Angesdad

After much deliberation I've decided on Arad's 31S and skipped Bogue's this time. Oh boy, late man's tax sucked on this one. I figure Bandai will release Chuck's AX down the road with the asymmetrical head design, which I find more appealing over Bogue's.

Anyone received the toy yet, waiting on first impressions😃 BTW I am trying to decide between Bogue’s new AX or Arad’s old 31S, any input would be appreciated!

The drooping guns and the wing peg have improved significantly on Mirage release already. It looks about the same to me.

Does this 40th anniversary release include any known upgrades/improvements (such as plastic converted to diecast parts) or would it be exactly the same as the previous release?

What about Arad's 31S? - I'd pay the ridiculous 38k yen for 31S if SP to go with it was available.

I see it. A heat gun is like bazooka it works great but there’s a risk of melting the plastic (and I have). To be on the safe side, I’d put the kettle on and dip it in hot water, shape it, then shock it in ice water.😃

Available again. Just picked one up from them minutes ago. Act fast.😃

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Think I am going to stay away for now.

I'm about to pull the trigger at BIJ. Never bought from them before, they're reliable, correct?

There you go; https://fext-hobby.myshopify.com/collections/fext-system/products/sci-fi-03-display-set-second-production-pre-order Apparently in stock. You will need more than one set I believe.😃

Ditto! Skip the obnoxious armor set and give me Mirage SP instead!

My copy of Mirage AX had a backplate on the wing assembly put together rather poorly from factory which made it look real gappy. It has been bothering me until today my OCD has taken over.😆 At the same time I added some colors to the missing detail, thanks to much needed tips from @Lolicon. For those who wish to disassemble the wings for whatever reason, there are 4 screws underside that are hard to miss. Simply undo the screws and wiggle out the entire back piece. The only thing will get in the way is the folding arm connecting the gunpod, just got to find the right angle and carefully slide it out.

Unexpected and I’d like Mirage SP first but hey it will be my first 31 armour set.😄

Nothing kiki/nail polish/ca glue won’t fix.😀

This is exactly how I envisioned it to be! Nicely done sir.😀

I’ve rarely had a valk that was problem-free out of the box, but it definitely has gotten worse since covid. I read on other forums that factories running at reduced capacity and hours in China due to shutdowns. Bandai’s retracted presence in quality control with scheduled production deadline to meet does not help the situation either. Back to Mirage, both of my copies have issues in various places but I take what I can get in these crazy times.🤣

oh my...I can not unsee it now.

Now that I had a taste of 31AX super parts, I can't wait for Mirage's version of it. Any guess as to when Bandai will probably release for PO?

Your post could not have been better! I can follow clearly what you did, what the problem was, and how you plan on fixing it. My interest as of late has been Delta valks and this is a valuable piece of information, thanks!

It sounds like the shields may not have been inserted all the way in. I had the same thing, put them on thinking they’re on but popped right out. There is a point of resistance(almost springy) but if you pass that, the shields will click in and will not pop out easily.

Somebody put the kettle on!

So last night I got the parts installed, swooshed it around and I see why Bandai has chosen Gerwalk mode on the box cover. The rotating boosters are fun, you can position to make them look like hovering or coming to a stop.😁The added weight along with the questionable build quality of 31AX makes it feel a bit flimsy and awkward to handle though.

I am probably just a few days ahead of you and in this game of Macross collecting, slow ‘n steady wins the race!😄