Convectuoso Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 Seems like preorder for the VF-22 started on May 20th, meant to ship on September. However, it's already out of stock. Did anyone here pre-order it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 12 minutes ago, Convectuoso said: Seems like preorder for the VF-22 started on May 20th, meant to ship on September. However, it's already out of stock. Did anyone here pre-order it? Where was it available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convectuoso Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, Big s said: Where was it available? https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000211093/ I just found one on Yoyakunow available for pre-order Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 20 minutes ago, Convectuoso said: https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000211093/ I just found one on Yoyakunow available for pre-order I guess it’s not available at the U.S. pbandai store Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sh9000 Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 13 hours ago, Convectuoso said: https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000211093/ I just found one on Yoyakunow available for pre-order Ordered one so far and will keep an eye for another one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Oh wtf Bandai, stop making things so hard to throw money at you for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 5 hours ago, Chronocidal said: Oh wtf Bandai, stop making things so hard to throw money at you for. Just when you think things are gonna be easier, Bandai pulls a Bandai Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 (edited) I guess the VF-22 is up tomorrow on the U.S. pbandai store Looks like $56 Edited May 29 by Big s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajnrig Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Link: https://p-bandai.com/us/item/N2723567001001 Incidentally, that is REALLY starting to feel like a ripoff... is what I would say if I didn't just now check the regular YF-21 price and see that it's $50!?!?!?. Sheesh, I've tended to ignore pricing decisions for the most part, but even I'm a bit sticker shocked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 1 hour ago, kajnrig said: Link: https://p-bandai.com/us/item/N2723567001001 Incidentally, that is REALLY starting to feel like a ripoff... is what I would say if I didn't just now check the regular YF-21 price and see that it's $50!?!?!?. Sheesh, I've tended to ignore pricing decisions for the most part, but even I'm a bit sticker shocked. Why surprised? Adding a couple of new pieces like the face, pilot and canopy, then removing the one gun, and adding those amazing absolutely gorgeous green florescent flames 🤦♂️= $6.00 increase. Jokes aside, and being diplomatic, the YF-21 was listed on the previous fiscal year, while as we're now past February, this one is listed in the new fiscal year which likely has inflation hikes and etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Seriously, I'm still waiting for my copy from HLJ, which is how many months overdue at this point? And the price there was about $30, which I would absolutely buy more of, if Bandai would just even attempt to meet demand for once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOG Water Dragon Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 10 minutes ago, Chronocidal said: Seriously, I'm still waiting for my copy from HLJ, which is how many months overdue at this point? And the price there was about $30, which I would absolutely buy more of, if Bandai would just even attempt to meet demand for once. I'm finding it difficult to get ANY Bandai stuff at release from HLJ at this point. Both Macross and Gundam. I always put in a preorder for things I want as soon as they get posted to the store, but just about everything goes to backorder before I can get a copy allocated to me. For example, aside from issues getting the new 1/100 Macross kits and decals, I've been unable to get either the recent RG Impulse Gundam Spec II or MG Narrative Gundam ver Ka from HLJ. Most of my Bandai preorders wind up getting canceled because I can get kits at domestic retail outlets before HLJ ever finds copies for me. And the high cost of shipping now makes it less worthwhile to just wait for HLJ to finally get restocks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 40 minutes ago, Chronocidal said: Seriously, I'm still waiting for my copy from HLJ, which is how many months overdue at this point? And the price there was about $30, which I would absolutely buy more of, if Bandai would just even attempt to meet demand for once. I think that’s Bandai’s plan. There’s plenty of them out there, just you gotta pay extra if you don’t live in Japan. A few places actually had them on sale over the weekend for the holiday, but they still would have been a few bucks more than hlj sold them with shipping and all added up. I was only able to get one kit with decals from Hlj and the other two sets were bought domestically Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xyh Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Yeah HLJ is ridiculous for Bandai stuff, I gave it another chance for the YF-21 but it was yet another fail. Ended up cancelling and just buying it off of a US seller on ebay, got it within a week. Cost $50, but with shipping from Japan, I would have paid the same from HLJ anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 3 hours ago, Chronocidal said: Seriously, I'm still waiting for my copy from HLJ, which is how many months overdue at this point? And the price there was about $30, which I would absolutely buy more of, if Bandai would just even attempt to meet demand for once. So it's still showing pending stock, in transit, in your warehouse? What shipping you selected? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chronocidal Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 Just now, Raikkonen said: So it's still showing pending stock, in transit, in your warehouse? What shipping you selected? It's been showing backordered for the entire time it's been "released." HLJ must be getting single digits of these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 38 minutes ago, Chronocidal said: It's been showing backordered for the entire time it's been "released." HLJ must be getting single digits of these. Oh. Ok. Yeah, got a similar experience with a back ordered decal sheet. It's like some years now. Almost forgotten. And it's annoying cause I have shop credit, but there isn't anything else I want there as they just do pre-orders that once gone, it just goes to backorder limbo or out of production. Keep in mind, that HLJ's is also a major supplier to retailers, and I believe those bulk orders might take preference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOG Water Dragon Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 I have no problem getting Hasegawa, Wave, and Max Factory stuff from HLJ. It's just Bandai that's problematic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 1 hour ago, KOG Water Dragon said: I have no problem getting Hasegawa, Wave, and Max Factory stuff from HLJ. It's just Bandai that's problematic. Bandai will always be the problem one since hlj is the only one that can sell their models now. The other companies don’t have as high of a demand with them since you can buy them off any Japanese site, while Bandai refuses to let the others sell outside the country. I’ve lucked out so far with their hobby stuff, but I’m sure that won’t last and I’m really worried about what happens if Bandai decides to do a vf-1 kit in this line with one seller that may not be allowed to offer it due to the issues with Harmony Gold and not having even a domestic option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOG Water Dragon Posted May 29 Share Posted May 29 43 minutes ago, Big s said: Bandai will always be the problem one since hlj is the only one that can sell their models now. The other companies don’t have as high of a demand with them since you can buy them off any Japanese site, while Bandai refuses to let the others sell outside the country. I’ve lucked out so far with their hobby stuff, but I’m sure that won’t last and I’m really worried about what happens if Bandai decides to do a vf-1 kit in this line with one seller that may not be allowed to offer it due to the issues with Harmony Gold and not having even a domestic option. I'm sure you'd be able to find it on ebay if nothing else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 59 minutes ago, KOG Water Dragon said: I'm sure you'd be able to find it on ebay if nothing else. Yeah, but probably at an extraordinary mark up due to the rarity since it wouldn’t be a worldwide release Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted May 30 Share Posted May 30 Video opens at timestamp of the VF-22. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommar Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 On 5/29/2024 at 10:19 AM, Chronocidal said: Seriously, I'm still waiting for my copy from HLJ, which is how many months overdue at this point? And the price there was about $30, which I would absolutely buy more of, if Bandai would just even attempt to meet demand for once. HLJ just quietly puts you in the queue for the second and third releases instead of informing you they can't fulfill your pre-order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PointBlankSniper Posted June 2 Share Posted June 2 15 hours ago, Mommar said: HLJ just quietly puts you in the queue for the second and third releases instead of informing you they can't fulfill your pre-order. NGL, I think they put you in queue even if they don't know when or if there is a reprint. You can tell by their (and some other vendors') multi years long backorder of some gunpla, waiting for schrodinger's rerelease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajnrig Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 On 5/29/2024 at 7:22 AM, Raikkonen said: Why surprised? Adding a couple of new pieces like the face, pilot and canopy, then removing the one gun, and adding those amazing absolutely gorgeous green florescent flames 🤦♂️= $6.00 increase. Jokes aside, and being diplomatic, the YF-21 was listed on the previous fiscal year, while as we're now past February, this one is listed in the new fiscal year which likely has inflation hikes and etc. Oh for sure, after that initial shock I went right back to what I always do and pretended not to pay attention as I added to cart. Looking at the runner layout, I'm getting a decent idea of what the VF-22 will come with, I think. A1 will probably omit the intake covers and include extra yellow parts for the hand guards and a clear red visor for the head; A2 will omit the clear green parts and include the pearlescent red fighter mode canopy glass. B1 omits the fighter mode belly. C1 and C2 include color duplicates of part E-5 (the shoulder exterior accent). D has new cockpit parts for both fighter and battroid, as well as the new head and gray copies of the intake covers. E remains the same, meaning you'll be able to build two gunpods if desired, but also meaning the trigger finger hands will have to use yellow stickers for the hand guards. (I foresee a pretty extensive sticker sheet, actually.) F1 won't exist as the two parts on it are the YF-21-only side skirts. F2 will be new and include the VF-22 side skirts and the new fighter mode belly parts. And then of course there will be extra runners for the neon green effects parts and stand (the latter of which really should have been thrown in from the start of the line; or really just any basic stand at all would be appreciated). One general question I have, having finally snapped my YF-21 together today: Can someone tell me what the difference is between part A-3 and C-23? (The shoulder insert part, with the black hole details.) I haven't tried swapping them for one another, but from a glance it seems to me they're identical. On the subject of HLJ, I'm in agreement that it's an issue with Bandai: On 5/29/2024 at 4:16 PM, KOG Water Dragon said: I have no problem getting Hasegawa, Wave, and Max Factory stuff from HLJ. It's just Bandai that's problematic. Kotobukiya, Plamax, etc. Even manufacturers who have made similar in-roads into the stateside domestic market - namely Kotobukiya - I can still get their stuff through HLJ (or Amiami, or Hobby Search, etc...) if I so desire. It's literally only Bandai who make it a pain. If they did something as simple as offer a parts replacement service or... something beyond mere access to their products, I'd be able to justify their stinginess. But alas... 8 hours ago, PointBlankSniper said: NGL, I think they put you in queue even if they don't know when or if there is a reprint. You can tell by their (and some other vendors') multi years long backorder of some gunpla, waiting for schrodinger's rerelease. IIRC this practice was a result of Bandai's previously unpredictable but "regular enough" re-printing schedule. Especially when their product lineup was relatively minimal and, probably more importantly, demand was easier to keep up with, they could dedicate more time to small batch re-production runs of older MGs and HGs and so there was less of a need to, say, announce to distributors and customers their production schedule sometimes months ahead of time. They would announce special re-runs of super vintage stuff, but otherwise you could pretty safely bet on a kit being restocked at least every other year or so. Again IIRC there was word fairly recently, ie in the last five years or so, of them investing in new production facilities either in Japan or in the States, which would help alleviate some of those bottlenecks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raikkonen Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 8 hours ago, kajnrig said: Oh for sure, after that initial shock I went right back to what I always do and pretended not to pay attention as I added to cart. We always do 😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PointBlankSniper Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 8 hours ago, kajnrig said: IIRC this practice was a result of Bandai's previously unpredictable but "regular enough" re-printing schedule. Again IIRC there was word fairly recently, ie in the last five years or so, of them investing in new production facilities either in Japan or in the States, which would help alleviate some of those bottlenecks. The funny thing is, Bandai used to regulary post reprint schedules to vendors that eventually get leaked to public. So it would have been less conspicuous for vendors to pretend to know things just a few months ahead of time. Since the pandemic drove demand, scalpers increased and bought up all the stock (as if p-bandai didn't birth so many of them to begin with 🙃). One of the things they did to combat this was that they stopped posting those reprint schedules, thereby increasing FOMO, and giving more power to scalpers 🤡. That's why we no longer know when things are re-releasing, and vendors shouldn't know too far ahead either. Of course Bandai didn't stop there, to further curb scalpers and ease supplies, they then banned JP retailers from selling abroad, except HLJ. The result is export supplies becoming more limited and unobtainable for more people in the world where there isn't official distribution, giving even more power to domestic JP scalpers 🤪. As for the new factory, it was supposed to be somewhere close to the old one, and according to their old timeline, should have been operating since january, focusing on making more environmentally friendly and affordable limex kits. But no news has come of it since. Maybe shutting down the yokohama moving 1/1 gundam beside the factory is part of the move, but that would imply shutting down the old factory for no reason lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 10 hours ago, kajnrig said: I think. A1 will probably omit the intake covers and include extra yellow parts for the hand guards I unfortunately don’t think it’s coming with yellow hand guards sine they’re on the sticker and decal sheet, although I don’t think it would really be a pain for Bandai to include extra yellow parts. 2 hours ago, PointBlankSniper said: As for the new factory, it was supposed to be somewhere close to the old one, and according to their old timeline, should have been operating since january, focusing on making more environmentally friendly and affordable limex kits. But no news has come of it since. Maybe shutting down the yokohama moving 1/1 gundam beside the factory is part of the move, but that would imply shutting down the old factory for no reason lol. The main reason they’re not doing the lines kits more often is that the ones they’ve put out are very brittle. I’ve seen those little derpy gundams and they’re often broken or had to be repaired due to breaking. If that’s what this factory is focusing on, they may be trying to refine the material process for better endurance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kajnrig Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 31 minutes ago, Big s said: I unfortunately don’t think it’s coming with yellow hand guards sine they’re on the sticker and decal sheet, although I don’t think it would really be a pain for Bandai to include extra yellow parts. Oh, I didn't see the big honking sticker sheet/decal sheet on the previous page. Yikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted June 3 Share Posted June 3 14 minutes ago, kajnrig said: Oh, I didn't see the big honking sticker sheet/decal sheet on the previous page. Yikes. Yeah, it’s gonna be ugly with a sticker covering the entire part. The decal might be ok, but I have my doubts that it will wrap around all the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOG Water Dragon Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 16 hours ago, Big s said: Yeah, it’s gonna be ugly with a sticker covering the entire part. The decal might be ok, but I have my doubts that it will wrap around all the edges. Paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big s Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 20 minutes ago, KOG Water Dragon said: Paint? That would be the best way to handle Bandai’s mistakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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