Dashgtr

Got my 1/48 VF-1J Weathering from HLJ 3 days ago. But realised that the way they package it is kind of stupid i must say. they only put 2 layer of plastic bubbles on top and nothing below therefore causing dents. Anyway when i See the plane, I notice that the panel line on the 1J is very strong and heavy. not as nice as the picture shown on the yamato website. same goes for the 1/60 scale version. The 2 1/48 VF-1S Roy & Hikaru weathering special is still the best so far.

Maybe thinking of getting this but was wondering, should I get that or wait for max and milia vf22?

Gamlin's scheme looks better to me but there is something about the aces I can't resist. Help me to decide!

Get all 3.....they look great together! But for me anything black is a must have......

Hi Tober,

Thank God someone remembers me. I haven't really posted for a long time, just started visiting again September of this year. I hope you're doing well amigo. Yeah, I miss that avatar. Jung built VF-1S Focker, Hikaru and Max custom valkyries for me with Takatoys extended nosecone with clear canopy and pilot, plus decals from Anasazi, removed swing bar, and resin strike armor. Those babies were sweet, but pricey at $400 each. I've been too lazy/busy to update my avatar.

You might be right about the VF100's line, but I'm still holding out hope. At this time no future releases have been announced besides the hi-metal you mentioned. There are (2) new 1/60 releases, but what about the 1/72 line?

Dashgtr,

I paid close to $200 for my VF-1S Max to include Super/Strike armor from an eBay seller. It was the lowest auction price I found, and the only one that included the armor as well. I personally like weathering, and I don't plan to buy any other 1/60 VF-1 valkyries. So I didn't mind spending more for something special.

It's funny, but HLJ has (2) identical VF-1S Focker valkyries with armor listed for sale. One is a re-stock and costs 12,800 yen, and the other is an early bird special which is 12,160 yen. Duh, which one are you gonna buy? That translates to about $130, so I paid more than $70 extra for the weathered version. How limited is the VF-1S Max, and will HLJ eventually carry it for a lower price as they are doing with the other weathered versions? Only time will tell if I paid too much or not.

Thanks,

Christopher

Hi Chris,

Thats a good buy man. Any more? I'm only short of the max for the weathering VFs. Wanted to complete the weathering series.

For ur questions regarding the VF1S Roy. There's the normal version and the 1st Anniversary version which comes with a laser pen that projects the UN Spacey logo.

Regards

Des

Hi Chris,

How much did you pay for your Max? and where did u get it from?

Hello,

I recently purchased the (2) 1/60 Yamato weathered valkyries (VF-1S Max & VF-1J Hikaru) on eBay. I found a pretty good price, and both come with the armor set, but it would be better if the armor was also weathered. Perhaps HLJ will carry them later, but either way the price should be about the same.

I agree with a lot of the comments from "do not disturb" and find most of them to be pretty damn funny. Although he does seem to intimately familiar with homosexual terminology and the side-effects of anal sex. Hopefully it's not from personal experience. Ha, ha (just joking my friend)

The following is off topic:

I have no idea where Yamato produces their valkyries, but the selling price seems to be way too high. We could start a thread on production costs/materials/labor, but I think there is a very large profit margin. The price seems to be directly correlated to how much we're willing to pay, since people keep lining up and paying whatever is asked. I'm not sure what we as consumers can possible due to complain and lower prices to a reasonable level.

Yes, it is possible to stop collecting. "Do not disturb" and I are proof of that. Before, I would buy every single Macross/Robotech item released. I had the complete 1/72 Hasegawa collection, even the rare event ones, and one autographed by Kawamori. I also had a lot of rare resin kits, plus a custom built Club-M 1/48 Ultimate Valkyrie with working lights and matching hanger diorama with figures/etc. My collection included at least (20) custom 1/55 Bandai valkyries with full armor made by Jung/Mslz22/etc that cost $250 to $400 each. Not to mention Gundam FIX figures/PG/MG/G-System, Transformers, Zoids, etc.

I went to work in Iraq as a contractor making good money. I lost contact with MW, eBay and HLJ so the collecting "bug" died due to a lack of fuel to feed the fire. When I got home I took everything out of storage and sold it on eBay over a period of time. I made a profit for the most part. I stopped buying collectibles for about (4) years or so. I did this by staying away from websites that would entice me to start collecting again. It's like a drug, you've got to restrict yourself from the temptation, or be strong like "do not disturb". He is able to look at all the pictures without feeling the compulsion to buy something even though he is financially able to do so.

I recently started collecting again, and will do so in a limited and focused manner. For example, the Bandai VF100's are reasonably priced and are supposed to cover the entire Macross valkyrie series. Just some advice from a long time member (8 years as of September 2009). Sorry for being verbose.

Sincerely,

Christopher

I mean the 1s hikaru weathering, 250 units limited initially, with fp can sell up to 60,000 yen!

Hope it can go down to the 17,000yen level.

No...I don't think so, as that's not made to sell as exclusive by Yamato but for The Macross Chro lucky draw so dun think that will happen. You sure it can fetch for 60,000 Yen?

I m tracking the 1J weathering ver for long time. To me, it is a quite good work and the price is quite acceptable (according to the official price of white 1J, only 30 bucks for weathering job, so cheap). A good chance for me to grab one.

Really hope the hikaru weathering ver will be release 2nd time, with similar price.

Which Hikaru Weathering Ver are u refering to?

i"m going to bring it back to the shop to see if i can exchange.

Definitely sounds like it's broken inside from that description. Have you tried opening it up to see if it's easily fixable? Of course, since that feature is ONLY needed for GBP armor, it might be easier to just glue it permanently in place.

Personally I think that's one of the dumber design features of the new VF-1----an ugly, easily-broken hinge in the middle of the fin, that is ONLY needed for an obscure armor that doesn't go with 90% of valks, that 90% of owners won't buy anyways.

Anyone have this problem? One of the fin is lossed and keep dropping down. Unable to keep it in place. Something inside seems broken. Just collected it yesterday and took out for a check and spotted it.

Are those Strike pack weathered?

Hello all,

My first post with introduction of my tiny 1/48 collection

VF-1S Roy, finally complete with FAST Pack...

Are those Strike pack weathered?

Ordered a 1/48 VF-1J weathering from angolz on the 11 Oct, waited and waited for a wk and the status is still processing! Got sick of waiting so I decided to email them back to check. They reply saying " O we are so sorry, we made a mistake with the scale it's 1/60 not 1/48, so do u still want the 1/60? or if u want the 1/48 we will have to check with the supplier." I'm here trying to finish my 1/48 collection and this poo happen WTF man WTF. My experience with them is getting from bad to worst.

And I just checked my order status online and it's empty! Wrote and email to them and no reply yet. Can't they at least let me know whats going on!!! Getting really piss!!!

I'll sum up my experiences with the 4 websites I use. Note: I don't compare shipping times as living in the middle of Canada it's pretty much 2 weeks no matter what.

Overdrive

- Decent customer service. I only find the customer service wanting on the Macross replacement parts. They take forever to get back to you if they ever do. I am still waiting for confirmation for a replacement cockpit on my VF-1D as it shipped with a broken landing gear bay door. Conversly the order for my VF-1S replacement arms worked without a hitch.....

- Usually the cheapest

- Good selection on new items.

- Don't always have items in stock after PreOder is done.

- They charge your credit card when you make the order not when they ship it.

- Never pay duty.

- Not the best website as it's a bit slow sometimes.

HobbyLink

- Good customer service

- Not always the cheapest but their shipping is usually cheaper so it pays to compare with shipping costs added on.

- Will ship SAL but most Macross items that I buy are usually over the SAL limit so I end up paying EMS anyways.

- Good selection and will have stuff in stock even when the preorder is over.

- Do not charge you till the item ships.

- Used to pay duty but didn't on my last couple of orders.

- Website needs work. I have to use search all the time to find Macross items.

HobbySearch

- Good customer service.

- Never the cheapest but they do have a points system that you can use to give yourself discounts latter. Like all point systems though your not really gaining anything in the end as they are usually more expensive than HobbyLink or Over-drive.

- They allow you to combine orders "after ordering" to save shipping. As long as it has not shipped yet you can usually combine it with another order.

- Great selection but they sometimes do not carry a stock of a product to much past the preoder stage.

- Have never paid duty.

- Great website. By far my favorite as they provide ALLOT of photos.

Angolz

- Never the cheapest

- Customer service is lacking. They can take a few days to respond to your emails.

- Good Website.

- Hit and miss whether you pay duty.

- shipping is not the fastest.

- They have the best sales sometimes. I got my YF-21 at $75 off which put it into the barely affordable range.

Ordered a 1/48 VF-1J weathering from angolz on the 11 Oct, waited and waited for a wk and the status is still processing! Got sick of waiting so I decided to email them back to check. They reply saying " O we are so sorry, we made a mistake with the scale it's 1/60 not 1/48, so do u still want the 1/60? or if u want the 1/48 we will have to check with the supplier." I'm here trying to finish my 1/48 collection and this poo happen WTF man WTF. My experience with them is getting from bad to worst.

Thanks for the tips man, but I still think that it's overpriced for an item of this quality.

If the parts are loose, I suggest using some glue or varnish to make it stiffer.

For ball-joints - a light application of superglue on the ball then moving the joint around so it won't freeze in one position. Eventually you'll feel it tighten.

For stick on parts like armor, some clear nail polish (or any kind of clear lacquer) on the connecting pegs will do the trick.

I'm really having doubts on the VF100s. Just got the VF-25 Armor yesterday ( Got the VF-25 sometime back this is my 2nd VF100 ) the QC still seems bad as the paint job is not done nicely, worst the parts are loose. So loose I can't keep the legs apart and everything seems to fall apart whenever I tried to pose it. Giving it up unless it's cheaper or better QC in future.

They really are going to release a 1/48 VF-1J weathering afterall.

I just got my copy in the mail today. In some ways it's even better than the Valkyries book that came out a few years ago.

I'd be disappointed that I can't read Japanese if the pictures weren't so gorgeous. It also seems to be an almost perfect reference for livery and warning signs.

Which Valkyries book u refering to that just came out?

I got my clear parts yesterday. Comes in a seal up white box just like those for the 1/48.

Hm.... wierd.... guy at taka's Kino was not willing to put an order for me..... said that there is no tock from the supplier so can't take an order... hm... if anyone succeeds, pls let me know, thanks.

Hi,

I went down to Taka Kino in the evening and manage to reserve a copy of the MacrossF Archive but have to collect from liang Court, I have also placed an order for the Variable Fighter Master File VF-1 Valkyrie but is just placing an order depending on whether if they still have stock in Japan.

i seem to recall $46, but i might be confusing that with the MacrossF Archive which i also got from kino liang court.

i also used to first check with taka, but on 2 other occasions i found liang court got their macross stuff first. it seems liang court might be the receiving branch so if it gets sold out there, it doesn't make it to the other branches.

edit: yay! finally got payment request from HLJ. can't wait for this, and the 1/100 armored alto too

Hey did u say u got ur MacrossF Archive for $46 at Kino In liang Court, and taka ia sold out? do they also have the Variable Fighter Master File VF-1 Valkyrie? I intented to go to the one at Taka yesterday but was caught up with work.

Some close up new pics...enjoy

Will it be a wonderfest special version just like the first time they launch the Roy Weathering special?

Yamato coming out a book about VF-1. Looks interesting can check out more at their website.

A friend of mine recently came back from Japan. Brought a bunch of Valks at stupid low prices from a store in Tokyo. But only discovered at the hotel they were second hand, and had peices missing. Just make sure to know what you're buying.

They normally would put a sticker indicating if it's open or MISB, and when it's cheap u should ask the guy to open and check before purchase. Those are normally the shops that buy in from others to sell. I actually got a couple of good deals there.

Yodobashi Camera should be the easiest to locate and they also have a hugh choice of kits there prices are pretty ok for a big shop. Ahkihabara is the best place to go to if u are looking for toys.

The 1/48 line is done. Unless yamato has plans for 2-seater 1/48s (which wont happen unless Graham's contact tells him otherwise) It makes more economical sense that Yamato move over to the 1/60 line and continue. 1/60 v2 line is getting to be popular as it is anime accurate.

For the record, I am happy with both lines but I am more partial to the 1/48s. As I stated before I like the realism in the 1/48. Anime accurate 1/60 v2 seems to be cartoony but hence why it is anime accurate. I pick up the 1/60s for the 2-seaters.

I agreed with u man. Still love my 1/48s