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Post by tasuke on Feb 22, 2021 9:49:33 GMT -5
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Figma
Oct 7, 2019 7:46:57 GMT -5
Post by tasuke on Oct 7, 2019 7:46:57 GMT -5
Figma 005 Mikuru Asahina head, mated to a BANDAI S.H. Figuarts "BODY-CHAN" bare body blank, with hand-scratch-made undies;
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Post by tasuke on Jan 20, 2019 11:55:02 GMT -5
to quote "Parker" from the movie ALIEN; "It's... -I Don't Know- It's just... BIG!!" it is, without question, the VF-1 toy i've been waiting my life for. it's proportions are PERFECT. IN ALL THREE MODES. oh, and WHAT A SATISFYING HEFT. that leg weight, supported by such a spindly hip bar assembly, seems disturbingly delicate, but the metal throughout seems of top quality. hell, the metal feet are resonant, and ring when struck. only time will tell, of course, but the quality seems positively peerless, easily the closest to the rugged, reassuring quality of the TAKATOKU/BANDAI 1/55 Chunky any modern VF-1 toy has ever come, and, perhaps, ever will. i don't know how BANDAI did it, but they certainly did, and how. the proof of miracles is sitting right here, staring me straight in the face...
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Post by tasuke on Dec 21, 2016 12:35:42 GMT -5
i've stuck myself with going retro for X-Mas, via a 1994 BANDAI printing of the classic 1983 IMAI VF-1S VARIABLE TYPE 1/72 model kit. considering the immense personal nostalgia value this model holds, this dated model offers me a trip down memory lane well worth the $33.00 shipped. so far, i've managed, -with SCOTCH PVC tape- to add stiff friction to all hinge and joint areas, including the landing gear doors and the otherwise loose/floppy backpack hinge and wings;
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Post by tasuke on Nov 12, 2016 14:43:37 GMT -5
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Post by tasuke on Jul 6, 2016 20:19:26 GMT -5
yeah, it's definitely overdone. Personally, i too greatly prefer a clean toy. many of the decals are also VERY misplaced...
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Post by tasuke on Jul 5, 2016 12:14:32 GMT -5
one of my earlier Japanese import Mecha toys, i came across this in the late-90's while in dogged search of the Variable SDF MACROSS VF-1 i so desperately desired, all in the old-fashioned way, no Internet, nothing but old-world tenacity and blind luck to rely on. paid $20.00 USD for it, customized by a previous owner for the battle-worn look western Mecha fans seem so inexplicably fond of, this unusually-designed, somewhat Insectoid-looking affair was most certainly not the MACROSS VF-1 i was after, but it was engaging all the same. maybe a year later, in the midst of a hectic move, this item was knocked off a high perch straight to the floor, managing to break a leg clean off. i managed to repair it to a degree by super gluing the shattered black nylon hip-joint boss. i could not properly tighten the assembled hip joint all the way, however, lest the detented, ratcheted joint action cause the repaired boss to come apart once more. just recently, a full 15 years later, largely thanks to a bin full of screws of every imaginable shape and size, all high quality strong Japanese metal, culled from vintage VCRs and such, i was able to devise a rigid reinforcing sandwich that seems to have rendered these repetitively fragile nylon bosses virtually indestructible. while i was about it, i managed a total tear-down/rebuild, applying electrician's tape to all joint shafts, restoring firm friction to all joints. all this resulted in this old toy's metamorphosis from a damaged toy with loose worn joints throughout, to a veritable ROCK, likely far tighter and firmer in hand then even when brand new... with my first 1/55 VF-1, a loose TF JETFIRE re-purposed into a SDFM DYRL -1S Max;
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Post by tasuke on Apr 13, 2016 12:38:09 GMT -5
this is the second release in a series of three MACROSS entries in BANDAI's unfinished 1984/1988 H.C.M.(High Complete Model) series of pre-assembled toy-like models. in all, there were; * No.17; VF-1S Ichijo DYRL Ver. (minus FAST packs) * No.20; VF-1J Ichijo SDFM T.V.Ver. (which this article covers) * No.21; VF-1A "Cannon Fodder" Ver. for the first 15+ years of these toys' existence (1985/2002) they were pretty much unanimously considered among the MACROSS fanbase to be the "Cadillacs" of the existing VF-1 toys at the time. and indeed they were, as they were an ideal blend of the best aspects of the old 1983 IMAI "VARIABLE TYPE" line of Parts-Forming 1/72 model kits, and the rugged, "Perfect Transformation" TAKATOKU/BANDAI 1/55 "Chunky Monkey" toy lines. these rugged toy-like models possessed the detail of the IMAI kit, coupled with the transformation of the TAKATOKU/BANDAI 1/55, with the only "Parts-Forming" involved being the addition of the cockpit canopy blast shield to the BATTROID's chest, a limitation shared by the TAKATOKU/BANDAI 1/55. indeed, these were (and still are) AWESOME vintage VF-1 toys, adeptly combining the nostalgia of both the 1/72 IMAI model and the 1/55 Chunky Monkey into one cohesive, POWERFULLY nostalgic whole. in all honesty, the only real failing these toy/models have, beside a couple areas that might prove fragile if you handle the toy carelessly; *head lasers; BE SURE you shift them UP when shifting the legs/engine nacelles to and from BATTROID position, otherwise they'll catch on the swing bars and forcing the mechanism carelessly could possibly snap the lasers. * tail stabilizers; fold/unfold them gently, as i've seen the rotation lugs break before from overly rough transformation. they can easily withstand the latch/unlatching action of flipping them to FIGHTER position, just remember to perform the action GENTLY.... -is the fact that these toys had a rather limited production, and as such, have always been rather hard to come by. nevertheless, complete examples DO show up from time to time, and usually command around around $150/$250 NIMB/MIB. while these toys have handily been eclipsed by both the 2002 YAMATO 1/48 and it's successor 2008 1/60v.II VF-1 toy series, it nonetheless is a SUPERB and VERY NOSTALGIC vintage toy series, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who desire the best of then, as well as the best of today... - SPECIFICATIONS - Accessories: (ALL MODELS) *Two(2) pre-punched file cards for the accessory BANDAI HCM file card binder *instruction manual *Decal Sheets (Two(2) for No.20; VF-1J and No.21; VF-1A, Three(3) for No.17; VF-1S ) *BATTROID mode cockpit blast shield *GERWALK mode backpack radio antenna *wing mounted missile clusters (Twelve(12) missiles total, all removable from the Four(4) missle pylons) *non-collapsible GU-11 Gunpod *Chara Figure (unpainted); Hikaru Ichijo in flight suit (No.17; VF-1S) Lynn Minmay in DYRL pink and white stage dress (No.20; VF-1J) Misa Hayase in uniform (No.21; VF-1A) Features: *perfect transformation (ala TAKA.BANDAI 1/55) *metal landing gear with real rubber tires and dual NON-CANON Arrestor Cable Hooks in main gear bays *jointed hands (separately movable trigger fingers that grip GU-11 well, and movable ball-jointed wrists) (please also see "AnyMoon.com"'s review of this same toy; anymoon.com/b...model-valkyrie/ ) (MY PERSONAL FINISHED COPY OF No.20; VF-1J Ichijo SDFM T.V.Ver.)
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Post by tasuke on Mar 15, 2016 16:06:00 GMT -5
Revamped a little, pretty sure i'm satisfied now;
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Post by tasuke on Mar 8, 2016 13:02:48 GMT -5
just came in. plenty of work to do to get the best fit, but an initial fit photo in the meantime;
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Post by tasuke on Mar 7, 2016 13:00:42 GMT -5
happened across a pretty good deal on both of these as a set from the same JPN seller. been considering them, off and on, for years, well, now they are finally mine; my prime intent is to swipe their outfits for the benefit of my dear Nakoruru here. being the same 1/6 scale, the outfits should fit her perfectly with little to no alteration; so far as the dolls themselves go, the typical BARBIE-like SEGA doll bodies well and truly suck big time. IMO, and the facial sculpts are generally O.K but kind of weird in a certain sort of way. furthermore, Sakura Shinguji's very Blue shade of hair is quite the departure indeed from typically Asian Jet Black that she sports in pretty much every other depiction of her ever seen, including Kosuke Fujishima's original art, so there is that little wrinkle as well. all the same, they're probably the best Sakura Wars 1/6 dolls i'll ever have the chance to own, and i'll probably be getting them each an OBITSU BODY eventually, and figure out something decent for them to wear so they can take their proper places in my little Anime Harem...
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Post by tasuke on Feb 9, 2016 15:59:30 GMT -5
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Post by tasuke on Feb 8, 2016 20:33:50 GMT -5
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenchi_Muyo! tenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Ayekatenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Ryoko_Hakubitenchi.wikia.com/wiki/Tenchi_Masakihello, all. just realized that it has been a full decade and a half since i bought my very first Anime-based Character Dolls, the very same ones that had inspired me to learn how to sew, so i could make them the custom outfits i'd desired to see them wear, a skill that has been refined through the years, and has come to serve me well indeed in keeping my ever expanding 1/5 and 1/6 Anime Harem well dressed to my personal tastes. these are the three-doll "Tenchi Muyo!" 12in. Chara-Doll series that the U.S. TOYNAMI corp. made for the U.S. Comic/collectors' shop market in 2001, when U.S. PIONEER ANIMATION was pushing "Tenchi Muyo!" it's most successful Anime property in the U.S. throughout the 1990's, via the aid of CARTOON NETWORK's "TOONAMI" Anime CATV programming block, and several small time U.S. toy companies producing merchandise, arguably the best of which being these 12in. Character Dolls of the main protagonist and the two primary Alien women romantically interested in him. i was very much into "Tenchi Muyo!" at the time, a budding Anime fan without internet and only the occasional trip to a comics/collectibles' shop to satiate my growing, burning Anime passion. these dolls, at $27.99USD each at one of my favorite shops in 2001, were something i never even knew i wanted until i stumbled upon them. the moment i did, however, i HAD to own them all. they have not aged well, and i had retired them to storage back in 2008 or so, after finally joining the 21st century with my own Internet at home, and finding out about the great many Japanese market Anime Dolls in 1/6 that made those old Tenchi dolls look like a proverbial Joke. a good half-dozen years on, with a lovely covey of 1/6 Anime ladies all in an exact size parity thanks to their uniform OBITSU doll bodies, i pulled out my old Year-One Girls (and Guy) to commemorate Fifteen entire years worth of creative Anime Doll fandom. all three of them are wearing custom outfits; the "Ryoko Hakubi" (Turquoise Spiky Hair) wearing a Miko-styled costume hand-made in entirety, the "Ayeka Jurai" ( Dark Purple Helmet-Hair) wearing a heavily altered porcelain Victorian Doll dress, (and quite out of scale with the other two, thanks to a different Doll body added by me) the "Tenchi Masaki" (The Guy, Duh) wearing clothing aped off of a Barbie Ken doll, save for the blue T-Shirt, hand made. i've hung on to these goofy U.S. market Dolls for so long now, that i figured they might as well take their honored place among the superior individuals of my modest mini-Anime Harem...
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Post by tasuke on Feb 6, 2016 12:42:08 GMT -5
i've been waiting awhile for the right opportunity to get her. a few years ago, i never even knew she existed... until i stumbled across an EBAY listing for the entire "Leaf Collection" series 5 she was part of for around $60/$70.00USD. i wanted her bad, but i wasn't about to pay such a price for essentially one single "Trading Figure" grade figurine. just a couple weeks ago, i finally stumble upon someone selling just her alone, new in box and for an utterly reasonable $7.00 and change shipped, so here we are... ~ without the goofy-looking Cat mascot on her shoulder ~ ~ ♥Pretty Panties♥ ~
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Post by tasuke on Feb 6, 2016 12:41:27 GMT -5
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Post by tasuke on Jan 6, 2016 23:24:39 GMT -5
finally came (1/6/16) and my first thought was try the outfit on Belldandy, which looks... UNEXPECTEDLY AMAZING!!! what a Beautiful, Noble Crusader♥
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Post by tasuke on Dec 31, 2015 15:56:59 GMT -5
thank you. gloves, boots, belt, rhinestone hairpin and painted lip detail was all hand made and painted by me. all else is as is from the factory...
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Post by tasuke on Dec 28, 2015 16:45:40 GMT -5
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Post by tasuke on Dec 25, 2015 13:01:24 GMT -5
Merry Christmas to all, and to myself as well! i was able to get this little sweetie of a Holy Warrior for myself for X-mas!! she comes from a fellow Anime doll enthusiast on another forum i frequent. she has a lovely custom face-up and a blouse/skirt/tights/boots outfit from the Anime that wasn't originally included with this doll. she will be coming my way from Europe after Christmas, so stay tuned...
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Post by tasuke on Dec 24, 2015 23:04:26 GMT -5
Merry Christmas to all, and to myself as well! i was able to get this little sweetie of a Holy Warrior for myself for X-mas!! she comes from a fellow Anime doll enthusiast on another forum i frequent. she has a lovely custom face-up and a blouse/skirt/tights/boots outfit from the Anime that wasn't originally included with this doll. she will be coming my way from Europe after Christmas, so stay tuned...
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