Man these Garlands suck!

[Fit For Natalie]

Takara sounds really old fashioned - they still use pencil and paper where Yamato uses computers to engineer their toys.

[drifand]

Takara may be suffering from merger blues as the new heads try to cut costs and 'make do': Death of lower-profit diecast TF BTs for plastic Alt/KissPlayers, minimal diecast in MP-3 & 5, sloppier finishing esp. on MP-4 (move to cheaper factories?). But the DESIGN of the toys are/were still pretty well-done, via pencil & paper or otherwise. I certainly haven't had any major problems with the VOTOMS Actic Gear or DMZ toys.

And I think it's a fallacy to assume CAD instantly provides better design/quality/fit. You just have to look at Yamato: Sure their newest VFs look gorgeous, but their designers still have a lot to learn about materials choices for such precision-fit parts. The scattered reports (I'm being generous) of easily broken parts on the VF-0, YF-19 and Garland puts paid to the CAD myth of automatic design superiority.

[jenius]

I kinda disagree on CAD. Continuing to use Yamato as an example there's the teh sux quality of the 1/72 products vs. the CAD 1/48s. I'd say that's a pretty instant jump in design, quality, and fit. Is it perfect? No. It is the future though and it's a good thing. Companies will still have to make $$ decisions on materials and there will always be issues the computer must not have seen coming (VF-0S' floppy midsection) but as the companies gain more experience they should be capable of overcoming these issues. Pen & Paper makes it a whole new ball game with whole new problems on every new design.

[drifand]

OK, let's just agree to disagree on that.

[Beware of Blast]

As someone who has bought Yamato's stuff for as long as their company is old, I'm inclined to believe that it's only Yamato that screws up their products the most often when compared to other companies out there. Bad QC and CAD drawings not durability-tested enough aside, I saw Yamato repeating stupid mistakes, and make the dumbest decisions - Unnecessarily huge shipping cost-jacking-low-quality flimsy boxes, they put expensive magic tape in places to prevent paint chip, and THAT tape itself is the cause of your paint chip. We can keep arguing about company sizes, economics of scale etc, etc... one thing's for sure, no person(s) running the other companies are as retarded as the ones running Yamato.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Beware of Blast

[GobotFool]

As someone who has bought Yamato's stuff for as long as their company is old, I'm inclined to believe that it's only Yamato that screws up their products the most often when compared to other companies out there. Bad QC and CAD drawings not durability-tested enough aside, I saw Yamato repeating stupid mistakes, and make the dumbest decisions - Unnecessarily huge shipping cost-jacking-low-quality flimsy boxes, they put expensive magic tape in places to prevent paint chip, and THAT tape itself is the cause of your paint chip. We can keep arguing about company sizes, economics of scale etc, etc... one thing's for sure, no person(s) running the other companies are as retarded as the ones running Yamato.

Ouch but true, I'm still PO'd at that little tape they placed on the rear vernier of the 19. Sometimes I think yamato stopped listening to product complaints a long time ago, or worse just really don't care.

[Ginrai]

So I guess the second email did the trick because I just received a box marked "GARLAND REPLACEMENT". YAY! I'm happy. Let me just open it up and disassemble the big G.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

Congrats, Ginrai. Now you can move on.

Since I'm in Mexico City my replacements will still take a while I'm affraid.

[Ginrai]

Congrats, Ginrai. Now you can move on.

Since I'm in Mexico City my replacements will still take a while I'm affraid.

Good luck! I installed the new arms and the toy seems fine. Happy again. Good show, Yamato.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Good to hear. I'm going to wait till everyone buys up all the ver 1s first and then dip in when ver2 are everywhere. That is once I get over my sudden TF classics and alternator addiction...

[Fly4victory]

Half price, WOW!!!!! Buy two to build one that works.

Sorry but I just got out of the field and had to toss that one out.

1/2 off at HLJ

clearance

http://www.hlj.com/product/YMT33967

[ShadowerV2]

Hmm...... if you think about it.... buy one.. and ask for new shoulders. And you should get the new shoulders. Then you'll have a sort of Ver 1.5 for half the price with a bit of work..

[Fly4victory]

Nah... Thinking is not for me. But if I was... I'd try waiting to see how low the price drops.

Now having something that is X percent off the price is a great selling point to use against the wife.

I didn't spend I saved.

Hmm...... if you think about it.... buy one.. and ask for new shoulders. And you should get the new shoulders. Then you'll have a sort of Ver 1.5 for half the price with a bit of work..

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

I got my replacememts yesterday and performed the operation right away. I noticed that the new covers of the front wheel have a slopy finish, so I used the originals and now they look and work great.

[ShadowerV2]

I didn't spend I saved.

And that's the one bullet that can shoot down all her arguments!

[Ginrai]

My replacement shoulders also had sloppy paint. I couldn't really figure out how to get that part off? Any advice?

[mpchi]

Mine got sloppy paint as well, but not bad enough that I want to take the thing apart, in case something else will break on me LOL.

Edited April 16, 2007 by mpchi

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

My replacement shoulders also had sloppy paint. I couldn't really figure out how to get that part off? Any advice?

You have to unscrew the two screws in the inner side of each half of the front wheel (the dark grey piece, where the metal bars attach), then separate the shoulder piece from the silver wheel cover (the piece that has the sloppy paint job). There's a slot to take the shoulder apart from it, you just have to take the two pegs of the shoulder piece trough the slot of the wheel covers and that's it. Replace the wheel covers for the original covers and put the whole thing together again. Fortunately the new "one click" feature of the shoulder for battroid mode is not there, but in the shoulder piece and the inner wheel piece, so after you finish you'll still have the shoulder with the single "click" when you transform it.

The only gripe is that one of the screws is too close to the magnet, so it's annoying to put it back in place sometimes 'cause the magnet keep attracting the screw and it's very strong, but that's about it.

I also loosen those screws a bit when I discovered that they were the cause of the wheels not rotating properly.

Edited April 17, 2007 by Lonely Soldier Boy

[Fly4victory]

What are the part numbers for the new shoulders?

Trying to get the new shoulders at the same time as the Garland from HLJ.

Seems HLJ does not know the shoulders that I am talking about.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

Send a mail to Garner at Yamato USA (the address is a few pages back), most of us got the shoulders that way for free

[Fly4victory]

HLJ wants $30 for the new shoulders????

Wrote them back and will see what they come up with.

No free shoulders is no real saving with their 50% off plus shipping.

Edit: should have bought the 99 cent Garland that was on ebay few weeks back.

Send a mail to Garner at Yamato USA (the address is a few pages back), most of us got the shoulders that way for free

Edited April 23, 2007 by Fly4victory

[Scream Man]

yeah ask garner about em.

i didnt notice any sloppy paint on the shoulders i got, so it cant have been bad enough to really get to me

i reccomended to someone i know ordering the one off HLJ and just emailing Garner simultaneously, that way u can have the shoulders arrive around the same time as the toy.

[Graham]

It's a week since I emailed Garner about replacement parts for my two broken toys, but no reply yet.

Graham

[Sebastian]

G-Man in person emailing Yamato USA for spare parts?! I can beleive it. Why dont you just asked Yamato to give you the parts (or a few whole new metalized garlands) while you where trying that helmet and chatting with the Yamato CEO?!

[Graham]

I don't want to ask Yamato Japan, cus they'd probably just send me a whole new Garland rather than send me the replacement parts (like what they did when the 1st one broke) and I don't want 3 of the suckers. I'm not a huge Garland fan.

I just want my 2 broken ones fixed. Besides, I want to test out how well Yamato's replacement parts supply works.

Graham

[Sam]

heh, wonder who it was u suggested that to craig?

and graham, i dont think he would reply, he just sends, but if u resend the exact same email, he did reply to that =)

[Sam]

couldnt resist getting a second garland while it was on sale, so can customise into the new colour scheme perhaps =) and grab a microman figure to custom into a rider like they did in teh proto shots

[Scream Man]

i almost got a Microman to put on it myself, but heard to many horror stories.

[Fly4victory]

Well, HLJ says that they have never received a complaint about the Garland???? Did everyone just go directly to Yamato????

I want to test out how well Yamato's replacement parts supply works.

Graham

[bandit29]

Hmm a PS3 Megazone 23 game?

Also available exclusively through Yamato USA’s Online Shop is the Megazone Complete Box Set. In addition to a special metallic version of the Garland, the Megazone Complete Box Set includes the Megazone 23 Part 1 DVD (region coded), the Megazone 23 Part 1 CD soundtrack, a newly edited 80 page Megazone 23 data/guide book, as well as a bonus preview of the PS3 game (region coded), all in their original Japanese packaging/language.

Limited to 100 pieces in North America, the Megazone Complete Box Set carries a suggested retail price of $248.

http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cg...show_article=35

[Sebastian]

I don't want to ask Yamato Japan, cus they'd probably just send me a whole new Garland rather than send me the replacement parts (like what they did when the 1st one broke) and I don't want 3 of the suckers. I'm not a huge Garland fan.

I just want my 2 broken ones fixed. Besides, I want to test out how well Yamato's replacement parts supply works.

Graham

LOL G-MAN... that was pure propaganda!!

Anyways... can you get us some free speare parts hahahaha

Forget it...

I just hope Yamato deleivers something so good.... it will make me FORGET my crappy ARMLESS GARLAND.

SPL

[drifand]

How about a reverse 'strike'? Everyone who can buys a discounted Garland, transforms it until the arm breaks and returns it. Will Yamato take notice?

[Fly4victory]

Anyways... can you get us some free speare parts

Yamato USA has sent people new shoulders for free do not know if they would ship to China.

I got a set last week.. they even come with new mounting screws.

[Hiriyu]

How about a reverse 'strike'? Everyone who can buys a discounted Garland, transforms it until the arm breaks and returns it. Will Yamato take notice?

Actually, mine had been stored undamaged and in box for quite some time, and I just recently pulled it out of the box to put back on display. Wouldn't you know it, the left shoulder joint immediately chipped (1/2 of the joint flange is still there, so the arm is still attached). Must have grown more brittle while stored.

I'll be emailing Yamato USA very shortly

[Fly4victory]

1/2 price Garland with new shoulders. Had the replacements on hand thanks to Yamato USA. Was amazed that USPS delivered on Sunday.