HardlyNever

You can get Hi Metal R and DX Chogokin stuff on US Amazon right now. You just have to pay (another) middle-man fee. But they actually have ok deals on HMR stuff, every once and a while. I'm supposing you mean Amazon would stock the product locally, in bulk, and bring the prices down to basically Japanese prices. It could have happened, I'm just skeptical the high-end stuff would be popular enough for them to do that on an on-going basis. But they trial things like that, so maybe it would have worked out. But we'd only be saving $5-10 dollars on a $200 product. The supply could possibly increase, though, which could be great. Like you said, it is all academic at this point. And I'm all for hating on HG. I just don't think our hobby would have changed that much, had things worked out the way we wanted. It would have just made the media more accessible, at least legally.

I'll start with the caveat that when I say "domestically," I mean the US. This may not apply to other (non-Japan) countries. If you look at what is marketed in toy aisles across the US, especially the "high end" lines like Marvel Legends and Star Wars Black Series, you'll notice a disturbing trend of everything falling into a roughly 6-inch size, at roughly $20. Marvel Legends and Star Wars BS are specifically marketed towards the "adult" collector that grew up with those franchises, and the highest quality/cost they will go is about $20-$25. NECA, follows a similar trend. For better or worse, right or wrong, that is what toy companies think the US market wants. If you want higher quality stuff, even for something as "American" as Star Wars, you have to import from Japan. So transfer that to Bandai's offerings in the US. Bandai starting doing "imports" (but they aren't really imports) of some of their lines. When Pacific Rim 2 came out, we had "Robot Spirits" figures out on US shelves, but they were way below the price most Robot Spirits figures are at. We had stuff like the Gypsy Avenger available for just over $20 (it is higher now, because it has been out several years, but it retailed at like $23 at Toys R Us). Their current DBZ Dragon Stars line is $20-$22, at roughly 6 inches (they sell higher quality/price toys in Japan with their SH Figuarts line for DBZ). Their new Gundam Uninverse line, same story. Even when Bandai comes to the US market, they don't try to sell things like they do in Japan, they bring the cost and quality down to meet the supposed "expectations" of the market. Of course you can always find exceptions to this, usually at specialty import shops, and/or places that sell Bluefin stuff. But you're really not getting that big of a discount verses what you currently pay at the online shops like HLJ, NY, AmiAmi, etc. And that is for big names like Gundam. If it were Macross stuff, yeah, I'm pretty sure we'd still be importing. Bandai isn't going to gamble selling a $150 DX Chogokin to a market that is used to ~$20, 6 inch figures.

Kinda funny how everyone was writing this event off as another propaganda party from HG, then they drop this bombshell. I was going to watch the video today, but now I guess I don't have to . Like most others, I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Like the Toy Galaxy guy said at the end of his last video, HG has spent the last 30 odd years fighting for these rights, do you really think they are just going to let them go without a fight? I'm still waiting for some confirmation from a non-HG party that they do in fact have the rights extended, but I'd say odds are slim they are lying about this particular thing. But even if HG did lose the rights, I don't think we'd have this great Macross renaissance in the west that some people are fantasizing about. You'd still be importing all your toys if you wanted the top-end stuff (look at Star Wars merchandise). There is no way that stuff (DX Chogokin, Arcadia) would be sold domestically. We would maybe get some cheaper version of the HMR line, but even that probably wouldn't happen. We would probably have access to cheaper blue-rays, and older Macross shows would be easier to come by, and maybe have official english subs. But that's about it, imo. The reality is, Macross just wouldn't be a big money-maker in the west, at least in the short to mid term. If Big West or some other company thought it would be, they would be throwing more money at the HG problem. No major company thinks it is worth the investment, and they are probably right. I know that isn't a popular opinion on a Macross forum, but money talks in this case.

"Heavily" is a pretty subjective term, but since it was included in this animation, I figured it had more a chance than the stuff we've only seen a single picture for. But the destroids, particularly the tomahawk, have definitely had more publicity.

If you're really asking why not: It hasn't sold particularly well. Nexx is now available below MSRP in several places (part of this is it not having the right pilot, probably). Silvie is barely holding at MSRP, after being on the market for a few years. If we got anything from Mac II, it would probably be just more fairie squadron. The demand doesn't seem to be there for anything that isn't a valk. That seems to be the general problem with HMR right now. Only the valks sell pretty well (at least for the Macross stuff). The regults are the only real exception to this, and even they took a while to get popular. So if I had to put money on the next release, it would be yet another valk of some kind, maybe one of the VF-4 repaints. Non-valks that have been heavily teased are the Tomahawk, Phalanx, N-Ger and Q-Rau. The Tomahawk in particular made it's way to several shows a few years ago, it really looked like it was going to be released next, then seemed to fall off the radar. It did seem to keep changing colors, though... At this point, I wish they would just release the destroids and enemy mech as TWEs. I'd pay a slight mark-up, just so we could actually get them.

Yeah, I was talking about Gunpla in general (this is my first). I did watch several reviews between the ver 3.0 and the origins. I liked the way the ver 3 looked just a little bit more, and it was a little bit cheaper, so I went with that. I won't be handling it much, anyhow. I'm just hoping I can keep this new rabbit hole pretty limited, for my wallet's sake.

What fresh hell rabbit hole have I just stepped in:

From all the pictures I've seen, it seems pretty TV accurate (no extra "frame" around the lens). A DYRL 1A is actually my prediction for the next preorder. Not sure which version; I'd prefer a mass production. Seems too early for another Hikaru or Max. Maybe a DYRL Kakizaki? That would really be all over the figurative map. A TV Kakizaki also has a pretty good shot at being next, imo. Maybe as a TWE.

I can't believe an enemy mecha is selling at those prices. I bought my first one for $65 shipped a few years ago, and now they are over $100 before shipping. I hope Bandai sees this and lifts their moratorium on non-valkyrie HMRs. People clearly want to army build. I do wonder if people would have the same enthusiasm for army building with the q-rau or n-ger, though.

Puts the chew in Chewbacca.

The "hardcore" collectors blame the scalpers. The "casual" collectors blame the hardcore collectors. It's the hate food chain . I just blame Bandai.

Sure, like I said, the DX line is the modern line that I would say has something resembling a "factory seal." (Although their accessories packs are often closed with the same cheap tape as the HMR line) And since that is the product in question here, I guess is applicable. It was more of a mini-rant about the overuse of the "MISB" in general; not specifically the DX line. But those circle stickers are far from unique to Bandai (they aren't holographic or anything). They can be purchased and used to fake it. But cheaters will cheat, liars will lie, etc. I was mostly pointing out that the term "MISB" has been conflated beyond what it is supposed to mean, and used when it shouldn't be used, and so it seems to be open to interpretation, when it really shouldn't be.

I don't want to turn this into a rant, but I think the "MISB" tag barely belongs in Macross collecting, and it kind of irritates me when I see people use it. Arcadia just doesn't seal their boxes in any way; they come from the factory just closed with tabs. You can't tell if it was ever opened (beyond just looking at box wear). The HMR line is "sealed" with tape just a hair above scotch tape in quality. You could very easily fake it, if you were so inclined. Only the DX line currently has something I might consider a "factory seal." And even that could be faked, if you really wanted to. Luckily, the Macross collecting scene doesn't seem to be as fixated on seals as some other communities; it is more about item condition, especially the condition of what is in the box, from what I've seen. Some of the vintage stuff might have better "factory seals," though. I don't really collect that.

This question probably better suited for another thread, like this one: But I would say that it is more Bandai's issue than yours. Anytime I sell an item I didn't make myself, I make sure to mention I am selling it as-is, and I'm not responsible for anything that may be wrong with it due to manufacturer error. Even if it is MISB. I hope you mentioned that when you sold it. As far as the GBP, I actually like the way the v2 handles it (with folding leg fins). I think the Yamato 1/48 GBP is actually TOO big. Still on the fence whether or not I'm even going to mess with GBP in the Bandai 1/48 line, though.

Heh, I know sarcasm is hard to convey on the internet. I was trying to make an intentionally bad/goofy version of it (hence the multi-colored comic sans). Glad you enjoyed it either way.

Hey guys I got one!

@jenius Enjoyed the review, per usual. I do think there is some "perfect" ratio of number of valks you want to own vs the number of missile kits you buy, where you might theoretically save a little money per valk, compared to a 1/60 valk. But it is pretty unlikely most people are going to hit that exact ratio. And that is assuming you can even get them at MSRP, which is a hard task. I noticed you posted the paragraph about "number one concern" twice on the text review. Also sent you a message about fixing your video alignment, if you want to use it.

As far as I can tell, the part with the VF-1J is just a bad "translation" (I use the term loosely) of the part above. More of a typo than anything.

Looks like the promised "2nd wave" of strike parts is officially open, and have their own separate page from the first wave: https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000136313/?_ga=2.221921112.1997559064.1561083654-1833131181.1550965968 https://tamashii.jp/item/12990/

FYI, the Ikea website says the Detolf has a max load per shelf of about 8 pounds. They are probably being safe on that estimate, by a pound or so, but you might be approached that weight on some of those shelves. If you've had them like that for a while, I'd assume it is probably fine. Just something to keep in mind.

I'm not even sure what to consider this, but I guess it belongs in this thread more than the Gunpla one. I'm kind of at a loss for words:

I wouldn't get too bogged down in cultural expectations, etc. Most of these export companies are not run/staffed by a majority Japanese population. NY in particular seems to be largely Spanish/Latin of some variety, with maybe some French workers also. AE seems to be mostly Russian/Eastern European. This is just based on my interactions, and some of the names I've seen come out of those companies. They are also implicitly targeting a non-Japanese customer base. So I'd say cultural expectations are largely out the window. Places like Mandarake and Jungle probably have a lot more Japanese workers/work culture.

Official page still just says September. NY has Sept 30, but that is probably just a place holder (they have Nov 30 for the 1S).

A little late to this news (about the HG press release/propaganda session). My cynical understanding is that the real money for the Macross license for HG was actually in suing people and getting damages from those lawsuits (like their suits against Battletech). Now that that revenue has seemingly dried up, I don't know how much HG is going to fight to retain their rights to Macross as we approach the 2021 deadline. Sure, they'll slap their brand on some products that other companies are already making, but I don't know that it is really that profitable for them anymore, and it won't be very profitable for them in the future. Most of their projects in the past decade or so were just to keep the Macross rights available to them, so they could sue people when the opportunity arose. Still, it might be interesting to see a recorded version of this session (I'm not wasting my Friday on them). We might be able to read between the lines of the propaganda. Or it could be opaque BS. And as a fan of Exosquad, please, keep HG far away...

Uniform seems pretty good to me, and I've rewatched a couple times in the past few years. Maybe the yellow is a bit too bright. I think faces from that era of animation are hard to capture in plastic. But that doesn't mean they couldn't have done a bit better...