Bandai DX VF-31

[Slave IV]

31 minutes ago, Kidada said:

Ah.. unfortunately I didnt see that you were looking to pay for one, but at the same time, it is less hassle, if they were willing to give a straight refund for it as, not knowing if it will be fufilled is the most frustrating portion of it, rather than holding onto 50 dollars of someone else to not know if it will go through etc. 

Good luck on getting a karios for yourself at not so absorbent prices.

Also understandable. It's just that I'm still confident they will deliver and bummed I didn't get an order in there. I already have one from CDJ so I'm ok. 

[tekering]

7 hours ago, GabrielV said:

I was showing someone pictures of my Mirage VF-31.  The pictures had been in jet mode and then I got to one in battloid mode.

The person said, "OH!  It's a Go-Bot!"

Last month, I was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, who had come to my house with a cameraman to photograph my collection.

He stood facing this wall of Transformers and Macross Valkyries and asked, "Are these ALL Gundam?"

[ArchieNov]

Oh wow, what a collection!  Always nice to see them displayed properly rather than stored in boxes in some storage.

Although for some reason, I get the toy store vibe lol.

Edited April 22, 2018 by ArchieNov

[Saburo]

9 minutes ago, tekering said:

Last month, I was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, who had come to my house with a cameraman to photograph my collection.

He stood facing this wall of Transformers and Macross Valkyries and asked, "Are these ALL Gundam?"

AMAZING!  I can't help but stare at the Burning Godzilla...

[MacrossMania]

19 minutes ago, tekering said:

Last month, I was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, who had come to my house with a cameraman to photograph my collection.

He stood facing this wall of Transformers and Macross Valkyries and asked, "Are these ALL Gundam?"

Dude, this is a toy store.

[technoblue]

22 hours ago, Shukenzero said:

Means the actual brown shipper probably was the one Bandai used to send said valk to the previous owner. This was then sold on, then onto you.

I've had TWE items sent directly from Bandai and the brown shipper is plastered with the usual postage stickers. If they gave you a shipper without that, means they got it in bulk.

Maybe. It's evident the this exclusive is being handled differently from previous exclusives where NY received a majority of bulk Tamashii shipments.

I hesitate to say that my 31A is pre-owned, though. As noted, mine arrived new in a sealed box. The Valkyrie was secure in its foam packaging, which was also taped at 4 corners to keep the top plastic bubble secure. Beneath the bubble, the Valkyrie still had its sticky plastic protective pieces on the wings, and the larger plastic barrier protecting the paint from the foam. There is no sign that anyone had opened the box or even looked inside the box before me.

It could be that NY is using middlemen, as suggested, to secure stock but I really have no idea.

Anyway, here is a quick and dirty cell photo my VF-31a straight out of the box (no transformation).

Click on the spoilers to see close-ups of the wings (top and bottom). To me, the paint looks pretty good. I didn't notice any obvious defects in the finish; however, if I were to be super critical, I could point out that the bottom of the Valkyrie has one or two smudge/shine spots. Nothing disappointing to be sure. All in all, I'm really happy with how this looks. 

Close-up of wing: top left

Spoiler

Close-up of wing: bottom left

Spoiler

Close-up of wing: top right

Spoiler

Close-up of wing: bottom right

Spoiler

 

[F360]

12 minutes ago, technoblue said:

Maybe. It's evident the this exclusive is being handled differently from previous exclusives where NY received a majority of bulk Tamashii shipments.

I hesitate to say that my 31A is pre-owned, though. As noted, mine arrived new in a sealed box. The Valkyrie was secure in its foam packaging, which was also taped at 4 corners to keep the top plastic bubble secure. Beneath the bubble, the Valkyrie still had its sticky plastic protective pieces on the wings, and the larger plastic barrier protecting the paint from the foam. There is no sign that anyone had opened the box or even looked inside the box before me.

It could be that NY is using middlemen, as suggested, to secure stock but I really have no idea.

 

 

I think @Shukenzero  is just explaining why you didn't get the brown shipper box.  Here's a pic for reference.

Pre-owned does not mean used or open box.  There's lots of pre-owned items thats SEALED.

Pre-owned is just the same as New for me as long as it's still SEALED.  Of course having the TWE Brown box makes it even better but it's just extra.

Looks like you got yourself a excellent copy . 

 

[Lolicon]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

Last month, I was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, who had come to my house with a cameraman to photograph my collection.

He stood facing this wall of Transformers and Macross Valkyries and asked, "Are these ALL Gundam?"

Christ man that really is a toy store! 

[Shukenzero]

56 minutes ago, F360 said:

 

I think @Shukenzero  is just explaining why you didn't get the brown shipper box.  Here's a pic for reference.

Pre-owned does not mean used or open box.  There's lots of pre-owned items thats SEALED.

Pre-owned is just the same as New for me as long as it's still SEALED.  Of course having the TWE Brown box makes it even better but it's just extra.

Looks like you got yourself a excellent copy . 

 

Ya this is what I meant. The copies NY are securing are *technically* preowned but unopened, outside of the TWE shipper. Wonder what they are paying for them? Mandarake offers $$$ to buy figures off collectors, so perhaps it's a similar deal?

[MacrossMania]

Just now, Shukenzero said:

Ya this is what I meant. The copies NY are securing are *technically* preowned but unopened, outside of the TWE shipper. Wonder what they are paying for them? Mandarake offers $$$ to buy figures off collectors, so perhaps it's a similar deal?

I guess I don't see the issue with sourcing to outside dealers and sellers, even if they are one offs or individual buyers.  The reality is that you are still getting an MISB and that's all that matters from a quality standpoint.  Of course it does raise the question of why they have to do this in the first place, and all the speculation that has flown around - QC issues at the factory, market manipulation etc.  I guess the reality is that we'll never know.  It just adds to the misery and excitement of collecting.

[jenius]

I really doubt NY is sourcing from the secondary market, it wouldn't be worth the effort. They also wouldn't take a loss on these, they'd just say "here is store credit, we blame Bandai."

[Kidada]

1 minute ago, jenius said:

I really doubt NY is sourcing from the secondary market, it wouldn't be worth the effort. They also wouldn't take a loss on these, they'd just say "here is store credit, we blame Bandai."

Hmm I actually paid with CC and they just refunded it back onto my CC directly. I was worried it was only store credit.

[MacrossMania]

7 minutes ago, jenius said:

I really doubt NY is sourcing from the secondary market, it wouldn't be worth the effort. They also wouldn't take a loss on these, they'd just say "here is store credit, we blame Bandai."

NY has to be up on these forums and they have to know that their business lives and dies by their reputation, so I wouldn't put it past them to be sourcing to outside sellers if they really wanted to maintain their legitimacy in the eyes of an overweening audience (a hem, Macross fans).  That's especially true if they are diehard anime fans, which it seems to me they are.  And in that vein I imagine that a lot of online toy stores are labors of love and nothing more.  But with that said, who knows?  You might be right.  I just think it's odd that they are sending one offs like this with the obvious postal stamping.  If they were getting it from Bandai directly, they'd be getting it in bulk.

[derex3592]

Yeh...I gotta agree, I don't think the guys getting ones with postal stamping and no brown shipper box are getting "direct" from Bandai.  But who knows, as long as the toy is sealed, in the end who cares?...just an interesting turn of events with the release of this bird to say the least!

 

 

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, F360 said:

<snip>

Pre-owned does not mean used or open box.  There's lots of pre-owned items thats SEALED.

Pre-owned is just the same as New for me as long as it's still SEALED.  Of course having the TWE Brown box makes it even better but it's just extra.

Looks like you got yourself a excellent copy . 

 

Thanks for the photo! That's the first time I've seen a labeled TWE shipper box. Very interesting.

I'm very pleased with how things turned out with my 31A, so I don't miss the TWE brown box at all. 

8 minutes ago, Shukenzero said:

Ya this is what I meant. The copies NY are securing are *technically* preowned but unopened, outside of the TWE shipper. Wonder what they are paying for them? Mandarake offers $$$ to buy figures off collectors, so perhaps it's a similar deal?

I gotta admit the pre-owned thing went over my head, initially. I must be getting tired.

I agree that NY is doing something different to secure orders, and that it is outside of what they normally would do. I have no idea how NY might persuade current owners to give up their sealed extras, when the aftermarket prices are so high. It must be a really good deal, if that's the case.

[jenius]

I agree it's odd how they're trickling them out. They hardly would be the first vendor to have a supply chain problem and need to refund people. Sure, they'd lose some business, but the margins on TWE items suck any way and I think most people would grouse and then be like "that's strike one." 

Edited April 22, 2018 by jenius

[MacrossMania]

8 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Yeh...I gotta agree, I don't think the guys getting ones with postal stamping and no brown shipper box are getting "direct" from Bandai.  But who knows, as long as the toy is sealed, in the end who cares?...just an interesting turn of events with the release of this bird to say the least!

 

 

It'll make this one a legend, no doubt.  And the stories that abound in the collecting community will add to its mystique.  Anyone who got this "first wave" (assuming there's a second), will hold gold in their hands.

[Lolicon]

If anyone does receive an open item covered in orange Cheetos fingerprints, please post pictures. 

[borgified]

Love the burning Goji @tekering! X-Plus I take it?

2 hours ago, Lolicon said:

If anyone does receive an open item covered in orange Cheetos fingerprints, please post pictures. 

Eating Cheetos and fiddling with the 31a at the same time? That's a recipe for a major disaster right there and getting caught in the act. I take it that some may not be thinking clearly! 

[F360]

 

[Guyffon]

Its the start of a brand new week, lets see whom is lucky enough this week to win the NY lottery!!!!!

[SIAQ]

Finally mine’s in preparation for shipment.  

[spacemanoeuvres]

6 minutes ago, SIAQ said:

Finally mine’s in preparation for shipment.  

Nice, congrats on the good news!

comooooon ny; ship my crap out already

[SIAQ]

Don’t lose hope guys.  I was about to file a dispute with PayPal but decided to wait for it and trusted that NY will deliver.

[sh9000]

I just got the email for preparation in progress for my VF-31A from NY 30 minutes ago as well.

[jenius]

c'mon NY... I wanna join this club too. If I divide my cost over two it won't be as ludicrous!

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

Would folks mind posting their order number and day they ordered (when you receive a shipment in process notification) so we can keep tabs on NY's progress in filling orders?

Edited April 23, 2018 by funkymonkeyjavajunky

[jenius]

it's been established that order numbers don't mean anything though...

[SIAQ]

32 minutes ago, funkymonkeyjavajunky said:

Would folks mind posting their order number and day they ordered (when you receive a shipment in process notification) so we can keep tabs on NY's progress in filling orders?

Here’s mine.

[sh9000]

Here’s my order.  Mine just shipped a little while ago.

[Guyffon]

Well at least they are back to order number now, I hope mine is coming soon.

[no3Ljm]

Just now, Guyffon said:

Well at least they are back to order number now, I hope mine is coming soon.

And from the looks of it, thru order date too. Most of the ones that posted recently ordered on the 6th of October.

 

[orindlt]

Jenius Review Up 

 

[no3Ljm]

34 minutes ago, orindlt said:

Jenius Review Up 

*snip*

@F360 already posted that 8 hours ago. 13 posts above you. Great review as always.  

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by no3Ljm

[IIymij]

 

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