Bolt Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 Some of my favorite Valkyrie’s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blknblumark Posted March 28, 2019 Share Posted March 28, 2019 On 3/14/2019 at 10:47 PM, Blknblumark said: Northern Virginia. It was the UPS store. I agree it is crazy BS. There were/are several factors. First, I just walked in to a UPS store, who of course hikes up the price. Second, Amazon required DHL Worldwide Express for the return, no other method was acceptable to them. Third, they required it be insured for 25,000 jpy. Fourth, the package is ever so slightly big enough to be classified for a larger size, and the default weight went up to 44lbs. The UPS store's price was only slightly higher than DHL's website, which initially quoted me $279. I had the UPS store give me the weight and dimensions so I knew what to put in. In the end, I used DHL's website to pre-pay for the shipment, along with a coupon for 25% off. It still wasn't cheap and ran me just under $200, not including an automatic 20% upcharge in case I was lying to them on weight/size. This was the cheapest way I could find to send the package and still meet amazon's requirements, including asking a friend who works in logistics if he knew a different way, and calling DHL direct for some schmoozing. I got an email from amazon saying they understood the shipping charge and would be refunding me the purchase price (including shipping it to me) along with a large portion of the return shipping. The rest of the return shipping would be on a amazon gift card, which will likely go to HMRs or Arcadia flight stands. Just realized I did not provide an update. Amazon got the busted one back, and did refund the item, initial shipping, and 12k of return shipping. The remainder of the return shipping was applied to my account as a gift card, which I promptly spent on the HMR VF-4. I have another YF-19 coming that I got for ever so slightly more than the first one. After all of the stress of having so much money in limbo went away I realized that some of the sour feelings I experienced was related to knowing how good what I no longer had was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foblander Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 Anyone experience any looseness from this toy or is it holding up pretty well so far? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkx Posted March 29, 2019 Share Posted March 29, 2019 12 hours ago, Blknblumark said: Just realized I did not provide an update. Amazon got the busted one back, and did refund the item, initial shipping, and 12k of return shipping. The remainder of the return shipping was applied to my account as a gift card, which I promptly spent on the HMR VF-4. I have another YF-19 coming that I got for ever so slightly more than the first one. After all of the stress of having so much money in limbo went away I realized that some of the sour feelings I experienced was related to knowing how good what I no longer had was. Thanks for the update. I appreciate knowing what to expect if I ever need to deal with a return to amazon.jp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridden001 Posted March 31, 2019 Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 3/12/2019 at 9:14 AM, Foblander said: Mine came with a little out the box. It was definitely not from mishandling. That actually looks like they cut the sprues to deep along the edge. You’ll see that happen a lot along curved edges in folks new to Gunpla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti88 Posted March 31, 2019 Author Share Posted March 31, 2019 On 3/29/2019 at 12:49 PM, Foblander said: Anyone experience any looseness from this toy or is it holding up pretty well so far? Still holding up pretty well, no looseness detected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLion Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Anyone know if there are any more available and what is the best price? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontus Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 1 minute ago, RedLion said: Anyone know if there are any more available and what is the best price? Thanks One just came up in the for sale section for only $250. Shipping is $50 from Australia, but that's about the same total that I paid from Japan. I think there may be another for $280 iirc. Might be sold though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no3Ljm Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) 46 minutes ago, RedLion said: Anyone know if there are any more available and what is the best price? Thanks Mandarake has it from Y26000 to Y28000. Nippon-Yasan has it for Y31500. But those without shipping yet. So more or less you will play safe within the budget from $250 to $300. Edited April 6, 2019 by no3Ljm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLion Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 On 4/6/2019 at 4:00 PM, Pontus said: One just came up in the for sale section for only $250. Shipping is $50 from Australia, but that's about the same total that I paid from Japan. I think there may be another for $280 iirc. Might be sold though. Thanks for the info. Where is the store? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLion Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 On 4/6/2019 at 4:41 PM, no3Ljm said: Mandarake has it from Y26000 to Y28000. Nippon-Yasan has it for Y31500. But those without shipping yet. So more or less you will play safe within the budget from $250 to $300. Thanks I will check this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontus Posted April 12, 2019 Share Posted April 12, 2019 32 minutes ago, RedLion said: Thanks for the info. Where is the store? There's a for sale section here on the forum ya know. Here's a link. Looks like it's still for sale: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phangry Posted April 13, 2019 Share Posted April 13, 2019 On 4/6/2019 at 3:41 PM, no3Ljm said: Mandarake has it from Y26000 to Y28000. Nippon-Yasan has it for Y31500. But those without shipping yet. So more or less you will play safe within the budget from $250 to $300. Bit the bullet and ordered one off of Mandarake. After getting gouged on the DX VF-1A, I figured I may as well go for broke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kkx Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 6 hours ago, Phangry said: Bit the bullet and ordered one off of Mandarake. After getting gouged on the DX VF-1A, I figured I may as well go for broke. I did the same. Mandarake offers very good service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yami4ct Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Just had a catastrophic failure on the one I bought for Christmas. The diecast folding joint that connects the torso to the waist at the back of the collapsing spine piece just completely split in half during transformation. I luckily can leave it in fighter mode, but yeah not happy. Gonna chalk it up to a fault in the metal as I've never seen this issue reported but be careful. Guess I get to look for a new one to buy now. Yay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shizuka the Cat Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 2 minutes ago, yami4ct said: Just had a catastrophic failure on the one I bought for Christmas. The diecast folding joint that connects the torso to the waist at the back of the collapsing spine piece just completely split in half during transformation. I luckily can leave it in fighter mode, but yeah not happy. Gonna chalk it up to a fault in the metal as I've never seen this issue reported but be careful. Guess I get to look for a new one to buy now. Yay. Can you post pictures? I would like to see the extent of the damage. Also, how much pressure did you put on the spine during transformation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yami4ct Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 8 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said: Can you post pictures? I would like to see the extent of the damage. Also, how much pressure did you put on the spine during transformation? Here's the failure as seen coming out of fighter mode. The failure itself happened coming from battroid to fighter. I put basically no pressure on that piece as I've transformed it several times and all the joints had loosened up nicely. I had already collapsed the spine and I was lining up stuff at the top of the torso when it just kind of fell apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardlyNever Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 That looks pretty rough. There is definitely a lot of pressure there during transformation, but that looks like a manufacturer defect to me. Sucks this particular model suffers from so many QC issues, as it is a great piece if you are lucky enough to get one with minimal problems. That might be fixable, at least to hold together better in fighter mode. That thing's transformation days look like they are over, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yami4ct Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 It actually holds together very well in fighter mode thankfully, so there's that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoMatter Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Ouch. That turned into one expensive paper weight bird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yami4ct Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 Given I bought it used I don't expect any help from bandai, but I sent them an inquiry regardless. It seems like very obviously a manufacturing defect to me so you never know. Maybe they'll take pity. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-Zer0S Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 I had to look at that picture several times before it clicked. I’ve had mine in fighter forever and now I’m definitely afraid to transform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yami4ct Posted April 14, 2019 Share Posted April 14, 2019 I wouldn't let this scare you that much. I honestly believe it was a fault in the metal and not a design fault as I've never seen this failure reported. Still thought it was best to let the community know just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sildani Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 Might have been an air bubble that formed during the casting process. I feel bad for you, crap luck, sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdrunner Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 17 hours ago, yami4ct said: I wouldn't let this scare you that much. I honestly believe it was a fault in the metal and not a design fault as I've never seen this failure reported. Still thought it was best to let the community know just in case. Thanks for sharing, hard luck mate. Sorry to see that happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duymon Posted April 15, 2019 Share Posted April 15, 2019 (edited) I cringed looking at that break. It's a high-stress area but you'd imagine die-cast would be able to handle it unless there were imperfections during the casting process. Maybe we need to have machined or forged parts now for our DX valks O_o Edited April 15, 2019 by Duymon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phangry Posted April 16, 2019 Share Posted April 16, 2019 (edited) On 4/13/2019 at 2:38 PM, Phangry said: Bit the bullet and ordered one off of Mandarake. After getting gouged on the DX VF-1A, I figured I may as well go for broke. Mandarake actually canceled my order, as the YF-19 had already been sold. I'm actually slightly relieved, as that was kind of a lot of money to spend all at once, considering I payed the Nippon-Yasan markup for the DX VF-1A. Going to wait a little before re-ordering, I think... Edited April 16, 2019 by Phangry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLion Posted April 23, 2019 Share Posted April 23, 2019 On 4/15/2019 at 9:24 PM, Phangry said: Mandarake actually canceled my order, as the YF-19 had already been sold. I'm actually slightly relieved, as that was kind of a lot of money to spend all at once, considering I payed the Nippon-Yasan markup for the DX VF-1A. Going to wait a little before re-ordering, I think... Mandrake cancelled mine as well. We will have to wait for the YF-19 YF-21 2 pack from Bandai!! Don't worry it will probably be less than $1000 US dollars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xigfrid Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 (edited) I just saw that and decided I could try the spare missile pylons. Although the antenna is looking great too. https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=581216915966 Edited May 21, 2019 by Xigfrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no3Ljm Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 4 hours ago, Xigfrid said: I just saw that and decided I could try the spare missile pylons. Although the antenna is looking great too. https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=581216915966 That is great for members who have broken antenna. Here's the updated link just in case the mobile link one above doesn't work. https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a21wu.241046-us.4691948847.7.41cab6cbkQVe6O&scm=1007.15423.84311.100200300000005&id=581216915966&pvid=16cda37b-2497-4954-a539-98add2d55c4e Thanks for sharing @Xigfrid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 Boy I wish someone at Bandai would take a look at an actual aircraft before making those stubby pylons... I need to get my printer upgraded and go to town adapting some standard pylon designs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontus Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 6 hours ago, Xigfrid said: I just saw that and decided I could try the spare missile pylons. Although the antenna is looking great too. https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=581216915966 Awesome! Now, is there some way I can buy one of these without learning Japanese? I take it that you're making these Xigfrid? If so, could I purchase one from you directly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no3Ljm Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 5 minutes ago, Pontus said: Awesome! Now, is there some way I can buy one of these without learning Japanese? I take it that you're making these Xigfrid? If so, could I purchase one from you directly? I don't think this is made and sold by Xigfrid. I believe this is from some chinese company/seller who's selling this antenna and missile pylons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdrunner Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 7 hours ago, Xigfrid said: I just saw that and decided I could try the spare missile pylons. Although the antenna is looking great too. https://m.intl.taobao.com/detail/detail.html?id=581216915966 Thanks Xigfrid! The price of the replacement antenna at $17 USD seems a bit steep to me though, especially when we have to pay for overseas shipping as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontus Posted May 21, 2019 Share Posted May 21, 2019 43 minutes ago, rdrunner said: Thanks Xigfrid! The price of the replacement antenna at $17 USD seems a bit steep to me though, especially when we have to pay for overseas shipping as well. It says about 100yen. Isn't that only about $1USD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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