Toynami Robotech Maia Shadow Alpha Fighter MPC

First of all, I will say I have this toy and pretty much most of the masterpiece collection for Robotech.This toy (the alpha/legioss model) is by far the most fragile one. I think it's due mostly to the manufacturing process rather than the design, but it is fragile as hell. If you plan on treating it like any transformers toy for a kid, think again. It's gonna break and the metal pieces are gonna break off. I have a few used ones in that condition so I can see what happened to them, it wasn't pretty. However, if you treat this like the model that it is (think your granfather's world war II plane models) it is the closest model in design to the actual thing seen in the anime. It also has some really cool features, like a removable pilot and cyclone hatch, accurate missile hatches, and landing gear, that are all super cool.Maia is also pretty cool in my opinion, she's kinda from a lame series, but her character design is cool. And she has a cool looking shadow alpha. Unfortunately the beta that links up with her fighter to make the spacecraft wasn't ever released, but you can link it up with one of the Betas that were released, it looks pretty cool with Annie's.The packaging it comes in is amazing. It's like a big book where you can store the thing in a "forever mint in box" look. Pretty nice, and they all look amazing together on a shelf.But again, NOT a toy. More of something you take out once in a while and display, and gingerly touch, that's it.

It's much smaller than I thought it would be (should be the same size as the Veritech). I suppose they did this so they could fit it with the Beta Fighter without it being overly massive! The panels on this are very flimsy and some have already broken off. They made this sturdy in some areas and flimsy in others. I don't get that. The other thing is how it holds the gun: It's very difficult to get it to wrap around the left or right fist without falling off (The gun cannot be held IN the hand). It also doesn't have leg separation in the hips, so pose-ability is limited. The landing gear is also very difficult to get out w/o a tool of some sort. The right arm, right chest plate & head fin are already very loose & I haven't had this for long.After all that, it does look nice, has a cool looking gun & transforms well! It as a lot of cool panels that open & close for missiles, etc. including an opening cockpit with a figure inside. This is more poseable than my original Alpha Fighter from the 80's, with more features (BUT the Alpha from the 80's was MUCH sturdier)!

Anyone who want to buy this must know that this item is NOT for a child, but for those robotech collectors (at least 15 years old)!!!!The good: package is very beautiful, the color is good. It has some small tricks and it looks very interesting. It is a 5000 limited item (although this die has been used to produce lots of similar productions).The bad: It has lots of small parts, and is not durable. However, I do not think it is a very well made one when considering about the price.Some parts are not well assembled, the head is extremely loose, the tires are very fragile and are very hard to be put back into the plane, and there are some scratches on the robot's glass. It is very hard to be transformed because some parts are very easy to fall off the plane, the the arms and legs can not be put back into the body to a right position.In general, I am very disappoint about this item. I do not think it is a very good robotech collection.Of course, this is a problem of the manufacture--toynami, but not the seller.

The marketing language for this piece brags about how it's a "true transformable". Well it seems they've also invented the "one-time only transformable", how's that for innovation...?This is the second Alpha fighter model I've owned, I sold off my Scott Bernard one after realizing it wasn't really play-worthy, so I knew going in that this thing could have quality issues. However after hearing the non-recalled Maia Shadow Fighter was the best of the bunch, and since I lacked an Alpha for my awesome new Beta fighter - I felt it was worth risking getting a new one. Well it turns out it IS built slightly better than the Scott/ previous runs - but unfortunately the Maia variant is still cheaply made and poorly assembled. Plastic missile hatches bend awkwardly when opened and scream for you to close them before they snap. Unlike other transforming robot toys, it seems they wanted to have no screw holes visible so they opted to glue everything together, which causes maddening inconsistency and creates compound pieces that don't quite mate with each other for a smooth transformation. Worst of all, once you move something out of its original position, internal wear begins and is irreversible. The wing that was once snug in the correct position will begin to flop around and lose the ability to stay where it was. Some joints like the shoulders simply don't work right and will never hold a pose. The hand does not seem to be designed to hold the gun properly. I spent an hour trying to get the thing back into jet mode, and got it maybe 90% of how it was when it came out of the package. Those arms just won't align right anymore. It doesn't matter if you are mentally prepared, gentle or forceful - you will be frustrated playing with this due to the inconsistent and flimsy choice of plastics and awkward interaction with the metal. If you are OCD about transformations and making things fit right, absolutely stay away because it's not going to be the same jet if it is ever transformed into a robot. I'm giving three stars since at least the packaging is very nice, and it is built slightly better than some of the other variants that have been made, which isn't saying much... If you are like me and just want something to go with that well-made Beta Fighter, this is a viable option - but keep it in jet mode or risk losing your mind should you ever decide to transform it.