Skull-1

H, you really aren't showing much intellect here.... I have multiple independent sources in Japan (yes, I have friends there) who have confirmed what Rob said (or should I say, Rob confirmed what they said since I heard it from my friends first). I am not buying another Hikaru. You are clearly unable to read. Try again before jumping on the aspersion bandwagon.

According to multiple sources in Japan....that's precisely what is happening there. Valkyrie toys are a bust in the home islands..... Funny, the Hikaru "A" and the Max "A" are *still* available. I thought they sold out. Guess not. Just picked up a Max "A" for 100 bucks... Custom material.

Just when you thought Yamato had hit rock bottom they one up you.... Now we have to deal with bad QC and Yamato's solution to a defective or broken part: "Tell them to buy another Valkyrie and swap the part off of that one." BRILLIANT! I'm just glad I was able to get a pair of extra canopies from HLJ to replace the defective POS they sent me before Yamato decided to play Gestapo games.... (Upon careful inspection I discovered why the canopy broke off at the hinge: the glue they use to attach the hinge cover wasn't confined to the hinge cover, but managed to run down into the hinge itself. There was no way in hell to get that canopy open without breaking it. Nice job, Yamato.) Oh, and for those who said I insulted fellow MWorlders.... PROVE IT. I have insulted no one here. I was on the verge of it, I admit, but I did not. My assertions about the popularity of Macross Toys in Japan have been supported time and time again. Yamato thinks its "Japanese Customers" want this and that. The reality is, those people don't give a crap about Macross toys. It's old news there. As for affordability, I have plenty of money in my Macross Toy Fund. It is not a question of "Can I buy this thing?" it is a question of "Should I reinforce Yamato's bad business practices?". My answer is HELL NO. I give them kudos on the Low Viz.... Jeers for the rest.

If they had done the damned thing right in the first place then there would be no need for an "improved one." That's the whole damned problem with Yamato... They put out crap knowing people will buy it then fix that crap and make it into what it should have been in the first place. The people who got rooked on the original crap want something worthwhile and fork over the bucks for it, too, or walk away pissed off. Not a very sound business model. As for putting an "S" on a horrible Valk...let's just say I've already invested the money in it. At least if I drop an "S" head on it then it's something more along the lines of what I actually *want*.

Yet your entire post is based on the idea that they aren't going to make it, and they should be expending massive amounts of capital to give you the valks you want before they inevitably fail. If they are short on cash, I still think it makes more sense to do low over-head projects and squeeze more money out of what they've already invested in, rather than invest in new sculpts, manufacturing processes, paint schemes, and marketing. But, obviously, intelligent people can disagree on that. I try to qualify my remarks when I think it warranted. I'm not sure that making more VF-1 minor variations is the best strategy. However, it is obvious that the VF-1S Hikaru is a low outlay undertaking for Yamato. That is just sound economics and is backed up by prior experience (the skulls on the tails being crooked for two different valks is an indication they overproduce the part in anticipation of later variants. . . which lowers cost and raises profits). What bothers me is when people assert blindly that Yamato will go out of business if they don't start making the valks they want. . . I still remember Aegis saying that Yamato would go out of business over the 1/48 and that we were all unscrupulous for consigning the 1/60 line to death with our fixation on the 1/48s. Yet, here comes the 1/60 GBP and Q-rau. Best Regards, H It is an outlay of capital, high *or* low, that runs the risk of alienating consumers. Let's get real here.... It doesn't cost *that* much money to make these stupid toys, and frankly, the only thing Yamato has to change to make the DYRL "A" or "S" into a "J" is the head. That isn't exactly a high dollar change. Throw in some blue die for the plastic and you have a Max "J" that someone will want to buy as opposed to an "S" that's going to rot on the shelf. Most of us are not going to waste money on this "S" because we are wanting something else. I want a TV Max "J" model. Period. So, Yamato is counting on people spending money... Well, I've got three hundred bucks burning a hole in my pocket and I'm ready to spend it. However, if they expect me to waste it on an "S" ripoff of my "A" they can forget it. Go out of business and I'll do without my Max if that's how they want to play it... I'm not going to buy an "S" I don't need or want in the hope that through the graciousness of their hearts they'll put out M&M. This is a really stupid game they are playing here, if you ask me. At the very least they should survey their markets and find out what people want. I can tell you it's not a Hikaru "S" that is for certain. OTOH, considering how badly the original "A" did, I wonder if they haven't produced tons of Hikaru "A" Valks and need a way to dump the excess supply. Swap the head out and throw it in a new box? Stranger things....

That an improved version is on the way is further proof of the original "A" model's inferiority.

Well said.

I think Valk-Exchange had some with crunched boxes for $130.

Oh, and what's the cheapest total cost for acquiring a 1/48 these days? $130 shipped is the best I've seen thus far.

I saw Fulcy's armored Valk project... (NICE.) I was wondering if anyone else has repainted a 1/48 into something extreme yet...? I saw the TV Max "A" but that's about it. Anyone? Edit in: I am thinking that with the tight part tolerances this thing will scrape off a lot of paint when transformed.

Uh, I called them morons when it came to coming up with catchy English names and phrases. I'm about to call you a moron for being unable to read. My 1/48 was a POS and the things I complained about were apparently fixed in the Low-Viz. So.........just because I didn't start a million dollar anti-Yamato campaign to stop everyone from buying it I lack marketing saavy? Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. People bought it because it was the only thing out there at the time! The total lack or resale value on the thing shows that it's an inferior toy. The only saving grace for it is that it was the first ever made. That may cause it to be worth something to someone one of these days... (DOUBTFUL.) As for spelling................ I dunno about you but I still go by SPO quite happily. Take a look at my sig if you can read it.

Well, those of us on the Robotech Reference Guide have long known about this thing. I think we called it a VF-1B or something like that. For us, animation errors are canon so we explain everything if we can. YF-1R sounds stupid.

I can't understand why they're calling it a YF-1R. At the least call it a YVF-1R. Sheesh.

Yeah, and this thing is going to sell like crap... It's not going to sell as well as a Max or Milia "J" would sell. It darned sure won't sell as well as the Hikaru "J" is going to sell, either. If the Japanese prefer this POS over M&M.... Talk about a reason to roll your eyes.

It's a magazine, not a clip, guys. Very few weapons have clips. As a general rule a clip is used to fill a magazine (like the M-1 Garand--uses an En Bloc *CLIP* to fill an internal box *MAGAZINE*) and a magazine fills a weapon without one built in (M-16 for example). Some rifles like the SKS most often use a stripper clip to replenish a detachable magazine (that acts as a fixed/permanent magazine because the former are lighter than the latter). I hate everyone calling everything a "clip." It's not a "clip." My Marine Corps side is fighting its way to the surface again....must resist....must......

Strike Valkyrie sounds just fine. Strike Eagle is American.... Strike Valk sounds the same. Japanese are morons when it comes to naming things in English. Anyone remember the "car door anti-freeze" stuff that came out a few years back? It was called "Super Piss."

How about doing something imaginative for a change? M&M "J" models will sell a lot better than this piece of crap. The Yamato marketing people have their heads up their ass if you ask me. The Low Viz is the only homerun they've hit thus far...

That's the whole damned problem. If Yamato would put out a TV Max and Milia "J" then I would spend money on those. THEN let Yamato rip the rest of you off with the "S" Hikaru (at least a customized Bandai has a different paint job for crying out loud). As it stands they'll waste money on this stupid ripoff and we'll never see the Valks that most of us really want: M&M, CF, Elint, etc. because they won't make money to spend on "new crap."

They should have just made them "The Blue Impulse" demo team. That's the Japanese Aerial Demonstration Squadron and they have a kick ass scheme.... http://jaddams.csw.uic.edu/aod/images/BlueImpulse/

Probably because "Angel Birds" sounds stupid to those whose native language is English... JMHO.

*Yawn* Why buy this when I can buy a custom "S" head someday and have two for the price of one? Typical non-imaginative Yamato marketing. PASS.

However they do it...they're going to need a better weapon than a GU-11. When it's out of ammo it's out. You can't reload on the fly. The Zentraedi do not have this handicap, it appears. Frankly, without overwhelming firepower--close air support is a must--the humans are at a major disadvantage.

You need to redo that poll... I could be in the 20-30 group or the 30-40 group depending on how you look at it. 0-09 09-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 etc......

Dude, the Tiger Meet scheme ROCKS.... Hey, I've tried to give Hikaru a good home and nobody wants him. Time to experiment on his happy ass....

How hard is it to take a Yammie 1/48 apart and put it back together again? I am contemplating something very drastic for my unloved DYRL Hikaru "A" model.... Tiger meet anyone? MUHUHUHAUHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!