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Official Bandai 1/72 Scale Macross Frontier Model Kit Thread Ver.2


Graham

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Yeah, despite all the decal/stickers you have to apply it does look good.

I'd hold off from buying on Yesasia unless you're desperate. They're typical overprice. I'm sure places like Overdrive or other hobby stores will get them at cheaper.

Also, you can typicall get the PLU or Product Number of the item and go to a hobby store and ask for an order. The hobby town by my place will order up for you but it takes like a month or so and sometimes pricey.

I once ordered 4 Gundam kits from them and spent nearly 300 dollars...Sazabi was like 110, METEOR Freedom was another 100, then 2 other kits for close to 50 a pop.

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You just gotta have patient-- there's no way the Super packs are going out of production anytime soon and the pre-order might be open again by HLJ after they confirm more stocks. Afterall, this is not the DX Super packs we are talking about :p. I'm just wondering whether I should buy the standalone packs or a whole new set, and build a better 1/72 this time.

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It's going to be back-heavy. I can see it already.

Was the piece of plastic holding it up that much of a give away?

I am glad I have one of those gundam action stands for mine. I got a white one to match the valk but now I am thinking that black or clear may have been a better idea.

EDIT: excuse me... I guess technically it is not a "valk" but rather a Messiah. I stand self corrected.

Edited by miriya
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You just gotta have patient-- there's no way the Super packs are going out of production anytime soon and the pre-order might be open again by HLJ after they confirm more stocks. Afterall, this is not the DX Super packs we are talking about :p . I'm just wondering whether I should buy the standalone packs or a whole new set, and build a better 1/72 this time.

I am sorry but I can not be patient. I pay a premium for my impatience and the fear that yet another obscure, limited japanese toy that I want will sell out in preorders or shortly thereafter before I get my grimey little fingers on them and then spend eternity lusting after those few that are left selling for a million euros on ebay. I missed the first max factory Kurhea. I missed Meirei San. I missed too much. I am not going to miss this even if it means spending an extra $13 dollars now to assure that I get it. (not that bad actually).

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Well, the last pic seems to state that seals (i.e. pla-speak for stickers) will be provided for each of the 4 colors, though I can't tell cos the characters are too fuzzy to make out well.

Here's a closer pic.

110cr7.jpg

Can fluent Japanese readers make out if it says the colored parts are decals or cast in colored plastic?

Edited by IXTL
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I have decided to probably buy a whole new VF-25F with the fastpack set. It is a bit pricey for a model kit, but a lot cheaper than the 1/60 DX version.

Now, when is Bandai going to come out with the Superpack armor for Ozma's Skull One? :huh:

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Was the piece of plastic holding it up that much of a give away?

I didn't notice it until just after I made the post. But my Gunpla-sense has taught me otherwise. You might wanna invest in an Action Base with the super parts or leave it in fighter/GERWALK mode.

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Well, it sucks that the pre-orders are sold out. Are there any other dealers that are competitive with HLJ's pricing?

Edit: How much does Over-Drive charge for shipping to the US (in general is it very expensive)? I live on the east coast.

Edited by protostar8
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Well, it sucks that the pre-orders are sold out. Are there any other dealers that are competitive with HLJ's pricing?

Edit: How much does Over-Drive charge for shipping to the US (in general is it very expensive)? I live on the east coast.

http://www.rainbowten.co.jp/english/

Nice people to deal with, and apparently they haven't sold out yet...

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I'm not sure if this is the case with the new kits but i'll keep my eyes open at HLJ. When Luca's VF first appeared on the site it also had the indication "ORDER STOP" but when i went back a day or two after pre-orders were open. has anyone seen the pre-orders enabled? if not, it might just be the case of having something new posted on the site and, to allow people to know its there, they post it with "ORDER STOP" and leave it that way for some time and then start allowing pre-orders. I sure hope that's the case. But even if it isn't, the way these babies have been selling, i'm sure Bandai will re-stock quickly.

On another topic, does anyone know if the Alto Costum VF-25 that comes with Super packs is different in any way from the original release or will it be the same exact model except, of course, having parts to build the Super-Packs? I already have the Messiah so i'll probably only get the stand alone Packs, but if there are differences, enginearing wise, to the model, i might have to start thinking of buying the bundle.

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On another topic, does anyone know if the Alto Costum VF-25 that comes with Super packs is different in any way from the original release or will it be the same exact model except, of course, having parts to build the Super-Packs? I already have the Messiah so i'll probably only get the stand alone Packs, but if there are differences, enginearing wise, to the model, i might have to start thinking of buying the bundle.

I think it's the same. Because model kit can't directly take off/ put on super pack, you need exchange 30% parts from VF-25.

In my opinion, the only different way is

Super pack alone is including 4 color sticker

VF-25F + super pack bundle only has Alto custom sticker.

Hobby Search. http://1999.co.jp/eng

But they don't have it up from pre-order. So I can't say whether or not they'll get it.

Which one?

1/72 RVF-25 Luca custom

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10081680

1/72 Superpack alone

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10082660

1/72 VF-25F + super pack bundle

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10082660

Action base S.M.S. custom

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10082661

I think I list all products relating to 1/72 Macross F model kits.

Edited by shinjizh
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Yup, I took the 1/60 VF-1 cockpit display panel sticker, trimmed it down, and applied to the VF-25. It is better than leaving it blank. I am not sure why bandai did not supply a display decal with kit. :huh:

Here are some better photos with whiter lighting after all the paint and decals have dried.

post-7534-1231119009_thumb.jpegpost-7534-1231119019_thumb.jpeg

And yes, I am building a small Macross Frontier diorama set with a lot of the elements seen in the opening episode. It will probably take four months to complete.

How's work on this diorama going? I am eager to see it finished!

Also, have you considered adding some weathering/battle damage? after all, this bird was wrestling with a fully-grown red Vajra and lost the original pilot, and by the way, the head was all-white in the first episode, maybe only due to animation error...

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Cool. I just e-mailed them to see how much shipping would run. If it's not too insane I may go with them. What is up with the red and black prices? Are they really selling them at that big of a discount?

yep, RainbowTen prices are always lower than the announced prices. it may have something to do with their proximity to Bandai (click here for RainbowTen map location) or their volume orders, not sure really... whatever the case is, it's a good thing for their customers, me included :D

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already placed a pre-order for the super parts at rainbowten, but contemplating also putting one on hlj.

i have no prior experience with rainbowten so not sure how good they are at securing presumably limited quantity items such as these. anyone got any idea how good rainbowten is at getting and delivering on limited items, or care to share their thoughts on rainbowten coming through with these super parts? thanks

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already placed a pre-order for the super parts at rainbowten, but contemplating also putting one on hlj.

i have no prior experience with rainbowten so not sure how good they are at securing presumably limited quantity items such as these. anyone got any idea how good rainbowten is at getting and delivering on limited items, or care to share their thoughts on rainbowten coming through with these super parts? thanks

Last time when the VF-25F Alto first came up for preorder in RainbowTen, stocks ran out fast, but this was mostly due to Bandai releasing fewer stocks, and they were unable to properly estimate the demand. When the VF-25S Ozma came up for preorder, the stocks lasted a few more days than the Alto. I guess the Macross F kits are just that popular that's why stocks run out fast. But generally if you place an order just a few days AFTER they announce preorder for an item is ok to secure the item. :D

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Last time when the VF-25F Alto first came up for preorder in RainbowTen, stocks ran out fast, but this was mostly due to Bandai releasing fewer stocks, and they were unable to properly estimate the demand. When the VF-25S Ozma came up for preorder, the stocks lasted a few more days than the Alto. I guess the Macross F kits are just that popular that's why stocks run out fast. But generally if you place an order just a few days AFTER they announce preorder for an item is ok to secure the item. :D

Yep. They handle priority much better than HLJ. They do work on a first come first served basis, which is very nice.

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About RainbowTen. How is their shipping? It looks like unless you use EMS, then you risk losing your order with no re-imbursement unlike HLJ? I asked about shipping and it was 4000yen for the Luca + Super parts for EMS, but only 2000yen for them to be shipped SAL (I think it was SAL). With HLJ, they replace lost orders, which allows me to go with SAL and save $25 b/c I don't really care about speed as long as it arrives. I don't want to order with RainbowTen and either pay $20 to insure my order arrives or risk losing the package (at which point it'd be much cheaper to order with HLJ).

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As far as shipping, me or my friends have had no problems yet with RainbowTen regarding their shipping, whether it's SAL or EMS. Most of the time we put in combined orders so we can avail of combined shipping too to keep the costs down, especially with EMS. I'm not sure about RainbowTen's shipping history to your area, but so far there seems to be no problem with them shipping here in the Philippines. :)

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How's work on this diorama going? I am eager to see it finished!

Also, have you considered adding some weathering/battle damage? after all, this bird was wrestling with a fully-grown red Vajra and lost the original pilot, and by the way, the head was all-white in the first episode, maybe only due to animation error...

I am still putting together the structures and buildings. The street layout will be finalized after the buildings are finished.

Ranka (1/72 scale) will be part of the set. I will probably add some battle damage to the VF-25 a little later. There are actually a lot of details to this diorama so it will be close to what was seen in Episode One.

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About RainbowTen. How is their shipping? It looks like unless you use EMS, then you risk losing your order with no re-imbursement unlike HLJ? I asked about shipping and it was 4000yen for the Luca + Super parts for EMS, but only 2000yen for them to be shipped SAL (I think it was SAL). With HLJ, they replace lost orders, which allows me to go with SAL and save $25 b/c I don't really care about speed as long as it arrives. I don't want to order with RainbowTen and either pay $20 to insure my order arrives or risk losing the package (at which point it'd be much cheaper to order with HLJ).

Ummm... where did you read that HLJ will replace lost SAL orders? As far as I remember, in their shipping FAQ it's stated that they are not held responsible for lost items if you don't select to use EMS as your shipping method.

Regarding rainbow ten, I am in Mexico, which has quite the reputation when it comes to lost items, and I haven't had to deal with any lost packages from rainbow ten yet, however, that's well beyond their control.

Packaging wise, they are discreet, and they also pack everything nicely, trying to use the space as best as possible without compromising the safety of your items. Yes, they use newspaper as padding, but hey, it's japanese newspapers! You don't get those often here in the Americas. I think of it as an added value, haha.

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glad my wild theory about HLJ's pre-orders was correct.

Just pre-ordered the super-pack and a couple SMS action bases.

I think i'll only get Packs for Alto's VF-25. Luca's VF is a very different design and will look good as a stand-alone along with the ghosts - has anyone confirmed the number of ghosts that will come with it? - and hopefully an Armored pack will come for Ozma. That will be really sweet, i love the armored.

IMO Alto's is the one that gains the most from having the Super Packs attached. Maybe in the future if Michael's VF looks too "naked" i'll get some for it too but for now 1 Pack will suffice.

Save some cash for the Armored and for DX Macross Quarter. Not to mention i just bought the WHAM 1/5000 SDF-1 Movie Color at HLJ. I resisted for as long as i could but it won.

Am i rambling? Guess so. LOL.

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