Drad

I finally got around to opening up my Hi-Metal R Focker VF-1S, transformed it a few times..

.. and I have to say I'm super impressed with it. This little guy is rock-solid. Nothing loose or floppy, everything pegs in securely. The fit and finish is impeccable for a toy of this scale and it stands up to handling much better than I'd expected. It's sturdy despite being so small; I don't feel like anything's going to suddenly break in my hands. Great sculpt, detailing and paint on top of it all.

I'm definitely on board for the future of this line. Thank you, Bandai.

Couldn't resist. Ordered two CF VF-1A's at AmiAmi.

Any chance we'll get some CF VF-1J's? What do you guys think? I'd buy one.

Seems kinda weird to me to make a main character like Roy an exclusive item. People need him for their collections and he's not widely available?

Just strange. Carry on.

My Focker VF-1S is on its way from Nippon-Yasan.

For my part, I've never had any issues with them. Got Masterpiece Bumblebee from them, as well as a Renewal VF-25S Ozma for a reasonable price when everyone else was charging sky-high prices. This is my third order with N-Y.

Hopefully my dealings with N-Y will continue to go smoothly.

So what's next on the Hi-Metal R list? I'd like a VF-1D or Max and Millia. Or a Tomahawk.

Got my preparation in progress notice from NY for the VF-1S Strike Roy specials I ordered.

Skull Leader incoming. Thanks, Nippon-Yasan!

That's a good price. I can't wait for NECA to release Newt and Vasquez. Hopefully someday NECA can release Gorman and the rest of the Aliens cast.

I have another wish list for NECA:

Please, please, PLEASE give us the rest of the Predator special forces team. Blain, Mac, Dillon, Hawkins, Poncho and Billy. And Anna too. Please.

Dutch needs his team.

I ordered at AMIAMI and it said back ordered, the same (US) day I got an email requesting payment and they have two prices 5970 for back ordered and 5370 for released, but since it wasn't back-ordered why did i still have to pay the extra, any one else have dealings with them like this? Will they refund ever?

I saw that. The cheaper one is a damaged-box special. The backordered option lists the price for an undamaged box. It sounds like AmiAmi was simply assuming that you prefer the undamaged box.

Seeing these pics makes me so happy. I've wanted a TV SDF-1 for years. Now if only my package from AmiAmi would get through customs...

Got an email from Nippon-Yasan; looks like the release date for the Hi-Metal R VF-1S Focker Strike Valkyrie has been bumped up a few days, from April 30th to the 25th.

This is gonna look great on my shelf. The display stand looks nice, too. I'm happy to see the U.N. Spacy insignia instead of bare plastic.

TV version SDF-1, finally. Thank you, Megahouse.

Packaging. Wish he'd have opened it. The figure is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be. I thought it was gonna be pretty tiny, like the size of a Marvel Legends figure.

Just sent AmiAmi my payment for the SDF-1 and Masterpiece Shockwave. Looking forward to both of them!

BTW this first picture is not a CMS. She is larger, and I bought it from a member here many, many years ago. Can anyone tell me what line is she from? Or is it a custom?

That Minmay figure is a custom that was commissioned by and sold through the now-defunct Twin Moons Anime web shop, whose owner is a member here. Haven't seen him in a long time though, nor do I know who handled the production of the figure. Tamim is a great guy. I have one of these Minmay figures, myself. Very glad I had a chance to get one.

I'd rather HasTak finish off the G1 original mini-series cast before doing the other seasons. They're the main players, the "Legends". Plus they're so close to being done. Finish it! .

Agreed. This is long overdue.

I think there was a post awhile back with a poster that Bandai put together with all these proposed releases on it. It looked pretty broad and expansive to me. I think there's a good chance that there's gonna be something for everyone with this line. I can't wait.

I'll be thrilled if I can recreate some memorable scenes on my shelves:

Roy and Hikaru (VF-1D) rescuing Minmay during the first attack.

Hikaru's squad fighting with Breetai.

Max (VF-1A) and Millia's (Queadluun Rau) famous first battle.

Destroids, Destroids, Destroids.

If Bandai gives us a VF-2SS with SAP pack, that'll be icing on the cake.

Yeah but they want THREE regults to accompany ONE Glaug so I'd say both are pretty huge risks.

True, I suppose. But I think the Glaug is likely to sell a lot more than the Monster. Still a risk, though not quite as much.

I just want a decent shot at getting most of the key characters/mecha. I hope the line survives long enough for that.

The Glaug and the Monster? Those sound like shelf turds... I hope Bandai doesn't make way too many of them.

I would think that anyone who wants Regults would want Glaugs to accompany them. I doubt the Glaug would be a shelf puppy.

The Monster on the other hand, seems like a pretty big risk. Bandai needs to be careful with the way those are handled. Make enough to satisfy demand, but understand that some fans are likely to pass because of size/price, especially in Japan where space is at a premium. I'd hate for too many unsold Monsters to kill this line before it hits its stride. Personally, I would like to own a Monster, but I'll have to pass because I've nowhere to put it.

I don't think people paid that much attention to this line when it came out years ago. Give us enemy mecha and people start getting very interested.

Hi-Metal R is looking like our best chance to build a complete collection of characters/mecha from both sides, in-scale and for a reasonable price. I'm all in.

I have to say, these stand up to handling much better than my Yamato stuff. I don't worry about breaking things. I love my Yamato Valks as display pieces, but these Hi-Metal R figures seem to be better toys. My two Regults are waiting for their Glaug leader to show up. Looking forward to it.

Bring on the Destroid preorders!

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I want all the Destroids, but that Tomahawk looks boss. I can't wait to get a couple of those.

About forty bucks, if you're talking about the non-armored releases.

Honestly for stability at that size it NEEDS diecast at least in the lower legs or at least feet. My Titan Devastator is two inches taller and while I can get him in dynamic poses, the lack of diecast has already proven a problem as he's taken a fall because a leg wobbled when someone walked past. So yeah. And given that Toynami uses crap for materials(you guys with the Alphas, me with the POS that is BOTH versions I've had of the first Toynami Voltron set), I am not expecting things to go well with this thing.

I agree with this. I don't agree with diecast all over the figure just for the sake of having it. As long as the metal content is used appropriately, I'm fine with it.

I'm sure there's gonna be some metal in it, but considering the fact that the combined figure is gonna be sixteen inches tall, I really don't want to see a ton of diecast all over it. It won't be able to support its own weight.

The scale for the Regults (and probably Glaugs too) has been fudged somewhat, I was told. They're a little smaller than they should be, but close enough. That said, I'm okay with not being able to fit pilots into them...

.. especially if Bandai gives us in-scale Zentran/Meltran figures. Breetai, Kamjin, Millia, some foot soldiers.

Please?

Yeah, I know, but the highest preorder price I recall seeing for the HWR Monster was ¥25,000 at CDJapan. AmiAmi was at ¥22,890, Nippon-Yasan was ¥23,180, and HLJ was at ¥22,500.

I was just wondering if MyKombini has been higher in price compared to the other popular shops for the previous Hi-Metal R releases.

My apologies for not being very clear with my previous post

Ah, I see. Maybe MyKombini is priced higher because they're a smaller vendor? I dunno. Just a guess.