Scyla

As far as I know Bandai sponsored the show thus having the license to produce and distribute Frontier merchandise. Someday it might not be of use for them so they could sell it to another company like Yamato. I don't think it is likely to happen as long as Frontier is going strong in Japan. Even then the might still keep to license so their competitors don't have advantage. Maybe another 5 to 10 years?

Still the MSRP has to be somewhat rationalizes. If Yamatos Valkyries are more expensive because they are a smaller company, but more engineering into their toys or construct them with more die cast and more/higher quality plastic that a higher MSRP is o.k. and a customer get something for it. If I pay $299 for a VF-171 CF on the secondary market and $300 for the VF-17D with Super Parts on the primary market I don't get the same value for my bucks. Sure I saved $1 with the Bandai one but is it worth the money?

I'm also fairly sure that most of the people are got a pre-order out, are able to if more windows go up (I pre-ordered a VF-25G after the first window at amiami) or buy the toy on release but if you are passionate about something people tend to voice their opinions and the Internet is ideal for that. That said the situation is less then ideal for foreign Macross fans. And I would love to order my toys after I saw a review about them but hey as a nerd you have to life with that situation all the time. I remember when the WoW CE Editions were sold in minutes on Amazon and they are so nice to send you an E-Mail if the item is available for pre-order. Thats the drill if you are not interested in normal stuff like collecting Baseball cards or Football jerseys. And the situation is much better then 15 years ago when I started with the whole Japanese Anime/Manga/toy stuff with no Internet connection available (Funny thing I remember a HLJ add in my favorite Anime magazine I think you could order stuff there by mail). So the only place were I could see the fancy Japanese toys was a Shop 120 miles away from home and they didn't have a huge selection. So the overall situation is good for toy collectors but if you have to save your money to buy exactly the few Valkyries you planned this year and you can't that is quit depressing. And it would be nice if everyone that is so interested in a toy to stalk obscure web forums could get the nice amiami pre-order discount if they stay up at night to refresh the web site. Just saying. Also I'm sure this forum is a running gag for the Bandai CEOs when they count their 480 billion Yen that they earned last year and talk about some foreign guys that ramble on an Internet message board because they can't get some of their products. Actually I'm not really sure if it is a good business strategy to cater to scalpers. Because scalpers are only buying items that the can sell which usually mean items with low production runs and a high demand. These would sell out anyway with orders from normal customers. Not so freaking fast of course. But a normal customer buys also other stuff from the store that is not highly demanded. So it could be that if HLJ looses regular customers with that sale strategy (if it is one) resulting in less income overall. As I said HLJ would still fill all their pre-order slots for the VF-171 CF but regular customers are likely to order some stuff that is on sale, buy items they are interested in or to ease the cost of overseas shipping (I did all three things in the past). Maybe HLJ has do offer a discount on so many items because only scalpers buy there and items without a high demand rot in the shelfs of their warehouses.

Man that sucks. I hope you get a replacement. If not you can try to glue it back together. I don't own the toy so I don't know the details (size, tolerances, etc.) but I broke the die cast hip bar on my VF-25F Renewal (don't ask) and I was able to fix it. All I did was to pin the broken parts together. I drilled two holes in both pieces and glued a small metal pin between them. I think I used a two component epoxy based glue (not a liquid super glue). It stays together rather well because the area were it broke is really ruff (because of the die cast) so the glue can attach nicely. I'm still able to move the leg even if the hip joint is so stiff that it can hold wide stance poses with the super parts attached. When I pose it I'm very careful and I remove the hip bar for transformation (not a perfect transformation toy anymore ). I would liked to put two metal pins inside the broken part so it is more resistant against shearing force but it was to small for that (you have the Bandai mold so you should know the size of the piece). Maybe the Yamato part is large enough. If the rest of the arm joints are loose enough and the construction allows for it maybe the arm is still movable afterwards. When I glued the part on my VF-25F I made sure that there is a bulge (?!?!? what I mean there is a glue bubble around the broken area) on the hip bar so it is more sturdy. If the tolerances inside the shoulder cavity are large enough it might even be possible to transform it. If you try to glue it aware of the fact that shearing force is eventually killing the repair so be very (!!!) gentle with your movements. As I said I don't own the toy but maybe the post was some help at least. Hope you get a replacement though.

I don't know if that is actual working. even if you just do the hips the V2 is just so different that you cannot re-model the parts because they won't fit in the original toy. So what you have to do is take all the parts on the V2 that are not present in a V1 toy and model them which is kinda time consuming because they are two very different toys even if they look similar. I'm sure Kurisama would do it gladly if you can pay him . But then again the parts shapeways produce are not comparable with parts form a factory because the process to create them is very different. So even if you get all the parts the toy would not look nearly as good as the original toy. Also I'm not sure if the toy would be able to transform because of tolerances and the joints and tabs that hold them in place. Hm maybe out of curiosity someone should try to re-model a whole Valkyrie and see how much it's off to the original. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Regarding Bandais business practices (the first post was long enough). I'm not sure if I can blame them either. I don't know how many items they produce per run and why. I also don't know how many of the produced items go to on-line retailers and how many per shop, and the percentage of units that leave Japan to foreign countries. As said from a business and our (i.e. foreign toy collectors) standpoint it doesn't make any sense. I don't believe that Bandai wants to harm their Frontier license because I think that MF is still popular in Japan.But it could be something similar to the latest Spiderman movie were Sony had to produce it otherwise the license would be volatile again and they didn't want that because it would go back to Marvel/Disney. Maybe Bandais license deals has an article that says: release so and so many transformable 1/60 Valkyries over so and so many years otherwise the license can be bought by someone else. I don't think that this is the case. I believe (which I stated in another thread) that Bandai is either not aware of the foreign market (unlikely), does know about it but doesn't give a damn (likely), or knows about it and wants to cater to it but cant (also likely) because they don't want to mess with HarmonyGold or foreign customer support is to expensive to be profitable. Maybe they got burned by the V1 release and could not sell all the Valkyries (imagine warehouses full of VF-25 V1s) playing it safe know (for them) this time. In my opinion Bandai doesn't care about the foreign market because it is to niche. They seem to produce enough units to satisfy the Japanese market and are fine with that. The Frontier line is profitable for them so they don't have to change their releases. And even if a Japanese toy collector can't secure a pre-order at amiami they have much more options to get what they want (local toy sores, Amazon Japan, etc.) than we do. I assume that Yamato is aware of the foreign market or the demand for their pricey toys is not that high inside Japan so the can provide more stock to "proxy" retailers. So that are my thoughts on the topic. If anyone has more insight in the Japanese toy market maybe you can explain to me what is wrong with my assumptions. Thanks in advance.

At least it was scalper friendly if the limit really was 10 per customer. The response could be a typo or the limit was an accident from the person who added the item to the shop. I know scalpers are also customers. And I don't know if professional re-selling is illegal (googling it indicated that it's not but that might depend on the specific laws of a country). But if you look at items like tickets for concerts or soccer games the companies that are releasing/selling these do something against the secondary market because it is not consumer friendly. I don't know much of the secondary market but I imagine that a professional scalper has an advantage over regular customers. I fairly sure that they know the time frame when an item goes on pre-order. They have alerts set when something on the web-site is changing and the have scripts to order automatically. Also they might have multiple accounts on the shop and are likely based in the same time zone as the shop (i.e. Asia). I don't know if this is correct but that were my first thoughts how to do it. So yes even if they have families to feed in my opinion its unfair to normal guys because the operate in a field were they don't belong and a regular customer is not on even ground with them. HLJ has a great customer support and a good track record since they opened so it is confusing to my why they would do something like that. They must clearly know what items are hot at the moment and must also know about the demand of a given item. Plus they should also know about the second market and scalpers. Yes HLJ can sell to whom they want but it is consumer unfriendly if the claims are true. I also assume that it would damaging their business model since normal customers not only buy hot items but also normal stuff that is in their warehouse. I have done business with HLJ and they are the only oversea toy shop were I don't have to go to the customs office to pay the tax and the customs-fee. Instead the postman will deliver it straight to my home and I can pay directly. That said I feel really guilty now because I ordered my CF at NY and their business practices are also questionable from my point of view. And yes they are only toys but we are all passionated about our hobby so it is o.k. to raise our voices if something like this happens. And not all of us have rooms full of Valkyries were the three missing VF-171 CFs are hardly noticeable (no offense against any toy collector!!!) .

Awww the Vf-25G looks so awesome. The shade of blue that they used amazes me every time I look at it. And it can even look through the sniper scope. I guess you should not use the stand in the way B_A_T did it when he displayed the Valkyrie in fighter-mode. That looks really stressful for the front of the plane.

So the next thing Yamato will make are pigeons? What do they transform to/from?

I think it would look nice especially if it fits with the rest of your furniture. I don't like the IKEA stuff (looks cheap) or display cases that look like they belong to a store. If I display them at home they should look comfy and reflects my and my family. Can you lock it? I think i spotted a keyhole on the right side. But I think you have to display larger toys in it so the cabinet does not take away the focus from the toys you display. It will go well with 1/48 1/60 Macross toys, the SoC line, the huge Gundam figures or Transformers Masterpiece stuff . Especially brightly colored toys will go well I think because they have a nice contrast to the dark wood. Luckily most of the anime toys are really bright color-wise You know the longer I look at that cabinet I want it for myself. It has a good amount of wood but also it provides a clear look at the stuff you put on display. It has built in lights and the door mechanism looks very solid and has a tight shut so I think you don't have to take care of the dust. Where did you find it? Is there a on-line retailer that sells them? Of course it's all personal preference in the end. Hope that helps. Never mind I found the shop.

Yeah sure someone mentioned that pre-orders would go up on Monday/Tuesday but that's no use. Due to the time-shift I was working at the time the pre-order went up. And I can't sit there and refresh the website ever 5 seconds if I don't want to be fired . I checked amiami/NY/HLJ twice that day (during a break) and the first time there was no pre-order and then they were sold out. The problem is not the missing knowledge of when the pre-order will appear. The problems are the narrow time windows and the time when they go if your not in the Asian time zone.

I hope so, so I don't feel bad about spending so much money one month before the re-release announcement. Who would have thought that the doing another production run of a toy that was an exclusive for the 30th anniversary of SDF Macross. Maybe I should have taken into account that the show aired from 1982 to 1983 . Ah, it's only money. I probably have bought something stupid with it and my employer has plenty of it were that came from.

Admit it deep in your heart you don't want it any other way!

Yeah should be an easy cash-in for Bandai. Maybe we get different missiles if Bandai is in a fancy mood. I know from the pre-order game you might get the impression that they don't care if they earn any money but I'm sure Bandai is capitalistic to the bones.

It's the same with me. But I have to add the VF-27. Even if they don't do a renewal they have to do at least a reissue of the original one. I have to throw a few super/armor/tornado parts int the mix but I changed my Transformers collection habits so it should be o.k..... ....and there is the S.H.Monsterarts Vajra. *sigh* Still manageable though.

Ah well there goes my number one wish for 2013 down the drain. I was out of town earning the money I spend on my expensive toys and now I can't order them. *sigh* Does anyone have a time frame for the hlj pre-orders? Also will NY allow pre-orders for another tranche? Because the item is currently listed as "NON DISPONIBLE". I guess that means not available right now but I found out about NY recently so I don't know what that suppose to mean. Thinking about it I had no problems to order the VF-25F, VF-25S and VF-25g. Must be some kind of dumb luck or something. Has Bandai reduced the available stock for online retailers because the don't want to cope with foreign customer support? Or has the Frontier hype been exploding after the Renewals were rewarded with so much praise? After the mixed reviews for the V1 Frontier Valks I even hesitated about a week or so until I decided to buy one. *shrug* I'm confused.

Haha, it was the same with me. I was staring every day on the HLJ page trying to decide if I should order one. But I had no funds due to spending all my money on something expensive from NY. Well it is a good thing that it is gone now. No more mourning!

Enough stock on the Bandai Frontier Valkyries. Toys (only Bandai DX Chogokin 1/60 scale): 1. VF-27 Lucifer Renewal + Super Parts 2. Super Parts for the VF-171 CF 3. Tornado Parts for the VF-25g 4. A beam gun for the VF-30 Chronos 5. S.H.Monsterart Vajra (I mean a 1/60 scale version of the Tamashii Nations figure it is a wish list after all) I guess the Luca Custom is a safe bet so I will have finished my Frontier collection in 2013 if my wishes come true . Can only afford one line of Valkyrie toys so Yamato whatever you do rock on. After the Kai Fire Valk maybe the rest of Sound Force eh?.

I would also take the SDF-1 from the shelf. Not only for scale issues (how tall is Devastator in comparison with the VF-19?) but also the glossy finish of the other two display pieces would detract from the SDF-1. I wouldn't put the VF-4 up there but another glossy toy like the VF-19 Blazer or one of the Frontier Valks maybe the VF-27 Lucifer Custom (if you still have it). And I would make a shelf with the VF-4, a VF-1 and the SDF-1. In my opinion the VF-4 is a little bit to pale color-wise compared with the bright green and purple that is Devastator and the sheer redness that is the VF-19 Kai Fire Valkyrie. The VF-4 is such a great toy so it deserves a spotlight on your display.

Damn I have to use more smiles. Is one with a sarcasm sign available?

Because it's supposed to! The YF-21 was piloted by a manly man that was never angsty of his feelings. Also most of the VF-25 pilots are busting with testosterone like Alto, Michael and Luca!!!

You're right! I'm curious why I didn't get that before. Must be the feminine legs. Damn, they are so distracting! Maybe the cockpit bubble and intakes too. But the legs are disturbing! I never understood why the people thing that the Frontier Valks look feminine with the VF-22 around.

The renewal Frontier toys are excellent. Some things you can extract from the current Yamato designs are covers for the screw holes on the back of the thighs, molded interior of the add-on armor and a matte finish. I don't know how Yamato would handle the excessive use of detail on the Valks. I like the Bandai approach even if it's prone to paint scratching and I'm not a big fan of the sticker sheets. Oh, and I guess availability would not be such an issue .

You have to take into account that the fighter design in Macross reflects the design philosophy of current military fighters and product design. So the YF-30 looks like a hybrid between a F22/F35 and an Ipod . And the VF-0/VF-1 looks like the F-14/15/16/18 that were popular during the early 80s. Macross Plus/7 planes have design elements from the Eurofighter/Rafale and some stealth palnes (especially the canards). Valkyries have also reoccurring themes. There are the angled dual tail fins, the arms between the legs, adjustable wing span attachable and bulky armor and a Gatling gun inside an old fashioned bomb casing. That said I guess the next generation of Variable Fighters will look like the current drone design (Predator/Global Hawk) with armor patches and missile pods all over it. You see the reason why I got in the toy collecting hobby were the few transformer toys I had when I was a kid. And I always wished that the toys would look and handle (transformation/articulation) like in the show. And I feel like the current Bandai and Yamato Valkyries as well as the Transformers have reached a sweet spot with the Valkyries on the upper end and say TF Prime Dreadwing on the other end. So my childhood wishes came true and I'm satisfied. So if the next step doesn't please me I can look at my Frontier/Masterpiece shelf and the world is o.k. until the next truly awesome toy comes around. Hobbies work that way I guess.

With a new Macross show there will be a new generation of Valkyries. Maybe we get then 2-3 new transformation schemes. And the original show only had the VF-1 Scheme right? Maybe Yamato is producing a Battle 7 model or some of the enemy fighters from Macross 7. They have never been done before don't they?.