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Thanks for the pix and review links. I actually saw the Peacemaker in person and I think the cloth shrouds are:

1. Not as bad as the worst case shown on Toysdaily.

2. Still not as well fitted as the diecast Ingrams.

Chief culprit are the smaller 'armpits' that can't accept the ends of the shrouds. I think with any CM's Corporation release, the PRICE will always be an issue. The Mecha Action Peacemaker is definitely not 'worth' the asking price for what it offers, but then again, there will be Patlabor fans like me who value having a real semi-decent toy of the design than nothing at all. 6500 yen is expensive, but not outrageously unaffordable. After all, these are the folks selling no-gimmick soft vinyls for 5,000 yen!

In a way, it's the same scenario with their Mospeada offerings... I like their Ride Armor even though it is expensive, but can't stomach the 'r@re tax' for the more questionably designed Legioss/Tread combo. Different price/pain threshold for different fans/priorities.

I'm still looking forward to my HLJ delivery, and if I can finesse the toy to my liking, will probably buy the 'other' numbered version as well from a local dealer.

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Buy the way, for those who have brought the OVA Issue (The red should cap) or the Reactive Armor Ver, can you confirm if the white shield is made of metal or ABS. Somebody on Toysdaily said CMs had cut corner by making the shield out of ABS.

I have the original TV & Movie and I can confirm the shield is definitely die-cast.

If it is true, I think CMs has gone totally backwards with their reputation.

Edited by Mowe
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Very impressive line-up... but it's missing the brown movie-edition Hercules! ^_^

As for the AV-0, looks like there's no escaping the rougher than hoped-for sculpt. One of the first thing's I'd try to do is to paint the shoulder wells in dark grey. Then fix the underpainting on the chest where the white/black edges meet.

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The command car is part of a series of 6 random-packed figures. You might still find sellers offering the lot but I don't find it good value for money. Best offer I've seen in Singapore is about US$45... that sucks when I really don't care for the other figures. Even a random pick would cost US$10 a box.

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Well, my AV-0 arrived from HLJ. I drew a '2' on this one. Key points to note:

PLUS POINTS:

- Nice size and sculpt. AV-0 looks great next to the Ingrams and Griffon.

- Tampo markings down to the license plate are razor sharp.

- Clear parts include the patrol lights, green forehead scope and blue main visor.

- The chrysanthemum is a separate golden chromed piece, just like the Ingrams'.

- Cloth-covered detented joints all over.

- NO SCREW HOLES. (But that also means no taking-apart for experiments.)

- Revolver CAN be stowed in chest holster (if you jiggle it carefully)

- Stun stick can be stowed in opening arm compartment.

- Obligatory 'slasher attack' arm looks neat (but not sharp enough at the tips)

MINUS POINTS:

- Sub-standard molding. Up close the wavy surface on the thighs and un-crisp panel lines disappoint.

- Paint application only so-so. Touch-ups are a must, especially on the chest dividing line between the white and black halves.

- Joints can detach WITHIN the cloth covers.Re-attachment is slightly difficult.

- Shoulder armor comes off too easily during posing.

- Empty chest holster doesn't stay shut. Sloppy.

- Handle on shield-grasping hand does not 'mate' well with slots on shield.

OMISSIONS:

- No opening cockpit or pilot.

- No chest patrol lights ala Ingram's swap-out option.

- No ballast in the feet/legs. (And no way of opening them to add your own.)

- No instruction sheet.

That last point may seem superfluous for such a simple (but pricey) action figure, but I was on the verge of busting a vein trying to fit the gun into the chest holster. I very nearly believed the holster could only be opened to display the gun deployment and not actually stow the weapon. After much experimenting, I found out that you had to stick the barrel into the cavity as far as you can go, THEN push the holster grips upward onto the gun.

CONCLUSION:

This toy won't seem to be worth 6,500 yen to the modern robot-toy fan. The quality feels more like a semi-pro garage toy with some choice parts and minor fit and finish issues. Perhaps another 3-6 months down the road, you might find another blow-out sale for less than 4,000 yen.

For me, though... I am still pleased to be able to own the 'forgotten Zero'. The first movie's sinister AV-X0 usually gets the spotlight while the production version in the manga and OVA tend to be sidelined. I will definitely seek out the No. 1 unit at the local shops despite the toy's flaws. I just hope the upcoming Mecha Action Brocken will enjoy higher production values.

Edited by drifand
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They are packed in window boxes so that you can see the numbering on the shoulders and shields. So, if you buy from a real store, you can pick the one you want, but if you buy from HLJ, they claim they they are unable to sell a specific unit. See for yourself: http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65182

I definitely took a chance when I ordered one from these guys. After all these years and they still haven't evolved their service to match expectations. A more customer-focused policy would be to at least offer the chance to buy a guaranteed set of both 1 & 2. The window box makes their stand a lazy and unhelpful one. And that's on top of their "if your combined order takes more than X days to come into stock, the available items will be shipped first. Remember, you AGREED to this condition." I will definitely remember, HLJ.

Edited by drifand
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Thanks for the link... interesting to see the innards of the P2 version. Can't help but wonder if some 1/6 collector/customizer could stitch together proper fabric sleeves to replace the sure-to-melt rubber originals. :-)

BTW, I got lucky today. My regular toy seller managed to dig up a 'No. 1' AV-0 from his stocks and I bought it right away. Hope to finally get some time off to shoot a couple of pix this Saturday.

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OK, here are some pix of my two Zeros... they are pricey for what are essentially 2nd-tier quality action figures, but I love 'em anyway. :-)

01.jpg

- Special Vehicles Section 2, Platoon 1... Gomioka Tsutomu (Unit 1), Yuuki (Unit 2)

02.jpg

- I love that these figures are in-scale with the Brave Gohkin and sofubi labors. Excellent for creating action tableaux.

03.jpg

- Gomioka tackles the Tyrant

04.jpg

- Break a leg, sempai!

05.jpg

- Yuuki versus Hercules

06.jpg

- Who's godlike, now?

07.jpg

- Full SV-II line-up. Despite the so-so molding and troublesome joints, the production AV-0 Peace Maker looks outstanding when displayed next to the diecast Ingrams.

08.jpg

- My CM's Patlabor collection to-date... Can't wait for Brocken and AV-S Economy!

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Thanks! It's easy to find faults with any toy, but the trick is to find joy in what you like.

I'm using an 'Action Base 1 White' by Bandai. It supports 1/100 MG kits without problems. I picked the widest 'U' attachment and it fits the Griffon's groin perfectly. :-)

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Despite being a big Patlabor fan, I'm not a big fan of the AV-0 or Griffon designs... not even the AV-98 really. But I absolutely love those sofubi toys and the designs of the "regular" labors.

I hear ye, my man! I keep wanting to see more worker labors made into toys, whether as Revoltechs or pricey, not-really-worth-the-money soft vinyls. As HLJ is selling the Tyrant now for only 1,500 yen, I'm seriously thinking of buying one more so that I can properly modify it into a full action figure. The internal joints will be easy - just get some Koto or WAVE modeling parts from my local hobby shops; but it's thinking of replicating the cloth covers that makes me hesitate... There was a gorgeous scratch-built 1/35 Tyrant shown in the HOBBY JAPAN "PATLABOR THE 3D BOOK"... made me wish CM's produced a yellow colored version too.

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I hear ye, my man! I keep wanting to see more worker labors made into toys, whether as Revoltechs or pricey, not-really-worth-the-money soft vinyls. As HLJ is selling the Tyrant now for only 1,500 yen

Whoa, thats a good price. I wonder if I should pick them up from HLJ or try and find them at a better price in local shops, which seems unlikely. At least HLJ shipping is pretty cheap domestically.

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I'm using an 'Action Base 1 White' by Bandai. It supports 1/100 MG kits without problems. I picked the widest 'U' attachment and it fits the Griffon's groin perfectly. :-)

I found some of these today at a local store for pretty cheap. Thanks for the recommendation. it really does work well.

2408908503_d344f591d3_b.jpg

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I thought this was going to be a half-assed release, but its nice to see t hey actually made substantial changes, calves, upper legs, chest, shield, and shoulders. The licesnse plate now appears to be a removable part? Are replacements included so that you can swap between versions now?

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I thought this was going to be a half-assed release, but its nice to see t hey actually made substantial changes, calves, upper legs, chest, shield, and shoulders. The licesnse plate now appears to be a removable part? Are replacements included so that you can swap between versions now?

There are plenty of small differences between the OVA and Movie/TV versions. They just aren't noticeable at first glance and reflect the actual differences in the animated forms of the Ingram in the OVA and movie/TV series.

- large antanna on the left side of the head has a narrower stem where it connects to the head

- two extra small antannae on either side of the head

- chest area around the neck has different sculpting

- support struts of the neck are of different design

- hard mounted design spotlights instead of the retractable kind on the other versions

- shoulder lightbars stretch the full length of each shoulder rather than 3/4

- different shoulder armor design

- bicep armor covering has no seam line

- thigh armor covering has jagged seam line instead of straight line on the movie/TV versions

- different shield design

- different, larger hands

- different detailing on the back of legs above heels

- removeable/interchangeable license plate is a change that the reactive armor ver. also has

- screw caps provided, reactive armor ver. also has this

- unit 2 parts: red shoulder armor with blue light bar, visor has vertical white line in the middle

My one peeve about this release is that CM's didn't make the rotating mini lights in the ligh bar stretch the whole length of the shoulder. They only cover 3/4 since they reused the design of the movie/TV version.

Movie ver. light bar

picture2wo2.jpg

OVA ver. light bar

picture1pm9.jpg

Edited by IXTL
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Gallery of Brave 7x Ingram TV Edition with Bonus Parts.

http://www.geocities.jp/a5298053/pato-brave-ingram-bonus.htm

braveingrambonus8zc4.jpg

Bonus parts include

-P2 Unit 3 head w/ ECM parts

-WXIII Unit 2 head

-gloves for Unit 1

-shield with red SV2 logo

Unit 2 shoulder parts not included with the set, so you'll still need the Brave 7 Ingram 1& 2 movie version set to use the WXIII Unit 2 head. Also, while the Unit 2 head in the bonus parts set is the same as the one from the Reactive Armor ver., the back portion of the head is green in the Reactive Armor one and white in the bonus parts set.

picture1ft1.jpg

Edited by IXTL
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