HardlyNever

Yeah, I basically don't even bother with the "before times" ways anymore. If its WWM, I'll get it through Amazon or another stateside vendor. Otherwise, I either skip it, or if I really want it, just buy it second hand via Mandarake (and only Mandarake) like 6 months after release. After getting burned by NipponYasan (like many others), I stopped using the import vendors, even though I know they aren't all bad. The last pre-order madness I did was the 1/48 Hikaru DYRL VF-1S. I don't miss that, and don't plan on going back. And with sales like this, we're almost back to pre-COVID pricing. Makes the hobby enjoyable again.

Amazon has these on sale, if anyone is still looking for one. Just grabbed one for myself.

Macross 7 is my least favorite Macross by... quite a margin, but I'd still be down for the VF-19. I think HMR is perfect for stuff you're only kinda sorta in to.

Largely depends on the specific valk, but the TV Hikaru VF-1J is my "beater" HMR that I don't care too much about what condition it is in. I've transformed it probably over two dozen times, and while it is notably looser than the others that I've only transformed a couple times, it still holds together well and can hold poses just fine in Gerwalk/Battroid.

I'm sure most people around here are aware of this fact, but the "Hi Metal" branding started way back when they were making the 1/55 "chunky monkeys." I'm not exactly sure why they ever put "Hi-Metal" on the box (maybe someone knows the story behind that), but it's been a part of their branding for Macross since the 80s. They brought back that branding around 2010 when they did the first reboot of the Hi-Metal line, which strangely, was just called Hi-Metal again (shouldn't that one have been Hi-Metal R?). And now we're on the 3rd iteration of that branding with Hi-Metal R (R?). There's never been a lot of metal in any of them; it's a branding thing. Is it misleading? Maybe, but it's been around forever, and it's pretty clear this is meant to be, at least in part, a nostalgia bait line, so they're going to lean into that. The chogokin line (超合金) isn't made out of... super alloys... whatever that would be, and people don't seem to complain about that. I'm not saying I love the name, but it is what it is, and it's been around for decades, and I get why they want to keep that branding around.

I'd be surprised/disappointed if you couldn't attach the guns in fighter. I'm also worried as to why we haven't seen the fast packs yet. This has to be a full set pack, right? Right... 😅

Yeah, for me it's that the negativity gets overwhelming, at times. I get why it happens, to some degree. Images come out, and there isn't really much to discuss other than comparisons with previous versions, what you like and dislike about the mold, speculation on how certain things work, etc. There isn't much else to do until the thing comes out (and even then, the primary thing to discuss is what ended up working and not working). There are certain things I don't like about this particular design myself. Overall, though, I'm excited about it, and have been since 2019. It's fine to not like it. It's fine to even say why you don't like it, imo. I'm not here to carry water for Bandai. But it seems like it's the same people coming here again and again to go on and on about how much it sucks, like Bandai is going to read this and change it to suit their tastes or something insane. If you don't like it, don't buy it (and I bet most of the complainers still will). The thing has barely changed (if at all) since 2019. We know what we're getting at this point. It's the constant harping on about it that seems excessive, to me. And lastly, we live in a time when you have access to technology to make your own version of these things. If you think you can do better, then go do it. Make your perfect line-art accurate version and sell it as a KO or something. As someone who has only dabbled in 3D sculpting and 3D printing, I can say, it is very difficult to make anything of high quality, and that is without the manufacturing constraints (price) that Bandai has to operate under.

Cost has been one of the biggest things that put me off Arcadia products in the past few years. I don't see this coming in at less than $300 (before shipping) unless the JPY to USD is really favorable for USD. I like the look of it, and it's a pretty unique valk, but I just can't see paying what I think Arcadia will be asking for it. I'd love to be wrong, though.

Still excited about this release and still in for one. Also still wondering where the fast packs are. Hopefully we'll get a glimpse of them before release (and they'll be included with the valk, not sold separately...)

The shorter pylons also allow some of the missiles to fit when you fold the wings up in battroid mode. Whether that was an intended design feature I have no idea, but there it is. I also think at this point in the VF-1s life, companies are trying different things, for better or worse. Bandai is currently producing VF-1s in two different scales. I can see why they might be trying a different approach to tampo, paint and accessories, regardless of real life or anime accuracy.

Not 100% sure what you're asking, but the latest reissues of the Bandai VF-25 are pretty similar to the initial renewal versions. There are some differences, though. Jenuis' review covers them, starting at about 9:15. Overall, it's still like... 95% the same mold, though.

People have covered most of the reasons, but I'll also add that the hobby never really recovered from COVID, in terms of prices. Manufacturing in China and international shipping went up quite a bit during and post-COVID, and those are both big cost contributors to this particular hobby. The USD to JPY conversion is good if you're using USD, but it's still not enough to make up for the increased cost in production. If you're just getting in, unfortunately you're jumping in at the most expensive time, possibly ever, even adjusted for inflation. I know I've scaled back my Macross collecting for a variety of reasons, price being a big one. It's hard to pay the new prices knowing what I used to pay.

Ah, I see now. The neck part was just jammed up way too far into the head. That was actually my first instinct, but I was pulling on the peg part and nothing was moving, so I figured I was missing a piece. I just needed to pull on the bulky neck part (it still took an unreasonable amount of force, but it came out). The way it was packaged, the chin was preventing the neck from snapping all the way into the chest plate part. Thanks for the help, I've got it working now!

Merry Christmas to me, from Bandai I suppose. Opened up my VF-0 from Mandarake and the head just kind of... fell off... which I found strange. I noticed that it doesn't really fit right into the top of the chest plate, and yup, after looking at some other pictures, I seem to be missing an entire part of the neck. I'm going to reach out to Mandarake. I've ordered a lot from them before, but never had to return anything. Am I completely hosed here? Has any one had any luck with returns/exchanges with them? This particular item was marked as unopened and box damaged. If I had to guess, this might be a QC reject from Bandai, but given their recent QC, it might just but one that slipped through.

I was in for one the first time they showed it, and I still am. Glad to see a gun, but where are the fast packs? There's no way Bandai would try to nickel and dime us for a separate purchase on those for such a niche valk, right? Right...? 😅