HardlyNever

If you're buying from NY, always buy in yen, as they are locked into 100 jpy= 1 usd, which hasn't been reality for years. How much you save will depend on a number of factors (current exchange rate, whether or not your payment method has a fee for currency exchange, etc). So the exact cost will fluctuate a bit. As far as shipping, that is always a time vs cost issue. You can have it sent by boat if you want, but that will literally take months. The shipping cost will be dependent on how fast you want it (the exact cost also fluctuates a bit, based on current shipping rates).

Not a big Delta fan, but Bandai may have sold me on a vf-31 with that armor. I'm a sucker for more weapons...

Man, that's only like $30 more than I paid for the HMR Milia... (but that's including shipping on the hmr). Who could have guessed.

Yes, I would say Arcadia is making the best vf-1 toys, currently(just my opinion). The thing that can be a little confusing with Arcadia is that they are now making premium finish versions of most of their releases. The premium finish has more tampo than the regular finish, but they generally run $50-$60 (USD) more. If you get the regular release, most of the extra tampo on the premium finish is included as stickers (plus you have some options with stickers like having non-canon markings, if you want). All the toys wmkjr linked are the regular releases. There is also a premium finish Roy available, with a premium finish Max and Miria on the way. Whether the premium finish is worth the extra cost is up to you, I'd suggest looking at reviews that are out there.

In before the lock... Anyhow, I second Arkham's suggestion of a vf-1s super/strike. It was my first modern Macross toy, and while they aren't cheap, it doesn't disappoint. The Focker release was still available well after release, but it seems like it is starting to dry up. NY has the Hikaru release, but that is pretty steep for the non-premium version. Shop around some of the second-hand shops for a better deal. Couple words of warning: 1. I thought the arcadia vf-1s would be the beginning and end of my modern collecting. It wasn't. 2. If you go with the vf-1s super/strike, you are kind of starting at the cream of the crop (at least for SDFM/DYRL macross), so it will be hard to top that release. However, there are still a lot of fun toys after that (look at the Hi-Metal R line).

Yeah, I actually liked muscle figs back then too. Was around the same time I was watching Robotech/macross. But these seem entirely out of place. MUSCLE was mass-market disposable stuff. This is mass-market disposable product aimed a very niche, almost entirely high-end market (now-a-days, at least). Not sure what they are thinking with this.

This is where I'm at. I'm even skipping the VE-1, hoping for a re-release from Arcadia. If I don't hear anything in the next few months, maybe I'll pick up an HMR one. But I'm pretty tired of the HMR vf-1, and I only have 3. Bring on the enemy mecha.

This doesn't look like something you want to handle a lot, with all those little paint apps. That's fine with me, as this is pretty much the definition of a shelf-queen imo.

Looks like they used this shot as inspiration for the Regult: Can't say that is a flattering version of the Regult.

Yeah, I missed them first, too. They should be taped under the side of the tray, one on each side.

Good to know. I guess it is just bad QC from Bandai on the missile regults.

Which mode? It plugs in behind the swing-bar thingy that you move over the head in gerwalk mode. Jenius' video shows how to do it without SAP here, but it is the same spot with SAP, you just don't have to move the big white tab that comes out of the backpack.

Not trying to be pedantic, but just to offer some clarity. I've seen people report the problem on both versions now. I think you said your light missile regult had the problem, whereas my heavy missile regult has the issue. I think I've seen other people mentioned heavy and light having the issue. I does seem to be either one or the other, not both in the pack? Could be wrong on that one, but I don't think someone has mentioned both having bad knees. We're probably chasing a wild goose at this point anyhow. But if I had another set, I don't think I'd be letting them sit in the package, just saying.

What I mean is that maybe leaving it in the crouched pose for extended periods of time is bad for the knee joints. I'm not really sure how long they sat around like that before actually being shipped to retailers (and then to us). I know QC issues happen, but this seems rather wide-spread. Or it could be totally unrelated.

"Fun" story. Back in 2016 I purchased a v.1 super hikaru for like $150 shipped(it was my first modern Macross purchase). I cancelled the order before it shipped luckily. I didn't know exactly what I was buying and wanted to do some more research before committing. Like the next day I realized what it was that I was buying, and found out Arcadia was releasing the v2 DYRL Roy in like a week. So.. I was that guy, only worse in some ways (fortunately I didn't go through with it).

But... they're version ones... Super low prices, though.

Since this seems to be such a common issue this early for this release, I'm wondering if the way the regults were packaged (all crouched into a ball) has something to do with it. I got 1 original release regult, and it is starting to get some looseness in the knees, but that took months of display with a little bit of handling. Seems like some of the missile regults are coming out of the box loose (I know one of mine was).

Word of warning for anyone swapping the wings out on the HMR vf-2ss. The peg that the wings peg onto can come out of the metal housing that they rest in. Luckily, nothing broke on my peg, and it just pegged back in, but I could definitely see those pegs as being a durability issue in the long-term. I think the transformation video Bandai put out even has a caution for them.

Yeah, one of my knees was loose right out of the box. It isn't that bad (it can still stand in most poses), but it is disappointing to see that QC issue on a brand new toy.

I might have been slightly interested if this was a vf-0S with reaction armor bundle. Just a premium finish vf-0S is a no-go for me. More than anything, I'm interested in seeing if Arcadia is going to continue making vf-1's, after Bandai's reveal of the "1/48ish" scale vf-1j.

I don't collect MISB, or ever intend to. I've also wondered what the motivation is for people (particularly in this specific permutation of toy collecting)to do so, but ultimately, however someone enjoys the hobby is how they enjoy it; they don't have to justify it to anyone. At the end of the day, we're all adults(mostly?) collecting toys, so trying to pretend why one version of collecting is better than another just seems silly. We're all collecting plastic, and just have different ways of enjoying it. All that said, if some of the MISB collectors ever want to send me their stuff, and I may or may not replace it with like a book or something inside the box and send it back, and you can keep pretending the actual toy is in there, then you'll help make the world an even happier place. We can call it the schrodingers cat of Macross.

This sounds like one of those "good problems." But at the same time, I'm glad this isn't me.

I don't have a definitive answer or source, but I always thought Max was "enlarged" to zendradi/meltrandi size. Since what happens is basically the reverse of what happens in the SDFM tv series, I figured they went all the way and made him big. There isn't much screen time of him after the fight, so I don't know if there is a real way to tell just from the movie. One of the people involved in production would have to say something about it, I guess (or maybe they already have).

Had a few hours with the missile regults and vf-2ss, so I guess I'll give my 2 cents here. Love the missile regults, I was excited for them from the beginning, and they did not disappoint. They seemed pretty easy to get right and bandai delivered. It seems like they even tightened up the side thrusters on this release, which spun around too easily (imo) on the original release. My only complaint is that one of my knees was kind of loose right out of the box (about as loose as the one I've had for months). I was hoping they would solve that problem, but it looks like it will continue to be an issue for some of them. For the vf-2ss, not a whole lot to say that hasn't already been said. Transformation to fighter mode and back was surprisingly easy for a macross newbie like myself, probably in large part to how the thing only tabs together in a few spots, and just relies on a bunch of hinges to actually work. Props to Bandai for even trying this thing, as the amount of anime magic involved in this design is really apparent when you get it in hand. I think I like Gerwalk mode the best, overall. My mini rant is about the stupid cannon on the SAP. What an idiotic design. I'm seriously considering a way to make the barrel removable. You either have to have this giant thing sticking way out there, or have it down over the mech's face, in what is one of the dumbest poses I've ever seen in mecha anime. I like the rest of the SAP, and the vf-2ss looks kind of naked without it, but I freakin' hate that cannon.

Late to the party, but my HMR stuff finally arrived from AE. Loving the missile regults so far.