Ok, I just got done watching a review of Heat Boys Leonardo and for the second time this week I was smacked in the face by the fact that Bandai is criminally overpricing their collector items. $170.00 for a piece that is every bit as good or better quality as any Metal Build release. And its a very creative way to represent the Turtles too. I mean, I know they (Bandai) over charges but some of these new companies like Hiya and now Heat Boys are just making it ridiculously obvious. I need to really think about how much money I am throwing out to Bandai and some other companies.
It might be reissued, but not until a very long time. We're still waiting for the reissue of the Nu to go up for pre-order. There's no denying that other companies are catching up with Bandai now, and even exceeding them in some areas. However, Bandai has a monopoly on some IPs so we'll always go back to them. I also will say that when Bandai fire at 100%, they're still the best in the business.
My Leonardo just shipped so I’ll give my impressions whenever it arrives in a few weeks. From what I’ve read, the quality isn’t quite Moshow level but should be quite good. I do agree that Bandai has super high potential but have gotten greedy with their price hikes and constant repaints and lazy with their QC. If their QC was more consistent, they could stand their own, but in my experience their QC has been consistently worse than Moshow and CCS at sometimes double the cost. Hopefully they will get their act together when they don’t hold a monopoly on a design as is the case with their upcoming Shin Getter.
I remember when I first got that 1/60 scale Moshow Aile Strike figure several years ago. I was shocked at how high the quality was for what I paid for it. Moshow and other third-party companies have only gotten better since then, which makes justifying Bandai prices harder and harder to do. I agree that Bandai need to step up their game. Their prices has risen even though their QC has fallen in recent years. There's no reason why the Gold Frame is more expensive than the Exia Devise, for example. But Bandai has a monopoly on Gundam, so they can price things however they want and Gundam fans will have to pay. And, yes, the constant repaints, reuse of molds, and their seemingly unwillingness to do metal builds/metal composites outside the 00, Wing, and SEED universes has soured my taste in MB collecting as of late.
Woah!!! That's crazy I got mine at Kappahobby but at the 2k mark. I'd never pay that much... but then again, in 2 years, the minimum price will probably be closer to 4k
Thank you for the link that’s very nice of you. But at 3000 I’d not I can justify now especially after I bought a 2000 transformer statue. Maybe later if this store still has it stock
It certainly is my holey grail I can die a happy man having this monster Now if they only make a 1/35th scale one...
If you are asking about releases there has already been a gloss and matte release of Gold Frame Amatsu Mina.
Hmmm…I think I’m in on this even considering the drop in quality of the Second 1/72 Strike Release. MS2.0 1/72 NT03A GAT-X102 Duel Gundam w/ Assault Shroud Armor [Pre-Order] MS2.0 1/72 NT03A GAT-X102 Duel Gundam w/ Assault Shroud Armor
No I meant this thing but black, yours doesn't look like an Astray to me. I am a noob in this world, but I did finish Gundam Seed and Destiny (which was absolutely terrible.) I like how clean the gold Astray looks compared to yours which is too busy for me.
There isn't officially, no. IIRC it was Red, Blue, Gold, Green, and an unknown one that got modified into Mirage Frame and is purple-y. Gold Frame loses its right arm and gets it replaced with the severed right arm of the Blitz Gundam, then just sort of leans into that aesthetic with more and more black parts on it.
Interesting! Thank you! looked them all up, and had high hopes for the purple one. Horrifying haha. That gold one has to be the best looking one of them all. Especially with the single arm, giving it a survivor/battle worn look. Hmmm. I’m only allowed to have 1 MB and I’m out, not going down this rabbit hole lol. Barbartos MB is going to be nuts, I can feel it.
The natural state of an Astray frame is to end up batshit and full of things bolted onto it. The Blue Frame falls for this the least but even it gets weird with it. Just not as weird as the Red Frame or Gold Frame.
I do like the red blue and gold frame ‘start’ and ‘middle’ forms but yeah the final forms where you need arms to hold up the pieces…not as big a fan.
Speaking of Gold Frame, I’m still selling my original Amatsu Mina for cheap if anyone is interested! I think the only SEED suit I’ll get now is Providence haha. Must resist the rest!!
