Q-rau

[gnollman]

Heck with a Glaug... I want a Regult... plain, light and heavy artillery, AND recon...

[nhyone]

The pilot seems rather small.. (Well, the figure is big! ) I wonder how tall is she compared to the 1/60 VF. (Checking for scale consistency)

[Anubis]

Heck with a Glaug... I want a Regult... plain, light and heavy artillery, AND recon...

I, too would really like a Regult on my shelf. I hope it's the next enemy mecha they make.

[Anubis]

The pilot seems rather small.. (Well, the figure is big! ) I wonder how tall is she compared to the 1/60 VF. (Checking for scale consistency)

As it comes closer to release, I'm sure more pics will surface to confirm the size of the mecha and the pilot.

[TheLoneWolf]

The Q-rau looks absolutely stunning. But I cannot justify spending $120 on a non-transforming toy. All this time we rationalized the high cost of the 1/48's by noting that transforming toys are extremely complex (well, in Yamato's case anyways). Now, we have a non-transforming toy at the same cost. Yamato's definitely playing up their "exclusive" card this time. Good job on the detail, I love it. I just can't say the same about the price.

Nice looking, but I will probably not be getting the Q-Rau simply because every picture I have seen of it, it has been propped up with boxes. I don't want something that won't stand up on it's own....no matter how unbelievably cool looking it is.

I hadn't noticed that either. This brings back bad memories of the 1/72 YF-21. :shudder:

[EXO]

The Q-rau looks absolutely stunning. But I cannot justify spending $120 on a non-transforming toy. All this time we rationalized the high cost of the 1/48's by noting that transforming toys are extremely complex (well, in Yamato's case anyways). Now, we have a non-transforming toy at the same cost. Yamato's definitely playing up their "exclusive" card this time. Good job on the detail, I love it. I just can't say the same about the price.

Nice looking, but I will probably not be getting the Q-Rau simply because every picture I have seen of it, it has been propped up with boxes. I don't want something that won't stand up on it's own....no matter how unbelievably cool looking it is.

I hadn't noticed that either. This brings back bad memories of the 1/72 YF-21. :shudder:

To add, the MPC Prime is a transforming toy that is bigger than the 1/48. And to get the Takara version doesn't cost us as much. I'm not complaining about Yamato. I know the cost isn't the same as it is in Japan. But what gives? The 1/48 is almost all plastic and the Prime is some heavy die-cast toy. I know the boxes are bigger but is it the box size that is costing us?

Anyway, the Q-rau price sounds fair if compared to the 1/48. it's that MPC Prime that's throwing me for a loop... <_>

[Hiriyu]

Development time from a qualified sculptor costs a lot of money. Molds cost a HELL of a lot of money. Getting this monster from a sketch to manufacturing to retail and all the related costs involved therein cost a LOT of money.

While I agree the price seems a little high, you have to remember: This isn't a gundam. Quality of this caliber costs money, especially for what are essentially very limited runs and as was already pointed out, the Yen/Dollar rate sucks for us right now. Regardless of what us slobbering fools at MW seem to think, neither this q-rau nor any of the Macross toys are going to sell in the kinds of numbers that would allow them to sell this toy at a $60-$80 price mark. Macross is a niche market, and just like college textbooks cost a buttload more money to purchase because of the economies of scale, Macross toys cost more becuase they simply have to sell them for more to recoup their expenses. Or at least Macross toys of Yamato's quality do.

I for one am stoked about this one if only for the fact it isn't another VF-1. I'd love it to be cheaper just like everyone else, but at the same time, I don't think that the Yamato executives are laughing on their way to the bank with sacks of money.

You've got it nailed on the head. I make my living doing tool & die work (injection molds, vacuum forms, steam chests, presses, patterns, etc.) and I can verify that tooling costs for this baby are probably fairly high. Not to mention that they have tooling costs associated with the packaging as well.

Sure, Yamato's per-unit cost is probably around $20-25.00 including packaging (can't forget labor and transportation costs), but they need to amortize the cost of tooling/production through a [likely] small production run, and turn a profit in the end.

[Kamineko]

Nice looking, but I will probably not be getting the Q-Rau simply because every picture I have seen of it, it has been propped up with boxes. I don't want something that won't stand up on it's own....no matter how unbelievably cool looking it is.

I can foresee a market for little acrylic cubes or perhaps even more demand for those aircraft stands . . .

[yellowlightman]

Anyway, the Q-rau price sounds fair if compared to the 1/48. it's that MPC Prime that's throwing me for a loop...

Tooling costs aside, Takara is gonna sell way more MPC Prime's then Yamato will sell 1/48ths. They can sell it for less of a profit and still make more money.

[Göönk]

Anyway, the Q-rau price sounds fair if compared to the 1/48.

"compared"? What do you mean "compared"?

Nothing to compare. Different size, different scale, non-transforming

[Omni Existence]

Ugh....here we go again.

A little but 2 years ago, everyone was clamoring for enemy mechs for the 1/60's, NOT taking into consideration the possible price tag that it will have.

Now that we have it, size, detail and all, everyone complains about the price.

For cripessake, just skip the damned thing if you feel that it's not worth it. Or just wait for it to go on sale with severly marked down prices.

You keep comparing it with the MPC Prime withought considering that Takara is already an established company, and CAN AFFORD 3rd, 4th, 5th, nth releases of a particular toy in their line.

All this debate about the price isn't going to change anything. It never does.

You either bend over and get reamed or turn the other cheek and walk away. Choose your poison.

[EXO]

Anyway, the Q-rau price sounds fair if compared to the 1/48.  it's that MPC Prime that's throwing me for a loop...

Tooling costs aside, Takara is gonna sell way more MPC Prime's then Yamato will sell 1/48ths. They can sell it for less of a profit and still make more money.

Yeah... I answered my own question before coming back to this thread. I for got that Takara is tied in with a bigger company and a bigger franchise.

"compared"? What do you mean "compared"?

Nothing to compare. Different size, different scale, non-transforming

So you're unable to compare 2 products? Unable to weigh in the differences and costs? That's your problem.

Omni, I'm with you. Don't like the price... don't spend the money. People were buying old yellow Vf-1s a couple of years ago for more than this. I don't think it's the old school collectors that know the joy of "inexpensive" Macross toys such as this that are complaining.

[Göönk]

I don't think it's the old school collectors that know the joy of "inexpensive" Macross toys such as this that are complaining.

So you're unable to know what "inexpensive" mean? that's your problem.

[Aegis!]

Mate , this is funny

Development time from a qualified sculptor costs a lot of money. Molds cost a HELL of a lot of money. Getting this monster from a sketch to manufacturing to retail and all the related costs involved therein cost a LOT of money.

While I agree the price seems a little high, you have to remember: This isn't a gundam. Quality of this caliber costs money, especially for what are essentially very limited runs and as was already pointed out, the Yen/Dollar rate sucks for us right now.

Your right , every toy has to go through all of the stages you pointed out ,and that cost MONEY , but my point is : WHY should the Q-rau cost even more even when taking this into account ? particularly when the engineering involved is so simplistic in comparison to a valk (regardless of it scale).

let´s brake this into those stages :

- Designing and sculpting : this should be a lot less tedious in comparison to a VF-1 , there´s no transformation mechanism to be designed or thought out hence CHEAPER.

- Manufacturing costs : Less parts to be assembled plus little die cast , no transformation means simpler assembly.

Size is not or shouln´t be the reason for the price of this thing , size itself doesn´t mean anything unless it reflexs the ammount of plastic or die-cast in the toy and since plastic isn´t costly at all and there seems to be almost no die-cast content on the Q-rau I honestly don´t see why it should be so expensive.

[bandit29]

I honestly don´t see why it should be so expensive.

I don't see why you are bitching about a toy that you probably won't buy anyway..stop wasting MW's bandwith with your whining...

[Omni Existence]

Mate , this is funny

Development time from a qualified sculptor costs a lot of money. Molds cost a HELL of a lot of money. Getting this monster from a sketch to manufacturing to retail and all the related costs involved therein cost a LOT of money.

While I agree the price seems a little high, you have to remember: This isn't a gundam. Quality of this caliber costs money, especially for what are essentially very limited runs and as was already pointed out, the Yen/Dollar rate sucks for us right now.

Your right , every toy has to go through all of the stages you pointed out ,and that cost MONEY , but my point is : WHY should the Q-rau cost even more even when taking this into account ? particularly when the engineering involved is so simplistic in comparison to a valk (regardless of it scale).

let´s brake this into those stages :

- Designing and sculpting : this should be a lot less tedious in comparison to a VF-1 , there´s no transformation mechanism to be designed or thought out hence CHEAPER.

- Manufacturing costs : Less parts to be assembled plus little die cast , no transformation means simpler assembly.

Size is not or shouln´t be the reason for the price of this thing , size itself doesn´t mean anything unless it reflexs the ammount of plastic or die-cast in the toy and since plastic isn´t costly at all and there seems to be almost no die-cast content on the Q-rau

That's pretty dead on, but we're forgetting one thing.

We don't know SQUAT about what other processes Yamato uses, or what transpires in their developing offices, or their factories.

We do not have the exact numbers of 1 + 1 = 2 to give any opinions that are even close to "correct" A lot of the things we say, and debate about these things are PURELY SPECULATION, unless we have insider info that provides us with Step 1, Step 2, Step 3, so on so forth, of the processes Yamato takes, their expenses, how many items will be released, will there be a 2nd, or 3rd release, etc.

again, PURE SPECULATION.

I honestly don´t see why it should be so expensive.

I believe it's called PREROGATIVE.

Yes, speculating is fun, but it does get old.

[Nightbat]

So you're unable to know what "inexpensive" mean? that's your problem.

Depends on what you call "Expensive"

(600$ 2nd hand Bandai 1/55 Elint anyone? or did those reach $1000 once?)

but if you find the Q-rau expensive, just imagine if it were a resin-kit

and those don't transform, hell, you have to build and paint the damned thing yourself

tell me why those things have to be so expensive

I surely am aware that there are cheaper hobbies around

[Aegis!]

I honestly don´t see why it should be so expensive.

I don't see why you are bitching about a toy that you probably won't buy anyway..stop wasting MW's bandwith with your whining...

Now , explain to me , why should I NOT buy the Q-rau ? because I find it expensive ? that´s a joke.

Of course I´m gonna buy one (even if they only come in red ) , but that doesn´t mean I shouldn´t be curious about the reason for its pricing. If I want it I´ll pay its price but I´ll still think its price is unreasonable for the number of features and the simplicity of its desing (regardless of the level of detail involved).

My problem (if there really was one ) is not that I want it to be any cheaper so I can buy one , it´s that I would want to know WHY it´s that expesive with no aparent reason , of course I can think of many reason why it should be cheaper but that doesn´t help a bit , so it´s very acceptable to ask the reason behind its pricing.

I really don´t know why you should react so violently but I certainly wasn´t bitching or insulting you or Yamato in any case , as I said , I just want to know why it´s more expensive than a normal 1/60 VF-1 (or as expensive as a 1/48 if you want to compared between similar sizes) when it doesn´t transform and it doesn´t feature as much die-cast neither it features any apparent special trick.

If size is the only reason behind its price then it´s certainly overpriced because the sole ammount of plastic isn´t a relveant variable in the pricing of this thing , and once again , the manufacturing costs shouldn´t differ favourably towards Yamato finaces i.e. if it doesn´t transform its design & manufacturing costs should actually be cheaper.

Again, price is not a problem but it should be clearly justified

[Checkmate]

amen to that!

[VF-1Guy]

I personally think this item is over priced for what it is. I'm not convinced that the design, development & manufacturing costs warrent the price tag. I think it may have more to do with history. Yamato knows that the core Macross collecting community will pay the price. Why not maximize the profit? The upside is that there will be more money for Yamato to develop new products.

I'll probably end up getting one and only one Q-Rau. I don't see a need to spend that much on color variations.

[mister_e]

I keep hearing people mention (in this thread) that the Q-Rau doesn't contain any/much die-cast. How do you know? You don't. Just because the pre-release pictures have shown the toy propped up does not mean that it has no die-cast, you're just assuming. I'm not saying it DOES have die-cast, I'm just saying that unless Yamato themselves say it doesn't have any/much die-cast, don't assume it doesn't.

Of course, I will open mouth and insert foot if Yamato HAS released said statement already .

[gnollman]

I think I'm gonna hold out and see if they make a green or purple one...

[bandit29]

I just want to know why it´s more expensive than a normal 1/60 VF-1 (or as expensive as a 1/48 if you want to compared between similar sizes) when it doesn´t transform and it doesn´t feature as much die-cast neither it features any apparent special trick.

I don't get the same scale/same price concept. Just because it's 1/60 scale doesn't mean its going to cost the same as a 1/60 VF-1. That's rather dumb to think that way. With that logic one could say that 1/48 YF-19 or 1/48 SDF-1(lol ya I l know its impossible) should sell for the same price as 1/48 VF-1.

Part of the price we are paying is due to size and the size of the molds, boxes etc. Plus we don't know all of the material used in the Q-rau yet.

Granted I think the Q-rau should be cheaper. It is cheaper than a 1/48 VF-1 but not by much. Also I think Yamato is making a mistake by not releasing a TV green version. The Blue Max version would be a waste. This could change of course since we don't know Yamato's plans for certain.

You're not going to get a real answer on why it costs so much from Yamato. No company is going to reveal their cost.

I wonder if this Q-rau comes with a display stand since every pic I'v seen its propped up by clear boxes.

[rewooh]

isn't this thing suppose to be HUDGE?

like bigger than the VF-1 line?

I would think, the bigger the more pricy because more material is used and such.

[Hiriyu]

I would think, the bigger the more pricy because more material is used and such.

What you guys are forgetting is that materials cost is close to nil in a product like this, particularly when made in China. What you are really paying for is all of the production work leading up to that pretty toy in your hands, and Yamato is not going to do it for free. I wouldn't either . Basic capitalism at work folks.

I don't buy into the argument that it should be cheaper because it's non-transforming. As I stated previously, Yamato needs to amortize their costs for this item through what will probably be a fairly small production run (we need to think in relative terms here), and still be able to see enough profit to make it worth their while. This is not an item that is going to sell in the hundreds of thousands or even tens of thousands of units like some other toys on the market. Therefore, they will be priced so as to partially guarantee at least a break-even point should sales be below expectation.

[EXO]

Hey I got an idea, why don't we wait until it comes out and someone does a review on it before all the whining and groaning...

Has Yamato come out with a Macross toy that wasn't worth it just yet???

<_>

[Zentrandude]

Hey I got an idea, why don't we wait until it comes out and someone does a review on it before all the whining and groaning...

Has Yamato come out with a Macross toy that wasn't worth it just yet???

does the 1/60 vf-1 d count?

[Hiriyu]

Hey I got an idea, why don't we wait until it comes out and someone does a review on it before all the whining and groaning...

Excellent Idea! I propose we change the subject

...and have a very merry unbirthday!

[Rick_Randy]

cool. but is myria "articulated"?

I wonder what they would use as a pilot if ever a 1/48 emerged? (barbie with green hair?)

[Vostok 7]

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG IT HAS A MILLIA FIGURE.

[/dies for the 19873219737971466779182378737th time]

Vostok 7

[Rick Randy]

agreed, a regult is a good idea even if they just release a normal one. to save space, it should be packed in the box

with its legs folded,that should make it around half its standing size

maybe i am, too optimistic but it may work as a 1/48

packed that way to save cardboard..

as with the qrau that sucker is around 2x as big.

[sf648]

Sigh, I tried to avoid chiming in, but....

It occurs to me that people are not really looking at the economy of scale even with in the Macross World. One of the things that helped make the VF-1's cheaper is that with (minimal) re-tooling alot of the development work could be amortized over *every* VF-1 (1/48 and 1/60). Alot of the design work for the 1/48 was probably done during the 1/60th design process. Add to that the fact that yamato gets more sales out minimal changes in the VF-1 line. Notice that the release order leveraged alot of the commanlity in the VF-1. DYRL versions are minimal color changes. Fast Packs required new parts and minor re-tooling of existing parts, but could be leveraged on all VF-1's. TV versions require more extreme color changes, but leveraged the existing molds. VE-1 and VT-1 required more new parts with little potential for re-use.

So far we see the 1/48th part way down the same path the 1/60th took, and I'm sure Yamato is watching sales closely to see how far the path the should follow the 1/60th line. The low-viz was an interesting sideline since it required a major color change in production, but otherwise leveraged the existing VF-1A mold.

The Q-Rau is a logical choice for the first emeny craft. It's popular (Miryia is a popular character), and it provides 3 variations from a single mold (Red, Purple, and Green). Releasing green first might have cut into sales of the other two. I'd expect Red and Purple to be completely available (sold out?) before green gets announced. The regult has the problem that it would require retooling for each variation (regular, missle, and scout), and might not have the penetration that the Q-Rau has.

I'm guessing that Yamato is keeping close tabs on the model/resin market and following trend data found there to help make some of the decisions on releases...

So what does this have to do with prices? I'm sure Yamato has put *alot* of time into pricing each of these items. Yes, they know that the Macross fan base is 20-35 (instead of the 8-18 for dragonball z), with more "disposable" income. But they also have to make it cheap enough to motivate sales. Finally, consier that many people here seem to have several VF-1's of any sort (10+ in some cases), and each of us will probably end up with only 1-3 Q-Rau. And figure the average fan who might have only a single 1/60th VF, and will *not* buy anything else...the relative sales potential for the Q' is obviously pretty low, and that leads to high prices (for all of the sunk costs mentioned above).

Probably the right things to look at for comparison are things like the figure busts put out by McFalane and others. These painted (non-articulated) busts sell for $60-$300 depending on which character is modelled (and that's from a US company)...

[alien26]

So are they also releasing Max's blue Q-Rau? Cause I'm only interested in Millia's one if I can also have Max's(and I seem to be the only one who wants Max's!). I thought they were definitely gonna release a red and blue Q-Rau but some people make no mention of a blue one, but just the red, green and purple ones.

[Aegis!]

I agree with most people here , the Q-rau is beautiful and I will probably buy one (Red & green maybe) but I still don´t get the ¨it should be pricey cause it´s big¨ philosophy.

If it´s big it means it has A LOT of plastic (at the very least more than 50% ) , but given the fact that plastic is CHEAP and the design process is reatively simplier than a transforming toy there are fewer parts to manufacture (no transforming mechanism = fewer pieces) and assemble (fewer people in the production line ) this also means a shorter production line hence fewer costs.

now , if it had the option of shooting missiles off its missile bays and the pilot came articulated as well as a lot of openable panels and a lot of detail that would justify its price.

please don´t take this as whining ,I think they toy itself is quite justifiable as a great purchase , it´s just the price which is not justifiable.

[EXO]

...it provides 3 variations from a single mold (Red, Purple, and Green).

red, blue and purple...

the green one is the TV type. It has many differences from the DYRL type though they look similar.