Radioguy

8 hours ago, MKT said:

By saved searches, do you mean Mandarake's Alert List?

Yes. I was just raised on eBay before converting to the new faith of Mandarake.

8 hours ago, MKT said:

I've come to realize that it is not always reliable. From its observed behavior, it doesn't automatically send out alerts the minute item comes into stock, but it appears the store have discretion whether or not to push out that alert. Usually they only do so after 1 or 2 days after item in stock & no one snaps it up yet, but there are times they just forget about it. In rarer instances, the item is listed as a separate SKU so naturally no e-mail alerts there.

Well, that sucks. I thought, naturally, it was automatic for items restocked. 🤬

1 hour ago, MKT said:

Someone get that, quick! Surprised its still up lol..

Ain't anymore.

10 hours ago, MKT said:

It was available for more than 2 weeks since it was first posted end of last month. 

In between, a Low-Vis also came up with also very beaten box, but that was gone pretty quick.

Just gets worse. I'd sooner have the low-vis! (Stealth is close behind)

I'm not sure what's wrong with my saved searches.

Did finally get the Woodland Camo one I wanted...just not the armor.

14 hours ago, betocc said:

Still available on my end. However it was cheaper to get it from Yahoo Auctions JP, but current prices are now close to AE price.

https://anime-export.com/index.php?product=74629

That page is blank to me.

This one is not:

https://anime-export.com/index.php?product=74677

Shucks. I woulda snagged that.

9 hours ago, sh9000 said:

https://anime-export.com/index.php?product=74629

VF-1S Strike Hikaru Mechanic Edition.

2 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Ordered 1 DX VF-1S Strike Hikaru Mechanic Edition.  I'll probably ship it with just the DX VF-25G Revival.

Sometimes, I think you just post links to show you've bought the last one. 😉

4 hours ago, R0P3-F15H said:

Looks like it went instantly 

Are we thinking now that others that still have a PO up (LP, etc) will be able to fulfill them?

Wow. I was waiting for this. I had better starting building up my caffeine intake to be up when the Ostritch PO goes live.

21 hours ago, grogall said:

Oh WOW! I actually thought it was too soon for this, Hence my comment from previous page. But very exited to finally be able to get one to replace my 1:55 Chunky Monkey my Mom gave away...😥

Um, I may have you sorted...

https://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/16592-155s-revisited/?do=findComment&comment=1679060

8 hours ago, Duymon said:

Please, Bandai, take the hit and release Kakizaki's TV VF-1A so that I can have my full early Vermillion Squadron.

M&M 1J's would also be nice 

I'd be happy with a Kakizaki DYRL reissue first!

3 hours ago, grogall said:

I think it would be kind of pointless to rerelease the movie/tv super parts without the new gimmick! I also think that they wanted to do this from the get go, but didn't have the engineering figured out at the beginning, hence them gluing the first release... I'm sure from now on all ValK's will feature (Mechanical Edition) Gimmick. 

Since the changed the box art radically different from the previous releases, I wander if we are entering a new phase?

3 hours ago, R0P3-F15H said:

maybe they want to do a M&M VF-1J release? so it pushed them to do this sooner, i could see that tbh. I can only hope future releases come with super parts now.

That gives me hope of a DYRL Kakizaki. Even if an lottery/exclusive, I think I'd brave the proxy route for it.

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I really don't mind the yellowing myself ether if its uniform as well, I know many can't stand to see it, but for me its like a patina of being vintage. alot of vintage clear toys from the 70's/80's sadly they yellowed inside and can never be cleaned and do not look so well uncordially .

 

As an owner of some yellowed toys, I agree. It's not always unsightly short of not being screen-accurate. It's when yellowing is a sign of brittleness, that I am concerned.

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I would love to buy a KC SuperOstridge  & EliteSeeker and even Metallic paint ones too

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I forgot to mention what would be really Awesomes would be if they did offer white fast pack armor with color highlights to match the Angelbirds. well it might not look cannon that way but it would be eye caching Imo.

I like how you think!

Again, give me a GREEN VF-1J (and/or metallic) and I'll bite. I just hope that's not off the table as it's a movie color.

18 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Devcon Plastic Welder: two part adhesive that's stronger and more resilient than the original plastic. You can use it to reattach parts and reinforce those that are at risk; I used it in my rebuild of the Matchbox SDF-1.

Thanks! So much missing though. The yellowing I could live with, but I doubt I can re-source the armor and fast pack. At least not cheaply.

5 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Such is the fate of many 1/55. 

Whomever had owned this originally was a Macross fan for sure. They actually added custom touches to extend the chest stripe all the way to the backplate as it should have been.

Nice find. It definitely deserves to be repaired and preserved.

Thanks for pointing that out!

I kinda agree regarding restoration. I'm just not sure I'm the one to do it yet.

34 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

So sad to hear it crumbling away. 
 

got any pics to share?

Yes, that is the remains of a gun grip in his hand.

I recently obtained a VT-1 in awful shape; no pack, armor, gun, etc. and yellow as hell. I felt sorry for it, what with its stabilizer pack snapped off and on the side along with a few other shards of plastic formerly attached, and naively thought I might be able to spruce it up just a tad. Still, even in the shop I realized that was impossible. Pity had me walk out with it all the same. I bet they would have tossed it in the trash if I hadn't bought it.

Oof, another piece snapped off after just retracting a fist.

Oddly enough, the previous owner cut out and applied the descriptive SUPEROSTRITCH title of the decal sheet to a wing. That threw me off for a second as to why.

Damn. Another shard just fell out of it while handling it. I fear it is not long for this world. Perhaps it is destined for die-cast organ donation...

3 hours ago, brooklynmacross said:

nah, I'm from there, but I live in San Diego now. 

There goes me saving on shipping.

Are you literally in Brooklyn?

18 hours ago, MKT said:

Mandarake doesn't allow cancellations, but I think sometime over the past couple of years they have softened this stance slightly by now saying that cancellations may result account to be banned, sounding somewhat similar to Amiami's current policy as well.

I've only ever cancelled once in the years from buying from them; it stemmed from miscalculating the size of ordered items thinking they would fit into one shipping box but it was actually 2 shipping boxes, and they offered to cancel the whole order. 

My first order was a cancellation as I was so green back then I didn't realize that there really wasn't a shipping quote approval first.

18 hours ago, DewPoint said:

Arcadia VF-1S reissues?

AmiAmi - Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1/60 Kanzen Henkei VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyou Custom) movie ver.(Pre-order)(Single Shipment)240-S001

AmiAmi - Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1/60 Kanzen Henkei VF-1S Strike Valkyrie Roy Focker Special movie ver.(Pre-order)(Single Shipment)

HLJ - 1/60 Complete Transformation VF-1S Strike Valkyrie Hikaru Ichijo Boarding Machine Movie Ver. (Reissue)

HLJ - 1/60 Completely Transformed VF-1S Strike Valkyrie Roy Focker Special Movie Ver.

Valkyrie Factory really got under their skin. 😄

21 hours ago, Alex GS said:

hmmm I honestly have no idea what Arcadia is thinking, release this to:  

a) To not lose the Macross License for the VF 1's

b) ran out of ideas

c) easy to manufacture and have a quick cash income.

d) None of the above  , I have no idea 

In all honesty, I think it's a response to Valkyrie Factory. Those two non-PF releases have been their biggest-selling Arcadia knockoffs.

It's too odd that they are doing these when the main grey market/KO talk as of late has specifically about these two.

On 10/14/2023 at 1:00 PM, PONGEE256 said:

Hey Rusted,

While I don't have specific information about toy stores in Osaka, I can certainly share my own experience. If you're ever in New York City, there's a big toy store in New York that's a haven for toy enthusiasts, offering a wide range of collectibles from various eras. I've personally found rare retro toys from the 70s and 80s, Macross toys, and a fantastic selection of Gundam figures there. Even though you're planning for Osaka, visiting a store like this in New York could be an unforgettable experience and might provide you with some inspiration for your toy hunt in Japan. For more toy hunting adventures, you can explore largerthanlifetoys.com. Enjoy your trip!

I wish they were in the city, or did online sales!

13 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Basically, your statement about shipping "nixing" the comparison between the 1\100 Toynami and the 1\72 KC has been invalidated....also, you came up with local availability as a determining factor that would deter the selection of KC over Toynami....even if Toynamis were as easily available at any comic book shop in the world as you claim...that rules out Macross HMR since you can't get SDFM\DYRL merch outside of Japan...so if you wanted to include HMR as the only direct competition to Toynami...bringing up local availability just defeats the point you are trying to make...

It can't be denied that the market for Toynami Robotech-Macross toys is further deteriorated by the introduction of the KC VF-1...it just makes it less appealing when you can potentially buy a KC for less...

Not to get nitpicky, but you acknowledged a $20 difference. That's not quite "invalidated", even if you see it as a paltry sum.

Also never mentioned the "world" when speaking of comic shops; just the USA, or North America perhaps (wherever Diamond distributes).

Of course, you are now citing specific models versus the franchise as a whole. Yes, we all know a VF-0S is not a VF-1. My point was that a valk of a comparable size from Bandai can now be the bigger threat as their distribution now rivals and likely surpasses Toynami, and KC is not even in contention on this front. If a comic shop had an HMR VF-0S aside a Toynami VF-1S, I think that HMR might actually sell first.

As for those of us in this community, you have a point that KC has an impact on Toynami. I don't disagree. I'm just saying it's just not as significant as it would be if they weren't as pricey to ship, and had established the same presence in the US marketplace that Toynami continues to trade off of.

7 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

LOL...in a hobby that generally occupies the triple digit entry point...not sure anyone is sweating over 20 bucks...

As for finding Toynamis at "comic book shops"...I haven't seen any Macross toynamis locally since the "Masterpiece Collection"...Anyway, in the age of online purchasing...I can't  imagine someone deciding to buy a Toynami over a KC just because they can buy one locally...again...never seen one myself at a local store and I live near a major metro area...

Heh. I live IN a major metro area, perhaps the biggest in the US, and I have seen the 1/100s fairly often. Masterpiece too, but only back in the day.

Trust me, folks often go into comic shops and buy stuff they never thought they would. "Wow. I remember Robotech!" and there's a sale. I actually hate that Toynami basically cornered the US brick-and-mortar market for so long. They got Diamond to pick them up, and there you go - available to every comic shop in the nation. All that time I would ask for DX and HMR if I ever went into one, knowing the answer but still having to ask, and be shown Toynami's crap. Now HMR has some foothold, and at least the WWM issues are coming in on the DX end, but Toynami isn't gone...yet.

As for sweating over $20, I wouldn't on a DX. That's ridiculous. For HMR, it's just enough of a consideration these days to at least see who else has the item in stock and for how much. For Toynami...let's say it had better be BOGO for me to even look twice. 😄

Gotta admit though, I'm nowhere near the tax bracket of some of you who army build with HMR and DX. I don't have that much room either.

$20 isn't 20¢.

But I do get your point, at least on the bundle breakdown. Of course, I'd rather own KC over Toynami 1/100. Anyone would.

Shipping aside, Toynami still has the retail channels KC likely never will. You can still go into some comic shops and walk away with a Toynami 1/100 any day of the week. That's something Bandai can start to claim too, and is going after even more. HMR still seems to be Toynami's primary threat on that front.

On 8/29/2023 at 10:33 AM, jvmacross said:

Like the new compact packaging...might pickup new Ben and Max VF-1A's if they release them in the new boxes

On 8/29/2023 at 11:02 AM, Spark-O-Matic said:

Well in any business with existing products you make subtle changes, look at any reception then make more from there IMO.

Keep in mind that Eaglemoss did the same thing with some of their lines, especially Star Trek, and it didn't help them survive.

On 8/29/2023 at 11:16 AM, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

Seriously though,  doesn't this price point pretty much kill the Toynami 1/100 line?

I was gonna say the same a couple pages ago, but Toynami ships domestically, and affordably. Sadly, the comparison doesn't apply there.

On 8/29/2023 at 11:56 AM, jvmacross said:

KC's VF-1 was already the better figure....but, yeah....even with the minimal accessory count, the new price point makes the Toynami even more over-priced....

https://www.toynamishop.com/macross-saga-retro-transformable-1-100-vf-1j-ichijo-valkyrie/

Too bad KC did not opt to re-release the repacks in Takatoku-style boxes, I may have been blinded by nostalgia again! 

Again, the shipping disparity nixes that argument on the whole. Plus, Toynami has a habit of doing the opposite - initially issuing bare figures, and then fast pack versions as the standard release.

Agreed, there's no comparison on build quality, but I wouldn't draw comparisons between these as comparable. HMR seems more like a Toynami killer right now with their price drops on the VF-0S in particular, and that at least is a comparable scale.

On 8/28/2023 at 4:56 PM, mikeszekely said:

Better, but I have to confess that aside from the '86 stuff Studio Series seems like it's going downhill.  They rushed the ROTB designs out before they were done, and a lot of them (including the new Gamer Edition subline) are missing basic articulation that's become standard in the WfC/Legacy lines.

Have to agree. SS's rep is tarnished now. I feel like their expanding the Core line came with cutting corners elsewhere. They shouldn't have ever touched SS, but it's feeling like they have.