happens I'll just sit back and enjoy my Legioss (by Gakken).

I'll try to take some pics for you tonight.

NB4M,

Alex

Edited September 6, 2005 by nightmareB4macross

[jenius]

Eazy D,

Gakkens Legioss are the best representation as far as the toys go. They have great proportions (does not suffer from crab leg syndrome), great articulation (though limited), and have an indestructubility rating of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The only thing that could make these specimens better would be a swivel hip joint and posable hands. I have all three and would never trade them for Toynami stuff or anything else for that matter. I am contemplating on acquiring a Toynami Alpha once the Tred make it debut for purchase. But until that happens I'll just sit back and enjoy my Legioss (by Gakken).

I'll try to take some pics for you tonight.

NB4M,

Alex

I whole-heartedly disagree. I wrote a post a while back comparing the Toynami to the Gakken and the Toynami won out. I will probably be selling one of the big ol' Gakkens soon so if you're really interested keep an eye out. I will also do a picture review for y'all when I get the chance. The Gakken is definitely the more sturdy of the toys though, with that part I do agree. That being said, the Gakkens were no where near a 10 on a scale to 10. They have knees that break super easy and a host of other problem areas.

[nightmareB4macross]

Eazy D,

Gakkens Legioss are the best representation as far as the toys go. They have great proportions (does not suffer from crab leg syndrome), great articulation (though limited), and have an indestructubility rating of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10.

The only thing that could make these specimens better would be a swivel hip joint and posable hands. I have all three and would never trade them for Toynami stuff or anything else for that matter. I am contemplating on acquiring a Toynami Alpha once the Tred make it debut for purchase. But until that happens I'll just sit back and enjoy my Legioss (by Gakken).

I'll try to take some pics for you tonight.

NB4M,

Alex

I whole-heartedly disagree. I wrote a post a while back comparing the Toynami to the Gakken and the Toynami won out. I will probably be selling one of the big ol' Gakkens soon so if you're really interested keep an eye out. I will also do a picture review for y'all when I get the chance. The Gakken is definitely the more sturdy of the toys though, with that part I do agree. That being said, the Gakkens were no where near a 10 on a scale to 10. They have knees that break super easy and a host of other problem areas.

326254[/snapback]

I have heard of the knee-cap issue, and also the wing and shoulder issues as well, but this was usually due to improper tansformation. It is very easy to snap a part when it it forced. Gakkens have a very unique, step by step transformation sequence. If you miss one and try to go forward on the the next sequence...SNAP!!! Same applies to any an all transforming toys.

Still, IMHO, I would rate the Gakken a 10.

[jenius]

QUOTE 

How does the Destabilizer gun (or whatever) fit on the top in fighter mode

There appears to be a hole on the reverse section of the crotch now where a piece of the destabilizer can fit into the back of the jet.

QUOTE 

Do you truly consider the MP Alphas to be the best version of the fighter, with all of the amorementioned flaws?

The only other Alpha that even comes close is the 1/35 Gakken Alpha. Clearly it's the more sturdy toy and it's larger. The MPC has two major flaws:

1) Fit - you'll notice in several pictures the arms don't quite contract all the way in fighter mode or something just looks a little off somewhere. The tolerances weren't quite right when Toynami gave 'em the green light and as such you can find a flaw in the fit on pretty much every toy.

NOTE 1: The fit flaw is usually quite small and is typically quite easily over-looked.

NOTE 2: 99% of the time someone has an example of horrendous fit it's due to incomplete or incorrect transformation. This toy has Fit problems because it's really complicated and has many collapsing sections. All it takes is one small snag or one section not completely depressed to make the thing look horrible.

2) Build - Similar to fit but more serious. There are minor build quality issues such as slightly crooked heads and then there are major issues like fragile hands and loose joints. Some heads are more crooked than others, some have 100% tight joints, but all of them have fragile hands. If all the joints are tight, they can get loose... easily. In terms of build this thing doesn't hold a candle to the Gakken.

So, what if you get one that has tight limbs, a pretty straight head, and snaps together nice and tight? You get these positives:

1) Detail. The Gakken has almost none.

2) Poseability. The Gakken has almost none (not that the MPC is incredibly limber but it's better)

3) Useless stuff. A plastic chunk that's supposedly a folded cyclone and missile bays that open. Don't forget rubber wheels on the landing gears.

4) Diecast.

5) Accuracy. Okay, this is a little more questionable on the Shadow Fighter but there's no Gakken to compare it to anyway. The other Alphas look truer to the anime.

6) A gun that clips to the wing.

QUOTE 

I just can't get over that "broken back" look

The sad thing about the Alpha is it's not a very sharp looker in fighter mode no matter what. That being said, you can really minimize how bad the arched back looks by transforming this thing properly (pain in the butt). If you manage that you'll also be able to put all the landing gears down with clearance for the chest. After that, there still is a bit of an illusion of an arch but you can only notice it from a dead side shot and it's not that noticeable...

Edits - Ugh, typos, grammar, and spelling problems galore, I think i fixed most...

This post has been edited by jenius: Jun 15 2005, 10:54 PM

Attached image(s)

Found my earlier post

[Sephiroth]

I own both the Gakken 1/35 Lancer VFA-6Z Alpha and the Toynami 1/55 Lancer VFA-6Z Alpha and while I can really appreciate the greater attention to detail and posability the latter provides...the former is without question more durable, easier to transform and much more fun to play with overall.

[aaajin]

OK, Ive just recveived my VFA-6H...and boy was I dissapointed ....first of all, it has 2 right wings! and it looks like Im the second owner of this 'dude' regardless of its so-called "Brand New" condition as the seller said.

Then it has scratches all over the toys and the box was not even sealed !. to make things worse, the plastic tray inside was a bit crushed and the plastic cover for the instruction manual was torn . Ill ask if the seller will accept return due to his/her own dishonesty...if not, anyone know how I can contact Toynami for a replacement?

Man...this "dude" is really the worst alpha Ive seen....even my first one wasnt this bad, regardless the paint smudge it had (sold it to someone here) and the VFA-6I Lancer that I received a couple of weeks before was wayyy better than this one

Help will be highly appreciated

Thanks

aaajin

PS:: and I thought this would be an OK toy because its designated number is #6453...which is wayy above the 5000 cut off line between bad and good toynami alpha products

Edited September 7, 2005 by aaajin

[jenius]

Another crappy alpha eh? You might be screwed if you bought it from an individual, I'm not sure how their return policy works. If you have a credit card receipt though (or some other receipt) then you might be fine. From the returns others have pulled off I think they're pretty lenient.

Go to Toynami.com and you'll find two Email addresses. One is for info and the other is for sales. I sent an Email to both. They'll send you a form response telling you to ship the item to them with a receipt. Then, about two weeks later, you ought to receive a replacement (NOTE: many people have claimed it took several more than two weeks, in my case it took about 4 business days).

This sounds similar to an Alpha I bought at my local Gamestop. I figured I couldn't go wrong for $39.99. When I got it home it was broken in some pretty major ways. They must use those things for display pieces or something and just let anyone handle it and mutilate it. Anyway, Toynami gave me a perfect one in exchange so I'm a happy camper (NOTE: others have complained that Toynami gave them crappy ones in exchange for their crappy ones).

[jenius]

While I'm here, here are some comparison pics I did when I got my Rook MPC to my Gakken 1/35.... Well, i actually compared it also to the other two Gakken 1/55s but those look so bad in comparison to these it wouldn't be fair to include them.

[Hiriyu]

I'd tend to agree with Jenius, having owned both the Gakkens and Toynamis. A suitable analogy is that the 1/35 Gakken is to the MPC Alpha as the 1/55 Chunky Monkey is to the Yamato 1/60. While fairly durable and 'playable', the Gakkens fall down to the MPCs in terms of detail and posability... And face it, if we want Legioss/Alphas, there's not much other choice available, so we have to enjoy what we've got.

...Unless, your MPC is a lemon, in which case, get rid of it or have it replaced. I've been lucky in that none of my MPC Alphas have been true lemons, I'm sure I'd righteously feel differently if that were not the case.

[aaajin]

Hi there,

thanks for the info jenius. youre da man.

Actually it is from an ebay store. Ive e-mail them for a refund or Ill leave a negative feedback & file a report to evil-bay. If that doesnt work, I guess Ill have to turn to toynami and to think that today was the first day of class...what could've been worse...

Thanks again