HardlyNever

My heel on the left side looked sort of bent (like yours), but transforming it and messing with it straightened it out.  It can be hard to pull the foot out in fighter mode, because of the cavity-filler gimmick, so I would suggest going to gerwalk to try to straighten it out (the foot is also really tight out of the box).

8 minutes ago, technoblue said:

I agree. Not to diminish what people have been reporting in any way. It's just that, as Sildani clearly stated, I think that we are observing a number of different issues all at once. 

I made a similar comment earlier in the thread.  I "only" had the leg fin QC issue, and I'm still enjoying the valk a lot.  I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that are getting valks that have 0 issues and they are happy with their purchase that aren't saying anything (squeaky wheel, etc.).

That said, this release does seem to have a higher-than-average number of QC issues, both in type and frequency.  And I think it is fine with us, as a "community" to bring that info to the front so that others can be aware.  We just need to be careful about not picking one extreme or the other; there is a huge spectrum between "all copies are fine, if you have a break it's on you or the shipper" and "this release is complete crap and you should expect your valk to be broken out of the box in some way."

But without quantifying this kind of thing, opinion tends to lean towards one extreme or another.

13 minutes ago, Axelay said:

I finally unboxed my VF-1S Messer, and I am highly annoyed that the flight stand mount doesn't seem to fit correctly. I saw in one of Jenius' reviews that the included stand was intended to be used with FAST packs attached and thus doesn't tab in properly. Is there any way to get a correct non-super parts stand? Anybody maybe Shapeways one, or wants to part with an OEM one?

I don't think anyone has put one up on shapeways.  The recent HMR VT-1 release has a display adapter that works well with non-super part fighter mode valks.  

I believe before that, the Mass Production VF-1A was the last HMR to come with the "correct" non-super part fighter adapter.  I could be wrong on that, though.

As far as getting one stand-alone, yeah, you'd be looking at buying it off of someone willing to part with it.

8 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

LOL at the "ninja knock"... something very similar happened with mine when it arrived yesterday from USPS.

It was 3pm, the postman (lady) didn't even bother bringing the box with her when she walked up to our door, and just had that orange "missed delivery" slip in hand, about to stick it to my door in a ninja like fashion.  Fortunately our security camera rang when it detected motion near our door, and my wife went to answer it.  That's when she reluctantly went back to the USPS mail truck and grabbed the box for us....

 

Not to derail this thread with "what's with the USPS," but, what's with the USPS?  I also had a this same issue where I just moved from.  They won't even attempt delivery, then update the package as "delivery attempted."  I constantly had to go pick up the package myself.  What is it exactly that we are paying for?  Getting it to the post office, I guess?  

Where I'm at now the USPS seems better, and they actually deliver packages to the door.

And to keep things more on topic, I don't want to give the impression to people waiting on their copy that the yf-19 is some nightmare of QC problems that is bound to shatter in your hands.  I handled mine for a fair bit yesterday, and while I did get one with the leg fin QC issue, everything else seems fine on mine.  It is starting to loosen up and handle quite well (I've transformed it largely without issue).

I'm not trying to assign blame or anything to those with other experiences, but there are (mostly) good experiences out there as well.

10 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Can anyone take pictures of the misaligned/misshapen leg fins? I've seen plenty of pictures of the head laser, but absolutely nothing about the apparently poor-fitting fins. (Usually people say it's the left fin, but I've heard of examples from both sides.)

I did my best to capture the issue, but it is really hard to get a good shot of the actual problem (at least with my phone camera).  The problem is the top part of the tab(the right part in my picture) that holds the leg fin almost looks like it is partially sheared off.  It holds the leg fin at a weird angle.  It can still hold the leg fin (I just took it off completely for clarity), but it very easy to knock loose, especially if it is unfolded (like in fighter mode).

On a side note, does anyone have any experience with AmiAmi's return/refund policy?  I'm not really even looking for a full refund or return, but maybe a discount voucher would be nice.

4 hours ago, Numbninja said:

revenge of the sweatshop workers

Had a similar thought when I got my y-19 actually lol.  I even had a hair in my box...

Definitely humanized the whole thing for me.  I'm not trying to make excuses or political statements here, but it can be easy to forget that the reason we can even get things this complex for this "cheap" (I use the term loosely) is because there are people in the world doing the assembly labor for a pretty low wage...

Breakages and human error are bound to happen, especially when you're dealing with labor at this cost.

9 minutes ago, Sildani said:

My YF-19 just landed. Can confirm broken head laser, can confirm the left vertical stabilizer falls off when you look at it harshly. As others have said, the laser is a clean break that Gorilla Glue will handle easily. The fin thing I think I’ll try to remedy by painting the mounting pegs with clear lacquer. That should stiffen the join. 

There has got to be something in their assembly or packing process causing all these consistent breaks.  My head laser is ok, but my left stabilizer is busted.  It seems it like it is mainly the left one that is damaged?

I hate to admit it, but this anniversary scheme is kind of growing on me.  I'm not really sure why.

Still no way I'd preorder one, but if it ends up in the bargain bin as predicted, I might rescue one.  Maybe the production run will be really low, though.

Got mine yesterday, I guess I'll add my first impressions to the mix:

Box has some nice heft to it, feels like an armor part bundle or something.  Overall packaging is nice, but the brown insert felt a little shoe-boxy to me.  For the valk itself, it looks great, but only handles so-so.  I really want to love this thing, but I only just like it right now.  Having just handled/transformed a vf-31 the day before, the design of this toy (and probably the valk itself) really shows its age, especially in battroid mode.  The intake things just sort of floating behind the hips on a ball joint seems like an unfinished transformation.  Do they really not peg in any where?  Moving the legs in battroid is really a chore right now, between the floating hip things, the wings on the legs, and the trap door gimmick on the lower leg, if feels like there is no great place to get a solid amount of pressure.  And you'll need a lot of pressure to move those ridiculously tight hips.

Once I've had more time to mess with all the accessories, and the toy loosens up a bit, I think I'll like it more, but this feels like the 3 year old mold that it is.

Last, unfortunately I have to report I have a QC issue that seems to match what some of the Japanese reviewers are saying.  One of the pylons(?) that holds the folding leg fins is malformed, so that the fin is at an awkward angle when full unfolded, and very prone to falling off.  The thing is, when the leg fin is fully folded up (it ships like this in fighter mode) like gerwalk or battroid, the problem is barely noticeable at all.  So I see why this is making it passed QC.  Hopefully this isn't too widespread, but due to the nature of it, I feel like we might be seeing more reports of this one.  I'll have pictures of the error when I get home.

1 minute ago, Mommar said:

Just imagine the entirely unnecessary tampo Bandai could put on a YF-21.

I feel like there is a happy middle ground between those two, but people will differ on which specific tampo should be there.  Even Arcadia's premium finish seem to go too far sometimes.

That's why I personally like stickers as an option, but I know they aren't very popular (and seem to be falling out of favor).

Ami Ami shipped the YF-19 out via DHL (early) Sept 22.  It is scheduled for delivery today...

And it was cheaper than EMS.  I don't know if I just got lucky or if DHL is actually the way to go if you want something faster than SAL.

10 minutes ago, Sildani said:

You and I are in complete agreement, Sithlord. I’ll never tell people how to have fun or how to enjoy their things, but some people are so dang nit-picky I sometimes wonder if they can really enjoy any collectible at all. 

@onnasake: yeah, stop thinking of it as a toy. It really isn’t, it’s a collectible with all that the term implies. My offer for the missiles stands, BTW. 

Yeah, it is just a reality of any hobby like this.  I still haven't gotten mine yet, but I'm just excited to have a yf-19 at all, for sub $300 prices.  All the accessories are great, too.  I'm not losing sleep about the heel being large for fighter mode, or w/e.

I do kind of understand how it happens, though.  After the initial hype phase, there isn't really much to discuss between announcement and release.  So all that is left is really for people to scrutinize and dissect every picture that comes out and compare it to line-art and existing toys.  For some people, this is their 3rd, or 4th... or 5th version of a y-19, so I can see the desire to ask "how is this one better than the last?"

Of course, after all the complaining, the vast majority of those people will still buy it...

10 minutes ago, SuperHobo said:

If the transformation is giving you trouble, I echo the sentiments about watching a video review with the transformation to help guide you through tricky parts that might not be clear in the instructions booklet. 

This.  I've never attempted a transformation of a new (to me) valk design without watching a video first.  To do otherwise is just inviting frustration and possibly damage to your toy, imo.

The Bandai VF-19 Advance transformation videos should be nearly identical to the Bandai yf-19, so just use those until someone gets a Bandai yf-19 one out.

3 hours ago, sh9000 said:

 

Got a 1/18 blue 1971 Datsun 240Z

Now that brings me back... I had a 1977 280Z back in high school.  I'm not that old, it was a classic car then.  Such great, basic cars.  It was a 4 speed lol.

Just got a shipping notice from HLJ.  Still only payment confirmation from AmiAmi.

52 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I'm not sure the western market is going to support $200 plus dollar DX's on an acceptable scale , beyond those of us that already do.

more like Hasbro will try to get the rights and sell CHEAP Mac-crap..

i know there's been some licensing of toys from the show that must not be named, and I have no idea what state any of it is in (nor do I really care) or what any of it woukd entail. But I feel the Walmart economy drives a lot . At least hear in the surreal US..

100% agree with this.  I know we like to a dream about a "Macross Renaissance" in the West if/when HG finally loses it's grip on the license, but the reality is, as least as far as toys and merch go, we won't be getting much better than we already have (choice or price wise).  I think if we were really lucky we might get Macross HMR stuff sold domestically in the US, and therefore (theoretically) have to pay a little less on the shipping side.  Beyond that, we would still be importing stuff.

Why do I think this?  Look at Star Wars.  That franchise is American as... apple pie?  And yet if you want something beyond the $20 black series stuff, what do you have to do?  Import from Japan.

59 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

Has anyone gotten a payment request from HLJ yet?

Not here, and it is getting weird.  I just modified my payment method and the YF-19 is now showing as "discontinued."  I know that is the item status on the website now, but it is weird to me that they would show that on a pre-order.  And they were selling some earlier today...

HLJ is my "back-up" and I've already paid Ami-Ami, so I'm not too worried.  But it is a bit odd that they were selling more stock without getting payment for all preorders first.

6 hours ago, seti88 said:

arm cannon close up detached.

I'm actually surprised it is one connected piece.  I thought it was going to be one piece on each side.  Props to Bandai, hopefully it isn't too fragile.

1 hour ago, seti88 said:

This is my brrrrttt smiley 

Coincidentally, I recall the gunpods in macross do have that sound when firing, no? 

Dang that question is gonna bug me now...

The original GU-11 gunpod is definitely based on the real life GAU-8 on the A 10.

In terms of sound, the DYRL gunpod makes a similar sound to the GAU-8. I doubt it's an actual sample of the GAU sound, though.

The TV show is bit more inconsistent (surprise).  Sometimes it sounds like the DYRL gunpod, sometimes it makes a more generic "laser" sound.

I definitely prefer the DYRL sound, personally.

Cross display/ cross generation battle:

4 hours ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

Nice how did you minimize the priest collar? Is the chest piece not down all the way?

There is actually a bit of leeway between where you can have the legs meet the nosecone (by moving the nosecose and having the legs lock in at slightly different angles), so you can have the "collar" a bit higher or lower even with the chest fully folded down.

42 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

If Zentraedi mecha are made in another line then THAT line will attract my attention.

Not trying to be snarky, but is there another line out there that has a realistic chance of making zentraedi stuff?  Especially SDFM zentraedi mecha?  If there is, I'd like to know about it (is it a model line?).

I know there are things like the yamato 1/60 Q-Rau, and the resin 1/60 Regult, and some custom works out there.  But is there a modern line currently in production that might make zentraedi mecha (that isn't HMR)?

5 hours ago, brouken said:

Are they re-issuing the Renewal Messiahs? How come Alto's DX VF-25F is on display along with the DX YF-19?

https://twitter.com/T_KOTEN_Q/status/1038599921073410049

Was wondering that myself.  I'd definitely be in for a reissue of the vf-25f.  I've been looking around for one, but I'm a little hesitant to drop that kind of cash on a toy that is almost 7 years old.  I'm more worried about durability and looseness than the actual design.

I'd be down for one, even if it is a straight re-issue.  Maybe the would try to add the vf-31 ratcheting hips to the vf-25?

Fiancee and I have been enjoying Attack on Titan, so I grabbed a couple of Figmas.  Fun figures; lots of posing options.

Got my Super Os today.  I have the same issue with the back part of the right foot being really stiff.  I just worked it back and forth and put more pressure on it and it seems to be moving almost completely back.  It is still stiff, but I can get it to maybe 95% fully back, so if you are still having issues with it, I would say just keep working it back and forth.

They definitely used a different finish for the feet on this one.  Whether that is affecting the foot, I don't know, but it only seems to be one side.