The Megazone 23 Garland By Yamato Thread

[eugimon]

yeah, the figure is pretty craptastic.

If they sold it at McDonalds, it would be a McCrap with Cheese.

But the garland itself is awesome.

[eugimon]

okay, now exactly what part is so breakable on the bar? I just need to confirm so I can have my seller check it out. Does this break occur at just the lightest strain so it happens say 1st or 2nd time transforming?

410555[/snapback]

I really think that there were some batches of bars that were cast wrong.. I've transformed mine a few times, sometimes while I'm talking on the phone and I haven't had a problem.

Besides with the new bars, there's really very little risk.

[Ginrai]

Got my Garland yesterday. It is scary to transform. I loosened the screws, the bar did not break. The gray plastic piece under the handlebars that holds one side of the cockpit on fell off due to a really poor job gluing it in place, but the other side stayed in. I guess I will just super glue it, but that was pretty lame. Doesn't really affect it once it's in robot mode.

[Vermillion21]

Cool box art!!

[Ginrai]

Well, my Garland just broke on the second transform to robot mode. The shoulder just popped right off the big wheel. A chunk of plastic just broke right off.

[Mechamaniac]

Still no probs with mine...

Here it is....

[Ginrai]

Enjoy it while it lasts.

[UN Spacy]

Enjoy it while it lasts.

411017[/snapback]

Ouch. That does NOT sound good.

Did it break in the same place as Grahams?

[Ginrai]

No, it didn't. It wasn't the metal bar at all, it was the actual shoulder on the outside of the wheel. There's a tiny piece of plastic on top of the "ball" in the "ball and socket" of the shoulder that keeps it on and allows it to hold its position when you move the arm up. This piece is about the size of the tip of a lead pencil. Slightest pressure in the wrong direction and it snaps off and the shoulder dislocates. You can put the shoulder back on, but there's nothing keeping it on if you yank it off again, and the arm always just hangs there limply. You can't swing it up.

This is a combination of extremely poor design decisions (a piece of plastic that small is the only thing keeping the shoulder on?!) and probably brittle, crappy plastic. Be -extremely- careful when moving the shoulder in position after locking the wheel in place with the magnets.

Oh well, guess I won't bother saving up for that 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru after all. After all this time, Yamato's quality control is still pisspoor and their designs are thin and breaky.

Edited June 25, 2006 by Ginrai

[eugimon]

Sorry to hear man,

I play with mine a lot during the day, transforming it back and forth and posing it, without problem. Maybe Yamato should send out a whole new shoulder assembly instead of just the swing bar?

[isamu_dyson]

i've just received mine yesterday.

no magnet problems and no breakage during the 5 /6 transformations i've made.

[Vermillion21]

Ginrai - Sorry to hear that your Garland broke mate, a shame.

But the Yamato 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru is sweet, a definite must-buy IMHO.

[Ginrai]

This one would be sweet too if it wasn't poorly made. I'm not shelling out another $100+ for a toy that's going to break immediately or come broken. Pfft.

[VF5SS]

1/48s aren't prone to breaking.

[GobotFool]

1/48s and the VF-0s minus the intransit breakage of the tail fins are fairly sturdy toys. I transform mine alot and havn't had a single problem. The most prone to breaking ones are the original YF-19, VF-11, and now it seems the Garland.

[eugimon]

check out the Toy forum, there's at least one: "are the 1/48s sturdy?" thread.

[Vermillion21]

This one would be sweet too if it wasn't poorly made. I'm not shelling out another $100+ for a toy that's going to break immediately or come broken. Pfft.

411267[/snapback]

You must own at least 1/48 Yamato valkyrie, already, no?

If not - they are simply amazing.

[Graham]

No, it didn't. It wasn't the metal bar at all, it was the actual shoulder on the outside of the wheel. There's a tiny piece of plastic on top of the "ball" in the "ball and socket" of the shoulder that keeps it on and allows it to hold its position when you move the arm up. This piece is about the size of the tip of a lead pencil. Slightest pressure in the wrong direction and it snaps off and the shoulder dislocates. You can put the shoulder back on, but there's nothing keeping it on if you yank it off again, and the arm always just hangs there limply. You can't swing it up.

411051[/snapback]

Can you take and post a photo please?

I want to send Yamato photos of the parts that are breaking. I'm not 100% clear which bit you mean.

Graham

[Fort Max]

Well My Garland has been delivered at home but I'm at work.

Can't wait to get back and finally see the damned thing for myself.

[Ginrai]

Can you take and post a photo please?

I want to send Yamato photos of the parts that are breaking. I'm not 100% clear which bit you mean.

411351[/snapback]

Sure, I'd be glad to. As soon as I get home I'll take a picture. There's also the little gray bits that connect the front cockpit part to the back cockpit part that totally came unglued and fell out, (just below the handlebars) but that's not such a big deal since superglue should fix it, but I'll take a picture of that too so you can see what I mean.

[Ginrai]

Regarding buying a 1/48 Valkyrie: No I don't not already own one. I was gonna buy one when the VF-1S Hikaru rerelease came out, but the Garland was so close by that point I decided just to get my Garland and get the Valkyrie later. I'm not expecting arms to break off the 1/48 or whatever, but I'm now expecting a bunch of smaller defects, and for over $100, I shouldn't have to deal with that crap.

Furthermore, at least with the Garland coming from Yamato USA there's SOME chance I can get replacement parts. I'm screwed if I buy a Japanese-only release. I called Twin Moons about it and they were like, "Yeah, it's the manufacturer's fault, not ours. We can't do anything but complain to Yamato. Please send us an email with your specific complaint." So I did.

[Fort Max]

My Garland arrived today from TMA and seems to be rock solid, I tested all the reported weak spots before transforming it and nothing gave out so I went ahead and Tf'ed it and then back again and then once more..

this is a fun toy, I'm so sorry for those people who missed out because their figures were less then up to scratch.

Shogo is junk though, it's a pity because he looks pretty nice from a distance.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Regarding buying a 1/48 Valkyrie: No I don't not already own one. I was gonna buy one when the VF-1S Hikaru rerelease came out, but the Garland was so close by that point I decided just to get my Garland and get the Valkyrie later. I'm not expecting arms to break off the 1/48 or whatever, but I'm now expecting a bunch of smaller defects, and for over $100, I shouldn't have to deal with that crap.

Should have bought one of those first imo. 1/48 vf1 is yamato's best toy still. (everything locks together, no looseness, enough gimmicks and detail to make it enough of a step above 1/60 to be worth the cash)

The only achilles heel is stickers, the little gunstrap can sometimes rip, the backpack piece (especially with fast packs on) and the wrist for the chicken hands being a little limp when holding the gunpod. Once you get one, you want to own as many variants as you can. (shame they need we have to buy them imported though - I wonder if yamato will ever make the boxes smaller?)

Edited June 27, 2006 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Ginrai]

So what you're saying, 1/1 LowViz Lurker, is to expect a bunch of smaller defects.

[Macross73]

Regarding buying a 1/48 Valkyrie: No I don't not already own one. I was gonna buy one when the VF-1S Hikaru rerelease came out, but the Garland was so close by that point I decided just to get my Garland and get the Valkyrie later. I'm not expecting arms to break off the 1/48 or whatever, but I'm now expecting a bunch of smaller defects, and for over $100, I shouldn't have to deal with that crap.

Furthermore, at least with the Garland coming from Yamato USA there's SOME chance I can get replacement parts. I'm screwed if I buy a Japanese-only release. I called Twin Moons about it and they were like, "Yeah, it's the manufacturer's fault, not ours. We can't do anything but complain to Yamato. Please send us an email with your specific complaint." So I did.

411456[/snapback]

Not clear, are you saying that Twinmoons Can order the parts or that they Wont order the replacement parts or Cant order the parts. If they cant order the parts is their an alternative?

Edited June 27, 2006 by Macross73

[Ginrai]

Not clear, are you saying that Twinmoons Can order the parts or that they Wont order the replacement parts or Cant order the parts. If they cant order the parts is their an alternative? I should be getting mine tomorrow from Twinmoons. i just want to be well informed if something happens.

411533[/snapback]

Twin Moons said they would not replace my toy because it was not broken in shipping and it was the factory's fault. They told me to mail them my problem specifically (which I did) and that they would use this as evidence to petition Yamato. They did not say anything about ordering parts, which would have been fine with me.

[Macross73]

Not clear, are you saying that Twinmoons Can order the parts or that they Wont order the replacement parts or Cant order the parts. If they cant order the parts is their an alternative? I should be getting mine tomorrow from Twinmoons. i just want to be well informed if something happens.

411533[/snapback]

Twin Moons said they would not replace my toy because it was not broken in shipping and it was the factory's fault. They told me to mail them my problem specifically (which I did) and that they would use this as evidence to petition Yamato. They did not say anything about ordering parts, which would have been fine with me.

411553[/snapback]

thanks for clearing that up.

[Ginrai]

Okay, here's some illustration of the problem. I'll add more pics in a minute.

[GobotFool]

Regarding buying a 1/48 Valkyrie: No I don't not already own one. I was gonna buy one when the VF-1S Hikaru rerelease came out, but the Garland was so close by that point I decided just to get my Garland and get the Valkyrie later. I'm not expecting arms to break off the 1/48 or whatever, but I'm now expecting a bunch of smaller defects, and for over $100, I shouldn't have to deal with that crap.

Should have bought one of those first imo. 1/48 vf1 is yamato's best toy still. (everything locks together, no looseness, enough gimmicks and detail to make it enough of a step above 1/60 to be worth the cash)

The only achilles heel is stickers, the little gunstrap can sometimes rip, the backpack piece (especially with fast packs on) and the wrist for the chicken hands being a little limp when holding the gunpod. Once you get one, you want to own as many variants as you can. (shame they need we have to buy them imported though - I wonder if yamato will ever make the boxes smaller?)

411525[/snapback]

So what you're saying, 1/1 LowViz Lurker, is to expect a bunch of smaller defects.

411531[/snapback]

Ginrai, The limp back pack that Low viz mentioned is actually, IMHO, a non issue as long as you lock everything into place right with the hook and use the spare neck cover that is provided with the toy. As for the gunstrap I'd say as long as you don't sling it over the shoulder and tug at it expecting it to show the same level of durability that a strap for a 1/6th figure has then you should be okay. I rarely use the gunstrap anyway as I always thought it was kind of dumb. As for the hands, that is a serious design problem that no reissued version has really solved, the only thing I can say is that if you get any of the 1J's you get the alternative set of TV hands that not only look better but also have no floppyness either. And the stickers, are okay, they are just very toyish, not model grade decals which alot of people here want.

Edited June 27, 2006 by GobotFool

[Ginrai]

And here's some more dead Garland fun.

[GobotFool]

And here's some more dead Garland fun.

411624[/snapback]

wow, that's hardcore... makes me afraid to touch my garland now.

[Ginrai]

Guys, I absolutely refuse to give a company that has sold me such inferior product any more of my money until such point as they make things right. This is unacceptable.

[GobotFool]

Guys, I absolutely refuse to give a company that has sold me such inferior product any more of my money until such point as they make things right. This is unacceptable.

411626[/snapback]

While I'd still argue the VF-1s 1/48 is far from an inferior product, I certainly don't blame you with the luck you've had from Yamato.

Currently I have had 15 yamato products of varying quality in terms of perceived durability

Scopedog. Yes, all plastic, but I feel I could beat a small horse to death with it. I find it to be very sturdy. I also have it's pilot figure. Very nice action figure if you can over look his exagerrated man boobs.

VF-1S, VF-1A, VF-1A LowViz, VF-1J. I've never had a single durability problem. I have had minor sloppy paint apps and tampo problems. but thats about it, and all my sellers were 100% willing to make an exchange.

VF-0s. I got it, looked like one of the tail spikes was broken in transit. Got a replacement, No problems, joints are a tad loose but nothing that really detracts from ability to play with it or display.

Konig Monster. Only Looks good in two mods, strange placement for some diecast parts, other than that I had no problems

YF-19 version 2. Crappy sculpt, but still solid

VF-19a see above

YF-21, sculpt kinda sucks but it was a solid toy

Escaflowne. Bad Sculpt, bad engineering, still construction was solid.

YF-19 version 1 Total crap, broke everywhere

VF-11 non FP version.... Nice sculpt, moment I took it from the box the hip broke. Worst yamato product ever made.

Edited June 27, 2006 by GobotFool

[eugimon]

huh... I don't know.. other than the escaflowne, the 1st release of yf-19 and the vf-11, which were all early on in the yamato entry into transforming mecha, I have never had a toy break on me. This is after severl big falls and being handled by people who were not familiar with the toy, including failed attempts at transforming the 1/48.

I hear people complaining that they are fragile or comparing them to bandai toys but I never thought that was very fair.. those bandai toys have very simplified transformations and make some pretty big departures from the anime in order to make the toys sturdier. The yamato designs stay much more faithful to the original anime and are much much much more complex. Sure they need to be handled with more care, but that is not the same thing as poor design/materials.

My Garland is still going strong.

[Hiriyu]

Ginrai,

Thanks for the illustration of the broken shoulder joint. I'll be sure to be extra careful with mine in this location too - sorry that you had to suffer for our benefit

I've fortunately had pretty good luck overall with most of my Yammies, having broken parts on only a couple:

A backpack hinge broke on one of my 1/60 VF-1As due to extreme mishandling. The valk was more or less loose inside of my backpack, which a friend carelessly tossed into the rear footwell of his car, to be crushed by the front seatback being slammed back into place from a forward-tilted position. I can't really fault Yamato on that one. I was able to glue it back together, so there was a happy ending.

I also managed to break one of the die-cast rear landing gear struts on a 1/48 CF, through a similarly violent mishap (I've never heard of anybody else managing this one). The valk was displayed in fighter mode on top of a dresser, and was caught by the corner of a towel(!) I was tossing into a hamper nearby. The poor thing was whipped off the dresser and flew 4 or 5 feet horizontally, and 4.5 feet vertically, landing sideways on its gear. Nothing but the rear strut was damaged. Again, completely my fault.

My only real Yamato sob-story has to do with my VF-11B, which broke its hip-peg joint virtually right out of the box, like many others have reported. That one really was a horrible design problem, but one they rectified on the next release. Still doesn't help my 1st edition though