1/55's revisited

[nightmareB4macross]

4 hours ago, masarujasu said:

Not explicitly, but all three of the Strike Box + Jetfire Combos have turned up in Singapore.

These occurrences for Jetfire combinations could have created exclusively in Singapore, but it is very hard to say they are factual. More investigation to their origins would have to be  made conclusive.

The plot thickens.

[dtwn]

2 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

These occurrences for Jetfire combinations could have created exclusively in Singapore, but it is very hard to say they are factual. More investigation to their origins would have to be  made conclusive.

The plot thickens.

I'm located in Singapore and I can say that growing up (80s-90s), I never saw a Macross toy in typical toy stores.

[masarujasu]

4 hours ago, dtwn said:

I'm located in Singapore and I can say that growing up (80s-90s), I never saw a Macross toy in typical toy stores.

There was just one guy said he got it at Yaohan in SG.

[nightmareB4macross]

12 minutes ago, masarujasu said:

There was just one guy said he got it at Yaohan in SG.

That’s a good start. Maybe more witnesses could attest to the origin and story of said sales.

[nightmareB4macross]

FYI-missed this box on your page.

[masarujasu]

17 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

FYI-missed this box on your page.

Thanks, I had a link to it at the end of the third paragraph. There's wasn't enough notable about the MB to warrant a section, unlike the Canadian release which had the missiles etc. to discuss. 

Edit: Okay, I think I can worm something in.

Edit: Okay, got an image in and two links total to 20th century.

Hey you know someone contacted me today with photos of a Hasbro Standard label that came with a Matsu. Added a paragraph on that.

Edited November 4, 2022 by masarujasu

[nightmareB4macross]

5 hours ago, masarujasu said:

Thanks, I had a link to it at the end of the third paragraph. There's wasn't enough notable about the MB to warrant a section, unlike the Canadian release which had the missiles etc. to discuss. 

Edit: Okay, I think I can worm something in.

Edit: Okay, got an image in and two links total to 20th century.

Hey you know someone contacted me today with photos of a Hasbro Standard label that came with a Matsu. Added a paragraph on that.

Good thing I just got my first cup of coffee. 
 

Seriously, I can’t express enough just how grateful I am that you compiled all this great information into such an informative article.

Thank you.

[dtwn]

19 hours ago, masarujasu said:

There was just one guy said he got it at Yaohan in SG.

Hmm, that would make sense. Japanese department store that operated from the 70s-90s in Singapore. I used to go in almost weekly but I don't recall seeing them. Do you know when they bought it?

[masarujasu]

11 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Good thing I just got my first cup of coffee. 
 

Seriously, I can’t express enough just how grateful I am that you compiled all this great information into such an informative article.

Thank you.

I'm thrilled to contribute!

[masarujasu]

24 minutes ago, dtwn said:

Hmm, that would make sense. Japanese department store that operated from the 70s-90s in Singapore. I used to go in almost weekly but I don't recall seeing them. Do you know when they bought it?

I posed the question in a facebook group last night. One response I received below, which is the second reference to Yaohan I've seen, the first was directly from the Carousell sales post I linked earlier:

Edited November 4, 2022 by masarujasu

[dtwn]

5 minutes ago, masarujasu said:

I posed the question in a facebook group last night. One response I received below:

Ah, the one I went to was a different Yaohan. Hmm, should have been old enough to remember it though, it's odd that I don't recall seeing it at all.

If you need someone to pick it up and send it to you in Melb, let me know.

I think I've met a guy who knows you. He said there was a guy in Aus who was crazy about every version of Jetfire.

[masarujasu]

Just now, dtwn said:

Ah, the one I went to was a different Yaohan. Hmm, should have been old enough to remember it though, it's odd that I don't recall seeing it at all.

If you need someone to pick it up and send it to you in Melb, let me know.

I think I've met a guy who knows you. He said there was a guy in Aus who was crazy about every version of Jetfire.

Appreciate the help, because Carousell seems mostly for meet up, so difficult to get sellers to send overseas. I am actually not the crazy one, if anyone is crazy about Jetfire and has shelves full of them and lives in Aus, it would be Cory who lives on the opposite coast.

[dtwn]

49 minutes ago, masarujasu said:

Appreciate the help, because Carousell seems mostly for meet up, so difficult to get sellers to send overseas. I am actually not the crazy one, if anyone is crazy about Jetfire and has shelves full of them and lives in Aus, it would be Cory who lives on the opposite coast.

Yea, I figured you might need a hand as it's very localised. Dropped you a line in the group.

Ah, definitely Cory then.

 

[BlueMax]

On 11/3/2022 at 11:46 AM, dtwn said:

I'm located in Singapore and I can say that growing up (80s-90s), I never saw a Macross toy in typical toy stores.

I am not sure what you meant by "typical toy store" in Singapore, but I know for sure that they were carried by major department stores with toy departments, as well as smaller stores (at least in the Bukit Timah areas of Beauty World and Bukit Timah shopping Center (Where Yaohan was)) circa mid 80s. Not just the 1/55s, also the 1/100s and the all plastic versions (we could get them at 7-11. Some of them were sold with a modified backpack as a pencil sharpener) almost like the later Banprestos. During my Primary 1 days at least ('87), classmates would routinely bring the all plastic versions to school to show off.

I bought a strike VF-1S between somewhere 86 - 88. It was placed together with Jetfire in the toy section in a department store in Woodlands Central (near the Causeway). I cannot remember whether it was NTUC (more likely) or Emporium though.

I can remember they were sold side by side because my same aged cousin was trying to convince me to get the Jetfire, because he was more a TF fan, and I primarily a Macross fan, and in the end, he got Jetfire, and I got the Strike 1S. 

I have absolutely no doubt Yaohan carried them, at least between 85-87. Their toy department in the 80s were an absolute heaven. I would literally tell my parents to just leave me there to watch the dept's VCR showing cartoon episodes of the toys they were selling while they went about grocery shopping.

 

Edited November 10, 2022 by BlueMax
grammar

[GrampaStump]

On 12/28/2020 at 12:06 AM, nightmareB4macross said:

That’s were Jetfire gets tricky. 1985 was the official date of release but as we’ve seen it could be late 1984. 
 

Here’s a fun fact for you guys. If you have a mint Jetfire you can actually tell when it was produced not by date stamp but numerical order.  Remove the front landing gear screw and check under the seat. Each seat has a unique call out. The sequence begins with it being BLANK. Then 1, 2, and then (IIRC) 3. The blank versions are the Takatoku versions.

Look here and tell me what you see. Start with Grey.

Also the color of the canopies and the painted frame are another indicator.

 

Speaking of Jetfire cockpits, I received a big batch of Jetfire parts, and I noticed 1 cockpit that does not look like the others.  Can anyone identify this one? It might be from a KO I am thinking, because it has a different shape than all the other Bandai versions I've seen.

The difference may be subtle, but it is pronounced - a rounder front with different angles than the others.  See the pictures.  Thanks.

 

[GrampaStump]

If nobody knows, or nobody is interested, that is fine, but if my message above isn't clear, or if you can't see what is different in the picture about the one cockpit piece I'm asking about, just let me know and I'll try to provide better details.

(If only Bandai would dig out the original wooden VF-1 prototype!)

[DewPoint]

These are the premium toys that I could never have when I was a kid.  With three children, my parents could not easily spend on me what was easily a week's worth of food money.  We all understood this.  I waited 35 years to finally get a 1/55 for myself!  And even then it was easily a week's worth of food money! 

The history is indeed interesting, its just that there are not many of us that have the drive and devotion to dive into this.  Thanks to all of you for sharing your knowledge.  Kawamori did an incredible job designing this.  It is one of the very few transforming toys of the era that looked good from the top, bottom and all they way around in all modes. 

[nightmareB4macross]

4 hours ago, GrampaStump said:

If nobody knows, or nobody is interested, that is fine, but if my message above isn't clear, or if you can't see what is different in the picture about the one cockpit piece I'm asking about, just let me know and I'll try to provide better details.

(If only Bandai would dig out the original wooden VF-1 prototype!)

Definitely interested and wanted to provide some insight. I just have to get to specific VF-1s to confirm the different cockpit seat with more angular designs on the right. Went ahead and rearranged my items and did some serious inventory which left these in a stored area that hard to to get to.
 

From first look 👀 it appears to be from the Origin of Valkyrie or Reissues line. 

If someone else can confirm this that would be most helpful.

 

 

[jenius]

Funny that two have numbers on them and the third has the swirl mark from where they sanded off the number from the mold. It would make sense that the other one is from when Bandai made brand new molds but that could go as far back as their TV VF-1S Hikaru Super Set reissue in 1990. 

[nightmareB4macross]

A new re-color has emerged.

[nightmareB4macross]

4 hours ago, Chunky001 said:

New as in just found or new as in just released?

I'd like to have one of these. Any idea who manufactured them?

Yellow paint scheme was just released.

[nightmareB4macross]

Roadbots Galaxy Defender White Ver2. I believe these are also made by DQToys or Happywell. I’ll confirm once in hand.

[GrampaStump]

On 11/18/2022 at 11:03 PM, jenius said:

Funny that two have numbers on them and the third has the swirl mark from where they sanded off the number from the mold. It would make sense that the other one is from when Bandai made brand new molds but that could go as far back as their TV VF-1S Hikaru Super Set reissue in 1990. 

Actually of the 3 on the left, the one with no number comes from a Jetfire based on the original Takatoku VF-1J mold. The two with numbers come from Jetfire based on the newer (but still from 1985) Bandai created molds.

[Ralow]

This entire thread/post has been extremely helpful as I try to collect all of the 80s version Takatoku and Bandai 1/55s. I created an account just to show my appreciation for all of you. Thanks!

[Spark-O-Matic]

HI Everyone! new to the forum but have been reading it for a few weeks and would like to see if anyone can help me locate some info on 1/55  versions of VE-1 Elintseeker & VT-1 SuperOstrich complete in the box

I have both, but need pictures of what both box's contents look like unused/just opened, exactly as it came out of factory untouched. I want to get mine graded but just archived complete would be good incase they notice any wear. all I can find is pictures of them in gently used ones in the box.

I'm certain I've got a the paperwork but Did the heatshields come in a bag tucked inside one of the foam compartments ? I know my 1/55 VF-1S STRIKE VALKYRIE has a bag with Minmai and it would seem strange they would have left a heatshield in the box to bounce around. I'm just wanting to find out if it was in the same kind of bag? maybe with some kind of paperwork or toy ad?. or was it attached factory to the cockpit?

I had these toys a decade ago and was forced to sell them, now I have them again as I get back into collecting certain Macross/Robotech stuff .

I would be grateful for any help

Thanks

Spark

Mine look like these 

 

 

[nightmareB4macross]

8 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

HI Everyone! new to the forum but have been reading it for a few weeks and would like to see if anyone can help me locate some info on 1/55  versions of VE-1 Elintseeker & VT-1 SuperOstrich complete in the box

I have both, but need pictures of what both box's contents look like unused/just opened, exactly as it came out of factory untouched. I want to get mine graded but just archived complete would be good incase they notice any wear. all I can find is pictures of them in gently used ones in the box.

I'm certain I've got a the paperwork but Did the heatshields come in a bag tucked inside one of the foam compartments ? I know my 1/55 VF-1S STRIKE VALKYRIE has a bag with Minmai and it would seem strange they would have left a heatshield in the box to bounce around. I'm just wanting to find out if it was in the same kind of bag? maybe with some kind of paperwork or toy ad?. or was it attached factory to the cockpit?

I had these toys a decade ago and was forced to sell them, now I have them again as I get back into collecting certain Macross/Robotech stuff .

I would be grateful for any help

Thanks

Spark

Mine look like these 

 

 

From what you have posted in these pics there really isn’t much more.

Once in a while I would see bagged items, but the baggies were never consistent. Some were heat sealed, others taped, some stapled, and sometimes the bag was just folded over. But the baggies were never the same size type, mil, or quality.

Suffice to say the items had a place where they were set into the foam trays and that pretty much answers your query.

Hope this helps.

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 12/30/2022 at 1:55 AM, nightmareB4macross said:

From what you have posted in these pics there really isn’t much more.

Once in a while I would see bagged items, but the baggies were never consistent. Some were heat sealed, others taped, some stapled, and sometimes the bag was just folded over. But the baggies were never the same size type, mil, or quality.

Suffice to say the items had a place where they were set into the foam trays and that pretty much answers your query.

Hope this helps.

Thanks! It does alot and explains why the contents in these vs. the ones I had long ago were of a different quality. ones I have now the tech cards with punch holes are dull dim colored paper with no shine but before they were brighter, more color deep with a shine to them.

my 1/55 VF-1S STRIKE VALKYRIE I had to open the box not because I wanted to but long ago a bug crawled into the box and died on the arm so it had to be removed + plus the tape fell off long ago. no one ever opened it all the decades and I was shocked at the bad workmanship from a chip in the chest plate to a deep gash in the plastic were the heads mouth area is and a big long deep gash running the whole length on the leg armor.  the one I had year ago was NM condition and was 10x better looking, perfect paint, zero flaws.

I never realized until you pointed it out they really just had no great quality control at some points while I have a dozen jetfires that look perfect, flawless paint that came out of the same plant?  the only thing they all have in common is zero yellowing all snow white

I'll take your experience in mind and look for some toys from the same company at that time. something unpopular, no one likes, that has some bags and just shove them in those bags and hope for the best at CAS but I'm not trying to get a grade, just wanting a clean archived label to show its complete & original.  thanks for your help.

[jvmacross]

12 minutes ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

Thanks! It does alot and explains why the contents in these vs. the ones I had long ago were of a different quality. ones I have now the tech cards with punch holes are dull dim colored paper with no shine but before they were brighter, more color deep with a shine to them.

my 1/55 VF-1S STRIKE VALKYRIE I had to open the box not because I wanted to but long ago a bug crawled into the box and died on the arm so it had to be removed + plus the tape fell off long ago. no one ever opened it all the decades and I was shocked at the bad workmanship from a chip in the chest plate to a deep gash in the plastic were the heads mouth area is and a big long deep gash running the whole length on the leg armor.  the one I had year ago was NM condition and was 10x better looking, perfect paint, zero flaws.

I never realized until you pointed it out they really just had no great quality control at some points while I have a dozen jetfires that look perfect, flawless paint that came out of the same plant?  the only thing they all have in common is zero yellowing all snow white

I'll take your experience in mind and look for some toys from the same company at that time. something unpopular, no one likes, that has some bags and just shove them in those bags and hope for the best at CAS but I'm not trying to get a grade, just wanting a clean archived label to show its complete & original.  thanks for your help.

It could be that you had an early release Strike Valkyrie....the first batch were actually Takatoku VF-1S repaints....the paint jobs on these were kind of sloppy....you can tell you have a Takatoku branded version if it has the T.T. logo underneath the Bandai sticker behind the chest plate....like this...

 

 

Edited January 2, 2023 by jvmacross

[Shawn]

I wonder how much trouble that photographer got when they blew up the negatives.

"Hey Joe...is that a Takatoku logo back there? You know we did this photoshoot for BANDAI right?!"
"Oh hell just print it, its too damn late now, the Toy Fair starts in 2 days, maybe they won't notice."
"They did pay upfront right?"

[Shawn]

So is this an official mis-packaged valk or someone putting up loose parts?

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k1077364458

[Bolt]

Interesting. I doubt that is an official release. 

[jenius]

This might be part of the inventory cleaning gray market releases.

[nightmareB4macross]

2 hours ago, Shawn said:

So is this an official mis-packaged valk or someone putting up loose parts?

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/k1077364458

Looks to be inventory overstock from various sources. The pieces do look right but there are glaring parts that tells me it’s not from that  specific incident. 
 

 

[Shawn]

5 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

 The pieces do look right but there are glaring parts that tells me it’s not from that  specific incident. 
 

 

Can you elaborate? Always curious to learn more from the Toy experts.

[takatoys]

I remember to have bought a set like that many years ago. The Elintseeker indeed was sold with Jetfire’s super parts too.