Mostly the Mospeada

[robodragon]

<---- working hard on CMs Ride Armor review. I think these qualify as a 2nd edition toy as CMs has made some improvements. I think having Mega House and CMs competing with each other is going to prove beneficial to everyone.

Did they get rid of that awful seam down the center of the chest plate?

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I was at Otakon and found a red Legioss for $55. At that point, it was hard to resist, and so I bought it. I knew what I was getting into and knew that with Aoshima or the MPC versions, it was a gamble.

Overall, I like the sculpt, it is very impressive but this was to be expected considering it is based off of an old Aoshima model kit, but thats where the mistakes were made. When Aoshima labeled this an "action model" they were not lying. I finally saw for myself, the problem areas such as the design of the arms. In this respect, it would have been better if Toynami had started from scratch when designing this, rather than turning a model into a toy. It certainly looks model like, which is good. The bad thing is that it seems to be built with the tolerances of a model, and does not take into account the added diecast in the arms. The idea to turn a model based design into a toy sounds brilliant on paper, but the execution on this one is seriously flawed.

The lower arm pieces should have been made out of ABS. The diecast there serves no purpose other than to have diecast, there is no piece there that needed the rigidness/durability of metal. The toy is heavy enough as it is without those pieces, and the arms are weak enough as it is that the lower arms make the situation worse.

The hands have not crumbled apart on me but I see why everyone is concerned with them. The hands seem like breakages ready to happen. Mine are extremely loose at the wrist. The fingers are tight, and I believe since they are tight and the material itself is weak, that this leads to breakages. I have heard that on the Aoshima versions that the hands are less prone to breakage, but its too early for me to say on my sample.

The bicep swivels(white arm pieces) feel like they have soft connections to the shoulders, which is undoubtedly what led to the breakages. That area is prone to breakage and a simple change of material or design could have easily prevented this. It does not help that the lower arms are hard to pull down from the shoulder area, and that area is tight. There is diecast on the lower arm, but it could have been used instead for the bicep swivel. Either that or POM, to reduce weight strain on the shoulders.

The shoulder connections to the body feel soft and this is another cause for concern. It feels like eventually, under the weight of the gun, and the arms will become loose. This is very dissapointing. A small ratchet joint should have been placed in each shoulder so that the arms would not loosen over time. This isn't a plamo or a resin kit, so there are no excuses. If it were either of the 2 mentioned, it would be understandable, but its a collector's item, for adults, but what is the point of articulation if its redundant except in a static pose? I hate to admit it, but the MPC vol1 VF-1's were far more durable than these. Those are good examples of basing a design off of an existing toy and model(not with regards to originality but with regards to something that can be handled by a collector and not fall apart in one's hands).

The stickers are of good quality and make the toy look much more exciting after applied. Out of box the toy is very plain.

The plastic used on the toy is of cheap quality. I used a screwdriver to aide one shoulder(the right one) out further and the red plastic around it already started flexing and forming stress marks. Speaking of which jenius mentioned on his review that the right shoulder/bicep pieces on the Aoshima's are harder to pop out than the left, it is the same way on mine. Its hard to tab in both of the wings in armo soldier mode. The leg missle launchers seem to be painted all at once by the factory workers, instead of seperately. THis is bad because one of mine was painted shut and when freed, the entire hinge fell off. The shoulder missle launcher doors are not very secure either.

The absolutely worst thing is that the pin for the right arm body connection hinge was not put in all the way and falls off easily. I know its supposed to be hammered in somehow, but it is extremely hard to do this since the area is so cramped. Even when removing the hinge and trying to do this, its difficult since the arm is still attached. I have not found a way to pry the shoulder(red upper arm) apart, I don't think anyone has had to do this. If I could do that, all I would have to do is remove the hinge from the arm, and the chest, take the pin, and slam that sonova$%^&*I(mother%^&*(fuy#$%^&*(ing go$%^&8 dam%^& thing into the %$^&*9ng socket, then reconnect it. Some of you are probably wondering why that pin is an annoyance. Well, since the pin is not inserted all the way, it can fall out, which leads to the arm flying off in armo solider mode, or it falling off in armo fighter when doing a barrel roll.

Overall, great sculpt(as to be expected by what its based on), great details, questionable design decisions(biceps, diecast in the wrong areas, no shoulder ratchet, weak plastic in areas that need strong plastic, lack of diecast in areas/parts that actually need it), and terrible quality control(easily stressed plastic, shoulder pin not pushed in all the way), and a good jump off point for a great toy, but ultimately as is, not the best it can be.

Edited August 14, 2008 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0

[SuperHobo]

Man, sorry to hear about your less than spectacular experience with the toynami/Aoshima alpha. God help you individuals who are taking the plunge over the beta.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Man, sorry to hear about your less than spectacular experience with the toynami/Aoshima alpha. God help you individuals who are taking the plunge over the beta.

Thanks man, hopefully I find a way to shove that pin in all the way to the hinge like it should have been, and all will be good, for the time being. Judging by what I have seen from handling the toy, its only a matter of time before shoulders loosen up, and I will be pissed if the hands crumble apart.

See thats the reason I was very supportive of CM's when they went ahead and did their Legioss, as inaccurate as it looked. It may have been inaccurate but from all accounts, despite not holding together better in armo fighter, it is far more durable and can be handled with no worries.

With Toynami, changing the diecast pieces in the arms to plastic is a huge step in the right direction. They made their MPC Voltron out of plastic this year, and if they can make an all plastic toy that was formerly diecast, they can certainly make those arm pieces out of plastic. The shoulders relying on friction to hold poses was not a brilliant decision either. An all new ratcheting joint should be put in its place. Also, I'd rather have fixed pose, more durable hands that can be swapped out. Change those 3 things, and we will have something truly worthy of being called a masterpiece.

Oh yea the diecast piece in the right arm does not stay up in armo soldier mode either, you know why? Its diecast.

[eriku]

With Toynami, changing the diecast pieces in the arms to plastic is a huge step in the right direction. They made their MPC Voltron out of plastic this year, and if they can make an all plastic toy that was formerly diecast, they can certainly make those arm pieces out of plastic.

That is EXACTLY what Toynami should do. Re-release the Alpha in plastic. They probably wouldn't even have to tweak the design very much since just replacing the diecast with plastic would make it an overall better toy. Do that, stick some non-articulated hands on there and I might be convinced to try their Alpha again. A third time.

[drifand]

No matter how much I hate the iffy-ness of past Yamato products, it cannot compare to the dread I have for the Toynami/Aoshima Legioss. At one point, dealers in Singapore lowered the price for the Aoshima release to just 150SGD for all three... and there were still almost no takers.

As a fan of the designs, I will always be tempted to buy-in, but I just steel myself and say 'No'. Same as how I deal with Yammy 1st-runs, regardless of how good the reports are. The potential disappointments just don't seem worthwhile to me.

[Vermillion21]

I wonder how many Crapnami Alphas will get broken and damaged when their owners try and connect them to the upcoming Crapnami Betas ...

:lol:

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

That is EXACTLY what Toynami should do. Re-release the Alpha in plastic. They probably wouldn't even have to tweak the design very much since just replacing the diecast with plastic would make it an overall better toy. Do that, stick some non-articulated hands on there and I might be convinced to try their Alpha again. A third time. wacko.gif

Ratcheting shoulders, POM for the bicep swivel pieces, and a factory worker that actually hammers the damn pins on the arm to body hinge all the way, and we are good to go.

Seriously, the worker who put my Legioss together must have not given a poo whatsoever. That damn pin is important.

[SuperHobo]

Ratcheting shoulders, POM for the bicep swivel pieces, and a factory worker that actually hammers the damn pins on the arm to body hinge all the way, and we are good to go.

Seriously, the worker who put my Legioss together must have not given a poo whatsoever. That damn pin is important.

Well if someone were to release this mold again the whole toy should be give ratchets all over the place, knees, shoulders hips etc and also take it too a factory who can produce the toy with a quality aspect in mind.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Well if someone were to release this mold again the whole toy should be give ratchets all over the place, knees, shoulders hips etc and also take it too a factory who can produce the toy with a quality aspect in mind.

The Aoshima luckily has ratchets in the hips, I read that the MPC version actually lacks this. Ratchets in the feet would be good, but for the shoulders, they are absolutely necessary to prevent drooping due to the weight of the gun. I wish Toynami had spent more time on making this an enjoyable collectable as opposed to translating a model design to a toy. Of course since the MPC's are aimed at the older collector, they shouldn't be treated as kid's toys, but to completely overlook the fact that the diecast would make the arms droop? Seriously how could that not be forseen from the planning stage? The diecast elsewhere on the toy is no problem(like the chest, where nothing is affected, and maybe in the legs, but I'm not sure if there is diecast there).

Definitely agree about the factory, they are the main reason the Aoshima versions were screwed up to begin with. Come to think of it, part of the right hinge connecting the arm to the body was chipped off too, on mine.

I hope the upcoming Shadow Chronicles MPCs have all the fixes. The least they can do now is at least change the lower arm diecast pieces to plastic.

[EXO]

Well if someone were to release this mold again the whole toy should be give ratchets all over the place, knees, shoulders hips etc and also take it too a factory who can produce the toy with a quality aspect in mind.

I don't have the Aoshima but if you look at the MPC Alpha's shoulder joints, it's just the surface plastic holding on to the pivot. yikes! I like the sculpt, but the fit is horrendous. Not to mention all the things that Shin said about materials.

I have the Beta pre-ordered only because it's a damn good price from a Toynami hook up.

[jenius]

Did they get rid of that awful seam down the center of the chest plate?

No... but seriously, with as many little design problems as that toy has, I would gladly keep that seam down the middle if they'd fix the other issues (like breaking pegs!!!!).

[fifbeat]

Nice pics above. She fits perfectly. You can almost make a custom Sue Graham.

Damn. That CM is so small. I guess GI Joe's work with it too. =)

Edited August 14, 2008 by fifbeat

[eriku]

I have a question on the 1/35 Gakken Legioss. Is the pilot made to be removed? I thought I saw one with an empty cockpit before but the pilot seems pretty much stuck in there.

[Roger]

I have a question on the 1/35 Gakken Legioss. Is the pilot made to be removed? I thought I saw one with an empty cockpit before but the pilot seems pretty much stuck in there.

The pilot is removable. It's a cool little "army man" type thing that's fun on its own. Carry him around in your pocket.

[eriku]

The pilot is removable. It's a cool little "army man" type thing that's fun on its own. Carry him around in your pocket.

Thanks Roger, I'll pull harder now that I know it's supposed to come out. I wanted to carry the standing pilot around in my pocket but, alas, it wasn't in the box. For some reason I like the unpainted army-man style of the pilots. Maybe because it harkens back to a simpler time. Ahh..mammaries.

[Totoro242]

The pilot is removable. It's a cool little "army man" type thing that's fun on its own. Carry him around in your pocket.

Pilot is not removable. It is glued in place and is basically a torso only. Any toy you have seen with an empty cockpit is essentially broken.

A second pilot is included; posed in a standing position.

[jenius]

As is so common, Totoro242 is correct. Don't try to remove the pilot, it will be futile.

[eriku]

Ah, maybe Roger was thinking of the seperate standing pilot. I'll have to track down one of those, although it's probably rare to see one on Ebay by itself.

[Aero of Steel]

With the interest in Mospeada toys, do the creators plan a new Anime program?

[Roger]

Huh, guess I was wrong. Hadn't played with my Legioss in years.

Eriku, I might have an extra around here somewhere.

Edited August 14, 2008 by Roger

[eriku]

Huh, guess I was wrong. Hadn't played with my Legioss in years.

Eriku, I might have an extra around here somewhere.

I'd definitely take you up on that offer kind sir, if you should happen to find an extra.

I was bummed that the pilot figure was missing since the seller claimed it was there, but I think they just got their words mixed up because they said the pilot figure was included but the gun was missing. When I opened it the pilot figure was missing but the gun was there. Given the choice between pilot and gun I'd take the gun, so I'm not going to complain to the seller.

[Hoptimus]

When I was a Kid I took a small brush and painted the grey pilot that came with my Green Gakken Alpha/Legioss to match Yellow/Lancer's armor colors.

It looked awesome.

Damn I wish I still had that toy.

[Fly4victory]

MH yellow was delivered today but have to wait until after work before I can play.

[EXO]

I remember myersjesse recasted a bunch of those figures and had a squadron of them. I love those little figures too. Great detail for a small figure. They also came out with a diecast ride armor figure that was almost to scale.

[gilermo]

MH yellow was delivered today but have to wait until after work before I can play.

That's good news, means the rest can't be far behind, hopefully i'll get mine next week.

Any change on sharing some pics with us?

[Fly4victory]

Yellow's bike has larger tires than Stick. The tires are also glossy. Now if Megahouse can use the less glossy rubber but with the larger tires.

The launching missiles are on a parts tree. They are molded in gray and then painted dark red????. The normal stowed missiles are under the front covers. The monocle sight can be installed inside the right missile bay when the doors are open.

The little pistol is nicely detailed. The silencer and stock are not removable.

The new joints are great. You can see Yellow is just on the base. Stick is stuck on the stand. This is even after I removed the engine from Stick's bike. He still would not stand. Yellow's bike still has the engine and can hold the pose.

The only grip is the peg mount for the top of the stand cannot support the weight of Yellow and the bike. It either pitches forward or back but will not stay in an attractive position.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

It looks sick!

[SuperHobo]

Yellow's bike has larger tires than Stick. The tires are also glossy. Now if Megahouse can use the less glossy rubber but with the larger tires.

The launching missiles are on a parts tree. They are molded in gray and then painted dark red????. The normal stowed missiles are under the front covers. The monocle sight can be installed inside the right missile bay when the doors are open.

The little pistol is nicely detailed. The silencer and stock are not removable.

The new joints are great. You can see Yellow is just on the base. Stick is stuck on the stand. This is even after I removed the engine from Stick's bike. He still would not stand. Yellow's bike still has the engine and can hold the pose.

The only grip is the peg mount for the top of the stand cannot support the weight of Yellow and the bike. It either pitches forward or back but will not stay in an attractive position.

Awesome, so all the joints were strengthened and redesigned? Are there any parts that still feel fragile?

[Fly4victory]

Awesome, so all the joints were strengthened and redesigned? Are there any parts that still feel fragile?

The purple plastic will show stress marks more than the green. Can easily see where the parts were cut from the mold tree.

The windshield/instrument cluster was very tight to swing back.

The swing bar for the wheels popped off and I reattached them after mounting the bike to the figure.

The three part (each side) slider for the chest popped apart.

Both these things happened to Stick.

The elbow joint has been redesigned.

I could not remove the engine like I could on Stick.

The figure is tighter but it could have been a better day on the factory floor.

Edit: It is a different helmet, no mouth piece, but the visor goes all the way down. Stick's does not sit flush on the mouth piece.

Edited August 15, 2008 by Fly4victory

[fifbeat]

Questions about Lancer's Ride Armor:

1. Can his head (without hemlit) be in place in armor mode?

2. Was the reason for the lack of chin guard due so the visor can go all the way down; or was this how Lancer's looked in the show?

3. Sticker sheet?

You know, I kinda prefer the tires without the Armor all shine. But either way, looks fantastic! Gonna order mine.

[Vermillion21]

Cool pic Fly4victory! Nice.

[JsARCLIGHT]

2. Was the reason for the lack of chin guard due so the visor can go all the way down; or was this how Lancer's looked in the show?

I don't own the toy but Yellow Belmont's armor was of a slightly "earlier" design according to the show's lore and his helmet is indeed different than the other heroes. His helmet's glass face shield comes down over the chin bar so when seen closed it appears to have no "chin"... or at least that is how it appears in the anime.

[gilermo]

Give the hungry masses more pictures ....please?

[Fly4victory]

Questions about Lancer's Ride Armor:

1. Can his head (without hemlit) be in place in armor mode?

3. Sticker sheet?

You know, I kinda prefer the tires without the Armor all shine. But either way, looks fantastic! Gonna order mine.

I will try the helmet less head tonight.

There was no additional sticker sheet. I was hoping that we would get one but no such luck.

Megahouse may hold out giving additional weapons and stickers to include them with non-canon releases to off set possible unpopular toys.