TOY Reviews

[giver_bert]

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As per suggestion by fellow hobbyist..

If you you have any reviews, about a particular toy that you just got, some info on the Donuts (Do and not to), and possible issues (especially QC).. then this is the right avenue!

Let's stay on topic okay? If you feel like displaying your Entire Collection, then feel free to create your own showroom thread..

Cheers!

[noelting]

cool

[yoncha]

any?

[giver_bert]

Time started: 12:30 PM

Been Looking for these since i started collecting this line, and after getting hold of them.. I kinda made a 'lil review..

Just thought this might be informative for those who would/are planning to get hold of these:


YAMATO'S 1/60 SCALE VE-1 'ELINT SEEKER' & VT-1 'SUPER OSTRICH

The Yamato 1/60 scale VE-1 'Elint Seeker' and VT-1 'Super Ostrich' toys were released together back in August of 2003.. these Yamato versions mark only the second time that these particular mecha have been made as transforming toys.. the first time, being Bandai's 1/55 scale versions first released back in 1984, However, the Bandai versions are now ultra-rare and much sought after, with mint or near-mint version selling for as much as US$1,000 or even more! (Urk.. as much as i'm a hardcore macross fanatic, but i don't think i'd be very willing to shell out that much money for a toy.. besides.. wala sad ko'y 1,000 dollars!!! hehehe)


Box




For a 1/60 scale toy, these boxes are huge. I mean they are actually slightly bigger than the boxes for the Yamato 1/48 scale VF-1 toys. The box measurements are = 15" x 15" x 4 3/4"

The boxes for the Yamato VE-1 and VT-1 caused a lot of consternation amongst buyers, as the large box means a larger and heavier shipping carton and thus more expensive shipping costs.. moreover, the huge boxes also take up a lot of storage space for those collectors who like to keep their toy boxes.. i have thought of coming up with a prearrange terms with the seller to have the box folded and the valks be put in a smaller container, but my being too keen about the box also prevented me from doing it..

the boxes are basically Yamato's standard 1/60 window box, just much bigger than normal.. though most people feel that this large size is totally unnecessary, as there is so much empty wasted space in the box.. the boxes for the VE-1 and VT-1 could have easily been made the same size as Yamato's 1/60 Super and Strike Valkyries.. this good though in philippine setting (especially if you wanna fill your display area with toys.. the boxes would be space consuming)


Accessories

These toys come with their removable Super and Elint FAST packs, but that's about it. No gunpod, no missiles and no spare hands either.. mind you, as neither the VE-1 nor VT-1 were shown with weapons in the 1984 animated movie 'Macross - Do You Remember Love', the exclusion of weapons is not really surprising.. both toys share the same instruction manual and sticker sheets.

likewise, the two toys come with two removable figures in the cockpit.. the VE-1 features two identical UN Spacy pilots, while the VT-1 features Hikaru in the front seat and Minmay in the rear..




FAST and Super Parts

The Super parts for both toys are very nicely sculpted and both the VE-1 and VT-1 feature removable engine covers.. the VE-1 Super parts feature several fairly fragile antenna parts, so care must be taken when handling these.. Despite the large folding antenna/sensor clusters on the arms, the VE-1 can still be displayed 'wheels down' in fighter mode, although in my opinion it looks much better 'wheels up' on a display stand to simulate flight..

The VE-1 and VT-1's back Super parts do attach differently than the normal FAST packs found on the 1/60 VF-1S Strike and VF-1J Super.. both the VT-1 and VE-1 feature a separate removable bridge section, which snaps on top of the backpack.. the left and right engine sections then plug onto the ends of the bridge section..

This is different from the VF-1S Strike and VF-1J Super, where the FAST Packs plug directly into slots in the backpack..




THE VALKYRIES

The toys feature the basic VF-1 1/60 arms and legs, with of course a newly sculpted two-seat cockpit and nose section exclusive to the VE-1 and VT-1.. Other re-sculpted parts include the heatshield, heads, chest-plate and backpack/tail fin assembly..

I really don't have too much more to say about the actual toys.. snapsfits and finishings are very good on both toys.. although both toys feature the normal 1/60 design flaws, such as the non-locking landing gear which collapses too easily and limited shoulder rotation.. just too minimal so as for one to avoid getting them..

Out of the Box




Paint Job & Markings

Personally, I find hese two toys feature the nicest paint job of any of Yamato's 1/60 scale VF-1 variants.. the paint is smoothly and evenly applied on all the die-cast metal parts and is a nice gloss or semi-gloss finish, which should prevent the dirty fingerprints so common on some of the earlier 1/60 toys.. the paint is also very well applied on the plastic parts as well.

the only markings on these two toys are the tampo printed UN Spacy emblems on the left wings and the 'Eye' marks on the sides of the VE-1's FAST packs..


Transformation

Transformation is straight 1/60 style with no real surprises.. only difference is the locking mechanism for the backpack.. to get the backpack to lock into position requires a bit of fiddling with the back pack hinge including some heart stopping moments, where you do need to push or pull with some force, but once you get it right, the backpack is rock solid!

possible difficulties during transformation was getting the chest-plate to slide down during transformation to Battroid mode.. though unlike some foreign pepz, there is actully no need to loosen any screws to achieve this.. all that was needed was to wiggle the chest-plate guide in its track a little to get it to slide all the way down.. (more like what we do when we hold ours hehehe)


Fighter Mode





note: VE-1 apparently is coupled by a flexible stand.. this is for it's lower part to be position properly since it extends way longer than it's landing gear.. the stands by the way is not the official macross stand, those were used to be sold at greenhills before and even GT (according to Vilya of PTK).. tried using KO Bandai Gundam Action basae, but unfortunately it doesn't have those holes found on regular 1/48 Valkyries where i used to fit in the launcher's peg..

Gerwalk Mode





Battroid Mode






COMPLAINTS.. not necessarily issues

I'm quite displeased about the Yamato VE-1 and VT-1 is the tail fins.. for some reasons Yamato decided to make these much smaller than on their regular 1/60 VF-1 toys?! hhmm.. perhaps this is due to the fact that for the VE-1 and VT-1 the tail fins are not supposed to fold shut when in Gerwalk or FAST pack fighter modes.. also, the tail fins cannot be canted outwards, err.. personally, it's another minus point

but still the small tail fin issue does not bother me, as normally you'll never remove the FAST packs from these toys, they simply look mean with it.. thus not noticable..


Verdict

no doubt, these are the nicest looking of the Yamato 1/60 line.. but due to the fragile nature of some of the FAST pack parts, they are more display pieces than actual toys.. again it doesn't bother me though, since these two valk types are kinda hard to find right now, you would rather play on other macross models, plus apparently they at their best form aesthetically when in fighter mode.. with all it's accessories/fast packs..


Time ended: 1:40 PM

[noelting]

my old toy very fun and cheap. doesnt go out of trend


the bala is cheap also

[yoncha]

revoltech dark saber...

poseable but the joints are kinda hard to manipulate. hehehe.

[img width=375 height=500]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/Gashapons%20and%20Figures/darksaber1.jpg[/img]
[img width=375 height=500]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/Gashapons%20and%20Figures/darksaber2.jpg[/img]
[img width=375 height=500]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/Gashapons%20and%20Figures/darksaber3.jpg[/img]
[img width=500 height=375]http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y174/edison_lee/Gashapons%20and%20Figures/darksaber4.jpg[/img]

[celtic_predator]

OPTIMUS PRIME Beamer by KidDesigns


A Transformers movie collectible surprisingly not from Hasbro but does a great job of coming up with a detailed head bust and a useable flashlight at the same time. The figure itself beams light through the eyes (hence, "beamer") and produce mechanical sounds. It can also act as a nightlight for 10 minutes. How great is that for a headbust?

The item is made of plastic yet the awesome movie-accurate paint job brings the Autobot leader to life. Most parts look like metal when in fact it is composed primarily of plastic. There are no accessories included, but you can pull the handle bar down and voila! An instant flashlight.

Anyway, a great heald sculpt plus a sturdy flashlight equals a great addition to your collection.

Sculpt = ****/5
Paint = *****/5
Articulation =
Accessories =
Packaging = ***/5
Fun Factor = ****/5
Money's Worth = *****/5

[Blitzwing]

Here's my photo set of Transformers Classics Voyager Class Megatron....

Megatron is the leader of the Decepticon. In G1, he transforms into a Walther P-38 pistol. The Classics series aims to modernize and improve characters in the G1 lore. It is no surprise that they churned out a classics version of him.

PISTOL WITH SCOPE

Instead of a P-38 he transforms into a some sort of pistol.

Yeah he does look like a water pistol but I still like it since the body proportions are fine when he goes into Con mode....not like the original G1 where his body proportions looks odd.






What you can see behind the scope....."you're in my sights Prime!!".



CON MODE

One thing that disappointed me with Megatron is that his arms have limited articulation. The scope or cannon isn’t detacheable in robot mode. No articulation at the torso and ankles.







FUN SHOTS



COMPARISON SHOTS

Aside from the articulation. He is bigger compared to Prime.




For the pistol mode....9.5 out of 10

For the Con mode.....7.5 out of 10

[Blitzwing]

Cannonball was part of the Transformers Cybertron 2-pack along with Downshift that was designated as a "Universe" release to go along with the Movie figures. He also is a repaint of the Autobot, Red Alert in the Cybertron series.

Honestly I never really intended to get this 2-pack but seeing that Downshift was so sexy looking in car mode…I couldn’t resist to get the two pack. Cannonball for me was just an after thought since I did not expect much from him. Not to mention that he was the only available Downshift vs Cannonball 2-pack that I saw ever in Mindanao and in Cebu hehehehe...so I had to grab them.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I opened him up. To find out why…read on.



According to story which was written at the back portion of the card, Cannonball was a pirate. Stealing or hijacking goods in the area of Death Valley.

IN THE CARD:



The Cyber planet key is the only accessory or so I thought that came with this hombre.



SUV MODE

In vehicle mode….Cannonball looks like a small SUV like a Honda CRV or Toyota RAV4 . I like it’s profile plus it has big rims.

The funky paintjob is also extremely nice. Kinda reminds me of a car or SUV that was tricked out in Pimp My Ride. I really like the skeleton details. Not to mention that the roof detail kinda looks like a Maximal Symbol at first.

All 4 wheels do touch the ground but they don't roll pretty well

The things I didn't like in this mode is that the head kibble can be seen.





When the planet key is inserted…two guns pop out from the rear windows.




Comparison shots from other TF Classics vehicles



CON MODE

When transforming Cannonball, he is pretty unique since this is the first time I had a Transformer that has his legs coming from opposite portions of the vehicle mode. Because of this, legs have limited articulation since they don’t have ball joints. Just swivel joints.

I dunno about you guys, he seems to have an uncanny resemblance to the Autobot Trailbreaker.







Initially I thought that Cannonball doesn’t have accessories at all. But he does have accessories. They are hidden under the hood of the SUV or inside the leg. One accessory is a part in which you can attach a hammer head to his laser arm.

Another attachment for the laser arm is an extended mechanical claw. The nice thing about it is that it can open and close. Pretty nifty if you ask me.



Comparison with other TF Classics





FUN SHOTS



Can it pass the infamous kick test ? ………………. Yes but barely.



In Conclusion:

Cannonball is a pleasant surprise for me considering that he was just an afterthought in getting TF toys. He seems to be in scale with the Classics too.

Da Good:

1. Comes with accessories for the laser arm
2. The accessories can be hidden within the bot or hood.
3. Nice detailing

Da Bad

1. limited articulation at the knees, elbows and head (can’t look up)
2. I wish Cannonball had a pistol.

out of

[Blitzwing]

Downshift was part of the Transformers Cybertron 2-pack along with Cannonball that was designated as a "Universe" release to go along with the Movie figures.

Honestly I never really intended to get this 2-pack but seeing that Downshift was so sexy looking in car mode…I couldn’t resist to get the two pack especially when I only saw the only stock of this in both Mindanao and Cebu.



According to story which was written at the back portion of the card, Downshift was bored and wanted action so he headed out to Death Valley disrupt Cannonball’s piracy in the area

IN THE CARD:



Aside from the twin shoulder launchers, he also came with his own Cybertron Planet Key.



MUSCLE CAR MODE

I love the alt mode, it’s not everyday that a TF becomes a 70’s muscle car. The paint job and color scheme is superb. I even like the finish on the roof. The wheels roll well and all touch the ground.


The nifty thing about this guy is that, you can hide the slot to insert the Key.



With Cyber Planet Key

Compared to Cannonball, no force necessary to slide the key in. Once the key is in, a capture claw will extend out.




With the others in vehicle mode




BOT MODE

The robot mode looks pretty decent. The head is a homage to G1 Wheeljack. The head pops out when you swivel down the hood since it is connected to a spring. The ears also slide out of the head when the head pops out,. However because of this feature, the head cannot look sideways or look up…..BOOOOO. The waist, arms and knees have limited articulation because it is swivel jointed. BOOOO…






With the Cyberplanet key…

Personally in bot mode, this feature is very amusing…..

“Decepticons…come and get me!!! You will face me and my CLAW TITTIES OF DEATH!!”



Fun shots



Kick test……passed


With the other bots



What I like.

1. Nice Paint Job and details
2. Cool alt mode
3. Bot mode is pretty solid looking and well proportioned.

What I didn’t like

1. Limited articulation in some parts
2. Again no pistol or handgun

I give this

out of