CoryHolmes Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Any tips beyond the obvious (being gentle) when trying to open the sensor bay door? Pray to the toy gods Oh, that's SOP when it comes to toys these days Repeat after me ten times: "Open the pod bay doors HAL". I would, but I'm too busy with my own mantra: "Box will come today. Box will come today. Box will come today." My Alpha's left LA yesterday morning. They should be here by now!
SMac Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 I don't know why opening the radar (whatever it is) hatch for diver mode from fighter mode is such a problem. Well, if you follow the manual, I guess I can see. If you just extend the midsection first, then the door can open and close with all the floppiness it was designed with. The other odd thing I realized is you can't reclose the midsection in diver mode unless you spread the legs a little. The legs do have very little posibility it seems. There's no twist point in the legs other than the hips? I have one arm that won't extend completely (ie, lock into extended position). Seems like I'd have to break it to pull enough to lock it in. The hands are pretty strong on mine. At least with all the pulling and wrestling with them to get that gun in there. I really don't like that the left wing doesn't snap into the nose and stay there in armo mode. I just leave the wings straight right now. Also, the right sholder doesn't sit into the indent on the wing to hold it in place. Hope those arm missles never get fired, not positioned like that. And one of the doors basically comes half off as I open it, until I shove the end back into place. Who designed that rear landing gear? Wheels at an angle to the direction of motion? Not to mention poor rubber, so small as to not get the cycle bay off the ground. Glad I had a box of toothpicks laying around as well. I don't consider the unit fragile per se, but I don't see the joints not getting real loose over time. Anyway. I'm happy to have one. I don't think I'll be buying the others. I'll save that money instead for a beta, should it come. Thanks, Scott
SDFcommander Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 The QC really sucks Graham, if you want to add me to the list, mine suffers from floppy arm syndrome in the right arm, but I can live with that. Opus, Thanks for your post. Looks like I will not be able to take the hands off with taking the arms apart. Sorry for your misfortune. Something like that HAS to be covered by Toynami as well as the other problems people mentioned. I know the venders rarely have extras so have you guys tried contacting Toynami for a fix or replacement. I'm sure they would help, after all you did not spend $80 for that. Hopefully this will encourage Toynami to really see how these things are put together in the plant so these things don't turn up for volume 2. After all, if they want to sell these they have to make sure the customers are happy. When I was talking to the guys at the SD Comic Con they where really proud of the MPC Alpha so I'm sure they don't want these QC problems to hurt what I think has the potential to be a really cool line of toys. Someone mentioned having rubber washers in the arms to help stiffen the joints since the arms are not ratched. What a good idea. How much could that really be to intall for the next volume. It's cheaper that trying to design a ratchet. Here is the e-mail if you guys don't have it. info@toynami.com I'm sure a nice civil e-mail describing what happened would be mutually beneficial. Infact, I'm going to e-mail about the rubber washer idea for the shoulder joints. What numbers where the problems? Mine is 3574 and only suffers from the one arm being floppy. Let's hope that at least the higher numbers are better with QC.
Graham Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Graham, if you want to add me to the list, mine suffers from floppy arm syndrome in the right arm, but I can live with that. Nah, I'm only listing actual broken parts, not floppy limbs, otherwise the list would be a mile long already Graham
Opus Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Someone mentioned having rubber washers in the arms to help stiffen the joints since the arms are not ratched. What a good idea. How much could that really be to intall for the next volume. It's cheaper that trying to design a ratchet. Actually the rubber bits are already in there they just wont stay on. Thats why I took mine apart(plus it had a huge ass gap in it). I glued the rubber piece onto the post and it seems OK now. I also glued the hands but now I can't transform him. Anyone know a good replacement ? I considered using 1/60 hands but they're so fugly. I plan to email Toynami but I'm going to wait a few days until I'm less pissed so I can be civil about it. I hope they can replace the broken parts and not the whole thing since it's a pre 3000 and it has a decent paint app.
SDFcommander Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Graham, if you want to add me to the list, mine suffers from floppy arm syndrome in the right arm, but I can live with that. Nah, I'm only listing actual broken parts, not floppy limbs, otherwise the list would be a mile long already Graham So true. Opus, How did you take your arm apart? The more I look at mine, the more it seams like the rubber washer just came off. The other arm actally holds poses. It is a night and day difference. Are the screws under the missles? Was it a pain to take apart? I hope the arm is not just glued together.
Sam Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 (edited) Updated MPC Alpha Casualty ListEXO = Broken hinge on the shoulder missile hatch. Opus = Broken hinge on the sensor pod door. Opus = Thumb fell off the left hand due to stress crack. Opus = Ratchet mechanism broken in left shoulder. Opus = Left hand broke at the pinky edge of the finger joint. dejr8bud = Broken hinge on the sensor pod door. Mechafactory.com = Arm fell off straight out of the box. I guess we can say that Opus is officially having a bad day with 4 breaks on his toy. Graham Add to that list Forearm hinge that covers missiles fallen off, leaving exposed measles, oops, i mean missiles I think i will have a long distance relationship with my alpha. The further away I am, the better it looks hehe. Its not all that bad, just as others have said, better materials would have helped lots, stead of a pretty box, give me better quality plastics IMO. My only real issues is it has crap plastic, which contributes to things falling apart. Its a great weight, and reasonable design to look at, so it does have somethings going for it.. Mine seems to have a lot of dirty plastic too for some reason, like sticky tape was taken off and dirty fingers handled it. Maybe its just me. I do like that they tried to make a cool underated toy though. I bought this so i didn't have to play with my model version. Might have ot play with my model though *****EDIT****** Add to the list as of two seconds ago, little hinge on bottom of hand that holds fingers to palm broken off as well... I think i better put this in a pose and leave him on the shelf... now where did I put that new Binaltech Tracks thats sturdy nuff to play with??? Edited August 20, 2004 by Sam
bandit29 Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Ouch Opus that really blows. to show its not just "us" bitching about this thing. http://www.robotech.com/community/forum/re...=3&totalpages=3
Opus Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Graham, if you want to add me to the list, mine suffers from floppy arm syndrome in the right arm, but I can live with that. Nah, I'm only listing actual broken parts, not floppy limbs, otherwise the list would be a mile long already Graham So true. Opus, How did you take your arm apart? The more I look at mine, the more it seams like the rubber washer just came off. The other arm actally holds poses. It is a night and day difference. Are the screws under the missles? Was it a pain to take apart? I hope the arm is not just glued together. There are no screws. I used an exacto and ran it along the seams and the two halves popped right apart though.
EXO Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 shoulda known.. cheap glue... I'm gonna try it tonight... and see if I can recast that part. The bad thing is I have to take apart 2 arms... Anyone with broken alphas just interested in parts?
captain america Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 The more I read about it, the more it sounds like this thing is a real piece of garbage... Or crap. The term "MPC" suits it well. Bravo Toynami, I applaud you.
macu5454 Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Got my Alpha this morning. My sister received it from the UPS guy while i was still sleeping. Didn't even go to the bathroom for my morning pee but just went straight to open my package as excited as I was......took out the Alpha First impressions, nice sculpt, anime color accurate BUT both arms are floopy as hell!!! It aloso had a lot of paint scratches and over spray. My sister sees my disappointed face and laughs. I Hate you toynami!!!!
Godzilla Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 The more I read, the more I get apprehensive on getting the Alpha. I changed my preorder. I am basically getting 1 Alpha.
Godzilla Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 And another thing... Steve said that the 1/48 has QC issues? He needs to stick his foot in his mouth.
Southpaw Samurai Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 From the sound of it, I have to hand it to Toynami for their care in attempting to achieve perfect realism... ...it sounds like in the end we'll as many good condition MPC Alphas as there were fighters that survived the Mars Base invasion of Earth. Speaking of which, I have a question for diehard Mospeada fans. Does the numerical designation of the stickers for the MPC correspond to Scott/Stick's original lost fighter or the one he and the gang used later on? I know the animation never was detailed enough to show it, but was curious if there was any indication in art books or anything.
rtsurfer Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Did someone mention that the hand came off on their MPC? Where you able to put it on again with no problems? If that is the case then maybe I can take the hands off without taking apart the arm to finish the detailing. Here's two pics I took showing the hand (sitting on the wrist) and off (Sorry for the poor image quality): I don't know alot about modelling or toy construction but it looks like the peg is just too small to keep the hand on. The peg doesn't look worn or damaged in anyway. Maybe the worn looking lip on the hand itself is what's supposed to keep the hand on? Someone told me this morning that Robotech.com's store is agreeing to replace broken Alpha MPC's. I would suggest if yours came broken or broke right out of the box that you visit or contact by phone or email the store you purchased from and politely ask for a replacement. In fact Armo just posted about it at RT.com: ArmoDiver Rank: Private Subject: If you've got a defective one... Posted On: August 20, 2004 - 1:27:23 PM Like mine, which broke almost as soon as I opened it, or just the victim of plain shoddy workmanship. E-mail their customer service. They'll replace the toy. If enough of us do this, maybe they'll do some serious checking into their quality control. (Or apperant lack thereof)
JsARCLIGHT Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Speaking of which, I have a question for diehard Mospeada fans. Does the numerical designation of the stickers for the MPC correspond to Scott/Stick's original lost fighter or the one he and the gang used later on? I know the animation never was detailed enough to show it, but was curious if there was any indication in art books or anything. Stig was from the Mars Base 21st Armored flight wing so my guess is the numbers are for his original issued vehicle... they never really say if the one they "find" in the anime is his original fighter or not, it is just assumed it is not. Jim Austin (Lunk for you Robotechies) just tells Stig "I've been working on/restoring it" which makes it obvious that it cannot be the same unit. All "leader" fighters in Mospeada are painted Blue and White so it was most likely some other poor clod's ditched plane that Jim restored.
EXO Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Speaking of which, I have a question for diehard Mospeada fans. Does the numerical designation of the stickers for the MPC correspond to Scott/Stick's original lost fighter or the one he and the gang used later on? I know the animation never was detailed enough to show it, but was curious if there was any indication in art books or anything. Stig was from the Mars Base 21st Armored flight wing so my guess is the numbers are for his original issued vehicle... they never really say if the one they "find" in the anime is his original fighter or not, it is just assumed it is not. Jim Austin (Lunk for you Robotechies) just tells Stig "I've been working on/restoring it" which makes it obvious that it cannot be the same unit. All "leader" fighters in Mospeada are painted Blue and White so it was most likely some other poor clod's ditched plane that Jim restored. really? I thought the color represented a flight wing or the command they were under. Cuz when they dropped from the ships there was only one color of Legioss. It was a swarm of green the first ep. And Stick came down and it was almost all blue. IIRC. Gotta check it out again.
robomatt Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 I see both positive and negative reviews on this toy. Both points of view are valid. Can we all agree that what we want are better quality toys from Toynami going forward? (The correct answer is yes) Since Toynami is the only company that has touched this license in decades it is unlikely that we will get any mospeada toys from another source. It seems that our best bet is to constructively communicate the problems to Toynami. If we do this then there is a good chance that in future runs the problems will be resolved, and if the problems are resolved and Toynami sells more Alphas we may get a Beta fighter. If we are smart about this then we have a better chance of getting what we want. And isn't getting what we want what we all want?
Drad Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 (edited) I did it. I took the plunge and bought an Alpha. I hesitate as I write this review because with the obviously wild variations in QC and workmanship from unit to unit, my experiences with the one I got would not necessarily be the same for someone else. There's just not enough consistency in the quality of these toys. Some are good, others are just okay. Others are utter crap that fall apart right out of the box. A completely fair and unbiased review from me would do very little, if anything, to help any of you decide whether or not this toy is worth buying.. unfortunately. I really wanted my review to be helpful to you guys, but I can only comment on the one I have. It's my hope that the rest of you are as lucky as I was. The one I got is good. The only problems are a floppy right elbow joint that won't stay in place unless it's fully flexed, a small scratch on the right foot that ends up being obscured anyway, and very tiny stress marks near the right forearm missile bay doors. I don't plan on opening those anyway. The paint is good, I don't notice any glue residue. Everything except the feet fit together perfectly in fighter mode. Sealing all the other gaps in fighter mode and putting all the pegs in place causes the inner workings of the legs to flare the toes outward just a little, meaning that they won't stay entirely closed as in the lineart if you're intent on keeping the rest of the fighter solidly secured. A minor engineering flaw, really. Is it worth the $80? Not really. $40-$50 at the most, perhaps.. more in line with other diecast/plastic toys around the same size. It's definitely not in the same league in any aspect as similarly-sized chogokin toys and therefore it shouldn't command a comparable price. It does have the best sculpt of any Alpha toy thus far, and when I eventually figured out how to get everything to fit properly on it, I found that it does look a lot more attractive and leaves me feeling better about my purchase. It looks and feels solid and the flaws on mine were relatively minor. The MPC Alpha is definitely a step up from the nightmarish first series of MPC Veritechs, I will give it that. In the end however, its wildly inconsistent workmanship, design/engineering problems and total lack of quality control prevent this toy from being a true masterpiece or even what I would call an excellent toy. My conclusion is that the MPC Alpha is a good toy (if you're lucky enough to get a good one), but not a great one.. certainly not worth $80. A lower price would've made it more attractive. It's a good effort by by Toynami that tries to begin to erase the horrible memories of the Macross Saga MPC Veritechs, but the best intentions mean nothing when execution sucks. Toynami did a few things well with this release, but also made many of the same mistakes that make us dread buying their products. Again, it's a good toy if you can get a good one and it gets better when you've learned how to get it to work properly. Unfortunately there's just no way to be sure that you're not going to get a lemon. Ask your retailer to open the box; inspect these before you buy them, by all means. $80 is a lot of money and I think we as customers deserve to know what we're getting before we drop that cash. If you're unable to inspect the toy before you buy it, then it's really a game of Russian roulette, thanks to Toynami's legendary quality control. Having said that.. Good luck, all of you. The Alpha can be a satisfying purchase.. and I hope that you get a good one. I've tried to provide a fair and unbiased review that'll help make your decision easier. FINAL SCORES (Toynami VFA-6H Alpha #01119/15,000) ------------------------- SCULPT/DESIGN: 8 - Although slightly flawed, easily the BEST-looking Alpha ever! PAINT: 9 - Nearly perfect, very few problems on mine.. looks good. DURABILITY: 4 - Frail hinges. Better plastic badly needed. Diecast present, but not used to full potential. ENGINEERING: 5 - For every positive, there's a negative.. and they prevented this toy from being excellent. ------------------------- OVERALL: 6.5 OUT OF 10 - Definitely better than the Macross Saga MPCs (which admittedly isn't saying much), Toynami has learned lessons and even improved in some areas but continues to make the same mistakes in others. Good, but not great. Hardcore New Generation fans may add another point to the overall score as this is truly a very nice-looking Alpha toy, even if it is the only one. Toynami is improving.. slowly. Positives include an excellent sculpt with sharp details, very good hands that actually hold onto the gunpod, diecast in the legs for balance and heft and a good system this time around (no more magnets!) for securing all the parts in Fighter mode. Material and engineering issues still need to be addressed. Quality control remains utterly non-existent, and if this doesn't change very quickly, it's doubtful that any fans will be around to appreciate Toynami's future offerings even if they were to become outstanding. Consumer faith needs something to believe in. Fast. Edited August 21, 2004 by Drad
neptunesurvey Posted August 20, 2004 Posted August 20, 2004 Just got done transforming mine a few times and here were the problems I have. The majority of the problems were related to the right arm: 1. Right hand is way to loose. The gun keeps flopping around. 2. Right fin does not go in all the way, but still is 95% in. 3. Right missile hatch does not open all the way and go flush with the arm, but still opens 95% of the way Over all the sculpting is fairly good and everything is super tight. I don't have anything floppying around other then the gun hand. In fact, it is so tight that I broke the hatch that you have to open to allow the cockpit to set in the back during Battloid. I thought it was opening quite smoothly until it was in my hand. It broke right at the hinge, and it is a clean break so I can put it back in place during guardian and fighter mode. Over all I'm pleased with it. It looks a little fugly in fighter mode, but it you like something to be perfect you might has well do it yourself. I'm still looking forward to the next Alphas and especially the Shadow fighter.
Horizons Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Well, I'm supposed to get mine today. Ya'll wish me luck. I never knew, as a kid (when I was a kid), that buying toys was so hard. I can only imagine if my parents had to go through buying $80-toys that would break as soon as I pulled them out of the box. I would have gotten additional whippings for no reason! Thanks Toynami
JsARCLIGHT Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 really? I thought the color represented a flight wing or the command they were under. Cuz when they dropped from the ships there was only one color of Legioss. It was a swarm of green the first ep. And Stick came down and it was almost all blue. IIRC. Gotta check it out again. If I remember my Mospeada Color Grafiti book's translation right the second Earth Recapture mission (of which Stig and the 21st group were part) had their legioss units painted all green with white highlights. Like any good Japanese anime show the leader units were painted a blue rather than a green. Stig, being the commander of the 21st group, flew a blue Legioss... into the ground. The unit that Jim Austin salvaged was also a blue unit from the second Earth Recapture mission as they did not have the Legioss series fighters in the first Earth recapture mission several years before. The third Earth recapture mission fielded almost all Dark Legioss fighters (Shadow fighters for you Robotechies) so they all had the same color palate. The real connundrum of the show was the all red Jupiter Base fighter they salvage for Hoquet... it was aparently part of a joint unit that landed with elements of the second Earth recapture mission and got wiped out by the Inbits. Just what was a Jupiter based fighting unit doing mixed in with the Mars folks?
niomosy Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Well, just got an email that mine's getting ready to ship. I'll pray that the toy gods smile on me. Or at least that the forces of evil become confused on the way to my house
Zeta Otaku Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Hmm... been planning on getting one. I still am, but now that I know what to expect from the Alphas, I gotta prepare my fixing tools... screw driver, glue, hobby knife, and the holy Hammer of Frustration. Worst case scenario, I get an Alpha that looks like it took a nose dive into the Earth from a high orbit...
CoryHolmes Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Worst case scenario, I get an Alpha that looks like it took a nose dive into the Earth from a high orbit... In that case, think we might get our first Alpha custom outta you?
bsu legato Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Like any good Japanese anime show the leader units were painted a blue rather than a green. The real connundrum of the show was the all red Jupiter Base fighter they salvage for Hoquet Well, in true sentai fashion, they needed a different color Legioss for each character. What's really coincidental is that they found a Tread the same blue scheme as Stigs Legioss. Man, can you imagine if he'd had to trudge through the remaining 15 episodes with a mismatched set of fighters?
CoryHolmes Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 Man, can you imagine if he'd had to trudge through the remaining 15 episodes with a mismatched set of fighters? *gasp* Oh, the horror! How would he ever survive?
JsARCLIGHT Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 IIRC in one episode or another they attach the Tread to the Green Legioss for a few minutes. I guess someone in the freedom fighters ranks is colorblind... my money is on Mint. Anyhoo another thing that has always bothered me about the Legioss armo-fighters is that you only see three colors of Tread, the Blue, Green and Dark flavors... was there no Tread for Jupiter Base? Did the Legioss of Jupiter Base really go there to get more stupider?
SDFcommander Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 rtsurfer, Thanks for the info on the hands. That does not look too secure I can't believe mine are attatched the same way because they are so tight. I trued to gently pull them off but did not want to break them. Good news about Toynami replacing broken toys. I think that is a step in the right direction...but now is the real problem... I just finished panel lining, stickering and detailing the finger joints of my MPC and now do I send it in to fix my floppy arm when fixing it might mean replacing it with a brand new un-panel lined, unstickered and un detailed finger joint MPC I need help to figure out what to do...I guess floppy arm is not so bad...but then again no floppy is better...hmmmm Anyways here are some quick pics of Battloid mode. I will do some pics of it holding the gun when the hands dry. I really do have to invest in a better camera MPC Battloid pics
Pat S Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 I love my MPC so far, I have # 4,4XX something. Here are some Armo Soldier pics from left to right, MPC, Metallics Super Poseable, Jung Chao's customized IMAI 1/48 kit.
Pat S Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 http://www.mrtwo.net/mr2modproject/toys/mospeada/22.jpg
Pat S Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 http://www.mrtwo.net/mr2modproject/toys/mospeada/23.jpg
Pat S Posted August 21, 2004 Posted August 21, 2004 http://www.mrtwo.net/mr2modproject/toys/mospeada/24.jpg
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