First Time Buyer Questions

[MrHumble]

I am new to the world of high end collector's toys, and a recent purchase has not made a good first impression.

I bought a Masterpiece Series Max Sterling (Toyami) piece last week and was very disappointed by it. Not only are some of the pieces assembled poorly, but the model has several smudges in the paint and several fingerprint marks, in glue, apparently where the builder has too much glue on his/her fingers during assembly.

Ok, so I wasted $50 on that. No big nightmare. However, I am still very much interested in buying a high quality collectors piece from the Robotech series.

I am not afraid of spending money for a good product. What I am worried about is wasting money on a crappy piece.

Thus started my search for a better alternative. I have looked all over the net for reviews and information related to the Yamato and Bandai toys and I found the reviews here to be the best I could find.

As of now, I am interested in either the 1/48 Fokker reissue or the 1/48 Super Max (the all blue Maximilian Jenius version). I have seen pics of the Fokker piece, but not anything that might tell if it is any different from the other 1/48 figures. I have not seen much on the 1/48 Super Max or pictures of it other than on vendor's websites.

Here are my questions. In general, are the Yamato toys worth the money? Does anyone have the 1/48 Maximilian Jenius version and can voice an opinion of it? Also, where can I get these toys and who are the best vendors? I don't know which vendors are reliable and which one are not. Finally, if I was to get a faulty/poorly made product, do I have any means of getting it fixed or am I just SOL?

Thanks for any help you can provide,

Jason

[sleddogg83]

Depends on your tastes but I find the Yamato 1/60's the best bang for your buck. They have diecast in the legs (none on the 1/48's) but you have to remove the legs to transform the figure. The Banpresto Valks arent bad eitherfor the $10 (or less) that they cost. Also pick up a Bandai Joke Machine.

[Majestic]

In general, are the Yamato toys worth the money?

Yes, IMO, the 1/48 is the ultimate valkyrie, and well worth the price. Unfortunately, the price is slightly higher lately due to the exchange rate. The Roy VF-1S reissue just came out, and you should be able to find it for between $130-$150 shipped. You might be able to find the older VF-1A Hikaru for a lot cheaper in used or loose condition.

Does anyone have the 1/48 Maximilian Jenius version and can voice an opinion of it?

Yes. Awesome figure. Both the VF-1A DYRL Max and VF-1J TV Max are awesome. The TV Max has the added benefit of custom-colored fast packs. Much, much, much better than the MPC, and it holds together and poses great. Not much diecast content, but the overall quality and aesthetic is top notch.

Also, where can I get these toys and who are the best vendors? I don't know which vendors are reliable and which one are not.

The "Where to buy" or "Dealer Announcements" section will help point you to some excellent retailers. I suggest TMPanime.com, valkyrie-exchange.com, hlj.com, and bigbadtoystore.com, among several others. You can also check the straight shooters list in the "For Sale" section to confirm individual sellers. There's a huge fanbase here of reliable and friendly sellers. For reliability purposes, I stick with domestic sellers, generally.

Finally, if I was to get a faulty/poorly made product, do I have any means of getting it fixed or am I just SOL?

Faulty or poorly made is pretty rare, but there is a parts exchange or you can post in the "Wanted" section for specific replacement parts. Yamato doesn't really provide replacement parts with any regularity.

Hope this helps. Now go buy a 1/48!

[Godzilla]

Oh-man-oh-man, not another newbie. J/K.

To answer your questions on Yamato products, you came to the right place. I have the MPCs and the yamato 1/48s, 1/60s etc. Yamato toys are far superior than Toynami. I can attest to it. I am a big Max fan and needless to say I have 8 of 1/48 VF-1J Max with the fast packs. Yamato toys are worth the money.

You can order thru Twin Moons or Valk Exchange though the Max are getting scarce. The VF-1S are being re-issued for a 3rd time. The VF-1S are from the Macross Movie Do You Remember Love which is the VF-1S is white note grey like the TV version.

[MrHumble]

Hey, everybody has to be a N00B sometime!

Thanks a lot for your replies.

I am a big Max fan myself, but that piece seems to be the hardest to find. I have seen a few of the Fokker reissues available, but I really want the 1/48 Super Max.

One thing seems certain. There will be one more Yamato collector in this world here in a few weeks. That would be me!

Thanks again,

Jason

P.S. Does anybody have some detailed pics of the 1/48 Maximilian Jenius version??

[Hurin]

P.S. Does anybody have some detailed pics of the 1/48 Maximilian Jenius version??

The blue is actually deeper than these pictures show. But here are some that I took.

Good Luck!

H

[ewilen]

1/48 vs. 1/60...if you get just one Valk, make it a 1/48. The 1/60's are quite nice, but the 1/48 beats them hands down for detail and poseability. Personally, I have one 1/48, then a bunch of 1/60's because the latter are easier to collect (based on price, the space they take up, and somewhat greater variety). Some people do like the 1/60's overall sculpt a little better.

For views of much of what's out there, see http://www.menet.umn.edu/~ngo/frame.html A little out of date, but still the most comprehensive visual comparison.

[RichterX]

First of all...

If you want quality product don't buy Robotech stuff.

Second,

If you buy some toy that is not mint in seal box, make sure the seller never had it in the bathroom...

Third,

The Yamato product in the VF-1 serie seem to be a sure thing, you get exactly what you pay for, you can get in ebay a 1/60 VF-1As non fast pack compatible for anywhere between 30-40 dollars, at least last time I checked. And the more detailed and complex 1/48 VFs go for a couple of hundreds(not sure of price range) but many here in the forums are very happy with them.

I only have 1/60s and I am cool with them.

[MrHumble]

Ok this may be a little off topic here, but I have seen pics here showing nice panel lines done for the mostly white models (Roy's). I really like how those likes (especially on the wings, chest, and back) accentuate the model. It seems that the pen color used for the lines is grey.

However, since I am in the market for Max's Blue (or possibly Myria's Red) models I would like to know if anyone has done any panel line work on them and if so what pen color they used. Of course, pics would be appreciated.

Also, let me know if this has been covered before. I searched for "panel lines" but didn't see an answer to this question.

Thanks again,

Jason

[do not disturb]

welcome to macross world!

don't buy toynami/robotech stuff, stick with the yamato/macross toys...you can't lose. the 1/48's are nice as far as detail goes and pretty much the best valkyrie toy to date. the 1/60's are nice as far as accuracy and proportion goes. i collect both, i have many of each, and love them all.

if you're a completist, go with the 1/60's since they made every valk in that scale but you should pick up atleast a 1/48. the 1/48's is still up in the air as far as every-valk-known-to-man, but we all have our fingers crossed for more future releases.

grey panel lines?

try using a pencil, it works nice and you can erase your mistakes.

you can try using the gundam markers but you gotta have some steady hands and be super quick cleaning up any errors...i'm talking like 1 to 2 seconds cause it dries too fast.

if you want to make it professional looking, well then, i'm really not the person to ask. try asking some of the dudes in the model section, most of those guys got mad skills and they offer custom painting services.

[ewilen]

Try searching on "panel lining" (with the quotes) make sure you have the date range set to "any date". Here are some threads:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=8789&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=8802&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=6774&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=5549&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=2873&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=2152&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=2448&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=2003&hl=

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=809&hl=

I've seen mention of mechanical pencils (graphite), oil washes, sharpies (permanent markers), gundam markers, pastel dust, etc.

Personally, I don't like the lines when they're too dark. You might use photos of real aircraft as a guide.

[RTShark]

I bought a Masterpiece Series Max Sterling (Toyami) piece last week and was very disappointed by it.  Not only are some of the pieces assembled poorly, but the model has several smudges in the paint and several fingerprint marks, in glue, apparently where the builder has too much glue on his/her fingers during assembly.

I am not afraid of spending money for a good product.  What I am worried about is wasting money on a crappy piece.

You sound exactly like me, a year ago. I also had a MPC Sterling that I was disapointed with... Still wanted to get something along those lines, but was a little gunshy about dropping a lot of money for something like that again...

To echo the sentiments you've seen elsewhere in this thread... You will absolutely not be disapointed in a 1/48. I bought a Hikaru 1J and absolutely love it. Now, I'm not as crazy as most of the guys here, I only have the one... Hoping to pick up another one sometime next year if I can do it without spending an arm and a leg...

The 1/60s are nice too and I have a soft spot for them. They're especially good for the cost now as they've gotten cheaper with the 1/48s being available. Some people dislike the removable legs part of it, but IMO they definitely compare very favorably to an MPC (I'd rather have removable legs on a line-art accurate sculpt than ugly ass swing bars attaching out of proportion legs to an out of proportion fuselage)...

In short, you can't go wrong with any Yamato Valk, IMO. Go for the 1/48 if you've got the money, but if not the 1/60s are pretty nice, too.

[MrHumble]

Thanks a lot for your thoughts. You guys rock.

I have not been able to track down a 1/48 Blue Super Max, so it looks like I'm gonna get the Focker reissue. Not that I'm not a Focker fan, I just think Max is cool as hell. Anyone with a hot alien wife gets a thumbs up in my book.

I still have not seen a pic of the Blue or Red models with panel lines done. That is the first thing I am going to do after I get the Focker reissue. I have decided to use pencil first and see if I like the results.

Jason

[Commander McBride]

If you do find a Super Max, I defenitely recommend picking one up. It's impossible to describe just how great the shade of blue is. In fact, I liked the color scheme, but had no intention of buying one.

Then I saw one in person, and knew in seconds that I had to have one. A couple weeks later, there was one in my display case. I dropped $150, based soley on the color in which the toy was molded. It's that good.

[UN Spacy]

Second,

If you buy some toy that is not mint in seal box, make sure the seller never had it in the bathroom...

Hahahahahahahaha. Sad but OH SO TRUE.

[Wheels]

Second,

If you buy some toy that is not mint in seal box, make sure the seller never had it in the bathroom...

You just had to say it, didn't you?

Couldn't let that opportunity slip away, could you?

Meh, I'm just sore cause you beat me to the punch.......3 days earlier.

Yeah......, I'm going to go over here now.

Edited December 4, 2004 by Wheels

[Ghadrack]

I came to macrossworld from the world of Robotech as well, being that it was the first "Anime" I was exposed to I don't feel bad about having enjoyed Robotech, although having now seen and owned the original series I am more a fan of Macross than RT.

One word of warning on the Yamato 1/48's just so there is no surprise.

You have probably played with a Jetfire, or a Bandai veritech/valkyrie, the Yamato 1/48 is going to feel radically different to you than the old metal monsters. It is nearly 100% plastic, this isn't a bad thing in my opinion, but the Yamato is going to feel pretty light comparatively.

I have one of each model Yamato has released so far and I love them all. The transformation process is more complicated that the old "Chunkey Monkey" Bandai versions but it is truly a beautiful thing. Take your time and be patient the first few times you transform the Yamato, some things like turning the head to the proper position may not seem clear in the instruction manual but once you transform them a few times it is no big deal.

Good luck with your first purchase, I am dead certain you will be happy with the Yamato Valk.