MKT

Sorry to hear this @Rein+. It is hard to believe such an obvious break went past QC, that it looks more like an opened item that was resealed. That LP obviously buying it from 3rd party at Amazon just adds to this possibility.. LP initially appeared to have learned from their earlier fiasco of bad packaging; my VF-1D was affected by DHL's shoddy packaging but they have responded well when I reached out to them then, and since then, there were folks who have received packages directly from them on which they have improved the packaging substantially. Yet it's a shame now to hear LP's practice of buying stock from aftermarket and forwarding it directly to their customers seem to backfire on them, in the area of bad packaging coming back to haunt them & customers again. Robust packaging for toy collectibles is naturally a very important aspect, and I am surprised that they take so long to get this basic aspect right, even from the first time around. Just about every other store we have all shared before over the years, even the shady/problematic ones in terms of fulfilment, get this aspect right (ok except Amazon JP). It makes me think the persons behind LP do not really understand the toy collector mindset before they started this business. After the VF-1D DHL packaging fiasco, they pushed out a video to sort of explain the reasons, but to me then it was just about pointless. Why make a video about something that many of us in collecting community already know? That in Japan you can just wrap something in tissue paper and it will arrive domestically in just pristine condition, and all other carriers outside Japan may treat your package like a football one way or another? Instead, shouldn't there be something in the video made to address how to improve the packaging in the future? (To their credit, they DID improve after that, so long as it is shipped directly from their hands). Amazon JP still packages their stuff in thin boxes, but I suppose its a very deliberate decision to keep their shipping costs low. For me, and perhaps other people who order from Amazon JP, understand this trade-off and its somewhat made more acceptable because their item prices themselves are often the lowest too with the PO price guarantee. LP doesn't have that kind goodwill, since they tend to charge a premium for the items, and even heftier mark-ups for shipping. That the item arrives in horrible condition due to bad packaging just leaves a very bad taste in mouth. But at this moment, I just think LP is just going through growing pains and I hope they grow & succeed. The current situation seems to me they have been shafted by Bandai / Bandai distributors on the infamous 'stock cut' that hits just about every other smaller stores, and they are in the unpalatable situation of either to cancel & refund, thereby hitting their reliability, or suck it up and procure stock from aftermarket to fulfill as a stopgap measure. Whether it is sound business practice or not, if they are procuring stock again from the aftermarket, they just need to make sure their own staff pack the items themselves before sending it on to customers..

Hmm with the new videos, are their upcoming VF-1 releases a V3? Or they are just explaining the V2 improvements compared to V1?

Looks like the army Garland is finally out. I got notice from my proxy today, that the item arrived at their warehouse.

The VF-22s are just beautiful birds. These were among the earliest valks I got in my Macross collecting journey a few years back, Gamlin’s being my very first Yammie valk, & the trio being first duplicate molds in my collection. I think they are generally a bit under-appreciated over the years, perhaps & understandably playing 2nd fiddle to the YF-21. Fighter mode is just too sleek, & the fact that it is based on a real life, what-could-have-been jet just adds to the whole allure. Congrats on completing this haul.

What if.. Kawamori decides to make a valk combiner like Transformers? Being perfect transformation, I can visualize the ghosts and packs becoming the hands, feet, pants & chest..

Looks like the beefier arms not only makes the wing look fat in Fighter, which was my early peeve with the design, but also compromises slightly on how secure the biceps are in that mode, as the wings now no longer envelope as much around it like the older 31. There is also some sort of new sliding mechanism on the forearms, I wonder what does it really do? Is it just to tweak the arm proportions in battroid? My copy is still sitting at HLJ, once I eventually get it I hope I like this new design as much as it when it was initially unveiled. But I suspect the VF-31A Kairos will still remain as top favorite overall...

Yeahh those as well.. it’s a strange decision to have the index finger as it is. Didn’t catch up much on the new movie discussion to avoid spoilers, but wait, now we have to get minimum 3 Hayate AXs for the 3 different add-on packs? Bandai should release a 3-pc Hayate 31-AX pack like they do with the Tamashi stands lol..

One thing that's still irritates, is that huge gap behind the cockpit in fighter mode. Bandai has had plenty of chances to fix it for each new release, even more so for this re-tooled 31, but didn't. It really looks jarring..

It's available now, and pretty decent pricing too compared to most other places..

Wow that's very good price at CDJapan, even cheaper than retail + domestic shipping! Unfortunately saw this post too late and its now sold out.

Yeah sculpt-wise, after years of iteration, Yamcadia v2 and Bandai's Chogokin are already pretty much perfect for both fighter & battroid mode. A more stylized interpretation on either one mode now, means the other mode will suffer. At this, point improvements can only be made on gimmicks, details and durability. It's great that a transforming VF-1 toy is now available in many scales. Personally, the appeal of 1/72 VF-1 or other Macross jets, is that this is the prominent scale for real world fighter aircraft models, & I like the idea of mixing both real world and real world-derived fantasy jets together. Otherwise, if its just Macross stuff alone, the other scales already suffice. I like ThreeZero Robo-Dou stuff. From their couple of Patlabor figures I have, they are well built items, somewhat equivalent to Bandai Metal Builds but at a lower price point: great value.

Interesting.. I was just thinking yesterday, as I looked at Mikimoto’s artworks, that his trademark watercolor style lends itself very well to the older IPs. Something about the light & less saturated colors, gives it the perfect nostalgic tint..

I'm having trouble accessing the p-bandai link too. Previously, it takes a couple or so attempts before the server eventually allows you through to view the actual page. But now, it seem to be 100% region locked.

Nice little update.. hopefully they will show the Shinji figure soon..

Nice observation, it does look like the landing gears will finally be integrated for the HMR. Hoping the cockpit canopy is integrated as well, like what was done for the HMR VF-4, so we will finally have a perfect transformation HMR Macross..

Love this! I haven't played with my Armored yet, but those knee pads can be separated out?

Ah so Arcadia's production run is in the sub-1000 numbers.. Let's see if this will be offered worldwide as well..

Fext Hobby has some Black Friday sales, but it is ending in just few hours. A great time for folks to pick up some OWL-ONE sets.. The combo set at $31.14 appears to be much, much more than the 40% off it says in the description. Black Friday 2021 - Special Sales – Fext Hobby (fext-hobby.myshopify.com)

This is a nice surprise for US customers. And most of them still in stock too after an hour or two. Congrats to those who are now scoring one.. If not mistaken, ordering from US stores should come out to be cheaper in total including shipping?

Seeing as the YF-19 reissue & Army Garland have been delayed yet again, I think Nora’s eventual release should only be on mid-2022 at the earliest..

Based on this, the height difference between both HMRs in battroid seem much smaller compared to Arcadia’s. Is Arcadia’s VF-0 too big then? I do remember Arcadia’s VF-0 had the right size in fighter mode relative to their VF-1. Hopefully HMR VF-0 will not very noticeably undersized.. else, PO cancelled?

Haha yeahh really liking the new Megahouse figures. Sigh too many new valks & toys to save up for over the next few months..

Looks like this PO is just like any other Macross PO.. gone in a flash! Despite it being so-called worldwide release, and Amiami even restricting it to NON-Japan orders only, it's still as difficult as ever. Yet I think its not really surprising, seeing how other stuff like Metal Builds Gundams & Evangelions which are never region locked, have been experiencing the same PO rush for years.

HLJ: DX Chogokin VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie WORLDWIDE Anniv. by Bandai (hlj.com)

Hobby Search (I finally might just land the mythical unicorn here, since a lot of folks are skipping or waiting for US PO): DX Chogokin VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie Worldwide Anniv. (Completed) preorders will start after PM4:00 of 22nd November, Japan time[GMT+9] - HobbySearch Anime Robot/SFX Store (1999.co.jp)