Dr. Core wrote:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I kind of wish the 100th MG would have been the Unicorn.... I doubt
we'll
see a MG Unicorn Gundam for a while though...
Well "MG100" is just a made-up promo gimmick. The real point is that
MG Unicorn isn't in the offerings out to November or even December.
Seems that with Seed and Unicorn the pattern is set: new series
doesn't get MG treatment until it's proven itself in the rating (or
for Turn-A, some excuse to highlight a made-up milestone).
Is there a new sense of confidence in Bandai's merchandising strategy?
For a few years now Bandai had played it very close to the chest,
often giving us barely two months notice advanced of a kit's release.
Now we are getting a complete release schedule covering 5-6 months in
advance (come to think of it, also for SD Sangokuden). A few
observations:
* the cheap kits finally get a proper name: "FG"
* no 1/100 kits?
* has HCMP replaced MSIA?
* is "Virtue" less important than the other three? Is it really a
quartet or a trio plus excess luggage?
I suspect that the MG Unicorn won't be out for a very long time, unless
the series picks up some serious attention even outside the target
market. As for the Turn-A MG, I think it's a nice way to give a breather
for other stuff that they are developing down the road.
I think the reason why they're giving 5-6 months ahead is more of a
matter of having reached a new level of variant designs in their kits.
Many of the kits coming out now are simply variants. Except for the 00's
of course, which leads us to my part on that...
1) I've always taken to calling the simple kits FG's, if only for the
fact that they are similar in construction. I'm not surprised at the
level of detail in these kits, as the RX-78 FG was pretty much detailed,
too.
2) I suspect that 1/100 kits will be for Christmas.
3) I don't think that HCMP has replaced MSiA, just that they've realized
that there is a viable market for HCMP in the ever-expanding collector's
market - and that people who buy toys but are not collectors also want them.
4) I suspect that it's Bandai's cautiousness. The Virtue, out of all of
them, is the unusual design, really. So they'll be a bit cautious about
kit releases for that one, unless initial sales for it are pretty good.
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