HardlyNever

Yeah, the vast majority of cells have way less detail than any of the toys, but there are always those few shots like this: That are much higher detail than the standard animated scene. I was just wondering if any of the veterans that have watched 50+ times and know every frame basically have ever noticed a correlation in the markings on the regults. It may genuinely never appear in the tv show, though.

I'm glad they are including the little turret. They could be super cheapskates and only give you the missile pods, and make you buy more of the original release if you wanted more "standard" regults, but no, they throw in that extra little bit if you want to have all "standard" regults for a while. I appreciate little things like that. On a side note, does anyone know if those zentradi markings have any meaning, or are specific to those type of missile pods? Like is the "uf" looking marking specific to the light missile pod regult? I know that's what it shows in the line-art(and that is what they are basing these off of), but does it show up in the tv series like that? I recently just re-watched it, and can't say I noticed one way or another. Might be an interesting little tidbit if those markings were specifically related to the weapon attachments a regult has.

I've noticed the same thing. The rest of the line feels so much more solid compared to the valks. I still like the HMR valks, but I probably won't get another vf-1. I think the two big issues are first, they transform, so they need to make some compromises the non-transforming molds don't (like you said). And probably a bigger factor is that the vf-1s are based on a 2010 mold, and it shows. I really think they should have updated the HMR vf-1 mold more than they did, as there is clearly a gap in quality between the valks and the rest of the line. I'm interested to see if the vf-2ss has a feel more in line with the other modern HMR stuff.

Bit the bullet and ordered the PF. I know I'd regret not getting it now, a year after release. The extra cash isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, and I know this thing is going to sky-rocket after release, and I don't want to be kicking myself down the line. You only live once, etc., etc.

I'm not sure what you think Leonard French's interests/intentions were, but he was never that interested in Macross (or even Robotech) at all. The only reason he's covering this at all is that he's interested in Battletech/Mechwarrior, and since they (HBS) are being sued by HG, and this case also involving Harmony Gold came up, he looked into it. He was really just trying to establish what HG's rights were with regards to the Macross designs (specifically the ones Battletech ripped off/borrowed from/copied, however you want to interpret it). He is not a Macross or Robotech fan, nor did he ever pretend to be. He does seem to know a little more than the average person regarding the Macross/Robotech relationship, but he also got several things wrong (again, because he isn't a Macross fan). I'm not necessarily trying to defend the guy, I don't really care about him much one way or another. But it seems like you've had it out for him, or think he's a "fake" Macross fan. He isn't a Macross (or Robotech) fan at all, and if you watched the full hour+ video, he never pretended to be. He's only interested in this because of its relationship to Battletech. That said, he is a lawyer, and his interpretation in video format is probably better than a lot of laymen reading the arbitration on its own, that's why I bothered to post the video.

This is 100% speculation on my part, but I feel like Bandai and Arcadia have an understanding. Bandai releases their HMR version of a valk first, then Arcadia follows weeks/months later, like they did with M&M. I wouldn't be too surprised to see an Arcadia announcement a few weeks after this is released (and that is what I'm holding out for). Again, though, that is just a guess on my part.

Hmm... that NY price for the PF version is looking more doable... Anyone got any idea what they'll charge for shipping? I just got my Defender from them, they seemed to have pretty average shipping prices.

Trademarking something that you don't have much of a case for actually holding can be challenged in court. I mean, companies do this all the time, it's license (or patent) trolling/squatting. Sometimes the trolls/squaters win, sometimes the other side does. I think the biggest issue is that the entities that have a much more legitimate claim on those IPs (specifically Big West and Studio Nue), have not challenged HG in Western courts, at least not to the extent that they need to. They seem to have very little interest in Macross outside of Japan, so when they hit a license troll like HG, they would rather just not deal with it. Maybe that will change in 2021, when BW wouldn't have to deal with HG anymore (hypothetically).

They don't ship to the US directly, you're going to need a proxy service.

Yup, it looks like regular version for me. Perhaps this will be my first go at customization. I've been waffling on whether to even buy this thing at all, there is no way I can swing $600+ (after shipping) for something I'm lukewarm about. Wish Arcadia didn't have to be this degree of a gouger.

That's... a tough sell. That regular version is looking better and better...

This seems correct to me. I've been researching this on my own, and it is definitely a complete mess. I think the 90s litigation was a big loss for Tatsunoko, as they basically handed over way more rights to HG than they ever intended, and didn't really get much money for it. But they were defending themselves from BW, and in so doing helped HG secure their rights to all Macross stuff. I bet Tatsu lost a lot of money over the years having to be tethered to the 2nd rate Robotech franchise, when it could have been making money (in some fashion) through Macross stuff internationally. There was also some litigation in the early 2000s (2003, I think), but I'm not 100% clear on that. I think that was between Tatsunoko and BW.

Not a lawyer, but I'd say theoretically yes. Unfortunately, patent and license trolling/squating is still very much a thing in the US, and you could argue HG are masters at it. So like Dynaman said, there is probably a lot that still has to go through courts (especially when HG is involved...).

Posted a shorter video in a different thread, I'll repost here: Sounds like the Macross license goes back to Tatsunoko in 2021, and it is up to them what they do with it. Hopefully they will stay far away from HG with it. What that means for the continued existence of the Robotech license is, I have no idea. I'd love to see genuine Macross stuff in the US, though.

I'm not sure if this this is the right subforum for this, so please move it to the correct one, if necessary. I know Robotech and Harmony Gold are bad words around these parts, but I thought since this involves Tatsunoko and Macross, it fits here. Anyhow, here's a link to a video which can explain it better than I can: It sounds like we might(?) have the opportunity to see actual Macross stuff in the US in 2021, but I'm sure HG will continue to fight this in court up until that time. Edit: Looks like this came up a few hours ago in this thread, feel free to delete this/combine with that thread, as you see fit:

Looks like you beat Arcadia to an Arcadia SDF-1.

The regular version really doesn't look that bad. Ofc, those pictures are designed to make the toy look as good as it can look. Like most people here, I'm going to hold out for the premium version. But if the regulars somehow find their way to discount bins by March/April next year, I might just settle for a discounted regular version (I doubt it will happen, but you never know).

I'm really starting to think "premium" should be there new standard for all releases. They could probably sell them for cheaper than their current premiums by "mass" producing them (I use the term loosely). They would still cost more than their current regular releases, but not as much as their current premium. We are dealing with molds that are almost 10 years old in some cases, we should be getting something better than straight re-issues at this point. Their "premium" should be what we expect for a re-used mold, but I guess they can get away with doing it like this, so they will.

I think this is a release I'm going to have to get the premium on. The extra paint really makes the mold details stand out, and there is no way I'd try to do that level of detail myself on a $300+ dollar toy. But that means I'm looking at something that is probably going to cost north of $500, and that is a scary place to be (for me at least). Having been in this hobby just about a year now, I didn't think I'd ever really be considering something like that when I started. I think half a grand on a single purchase should give even the most hard collectors (which I'm not) pause. At least the silver lining is we'll have a little more time to save...

32,800 Yen according to Jenius' article. But the exchange rate is better than it was back in 2010, at least for USD.

Price is do-able, doesn't seem as inflated as some of the valkyrie releases. What are the odds of a premium version of this? I just saw that M&M had a premium announcement, but the valks have stickers that easily translate into more tampo. I don't think there is such an easy precedent set for the sdf-1. I'd hate to get locked into this, and then have a premium announcement, though.

Just discovered this game existed. It is the Macross game that I always wanted, but didn't think existed. Yeah, the graphics are a little dated, and the gameplay gets a tad repetitive, but if you ever wanted to feel like you were in an episode of SDF Macross (or DYRL), this game is unbeatable. Much better than the Battlecry game we got in the States. Having all the vf-1 valks and accessories available to play around with in-game (and even the vf-4!) is a dream.

The single regult doesn't really add up, as every listing I've seen only has one option to buy. How would you choose which markings you want if it is just a single regult?

Yeah, I think it's from one of the old Arii model kit boxes. It might be original box art.

If you are talking about the whole missile boom, it just pulls off. There are two clips/pegs (on the inside) that plug into the engine part. You just need to pull on it pretty firmly. If you're talking about disassembling the missile boom (like on a 1/60 scale), there is no way (that I know of).