Sephiroth

Well, the valks finally came in , but they were a lot less than I had hoped for. All three were pretty dingy/dusty and somewhat scratched here and there. The pics had too much flash and it washed out these detail evidently. The worst of the lot was the Strike VF-1S. The wing strips were pretty scratched up and there was some minor yellowing on the back plate. The Super Ostrich was the most decent of the three were it had very minor scratches and was pretty much white, just dusty. The Elint seems a bit off color, but not too notible. The yellow nose cone had some scratches on the tip and sides, but not too bad. Unfortunately, they only came with accessories shown. The seller did include the removable orange and black heatshields in a seperate ziplock bag. Here's what they came with: Strike VF-1S: Gunpod (no gun clip, or missiles) black screw-on heatshield left booster w/engine cover (no missile pack) right booster (no strike cannon) booster pack left/right arm armour (one prong broken on left arm armour) left/right leg armour and corresponding sides with clips (no Minmay figure, clear heatshield or wing missiles) Elintseeker VE-1: gunpod (no gun clip or missiles) black removable heatshield left/right boosters booster pack left/right leg armour and corresponding sides with clips (no radome, arm sensors, or antennaes) Super Ostrich VT-1: gunpod (no gun clip or missiles) orange removable heatshield left/right leg armour and corresponding sides with clips (one clip stressed and one back leg armor peg broken) (no boosters or booster pack) I'll take some pics once I have them cleaned up a bit. I'm not sure if I will keep them and try to aquire the missing parts or just sell them to help recoup what I paid for them. I would definitely trade parts from the Elintseeker or Strike for Super Ostrich parts. Overall, it's been a crappy week for me and eBay.

Yeah, I saw that Takatoku 1/55 Hikaru VF-1J auction when it was first listed and thought it was a very nice price. I would have bought it, but I already picked up a completely unused one for a little less: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=5940141797 The seller actually shipped it for free and included a few bonuses; a MIB Bandai 1/100 DYRL VF-1A and a Robotech Invid Shock Trooper...al for $76.00! I had never delt with a seller on eBay who was so kind. Anyway, I've noticed a dramatic decline for the original Takatoku and Bandai 1/55 valkyries. The days where these toys could command prices of $500 and up are long gone and I doubt they will return any time soon. The Bandai 1/55 reissues, the Yamato 1/60's & 1/48's, and the Toynami 1/55's have really saturated the market. Jetfire seem to be selling pretty well though.

I refused payment because the seller violated eBay policies concerning photo theft as well as receiving an abusive e-mail from him. I was highly pissed because he admitted to using another seller's pictures, but never stated so in the auction. If I hadn't asked him to send some extra pics first, I would have spent the money and got stuck with whatever he sent me. Who knows, it may have been an even better Matsushiro Jetfire than pictured, but I personally refuse to to do business with someone who is not truthful from the very beginning and can not guarantee the quality of thier item. It just sucks, because I was really looking forward to that Jetfire. Oh well. I guess we all learned a vauable lesson here...trust no one living in a town named after a "homosexual deity."

Damn, don't you hate it when something just looks too good to be true. I was just informed by seller that he used pictures from a closed auction since he doesn't have access to a digital camera, but he assures me that the Jetfire he is offering looks just as good. I asked him if it was a Matsuhiro Jetfire just as pictured, but I haven't received a response yet. He did allow me the option to back out of the transaction due to the item being potentially misrepresented. It really frustrates and and annoys me when sellers fail to clearly state that their pictures are merely for reference and not the actual item being offered.

Update, the Valkyries haven't arrived yet, but they have been shipped and should be here in the next couple days...as long as UK customs don't hold 'em up. The wait is killing me... Anyway, I finally added the elusive Matsushiro Jetfire to my collection. It was bit more than I wanted to pay, but I think it was fair. What do you guys think? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWN:IT Jetfire has always been my favorite Transformer because of its roots in Macross and the fact that it's a killer toy. I remember the good 'ol days when 1/55's were king and people were customizing Jetfires left and right. I had a couple of decent Jetfires over the past few years, but none I would consider even being close to near-mint. I have been wanting a "white" MIB Jetfire for a good long time now and to finally get one, a Matsushiro no less, is very satisfying. There's just something about having my two of my favorite toy lines (Macross & Transformers) being joined in one.

I'm looking to buy a reissue Bandai 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie. I would like it MISB, but I would be interested in one that has been opened, but kept mint/unused for the most part. I'm not sure on the price, but make me an offer and we'll see. I always pay promptly via Paypal and I'm on the SS list. I bought one when they first came out, but I accidently damaged it. I later customized the VF-1S and sold it on eBay a year ago, but I kept the armor/heatshield for my reissue VF-1A. Now I'm wanting another to replace it. Please e-mail me at cffincher@hotmail.com or pm me. Thanks!

While they both use the same mold (for the most part), there are several differences between the original Takatoku 1/55 Valkyries and the reissue Bandai 1/55 Valkyries. The most obvious difference is apperance; most of the details (stickers for the original) are now tampo printed on. The quality of the tampo printed details is amazing in that you can actually read the little warning messages and stuff and they are much more durable to handling. There are also some slight paint variations between the two. For example, the reissue has both sides of the tail wing painted while the original only has the outer side. All the reissues' wings use the 1990 Bandai mold were the painted line area are actually depressed slightly so that the paint doesn't get scratched when you move them. Save for the Hikaru VF-1J, the reissues all have removable canopies and come with interchangeable heat shields. Also, the reissue canapies are much lighter in color than the originals. The molded parts seem to have a much better fit than the originals as well and locks more securely in battroid mode. The nose cones on the reissues have been glued together for some reason. Bandai included a small spring in the tail pack assembly to help keep it folded up/down better. The DYRL VF-1A use really bright white plastic compared to the original and the Super VF-1S uses an almost cream white color plastic. Certain parts are colored differently, i.e., the elbow joints on the reissues (Max/Millia VF-1J and CF VF-1A) are grey where the originals have them molded in color. The wings of the CF VF-1A are painted to match the color, while the original had the wings molded in color.

I'm very impressed with your custom 1/48 CF VF-1A. The CF VF-1A is my all time favorite valkyrie, even above the Low-Vis paint scheme. Since my custom skills are very lacking, I really wish Yamato would get off it's ass and make the standard type VF-1A already. It's the one 1/48 valkyrie that I've been wishing for ever since I saw the first Yamato 1/48 prototype pics so long ago.

I would so watch that movie!

What does the text say? Somebody? http://s02.imagehost.org/0136/asuka.jpg

Sephiroth = 574,000 vs. Cloud = 18,000,000

Rei = 6,150,000 Asuka = 834,000 Shinji = 831,000 Rei is the winner

There's nothing wrong if your monster is green, right?

I finally found HLJ's ad for the Rei Vol 9 figure: http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljpage.cgi?KDK00760 Had I known when this figure came out, I would have bought a few...especially with an original price of 1,700 Yen each.

I just bought a Rei figure off eBay and still don't know which version I got! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWN:IT If someone knows the differences in the Japanese and the bootleg versions ... i'd love some help!

Hey eugimon. thanks for the heads up. I passed up Swindle cause I dotn care about a hohd repaint right now. But I ran over and snapped up the S2000!!!! Post some pics of the S2000!

If by "honda alternator", you mean Windcharger, the red Honda S2000...then you should have picked it up, too. It came out a little earlier than expected; only a handful of stores in the country have picked up Windcharger so far. See attached link: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/thread64591.html I'd really like to get one. If you or anyone else here can pick me one up for me, I'll paypal cost, shipping and a little extra for the effort.

No problem, I'll take some pics when they come in. At first, I didn't think they came with any accessories, but I saw from the pictures that the seller put the Strike Valkyrie's armor on the Elintseeker and vice versa. It also appears that she put the boosters on backwards just like you said. The VT-1 has the the leg armour at the minimum. Also, after reading the the seller's description: "JETFIRE Transformer. is in good condition. It’s clean and white. Spring-loaded landing gear works. I do not usually sell toys and don't know how to completely transform this jet. The parts that I have opened have joints that are very tight, crisp and they "click." It is marked Bandai Japan 1984 impressed marked "BANDAI 1984 MADE IN JAPAN" on the bottom." Especially the part where she says, "the parts that I have opened" led me to believe there is a chance they do include the boxes and more accessories that weren't pictured. I asked her if they included the boxes, but she hasn't responded yet. I guess I won't find out until they arrive. I won't be upset if they come only as pictured though.

I picked up these really cool Transformer "Jetfires" off eBay on Christmas Day: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWA:IT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWA:IT http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...me=STRK:MEWA:IT Of course I know they really aren't Transformers "Jetfires," but I have to thank the seller for not knowing the difference and listing them under the Robotech category. I've been wanting these toys (VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, VT-1 Super Ostrich, and VE-1 Elintseeker) ever since I saw them displayed on Nam Ngo's Valkyrie Factory website so long ago. I remember when each of these toys would have cost between $500 and $1000 to obtain, so I feel like I got a decent deal for what is pictured. I'm still shocked that they are still very white and don't appear to have been oplayed with much at all. If they come with all their accessories and boxes...that'd be the icing on the cake for me. Even so, I will be happy just to have these valkyries in my collection. As I was watching the time drawing short on each auction, I noticed that the seller you guys all love to hate was bidding on them: arafat209 If anything, I'm at least happy to know that these valks didn't end up in his hands just so he could turn a profit on them. So what do you guys think? Did I get a good deal?

Nam Ngo at Valkyrie Factory has a guide on how to construct your VF-11B tail wings. You can find them under Macross Plus, VF-11B, near the bottom of the page.

Ken at www.toy-wave.com has a very limited stock available for $80 each. I have had many flawless transactions with him in the past.

I've been searching for these items to add to my collection for ages. If you have one for sale/trade or know where I can get one, please let me know. Bandai SBC SS Trunks (Movie 7 3-pack) MIB or loose Yutaka SS Trunks Yutaka Biohazard Leon Kennedy Matchbox Voltron III (Lion Force) MIB Bandai 1/55 Elintseeker MIB Bandai 1/55 VF-1S Strike Valkyrie MIB Takatoku 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie MIB Matsushiro Jetfire MIB Bandai 1/55 Milia VF-1J MIB Kenner Real Ghostbusters (Peter, Egon, Ray, Winston--original uniforms) MOC Bandai 1/72 HCM VF-1A CF MIB

The CF looks even better when outfitted with FPs, IMHO. Make that all 1/55s, especially Hikaru's 1A. It's my fav 1/55 that is being displayed at the moment. Although I'm getting a hankerin' to display some M&M with FPs. The CF looks even better when outfitted with FPs, IMHO. Make that all 1/55s, especially Hikaru's 1A. It's my fav 1/55 that is being displayed at the moment. Although I'm getting a hankerin' to display some M&M with FPs. I know what ya mean... I love the original Takatoku CF mounted with strike armor!

I offer my sincerest condolences. You and your daughter are in my prayers.

I love Shonen Jump's One Piece! I've been reading the manga every month since issue 1. I haven't seen the anime yet, but it's gotta be just as good or better just based on what I have read thus far.