UPDATE CMS & Aoshima Legioss and Tread Review

[zeomare]

Alpha Fighters.....once again the cms has no locking so it can be floppy but the joints are tight (for now anyhow...) the aoshima has a ton of diecast so it is worthy of a SOC name and feels great when you hold it in you hand it is solid and heavy (the way i like my toys) both figures in this mode are great and look wonderful on the shelf. the only problem i have is the aoshima's missile rack on the arm is permently attached and there is no way to remove it

[zeomare]

this is where it all goes wrong for Aoshima, while there is a lot of solid diecast it feels completely wrong. it is loose and very chunky, blocky and unposeable. sometimes you cannot tell by the pictures but when you hold both of them you can feel it. i know the 1980's Gakkens where chunky and unposeable but that is no excuse for this version to be. look at MP Optimus Prime, the 1/48 Valks from Yamato and many other great year 2000+ $100.00 + figures compared to their 1980's counterparts. i know many people say this is accurate but to me it feels sloppy i have seen the anime for Mospeada and the alphas can be sleek and agile to.... just because gakkens were like that in the 80's does not mean 20 years later all versions have to be. the Cms feels right it is sleek and poseable but yet retains all of the earmarks of what made this design great. even though it is modernized there is no mistaking what you are looking at...The Alpha Fighter. the many other things i do not like other then what i mentioned, the aoshima has the dreaded hands that fall apart just by looking at them sydrome, the head is way to big, some ugly sprue marks from where the parts were cut in the factory and the missile doors on the body do not open properly and some even feel right off and need to be glued back on....













in this pic all the missle bays on the cms open perfectly and fully. the aoshima version however all the bays on the legs open but two of the doors fell off none of the lower arms open fully, thankfully the shoulders open ok.

[zeomare]

here is the Tread wow what a difference in size...in fighter mode they are close in scale but man when they are transformed what a difference. both of these are awesome i love the design the only thing i do not like about the Aoshima is the fighter cockpit folding down and still being visable the big bug eyes kind of annoy me, the CMS one transforms and folds up into the chest other the that they are great pieces. Cms has the better chest and extra Missile rack on the shoulders but the Aoshima's has better details specially around the back and feet as well as a ton of diecast taken on even the largest of SOC's. also each of the Aoshima's heads are unique being designed to be similar to the fighter they are connected to. the CMS ones are all the same.

[zeomare]

it is hard to chose a winner both are great (and have their plus's and minus's) as for me i am keeping the CMs in mech mode while the Aoshima is kept in fighter mode

AOSHIMA PRO'S
Excellent Tread in both modes, big, sturdy and detailed, high amount of details and diecast all around in both figures Legioss and Tread, solid locking between the two vehicles

AOSHIMA CON'S
really bad Mech mode for Legioss, non poseable for legioss, parts fall off, hands are very very prone to breakage and loose.

CMS PRO'S
very sleek updated rendition of classic design, solid details, colors and proportion in all modes. very poseable Legioss and pretty poseable Tread.

CMS CON'S
all plastic for both vehicles no diecast, very bad locking for the 2 vehicles causing the combined to be virtually unusable. high price originally for all plastic toy $200.00 (however they can now be found for alittle over $120.00 which is not bad. Tread is a little small and some details are not up to par Backside and Lower Feet.




How they will be kept in my Detolf

[quinjester]

For as much hate as the Aoshima/Toynami (deservedly) gets on its Alphas, it's undeniable how impressive they look when paired in fighter mode with the Beta. Monstrously cool!

Thanks for the side-by-side look!

[nikodiablo]

One of the definite issues of the CMS set is that the TLEAD is scaled differently than the Legioss. Just compare the size of the pilot sitting in the TLEAD with the pilot sitting in the Legioss. The other one would be the non-existence locking of the transformed Legioss, but once you've come to terms with the limitations, they're quite fun.

Another mistake which I noticed on the Aoshima/Toynami TLEAD is that the cockpit in robot is not hidden like the CMS version, but on the contrary, the CMS' top missile launcher can't fold flat to the back when transformed into bomber mode.

However, on mine, the Legioss can connect quite securely using the new provided block, and I'm even confident enough in performing barrel rolls in the combined mode!

Note: There's small amount of diecast in the CMS Legioss, which are set in the shoulder and feet (CMIIW). There's practically none on the TLEAD, unless you count the connection boom (and the screws and pins).

Zeomare, I'm interested in those metal verniers you installed on the TLEADs. Where did you obtain them from, and any specific brands and sizes?

[locidm]

way to go zeomare. Thanks for the excellent review! I really gotta get my toynami green beta!! Think it's finally about time for me to get one. Hopefully April.

[Chen]

Man I so want a blue Aoshima Legioss and Tread combo in fact I want all three colours but right now it's to cost prohibitive.

[zeomare]

i am really thinking about grabbing the cms red as well to display in mech mode, i cannot stand the aoshima version at all in this mode

[zeomare]

Mar 26, 2010 4:43:55 GMT -5 nikodiablo said:

One of the definite issues of the CMS set is that the TLEAD is scaled differently than the Legioss. Just compare the size of the pilot sitting in the TLEAD with the pilot sitting in the Legioss. The other one would be the non-existence locking of the transformed Legioss, but once you've come to terms with the limitations, they're quite fun.

Another mistake which I noticed on the Aoshima/Toynami TLEAD is that the cockpit in robot is not hidden like the CMS version, but on the contrary, the CMS' top missile launcher can't fold flat to the back when transformed into bomber mode.

However, on mine, the Legioss can connect quite securely using the new provided block, and I'm even confident enough in performing barrel rolls in the combined mode!

Note: There's small amount of diecast in the CMS Legioss, which are set in the shoulder and feet (CMIIW). There's practically none on the TLEAD, unless you count the connection boom (and the screws and pins).

Zeomare, I'm interested in those metal verniers you installed on the TLEADs. Where did you obtain them from, and any specific brands and sizes?

hi i get the thrusters all over the place Mechaskunk , AKOHobby and ebay are but a few of the places, i have a ton of them lying around for my custom gundams. as for there specific names and prices you would have to check the sites i mentioned because it has been a while since i have bought any new ones i had these for a bit and decided to get some use out of them.

[nikodiablo]

Mar 26, 2010 17:00:03 GMT -5 zeomare said:

i am really thinking about grabbing the cms red as well to display in mech mode, i cannot stand the aoshima version at all in this mode

The red CMS set is still on a more than 50% off sale in HLJ. Good time to grab one.

Thanks for the heads-up on the metal thrusters. I'll check the sites you mentioned.

[kaeruze]

Hi, this is my first post here.
I'm a longtime Mospeada fan and I just got a CM's Legioss and Tread set with the upgrade parts and while at first I felt a little disappointed because of the looseness in the Legioss and one rear landing gear which fell off out of the foot for no reason, after some superglue tightening and upgrading parts I am now really loving it...
After replacing the parts and locking the Tread to the connecting craddle I was expecting something lame (I've read so many times about the big fail this connection is supposed to be...) but I was very pleasantly surprised to see that CM's really did it this time : the Legioss was locked (and I mean LOCKED) in place very securely
The real problem with this upgrade is that CM's didn't provide a manual explaining how to lock the Legioss with the upgrade piece.
Here's what I did :
1) Lock the Tread in place with the connection upgrade piece
2) split the Legioss' legs apart and open the traps on the back of the legs
3) Bring the Legioss in at an angle (pointing slighly downward in regard of the connecting arm) - put the Legioss' hip bar in place in the metal slot of the connecting arm
4) Put the Legioss' legs back in and lock them on the upgrade part vertical tab (at the front of the upgrade piece, see picture below). The tab should get into the Legioss's leg opening
5) Now the Legioss' nose is still pointing down and the arms are not secured against the Tread : grab the body of the Legioss and bring it up "one click" (the rotation should be applied on the hip's ratcheting joint of the Legioss) : it is now aligned with the Tread
6) There you go, the arms are pressed against the Tread's new chest parts (the "boobies" that point down should get into the Legioss arms' thrusters).
7) Toss your Legioss-Tread combo around, it's now one rock-solid piece of 80's mecha!

Here are some pictures of the combo which I hope can help some people who bought this set and felt let down by the upgraded connection :

flying on the provided CM's display stand (yes he can!) :


locking the legs :


side view :


bottom view :


Pressing the arms :


put it upside down and shake it :



And here's the Mospeada shelf, no vacancy yet









And here's an atmospheric entry pose, I was positively amazed that this thing can hold this kind of pose while perched on CM's rudimentary stand but it does, thanks to the ratcheting joints in the Tread's legs

[wilson]

I an very disappointed at cm for not providing all CM's Legioss and Tread owners with the upgrade kit for free.

[eriku]

Thanks for the update and the pics! I'd buy an upgrade set if they were available individually, but I can't get myself to buy another full Legioss/Tlead just to get it. Even without the upgrade parts I still love this toy.

[kaeruze]

Jun 13, 2010 22:02:40 GMT -5 wilson said:

I an very disappointed at cm for not providing all CM's Legioss and Tread owners with the upgrade kit for free.

They really should at least sell the upgrade package alone at some point, I can't understand why they don't package this with some more bonus stuff like cluster missiles for the Tread and sell it as an accessory pack (like Bandai does, right?)

Jun 14, 2010 16:41:48 GMT -5 eriku said:

Thanks for the update and the pics! I'd buy an upgrade set if they were available individually, but I can't get myself to buy another full Legioss/Tlead just to get it. Even without the upgrade parts I still love this toy.

Yes it's still a beautyful set, I originally got it for display in battloid mode, I didn't expect expect much from the connection. The panel lining surprised me a lot as it doesn't really appear in the pictures. It is extraordinary, all these details and rivets are on par with a Hasegawa model kit.

[Chen]

Welcome to the board! Personally I still prefer the look of the Toynami/Aoshima Tread and Legioss but the CM's do have it beat in the quality department especially the Alpha's/Legioss and those upgrade parts really do make a difference, those are sweet pics!

[nikodiablo]

Nice pics, kaeruze!

I still can't get over the fact that the Tread's pilot is in a different scale than the Legioss' pilot.

I had to do some minor tampering with the shoulder swivel because one of them was very loose, while the other one was very tight. The tight shoulder swivel screw had to be loosened because it made the shoulder joint really loose (I had to pull the shoulder and wiggle it around to position the arms for transformation), while the loose shoulder swivel was tightened with some layers of nail polish.

Overall, as long as you don't buy it at full retail price, it's an OK product.

[kaeruze]

Thank you, Chen.
I agree with you, the sculpt on the Toynami really catches the eye. I never thought I'd bother getting the CM's especially at the absurd retail price it was back then...
But as a fan I'm really happy I have both now, and I keep picking up the CM's which I can't do with the Toynami because it's so heavy.

Thanks nikodiablo, I'm horrible at taking pictures, but these toys' beauty compensated that I guess
The tiny Tread pilot is an eyesore for sure. It looks like they added him later as an afterthought detail to dress up the tiny cockpit. I don't mind so much as I'm never opening that cockpit anyway...
It looks like I had the twin brother of yours as it's exactly the same fixes I had to do on mine, but I also had to tighten the heel joints to make the Legioss stand on some poses.
The 2 big issues for me are the fins juting out of the arms - that's sooo ugly - and the gap between the nose and the head when the Legioss is in fighter mode.
Now I should learn how to use these modeling tools I've got

[GLaw]

I was so crazy about this blue fighter at one stage when I was a chid. In order to fulfill my childhood fantasy, I had bought this figure two years ago. I was quite disappointed that the paint work and tooling on this figure are not finely done as you can see from the pictures below. Another weakness is that it legs cannot pose a cool "A" stance. Good things about this figure are:

1) it is quite hefty as there are quite a number of metal parts built on it
2) Aoshima's is more anime accurate as being compared with that of CMS.

At one time, this figure has been abandonedly displayed in an unoticeable corner of my home because of its dull and unimpressive color scheme on its body. Until last week, I decided to "tattoo" the whole figure with gundam markers and its decals. Surprisingly, it looks better. I have started liking it again and it now deserves a nice place to display.

[kaeruze]

Great pictures! The stickers definitely add a lot of charm to this figure.
You can achieve a better A stance by angling the hips apart (which you did) and puling the legs forward at the knees. Then just angle in the feet (they swivel side to side) and you get this :





And here's my CM's diving on a macross stand :