Toynami:

[Roger]

If someone here is actually working on their own Beta garage project, could you please PM me? Thanks.

[SILVERDRAGON]

Hi everyone,

I found this website and if everyone here would sign there names and vote for them to make the Beta it could help. Just wanted everyone to know about this site.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Linkup/petition.html

SD

Edited August 17, 2006 by SILVERDRAGON

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

I just signed. I hope it helps.

[Vermillion21]

Me too, although I am #370 ... that is not a lot of people ....

[nightmareB4macross]

According to Toynami...

that is NOT the "magic number."

[cobywan]

I say we need at least 1000 names before they will pay attention. You should spread this petition around. The Robotech forums could be fertile ground.

[armentage]

Holy crap is the Alpha ever a fight to get back into fighter mode.  Yes, those tabs are meant to hold the legs.  I've actually found that the vast majority of people who say their Alpha sits on its chest instead of the landing gears actually haven't managed to get their Alpha back into the proper fighter mode... most likely due to those tabs.

421793[/snapback]

Can you clarify that a bit? What tabs? I'm stuck with the nose-cone in the wrong position, and have been trying for almost a year to get it to sit right

Any chance you can post a picture of these tabs and what to do with them?

[jenius]

Ask and you shall receive! Please note in the first pic the two tabs that stick down next to the VTOL vent (aka the crotch):

So the trick is to keep the feet open a little bit and just don't worry about them and pinch the legs as collapsed as humanly possible and butting up on those tabs as high as they can ride. Once you get them there adjust the feet but watch out because the tolerances in the leg are so tight that by adjusting the feet you may enact a process that pulls the leg off that crotch tab or lower down it.

[Vermillion21]

Thanks for the info jenius - although, I am one of those people who could never get their Alpha into "proper" fighter mode.

[armentage]

Any tips on how to arrange the head & drop down the nose cone? I can't get mine to rest 180 degrees away from the body; it's off by 2-3 degrees, such that my front gear can't make contact with the ground!

[Godzilla]

#378 here.

Me too, although I am #370 ... that is not a lot of people ....

425760[/snapback]

[jenius]

Any tips on how to arrange the head & drop down the nose cone? I can't get mine to rest 180 degrees away from the body; it's off by 2-3 degrees, such that my front gear can't make contact with the ground!

I would love to help but I think I need you to post some pics so I can get a better feel for what might be in an off position. It sounds like your problem is more likely in the chest intakes than in the nose of the craft. There's not a lot to the nose but if the connectors on the intakes aren't in exactly in the right spot it throws the whole front end off. Then again, I did say that the vast majority of people who have problems with fighter mode just have something out of place... that still leaves a significant minority that just have Alphas that all the love and gentle adjusting in the world won't ever look right.

[Vermillion21]

Just read this on a SDCC report site:

"More Masterpiece additions are forth coming (no sample on display) and it’s not what you may think. Sure we’ve all been waiting for the transformable Beta Masterpiece that we saw last year at SDCC, but that’s a story for later. I spoke with Toynami President George Sohn who stated that fully transformable cyclones are planned for the Masterpiece line. As far as the Beta Fighter it may not see the light of day as a transformable masterpiece, but thoughts are being bandied around as to how Toynami can get a Beta Fighter in some form in the hands of fans that clamor for it. One possibility was a resin statue on a stand that would link with their Masterpiece Alpha Fighter."

MPC cyclones ... very cool!!

Resin statue beta ... lame.

[captain america]

"One possibility was a resin statue on a stand that would link with their Masterpiece Alpha Fighter."

ROFLMAO!

They really need to buy a clue. I mean that.

[CoryHolmes]

"One possibility was a resin statue on a stand that would link with their Masterpiece Alpha Fighter."

ROFLMAO! 

They really need to buy a clue. I mean that.

426813[/snapback]

I'll take "A Clue" for $600 please, Captain.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

They should just remake the Alphas and Beta into a mospeada line of Legiouss and Tread.

Fix all the problems with the diecast ones and make good plastic ones that can withstand stress and not have floppy limbs. Price these at alternator levels and everyone will re-buy. So easy for them to double dip.

[Phyrox]

Pretty lame...

A resin statue? JUST what the fans want.

Well, too bad about the Beta then. I didn't even care if it linked up, I've just always liked the Beta as an independant mecha anyhow.

Can't say I'm too excited about Cyclones. Motorcycles just don't do it for me.

All around crap news from Toynami (but not wholly unexpected I suppose).

[nightmareB4macross]

Pretty lame...

A resin statue?  JUST what the fans want.

Well, too bad about the Beta then.  I didn't even care if it linked up, I've just always liked the Beta as an independant mecha anyhow.

Can't say I'm too excited about Cyclones.  Motorcycles just don't do it for me.

All around crap news from Toynami (but not wholly unexpected I suppose).

426879[/snapback]

I'm with you on the Cyclones deal. Now that Aoshima is re-issuing the old kits why would you want to buy a Toymani version. It wil basically be rip off of the old kit anyway.

[bsu legato]

Now that Aoshima is re-issuing the old kits why would you want to buy a Toymani version. It wil basically be rip off of the old kit anyway.

426880[/snapback]

The Aoshima kits are neat and all, but I wouldn't really rely on one of them to take the place of a transforming toy. They're just too fragile, especially the Ride Armors. Sure, a really talented modeler could rebuild them to be far more durable by using modern poly joints and such, but how many of us have that kind of skill? If I get the Aoshimas, it'll be to build them as non-transforming kits, possibly even in fixed poses.

[Zinjo]

Well at Anime Evolution this weekend Keever said the Beta (Tread) is looking at a SRP of $200.00 and from what he was saying, HG isn't sure if there is a sufficient market to buy it at that price, to merit the line.

This from the same company who released $200.00 resin bookends....

Essentially he was fishing the audience for interest...

[jenius]

I'm with you on the Cyclones deal. Now that Aoshima is re-issuing the old kits why would you want to buy a Toymani version. It wil basically be rip off of the old kit anyway.

If someone is reissuing the old kits then there's a good bet that Toynami did not purchase the ride armor model molds. They did go that route with the Legioss but maybe they learned their lesson and realised 1) anything made in the 80s can probably be improved upon by starting from scratch with modern technology, and 2) models do not make good toys.

EDIT - you know what would be exciting? If we got news that they purchased the old Gakken molds for the large ride armor.

Edited August 21, 2006 by jenius

[EXO]

As much as I love them and would want one for my collection I'm probably gonna pass on the cyclones. At this point I'm just not gonna take anymore chances.

[Godzilla]

I will have to agree with Exo on this. As much I want to see Rand on the cover, I am skipping them. No offense to you toynami "fanboys" but I am spending money elsewhere. If the beta did come out, I would have bought it because I wan the hookup and transformation and all. Oh well. Until their track record improve on macross stuff (not voltron, mind u), I will think about it. But as it stands, Toynami will not get my money for anything else robotech/macross/Mospeada/Southern Cross.

As much as I love them and would want one for my collection I'm probably gonna pass on the cyclones.  At this point I'm just not gonna take anymore chances.

426906[/snapback]

[jenius]

LOL, Toynami fanboys? Who would that be? The way I see it there are two types of people with Toynami right now, those who haven't completely written them off, and those who have. For those of you in the super premium toys only category, your writing them off is pretty sensible. As a GCM fan, I can't ever write Toynami off (at least until the GCM license goes elsewhere) so I'll always be willing to give their stuff a shot. I also love varied scale displays so that only makes sense. Really though, speculating over the Ride Armor toys at this point seems about as premature as planning for a newborn's retirement. If one ever does get made, and by some miracle it truly kicks butt, I'm sure all you "no Toynami ever again" people will change your tune. Chances are though it'll never come out, or if it does it'll suck, and you guys will be happy with your "I told you so"s.

Ideally Toynami will grow, become much much better, and compete with Yamato. Then we'll be able to have two companies surprising us with great toys and potentially having much more reasonable prices. In the meantime, they have a crappy track record but Voltron shows there's a potential for improvement.

PS - Toynami has let everyone down exactly TWICE. Let's not blow things out of proportion and act like they've released ten toys and all have sucked (obviously I'm not counting color variations... and if you feel burned because you didn't like the toy and bought every volume I would suggest you should think long and hard about whose fault that was).

Edited August 21, 2006 by jenius

[EXO]

LOL, Toynami fanboys?  Who would that be?  The way I see it there are two types of people with Toynami right now, those who haven't completely written them off, and those who have. 

426922[/snapback]

Where's the third group that's "OMG! I love their products so much that I am surely going to pick these up."? As a so called premium toy collector, I thought that something named "Masterpiece" would be aimed at me. Not the "I love mediocre toys" demographics. As for skipping on the Cyclones (if they ever materialize) it's for the love of the material that I'm skipping on this, since HG is the owner of the contract maybe NOT buying their products would give them a clue to making better ones or finding someone that can get the job correctly. Of course I'll be checking them out and see if they can totally suprise me with a great cyclone toy but I'm basing my decision on past experience and mistakes. I can only go by what I know... not what I'm hoping for.

[Macross73]

VF-1 good idea, poorly executed > brittle plastic, over priced for what you got

Alpha good idea, poor execution > broken parts, loose arms ...again problems

Bet good idea, not executed > won't even see production , statue only

3 strikes you're out

sure there are argument for Toynami ... absolutely. Not all toy companies produce perfect toys, but the momentum is gone. had they started on the right foot, like better Qaulity, then maybe they'd of kept my interest in their products. Minor problems can be overlooked. However, I just dont see this company learning from its mistakes. This whole thing with the Shadow Chronicles didn't help either.

if things should improve great, but I definately will have to see some very Positive reviews before ever buying from them again.

Edited August 21, 2006 by Macross73

[SILVERDRAGON]

Here is some great news for all of us "READ"

I have been writing to toynami about the Beta fighter project for a while and this is what i got back.

Dear silverdragon,

Thank you for your interest in our Beta Fighter. We have been getting a lot of inquiries about this piece the past few months. However, the Beta project is still moving forward and is not cancelled. Apologies, but that is all the information we can release at this time. We would be more than happy to provide you with more details as completion nears. Thank you for your support.

Best Regards,

Customer Service

Toynami, Inc.

[Penguin]

Obviously, any toy of the Cyclone will have to include the riders, 'cause without them the transformation would be... well, pointless. If Toynami produces nice, detailed figures of the riders, in a scale that can support really good detail (at least 1/12 I'm thinking... 1/6 too much to hope for) and some good accessories (sidearms, little trinkets like Scott's holo-necklace, etc.), I'd be interested in the Cyclones. Without that, though, count me out.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

Obviously, any toy of the Cyclone will have to include the riders, 'cause without them the transformation would be... well, pointless. If Toynami produces nice, detailed figures of the riders, in a scale that can support really good detail (at least 1/12 I'm thinking... 1/6 too much to hope for) and some good accessories (sidearms, little trinkets like Scott's holo-necklace, etc.), I'd be interested in the Cyclones. Without that, though, count me out.

427068[/snapback]

Penguin has a point. In this case the figures are critical. They'll have to make well detailed and poseable figures, with tight joints that support the armor and fair likenesses (not to mention swappable heads with/out helmets) to get the attention of potential customers.

I'm really sad about the Beta news, and with the fact that Toynami screw it big time with the Alphas among all the possible toys in the world: I love the sculpt.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I will do like I always do and restate my desire for 12" GI Joe styled Ride Armors. They don't have to "Transform"... just make the bike come apart into pieces and then reassemble it together with some extra parts to make the armor. That way you could have crazy nuts BBI/Dragon level detail on the figures and the bikes and still maintain a nice, solid and most of all STURDY thing you could display and be proud of.

Making them 12" doll figures would solve soooo many problems. The could have removalbe helmets, various small arms (Galant pisols anyone?) and most of all tons of posability and a nice big, hefty size. After seeing my Hot Toys Aliens figures (and paying for them, ouch) I would GLADLY pay $300 a pop for 12" doll ride armor sets if they made them to the crazy detail level I am thinking of. The would be the ultimate Mospeada collector's toys.

Then again this is Toynami I'm talking about. Nothing they have done has impressed me and they are bickering about the cost of manufacturing a giant brick of a mecha that would be one tenth the complexity and cost of making my dream ride armors. Oh well, I better put away this crack before the cops see me.

[Phyrox]

This is the only, and I mean only cyclone/mospeada I would even think about buying if they made 'em:

and even then I'm not really sure.

I'm still disappointed in the Beta news...even if it was expected

[Abnolds]

I'd buy a cyclone, If they made them, but I doubt they will. Unless they said they would?

[Vermillion21]

Here is some great news for all of us "READ"

I have been writing to toynami about the Beta fighter project for a while and this is what i got back.

Dear silverdragon,

Thank you for your interest in our Beta Fighter. We have been getting a lot of inquiries about this piece the past few months. However, the Beta project is still moving forward and is not cancelled. Apologies, but that is all the information we can release at this time. We would be more than happy to provide you with more details as completion nears. Thank you for your support.

Best Regards,

Customer Service

Toynami, Inc.

427066[/snapback]

Based on the response, I guess there's still hope for a BETA.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

I will do like I always do and restate my desire for 12" GI Joe styled Ride Armors. They don't have to "Transform"... just make the bike come apart into pieces and then reassemble it together with some extra parts to make the armor. That way you could have crazy nuts BBI/Dragon level detail on the figures and the bikes and still maintain a nice, solid and most of all STURDY thing you could display and be proud of.

Making them 12" doll figures would solve soooo many problems. The could have removalbe helmets, various small arms (Galant pisols anyone?) and most of all tons of posability and a nice big, hefty size. After seeing my Hot Toys Aliens figures (and paying for them, ouch) I would GLADLY pay $300 a pop for 12" doll ride armor sets if they made them to the crazy detail level I am thinking of. The would be the ultimate Mospeada collector's toys.

Then again this is Toynami I'm talking about. Nothing they have done has impressed me and they are bickering about the cost of manufacturing a giant brick of a mecha that would be one tenth the complexity and cost of making my dream ride armors. Oh well, I better put away this crack before the cops see me.

427122[/snapback]

That's a good idea. Besides, you can't make a "perfect transformation" Ride armor anyway, not in the Macross sense anyway.

[jenius]

That's a good idea. Besides, you can't make a "perfect transformation" Ride armor anyway, not in the Macross sense anyway.

Sure you could! You'd just have to use strings "Look, none of the parts are ever completely removed... they're always attached to each other." Remember Gakken's small ride armor effort? They're pretty hilarious. In an effort to achieve "perfect transformation" they incorporated a giant black hook to the rider that can swing around to keep it attached to the bike at all times.

Edit - Silverdragon's email just goes to show us, you can never tell if something is dead at Toynami or if that's just their normal rate of producing a new toy. Only time will tell.

Edited August 22, 2006 by jenius