I missed out of Adventure People when they came out ('cause I didn't exist), but from my experience it seems like everyone ends up with a figure or two. This was a really cool and well made line, and I'd love more reviews.
I had an Adventure People TV news crew & van set as a kid in the 70s... loved the hell out of that set & the news camera with working 'screen' (had a working lens & mirror so you could see on a little 'tv' screen what the camera was viewing)... Can't remember if I had that or the Space: 1999 Eagle w/figures set 1st.... Micronauts definitely came next :-)
Make no mistake about it, it's totally fanservice These guys aren't really iconic, but there's a cult following around the "other" Zeon amphibious mobile suits, which I think mostly comes from how goofy they are (I can neither confirm nor deny that this group overlaps heavily with the Church of the Acguy). Seeing the Juagg and Zogok get their HD screen time was fantastic (more so the Juagg, as it hadn't turned up in an animated series before). I hope the Agguguy gets some love too though, I can't believe that the arguably best part of the trio didn't show up in Unicorn.
Of course, always! Exclusive reviews are another issue that I don't like, and that's equally a bummer, but, uh, well you can see my position on the other side as well per my above post. Knowing how much you love Dairugger/V. Voltron I get your frustration. That noise is no longer effed.
Thanks for the quick response, and thanks for the continued coolness.
So, it's not really a rule... more of a guideline. We got a bit jealous that someone else got a vehicle voltron before us, and it stole our thunder a little bit. It made us cranky here at cdx hq, and perhaps we acted harshly.
One rule in life I do have is "don't go to bed angry", so lets kiss and make up shall we?
Having never seen (read?) "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn", is it just me or are there a lot of odd-ball Zeon mobile suits coming out that were never fan favorites in any way but Bandai and Sunrise decided to shine a second light on them just for the hell of it?
Nope. The face sculpt was actually what killed my interest. I was really excited when the rumors started that either a Naked Snake or Big Boss revoltech was on the way, and then when they had the big unveiling (unboxing?) it was pretty much the end of that. I get that my expectations are probably irrationally high; I have a thing for Metal Gear that most likely borderlines on unhealthy, and I understand that any figure at this size is going to suffer when looked at this closely. Even so, there have been even smaller renditions of Snake that, while maybe not as detailed, were at least more accurate (specifically thinking the Iroquois Plissken trading figure from freakin' 2004).
Again, the rest of the figure and the accessories look goddamn amazing, which makes it even worse.
Yeah the camera always 2-ups everything so things that are small and not really bothersome get blown up for the world to see. Snake's face is a bit rough but I think it works well enough with the whole ensemble.
Do you have the figure? I think a lot of the elements that probably turn people off in close-up photos (the detailing on the hair/beard and the shape of the nose are what really stand out to me) aren't as significant when his face is 2cm tall. I think they pretty much nailed the shape of his face, the lined cheeks, the serious military man frown. The eye is a bit bulbous, but the eye gimmick is so sweet that it doesn't bother me.
I don't know, I think that image supports my point more than anything else. I guess it comes down to personal interpretation. I'm definitely not the only one bummed out by this though.
Edit: That big ole honker and the anime hair are absolutely the worst offenders though.
"I've heard friends of mine describe this figure as trying to capture Yoji Shinkawa's very sketchy and whispy looking artwork."
Your friends are being polite.
The moveable eye is a neat feature, and it explains the wild eyed kind of look he has, but this still looks like a figure of a Snake cosplayer. The face doesn't look like any incarnation of Naked Snake/Big Boss ever, not even the super hairy Ashley Wood version. Well, it kind of almost looks like hiimdaisy's take on the super hairy Ashley Wood version.
I'm trying to hold back here, but seriously that head sculpt is 100% awful. It was bad when they revealed it and they haven't done anything to make it better. Which is a damn shame, because the rest of the figure looks really solid. Not a pun.
I'm sorry about breaking the rule of plugging other web sites. I actually did not know it was a rule. On many times I would refer other websites to this one without any issues. Just so much excitement about this toy I wanted to share the news with this community as soon as I found out about it.
The point of Yamato 2199 is that it is meant to be viewed as "what if they made the original Yamato series as planned back in 1974, but with today's animation technology and modern astronomy and astrophysics injected into the mix?". It's a retelling, using much material that was planned for the series but was dropped, and repairs a number of minor continuity errors and plotholes left open or unexplained originally. It's some incredible space opera and introduces a lot more depth and twists then were in the classic series, and does so with some fantastic animation. I definitely recommend it to fan and newbie alike. As for the original series...it does still hold its own...the dub was good for its time and made less changes than most, but there is also a fansub of the original Japanese DVD remastered series which is really worth checking out if you are at all curious about the original series. But as a long time fan, I feel safe in saying that if you want to watch Yamato as a newbie, check out Yamato 2199. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I also enjoyed the live action movie, but I think that, like the Macross 1984 movie, it is better watched by someone already familiar with the larger story arc as it is quite seriously time-compressed by comparison.
The Yamato is largely unchanged as a result, other than a few proportional tweaks, additional details added, and some changes made to improve functionality and a few very subtle sytlistic changes. This version is taken straight from the CG model data from the show, giving it more precise accuracy to the one portrayed, and since it was built as a CG model, it allowed for a lot more rethinking of how everything fits together and is scaled correctly...something the animation made a great effort to try to do under the refined design work of Miyatake Kazutaka and Matsumoto Reiji, but difficult to do as perfectly accurate as it is with 3D model data. In turn the 3D model data had to be tweaked a lot for style in order to get some of the desired classic exaggerated-perspective profiles from various angles. So the ship model has a much curvier profile than previously.
To a non-fan's eye, or even a casual fan, there's no difference whatsoever...which was kind of the intent, to make these changes work in such a way that they would not look jarring to the classic appearance of this iconic vessel. But at the same time, a hard core fan will notice things right away, such as the significantly reduced muzzle size of the Wave Motion Gun, the oversized periscope sensors on the main cannons, the enlarged third bridge, and so forth.
Also I agree that while Syd Mead's redesign was quite nice, the show of Yamato 2520 was pretty boring and soulless. The ship itself also seems to lack the "character" of the clunky but romanticized Matsumoto/Miyatake space battleship, with everything streamlined into a kind of featureless torpedo shape. As such, it doesn't really lend itself to animation as well. But as for why leave the design close to the original aside from what I've already mentioned, here's the real issue. Yamato is an iconic design. To heavily redesign the Yamato is akin to heavily redesigning Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. Or the Millennium Falcon, for a closer comparison. It's not something you do lightly and without incurring a lot of disdain.
You really should watch Star Blazers. It was a great show. Just because things are dubbed does not mean they automatically suck. That's rather closed minded.
Fantastic work buddy, continue the good work
http://www.apparelnbags.com/hanes/index.htm
I missed out of Adventure People when they came out ('cause I didn't exist), but from my experience it seems like everyone ends up with a figure or two. This was a really cool and well made line, and I'd love more reviews.
I had an Adventure People TV news crew & van set as a kid in the 70s... loved the hell out of that set & the news camera with working 'screen' (had a working lens & mirror so you could see on a little 'tv' screen what the camera was viewing)... Can't remember if I had that or the Space: 1999 Eagle w/figures set 1st.... Micronauts definitely came next :-)
I agree! I love seeing them here and I too got tons of play time out of those guys. More! :D
It's like they always say, the camera adds 15 pounds of sculpting mistakes.
Nope, they're totally fan favorites. You must be hangin' out with the wrong kind of fans.
Make no mistake about it, it's totally fanservice These guys aren't really iconic, but there's a cult following around the "other" Zeon amphibious mobile suits, which I think mostly comes from how goofy they are (I can neither confirm nor deny that this group overlaps heavily with the Church of the Acguy). Seeing the Juagg and Zogok get their HD screen time was fantastic (more so the Juagg, as it hadn't turned up in an animated series before). I hope the Agguguy gets some love too though, I can't believe that the arguably best part of the trio didn't show up in Unicorn.
Of course, always! Exclusive reviews are another issue that I don't like, and that's equally a bummer, but, uh, well you can see my position on the other side as well per my above post. Knowing how much you love Dairugger/V. Voltron I get your frustration. That noise is no longer effed.
Thanks for the quick response, and thanks for the continued coolness.
So, it's not really a rule... more of a guideline. We got a bit jealous that someone else got a vehicle voltron before us, and it stole our thunder a little bit. It made us cranky here at cdx hq, and perhaps we acted harshly.
One rule in life I do have is "don't go to bed angry", so lets kiss and make up shall we?
Having never seen (read?) "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn", is it just me or are there a lot of odd-ball Zeon mobile suits coming out that were never fan favorites in any way but Bandai and Sunrise decided to shine a second light on them just for the hell of it?
Someone has to face off against Kobe Byarlant, after all. Plus he's awesome looking.
Nope. The face sculpt was actually what killed my interest. I was really excited when the rumors started that either a Naked Snake or Big Boss revoltech was on the way, and then when they had the big unveiling (unboxing?) it was pretty much the end of that. I get that my expectations are probably irrationally high; I have a thing for Metal Gear that most likely borderlines on unhealthy, and I understand that any figure at this size is going to suffer when looked at this closely. Even so, there have been even smaller renditions of Snake that, while maybe not as detailed, were at least more accurate (specifically thinking the Iroquois Plissken trading figure from freakin' 2004).
Again, the rest of the figure and the accessories look goddamn amazing, which makes it even worse.
Yeah the camera always 2-ups everything so things that are small and not really bothersome get blown up for the world to see. Snake's face is a bit rough but I think it works well enough with the whole ensemble.
And man is that eye gimmick hella sweet.
Do you have the figure? I think a lot of the elements that probably turn people off in close-up photos (the detailing on the hair/beard and the shape of the nose are what really stand out to me) aren't as significant when his face is 2cm tall. I think they pretty much nailed the shape of his face, the lined cheeks, the serious military man frown. The eye is a bit bulbous, but the eye gimmick is so sweet that it doesn't bother me.
I don't know, I think that image supports my point more than anything else. I guess it comes down to personal interpretation. I'm definitely not the only one bummed out by this though.
Edit: That big ole honker and the anime hair are absolutely the worst offenders though.
What the heck!? Has that ever been a rule? That seems like a pretty gross, and bull-headed overreaction.
Edit: No seriously, eff that noise!
I loved these when I was little. They were the very first toys I remember playing with. Would love to see more reviews of them here!
" I want you for Militaires Sans Frontières."
the Revo's nose is too wide, and his hair should lift up more above the headband, but otherwise it's pretty much on-model.
"I've heard friends of mine describe this figure as trying to capture Yoji Shinkawa's very sketchy and whispy looking artwork."
Your friends are being polite.
The moveable eye is a neat feature, and it explains the wild eyed kind of look he has, but this still looks like a figure of a Snake cosplayer. The face doesn't look like any incarnation of Naked Snake/Big Boss ever, not even the super hairy Ashley Wood version. Well, it kind of almost looks like hiimdaisy's take on the super hairy Ashley Wood version.
I'm trying to hold back here, but seriously that head sculpt is 100% awful. It was bad when they revealed it and they haven't done anything to make it better. Which is a damn shame, because the rest of the figure looks really solid. Not a pun.
I'm sorry about breaking the rule of plugging other web sites. I actually did not know it was a rule. On many times I would refer other websites to this one without any issues. Just so much excitement about this toy I wanted to share the news with this community as soon as I found out about it.
Don't worry, it will never happen again.
Watching Gurren Lagann with your 10 year old? You must be one cool dad!
The point of Yamato 2199 is that it is meant to be viewed as "what if they made the original Yamato series as planned back in 1974, but with today's animation technology and modern astronomy and astrophysics injected into the mix?". It's a retelling, using much material that was planned for the series but was dropped, and repairs a number of minor continuity errors and plotholes left open or unexplained originally. It's some incredible space opera and introduces a lot more depth and twists then were in the classic series, and does so with some fantastic animation. I definitely recommend it to fan and newbie alike. As for the original series...it does still hold its own...the dub was good for its time and made less changes than most, but there is also a fansub of the original Japanese DVD remastered series which is really worth checking out if you are at all curious about the original series. But as a long time fan, I feel safe in saying that if you want to watch Yamato as a newbie, check out Yamato 2199. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I also enjoyed the live action movie, but I think that, like the Macross 1984 movie, it is better watched by someone already familiar with the larger story arc as it is quite seriously time-compressed by comparison.
The Yamato is largely unchanged as a result, other than a few proportional tweaks, additional details added, and some changes made to improve functionality and a few very subtle sytlistic changes. This version is taken straight from the CG model data from the show, giving it more precise accuracy to the one portrayed, and since it was built as a CG model, it allowed for a lot more rethinking of how everything fits together and is scaled correctly...something the animation made a great effort to try to do under the refined design work of Miyatake Kazutaka and Matsumoto Reiji, but difficult to do as perfectly accurate as it is with 3D model data. In turn the 3D model data had to be tweaked a lot for style in order to get some of the desired classic exaggerated-perspective profiles from various angles. So the ship model has a much curvier profile than previously.
To a non-fan's eye, or even a casual fan, there's no difference whatsoever...which was kind of the intent, to make these changes work in such a way that they would not look jarring to the classic appearance of this iconic vessel. But at the same time, a hard core fan will notice things right away, such as the significantly reduced muzzle size of the Wave Motion Gun, the oversized periscope sensors on the main cannons, the enlarged third bridge, and so forth.
Also I agree that while Syd Mead's redesign was quite nice, the show of Yamato 2520 was pretty boring and soulless. The ship itself also seems to lack the "character" of the clunky but romanticized Matsumoto/Miyatake space battleship, with everything streamlined into a kind of featureless torpedo shape. As such, it doesn't really lend itself to animation as well. But as for why leave the design close to the original aside from what I've already mentioned, here's the real issue. Yamato is an iconic design. To heavily redesign the Yamato is akin to heavily redesigning Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse. Or the Millennium Falcon, for a closer comparison. It's not something you do lightly and without incurring a lot of disdain.
You really should watch Star Blazers. It was a great show. Just because things are dubbed does not mean they automatically suck. That's rather closed minded.
Well if the torpedo launchers are defective, this is the first I've heard of it in the four years since I got it.