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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 1, 2017 18:25:33 GMT -5
Limited play time but actually went through a decent amount of articulation testing and the combination. Honestly, the articulation on Rom is incredible, Kenryu is a bit short of that, and Baikanfu's upper body engineering is incredible but the lack of real leg swivel and limited back swing really comes off like they just didn't care, particularly when Kenryu has both in a way that could have been implemented exactly the same. At the same time there may have been something I missed, but I don't think so.
Overall, it's a sick piece and I'm excited to mess with it more but in terms of design, build, and play there's definitely a place for both this and the S.O.C. and if I had to make a snap judgement I'd place the S.O.C. over this as a better buy for most.
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 1, 2017 20:36:36 GMT -5
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 1, 2017 21:15:10 GMT -5
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Post by FixedInPost on Aug 2, 2017 6:51:24 GMT -5
This is looking really incredible. Love the look of this. I'm gonna wait it out though and see if the SOC opens back up for preorder. Great pics. Now get some cable ties for those wires and you'll be good to go!
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 2, 2017 8:27:08 GMT -5
This is looking really incredible. Love the look of this. I'm gonna wait it out though and see if the SOC opens back up for preorder. Great pics. Now get some cable ties for those wires and you'll be good to go! I think my collection and display is already "good to go." Feel free to post yours and we can see who's more well off in that facet. Looking forward to it! ---------------- Really wondering why in the hell there wasn't hip swivel implemented on a more real scale. I'm no engineer but it seems pretty easy. I'm wondering if they just didn't think it mattered. ---------------- Saw another shot of the SOC Renewal and it's looking fan-freaking-tastic. I think Bandai well end up just taking this one.
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Post by FixedInPost on Aug 2, 2017 8:37:34 GMT -5
I'm just messing. And if I had anywhere near your size and scope of a collection, I'd be sleeping in a dumpster. Once again, great pics and looking forward to the review!
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Post by zankantou on Aug 2, 2017 16:16:05 GMT -5
...but the lack of real leg swivel and limited back swing really comes off like they just didn't care, You can swivel the leg (left and right), but it looks and feels like it will break, so I would not mess with it. At first I thought you can't turn the thighs, but it turns out you can if you add some force into the twisting. Too bad you can't move move the legs front and back though. Glad you enjoy it, it's not perfect, but an awesome piece. Despite some of its shortcomings, and seeing that photo of yours (with the cables), I'm glad I choose Sentinel's over Bandai's one. Just look at the design man... I would say both Baikanfu's are like fine art - One is to enjoy the other you can torture it and it will still shine.
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 2, 2017 16:20:05 GMT -5
...but the lack of real leg swivel and limited back swing really comes off like they just didn't care, You can swivel the leg (left and right), but it looks and feels like it will break, so I would not mess with it. At first I thought you can't turn the thighs, but it turns out you can if you add some force into the twisting. Too bad you can't move move the legs front and back though. Glad you enjoy it, it's not perfect, but an awesome piece. You can limited swivel when its hollow and barely millimeter when kenryu inside. That's my experience. If you can further please post pics because I'd be ELATED to be wrong pn this. Thanks. And I acrually did get front swing... the things are attached to swing joints that clip tp his back skirt. Unclip for some front swing but the skirt blocks back. Edit: you said leg, not thigh ! Will try when home!
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 2, 2017 17:18:29 GMT -5
ok home and have it out... not seeing anywhere on baikanfu where the leg swivels besides that barely-existent thigh part I stated above. I'm also not seeing any pics online showing swivel at the leg. So, you'll have to show some pictures or something of what you're referring to.
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 2, 2017 19:15:02 GMT -5
Update; confirmed with others that there indeed ISN'T thigh swivel and the general consensus that I've gotten from other owners is that this poster likely means leg SWING.
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Post by locidm on Aug 3, 2017 0:50:39 GMT -5
Just opened mine. Each leg from groin down does swivel inward, but not outward. Not sure what purpose the inward swivel serves, but it's there.
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Post by locidm on Aug 3, 2017 1:03:49 GMT -5
Baikanfu looks fantastic. The white area I was concerned with, especially the thighs, is actually painted pearly white and looks pretty good in person. The thighs are actually diecast! Other diecast parts on Baikanfu includes the bottom of the feet, the spikes behind the elbow, and internal joints. Not much but at least there is some.
Kenryu is not so awesome. No diecast except for joints, it's super light weight and doesn't look like a high end figure. It looks and feels plasticy. I'm not sure if it's the paint that makes it feel relatively cheap or just the lack of diecast, or a combination. Mine has a minor paint blemish on its chest. I've always been skeptical about sentinel Kenryu's sculpt and it's no better in person.
Rom looks good but like others have pointed out, no diecast. Its articulation is superior to the SOC in the mid section and the groin, with less knee bending.
Haven't combined it yet, but initial impression is that I really really like Baikanfu itself, rather disappointed with Kenryu, and wasn't impressed by Rom.
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Post by zankantou on Aug 3, 2017 1:23:07 GMT -5
Update; confirmed with others that there indeed ISN'T thigh swivel and the general consensus that I've gotten from other owners is that this poster likely means leg SWING. No, that's not what I meant. If you see Baikanfu's crotch/groin area, where the joints are, you can see one joint allows his leg to move up and down (sideways), the other moves front and back, and last joint allows him to swivel left and right. So it's not a SWING, but you can swivel it inward and outward. Not too much but you can do so. You can't exactly use the legs to do those, so you need to use the thighs to perform those aforementioned movements. Give it a try, but be careful. Always feel like it will give out for some reason. If you need a picture, I'll have to do so later when I am at home. locidm, I agree in a way. The whole package, Baikanfu and Rom are really good. (Could be better) but KenRyu, Bandai's one is definitely better. Hey, it's like a see-saw, both version's have their pros and cons. But there is no regret for me having this one instead of the GX-39R. My friend said just think of this like Studio HalfEye... their stuffs are mostly plastic with a pricey tag but they produce quality stuff that can transform.
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Post by locidm on Aug 3, 2017 1:45:56 GMT -5
Zankantou, it's been awhile! Good to see you active here. Yup that's the joint i was describing in my earlier post, swivel at the groin, but mostly inward. Doesn't go outward much pass the natural position. Ya I don't regret this purchase, since I was never happy with the SOC Baikanfu (though pleased with SOC Rom and Kenryu). I love this interpretation of Baikanfu. I was wondering if the drop off in feel of quality between Baikanfu and Kenryu has to do with the nice metallic red in Baikanfu versus the plain glossy blue of Kenryu. If they had chosen a more metallic blue perhaps it would have matched up better. The metallic red is rather gorgeous. But then I'm a sucker for metallic red (bought CMs Galient solely because of the gorgeous paint).
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 3, 2017 1:50:00 GMT -5
Update; confirmed with others that there indeed ISN'T thigh swivel and the general consensus that I've gotten from other owners is that this poster likely means leg SWING. No, that's not what I meant. If you see Baikanfu's crotch/groin area, where the joints are, you can see one joint allows his leg to move up and down (sideways), the other moves front and back, and last joint allows him to swivel left and right. So it's not a SWING, but you can swivel it inward and outward. Not too much but you can do so. You can't exactly use the legs to do those, so you need to use the thighs to perform those aforementioned movements. Give it a try, but be careful. Always feel like it will give out for some reason. If you need a picture, I'll have to do so later when I am at home. locidm, I agree in a way. The whole package, Baikanfu and Rom are really good. (Could be better) but KenRyu, Bandai's one is definitely better. Hey, it's like a see-saw, both version's have their pros and cons. But there is no regret for me having this one instead of the GX-39R. My friend said just think of this like Studio HalfEye... their stuffs are mostly plastic with a pricey tag but they produce quality stuff that can transform. But that's exactly what I stated above. That he has thigh swivel but it's miniscule to the point where it isn't even worth talking about, and when Kenru is inside, it doesn't swivel anymore. (Edit bc I think I typed gibberish for a sentence) To confirm, it's the swivel at the back of the swing joint. This piece is a legitimate disappointment in some areas while just plain amazing in others. I put it in my shelf, and put it in an Obari sword pose and got so happy that he has that inward swing with his shoulders and the additional wrist articulation for it, but then it's like MAN OH MAN of he could get more outward swing with his legs and then swivel those thighs for a good bent-legged pose with it. It's a definite step above the SOC but anyone who owns other Sentinel products will definitely find it to be a step down... particularly when compared to Dancouga and Mazinkaiser. No regrets in buying it and it's a fantastic display, but play-wise, the Baikanfu portion could be a lot better. Rom and Kenryu however are great even though I don't really dig Ken's helmet and Rom's shoulder separation. -------------------------------------------------------- And another piece I'll throw out there because I? feel like it's going to go unsaid because hype beasts: The paint on these are generally mediocre at best. What my friend said in regards to the scratching/marring under the finish of the red is absolutely right, but it's way worse on this than Bleeding Edge in terms of spots. Not bad from a distance but definitely noticeable up close and they're out of the box like that, Also, some areas on mine have small bubbles on the white and blue of Baikanfu's chest. These are problems out of the box and not anything anyone does to cause them. I really wonder what it is about that Candy paint they use for these that causes the issues there. And I'll throw it out there here because I've only asked one friend about this who has the same problem - Does the neck on anyone's Baikanfu actually tab down into the chest? It stays in place ok with friction, but there's a blatant tab to lock it into the chest that "doesn't reach" on ours.
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Post by locidm on Aug 3, 2017 2:21:38 GMT -5
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Post by zankantou on Aug 3, 2017 2:22:14 GMT -5
But that's exactly what I stated above. That he has thigh swivel but it's miniscule to the point where it isn't even worth talking about, and when Kenru is inside, it doesn't swivel anymore. (Edit bc I think I typed gibberish for a sentence) To confirm, it's the swivel at the back of the swing joint. This piece is a legitimate disappointment in some areas while just plain amazing in others. I put it in my shelf, and put it in an Obari sword pose and got so happy that he has that inward swing with his shoulders and the additional wrist articulation for it, but then it's like MAN OH MAN of he could get more outward swing with his legs and then swivel those thighs for a good bent-legged pose with it. It's a definite step above the SOC but anyone who owns other Sentinel products will definitely find it to be a step down... particularly when compared to Dancouga and Mazinkaiser. -------------------------------------------------------- And another piece I'll throw out there because I? feel like it's going to go unsaid because hype beasts: The paint on these are generally mediocre at best. What my friend said in regards to the scratching/marring under the finish of the red is absolutely right, but it's way worse on this than Bleeding Edge in terms of spots. Not bad from a distance but definitely noticeable up close and they're out of the box like that, Also, some areas on mine have small bubbles on the white and blue of Baikanfu's chest. And I'll throw it out there here because I've only asked one friend about this who has the same problem - Does the neck on anyone's Baikanfu actually tab down into the chest? It stays in place ok with friction, but there's a blatant tab to lock it into the chest that "doesn't reach" on ours. Actually Kuma, I think we are both interpreting things differently. While I am more focused on describing Baikanfu when nothing is inside doing the swivel, you are more focused on KenRyu inside of him doing the swivel or to none. If you feel the Sentinel's Baikanfu is 'trash' and he is not even worth mentioning or talking, then don't, simple. I'm no professional toy reviewer, I'm a collector - we both have passion for toys, but we express it differently. In my opinion, and based on my experience as a collector, Sentinel could have done better. But what's done has already been done - and the outcome? A decent toy that has a few shortcomings, what else can you ask more? I'm still b*tching about the price for it though, because I feel they overpriced it with so little die-cast in it. But overall it's not utter trash in my eyes and I'm glad I took the leap. Bandai has always produce good SOC's and it always is heavyweight. This is coming from a company who has been around for more than 60+ years, has the money, experience, manpower, and time to build something solid. In my opinion, the GX-39 and the upcoming GX-39R's Baikanfu is just too horrible too look at and it doesn't portray it the way how it should be. Their KenRyu, Rom, and Leina is good (use to have the GX-39) though, can't argue with that. Nothing is perfect, and I am sorry to hear your extreme dissatisfaction (it does sound extreme ) with this product. Just like how I feel the Sentinel's Dancouga is not up to par compared to Bandai's one, that is why my money went to the revival version. EDIT: locidm, returned and been hanging out here for a bit actually. Good to see you doing well too Just look at your pics, and Sen's Rom look better than Ban's one. But KenRyu really... Ban's one look better and more sturdy lol Nice touch weighing the Baikanfu man.
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Post by locidm on Aug 3, 2017 2:28:03 GMT -5
TJ, on mine the tab does touch the chest but will go in if pushed (before combine). So it doesn't exactly tabs in. With Kenryu in it the neck plate stops exactly where it should. I feel the tab is for preventing the head from popping up instead of dropping down. Also note that the chest joint pulls in and out in addition to swinging up and down. So perhaps pushing the chest joint in may help.
Calling it a night. I thoroughly enjoyed opening up a new toy of one of my favorite characters from childhood!
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Post by KumaStyle.com (TJ) on Aug 3, 2017 2:33:24 GMT -5
Kuma, I think we are both interpreting things differently. While I am more focused on describing Baikanfu when nothing is inside doing the swivel, you are more focused on KenRyu inside of him doing the swivel or to none. If you feel the Sentinel's Baikanfu is 'trash' and he is not even worth mentioning or talking, then don't, simple. I'm no professional toy reviewer, I'm a collector - we both have passion for toys, but we express it differently. In my opinion, and based on my experience as a collector, Sentinel could have done better. But what's done has already been done - and the outcome? A decent toy that has a few shortcomings, what else can you ask more? I'm still b*tching about the price for it though, because I feel they overpriced it with so little die-cast in it. But overall it's not utter trash in my eyes and I'm glad I took the leap. Bandai has always produce good SOC's and it always is heavyweight. This is coming from a company who has been around for more than 60+ years, has the money, experience, manpower, and time to build something solid. In my opinion, the GX-39 and the upcoming GX-39R's Baikanfu is just too horrible too look at and it doesn't portray it the way how it should be. Their KenRyu, Rom, and Leina is good (use to have the GX-39) though, can't argue with that. Nothing is perfect, and I am sorry to hear your extreme dissatisfaction (it does sound extreme ) with this product. Just like how I feel the Sentinel's Dancouga is not up to par compared to Bandai's one, that is why my money went to the revival version. EDIT: locidm, returned and been hanging out here for a bit actually. Good to see you doing well too Just look at your pics, and Sen's Rom look better than Ban's one. But KenRyu really... Ban's one look better and more sturdy lol Nice touch weighing the Baikanfu man. It's a public forum and I'll talk about what I like. When it comes to Sentinel products in particular, I think I collect and share more info by nature alone than anyone else here, so I don't even know what you're talking about. It's odd that you take offense to someone not like a product as much as you, however when you do repeat what I said, please use the quotation function and reply to what I said verbatim rather than off course nonsense like stating that I called it "trash" when I most certainly did not. I also never stated that this piece was not worth talking about, so I don't understand why you're typing these things. However, I will continue to share pictures, opinions, etc. etc. of the products I purchase as relevant to the threads pertaining to them. <--- I think I stated this fairly clearly, so I don't think I should have to type it again later on. Now with that being said, I don't feel that anything negative I said about the piece was wrong (although you exaggerated the amount of disappointment that I have in it to an extreme level for reasons that I can't imagine besides confrontation.) What else can I ask for? Better paint and thigh swivel for starters as well as improvements on the other slights. At about 350 shipped, my expectations are fairly high which I think is fair considering even the product standards that Sentinel as a company has set with their previous products. It's all subjective to opinion, but the GX-39R is undoubtedly more accurate to the source in terms of design than this so if you find that unbearable to me that reads that you don't like the initial design of Baikanfu in the first place (which is fine; I actually prefer the designs of certain 3rd-Party Transformers companies because their style is different than the source material.) All in all, it's not your place to apologize for my dissatisfaction (unless you're a representative of Sentinel which I think I'd know by now... "because") or anyone else's. It's a message board, and not every opinion of everything will be positive. Things like paint that doesn't have scratches and bubbles aren't expecting "perfection" but rather a common bar. TJ, on mine the tab does touch the chest but will go in if pushed (before combine). So it doesn't exactly tabs in. With Kenryu in it the neck plate stops exactly where it should. I feel the tab is for preventing the head from popping up instead of dropping down. Also note that the chest joint pulls in and out in addition to swinging up and down. So perhaps pushing the chest joint in may help. Calling it a night. I thoroughly enjoyed opening up a new toy of one of my favorite characters from childhood! Thanks. I'll give it a shot sometime tomorrow! Edit: Also, I just saw your comparison pics. For such a significant size difference in Baikanfu, I'm really surprised at how close both Roms are. I know for sure I like Kenryu better design-wise on the S.O.C. but looking at them, I'm going back and forth on Rom too. I honestly think I may disassemble both and display them all. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Random, but I bagged up all the accessories to put the box downstairs and the swords just sliced through the freezer bags like butter. They aren't sharp to the touch, either.
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Post by zankantou on Aug 3, 2017 2:44:45 GMT -5
TJ, where in the world am I offended? lol Man, you call me making no sense and look who's talking? Look man, let it go. I'm done with the debate; and like you said it's a forum where we discuss things. You have your opinions I have mine too. And I feel you are being way too serious here, where is the fun there? Are you going to say I am accusing you of something else now? XD Look, I am not offended, you flatter yourself too much To get me offended, you will need to try a lot harder buddy. And you do sound like you are ready to throw away the 'trash'. Just saying man. Can't argue with the price part though.
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