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Post by kurdtthegoat on Sept 6, 2013 2:56:29 GMT -5
Chimungmung has reduced their price for Voltron to $219Of note, the page used to say that his stock was from end of July if memory serves, whereas now it does not, so it's not clear which run he's selling now. That said, he's still offering to check over stock prior to sending. That's a huge discount and makes me wish i waited a little bit! I'm of the opinion that it was worth the original price, but a $70 drop would have made it all the more sweet. Maybe some of you should re-re-consider your Toyfreakz orders now...!
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Sept 6, 2013 1:12:39 GMT -5
It's the shoulder, definitely a ratchet - the first piece that extends off of the diecast bar that comes out the side of Daioja's chest.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Sept 5, 2013 9:18:48 GMT -5
I got my Daioja today (picked up a used one fairly cheap). It's pretty damn impressive how the combined form in no way resembles 3 individual robots!
Whether it was QC or misuse by the previous owner i'm not sure, but his right shoulder ratchet is too loose to hold the arm up (ie out in front of him - sideways is fine). It doesn't look like i can fix it (probably a weak spring) but was just wondering if anyone had that issue and managed to improve it somehow?
It's not enough to dampen my enjoyment though thankfully!
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 28, 2013 5:31:31 GMT -5
Though Dave said Bandai didn't get the Voltron license a while back (and since then the lazy Toynami reissue was announced), he also said it would be like the DX Mazinger... I dont think some glowy eyes on MP Voltron qualifies for that! Fingers crossed anyway.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 25, 2013 9:21:55 GMT -5
That last scan posted on Toysdaily doesn't really clarify the glowy bits either. It just says something like the clear plastic and material beneath it combine to make a metallic style effect. Will have to wait for in hand pics i think!
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 24, 2013 2:36:17 GMT -5
Can someone tell me the height of this Grendizer? Or a side-by-side photo with SOC Danguard Ace?
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 18, 2013 5:56:05 GMT -5
I handled my friends VV today - both mine and his from Chimungmung, mine 2nd, his 3rd batch.
First i just wanna correct my previous post, regarding the pics from Angolz. Both mine and friends have black protrusions from the shoulder copters (that mirror the connection tab), whereas i mistakingly thought mine were white. The release buttons on our toy's shins are white versus the black on Angolz pic.
My friend's one seems marginally better than mine in the following ways: - Head crest is perfectly centered - Neck/base of head is more nicely glued together (but in one instance on his, pulling the head out also pulled out the metal from within the chest piece, due to the magnet's strength) - Pointy nosed copter's ratchet has more obvious clicks - Waist piece silver door shuts marginally better (but the mechanism seems unchanged so i don't know why) - Waist piece right skirt (with red cross) shuts perfectly flush. - Waist piece moulding seems cleaner and sharper, less rough. - Blue/red shin piece is slightly remoulded. His has the same channel design as the blue/yellow shin, for sliding down the covering piece. My blue/red piece's channel is thinner, making that piece pretty hard to slide out). Interestingly, in Sea team mode, the blue/red piece of mine angles the white sub down, my friends angles slightly up. I think during assembly it must have very little tolerance for getting the ratchet in the correct position! - White sub connection to waist pieces is cleaner/easier to connect and remove.
This is the same along with everything else: - Face doors don't stay shut without some repositioning - Waist piece treads are glued on separate pieces
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 16, 2013 21:44:37 GMT -5
Interesting, some actual changes! Wonder what difference they make. I should note though, that the box art is unchanged from my version, looks like the shoulder connector style pieces were supposed to be black all along.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 7, 2013 7:37:01 GMT -5
Is the rocket punch effect also the one that's included with SRC Grendizer? The weapons set seems expensive now, so i may have to get Grendizer instead! I'm a bit surprised they appear to fit, i know Danguard isn't massively larger than an SRC but still. Either way, getting very impatient for mine to arrive!
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 7, 2013 2:58:19 GMT -5
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Aug 1, 2013 2:44:46 GMT -5
My guess is there haven't been, nor will there be, ANY changes to parts. I think all the differences we've seen (and will see) will just be the result of different QC check standards.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 31, 2013 10:36:31 GMT -5
Lots of great pics hereI think this one's for twoducks
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 31, 2013 5:36:57 GMT -5
Well, i tried to see if i could balance a Masterpiece TF across both of VV's arms for fun. He can't do it That is an interesting communication from Toyfreakz, considering my friend got his VV earlier this week from Chimungmung, from what Tony's calling the 3rd batch. By the way, the only issue he reports with his, was a loose pin on the blue submarine (which was easily fixed)
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 30, 2013 21:06:53 GMT -5
I was waiting for that Seriously though, it just saddens me that a lot of people are cancelling (or worse, flaming it without having it in hand), when i'm enjoying mine so much. Sure it's not without faults, but what isn't.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 30, 2013 19:46:43 GMT -5
I'm not going to dispute the photos (nor claim that lighter arms wouldn't hold up better, it's obvious they would) but when i say VV has good balance, i mean that you can easily distribute his weight with the articulation afforded by the legs, feet and chest pieces. They've done about as good a job as you could hope for with hefty diecast arms, so i don't agree that it wasn't designed with the weight in mind.
Can i compare it to a plastic Toynami Voltron? Mine struggles to hold arm or leg poses. Put the shield up and it drops through notches at the shoulder and/or elbow. Spread his legs and they'll pull back to center by themselves even with the weight of the toy applying downward pressure. I can't imagine how bad the metal version must have been! I'm yet to have my VV roll away - he's got so much downward pressure by comparision, that the skis extending from his feet are mostly useless anyway.
And i just want to add, when i first got my MP-01, a few days in i was carrying him from room to room, holding him from the chest, and his leg DID drop off! Thankfully onto carpet, and luckily it went back in and has never come out again. It's obvious for any toy with massive chunks of diecast for legs that it will always be safest to pick it up without letting those pieces dangle (learnt the hard way!)
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 30, 2013 10:43:40 GMT -5
I just compared with deluxes since their low weight by comparison should have better balance, but if you want to be like that, i'll say it compares favourably to TF Masterpieces and Macross instead. I'm a damn sight more worried about my 1/60's falling off the shelf than VV!
Honestly, it sounds like you're handling a different toy to me - i have mine posed with his arm out almost horizontal and it doesn't sag in the least, and there is not a chance in hell of the connection breaking or falling out. I've had him in variant poses with no issue or shakiness since i got it.
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 30, 2013 5:06:50 GMT -5
I don't have any problems at all related to the diecast weight. In fact it's better balanced than half my deluxe Transformers & capable of better poses with all the articulation. There's no way i'd want a plastic version after experiencing diecast. Twoducks, what are you smoking!
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 1, 2013 9:07:27 GMT -5
This behemoth has so much going on i can't get to individual vehicles or teams tonight! Plus he's so big he played havoc with my lighting and haste! Some comparison picsPerfect scale and look! Some poses & detailsSWEET JESUS! This guy looks so awesome! I did seem to have either a breakage in box or with little effort from me, honestly not sure - on one of my hand pieces. The one that splits the fingers off to allow you to insert blades or spears, the the fingers are connected by a small piece of plastic but mine is snapped at the middle. They still hold back into the palm mind you, and i think only a dab of glue would fix it. The hands are very tight to remove the fingers before you can put a weapon in, so i'd just advise caution prying them out! The swords have a rectangular shaped handle that fits into rectangular shaped holes, which unfortunately makes the dual-handed sword wield pose barely attainable. If the handle and hole was just a cylinder it would have been able to do it easily, but i guess they were going for toy accuracy perhaps. Arm & shoulder articulationPretty much just his design getting in the way of almost flawless arm articulation! And even then the chest jet accomodates it by folding the wings in. The magnet connection is a bit of pain when posing the arms though, best to just place the jet on after you're finished. Waist articulationFull 360 rotation and a couple of ratchet notches forward too! Head articulationIt's on a ball joint on the attachment piece - the attachment piece can but placed forward or back to aid in tilting the head in a desired direction. Leg and feet articulationNo strings baby!! Stunning weight distribution and posing potential! Release button and not release button locations!Yes, that's a piece of blu-tack holding the groin piece door, which was there the first time i opened it. How it got there, I will never know, but why it's there is unfortunately obvious. Not a big deal really. The release button in there, and the other one in the torso aren't really needed so the door can just stay shut the whole time. The lower waist piece has the protrusion that i accidentally pressed inside the toy, but as you can see it was an easy fix. Blessing in disguise in fact, taking that piece apart led to the discovery of the waist articulation! The Weigh In!And MP Vehicle Voltron weighs in at.... 1.15kg / 2.53lb! For comparison's sake:
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 1, 2013 2:30:31 GMT -5
I agree, what's strange is there's really not anything too interesting transformation wise (compared to say a Masterpiece Transformer), the surprise really comes from seeing how well designed the small movements are, how nicely hidden they are, and the quality of the connections.
I forgot to add, the wheels on the feet are a hard rubber! I seem to recall that ancient CollectionDX interview with Dave glazed over what the wheels were made of, so it was a pleasant surprise (along with rubber tank treads!)
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Post by kurdtthegoat on Jul 1, 2013 0:52:45 GMT -5
Well i formed Voltron during my lunch, and i have to say overall i am more than impressed! The construction is solid, the connection points are better than i could have hoped for, and he is extremely stable in combined form. On top of all that he has a wealth of articulation too, in short, amazing! I had a DOH moment in my haste though, thinking the center part of lower waist piece was a button, i pushed it inside Pretty sure it's easily put back in place once i unscrew that piece however. So be careful, it is not a button! Guinea pig status confirmed! On the other hand, there are release buttons all over the thing, and i'd say it's a necessity that they be used going both to and from Voltron. In particular, the thigh pieces that we saw broken earlier, i think that was most likely caused by not using the releases instead of being a QC issue. You need to pull the back of the thigh down to reveal the button in order to detach the thighs from the groin - not doing so you could easily rip the plastic/pin like in the photo earlier. The arm release buttons are also hidden in the shoulder swivel - it's all very cleverly done! Voltron's face doors, as mentioned in the earlier review, are not very well designed so they don't latch as strongly as i'd hope, a weird flaw considering how awesome the rest of the toy is. The magnet connection for the chest jet is suitable enough, but a slide-in would have been preferable, provided it didn't impact the design.. which it may very well have, so i'm willing to forgive it.
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