Lolicon

15 hours ago, ValkAddict said:

Wow, really? Is this the "norm" on MW? #highrollers lol. I'm trying to get one of each valk that I like/want, but I do have 2x of a few valks - thanks to some recent reissues.

These days it's one, maybe two. Before it was not unusual for me to get 3 or more.  I mean I have at least 3 of Delta squadron, and I didn't even like the show. 

On 8/22/2023 at 11:43 AM, davidwhangchoi said:

doesn't look hi metal to me. leaving bad review

"Hi Metal" is just a brand name, just like Subway's "foot long" subs. Only a fool would expect a sandwich called a "foot long" to be 12 inches. 

I hope they got rid of the stupid swappable wings, but that's a fool's hope with Bandai.

15 hours ago, DewPoint said:

I haven't bought a lot to begin with.  But I get you.  I'm feeling like I'm spending a lot of time chasing the item and not spending any time enjoying the item.  I got my DX VF-25 Revival Alto weeks ago and I haven't even taken it out of the box to check it out yet.  Kinda makes me think "what am I doing?" 

I'm trying to focus more on the Hi-Metal R line now as it offers more of a variety with the Destroids and Enemy mecha.  It also helps that it is a lot easier to store.  I personally find them better to play with than the larger more detailed offerings.

8 hours ago, MKT said:

I see quite a bit of myself here and am at the stage of trying to free myself a little. Too much obsession with collecting, FOMO, and the dopamine high when purchasing & receiving packages but not enough time spent on enjoying. There's was also the fear of being away from the collection for long periods of time; an invisible chain tying me down. So I started to sell my collection extras, very anxiously at first to see how I would personally handle it, and the good news is that I don't miss them at all!

The next stage would probably be selling the only copies of items I have, which will entail a hard look at what I really want to keep. That would require quite some mental fortitude. 

Yeah I buy a lot less than I did way back when. It's not an income issue as I make a lot more now than I did 10 years ago. I think you just reach a point where you're like "why the heck do I have 3-4-5-6 copies of such and such valk?!"

Over the years I've found that I get the most fun out of fixing these toys up the best I can; basically what I wish they were "out of the box" considering how expensive some of these toys are. I think the PF editions of the 0D, YF-19, and VF-4A are the only valks I've bought that I've been 100% satisfied with without adding any additional work of my own.

0D already broke. Lame!

We finally got a Bandai valk with proper white landing gear! 

Got my copy last night but only had time to fiddle with it a little.

After being disappointed by the 0S, I lowered my expectations accordingly, and I must say the 0D is a nice step up from the 0S. Just out of the box, in battroid mode, I'll go as far as to say this is the best looking valk to date in the HMR line.

Haven't transformed it yet, so I can't speak to its transformation and fit quality or fighter mode.

I've always been lukewarm to the quality of HMR valks, but if this is the kind of quality Bandai can put out in this line, then I'm much more excited for future valk releases.

The Arcadia PF version is still the best 0D, but this is a good (and much more affordable) alternative.

I think I'm going to have to scrounge up some decals to pretty her up some...

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.