1/48 Yammie or MPC Alphas?

[jardann]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice from the other toy owners out there.

Should I get one valk w/fast packs or three MPC alphas?

Here's my dilemma.

I've been thinking about picking up either another 1/48 valk with fast packs or some MPC Alphas.

I currently have five 1/48s and I think they're the best toys out there. But last I checked on Valkyrie-Exchange Kevin had a special going and I could get three Alphas for about $25 more than one 1/48 with fast packs. I like the alphas and after recently seeing some comparison pics next to the 1/48 alpha model I think that the MPCs will be close enough in scale/size to look good next to the 1/48 valks. I'm just worried about the quality of the alphas. I haven't heard much about them since the Rook and Lancer versions came out. Anyone think the Alphas will be on the clearance shelf soon?

Anyway feel free to post your opinions and help me decide!

Thanks!

[Dangaioh]

I would recommend you "Stick" with the 1/48 Yammie.

[do not disturb]

the rook alpha was on sale about a week ago on the gamestop website for $60....its probably $40 by now.

i just picked up the alphas recently from VE as well and for the most part, i was pleased with them. if you don't have any alphas and 5 -1/48's, i say pick up one alpha first, see if you like it, then pick up the others.

[pfunk]

alpha choice is limited to Gakken or toynami. 1 Gakken will cost ya 1/48+FP easy (for a really decent condition) and well you know the alternative. I would definatly pic up a Toynami before buying. they do "feel" more fragile (thats Italian for breakable) then what they really are also fit and function isnt the greatest

[do not disturb]

I would definatly pic up a Toynami before buying. they do "feel" more fragile (thats Italian for breakable) then what they really are also fit and function isnt the greatest

its fra-gee-lay....must be from italy.

i thought the same thing but these suckers get better the more you play with them...or atleast mine did. after the whole VF MPC fiasco, i think toynami made an effort to make these alphas joints super friggin tight.

[pfunk]

I would definatly pic up a Toynami before buying. they do "feel" more fragile (thats Italian for breakable) then what they really are also fit and function isnt the greatest

its fra-gee-lay....must be from italy.

i thought the same thing but these suckers get better the more you play with them...or atleast mine did. after the whole VF MPC fiasco, i think toynami made an effort to make these alphas joints super friggin tight.

probably, i only transformed them once or twice, and then back into the schnazzy packaging

[jenius]

i thought the same thing but these suckers get better the more you play with them...or atleast mine did. after the whole VF MPC fiasco, i think toynami made an effort to make these alphas joints super friggin tight.

You musta got some good ones. I own/have owned quite a few of these. Beware on the Scotts, some are pretty sloppy. The other ones seem to be a bit better. The only joint of concern I have is the shoulders, other than that the super fragile hands. The shoulders seems like they can get really loose really quick and you'll never be able to hold the gun up once that happens. Gakkens had a ratcheting shoulder that ensures no worries here but the Gakkens aren't nearly as detailed or poseable. I only own 2 1/48 Yammies and I love 'em but I own at least 5 MPC alphas. It's gonna boil down to personal preference so if you can find a way to handle an Alpha first that'll definitely help you make this decision. The Alpha is also complicated but relatively sturdy... many of the people who hate it didn't have the patience to overcome its complications.

[Ed.Coli]

If you want to get an Alpha, go for the second (Rook) or third (Lancer) ones and avoid the first issue ones unless you really really really like the colorscheme/character, as they have been reported to be QC nightmares. Or, wait for the Shadow fighter. The MPC alphas are really a leap above the quality of the horrible MPC veritechs.

[do not disturb]

the first issue ones unless you really really really like the colorscheme/character, as they have been reported to be QC nightmares. Or, wait for the Shadow fighter. The MPC alphas are really a leap above the quality of the horrible MPC veritechs.

right on!

i wouldn't buy the blue alpha unless you're planning to actually go to the store and open it up right there on the spot. the one i got from VE was f-ed up and it ended up costing me additional money to ship it back....this shiet is ultimate pisser.

[bbarr97]

I recently bought a Rook and Lancer Alpha and the toy is MUCH better than the VF-1 MPC collection. I did have some peculiar/funny QA issues with mine.

The VOL 2 Rook I bought actually came in a VOL 1 box.

The VOL 3 Lancer had a stripped screw in the knee cap causing it to fall off.

TINSC has already offered to exchange them both though.

Overall, I think they are pretty nice though. Heavy, and the same sturdy enough. They are no less or more fragile then the 1/48's I own.

As far as the Scott Alpha goes I heard rumour that you need to get one above the 3000 count for better quality. Not that a number that high guarntee's anything but most people above 3000 have said the joints are all tight (in a good way) with some minor paint QA issues.

Hope that helps,

Brad

[Godzilla]

I recommend that the you follow haterist's recommendations. If you like the alpha, get more. Otherwise, get the 1/48s.

[jenius]

Not that a number that high guarntee's anything but most people above 3000 have said the joints are all tight (in a good way) with some minor paint QA issues.

A little note on this, the first three thousand Scotts have a different paint on the intakes/chest so you can tell them apart. Some day this might make the first run Scott's a little more collectible. That being said, they are horrific from a QC standpoint. I've had two and both were really screwed up. The best of the two just has landing gears that all slanted in different directions (the other one came with floppy shoulders and a hand that disentegrated the FIRST time I put the gun in it). I returned the really bad one and got a post 3000 number that is absolutely excellent. I then received another Scott as a gift and it's in great shape also. I have returned one Rook but the toy was wonderful, it seems that one of the tabs somehow snapped in shipping (probably too tight of a fit). The two Rooks I have gotten since have both been pretty good with the exception of the somewhat crooked head and slight paint flaws. I hear the Lancer was pretty good overall and I have every hope that the SF will be excellent. I'm told that the YF-1R Archer MPC is by far the best in that series QC-wise.

[EXO]

I recently opened a green and a red Alpha, which had horrid QC. And a blue one below the 3000 mark which was the best one I've handled ever. Wierd that it's total opposite of what everyone is saying. But since it's Toynami, I wouldn't bet on anything...

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Toynami has random quality. The ben MPC was bounds better qc wise than the rick one while the Roy one was better than rick yet not as good as ben. Weird.

I am debating whether or not to get the green lancer though..nice scheme and price.

[connor99]

The 1/48's are getting harder and harder to find nowadays. The alpha's, however, have not even sold out of the their 1st issues yet. Just a thought.

[Ronin777]

Yamato 1/48, the best.

[Myersjessee]

The 1/48 is gorgeous...but if you have 5 I'd go with the MPC's...they are nice for what they are.

[lt.actionjackson]

The 1/48's are getting harder and harder to find nowadays. The alpha's, however, have not even sold out of the their 1st issues yet. Just a thought

This is definitely an issue. 1/48's and especially fast packs are getting harder to find and more expensive. Toynami is getting ready to start giving away MPC's to anyone that breathes. You do get more transforming stuff for you buck though. Personally, I'd get the 1/48, and get the MPCs a little further down the road since they're more plentiful.

[pfunk]

Man, I didnt notice anything with all the alphas and the MPC's, I must've got a good batch from both. I did have a problem with a Mirria, the leg wouldnt sit properly in fighter mode, that since has been fixed

[do not disturb]

Man, I didnt notice anything with all the alphas and the MPC's, I must've got a good batch from both. I did have a problem with a Mirria, the leg wouldnt sit properly in fighter mode, that since has been fixed

or your standards are lower than ours.

[Evanta]

btw, is there an ETA on the Shadow Alpha?

[jenius]

4/15

[Godzilla]

4/15

Tax day?

[jardann]

Wow!

Thanks for all the advice guys. I didn't get to check back here yesterday and I'm surprised at all the responses.

So what I'm getting is this.

1. The later Alphas have better QC (still have some odd problems)

2. The 1/48 valks are still better and getting harder to find.

Well, I think I'm gonna grab another valk for now because I would like to have one to eventually customize and I know if they get any more expensive there's no way I'll be spending that much for something to customize.

After that, I'll keep my eyes open for some Alphas at a nice price.

Maybe I'll try and see if I can find an Alpha in a Gamestop store around here to see if I can get a better look at one before I buy.

And then my transformable toy shopping will be at an end! (yeah right! )

Thanks again everyone!

[MGREXX]

Get the Alphas. You can't get them anywhere else.

[1 VF-1 2NV]

I/m still waiting for my lancer alpha to arrive, my FIRST toynami alpha. It will make it or break it in my book. More or no more alphas for me.

[LurkerX]

Actually, the MPC alphas kind of grew on me I actually like it. I got the set as an alternative to the ridiculously priced gakken 1/35

I've alwasy like the alphas, and given the very limited alternatives I went with the toynami ones. There actually quite good I just don't like how easily the paint chips ans how the heads are crooked and paint isnt perfect etc.

bottom line is that I got these as something to deviate from the vf-1 design I have all the released 1/48 vf-1's already and wanted some alphas.

so get these if you like alphas or something other than the vf-1's

obviously MPCs don't hold a candle to the 1/48s but given your options the MPC alphas are a good buy for what it is. heck 1 gakken 1/35 is enough to pay for 3 MPC alphas and plus gakken never made a shadow alpha.

[jenius]

The Toynamis also trounce the Gakken 1/35s in a lot of way. Like the chunky monkey in the VF world, the old Gakkens are sturdy as hell but they're really no where near as detailed or poseable as the new stuff.

[EXO]

The Toynamis also trounce the Gakken 1/35s in a lot of way. Like the chunky monkey in the VF world, the old Gakkens are sturdy as hell but they're really no where near as detailed or poseable as the new stuff.

I believe there are improvements as far as appearance of the Toynami's Alphas, but what's more poseable about it? They have the exact same joints as the Gakkens. The double jointed knees dont bend any more than the Gakkens.

Also the Gakkens weren't sturdy like the Chunky Monkeys. The design was flawed at a couple of key places. Like the Knee Guard was really fragile and most of the time they would become floppy. And the hip joints were dependent on two small fragile tabs in the back that almost always broke.

[jenius]

I believe there are improvements as far as appearance of the Toynami's Alphas, but what's more poseable about it? They have the exact same joints as the Gakkens.

The toynamis have more poseability at the hip because the feet aren't so huge (that sounds really strange but if you're holding one of each in front of you you'll see what I mean). They also have a pivot point above the waist that Gakkens completely lack so you can have their feet pointing one way but have the chest turned back another... that's a pretty handy pivot point. The other much more poseable part would be the head and hands...

Also the Gakkens weren't sturdy like the Chunky Monkeys. The design was flawed at a couple of key places. Like the Knee Guard was really fragile and most of the time they would become floppy

Sorry, i should have been a little more clear. I didn't mean to compare the sturdiness of the chunky monkey to the sturdiness of the Gakken, I meant it more like the old SAT question:

Chunky Monkey is to Yamato 1/60 as...

Gakken 1/35 is to Toynami 1/55 MPC

What I mean is the Toynami isn't as sturdy as its predecessor but overall it's a better toy.

[EXO]

They also have a pivot point above the waist that Gakkens completely lack so you can have their feet pointing one way but have the chest turned back another...

freakin hell, I didn't know that moved... I didn't count the head and the hands as an improvement that affected poseability.

[jenius]

Well, I would argue the hands are now poseable... so that's an improvement in poseability right? The head certainly is. Having a mech able to look in a particular direction makes a big improvement sometimes in the pose.

[EXO]

Well, I would argue the hands are now poseable... so that's an improvement in poseability right? The head certainly is. Having a mech able to look in a particular direction makes a big improvement sometimes in the pose.

I guess, if that's your idea of big improvements. The moveable fingers are really not poseable and don't hold the gun as well as the Gakken's boxing gloves and in any way you pose them the fingers just look athritic. Much like the 1/48s chicken hands. The moveable head is an improvement, but I don't know if I would say that the toy itsel is leaps and bounds from the Gakken. A big improvement would have been ball jointed hips (The pivoting hips are just as a result of the transformation) and a rotating joint at the knee or upper leg that would make the feet point outward correctly.

Like I said, the MPC is a lot better in appearance. I like the way the fins in the back connect to one and the paint schemes are accurate. I'd most likely leave this on the shelf and put away the Gakkens when I run out of room.

[do not disturb]

the toynami alpha is nothing more than a glorified gakken. yeah it has few points of articulation in comparison to the gakken but nothing dramatic where you can get some crazy ass pose out of it.

my MPC alpha just stands there like the gakken i used to have....i haven't really seen a alpha toy or model that was that poseable anyway...well maybe the superposeables but they don't really count since they don't TF.

the plus for the toynami version is the opening missile hatches(other than the arms) and if it didn't have this feature, this toy wouldn't be worth buying at all IMHO.

[Scream Man]

i like my Lancer Alpha.

Damn, I wish Id seen this thread before I started one of my own. Sorry all

im glad some people have though: my question in the other thread now seems to havemore merit. I was worried u guys would still be all "Harmony gold is evil1 Avoid their products!" much like the boards were a couple of years ago.