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Cyclone Trooper

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Everything posted by Cyclone Trooper

  1. Sent mine too. Just in case I ever need them...
  2. Among all the bad news, I have a somewhat strange bit of good news! I've checked and rechecked it to make sure I'm not imagining things...even disassembled my Mass Production 1J to compare shoulders. I got my VF-1J GBP set today from HLJ and once I took it out of the box, I immediately sat down at my workbench to do the suggested preemptive "surgery" on the VF-1J's shoulders. I started by removing the Valk's "back" assembly and then loosening the screws on the shoulder mounts. While doing this, I examined the offending rods on the shoulders and guess what I found... Perfectly intact shoulder hinges with no stress fractures! I looked closer at the retaining rods to see if they have the dreaded knurling that has been responsible for so many broken arms on first-run V2 Valkyries. This VF-1J DOESN'T seem to have knurled rods. I've sat here for 30 minutes now constantly bending the shoulders and transforming the Valkyrie back and forth, just to bench test whether or not I may start to see any stressing on the plastic...and I'm (thus far) happy to report that there has been none whatsoever. And just to clarify, I haven't been treating the Valkyrie like it's made of egg shells. I've been transforming it just like I transform my Elintseeker and Mass Production 1J. Did I luck up and get a diamond in the rough with this GBP set or did Yamato make running production changes? I have pics below to verify the intact shoulders...
  3. Funny how quickly things get answered when a billing processor gets involved. Paypal apparently lit a fire under someone's ass at Overdrive today because this is the email I received from Overdrive this evening: Order Information - Order # Qty. Products Total 1 ea. Macross - 1/60 VF-1J Hilkaru Ver with Armored Parts Set $162.99 $162.99Sub-Total: $47.00 Japanese Postal Service (1 x 2.5kg) (EMS): $209.99 Total: Status History & Comments Date Order Status Comments 01/27/2010 Paid PayPal status: Completed @ 11:47:55 Jan 27, 2010 PST Trans ID: Amount: 209.99 USD 02/27/2010 Pending PayPal status: Reversed @ 08:36:11 Feb 26, 2010 PST Parent Trans ID: Trans ID: Amount: -202.55 USD Delivery Address: (Name and Address withheld) Maryland United States Shipping Method Japanese Postal Service (1 x 2.5kg) (EMS) Billing Address (Address withheld) Maryland United States Payment Method PayPal I didn't get the entire amount refunded, but at this point, I'm just glad Paypal reversed the amount to me. But I find it a bit disappointing that all previous emails from me went completely ignored, as well as my order never being shipped, but Paypal was able to get ahold of someone at Overdrive with no problem whatsoever. On the other hand, I'm amazed at how fast Paypal resolved the issue. I've been burned by Overdrive to the point where I'll never do business with them again. I could have let it go and chalked this up to a simple customer service snafu, had the item been something fairly cheap. But this was an item over $200 (including shipping). To totally allow an order for that amount to fall through the cracks and then not respond to emails pertaining to it is ridiculous.
  4. I just filed a Paypal dispute against Overdrive for the amount I paid for the Hikaru GBP armor. My wife (reluctantly) ordered another GBP set from HLJ yesterday and we already received a shipping notice within 8 hours of the payment being processed...complete with EMS tracking number. I don't know what's happened at Overdrive, but it's obvious that someone's asleep at the switch. If Paypal can't get Overdrive to respond to the dispute, I then have the option of escalating it to a claim, at which point Paypal will determine whether or not I'm worthy of getting a refund on a $209 item that was never delivered. Considering the luck I'm currently having with this particular online store, Paypal will probably rule in favor of Overdrive because it's an international transaction, thus not subject to the usual dispute resolution process and I'll have lost my money altogether. The consolation here is that HLJ DID come through where Overdrive has completely dropped the ball...
  5. Still no change in my order status from Overdrive. Rechecking my order, the date that it was ordered was January 27th (it was supposed to be a Feb. 7th b-day present from the wife), so more time has passed than I thought. I thought that only about two weeks had passed (hence why I also edited the timing of my original post as well). The money transfer went through with no problem, according to my Paypal account...so the money went SOMEWHERE at Overdrive's offices. But apparently it died somewhere along the way. I've emailed Overdrive about my order and about replacement arms as well. Neither of the emails have been returned yet. Not sure where to go from here. If I can't get ahold of anyone at Overdrive to put a trace on my order, I may just have to eat the $200 I sent to them and chalk this up to "Buyer Beware."
  6. Ordered a 1/60 Hikaru Valkyrie with GBP armor almost a month ago from Overdrive and thus far, I haven't even had the order processed yet. I paid via Paypal and the payment went through, but none of that information reflects on my Overdrive account. In a previous thread, I showered Overdrive with accolades for processing a Destroid order in what seemed like record time...but like a lot of other people have noted, it almost seems like its under new management or has changed its business model completely. Maybe it doesn't give equal priority to international orders as it does to local ones anymore. What is the NEW average wait times for Overdrive to get orders shipped? Anyone know?
  7. Haven't replied to anything in a while, so this is as good a place as any... I used some of my tax return money and bought the GBP/VF-1J combo from Overdrive today. I honestly don't have an issue not using the gimpy-shouldered Hikaru 1J with the armor. I plan on using it on the Mass Production 1J instead. It may surprise some people that the parts of the armor that I'm most interested in has nothing to do with missiles, opening panels or replacable hands. It's the side covers and the neck cover that I'm looking forward to the most. Those parts just make the VF-1 look "beefier" (not to mention more anime-accurate) in Battroid mode. But I also have never owned a GBP armor system, so I'm sure I'll appreciate it more than I already do once I have it in hand...
  8. I dunno... I'm not familiar with the Tornado design (I'm assuming it's from the movie), but it looks like its designed more for a Gundam than a Valkyrie...with the big sweeping external central fuel tank and the rotating dual cannon. But it'll most likely sell no matter what.
  9. The area around the Battroid's neck looks like it has a dark gray plug-in armor piece. Was that also something that was featured on the V1 GPS armor?
  10. Then you need to get your hands on a Version 2 Yamato Valkyrie. It's about as "perfect transformation" for a VF-1 that you can get in 1/60 scale. The only parts-forming it has is the removable nosecone/cockpit...but that's 100% lineart accurate. It acts as an escape pod of sorts, so it's supposed to be removable. And if THAT isn't perfect enough for ya...then go for one of the 1/48 scale Valkyries...
  11. But we all know Yamato's marketing strategy will be to release each one as a separate Valkyrie. We'll see a 1J, a 1A, a DYRL 1A, a VT and a VE, all in pristine snow white...plus FAST Pack varients of all of them. But the coveted "pack of heads" thing would mean that they couldn't reuse the molds as much.
  12. I think--at first, at any rate--a lot of people suspected that the Destroids were going to be a lot like the Q-Rau...a cheap block of plastic with relatively little difference from a model kit version. But the sheer level of engineering that went into these things is unreal. The legs and feet are fully designed for all-terrain, not to mention the hips that can lock and unlock, depending on how you're posing it.
  13. So in essence, is this basically Macross F given the DYRL treatment?
  14. You just summed up in two sentences what I spent two entire paragraphs trying to say!
  15. But the reason given is what it is. And no amount of boycotting Yamato is going to change the fact that they put an assload of effort into this project only to end up having it SORT OF turn into vaporware. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, and probably won't be the last (the 1/60 Monster most likely suffered the same kind of materials issues), so if an SDF-1 under 5-feet tall isn't your cup of saki, then you aren't required to purchase one. There are many of us who are glad to hear that Yamato hasn't just thrown in the towel and abandoned furthering the SDF-1 project altogether. If it's made into a 1/3000 scale similar to the old Tat/Matchbox version(s), I certainly wouldn't mind, nor would the vast majority of MWers. If the SDF-1 is just too damned big, bulky and heavy to realistically mass-produce at the 1/2000 scale, then so be it. Yamato at least tried. But a number of factors were against the designers from the get-go...and this can simply be tossed up to being a learning experience for the company: Don't try to bite off more than you can chew in the current economy. And like any company would do, it's attempting to recoup what it invested into this project by offering this SDF-1 up as a super-exclusive "built-to-order" item to hardcore collectors instead of just scrapping it and eating its losses. Graham has hinted that a more affordable SDF-1 is somewhere in Yamato's pipeline for us. I completely understand that R&D costs, tooling up costs, materials, public and retailer interest and other factors ultimately determine the overall price of an item, but even some of the more well-to-do MW members who normally have no problem spending $500 to $600 at a time for Macross items were finding the $2300 price point a tad hard to swallow. To put it into perspective, that's the equivalent to about 6 months' worth of car payment for some people...all for a 2 1/2 ft plastic model kit. I never bought into the whole "Yamato is an evil corporate entity who's only goal is pure unadulterated greed" theme that sprung up after the shock of the price wore off. But at the same time, I also couldn't responsibly justify myself spending that kind of cash on something that--iconic as it is--wasn't at all practical, even to an avid collector. So what if affordable = smaller? Graham outright said that Yamato doesn't have the facilities nor the equipment available to it to produce some people's idea of an "Ultimate SDF-1" using the same resins that automakers use. That's just a fact that we're all going to have to accept and get used to. Smaller means that Yamato will be able to provide us with the same level of detail and gimmicks we've gotten spoiled on with its V2 Valkyries and Destroids while using the materials it readily has available instead of having to experiment with resins and plastics that its factories aren't set up to use. Just my 2-cents...
  16. Then I wasn't too incredibly off in my mediocre translation abilities? Cool! But I suppose my main interest in this thread isn't necessarily whether or not the thing transforms, but whether or not the MW community would be interested in adding the Rabbit to their collections or not. In hindsight, I probably should have started a poll.
  17. In light of the glut of DYRL mecha Yamato has cranked out over the years, and the fact that it's produced lesser items such as the Ghosts, a Rabbit isn't necessarily a far-fetched idea. There is also line art featured on page 85 in the DYRL This Is Animation book that shows a Rabbit next to a Super Ostrich and both of them are in GERWALK mode. The feet of the Rabbit extend downward with a definite knee joint and it's outfitted with the same FAST Pack system as the Super-O. I have no idea if this was supposed to be canon or if this was just a joke sketch that was included in the book, but the prospect of Yamato producing a transformable SDF shuttle with a tiny Misa pilot could be a possible hit. If nothing else, it'd fill a niche in much the same way that the Destroids have. Anyone else interested in something like this?
  18. I just discovered a feature that isn't really covered in the instruction manual! A few people have exclaimed that they don't like how low the main sensor radome sits on the Elintseeker. While transforming it into Battroid mode today, I stumbled upon the radome's telescoping feature. This may be something that other Elint owners have already discovered (or it may very well be mentioned in Japanese in the owner's manual, and I simply didn't translate it), but small details like this just make the newer V2 Valkyries that much cooler. Yamato went to great pains to get all these small details just perfect. The telescoping feature allows the radome to sit properly while in Battroid mode without it sitting directly on top of the FAST Pack boosters.
  19. For $2300 plus over $100 shipping, Mari Iijima herself better show up at my doorstep and hand-deliver the damned thing dressed in her pink and white DYRL costume, and perform live!
  20. A not-so-defenseless Elintseeker... I like how the lower sensor array folds up sideways on the undercarriage, but it has a nearly nonexistent clearance sort of like the GU-11 has on a standard fighter with FAST Packs.
  21. Got my VE-1 today. This is possibly the most beautiful Valkyrie I've yet seen from Yamato. I have the old V1 Elintseeker from back in 2004...and this V2 is a complete departure from Yamato's first attempt. The tampo-stamping on the new Elintseeker is impressive, just about as prolific as the VF-1J Mass Production's tampoed details. The forearms of the Elintseeker are slightly different from the standard fighter model, which is a nice touch. The decals that are included allow you to customize your Elintseeker to a degree. You don't necessarily need the "eyeball" decal on the FAST Packs. You also have the option of using the standard red/white fighting kite Macross symbol or a low-viz gray version of it instead. Like some other people have already mentioned, the copilot is a tight fit, and requires a little bit of coaxing to get him into the cockpit, but the pilot fits just fine. Most of the photos in this thread show the yellow on the front of the sensor rectenna and the boosters to be a really bright banana yellow, but in person, the color is somewhat muted. I like the added color accents, personally.
  22. Damn you all! Your galleries of Elint goodness made me break down and order one from Overdrive. I had to promise to REALLY outdo myself on my wife's Christmas gifts this year in exchange for her letting me get this. lol
  23. I cleared my browsers' caches and rebooted the computer in hopes of possibly fixing the problem, but they're still returning a "DNS Error: Cannot find server" error message. I guess I'll wait a few hours and try it again...
  24. I finally got together enough cash to order the VE-1 Elintseeker from Overdrive last night (Thursday) and paid $200.37 for it via Paypal. Last night, I checked the order and it said it was still pending. This morning, I tried to check my order status again, and none of my browsers (IE8, Firefox or Google Chrome) can resolve Overdrive's server. According to them, its like the server no longer exists. Paypal processed the payment because the $200 was taken out of my account this morning. Is this an example of the infamous server problems I've heard some people mention? And more importantly, will this affect my order in terms of Overdrive "losing" it?
  25. If the "completed" toy version is supposed to cost more than the resin prototype, it'll easily be upward in the neighborhood of $3000 to $3500 US. But we still have about 4 to 6 months to see what becomes of all this, so lets just hold tight and wait for the outcome. If it's still a ridiculously overpriced toy that's produced on a per-order basis, then so be it. There are still plenty of WAVE SDF-1s floating around on eBay...
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