HardlyNever

Looks great, but... I'm seeing sprues. Is the main body even top-coated? I'm guessing the parts on sprues are raw. And that heel damage, ouch.

Can anyone elaborate on this "Valkyrie Project" line? I know it was introduced at last Tamashii Nations, and that the YF-19 and "1/48ish" vf-1 are supposedly a part of it? Does anyone have any more info beyond that? It seems like this sub-brand came out of no where, and it doesn't seem to have a set scale, I'm just wondering what it is about.

Got a confirmation email from AmiAmi, still nothing from HLJ. That is good enough for me, night folks.

ITT:

I'm expecting this to be delayed, what with Golden Week starting on the 29th. I'm fine with a bit of wait, but I really need this to arrive sometime in May...

I think props really need to go the Piranha Games/HBS lawyer(s) for finally realizing Tatsunoko never had the rights to license what it claims to have licensed to Harmony Gold. If this judgement actually goes in PG/HBS' favor, specifically off the back of that argument, then this would be a huge blow to HG's claim on anything Macross, upheld in a US court.

In a similar boat as Sanity. I started (modern) collecting late 2016; this is my first (maybe last?) yf-19. I even specifically held off on buying a vf-19 advanced or Arcadia yf-19 after this was teased, so I'm pumped my patience has paid off. I do get what you mean with the constant reissues of things, as I can see when researching things that truly new designs are rare (basically when a new franchise is released), but there are lots of people that missed the early versions of this stuff that are grateful we can buy it at somewhat sane prices (compared to the some of the secondary market prices on these releases). Anything extra like more missiles than before, an arm cannon, tweaks to the molds, are all bonuses. But I can definitely see myself moving on to a different hobby once my collection is fairly representative of what I like in Macross (at least until a new series is made). There is definitely something to be said for taking the time to enjoy what you have.

I'm seeing some pretty cool accessories, but no sign of all the ordnance we saw at last Tamashii Nations. Is there an itemized list of accessories anywhere? Would be nice to have before we pre-order.

Glad it is a weekend this time. I'll be ready (again).

I'll be in for one. It will probably be around the cost the Arcadia one is currently going for, maybe even a little cheaper, but with even more accessories and (hopefully) less QC issues.

I think we're going to be installing parts from a runner ourselves, even on the PF. I personally don't mind the labor of it, as I do a little customization here and there and enjoy it. However, this is supposed to be top-coated, and having little bits and bobs not be top-coated is kind of a let down, especially at this price point. It could even create a situation where the parts from the runner don't quite match the color of the main toy, and that would be a serious concern for something that is putting so much emphasis on sitting there and looking good. I'm hoping they do at least this (especially the paint/topcoat part).

They are looking amazing, I'm pretty excited now. But there are pics of what look like fully painted main bodies where you can see Macross city, and it is unpainted: I think the likelihood of a painted Macross city is incredibly low at this point. Sure, it could be added later in the process, but that is just wishful thinking. It is something they would have showcased/advertised, as it would have major appeal. There is enough great detail on other areas that it still looks great, though.

That's what I assumed as well. Hopefully all the retailers get their shipments without issue.

This is a fairly well known practice with them, as far as I know. You usually end up a little cheaper than other retailers, still, just not as much as you thought you saved initially. I think it varies a bit on the current shipping prices, and if you take the slower shipping options, they don't seem to mark those up as much (generally).

As far as "overpriced," I get what Loli is saying, that if you pay it, and are ultimately ok with paying it, then it can't be truly overpriced. Especially if an item is only going to go up in value, then it is hard to make the "overpriced" argument from an economic standpoint. But I think I know what Archie is getting at, and that is that this particular release won't feel as "valuable" or "worthwhile" for the cost, when compared to some other Macross purchases. I've already mentally prepared myself for this; I'm big on accessories (missiles, armor parts, etc.) which this has none of. Pose-ability is also big for me, and this is limited in that department as well. So when compared to say, a $250 vf-1 super/strike release, which has tons of both, this will feel like you aren't getting as much for your dollar. But I've accepted the price, and can acknowledge that this has different value than most of my other purchases. In this case, it is mainly nostalgia, and the fact that this is the sort of thing I'd never dream I would own when I was a kid (sort of a grail piece). And yeah, I got the payment request from NY as well. We got a slight bump in USD to JPY in the past week or so, so that helps for those of us in the US that waited until the last minute to pay.

Towards the bottom of this interview, it is briefly mentioned. Not a lot to hang your hat on, but at least there is some level of interest.

Got the same email from NY. My heart sank when I saw the subject line. But it was actually good news! Sorry to all the haters who wanted a delay Hopefully no issues with this like there were with the Kairos.

Has anyone heard anything on the PF version? I still haven't gotten a payment request from NY, and it is supposedly due out in two weeks. I'm starting to worry this will be pushed back like the PF milia, which could definitely be an issue for me.

I'm sure this has been answered several times, but I've always wondered what is going on with the TV sdf-1 vs the DYRL sdf-1. My understanding is that the TV show is the "official canon" of the events of SDF Macross, and the movie is just a retelling of those events (and even exists as movie within the Macross universe). Yet in all the later series (Macross Plus for example), you see the SDF-1 look like how it looked in DYRL. So, why is the DYRL SDF-1 the "canon" SDF-1, when the TV show is supposed to be the primary source of "canon" material regarding SDF Macross. Do they ever explain this discrepancy anywhere? I've also seen the notion that the "official canon" is somewhere in between the TV show and DYRL, and what exactly is true is a bit subjective, in some cases. Anyhow, I'm mainly wondering why the SDF-1 is always represented as the DYRL version in later Macross, and if there is any explanation for this besides "they liked the movie SDF-1 more."

Since everyone is offering theories, I guess I'll throw one out there as well. I've been wondering why Arcadia very rarely has issues getting the correct number of units out for their releases, while Bandai seems to routinely struggle with this issue. That is to say Arcadia very rarely has trouble filling orders or even meeting post-release demand (within 6-8 months after release), while also very rarely has their products end up on discount, while Bandai (and specifically Tamashii Nations) seems either never have enough (see vf-31, some HMR releases), or makes too many units (see other HMR releases, sv-262) that end up in the bargain bin. Perhaps I'm stating the obvious here, but I think it has to do with the size of the companies, and how they anticipate and approve production runs. Being smaller and more focused on a few brands, I think Arcadia tailors a production run to each specific product release. So if they are making a VF-1S Focker, they know that is a pretty popular valk, so they make X amount. When they make a Miria VF-1J, they know it isn't as popular, so they make Y amount. I don't think Bandai gets down to the level of specific product (or if they do, they do it not very well). So if it is a HMR release, they make X amount, regardless if it is a popular valk, or a destroid release. Same thing for the DX line, they only see Tamashii Nations -> DX Chogokin. They don't go any more specific than that, so when they have a release that is significantly more popular than the other releases(like the Kairos), they aren't prepared for it. How TWE factors into this, I can't really say, but maybe it is something like Tamashii Nations -> HMR -> TWE (or Tamashii Nations -> DX Chogokin -> TWE). You would think the fact that they are pre-orders would mean that they are made-to-order, but here we are, with a huge shortage on what should have been a made-to-order product. I also see there were production issues, which may have further created problems for the Kairos. That's my (possible) explanation for what we are seeing, but maybe someone has way more info that could completely destroy this idea.

This whole Kairos thing has a way more interesting story than Macross Delta. It truly is the best of Macross Delta. I wonder what is next in the tale of the Kairos!

That's as white as the HMR VF-1 gets. The lighting matters a bit, but it isn't as white as say, the HMR vf-2ss. But it is whiter than the glaug.

As other said, this forum is great for enjoying the hobby and sharing info, but it is definitely an enabling source. Also keep in mind everyone's disposable incomes and time collecting range wildly here, so definitely don't try to "keep up with the Jones.'" Some people have collections that have taken decades to amass; don't think that they bought these multi-thousand dollar collections in a few months. I'm not going to pretend to know your finances (or want to know), but I know when I was a grad student, I could have never afforded this hobby. If you're buying this stuff with student loan money (and I'm not saying you are)... don't. In fact, I started collecting right when I paid off my student loans (which took several years). As far as comp sci professors are concerned, that is going to range pretty substantially, but I can tell you as someone that works in higher ed, no one is making serious money right out of grad school. It usually takes several years to establish yourself and move up to decent paying jobs. But you can research that on your own (just don't assume the average is what you're going to be making, that is the average between new, experienced, and everyone in between).

Yeah, I've almost pulled the trigger on several of those. How do they compare to the Arcadia vf-1s? I just can't get over the sticker shock on the vf-0s. I know they are bigger and what-not, but I still can't personally justify the price on something I only kinda want (although I did enjoy Mac Zero). I'm also hoping for an Arcadia ghost booster bundle.

I'm not sure if you guys are talking about the same thing, as those links are for the Xabungle. It doesn't look like Mandarake has any more glaugs, unless I'm missing something. But to answer your question @rdrunner, I'd say if you can get it at or under $120 (usd) shipped, that is a decent price. They were going for the high 90's shipped at one point, but I think that low is passed.