Proper photos later, but here's some I popped off at work. I couldn't get any setting on my camera to look good with the flourescent tube lights in the ceiling.
Thoughts: Tight, tight, tight. Wow. I was trying to swing the arms out the way I remembered from the original but they were not budging so I had to consult the manual. I was doing it right, I just had to really hulk on them. Another super tight area is the back panel, getting them apart to fold for Battroid took a lot of wiggling and coaxing. I’m sure it will all get smoother over time. And the rear landing gear, I don’t see how it’s possible to get them out without a tool. There is only the smallest of tabs to get leverage on with a fingernail and they’re just too tight to do that. Not a biggie, and not the first time I’ve needed to use an ancillary tool on a Macross toy. The heat shield does not look lavender to me. It looks grey. This doesn’t feel like the old toy at all. It feels like we all wanted the original to feel like when we got it. It’s exquisite. The fuel pods (or whatever they are) on the chest are glued on and not removable like the original. I was a bit bummed by this since I prefer Battroid without them. I know they’re accurate to the show but I don’t care for how they look. How can he see past those?
Wait, arent they supposed to come off so you can attach the ghost pieces or am i thinking of different parts
YES! An uplifting positive review. I may not get the 0A, but this makes the anticipation for the 0S even greater. I almost want to cancel a bunch of preorders in favor of getting the 0D. Oh and I bet you like yanking off those fuel pods for that clean exposed chest.
I would definitely recommend at least one of the new Zero toys. Arcadia really put some thought and care into the things to make sure they handle as good as they look. I no longer have my original S and A toys but I remember how much they jiggled and frobbled around and just felt a bit janky and unstable in battroid mode. Not so with these. The only negative I can really think of is the price tag because ouch. It's funny you say that about the 'exposed chest'. See that photo I posted with the one arm bent outward, hand on chest? I was planning to shoot a silly photo where it was holding a fuel pod in each hand like a Battroid in the French district during Mardis Gras. I got as far as posing the arms and then realized the pods weren't coming off. Alas.
Ron, did you have get any scratches/scuffs on the shoulder paint after transformation? I was very careful, as I always am with these things, but I noticed the grey paint on each shoulder got scuffed somehow. I'm thinking since they fit so tightly together that they scuffed each other as I was trying to pry them out of their seating. Still, the paint shouldn't scuff that easily. :/ Also I noticed a scratch along the side of the canopy like something inside the heat shield rubbed against it during transformation. Only on one side though.
Tape the wings, too. They rub against each other and the back plate pretty tightly if you want to fold them full for battroid mode. You'll notice in my photos I didn't fold them all the way.
Finished labeling up the 0A. Those damned "NO STEP" stickers are always a royal pain. Quick and dirty pics below. Getting late and didn't want to pull out the close up lens.
Also, my wings have scratches on them. It's from the metal hinge piece when the wings are folded up in battroid mode. It's only on the bottom of the wings though so at least you don't see them in fighter mode unless you're looking underneath. Oh well. I'll call it "weathering." Hugo, you'll want to put a piece of tape on the metal hinge like I did in the third pic attached.
Damn, this paint scratches so easily. I'm still pissed my canopy got scratched and I cannot figure out what did it. Unless some stray plastic bit got caught between the heat shield and canopy. I was going to take mine for another run tonight and throw it in the light box, but then I had a giant mug of porter and now I'm too tired to safely handle a $300 toy.
