Your most recent Macross or toy purchase! General thread.

[kajnrig]

I was really hoping for the ending to be the arm letting go.

[TrickyCustomer]

1 minute ago, Slave IV said:

Nice! However, by the time the door opens and the Valk is able to be deployed, the fleet will already have been destroyed by the enemy.

lol yeah probably

[TrickyCustomer]

Just now, kajnrig said:

I was really hoping for the ending to be the arm letting go.

Yes that would be something! could always attach a firework i suppose

[Slave IV]

Speaking of nice 1/18 Autoarts...this thing is a beauty!

[TrickyCustomer]

5 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Speaking of nice 1/18 Autoarts...this thing is a beauty!

Nice, i have the mad max interceptor 1:18 clean version and the 1:43 mm2 cars.

[Shizuka the Cat]

As part of my "Manage your budget Shizuka" plan, I will stay home tonight instead of going out to a restaurant for dinner with a bunch of friends. I will stay home, have some rice, work on my research idea paper... and have Chrome constantly refreshing my eBay watch list.

Errr... maybe going out for dinner is not such a bad idea after all?  =)

BTW, noticed that there is an Arcadia 1/60 VF-1J Super Valkyrie (Miria) selling on eBay for $197, with free shipping, from AmiAmi.  *sigh* That's $25 cheaper than what I paid ordered directly from AmiAmi's website for the same toy (when accounting for the $40 DHL shipping).

Note to self: Avoid the stock market. My timing sucks.  =P

Edited March 23, 2018 by Shizuka the Cat

[Focslain]

17 hours ago, seti88 said:

 

This is too real. Between my new want of valks and Games Workshops recent releases/teases my wallet is going to running a gantlet til October at least. It's just about to get into the second bout of a double header. My first DX from the east and tomorrow dual Forgebanes.

 

[sh9000]

[anubis20]

 

[Mommar]

5 hours ago, anubis20 said:

 

Nice, that PX Exclusive Deathstroke is a wicked looking figure.  It's the type of thing that almost makes me wish I were a DC fan and I probably should have bought it anyway.

Edited March 24, 2018 by Mommar

[Shizuka the Cat]

Just out of curiosity, what are people's thoughts on the Toynami 1/100 scale 2010 SDCC Exclusive Macross Vinyl Zentradi Tactical Battlepod?

Is it worth getting at $45? 

I saw @jenius's Youtube video review of this item. Just wanted to get some more opinions.

[seti88]

12 hours ago, sh9000 said:

I have learnt, the only way to battle the borg bandai is a combination of an armored wallet and trans-phasic torpedo's.....

[sh9000]

5 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Just out of curiosity, what are people's thoughts on the Toynami 1/100 scale 2010 SDCC Exclusive Macross Vinyl Zentradi Tactical Battlepod?

Is it worth getting at $45? 

I saw @jenius's Youtube video review of this item. Just wanted to get some more opinions.

They still go well with HMR DYRL VF-1’s and they’re the only company so far to have released DYRL Regults but I wouldn’t pay more than $15-20 for them.

45 minutes ago, seti88 said:

I have learnt, the only way to battle the borg bandai is a combination of an armored wallet and trans-phasic torpedo's.....

I love Lanun Ranggi’s comics because they’re so true at times.

Edited March 24, 2018 by sh9000

[MacrossMania]

The Big O!

 

 

[borgified]

4 hours ago, MacrossMania said:

The Big O!

Can you do a comparison pic with the HMR version when it gets released (if possible)? Despite that the Yamato/Arcadia valks in the 1/60 looks more suitable, I do miss the Chunky Monkey versions.     

[ZorClone]

[MacrossMania]

6 hours ago, borgified said:

Can you do a comparison pic with the HMR version when it gets released (if possible)? Despite that the Yamato/Arcadia valks in the 1/60 looks more suitable, I do miss the Chunky Monkey versions.     

The best comparison pics I've seen are AFA vintage transformers and their modern day counterparts - usually Fans Toys.  I can still do a comparison pic.  But the Super O will still be in her box.  She'll never leave that old coffin of hers.  It's great.  I love it in there.  Like a museum piece and I want to keep it that way.  That's why I can't take it out and do a direct comparison tete-a-tete, figure to figure.  This piece is for posterity and shouldn't be disturbed.

[Shizuka the Cat]

6 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

The best comparison pics I've seen are AFA vintage transformers and their modern day counterparts - usually Fans Toys.  I can still do a comparison pic.  But the Super O will still be in her box.  She'll never leave that old coffin of hers.  It's great.  I love it in there.  Like a museum piece and I want to keep it that way.  That's why I can't take it out and do a direct comparison tete-a-tete, figure to figure.  This piece is for posterity and shouldn't be disturbed.

Wait... you are just going to leave her in the box? Unopened? 

[MacrossMania]

12 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Wait... you are just going to leave her in the box? Unopened? 

LOL yes of course.   You don't collect vintage toys and take them out for display.  The whole point of a museum quality piece is ruined at that point.  Everyone knows or least they should know that mint in box means it's never been disturbed, and mint in box is what preserves its value.  So no, it's not leaving the box.  This is less of an issue for the old vintage pieces because the box art is so amazing.  Bandai's chunky monkey's are no exception.  The artist is even quoted here bottom right corner.  It's going to AFA to be graded.

 

[dragonstar1982]

Finally picked up my first metal build Gundam

[Shizuka the Cat]

58 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

LOL yes of course.   You don't collect vintage toys and take them out for display.  The whole point of a museum quality piece is ruined at that point.  Everyone knows or least they should know that mint in box means it's never been disturbed, and mint in box is what preserves its value.  So no, it's not leaving the box.  This is less of an issue for the old vintage pieces because the box art is so amazing.  Bandai's chunky monkey's are no exception.  The artist is even quoted here bottom right corner.  It's going to AFA to be graded.

 

I can understand playing with your toy.

And I can understand putting your toy on display, so that you can gaze at it lovingly.

But, if it never leaves the box, are you collecting it because you like it, or because you want it to go up in monetary value? You can''t touch the valkyrie. You can't even really look at it either, except for the bit that peeks thru the window.

I guess I can understand the monetary valuation thing if you see the item as an investment.

But as a fan, I am trying to comprehend.

Admittedly, I put an Arcadia 1/60 VF-1J Super Valkyrie (Miria) into my closet unopened for storage. But... that is because I *cough cough* sort of bought 2 of them, since I wanted to have one as a back-up. I also did that back when I bought 2 of each of the 3 "Maria-sama ga Miteru" rosarios years ago from Animate @ Akihabara... 1 each for cosplaying and 1 each for backup storage.

Oh no.... Suddenly, I am reminded of Kanata from "Lucky Star" saying that she collects 3 of every item.... 1 to play with, 1 for display, and 1 for storage.

Oh no..... oh no! I've become that girl!

No no... she bought 3 of everything. I only bought 2. I'm not at her level yet. *whew* SAFE!

[MacrossMania]

44 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

I can understand playing with your toy.

And I can understand putting your toy on display, so that you can gaze at it lovingly.

But, if it never leaves the box, are you collecting it because you like it, or because you want it to go up in monetary value? You can''t touch the valkyrie. You can't even really look at it either, except for the bit that peeks thru the window.

I guess I can understand the monetary valuation thing if you see the item as an investment.

But as a fan, I am trying to comprehend.

Admittedly, I put an Arcadia 1/60 VF-1J Super Valkyrie (Miria) into my closet unopened for storage. But... that is because I *cough cough* sort of bought 2 of them, since I wanted to have one as a back-up. I also did that back when I bought 2 of each of the 3 "Maria-sama ga Miteru" rosarios years ago from Animate @ Akihabara... 1 each for cosplaying and 1 each for backup storage.

Oh no.... Suddenly, I am reminded of Kanata from "Lucky Star" saying that she collects 3 of every item.... 1 to play with, 1 for display, and 1 for storage.

Oh no..... oh no! I've become that girl!

No no... she bought 3 of everything. I only bought 2. I'm not at her level yet. *whew* SAFE!

So I hate to say it, but you answered your own questions!  So yea, the fact that you put one safely in storage so that it can never ever see the skein of sunlight that will slowly destroy it over time and mitigate that feeling of beauty when you first take it out of the box and gaze upon it with all of its furious glory - yea, that feeling.  That's the feeling we MISB collectors all try to preserve.  The feeling of perfection right up to the point of opening a toy and taking it out to play with.  There's something about preserving that feeling that we're all chasing after, and well all do in our own way I guess.  I just happen to do it (as a lot of others do) by keeping it pristine and untouched in the original box.  

And of course you have to understand we are talking about a 34 year old toy in basically pristine condition.  A few condition issues on the corners, but for all intents and purposes perfect.  Do you know how hard that is to find, and to be one of the lucky few in the world to get your hands on a piece like that?  And you want to destroy that with your meddlesome, common hands that don't have the taste to understand what you're holding?  It would be like Judas taking a drink out of the holy grail or taking communion.  Or Macbeth throwing up his hands in vain to god, because he doesn't have it in himself to repent.  What's the point? 

To put it plainly, I'm not just driven by avarice.  I don't collect to make money, I collect to preserve and to marvel, to dream. But the thrill of the hunt is not only achieving the pinnacle of beauty by finding the perfect toy and the perfect display, but also in preserving it.  And therein lies a collector's pride.  His joy he takes in finding the piece nobody else could find.  His pride he takes in doing what legions of collectors will do before and after him, long after he is dead and gone, preserving it for future generations to come.  And to find one in this condition, with that amount of artwork, and to be able one day to pass the mantle to other collectors who will do the same, is to keep the daisy chain going.

[Shizuka the Cat]

7 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

So I hate to say it, but you answered your own questions!  So yea, the fact that you put one safely in storage so that it can never ever see the skein of sunlight that will slowly destroy it over time and mitigate that feeling of beauty when you first take it out of the box and gaze upon it with all of its furious glory - yea, that feeling.  That's the feeling we MISB collectors all try to preserve.  The feeling of perfection right up to the point of opening a toy and taking it out to play with.  There's something about preserving that feeling that we're all chasing after, and well all do in our own way I guess.  I just happen to do it (as a lot of others do) by keeping it pristine and untouched in the original box.  

And of course you have to understand we are talking about a 34 year old toy in basically pristine condition.  A few condition issues on the corners, but for all intents and purposes perfect.  Do you know how hard that is to find, and to be one of the lucky few in the world to get your hands on a piece like that?  And you want to destroy that with your meddlesome, common hands that don't have the taste to understand what you're holding?  It would be like Judas taking a drink out of the holy grail or taking communion.  Or Macbeth throwing up his hands in vain to god, because he doesn't have it in himself to repent.  What's the point? 

To put it plainly, I'm not just driven by avarice.  I don't collect to make money, I collect to preserve and to marvel, to dream. But the thrill of the hunt is not only achieving the pinnacle of beauty by finding the perfect toy and the perfect display, but also in preserving it.  And therein lies a collector's pride.  His joy he takes in finding the piece nobody else could find.  His pride he takes in doing what legions of collectors will do before and after him, long after he is dead and gone, preserving it for future generations to come.  And to find one in this condition, with that amount of artwork, and to be able one day to pass the mantle to other collectors who will do the same, is to keep the daisy chain going.

That does sound kind of wonderful.... *starry eyes*

Technically, I am not putting the back-up copy into storage to never be opened. I do anticipate opening it, after the 1st once eventually dies on me. I'm not trying to preserve the back-up per say, nor am I opposed to opening the back-up's box. But it is very much like the spare tire on my Honda SUV, waiting for when it is its time to be used.

But... I do think I can kind of understand a little bit about the appeal you speak of. 

[MacrossMania]

8 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

That does sound kind of wonderful.... *starry eyes*

Technically, I am not putting the back-up copy into storage to never be opened. I do anticipate opening it, after the 1st once eventually dies on me. I'm not trying to preserve the back-up per say, nor am I opposed to opening the back-up's box. But it is very much like the spare tire on my Honda SUV, waiting for when it is its time to be used.

But... I do think I can kind of understand a little bit about the appeal you speak of. 

Ok starry eyes, maybe you've convinced yourself that the one you keep in storage is only a spare tire, but you're close.

 

[Slave IV]

Oh @Shizuka the Cat, you are learning the ways of the Macross Force! 

But yeah, there is a thread about collecting MISB. Something like the Chunky Monkey is a classic. One of my favorite, if not THE favorite toy of all time. I've had one since original release and they've been around my life since. I know the toy very well...hell, I've won a Chunky Monkey transformation contest. Point being, I have the toy open and have played with it all my life. I have several versions of it because I collect toys. I don't need to open every one of them because I know what's inside and what it's all about. Looking at the shiny new box and just knowing I own it is plenty of enjoyment to me. Opening every one I own is not going to add anything to my enjoyment. 

[seti88]

The best misb's are those with a plastic window see through...if I could turn back time I would tell my young self to preserve my chunky monkeys...till now they are still with me but ostrich is yellowing with a broken backpack connector and Roy as yellow with an arm missing..

[MacrossMania]

17 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Oh @Shizuka the Cat, you are learning the ways of the Macross Force! 

But yeah, there is a thread about collecting MISB. Something like the Chunky Monkey is a classic. One of my favorite, if not THE favorite toy of all time. I've had one since original release and they've been around my life since. I know the toy very well...hell, I've won a Chunky Monkey transformation contest. Point being, I have the toy open and have played with it all my life. I have several versions of it because I collect toys. I don't need to open every one of them because I know what's inside and what it's all about. Looking at the shiny new box and just knowing I own it is plenty of enjoyment to me. Opening every one I own is not going to add anything to my enjoyment. 

If she's learning the force, then hell I must be a Jedi.  Though to put it in Yoda terms, the dark arts was not that I would hope to master.  I would only take comfort in the fact that Rembrandt went bankrupt collecting, serving as inspiration for his art.  Perhaps in some small corner of the universe the dark art of my collection serves as a more solid foundation for other, higher arts I may sign my soul to.  

[Slave IV]

10 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

If she's learning the force, then hell I must be a Jedi.  Though to put it in Yoda terms, the dark arts was not that I would hope to master.  I would only take comfort in the fact that Rembrandt went bankrupt collecting, serving as inspiration for his art.  Perhaps in some small corner of the universe the dark art of my collection serves as a more solid foundation for other, higher arts I may sign my soul to.  

That's deep! If the Macross Force is strong with the dark side, it has brought me a lot of enjoyment, sparked a lot of imagination and made me a very bad boy. 

Speaking of which, my missile Regults finally arrived today. Got to think about rearranging my HMR shelf to accommodate them. 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Slave IV

[borgified]

4 hours ago, MacrossMania said:

The best comparison pics I've seen are AFA vintage transformers and their modern day counterparts - usually Fans Toys.  I can still do a comparison pic.  But the Super O will still be in her box.  She'll never leave that old coffin of hers.  It's great.  I love it in there.  Like a museum piece and I want to keep it that way.  That's why I can't take it out and do a direct comparison tete-a-tete, figure to figure.  This piece is for posterity and shouldn't be disturbed.

 

27 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Oh @Shizuka the Cat, you are learning the ways of the Macross Force! 

But yeah, there is a thread about collecting MISB. Something like the Chunky Monkey is a classic. One of my favorite, if not THE favorite toy of all time. I've had one since original release and they've been around my life since. I know the toy very well...hell, I've won a Chunky Monkey transformation contest. Point being, I have the toy open and have played with it all my life. I have several versions of it because I collect toys. I don't need to open every one of them because I know what's inside and what it's all about. Looking at the shiny new box and just knowing I own it is plenty of enjoyment to me. Opening every one I own is not going to add anything to my enjoyment. 

 

6 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

If she's learning the force, then hell I must be a Jedi.  Though to put it in Yoda terms, the dark arts was not that I would hope to master.  I would only take comfort in the fact that Rembrandt went bankrupt collecting, serving as inspiration for his art.  Perhaps in some small corner of the universe the dark art of my collection serves as a more solid foundation for other, higher arts I may sign my soul to.  

I can see why you want to preserve the 1/55 Ostrich and I don't blame you. There's actually an auction on ebay for the same copy of the 1/55 Ostrich asking for roughly $2,300.00 USD MIB (from fairwaycomicsncollectibles).  Hmmm.. In this case, you can still do your comparison pics with the boxed 1/55 and the HMR then.

On a side note, one of my friends from YYZ has acquired a G1 Grand Max from an auction six years ago and has it encased in a plastic prison (has opened up for verification purposes and authenticity) after that. Don't know if he still has it with him or had it shipped to his parent's/brother's house in YYZ for safekeeping as he is working in Mainland China.  

[MacrossMania]

28 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

That's deep! If the Macross Force is strong with the dark side, it has brought me a lot of enjoyment, sparked a lot of imagination and made me a very bad boy. 

Speaking of which, my missile Regults finally arrived today. Got to think about rearranging my HMR shelf to accommodate them. 

Shallow was never my forte.  So yes, I'll go collect those Regults now.

[MacrossMania]

2 minutes ago, borgified said:

 

 

I can see why you want to preserve the 1/55 Ostrich and I don't blame you. There's actually an auction on ebay for the same copy of the 1/55 Ostrich asking for roughly $2,300.00 USD MIB (from fairwaycomicsncollectibles).  Hmmm.. In this case, you can still do your comparison pics with the boxed 1/55 and the HMR then.

On a side note, one of my friends from YYZ has acquired a G1 Grand Max from an auction six years ago and has it encased in a plastic prison (has opened up for verification purposes and authenticity) after that. Don't know if he still has it with him or had it shipped to his parent's/brother's house in YYZ for safekeeping as he is working in Mainland China.  

what I love about the collecting game.  It knows no boundaries, ethnicities, etc.  It is truly blind to those superficialities that blind us all in superficial judgments about one another.  It is truly magnanimous, equal, equanimous.  Truly judged in the spirit of your character which cannot be helped.  And so a man may love a thing in China that is just as much loved half a world over in a completely foreign continent, though the thing be held in the same high esteem because the values are the same.  Collecting is the great equalizer.  The great human justifier.

 

[Slave IV]

12 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

what I love about the collecting game.  It knows no boundaries, ethnicities, etc.  It is truly blind to those superficialities that blind us all in superficial judgments about one another.  It is truly magnanimous, equal, equanimous.  Truly judged in the spirit of your character which cannot be helped.  And so a man may love a thing in China that is just as much loved half a world over in a completely foreign continent, though the thing be held in the same high esteem because the values are the same.  Collecting is the great equalizer.  The great human justifier.

 

And that is why I say collecting is in my blood. I will always be a collector. 

[Scyla]

@MacrossMania I never understood MISB or AFA collectors and one of my collection goals had always been to get an AFA graded G1 Dreadwind and Darkwing and release them from their prisons.

But something in your description of why you do it really spoke to me.

Thank you for that.

I bought a Yamato VF-19F and VF-17D to flush out my M7 collection. They will be opened and played with though.

[Shizuka the Cat]

What is AFA?

[MacrossMania]

2 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

What is AFA?

Action Figure Authority.  It's the standard in the industry for getting a figure graded.  100 is perfect (there are only a handful of AFA 100's in the world), and 85 is considered "collector's grade" for fussy collectors like me.  80 is about standard, and everything below that from 70 on up is basically amateur or novice collecting.  Below that is not even worth mentioning.  AFA is not universally accepted though.  Their grading is sometimes inconsistent and the very idea that a random entity could anoint itself as the final authority on what constitutes acceptable collecting is still in controversy to this day.  Although it has been generally accepted as an industry standard at this point.  Mainly because of their high standards.