GU-11

Well, HLJ's canceled my VF-1J Hikaru and refunded me. During this whole incident, I made a quick decision to order the VF-1D since it had already entered low stock status. Funny thing is, the VF-0A which was ordered first is still on hold, while the VF-1D is being shipped first. Just hope they remember to proceed with the VF-0A's shipping after the -1D ships out. Just to be safe, I'll make sure both are shipped out before ordering the -1J again. Well, at least they were thoughtful enough to automatically separate the shipment for the -1D and -0A this time.

The only thing holding me back from buying from AmiAmi is their relatively pricey shipping fees. But after this incident, I'll seriously have to give AmiAmi another look. Regarding HLJ's shipping system, when they said to wait until the first item enters the shipping/payment phase, do they mean when you get an email confirming that HLJ's received payment for the item(s), and the open orders show the item in the shipment processing stage? Or must the first item have to be already shipped out before I place the second order?

I'm actually quite torn between the VF-0A CF (AKA Unknown Soldier) and the Shin. While the Shin Custom is a hero-Valk through and through, I'm seriously not feeling the lighter gray and stripes on the chest area. Guess I'll have plenty of time to decide whether to buy it or not, if it does come out at all...knowing Yamato's penchant for repaints, the answer's almost definitely "yes".

VF-22S Gamlin/Max/Milia: "Are you our Daddy?" Aesthetically speaking, I've always preferred the -23's design over the Raptor. The canards you added to the jet just adds perfection to an already killer design. Ten out of ten!

Just wait until you hear my story, bro. I just lost free shipping for my VF-1J for the simple request of trying to get HLJ to separate my shipment. Had to cancel the order, wait for the VF-0A to be shipped, AND THEN reorder the VF-1J. And since I'm now ordering it after the free shipping promo is over, I'd have to pay for full shipping. Honestly, I don't hold it against them (HLJ), but the system does seem rather inflexible. Man, if it weren't for that fricking tax threshold thing, both orders would have been shipped out by yesterday!

In that case, it might be an earlier re-release; I've heard that shortly after the VF-0S Ghost Bundle, another standalone -0S was reissued just before the MacZero line was stopped. Yours could be one of those. AFAIK, any reissue that predates this latest 2010 release emphasized on fixing the shoulders, while the other issues that you mentioned on yours were only mildly addressed. Then again, I don't remember Yamato making any promises to fix the rest of the issues in THIS re-release either.

Thanks for your replies, guys. I emailed HLJ and asked if they could separate the shipment for me, and they said that while they usually try to ship items together, they'd make an exception this time. The thing is, the guy said he'll have to cancel one of the orders, and then I'll have to RE-ORDER THE ITEM MYSELF to make it a separate shipment. To make matters worse, that item will no longer be eligible for free shipping. It seems that if you want HLJ to ship your stuff separately, you'll have to wait until the first order has entered the shipment/payment processing stage before placing the second order. Not much of an option in my case, since I was trying to take advantage of the free shipping promo. After this incident, I just learned that one of the biggest problems with online shopping in Asia is the hassle one has to deal with regarding the tax-free threshold. Not only are you getting taxed, you have to drive all the way to the airport to pay the taxes! The only other option is to get the local courier company to transport it for you to the nearest post office for you to collect, which necessitates an extra fee of about 15 USD. Your third option would be to use FED-EX as a shipping option, in which you're spared the hassle of collecting the items yourself. FED-EX pays for any necessary taxes at customs, and brings the item right to your doorstep, and then mails you the bill for the taxes. It seems most people steer away from anything above 156 USD when using SAL or EMS, or request that the seller mark down their prices. I've read that the local customs department has a separate definition of what constitutes a "toy" (which is supposedly tax-free no matter the price) and a "replica or model" (which falls into the MYR 500 threshold). I've heard that there were some cases where locals have bought items from HLJ that went way above MYR 500, and never got taxed, and other that got taxed for far less. From what I've read, the customs department defines a toy as an articulated figure meant for "playing with", while a model is simply a static, non-moving figure. Man, it that were true, and most Macross VF figs certainly fall under the "toy" definition, then I might have wasted all day emailing HLJ and trying to get my shipment separated. Better safe than sorry, I guess....

I just ordered three items from HLJ: VF-1J Hikaru standalone (free shipping) VF-0A reissue (free shipping) VF-1D (20% sale) In one single shipment, these three are going to be packed into one huge box, and I don't want to call any attention to such a big box at the customs department, lest I be taxed to kingdom come. BTW, are the customs guys going to tax this based on each individual item purchased, or the combined price of all three items on a single receipt? Is there any way I can get HLJ to ship these items individually? Damn HLJ and their frequent sales! PS, I'm currently living in Malaysia, which means online purchases above MYR 500 (local currency, about USD 156) aren't tax free.

Seriously, I'd buy this if the price is reasonable.

I think there's been a slight case of miscommunication here. The thrusters/feet are ratcheted, and therefore will click if you move them up and down, or when you part the thruster covers. What I meant was, for you to PULL THE THRUSTERS OUT AND AWAY FROM THE LEGS (AS IF YOU WERE TRYING TO LENGTHEN THEM) and see if they will click into place. Otherwise, you can also transform it into battroid mode and stand it up, and see if the weight of the fig will make the feet sink into the legs, because they will if they're not locked. I hate to break this to you, but there's a very good chance that you might have been sold a V1, as according to the Scorched Earth reviews, the V2 Ghost Bundle and even the V1.5 no longer have these problems with structural integrity...or at least they have far less of these problems. You can check them out in these links: My link My link Hope this helps some.

Just try to pull the thrusters/feet out from the legs, and see if you can feel or hear anything click into place. V.1's have non-locking feet.

Thanks for all the info, guys! The fact that it has knurled pins kind of unnerves me (although they seem pretty okay, judging from your replies), but the VF-1D is just too much of a must-have Valk...that I decided to just buy it, anyway! I guess I'll just have to take care with movement around the shoulders and loosen the hinge screws a bit. Heheh, can't wait for Roy's TV Valk for a classic diorama! Thanks again!

HLJ's having a sale again, and I've set my sights on the newly restocked VF-1D. The thing is, I've heard that there are cases of exploding shoulders on the -ID. Understandably, I'm pretty hesitant to buy it. But since this is new stock, is there any chance that Yamato might have replaced the knurled pins on the new -1D's? It'd be killer if I could have a -1D waiting for the TV -1S Roy.

Couldn't have chosen a worse time to hold a sale...right after I put several hundred on the counter for a VF-0A and VF-1J Hikaru. That, and the fact that I just bought the VF-0S at FULL PRICE at my local hobby shop! And less than a week later, it's on 30% discount, damn it! :angry: Painfully tempting price slashes, too. 20% off on both the VF-1D and DYRL VF-1S Hikaru Anniversary Plus! Hmmm, maybe I could spare just one more hundred dollars to this guy....

In my case, it was some issue with Paypal's security measures that refused the payment. Thankfully, things got resolved, and the payment finally got through to HLJ. Sheesh...

In what form did the refund come in? Was it like deducted from the overall price or something? Really like to know since I'm taking advantage of the Paypal free shipping thing, too! BTW, my open orders section says my orders are "being specially processed by HobbyLink Japan staff." What does that mean? EDIT: Nevermind. I just got an email from HLJ with zero shipping cost on the invoice.

Looking at these pics is bittersweet. Sweet in that this is a masterpiece crafted with crazy skills and superbly detailed. Bitter in that I currently have either the skill, space or money to own one of these....

Actually, I signed up for the Paypal Billing Agreement, so everything is basically automatic for me. In any case, since their order confirmation email just arrived today, and was titled Paypal Free Shipping, I think I'm safe. BTW, I haven't noticed the two boxes you mentioned. What's that about?

The most I'll buy is the upcoming VF-1J. As it is, I'm in too deep with Yamato's 1/60's to be starting the same collection in a new toyline: VF-1A Max TV VF-1J M&M VF-1D VR VF-1J Hikaru (ordered yesterday) VF-1S Roy TV (preordered) BTW, is there any possibility of a VF-2SS for the HM line? Personally, I just can't see how a Macross "staple" like Max's -1J can be made into a web exclusive. A MacII VF-2SS? Maybe. But Max, and all by himself, too? You can't have a Max -1J without Milia.

Great review! Love the VF-22S design in general and the nice matte finishing on all three variants. Still, Gamlin's menacing dark gray colors remain my favorite. One thing I particularly like about the YF-21 is the headsculpt, with its multi eyepieces; always had a thing for non-humanoid looking heads like the VF-1A and VF-25FG. Back to the Max -22S, I'm not sure if I'll be investing any money on the M&M's, unless they go for 60% to 40% discount. Hadn't accounted for the recent reissue of the MacZero VF's and the upcoming Klan fig, and now it seems the VF-1D is being restocked, too--I'm spending way more than I'm comfortable with these few months.

WTF?! That is so friggin' messed up! I bought a VF-0A and a VF-1J Hikaru (my first ever 2-item purchase from HLJ) from them at about the same time--thankfully, the order confirmation came with "Paypal Free Shipping" on the email title. Can I breathe a little easier now? Damn, shouldn't they keep with the announced closure date instead of pulling the carpet from under your feet like that?! "Allotted stock", indeed....

Thanks! After recently finishing the assembly of a Kotobukiya AC Aaliyah Kpachar and all its minute salt-grain sized components, a Bandai model kit no longer fazes me. I think I'll go grab a VF-25G maybe during the August Black Friday sale and ready it for the imminent October arrival of my very own Zentraedi battle queen!

I wonder if those 1/72 Bandai MF model kits are still in stock somewhere? Not a fan of those kits, honestly, but I'm mulling over the idea of assembling Mikhail's VF-25G just to go with this baby....

Does the standalone VF-1J Hikaru that was recently reissued also sport fixed shoulders? Just ordered one on HLJ to take advantage of the free shipping thing, but if its the same old stock with problematic shoulders, please give me a quick heads-up; I'll cancel quick it for a GBP Armor set.

Despite the fact that it's non-articulate, I just gotta have this! BTW, does this scale in with a 1/60 VF-25G? Not exactly planning to get a DX Chogokin, but if Yamato does make its own MF Messiah in the near future, I want this baby standing in battle beside Michail's Battroid!