Good VG-based Mech Toys/Models?

[shmuppyLove]

I'm kinda sorta interested in collecting some nice robot toys.

Not expensive, not large, but have to be nicely designed and made. Don't have to be assembled, but I don't have the space or tools to build and paint full model kits, so at the very least they have to be painted.

If they are based on a videogame series that's even better.

[Observer]

Well, AmiAmi might be the way to go. They have some accessible models and mechs always go for far less than those loli figures.

Just look at this badass moth·%·$%·%

http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail ... agecnt%3D1

Or this one: http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail ... agecnt%3D1

Or this!: http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail ... agecnt%3D1

Jeez, I want dem all Armored Cores!

Not sure if they come pre-painted and all though. I think you have to build 'em yourself but scan AmiAmi, some stuff is bound to appear!

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Get thee to Silver Snail or that little place in the AMC at Dundas square. They always have plenty of stuff.

Most modern transformers are sweetly designed nowadays and reasonably priced.

[mesh control]

Revoltech Jehuty

[spikehead]

http://www.hlj.com/

Some stuff comes preassembled

http://www.ludikbazar.com/index.php?cPath=460_4270_3672

preassembled and prepainted

[Ghegs]

Every now and then I toy with the idea of grabbing some Mechwarrior: Dark Ages figures. They're small, assembled, painted and some of them look pretty nice.

And as an added bonus you can play the game with them.

[shmuppyLove]

Get thee to Silver Snail or that little place in the AMC at Dundas square. They always have plenty of stuff.

Most modern transformers are sweetly designed nowadays and reasonably priced.

Yeah I saw some of the Transformers DOTM ones look really good actually.

Toronto Life Square you're talking about? Where the AMC and Future Shop are? So there's a toy shop in there somewhere?

Edit: Oops looks like Toronto Life magazine pulled out back in 2009, now it's just "10 Dundas East"

[Deca]

99% of movie transformers are hideous messes. Look into the Masterpiece line for some really nice stuff.

As mentioned, revoltechs are pretty sweet. Kotobukia makes good stuff and has lines of Armored Core and Super Robot Wars kits. Check out dalong.net to see some very nice galleries of the models pre and post assembly.

[Sly Cherry Chunks]

Its a Japanese store above future shop. Same floor as the food court iirc.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

The Kayaido produced Robot Collection is ace with the Jinki Extend mecha suit...has plently of extra weaponry/armaments galore. It's quite an articulated action figure and very nicely painted indeed. The main gun/rifle even comes with a bipod mount and is taller in height than the mecha suit itself -- gives you an idea of how much "kickback" ensues when fired/used in the heat of war.

A typical Armored Core model kit comprises of around 300 seperate pieces to put together all done by hand. In the end, you get a very detailed and articulated action figure worthy of displaying on a motorized display stand if desired.

The Gundam Fixx collection is cool, especially with the Gundam Unicorn and it's accompanying weaponry + twin booster rocket pack mounted on the backside. Since the action figure is already assembled and painted for you, they look nice inside a curio display case with internal lighting for some cool ambient lighting effects. Add a Bandai produced Gundam model backlit LED (in cool blue) display stand unit for extra points/a special touch.

McFarlane Toys used to sell those Manga Spawn LE action figures that came with a cool display case that came with internal battery operated lighting to highlight such figures for use in retail shops. Those would work equally well for display purposes.

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Transformers Factoid Time:

The design process of creating a Transformer toy from conceptual drawing to a fully realized mass-produced toy is quite a long & tedious task/journey. Backtrack to two years earlier, starting from drawings and making a prototype toy or several of them (each one is quite fragile to say the least -- treat them with utmost care & respect), one to be sent to the manufacturing plant to be mass-produced, and one for photographic purposes for retail packaging shots and for promotional purposes. It generally takes about two years to see the newly designed Transformers toys that you see currently at retail. In coming up with new and more elaborate transformations is pushing the upper limits of manufacturing and overall design ingeunity indeed. Gotta thank Takara and Hasbro with their old-school G1 Transformers lineup (aka Diaclone in Japan) back in 1984.

Will be interesting to see how the new Transformers toy lineup for the upcoming fourth film fares out in 2014.

In checking out of the newer Transformers Generations toy lineup that look so much like their classic G1 cartoon likenesses from the early 80s series, and still have up to 21-22 points of articulation is really something (i.e. the modern day Red Alert Transformer looks so much like it's cartoons series countpart and yet still transforms into a realistic fire department motif endowed Lamborgini). These that are made nowdays, surely ain't your father's Transformer toys.

Of course, you might recall that the original G1 tranformers were made with a mixture of die-cast metal and plastics, whereas for the U.S. toy market, the current Transformers toys are comprised of mostly plastics to reduce overal production cost and therefore, retail pricepoints have to be kept in check. It's a fine line to walk in determining what to sell a current toys these days. I'd rather see going back to the old-school way of incorporating a mixture of both die-cast metal & plastic parts of like how the G1 series was constructed. Means more $$$ spent to pull it off successfully in the end.

For the Japanese toy market, it's known that the Transformers sold there use a mixture of both die-cast metal and plastics (as the public is willing to pay more for such high-quality made toys). It's a given alrighty.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~