raziel03

1 hour ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Ultimately, from my perspective, Bandai is to blame for not making these available outside Japan except via grey-market, and then cutting supply.

NY may have crap customer service, but I understood that when I ordered from them. I expected better out of Bandai.

Let's not forget, this aspect is not entirely Bandai's fault.  The patent troll company known as HG has a huge part in why Bandai can't offer this stuff outside of Japan in the first place.

It is definitely a crappy situation all around, made worse by poor communication by multiple parties in the supply chain.   Of course this has left all of us to try to come up with whatever theory we can to fill in the blanks and make sense of this absurdity.  The worst part is that even if we all get our orders, we'll probably never know the real truth of what happened.

1 hour ago, sumyumgoy said:

I got in touch with Fexthobby about the 000, it looks like there was an error on their website.  They just fixed it and it's available for order now along with the 102 and 303.

Thanks for the update!  Just put in an order for a 000, 102 & 102F.  Gotta pick up some VFs now.  Only been collecting Destroids and Zentraedi mecha from this line so far.

5 hours ago, 20max20 said:

I received my 31A from NY today. Interesting to notice a QA issue due probably to poor coloring (maybe they were really producing in a rush?) and then relative attempt to fix.

guess not wise to ask for replacement :/

not big deal, I had really hard time to get it on camera as it is barely noticeable.

a part from this...seriously...this bird is ridiculously cool. Bandai HAS to release more! Come on Bandai, put a 02 mark on it and give it to us all! We’d probably be ok even with the frozen canopy...

This makes me wonder if the shortage is due to lower than expected yields at the factory.  Companies generally don't like to advertise quality problems of any kind.  Internally, Bandai might be scrambling to get another batch started in order to meet existing commitments.  Wish I had some insight into what they are telling individual customers who haven't received their allocation.  You'd think they'd just issue refunds if they had no way to eventually fill the orders.  I kind of doubt Bandai is suffering from the kind of cash flow problems the webshops we're dealing with might be.

Love both the 102 & 102F.  Looks like its time to hunt down some CF versions.

My main problem with the 262 is the color schemes.  If Bandai made a DX that looks like this, I'd definitely have to bite.

15 hours ago, Shukenzero said:

 Looks like the Kairos is coming! Wonder when they'll reveal the prototype?

Yesssss!  This is the main event for me.  Don't care about any of the remaining Delta Squadron units at all.

This somehow makes me like both the 262 and Messer's scheme more.  Who knew combining them like this would have that effect?  I also hope this happens...my wallet doesn't, but I do.

Received my Mirage from HLJ today.  I only had time to transform it to Gerwalk so far, but she is such a pretty bird!  My only frame of reference for Bandai Valks is the VF-171, so I'm glad to see the transformation seems to be a lot simpler, and so far there have been fewer moments where I've felt like I was straining pieces or at risk of breaking parts.  I love all the little details they put into it, like the drone launcher bay.  Truth be told, I was never wowed by the VF-31 design, but I've grown to really appreciate it seeing it in three dimensions.  The lines and angles are simply gorgeous and the color scheme really makes them pop.

I wasn't able to check my phone until after I got off work, and nearly had a heart attack when I saw I had an email from HLJ...and a message from my credit card that my transaction had been declined .  This is the one and only time I'm glad I have my checking account linked to Paypal.

Got shipping notification while I was making sure HLJ got payment.  LOL.

This will be my first VF-31.  I can't wait!

HLJ confirmation get!  It was worth going home for lunch!

Thanks for the HLJ link!  Got one...hopefully.

No offense. But trust is not the issue here. I don't mind buying stuff from a new store. It's just that this is the first time I heard about this store that's why I'm asking. And nobody from this board ever mention this before. Esp their credibility to offer stuff that we can't get or we can't preorder from the 'big known' online stores or running out of stock for that matter. You know what I mean. And risking $100 is different from let's say getting a $300 toy that you can't get from others and you can just buy from them the first time.

But I think, it would be nice to hear more from this store before diving in. Just my 2 cents.

Yeah, I completely agree. I ordered three from there way back when the pre-orders first opened, but only because they didn't require any money up front. They seem to have a VERY small word of mouth on the english-speaking internet. Most of the hits on google are exactly like this thread: people asking if they are trustworthy...with inconclusive answers.

That's the reason I personally haven't been directing people there. Figured I'd take the risk with the Regults before giving them free advertising.

I did notice that the subject line of my order confirmation as well as a LOT of their ebay feedback is in French, so french speakers may have better luck finding out more about this shop.

I typically aim of three of each, so I can display one in each mode. I don't like duplicate paint schemes though. I have a pretty modest collection compared to a lot of people on here. 3x VF-1, 3x SV-51, 3x VF-22 & 3x VF-171

Just got my shipping notification last night. I might be upset that it took so long compared to other members on here, but I chose SAL, so I wasn't really in any hurry anyway.

Got mine Friday afternoon, but didn't have a chance to play with it until a couple hours ago. Maybe I just got lucky, but it feels like Bandai improved on this release over the Alto. Everything seems tighter, and I never felt like I was fighting the transformation. Things fit together with a more satisfying "Click," that I'm accustomed to with my Yammies. I also never had a problem with the wing pegs or any other pieces falling off. Gotta give them credit if they did indeed improve on their manufacturing process between the releases.

Love the color scheme as much as I thought I would. For some reason, the white of Alto's made it seem naked without the armor, and I really didn't like it in Gerwalk. This thing looks fantastic in all three modes, but I'll probably be displaying it in primarily in Fighter.

I am so glad I didn't pass on this! Gerwalk mode is alright, but fighter and battroid are probably the best from Frontier, as far as I'm concerned. I love the VF-25 and its variants, but something about this...

I feel exactly the same way. Fell in love with the design and color scheme from the very first shot in Frontier. It remains the only valk from Frontier I've felt the need to buy. I appreciate the 25 and 27, but never felt like I needed to have physical representations of them.

According to my tracking, my 171 cleared SF customs as of 5am Pacific. Think I'll probably have it tomorrow.

Pre-ordered. I have no intention of using the armor, but definitely need the ordinance. CF 171 was always a missile boat! Love the MDE and reaction warheads too.

That's pretty much why I've given up hunting down anything of Bandai's for pre-orer. I only camped the YF-29 re-release because it happened to go up at a reasonably acessible time (11 pm).

NY may mark things up slightly, but I think if you can get things at maybe $20-$30 over retail, it's worth the peace of mind not having to deal with this stupid bandai preorder circus.

Bingo. It was pure luck that I managed to get in a preorder this time around. Had NY open theirs up even 5 minutes later, or had I been on the same schedule that I was on when the Alto came out, I would have missed it. As I said before in this thread, I completely missed the preorder last time around and was still able to get one for a reasonable price despite having to order after the release date. This is why I support NY for my buying needs, despite their markup. Their business model is just way more compatible with what I'm willing to do as a customer.

Preorder went back up at NY for about $182. Got mine in. Good luck!

At a reasonable price or at scalper rates??

I had to go back and check, because I honestly couldn't remember. I paid $240 shipped for the Alto, so a bit higher than standard, but hardly outrageous.

Wow, I had been anticipating this day after Japan got back from their collective New Years' break. Too bad I was at work at the time and missed it. I completely missed the preorder for the Alto, and opted to go with an eBay scalper, who then fell through. And yet, I was still able to get one even though I had to order after the release date. I'm confident I'll be able to get one of these, too.

RVF-171EX Luca

VF-17S Milla

Most improbable:

Another unique set of M&M valks (ie YF-11)

Honorable mention:

VF-11 Milla custom

Got my email early this morning, too. Can't wait to get them!

Maybe exchange rate fluctuation? Yen has been dropping like a rock since late November. Checking my Paypal receipt, it looks like my price is even different from yours. The parts are $68.91 and my shipping is $24.32. That compares to the figure of $72.35 for the parts, plus $25.54 shipping when I first preordered back in July.

I fell in love with this one from its very first appearance in Frontier. This is the one I really wanted when they announced Alto's. Glad to see it (apparently) sold well enough for them to green light this. I did my part in hopes this would happen. Preordering as soon as I'm able to.