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Post by magengar on Jan 5, 2014 13:13:29 GMT -5
When I got the scrander I was even more blown away. I doubt I will put him back in the hangar. Never noticed the smell though. Could be my nose though. The smell hit me hard the first time, and each time I initially unboxed more of the DX parts I was still overwhelmed by the fumes... ...like accidentally whiffing Video Tape Head Cleaner, gettin that cold head-rush kinda smell. Maybe it was due to the cold environment while in transport in the car from Baron's home back to my place. zozo-mag
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jan 5, 2014 13:20:13 GMT -5
When I got the scrander I was even more blown away. I doubt I will put him back in the hangar. Never noticed the smell though. Could be my nose though. Both of mine had no smell either. Might be different paint used on later releases perhaps? }D
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Post by magengar on Jan 5, 2014 14:32:50 GMT -5
All I know is that the odor was fresh, and as soon as I unboxed the parts and opened their trays the fumes rose from those tray areas. It felt like a very soft "breeze" hit me in the face, the way fumes permeate the air.
My DX Maz has been outta the box just over a week now, so I no longer smell the fumes.
zozo-mag
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Post by mrclean08 on Jan 5, 2014 16:09:11 GMT -5
Thanks guys! What do you guys feel about the way the forearms connect? I think that's my only gripe with the engineering of the toy. Otherwise this is a flawless toy. I thought I had broken the forearm off because I couldn't figure it out how to reattach it firmly. I had to consult to some Youtube videos to see how to reattach it. But other than that, this figure is an absolute dream come true. It has heft, weight, and size. It's everything I wanted in a Mazinger Z figure. I had always been on the fence on purchasing SOC GX-01 due to the size, but this DX01 truly makes up for it.
I was lucky to have picked up the Jet Scrander for $46 on Amazon and it truly is an amazing set. I agree with many that the Jet Scrander should have been originally included with Mazinger and the hangar should have been the optional separate purchase. But either way, the Amazon holiday deal was a blessing and is allowing me to enjoy this Mazinger Z to the fullest extent.
I figured to just buckle down and pay the $400 on Amazon now, as Magengar previously pointed out to get this now before it gets pricey. I'm super glad I did and can't put this toy down. lol I'm so impressed by how much die-cast they put in this guy. And seeing those separate boxes full of accessories blew my mind. I am still guilty about not opening the big hangar box. I'll have to check it out later today.
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Post by surlyj on Jan 5, 2014 17:39:41 GMT -5
It's already gotten a bit nuts on Amazon. At $450 I think. Wish I'd hunkered down when it was $300!!!! Damn it all.
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Post by mrclean08 on Jan 5, 2014 18:00:05 GMT -5
It's already gotten a bit nuts on Amazon. At $450 I think. Wish I'd hunkered down when it was $300!!!! Damn it all. I think the best place for US buyers to still get it is at BBTS. It's still $399 + shipping. But I foresee them raising it again soon as there is only 14 left in stock.
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Post by magengar on Jan 6, 2014 0:20:37 GMT -5
Yes, BBTS still has them. Jump on it while they still have it. That toystore is in Wisconsin, so U.S. buyers should have no problems buying it. I believe mine came from Beta Toys (the Christmas group got it from that store), which is closer to my region so shipping it to Baron's place was easier.
I don't know exactly how many of these DX Maz sets were produced, but I'm afraid Bandai may not have produced very many of them. Fans are jumping on this item in Mobs!
Once this thing is sold out, it's gonna be difficult to find one at a reasonable price later on in the aftermarket venues such as eBay, because not many folks will want to part with the Maz figure so easily. The price for a MIB DX Maz and/or even a Used one will be outrageous. Even now the eBay price range for the DX Maz is outrageous ($450-490!).
Shipping it... oh yeah, wait til you see the box when it arrives... you might think someone shipped you a small Coffee Table! LOL
The DX Scrander set will come shipped in a box slightly larger than the box that was used for shipping the Miracle Postponement's Vehicle Voltrn figure. lol
zozo-mag
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Post by magengar on Jan 6, 2014 1:39:38 GMT -5
BOOM! My sentiments Exactly! When I bend the arms into some fighting stances, the elbows look "empty" by the way they're connected... looks like a Hit-n-Run victim with his arms just Barely hanging by a ligament. According to the instruction manual ( Yes, you get a lovely illustrated multi-paged instruction Manual along with Maz.) you're not supposed to rotate the forearms at the elbows, or else they will detach from the bicep and fall off. You can bend the forearms, but to pose them in a rotated position you must rotate the Bicep in the upper arm. The bicep rotates inside the shoulder. If the forearm comes out of the socket, pivot the elbow completely Outwards so that you can see the small red chord thingy... it is flexible like a "spring"... ...that red thingy is the "trigger" to lock/release the forearm from the bicep. Around the edge of the elbow (the edge side that meets the bicep) you will see three small knubs... those three knubs must align with the three small notches that are located on the edge of the bicep around the female peg hole. As you reattach the forearm to the bicep, align the three elbow knubs to match the bicep notches... then push that red chord thingy inwards and hold it pushed in as you insert the male peg inside the female hole in the bicep. Keep the red chord thingy held down, and push the elbow firmly against the bicep until you hear a loud plastic POP noise inside the bicep..... that noise means the forearm is attached and you can now let go of the red chord thingy. There is a probable reason why Bandai made this weird elbow design/attachment... ...the elbow must detach in order to show the arm posed with its Drill Missile attack stance. The armor set includes an extra pair of Bicep armor shells that are hinged to show the Drill Missile stance. I have not even Tried that feature yet, because I'm busy having too much fun playingwith the DX Mazinger's basic features. Yes, ever since I joined this hobby and joined RJ, this is the first time I'm actually PLAYING WITH my robot toys! The DX Mazinger set is indeed flawless, and the elbows are my major concern. The Face armors are another concern, although minor; they tend to fall off if you accidentally bump your hand into them while sitting the Pilder inside the head or while you are posing the head. They also fall off when you store the on the wall inside the hangar. But once they're on the wall, don't even jolt the hangar. Another gripe I have is that you must remove the Chest and Breast Fire armors every time you want to turn the figure On to playback the sound/lights effects. *****Once you've pressed the red button inside the chest, you have about 30 seconds to put all that armor back on and demo the sounds... You Gotta play a sound before that 30 second time limit expires. ...after 30 seconds, the unit shuts Off to conserve battery power.I "jog" it by pressing lower button #3 repeatedly to play back the music, so that I can get settled in to do some serious sound effects playback. As long as you continue pressing any of those lower buttons, your unit will stay On. It will shut itself Off after 30 seconds of Inactivity.Sounds like the Spouse, doesn't it! If I could make improvements on this complete DX Mazinger-Z/Scrander set, I seriously would do so. Starting with those elbows. I've got lots of ideas racing inside my mind... but on the other hand, I do not want to modify this item to the extent of severe modification and damage. *****I have a work-around for this tedious task:It will only work with the Split-Chest armor parts, not the single Full Chest armor. The only hack involved is the cutting of a card stock material from some old discarded packaging......and then you......That's It! When you press the red button, you'll hear a "mechanical" noise that means Maz is ON. Press the button once again, and you hear Nothing- that means Maz is Off. If you're not gonna play with the lights and sounds for a long time, take the batteries out of their compartments. If the batteries are left in too long and forgotten about, they will leak and damage the unit. Have fun, folks! zozo-mag Thanks guys! What do you guys feel about the way the forearms connect? I think that's my only gripe with the engineering of the toy. Otherwise this is a flawless toy. I thought I had broken the forearm off because I couldn't figure it out how to reattach it firmly. I had to consult to some Youtube videos to see how to reattach it. But other than that, this figure is an absolute dream come true. It has heft, weight, and size. It's everything I wanted in a Mazinger Z figure. I had always been on the fence on purchasing SOC GX-01 due to the size, but this DX01 truly makes up for it. I was lucky to have picked up the Jet Scrander for $46 on Amazon and it truly is an amazing set. I agree with many that the Jet Scrander should have been originally included with Mazinger and the hangar should have been the optional separate purchase. But either way, the Amazon holiday deal was a blessing and is allowing me to enjoy this Mazinger Z to the fullest extent. I figured to just buckle down and pay the $400 on Amazon now, as Magengar previously pointed out to get this now before it gets pricey. I'm super glad I did and can't put this toy down. lol I'm so impressed by how much die-cast they put in this guy. And seeing those separate boxes full of accessories blew my mind. I am still guilty about not opening the big hangar box. I'll have to check it out later today.
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Post by Robot Lover/Fighter on Jan 6, 2014 3:42:46 GMT -5
You scored the Scrander set already? Good for you! Man, the DX Maz has your name on it, it's all yours! You're gonna FEEL its weight and shelf presence once it's in your hands... let alone hold a piece of the outer diecast armor parts in your hands. Oh, and you Might wanna keep a cloth or a respirator handy when you start unboxing it... that brand-new Diecast aroma will overwhelm you! lol zozo-mag Damn, I grudgingly ordered from betatoys... I really wanted this at a lower price. But, I also don't see this going on sale anymore... Gotta get it now than be sorry. The Scrander is getting lonely... Anyway, Betatoys is still the best price now at 389 and 10 dollars shipping. There is one more up for grabs ... I can't wait to get my hands on this with a respirator handy... Hahaha...
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Post by magengar on Jan 6, 2014 4:18:31 GMT -5
You scored the Scrander set already? Good for you! Man, the DX Maz has your name on it, it's all yours! You're gonna FEEL its weight and shelf presence once it's in your hands... let alone hold a piece of the outer diecast armor parts in your hands. Oh, and you Might wanna keep a cloth or a respirator handy when you start unboxing it... that brand-new Diecast aroma will overwhelm you! lol zozo-mag Damn, I grudgingly ordered from betatoys... I really wanted this at a lower price. But, I also don't see this going on sale anymore... Gotta get it now than be sorry. The Scrander is getting lonely... Anyway, Betatoys is still the best price now at 389 and 10 dollars shipping. There is one more up for grabs ... I can't wait to get my hands on this with a respirator handy... Hahaha... If I could make FIVE thumbs appear next to your post I'd click that Like button 5 times! Even at the price you paid for it, it's still worth it. Someone at Facebook who lives in the U.K. asked me where to get one, and I've been trying to find that person a vendor in the U.K. or in Asia... ...You jumped on it just in the nick of Time... I was just looking for the DX Maz at HLJ, and it's been "Discontinued" at HLJ. Meaning, it's either sold out or they've sold their allotted number of units and cannot carry any more DXes in stock. Even Amiami no longer has it listed! If that is the case, then it seems true that Bandai really did make just a limited number of this item. Here I was all this time thinking I could save up money and be able to afford it someday soon-- but When? ---even now, I would have missed the boat on this item as well. I cannot say enough how much I appreciate my DX Maz, and I owe it to the group of guys here at RJ who chipped in for me to have this. zozo-mag
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Post by surlyj on Jan 6, 2014 5:03:32 GMT -5
Bah, there is just too much to get. Having just paid for fewture getter dragon and needing to pay for liger and poseidon in the next month or so, plus having like an idiot bought a huge Sauron statue from LotR, I just can't fork over the money for DX anytime soon. My $43 scrander from Amazon will just sit in the closet for a few months and hopefully i can still get DX maz at a good price. Bbts stock moves slowly, but would like to grab the one from beta toys. Maybe someone will buy my sdcc mysterion for $300 lol. Or if I ever decide to sell my transformer masterpieces, I'll have plenty of cash. Congrats on getting it Robot Lover/Fighter.
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Post by B- on Jan 6, 2014 19:09:11 GMT -5
SurlyJ Get rid of the transformers and get the DX! but thats just me...oh and TheMazingerZ too,Im sure he would agree..
Its just when I started collecting real Super Robots like SOCs, transformers just get associated with low quality childrens toys.Therefor even with the Masterpiece ones,which are way nicer ofcourse,but meant for Generation X nostalgic types{not unlike myself}I still cant get by the Transformers name.
Also I only like pilot driven Robots.Im sure im in the minority about Transformers on this board,but I bet a good chunk of people who have both transformers and teh DX would say get the DX!
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Post by TheMazingerZ on Jan 6, 2014 19:55:23 GMT -5
LOL! Preach it Baron, Preach it!!! God... I so hate Transformers! }D
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Post by surlyj on Jan 6, 2014 20:26:31 GMT -5
Yeah yeah... I hear ya. The masterpiece and 3rd party transformers are pretty awesome, but definitely missing the gokin They aren't as high quality as SoCs, but they are more fun to handle, and many of the masterpiece figures are just brilliantly engineered. I have 3 shelves full of them, but i have heavily considered pairing down to just Optimus, Starscream and Grimlock, my favorites. The thing is, i have more nostalgia for transformers than I do Mazinger Z. If this was DX Gaiking or Grendizer we are talking about, there wouldn't be any contest, but I am probably in the minority when I say mazinger wasn't 4th for me behind Gaiking, Grendizer and Getter G. I want everything damnit! Lol
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Post by Robot Lover/Fighter on Jan 6, 2014 23:47:50 GMT -5
Ship the Maz DX already Betatoys !!! Can't wait much longer, Thanks for everyone's thoughts on the matter...
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Post by magengar on Jan 7, 2014 1:36:38 GMT -5
If it would make people happy... This is the ONLY Transformer figure I have in my collection.....
...He transforms into a large Jet cruiser and looks like a "Starscream" type. I don't know if he's an Autobot or a Decepticon because I can't see any TF robot head logo on him. Anyway, I bought him at a thrift store for $25-- and ONLY because of his size and detail. He's all 100% rock-solid hard plastic all over, inside-out, all around. His joints have rock-solid LOUD ratchets locks and snappers, which make him a definitely strong toy to be Played with. I'd like to get an Optimus Prime the same size to go with him. lol When I bought him he came with a couple of large wing things that snap onto his arms, and they have purple translucent weapons tucked inside them that are spring-loaded to pop out at the push of a button-- one weapon is a sword, and the other is I-Don't-Know because it's missing that part inside. I love this Transformer figure's ratchet joints... I wanna copy that same articulation principle for my custom robot figures. zozo-mag
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Post by Robot Lover/Fighter on Jan 7, 2014 5:16:55 GMT -5
If it would make people happy... This is the ONLY Transformer figure I have in my collection.....
...He transforms into a large Jet cruiser and looks like a "Starscream" type. I don't know if he's an Autobot or a Decepticon because I can't see any TF robot head logo on him. Anyway, I bought him at a thrift store for $25-- and ONLY because of his size and detail. He's all 100% rock-solid hard plastic all over, inside-out, all around. His joints have rock-solid LOUD ratchets locks and snappers, which make him a definitely strong toy to be Played with. I'd like to get an Optimus Prime the same size to go with him. lol When I bought him he came with a couple of large wing things that snap onto his arms, and they have purple translucent weapons tucked inside them that are spring-loaded to pop out at the push of a button-- one weapon is a sword, and the other is I-Don't-Know because it's missing that part inside. I love this Transformer figure's ratchet joints... I wanna copy that same articulation principle for my custom robot figures. zozo-mag Wow, that guy is huge !!! Maz dx and Voltron looks scrawny in comparison...
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Post by magengar on Jan 7, 2014 5:34:35 GMT -5
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Post by B- on Jan 9, 2014 16:49:36 GMT -5
Magengar I ached for about a month over these N scale figures and when it comes down to it NONE of those workers really fit the bill,so i customized the ones i got,the best ones would be lab coat scientists with hard hats,just TRY and find N scale scientists or lab coat techs,they dont exist!
I came to the conclusion men with suits and hard hat guys without tools,and paint their shirts white,and hair black to simulate Japanese.Suit guys are like being shown whats happening in teh hangar etc. by the hard hat guys,like suits are the bosses.
The tools and rakes and crap those guys come with dont fit in that environment,unless they are stacking boxes,and their clothes dont fit at all,especially dungarees and farmer jeans LOL.I just ended up cutting the tools off,and they are EXPENSIVE,I only used about 2 out of 6 per pack and each pack is like 20$.
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Post by magengar on Jan 10, 2014 1:00:55 GMT -5
Magengar I ached for about a month over these N scale figures and when it comes down to it NONE of those workers really fit the bill,so i customized the ones i got,the best ones would be lab coat scientists with hard hats,just TRY and find N scale scientists or lab coat techs,they dont exist! I came to the conclusion men with suits and hard hat guys without tools,and paint their shirts white,and hair black to simulate Japanese.Suit guys are like being shown whats happening in teh hangar etc. by the hard hat guys,like suits are the bosses. The tools and rakes and crap those guys come with dont fit in that environment,unless they are stacking boxes,and their clothes dont fit at all,especially dungarees and farmer jeans LOL.I just ended up cutting the tools off,and they are EXPENSIVE,I only used about 2 out of 6 per pack and each pack is like 20$. I understand that. I would either cut the tools off, or custom-sculpt them as tools for the robot hangar environment (welding torches, wrenches, screwdrivers, fuel hoses, pneumatic drills and powertools, etc)... then I would paint the farmer clothes to look like industrial mechanic clothes. When you think about it, the maintenance guys in the hangar had to wear mechanic suits and overalls for working on heavy machinery. Then of course, the N-scale suited Yuppie guys would be the "Supervisors", "Professors", and "Photon Lab technicians". Some of them in ordinary suits/ties, and others wearing "lab coats" and lab smocks by adding some white Tamiya putty onto the bodies to form that kind of wardrobe. Once the putty has cured, you can then paint it to the color of the Lab coats which is typically white. For $20 USD I would surely buy a couple packs to customize the lab crew and hangar workers. The Science & Hobby store on 2nd Ave/19th Street in Watervliet has these N-scale people kits and supplies. I plan to go there sometime next week or next weekend to browse and see what I can use from that product line. I'm also looking at some human figurines from the Micro Machines toy line, as well. Also, the Micro Machines toy line has City kits (Buildings, and Streets) for staging the DX Maz in urban combat against other robots of his height and body mass. Top that scene off with Micro Machine fighter jets and tanks, and you've got yourself the most awesome diorama of a Toho "Godzilla movie" battle scene featuring the DX Maz! Dayum! Put a DX Maz in Magengar's hands, and you've created a Monster! zozo-mag
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