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VFB-9H Beta Fighter Rand Masterpiece Vol. 1

Comments

20 comments posted
Wow!

I really not into spending over $100.00 on toys but I've been waiting too long to pass this one up. It's beautiful piece but I'm just concerned with how solid the Alpha is going to connect to the Beta? Any thoughts on that? That will really be the deciding factor and I hope Toynami put some thought into that, but as is it looks great and I will picking one up regardless.

Cheers
LF

Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau

Showapop's picture
Posted by Showapop on 27 December, 2008 - 16:49
Hi Leonardo, Watch the

Hi Leonardo,
Watch the video review, its solid!

-Dan
CollectionDX LLC
Vice President/Co-Owner
"the other fat bearded guy at CDX"

Shogundan's picture
Posted by Shogundan on 27 December, 2008 - 16:50
A tear to my eye as well!

Freaking cool! I'm sold, Hopefully Toynami will release a retooled alpha to go along with it!

Thanks!
LF

Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau

Showapop's picture
Posted by Showapop on 27 December, 2008 - 17:16
Best Toynami toy ever

Pick up one of these just before xmas (present for my self). This one big bird and I LOVE it!! Toynami actually got it right with this one (bout f''n time). Has that big heavy old school toy feel with nice tight fit and well thought out, simple gimmicks. Not over gimmicked like the Alpha is (which I think is it's down fall)
Too bad the review doesn't include a picture mated with the Alpha. Looks fantastic together in 'plane' mode on the included stand...except for the fact the the Alpha is such a crap toy which is my biggest complaint. Because the Bata has such a nicely polished design to it and the Alpha is so over designed (and poorly constructed) they look like they came from two entirely different manufacture when you put them next to each other.
Any whoo. If you are a fan you owe it to your self to pick one up. Even if you have to put your Toynami Alpha's on ebay to raise the cash.

Toysouldiers's picture
Posted by Toysouldiers on 27 December, 2008 - 18:45
One word: *drool*.

One word: *drool*.

I want a Beta more-so than an Alpha (mostly because I'm an outsider looking in with no exposure to the MOSPEADA series).

So in recap, of the two Betas that were released so far (CM and Toynami) this one is by far the better one to go for; do I understand that correctly?
While the die-cast would certainly be awesome to have, I agree that an all-plastic ver. would be greatly appreciated and I would be far more inclined to get that- even in a boxed set with an all-plastic Alpha (landing gear notwithstanding).
I would also like a simpler box design for both/either a boxed-set or individual 'bots to help cut down on that price.

If this were straight $100 off the shelf instead of $150, I would have jumped online and bought one today, but I too have ever-increasing financial problems. For a combined set of all-plastic toys, I would gladly pay $100, and $70 for just an all-plastic Beta.

...I cannot believe you guys actually promoted a Barry White moment there. -_-;
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 27 December, 2008 - 20:19
is it c10? You know,

is it c10?

You know, normally I don't care that much about mech pieces (sorry), but this looks great. I may have to go against my nature and pick one up.

Oh and I love that you used Tricky for the intro of the video. Haha.

joshua fraser's picture
Posted by joshua fraser on 27 December, 2008 - 21:39
I agree with EVA

Make it $50 cheaper and I'll buy it.

And yes EVA, they are recommending this one over the CMs. The CMs Alpha and Beta set is nearly $300 and almost completely devoid of metal, also it's fiddly as hell to connect them...here's Josh's review of that one:

http://tinyurl.com/7o96hy

Gareth Infinity's picture
Posted by Gareth Infinity on 28 December, 2008 - 20:32
One item NOT covered in the video review

There was one item, not covered in the video review, that I wanted to ask about. While you briefly touched on the packaging, you did not tell us how the package size compares to the Alpha's. Obviously, it's going to be a deeper box. However, was Toynami able to adjust the internal packaging enough to keep the exterior box the same height as the Alpha box? While this seems minor, it can actually be important for displaying the collectibles in their boxes. The VF1 series and the Alpha series maintained the same height boxes, so they really do look like nicely lined up books, when placed on a book shelf. If the Beta's packaging is larger (in height) it throws off that finished bookshelf look.

Rhade
CAG of the DOL

Rhade's picture
Posted by Rhade on 29 December, 2008 - 02:09
Hmm, I'll have to check, but

Hmm, I'll have to check, but I believe they are bigger. I don't have my alpha box on hand to compare. It feels more like the size of the Masterpiece Voltron box.

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CollectionDX Admin

JoshB's picture
Posted by JoshB on 29 December, 2008 - 15:42
AMAZING!!

Great job on the video, guys! Totally love it!!

Man, I'm gonna have to get one of these, no doubt. The Alpha connection is fantastic. This toy blows the CM's version out of the water on every level.

My only unrealized hopes with the Beta concern the connecting boom for the Alpha. I see two shortcomings with it. First, there're actually two of them! One is for the Alpha in fighter mode, while another is required for battloid mode. It woulda been killer if they could have designed just one for both Alpha modes. Second, I wish they could have designed it to be telescoping. That way, it wouldn't be a separate piece to be attached--it could just collapse into the Beta's body. Oh well...

Anyway, what really needs to happen is a complete re-tooling/re-releasing of the Alpha in this quality. Sure, I agree with ShogunDan: it doesn't necessarily have to be diecast. As long as it's super-sturdy like the Beta is, I'll be more than happy!

--
Sanjeev

Sanjeev's picture
Posted by Sanjeev on 29 December, 2008 - 12:28
Master Beta

Being a long-time Toynami supporter, and owning nearly all the MP releases, I feel somewhat vindicated that they've finally come around to doing what they must have been trying to achieve all along. Producing a high-end toy that is on par with Japanese pieces and not the butt of jokes. This will get them noticed and just might see some imports into Japan.

The video review was a bit sloppy guys, I realize this looks like it was done off-the-cuff to get it up so quickly after the release of the Beta, but the number of jump-cuts and extraneous audio gives it a real haphazard appearance. The fact it's in HD is a bit comical given these issues. I recommend you go back and trim it down a bit, especially since this will be a popular video given the subject matter.

The music cue for the "docking" was a nice touch though, (Marvin Gaye, not Barry White). It does appear (reminiscent to the old GI Joe Skystriker and USS Flagg) that the two were designed together, and even though the Alpha may leave a bit to be desired, it still goes well with the Beta.

I foresee prices of Toynami Betas going up as we speak, and it will be interesting what Toynami decides to do given the limited edition status of those. I'm guessing we'll see an approach similar to the Voltron where the diecast one will retain its collectible status and a new plastic version will come out for folks who bought the Beta.

I'm a bit upset with the CM's bashing in the review. Toynami was able to see what was done wrong with the CM's and built on it, so naturally it had more to work with improving the design. CM's took the approach of making a "toy" and had to sell both together keeping the price in line with selling something they knew most would buy without a second thought given the history of the Beta/Tlead.

The CM's isn't perfect, and it was pretty crummy how they handled the whole thing, but being the only game in town on a product allows you to do so. The CM's isn't a bad piece in terms of construction or playability, it just was too expensive and wasn't as well thought-out as it could've been if they had any real competition to worry about. Looking at the other CM's Mospeada offerings, it's obvious they were set on making a great "toy" instead of a "collectible", it just happens to still be a collectible and is priced as such.

Basically Toynami had everything to gain with this toy while CM's had nothing to lose. It was all about timing and what the market would allow. The CM's came out in a very different climate than now, where even the price of the Beta (exactly right IMO) is under scrutiny. Comparing the two is unavoidable, but it's a bit unfair given the circumstances. I own and enjoy them both, and while my buying decisions would be different if I was buying today, I don't plan on selling the CM's off or regret owning it. My only regret is it's probably going to be even cheaper than it's already gotten given this piece.

In any case, it's great to see Toynami rebound from the joke they were to many, to possibly being a new force to recon with Bandai and Yamato. It's been a long crazy trip following this thing, it's great that it ended up being worth it. Here's hoping for more from Toynami and maybe some love for Southern Cross.

duke togo's picture
Posted by duke togo on 29 December, 2008 - 14:17
Thanks for the comment

Thanks for the comment Duke.

The CM's isn't a bad piece, its just a totally different piece. When you hold the two side by side, there is no comparison. And when you factor in the value, Toynami wins. CM's is a great toy, albeit more expensive - and it has a quality alpha to go with it. But remember, these were marketed as GOKIN, and there was hardly any diecast in them at all. for the price and what they were marketed as, they fell short. That's not to say they aren't cool in their own right.

As far as the video being sloppy, well, Yeah, it can be. See, I'm not a videographer, and we thought it best to bring you a full look at this thing in high definition as soon as possible. So our edits aren't as clean and professional as they should be - well, that's the trade off. Keep in mind we don't have a big staff. There are only a few of us to do this, and we have to shoot, edit, photograph, write and upload these things in a short amount of time to remain relevant. It took me 8 hours to render this video in HD, and unfortunately, i'm not about to do it again.

As we do more videos in the future, we'll continue to improve our quality, so we hope you continue watching.

Josh
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CollectionDX Admin

JoshB's picture
Posted by JoshB on 29 December, 2008 - 15:40
CM's

It's kind of silly to claim Toynami could learn from CM's mistakes when Toynami's been showing prototypes of their Beta for literally years and the final product is not hugely changed from those old prototypes. Furthermore, those prototypes look nothing like CM's rendition of the Tread and they were around way before CM's Tread was.

CM's Tread definitely looks a lot more like the line art, but it's also small, overpriced, and mostly plastic. Also, I've always been fine with that is not exactly like the line art as long as it's funky and cool and fun to play with. I've never been one of those sticklers for line art and I'm not sure where this attitude comes from, honestly. It seems to have developed in the last ten years or so.

-Jeremy

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 29 December, 2008 - 17:44
As someone who has followed

As someone who has followed the Toynami Beta since it was first shown at Comic Con some 4 years ago, the key part that was never shown was how it connected to the Alpha. Since CM's admittedly lousy handling of it, Toynami showed their version finally pointing out how it connects.

The Toynami molds never showed missiles and a cockpit until the CM's did either, so saying it gained from looking at CM's release is not without merit, George himself stated they added the diferent heads to differentiate them from just being different colors like CM's did.

And finally I'll add that the Beta, as great as it is, is half a package where the mate is only available from private sellers since it came out 4 years ago. The video review itself shows how a person who has hundreds of toys doesn't have the one that was meant for it, and now has to track one down. Let's add up the cost of the Beta and finding a matching Alpha from a smart seller and see how close it gets to the CM's price.

I love the Beta, it's amazing that it was better than anyone thought it would be after all that it's gone through. I just got a bit upset how the CM's was being "thrown away", when it is still a damn good toy and only suffered from bad business ideas. If the Beta ended up like every other Toynami product, I'd bet the CM's would still be looked upon as a better toy. Those that bought the CM's set months ago had a choice: Toynami's track record of delays and quality, and CM's history of great gokin. It's a cold day in hell my friends when the latter was the "wrong" choice.

I guess Hell just froze over.

duke togo's picture
Posted by duke togo on 29 December, 2008 - 18:12
Toynami

Toynami always said there was going to be a Beta to go with the Alpha. If you didn't believe them, you can hardly blame them. The OTHER Alphas are easier to find than the blue one, or you get could the new one coming out and the Beta to match if you want.

Furthermore, there have been other good Toynami products. Their 1/100 Valkyrie is a fun little toy, for sure and Voltron was pretty great. They've been getting better the whole time, but a lot of people decided they were haters for life when the VF-1J Rick Hunter Masterpiece was delayed.

I don't know about the timeline on adding features like missisle or whatever. You'd have to ask them. Considering CM's Tread has only been out a little while (when did they come out, April?) and the lead time in toys, I really doubt they changed that much. Unlike Toynami, CM's did not show their Tread for years and years. Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me.

-Jeremy

Destroy All Podcasts DX's picture
Posted by Destroy All Pod... on 29 December, 2008 - 19:01
Pilot Figs

How do the pilot figs compare size and quality-wise with say, 1/48 Yamato figs, or CM's Patlabor figs?

warrhead's picture
Posted by warrhead on 4 February, 2009 - 19:28
I would have to say they are

I would have to say they are equivalent to both Yamato and CM's

-Dan
CollectionDX LLC
Vice President/Co-Owner
"the other fat bearded guy at CDX"

Shogundan's picture
Posted by Shogundan on 4 February, 2009 - 21:38
A Question/Help?

I got an early xmas present given to me, and it was this! i agree - they've come so far with their quality - i can put it, and my linked Aoshima blue alpha on the stand and *not worry* - frickin' awesome!

However, there were no stickers or instruction booklet included. I can live without the instruction booklet (since hey, thanks to the video above, i saw how to do it), but no stickers? man, that's a bummer...

I've tried repeatedly e-mailing toynami, to no avail. Does anyone have any alternate methods of contacting them to get this rectified?

SushiSpook's picture
Posted by SushiSpook on 8 December, 2009 - 11:01
Send me your email, and I

Send me your email, and I will pass it along to my contact at Toynami.

josh@collectiondx.com

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CollectionDX Admin

JoshB's picture
Posted by JoshB on 8 December, 2009 - 12:01
you sir, are hewn from pure

you sir, are hewn from pure awesome! thank you :)

SushiSpook's picture
Posted by SushiSpook on 8 December, 2009 - 14:06