Graham

Save your money. The only Macross toy I ever threw in the garbage.

LOL....that's also what I did.

Actually, I tortured the fool things first (cut, burned, drilled & shot them), before throwing them in the garbage.

Graham

This is not official, not insider information, just my best guess. Anyway, I also think we will see a Kakizaki VF-1A as he got a FAST pack sticker on the FP sticker sheet.

Here's what I think we are going to see in 1/48 in order of release: -

1) VF-1S Hikaru.

2) VF-1J Hikaru.

3) VF-1A Kakizaki

4) VF-1J Max & Millia.

5) ???????????

Graham

Heh, the Topic Title & Descripion of this thread " Banpresto Valks

Anybody know anything about them?" made me laugh out loud.

Asking that sort of question on the MW Toy Forums, which has the most knowledgable group of Macross toy enthusiasts in the world is akin to asking Stephen Hawking what he knows about the universe .

Graham

Uhhhh, Graham, you're forgetting one very important positive about the shops not opening until 1pm;  hangover recovery time.  If there's to be lots of drinking going on there needs to be appropriate time to recover from said drinking

All in all I'd say the shops run some pretty idea hours for the group

actually 1pm is underestimating

it should be 3pm onwards Graham,

Nah, 3pm is too late. A lot of the shops like Animate, Kanto, Toymania, Superman are open at 1pm.

Graham

I'd like to see a Tomahawk and the new Macross Zero Destroid, but that's about it. The other Destroids have never appealed to me very much.

Graham

I for one would not like to see Yamato release a retooled and improved, gimmick laden, perfect transformation 1/60 VF-1.

Good grief.....just imagine having to purchase all those VF-1 variants in 1/60 scale yet again! I don't think either my wallet, display cabinet or wife would stand for it.

Personally, I'm happy with the 1/48 VF-1.

Don't worry, I'm sure Yamato will will incorporate lessons learned and features from the 1/48 line in the upcoming VF-0 line.

Graham

Guess, I'm gonna have to start planning where to take you guys.

The good news is that most shops are open until 9pm or 10pm at night, 7 days a week. The bad thing is that most of the hobby/toy shops don't open until at least 1pm. Some of the smaller shops only open in the evenings from 6pm onwards. This means that for those of you suffering from jetlag, we won't have to start too early in the morning!

We will not be able to visit every major toy and hobby shop in one day. It will take at least two days. Here's what I'm thinking.

Day # 1 Kowloon Side

1) Allied Plaza in Prince Edward. Several shops selling Japanese Hobby & game magazines.

2) Animate on Nelson Road in Mong Kok for toys and magazines.

3) Sino Center on Nathan Road in Mong Kok for toys (Animate & Kanto Hobby). Also, many shops selling bootleg anime DVDs. Several shops selling original Jpop CDs.

4) CTMA Center on Sai Yeung Choi St South in Mong Kok for Toys (Superman toys & Ant Shop + several other toy shops).

5) Several misc smaller toy shops scattered around Mong Kok.

6) If any of you are airsoft fans, there is a whole street full of airsoft shops in Mongkok.

7) 111 Richmond Center in Argyle Street Mong Kok. Several toy shops and one hentai manga shop!

Perhaps the Ladies Street Market and Temple Street market for bootleg gashapons if anybody is interested and clothes shopping for the wives.

Day # 2 HK Island Side

1) Causeway Bay Center on Sugar Strret. One large branch of Animate, plus several other toy and model shops.

2) Japanese Dept. stores Sogo and Mitsokushi. Big manga and magazine section, but the toy and model sections are overpriced. Still, worth a visit.

3) 108 Center in Wanchai, several toy and hobby shops.

4) Other misc toy and model shops in wanchai.

Of course, we also have to fit lunch and dinners and pubs in as well.

And do you guys want to do any regular tourist type stuff?

Lastly, I'll ask, but Yamato's office will probably be off-limits. The general manager would probably never speak to me again if I came a knockin' with a bunch of rabid Macross fans in tow. Anyway, there's not much to see there unless they happen to have some prototypes or tests shots in the office on that day.

Graham

As well as the stuffed VF-1S, there was also a stuffed VF-19 Fire Valkyrie. Also extremely rare. I only know one person who has one.

Graham

IHOP, Graham

is International House Of Pancakes

and Red Robins is the place which serves great burgers,

been to one in Irvine, CA

Ah right, I remember passing one when I was in Orlando last February, but didn't have time to go in. Hmm....maybe next year when I'm in Vegas......I love pancakes.

Graham

I allready have a Toy Room... Is good to have a bigger place.

And I do need more shelfs.

WHAT are we gonna do when the 1/60 Destroid MOSTER comes?? MAn not even my toy room will be enough! And The Box of that thing? can you inmagine?

As somebody else suggested a while ago, buy two monsters and a big sheet of rectangular shaped glass. Put a Monster under each end of the glass and you have an instant coffee table B)

Graham

I hear ya....it's getting to the point where I'm gonna have to get some fishing line and make em hang from da ceiling. It'll look great on all three modes though.......too bad it's gonna hang there motionless though. 

It doesn't have to...with some celing track and some electric motors, you could have a formation of 1/48s flying around in the air!

That would kick SO much ass.

Yeah, until one hit you in the head......

and break into pieces

LOL, if you got hit in the head by a flying 1/48 with FPs attached, it would be your head that broke. Those suckers are damn heavy.

Graham

Give me a double bacon cheese burger anytime, shucks forgot HongKong doesnt have any burger king around

Cheers

Unfortunately, Burger King, Wendys & Jack in the Box closed down years ago, forced out by McDonalds

For western fast food, we have McDonalds, KFC, a few Hardies and Pizza Hut.

For burgers though, I generally prefer slightly more upscale places like TGIF, Hard Rock Cafe, Ruby Tuesday or Dan Ryans.

Graham

Give me a double bacon cheese burger anytime, shucks forgot HongKong doesnt have any burger king around.

I hope they have something edible. I am a picky eater. I do hear there is a micky d's over there. I guess I will suffer. But the toys...Ah yes the toys

ALEX

Lot's and lot's of McDonalds here. We probably have a greater density of McDonalds than any other city in the world.

I think HK has something like 200 McDonalds branches. Wherever you are in HK, you are never more than 5-10 minutes walk away from a McDonalds!

Graham

Yuk....if that's what you guys are going to eat, count me out. I hate sea food 

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Hmmmmmmmmmm,

any Red Robins or IHOP in HK?

No robins here, just lots of sparrows, pigeons and the occasional hawk.

I have no idea what an IHOP is!?

Graham

AFAIK, the VF-1S Hikaru is scheduled for late October and the VF-1J Hikaru for late November or early December.

However, release dates are like weather reports and should be taken with a grain of salt.

Graham

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the new series was a sequel to Escafowne!

Graham

Ewww! ....Nooooo Sorry...But am I the only one who doesn't like Escaflowne?

Melissa

I'm not saying that's what I want. It's not. Although I enjoyed Escaflowne, I'm not really interested in seeing a sequel. But it is a posibility Sunrise and Kawamori will make one.

Of couse, I want a new Macross TV series and just for the record, I'd like it set in the 2020-2035 period.

Graham

About 30cm (12") tall with Super packs and 34cm (13.5") with the Strike Cannon.

I had to adjust the shelves in my display cabinet to fit them.

Graham

to eat

Yuk....if that's what you guys are going to eat, count me out. I hate sea food

Graham

Err....areaseven, didn't you already post this review in the old forums. People can find it archived there.

Graham

graham, since you've been staying in HK, can you speak cantonese?

just curious

Despite living in HK for 16 years, having a Cantonese wife and spending thousands of HK$ on Cantonese lessons, I only speak very basic 'Survival Cantonese'.

In fact languages have never been my strong point, and I only use my Cantonese when absolutely necessary.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Graham

Nothing wrong with drinking beer, eating, chatting!!!  I love that too! Just don't get us to eat those exotic "game" cuisine....(rats, snake, monkey brains)

WOW, looking forward to spend money still on Macross/Yamato stuff! Q-rau!!! Awesome!

Hey, maybe we should mention that weather in January is alot cooler and humid too?

Paulo

Don't worry, I'm a burger, steak and pizza kinda guy. I'm not into exotic food at all.

In fact despite living in HK, I don't really like Chinese food much and the only time I eat it is when I have to visit my wife's parents.

And the weather in January should be around 12 to 20 degrees Celsius (That's 53.6 to 68 Fahrenheit for you Yanks). Humidity should be low in January as well.

Graham

...best if we dress up in black suits to look like triads so we can get our stuff for free for our "services" rendered to the shops....(wow, what an imagination!)

Paulo

The average Triad member doesn't dress in a suit, well accept perhaps in John Woo movies!

Mostly, they are uneducated, semi-illiterate scum, who wear dirty or torn vests or T-shirts and jeans and often have dyed hair, heavy suntans, several tatoos and a cigarette hanging from their mouths. Also, incapable of speaking a sentence without every second word being a swear word. Should all be lined up against a wall and shot IMO!

Graham

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the new series was a sequel to Escafowne!

Graham

And just what's wrong with sitting around eating and drinking beer?

I think in January, you should still be able to find the VF-1S Hikaru, VF-1J Hikaru and perhaps the Q-rau and Escaflowne toy as well. Also, I'm sure there will be lots of older stuff.

Graham

In your opinion, would any fastpack sets be around in hong kong when we're planning that HK shopathon in january? Or should I buy extra sets now?

That's really difficult for me to predict as I don't know the size of the production run or whether Yamato will do another production run.

However, as it's only early September now and January is still a long way away, if I had to give my best guess, I'd tend towards a worst-case scenario and say by the time of the Shopathon they might be very difficult to find.

Hope I'm wrong, but just to be safe I'd get a few extra sets now if I were you.

Graham