mechaninac

^ You should be able to snag one upon release, at N-Y, if nowhere else. In the meantime, keep an eye on CDJ and HLJ, as they're likely to have at least one more PO opportunity.

Nice! If I didn't have one prepaid at CDJ, I'd jump on HLJ (still open as of this post); alas, I don't need 2 copies.

N-Y invoices 1-2 weeks before release, while HLJ charges upon release or once in stock. I doubt N-Y has them in already, but they must be getting all the shipping labels and boxes ready once they come in.

^ Brick mode...

^They're actually offering you more than they've done in the past. Their standard response used to be that they could do nothing for international buyers on certain products not licensed outside of Japan, and Macross merchandise are the poster children for this category -- they even included a disclaimer card in the box to let you know upfront that you're SOL if something was defective/broken. That's not to defend AmiAmi; they should stand behind everything they sell 100%, as a matter of best business practice; however, to the best of my knowledge, HLJ is the only online retailer that refunds the total cost and offers to cover return shipping.

My copy, purchased from HLJ, also sports the misaligned intake markings. It's not a deal breaker, but it is a bit annoying because once you notice it you can't not notice it every time you pick up the toy, and it is inexcusable on a ~ $300.00 collectible. However, to me, the too dark blue is a far more egregious "error" than that bit of print... you can remedy the latter (remove it and apply decals or stickers), but you're stuck with Arcadia's choice of plastic and paint colors.

They spread like a plague that consumes shelf space and bank accounts...

Wow! The Bishouju Black Canary looks fantastic. http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=FIGURE-011722&page=top

According to the Macross Mecha Manual the Koenig's arms, and Mac II's for that matter (ground to ground), are single-shot long-range anti-ship heavy missile box launchers, so the VB-6 would have a six missiles load-out. As for the 4 main "battleship" guns, they're listed as 320mm rail guns; therefore, it's possible that a magazine with additional slugs are kept in the back-pack -- say 3-4 extra shots per gun. The barrels would have to retract back into the munitions box for reload through some type of breaches on their "sides", ahead of the engines/bell housings; there would be no propellant needed, no shell casings to eject, and any back pressure could be evacuated through a relief valve system connected to the engines. So, as unlikely as it seems at first glance, the hole munitions aspect of the Koenig Monster could physically work.

I suppose this could make for a passable rental when nothing else is available...

Ouch! I hate inadequate packaging that does little to nothing to protect the contents within from the manhandling ravages of the couldn't-care-less shipping gorillas.

Whatever you do, and I can't stress this enough, DO NOT use super glue on the break; it won't hold, and you want clean surfaces for a real repair to be attempted. You'll need a small diameter drill bit (0.3mm or so, but no more than .06mm), a pin or metal wire (a seamstress pin is ideal), and ABS compatible plastic cement (methylene chloride based like Ambroid Pro Weld) in order to effectively repair something like that break. If the peg can be accessed from bellow, push it out. If not, drill into it about 2mm deep and work a small screw into the hole (self-tapping would be best) to use as a holding surface you can grab with a pair of pliers to pull the peg out of the socket. If you have penetrating oil (WD40 works well), try to get a small drop on the edge of the peg an see if it seeps in... this will help reduce the friction and make removal easier. If you use oil, make sure to wash the parts with soap and rinse thoroughly before proceeding. Take the peg remnant and place it on the surface from which it broke and move it around until you find it's natural position; you don't want to cement it crooked, and you'll actually feel once it keys in properly. Place a small drop of the plastic cement on the break's seam so that capillary action carries it into the crack; you can help it along by carefully shifting the peg and then applying a bit of pressure until you see a small amount of material ooze out of the seam -- plastic cement melts the plastic so the two pieces are "welded" to each other, turning the two pieces into one, so the ooze is a good thing and it can be filed, sanded, cut, or scraped off later. Let the joined pieces rest for about an hour. Drill the part through the peg, concentrically. Add a drop of plastic weld into the hole and push the metal pin into it, all the way; if you use a headed pin, make a countersink into the plastic so that it will be recessed, then snip any exposed length of metal flush with the plastic surface. The metal inside the part will help stabilize it and make it even stronger than the original, which wouldn't have broken if it were strong enough in the first place. Once successfully repaired, sand/file down the peg's diameter to clean any extruded weld and to make it fit into it's corresponding socket with a bit more ease; this will reduce stress on both parts for the future. Remove only a very small amount of material at a time and test constantly... better to remove too little than too much. Hope this helps, and good luck.

Well, BiJ has responded to my query. Their answer is as follows: Big in Japan is officially the least expensive source for acquiring the VF-0 (AE's price is the same but they require EMS on this), with a total delivered price of 32380 yen; however, there is a caveat, they require immediate payment of the full amount upfront because it exceeds 20000 yen.

SW-XA1

I hadn't even considered the possibility of FedEx Economy. I wonder if they'll honor that choice as they specifically state that orders totaling more that 15,000 yen must ship via EMS. If FedEx turns out to be a viable shipping method for the VF-0A, then BiJ would be the least expensive source for the toy, with a total price of 32380 yen @ 2.0kg to 32580 @ 2.5kg. I've sent them an email asking about FedEx Eco for the VF-0A; now let's wait and see what they write back...

You're right, my mistake. I somehow used the price with the 2080 shipping quote added instead of the base price... boneheaded. Now excuse me as I go wash the eggs off my face... BiJ price (EMS required): 29580 + 4000 = 33580 Yen

EMS for up to 2kg is 4000 Yen to North America with BiJ. 2080 Yen is 2kg via SAL. EMS - Oceania, Middle East, North America, Central America Up to 300g 1,200yen Up to 500g 1,500yen Up to 600g 1,680yen Up to 700g 1,860yen Up to 800g 2,040yen Up to 900g 2,220yen Up to 1.0kg 2,400yen Up to 1.25kg 2,800yen Up to 1.5kg 3,200yen Up to 1.75kg 3,600yen Up to 2.0kg 4,000yen Up to 2.5kg 4,700yen Up to 3.0kg 5,400yen Up to 3.5kg 6,100yen Up to 4.0kg 6,800yen Up to 4.5kg 7,500yen Up to 5.0kg 8,200yen Up to 5.5kg 8,900yen Up to 6.0kg 9,600yen Up to 7.0kg 10,700yen Up to 8.0kg 11,800yen Up to 9.0kg 12,900yen Up to 10.0kg 14,000yen Big in Japan ends up being 31660 + 4000 = 35660 Yen ~ $297.60 at today's (05-11-15) exchange rate + PayPal's exchange fee or CC's transaction fee.

I saw that too, but decided to hold off on committing to any retailer at this point... I need more time to decide if I even want to preorder the 0A as I think it's too light, I already have the Yamato 0A, which I think has a perfect palette, and I wasn't blown away by Arcadia's 0D... underwhelmed, really. Also, I wouldn't be to confident with cdjapan's SAL charge given the quote from bruinsinla, bellow. Edit: calubin_175 beat me to it...

CDJ has it up, and their price is the same as HLJ's; CDJ also offers a wide array of shipping options, but beware of preordering with PayPal as your payment selection as that option means you get charged upfront. If you place your order with a credit card (CC transaction fees may apply, but you won't know until you're charged), canceling the preorder if necessary is almost as easy as with HLJ; however, I can't offer any insight on their customer service as I've never had to avail myself of it.

Vader is checking his hand to see if it truly is too small...

I just rechecked and holy crap, you're right, I missed that; the 2-3 week registered SAL is actually 5250 Yen, compared to their 4700 Yen quote for EMS... crazy. N-Y has officially ceased to be a viable option for this Arcadia bird.

^ I think it was around 2700 Yen for one VF-0D by EMS -- HLJ only offered that or FedEx options due to the item's value; I'm not absolutely sure, but it was definitely less than 3000 Yen. N-Y's cheapest option on the VF-0A, Registered SAL -- 3300 Yen with an average of 3 weeks+ transit time, for example, costs more than HLJ's EMS pigeonhole which gets you the item in 3-4 days... arbitrary custom delays notwithstanding.

Thanks for the heads-up. I contacted Entertainment Earth to see if they can beat or match that final cost as I already have this pre-ordered with them; now to wait and see if they'll stand behind their 110% Low Price Guarantee...

Thanks. That's not too bad at all; same price as BBTS but with free shipping, and no upfront billing. This will be my very first SOC super robot, ever... hope it lives up to the hype. Edit: December release, plenty of time to save up, and a nice X-mas gift...