kajnrig

For my part, this is basically everything I'd ever wanted from the franchise: wuxia-flavored Star Wars. Even the lightsaber whip is something that kid me yearned for, impractical as it is. Here's just hoping they can manage to bring the Force closer to its Taoist, amoral roots as well (though I don't foresee that happening).

Of all the recent Star Wars fare, this has managed to excite me the most.

PG Inle plz thx u

ok id settle for a hguc Inle thats ok too

31 minutes ago, Big s said:

I unfortunately don’t think it’s coming with yellow hand guards sine they’re on the sticker and decal sheet, although I don’t think it would really be a pain for Bandai to include extra yellow parts.

Oh, I didn't see the big honking sticker sheet/decal sheet on the previous page. Yikes.

On 5/29/2024 at 7:22 AM, Raikkonen said:

Why surprised?

Adding a couple of new pieces like the face, pilot and canopy, then removing the one gun, and adding those amazing absolutely gorgeous green florescent flames 🤦‍♂️= $6.00 increase.

Jokes aside, and being diplomatic, the YF-21 was listed on the previous fiscal year, while as we're now past February, this one is listed in the new fiscal year which likely has inflation hikes and etc. 

 

Oh for sure, after that initial shock I went right back to what I always do and pretended not to pay attention as I added to cart.

Looking at the runner layout, I'm getting a decent idea of what the VF-22 will come with, I think. A1 will probably omit the intake covers and include extra yellow parts for the hand guards and a clear red visor for the head; A2 will omit the clear green parts and include the pearlescent red fighter mode canopy glass. B1 omits the fighter mode belly. C1 and C2 include color duplicates of part E-5 (the shoulder exterior accent). D has new cockpit parts for both fighter and battroid, as well as the new head and gray copies of the intake covers. E remains the same, meaning you'll be able to build two gunpods if desired, but also meaning the trigger finger hands will have to use yellow stickers for the hand guards. (I foresee a pretty extensive sticker sheet, actually.) F1 won't exist as the two parts on it are the YF-21-only side skirts. F2 will be new and include the VF-22 side skirts and the new fighter mode belly parts. And then of course there will be extra runners for the neon green effects parts and stand (the latter of which really should have been thrown in from the start of the line; or really just any basic stand at all would be appreciated).

One general question I have, having finally snapped my YF-21 together today: Can someone tell me what the difference is between part A-3 and C-23? (The shoulder insert part, with the black hole details.) I haven't tried swapping them for one another, but from a glance it seems to me they're identical.

On the subject of HLJ, I'm in agreement that it's an issue with Bandai:

On 5/29/2024 at 4:16 PM, KOG Water Dragon said:

I have no problem getting Hasegawa, Wave, and Max Factory stuff from HLJ. It's just Bandai that's problematic. 

Kotobukiya, Plamax, etc. Even manufacturers who have made similar in-roads into the stateside domestic market - namely Kotobukiya - I can still get their stuff through HLJ (or Amiami, or Hobby Search, etc...) if I so desire. It's literally only Bandai who make it a pain. If they did something as simple as offer a parts replacement service or... something beyond mere access to their products, I'd be able to justify their stinginess. But alas...

8 hours ago, PointBlankSniper said:

NGL, I think they put you in queue even if they don't know when or if there is a reprint. You can tell by their (and some other vendors') multi years long backorder of some gunpla, waiting for schrodinger's rerelease.

IIRC this practice was a result of Bandai's previously unpredictable but "regular enough" re-printing schedule. Especially when their product lineup was relatively minimal and, probably more importantly, demand was easier to keep up with, they could dedicate more time to small batch re-production runs of older MGs and HGs and so there was less of a need to, say, announce to distributors and customers their production schedule sometimes months ahead of time. They would announce special re-runs of super vintage stuff, but otherwise you could pretty safely bet on a kit being restocked at least every other year or so.

Again IIRC there was word fairly recently, ie in the last five years or so, of them investing in new production facilities either in Japan or in the States, which would help alleviate some of those bottlenecks.

12 minutes ago, Thom said:

I would like to see that one too. Though, if you have Luca's RVF-25 then you can kitbash.

IIRC the RVF-171 and -25 have distinct radomes. A kitbash wouldn't look 100% right... but it'd be close enough, I think.

Link: https://p-bandai.com/us/item/N2723567001001

Incidentally, that is REALLY starting to feel like a ripoff... is what I would say if I didn't just now check the regular YF-21 price and see that it's $50!?!?!?.

Sheesh, I've tended to ignore pricing decisions for the most part, but even I'm a bit sticker shocked.

As this is being distributed by All the Anime, am I correct in guessing this is limited to the UK(+EU?) region, and that prior US-specific shows/distributors are still as they were when announcements were made... last year? 2022? 2021? in the previous BD release announcement threads?

Y'know, Daniel Craig seems to really like this role, and it's doing pretty well for all involved, so good for him.

You're all wrong. As it turns out:

On 5/12/2024 at 10:59 PM, kajnrig said:

I think it was one or both of you I spoke to a while ago (probably around the time the Hasegawa Armored Battroid was announced) about the anime-style hands and how they bother me, too. I had to come to peace with the laughably and literally sketchy lineart hands by headcanoning that they're "traditionally" mechanical hand skeletons covered in spongy and/or expansive materials that can squeeze into a small form factor for stowage. But just imagine the intricate mechanisms and tolerances you would have to design into that to make sure that they don't reliably catch on anything and tear while going through repeated transformations.

Or maybe they do, and that becomes an infamous design flaw of the VF-1. Mechanics complain en masse about re-stuffing filling and duct-taping holes after nearly every mission, and it becomes standard practice to replace entire manipulators instead. At the height of the problem, otherwise perfectly useful hands are being tossed every two or three sorties. Penny pinchers realize that nearly 15% of the NUNS procurement budget is dedicated to purchasing or refurbishing manipulator units. NUNS and Northrom get into a tizzy over it, it becomes a whole political scandal that sacks a prominent chicken down company and several generals, and all future VF designs are mandated to follow strict manipulator design specs. General Galaxy and the YF-21 lose Project Super Nova because, as one GG engineer puts it, "our wings could look like anything, but the brass could only see balloon hands."

Indeed, the gate of history turns on small hinges.

18 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

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Another Macross 30-introduced VF (the YF-29B) shows up in Macross Delta's second movie.

Is that confirmed? At least 3D model-wise, I thought it just reused the Alto -29 model. The -29B has a different... head...?

This is the first I've seen it referred to as the B variant. I've only ever seen it referred to as a plain ol' YF-29.

9 hours ago, Bolt said:

As accurate as the over sized hands are to the og line art and animation. Those have always bugged me the most.

10 hours ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

Because despite my misgivings about hands that don't look like they can fit inside the arm openings

I think it was one or both of you I spoke to a while ago (probably around the time the Hasegawa Armored Battroid was announced) about the anime-style hands and how they bother me, too. I had to come to peace with the laughably and literally sketchy lineart hands by headcanoning that they're "traditionally" mechanical hand skeletons covered in spongy and/or expansive materials that can squeeze into a small form factor for stowage. But just imagine the intricate mechanisms and tolerances you would have to design into that to make sure that they don't reliably catch on anything and tear while going through repeated transformations.

Or maybe they do, and that becomes an infamous design flaw of the VF-1. Mechanics complain en masse about re-stuffing filling and duct-taping holes after nearly every mission, and it becomes standard practice to replace entire manipulators instead. At the height of the problem, otherwise perfectly useful hands are being tossed every two or three sorties. Penny pinchers realize that nearly 15% of the NUNS procurement budget is dedicated to purchasing or refurbishing manipulator units. NUNS and Northrom get into a tizzy over it, it becomes a whole political scandal that sacks a prominent chicken down company and several generals, and all future VF designs are mandated to follow strict manipulator design specs. General Galaxy and the YF-21 lose Project Super Nova because, as one GG engineer puts it, "our wings could look like anything, but the brass could only see balloon hands."

Indeed, the gate of history turns on small hinges.

Given the YF-21's shape changing materials, it may actually not have any external hardpoints (aside from gunpod and FAST pack mounts). Still, more dakka can never hurt.

Seriously, scale these up to 1/8 or 1/7 - or, dare I dream, 1/6? Reach for the stars, even, 1/4??? - and I would jump on every single one of them.

Aw yeah, some more prototype shots of Kotobukiya's 30MM... Armored... Core... wait a minute!!!

Yes, that's Kotobukiya's (presumably 1/72 scale) model kit also of the Steel Haze, Rusty's AC from Armored Core 6. I imagine it'll be a size class bigger than the 30MM and feature a more involved build because of it. I wonder if it'll have blade effects parts as well...

FYI Kappa Hobby has a coupon code VACATION for 10% off all in stock figures (DXes and HMRs included, apparently) from now til May 2.

Huh. I guess this means Sandman season 2 has been confirmed? Maybe I just don't remember...

Still, a bit odd that the spinoff would premiere before those characters are introduced in the main show. Or maybe not, I can see how they'd make it work.

Thanks for the clarifications, all. Is there a particular for the battle damage? Like is there a particularly iconic scene/art of the VF-1D looking like that? Oof, my memory of SDFM is so faded now...

^ Coverage of Plamax Battroid starts at 22:55. Some things of note that I'm not sure have been covered:

- includes waterslides

- VF-1D battroid in the works, with parts to build a collapsed gunpod (parts not included with the J release)

- 31:20 perhaps someone more learned can translate for me, they're talking something about the arms having points you can drill out...? They put up reference art of the VF-1 featuring bullet damage, so maybe they've added those points to easily recreate that artwork? They also showed a bullet marks decal sheet, Maybe a first-run bonus or something???

- They finish off with a quick discussion about the VF-19 Fire Valkyrie model development, plus an audience poll on favorite VF-19 variant...?

Back when I was younger I might've given it tons and tons of crap for not being "anime accurate," but now I've realized that's a frakking pipe dream anyway. As it is, I like it quite a lot. I certainly like it a lot more than I do the DX rendition, and I think so far it holds up under scrutiny a bit better than the HG, which I really liked at first but have found this or that niggling issue with ever since. Turns out dedicated-mode kits is STILL the way to go. The attention to detail is typically high as expected of Hasegawa.

I especially like that it includes different heels depending on your preference. The fighter/battroid heels were always an impossible design feature for each other to implement, so fair on them to just throw in the towel and let you do the choosing.

Ah yes, you're absolutely correct. The 1/72 1J Max/Miriya in both fighter and Gerwalk, and Miriya in battroid, but no Max.

1 hour ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

1/72 VF-1J Super Battroid Max

Didn't this come out a while ago? I could swear it did. Maybe as part of a bundle kit with the -1A and/or -1S head as well?

Who even is Doomcock and why is his opinion noteworthy?

37 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Did you order from CD Japan by any chance?

I'm curious because I also got hit with a fraud alert when payment for the order processed the other day.

No, Amazon Japan. I mean I'm not too surprised by the alert, but after it cleared I'm not sure why it still refused to process. The card service rep didn't know either, and suggested the canceling/new ordering, which ended up costing me an additional $10 or so in shipping, but at least it went through.

...or maybe I could have provided a different card instead of continuing to try to use the same account to pay for it, cleared or not. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I unfortunately have to cancel and then reorder mine because of fraud alert shenanigans, but here's hoping everything works out and it arrives by Monday. In the meantime, anyone care to post some screenshots and determine the AI upscaling quality?

I'm still holding out hope for the surprise reveal of Jet Jaguar. That or the wormholes from the TV show make a return and blue-blooded aliens and chainsword-armed robots suddenly tumble through the portal.