Official Bandai 1/60 Scale DX Toy Thread Ver.4

[transfan52]

Uh. What?

On my own Michel, the only armor part that's remotely loose is the hip covers, everything else locks great if you get it locked in properly. The chest piece, yes, will flop around, but only if you don't actually put it all the way on. The side covers will be a little knock-able-off-able, but only if you don't get them pressed in hard enough. The boosters are rock solid if you get them pressed down properly over the wing root and get the alignment pin into position on the forward spike.

Then again, maybe I just happen to have one with magically better QC than everyone else . Another MW staple!

Well what I meant to say was that yamato's QC as of late is good. I'm not saying they're perfect by any mean but yamato's latest releases have and are still currently alot better than what bandai has churned out recently.

[Golden Arms]

Reading all of these replies is making me think of how those of us who can't just stop over in Akihabara and pick one of these things by hand off a shelf are at a bit of a disadvantage when pursuing the collection of such pricey goods. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that my 25G will be a good one. I'm hoping especially for a positive experience since this is my first major valk toy purchase (I had forgotten in my prior post that I have a revoltech VF-1J as well as the chunky from way back when).

On another note, HLJ says that my order has shipped, but I haven't gotten a shipping number yet. My other purchase from them have been shipped via SAL, so I don't know if this is typical or not. Any insight you guys could provide would be appreciated.

For orders over a certain dollar value, HLJ uses EMS shipping. Give it a day or two, it should then show up in their system or the Jpanese post office. It took 4 days for my order to reach me once it shipped.

The DX line has been extremely underwhelming in my opinion. I'll probably cancel my preorder for the armored Ozma because I bet it will be a unposable brick with flimsy attachments.

I think you would've been better of with one of the yamato v2 1/60's as your 1st valk purchase. Better build quality, More accurate sculpts, more acessories, cheaper, better posability, etc.

[edwin3060]

Well, the sloppy paint application really bugs me, but ironically because the paint doesn't adhere that well to the glossy plastic anyway, you could try scraping it off?

On the whole, it seems that the quality of the toys has dropped pretty drastically since the first release of Alto and Ozma. While Alto/Ozma had some problems with tight shoulders and (4-5) people broke screws, the colour was fine, the paint application wasn't sloppy and everything fit together tightly. With the Luca/Michael, we have off coloured parts, missing paint in some areas and paint spots in others, and loose super parts. Looks like instead of improving on their previous work, they got sloppy and slackened off instead. Very, very disappointing-- and I'd agree that Yamato QC seems to be better than Bandai's now.

[Salamander]

Well what I meant to say was that yamato's QC as of late is good. I'm not saying they're perfect by any mean but yamato's latest releases have and are still currently alot better than what bandai has churned out recently.

MW must be the only place where "arms break repeatedly" means "good", then.

[Salamander]

I wonder how many people have canceled their pre-order for Luca already.

I haven't, because I have the very strong suspicion that many of the reports are made by:

- people who can't read instructions properly and therefore don't put things together the right way,

- people who spend five minutes with the toy, having already decided that it sucks beforehand, put the armor in place without pressing it down, and then whine,

- people who didn't read the instructions at all and don't know how to apply the parts,

- people who are completists, but think Yamato is God and everything else is garbage, and then buy for completion and maginificate every small flaw there is (unless it's Yamato - even broken arms are good quality control ),

- people who want the thing to be made from 24 carat gold and diamonds, yet expect to only pay $1 for it ("if it's more expensive and lesser quality it SUCKS"),

and finally:

- people who don't actually own the toy, but are just trolling.

So I'll see for myself.

[OmegaD3k]

I haven't, because I have the very strong suspicion that many of the reports are made by:

- people who can't read instructions properly and therefore don't put things together the right way,

- people who spend five minutes with the toy, having already decided that it sucks beforehand, put the armor in place without pressing it down, and then whine,

- people who didn't read the instructions at all and don't know how to apply the parts,

- people who are completists, but think Yamato is God and everything else is garbage, and then buy for completion and maginificate every small flaw there is (unless it's Yamato - even broken arms are good quality control ),

- people who want the thing to be made from 24 carat gold and diamonds, yet expect to only pay $1 for it ("if it's more expensive and lesser quality it SUCKS"),

and finally:

- people who don't actually own the toy, but are just trolling.

So I'll see for myself.

You forgot:

- People who are (color) blind and can't see the various shades of green.

That alone was enough for me to cancel my order. It is by far the worst QC issue I have yet to see on a toy. Amazing how something like that can get by undetected - or even be accepted in any shape or form!

I own both Ozuma and Alto, Alto is in the repair bay for a broken shoulder, and now a loose leg may be popping off here soon at the hip. Ozuma is in valk heaven after falling off my seat and exploding into a dozen parts and pieces, making any repair attempt make him look like a Franken-Valk (never had any figure explode like that before).

So far this line has been a disappointment not only in the choice of design and materials used to produce them (die-cast legs, really? It may be nice and retro to some, but its purpose is beyond superfluous), but also in the overall sloppy and faulty production. Now with these amazing shades of green on Luca - I'm not angry, just saddened and disappointed at how the line is being treated, and how Bandai gets the free pass ticket on these things.

For 250$ including shipping, these figures are not worth the hefty price, when you have a vastly superior product of the same type of Valkyrie for only a quarter of the price - the model kits.

Hell, even Luca comes with ghosts, the DX does not.

Edited March 29, 2009 by OmegaD3k

[Cent]

Could you post a few pictures as to how your Ozma broke apart? I know it may be painful

[MasterOfPuppets]

Wow, all these people canceling preorders. And you guys are surprised when online stores start making you pay upfront for preorders?

[m0n5t3r]

I own both Ozuma and Alto, Alto is in the repair bay for a broken shoulder, and now a loose leg may be popping off here soon at the hip. Ozuma is in valk heaven after falling off my seat and exploding into a dozen parts and pieces, making any repair attempt make him look like a Franken-Valk (never had any figure explode like that before).

curious... wth happened to Ozma??? i thought you were able to find a suitable replacement for the broken shoulder screw on Alto? that sucks, man...

[UN_MARINE]

the 2 greens probably comes from the difference in the plastic they use for the parts.

remember the prototype pics w/ different colored plastics? that's the cause of the mismatch.

my scientific wild-ass guess would be that the materials can hold a limited number of color tones,

some match up well with the alternate material, while other colors are just obviously mismatched.

apparently, green ABS + green Polycarb (?) isn't a good combination.

but it eventually boils down to "what were they thinking?!"

they knew about this color mismatch in pre-production, but still went along with it. boo...

[edwin3060]

but it eventually boils down to "what were they thinking?!"

they knew about this color mismatch in pre-production, but still went along with it. boo...

+1000

Not to mention, the same problem occurs with Michael but is just less apparent due to the darker colour.

[edwin3060]

I haven't, because I have the very strong suspicion that many of the reports are made by:

- people who can't read instructions properly and therefore don't put things together the right way,

- people who spend five minutes with the toy, having already decided that it sucks beforehand, put the armor in place without pressing it down, and then whine,

- people who didn't read the instructions at all and don't know how to apply the parts,

- people who are completists, but think Yamato is God and everything else is garbage, and then buy for completion and maginificate every small flaw there is (unless it's Yamato - even broken arms are good quality control ),

- people who want the thing to be made from 24 carat gold and diamonds, yet expect to only pay $1 for it ("if it's more expensive and lesser quality it SUCKS"),

and finally:

- people who don't actually own the toy, but are just trolling.

So I'll see for myself.

Do you even read the complaints or is this some random "you guys suck and I rule" rant? Unless you see in a different spectrum than normal humans do (and maybe even then), the same colour problems will appear on your Luca as well.

It is well and good to say that you don't mind the colour differences, or the loose armour, or the random splotches of white paint that show up on the wing gloves, or the missing paint application on the Super pack wing pod, or the poorly applied paint on the super pack missile launchers.

But to imply that the kind, helpful people like ff95gj and MacrossJunkie who have bought the toy and made the effort to take pictures and tell us what problems they experienced with the toy--- to imply that people like that are idiots who can't read instructions or whine alot or have some secret hidden grudge against Bandai--- that is just the height of internet trolling itself.

[edwin3060]

That alone was enough for me to cancel my order. It is by far the worst QC issue I have yet to see on a toy. Amazing how something like that can get by undetected - or even be accepted in any shape or form!

I own both Ozuma and Alto, Alto is in the repair bay for a broken shoulder, and now a loose leg may be popping off here soon at the hip. Ozuma is in valk heaven after falling off my seat and exploding into a dozen parts and pieces, making any repair attempt make him look like a Franken-Valk (never had any figure explode like that before).

Could you provide pictures of the spare parts Ozma? Maybe we could figure out what were the points of failure on the toy itself, like whether it was the plastic that broke, or the diecast that shattered, or the glue that didn't hold, or faulty screws again.

[Shaggydog]

Well, my Michel Messiah is great. Armor stays on, except the hip armor, which isn't the end of the world. Overall, it's a very solid and fun toy, and it looks completely badass. Then again, I'm not the type to notice incredibly minor paint issues.

[Salamander]

Do you even read the complaints or is this some random "you guys suck and I rule" rant?

Oh, I read them. I just take them with a grain of salt. Especially since I haven't seen any complaints about Luca elsewhere yet (and MW is known for having users that magnify any minor problem as if it were the apocalypse)...

Unless you see in a different spectrum than normal humans do (and maybe even then), the same colour problems will appear on your Luca as well.

I bet it will. It's just that I think that the color difference is less bad than suggested. Flash photography is known to make color differences more apparent (due to reasons already mentioned).

<snip>

But to imply that the kind, helpful people like ff95gj and MacrossJunkie who have bought the toy and made the effort to take pictures and tell us what problems they experienced with the toy--- to imply that people like that are idiots who can't read instructions or whine alot or have some secret hidden grudge against Bandai--- that is just the height of internet trolling itself.

Just like, for example, replying to every other message in this thread, you mean?

It's just that I see a lot of people whine about how bad this toy is. In some cases, like the broken shoulder screws, that's understandable. In others, like apparently expecting that a transformable toy should survive falling off a high shelf, it is not. I mean, you don't blame the manufacturer of your car when a tree falls on it and damages it, right?

(unless you're one of those people who sue a company when you drop your hot cup of coffee and discover that, yes, coffee can be very hot indeed...)

Now what I really cannot comprehend is that there's people who whine about the quality without owning the toy, say they won't buy one, then buy one and....whine about it. Self-fullfilling prophecy.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's not like Bandai forces you to buy it with armed machine guns and Gundam tanks pointing their barrels at your head... Other people who like it more will buy it, and some of them are even likely to give a proper, non-biased review. There's a few of them on this board, even.

*wonders why attempts at injecting logic into this place seem to fail so often...something in Yamato's plastic?*

[eriku]

*wonders why attempts at injecting logic into this place seem to fail so often...something in Yamato's plastic?*

Because logic is insulting now, didn't you get the memo?

I'm still not worried in the least about anything with the DX line. Nothing is prone to breakage so far, and high probabilities of exploding parts are the only things that really make me panic. I loves my Alto and I can't wait to get Luca, although I will have to wait due to paying for other toys that are higher on the priority list.

[edwin3060]

Oh, I read them. I just take them with a grain of salt. Especially since I haven't seen any complaints about Luca elsewhere yet...

Well, ff95gj was so kind as to link to another forum where other users were mentioning it as well. The people in HK seemed to have gotten their hands on the RVF-25 before the official release date (which was yesterday) and so they were the first to notice the problems.

I bet it will. It's just that I think that the color difference is less bad than suggested. Flash photography is known to make color differences more apparent (due to reasons already mentioned).

Actually the photo's posted with flash had less apparent colour difference than the ones without flash.

Now what I really cannot comprehend is that there's people who whine about the quality without owning the toy, say they won't buy one, then buy one and....whine about it. Self-fullfilling prophecy.

That's true, but you are tarring good people with the same brush as the whiners, decreasing the chance that these people will be willing to post reviews or photos again, if all the response they get is just to be labelled whiners, complainers or panickers. Without them, how are the rest of us going to get reviews that help us decide whether to buy the toy or not?

If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's not like Bandai forces you to buy it with armed machine guns and Gundam tanks pointing their barrels at your head... Other people who like it more will buy it, and some of them are even likely to give a proper, non-biased review. There's a few of them on this board, even.

I thought that both ff95gj, Macross Junkie and QuinJester gave great reviews that were not biased. All they did was point out flaws in the toy that were obvious to them (and in some cases, very obvious). They even posted pictures to prove that the problems were real. Kudos to them, they truly don't deserve to be flamed for helping us make an informed decision about buying a toy, and in some cases, helping us decide not to buy a toy and save the money instead, which is critical given the current economy.

Shaggydog: Looks like you got one of the better ones! Congrats! Did you try different methods of fitting the hip armour on? QuinJester mentioned that there was a special technique to fit the wing pods on and I was wondering if that was the case here.

[Vinnie]

All I've got to say about the RVF-25 is this: If anyone in the US gets a multi-colored Luca and can't stand the lack of Quality Control from Bandai and wishes they'd canceled their pre-order, please PM me. I'll be willing to take it off your hands for a fair price.

[eriku]

All I've got to say about the RVF-25 is this: If anyone in the US gets a multi-colored Luca and can't stand the lack of Quality Control from Bandai and wishes they'd canceled their pre-order, please PM me. I'll be willing to take it off your hands for a fair price.

Put me on that list, too.

[Dangard Ace]

Hey! You two get in line behind me! I wanted those two tone toys first!! Frackin' line jumpers.

[ff95gj]

edwin3060, thanks for your support! It is a warmth to be appreciated.

Internet is a place for sharing to me. I mostly read and learn more on other's views, not to point fingers and say people are "wrong" when it comes to personal views/ opinions. I won't say I am unbiased, but when I express my opinions, I try to do so with some support of facts/ reasoning (lineart comparison on my dislike of the DX scale, photos on the color discrepancy, other people's reports on the same incident). I like it when people point out that the lighting matters for the mis-color thing, it helps people to understand the situation better. But it doesn't help when one simply assumes that others simply are too stupid to put together the parts or read the instruction manual first for the floppy parts issue.

I complained a lot about the DX before (I wonder why complaints = whines on the Internet?), but I still get the DX, and I will get the full Skull squad. I didn't have to explain why I do/ will, but I believe I did in this thread previously:I like the VF-25s so much that I want to own the valks in their F/G/B modes in plain/Super/Armored states. I have the model kits which are GREAT looking in my opinion, but given the delication of the decals (so I dare not to transform them) and the inability to wear super parts at will, essentially I can only choose one state for each valk. So I decided to pick up the DX to satisfy my own desire of "collecting them all".

I buy the DXs because I see it now that there are some values I can capture from it. I don't need something to be perfect to buy. I don't need to switch side because now I own the DX. I still do not like the same things I complained about before, but now the DX possess some qualities that justify my purchase. Does that make me a loser because "I said there are bad things about the DX but I still buy it"?

I do not mind people to compare products/ services from different companies - I actually do it myself frequently. Technically this is for benmarking performance or otherwise we have no standards for comparisons and evaluation. But I think it is unfair to say that if people is complaining Bandai, they worship Yamato (or vice versa, of course). This intentionally lowers the credibility of the comparison by suggesting the person is biased. This is low.

It is also interesting to read the following messages from the same person:

- "If you don't like it, don't buy it."

- "Someone is complaining without owning it."

By this logic, if you wish to complain, you have to own it first. But then if you don't like it enough to complain, you shouldn't have owned it in the first place. In either case, you are a loser.

Sorry, did I say logic?

[SVF-Gerwalk]

Wow, people is being annoyed by the toys reports problems

[Vostok 7]

- people who are completists, but think Yamato is God and everything else is garbage, and then buy for completion and maginificate every small flaw there is (unless it's Yamato - even broken arms are good quality control ),

Ah, the ever-classic and NEVER tired "If you think the Bandai sucks, then you MUST think Yamato is the best thing ever" argument.

I think I'm gonna get the DX-25G for myself. I'm itching to get something new, and I want to jump on the whining bandwagon and be cool like everyone else!

Vostok 7

[transfan52]

For 250$ including shipping, these figures are not worth the hefty price, when you have a vastly superior product of the same type of Valkyrie for only a quarter of the price - the model kits.

Hell, even Luca comes with ghosts, the DX does not.

Whoa where are you shopping at? I've never paid more than 210 for ne of the bandai valks so far. 250 with shipping is pretty steep...

[Salamander]

Well, ff95gj was so kind as to link to another forum where other users were mentioning it as well. The people in HK seemed to have gotten their hands on the RVF-25 before the official release date (which was yesterday) and so they were the first to notice the problems.

Two or three people in total. How many people didn't report any problems?

Actually the photo's posted with flash had less apparent colour difference than the ones without flash.

...which was taken under tungsten artificial light. Which, just like a flash, tends to give weird color effects on things. There's a reason that artists who want to use natural colors don't use those kinds of lights, you know...

That's true, but you are tarring good people with the same brush as the whiners,

I did?

I actually wrote:

I haven't, because I have the very strong suspicion that many of the reports are made by:

Note the word "many".

Does 'many' mean 'all' in your world?

decreasing the chance that these people will be willing to post reviews or photos again, if all the response they get is just to be labelled whiners, complainers or panickers.

My post was actually aimed at people like OmegaD3k who keep saying that all of their VF-25 Valks broke one way or another or keep falling apart, but when asked for pictures they remain incredibly silent.

It was not aimed at people who back up their claims with facts (eg. pictures). If it seemed that way, my apologies.

Without them, how are the rest of us going to get reviews that help us decide whether to buy the toy or not?

From the people who don't actually own the toy, but are handy with Photoshop?

I thought that both ff95gj, Macross Junkie and QuinJester gave great reviews that were not biased.

Could you please point out where *exactly* I named them as giving crappy reviews?

Because, you see, I didn't. You are the one who brought them up.

So YOU are the one who actually suggested they were crappy reviewers. That's nice (<- 'nice' in a very sarcastic way).

But, ah, wait. You reacted the same way to eriku's post. Reading doesn't seem to be your strong point.

All they did was point out flaws in the toy that were obvious to them (and in some cases, very obvious). They even posted pictures to prove that the problems were real. Kudos to them, they truly don't deserve to be flamed

I didn't flame them. Nor name them.

and in some cases, helping us decide not to buy a toy and save the money instead, which is critical given the current economy.

...

If you are so strapped for cash that you can't afford a toy, you should have the insight that perhaps you should stop buying them without needing to read a review. Don't tell me there's nutters on here that are starving themselves just so they can buy toys...if so, FFS, get your priorities straight (and go get some counseling)!

[Salamander]

It is also interesting to read the following messages from the same person:

- "If you don't like it, don't buy it."

- "Someone is complaining without owning it."

By this logic, if you wish to complain, you have to own it first. But then if you don't like it enough to complain, you shouldn't have owned it in the first place.

Yeah, so?

Some people still buy things they really dislike. I am free to say that I don't understand what the heck those people are smoking to still buy a toy that they hate.

Also, selective quoting is fun, eh? Because what I originally wrote was:

people who don't actually own the toy, but are just trolling.

Linkie: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...st&p=732265

In either case, you are a loser.

I never used the word "loser". However, dear edwin3060 did.

Stop putting words in my mouth.

Sorry, did I say logic?

You did. And shot yourself in the foot by trying to imply I wrote things I actually didn't.

I just got the payment request from HLJ (need a screenshot as proof?). Once I get it I'll review it, and put it on my scanner to show the color difference (sorry, my camera is broken ).

Edited March 29, 2009 by Salamander

[wintermute]

Oh snap.

I just want my (hopefully awesome) toy. I am patient about many things in life, but waiting for new cool stuff from the internet is not one of them.

[QuinJester]

<distracts everyone from arguing with pictures>

[QuinJester]

... and a full spread of Michel in his armor, too:

[eugimon]

Thanks for the yummy mecha porn, was getting tired of the troll.

[Ghostkiller]

thks for the pics

I really like the head unit

it reminds me the alien machine in War of the Worlds

Edited March 29, 2009 by Ghostkiller

[SuperHobo]

Man what camera do you use to take those sexy pics? I'm jealous , but I must contend I love the VF-25G all armored up its a beautiful sight.

[honkhet]

really nice pics!

good that they did an excellent job diverting our attention from the troll

i think the DX mikhail and luca despite their reported shortcomings,

has more accurate headsculpts than the DX ozma and alto.

i might buy one eventually

[Radd]

I do like the 1A style head. I hope we get a VF-25 cannon fodder like that. Actually, do we ever see a transformed VF-25 cannon fodder in Frontier?

[m0n5t3r]

great pics! Alto looks good w/ Michel's SPs and dual-gunpod...

what troll???