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Post by faelon on Jan 14, 2017 21:09:38 GMT -5
With ET I have found that the lower cost figures blow me away. Babel II Poseidon and Braiger Are fantastic.. Albegas and Laserion leave me cold.
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Post by faelon on Jan 13, 2017 16:52:38 GMT -5
yes.. knowing that ET is a parts-forming freak company.. actually I want to know how extensive at parts-forming ET will this pull off.. moreso that this is the initial figure in thier so-called new line.. and its an expensive product.. maybe they have some engineering marvel to show us in thier entry to diecast territory hehe.. ET is generally very very good at sculpt and paint. "Engineering Marvel" is not typically their strong suit. I think their only real attempt at a transformation was the VF2SS Valkyrie II from Marcos's2. Which was a mess.
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Post by faelon on Jan 13, 2017 11:47:45 GMT -5
nice.. im curious about the tranformation though.. hope we get more pics or info.. I'm sure it is mostly parts forming, similar to their Dynamite Action series. While it does say lots of die cast, you can still see a lot of their usual Magnamatic joints throughout. Such as the shoulders of the head robot. Transformation looks like "Take the Head From Robot 1, the Torso from Robot 2 and the legs from Robot 3" although there may be some subtler things going on there. Granted I don't know that you could do the robot without some parts forming. I mean it's a parts forming Robot, isn't it? A kind of Getter inspired thing? Huge parts of the robot just disappeared via anime magic.
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Post by faelon on Jan 12, 2017 7:50:10 GMT -5
Wow! I didn't realize it was as tall as the Toynami. Hmmm? I may have to replan my display.
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Post by faelon on Jan 11, 2017 20:31:10 GMT -5
Voltes is one of the better SOC figures. Especially the Anniversary one with better hips. I have the Volt in Box version, I think it is the favorite figure in my collection so far. (Voltron might just displace it.)
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Post by faelon on Jan 9, 2017 19:57:15 GMT -5
Got around to opening and combining this guy over the weekend. Must say I really like it. I would probably liked it more if I hadn't gotten it with the GX-71. That is in a class by itself. One question though, once combined, Atlaus doesnt seem to lock in and will come out if grabbed by the shoulders. Am I doing something wrong? Messing with Daltanius and Voltron side by side becomes more fun and connected once you realize that Daltanius was supposed to be Voltron. He is what WEP had ordered from Toei. But a late night language barrier statement involving "the one with the lion!" Had Toei drop the GoLion tapes in the box instead on accident. And the rest is history. So Daltanius is kinda the "concept Voltron".
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Post by faelon on Jan 9, 2017 19:52:24 GMT -5
not much response from this figure. does this one sucks? This would seem to be one of the weaker offerings of the SRC line. Not quite as bad as /shudder God Reideen. But giving Solar Aquarian a good run for second place.
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Post by faelon on Jan 9, 2017 19:49:19 GMT -5
Wow! I think I missed an announcement somewhere. Bandai is going Die Cast in the Robot Spirits line? A kind of modern/real robot/Gundam answer to SRC? www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=BAN17439&mode=retailThe price would seem to be obscene (yay It's a Gundam we can overcharge by 30%!) but oh dear lord if Bandai does more of these, here's hoping we get a Die Cast Patlabor!
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Post by faelon on Dec 29, 2016 4:01:44 GMT -5
It looks great. I just wish it was at a better price point. Currently to rich for my blood. (Plus too big for my shelves)
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Post by faelon on Dec 28, 2016 21:32:15 GMT -5
A member from the Tfw2005 Voltron thread (prime0080) has this to say about the Ultimate Ex: "So I FINALLY unboxed Ultimate EX, and it's AWESOME. Yes, it is covered in paint like I predicted, but they must have put some protective coating on it, because I've transformed it 5 times and no damage- it's still pretty. In terms of the best Voltron toy ever, I would approach that like this: I think, for smaller figures and overall articulation: SOC. It's posability is far superior to anything else previously released. HOWEVER, for larger figures, if you're looking for something with nice articulation, great detail, AND size: The Ultimate EX is it. I know the EX's price is a serious turnoff for a lot of you- and I don't blame you at all, it's a lot of money for a toy- but in the end, I promise you, every single person who visits your home, and sees the EX, will go "HOLY sh*t THAT'S AN AWESOME VOLTRON YOU GOT THERE!!" or "DAMN, WTF IS THAT BEAST?!" AND you also have to consider that the chances of the price dropping are probably rather poor- it's only going to go up- so if the Ultimate EX interests you: Now's the time...I hate to say it, but don't wait. Christmas money, tax refund, brother's hidden cash, pimping and drug money, sell blood and semen- whatever you have to do: GET THIS BOT." Can't wait to get mine! Alongside the SoC, they'd be an awesome display in my house. How rare or unproduced the robot was doesn't exactly equal a stunning business success. MM had a ton of issues, from long delayed production and release, to a horribly flawed first release leading to bad word of mouth, even for the most,y corrected second release, to the licensing deal falling through greatly limiting their ability to distribute the figure or get it in front of consumers. Trust me, just from what I saw of the release of that figure I would be if they were very very lucky they might have broken even. If I recall I think the original US import partner took a bath on it, and lost a lot from his own pocket. How much do do you think it costs to design, manufacture and bring one of these robots to market? Now figure how steeply those costs would have to be divided over 300 pieces made in order to make it worth all of the effort? That's what is leaving me scratching my head. Is the 300 pieces only for the Black version of the EX? Because just eyeballing the numbers makes me wonder why someone would spend 2+ years getting this thing to market for what, at best, would look to be a return of about 1 months mortgage payment? If they were lucky. The risk does not equal the reward. Even for crazed robot fans.
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Post by faelon on Dec 28, 2016 21:20:35 GMT -5
Ouch, if all that red is die cast, then those standard Magnamatic ratchet shoulders from their Dynamite Action figs, that we see in those pictures, aren't going to last long.
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Post by faelon on Dec 28, 2016 14:54:26 GMT -5
It looks nice. But I suspect it is not technically a Gokin. It looks like an Evolution Toys Dynamite Action set. Which means mainly plastic figure held together with "Magnamatic" steel balls and magnets at the joints. Some of the do weigh as much as a small Gokin, and ET does some wonderful sculpts and paint. But the only metal is the steels balls.
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Post by faelon on Dec 26, 2016 17:31:18 GMT -5
Miracle did it with a slashed in half priced "improved version" Vehicle Voltron. and we can say this KOB was an improved version too. Miracle did it.. why not MadToys too. Coz the official is out.. and ROARING hard hehe.. This calls for desperate measures. LOL. Madtoys need to improvise.. and price is the key. I'm not sure we can call Miracles releases successful though. At the end of the day did they make any money off of the whole thing? I notice we never again saw anything from them. I am really getting the same vibe off of the MadToys, BUtoys, Infinity or whoever has the rights to the merchandise this week KOB. The Toynami Voltron EX seems insane as well. While Toynami is a well established producer with a long track record (some of it even almost good...) a 300 piece limited run on such a complex designed robot seems downright bizarre. Why go through all the development work if your entire take is a few grand?
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Post by faelon on Dec 25, 2016 15:09:15 GMT -5
I normally loathe anything SD, but I gotta admit that thing looks adorable.
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Post by faelon on Dec 23, 2016 15:59:50 GMT -5
It all depends on the plastic used, the weight of the figure and how much you play with it. The problem with ball jointed hips on big robots is for how much load they must bear they require very tight tolerances. A hair too loose and it's a rag doll that won't stand. Just a hair too tight, and you get NECA style legs falling off permanently broken. This is ok for an inexpensive plastic action figure designed to be played with. Even a high end one like a Figma or SHFA. But for a $400-$500 limited edition large collectors figure? I'd be worried. This thing looks fantastic, and probably would be, at half the price. At MSRP though, it's almost unpalatable. Which is a shame. It is great seeing the 3p transformers teams branching out into other classic robots. We want more of that. Lots more. Just not at this price/value ratio.
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Post by faelon on Dec 23, 2016 15:46:42 GMT -5
Needs more sharp spiky bits. And why when I look at that picture to I keep bringing to mind that smell from the old 80's Strawberry Shortcake dolls?
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Post by faelon on Dec 22, 2016 19:36:43 GMT -5
Call me when they get to the Hello Kitty recolor
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Post by faelon on Dec 9, 2016 13:53:13 GMT -5
why every post from you related to KOB is pure aggressive and hateful ? simply man if dont like dont follow its news like the first release im sure this one will have more than one vendor in Asia (whenever they release it), i don't need the 2nd version to compare it to the SOC i will do the comparison with my first release its enough to do a comparison im sure there is much more units that what you mention, its been sold under the radar because of the CP issues, every time i post a photo of the KOB in my Instagram people ask where to get it, after 2 years people are still interested in getting one even tho they know about the SOC, its just a must have for every fan, that's how good its, bootleg or not the first release wasn't sold at Amazon, BBTS, or HLJ either however alot of people got it from stores based in Asia, alot of members here got one from multiple stores in Asia, some even got two, so the myth that the KOB didnt sell well is not true yea Lee is a very decent guy i got mine from him I'm not hateful. I like the robot. It's a nice robot. I am however a rather skilled businessman. WhatI hate are shady and suspect business practices. I hate when I see blatant lies being peddled to anxious and anticipatory fans. I hate seeing merchants or manufacturers feed out information that I know from years of experience cannot possibly be true, because things simply do not work that way. The robot is nice. But every single statement from those involved with it for the past year has been a lie. Has been pure unmitigated bullsh*t. Stunningly high grasevbullsh*t at that. "The dog ate my homework then got hit by lightning" levels of bullsh*t. There is a difference between marketing and lying (hah! Yes I know. Trust me I give marketing people more grief about how deeply they shovel it than you do. But there are lines even they do not cross.) Lying to fans and consumers offends me. I have nothing against their product, but their business practices and their continuous dishonesty should be a red flag before giving them money.
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Post by faelon on Dec 6, 2016 17:28:10 GMT -5
So we're a little more than 3 weeks until this figure is officially released. Is it usually this quiet prior to release? I would have expected someone out there would've gotten an advance copy for review. I only saw one on youtube from weeks ago. It's normally this quiet. I think we still have a week or two before review copies start showing up. At least to English Language types.
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Post by faelon on Dec 6, 2016 17:21:57 GMT -5
So they only apparently have one vendor? See this is where I keep having problems with this thing and the fanboy claims of "strong competition for SOC!". It only becomes competition if you can get your product to market where the consumers can find and purchase it. Just from eyeballing it (and I confess I may be wrong, but I generally do have a decent eye for this sort of thing) I suspect that there are roughly 500 Ver 1 KOB's out there. A not atypical small niche product run of a high end consumer collectible. At best something in the 500-1000 range and certainly not more than 2000 pieces. But honestly KOB feels like 500.
How many high end dedicated collectors are there out there? People like us here, who not only love the robots, but are deeply invested enough to actively hunt down the obscure stuff, order and import from overseas ourselves and look off the beaten path? Maybe about 5000 in North America? Whereas the far far greater body of the more casual collectors and consumers will never know this thing exists. It will have no retail pressense. It will not show up at the major mainstream online vendors such as Amazon, BBTS, HLJ etc. With the lack of Amazon being the huge one. I would speculate that 90% of the Toynami Masterpiece Voltron sales likely went to more casual buyers via Amazon. Without that avenue the manufacturer is limited to a narrow niche subset of an already extremely narrow niche. If they got a 10% conversion within this niche from a bootleg product with the first release, how much deeper is that pool? Maybe another 100-200 units sold? What's the average production run of a SOC? It probably starts at 10,000 minimum. (And in this same niche community Bandai probably gets an average of 75-90% conversion. I.e. 75-90% of us on average will buy a given SOC.)
Don't get me wrong. If reports are correct (a crap shoot in and of themselves) and the product has already been made and is sitting in a warehouse somewhere, then it will be sold somewhere. But at this point that is just to reduce the bleeding a small amount. Whoever lost this thing likely lost a ton of money. It has changed hands and names a few times. It still remains a distinct and gorgeous robot, with some interesting designs. Just be aware you are going to get what you get. Pray for the QC gods to look favorably on you if you buy one. Because you can tell there will be zero post sales Customer Service. Also only buy this sucker once released. Do not pre-order, and unquestionably do not pre-pay. They will show up on E-bay at some point.
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