ChristopherB

nyacumo28, I'll make you a deal. If you finish your project using your current bootleg as the testbed, I'll personally send you either a nice Jetfire or a Bandai reissue. Once you have the mechanisms perfected, you can then apply them to a nice 1/55 valkyrie with no damage, and you'll be able to paint it and make it look great. I'll send it via the method I described, and you'll get to own a valkyrie without paying a ton of money. After your finished, you can then post the pictures and show off your work. Don't think of it as charity or anything like that. I mean, what kind of Macross fan would I be if I let a fellow brother bust his ass trying to fix up a bootleg that should be buried with full military honors. That thing is so sad, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Sincerely, Christopher

You did a really good job! It must have been a lot of work to re-root the hair.

There goes my day, Jesse is disappointed in me, whatever shall I do? My apologies, and I shall refrain from conjecture from this point forward. It is kind of weird how Hasegawa completely bypassed the VF-11. Kind of like it didn't even exist. Why is it they can give us (5) variations of the VF-1A, but not one VF-11?

The VF-1's as well as the other models he has listed look like they are very well done. In my opinion, for the amount of work involved and considering how well the Strike came out, I think the "Buy it Now" price is more than justified. I love the B17, and the builder did a great job, but then his pictures aren't that great either, so it's hard to throw stones. I wouldn't mind getting a BF109 or a FW190 from the guy on eBay at some point.

Kiss ass!

Sweet!!! Thank you Rob and John! Man, I'll buy as many as it takes to get a launch vehicle made. That would be a dream come true!

Jesse, Cool, that's what I was hoping you were disappointed about. Hey, we can't all rule the world can we? You have to admit though, your initial post was open to some conjecture, but I know from experience that you want other fans to have access to rare kits as well. Point in case is you and Mike's 1/48 19 and 21 project, and the fact the recasts were sold at a very reasonable cost. I'm looking forward to the any/all reissues as well as new releases from Hasegawa. Sincerely, Christopher

After the initial release of the Deep Striker last year, they did a second run of it if I remember correctly, or at the minimum, they were able to get more in-stock at HLJ. I'm wondering if the information listed when you click on the "Deep Striker" is from last year, but hasn't been removed. I say that because, it's still listed as being out of production. It doesn't even show up under the normal search. I had to do an advanced search to find it. Kinda makes you wonder.

Absolutely beautiful Jung! Congratulations Gene!

Damn, that really sucks! The guy's story sounds pretty fishy to me, and it must have been damaged pretty badly if it cannot be repaired. Truly a sad day.

Hello, I'm not doubting you, but I have (3) years of experience sending items to my friend Augusto in Argentina. I've been sending US Money Orders and brand new/used valkyries to Buenos Aires since at least 2000, and we've never had a problem. I'm talking 1/55 Bandai, a brand new 1/48 Yamato, and dare I say..., even a 1/55 MPC before we knew what crap they are. I've sent him Jetfire boxes and foam in excellent condition, Jetfires, perfect 1/55 Bandai VF-1S Strike Valkyries, and so forth. All he has me do is mark the box as "Regalo" or something like that, which means gift I think. I remove the valkyries from the boxes, and make sure there is no price indication anywhere. I mark the customs form as a gift, and declare the value at $5. I then ship the box separately, and a week or so apart. Where there is a will, there is a way, and as I said, I'm not talking cheap bootlegs here. I've had more trouble with Canada went I sent (2) PG Gundams, than I've ever had with Argentina. Sincerely, Christopher

Dear lord, look at the size of the gunpods being held by the VF-1J Hikaru and the VF-1S Roy Strike. Way out of scale. There are some nice looking items in the picture though.

nemesis120, Thank you for posting the information. Yes, it definitely "counts." While it's not a model kit in and of itself, it will go under the miscellaneous category. I'll update the list as soon as I get a chance. Yet another item I need to become a "Hasegawa Completist." Sincerely, Christopher

There is a whole list of stuff I would like to see from Hasegawa, while at the same time I'm getting caught up with previous releases. I got tired of trying to collect everything Yamato, Bandai, Banpresto, Doyusha, Club M, Studio Half Eye, and on and on. It was just costing me too much. So I settled on Hasegawa, and it still hasn't been cheap. Just when I think I have the entire list down, someone shows me something I missed, or something new comes out. Can't win either way. I'm still wondering where the 1/72 GBP armor is. Hasegawa seems to follow Yamato, and so we recently got the Yamato 1/60 GBP armor, but no word on Hasegawa.

No offense intended, but I'm not sure that poor bootleg valkyrie is worth the time and trouble it will take to get the plastic smooth again. First of all, the plastic isn't of the highest quality to begin with, and so sanding will only reduce the thickness and increase the possiblity of a break somewhere. This is especially important considering the screws and other attachments you've added. Second of all, the amount of sanding needed will eliminate any/all detail such as panel lines and etc. I think you mentioned how hard it is for you to get a valkyrie to use. Once you get all of the details figured out, you could apply them to a nice Bandai reisssue, or at least another bootleg.

Yeah, I thought of that too, and of course Jesse and I are friends, so I'm not directing anything at him personally. What I said still holds true and is aplicable to anyone that falls into the category of not wanting others to have access to items, regardless of what Jesse was specifically referencing. However, before even clicking on the topic, the title clearly says what Hasegawa is re-releasing, so before posting, you already now it is not either a new release, or a re-release of something else that he might have hoped for. So, bearing that in mind, I cannot divine that his "disappointment" could pertain to anything besides these two specific kits. That is afterall, the most logical conclusion. I mean, clearly the topic title isn't "Rare Kits from Hasegawa!," and upon "clicking" you become saddened to learn it is only a re-release.

I'm really excited about the Deep Striker. The scalpers on eBay are going to be pissed, but this is great news for Gundam fans. Looks like I'll finally be able to get one.

I just placed my pre-order as well, and I made sure I ordered (2) of each. (1) to build, another to give to my son one day. I'll even show him how to build it, and help him. Continuing the Macross tradition from one generation to the next, so that it doesn't die with us, should be our goal. In addition, I hope Hasegawa re-releases all of their out of production kits, and decal sets. I hope this pre-order pisses off all of the greedy bastards that thought their VF-19A and/or VF 22 S was rare, or planned to make a profit off the back of a fellow fan. They can kiss my big white hairy arse.

Jesse, I'm not sure what you're "disappointed by," but I hope it's not the reissue of these kits! (Note: My following soapbox tirade is not directed at any specific person, unless it applies to them of course.) The emphasis shouldn't be rarity or hoping that the value of the previous release continues to rise. There should be enough to go around for everyone that wants to build the kit. Besides Hasegawa is a business, and they make their money off direct to customer sales, as opposed to the secondary market created by people that are not Macross fans. These people buy the kits not out of love of the hobby, but for the sole purpose of holding on to them until the value rises and then selling at a profit. I've never thought of Macross as a means to make a profit, and I've never hoped that a kit/toy would not be re-released, so that I can either make a profit, or gloat in the knowledge that I own something rare that others don't. Love of Macross means everyone should have equal access, and I applaud Hasegawa for more making these kits available again. The "You should have gotten one the first time" mentality that some people have is just wrong. I wish that every other Macross fan could own all of the same kits and toys that I do, because I measure value by knowledge that my fellow fans get to enjoy the same things I treasure. Sincerely, Christopher

Great job my friend!!! I love it, thank you for sharing. So, what do you have planned next?

RTHK, Wow! You've got a lot of valkyries. That's definitely cool. Everytime I see you post, your username reminds me of an old former MW Member. "RTH" (Rick the Hunter) You wouldn't be, "Rick the Hunter's Kid" would you? I working to rectify the fact that I've only built (1) Hasegawa kit so far. It is a Max VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, and given my limited skills, it turned out pretty good. I'm trying to track down the 19A and the 22, but no luck so far. Sincerely, Christopher

Valkyrie, Thanks, I totally forgot about that one. I'll update the list. Yes, the holy grail for completists. I should have remembered, because I recently obtained it from Blackaces, along with the VF-1S metal plated. The clear versions would have been better if Hasegawa had also included interior details, like avionics, propulsion and etc. Otherwise, I have no interest in ever building a clear kit. The metallic versions are definitely not realistic, but they might look cool if built properly and placed a distance from the properly painted and decaled kits. Sincerely, Christopher

newca, If you take a look at my list, there are (2) different "metal" coated valkyries listed: Hasegawa 1/72 VF-1S Metal Plated Hasegawa 1/72 VF-1S Strike Metal Plated The rare kit, is the non-Strike variant. Yes, you are right in that you can still find the Strike kit on eBay for a pretty good price. The VF-1S non-Strike version is a different metal color (silver as opposed to champagne), and you could only get it via a mail away contest or something like that. Hence the high price. Here is a picture of the kit: Sincerely, Christopher

David Hingtgen, You have a good point. I was just trying to be consistent with my wording. Grayson72, Wow, you have quite a list. I don't care for the clear/metal versions either, but I'm trying to be a Hasegawa Completist.

My most prized Hasegawa item is my 1/72 VF-1A fighter valkyrie, which was autographed by Shoji Kawamori.