pud333

My father questioned me as well for my collecting. I just don't let him go in that room anymore, and he's perfectly happy staying out of it. I just told my father one day that I collect because it's my hobby. It doesn't matter if it's toys or cars or stamps or whatever. Collecting is collecting, and I do it because it gives me a reprieve from daily responsibilities. Some people golf, others go tinker on their cars; I take my valkyrie and go "fwoosh!" I work in a stressful financial environment, dealing with client's retirement savings, etc. I have a mortgage, I financially take care of my girlfriend, (and probably her mother too in the near future if things continue as they are), and I'll be having kids in a couple of years. Toys are how I relieve stress so I don't have a mental breakdown. Whenever things get too stressful, I just take a look at my VF-1S or my Super Powers Superman toy, and all is well with the world, because I remember how it was as a kid to enjoy these things. I really think a lot of problems with people is that they have lost touch with what it was like to be a kid. Everything is so serious all the time. Honestly, if my father had ever taken an interest in me as a kid, then maybe we'd have a closer relationship today. I look forward to the day when I have my own kids and we go into Toys R Us and geek out over a toy together, or plan a family trip to San Diego Comiccon. Even my girlfriend, who grudgingly accepts my toy habit, doesn't quite understand it, but she does know that on some theraputic level, it evens me out. Plus, I always tell people it could be worse. I could be into collecting other women's phone numbers and cheating on my girlfriend. Really, you guys have awesome collections. Not everyone will understand it, nor should we expect them to. It is what it is.

The other way to look at it is that when you are the first to have it, you are also the first to enjoy it. Sometimes it's not worth waiting six months to a year for a sale like this. For example, the VF-1S TV Roy was about $120 cdn when it first came out. Now it's on sale for $70. That's a difference of $50. Since it came out in June 2010, that's like $8.33 per month deduction once you divide it up. I figure it would have been worth that $50 to have it the first week it came out. That being said, it's nice to get it on sale, as I just did. Bottom line for me: there are a few valks I'd pay full price for, usually the hero valks; the rest, I'll wait. Like I'm waiting for the Monster to come down.

Love the vintage Joes,Sephiroth! So jealous.

Having to loosen screws or transform gingerly as if walking on eggshells should not be something buyer should have to deal with in the first place, let alone cracked hinges in the box. Imagine buying new tires for your car and having to drive below a certain speed or else they will explode. I'm glad the QC has gotten better with the newer releases (I have the DYRL Roy anniversary, as well as VF-1A Kakizaki and Max) and the shoulders are perfectly fine. They all have correct pins and the VF-1As have the new crotches and clear canopies (though I was fond of the rainbow tint, personally). The only problem I had was with my Max and the canopy. It was super hard to open and I was afraid I might break it, but that's not really a QC isue, and more just a stiffness thing that worked itself out after a few minutes of careful prying.

Wicked haul GHQ. Thanks for posting! Here is my haul. Nothing special but they look nice. I still have a TV Roy on the way. For those curious, these do in fact have the clear canopies and new crotches. These are perfect, much like my DYRL? anniversary Roy. No issues at all so far beyond a sticky canopy on my Max that wouldn't open for a bit. The box is exactly the same size as the DYRL? anniversary VF-1S. I probably won't transform these very much, but my DYRL Roy I've transformed a few dozen times and there are no issue at all beyond some plastic wear and paint wear in certain spots, but that's natural when you abuse your toys like I do.

Yeah, Fedex isn't worth it in Canada. I usually just go SAL or EMS.

I have a Vf-0S and at first I was afraid to transform it since the shoulders were so tight, but I loosened some screws and now it transforms with no problems. As for the Roy, you will NOT be dissapointed. I have the DYRL? Anniversary version and it is hands down one of my favorite toys of all time. I ordered a TV Roy to keep MISB.

Yeah, I appreciate what Bandai was trying to do, but the extra movement is not necessary for a toy like this.

Thanks, I didn't know that. Probably for the best.

Nice. Though personally I enjoyed the coated canopies. Can't wait to get mine. Just checked the shipping notice with HLJ and it looks like they sent my two 1A's through EMS, and my TV Roy via SAL. Huh? I picked SAL for everything. Ah well. Whatever.

Epic. Just epic. It would be awesome if you could post a picture here of your total order once you get it with a health warning indicating heart attack upon viewing may occur.

Um... What job do you have and how can I get one like it? Haha. That is an epic purchase. On another note, I finally got notice everything shipped from my measly three valk order.

I plan on doing that at some point once my Valkyrie collection gets bigger. On the custom: Really nice work. Like others have said, you just need to visit reprolabels.com

This is what I thought. Which is why I went back and added him to my order last night. That price is just too good.

Haha. Yeah, when I read that back it sounds strange. Like saying drinking water is better than not drinking water. What it should have said was that when you have a figure that is a perfect transformation, it's pretty tough to beat.

I can confirm my own 1J has a very floppy left wing. I finally got one of these today, and my first impression is that I like it. But not as much as my Yammies. If the 1/60s didn't exist, I would totally be all over this line like a fat kid on a smartie. However, I just don't like it as much as the 1/60s. I know it's not fair to compare, but if I'm going to spend money, I'd rather pay more for the 1/60s, I've decided now. Design wise, the hi metals are fantastic, but I can't get over how... tubby my 1J looks from the top in fighter mode. I don't care what anybody says: Perfect transformation beats parts swapping any day of the week, even on Sundays. If the Hi Metals were cheaper, it would help, but it hurts this line that a lot of the skull squad are Tamashii web exclusives. This means I'm paying way too much to import these. That being said, I can see why a lot of people would like these. It's a good alternative to the Yammies.

I'm the kind of guy that doesn't mind having to pay for something to get it right now, instead of six months later. That being said, I had been waiting for HLJ to put on a sale like this so I could buy a whole bunch at once. I still haven't heard if the VF-1A Hikarus are safe yet. Amiami has some listed saying they were released late August 2010, so I sent them an email asking if they knew if the toys had safe shoulders, and this was their response: Thank you for your mail. We are, unfortunately, unable to provide information that specific with regards to this item - Yamato has not provided that type of detailed information to our store. There are a number of updated versions and small changes/adjustments made within the Yamato Macross line, and as such we strongly recommend that customers looking to purchase a specific release of the model do so in person where they can examine the item in detail. Our store is unfortunately unable to guarantee the specific jointing types/paint finishes of the items in that line. Needless to say, I will avoid those until someone reports something definitive about the shoulders being good. Even though I probably won't transform him much, I don't want to pay for a broken toy. Alas, that is the unfortunate price we North American collectors must pay for such beautiful toys. My only alternative is paying bloated prices at the local import hobby shops, which are priced so high it is more than regular price plus shipping, so no thank you. I always just chose the slowest, cheapest method. Since I live in city where all shipments hit the ports here, I find it makes no difference in how long I have to wait.

Well, at least you had it for a few months to enjoy it before the price dropped I just picked up a VF-1A 1/60 Max and Kakizaki to help build my Skull squad. also got a TV Roy since my other Roy has been played with a bit too much so wanted one mint (can't believe you can get one of these for cheaper than HLJ is selling the hi metal for - albeit sans fastpacks). Most of this will be paid for by stuff I am selling, so it worked out well for me. I still want to pick up a VF-1A Hikaru, but I still think all their shoulders are still messed...

Thank you. It's always good to find out about different sources for toys. As for the price of these hi metals, I don't have an issue with the cost considering 1) the amount of engineering involved for such a small toy and 2) the fact that macross doesn't necessarily have the biggest market fan base. I'm just happy this option is available to us north American collectors. Whether I buy these depends on if I like the Vf-1j I just ordered. If I like it enough I will collect this scale but I would really have to love it considering how much I love the yamatos. Again, it is nice to have this option at such a quality piece. There are times when I wish Hasbro or Mattel would make certain toys even if it means it is a web exclusive.

How reliable is this guy? Never heard of him...

Do we know for sure if the rest of the squad will only be web exclusive release? They don't come with fast packs, so I was hoping for a wider release with fast packs.

I would respectfully disagree. These high metals look fantastic but the 1/60 yamatos are better. Perfect transformation is the way to be.

I have been eyeing that 1A on the amiami site. Since it says early aug 2010, I hope it has the smooth pins. Can you confirm it here when you get yours if it is smooth pinned or not?

That would be ridiculous if it ended up being more expensive than a Yammie 1/60