1:60 GBP-1 !?

[VF-1Guy]

No it is not a nit pick. It's just CHEAPER for them to keep using a poor solution instead of molding more durable shields in specific colors for each release. They probably have a couple hundred thousand pieces of those brittle clear shields in stock, just waiting for a splash of paint. You like the 1/48, you got to take it with all it's little quirks.

Is it really a "poor" solution? I don't remember anybody complaining that the heatshield was shiny until now. And, it's pretty rare that someone complains that they are "brittle."

As for it being cheaper and them having a "couple hundred thousand" waiting to be painted. . .

First, I'm assuming you were intentionally exaggerating the number.

Second, that doesn't sound "cheap" to me, it sounds like a cost effective way of managing resources.

You might want them to custom-cast each heat shield for each valkyrie, but doing that would increaes the price of each valkyrie. And then, of course, we'd have even more people bitching about the price.

Yamato just can't win.

H

I don't so much see this as complaining but more so asking why they are taking an approach like this on a $140 toy. The glossy heat shields on the DYRL valks don't bother me at all since they are a different color than the valk. In fact, I find them classy. However, I think that the huge glossy white shield on the J cheapens the look. I was also hoping that they would put the line on it (which isn't really needed on the DYRL stuff due to the skull).

I have no doubt that this is the first of many 1/48 TV valks. They went to the trouble of making new hands and a new pilot. Why not a new heat shield as well? At the very least, molding the thing in white saves the cost and time for the paint app. The extra clear ones that they may have laying around can go to the Hikaru S and released Roy.

[Aegis!]

Man , am I happy that Yamato is finally releasing a GBP for the 1/60

Knowing Yamato past strategies I would bet they're releasing the GBP alone (more profit ) as well as a bundle with a 1J , if they released the GBP soely as a bundle they would have to reduce the price of the armour a bit so it doesn't get too overpriced together with the VF-1J , but they'll proably release a VF-1J with the GBP so to get even more profits from the people that didn't get the Hikaru 1J.

this is just hopeful thinking though , but the chances of people who already own the Super 1J to buy the VF-1J+GBP bundle is pretty slim so I think Yamato will realise that they can get more profit from selling the GBP as sepparate set as well.

Just a question for Graham : Do you think (just your opinion) they release the GBP with Roy's 1S as well in the future ?

[Uxi]

I don't so much see this as complaining but more so asking why they are taking an approach like this on a $140 toy.

First, it's important to remember it's NOT a $140 toy. It's a $90 toy that we have to pay 150% for to import in and let everyone involved make a living on it at the same time that we get our toy. Second... there ISN"T a problem IMO for the DYRL valks but the TV valks should probably have a solid molded heat shield. I'm not sweating it that bad, though.

On topic, I think this 1/60 looks great. Not as good as the custom pictured above, of course, but damned good for a 1/60 scale mass produced toy. Better than the 1/55 version IMO on proportions (naturally). I should hope Yamato has a gimmick or two up their sleeves (internal detail/removable covers like on the 1/60 Fast-Back boosters, for example).

And when the 1/48 comes out, I'll expect removable missiles, thank you. But for 1/60 it's not necessary (though it'd be nice! at least in clusters of 4 or something!).

[Draykov]

Anyone noticed that that is the box of the VF-1J behind?

I did, but I didn't notice anything particularly special about it. Can someone tell if it's bigger than the typical 1/48 box?

Edited October 10, 2003 by Draykov

[VF-1Guy]

First, it's important to remember it's NOT a $140 toy. It's a $90 toy that we have to pay 150% for to import in and let everyone involved make a living on it at the same time that we get our toy.

The suggested retail is 14800 yen which is around $135.

While looking up the retail on HLJ I noticed that they have nice picutres of the J with & without FAST packs. Both pictures show a heat shield with a line on it that looks quite nice. Hopefully this is what we will get.

Thanks to everyone posting all these great pics!

[Omni Existence]

No it is not a nit pick. It's just CHEAPER for them to keep using a poor solution instead of molding more durable shields in specific colors for each release. They probably have a couple hundred thousand pieces of those brittle clear shields in stock, just waiting for a splash of paint. You like the 1/48, you got to take it with all it's little quirks.

Is it really a "poor" solution? I don't remember anybody complaining that the heatshield was shiny until now. And, it's pretty rare that someone complains that they are "brittle."

As for it being cheaper and them having a "couple hundred thousand" waiting to be painted. . .

First, I'm assuming you were intentionally exaggerating the number.

Second, that doesn't sound "cheap" to me, it sounds like a cost effective way of managing resources.

You might want them to custom-cast each heat shield for each valkyrie, but doing that would increaes the price of each valkyrie. And then, of course, we'd have even more people bitching about the price.

Yamato just can't win.

H

lol!

Story of Yamato's life

[dr_vandermeer]

news of the 1/60 GBP is great!

and yes, Yamato can't win because i also think the hands seem rather large.

i will personally wait until the 1/48 version though.

why? (based purely on speculation):

2 WORDS.

REMOVEABLE MISSLES.

c'mon Yamato! you can do it!

[mpchi]

I have to say I am quite surprised to see these pics all of a sudden when a lot of us were still hoping a Yamato GBP-1S to come out in the not so near future. This is great news! But since I am not a big fan of the 1/60 scale (only got one VF-1A Hikaru when it first came out, but was a little disappointed in the flimsiness & quality of the toy), and after seeing what they can do with the 1/48 Fast Pack, I might pass on this 1/60 GBP release and wait for the 1/48, unless it doesn't come in a bundle, which is unlikely as there was never a 1/60 Fast Pack kit only for sale. My budget is pretty limited too, so I can only get one or two of my favorite valks, which are the 1/48s right now. But seeing this release is definitely great news!! I'll try to be content with my cool but chunky 1/55 GBP in the meantime, even though I am very tempted....

[CF18]

i will personally wait until the 1/48 version though.

why? (based purely on speculation):

2 WORDS.

REMOVEABLE MISSLES.

Yeah I will wait for the 1:48 too. One thing I don't like in these 1:60 photos is the white colour inside the missile chamber. Any professionally made GBP-1S model would painted the inside black, but looks like the missiles and the inside is all one piece of white plastic.

[NoSuchFile]

I'll get this really cool 1/60 GPB, why you ask, simple, I am sick and tired of vf-1's, it's not my favorite design and yet they make up for most of my macross collection , so I am keeping my $$$ for future non VF-1 releases B)

[EXO]

I'll get this really cool 1/60 GPB, why you ask, simple, I am sick and tired of vf-1's, it's not my favorite design and yet they make up for most of my macross collection , so I am keeping my $$$ for future non VF-1 releases B)

Wow, Canadian beer IS strong...

[NoSuchFile]

Wow, Canadian beer IS strong...

LoL u never really know until u try

[Yohsho]

I thought the chest plate was supposed to open the other way to let the missles out.

I didn't know 5% was supposed to be strong?

A Quote I made up while being a busboy:

When you got a drunk American you'll get a big tip.

When you get a drunk Canadian, he drank alot of beer.

[bsu legato]

Wow, Canadian beer IS strong... 

LoL u never really know until u try

'Round these parts, brands like "Coors" and "Miller" get shelved right beside the Evian water display.

*ducks broken beer bottle*

[Yohsho]

There's a actual Coors? I keep seeing Coors Light, like you can get any lighter with american beer.

[Hurin]

I don't so much see this as complaining but more so asking why they are taking an approach like this on a $140 toy.

I think you're missing the point. . . if they didn't mass-produce and then re-use the pool of pre-produced parts on each successive valkyrie, then these valkyries would probably cost a lot more than $140.

In economics, the concept is called "economies of scale." The more you produce of a single item, the more efficient you become at it and the less expensive it becomes to produce.

If Yamato had to re-tool and produce a different heatshield for each valkyrie each time they decided to make a new valk, the "economy of scale" benefits would be negated. It's much more cost effective to mass-produce them in huge batches and paint them to match.

And, again, this is the first time I've heard anyone complain about the shininess of the heatshield. That might just be a bad picture where the light is hitting it at a very unfortunate angle (perhaps even camera flash). It doesn't look shiney to me on the other pictures. Or at least, I haven't noticed.

What cracks me up is how people constantly make demands for a better product and then simultaneously complain that the current product costs too much. You can't have it both ways. Well, you can't have it both ways and actually expect a company to see enough profit margin in it for them to risk making such a toy.

Best Regards,

H

[Pat Payne]

So is it going to be a VF-1J/GBP(whatever it is) combo pack?

I think it will be. I saw the sign and with my linmited command of Japanese could make out the phrase "3-mode transformation."

Methinks it'll be a 1J with the armor packed inside. But didn't someone say that it was impossible to do a Armored Valk in 1/60 because of the way the 1/60 Valk was designed? And are they ready to dine on some crow? :P :P :P

[Pat Payne]

Wow, Canadian beer IS strong... 

LoL u never really know until u try

Why is American beer like making love in a canoe....?

[Aegis!]

Why is it that I have this feeling that the GBP will have poor sales ?

1/48 fever maybe ? <_<

Seriously , I really love the 1/60 and I acknowledge the 1/48s as the best toy overall at the same time but from the number of people that have already commented on skipping the 1/60 GBP for the 1/48 version , which if anyone has noticed hasn't even been anounced as a possibility , I gather that the GBP won't see a very warm welcome, don't get me wrong , as I say I love the 1/60 but as time goes by the 1/48 fever grows stronger and up until now people were pretty much expecting the 1/60 line to die in favor of the more expensive 1/48 line...

I just hope this doesn't happen but as I see it now , I don't know how many people would invest their money in something they don't care anymore

I wonder if Yamato will scrap their plans for a 1/72 line if people start to prioritize the 1/48 line over anything else. I'm even starting to wonder if it is worth having another line

I know this could easily be seen as a rant against the 1/48 line , something which I've done in the past, but I'm seriously worring that we'll be stuck with just one line of products at the end , I know we would be getting the nicest toys afterall but I don't really know if turning the 1/48 line into the mass production line is very smart in the long term

sorry for that

[Knight26]

ten pages, wow, man I've been neglecting. ANyway the GBP looks sweet will definitely get one. *looks around* surprised Graham hasn't commented on this yet, hmmm, conspiracy I say.

[imode]

Why is it that I have this feeling that the GBP will have poor sales ?

1/48 fever maybe ?

Seriously , I really love the 1/60 and I acknowledge the 1/48s as the best toy overall at the same time but from the number of people that have already commented on skipping the 1/60 GBP for the 1/48 version , which if anyone has noticed hasn't even been anounced as a possibility , I gather that the GBP won't see a very warm welcome, don't get me wrong , as I say I love the 1/60 but as time goes by the 1/48 fever grows stronger and up until now people were pretty much expecting the 1/60 line to die in favor of the more expensive 1/48 line...

I just hope this doesn't happen but as I see it now , I don't know how many people would invest their money in something they don't care anymore

I wonder if Yamato will scrap their plans for a 1/72 line if people start to prioritize the 1/48 line over anything else. I'm even starting to wonder if it is worth having another line

I know this could easily be seen as a rant against the 1/48 line , something which I've done in the past, but I'm seriously worring that we'll be stuck with just one line of products at the end , I know we would be getting the nicest toys afterall but I don't really know if turning the 1/48 line into the mass production line is very smart in the long term

sorry for that

Stop being so negative all the time. You 1/60 fans finally get new signs of life from your line and yet you still get all depressed over it. Stop worrying about the 1/48. Let Yamato worry. Just because the 1/48 fans on MW are so vocal doesn't mean that there's no love for the 1/60 line. I remember seeing two "Love for the 1/60" threads in the recent couple weeks. You buy your toys and we'll buy ours. Let's just leave it at that.

[rnurmin]

Waow, I can't believe that I will miss so much information in just one day.

The GBP and the VF-1J 1/48 are pretty cool.

Looks like Yamato is basing the VF-1J box design like the Low Visibility Valk

[Aegis!]

Stop being so negative all the time.  You 1/60 fans finally get new signs of life from your line and yet you still get all depressed over it. Stop worrying about the 1/48. Let Yamato worry. Just because the 1/48 fans on MW are so vocal doesn't mean that there's no love for the 1/60 line. I remember seeing two "Love for the 1/60" threads in the recent couple weeks. You buy your toys and we'll buy ours. Let's just leave it at that.

yeah I know I sounded negative and I'm sorry for that , and belive me , I'm reeeaaally happy because Yamato is giving us the GBP , be it on 1/48 or 1/60 I don't really care cause , as I said , I have no real prefferences over what is being released , I just hope there's continuous variety of toys.

I'm not a 1/60 or 1/48 lover , I like both lines very much , I just hope that in the future we're not stuck with just one line because people give prefference to the 1/48 line.

Reagardless of whether the majority of people prioritize the 1/48 line over the 1/60 line , Yamato could eventually decide to give up its plans to release an alternative line (and I thought that the 1/48 line was the alternative line ) in favor of the 1/48 line , afterall , if they decide to focus solely in the 1/48 line they would get more profits because of its higher price tag...

Edited October 10, 2003 by Aegis!

[do not disturb]

its funny to see a simple picture became bitchfest 2003.

i don't know why people are having a cow about how much, how comes, why nots and what ifs?

wait, see and then complain......not whine, whine and whine about something that doesn't really exist yet.

too expensive? don't buy it

too tall? don't buy it

too short? don't buy it

too small? don't buy it

too big? don't buy it

too thin? don't buy it

too fat? don't buy it

i think its really simple...if you have a problem with it...DON'T BUY IT!!!

no one is forcing you to buy it...bundled, not bundled, whatever! bitchin about something you're NOT gonna get, is completely pointless....go complain in a different thread.

i for one plan to get this...whether its perfect or not. wanna know why?

cause it sure beats the one i DON'T HAVE.

sorry guys, but it seems every thread that gets started in the toy section turns into....well, this.

[blugts]

its funny to see a simple picture became bitchfest 2003.

i don't know why people are having a cow about how much, how comes, why nots and what ifs?

wait, see and then complain......not whine, whine and whine about something that doesn't really exist yet.

too expensive? don't buy it

too tall? don't buy it

too short? don't buy it

too small? don't buy it

too big? don't buy it

too thin? don't buy it

too fat? don't buy it

i think its really simple...if you have a problem with it...DON'T BUY IT!!!

no one is forcing you to buy it...bundled, not bundled, whatever! bitchin about something you're NOT gonna get, is completely pointless....go complain in a different thread.

i for one plan to get this...whether its perfect or not. wanna know why?

cause it sure beats the one i DON'T HAVE.

sorry guys, but it seems every thread that gets started in the toy section turns into....well, this.

Well said!

I 4 1 will buy it cause I don't have it and when it comes 1/48 I'll buy it too!

[VF-1Guy]

I remember a time when constructive feedback was welcome on this board. Without it we may not have seen the dozens of improvements that have went into Yamato products. No two Yamato products that have come from the same basic mold are the same. Examples: tailfins and tab B on the YF-19; profile and shoulder sliders on the YF-21; hips on the VF-11; back pack, landing gears and insignias on 1/60 line; flaps, nosecone and front landing gear door on the 1/48 line. I doubt we would have seen any of these if it wasn't for constructive feedback from us (through Graham) and from the Japanese consumers.

These are prototypes we are seeing, so there is still time to give feedback. I haven't really noticed too much b****ing in this thread (it is a favorite human past time after all), but I have noticed constructive feedback from a number of people, especially about the size of the hands.

[CHAN]

its funny to see a simple picture became bitchfest 2003.

i don't know why people are having a cow about how much, how comes, why nots and what ifs?

wait, see and then complain......not whine, whine and whine about something that doesn't really exist yet.

too expensive? don't buy it

too tall? don't buy it

too short? don't buy it

too small? don't buy it

too big? don't buy it

too thin? don't buy it

too fat? don't buy it

i think its really simple...if you have a problem with it...DON'T BUY IT!!!

no one is forcing you to buy it...bundled, not bundled, whatever! bitchin about something you're NOT gonna get, is completely pointless....go complain in a different thread.

i for one plan to get this...whether its perfect or not. wanna know why?

cause it sure beats the one i DON'T HAVE.

sorry guys, but it seems every thread that gets started in the toy section turns into....well, this.

But.... But..... what about the tradition??

[imode]

its funny to see a simple picture became bitchfest 2003.

i don't know why people are having a cow about how much, how comes, why nots and what ifs?

wait, see and then complain......not whine, whine and whine about something that doesn't really exist yet.

too expensive? don't buy it

too tall? don't buy it

too short? don't buy it

too small? don't buy it

too big? don't buy it

too thin? don't buy it

too fat? don't buy it

i think its really simple...if you have a problem with it...DON'T BUY IT!!!

no one is forcing you to buy it...bundled, not bundled, whatever! bitchin about something you're NOT gonna get, is completely pointless....go complain in a different thread.

i for one plan to get this...whether its perfect or not. wanna know why?

cause it sure beats the one i DON'T HAVE.

sorry guys, but it seems every thread that gets started in the toy section turns into....well, this.

The problem is that people expend so much energy hoping and praying that so-and-so company will release so-and-so product, and when it doesn't live up to their expectations, or it's too expensive, or it's too big, or whatever, then they feel they have to shoot it down. That's just the nature of the toy forum and it is inevitable with so many differing opinions and tastes. This is also why I'm afraid to see what happens when the 19 comes out. People have built expectations so high by constantly linking those pictures of the YF-19 model everytime the 19FP is mentioned.

For the most part, the "don't buy it" approach works for most. Other times, people have legitimate complaints, because honestly, no one wants to drop $140 for a "perfect" toy only to have it's wings falling apart, and little pieces of transparent plastic missing right out of the box. What's really wrong is when some people seem to take personal offense when it comes to a company not making a toy to their liking, or when they feel a company's market strategy is designed only to torment them. No doubt a lot of you have noticed a few of the generic, "Yamato is out to get me!" threads, and after reading the replies, the response those types of comments get here is pretty obvious.

[Rune]

Man am I late to the game.I could care less either way I would buy it for the 1/60 version or 1/48. Please be our dream come true.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I'll do like I always do: I'll buy one when it comes out and then I'll bitch about it... but only if it is "bitchworthy".

[Toonz]

hmmmm how many will s_i_t_h_l_o_r_d buy???

[Hurin]

I remember a time when constructive feedback was welcome on this board.

Ah, but the problem is that so much of the feedback isn't constructive. A lot of people have a hard time saying: "I'm disappointed in x. I probably won't buy it due to these reasons. I'd prefer if x were more like y."

Instead, we have people running the gammut from saying: "That sucks! I'll be pissed if it's like x!" to people lambasting entire toy lines. . . hell, we once had someone call everyone who prefers 1/48s "unscrupulous."

Which, by the way, was my all-time favorite moment on this board.

I agree with imode though. This all reminds me of how much people bitch about computer games when they come out. Especially, Ultima Online. People were so in love with their own ideas for the game that, when it was released, they felt that they had somehow been cheated and they bitched incessantly about how the developers sucked. . . etc. All the while, they played the game night-and-day.

Best Regards,

H

[Lynx7725]

Ah, but the problem is that so much of the feedback isn't constructive.  A lot of people have a hard time saying:  "I'm disappointed in x.  I probably won't buy it due to these reasons.  I'd prefer if x were more like y."

Instead, we have people running the gammut from saying:  "That sucks!  I'll be pissed if it's like x!"  to people lambasting entire toy lines. . . hell, we once had someone call everyone who prefers  1/48s "unscrupulous."

Hey, don't lay all the blame on the people who are willing to state their negative opinions. I've seen situations on this board where a factual description of the problem is raised and all the positive supporters lambast the naysayers for daring to say bad things about the product. This is particularly true of the 1/48 series.

Sometimes it's just a case of one guy saying, "Hey, I think the proportion looks a bit off, maybe I'll reconsider buying it" and another responding hotly "Hey Yamato-hater if you don't like it don't buy it! I like it and I'll buy it! Neyh Neyh Neyh."

So it's not just the naysayers (though certainly they exist), but also a problem with the Yamato/ Bandai/ Whatever Defenders...

Going OT a bit, let's take a look at things. A year ago, we are so grateful to Yamato for coming into a market dominated by Bandai and screwed over by HG that Yamato could do no wrong. Yamato did deliver a high-quality product but somewhere in the middle (around the time the 1/48 came out) some hiccups occured which irritated some members here, and show that Yamato could make mistakes.

So nowadays we are a bit more cautious when viewing Yamato products, which IMO is a good thing for both consumer and company -- there is an implicit check and balance in the whole thing. Yamato won't try to force bad products down our throats because we won't accept it, and we keep Yamato honest in this aspect.

I think the major thing we have to keep in mind is that there's really nothing inherently wrong with having an opinion that is in the mainstream. We can work on the presentation for sure, but the basic thing is to be willing to accept the fact that somewhere out there someone is going to disagree with you.

Sure, I think Yamato makes good products, but all that does to me is to make me examine any Yamato product to spot the problems AND to decide whether I can live with them if I purchase the product. That way I won't bitch and moan about things here after I bought the item.

[TenScaryMonkeys]

All this excitement over the never-before-seen GBP armour, and STILL no pictures of the much-rumoured YF-19 revamp. Where ARE you, YF-19? Don't you love me anymore? You don't call, you don't write... I weep for the world.

The 1/48 1J just looks astoundingly good, and I'm not even a big fan of FAST packs. The head seems to fit a bit more snugly (is that even a word?) in fighter mode than the 1S's, but the wider head makes the chestpiece look a lot less massive than the previous 1/48 releases. I had promised to limit myself to one 1/48, but promises were meant to be broken, I suppose. A man can only resist the omnipresent temptations of Giant Robot Goodness for so long.

This is probably the first time I've ever been impressed with the GBP armour. Honestly, I always thought the 1/55 armour looked fairly ridiculous, like Jetfire after too many Pop-Tarts, or perhaps in the swollen aftermath of a jellyfish attack. This thing just looks massive and dangerous. Fine work, Yamato. Kinda of doubt I'll actually buy it, though. I can only imagine the pricetag on an item containing that much plastic, and given Yamato's recent penchant for producing toys only British royalty can comfortably afford, I'll put a conservative estimate of $250,000 on this one.

Next up: the Yamato 1/48 SDF-1. "We knew you'd lose your house to buy one of these, so we made it big enough for you to live in."

[recon]

Frankly saying, a 1/48 GPB design would be quite complicated in the sense that the 1/48 has a much wider chest plate and elongated nose. However, i believe Yamato has made provisions when they design the VF-1J such that it will accomodate the future GPB armor given that the nose cone could be removed. It would be interesting to see how the GPB armor would fit or attached to the 1/48 Chest plate without any modfications to the 1/48 VF-1J itself. I would be getting the 1/60 VF-1J with GPB amor for sure but if Yamato decides to surprise me with a 1/48 GPB armor, i will grab it too. 1/60 for fiddling around and 1/48 for displaying and admiring. Bring it on Yamato.

Cheers