Darth Mingus

yeah, it would be nice if Bluefin would let us order from them...  Right now, it is US only.

As others have said, MyKombini has started asking for payment meaning the release of the VF-1S Hikaru will be soon.  I thought I'd post links to the stores that may start getting pre-orders cancelled (that also don't scalp):

HLJ: https://www.hlj.com/dx-chogokin-the-movie-vf-1s-valkyrie-hikaru-ichijo-use-bans55800

AmiAmi: https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-049315

HobbySearch: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10616645

Amazon (General Product Listing): https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/offer-listing/B07SH712YR/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new  

Stores that do "scalp" (by this I mean list pre-order above retail after an initial batch):

MyKombini: https://mykombini.com/en/november-2019/14762-dx-chogokin-movie-vf-1s-valkyrie-hikaru-ichijyou-custom-macross-do-you-remember-love-bandai-spirits-4573102558008.html - 28,990 Yen

Nippon-Yasan: https://www.nippon-yasan.com/figures/28337-super-dimension-fortress-macross-dx-chogokin-movie-vf-1s-valkyrie-ichijou-hikaru-custom.html - 32,250 Yen

Hopefully these links will help people who were not able to score a pre-order.  Good luck!

Here are some Chrome extensions that blocks images.  I am sure there are a ton of them.

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/block-image/pehaalcefcjfccdpbckoablngfkfgfgj?hl=en

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/image-blocker/mkhbghdfcdepfhgeklhdhlmdldiiaajp?hl=en

Ideally, you would run some analysis to see what on each site is taking the longest to load and then selectively block out the scripts/images/cookies/etc that are taking the most time.  There are a number of open source and free tools to achieve this.  Of course, you should also test it out first so that you do not break the site...

Google Analytics is another contributor to slow load times on sites because that is purely based on Google's response times.

9 minutes ago, sqidd said:

My wish list is getting pretty small too.

HA! Famous last words.  

Have you met "Getter Emperor"?

How about a set of arms and legs for the Milia figure that we can swap out via magnets (or fully articulate if we are nuts)?

3 minutes ago, vlenhoff said:

SO this happened...

Shoddy imperial workmanship.  That's what happens when you import slave labour from the outer rim planets...

These things are like mushrooms!

JUNE 2020
METAL BUILD GUNDAM ASTRAEA + PROTO GN HIGH MEGA LAUNCHER
BANDAI TAMASHII WEB SHOP

23,760円 (JAPAN SALES TAX INCLUDED

And like part of this thing is already sold out...

)

17 hours ago, sqidd said:

Well, because I found a Glaug on Mandrake for $75 and I HAD to get some other stuff to justify shipping........I got the Astrea Type F Heavy Weapons Set. And a Great Mazinger.

Man I have a problem.

And I am living vicariously through you.  Hope you post some pictures when you get the items.

I like the black.  Makes it look like a museum.  Are you opposed to painting the wall?  Maybe some blackboard paint?  It will give you a deep flat finish which will cut the reflections you can see off the white wall.

@sqidd

I know you like big and red robots, have you seen this one?  It is the red Astrea with the Type-F "avalung" option set.

I suspect there will be some available at release.  Don't forget that to "complete" the toy, you will need the P-Bandai funnel set.

42 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Forgive me, I know next to nothing about Gundam. I'm half way through Gundam UC right now and that is the extent of my knowledge. And I mostly collect toys for aesthetic reasons so "history" isn't much of a factor for me. That said, that's the Unicorn correct? What am I looking at? Is that a soon to be new release? It looks massive. How big is that thing (I'm a big toy fan)? Bandai? I think I see another in the background with the shield? Same toy different display? I think I need something like that in my collection! Thanks!

It is the RX-93 Nu Gundam from Char's Counterattack, the theatrical movie released in 1988, which, at the time wrapped up plot lines from Original Gundam (1979), Zeta Gundam (1985) and ZZ Gundam (1986).  It was meant to be the "ultimate" Gundam, but with recons, it was eventually superseded by Mobile Suit such as the Unicorn.

What you are looking at is the first product in a new line called Metal Structure which is essentially a 1/60 scale "Perfect Grade" model kit made into a fully completed and painted figure.  The "toy" went on sale at the end of August and sold out faster than most Valkyries considering this thing costs over 100,000 yen (not a typo).

Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam:_Char's_Counterattack

https://gundam.fandom.com/wiki/RX-93_ν_Gundam

Shopping links:

https://hlj.com/metal-structure-kaitaishoki-rx-93-nu-gundam-bans57540

https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-049722

Product Announcements:

https://www.gundamkitscollection.com/2017/11/metal-structure-series-revealed-at.html

https://www.gundamkitscollection.com/2019/06/metal-structure-rx-93-nu-gundam-release.html

10 hours ago, Graham said:

Articulation looks amazing. Not a big fan of the RX-78 or 1/144 scale, but I may just get this variant for the amazing articulation.

The joints on the 40th look very interesting.  Not sure how I feel about the design decision to make the skirts 1 solid piece and non-articulated.  When the Gundam kneels, the thigh actually slides out from the armour, then pivots at the end.  This would probably be more natural looking on a Zaku, but on the Gundam, it is a bit weird.

3 minutes ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

The FAZZ is a 2.0 MG?

Apparently it is based on the MG ZZ ver. Ka.  Ver. 2.0 tends to better match line art depictions of kits.  You can think of this as the spiritual version 2 of the FAZZ, like the ZZ Ver. KA was a modern take on the classic ZZ.

And I just bought a third-party PG Sword/Launcher add-in set for my Strike...

There are a whole bunch of these on the market for a variety of topics from Star Wars, to Back to the Future, etc.  The price is crazy, but some of the features make the model quite nice like light up components, etc.  If the magazines were in english and I had 2 years to collect it, the amortized price would not be too bad.  A good modeller could do the same with the PLAMAX offering.

4 hours ago, jenius said:

The circled items are improvements being made over the first release, they are both cavity fillers.

My bad... I noticed the misaligned cockpit and the sloppy cleanup on the panel lining and assumed the worst.  I guess they would not be tweeting about QC issues, would they...

Given the QC problems with the SV-51 and the items circled on these factory samples, hopefully, Arcadia can iron out the kinks.  The painting is beautiful, but pointless if the factory cannot be relied on to fully assemble the product, or assemble it correctly.  For that amount of money, I would expect a premium product, not something that will surprise when I transform it the first time.

Looks like Bandai is doing a co-branded HG Gunpla/S.H.Figuarts offering.  When they showed the original picture, I thought...meh. but the new listing shows you can combine the two into a motorcycle form, and I am a sucker for motorcycles.

19 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

"what did you buy?!"

Worst question to get first thing in the morning.  I had a bunch of stuff pop up on the statement on the once a month time that my wife looks at the credit card statement and had to justify $500 in purchases.  I now use that conversation every time a box comes in the mail..."Remember we talked about the big purchase last summer, that was pre-order for this time..."

2 hours ago, obakesan said:

 

Paint job looks great!  hopefully the ankles are assembled correctly.

2 hours ago, Graham said:

I'm really loving the newly released P-Bandai F90 Master Grade. It's a great kit. 

The original non-grade 1/100 F90 A/D/S was the first ever Gunpla I built way back in 1990.

So happy that a Master Grade had finally been released as the F90 is one of my all time favourite Mobile Suit designs. 

Looks great.  Are you getting all the weapon packs as well?  The kit from the 90s wasn't too bad, but this one looks like it blows it away. 

Supposedly, my armour parts from NY have shipped.

The more I look at the Endgame Thor figure, the more I am looking forward to it.  Between this and the Mafex Peter B. Parker, I am finally feeling that my body type is being represented in action figures.

1 hour ago, anubis20 said:

Same here!!! Ive only seen the add to cart button once and when I managed to click it stuff had sold out 

I think pre-ordering from 1999 is the golden unicorn for this forum.  Otherwise, the site is rock solid, good prices, good customer service, ships quickly.  I used to get Gunpla from them without issue.