Angesdad

1 hour ago, sjoebarry said:

Darn thing was cracked right out of the box just like @jenius warned. Guess I could try some model glue. I was only planning on keeping it in fighter mode anyway

Wow you got it real fast it showed up on Mandarake only a few days ago lol. Sorry to see the crack, maybe someone has come up with a 3d printed replacement for it?😗

Anyone with an extra set you may want to move, please hit me up with price, condition etc.

Trying to dress up recently acquired Arcadia VF-0A Shin.

Shipped to Toronto, Ontario.

Thanks!!

1 hour ago, pengbuzz said:

Try putting the head in the freezer for a bit; that may make the joints brittle enough to pop apart.

Or boiling water has worked for me in the past:)

Okay I busted my copy open today which marks my very first Arcadia Valk (yay!😗).
My first impression is it’s a big bird for 1/60 scale I suppose the Zero valks are designed significantly larger than VF-1’s eh, it takes up a good chunk of my limited display space. I have not audacity to transform it yet however right from the get go, the drooping intakes do bother me as they do not seem to positively lock in against gravity. I keep pushing it up, wiggle jiggle the remainder of the legs with no success. I was watching Jenius’s review dated 9 years ago and it had the exact same problem. 9 years is apparently not long enough time for a reputable boutique toy manufacturer to redesign an extra tab. Lastly is it just me, the whole thing feels so bare like a blank canvas with wings without tampo printing it screams decals and possibly some focused weathering because this was a 40k yen valk, yikes. I see now why folks spend the money to get its premium finish equivalent.

Of course it isn’t the worst toy, I like the die-cast landing gears come already painted in white, that’s a first and real fresh coming from a heavy Bandai’d user.😆 I have ordered in some Aliexpress third party waterslide decals hopefully I will grow to appreciate it more when everything is said and done.

Up next the inevitable Tamashii exclusive sound booster the dx for..say 13,000 yen?!😆

Does anyone have recommendations for a decent third party waterslide decal to replace the sticker sheet it comes with?

Being a latecomer to the party I seem to remember being real desperate trying to pick up a 31j super pack which was scarcely popping up on Mandarake and if you blinked, you’d miss it.😆 The tables have turned indeed, at least for Delta franchise.

It going to be my first SDF-1 toy I am excited. Apparently it hardened yes the bridge.🙃

5 hours ago, treatment said:

even with replacements, think Heppoko's Ozma-Revival is a bit cursed...

https://x.com/simsim5479/status/1869258678861430834

web-translated:

His observation of “The lock on the left ankle is loose” is also seen on my Ozma, it does engage but pops out of furthest extension point a bit too easily.🧐

Will Arcadia address the leg popping issue ball joint at the hips?🧐

Not sure if the 2 screws instead of 3 is actually the culprit but I did notice the legs on my Ozma is satisfyingly firm. You hold it horizontally and the legs don’t droop down against gravity. At least not as much. The same for the shoulders, no sagging out of the box and I wonder if they went full metal ball on the shoulder too. Overall the whole figure feels more solid. Wasn’t the case with Alto rerelease which should have come with a Philips screwdriver in the blister.😁 If I was to nitpick, one of the diecast ankles on mine that you pull out to extend is on the loose side that I am not getting a satisfying click into position.

9 hours ago, rsvictor1976 said:

I got my shipping notice from Yoyakunow. That’s probably the most expensive shipping fee I’ve had to pay for a single Valkyrie. I’m expecting a box filled with dumbbells.

I second your sentiment. Just had my extra Ozma shipped from YYK and the shipping was indeed higher than usual at 9600 yen via Fedex. From the shipping dimensions noted on FedEx, I am certain It comes in a shipping box just big enough to accommodate the figure and then some packing material. No over packaging lives here that affects such an extravagant shipping. Holiday rate in effect or am I being ripped off by Ryota-san?

On the other hand, Hobby Genki shipped me at a very reasonable rate, however the outer shipping box was cardboard pieces slapped together with ZERO room for protection. A couple corners dented, it’s pissing me off to see such business practice and negligence, is 40,000 yen some pocket change to these people?

49 minutes ago, aurance said:

Do you know if it still requires the little clip in the legs to hold together in armored fighter mode? I couldn’t see in the video.

Yes it does.

3 hours ago, Test_Pilot_2 said:

I haven't posted because I've been trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but their customer service has been terrible. I've had issues with their delivery system even when I contact them weeks in advance and ask them to combine shipments - they either won't or fail to. This is even trying to use their warehouse. I had it happen once and owned the matter and let it slide, but the second time? I tried way in advance, got their own support person to assert the shipments would be combined, and then they denied they said it. I have yet to find the right combination of secret sauce to make it work as intended, there's always a reason that it doesn't or can't.

I've also paid for items they said they had ready to ship to then learn there was a delay... OK, fine, that happens... So I wait, even until well after their next target date to follow-up and they kept kicking the can because of a supplier delay. Meanwhile, the items appear on E-bay, stateside Amazon, HLJ, you name it... I wait two weeks then ask them again, same canned supplier delay message, no actual update, no alternative options, nothing. They've held my money for months and months at this point.

I've stopped using any payment method except credit card with them to ensure if they play games that I have recourse outside of their customer service - and this has proven the most valuable tool to deal with them so far when things go sideways. Take a close look at their refund/return/restock policies - they have everything to gain and nothing to lose when it comes to canceled/refunded orders.

I ramped up my orders with them beginning mid-last year because I was feeling OK about them, too. I've even posted some of their fantastic deals. Here, recently, they've been a train wreck for me. Hoping it improves because they've landed/will land in the merchant of last resort bucket for me.

NNG blacklisted me because I made them refund for an order that never seemed to get fulfilled in timely fashion. This is when DX VF-1 armored released. Go figure.😎

Sorry folks I got to vent and let others beware.

Hobby Genki has been rather skimpy with their packaging. Last July I received the DX yf-21 in such a fashion that there was no space between the item and the outer box. I was happy that the fin wasn’t bent so I just sent them a ticket expressing my concern, the reply went something like out of the blue it rarely happens or whatever that they want to keep the shipping cost down. I got my Ozma the other day, came in pieces of cardboard put together on top of the TWE box ZERO space or cushioning material whatsoever. A couple corners badly dented leaving a bad taste in my mouth. The item is fine. What‘s the consensus around these packaging malpractice?😡

Waiting for someone posts a review I’d like to see how they treated “matte” surface finish for the armor parts.😎

The secondary market price (Mandarake) for a missile pack has gone up to 22k yen, the same as VF-31J super…insane.

Maybe the new Ozma kit released next month will inspire me to top coat Alto’s down the road, for now I put it up for the first time and it is glorious!

the bunny gal is for scale comparison purposes only.😜

4 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Well part of its sheen is in the glossiness of the plastic, so you'll definitely lose some of it if you topcoat it.

If you're really concerned about retaining its current look, you can always just pop the boosters off and not coat them.

I topcoated my Revival 25F so you can see how it looks here. I used a semi-gloss finish instead of going full matte though.

That is a beautiful semi gloss finish😍 I should have been more specific, the metallic finish of my inquiry was on the silver radiator fin things middle of the boosters. For sure I am staying away from applying matte coat as it will pretty much flatten metallic feel and make it look grey almost, done it before swore I’d never do it again. 🤣 As for what @David Hingtgen mentioned, durability could be an issue however if you clean it well oil free prior to top coat, it should be okay?!

Hey gang I’ve finally gotten my paws on an armoured parts for Alto after stalking Mandarake for quite some time now, an awesome kit but I see that the grey plastic is real glossy for my taste. The red looks right. Has anyone tried top coat treatment on this particular armour set, If so does the metallic paint on the boosters get dull and lose its metallic sheen thus looking like matte grey? Your input is much appreciated.😊

I ended up fixing the bent fin myself, do be careful with the amount of time and heat you apply to the fin because it tends to curl up in different places that you don’t want.😂 I filed and sanded a bit to fix the wonky curvature, after a coat of top coat it was good enough for me to ignore it and keep the toy.

13 hours ago, Actar said:

Hm... the knees on mine are becoming a little too loose for my liking. I'd really like to go in and do something to tighten them, but knowing Bandai, I'd suppose this would be too difficult/impossible a task?

I set it up in my display case and shut the closet door with it in. The excitement went away rather quickly and that seems to help with any joint problems.

Ended up with 3, one was bent like my attitude, so 33% chance of raining tears for me.🤣

2 hours ago, hardreturn said:

Cool looking runway there, did you make it? your photos look amazing as always!😘

My VT-1 just came in the mail this afternoon. The very first thing I did was shaking the box up and down side to side to hear any broken pieces bouncing around. - Sadly enough that is a testament to Bandai’s quality control today.

Side note, this was my virgin order from YYK and contrary to all the stigma associated with former NY, they came through for me no problem with a kind of packaging that surpasses HLJ’s in the amount of bubble wraps and papers used to protect your valuable toy over the Pacific.

+1 for YYK.

2 hours ago, sh9000 said:

 If the antenna comes bent I'll use hot water to straighten it out.

Hot water did not work for me. I put mine in boiling water expecting it to soften like pvc figures but it did not move much, if any. Think the part is ABS that you need to go hotter well above water boiling temp to manipulate it. Just working up the courage to give it a shot again with a heat gun, but I’d rather play with my VT-1 received today.