ultraman zoffy

So I'm guessing that in the interest of clocking yen, Yamato won't be offering the parts seperately..?

For the M&M valks though, the rare instances they pop up on overseas proxy services usually show them going for $300 or over (after the yen to USD conversion) after bidding is done. Here's hoping Yamato comes through. Change in topic real quick, but has anyone ever looked into production run numbers for the VF-1 V2 line and the various models?

Dude, don't do it... that price is totally unreasonable, and the sellers are just looking to gouge folks. Wait and see what the reissue situation looks like.

I supported it, but even still, even if it doesn't become an "official" Lego release, couldn't the guy just create instructions on how to make this thing?

I think I was actually more concerned about the loose "spine" on the toy that allows the cockpit area to flop around and causes the air intakes to not lock into place properly. That and the janky sounding feet; not stoked on buying one and finding out I didn't get one that has locking feet... I'm sure there's a fix for most of the issues with the toy, but since I've still got a few VF-1's to collect, I figure that'll give me time to wait for your replacement parts to get dialed before I throw down on a VF-0. Keep up the good work man!

Been wanting a VF-0S for a while now, but with all the joint issues and seeing how floppy the toy is in the scorched earth interview, I just can't bring myself to purchase one. We might as well ask Veef to just design a whole new reissue of it for everyone. lol

I've got one already as well... I'd say the most sensible thing to do is wait it out and see if the parts will be offered seperately. Honestly, with replacement shoulder hinges readily available now and no significant changes to the design, there's really no need to go back and buy a duplicate valk for these parts alone. Save the money for re-releases of valks you don't have already. After seeing the successful shoulder hinge design from VF5S and his friend, I'd also say it isn't too wild a possibility that someone will simply draft these parts up and make them available on Shapeways in the future.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=36316 Defective shoulder hinges are now a thing of the past... all hail VF5SS.

Nice to see folks installing the new hinges... I removed and shaved the pins on all my "problem" valks way back and reinforced the original hinges as much as possible, so I'll only be using my shapeways hinges as emergency backups. Feels good to have insurance on hand though!

Random question.... does ishop2go charge you up front for pre-orders, or do they only charge when the item is in-stock and ships?

I don't have a problem with anyone liking Macross 7 or Basara... I just didn't. lol

Picked up 4 pairs so far... good times.

I'd think it'd be wiser to go with the older hinge... there's enough material to work with (i.e. sand down a bit) to get the fit just right (if someone sticks a pair in) and still have it be strong enough.

When filing down and reinserting the pins on my VT-1, I used some silicone lube, and it helped tons. Probably a better idea then smashing them in dry...

Just watched Macross 7 entirely, so I thought I'd vote... now, I guess this series has a sizeable following and all, and the toys from it don't look half bad, but personally... Macross 7 was almost unwatchable. Geezus, it was painful forcing myself to watch it just to hopefully find something redeemable about it, but aside from seeing Max and Miriya again, I got nothing. Immediately after watching 7, I had to go back and watch episodes of SDF: Macross as a palette cleanser. lol Oh, and as far as my vote... Basara = Probably the worst character concept in Macross ever. But for folks that enjoy 7 and Basara, more power to you.

Just got a VF-1D, but I've got no qualms with buying a re-release and having 2 in my case... Keep the reissues coming, Yamato!

OKAY... sorry it took me so long to get around to testing this out! I ended up using clear nail polish on both the hard points and the reflex missle holders on my 1/48 stealth valk. It does work, and quite well actually; the reflex missles don't fall off with the slightest movement anymore, and hardpoints are now tight enough so that the missles don't sway and move around when the wings are angled. Note though that removing missles from either the hard points or from the reflex missle trees will wear the nail polish down, but then all you have to do is recoat them. Cheap, good mod, especially if your wife or gf has the polish laying around already. lol

This is great news... definitely in for at least 4 pairs. Since I don't know much about how Shapeways operates, does this mean that once this design is "registered" with them, that they will be available permanently on their site, made to order? Or do designers state a time limit of availability?

I'm in for a few sets of the revisions when they drop... thanks for all your efforts.

VF-1D, VE-1, and VT-1 reissues plus just making a good load of revised shoulder hinges openly available to to the public again to increase the appeal of the remaining defective valks on the market would be a good start.

Closely watching your progress, sir. Very nice modeling work! Is the seam down the middle just from the mirror plane of the drawing, or will this be a 2-piece mold that has to be assembled? I'd be really interested in buying both a 1/48 and 1/60 scale of these if you run both...

Thanks Jason... I've done that with action figure ball joints before and thought about trying it on the valks. I'll see how it goes and post up here in case anyone is thinking of trying it out in the future.

Hey everyone, Just wondering if any of you have ever performed any small mods to tighten up the fit of missles on 1/48 valks. I LOVE my 1/48 stealth, but man, the saggy missles are really a bummer on it. Would appreciate any info on how to make these things less droopy!

Surgery successful...

SO... the VT-1 is now mine!! In order to provide myself with some leverage, I haggled with the owner of the shop by stating that I'd pay cash for it on the spot if he let me open up the valk in the store and inspect it. Lo and behold, a partially cracked shoulder hinge and stress marks on the opposite hinge. This irrefutable proof, and the fact that I knew that the valk had been sitting for ages on the shelf, netted me a discount down from $209 to $155. The valk is now sitting in surgery, pins pulled, super glued hinge plastic, waiting for my dremel battery to charge to smooth the knurling out. Oddly, I'm actually glad that it ended up being cracked in the box, since my whole spiel to the owner about it being prone to cracking didn't end up looking like major b.s. lol... in order to not burn bridges though, I did mention that if he was somehow able to leverage his store owner powers to get some replacement hinges from Yamato directly or through a distributor somehow, he could sell the other few 1/60 v2's on his shelf full price by giving the buyers the hinges along with them (and seeing as how his remaining stock were all on the avoid list, I'm sure he'll appreciate that). Thanks for all the help fellow MW'ers!