SuperHobo Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 See, it's just as irresponsible to tell people "Stay away from the CM's" as it is to say "Go buy one because you'll love it!" Most of the points you made are a matter of interpretation rather than fact. My interpretation is that the plastic does not by any stretch of the imagination look or feel 'cheap', moving parts that are fragile are to be expected because of scale, color is very pleasing to my eye and looks like the anime, posture in bike mode is adjustable because the figure is articulated, Armor mode doesn't seem unbalanced to me at all (I can get him to stand just fine), and saying this toy feels like a knockoff tells me you've had some pretty high quality knock-offs to compare to. I'm not saying your opinion is wrong, just offering a counterbalance to your claims. Not everyone is going to like this thing. Some people will love it, some will hate it, just like almost any toy. The fact of the matter is that it's a very small toy with a lot of moving parts and there is simply no way for something like that to not feel fragile, but that doesn't mean it's going to fall apart in your hands and it doesn't mean it's made cheaply. Hell, I've heard people say Yamato valkyries feel like cheap and fragile knock offs before. I just hope for those of you that are hanging your hopes on the Megahouse that you aren't sorely disappointed. The Megahouse Ride Armor may have just as many reasons to be called 'fragile', 'cheap' and 'fiddly' as the CMs. Some of their past figures (like the Palm Action Orgroid figure) was called all of those things by many people. I think both of you are fully entitled to your opinions. However I believe CMs should of made this piece a lot bigger from the start. Sure its pretty neat to have something that small and transform, but when reality sets in getting something that small to transform with all of those moving parts and being solid is kind of asking for too much. Personally I think megahouse's ride armor is a bit too small as well, but reviews on that aren't out yet so I wait for the verdict on that. As for the debate if the plastic looks cheap or not is really what you prefer plastic to look like( shiny or matte finished) its really all up to your opinion. Personally I'm not too fond of the finish CMs used, and I think i dig Megahouse's finish a lot more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenius Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 See, it's just as irresponsible to tell people "Stay away from the CM's" as it is to say "Go buy one because you'll love it!" This toy is expensive at $60 and almost every single review says "You will break it when you transform it, especially the windscreen." When that's the case it seems much more irresponsbile to tell people "Go buy one because you'll love it!" than it does to tell them to stay away from it. How many times on MW do you hear people saying "Wait for a 2nd edition!" Is that irresponsible? 'cause it's essentially what seems to be happening here. moving parts that are fragile are to be expected because of scale That is a lame excuse. Small toys do NOT *HAVE* to be fragile. If they are it's a design flaw. What has to happen as you reduce scale is you simplify the toy so it can still be handled. You're acknowledging that CMs failed to do this while simultaneously ignoring that it's an issue. It doesn't work that way. I just hope for those of you that are hanging your hopes on the Megahouse that you aren't sorely disappointed. The Megahouse Ride Armor may have just as many reasons to be called 'fragile', 'cheap' and 'fiddly' as the CMs. Some of their past figures (like the Palm Action Orgroid figure) was called all of those things by many people. QFT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugimon Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 the megahouse tachikoma is also a floppy mess that can barely support its own weight. I didn't pre-order because of how lacking I found it. People complain that they feel like they don't get what they paid for with Yamato all the time, and that's how I felt with megahouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 I wasn't trying invalidate shiyao's opinion and I even stated that I wasn't intending to do so. I was offering a difference of opinions to illustrate how this toy can be perceived differently. He made his points, I made counterpoints. Isn't that what happens on almost every toy thread? And not almost every single review says "You will break it when you transform it", jenius, you're exaggerating. I guess I must have done something wrong because I didn't break anything when I transformed it. Since I've managed to rankle people once again, here's some photos for ya. I didn't even notice until the last few pics that the handlebars could rotate and thus allow the wheel bars to stand up straight in Armor mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tober Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Those pics make it look like a sweet little toy, but the thing that keeps going through my head is that the Beagle should be roughly double that size. I can't justify spending US$60 + shipping etc for such a small toy tho - not with the MH version on the horizon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 10, 2008 Author Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) Those pics make it look like a sweet little toy, but the thing that keeps going through my head is that the Beagle should be roughly double that size. I can't justify spending US$60 + shipping etc for such a small toy tho - not with the MH version on the horizon. Megahouse is a little too close to the size of CM's for me to justify getting one. Toynami's should be quite a bit bigger and if it ends up bucking the Toynami trend and getting a clean bill of health I'll probably pick one up to have something in a larger scale. In the end my curiosity will probably make me get every damn one of them. Edited February 10, 2008 by eriku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXO Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Exposed screws never bothered me. As a kid I used to delight in the fact that the japanese toys let me take apart their toys and check out the engineering. even when I didn't need to fix it , I'd take it apart just to see how it moves. I keep teetering back and forth on these. I went to Frank and Sons to see if they had it only to find other MWers looking for them, haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danth Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) Here's a mini review for the CM now that I've played with mine more. Pros: It looks great in both modes. And it looks much better in person. The proportions are spot on. If you thought the chest looked like cheap plastic in the earlier pictures (like I did), not to wory: it's metal. And the actual plastic doesn't look cheap in person. The CM can totally stand up on it's own in armor mode. With few exceptions, everything locks quite nicely into place with no gaps. Cons: There's a mushroom-shaped peg that connects each forearm guard to the vertical struts. One of mine was too narrow or short, so it won't stay snapped into the forearm guard. Building up the peg witha bit of glue might make it work. The windscreen will break. Mine did and likely yours will too. Unfortunately CM decided to glue the windscreen's peg into the hole it snaps into, and the glue made the plastic peg very weak instead of actually adhering it to the bike. So crappy glue and weakened plastic peg means broken windscreen. Also, the gun is glued to a spare hand, and my gun broke right off the hand the same way. The gun won't really stay in the hand without glue. A bit of strong glue can probably make everything as good as "new" but not as good as if the factory glue was never used. This is the flaw that really bugs me. The left forearm guard has a skinny peg that connects to the figure's forearm. Unfortunately, the skinny peg is also right in the way of the horizontal wheel strut in bike mode. So the forearm guard just barely hangs onto the wheel in bike mode, doesn't hug the wheel nicely, and is really only held in place by the vertical strut. I can't think of a solution for this besides drilling a hole for the skinny peg into the metal strut. The wheels don't spin. They should. For such a remarkable feat of engineering, they could't pull off a working wheel? EDIT:Okay, the wheels spin if the right forearm guard isn't attached and if the left leg guard isn't on too tightly. But if you spin the wheels with everything on, the right forearm guard will come off. Also, some transformation tips: The handlebars can be dialed, so you can get them out of the way and the wheel struts can stick straight up in armor mode. DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDSCREEN. Squeeze the little mushroom pegs as tightly as possible into the forearm guards for bike mode. At the metal base of the wheel hubs, theres a little metal pin. In armor mode, the pin goes to a hole in the white rotating plastic piece that the leg guards snap onto. If you trouble making it reach, unfold the back of the bike until it fits in, and the fold the bike up again. Edited February 10, 2008 by danth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UN Spacy Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Thanks for your review danth. The wheels not turning seems like a major turnoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha OTS Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Here's a mini review for the CM now that I've played with mine more. Cons: The windscreen will break. Mine did and likely yours will too. Unfortunately CM decided to glue the windscreen's peg into the hole it snaps into, and the glue made the plastic peg very weak instead of actually adhering it to the bike. So crappy glue and weakened plastic peg means broken windscreen. Also, the gun is glued to a spare hand, and my gun broke right off the hand the same way. The gun won't really stay in the hand without glue. A bit of strong glue can probably make everything as good as "new" but not as good as if the factory glue was never used. Also, some transformation tips: DO NOT TOUCH THE WINDSCREEN. Can anyone post some pictures of this issue? Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GobotFool Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Megahouse is a little too close to the size of CM's for me to justify getting one. Toynami's should be quite a bit bigger and if it ends up bucking the Toynami trend and getting a clean bill of health I'll probably pick one up to have something in a larger scale. In the end my curiosity will probably make me get every damn one of them. The toynami is the same size as the alpha I believe. I can't remember where, but I swear I saw a pic of it next to the proto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruskiiVFaussie Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) whaaa, wheels don't spin?? That's an instant black mark right there. MHouse better b spinning! i've already gotten over it, for the fact that the wheels are smaller on the MHouse verson, and if they spin, win! Edited February 11, 2008 by ruskiiVFaussie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danth Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) Okay, about the wheels: They spin if the right forearm guard isn't attached and if the left leg guard isn't on too tightly. But if you spin the wheels with everything on, the right forearm guard will come off. In my opinion the CM is a flawed masterpiece. Nix the glue, drill a tiny hole in the left wheel strut, and make the wheel thrusters part of the axle, and you've got a perfect toy. Maybe they'll do a version 2.0. Edited February 10, 2008 by danth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 The CMs are overpriced but I like the proportions on the CMs better. I tend to like toys that go for a balanced look in all modes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 That's too bad about the windscreen. I'll make sure to be extra careful with mine. Does the windscreen come off completely when it breaks or does friction hold it on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danth Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 That's too bad about the windscreen. I'll make sure to be extra careful with mine. Does the windscreen come off completely when it breaks or does friction hold it on? The windscreen has a peg sticking out of it that goes into the bike. The peg is part of the windscreen. The windscreen is also glued to the bike. I think the glue chemically weakens the plastic around the peg until it's brittle and flaky, but doesn't form a strong bond between the windscreen and the bike. So the windscreen just flakes off when touched, leaving the broken peg behind in the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesonme78 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Counting down to megahouse releases for cyclones....dunno how many days though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Based on the reviews so far, I will pass on the CM's. Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 based on the reviews, I am glad I skipped the CMs and preorder the MH ride armor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) What if the megahouse is brittle too though? Wouldn't it be best to not preorder it but instead wait for reviews? Toynami might be the best out of all of them. Edited February 11, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyesonme78 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 i beg to differ that toynami may bring out a good ride armour.. cause as i think beagle may be the next best one yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
protostar8 Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 What if the megahouse is brittle too though? Wouldn't it be best to not preorder it but instead wait for reviews? Toynami might be the best out of all of them. You know, from the video on their site, it doesn't really look brittle and a prototype (which some people have been saying it's just a prototype) is usually way more brittle than the final product. I think MH may have a few tiny issues, but nothing like what I've been reading about the CM ones. The fact that theirs is bigger and that they didn't try to do "perfect transformation" means a lot of parts that would have had brittle hinges to move now just pop off and back on, which should be more sturdy than brittle/loose hinges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 You know, from the video on their site, it doesn't really look brittle and a prototype (which some people have been saying it's just a prototype) is usually way more brittle than the final product. I think MH may have a few tiny issues, but nothing like what I've been reading about the CM ones. The fact that theirs is bigger and that they didn't try to do "perfect transformation" means a lot of parts that would have had brittle hinges to move now just pop off and back on, which should be more sturdy than brittle/loose hinges. Not to be on the constant CM's defensive here, but for the record the hinges on CM's ride armor aren't brittle nor loose. Small and delicate for some, yes. The only thing that's been a prevailant issue with breakage on the CM's is the windscreen, which is attached by a tiny peg. Considering the reaction to many of Megahouse's past transforming toys, if the Ride Armor is anything like those I am almost certain people wont be happy with it. And that isn't meant to bash MH, I actually like their toys quite a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anavel Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Megahouse does not have the reputation of putting out great products. Alot of their items have bad design, poor quality, or stupid issues. I have their Ride Armor pre-ordered, it looks great and hopefully it turns out well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danth Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I'm hoping CM will pull a Yamato and send out new windscreens to their customers (like Yamato did for the Garland's shoulders). Not sure how we in the US could get the replacements though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) I'm hoping CM will pull a Yamato and send out new windscreens to their customers (like Yamato did for the Garland's shoulders). Not sure how we in the US could get the replacements though. I wonder if CM's has ever sent out replacement parts on any of their previous toys? If they did I would assume that it wouldn't extend to people in the US, but people here might still be able to get one via contacts. Does HLJ do exchanges at all? Edited February 11, 2008 by eriku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mechaninac Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) ...Does HLJ do exchanges at all? Sure they do, but the return shipping is on your dime; or you can get just a replacement part, but besides shipping, they'll charge you a handling fee akin to buying something 1/8-1/3 the cost of the original toy even if the parts are supplied to them at no charge by the manufacturer: see VF-0 replacement shoulders. Edited February 11, 2008 by mechaninac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scream Man Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 So! One of the 4 Ride armours down, and it is, at best, a mediocre toy. Heres hoping for more success wiht the other toys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tober Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Sure they do, but the return shipping is on your dime; or you can get just a replacement part, but besides shipping, they'll charge you a handling fee akin to buying something 1/8-1/3 the cost of the original toy even if the parts are supplied to them at no charge by the manufacturer: see VF-0 replacement shoulders. So there was a definate answer to who was charging so much for those sholder parts? And it was HLJ!?!? I broke one of the fingers on my ML Soundwave and ordered a replacement part from HLJ. Within a few days it was posted. The costs were about $US4.50 for the postage and another US$4.30 for the parts (both hands were included). As you don't have to be a customer of HLJ to order replacement parts I expected a small handling fee. So these prices are about 1/20 of the cost of the (overpriced) toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ignacio Ocamica Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Can anyone please translate these adds please? I'd like to know if the stickers come with the toys or if we have to pray to the almighty limited edition gods to get them These stickers really improve the looks of the bike!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruskiiVFaussie Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) oh yeah baby, Megahouse! I thought i seen pics before in this thread of the stickers included with the box.... Edited February 12, 2008 by ruskiiVFaussie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genghis Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Can anyone please translate these adds please? I'd like to know if the stickers come with the toys or if we have to pray to the almighty limited edition gods to get them I think the advert says decals are limited to the first run... Cld someone verify? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shun Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 (edited) I think the advert says decals are limited to the first run... Cld someone verify? yup, but only some stores that sell the bikes will carry the decals. so there's no guarantee that u can get it, even if u bought the first run. dunno why they like to make it so hard Edited February 12, 2008 by Shun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermillion21 Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Wow, those decals do make the MH cyclone look sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 That seems a bit strange about the decals. I wouldn't imagine it would be cost-prohibitive to put them in every box. Maybe they expect the limited nature of it to increase demand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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