Anasazi37

I guess it's "if you can do the math to figure out what we mean by 180, you're old enough to buy this"

One of the best panel lining options out there, especially when you're applying it directly to a valk and want easy cleanup, comes from Flory: https://www.florymodels.org/washes The best dynamic stand option is the the Yeti Stand, and you'll see a lot of discussion about them here, but they haven't been available for several years. No one knows when, or if, they'll ever be sold again. Next best option is the Flightpose Stand, but I think the manufacturer is still experiencing production delays and has no stock at the moment. You could also look into getting a different Bandai stand, like the ones used for Gundam models, and finding/printing an adapter so it will work with your valk. I'm not sure about that option, though, since valks tend to be a lot heavier than Gundam models and the arm portion of the stand might not be able to support the extra weight.

Thanks for confirming, guys. Given what my box went through on its journey here, I just wanted to be sure. Sorry to hear about the battle damage....

My gunpod FINALLY arrived. Took two weeks to get here via EMS. A full week of that time was it sitting in customs at LAX. When I picked it up at the post office this afternoon, I was horrified by the condition of the box. I would expect that kind of treatment for something shipped surface, not EMS. Luckily the gunpod was fine. Not sure anyone noticed it before, but there are two nylon loops on the underside where you can attach a strap! I don't think I'm missing anything from the box, like a strap, but @Loliconplease confirm if you can. For me it was just the gunpod in a plastic bag.

Welcome to the hobby and good luck!

Three options: Make a friend in Japan who is willing to receive Arcadia web exclusive items you purchase and ship them to you Send the items you purchase to a package forwarding service like Tenso or Blackship (their websites detail the entire process) Have a shopping proxy service like FromJapan, Buyee, or Big in Japan (there are many others) both purchase and ship your items. As with #2, the websites for proxies detail the entire process.

HobbyLink Japan, Anime Export, Ami Ami, and Amazon Japan are popular options. Just be sure to pick one that ships to your country in a way that you can afford. Arcadia items tend to not sell out as quickly as Bandai's, so you can usually avoid the more risky/expensive/slow options like Nin-Nin Game and Luna Park for POs. Be prepared to continue overpaying for Bandai items, though. It's difficult to secure POs for them, so most overseas collectors get items after release on the secondary market.

Ah, the good old days when you could leisurely ask a proxy to purchase it for you. Now it's another form of PO Madness, where you have to get to a proxy as quickly as possible, otherwise they run out of purchasing slots (thanks, Bandai!) and you're stuck waiting until after release and hoping you can get one on the secondary market for a somewhat reasonable price.

To your cats it probably looks like a large, gunpod-shaped scratching post

Arcadia sold it for ¥15,180 with tax included. I purchased it directly from their site and had it shipped to Tenso, who charged me ¥10,250 for EMS shipping to the US (¥9100 postage, ¥1150 handling fee). I think folks going through proxies to purchase and ship ended up paying about the same overall. EMS shipping might be slightly cheaper than Tenso, but the proxies hit you with a bunch of processing fees (percentage of item's purchase price fee, per-store shopping fee, item receiving and inspection fee, item packing fee, etc.). Pretty sure that @Loliconused some credit at a proxy and only ended up paying for shipping and handling. Nicely played.

Agreed

Glad it arrived safely. I'm hopefully just a few days behind you. I have no idea where I'm going to put it. Might just take up permanent residency in my living room.

YES!

I'll reiterate my recommendation that the Hikaru should come with Misa and Minmay (one for each hand), the Max with Millia, and the Hayao with a steak.

Nice to actually see it in the wild, complete with a tiny Minmay. I wonder why Bandai didn't include it in the advertised lineup. Maybe it has something to do with the WWM status of the others and we'll eventually see a separate Japan-only release of the VF-1S.

My gunpod hit customs in Los Angeles last night, so hopefully it will be here in a few days.

Doh! I always forget to log out after purchase. Yes, still available at AE.

Snagged one from AE and one from HLJ

And this is why I don't order from LP....

I ran into some arcane and complicated hardware issues with the scanner I built. Took me about a year(!) to resolve them since I don't have a lot of free time these days. I'm now getting really consistent, insanely high resolution scans of objects. This is a sample scan of a 3D printed part from a 1/35 Gunstar kit. I use it for testing because of its complex surfaces. The dark portions are where the scanner couldn't see anything because of how the part was positioned with respect to the scanner, so you generally have to reposition the object multiple times across multiple scans in order to get data for all surfaces. The next step, which involves the most magic, is developing the method for automatically aligning multiple scans of the same object to produce the final model. This is the "secret sauce" for companies that sell scanners to consumers. I wanted to be working on this over a year ago, but couldn't due to the hardware issues. In the interim, I can use manual alignment to get things pretty close and then let the computer take over. It's a bit trial and error, and takes time, but generally works. Since I don't need to scan a large number of parts to get my custom projects moving again, I'll likely start with this approach. I really appreciate the continued interest. I will indeed be getting back to these soon. I first need to complete some decal orders for a few MW members that have been waiting a VERY long time. One of the things I'll likely do for my Strike customs is scale up and resin print the RMS-1 and UUM-7 that come in 1/72 missile pack that Senovis posted online: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/art/vf-missile-pack The quality of the designs is really nice. I wasn't looking forward to designing the armaments myself or scanning in the 1/55 resin cast ones that I have.

Same here. Now we wait. When you add proxy processing fees to the shipping fees they offer, it's about the same as Tenso. Seems like all of these "helper" companies nickel and dime collectors to the same extent, just in slightly different ways.

That's right. It's all about symmetry.

Tenso wants 10000 for EMS. DHL is about 15000. Sigh. Glad you got a good deal. $75 for shipping something this large isn't so bad.

Thanks for the tip on the seat. I can add another front seat to a future print run. Looking forward to seeing your completed model!

I received my shipping notice as well. Hoping Tenso gives us both EMS and DHL options. For me, surface is too risky for something this large and fragile. Also hoping they don't try to put the Arcadia box in a larger box and then charge me shipping on that one.