05.21.08
CMs 1/48 Legioss/Tlead (Part 3: A Synopsis)
Gallery & Synopsis: Click here to see pics of all the different versions in action
Packaging & Extras: (4/5)
Please note, the Legioss and Tread have been reviewed separately. Find those individual reviews for more detailed observations. All three variants come in a cookie-cutter box with a different sticker attached and thin plastic insert supported by a piece of cardboard. The Green Legioss/Tread comes with mini figures for both Yellow Belmont and Rey/Ley while the Eta version just comes with Stig figures and the Zeta comes with Houquet figures. All toys come with display stands, swords, under-intake missiles, optional third missile pod, a gun, an attachment so the gun can be connected to the optional third missile pod, and the connecting arm pictured (upside down) below.
Charm & Collectability: (4/5)
The Iota version is a CMs website exclusive and should be more expensive and harder to come by (although not ridiculously so). All versions are outside of the range of most sane collectors so chances are these will probably remain fairly collectable for quite some time. My previous reviews didn’t really have much in the way of comparisons to existing Mospeada toys so I’ve included some below.
Sculpt, Detail, and Paint: (14/20)
The Legioss doesn’t really attempt for line-art accuracy and I wasn’t too thrilled with its re-imagining. The Tread gets off a little easier but failed when it came to the missiles behind the head. Here are some more pics on how the CMs compares to other toys in approximately the same scale.
Design: (12/20)
CMs neglected the unified version of this toy and the included connecting arm is really poor. The transformation on the Legioss also causes some unsightly gaps. See my reviews for more detailed information on what went right/wrong in this department.
Durabilty & Build: (18.5/20)
These toys are extremely well built and fun to handle, no trepidation necessary. The Tread seems especially rugged since it’s a bit simpler.
Articulation: (16/20)
The Legioss is a bit limited in the hips department and I was really let down by its inability to turn its head. The Tread is a lot more fun to play with although posing the two together can be rather cumbersome thanks to the awkward connecting piece.
Total Score: (68.5/90)
This toy ends up right smack back in the average section because it’s a sub-par toy (the Legioss) connected to an excellent toy (the Tread) via a crappy connecting arm. Since the toys are all so well built though they’re still a lot of fun provided you aren’t trying to play with them connected together. The Tread may have no official “diver” mode but my approximation is shown in the second picture below.
Mark Moore said,
May 21, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Excellent review. The Tread/ Beta looks excellent but I think Toynami’s version will be better. Even with the problems with Toynami/ Aoshima’s Legioss I think over all it is still a better product. Any chance of a review of the SV-51.
micronian said,
May 21, 2008 at 3:43 pm
The SV-51 will eventually make it up here, as well as the 2nd edition VF-0S, but it probably won’t be for quite some time. After how fragile/sloppy the first MacrossZero toys were I couldn’t convince myself to stay with that line. I’m sure I’ll feel like revisiting it eventually.
Mark Moore said,
May 21, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Thanks for the info, its a shame as all the models from macross Zero look very nice but I do not like toys to be fragile. It is very cool that they have made matching Treads for all the Legioss models but the price is very expensive.
Jeff B said,
May 21, 2008 at 9:36 pm
Yes. I agree. Very expensive. IMO, it should at least be the same price as your average Yamato 1/48. I hope to find one used one day… I’m gonna need some kind of Legioss here pretty soon. Now, are the Legioss releases over? Is there any other company coming out with one in the future? Great review, as always.
micronian said,
May 23, 2008 at 12:32 am
To my knowledge, we are all out of future Legioss releases for the moment other than Toynami’s planned Shadow Chronicle repaints of their MPC line. The good news for those is that they might finally be the improvement we were promised with the Aoshima releases. Toynami and Aoshima are still busy pointing fingers at each other for why the Aoshima toys were so crappy so I’m not too sure you should hold out hope for the TSC toys either.
Mark Moore said,
May 24, 2008 at 11:25 am
I do not own any 1/48 scale Legioss, do you think I should get an original MPC, settle for an Aoshima or wait and get a Shadow Chronicles repaint. I am thinking of getting an Aoshima Rook Bartley Legioss to display with my original Gakken Rook 1/35.
micronian said,
May 24, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I would definitely avoid the Aoshimas, there are just way too many ones that were built incorrectly out there. The Shadow Chronicles repaint toys will be in Marcus and Maia colors so I don’t think they’d really jive with any existing displays. So, by process of elimination, I think you should settle on the original Toynami MPC version… provided you can buy it dirt cheap and understand that you’re gambling on quality/durability.
Mark Moore said,
May 25, 2008 at 9:28 am
Thank you so much for the advice. With the increasing price of the MPC I might just get the Aoshima, as from your review at least I no what to expect, like you said Toynami is a gamble with their quality also. I wish Yamato had a license to produce a Legioss or Bandai could reissue the original Gakken 1/35, as I think this is still the best toy representation of the Legioss/ Alpha.
Mark Moore said,
May 25, 2008 at 9:33 am
Thanks for the advice. Here in the UK it is quite easy to get the Aoshima version, very hard to get Toynami Robotech/ Macross items, at least I know what to expect from it, from your reviews. Thanks again.
shadow fighter said,
June 11, 2008 at 12:03 pm
see for the toynami legioss arm it will connect its just on the toy the joints are tight like a new toy
micronian said,
June 11, 2008 at 8:07 pm
Not sure I really follow your drift Shadow Fighter. The joint system utilzed by CMs is definitely preferable to Toynami’s joint system as the Toynami inevitably gets loose (especially the shoulders).
wwwmwww said,
July 1, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Regarding the comment “To my knowledge, we are all out of future Legioss releases for the moment other than Toynami’s planned Shadow Chronicle repaints of their MPC line.” Isn’t CM still working on a Shadow Legioss and Tread set or has that been dropped?
micronian said,
July 1, 2008 at 8:11 pm
CMS definitely does have a mock-up of a Dark Legioss but they’ve never come close to committing to its production. From my understanding, every direct question relating to its release has always been answered with a shrug and “we’re considering it.” That said, they did show the Dark Legioss very close to their Yellow Ride Armor figure at a show a while back and the Yellow seems like a sure thing so maybe that was their coy way of stating they are going to make it.
On my trip to Japan someone much more “in the know” than myself stated that the CMS production numbers on these figures were very low… like 1500 each low. That might make another release seem like a good idea even if the Dark Legioss does require some tweaking to the mold.
Bluto said,
July 15, 2008 at 3:19 am
I am so glad i happened upon this site. I love your reviews of these products. I find them fair and detailed. I am only recently rediscovering my obsession with Robotech/Macross and treasure the reviews (and comments) on this blog.
Thank you for not just regurgitating praise on previous products but really balancing your opinions on them in respect to recent releases!
Big kudos!
Thomas said,
October 15, 2009 at 5:56 pm
In other words if I wanted to get a CM, I may as well save some money and get a Vol. 4 Sue Graham. Correct?