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Darth Mingus

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Posts posted by Darth Mingus

  1. On 9/12/2023 at 1:34 PM, Rock said:

    Well they do have a posable, soon to be released Alto figure that may fit in one. The issue may also be that they clearly reused the vf-25f cockpit parts instead of designing new. A few extra leftover parts on the runner confirmed it. I expect the seats i. The anime are power adjustable like a car or something, but the model has the seat base moulded to the structure and the floor of the cockpit moulded to the backside of the landing gear bay!

    You have to remenber they use ex gear cockpits, sadly the arms don't fit into the gear and it makes her body position look way too unnatural. Compromises.

    I think I saw that the soon to be released Alto figure does not fit in the cockpit either and you will need to make some modifications to the seat in order to close the canopy.  Unfortunately, it looks like the cockpits were designed for looks, not to actually fit a "to scale" figure.

  2. 5 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

    I don't think molds deteriorating can fully account for the nonsense I've seen in the past couple of releases I got.  We're talking mis-drilled pinholes, and cockeyed assemblies that leave valks barely able to transform correctly.  The molds aren't getting any younger, but I think there's a pretty severe shortage of skilled labor, across many industries.

     

    Most likely Bandai switching factories in China and lack of Japanese staff overseeing production on the main land.  Prior to the pandemic, they released a Tamashii Nations video touting the extreme quality control that went into every release (ha!), but with the pandemic, I am pretty sure they would want their employees travelling to China to oversee the production lines.

  3. 7 hours ago, Lolicon said:

    Yoyakunow a reliable seller?

    I have not had problems with them yet.  They list the quantity of an item they have on their page which is nice and they send you a confirmation that your order has been placed in the case of P-Bandai.  Hopefully they will continue to be good and not turn out to be another NY.  Keep in mind, NY was good at the beginning as well.

  4. 5 hours ago, jenius said:

    Seems like it would be easy to make a more standard SW themed hotel that offers a 'dinner theater' experience that's some combination of Rise of the Resistance, Star Tours, and the cruise idea. Have nine unique dinner theater themes (one for each movie) and you'd be able to convince people to shell out for that premium experience more than once. 

    They are going to transform it into a regular theme hotel, minus the 48-hour forced audience participation set pieces.  In the end, it was an ambitious idea that they could not pull off in an economic manner.  Whatever consulting firm sold them on the idea oversold the public's willingness to part with obscene amounts of cash for this type of experience.  I am sure the pandemic did not help either.  It will probably be booked solid until the end of its run as the die hards get it off their bucket lists, then you will be able to stay in the hotel at much more reasonable rates.  @ 100 or so rooms, it will be one of the smaller properties at the site.

  5. On 5/4/2023 at 2:37 PM, VF-1A Grunt said:

    Instead of starting a new topic, I thought I’d ask here: I’m heading to Japan this summer to visit family and would love to check out some shops that may have a decent stock of recent kits (Wave Destroids) and maybe some older ones, especially resin garage kits. I’m hoping I can find a Wave Destroid Defender, since I seem to have missed out on the recent release on the major websites.

    I know Tokyo well - spent a lot of summers there as a kid and have been back a couple times as an adult. I’ve been to a couple shops in Akihabara - Yodobashi usually has a good collection of recent stuff; I think Yellow Submarine is closed now(?); and TamTam was a great store last time I was there in 2019. I’ve been to Mandrake in Shibuya but was mostly looking for books that one time.

    I also expect to visit Kanazawa, Himeiji, and maybe Kyoto this time. Any tips on stores to check out would be much appreciated! Thanks!

    I was in Japan in February and most of the non-Bandai Macross stuff was easy to find.  Gunpla on the other hand was almost impossible.  If you are looking for plastic models from Wave and other manufacturers, the Yodabashi Camera in Kyoto had them in stock, right near the train station.  The best place for plastic models was in Osaka, a place called Joshin Super Kids Land HQ.  The Jungle Mecha Store is also worth visiting if you are in the area.

    If you want Resin kits, those are much harder to find.  You can try Mandarake Nakano Broadway, which is a much see in my opinion.  The other branches might have as well but it might be easier to order online and have it shipped domestically to where you are staying.

    Jungle, Volks and Yellow Submarine may have some items in stock, but avoid Surugaya at all costs.  These guys have gone full scalper mode, charging double/triple for recent releases.  Their store in Akihabara is stacked floor to ceiling in Amazon boxes filled with models they order online to resell.

    Thankfully I enjoyed the hunt, but I ended up buying very little while I was there.

  6. On 4/23/2023 at 8:29 PM, Rock said:

    1/100 IMS Led Mirage V3. 3007 Delta Belun ceremonial version. + Light Veils, Lance, and larger head crest.

    I literally just bought the Volks resin SAV version of this.  Maybe if I buy the resin LED Mirage with Boomerang unit I have my eye on, they will announce the IMS version.  In any case, I am glad they are still pumping out the IMS kits.  They are a lot more complex than gunpla but are quite fun to build in the end.  The lance on this one will be longer than the flame launcher on the Inferno Napalm.

  7. On 12/5/2022 at 7:58 AM, Big s said:

    Saw the hguc psycho doga on tag hobby

    Great looking kit, but it will be a while before it is available outside of Japan.  Apparently, first release is lottery only, then limited release in Fukuoka Gundam Base.

    On 12/5/2022 at 10:58 AM, Big s said:

    I’m pretty sure it wasn’t too difficult for them since the majority of the kit is the geara doga.

     

    that may be a thing sooner than later. Bandai loves milking those old molds and like with the hg, they’d probably just use the mg geara doga with a few new parts.

    Unfortunately, they don't seem to be in a hurry to milk the Geara Doga mold.  They have done 2 colour swaps since the kit was released in 2013 and that's it.  Where is the heavy beam cannon version, the Stuka head version.  Heck, they can probably milk a Gear Zulu out of it, maybe.  I would love a MG version of this, maybe I will just do my own mode of the base Geara Doga someday.

  8. 18 hours ago, Rock said:

    http://schizophonic9.com/re7/mgex_strikefreedom.html

    http://schizophonic9.com/re7/mgex_strikefreedom2.html

    Probably the most comprehensive breakdown of the new MGEX kit and comparison to the original Master Grade.

    Thanks for the review links.  Looks good, although the gold is a bit of a let down.  It looks like there are only a few instances of lame gold.  The coating also does not seem consistent, but the armour hides most of the it.  I am still on the fence as to the value of the kit.  It looks much nicer than the original kit but it is pricy for a master grade.

  9. On 11/9/2022 at 6:11 PM, tjdetweiler said:
    Hi guys! Anyone getting the same response from Hobbygenki? - I was asking about an update on Sentinel R-Gun and Metal Build Guren Stein
     
    No rush - however they could've sent an email or on there social media notifying everyone that there is a delayed on shipments due to moving warehouse
     
    Message: Dear customer
    From end of october to november 11th, we are moving our warehouse
    During this time, we apologize for the delay in shipment and customer service.
    We will be able to answer your inquiry from 11th November
    We apologize for the inconvinience and thank you in advance for your understanding
    Best regards

    Yes, I got an email from them on November 2nd saying they were moving warehouses and asking for patience.

  10. On 10/25/2022 at 4:34 PM, anubis20 said:

    I'm curious if these taxes are actually being paid to local states. How does a local state enforce taxes on a company that is not even registered in the US? Who in Virginia, Florida, etc says: "Hobby Search in Japan has not paid us sales taxes this month!"?

    The follow up question would be whether you have to pay import taxes again once it comes through your mail system or via DHL/FedEx.  If I am charged taxes by a Japanese vendor, they better not charge me again when I get the package.  Thankfully, it does not look like they are doing this for Canada just yet.

  11. On 10/5/2022 at 4:46 AM, hachi said:

    So I cancelled them. I don't want to have open orders and then find the same items for sale in the mall...

    Pretty much came to the same conclusion with the RG Hi-Nu.  I am blessed to have some local shops that stock Bandai products so I have been able to find them about 1 month after release in Japan.  With most Japanese e-retailers stopping international shipping of Gunpla, HLJ is one of the last reputable ones so I don't see the situation getting better anytime soon.

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