Bandai DX VF-31

[Sandman]

8 minutes ago, jrhudson311 said:

I wonder what the DX line will offer up after its done with the Macross Delta planes......

Just thinking out loud here. 

That's still 4 years of releases, they'll probably be a new series by then.

[jrhudson311]

Just now, Sandman said:

That's still 4 years of releases, they'll probably be a new series by then.

oh yea, good point.

[Duymon]

gotta add that they'll probably do reissues which will take up a few of the release months between now and then

[Scyla]

I watched jenius review of the VF-31J with some of the comments I'm really surprised that people don't like the knee cap landing gears on the Siegfried. They are probably all aviation enthusiasts that need to have a specific design of landing gear to be satisfied.

To me the rear landing gear doors are an eyesore on many Valkyries. Especially on the Yamcadia VF-1 it is not aesthetically pleasing to me with the panels not aligning correctly. So I welcome to new style on the Siegfried.  

[jrhudson311]

1 minute ago, Duymon said:

gotta add that they'll probably do reissues which will take up a few of the release months between now and then

can I hope for a YF-21 or VF-22 in the far future, or do they not back track in the line like that?

Edited January 13, 2017 by jrhudson311

[MacrossJunkie]

3 hours ago, wm cheng said:

I will try that Vallejo Matte Varnish, its always hard to get a truly flat/matte finish with the future.  Does the Vallejo wear as well as the future?

The wear seems comparable based on multiple transformations. Most of the time though, even for flat finishes, I do mix with some Future. Another benefit over the Tamiya flat base is that I have been able to spray multiple coats without each subsequent coat looking whiter and whiter whereas with the Tamiya, you're limited with how many times you can spray and you had to spray the whole area because spot sprayed areas were visibly different. 

3 hours ago, Duymon said:

If you have the Vallejo matte varnish for hand brushing, DO NOT SPRAY IT. 

<---- NOOOO

If you're talking about Vallejo's Polyurethane matte varnish it's pretty good and it sprays very well.

<----TOTALLY OK

The entire Vallejo Polyurethane series has been great for me; especially their polyurethane spray primers which are arguably the best non lacquer primers I've ever used in my airbrush.

 

What issues have you had with the non-polyurethane version?

I've used it on my last 7 or so valks with no problem and with great looking results. This was entirely airbrushed except for a little hand brushing on the canopy frames.

Clean up was very easy and hassle free in my airbrushes as well.

 

I did see the polyurethane version a few days ago and ordered a bottle to try out. I wasn't sure how safe it was to spray over acrylics.

 

[wm cheng]

44 minutes ago, Duymon said:

The polyurethane matte varnish is already formulated to go straight out of an airbrush (i use iwata eclipse which has a .35 mm needle)

You can try thinning it with the same-brand airbrush thinner

However, I've never done it. I've only thinned down primers with this stuff and it worked like magic

Thanks Duymon, so what do you use to clean up the airbrush with after you're finished with it?

 

MacrossJunkie, so I take it you use the "Acrylic Resin" Matt varnish, is that also "pre-thinned" for airbrush use?  What do you use to clean your airbrush afterwards?

 

With these reports of the thin paint app, it makes me want to clear-coat protect these babies even more urgently.

 

I'd like to try these options out on my VF-19 Advanced fast packs when I get around to them.

 

About the VF-31J landing gear doors, they look so small, makes the plane look squat and are fiddly trying to swing the tires out - but most importantly, they don't roll, they roll by them selves, but when I put the plane down on the table, I can't push it.  To look plausible, they need to look like they could have some travel so when the aircraft lands, they can retract a bit to take the shock of the landing/aircraft's weight.

 

I do love playing with this toy and transforming it (I haven't even transformed my Arcadia YF-19 since that first harrowing attempt which made me afraid I was going to break or snap something) - its a really fun toy!  I really still don't like that frosted/metallic canopy though, aren't you supposed to see though your windshield?  They did it on the YF-30 which I hated, and now its even more opaque (wrong direction Bandai!)  I wished they just tinted it but still kept it clear like the VF-25s.  I also wished the red sensors on the nose was a bit more clear/translucent - the red they used might as well be a paint app. 

 

Does anyone feel that the fuselage piece right after the cockpit canopy and before the "big gap" seem just a hair under-sized?  I think its this undersize that makes the grey edge on the forward canopy section seem like its fading (because your seeing the white plastic perpendicular edge/face) and makes the gap behind it seem a little larger because its actually slightly undersized instead of being totally flush with the back piece behind it?

[Chronocidal]

42 minutes ago, Scyla said:

I watched jenius review of the VF-31J with some of the comments I'm really surprised that people don't like the knee cap landing gears on the Siegfried. They are probably all aviation enthusiasts that need to have a specific design of landing gear to be satisfied.

To me the rear landing gear doors are an eyesore on many Valkyries. Especially on the Yamcadia VF-1 it is not aesthetically pleasing to me with the panels not aligning correctly. So I welcome to new style on the Siegfried.  

I think people don't like them for a variety of reasons..

In terms of the toy itself, they're really just ugly and not very functional.  Wheels are so tiny and jammed into the doors that they don't roll, struts (if you can even call them that) are a generic lump of die-cast that doesn't even try to look like a gear strut.  Physically, they're the ugliest gear since the shopping cart wheels on the first VF-25 toy.

Both the DX and 1/72 kit basically put no effort at all into trying to make the gear look like the anime, which looked like your typical white gear strut, with the kneecap folded farther back.  The only place you'll see that is the 1/144 Tomytech kits, and possibly a future Hasegawa kit.

But yeah, in terms of actual aircraft design, they look literally like Kawamori got stupid lazy, and forgot to add gear before the valk was done.  Pretty much anything would have looked better for an actual aircraft.  I can appreciate the blended look, and not having doors hanging off, but the rear gear are probably the most questionably viable gear design Kawamori's ever come up with, especially for a carrier-based aircraft.  Any sort of hard landing, and those kneecaps are going to be slamming backwards into the legs, right into the micro missile magazines.

Edited January 13, 2017 by Chronocidal

[no3Ljm]

47 minutes ago, jrhudson311 said:

can I hope for a YF-21 or VF-22 in the far future, or do they not back track in the line like that?

Are you asking Bandai DX or Arcadia? If it's Bandai, we're not sure if they will since they always focus on what's new series for their DX line. Whereas with the HM-R, they started with the original SDF series so there's a chance that we might see old series more on the HM-R line.

Now, if you're asking for Arcadia, we're not sure too, but there's a chance too that they might reissue the old YF-21 or they should revisit it just like they did with the YF-19. The only concern we have with Arcadia is that we don't know what series they still have. Depending if they still have rights for it.

 

[jrhudson311]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Are you asking Bandai DX or Arcadia? If it's Bandai, we're not sure if they will since they always focus on what's new series for their DX line. Whereas with the HM-R, they started with the original SDF series so there's a chance that we might see old series more on the HM-R line.

Now, if you're asking for Arcadia, we're not sure too, but there's a chance too that they might reissue the old YF-21 or they should revisit it just like they did with the YF-19. The only concern we have with Arcadia is that we don't know what series they still have. Depending if they still have rights for it.

 

Awesome!

thank you for all that insight. 

[Duymon]

58 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

What issues have you had with the non-polyurethane version?

I've used it on my last 7 or so valks with no problem and with great looking results. This was entirely airbrushed except for a little hand brushing on the canopy frames.

Clean up was very easy and hassle free in my airbrushes as well.

I did see the polyurethane version a few days ago and ordered a bottle to try out. I wasn't sure how safe it was to spray over acrylics.

 

Whenever I tried doing the bottle version it turned all my space marine miniatures white O_o maybe it was an interaction with the citadel paint vs other paint brands or something but it wasn't pretty

31 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

Thanks Duymon, so what do you use to clean up the airbrush with after you're finished with it?

After draining the cup I use a Vallejo's Airbrush own cleaner. (the iwata / medea brand cleaner works well too) reason being Vallejo's aren't alcohol based like Tamiya acryls so you can't cheap out and use rubbing alcohol to clean your airbrush. Also you can't use windex or any ammonia-based cleaner either. If you do use either rubbing alcohol the vallejo congeals like mad and people will probably call the cops because your screams of rage over your mega-clogged airbrush will be heard for miles.

Basically drain the cup, q-tip dipped in cleaner, then spray a few ml of the cleaner followed by a cup of distilled water. It's a pain in the ass but since you usually only prime and varnish a model once it's totally fine. I would never do this process for a color change though got too many models to build to spend ages cleaning the airbrush.... therefore I use tamiya acryls for my actual coloring lol

If that seems like a total PITA maybe it might be good to use good-old future + flat base. It's so easy to clean lol

 

Edited January 13, 2017 by Duymon

[Lolicon]

1 hour ago, Scyla said:

I watched jenius review of the VF-31J with some of the comments I'm really surprised that people don't like the knee cap landing gears on the Siegfried. They are probably all aviation enthusiasts that need to have a specific design of landing gear to be satisfied.

To me the rear landing gear doors are an eyesore on many Valkyries. Especially on the Yamcadia VF-1 it is not aesthetically pleasing to me with the panels not aligning correctly. So I welcome to new style on the Siegfried.  

You're right, we do want a specific type of landing gear. Specifically, we want landing gear that aren't fugly and look functional, not shopping cart wheels.

These landing gear are a way bigger eye sore than *gasp* a visible landing gear bay door on an aircraft.

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

http://hlj.com/product/BANN06298

DX Chogokin VF-31J Siegfried (Hayate Immelmann)

 

Ummm...in stock. Go! Go! Go!

 

[no3Ljm]

^ And gone.

Spanner... was it you? 

 

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

Never mind. It's gone. But I snagged one.

[no3Ljm]

3 minutes ago, funkymonkeyjavajunky said:

Never mind. It's gone. But I snagged one.

Then, it was you. 

Somebody must've cancelled one.

 

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

7 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Then, it was you. 

Somebody must've cancelled one.

 

Damn! Timing is everything. I meant to click on my Messer link, and accidentally hit the other one. The Macross gods must be smiling on me today.

 

P.S. Order confirmation received.

Edited January 13, 2017 by funkymonkeyjavajunky

[no3Ljm]

7 minutes ago, funkymonkeyjavajunky said:

Damn! Timing is everything. I meant to click on my Messer link, and accidentally hit the other one. The Macross gods must be smiling on me today.

P.S. Order confirmation received.

Congrats then. 

 

[Lolicon]

Very fast and lucky, since there wasn't enough time for the FigInStock alert.

I got an alert yesterday morning and jumped on it, but got cart jacked. It was probably spanner. 

[no3Ljm]

^ Probably.

 

[MacrossJunkie]

1 hour ago, wm cheng said:

MacrossJunkie, so I take it you use the "Acrylic Resin" Matt varnish, is that also "pre-thinned" for airbrush use?  What do you use to clean your airbrush afterwards?

I thought I read somewhere that it was pre-thinned, but in any case, it can be thinned with distilled water or Vallejo's acrylic thinner, which is a whitish looking fluid. I mix mine with Future most of the time because of its smooth leveling properties and UV resistance and have had good results using the Tamiya acrylic thinner when mixing with Future. 

I rinse out and spray with tap water first then I use the Iwata airbrush cleaner or just rubbing alcohol and some airbrush cleaning brushes to clean out when I'm done. People say not to use rubbing alcohol to clean it because they've had problems with the matte varnish gumming up, but since I am sometimes contrarian, I tried using rubbing alcohol to clean it out of two different Badger airbrushes and have no issues whatsoever using it as a solvent on the matte varnish. Maybe because I rinse out the cup and spray with water first before I do any cleaning? So I dunno, based on personal experience it works for me and have no gumming or left over residue within the inner mechanics of my airbrushes, but YMMV with rubbing alcohol (just do not use as a thinner, but that is pretty much common sense).

I'll be trying out the polyurethane version sometime on some test pieces to see how it reacts to the paints I use.

Edited January 13, 2017 by MacrossJunkie

[MacrossJunkie]

56 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Are you asking Bandai DX or Arcadia? If it's Bandai, we're not sure if they will since they always focus on what's new series for their DX line. Whereas with the HM-R, they started with the original SDF series so there's a chance that we might see old series more on the HM-R line.

Now, if you're asking for Arcadia, we're not sure too, but there's a chance too that they might reissue the old YF-21 or they should revisit it just like they did with the YF-19. The only concern we have with Arcadia is that we don't know what series they still have. Depending if they still have rights for it.

 

I wouldn't mind if Bandai took a stab at doing Hayate's dad's VF-22 with it having Frontier/Delta aesthetics like they did with the VF-19 Advance.

[Duymon]

9 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

I wouldn't mind if Bandai took a stab at doing Hayate's dad's VF-22 with it having Frontier/Delta aesthetics like they did with the VF-19 Advance.

I have PTSD from transforming the Yammie VF-21's and 22's.

I cringe at the thought of how Bandai would tackle the leg stowage. It might actually end up being more over-engineered than the Yammie take and be covered in fragile paint

Edited January 13, 2017 by Duymon

[no3Ljm]

43 minutes ago, Duymon said:

I have PTSD from transforming the Yammie VF-21's and 22's.

I cringe at the thought of how Bandai would tackle the leg stowage. It might actually end up being more over-engineered than the Yammie take and be covered in fragile paint

Would love to see a DX one of this as well. Though they did have a Hi-Metal prototype before so hopefully they push that one through since their HM-R line is doing well.

 

[Duymon]

32 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Would love to see a DX one of this as well. Though they did have a Hi-Metal prototype before so hopefully they push that one through since their HM-R line is doing well.

 

But what happens to Hi-Metal R sales when SH9000 runs out of space to store all the boxes?

[no3Ljm]

30 minutes ago, Duymon said:

But what happens to Hi-Metal R sales when SH9000 runs out of space to store all the boxes?

 

[Lolicon]

Was thinking about buying a second super parts set and asked NY if I could just add it to my existing order. 

Their response:

"We cannot modify your existing order."

What kind of idiocy is that? Of course they can modify it. They just don't want to. Profiteering from inflated shipping costs. 

What kind of business says no to an additional sale? 

[no3Ljm]

15 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

Was thinking about buying a second super parts set and asked NY if I could just add it to my existing order. 

Their response:

"We cannot modify your existing order."

What kind of idiocy is that? Of course they can modify it. They just don't want to. Profiteering from inflated shipping costs. 

What kind of business says no to an additional sale? 

This is the DX VF-31J Super Parts, right? The answer to that probably is because they already charge us when we first order it since this is a Pay Now item. So basically, we already paid the product and the shipping cost for it. That means they already charged our credit cards. Adding an item to said paid order means they have to cancel the initial credit card charge and by doing so, they might pay cancellation charge on the credit card company. (Not 100% sure but we're have no idea how that works abroad. Not all countries have the same process.) And one thing also is that it's always a hassle to do this cancellation kind of transactions so that they can just add an order. It's probably at minimum cost but by doing all the process is really a hassle esp if they're just a small shop company. Now, in return they might ask us if they could charge us the cancellation fee to our credit card, and by doing that, most of us might react like why they need to do that. And of course most of us here will be pissed off since we're already paying in advance and then now they have to charge us for cancellation fees.

Yes, they can probably try and do those cancellation things but do remember that it's not always easy to do so.

 

Edited January 13, 2017 by no3Ljm

[Lolicon]

All they would have to charge me is the cost of an additional item and the difference in shipping cost due to the increased size and weight, which they have no problem doing on other orders, pay now or not.

They don't want to sell me an additional item, then screw them. I'll just pick them up later on Mandarake or something if I want them.

[Slave IV]

Just read their policy and instructions on combining and splitting orders. They have some policies that make things difficulat but it's all nbd if you know about them and make decisions accordingly. I was annoyed with some things about them when I first started using them but I still find that they end up with the best prices if you know what you are doing.

[Lolicon]

I coudn't find where it talks about splitting and combining orders. If it's relevant to this, can you provide a link to the NY page?

As far as pricing, they might have a lower price initially, but that quickly disappears and is useless to anyone who couldn't get a PO in early during the PO madness. For me at least, any savings pretty much evaporate anyway due to their higher shipping costs.

My 31J from HLJ only cost me 14400 yen, because of a drop of super glue on the nose cone (which I simply sanded off), so they gave me a 20% discount. Try getting that kind of customer service from NY.

Customer satisfaction and goodwill are difficult to measure, but are way more valuable than the slight bump in convenience NY gets from refusing to add to my order. That's why they're like my 5th or 6th choice when it comes to buying from.

[no3Ljm]

29 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Just read their policy and instructions on combining and splitting orders. They have some policies that make things difficulat but it's all nbd if you know about them and make decisions accordingly. I was annoyed with some things about them when I first started using them but I still find that they end up with the best prices if you know what you are doing.

5 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

I coudn't find where it talks about splitting and combining orders. If it's relevant to this, can you provide a link to the NY page?

As far as pricing, they might have a lower price initially, but that quickly disappears and is useless to anyone who couldn't get a PO in early during the PO madness. For me at least, any savings pretty much evaporate anyway due to their higher shipping costs.

My 31J from HLJ only cost me 14400 yen, because of a drop of super glue on the nose cone (which I simply sanded off), so they gave me a 20% discount. Try getting that kind of customer service from NY.

Customer satisfaction and goodwill are difficult to measure, but are way more valuable than the slight bump in convenience NY gets from refusing to add to my order. That's why they're like my 5th or 6th choice when it comes to buying from.

I think the splitting and combining is only applicable to preorders not paid.

But yeah, I understand that if adding items and shipping cost differentials it would be nice if they can do it. But sad to say, they don't. What sucks here is that I PO'ed one exclusive item before and paid for it. And then 2 days later, there was another web exclusive item that went for preorder and I ordered it too, and it sucks is that it will be available the same month. And I asked emailed them if they can combine and I got the same answer before that they cannot do it. It sucks but when I tried to compute it and see the difference (like do a dummy preorder on both same items and just use the shipping calulator to see the difference), I just found out that I lost atleast $8-10. The only thing I thought of is that I should've checked Tamashii site for the schedule days before. But it's too late now. But it is what it is now and I don't want to worry too much just because I lost an extra $10. But if it's $25 above something, then that's a different story.

 

 

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, Lolicon said:

Was thinking about buying a second super parts set and asked NY if I could just add it to my existing order. 

Their response:

"We cannot modify your existing order."

What kind of idiocy is that? Of course they can modify it. They just don't want to. Profiteering from inflated shipping costs. 

What kind of business says no to an additional sale? 

When i asked N-Y about this years ago, they said there was no point in doing this as the shipping would be the same price as buying them as two separate orders. BS if you ask me. I'm pretty sure they mark up shipping whenever they can.

[no3Ljm]

Hahaha! And here we are bad mouthing NY once again.

Hey NY! If you're reading this. Time to upgrade how to run business. 

 

[Slave IV]

Yeah, I mentioned the split and combining and the overall policies just to get to know what they are so you aren't surprised when you try to do something. Knowing how something works helps you make better decisions on how to use it. I dunno, I've never had any major problem with them and their shipping prices are usually around the same, sometimes lower than HLJ. I like to use them mainly for the low prices and it doesn't matter to me who other people use but I awalys think it's unfair to blame someone providing a service and giving you their policy and then shitting on them for sticking with their policy. Read their policies and make your decisions accordingly.