NEW Official MPC Thread!!!

[niomosy]

Argh! Still no word from BBTS on shipments yet

[Chowser]

well, got mine today with some other stuff from VE. Thanks Kev!

Well, I have not tried to transform this thing yet.

Does everyone else's head sit crooked in fighter mode?

I just noticed that when I was sticking Rick in as the pilot.

So far, from what I can tell, I don't see any paint problems on mine yet.

The landing gears do suck, can't seem to get the rear ones out all the way, if they came out further, it would probably lift the chest off the ground....

[Ali Sama]

well, got mine today with some other stuff from VE. Thanks Kev!

Well, I have not tried to transform this thing yet.

Does everyone else's head sit crooked in fighter mode?

I just noticed that when I was sticking Rick in as the pilot.

So far, from what I can tell, I don't see any paint problems on mine yet.

The landing gears do suck, can't seem to get the rear ones out all the way, if they came out further, it would probably lift the chest off the ground....

push it in.

[mechaninac]

Got mine today, #03163, one day early.

First impressions:

1. nice box...my first MPC, so I'm moderately impressed;

2. feels hefty, about as much as a 1/60...if not more;

3. looks good despite the large feet and the fact that the legs stick out about 3/8" too much.

Upon cursory inspection (can't waste time at work transforming it or anything) I don't see any major painting flaws and no painted shut canopy; sure there is one area of under spray on one of the feet, and some very minor "fuzziness" on the color breaks on the legs, but nothing glaring at this point. The one thing that I noticed immediately, however, were some glue stains (as if the person assembling this thing had glue on their fingers) on the legs, near the feet. I also see the arched back syndrome, and the landing gears are fricking useless.

It seems that this toy will be best displayed in any mode other than as a fighter sitting on the tarmac.

Does everyone else's head sit crooked in fighter mode?

I noticed that too. The head can be easily stowed properly by tucking the "nose" (white box shaped front) into the pocket in the chest piece.

Edited August 18, 2004 by mechaninac

[Amped]

Well, I'm awaiting my Alpha... it should arrive from Kevin next Wednsday. I have to say I'm a tad nervous as to the quality, but I'm willing to suspend judgement until I inspect mine. Mind you... I will be the biggest b*stard screamin' for Toynami's downfall if it's suck-o. Toynami hasn't impressed me with there mostly cheap-o goods so far, so they have some impressin' to do!

Well, I thought the Macross MPCs were fugly & overpiced, so I avoided those like the plague... even heavily discounted. The Alpha is definitly overpriced, IMO (by at least 20 - 30 bucks), but I have to admit I was beguiled by it's appearance and the positive appraisals from MW Con. I never did convince my mom to get me a Gakken back in the day... and haven't been willing to pay top dollar for one now.. so I figure this is my best chance to snag a decent rendition of the Alpha (without having to build any of my kits, that is).

So I'll be waiting with my fingers crossed!

The only thing I have to add to the quality discussions is that Yamato never impressed me with their quality control either. My Mac Plus valks were pretty toit, but my Hikaru 1/60 was absolute sh*t when it came to paint quality; there was fuzz and bleed everywhere. That cheap-a** white plastic didn't do much to impress me either... and my Low Viz, while the best rendition of the VF-1 I've ever seen, had some crap paint quality too: the weathering was goofy & spotty... and I was not impressed by the big ol' fingerprint on the tail I discovered... dunno if the person that assembled it figured that he/she'd impress their 'mark' on it or what but I thought that was pretty crap-ola quality control for such a pricey figure.

Basically, I think high-quality anything is hard to come by outta Chinese factories. Made in Japan they aint!!!

[eriku]

So for those with problems what issue # do you have? Mine is above 3,000 and I have very few "problem" outside of the inherent design flaws. Are all the problems assiciated with pre #3000?

Mine is #1977 and and doesn't share all of the problems. I just noticed the arm missles are, like everyone else's, only showing halfway. I can deal with that, though, since I don't plan on leaving the missle bays open anyway.

[Horizons]

This is like Russian roulette. I hope mine doesn't blow my brains off when I pull it out of its box. You guys are not helping much . One day I come in and read this thread and it's all good and I think "Good choice". Very next day (or just later on in the day), all that I get is "this toy sucks". I hope I get the 'good' kind.

[eugimon]

me too! hope you get a nice one!

my only real big complaint.. the one that got me kinda mad, was the knee being frozen together... the other stuff... eh... if I was a collector I would be kinda mad at the cheapo paint job but heck, I took mine out, fixed the leg and put the stickers on so what do I care?

[Horizons]

Well hopefully more people will post here with good reviews before I get mine. That way I can think to myself "3 to 1 or 4 to 1 isn't that bad, I SHOULD get one of the good ones!" . Or should I be evil, and hope for more bad reviews, and think to myself "hopefully all the bad ones have already been delivered, that way I pretty much KNOW I'm getting a good one!" Nah, I much rather be a nice guy. Hopefully Toynami gets their act together, and if they keep this up, well, at least the Beta should be darn near perfect, at this rate!

Sorry about your alpha problems eugimon, I hope that if you get more alphas, that those come in perfect condition.

Edited August 19, 2004 by Horizons

[mslz22]

Got mine today from Kev at VE, and my review will be short and sweet. I really really like it......and I am happy i got it....

[mantisfists]

I just got mine today, and I gotta say......I dig it. I haven't had all the problems all these other folks are talkin bout. As usual, the packaging is amazing. Man, the instruction booklet looks like a damn comic book. There's a few problems with the toy. First off....it's TINY. I knew it was gonna be small, but when I actually opened the box, I was like Smokey "DAAAAAAAAMN!!!" I also didn't have the problem I saw in some of the pics where the alpha's nose and tail end point up. There were a few paint issues (I guess they didn't let the paint dry and closed one of the missile bay doors, so one of the missiles is white) and the price is a little steep for the size. But, alot of what we're paying is probably going to the damn packaging. Folks are saying that their landing gear doesn't get the plane to clear. You gotta push the landing gear all the way forward for the plane to clear the ground. I know it seems like you're gonna break the landing gear...but, it'll lock forward and the alpha will sit fine. One problem I did have that i haven't heard yet is that the bottom of the alpha's face wasn't glued on properly and falls off. The first time it happened I was like "WTF!!!" Nothin a little glue won't fix, though. The arms on my alpha are also nice and tight....though, they're short as hell. Gotta say that it's not very poseable in battloid mode. Gonna look real nice with the stickers on. Is somebody going to make custom stickers....or are the stickers that come with the alpha of good enough quality to put on. I don't know jack about stickers and I really don't wanna put something on my veritech that's gonna start to peel in a few years, dig? After everything....I'd definitely recommend this toy. And, yes....If i knew then what I know now about this MPC, I'd still buy it. Can't wait to get back home and mess with it summore!!!

[GobotFool]

Basically, I think high-quality anything is hard to come by outta Chinese factories. Made in Japan they aint!!!

Aren't most things made in china or korea taiwan these days? Takara also uses chinese factories, I thought bandai used Chineses factories too.

[GobotFool]

I just got mine today, and I gotta say......I dig it. I haven't had all the problems all these other folks are talkin bout. As usual, the packaging is amazing. Man, the instruction booklet looks like a damn comic book. There's a few problems with the toy. First off....it's TINY. I knew it was gonna be small, but when I actually opened the box, I was like Smokey "DAAAAAAAAMN!!!" I also didn't have the problem I saw in some of the pics where the alpha's nose and tail end point up. There were a few paint issues (I guess they didn't let the paint dry and closed one of the missile bay doors, so one of the missiles is white) and the price is a little steep for the size. But, alot of what we're paying is probably going to the damn packaging. Folks are saying that their landing gear doesn't get the plane to clear. You gotta push the landing gear all the way forward for the plane to clear the ground. I know it seems like you're gonna break the landing gear...but, it'll lock forward and the alpha will sit fine. One problem I did have that i haven't heard yet is that the bottom of the alpha's face wasn't glued on properly and falls off. The first time it happened I was like "WTF!!!" Nothin a little glue won't fix, though. The arms on my alpha are also nice and tight....though, they're short as hell. Gotta say that it's not very poseable in battloid mode. Gonna look real nice with the stickers on. Is somebody going to make custom stickers....or are the stickers that come with the alpha of good enough quality to put on. I don't know jack about stickers and I really don't wanna put something on my veritech that's gonna start to peel in a few years, dig? After everything....I'd definitely recommend this toy. And, yes....If i knew then what I know now about this MPC, I'd still buy it. Can't wait to get back home and mess with it summore!!!

what's the number on your alpha?

[Amped]

OK... custom stickers'd be alright... but what I wanna know is this:

Is someone gonna make custom waterslide decals?!?

Edited August 19, 2004 by Amped

[Graham]

So for those with problems what issue # do you have?  Mine is above 3,000 and I have very few "problem" outside of the inherent design flaws.  Are all the problems assiciated with pre #3000?

Mine is above 3000 in the 31XX range IIRC and only has a few minor problems. Overall, I'm satisfied with it.

Graham

[mantisfists]

Um......mine's 31-somethingorother. don't remeber exactly, but it's in the 31 hundreds. Is there any way we can do a poll to see if most of the folks who have horrible alphas are pre 3g?

[Graham]

JsARCLIGHT,Aug 18 2004, 07:55 AM

Feet do not line up in fighter mode, left foot collapses farther than right and causes it to look lopsided requiring tons of figiting with the feet to line them up and they still do not line up propperly

Yeah, I also can never get the feet completely symmetrical in fighter mode, no matter how long I spend wiggling them.

In my opinion, transforming to fighter mode seems the most difficult to get everything lined up and locked in to place. By comparison, transforming to Battroid or Gerwalk is a peice of cake.

Graham

[Mechfactory.com]

I got mine today took it out of the box, my initial impression was "Wow they finaly got something right" The before I could even begin to read the directions on how to transform it the FREAKIN ARM FELL OF THE DAMN THING!!!!!!!!!!!! I just don't get it man I just want what I paid for and I would like to have the luxury of breaking it myself. Has anybody out there ever delt with Robotech.com's customer service line? If so could someone please e-mail me and at least give me a little hope that I might get some help from these guy's

Jon

daishi66@aol.com

[Sundown]

Basically, I think high-quality anything is hard to come by outta Chinese factories. Made in Japan they aint!!!

Yeah, China, all lousy stuff. Like the Yamato 1/48's.

-Al

[GobotFool]

I got mine today took it out of the box, my initial impression was "Wow they finaly got something right" The before I could even begin to read the directions on how to transform it the FREAKIN ARM FELL OF THE DAMN THING!!!!!!!!!!!! I just don't get it man I just want what I paid for and I would like to have the luxury of breaking it myself. Has anybody out there ever delt with Robotech.com's customer service line? If so could someone please e-mail me and at least give me a little hope that I might get some help from these guy's

Jon

daishi66@aol.com

geeze that blows. Sorry to hear the news man.

[Mechafan]

JsARCLIGHT,Aug 18 2004, 07:55 AM

Feet do not line up in fighter mode, left foot collapses farther than right and causes it to look lopsided requiring tons of figiting with the feet to line them up and they still do not line up propperly

Yeah, I also can never get the feet completely symmetrical in fighter mode, no matter how long I spend wiggling them.

Graham

I had the same issued transforming it today back to fighter. I thought I was not doing it right. Another design flaw.

[eugimon]

my number is 1671

and the feet do line up...

[geecie30]

About 6 months ago I bought a mpc vf-1s through robotech.com and I had bad luck with robotech.com due to some transition going on in their company ranks(megan had left and didn't follow proceedure).I asked to talk to the manager to straiten things out.The lady then told me that she was herself the manager and that this lady megan messed everything up for me.I then went to toynami and emailed them . About a week and a half later the customer service rep told me they would gladly replace the toy if I sent it back to them the catch was that the cel that came as a bonus with it was no longer available(make sure you keep the cel if you get it because replacements usually dont come with cels.That was then ,so I'm not sure what the best way is now.Perhaps the same route I took would work.going through toynamis' customer service and waiting a week to get through.

[eyesonme78]

me also.... 3244 not much problems except as what you guys have mentioned floppy arms but overall okay no problem.

[wolfx]

Damnnn.....buying this thing is like a lottery.....

[Starnite]

I just recieved mine yesterday from Valk Exchange, and have to say I am pretty please by the toy, other then Quality control. Because of that, the arms do not collapse completely in fighter mode. On the plus side, the engineering on this toy is amazing! EVERYTHING moves, slides, wiggles or something. I think there are more moving parts on it then my car! There are some differances in paint tone between various parts (not just the metal/plastic differance). Typical arm missile problem. The landing gear has to "snap" forward on the legs, takes quite a bit of pressure to do so. I do like how the front gear locks down though. Also for clearance, make sure the hips are at the lowest point. My Fighter does have the arched back syndrome as well, not sure how or even if, I can fix that. The instructions are very nice, as is the box. Very solid feeling toy, but fragile small parts. Here's my ratings

Engineering-9/10 Very well thought out design, with lots of features.

Sculpt-8/10 Not to shabby for an anime magic mech. Best in Diver mode (guardian)

Smoooooothness-6/10 Parts are sticky in some areas, some move to easily

Ease of use-7/10 Tricky to transform the first time, but ateast there is no essential part removal.

Visual factor-9/10 Very slick looking, legs could use some work in fighter, I like the longer feet.

posability-7/10 Fairly posable, but not have had much of a chance to play with it.

Overall-7.66/10 Good try, hopeing the next batch corrects the problems people have had. I am looking forward to people having fights with the other 1/55 scale mechs out there

[skunkobot]

I'm starting a rating poll. If it can be combined with this, rock rock on. If not, I think it's still warranted. That way we can get everyone's opinions even if they don't desire to review it.

[JsARCLIGHT]

You did not give a ZERO option.

Seriously, this toy blows small wildlife. I know, I know "But JsARCLIGHT, you got a bad one"... well from all the reviews and pictures I keep seeing they all look bad to me. Most everyone is having the same or similair problems to my toy which leaves me to believe that the entire run is suspect. Some things just don't bother people as much as they bother me but it is evident that this toy has serious design flaws and serious QC issues that outshine it's good points. It's a ramshakle assembly of sub-par pieces. Like I said originally I bet this thing looked good on paper but in execution it is a train wreck. I also know most people are writing me off as a "toynami basher" or just some angry hater but you will know all too soon how crappy this toy is when you buy it... just hope that you don't pay more than $20 for it.

[wolfx]

On august 23 last year at the beginning of this thread we had this:

and excitement errupted......pretty funny where this is all going now, almost 1 year later.

[JsARCLIGHT]

Well for starters there are TONS of quality differences between that prototype and the actual toy... although you can clearly see the arm missle problem was evident even back then.

And is it just me or does that prototype have different hips and is missing most of the "peg and hole" parts that clutter up the production toy. Also look how nice and clean the lines, parts and gaps are on the prototype... is it any wonder why people like me are mad that our production toy looks nothing like pic? We were all shown a cadillac but given beat up yugos instead.

[mechaninac]

Had a chance to mess around with my Alpha last night and give it a more thorough inspection. First the negatives on my example:

1. What I initially thought was under spray on the left toe was actually glue residue in the engraved detail.

2. Feet do not line up symmetrically when collapsed in fighter mode.

3. The double hinge on the sensor pallet is very flimsy where it pivots on the pallet itself. It's also very floppy.

4. VTOL groin thruster is very loose and can't hold a position.

5. Left and right elbow studs don't engage their corresponding wing slots when folded for Gerwalk or Battroid modes.

6. Use of metal for the arm thrusters (seemed to be metal) was a bad idea as it puts too much weight at the end of the forearms. This exacerbates the loose shoulder problems, specially on the left arm. Also, are ratchets, detents or the concept of friction completely foreign to Toynami?

7. Mid arm rotation is very loose on the left arm as well. See above question.

8. Transforming the thing can be scary in some steps due to the amount of force necessary to move some components.

9. Left wingtip peg does not lock into nose slot.

10. A lot of parts that would benefit from being die cast aren't, and many parts that should be plastic are die cast.

11. Sub par plastic quality. Some parts, like the shoulder missiles doors almost look like they were cast out of polyester resin.

The positive:

1. Awesome looking sculpt, even with the clown feet.

2. Looks good to excellent in all modes.

3. Transformation is fairly easy once you get beyond the "fear of breaking it" factor.

4. Love the hands. Excellent design (Yamato could learn a thing or two here). Though why they made them out of "gummy" material is beyond my ken.

5. My example can hold the gun pod in the right hand with an arm extended pose without problems.

6. Gun pod secures firmly to the under wing mounts.

7. Overall paint quality and application is good, about as good as Yamato's.

8. Love the sticker sheet. Looks nice and thin and has a satisfying flat finish, much better than Yamato's. However, I think I'll wait for a custom set so I can keep these intact.

9. Leg poseability is very good in armo-fighter mode.

10. Feet poseability is excellent.

11. The tiny folded ride-armor is a nice touch, useless, but nice.

12. I like the pilot; it fits very well in the cockpit and is decently painted. This is better than Yamato's 1/60 afterthoughts and 1/72 blobs.

13. All missile hatches open and close properly and look good, with the exception of the forearms' ones.

14. The folding vertical stabilizers that can lean just like the line art are awesome.

15. Telescoping belly with rotating waist...so much better than the IMAI kit.

Final thoughts...for now:

1. I must be one of the lucky ones since all the problems I mentioned were very minor, with the left arm's overall looseness being moderate at its worst.

2. The toy's designers went to town with this thing...very elaborate.

3. The choice of scale is what causes most of the problems and inconsistencies here, I believe. This toy is very ambitious, and although mostly well done, it would have been a much better execution at a larger size. A shame, really, because the Alpha is actually quite good.

4. Don't expect much playability out of the MPC Alpha. This item is more of a static display piece you can transform once in awhile than a toy, due to the two above observations. It's not the sort of thing you should ever hand to a child.

5. Longevity of the MPC Alpha is the major albatross in this whole thing. The toy feels hefty and mostly well put together, but the plastic quality and nature of the beast in this scale makes it seem very fragile. Time will tell.

6. Short of an expertly assembled, customized, and painted IMAI 1/48 Legioss kit, this is by far the best looking rendition of this mecha. In some ways superior to what is even possible with the IMAI.

Conclusion:

1. Is the Alpha a worthless steaming pile of poo? No, at least not the one I have.

2. Is the Alpha a good addition to a transforming robot collection? Yes.

3. Can things be improved/fixed? and will Toynami do it? Yes and no. This IS Toynami, after all.

4. Is the Alpha worth the MSRP? No. $45.00 would be about right. I'm sure prices will dip within a couple of months and than head north again once they become scarcer, so timing will be paramount for anyone who wishes a complete Alpha set for prices more realistic with the toy.

5. Would I get another one? Not at MSRP.

6. Am I sorry I bought it? Not entirely. I feel neither overwhelmed by the toy, as I was with my first 1/48 VF-1, nor do I feel like I've been mugged.

Edited August 19, 2004 by mechaninac

[EXO]

6. Use of metal for the arm thrusters (seemed to be metal) was a bad idea as it puts too much weight at the end of the forearms. This exacerbates the loose shoulder problems, specially on the left arm. Also, are ratchets, detents or the concept of friction completely foreign to Toynami?

Great review Mechaninac...

This last thing hit it right on the nose. I noticed that a lot of the joints in the arms is very poorly designed. In fact, most of my problems here is about the arms. The fact that it won't close in fighter. The looseness of the joints in soldier. If you look at the rotating joints, there are no washers to keep actuall parts from rubbing. The metal joints where the arm connects to the rest of the Alpha is only held by the plasic shell of the arm. Again, no washers or at least a difference in thickness for wear.

I think most of my issue is with the arms. I'm totally happy with the rest of the toy. I have no problems lining up the legs and the rest of the body. It's as if a whole other person designed the arms. And they got some retard to do it. I think we're better off designing our own arms and attaching it to the toy.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

YES RATCHETS ARE VERY ALIEN AND FOREIGN TO TOYNAMI!

This is the MAIN reason bandai's 1/55 can never be taken on by the MPC. ALL MPC's have weird ratchets that don't line up or even work right. The ratchets on the Rick VF-1J's hips are bullsh*t. Loose as hell and the legs flop like legs on frogs.

I am not surprised they just added diecast "just cuz" and the arms are loose. WHoever is designing these with the diecast content really doesn't know what he's doing. I mean seriously even the bandai 1/55s never had diecast in their lower arms and hell the binaltechs and masterpiece prime don't either.

NOte to toynami

*diecast in FEET AND HIPS/TORSO IS MUCH BETTER THAN ON LOWER ARMS...ESPECIALLY WHEN U KNOW GRAVITY WORKS AGAINST U WITH DIECAST ON LOWER ARMS AND.....NOT PUTTING RATCHETS INTO A JOINT THAT SUPPORTS A DIECAST APPENDAGE IS VERY VERY VERY STUPID.*

[Opus]

Got mine today. #01831. It's OK. My only gripes are with the engeneering and not QC. None of the parts seem to fit together properlyand fighter mode looks like complete ass. I'd say it's equal to the 1/60 Yamato in floppiness. My arms aren't loose but the whole nose section flops all around in soldier mode. I didn't even try opening the landing gear or leg missile hatches. Since the hinge on the senor door already broke after opening it once I decided not to mess with the other hatches.

While I don't regret having bought this one, I don't think I'll bother with the rest.

[efisher]

I got my Alpha (#1923) yesterday (thanks Kevin!). So far I'm kind of disappointed for what I got at $79 - though I am going to finish collecting them all. The only major problem with my Alpha is a super-loose right landing gear which won't stay up. All the joints are pretty tight as well, and the legs are both even. Since no one posted any pics of the Alpha with stickers I'll go first.

Edited August 19, 2004 by efisher