In a new video on the Bandai Metal Build F91 page (also shown below), we have finally been given more details about the upcoming toy. Besides its elegant silhouette, the toy will also have four main points that gives it a distinction from previous Metal Builds. It is the first toy in the range to utilize etched parts, which allow for more detail than its counterparts. In addition, it will also be given the V.S.B.R, a brand new gimmick from the designer Kunio Okawara, which is a metallic rifle that also extends to reveal much more. Up next are the heat-radiating fins, which protrude from the shoulder pads. The final point is that you have the ability to open the face of the F91 (which is my favorite feature of the four, because when was the last time you saw a Gundam without its mask?). The Metal Build F91 will be released April 2017 for the price of 20,520 yen. Until then, I’ll keep you in the loop with any further updates.

The latest and third installment in the Valkyries book series by Hidetaka Tenjin will be released this September in Japan. Like the first and second books, this one will contain new Macross related art by Tenjin featuring a variety of variable fighters from the series. This new book will also be fully bilingual and feature English text. Considering that Macross Delta is the latest series in the saga, it’s clear this new book will focus on this more readily but it will be interesting to see what other pieces of art turn up. Valkyries Third Sortie is released on September 14th in Japan by Kobunsha and you can pre-order it over on Amazon. In the meantime, make sure to check out my review of the second book.

As part of their Golden Week sale, Sony’s PSN store is offering deep discounts on the original PSone Armored Core and The Misadventures of Tron Bonne. Each are available for $2.99, and 25% cheaper than that with PS Plus. I’m not sure what mechanical war machines have to do with Golden Week, but it’s clear evidence that Japan has cooler holidays than anyone in the West.

For those of you asking if Tron Bonne counts as a true mecha game: if it’s a machine, if there’s a pilot, if it has legs, and if one of those legs could stomp a human skull into mash, then that’s a mecha. Sale ends on May 2nd.

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan we’ve been sent the Robot Damashii Dunbine and Robot Damashii Drumlo from the classic 80’s mecha anime Aura Battler Dunbine. While the Dunbine is an updated re-release from 2012, the Drumlo is a brand new release in Bandai’s ongoing and thoroughly excellent aura battler Robot Damashii range. We’ve also included some anime and game footage at the end of the review.

So out of nowhere you can now buy the original PSone Armored Core on the US PSN store. Costing a very reasonable $5.99, it’s compatible with the PS3, PSP and Vita. Due to the way the Vita is setup you can also force the game to use dual analogue controls but we don’t recommend it. Simply because the camera isn’t at all set up to work with those controls and makes the game pretty much unplayable. That aside, this is a fantastic addition to PSN and we’re hoping that both Project Phantasma and Master of Arena will join the first game sometime soon. It would be nice to see the whole trilogy released on the European PSN too but that’s unlikely as the last two games never received a European version. As these games are already on the Japanese PSN we can vouch for them quite happily. Considering you can play this classic game on a modern HD display, as well as via a variety of portable devices, is pretty damn great. So definitely pick this up, as the game is still fun to play even today.

Wonder Festival 2015 Winter has now come to end and it was a good one. Apart from the legion of amazing garage kit figures on show and on sale, the future commercial announcements were decent this time around. The mother of which being Fewture’s transformable EX Gohkin Garland (shown above) from the first Megazone 23. Now we’ve already been graced with toys of this from Yamato back in the day but they all had serious quality issues (the joints often shattered). This will be different though as most EX Gohkins use a lot of diecast and go through rigorous quality assurance. No word on a price or release date but we want this, really quite badly. Apart from the Garland, we had a lot of cool stuff on show from Sentinel and Megahouse. The former had the amazing Metamorforce Dancouga and also showed the prototype Black Wing too, so a Final Dancouga is an option again. The latter showed off the upcoming Orguss toy and it is utterly pristine and will be a definite purchase come its release in March. Arcadia also had a good Macross showing too this year.

If you want to check out some photos then feel free to go here, here, , here, here, here and here. We will also be doing an event report for Forbes in the next few days too, so keep an eye out for that.

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan we’ve been sent the Metal Robot Damashii Hi-Nu Gundam as seen in the novel Beltorchika’s Children (one of the adaptations for Char’s Counterattack). In addition, we’ve also included some game footage of the mecha in action at the end of the review. This is a companion review to the original Robot Damashii figure.

At a recent mini-show for Megahouse products, they revealed a bunch of lovely new toys. Most of these had been shown previously at places like WonFes but many of these were closer to final versions, so painted up and using the correct materials. One of this was the upcoming Variable Action Hi-Spec Orguss (shown above) from the anime of the same name. It looks frankly gorgeous and will transform across all four modes. Released next March it also costs an eye watering 35,000 yen. As it’s not an overly large figure, that’s a mighty big price tag. Regardless, we want one. Badly. If you want to check out the event, there is a nice gallery here.

Over the weekend we went to see Bandai’s Macross Chogokin Exhibit in Akiba. It was pretty great and showed off old and new tots alike. From the VF-19 Advance (above) to a new toy range, called Hi-Metal R, that featured all manner of classic designs. The latter might indicate the Harmony Gold legal situation might be changing too but we’ll see on that. We’re also getting a new anime too by the looks of it, by the name of Macross Delta. No real details as yet but they are getting ready for singing auditions. We covered this over at Forbes (yeah, we are also writing there now) but there’s also a nice little gallery of the event here.

Courtesy of our good friends at HobbyLink Japan, we’ve been sent a toy from Mobile Fighter G Gundam to review. Specifically, the Robot Damashii God Gundam that’s on sale. In addition, to give the toy some context, we’ve also linked gameplay and anime footage of it in action at the end of the review.