Fashionably Late
ExVee - October 11, 2006
Okay, so we're a little bit behind my original planned reopening date. However, as promised we have not returned empty-handed! A little later, RAC will be by to let you know what fun things he's brought to the party today, but in the meantime, I have a couple reviews to help hold you over. First up is the majorly orange but otherwise yawn-worthy LaGOWE. Novelty doesn't last forever. On the other side of the coin, the Atmospheric Entry Set consisting of EMIA Gundam Mk II and a Flying Armor brings a few interesting new innovations to the game, not to mention a pretty fun gallery shoot. Not bad for a minimal recolor and a few new accessories.I've still got more material waiting around for me to have time to finish the photo shoots, but it'll be some cool stuff coming up, including the shiniest Mobile Suit around, enough guns to equip a small anti-government military, flying donuts, and some kind of Transformer. We're quickly approaching an important milestone here, and let's just say that it's gonna make for a fun end of the year. But for right now, It Figures! is back - let the good times roll!
Speaking of Transformers...
RAC- October 11, 2006
Both my reviews for today are MSiA with Mobile Armor modes! First up, the transforming edition of Wing Gundam Zero, our very first Gundam Wing review! And Secondly, Haman Karn's Gaza-C which, if you haven't seen or read about the Zeta Gundam films yet, you might not even be aware of.
The first figure, to me, best represents what transforming MSiA were like before the advent of A New Translation: it works far better in one mode than the other. I figure that it's good that Neo Bird Mode is the winner, since there is at least a non-transforming Zero you can buy if the ankles on this figure drive you up a wall. On the other hand, you have the modern approach in the Gaza: a figure with a few mild quirks in each mode but nothing that cripples either. It's definitely the better method, making for much less frustration overall.
Anyway, I don't want to ramble on too much, but it's good to be back! Like ExVee I hope to have another review ready soon, and this one will stop beating around the bush and originate from the first line you'd think of when you think of transforming robots. Check back when you can!
Man, that's shiny
ExVee - October 21, 2006
It's amazing to me just how great the EMIA Hyaku Shiki really is. For one thing, it seems to involve every major advance in MSiA engineering since the Impulse. The flexibility is unparalelled, the paint job is wonderful (if blinding), and it features just about any major Shiki trick you could want. This is the model any future MSiA should be patterned after. In playing with this Shiki, I can only imagine what a modern set of G Gundam figures would be like. It's very clear that the technology exists now to make any given G design able to do all sorts of martial arts poses, and with creative use of stands, recreate most any fight from the series.The irony that exists here is that while we seem to have reached a new level of excellence within MSiA, we're coming to something of a head. There are yet designs Bandai-Namco could bring to life in action figure form from within the range of series they appear comfortable drawing. However, many of these seem undesireable from a view of estimated sales - flooding a market with GM types may not necessarily be the ideal move when your major market group seems to not like GMs to start with. What seems to be happening now is that a choice will soon have to be made, as the number of headliner or otherwise popular designs in the series currently being used dwindles. Either less prominent designs from the same series will need to come into play (Where's my Nemo already?!), or things are going to have to expand into other series. The entirety of V Gundam remains untouched so far, as does Gundam X. The vast majority of Double Zeta and Turn A are similarly neglected. I could go on about this subject at considerable length, but the final point will be the same regardless. There will be a time, not very far off either, where someone is going to have to take the undesired road and take the risk on merchandising those less popular series, or else be left rerunning the same designs into the ground. Such an action I believe would spell the death of MSiA, and that is something that would truly sadden me.
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