Anasazi37

This just showed up on the Tamashii Nations site: https://tamashiiweb.com/item/14337/?wovn=en For a second I thought it was the VF-0D, and got excited, then realized it was a non-canon VF-0S variant to celebrate World Wide Macross (WWM). Why does Bandai keep doing this???

It would be nice for Max Factory to reissue the two sets of decals they made for the Strike Gerwalk (with some errors and omissions addressed), but also put out decals for the Strike Fighter and regular Fighter kits. If they threw in posable 1/20 Hikaru and Roy figures, even better. The "Normal" set of decals was ¥3000 and the "DX" set was ¥6000. DX had both of these sheets, Normal just the first one. This is making me want to print decals for the kits again....

Just got my "in stock and ready to ship" notice from AE for the VF-1S.

You mean the gigantic logo and oversized cursive text they stamped everywhere? That stuff was the deal breaker for me. Ended up being a hard pass, but a painful one because I do like the scheme and wanted a 1/48 DX version. Wish they could have stuck with the more understated Hasegawa and Yamato livery. All they had to do was leave it alone. It was fine.

I'm now picturing a Bandai delivery truck, filled with VF-1S toys, broken down on the side of the road....

Anyone get an "in stock and ready to ship" notice from Anime Export for the VF-1S? The one I ordered from HLJ has been ready to ship for more than a day now, but radio silence from AE so far. Unusual for them. They're almost always among the first shops to ship POs, which is one reason why I order from them. A small delay isn't a big deal. If it turns into a week or more, then I'll start to worry.

Plus it's Arcadia, not Bandai, and so far I haven't seen their stuff sell out right away during the PO period. I'm sure part of the reason is the higher price they tend to charge, and they probably don't limit production runs in advance the way that Bandai does, but subject matter counts for a lot, too. I've only done the F5 thing twice with Arcadia, and both were for items sold exclusively through their website. First was that "hey we found all of these extra toys and kits in a back room of the warehouse" sale, where I managed to grab an SF-3A Lancer II kit. Second was for the plush gunpod, which remains my most-stupid-but-most-fun Macross purchase ever.

It's just somewhat ominously listed as "Reference" when you run the placard through Google Translate. No date, no price.

Is that a custom Monster design? Trying to decide if I should actually try to build the 1/72 Mike Salzo resin cast Monster that I've been hanging onto for 20 years or print this one. That is, assuming the files are available...somewhere....

Or at the very least, a trusted friend so you can each carry one side. It's going to be BIG. I'd be tempted to print this myself if the files are made available for purchase. It would be in line behind some large starship kits like the Aliens Dropship, Aliens Sulaco, Last Starfighter Gunstar, and Babylon 5 Omega Class Destroyer, but would be a fun project. The Omega Class, when printed, is more than a meter long and the central section rotates! I'm glad that folks like @bzwacks are putting their creations out there for us to admire.

Something like this. I created a simple cylinder in my slicing program and then generated print instructions so that there would be a solid outer shell and a 15% infill grid pattern. What you're seeing is a peek inside the end result, part of the way through the print. You can basically "play" the print like a simulator and watch what it will do. That translucent grey thing is the virtual print head.

I'm guessing that they're using one of the standard hollow printing methods, where it looks solid from the outside, but has something like a 15% infill with a grid pattern to give the pieces strength but keep them very light and not waste a bunch of printing time and material. I see that all the time with large starship builds and use the method a lot myself. Slicing software handles that for you automatically, but you have to set the infill density and the pattern to use.

Flory washes are a solid choice if you're going to do the panel lining directly on the plastic. Water-based, easy cleanup, not permanent in case you change your mind. https://www.florymodels.org/washes

I just noticed that the #5 is upside down. The OCD in me is having a real problem with that. Good thing he has replacement Bandais for all of them now. I think the 5 is rightside up on that one.

It's like someone took all of the remnant parts from multiple production lines and mashed them together into a new toy

That is one of the craziest KOs I've ever seen

Okay, I should have read more closely. Long day. This is another round of the Ghost sets.

Bandai really wants to milk the molds and production line, don't they? Original AX release, then the Ghost parts, then AX reissue, then both together. Next will be a Hayate and Mirage AX combo set, then that with Ghost parts for each. We're more likely to see that happening than a DX Max and Millia Super VF-1J combo set.

I was very much looking forward to this release when it was first announced, but I just couldn't get past the horrible logo they stamped on the left wing and legs, so I ended up skipping this one. Still feel the same way, unfortunately. Bandai tampo is generally horrendous, and I usually just put up with it because the awesomeness of the toy outweighs their preschool-level graphic design choices, but I just couldn't do that here. It's such a massive eyesore. For folks who can look past it, I'm happy this will soon be in your collections. Anyone get five to complete the squadron?

A longer PO window for the initial release makes a lot more sense (it might have even closed and reopened? ). I just checked the purchase page as well and am seeing the same thing:

So...Bandai showed at least 35 new Macross items at the Tamashii Nations event in November and they choose to spend time, money, and precious production slots on two Delta reissues instead of the new stuff. I already have both. Awesome. Thanks, Bandai.

Otherwise known as the "anti-scalper" maneuver. I've managed to get several items from them since they switched to that policy, which used to be almost impossible. Sucks to fork out the money up front, but it seems to level the playing field a bit. This time around HLJ got their posting up first, which was unusual, so I went with them. Looks like AE still has stock. They're only a few dollars more than what AmiAmi will be charging when the posting goes live later today.

Good points, everyone. Yeah, it's a weird self-inflicted wound on the part of Plamax. The idea that they were trying to replicate what Bandai does for Gundam kits makes the most sense to me, but they failed on two fronts: (1) you can get away with stickers on a Gundam model far more easily than you can on an aircraft model (smaller designs covering smaller areas) and (2) you should produce decals alongside the stickers because this is a highly detailed aircraft model and that's been the industry standard for decades (even Bandai recognizes this fact).