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Space Battleship Yamato

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18 comments posted
Gratitude

Battlestar Yamato is one of my all-star favorite starships of the 1990s for me only because I've discovered the show as Starblazers on VHS tapes rented from the late Blockbuster Video right along with Robotech: Macross Saga from the F.H.E. who brought us the old TMNT, Transformers on VHS. It is fair to say that all the space battleships from Gundam, Macross, Exosquad, Galactica, & Babylon 5 owes a great debt of gratitude to Yamato. It's one of the most recognizable space mammoths in the known world.

Diakron's picture
Posted by Diakron on 4 January, 2011 - 19:34
Got this bad boy for

Got this bad boy for Christmas, and I'm far more enamored of it than I could have imagined. I only picked up it as a companion to the much-anticipated GX-58 Andromeda. I was hesitant because I already own the SOP, which I enjoyed (yeah, I'm in the minority on that one). But the GX-57 is a beast all it's own. For someone who's a fan and has a few Yamato's littering his displays, it's definitely different enough from the SOP to warrant a separate purchase.

The price didn't really phase me since the SOP was about the same. And it hits a sweet spot for guys like me who like realistic versions of the ship (wacky play features nix most of the vintage ships) but don't have $600-$3k to spend on the huge versions.

I agree with the complaint about the auxiliary aircraft. I got excited when I saw the runners on the stand, thinking they were clips. Nope! How tough would it have been to add tiny clear or black sprues that the ships could perch on top of?

My only other big gripe is with the fighter bay. I don't mind the lack of clips in there, but I do mind the loss of the alert light. One of the great features of the SOP was an alert klaxon that would slowly strobe a light illuminating the bay. But on the SOC, the bay is perennially dark.

The sound f/x on this one blow the SOP away. Quality is much higher and louder. And the remote control isn't as gimmicky as I thought. It's actually kind of cool bringing the ship to life from a distance. ^_^

japester's picture
Posted by japester on 4 January, 2011 - 21:24
sop vs soc

does it fall apart when touched like sop version. I too like the sop version, but it is a look not touch more of model with almost no die cast...how does the SOC do in sturdiness and the metal content

AJProDie-Cast's picture
Posted by AJProDie-Cast on 4 January, 2011 - 22:42
Not sure how to answer that

Not sure how to answer that since "falls apart when touched" sounds nothing like my SOP. What falls off yours? Or is that just a gross exaggeration for "didn't have enough diecast"? ;-) The SOC has significant heft.

japester's picture
Posted by japester on 4 January, 2011 - 22:57
well

the fins around the crows nest, the back missile tower, the back main fin, the two small radio wire pieces that after falling out the first time I have never been able to reinsert, your correct it is not the main turret stuff more all the fins around the bridge area...still annoying, but yes an exaggeration:)

AJProDie-Cast's picture
Posted by AJProDie-Cast on 4 January, 2011 - 23:35
I need to dig my SOP out and

I need to dig my SOP out and do a proper comparison, but I remember being really disappointed with the sound quality. The speaker sounded tiny, underpowered, and muffled. The SOC is far and away superior in that regard. AFAIK, the SOP was the first Yamato toy to feature a variety of sound effects, so it was still impressive. It was just clear that they could have done better.

And yeah, the music--particularly the length and variety of the clips--is unique as far as I know.

Between the SOC, the latest version of the Taito Super Mechanics Yamato, and the live action film, December was a great time for Space Battleship Yamato fans!

japester's picture
Posted by japester on 5 January, 2011 - 03:40
Okay. Thanks for clarifying.

Okay. Thanks for clarifying. I think I did put a dab of glue on a couple of those, but the rest stayed in tight on mine (which has traveled to a convention or two for some toy panels).

I think you'll like the SOC, then. Like Atom said, there is very little assembly. All of the bits you mentioned are already attached. You just pop in the deck guns (which are nice and solid).

They also did a nice job on the atmospheric fins and the swappable arms on the stand. All pop in and out of their respective areas easily, but securely. In other words, you won't have one of those heart-stopping moments where you have to jam something into a friction slot or pull it out. The engineering is elegant.

The overall feel is very different from the SOP. It feels....I dunno....more old school? More like a toy? It doesn't have that fragile vibe you might be getting from the SOP. It feels chunky and heavy. You could easily brain somebody with the SOC.

The true test for me was when I picked it up off the stand for maybe the fifth or sixth time. I needed to turn on the power switch to try something out. Even so, I started making takeoff rumbling sounds without even realizing it. Heh, heh. When a spaceship toy evokes that kind of play in a jaded old jerk like me, someone did something right.

EDIT: This is easily my favorite toy of the last year or two, so forgive my babbling. Heh. I wanted to add my thanks to Atom. I didn't know about the music clips. Those added even more to the wow factor. I was confused when he mentioned being able to play clips simultaneously, since mine wouldn't do that. But I now see I can play one music clip and overlay one sound f/x at a time. Perhaps the vid already mentions that. It's amazing how much the addition of gun and engine sounds add to some of the sound clips!

japester's picture
Posted by japester on 5 January, 2011 - 00:15
1/3000 SDF-1

Is it as big as the DX Macross Quarter in both forms?

Diakron's picture
Posted by Diakron on 5 January, 2011 - 04:01
(points confidently at left

(points confidently at left side of the picture)

Now THAT is a futuristic space battleship-! None of that gravity-based, ocean cruiser-with-a-rocket-engine-in-back crap that seems to dominate Japanese space operas... (Clearly you can tell what kind of "Yamato" fan I am, ehh?)

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 9 January, 2011 - 16:47
cool

thanks...helps me feel better, especially since I already bought it, it is current in a "pile O' stuff " at anime export waiting for the andromeda...to ship all together:)

AJProDie-Cast's picture
Posted by AJProDie-Cast on 5 January, 2011 - 23:42
About the Movie

It's coming to Indonesia...? that make me hoping for mad already. About the toy, is is way better that the popynica version?

Berserk's picture
Posted by Berserk on 5 January, 2011 - 03:44
I always wanted

I always wanted the SOP version, but just availability for a fair price was always an issue. I always seemed to look for it when Bandai wasn't re-issuing it. The SOP still an awesome piece and shouldn't be frowned upon. For me I think either version will do.

This version is supposed to be based on the live-action movie, right? or is it a "general" Yamato like the SOP?

Great review Atom - you answer all the questions I had about this piece (except the one above) - hopefully they'll answer the question we both have about the movie soon - "When is it coming to the US?" Does anyone else find it strange that Yamato, despite killing it ticket-wise in Japan this winter (I think it was the #1 or 2 movie overall in Japan this fall) is still without a US distro deal? I smell conspiracy ;) !!

The Big R's picture
Posted by The Big R on 6 January, 2011 - 12:16
Much better than the BPX-01

Don't get me wrong the Popynica version was good for its time. But the Chogokin version BLOWS it out of the water.

pinoy78's picture
Posted by pinoy78 on 7 January, 2011 - 23:16
Battery compartment???

I just got mine today. How do you open the artery compartment on the ship? I don't want to force it, but Joe do you get the panel with the third bridge to come off???

I got the compartment on the Andromeda open with no problems, so i am not a complete moron but there doesn't seem to be anything social that you need to do according to the instructions. I slid a knife blade into the panel gap and gave it a gentle twist but the panel does not come loose.

Please help!

Robokeith's picture
Posted by Robokeith on 25 February, 2011 - 17:17