Chronocidal

Things like this make me very happy I grew up with model kits and LEGOs, and have absolutely no nostalgia whatsoever for non-functional overpriced knicknacks.

I can understand the logic of using a popular release to test the international waters, but when the market has been saturated with Hayate VF-31s for several years already, and anyone in the international markets who was that interested in Delta probably already acquired one (or more) anyhow, it feels dumb to me to use this as a measuring stick. This is my concern. Trying to judge demand for Macross items based on something that has a low baseline demand in this market to begin with, and those who were interested in are probably already tired of. Even if it gets heavily discounted, it's extremely unlikely I'm going to try and buy another of this same VF-31. Not that I'm expecting them to revisit the 31A at all, I just think they would get much better sales of that one by comparison, just from the relative demand that currently exists.

Exactly this. Maybe I'm overly biased toward realistic looking aircraft schemes, and just sick of Hayate reissues, but I don't see why anyone in the international market would pick Hayate over the Kairos at this point, given the option. It's been my impression for a while that the biggest demand for those was outside Japan anyhow, so why aren't they going after that demand instead of re-issuing the same copy for the fourth time? Anyone in the international market who wanted that one probably got it a long time ago, and unlike Frontier, I don't think Delta has nearly as much international audience to begin with. Maybe it's a benefit to finally come packed with the super packs, I guess, but I'd still rather see something different.

Hadn't really considered this, but that set would be a very nice source of orange panels for building a Shuttle tank, as well as a pile of those newer 3-stud diameter cylinder segments.

Considering how small the VF-1 actually is, it makes sense for the elevator to be bigger. The VF-0 is probably a better size standard to use, so I'd be curious how well a 1/72 Hasegawa kit would fit.

A little late replying, but this is part of the mess Bandai got themselves into with the VF-19 Advance and YF-19 DX releases. The Advance came with (mostly) Hasegawa fighter-mode feet. Looks fine in fighter mode, right? Yeah, well that gives you this in battroid. Then they over-corrected in the normal YF-19 release. Fugly short fighter heels that didn't even fit into the legs, but they looked fine in battroid. The Bandai DX ones have always had the issue that the feet are mis-aligned with the center of the legs though. They don't collapse far enough into the legs, and it made the toes look too big in general. On the 1/100 HG YF-19 kit, they just flat out gave up on getting the feet to look correct in fighter at all, and they don't even fold all the way because they're too tall. I still think the Arcadia option came out with the best balance, even if the toes wind up looking a little small in battroid. They probably could have fixed that if they designed the toes to extend a little once the ankles were extended. They're just all over the place, and no one really seems interested in trying to reconcile the different shapes outside of Arcadia. In Hasegawa's case it's not even really necessary, since nothing has to transform. I'm surprised they even went to the trouble of making the extras, since they look much worse than the stubby ones.

I think the larger ones do come out better, but I think the X-Wing is an oddball bad egg due to being so early in the product line, before the knew what they were really doing. Like.. it's really difficult for me to even comprehend exactly how they messed it up the way they did? It's like whoever was responsible for the CAD model didn't know anything about CAD, didn't know anything about perspective, or both. For some unfathomable reason, the panel lines on the X-Wing got projected like a badly-wrapped game texture, and came out distorted like some kind of funhouse mirror version. It's really wild. Also, for the record, I want to find whoever is responsible for the stupid "top engines are longer" gaffe that has persisted in toy X-Wings for so many decades, and pelt them with J-79 nozzles. You took a feature of one engine from one filming model, and decided "This is just how all the bottom engines are." It's ugly, and it unbalances the ships in one really irritating way, since it's VERY obvious from this photo that X-Wings should be able to stand on their engines. I will readily admit though, I'm probably as picky about X-Wings as David Hingten is about Tomcats. I grew up researching and trying to correct all of the molding issues on all of the models since I got my first MPC kit in roughly 1990, and it bugs me to no end how many ways people find to mess it up. Anyhow.. on a lighter note, speaking of David, yes, they did get the B-Wing markings correct, at least as compared with the Bandai model instructions. Whether the Bandai ones are 100% accurate I'm not sure, since my reference photos are of the model without the circle markings. Overall proportions look good, a huge upgrade from the old Action Fleet version. Cockpit still slightly oversized, but much better by comparison, and I like that they molded the whole upper half of cockpit as the hatch, instead of just the window, since it kept the right shape. Also like that the wings actually have a solid spring-tabbed ratchet to keep them in place, they're nice and solid in the open and closed positions. Just as a reminder.. yeah, much better.

Sheesh.. actually you know, the exchange rate has hit the point where those really aren't bad prices. Depending on what conversion fees and shipping you add on, 50k is about $315. Between the separate purchases and shipping, I think I paid more than that for the VF-1S and strike packs separately back when I got them on the first release.

Maybe when it hits Amazon it'll get discounted down to where it makes sense. If it does, I might consider it, just to get one in a plastic package rather than the old styrofoam.

Kind of sad to consider, but that basically boils Bandai's entire marketing strategy down to FOMO (fear of missing out). "Better buy everything we release, no matter how much or little you like it, because you never know when we'll release another thing you actually want that will interact with the thing you never bought in an essential way."

Just saw this pop up on my Amazon page, probably brings it closer in line with the import price, if not even lower. https://www.amazon.com/TAMASHII-NATIONS-Frontier-Valkyrie-Chogokin/dp/B0BGR4Z27D/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_bmx_gp_oa5mc7io_d_sccl_1_3/145-2860478-7794866?pd_rd_w=eoaM7&content-id=amzn1.sym.cb7b1ced-6cd6-4a13-a63d-cb1faaf99eb2&pf_rd_p=cb7b1ced-6cd6-4a13-a63d-cb1faaf99eb2&pf_rd_r=9R504FQXR1W7BYW90VV3&pd_rd_wg=3rUWp&pd_rd_r=749463a1-3c6a-466c-a50f-27b34ab31da5&pd_rd_i=B0BGR4Z27D&psc=1

It's really difficult for me to put into words how much I hate the entire concept behind rare/chase variants in toys of this level of production. I would not call the production quality on these worthy of collecting. They make decent knick-knacks, but the quality is just not there for the most part, especially at the prices they're generally starting at. Though, I think my opinion got pretty soured by that X-Wing two-pack.. it has some of the most bizarre production flaws of any X-Wing of any type I have ever seen, from any manufacturer. I'm just calling the droid R-deux D-deux, because his upper paint is so lopsided it looks like a beret.

Are they considering updating the numbering on them?

I actually wonder.. given the change in exchange rate, this release might wind up cheaper than the original, and include the super packs. I had the same thing happen with the re-released Arcadia Fire Valk. The recent reissue with the sound booster cost me the same as the original Yamato release without it.

If they re-release the entire squad, and only include the missing super packs with the re-release, so help me I will rip Bandai's tonsils out through the internet.

Yep, this was the obvious example, and it's all the more annoying that the super packs didn't come with the sound pack from the get-go, because all except Chuck were using it. With how obsessive Bandai is about only including specifically what was shown on-screen with any release, they completely flubbed that one from the start.

Yeah, the biggest problem outside of the arms fitting on the AX line were the wing tabs no longer fitting into the legs, because they somehow completely forgot the size tolerances needed for those parts. Fortunately they were too big, and not too small, so they could just be filed down to fit, but it was still a pain. Also, the sloppy spine joint in fighter tended to get even more sloppy on my copies, but that's always been pretty variable. Then there's the experience I had having to re-drill one of the tail fold pinholes with a pin-drill because they skewed it off-center until the tail wouldn't fold properly.. front gear doors not fitting correctly, sloppy nose section joints, etc. The AX releases just felt like worse copies of the 31 series, making it feel like Bandai bootlegged its own design.

Boy, would it really kill them to actually apply the decals to their own model, just to make sure they even fit? It always looks so bizarre with them just photoshopping them in.

Hey now, never underestimate their ability to mess up a good thing with later iterations. Some of the worst-fitting parts of the 31AX were still using the same design as the original.

Definitely a nice setup, but it feels like a kick in the head after the situation with the Ideas Shuttle. I'm curious about what scale it's supposed to be though. Would be great to re-use that pad as a Saturn V display, but it looks like they shrunk it down to a completely different scale. Artemis is literally using recycled SRBs from the Shuttle launches in the 80s, so they should be the same size, but these are a 3-stud diameter, when the 1/110 scale of the Saturn V would put them at 4-studs. May still try and grab one though. Will probably wait until mid-summer to beat the rush.

Maybe a different one.. Mine's "Buy what you have room for, and can afford."

Yeah, fortunately another I can sit out on entirely. Of course not including the reaction missiles either, because Bandai gonna Bandai. Really think they should have sweetened the deal by including the sound booster though, since it's not likely to ever see the light of day again, and it was specifically paired with the super packs in the series.

I think the blue was actually a side effect of some of the weird coloring seen on other Star Wars toys at the time. It was never really clear in the movies, but some of the color filtering did make the Ties look darker blue-gray, and many of the toys echoed that. The one that sticks in my mind is the Action Fleet version, which was definitely closer to blue than gray.

Impressive panels.. but it feels like they make the ball uglier with every iteration. Still might try and grab one though, it's not too bad.

Before you go printing Sparrows, take note of the fin shape. They used AIM-120 AMRAAMs on the Mac-0 F-14s. They were never cleared for operational use, but the Navy did test using them. Apparently they scrapped the idea when the upgrade wasn't deemed worth it, considering the limited use compared with the Super Hornet that was already in development. https://theaviationgeekclub.com/even-though-the-aim-120-was-successfully-tested-on-the-f-14-the-amraam-integration-into-fleet-tomcats-was-scrapped-heres-why/