GU-11

Actually, the right way to do it is to push down on the black "anti-glare" section (or blue for the DN) in front of the canopy to make space for it to open up. To raise the anti-glare section again, just push up at the gray tab located under the nose. It's written in the instructions manual, but it seems a lot of owners overlooked this (myself included). Yamato has since posted a three-step guide in their website, along with instructions for transforming the neck.

Well, it there's going to be a v3, it'll most likely be a retool of the still-in-development VF-19 Fire Kai, and even then, probably only after the VF-19S's eventual release. Either way, with the YF-19 being an all-time favorite of mine, I'd be more than willing to put down some cash for a V3...if and when it gets made.

Nope, that hasn't been fixed either. Still, I'm not sure if that isn't part of a legitimate design compromise. If the landing gears were to be fully extended, the rear part of the plane would be raised higher than the front, and it wouldn't be level. And it you tried to spread the landing gears out sideways, the covers kind of get in the way. That said, I'm no expert on this. I do remember reading about a mod fix for the landing gears, which allows them to spread out a little further for better anime accuracy.

Damn, now I regret canceling the pre-order for Klan at HLJ--was trying to save cash after buying the YF-19 and VF-1A Kakizaki TV version. Should have just bit the bullet and bought the Klan fig, too.

Can anybody recommend a good brand of spray/oil I can use to keep the rubber wheels on my Valks' landing gears from drying and splitting after a decade or two? I keep all my Valks in an air-conditioned room, which can create a rather dry atmosphere. I've heard that Holts Rubber and Nylon Lubricant is pretty effective. Any suggestions?

Bugs/design-flaws: - Gunpod angles about 20 degrees to the right(?) STATUS: FIXED - Loose wing roots (actually, the swiveling joints that hold the wings on the battroid's hips) STATUS: FIXED - Random reports of loose shoulder joints STATUS: SUBJECT TO QC? - Super-tight neck cover STATUS: NOT FIXED EDIT: Probably one of two others as well, but this is all I can remember for now. And the Jan Neuman figure and his backseat. And a "display rack" for the fold booster.

Good point. Well, I remember seeing a mod posted on the MW scratch-building forum to remedy the problem. You just superglue two inch-long pieces of electrical wire onto the interior sides of the torso frame, which holds the nose in place in battroid mode. From the looks of it, the mod seems unobtrusive in all three modes. Still, the problem doesn't bother me enough for me to want to mod it. I usually just display it on my TV rack, and only handle it when changing poses.

Yep. Not a problem for me though, since I'm not particularly fond of the "skydiving" pose. Looks great in photos, but personally I don't think it'll look too good displayed on a shelf that way--but that's just me.

Just got my re-release YF-19 a couple of days ago, and I'd say its a massive improvement, judging from the flaws sited in the reviews of the first and second batches. As far as a retool of the YF-19 is concerned, I don't think Yamato has confirmed anything yet. IRRC, I think Graham said they're just considering the possibility of retooling the YF-19, IMO probably from the "still in development" VF-19 Fire Kai. If I were you, I'd go ahead and buy the New Package YF-19. It's a nice-looking Valk with all the improvements of the DN. Besides, two years is a pretty long time if you're waiting from something that hasn't been confirmed. If you're a fan of the YF-19, I say buy it.

Well, I think there's approximately 5 to 15% tax in my country (can't remember), and it does add up if you go overboard. Generally, I try to divide my purchases to individual shipments if I can help it, so that none of them will go over the 160 USD tax-free threshold. This means I can't lessen the cost of shipping by shipping in bulk. And yeah, there's something of a "potato chip theory" at work as far as buying Macross figs are concerned. I started out only wanting to buy the three MacPlus VF's, and ended up not only buying all three, but almost the whole SFD-1 Macross VF line (got a VF-1A Kakizaki TV version from AmiAmi coming my way, which completes the line), three quarters of the MacZero line (STILL waiting for the replacement parts for my busted up SV-51 Nora, dammit!) as well a couple of personal favorites like the VF-22S Sturmvogel II Gamlin type and YF-19 DN. Fortunately, I'm no fan of Mac7's more child-friendly plot and characters, and can stay away from the VF-11C and M&M Sturmvogels. It's also bittersweet fortune that the VT-1 Super Ostrich has knurled hinge pins, as I do like the design and would have bought it in a heartbeat. But buying that would draw me into the DYRL line. Between Transformers, Figmas, Macross figs and PS3 games, my plate is full enough as it is. As for DX Chogokins, if they don't fix the GERWALK mode on those, I ain't putting down a cent for any of them. About the Valkyrie count; yes, there are some very dedicated Macross collectors here, a few of whom have pretty deep pockets and the salaries to fill them.

Nice mold, although I prefer the original Decepticon color scheme. Matches his UCAV alt mode better. I've been trying to find Skystalker everywhere, but he doesn't seem to be in stock in most TRU's.

Holy crap, you could put your kid through college with that! Now I'm guessing you're either living in the US or a country that doesn't impose import/customs taxes on hobby items, because if you're living where I'm at, you'd be taxed to kingdom come... The only time when I'm safe from taxes is when the price of the item plus shipping is under 160 USD thanks to the tax-free threshold; so anything more costly than a 1/60 VF-1 risks getting taxed.

Great news, everyone! Well, it seems they work pretty fast. FEDEX delivered my YF-19 this morning, and they actually rang the doorbell this time. Actually, they had to because the price of the item plus shipping was well over the tax-free threshold, and I needed to pay back the customs duties they paid on my behalf. So, aside from a tear on the back of the box resulting from a clumsy customs officer opening the box for inspection, the Eagle (One) has indeed safely landed. After all this time, the YF-19 is finally mine! Muahahahaha! Damn, sounds kinda like those guys from insurance agencies who are sent to check if a claim is for real--sensitivity, empathy and EQ are apparently not part of the job requirements. If it weren't for the 500 (local) dollar tax-free threshold where I'm at, I'd prefer shipping via EMS if I can help it.

All my purchases from HLJ vie EMS required a signature during delivery, so shouldn't FEDEX do the same, too? But man, the thought to having a 240 dollar parcel sitting unattended at your doorstep is scary.

Thanks for the quick replies, guys! I emailed them and asked for them to reschedule the delivery ASAP. And what's this about them not ringing doorbells or knocking on doors? How the hell's anyone supposed to know they're here if they just stop the truck at your doorstep like some stalker?! Gosh, am I supposed to sit there on my front lawn waiting for the FEDEX truck to arrive? Can't believe I paid almost twice the shipment cost of EMS for this kind of service.

Sorry if this is supposed to be posted at the "What's Wrong with my..." thread, but technically, this has nothing to do with defects or damage on a fig, but with the FEDEX delivery. I recently bought a re-release YF-19 from HLJ and shipped it using FEDEX. HLJ said it took 3 to 5 days to arrive, and I only expected it to arrive today. Thing is, as I checked the tracking number on the site, it said it came to my house yesterday evening, but nobody was home ("customer not available or business closed.") I was actually at home at the time, but didn't hear anyone knock on my door or anything. Anyways, I checked my mailbox, but couldn't find any card from FEDEX, telling me when they'd come again to deliver the parcel. I usually ship via EMS and am used to dealing with the local post office, but this is my first time using FEDEX. So what do I do now? Do I email them and ask for them to send it again, or will they automatically resend the parcel the following day? My apologies if this post doesn't belong here. Please feel free to move it to the relevant thread if necessary. Thanks.

Same here. Except I mostly panel line and detail TF's due to all the missing paint apps and shallow panel lines on many deluxe figs. I don't really feel the need to panel line my VF's, although some of the white colored VF's do look like they'd benefit from some panel lining. Personally, they look good enough to me without any form of detailing or weathering. Of course, that's just me.

Same here. (Puts on two flame suits just in case...) Going off-topic in three...two...one.... My first encounter with MacPlus was when I watched the movie edition back in the early 2000's. While I was enthralled by the awesome aerial dogfighting scenes and the designs of YF-19 and -21, the flow of the anime felt somewhat disjointed and rushed. My biggest problem was with Isamu as a character in the movie edition. Personally, I got the impression that he was high on marijuana all the time, besides being an arrogant SOB. I've recently watched the three-part series on Youtube, and the difference was astounding. The included scenes of Isamu in his superior's office after the awesome VF-11B scene, his first meeting with the supporting characters in the meeting room, and even the scene where he's had enough of Jan Neuman busting his chops and threatens to "eat him up", painted him as a believable character, rather than the caricature he was in the movie edition. Also, the extra scenes let the relationship between Lucy and Isamu play out more naturally. In the movie, he comes on to her right after drawing that giant pterodactyl in the air, and she didn't look particularly pleased to meet him. Then right after he gets a talking to from Milliard, there she is yelping behind him on his bike as he speeds through traffic. Of course, the three-part version wins hands down with the opening fight scene featuring the VF-11B Thunderbolt! (Slinks away to look for a heat-retardant shield just in case...)

Thirded. For a fig carrying such a high-end price tag that couldn't even pull off a decent GERWALK mode (essentially a VF's trademark mode), is inexcusable. (Puts on flame suit and stands beside you...) Yeah, MacPlus was my reawakening to Macross as well. I only have vague childhood memories of the VF-1, but the YF-19 was what I truly fell in love with.

I hear you. I've been hoping for one since the first time I set eyes upon a picture of it.

I've owned the DN for over a year now, and I'd say it's a great figure in looks and quality. The left shoulder joint was a bit floppy, but tightening the screw fixed it up perfectly. The only reason I'm still eying the original color YF-19 is because MacPlus was kind of like my reawakening to the Macross franchise, and the YF-19 was what started my interest for collecting Valks. All in all, I would definitely recommend the DN, if the fact that it didn't appear in MacPlus isn't a factor for you.

Yeah, I'm hoping Yamato merchandise are going to be part of that "our price" list soon too, since high-end Valks are the ones that REALLY need a discount right now. As for the customer support guy, he replied two days later, promising to call Yamato's parts department and ask them what's the hold up. Well, at least it's good to know they're doing something about it. There was this certain Japanese guy who was in charge with my VF-1D replacement parts, and after the first email reply, the dude totally ignored me for a whole month. After the third ignored email, I sent an update request to the main address at trouble@hlj.com. Someone else replied, and within two days, I got a shipping notice for the replacement parts.

Yep, those are some purdy pictures...especially the one with BRS going all KOS-MOS wielding a rock canon in each hand.

Glad to hear you got a relatively good one, man. BTW, still haven't gotten a reply from HLJ yet. Must be busy with the new sale and new "our price" system, which unfortunately does not include Yamato Macross merchandise. YF-19's not on sale, either, and VF-1A TV Kakizaki has been yet again discontinued. Damn their eyes. If I still don't get a reply from the guy by Monday, I'll have to do what I did the last time and resend the email to the main trouble@hlj.com address and get someone else to pick it up and give me a update. Waiting is aggravating, but being ignored is infuriating.

To quote Heath Ledger's Joker, "I have simple needs." (or something to that effect) 1. A re-released YF-19 and VF-1A TV Kakizaki to complete my VF collection. 2. A copy of SW - TFUII and MGS Rising each. 3. HLJ finally gets those damn Nora replacement parts shipped to me, so I can fix the busted up fig they sold me....