Yamato $2000 DYRL MACROSS

[azrael]

Also keep in mind import fees if people buy it overseas. Just imagine the shipping costs on that.

[VFTF1]

You know - most of us are old men by now. If there was ever a time in our life when 600 bucks had to be spent for an SDF-1 Macross. It is now.

Hopefully, I can convince my girlfriend to buy this for me since it'll probably be out for my 31st birthday.

Somehow, I doubt she will though...

Pete

[Cyclone Trooper]

By the way, VFTF1...you've finally begun your 15 minutes of internet stardom...check out my sig! LMAO

[Vifam7]

Macross collecting: For Singles Only

Darn right. God forbid your girlfriend/wife find out you spent $600 on toy and you haven't spent an equivalent amount on her in recent memory... Your adjusted total bill for the SDF-1 might be more than $1200 ($600 for the toy, another $600+ in restitution for your girl)

Edited March 12, 2009 by Vifam7

[Kicker773]

that's very true.. sad, but true.. I should be covered though.... i hope.

[nightmareB4macross]

Darn right. God forbid your girlfriend/wife find out you spent $600 on toy and you haven't spent an equivalent amount on her in recent memory... Your adjusted total bill for the SDF-1 might be more than $1200 ($600 for the toy, another $600+ in restitution for your girl)

If you have to pay her 600.00 it's not called restitution. It's more prostitution than anything else.

[505thAirborne]

If you have to pay her 600.00 it's not called restitution. It's more prostitution than anything else.

hahaha, Classic!!!

[Cyclone Trooper]

True...either way you look at it, SOMEONE is being told to bend over and hold their ankles while their wallet's being emptied!

Edited March 12, 2009 by Cyclone Trooper

[anime52k8]

If you have to pay her 600.00 it's not called restitution. It's more prostitution than anything else.

no, prostitutes are cheaper.

[SchizophrenicMC]

no, prostitutes are cheaper.

Not if you want a whole night. At that point, you get a $200 discount. It comes out the same!

[505thAirborne]

Not if you want a whole night. At that point, you get a $200 discount. It comes out the same!

You have experience on this matter!! Did you take her to the Motel Persian Love?

[nightmareB4macross]

Now back to the TOPIC.

Is there a list of planned gimmicks for SDF?

[Cyclone Trooper]

Is there a list of planned gimmicks for SDF?

Yamato has never had a history of loading its Macross toys with "gimmicks" per se. No spring-loaded shooting missiles or light-up features or electronic sounds that I'm aware of. Rather, Yamato has (for the most part) faithfully recreated exactly what has been seen in the anime that a particular mecha is from. Opening missile bays with removable missiles, high level of articulation (as much as a mecha design will allow, in any case), and with each passing year, more and more "perfect transformation." Now IF the price of the SDF-1 remains around the 50,000 yen/$500 price point or above, at least a handful of us are going to expect it to have extras that warrant the high price while others see this price as perfectly reasonable (note: check these people's meds! lol).

The open window bays on the legs have already given rise to a plethora of speculation that it may feature a Macross City that will be viewable through said windows. For $500+, I'd like to see some sort of "self-transformation" similar to the Leader-Class movie Transformers. This isn't too much of a stretch because the only real part of the SDF-1 that transforms is everything above the legs. Press down on the bridge and activate a fluid transformation where all parts of the ship convert all at once...from the main cannon booms to the shoulders to the ARMDs moving into place. Considering the transformation of the SDF-1 isn't exactly a lesson in origami, and the sheer size of the thing, it could be possible to do something like this. That said, I still think gimmicks like electronic sounds (Global yelling "Heshin!" followed by the main cannon firing) or a sound chip with Minmay singing Ai Oboete Imasu Ka would throw it into the realm of being cheesy. Stuff like that appeals to kids, but adult collectors...not so much.

The only confirmed "gimmick" the SDF-1 was shown to possibly come with are a dozen or so 1/2000 scale Valkyries and Destroids, which looked like they were little more than really tiny chess pieces.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Cyclone Trooper

[Radd]

I agree. I'd rather not have any sound chips or the like. Still, maybe running lights and illumination for the Macross City inside the legs? I dunno. I'd rather the price was lower and it had no gimmicks like that at all. But, if the price is going to be $500, and they can do it in a way that actually looks good, I'd be okay with it I think. Yanno?

[Vifam7]

I'm not fond of audio gimmicks but I LOVE getting light up features.

I'd definitely like to see running lights. Recreate that opening scene from DYRL.

Lights for the thrusters and perhaps a main gun firing gimmick would be nice too.

For $500, it ought to have at least a few gimmicks. At this size, light up features shouldn't be too hard to incorporate.

[Cent]

While auto transformation would be neat, you'd have to consider what it entails.

1. The possibility for even more things to go wrong with the toy, especially now with the internals.

2. Batteries. Oh God.

[Cyclone Trooper]

While auto transformation would be neat, you'd have to consider what it entails.

1. The possibility for even more things to go wrong with the toy, especially now with the internals.

2. Batteries. Oh God.

I thought about that, actually. It could be done with existing battery-free low-tech methods...such as the "soft opening" style mechanisms like the ones found in modern stereos that still feature cassette decks. Tension springs and gears instead of battery-powered. The aforementioned movie-style Transformers like Optimus Prime had a similar "self-transformation" gimmick that didn't require batteries...although the transformation DID trigger battery-powered lights and sounds once it was underway.

Edited March 13, 2009 by Cyclone Trooper

[glane21]

Yamato's 1/60 YF-19 Fold Booster set had the lightup feature, so they do sometimes engage in that gimmick.

[CF18]

I have dreamed about building a LEGO SDF-1 with motorized transformation for a long time - dream because it is hard, and it will be bigger than this 1:2000...

To have automated transformation means it has to be attached to a stand. The most difficult part is the shoulders - you get two perpendicular 180deg movement, and the ARMDs need to be angled so that they don't crash into the long shoulder guns.

[sharky]

If the WAVE SDF-1 is any indication of how the Yamato one will transform it probably won't have any auto transformation features. I only transformed my WAVE once, but I recall being a bit surprised that it wasn't as straight forward as I expected it to be.

I think light up features would be a nice touch. Ditto for a small city scene in the leg. I can see it now in my display area with the room lights dimmed and the SDF-1 light up in all its glory.

A few things come to mind. It would be cool to have the observation area in DYRL where Hikaru convinces Minmay to sing at the end. Where exactly was this area on the SDF-1? If they are to include tiny valks, why not have a couple in the launch arms ready to deploy as in the opening sequence. It would also be neat to have tiny armored panels that can cover over the large windows as it did when under attack? Maybe that's to tiny a feature to faithfully recreate, but it would be nice.

[eugimon]

While auto transformation would be neat, you'd have to consider what it entails.

1. The possibility for even more things to go wrong with the toy, especially now with the internals.

2. Batteries. Oh God.

I'm not fond of auto transformation.. unless it's going to be high quality metal gears and components inside to handle the stress and easily adjustable for those cases where the gears aren't meshed correctly and some part doesn't line up properly.

I'd much rather see fiber optic running lights, light up engine, a lit cityscape in the legs, posable guns and gun turrets, heavy duty joints for the shoulders and ARMDs with a pull/push lock system to hold the pose and not stress the joints . A metal frame for the arm assembly would be a must have for me to pose the arms without some sort of support. Frankly, I don't really trust Yamato when it comes to high strength plastic so unless it's some sort of nylon fiber reinforced plastic designed to handle the stress, I'd like to see the an internal metal frame from the shoulder mount all the way down to the arm where even the joints are comprised of metal. Stainless steel would be nice, not cheap brittle die-cast.

[Cyclone Trooper]

If the WAVE SDF-1 is any indication of how the Yamato one will transform it probably won't have any auto transformation features. I only transformed my WAVE once, but I recall being a bit surprised that it wasn't as straight forward as I expected it to be.

I think light up features would be a nice touch. Ditto for a small city scene in the leg. I can see it now in my display area with the room lights dimmed and the SDF-1 light up in all its glory.

A few things come to mind. It would be cool to have the observation area in DYRL where Hikaru convinces Minmay to sing at the end. Where exactly was this area on the SDF-1? If they are to include tiny valks, why not have a couple in the launch arms ready to deploy as in the opening sequence. It would also be neat to have tiny armored panels that can cover over the large windows as it did when under attack? Maybe that's to tiny a feature to faithfully recreate, but it would be nice.

Light-up features can either elevate or kill something like this. The one big complaint I've always had with lights or LEDs in toys is the god-awful way these things illuminate the plastic around it from the inside-out...especially if the plastic tends to be extremely thin in some areas or is clear with a coat of paint applied over it. I mentioned the "Big Millenium Falcon" a few posts back. I own one of these monsters...and it illustrates what I'm talking about perfectly. In the cockpit, behind the 4 seats, there are two orange LEDS on each side of the back wall that are designed to give lighting inside the cockpit. In a dimly-lit room, these LEDs shine through the paint applied to the canopy, thereby giving it the strange illusion that the whole cockpit is glowing. Bad execution of a good idea, IMHO. I wouldn't want to see something like this happen with the legs of the SDF-1.

The 1/2000 Valks/Destroids can be seen in the pics of the prototype SDF-1, so there's actually visual confirmation that these little things may be included. But every single one of them appear to have a small round base, hence the "chess piece" appearance. Yamato still has 11 months or so to refine things on the SDF-1, and may decide to go with "baseless" figurines. As for the Launch Arm idea, that may be something they're kicking around. If you look at the proto-ARMDs, the launch bays appear to have deep recesses instead of shallow paneling with dark paint to give the illusion of deeper recesses (like the WAVE version has). A plug-in launch arm with a Valkyrie attached would be small, but not completely impossible to do.

For ages, I always thought that the famous "window scene" took place on one of the same giant viewports that we see at the beginning of the movie. But later on, I began taking note that this particular window is much smaller and actually stuck out from the hull like a bay window in a house. It has three sides and a glass (transparent aluminum or transparisteel or whatever they use in the Macross universe) top to it, while the giant viewports simply follow the shape of the hull. The smaller windows had clamshell-like armored doors that covered them. These windows are obviously somewhere on the legs, since Hikaru had to run through a completely deserted shopping district in Macross City to get to the one Minmay was at. But if they're considerably smaller than the bigger viewports, we may not see them on the finished product.

[eriku]

I'd like to see the an internal metal frame from the shoulder mount all the way down to the arm where even the joints are comprised of metal. Stainless steel would be nice, not cheap brittle die-cast.

Ditto. Titanium would be great, too. Probably too much to ask for, but I'd prefer that over lights, sounds, auto-transform & a scratch-N-sniff tuna head.

[Cyclone Trooper]

Titanium frame? A 2-foot ship that weighs 40 lbs? lol

Edited March 13, 2009 by Cyclone Trooper

[Dante74]

Is there a list of planned gimmicks for SDF?

I heard that Yamato plans to incorporate a fold generator that transports large amounts of money from your wallet to their bankaccount.

[eriku]

Titanium frame? A 2-foot ship that weighs 40 lbs? lol

Pure titanium is around 45% lighter than steel...and it would be more likely that a titanium alloy would be used, so there's no way the toy would weigh anywhere close to 40 lbs with an internal titanium alloy frame.

Regardless, it's not going to happen.

Edited March 13, 2009 by eriku

[eugimon]

Pure titanium is around 45% lighter than steel...and it would be more likely that a titanium alloy would be used, so there's no way the toy would weigh anywhere close to 40 lbs with an internal titanium alloy frame.

Regardless, it's not going to happen.

yup, titanium is known for it's strength AND lightness. A titanium watch for example weighs noticeably less than a stainless steel or other metal body watch.

I think stainless steel is a decent enough choice for a frame or even machined aluminum. Given how large and heavy those ARMDs will be, I can easily see plastic snapping or deforming under the weight alone, let alone when people try to pose it without properly bracing other parts of the toy.

I actually have hope that Yamato will grace the SDF with lots of metal based on how and where metal was used on the 1/60 destroids.

[edwin3060]

I would think aluminium would be a better choice cost-wise than titanium, and yet not be as heavy as steel. Aluminium would also be more easily machined which would help reduce costs.

[Cent]

Hopefully they'll include plenty of 1/2000 valks and destroids... But they should plant a small magnet in each of them so they can easily clip to areas of the ARMDs.

[Cyclone Trooper]

But we're all assuming that the ARMDs are these solid hunks of ABS plastic. For all we know, they'll be made fairly light by being made with hollow cores. And the ARMD itself is little more than a thin rectangle on pontoons as its basic shape...so there's really not much mass to it at all.

[eugimon]

But we're all assuming that the ARMDs are these solid hunks of ABS plastic. For all we know, they'll be made fairly light by being made with hollow cores. And the ARMD itself is little more than a thin rectangle on pontoons as its basic shape...so there's really not much mass to it at all.

No, I'm not assuming it's going to be a solid chunk of plastic but even if it's completely hollow inside just being a plastic box nearly a foot long is going to mean it will be heavy. And it's not only how heavy it is but where and how it's attached to the arm and shoulder that's the problem.

In ship mode, the arms don't lock into anything to distribute the weight and stress. The arms and shoulder has to bear the stress of the weight completely on their own. This also means the connection point on the ARMDs are going to have to be able to support the entire weight of the ARMDs. This is only going to be worse in attack mode with the ARMDs canted out at a 45 or 90 degree angle. That area around what passes for the elbow and the joint itself is going to have to support a decent amount of weight. Unless this toy is only going to live on a series of stands to support the weight in both ship and attack modes.

[eriku]

Considering how AWESOME the SDF is that we're dreaming up with it's metal skeleton and magnetized mechs.... I'm almost already disappointed by what the real one is going to be.

[eugimon]

Considering how AWESOME the SDF is that we're dreaming up with it's metal skeleton and magnetized mechs.... I'm almost already disappointed by what the real one is going to be.

Well, I just hope the knees are metal too so It can do spiffy running, kicking poses.

[EXO]

For most members here that are worried about how they are going to present it to their wives, I think this thing should vibrate.

For me... just like any Yamato toy, no gimmicks... and down to only one part that breaks (unless that's a gimmick too...)

[Cyclone Trooper]

Agreed, EXO...but with our luck, the part that breaks will be...like most recent Yamato offerings...the shoulders!