Meeting with Yamato Jan 11, 2010

[Graham]

So, I had a dinner meeting with Yamato last night and I kicked butt and took names. The main topic of discussion was the shoulder pin issue and I took great pains to ram home just how much of an issue this was. Other items were also discussed.

Here’s a point-by-point summery of the main points of discussion and the decisions reached: -

Shoulder Hinge Issue

1. Yamato did not know that some VT-1 toys were supplied with knurled pins. The VT-1 toys were supposed to be supplied with the smooth pins. Somebody at the factory screwed up, either intentionally or unintentionally. There was a big meeting at the factory over this last Friday and apparently it resulted in somebody from the factory getting fired.
2. I mentioned that many members had been waiting months for replacement VF-1 shoulder hinges from OverDrive. Yamato said they will as quickly as possible make available to OverDrive a large number of white shoulder hinges with smooth pins. Also some of the cream color shoulder hinges for use with the VT-1/VF-1D will be made available. Hopefully, these should be available with a few weeks.
3. Replacement shoulder hinges will also be made available through an alternate source. Please PM me for details.
4. For the Hikaru VF-1J with GBP-1S Armour set fiasco. All I can say is this is stupidity on Yamato’s part. There had been no reported cases of the first run of VF-1J Hikaru’s cracking, so Yamato assumed they would be OK. I explained to them that even sitting in storage or display and not being touched, the knurled pin will stress the plastic of the shoulder hinge and cause it to crack. Yamato sincerely apologies for this and promise greater availability of spares through OverDrive and elsewhere (see above).
5. Yamato say they will revise the metal parts checklist and add extra steps and take greater care during the manufacturing process to insure that only the smooth pins are used in future.
6. Yamato will look into changing the shoulder hinge design when they get back to Japan. I’ve told them the plastic needs to be thicker. They will look into it. I will follow up with them about this in a few weeks.
7. You will be happy to hear that I was told the VF-1S Hikaru and VF-1S Fokker reissues that come with the flashlights are new manufacture, not old stock and Yamato say they have the smooth pins.

(posted edited and some info removed at the request of the big boss).

Graham

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Damn, too bad about the Destroids. Well, at least with only two new sculpts I have a larger chance of saving some dough this year. Thanks Graham, and btw, you got PM.

[ff95gj]

You are the hero!!!!

The next VF is to be in this fall?? That's so far in the future... It's still first half of January.

BTW, please check PM.

I would buy Destroids, green Raus and any enemy mechs.

[Vi-RS]

I guess the standalone GBP-1S armor won't be a good move to Yamato, I'd prefer they sell it separately if they are going to bundle with existing scheme that have been released like CF VF-1J and low viz VF-1S.

I will agree to do bundle if the variants on GBP-1S is completely new scheme on the valkyrie as well.

I dig the accessaries set, with neck cover, side covers of course and in fact why not throw them in as accessary for future release?

Edited January 12, 2010 by Vi-RS

[BlueMax]

Thanks Graham, for the detailed update. Good to know that they are( hopefully not lip service!) taking this seriously.

Great news for VF fans about the new moulds, though we probably won't see any unveiling of the new VFs til mid year or so for the 2 new moulds. Bad news for destroid fans though, I really thought (hoped, rather) they would be announcing the Phalanx soon, but I guess I was too hopeful to take note of the obvious fact that they are in effect put on hold. Hopefully this year will be fianncially viable enough to finish what they started.

Welcome the 1/60 accessories.

PS, I'm sure some of the guys at Yamato really hate seeing you with their big boss as this usually means their asses will be fried, and in this case, someone got fired!

[hutch]

Thanks for all the details!

Can't wait to find out the next two molds they will use to drain my wallet.

I'm glad they're at least open to the prospect of future releases of destroids once we see a real economic turnaround.

[Arthurius]

Yes indeed, i have to say i am surprised you made a difference Graham, have to say you did a very good effort on this.

And damn it, a gbp camo with low vis valk in it, that's wise yamato, and me who wanted to notto get into the new armor, may actually have to rethink all this.

As for new vf-1, comon, its the stealth!!!!

Two new valks this year??? Well, the vf-17 and vf-2 ss have highest probability of money making and repaint schemes imaginable, and you know you cant say that about repaint schemes on the other valks, just think about it!!!!

[robodragon]

Please let it be 1 VF-4, please say VF-4, VF-4, VF-4.

If they want any more of my money it must be a VF-4.

I might take a VF-0D also

So who bought dinner?

[Arthurius]

they could do the vf-4, buuuuuuuut honestly, you know it wont have as much repaint schemes (milking) as the vf-17 and vf-2ss, and besides, you know graham wont push that one as much as the two i mentioned, so, i am looking forward to 2010, and aquiring the two valks i really want most!!!

[miriya]

Awesome work Graham! Thank you!

I am crossing my fingers for VF-4 and VF-0D! Praying in fact.

[Jasonc]

All that is kinda good news. Addressing the issues with the hinges is good. As for the two new releases, I hope that the poll asked several months ago is an indication. VF-4 and VF-22S. count me in for several of each if it's those two.

[Javabean]

[*]Yamato will look into changing the shoulder hinge design when they get back to Japan. I’ve told them the plastic needs to be thicker. They will look into it. I will follow up with them about this in a few weeks.

Graham

Great feedback, Graham, appreciate yr hard work!

If in future Yamata does change the shoulder hinge, perhaps to a thicker one as you suggested, hopefully it can just fit into our existing VF-1. We don't want to buy everything all over again.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Thank you again for your time and looking into this issues!!!!

I like the part of two new molds and accesories/figures.

Sad about the part of no enemy mecha planned

[Tober]

Thanks for your work with Yamato, Graham. Much appreciated.

I guess it's a given that the other 'new sculpt' is the scaled down SDF Macross...

[Robelwell202]

Damn good work, Graham. It's nice to know that we have an advocate in contact with them.

I would've liked to find out about something, though... Maybe you can answer it for me. Does Yamato have a way of directly ordering parts, like decal sheets?

Thanks again, man!

[MacrossJunkie]

Awwww, so we're gonna have to wait until near the end of this year to find out

So does Yamato have anything to release in the time between now and then?

[Valkyrie addict]

Thank you Graham! you never fail to deliver

I suggest the best way to avoid knurled pins used by mistake is to grab them and throw them out the window

I bet the new VF is the VF-17D Nightmare!!!

[Max Jenius]

Beg and plead with them for a VF-17 variant done right.

[Arthurius]

but valkirie addict, that would make it 3 new molds, not 2... wish that was the case, but i thnk there is still a chance its one of the two new molds, afterall, there are so many repaints of it.

[Soundwave.ca]

Will be interesting to see what the new molds are, probably a good thing though as I'm looking to slow down a bit. Guess it's too much to hope for a VF-0D.

[pondo]

Thank you so much! I've been so bummed about the shoulder crack I was gonna go back to the 1/48!

[David Hingtgen]

Graham----technically we need a lot of light grey hinges, not white. White ones are needed, but I think we need more light grey than white. (VF-1S Roy is light grey, VF-1J Hikaru is white)

PS---technically, a VF-0D wouldn't be an all-new sculpt.

[Uxi]

Damn, I was hoping for a mirrored canopy Low-Viz VF-22S. A shame the process isn't reliable.

I was REALLY hoping for a green Q-rau. Seems like an easy repaint on an existing mold. Articulated pilot wasn't really realistic (unless they do a line of articulated Zents, which would tie into enemy mecha). Maybe I'll get a Max... What could they not like about the articulation?

My biggest single desires are aforementioned LV VF-22S, a 1/60 low-viz VF-1A (just like the 1/48 v1), and LV VF-1J, Regult, Green Q-rau, Nos Ger, and a Metal Siren.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Uxi

[potatobbq]

Just wanted to say thinks for everything you do for the Macross community, definitely very much appreciated!

[Valkyrie addict]

but valkirie addict, that would make it 3 new molds, not 2... wish that was the case, but i thnk there is still a chance its one of the two new molds, afterall, there are so many repaints of it.

I don't understand what you mean by the number of molds with what I said...

besides, the VF-17 has the advantage that Gerwalk wouldn't require too much engineering since the arms don't come out on that mode

Edited January 12, 2010 by Valkyrie addict

[m0n5t3r]

VF-4, VF-0D or VF-17 ... any of the three will be awesome!

good thing Graham got that VF-1J w/ GBP... now we can all go back to buying our Yamatos w/ some peace of mind...

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

As long as they make them good I'm happy.

I want the next thing to be a surprise release like the vb-6 monster was. (possibly variable glaug?)

There is no love for transforming alien chicken legged mecha on these boards.

Edited January 12, 2010 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Ghost Train]

I have a gut feeling the next valk will be the VF-4.

[sidearmsalpha]

So they only plan on releasing the GBP Armor Parts with the VF-1J or repainted with other VF's? This time around, they released the Super Parts separately. They should do the same for those who want to outfit other VF's other than the VF-1J with the GBP Armor.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Yamato will look into changing the shoulder hinge design when they get back to Japan. I’ve told them the plastic needs to be thicker. They will look into it. I will follow up with them about this in a few weeks.

Graham, if anything are they okay with using POM for the shoulder hinges? I would prefer metal, or a return to the 1/48 style backplate/shoulder hinges. On those ones, even if you push the hinges through the "stopper/bumps", the hinges will NOT break. I have done this many times on the 1/48 1S Hikaru I have, always thinking this is the way the arms are supposed to be swiveled from fighter to gerwalk, and have YET to have a breakage. Bear in mind my 1S Hikaru is now 7 years old, and those hinges aren't going to break in the forseeable future.

The best thing about the v2 1/60 shoulders is the tightness, unlike the 1/48, the ball joints do not feel prone to looseness over time. However the hinges themselves are better on the 1/48. Similar in function and look but the major exception being the lack of breakages on the 1/48 shoulder hinges.

The easy way out of this is to use diecast shoulder hinges on the v2 1/60, or at least POM.

[Graham]

Graham----technically we need a lot of light grey hinges, not white. White ones are needed, but I think we need more light grey than white. (VF-1S Roy is light grey, VF-1J Hikaru is white)

Good catch David, I will mention to Yamato.

A VF-0D would be at least 60% new tooling if not more.

Graham

[anotheran]

Thanks for keeping us MWF users in the loop!

Hope they can loop in HLJ for parts cuz overdrive sells out so fast. They're already selling Yamato weathering editions.

Too bad about the canopy. I think the mirror finish was cool but i'd prefer better quality.

A desert camo would be cool.

I'm happy those SDFs are selling better than they hoped. I'm seriously considering picking one up.

I helped Yamato out a bit, just picked up 2 more VF-1S Hikaru's. Good luck to Yamato and hope their sales improves a lot soon so we get more different valks.

[khyron_99]

Crap no VF-0D

Was hoping that they will make one. I wonder why are they not continuing the Zero series...

[Javabean]

My guess one of them will be VF-17.

[GGemini]

Thanks for the news!

If I read your signature correctly... we'll be finally getting the 17!!!!!