Robert D

So no "for sale" section? Bummer...

I actually had an extra Strike and and extra DYRL VF-1A but I sold them both to a buddy of mine. Still on the chopping block is a yellowed Super O...

>Anyways, did you determine whether the "Takatoku" stamp is covered by the "Bandai" black sticker? I think that's your mission, should you choose to accept it. ; ) Joking aside, I JUST upgraded mine to a super mint one and I don't want to mess with it...

>Do you have pics of your collection? Alas, nothing on line. Maybe when I complete my Takatoku Macross collection I'll have to shoot something! ; ) As for the Max & Miria set, that along with the "Roy box" VF-1S I guess are sort of "urban legend" for Macross collectors. As I was telling a fellow toy collector I met recently who said he had the Roy boxed VF-1S as a kid, you can't prove that something DOESN'T exist, but given that we've not seen one picture of either of these at this point, I think the likelihood that these are out there is extremely slim... That prototype Valk is awesome by the way! http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/toys/proto_taka.jpg

I'm working on an article about all the Matsushiro toys for ToyboxDX. I own the "Space Fighter" 1/55 as well as a "Mini Space Fighter" (which is just a 1/100 Takatoku VF-1J Hikaru in a Matsushrio box, a la the "Space Fighter" toy). These are interesting to me as they're sort of "grey market" and transitional toys between Takatoku's folding and Bandai taking up use of the 1/55 Valkyrie molds. I'm also aware of the Matsushiro Jetfire, which I was told that there were several versions of, although I've only seen two (painted UN Spacey "kite" as well as a version that's just a sticker). Annnnnnyway, I got to thinking that maybe some of the Hi Metal stuff was marked "Matsushiro" and thus the sticker placement by Bandai. Total side note, if you haven't seen it already, you might enjoy this outing: http://toyboxdx.com/datafiles/data/takatoku2/

Well, I believe that Bandai put a sticker over the existing stamp in order to cover it up. According to an ex-Bandai employee, "As a side note, when we started discussing putting out the Hi-Metal version of the toy, it turned out that Matsushiro had a lot of leftover stock on hand. So some of the Strike Valkyries were shipped with Bandai stickers covering the Takatoku inscriptions." I was just wondering if anyone could confirm that the Strike and DYRL VF-1A has "Takatoku" on the back. The quote is from a translation from an article, provided by Matt Alt here: http://toyboxdx.com/phorum/read.php?4,192680 As to why it matters, I'm doing some research on Matsushiro for an article I'm working on. ; )

Random question: Under the sticker on the back, does the toy just have "Takatoku" stamped on it? I don't want to peel mine off as it will jack the thing. Anyone have a beater one handy that has the sticker peeled off?

>What set are you talking about? The title says VF-1S Roy rumor! Are you telling me the MnM by Takatoku set does not exist? Yes. He was referring to the Max & Miria set.

>Is that legit? A few of us were actually talking about this item at this year's MWCon. I guess it isn't a myth after all. Sorry guys, that's just a Photoshop job on my part. I've been hearing that same "Roy box" rumor for years and years (probably from the same guy posting about it from time to time), and I really don't think it exists! By the way, does anyone have pics of that other "wedding set"? I recall one that was sold on ebay some years back and the guy who put it together really did a great job emulating the look of the Takatoku boxes. I think someone mentioned it in an earlier post - I wish I had saved the pics.

>Next person who mentions the "R" word when talking about the VE-1 gets a 100 year ban. I assume the "r word" you mean is "righteous" as in the phrase, "the Elintseeker is totally righteous, dude!" Anyway, a 100 year ban is an OK punishment, but I think a better punishment would have the poster receive 1,000 lashes with MIB Elintseekers. ; )

I have yet to see the "Loch Ness Monster" 1/55 VF-1S with Roy on the box appear, let alone a real-deal vintage Max / Miria set! ; ) Actually, I stand corrected... I HAVE seen that 1/55 VF-1S with Roy - it's in my collection!:

>but this is a super duper rare fig The Hi Metal Elintseeker is desired, but it's really not THAT rare. I've seen quite a few of them come up for sale in the past few years... probably more than the Takatoku Miria! For what it's worth, the "value" of the toy is either a) what it's worth in today's "market" or b) what it's worth to you. I sold another member here an Elint about a year or so ago (or more? I can't recall) that wasn't perfect, but the flaws were pretty minor. As it went for < $500 on ebay, I'd say that for even a C-10 / deadstock / "NRFB" one, $1,000 is a bit on the high side. I can see some crazy collectors wanting to pay that much just to have one super mint, but those types are few and far between. I'm kind of a condition freak and even I can't see spending that much on that particular toy. "Your mileage may vary" as they say however... Oh, side note, I think that AFA grading is just silly. Why does it matter what someone else grades your toys (unless you plan on reselling them I suppose)? My 2 cents.

I believe the Takatoku toys were made in Takatoku, Japan. http://www.fallingrain.com/world/JA/38/Takatoku.html

My kingdom for a version in TV colors!!

I didn't make it - Were there any cool vintage toys for sale??

Thank you all for your input.

I was wondering if anyone can fill me as to wheather or not the skull and crossbones on the VF-1S heatshield is painted on or is a sticker. I have this toy which came with no sticker sheet, but the instructions show a sticker (#35) being placed on the heatshield. My heatshield is plain black which would imply that the sticker was not put on, however, I've seen some shots which look as if the skull and crossbones is painted on, a la the Takatoku VF-1S. Can someone please clear this up for me?

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks guys for the info. I guess I'll have to make some customs for these in Photoshop! ; )

Question about the Hi Metal toys: I have seen the data cards for the L-Gaim, the Strike, and the DYRL VF-1A, but I've not seen anything for the Elint or the Super O. Anyone know if these were made? My Elintseeker didn't come with one, but maybe it's just missing.... Any ideas?

If one of the hands is chipped, it's not exactly "mint in box" now, is it? ; ) Anyway, this one isn't too uncommon. I'd say about $75 or so, but the box wear takes it down a notch.

Cool - thanks for the shot! Ha ha - I am now groaning inwardly at the thought of having to find that box version now to complete my collection of 1/55 Takatokus! ; )

Thanks! Yes, I remember this thread now. Maybe I'm just being lazy and not reading closely enough but I can't seem to find shots of the Arabic language box in there. Oh, also... "02. 1J Hikaru (Space Gandam) - Matsuhiro marking on back of box in a large white square." Does anyone have a shot of the back of this box? I've only seen the Matsushiro mark on the back of the "Space Fighter" one...

A friend mentioned that there was a version of this toy sold with a plain white back for the box, but I've never seen it. Mine just has the armor in the styrofoam and a "back-less" cover that slips on top of that. Does anyone have a shot of the version with the box back? Also, I was reading here somewhere about some funky 1/55 Valk in an Arabic-language box. Can someone post a shot?

Ha ha! Thanks man. I've been meaning to update those pages with more shots but as far as I know, that should be a complete listing of Takatoku Macross toys. If anyone is aware of any others please be sure to let me know! And back to the 1/144s for a minute - those are all really damn nice. I highly recommend them, and most can be picked up at a pretty reasonable price.