mechaninac

I'm sure many of the members here must be aware already, but I thought to post a heads up anyway: HLJ has MegaHouse's Armored Klan Klang PVC figure on sale for 4800 Yen (60% off). This is a great opportunity for anyone who wanted one of these gorgeous figures but was kept away by how expensive it was... with that impediment out of the way I've already placed my order; it still won't be cheap but at least it's somewhat affordable now. Cheers!

Other than logistical issues, or the usual teething problems inherent in the manufacture and introduction of a new line, I don't see why there should be a change to the scheduled release date... aren't Yamato's producs made in chinese factories?

What Vifam7 said! Unlike Chernobyl, there has been no leakage of Cesium or Uranium, or other heavy isotopes (these have an incredibly long half life with as little as 30 years and as much as in the millions of years), at least not yet, into the atmosphere at Fukushima. The radiation released at the afflicted plants is due to neutron contamination of the sea water being used to cool the reactors (these are no longer running... they shut off automatically when the Earthquake hit; what the nuclear engineers are dealing with is the residual heat from the nuclear rods that were deprived of cooling purified water). The impure sea water is irradiated with free neutrons from the reactor, thus becoming radioactive, but the half life of this radiation decays in as little as a few seconds to a few minutes or maybe up to a few days, so that when the plants vent, or blow up, the contaminated steam has an effect only in the immediate area or up to a few Km from the source, and only temporarily. Don't let the know-nothing meat puppets giving you the "News" scare you off from making a purchase... Japan can use all the economic activity they can get at this time of need. Your chances of getting a "glow-in-the-dark" toy from Japan are nil.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not advocating for a light gray to light ghost gray hull on the Andromeda, but something like a neutral gray or slightly darker would have been more in line with the ship's lighter tone than the Yamato as seen in the anime and would have the benefit of making the sparse surface detail of the toy stand out more (as it is, what is there gets lost amid the dark greyness of it all). If I were to hazard a guess, I'd assume that Bandai chose the dark gray in order to minimize the possibility of light leakage.

I got mine from AmiAmi a few days ago. Shipped EMS it cost me $283.00 in total... quite a pricey beast, $100.00 more than I paid for my BPX-01 Yamato. I can honestly say that I was not overwhelmed by it out of the box, but neither was I underwhelmed or disappointed by it, but I did not get that "Wow!" reaction that I experienced when first opening the SOP's box. Compared to the BPX, it is not as heavy, nor as chock full of gimmicks; depending on your point of view this can be a positive or a negative... it certainly does not feel like you're getting as much "toy" for your money. On the plus side, it is big and wide, beautifully sculpted, and the stiff fins and antennas are way better than the child-safe ones on the BPX. On the minus side, as mentioned before, the hull color is a few shades too dark... actually darker than my Yamato. This ship, like the Borodino class, should be much lighter than the battleship gray on the Yamato. All in all I'll give Banday a 7.5 out of 10 on this one... It does look really cool next to the Yamato.

8th MS - atypical to UC gundam it may be, but it is not as if Shiro comes out of it unscathed. I too found it to be an enjoyable series and a welcome departure from the usual UC fare.

Good question, I'd like to know that too. I was very enthusiastic about the idea of a 1/48 Frontier line, specially if perfect transformation with MG/PG quality, but since that first hint so long ago... nothing.

I hope you're right on that score, with the caveat that they should all be in scale with each other (app. 1/12)... if so, then I'm in for a whole set.

Black Ops scheme for the win! I'm well aware that is nothing but prototype test shots, but I would definately go for a black/grey version over the McD one any day.

-- I hate you....-- I too preordered with AmiAmi but have not gotten any notice or payment request, yet. Do post plenty of pictures when you get yours so that we Andromedaless slobs can vacariously enjoy this most eagerly awaited Chogokin release... so envious...

I don't see how the sale price of a custom is relevant to the issue at all; it may be an attention getter, but it has no bearing on any sane legal argument claiming copyright infringement: selling a custom is selling a custom, at a profit or a loss. If I buy a physical property, regardless what the item may be, it is mine and I'm free to alter it in any way I see fit; and if I decide to sell it at a profit, that's my business. In a free market everybody benefits: the manufacturer gets to sell its products, an enterprising customizer gets to create and sell improved versions of the original, and the collector gets to purchase whatever he/she wants... everyone wins. Toei and its legal team are just being a bunch of overbearing, shortsighted, asses in wanting to make examples of these guys.

Awesome start to the second half of the season. If they can maintain even half of this quality for the remainder of the season then there is hope that the 3rd season can be salvaged yet. Nitpicks: Only one. Ventress was disarmed in her duel with Obi-Wan and Anakin, yet she had her light sabers holstered when she was rescued by the salvage ship; she wasn't shown retrieving her weapons prior to boarding her crippled fighter just before cruiser explodes... are we to assume that she had an extra pair inside the cockpit?... Easter egg, maybe: I loved the droid commander's response to Lord Tyranus... "By your command..." very Cylon-esque. Observations: Ventress, under ordinary circumstances, is a match for Obi-Wan in a saber fight and in Force skills, but when cornered she kicks butt (maybe Sydious was right to be concerned). Also, Dooku would have been beaten by the 3 sisters except that, being a Sith Lord, he can unleash Force discharges that caught his assailants unprepared.

Will vehicles be offered for sale individually as well? The price of the full set may be a bit prohibitive, or include items of no interest, to some.

Very nice looking figure overall but there is something off about her face, specially the eyes; she looks... startled.

The 3 I purchased (VF-1A Max TV, VF-1A Kakizaki TV, and VF-1J Hikaru) all have clear canopies as well and, I assume (these are my first V2s), the latest crotch and shoulder designs, for which I'm glad as it means I've avoided the reported pitfalls of the earlier releases. Although the soap bubble tint was a neat effect, having a clear canopy means there is one less thing to be a potential problem and allows for the VF-1 to better blend with the other 1/60 VFs, and it makes my VF-11B stand out as a singularly unique specimen... IMO, Kawamori San's most elegant design.

FedEx estimated delivery date: 12/14/2010 Actual delivery on 12/13/2010... sweeeet! Officially joined the 1/60 V2 owner's ranks. First impressions are very favorable; the Vermillion Squadron looks great. These are very nice looking renditions of the venerable VF-1; but I must admit that the 1/48's fighter mode appeals to me quite a bit more: the size, longer nose, and somewhat sleeker proportions - despite the lower-hanging stowed arms. If it hadn't been for the 40% off on these and the 1/2 price shipping I would not have gotten them; as it is though, I'm quite happy to have made the purchase... problem is that now I'll just have to eventually get a Focker 1S, and a 1D, and CF,and a VT-1, and.... Ouch!... my wallet just kicked me...

That does seem too high; but then, I don't know what FedEx's rates to Australia are. Are you sure you specifically selected FedEx and not EMS by mistake? I just received their payment request and my shipping quote to the East coast, USA for 6 items in total was roughly 3/4 your cost: ¥22,240 - total merchandise ¥ 3,298 - S&H via FedEx (that's taking into account the weight and box requirements of 3 1/60 VF-1 V2s and some kits) ¥25,538 - grand total Check your email records for one labled HLJ Order Acknowledgment... that will tell you what shipping method you selected (all subsequent correspondence is non-specific). If anything other then FedEx, contact them to request a requote with the correct carrier.

I was on the fence for days trying to decide if I should take advantage of this sale. In the end the 50% off for FedEx tipped the scale and I finally took the plunge and ordered the entire Vermillion Squadron in one fell swoop. This marks my initiation into the world of the 1/60 VF-1 V2; I've resisted the temptation to buy this line since they debuted, but 40% off on each bird plus the shipping discount were too much to fight... damn my weakness for Yamato VFs, but between kicking myself for spending the moolah and kicking myself for missing what could be a one time opportunity to score this deal I figured what the hell... And since I was at it I purchased a 1/72 Regult, a 1/200 Monster, and a 1/700-ish EDF Cruiser kit. The hangover from this little spending spree is going to have me reeling for a while, but I'm stocked to get this loot regardless.

I'm so glad I have that on pre-order... just beautiful. After Andromeda let's hope Bandai continues with the line and give us the EDF Borodino Class Main Battle Ship (my most wanted vessel after Yamato and Andromeda) and the EDF Cruiser; and given their much smaller size compared to the Dreadnaughts, maybe they could be offered as a twin pack or singly at a much lower MSRP. I don't really hold any hope of ever seeing those released but it's fun to dream; besides, I didn't think we'd ever see the Andromeda either since there was no follow-up to the BPX-01... until now, sort of...

+1. The new version looks amaizing and if I didn't already own a BPX-01 I'd get this for sure, but I'm keeping what I have since, compared with the SOC's price I got the SOP for cheap; now the SOC Andromeda, on the other hand, shall be mine regardless of price... have that pre-ordered with AmiAmi already.

The Mayans predicted 2012 to be when we meet the Apocalypse -- now I know why...

I sure hope it's in development hell. Not that I'm totally against a Cowboy Bebop live flick, but Keanu as Spike would make this project far more a Bogus Journey than an Execellent Adventure...

That is right, but economics of scale is but one slice of a much bigger pie. I used the broader, less defined term ECONOMICS advisedly: There are overhead considerations, materials cost, manufacturing costs, tooling costs, design and engineering costs, marketing costs, licensing costs, warehousing costs, business expenses costs, and the mother's milk of any industry... a healthy profit margin. All these economic parameters, and then some, play a role in the final decision to proceed with any particular project. I'm sure the folks at Yamato would love to produce many, if not all, of the myriad vehicles from the many Macross series -- I have a feeling they are fans too, but they also have the fiduciary responsibility to analyze the profit potential of each individual project and act in the best interest of the company's continued health; thus making the VF-19 FV makes sense, while a VF-5000, for example, does not... if they want to remain in business. In the best of times when the economy is good and optimism is high, a company can take chances in product introductions that could be considered risky or indulgent (Yamato's Koenig Monster is a perfect example of this dynamic). But when the economic conditions in Japan and in the western world are as bad as they are currently and with no improvement in sight, who can blame them for playing it safe? All that said, I'd sure love to be able to buy a 1/60 VF-4, VF-0D, and a few VF-2SS+SAP...

In answer to the question posed in the title: ECONOMICS

I bought an Ivanov when it was first released and it's been one of my favorite VFs ever since... nothing defective, cheap, broken, or floppy about it; I've had mine on its stand, in fighter mode most of the time (I'm one of those who will transform a new VF toy at least once but prefers fighter to other modes) with the wings fully loaded, except for the boosters, and the wings barely droop at all -- they don't even collapse if you turn the plane upside down unless you shake it. In my opinion, the SV-51 is one of the most distinctive, cool looking, Valkyries Kawamori has ever designed. Aesthetic sensibilities are very subjective; what some see as ugly, others see as an awesomely aggressivee looking variable fighter with a Russian-esque mien that screams "don't F with me...", and the dark grey on Ivanov's bird only enhances that sense of menace. It is its very "uglyness" that makes it so interesting. Anyone who is a fan of the design of the SV-51 can't really go wrong with a purchase of Yamato's rendition, specially with the latest sales deals; unless you end up being one of the few who gets a lemon... a sad, however small, possibility with almost any Macross offering by Yamato.