08.17.08
CMs 1/18 vs Mega House 1/15 Ray & Stig Ride Armors
Showdown (updated): Small Ride Armors Fight for Your Money!
Packaging & Extras: Mega House
For the most part these toys come with exactly the same extras in very similar boxes. The Mega House box has a window if you’re into that sort of thing. The Mega House stand initially appears better because it’s more substantial and has an optional piece for flying poses but it’s so poor in execution that I actually prefer the twig that comes with the CMs. Mega House does win in the end though as their figures come with extra helmet-less heads.
Charm & Collectibility: CMs
The Brave Gohkin series features diecast and while it may not have been a lot on CMs’ Ride Armor offering it’s still there. A touch of diecast and nearly perfect transformation trump very plasticy parts-forming any day of the week. CMs also seems to have some dedicated (to the point of stupidity) followers and I’ve yet to see anyone as dedicated to Mega House products.
Sculpt, Detail, and Paint: CMs (barely)
I could definitely foresee people disagreeing with me here because the Mega House looks so damn sexy in Armor mode. While the Mega House does have some very nice detail touches (the bulb in the headlights and sensors comes to mind) it’s really the color of it that seems to get so many people loving it. The more classic color scheme CMs used has been a big turn off for lots of people and has been ridiculed as ‘too cartoony’ and ‘cheap-looking’ while the MH is heralded as being ‘militaristic’ and more mature. Color alone isn’t enough for Mega House to win though. The CMs comes with a nearly ridiculous amount of tampo printing, a better proportioned figure with a better face sculpt, a better proportioned bike mode, and an armor mode that easily competes with the MH.
Design: CMs (barely)
This is a tough call since I’m essentially picking the lesser of two evils. The CMs is over-engineered whilst the MH is under-engineered and I’d much rather see a company fail by biting off more than they can chew than by taking the easy way out. The CMs features a beautiful transformation with a minimum in parts removal and, after a steep learning curve, it does become fairly intuitive. The MH is better transformed by completely disassembling it and then reassembling it and even the act of taking it apart can be quite cumbersome. Both these toys have big problems with parts falling off or popping out of place. The CMs has a harder time in bike mode staying together, the Mega House seemed to have more problems in Armor mode. The fact that there are parts in the MH transformation that are only present for bike mode and not Armor mode really killed any chance for the MH to win in this department.
Durability & Build: Mega House
How bad is the CMs durability? Word from WonderFest was that CMs has begun including special instructions with all CMs Ride Armors telling people only to touch the windscreen in very specific ways. That windscreen is atrocious so if you’re looking for a toy that you won’t have to be deathly afraid of handling then the Mega House is a much safer bet. The Mega House has its fair share of problems but nothing quite as prevalent as the CMs windscreen. The CMs uses a lot of tiny pegs that I used to think were pretty sturdy until one broke on me while taking comparison pictures… Mega House wins this section handily. It has fallen apart on me a bunch of times but still nothing broken (knock on wood).
Articulation: Tie
Both these toys are exceptionally poseable. The CMs does a tiny bit better job standing on its own, has arms that rotate in a way the MH ones can’t, has ankles with more articulation (see pics above and below for demonstrations of both) and has a stand that, while pathetic to look at, allows for more dynamic poses than the MH. The MH has longer arms which enable a bit crazier poses the difference just isn’t substantial enough.
Overall: Mega House (but not really)
When I first wrote this piece I crowned CMs the winner. I said: Overall the CMs is the big (sarcasm) winner… except it breaks way too easily. Do you really want to buy a toy you have to be afraid of breaking constantly? Sure, it’s an easily fixed part but why bother? So, despite the fact that I prefer the CMs in most categories I would be quicker to recommend people getting the Mega House but obviously neither is the perfect solution. With the Mega House you’ll get a less attractive bike mode and still a fiddily toy (although less-so than the very fiddily CMs) but at least you can handle it and not expect to have the windscreen fall off in your hands (although man-handling it will break it also). The Mega House is definitely the more user-friendly toy. With Toynami and/or Beagle developing what looks to be an absolutely top-notch Ride Armor toy in a larger scale (and probably 3 to 4 times more expensive than these two) I say skip these releases and save your money for an upcoming toy.
I still feel essentially the same way but the CMs has since proven even less durable than I originally suspected. Now both Mega House and CMs are making improvements to their toys for their Yellow Ride Armor figures so I may do another Showdown feature for those as wells. In the meantime, I still suggest people save their money for either a second edition toy (should they ever come out) or wait and see if the Beagle ends up being as good as it looks like it will be.
Mark Moore said,
May 5, 2008 at 11:50 am
Another great review, but it looks like Toynami’s Cyclone/ Ride Armour will be the best since the original Gakken toy.
Jeff B said,
May 5, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Just want to say I’ve been reading your toy reviews for sometime now. This is the first time I’m making a comment though. Thanks for this and all of the great reviews. I thought for sure it would be the Mega House… but then again, I don’t own either. I find it strange that Robotech.com is selling the Mega House cyclones. Especially knowing Toynami will be coming out with there own… wonder what gives. Keep up this site. The best of its kind for sure.
MisterRyno said,
May 7, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Nice VS review. It’s a good read and true to the core mate. Keep it up!
N I N J A
thegreatsze said,
May 12, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I was starting to feel sorry for buying the CMs version, but after reading your review, I feel validated. Thank you for your very, very thorough review!
Bluto said,
August 4, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Any word on where to get a translation of the MH instruction sheet? You would think it’s all fairly straightforward (or maybe I’m overthinking too much)
Dennis Pek said,
August 30, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I also vote for Megahouse. But still like the Gakken one best cos it’s able to stand on its own.
Scorched Earth Toys » CMs Brave Gohkin 1/18 Ride Armor (Yellow’s VR 41) said,
October 21, 2008 at 3:31 am
[...] I am very happy to state that CMs has definitely addressed the flimsy wind screen problem. That was the huge Achille’s Heel of the first versions of these toys so I’m significantly happier with them now that that’s not an issue. Unfortunately bike mode is still a bit problematic as things don’t lock together as tightly as they should leaving the potential of broken parts if people try to force things to stay where they ought to (see my review of Stig and “Ley’s“). As noted on my review of the Summer Wonderfest 08 Exclusives, the locking mechanism for the swing bars is now metal removing one other area of potential breakage. [...]
Scorched Earth Toys » CMs 1/18 vs Mega House 1/15 Yellow VR-41 Ride Armors said,
November 3, 2008 at 4:53 am
[...] Overall: CMs (with a caveat) With the original showdown, I initially awarded the crown to CMs and then changed it a few weeks later to favor Mega House (hey, it’s my blog, I get to do what I want). I changed my mind in that review because the original CMs toys were just too fragile to ever recommend to anyone. I’m happy that CMs has gotten to a place where I no longer feel like that’s the case. Here’s the thing though, while both toys have improved nicely from their first editions, the CMs toy is still the same size and can still be very frustrating (especially in bike mode). As such, if you felt the Mega House was an easy winner the first time around then the changes made probably won’t make you want to jump ship and start buying the CMs Ride Armors. If the only Ride Armor you want to buy is Yellow’s VR-41, and you don’t want to wait for the Beagle version, then here’s what I think you should do: If you prefer your Ride Armors in Bike mode then buy the Mega House. If you prefer your Ride Armors in Armor mode (and you don’t mind the lack of chest missiles), then buy the CMs toy. Read more on either toy by clicking here for the CMs VR-41 or here for the Mega House VR-41. [...]
Sandman said,
December 29, 2008 at 5:12 am
This probably a newbie question but why are all the ride armour toys have different shading of green from the chest and limbs? Shouldn’t they be the same shade of green? Thats the way i remember it from the show. It seriously irritates me so much which is the reason i haven’t bought one yet. The red and blue ones don’t seem to have the same issue.
micronian said,
December 29, 2008 at 6:13 am
I think you’re remembering some of those classic moments when the artists themselves didn’t get the colors right. The reason every Scott and Rand (Stig/Ray) toy has the different color chest and waist armor is because that’s how it is in the show (most the time at least). The color difference wasn’t as pronounced as it appears to be on toys but it’s definitely there (I just verified by watching a couple minutes of the Rainy Boy/Dusty Ayres episode). You’re right about Yellow and Rook/Houquet, they have armor that exactly matches their bikes.
Sandman said,
December 29, 2008 at 6:20 am
Thanks for the quick reply. I guess i must be remembering that wrong. I’ve been meaning to watch my mospeada dvd set recently. I’ll have to keep an eye out for that.
BTW thanks for the reviews. They have been very helpfull in helping me decide what to buy or more importantly what not to buy (most zero valks).