Lolicon

On 8/10/2023 at 4:42 PM, Raptor One said:

Why is the option that we either get a toy that perfectly represents the lineart in all three modes, or we accept anything they give us? Is there no room for hope for a reasonable balance? 

The problem isn't that it doesn't look perfect in both modes, the problem is that Bandai has made seemingly unnecessary changes to the lineart that make every mode look worse. Now maybe they made those changes for reasons of sturdiness or longevity, but we can't really know that until the toy is out.

Either way, it's not very productive to discussion to berate people for complaining and not being grateful enough. If you're happy with the design then just say that. No need to imply others are bad people for discussing their perceived issues with a product they would otherwise be interested in/excited for.

Yep.

I'm showing my gratefulness to Bandai's efforts in the only way that actually matters to Bandai: by forking over a bunch of my money for one.

Bandai saw so how much people enjoyed sanding down the tabs on their 31AXs that they went ahead and incorporated this "feature" into the HMR 0D. 

1 hour ago, 505thAirborne said:

Well, on the bright side these appear to have white landing gear so that's an improvement. I look forward to seeing your 0D's all detailed up! 

I sold my Arcadia 0D a few years ago, so this HMR will partially make up for that, especially if I get two more. 😎

I might do a panel wash, but that'll be it. Don't have a lot of time for hobbies as of late, and I'd rather use that time on 1/60 scale toys.

Also, for some reason Bandai valks just feel like way more hassle to make look good, particularly HMR. 

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm betting the color difference is either between painted and bare plastic, or possibly different plastic types.  Looks pretty good overall though, and I think those sorts of things pop out more in photos than you generally see in person.

I'm guessing HLJ is out on vacation as well though, because my order with them has been "processing" for three days. now.  

They're gone for the Obon holiday. Was waiting for one more item this month before shipping my PW anyway.

2 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

Cool, mine just showed up too! 😎

Did you get or two of these?

I got two.

After the disappointing 0S, I've lowered my expectations accordingly, so hoping this one won't be a letdown.

2 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

Anyone get a payment request from AmiAmi yet?

About 15 minutes ago.

3 hours ago, Paco Grande said:

Thank you for posting that, it made me smile. I'm a rookie on this forum and I'm pretty shocked at how picky everyone is here. I'm also shocked how much money people in here are ready to drop. I'm used to Transformers fans and there is a huge amount of complaining there as well, but TF fans are so cheap and constantly complain about having to pay "so much" when the prices on TF products are typically low compared to other franchises. I'm a mechanical designer so I think I appreciate more just how much effort is required to produce something like this and also how difficult it can be when there are many constraints put on a project. Budget, etc. I'm sure Bandai only gave their team one kick at the can and there is no more budget to fix anything. The designers would happily work on it for years to perfect it, but that's not how it works in large companies. this design was most likely finished back in 2019 and it's just waiting for Bandai to pick a release date. Looks like they decided to wait for the anniversary next year.

At least you don't have endless posts in here about how they will "wait for the KO". Transformers fans are always waiting for the KO and it makes me sick. Takara Tomy posted a video about their new Missing Link Optimus Prime the other day and people are posting "I'll wait for the KO" in the comments of the video. Just disgusting behaviour imo. The designers work really hard on these figures and they deserve more respect. 

Steering back on topic, I'm not nearly as picky as others on here so I'm just happy this thing exists and I'll finally have a buddy for my YF-19 on the shelf! No, it's not perfect, but it's close enough for me and I can't wait to get it.

The end customer does not care one whit about how much "hard work & effort" went into a product nor do they have any obligation to do so. If a product sucks or does not meet expectations, then it's a product that sucks or does not meet expectations.

2 hours ago, Froy said:

Mine popped in my warehouse this morning.

But I also have a preirdered t-shirt that released last weekend, not charged yet, but already shows as discontinued.

Seems it is taking them some time to process orders. 

Going by emails from HLJ it appears they have all taken off for the Obon holiday already.

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Yeah, glad I grabbed two of these.  I can use the spare white landing gear on my VF-0S. 

I'll be really amused (read: screaming in frustration) if we start seeing them paint the landing gear on other valks after this.

It would save me a lot of hassle if they did...

Didn't care much for the musical episode as I'm really not into musicals.

The season finale more than made up for it though!

Making people buy the same toy again just to get the mechanical details that should have been included in the first place?

No thanks, Bandai.

Great for the people who missed out the first time around though.

On 8/6/2023 at 11:08 PM, MKT said:

Excited for this release as well. Even if already have the Arcadia versions, I'm usually reluctant to handle them much so this HMR will be a alternative to play & whoosh it around. 

Pretty good summary of the HMR line.

HMR is the old beater car you drive to work everyday and don't care if it gets messed up in a hail storm. 

I'll buy it but it won't be replacing my Yamato.

I'm just hoping it actually fits properly and parts aren't warped, something Bandai has failed at since the first 31AX release.

On 7/5/2023 at 5:36 PM, Anasazi37 said:

So far these releases have a much higher production quality standard than I expected. They're nicer than the HMR VF-0S, which I found disappointing. I hope the standard stays high. Lots more valks to make!

I'm with you on that. The price is just right for what we're getting, i.e. not paying Metal Robot Spirits prices for regular Robot Spirits quality.

Another aspect that isn't mentioned too often is the cockpit. While the cockpit is more spacious and the pilot no longer is squished up against the instrument panel, Bandai didn't think to add an actual seat, so the pilot sits on the floor and can't see over the instrument panel.

This isn't a QC issue. It's a poor design issue. It looks really dumb and makes the pilot look like a little kid at an air show.

Was considering getting that Threezero 1J but then I saw that they Bandai'd the landing gear, so nuts to that.

That's right up there with putting the on/off switch for the arc reactor light on their Iron Man figures underneath a panel that you need to unscrew to open... after pulling the torso off completely from the lower half.

On 7/9/2023 at 6:55 AM, MKT said:

Warmed up a bit more to the 30th Anniversary VF-1J. Colorful for sure, but the lines do flow through nicely from one part to another.

Wow you make almost wish I had bought the anniversary edition! 

That price would be acceptable if it was the full set pack and not this corner-cutting reissue.

This might be an unpopular opinion, but Bandai could just, you know, make it easier to buy their crap, instead of making their customers scramble over each other like a bunch of circus seals fighting over a bucket of fish.

3 hours ago, autoNamed said:

Whatever the cause, these figures cost well over $200 MSRP. It really is incredibly shitty and kind of unconscionable that Bandai see it fit to sell (and knowingly re-release!) an expensive premium product that they’re fully aware is defective, like they just expect collectors to fork over the cash regardless. Really makes me question them as a business tbh.

^ This. Regardless of the reasons behind it, Bandai is currently crapping out inferior quality products at a higher price than they were just a couple of years ago. Even long-proven toys from way before the pandemic have taken a step down in quality. Sure, the Revival 25 has that nice matte finish now, but it still has the same problems as before (the "improved" joints are a joke) and introduces a few new problems, like the incorrectly painted stripes. Good thing it comes with super parts to cover that up with. 

I mentioned I wasn't a huge fan of the HMR VF-0S in another thread. Aside from being overpriced for what Bandai is giving you, another major reason is, well, I'll let Rocket handle it:

Another Bandai PO I can skip. 

On 6/29/2023 at 9:53 AM, MKT said:

 

I'm not a fan of the HMR VF-0S but it actually looks good here. 

I wish I had stocked up on more Yeti adapters. They're so much better than the default adapters from Yamato/Arcadia. Especially the VF-1 adapters. 

17 hours ago, MKT said:

The new effect parts look like 2 halves of a boiled egg. 

If we add the typical price Bandai charges for an accessory pack, then the whole combo now becomes same price as what Arcadia charges for their YF-19.

 

US domestic price will be probably be about $259.99. For a reissue of a toy from c.2014 (because it's little more than a repainted VF-19 Advance). And without all the accessories it originally came with. Awesome! 

Add in the cost of a potential accessory set sold separately plus US tax and it's pretty much what I paid for my Arcadia PF YF-19. So much for Bandai toys being less expensive than Arcadia.

6 hours ago, MKT said:

 

Great work detailing up everything & pic set @Lolicon  I like how the green lenses are portrayed with details going inside it.

Thanks! I just got it to what I wish we had gotten out of the box to begin with, given how expensive these toys are. Bandai seems to be giving us less and less for more money i.e. YF-19 reissue.

Everything kinda attaches and lines up worse once the supers are added into the mix. 🦃

One star rating at Amazon. Oh my!

VF-25F Super Messiah

Super parts look great but really make the 25 a lot more fiddly. It's a far cry from the rock solid super parts on Yamato's VF-1.