Anasazi37

Yes, that's an interesting example. I've found that it's usually a lot less expensive to purchase the Hasbro version of a high-end Transformer than the Takara version, even if I have to wait 2-3 months to receive it. In one case the Takara version I bought was literally the Hasbro version. The only difference was that they slapped some small Japanese language stickers on the English language box. In another, there was an announcement in Japan of a Takara Tomy Mall web exclusive, which I reserved through a proxy...and then a week later Hasbro announced they'd be selling it on their Pulse platform...for less. After that I stopped buying Takara versions of anything. I'm guessing that the North American market for that line is much larger than the Japanese market, because we all grew up with the cartoon, so we benefit from lower prices due to sales volume. I believe it's the reverse for Gundam, Macross, and many other shows. The Japanese market is significantly larger, so Bandai and others focus on that. Paying a lot more and still having to wait 2-3 months (current Bandai sales model for WWM) doesn't appeal to me, but I do appreciate the increased access to items and I'm glad it finally exists for collectors outside of Japan. I hope we get to the point where the prices in Japan and overseas are roughly the same, which is what you see companies like Goodsmile doing. I'm getting too old for middle-of-the-night PO Madness.

Yes, it's definitely complicated. Bandai always prioritizes the Japan domestic market, where they control distribution. For SDFM and DYRL, they can't legally distribute outside of Japan because of their deal with Harmony Gold. WWM, which applies to everything else (M7, M+, M2, Zero, Frontier, Delta), seems to be an experiment for them to test out your idea. The 40-60% markup over Japan MSRP for WWM items sold in the US also strikes me as an experiment to see how far they can push prices before we stop purchasing. Lottery and in-store-only items are not uncommon in Japan. Makes you feel special for managing to get one.

Correct. Bandai has gotten better about making that explicitly clear on their website: https://tamashiiweb.com/item_character/macross_series?wovn=en There are five little boxes at the bottom of each listing, which represent the regions of the world they distribute to, and the ones colored blue are the ones that will receive the item. They also now label each item "Retail" (available through stores), "Tamashii Web Shop" (TWE), "Other Limited Edition" (lotteries), or "Tamashii Store Exclusive" (you have to go to a brick-and-mortar Tamashii store to get it). It's worth noting that just because an item is marked "Retail" doesn't mean it's going to be WWM, which is why they added those region boxes. WWM releases have all five boxes colored blue. From Japan and DeJapan are both solid options, if you can get in line fast enough for them to not cancel your order. I avoid Big in Japan because they massively overcharge on shipping. For what they charge, I'd expect the item to arrive at my door via armed courier, handcuffed to their wrist in a Pelican case,

They're lightweight enough, because they're hollow, that I'm either going to use 1/16" or 1/10" diameter with 1/32" thickness. Plenty of pull force with 1/10", but hoping to get away with 1/16" so I can make smaller holes in the wings.

Sounds like @Jasonc is going to have to scale up his tent model!

And I'm currently working on a double-RMS pylon option, which is more consistent with the Yamato, Arcadia, and Bandai toy lines. Stay tuned!

I hope they do, although my wallet needs a break. Most of the tooling is already done.

My proxy came through! Woke up to find a confirmation email in my inbox. After processing fees, the total is close to what sites like Yuyakunow are charging. Out of curiosity I checked AE's site this morning, didn't see a listing, and thought maybe they're taking their time, which they sometimes do for TWE POs. But then I read through the last few pages of comments in this thread and saw the blank page on their site. I can't remember seeing that for a Macross TWE item before. This one went FAST. Everywhere.

Tamashii Web Shop only, meaning you have to order directly from the Premium Bandai (P-Bandai) site unless you go through a proxy that orders from them on your behalf. https://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000204082/ If you click on that link and hit the "International Shipping Available" page, that means you're not in Japan and can't order it yourself. Using a VPN won't work because Bandai checks your mailing address, phone number, and bank info to make sure that you live in Japan. If they don't like what they see, they'll cancel your order and shut down your account. They are hypervigilant and extremely thorough.

In this case, AE acts like a proxy buying service. Presumably they have a small army of local people (or least their names, addresses, phone numbers, and credit card details) and use them to place a lot of individual orders to create their stockpile. They then sell those units on their site at a markup. That is too much of a hassle for the large stores, plus I don't think they want to anger Bandai. AE doesn't seem to care. It's a constantly evolving cat-and-mouse game between Bandai and the proxy buying organizations. The proxy I use has resorted to shipping TWE items to individual homes and then has the packages relayed to their warehouse because Bandai shut down all user accounts that listed the warehouse address for shipping.

This is going to be a Tamashii Web Exclusive, so the usual PO Madness rules don't 100% apply. You won't be able to order it directly from stores like HLJ, AmiAmi, and Amazon Japan. Some stores, like Anime Export, will offer it at a markup, but the number of available units will probably be low and they might cancel your order if you're too far down the list of buyers because they weren't able to secure enough units, so you'll want to act fast. Your other option is to go through a proxy buying service. Their markup is about the same as what you'll deal with at AE, but they buy directly from Bandai for you, so if they confirm your order, you're good to go. They have the same stock issue as AE, where they fill orders as they come in, until they can't. If you're too far back in line, they'll cancel your order. You'll want to place an order as quickly as possible.

I'm pretty sure that every site offering it will ask you to prepay because they have to prepay when they place their orders. Tamashii Web Exclusives are handled differently than regular retail releases. They are meant for individuals, not stores, so stores have to get creative to order many of them.

My wallet hates me right now, given how soon this is happening after the YF-21 PO, but I'm not going to complain. DX VT-1? Yes, please! We usually get a week to prepare for PO Madness, but just a day? That's rare. Just submitted my order request with my go-to proxy. Hope they come through.

And because the impacted VF-1s didn't have this new removable tailfin gimmick, it would have been a major headache for them to fix the problem. The most they did was include decals with the Hayao DX so you could fix it yourself. Having to purchase an expensive TWE VF-1 to get a DIY fix for a different VF-1 isn't really a fix, which is why I ended up creating that small $5 decal set for MW members who needed it.

I thought they included a second tail fin with 100 on it. The product description mentions an interchangeable tailfin for the right side. Bandai really can't let go of that mistake and call it mistake, can they?

Mine arrived today from HLJ. I dropped my 1/72 Hasegawa Q-Rau into the shipment as well. Wasn't expecting it come in a larger box than the 171!

It's been over a year since I started working on Hasegawa-style armaments for the 1/55 VF-1. I set the project aside for a long time, but picked it back up this past week. It's really coming together now. The armaments break down into multiple parts for easier printing, painting, and assembly. They are hollow so there isn't any strain on the wings from extra weight. They utilize tiny magnets for attachment (right now I'm using some blue tack for quick testing purposes). I'm also thinking about making a pylon to hold both RMS-1 missiles instead of having one for each. That would be more consistent with Yamato, Arcadia, and Bandai valks.

There's a whole lineup of DX adapters for the stand and if it can handle the weight of a fully-armored Yamato 1/48, you should be fine. Just be sure to tighten the nuts and bolts appropriately.

They've made a big difference for my displays. I now have options for Fighter, Armored Fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid. Those last two work with or without armor. Fighter required a separate adapter for each.

This is particularly true in Fighter mode. I designed an adapter for the Archi Stand and had to do some clever engineering to make sure that the back-heavy weight was distributed well and that the arms don't drop down when the armor and gunpod are attached. They don't "peg in" as securely on the Yamato as on the DX when the legs are lowered to accommodate Super/Strike parts.

You also have to hope that the store packs your item well enough to survive the long trip, or at least be okay with some item box damage in exchange for the lower shipping cost. The more time your item is in transit, the higher the probability that something will happen to it. DHL nearly destroyed my VF-25 Alto Full Set Pack, so even express couriers have problems (especially DHL), but my experience with Surface hasn't been great. If your item ends up in a bad position in the shipping container, with many heavier packages on top of it, and stays that way for 2-3 months, it might get crushed unless it's packed well. The few times I've used Surface, as an experiment, the shipping boxes arrived in bad shape, and there was some inner box damage. I know that you've had consistently good luck with Surface, and I tried using it based on your good luck and recommendation, but it hasn't worked out for me. Reputable stores like HLJ, AmiAmi, and AE do pack well, which gives your item a good shot at arriving safely via Surface. Amazon Japan sucks for international shipping, or even just domestic shipping to a package forwarding service so you can use Surface instead of DHL (helpful for large and/or heavy items). There's always item box damage, bent pages on books, etc. because Amazon just tosses stuff in boxes or bags, loose. Little to no packing material. Speaking of package forwarding services, Tenso and Blackship pack well, but you generally have to pay extra for the service. It's worth the few extra dollars to make the box bomb-proof, though.

Same for me with HLJ. I'm waiting on a few more items to come in stock before I ship, but hopefully within 7-10 days it will be on its way here.

Yes, I remember hearing something about this right around the time the first batch was released. Might be more of a general release for the second batch instead of another lottery, but we're talking about Bandai, and they like to torture collectors, so it could be another lottery.

Accidental repost--deleted.

Accidental repost--deleted.