Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[ghostryder]

59 minutes ago, kkx said:

Was it easy to remove the canopy cover and paint it black?

Pretty much as easy to remove as the Yamato 1/48 heatshield. I sanded everything lightly, painted gloss black, added Anaszi37's decal, sealed with Future, and then a light coat of Mr. Hobby flat.

[ghostryder]

1 hour ago, Anasazi37 said:

Looking good! Glad the decals worked out for you.

Yes, they are nice quality!  I f-ed up the tailfin 001 a bit, so may need to touch up or redo.  I have not tried the nose 001s yet, need to figure the best way to remove the crooked tampos.

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, ghostryder said:

I REALLY like this one! I may have to copy that.

[treatment]

1 hour ago, ghostryder said:

Nice! The glossy look is even more chunky-esque. Is that heatshield from a Yamato?

Yup!

Easiest customization ever!

 

 

 

 

[Anasazi37]

2 hours ago, ghostryder said:

Yes, they are nice quality!  I f-ed up the tailfin 001 a bit, so may need to touch up or redo.  I have not tried the nose 001s yet, need to figure the best way to remove the crooked tampos.

Oh no! Glad I put doubles of everything on the sheet. Was it an application issue or something with the decal itself? Feedback is always appreciated. I know some members have experimented with ways to remove the tampo on DX valks. The one specific example I can remember was for the YF-19. @tekeringused Mr. Colour Lacquer Thinner to remove a white marking that was printed on top of a black painted stripe.

 

[ghostryder]

36 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

Oh no! Glad I put doubles of everything on the sheet. Was it an application issue or something with the decal itself? Feedback is always appreciated. I know some members have experimented with ways to remove the tampo on DX valks. The one specific example I can remember was for the YF-19. @tekeringused Mr. Colour Lacquer Thinner to remove a white marking that was printed on top of a black painted stripe.

No, your decals were top notch.  I didn't let the future base coat dry long enough and it must have interacted with the Micro Set. 

Thanks for the tampo removal tip!

[Toonz]

are the people in NPY sleeping on their job?

sent 4 tickets about SSP delivery and not a reply from them at all

[Anasazi37]

3 hours ago, ghostryder said:

No, your decals were top notch.  I didn't let the future base coat dry long enough and it must have interacted with the Micro Set. 

Thanks for the tampo removal tip!

Happy to help! You might want to contact @tekeringto see if there's anything special he did when removing the tampo from his YF-19. He always has handy tips and tricks.

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 hours ago, Toonz said:

are the people in NPY sleeping on their job?

sent 4 tickets about SSP delivery and not a reply from them at all

You’re not alone.

 

[Chronocidal]

I very firmly suspect they completely slept through the first SSP order window, or many of us would have received them before there were any shipping restrictions enacted.  That's a discussion for the other topic though.

At the moment, I'm waiting to see what happens with my Kakizaki orders.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Chronocidal

[Sanity is Optional]

The first SSP order window was like an hour long, to be fair.

But they 100% over-sell, yeah.

[orindlt]

The trick with NY might be the following - use the following exact phrase as the title of a new ticket:

"Change shipping method"

I'd launched a few tickets around the premium VF-0D and hadn't got anywhere, then went back to the email they sent me at one point asking if I wanted to change shipping. Within 10 minutes of using those exact words I had a response. I'm betting they have a filter for those words on incoming tickets. Use them, get routed to a human for immediate assistance. Use your own creative version (I used "upgrade shipping" and "can I use UPS") and didn't get anywhere. Worked for my SSPs and for my 0D.

Anyway, it may work - but I certainly got a result when I followed their instruction precisely. 

 

 

 

 

[Chronocidal]

Can confirm I got a response out of them, but that hasn't made them any faster to get past the preparation stage thus far.  Today's a week since I paid them to upgrade to UPS. 

[vlenhoff]

13 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

Its current size is 4" high by 3" wide. That can easily be changed, larger or smaller, but the proportions would have to be maintained.

That is the perfect size! I was worried it would be too big. If you flip it[mirror it], I want one. Meaning, the glued part should be on the graphic side, so i can place it inside the window, facing out.

Thanks @Anasazi37

Edited August 3, 2020 by vlenhoff
Sorry, i don't mean to over explain...

[Kicker773]

What are people using to remove the paint from this valk? I’d like to go that route instead of painting it again. 

[Rhubarbarian]

11 hours ago, orindlt said:

The trick with NY might be the following - use the following exact phrase as the title of a new ticket:

"Change shipping method"

I'd launched a few tickets around the premium VF-0D and hadn't got anywhere, then went back to the email they sent me at one point asking if I wanted to change shipping. Within 10 minutes of using those exact words I had a response. I'm betting they have a filter for those words on incoming tickets. Use them, get routed to a human for immediate assistance. Use your own creative version (I used "upgrade shipping" and "can I use UPS") and didn't get anywhere. Worked for my SSPs and for my 0D.

Anyway, it may work - but I certainly got a result when I followed their instruction precisely. 

Unfortunately, this did nothing for me with my SSPs - they only responded to me once they actually had my SSPs ready to send out. Once they had them, they responded within 24 hours (sometimes within 2-3 hours) to any messages, but before that it didn't matter what was in the subject line of the ticket. They ignored everything. A "we're still working on acquiring your item, please bear with us" would have been nice, but that doesn't seem to be N-Y's MO.

I only ended up getting my SSPs from N-Y about two weeks ago, Toonz. They're sending them out as they get inventory and they're prioritizing people with faster shipping methods and fewer units. So if you ordered one or two and you're willing to pay for UPS, hopefully you will be up in the queue pretty soon. If you ordered four and you're shipping by ferry, well, maybe it'll be a nice Christmas gift to yourself. 

They are very snazzy and my leg armors actually tab into the upper assembly in fighter mode pretty securely, if not exactly snug. It holds together well, which was my main concern. I think the DX's best mode is battroid anyways, while the Arcadia's best modes are fighter/GERWALK, so I'm just going to display them that way most of the time.

[mantisfists]

I'm late to this whole thing and 550 pages is too many to try and find the answer, but are there any possibilities of Bandai reissuing these?  What other variants (if any) are they planning on releasing and who has preorders when they release?  BBTS?  Amazon.jp? I have a few of the old Yamato 1/48s and love them but these seem to be just a bit better.  There's no way I'm paying $500 for one, though.  

[Sanity is Optional]

Reissue chances? Possible, but unlikely. The only one I see as possible is a VF-1J re-relase for the Armor, probably a "grey goggle" release, possibly as a gift pack with the armor.

Planned variants? Only shown ones that haven't been up for pre-order yet are Hikaru/Kakizaki TV VF-1A.

Presumably we may get full Skull/Vermillion squads for both TV and SDFM, due to included inserts for the TV and SDFM FAST packs.

Edited August 3, 2020 by Sanity is Optional

[Grey728]

16 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

I'm late to this whole thing and 550 pages is too many to try and find the answer, but are there any possibilities of Bandai reissuing these?  What other variants (if any) are they planning on releasing and who has preorders when they release?  BBTS?  Amazon.jp? I have a few of the old Yamato 1/48s and love them but these seem to be just a bit better.  There's no way I'm paying $500 for one, though.  

I'd recommend checking the for sale section and following this thread. If your email blows up, chances are there's chatter in here regarding a new release and dates. The last pre order was for Roy Folkers VF-1S in early July. You could try proxy buying from Amazon JP or Yahoo Japan auctions at a markup. Also, keep in mind that it's very rare for most of us to buy any Macross item at MSRP. 

 

[mantisfists]

10 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

I'd recommend checking the for sale section and following this thread. If your email blows up, chances are there's chatter in here regarding a new release and dates. The last pre order was for Roy Folkers VF-1S in early July. You could try proxy buying from Amazon JP or Yahoo Japan auctions at a markup. Also, keep in mind that it's very rare for most of us to buy any Macross item at MSRP. 

 

There was a pre-order for the 1S in July?  Damn....that and the 1J would be what I'd be interested in.  For Sale section is a great idea.  Think I got my Low Vis 1/48 years ago from the For Sale section and had a great experience.  I'm not sure what you mean by very few of you buy Macross at MSRP.  Do you mean you're buying over MSRP or under?

[kaiotheforsaken]

The 1J was the first and seems to be the hardest to come by right now.

I think what he means is, at least with Bandai products, they get snapped up so fast that the vast majority of fans are having to pay at least some form of markup to get them. The fervor around Bandai Macross stuff is stupid and things sell out in seconds. If you're in the market for Arcadia products, it's much less stressful.

[jeniusornome]

Over. Way over, right now. 

[Sanity is Optional]

4 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

There was a pre-order for the 1S in July?  Damn....that and the 1J would be what I'd be interested in.  For Sale section is a great idea.  Think I got my Low Vis 1/48 years ago from the For Sale section and had a great experience.  I'm not sure what you mean by very few of you buy Macross at MSRP.  Do you mean you're buying over MSRP or under?

He means that pre-orders at MSRP usually sell out within minutes at any given retailer, if not seconds. Also pre-orders go up at 3am EST, midnight PST.

Personally I've gotten every Bandai release that's come out since I started collecting at MSRP, but that's not a common experience.

[Milk Krispy]

23 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

He means that pre-orders at MSRP usually sell out within minutes at any given retailer, if not seconds. Also pre-orders go up at 3am EST, midnight PST.

Personally I've gotten every Bandai release that's come out since I started collecting at MSRP, but that's not a common experience.

Any word on when the next pre orders will be in the DX lineup?

[mantisfists]

6 minutes ago, jeniusornome said:

Over. Way over, right now. 

Yeah, I'm not getting any at the prices they're going for now, just on principle.  I don't have a problem being at my computer at a certain time to pre order something.  Are the preorders on these things selling that fast?  My experience with pre orders has always been chill.  Why is there such a problem?  Is Bandai clueless about the demand for their product and not releasing enough?  Sorry if I'm asking questions that have been answered a million times over.  But, I really like the 1/48 size for the original Valkyrie and my old Yamatos are great but they're kind of floppy by nature.  

[sqidd]

2 minutes ago, Milk Krispy said:

Any word on when the next pre orders will be in the DX lineup?

Negatory.

Generally you only get word a couple days before they kick off.

Then a few days after that you get to stay up all night hitting F5 for a 10% chance at securing a PO at retail.

I don't even attempt PO's. I wait for release day and score what I need to then at whatever the going rate/markup is. In my head DX Valks are $250-300 before shipping. And now with COVID it's gotten even more expensive to ship. I imagine when the Focker is released most of them will hit US shores at $350+.

[sqidd]

2 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

Yeah, I'm not getting any at the prices they're going for now, just on principle.  I don't have a problem being at my computer at a certain time to pre order something.  Are the preorders on these things selling that fast?  My experience with pre orders has always been chill.  Why is there such a problem?  Is Bandai clueless about the demand for their product and not releasing enough?  Sorry if I'm asking questions that have been answered a million times over.  But, I really like the 1/48 size for the original Valkyrie and my old Yamatos are great but they're kind of floppy by nature.  

Getting DX PO's is like getting Metallica concert tickets. You have minutes at best. The success rate on the last PO seemed really low from what I saw on here.

[F360]

21 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

Yeah, I'm not getting any at the prices they're going for now, just on principle.  I don't have a problem being at my computer at a certain time to pre order something.  Are the preorders on these things selling that fast?  My experience with pre orders has always been chill.  Why is there such a problem?  Is Bandai clueless about the demand for their product and not releasing enough?  Sorry if I'm asking questions that have been answered a million times over.  But, I really like the 1/48 size for the original Valkyrie and my old Yamatos are great but they're kind of floppy by nature.  

Preroders get sold out in seconds to minutes.    Preorder normally starts around 1600 japan standard time of what ever date the preorder is set on.

Since it gets sold out that fast, its up to you if you want to join in on the preorder night madness. 

Here is a link to the start of the most recent preorder.  you should spend the time reading it.  let say at least 25 pages or more.  It will give you a very good idea of what happens on preorder night.   how fast it gets sold out.   how bad some of the sites are. What site have them up for preorder.   how much some of the store relist them for . etc.    spend the time and read them.. .  you should even take notes on the side.

 

 

[mantisfists]

37 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Getting DX PO's is like getting Metallica concert tickets. You have minutes at best. The success rate on the last PO seemed really low from what I saw on here.

There's no way I'd lower myself to watching a Metallica concert nowadays.  Being around a bunch of 50 year old cats who sit down to watch a watered down version of the band I  grew up idolizing, or a bunch of kids who have no idea who Cliff Burton is would make me lose all faith in humanity.  Besides, I was lucky enough to see them twice in the late 80s and early 90s and once at an improv/FREE show at the Raiders/Titans AFC Championship Game (YES, the Raiders have been in the playoffs). 

27 minutes ago, F360 said:

Preroders get sold out in seconds to minutes.    Preorder normally starts around 1600 japan standard time of what ever date the preorder is set on.

Since it gets sold out that fast, its up to you if you want to join in on the preorder night madness. 

Here is a link to the start of the most recent preorder.  you should spend the time reading it.  let say at least 25 pages or more.  It will give you a very good idea of what happens on preorder night.   how fast it gets sold out.   how bad some of the sites are. What site have them up for preorder.   how much some of the store relist them for . etc.    spend the time and read them.. .  you should even take notes on the side.

 

 

Dang.  What's with the fervor behind these things?  Are they that amazing that everyone wants them?  Thanks for the link, by the way.  Cuts down the search for me to find info.  

[Sanity is Optional]

Well, most places only make you pay at release, and the difference between pre-order and aftermarket costs are usually $100+.

So it's easy money for scalpers, with no up-front costs. Heck, they can scalp it for an up-front cost now, and have an interest free $300 now, that they need to pay $200 to cover later.

[sqidd]

25 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

There's no way I'd lower myself to watching a Metallica concert nowadays.  Being around a bunch of 50 year old cats who sit down to watch a watered down version of the band I  grew up idolizing, or a bunch of kids who have no idea who Cliff Burton is would make me lose all faith in humanity.  Besides, I was lucky enough to see them twice in the late 80s and early 90s and once at an improv/FREE show at the Raiders/Titans AFC Championship Game (YES, the Raiders have been in the playoffs). 

Dang.  What's with the fervor behind these things?  Are they that amazing that everyone wants them?  Thanks for the link, by the way.  Cuts down the search for me to find info.  

Metallica was dead to me after In Justice For All.

I'm almost 50. Still in the middle of the pit. 

[weiser21]

I've been pretty lucky. I recently purchased a new Max 1A, new Hikaru 1S, used Hikaru 1J for less than $275 each. I got 2 from the for sale section, one from AJ (got a tip from an MWer).

I'm hoping my luck holds out when Roy is released.

@sqidd recently sold a 1S with new missiles and new SSP for $450 shipped.

Edited August 4, 2020 by weiser21

[mantisfists]

8 minutes ago, weiser21 said:

I've been pretty lucky. I recently purchased a new Max 1A, new Hikaru 1S, used Hikaru 1J for less than $275 each. I got all 3 from the for sale section.

I'm hoping my luck holds out when Roy is released.

@sqidd recently sold a 1S with new missiles and new SSP for $450 shipped.

How much were these things MSRP?

[weiser21]

I think MSRP is 19,800 Yen plus shipping which is pretty expensive now unless you choose surface mail.

[sqidd]

8 minutes ago, mantisfists said:

How much were these things MSRP?

Keep in mind that $450 was with Super & Strike Parts and a missile set (which don't come with the Valks).

And as previously;y mentioned shipping has added a whole new level of complexity to cost. My Tenso address is really paying off right about now. Not that they cost anything.

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by sqidd