theraiden

If anybody sees a good deal on a Macross item please post here! Some deals on HLJ: Arcadia Milia Fallyna VF-2SS Evolution toy for 7400 yen VF-2SS Sap for 12300 yen Fighter multiplex Battroid Multiplex Sheryl

That is correct. I just opened it. I don't want to do a CC claim since i have stuff on order from them for over 900+ USD$ because i will get banned. Can't deal with that hassle in my life at the moment. I have accepted that it's defective and will display it in fighter only, i have another VF-1J that's perfectly fine and i am thinking of buying the third one. At least i have enough of spare parts On another note, Finally got a shipment notification for my VF-1S that i pre-ordered on ebay Think i'm gonna buy another one on Buyee aswell

Bandai clearly need to up the game in Quality Control......

Yeah, i got a reply from NY and they said i have to talk directly to Bandai since they take no responsibility for manufacturing defects. I have no idea how i should do that or whom to talk to or the costs associated with shipping regarding replacement etc. I guess i'll just keep this bird permanently in fighter mode

Mark up price, so i'm pretty pissed. I opened a ticket, going to see what they say. Not feeling hopeful though.

So, i just opened my second DX VF-1J (to inspect it before a sale) that's been sitting in its box since i ordered it from NY way back in June.... The first thing i noticed was that the 2x Antenna were not where they are supposed to be in the clamshell, they were both loose and one was stuck in one of the wing openings, but ok, shipping and all that. Then i took the VF out of the clamshell and noticed a big gap between the intake and the main body, like it was improperly transformed before it was put in the clamshell (it was not like it had popped out by itself in shipping since you had to lift the legs from the body and re-attach them to fix the gap) I then proceeded to inspect it further and when i undid the feet from the body i noticed that the clasp on the swingbar was really really weak, like it takes nothing to undo it (it's not like that on my display VF-1J, i mean its weak but this one holds nothing.) And one off the hip joints is totally loose. Like no resistance at all. I inspected the screws that hold the hip joint cover very closely and they look a little bit worn on the top, like someone had messed with them with a screwdriver that's a hair bit to big. And to top it off, one of the panel lines on the "back" near where the booster pack folds onto it is raised up by nearly a millimeter when in fighter mode. So. Do i have a previously returned-item lemon on my hands? Or maybe manufacturing faults? Anybody else had these issues? Do i have grounds to return it to NY for a replacement or should i just display it in fighter mode and cut my losses? Obviously not going to sell it unless the buyer is willing to accept these faults.

I ordered a DX VF-1J from them. 4 days later they said it had been damaged in transit and refunded me. Probably found someone willing to pay more on ebay. That's the only experience i have from them.

SolarisJapan now has the VF-1S listed. I have ordered from them a couple of times. Excellent packaging and speedy service. https://solarisjapan.com/products/choujikuu-yousai-macross-ai-oboete-imasu-ka-vf-1s-valkyrie-hikaru-ichijou-use-dx-chogokin-bandai-spirits

Now i must have this. Good place to buy? *edit* Nevermind, jungle has the best price

This! I was only going to buy 1 maybe 2 valks in the beginning. But you guys are such enablers that i'm now collecting from 2 lines

Where can i order this Breetai?

This is great! I wonder if Bandai would produce more for western fanbase if they *knew* beforehand how many units are really going to sell. Like if HLJ and other stores would do deposit pre-orders with more lead time than the usual process as it is now. That way Bandai would have a much clearer idea how many units they would actually sell and maybe produce more since non-refund deposit orders are much more binding.

If this would happen, and that's a big IF, anyone who would chip in (and we have no idea how much the specific amount would be since we haven't got a price quote yet and don't know exactly how many would chip in) we would give everyone access that chipped in and could show proof they are a Macross collector (to weed out most of the scalpers)

This is a very good point. Any thoughts on how we might accomplish this? Signature list with a statement? Flood them with emails with pre-determent statements? Advice they're sales team? Special pre-orders for MWF members?

Good valid points from @HardlyNever and @WaferMouse I come into this discussion with zero expectations, and as is i have only sent out feelers for possible development of a bot. I know such a tool would come with it's share of problems and issues, like you pointed out not working on all sites, the need for sharing some personal or financial details in the software, would it be used with good intentions or bad ones etc. I am not being naive with the notion of pooling together money for a "stranger" and hoping the best. Rules would be established, goals would be set and results would be vetted. And yes, we would probably need a project manager that would be willing to donate time. But we do have a pre-order problem. Many who want do not get, cause of tactics that are used by scalpers that create an uneven playground for the rest of us. Best of all would be if the vendors would spread out the pre-order time window for instance by dividing pre-order stock over different time slots. (200 units between 12 am and 4 am, another 200 units between 4 am and 8am, etc) but this ain't a perfect world. That script idea from @skullmilitia above sounds reasonably possible and would possibly be a good tool to increase our chances against scalpers? So the question becomes, is using a bot the best tactic to tackle this problem, is there anything else we could do (like scripts or changing vendor behavior) or is it just something we have to accept?

Maybe only distribute bot to those who chip in AND can send picture of a collection they have (minimum 4 valks maybe) with a piece of paper on the picture with they're username on it. To proof they are collectors and active users here on MWF ?

Another fair point. We would not want this tool to be misused by scalpers, but then again aren't they doing it already? And correct me if i'm wrong, but is there usually a buying limit on pre-orders, like one unit per customer?

Thats a good point! Maybe that should be the route to go, but the advantage of a bot is that it could be trying to purchase on multiple sites at the same time while you sleep.

Created a new thread for this discussion:

The idea is to pool together resources (something like 5$ USD each) to commission a creation of a Shopping-Bot to beat the scalpers at they're own game regarding Pre-orders of Macross Toys. This would greatly reduce the stress and failures involved with securing a pre-order on a popular item. I have already sent out feelers to 3 developers and i am currently waiting answers. I will contact more as i find them, and if anyone can think of a programmer/developer i can contact them if you dont want to. Just pm/me And if anyone has any ideas or thoughts please share them!! ________________________________________________________________________________________ Does anyone have a Fiverr account ? There's quite a lot of programmers on Fiverr so if someone with a Fiverr account could maybe send out feelers?

Great! Seems to be enough interest in making this happen If any of you can think of programmers or developers that might be interested pm me and i will contact them if you don't want to do it yourself. I have now contacted 3 developers and if i get positive reply's from any of them i will post it here and we can figure things out together from there.

Ok, that's one. I have already reached out to two developers asking for a price quote and if it is doable

Question. Regarding the upcoming PRE-Order madness when Roy's 1S will be up. Does anybody know if there is a customizable bot-shopping system out there akin to these: https://www.aiobot.com/ https://forcecop.com/ And a thought.... If all of us who are going to buy a Roy would pool together funds, say like 5$ each, to actually hire a Bot programmer to make a Bot for us to beat the scalpers at they're own game. Just a thought

My youngest is my son at 8. Bought 2x DX Max and gave him one, his first Macross toy (we just finished watching SDF together 3 months ago, myself hadn't watched it in 20 years) Showed him once how to transform all modes. He nailed it in first try. Proud moment. He will carry on the torch, oh yes.