MKT Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 For quick visibility. HMR VF-0A, Yen 14k: https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1262263937&lang=en Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 (edited) 3 hours ago, ArchieNov said: I just got my copy. Does the ghost booster really point upwards and is not parallel to the plane when attached? I don't think it's tilted up so much as it's just the natural shape of the Ghost itself being tapered toward the back, since the intake is on top. It doesn't look like it's sticking up on the HMR much more than either the Hasegawa kit, or a screen from the anime. I did notice that the Ghost does look better if you don't press it all the way down in back though. It looks like Bandai didn't make the rear tabs long enough. The original Yamato design didn't lock into the backplate, it just rested on it, and Bandai changed that to give the supports a small recess to press into. Whether they overdid it or not is hard to tell. Edited May 31 by Chronocidal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
505thAirborne Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 1 hour ago, Radioguy said: Mine's on the way! Same here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no3Ljm Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 2 hours ago, Chronocidal said: I really like how grounded and realistic the color scheme on this kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhatBoutMyStar Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 (edited) 4 hours ago, MKT said: For quick visibility. HMR VF-0A, Yen 14k: https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1262263937&lang=en For an unopened box, that's a pretty substantial discount from the 17,600 yen regular price. All I can see is just a little ding on some of the corners of the box. Edited May 31 by WhatBoutMyStar fixed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchieNov Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 4 hours ago, Chronocidal said: I don't think it's tilted up so much as it's just the natural shape of the Ghost itself being tapered toward the back, since the intake is on top. It doesn't look like it's sticking up on the HMR much more than either the Hasegawa kit, or a screen from the anime. I did notice that the Ghost does look better if you don't press it all the way down in back though. It looks like Bandai didn't make the rear tabs long enough. The original Yamato design didn't lock into the backplate, it just rested on it, and Bandai changed that to give the supports a small recess to press into. Whether they overdid it or not is hard to tell. Thanks. But it really does stick up. It's due to exactly what you said, namely about the rear tabs not being long enough. Or the front tabs being too long. Anyway, once you get yours you can let me know if you have the same issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 10 minutes ago, WhatBoutMyStar said: For an unopened box, that's a pretty substantial discount from the 17,600 yen regular price. All I can see is just a little ding on some of the corners of the box. Yup.. Mandarake standard's pretty high, so small dings are considered 'package heavily damaged' lol. Anyway, Amazon JP is already going very near that 14k price as well for a new one (remember to take 10% off listed price on account of domestic tax). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 Re: the Ghost booster tilt. Here's an old pic (previously unused, didn't like many aspects of it) of Arcadia's 0A with the Yamato booster. It doesn't really tilt, if any, at all. But agree with @Chronocidal, the tapered look, top intake plus the other lines & shape of the Ghost booster do give a strong impression of an upward tilt. I had always thought with its landing gears down, it has an even more pronounced tilt, but when viewed directly from the sides it's not really there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 31 Share Posted May 31 (edited) 10 hours ago, ArchieNov said: Thanks. But it really does stick up. It's due to exactly what you said, namely about the rear tabs not being long enough. Or the front tabs being too long. Anyway, once you get yours you can let me know if you have the same issue. Should've clarified, I actually do have mine, but it looks the same to me as the Bandai photos, so didn't feel like extra pictures were necessary. Late Edit: Actually, just had a general realization.. I'm not sure the ghost's pylons being too short is the issue. As long as Bandai has been trying to make VF-1-style transformations in HMR scale, they have had serious issues with getting the arms, legs, and backpack all lined up. Usually they try to pull everything too tightly, and just don't leave enough room for the arms under the backpack. I have to wonder whether they actually pulled the backpack too low, and that's partly responsible for the ghost tilting. Edited June 1 by Chronocidal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchieNov Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 10 hours ago, MKT said: Re: the Ghost booster tilt. Here's an old pic (previously unused, didn't like many aspects of it) of Arcadia's 0A with the Yamato booster. It doesn't really tilt, if any, at all. But agree with @Chronocidal, the tapered look, top intake plus the other lines & shape of the Ghost booster do give a strong impression of an upward tilt. I had always thought with its landing gears down, it has an even more pronounced tilt, but when viewed directly from the sides it's not really there. Well here's a picture of mine. It's clearly not level with the plane. You can see it when comparing the angle of their wings and fuselage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 (edited) Well here's a fun experiment to do.. don't lock the backpack down between the legs all the way. I unlocked the tabs, pushed up the backpack at the base of the hinge, and it lines up much better. Go figure. It definitely fits more level if you don't press the rear tabs down though. I did wind up locking the backpack back between the leg tabs, but made sure to keep the backpack pivot as far upwards as I could get it, and that seemed to help a little. Edited June 1 by Chronocidal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 (edited) Win: - No paint apps misses - Final production colour (albeit I like the blue tinted prototype) - No loose/floppy joints upon opening - Knee joint bends at 90 degrees, unlike the VF-1D which is around 80 degrees - Potential VF-0S reactor armour release with white Ghost connectors? - 3 UN Spacey valks released, does beckon next is a potential enemy SV-51 lineup? - Potential VF-0A fodder? Could have been better: - Artwork, not the best in capturing this beast in plane mode - After a few transformations, the bicep swivels loosened a bit, losing about half it’s initial tightness. Still holds though. - The hip connector to the swing rod is very tight, making it difficult to lock immediately the legs in plane mode and gerwalk (Here only without the stand adapter, otherwise works well.) - Tiny pilot has no feet - Lacking some deco touches in the cockpit - A coloured instruction booklet - The screws of the stands’ arms need tightening right out of the box Fail: - The stand’s thin arm connector utterly loose at both ends out of the box. (Guess mine is a lemon?) - Arms transformation for plane mode requires a lot of gentle and patient pressing to snug it into place. - Wings lacks locking, making it impossible to achieve perfect symmetric plane mode by freehand. - Gunpod trigger and guard are molded together (Common Bandai Achilles heels also present in their SFH line) - The prototype on the box still has the blue tint. - The transformation process in the upper torso feels fragile - The fists don’t snuggly fit into the backpack for plane mode. Identical issue with my VF-0D. - No white Ghost booster holder parts for VF-0S Focker release. - Possibility this wraps up Bandai’s Zero HMR lineup. By this stage, hints of a prototype SV-51 would have already dropped. (Albeit, Bandai works in weird and mysterious ways, and maybe will right drop them right after I posted this?) Epic fail: - Ghost drone lacks a hole to pose it separately on the stand and interchangeable parts for solo flight mode and landed mode. - By omitting the above, Bandai missed the opportunity for a future Ghost booster two pack. Collectors would army build these. - The above indicates the high possibility this wraps up Bandai’s Zero HMR lineup (For a while?). Recommendation: - Definitely. Get many. Overall product outweighs the fails that are mainly personal expectations. These two points of mine are loose, making it impossible to pose leaning to one side while straight on the base. The ball jointed thruster on the ghost indicates that perhaps there were plans to have it posed on it own? The hip section of mine is too tight, making it a hand sweeting process to lock the legs. In Gerwalk it's fine if you use the stand adapter that automatic aligns angle. In case you're wondering, it's still nope. The super parts are still not adoptable for the 0Ds mysterious connection points. I'll close with this. Edited June 1 by Raikkonen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 (edited) Appreciate your thoughts & pics @Raikkonen I don’t think the jointed thruster on the booster is a preamble to having the Ghost being its own accessory, because the thruster is a feature of the combined valk & booster. Nice call on the 0D’s mysterious slots at its legs. I always assumed the parts from 0S (and now the 0A) will fit, but never tried that before so now knowing that they don’t fit is a surprise. It has to be purposely designed to be there, because it’s not as if Bandai reused the 0S’s leg mold for the 0D, as the 0D’s leg sculpt is different. Edited June 1 by MKT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 39 minutes ago, MKT said: Nice call on the 0D’s mysterious slots at its legs. Previously, I always assumed the parts from 0S (and now the 0A) will fit, but never tried that before so that is a surprise. It has to be purposely designed to be there, because it’s not as if Bandai reused the 0S’s leg mold for the 0D, as the 0D’s leg sculpt is different. I had plans to get a 0S cheap, repaint in camo green, but give it's super parts to the 0D... that second part is scrapped now. So all I can think of is a non-cannon 0D fodder with super parts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 1 hour ago, Raikkonen said: So all I can think of is a non-cannon 0D fodder with super parts? it’s been a while since I’ve watched Zero - There were CF 0Ds in the show but never noticed if any wore the super parts. I hate to think it’s Bandai bandai-ed in some way, somehow leaving the slots there when they used the 0S’s CAD file as starting point for the 0D. Yet it’s not impossible thought haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 (edited) 1 hour ago, MKT said: it’s been a while since I’ve watched Zero - There were CF 0Ds in the show but never noticed if any wore the super parts. I recall that, hence I said non-cannon as I too don't remember the SP on it. @MKT Found the screenshot. No SP. Edited June 1 by Raikkonen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted June 1 Share Posted June 1 33 minutes ago, Raikkonen said: I recall that, hence I said non-cannon as I too don't remember the SP on it. @MKT Found the screenshot. No SP. Ah gotcha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh9000 Posted June 2 Author Share Posted June 2 Bandai should keep including these schematics with their releases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Test_Pilot_2 Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 14 hours ago, sh9000 said: Bandai should keep including these schematics with their releases. Looking for a frame that can fit these. I have a bunch of them and think they'll make a great backdrop, especially since they fit cleanly in the back of detolfs... Something like these displates in the back of my other display cabinets... I've found some stuff out there, but does anyone have recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
505thAirborne Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Just arrived from AmiAmi Via DHL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 (edited) You know what I just realized, regarding the tilted-up Ghost... Bandai muffed the whole process by pairing the Yamato Ghost with the Arcadia VF-0 mold. They weren't meant to go together, and the issues attaching the Ghost to the newer 1/60 VF-0 mold are exactly the same as what you get from the HMR version. Namely, the chest plate is narrower, meaning the Ghost's canards had to squeeze together tighter, propping it up higher than it should have been. Bandai just straight-up copied the error by making the canards the original length. Not that there isn't precedent for this.. since they also copied the incorrect tailhook/gunpod positions... Edited June 5 by Chronocidal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no3Ljm Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 1 hour ago, Chronocidal said: You know what I just realized, regarding the tilted-up Ghost... Bandai muffed the whole process by pairing the Yamato Ghost with the Arcadia VF-0 mold. They weren't meant to go together, and the issues attaching the Ghost to the newer 1/60 VF-0 mold are exactly the same as what you get from the HMR version. Namely, the chest plate is narrower, meaning the Ghost's canards had to squeeze together tighter, propping it up higher than it should have been. Bandai just straight-up copied the error by making the canards the original length. Not that there isn't precedent for this.. since they also copied the incorrect tailhook/gunpod positions... Meaning, T-REX didn't revised their original Yamato file for Arcadia-use and just send it to Bandai to shrink it down for HMR-use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArchieNov Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 6 hours ago, Chronocidal said: You know what I just realized, regarding the tilted-up Ghost... Bandai muffed the whole process by pairing the Yamato Ghost with the Arcadia VF-0 mold. They weren't meant to go together, and the issues attaching the Ghost to the newer 1/60 VF-0 mold are exactly the same as what you get from the HMR version. Namely, the chest plate is narrower, meaning the Ghost's canards had to squeeze together tighter, propping it up higher than it should have been. Bandai just straight-up copied the error by making the canards the original length. Not that there isn't precedent for this.. since they also copied the incorrect tailhook/gunpod positions... Oh, that explains it then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convectuoso Posted June 13 Share Posted June 13 Got mine today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh9000 Posted June 13 Author Share Posted June 13 Congrats. I love the 0A. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LBluesummers Posted June 22 Share Posted June 22 Beautiful! I could really use an Arcadia PF release... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKT Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 (edited) Cracked open my 0A, transformed it straight to Fighter and attached the Ghost. I think Bandai did some tolerance adjustment from the 0S. As opposed to the 0D, in which most of everything was slightly looser, on the 0A it was the opposite. Stuff just feels tighter. For eg, the head, which is on a long, thin plastic pole at the collar, seem reluctant move up or down said pole so had to use quite a bit of finger strength to press into the underside of nosecone for Fighter. One of my shoulder joints is overly tight - basically the part where the metal is connected to the plastic C-clamp via a spring pin to become a sort of butterfly joint, is extremely stiff. The C-clamp bit is where it attaches along the sliding rails for transformation, and I had to resort to detaching the whole arm altogether from the rail, use a lot of force to rotate that small butterfly joint & then pop the arm back in. Likely have to do the same thing to bring the shoulder out of Fighter mode, & I hope the spring pin doesn't destroy the plastic as it expands over time. In the 0S, the rear landing gear doors do not seat as flush as they should be when closed, and I remember the one on the right leg being particularly egregious. So am quite pleased Bandai fixed that for this 0A. On other hand, the doors are quite a pig to open now with the slot being too tiny for the pick tool Bandai supplied. Had to use something sharper and it brings back memories of trying to open Arcadia's landing gear doors on their VF-0 lol. The landing gears themselves were extremely tight fit, much more than either 0S or 0D. I couldn't plug them in using just my hands at all. Had to use another separate tool with a blunt head to press the base flat part flush into the bay, and I don't know how I'm gonna remove them yet. Don't want to yank them out by the gear arms lest they break. Ghost booster attaches rather securely, the thruster nozzle is also rather tight so had to be quite careful when articulating it. Somewhat disappointed to discover that the inside of thruster, although has molded detail is naked plastic, so creating a disparity with the insides of the valk's feet thrusters being painted whilst the Ghost's isn't. Why, Bandai? Edited July 11 by MKT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave IV Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 (edited) Just got mine and it’s another great addition to the HMR collection! The only thing I don’t get is the tiny clear part that is supposed to “support the ghost in Battroid mode”. The only thing it seems to do is prevent the Battroid torso to lock in place making the whole thing less stable and look loose from the side because it is completely loose. What’s the point of that when I can just leave it locked in place and therefore supported better? So, the one thing I did notice is since the backpack is folded down, it can come in contact with the nose but that actually just provides even more support so again makes that clear piece pointless. The only way that part would make sense to me is if it had pegs that connect to the nose so it locks in both sides just like before (but you still lose the swing bar lock, so still less stable than just not using it). Am I missing something here? Edited August 31 by Slave IV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave IV Posted August 31 Share Posted August 31 And just to prove my point. Battroid locked in place without that clear piece: No silly gap or looseness from the side: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh9000 Posted September 1 Author Share Posted September 1 Are you leaving on the piece of clear plastic that's under the heat shield? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave IV Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 6 minutes ago, sh9000 said: Are you leaving on the piece of clear plastic that's under the heat shield? I just haven’t taken it off yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slave IV Posted September 1 Share Posted September 1 Tried to take a better shot of the toy for fun but didn't get what I was going for. Maybe next time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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