Special Sauce

I want a Max VF-1S.  Weathered would be cool.  I don't want to have to chase the Yamato down , prices on those can be silly.

3 hours ago, ValkAddict said:

FYI, looks like Mandarake has Bandai DX Chogokin "Renewal" Super Parts set for VF-25A  available for 12,000 yen (new)

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1058197035&ref=list&keyword=macross vf 25 super parts&lang=en

Awesome, thanks @ValkAddict 

Bumped

I'm always pretty careful while handling/transforming my Valks so hopefully that helps maintain their longevity

How common are the issues with breaks like these on the Bandai DX toys?  It makes me a little fearful that it'll happen to mine some day.

Why do they call this Kairos Plus?  It just looks like a different version of the VF-31J.  At least with regards to the head sculpt.  I assume it's because the fighter mood looks similar to the original Kairos.

Ordered from Mandrake, used EMS and only took 6 days from the day I ordered to the day it arrived on my door step.  Not too shabby.  

Thanks to @Kicker773 for hooking me up with my long lost Valk.  Smooth transaction, fast shipping, who could ask for anything more?  Would happily do another deal in the future.

9 hours ago, sh9000 said:

4th GI Joe Classified CI Cobra Trooper.

Star Wars Retro Boba Fett Prototype Edition.

@sh9000That Fett prototype is awesome!  I feel like we're living in a toy golden age.  So much good stuff out there.

7 hours ago, MKT said:

Some stuff arrived recently:

 

Always wanted a great Airwolf model, & aftermarket prices of this Aoshima 1/48 is mostly kinda crazy. But managed to find one for a price I thought was quite reasonable.

The 1/60 Zentraedi uniform is a KO from Taobao. The quality of stitching & cloth material is pretty good, and colors appear similar to pics of the original. There are some key differences when comparing to @jenius review of original. The zipper head is different, there is no hole in cap to thread Max's head laser through in battroid, and the logo on the cap has way off proportions. But NBD, I plan to display in gerwalk mode, so the cap will be unused. 

 

 

Whilst waiting for the VF-1 of the month to arrive (Chogokin VF-1D), this Yamato 1/48 VF-1S 25th Anniversary still makes for a formidable display. Snagged this off YAJ for only Yen 5500, advertised as junk. From what I can tell, it only has a bent, half-snapped head laser, which is easily fixable. Of all the different VF-1 toys of any scale, I think the Yamato 1/48s have the best landing gear detail..

 

That's a great deal for that VF-1S.  A bent head laser is not a big deal, especially for that price.

8 minutes ago, sqidd said:

 

I think it's one of it's best features.

I'd have to see more photos of it from different angles to decide whether I like it or not.

I'm not crazy about that cannon.  Looks like a scorpion tail and kinda clumsy.  Maybe it'll grow on me.  

11 hours ago, sqidd said:

I think it's cool.

I like it too.  If I can I'll probably get one.  I know it's kinda Tron looking but I'm cool with that.  Hopefully transformation of it won't be a pain.  

On 7/16/2021 at 12:32 PM, borgified said:

You haven't reserved a copy of the DX 1J + GBP yet @Special Sauce? You can get one during release week from Manda while Amiami and Jungle will possibly have their copies out for sale a few weeks later. 

Or you could try looking at the "For Sales" thread if others are willing to sell their back up orders. 

On a side note: I'm still keeping an eye out on those "Grails" that your looking for. 

I tried on pre-order night but came up empty.  I figured I'd just wait until it's close to the actual release and try to pick one up then.  There were pre-orders available from some sites but you had to pre-pay.  I wouldn't care about putting a small deposit but I didn't want to fully pay for it months before it's available.  

Thanks @borgified still looking as well. 

On 7/13/2021 at 11:31 PM, xoxokin said:

VF1 valkyrie outdoor shots again part 3

The last shot is my favorite.

16 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Nice work there.  Every time I see a VF-1J it makes me want one.  Someday.......

Really hoping this isn't a pain to get when it's up for pre-order.  Hopefully US retailers will be able to start selling Macross toys.

9 hours ago, Alex GS said:

This thing is beautiful, still got to mention is a bit on the light side, but overall is beautiful it feels solid , great quality, the plastic right away feels almost identical if not the same to the material found in the DX Bandai 1/60 & 1/48 Macross figures, I think that's a good thing right?  

 

Those Masterpiece Transformers are really nice.  I've had a few in the past.  The Optimus is awesome.  Every version they've made.

I guess I should clarify.  I'll buy from a US retailer, if it's possible, 100% of the time.  Doesn't have to be BBTS.  Just easier to deal with if there's a problem.

On 7/7/2021 at 1:10 PM, F360 said:

The Metal Build Gundam line would be a good example comparing what similar price it would be compare to buying from BBTS vs buying directly from Japan

First it will depends on if they can get it from local distribution.. (over the counter / general releases) .. if so it will have a similar msrp.

If it's a TWE/P-Bandai or a event item then BBTS will need to use their proxy or something to get it so it will have a high extra charge,, at that point you might as well just get it from Japan or if P-bandai USA.

 

BBTS does offer excellent customer service, so you are picky on your toys or normally happens to have toys that falls apart on you, or need that extra sharp corner on the box then BBTS will be a good option.     

 

There's no way I'd or order from Japan if it was available from BBTS as an American customer.  Even if the price was more I'd still order from BBTS.  At most all I'd have to pay is a small deposit or nothing at all to pre-order.  Then you have the good customer service and reliability of an established company.  

3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

It's lower on my list of favorite valks to be sure, but hailing from Macross Plus,  probably my favorite of the Macross series, and with its YF-23 inspiration, I definitely have a soft spot for it. Too, with the integration of Zentaedi Quaedluun Rau elements, it's unique amongst the library of valks for so prominently incorporating them, as the YF-21 complements its half-Zentraedi pilot.

The YF-21 relies , more than most, on a lot of animation magic to change the proportions of various elements to present a more ideal look depending on mode. It's one of the most challenging valks for toy/model makers due to this fact. That and the stupid belly plates are the things I most dislike about it.  So, I was pretty impressed with how well the battroid and fighter modes looked on that proto- far more balanced than the Yamato, which absolutely favored the fighter mode. To its credit, Yamato made a beautiful fighter, but at great expense to the battroid. I'm a battroid guy, so it didn't sit well with me, although I bought a copy b/c it was the best version of the YF-21 to exist at the time. Kinda still is, unfortunately. But the unstable and disproportionally skinny legs bugged me so much that I finally took it off display and put it back in its box years ago. So now there's a hole that needs to be filled, and since I display my valks in battroid, I want a nice looking 21 to round out the M+ crew.

I'll also mention that along with giving their B-mode well proportioned legs, Bandai also foreshortened the belly plates in B-mode so that they're more flattering and less in the way. Hope that stays if Bandai intends to release a 1/60 YF-21. Seems they've already done a fair bit of work, with a full on transforming proto, so it'd be a shame to throw away all that investment.

It definitely has a unique look overall.  I think I like fighter mode the best.  Seeing the proto photos from Bandai, I would agree that it's probably the best Battroid version I've seen yet.  It's starting to grow on me.  

3 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

'bout a year?

They turned off the upvotes and downvotes entirely, leaving only the "Like" button, and removed the display of the upvotes/downvotes on posts that had them.

You still get notified if someone likes your post, but you can only see it on your profile page.

Ok.  I could still see the amount of likes, as it pertains to the reputation in green text above the post count as recently as about a week ago.  Now I no longer see them.  I wasn't sure if something had changed but it sounds like it has from what you're saying.  

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

It's a bit deflating that the last post here, by me, was back in February, with Bandai a no-show with progress on this thing at Wonderfest.  Said lack of progress, or news of any kind does little to inspire hope.

Man, I really want a transforming YF-21 with a well-proportioned battroid. They could have just released the proto as shown, and it still would have looked miles better to me than the old Yamato.

I know there have been different iterations of that particular Valk design but is it that popular?  I kinda like it but not enough to purchase one.

14 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

They turned that one off deliberately a while back.

How long ago is a while?  Doesn't seem like it was that long ago that I could see it?

Don't know if it's just my network here at work but I can't see the reputation numbers on anyone's posts.