Macross At New York Toy Fair

[Apollo Leader]

Though it's off topic, I was just looking at the figures.com pictures for Bandai's display at the Toy Fair... a small itty-bitty little part of me was dreaming that maybe, just maybe, Bandai was going to surprise eberyone and have some Gundam stuff on display, especially the Zeta stuff they promised 3 years ago (wonder why the 7.5" figures were never released in Japan?). I sure long toward the 2001-2003 period where hoards of UC Gundam stuff actually was sitting on department store shelves. Sigh....

It's funny how things have switched when it comes to Gundam and Macross and me. Now all my Gundam stuff is imports and now I got domestic Macross stuff to look forward to!

[Guppy]

looks like it's the same rubbery plastic they used for the super poseables. I'd still rather keep shopping on ebay for a HCM.. or give my 1/60's the respect they deserve!

370112[/snapback]

Rubbery? I only have one Macross SP, the Anime Expo exclusive Hikaru Strike, but the plastic is all hard plastic. Have you actually ever TOUCHED a SP?

370233[/snapback]

yeah, I have 2. I meant 'rubbery' as opposed to decent ABS plastic. It just looks rubbery and cheap. Plus the leg on my cannon fodder just fell off without touching it. I did replace the heads with 1/72 hasegawa kits to make em look a lil bit better though.

[motley]

well as much as i love the banprestos, they really are shitty. if these have any quality to them, it will be worth it to pick up a couple, though i wish they'd opted for the tv versions, i'd kill for a tv max VF-1A, the DYRL version have been done to death by yamato and bandai (who seem to have no interest in the anything from SDF macross other than the -1Js, so toynami would have an immediate leg up in the market, plus the tv versions are the only ones that the robotechies will tend to recognize anyways)

[Cyclone]

Perhaps the $20-25 statement was to cover their plans for the figures to come immeadiately after the basic nine VF-1's.

370204[/snapback]

If it's at Tor Fair, then the $19.95 is price retailers pay for them, not RRP.

[jenius]

EDIT: Oh, Jenius, my MPC Alpha is 9 inches long. That's 1/55 scale. So a 1/100 scale Alpha would be 4.95 inches long. Height would be slightly under 3.5 inches though! (not including antenna)

You dare doubt me? I smite you!

Edit - joke about comments you must make to your girlfriend about the size of other things has been removed

Edit II - you're probably talking from the tip of the nose to the tail of the fighter. I'm sorry, I always meant to be talking about how tall the thing is.

Edited February 15, 2006 by jenius

[Neova]

Heh the display tags say 19.99. Let us hope it stays that way at retail!

370199[/snapback]

If that price is shown at NY TF, then it is the distributors price @ 3-5K pieces. Suggested Retail Price should be ~ $39.99 USD. A major retailer would probably try to push the price down to $29.99 - $34.99 or if they did a huge volume, $24.99 USD and that is only on promo.

Best wish Walmart, Target or Toys R Us will pick it up in heap loads. Otherwise, the price would not be that cheap.

If it really is 20 retail, I would SERIOUSLY doubt the quality on that thing, given the complexity of a PV mech.

Edited February 15, 2006 by Neova

[Roy Focker]

More reason why I doubt the $79.99 price for Hikaru will be worth it.

The man-doll him self:

This things typically run 20 to 40 with the doll, dress and weapons. It is an import and Toynami and everyone is taking their cut but this alone does justify $79.99. This can still be covered for $49.99. Of course the under turtle neck would have to be fixed and the doll and clothes would have to be of high enough quality that something won't break as you undress him. My Hikaru won't be fully clothed when he's in bed with Barbie.

The Packaging:

IMO a cheap paper bag will work but the man-doll won't look important unless he's in a good box. For the collector's window box up the price as high as $59.99 if you want.

But they want $20 more dollars? How to jusifity that? How about with some really cheap and lame useless junk?

Like Dog Tags! Yeah I remember Dog Tags in Macross that's worth more money!

A life-sized uniform patch! Wow I'm buying a man-doll cause I want a patch to wear! Think I know how to sew?

Those are two pieces of crap that isn't needed. Your buying the doll and the box not little cheap crap to up the price. You can keep those things and give me the doll at a lower price.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I'm still holding hope that it'll be 20$, Who knows maybe the price listed was the suggested msrp@the stores?

i'm not doubting you Neova, just tryin to be optimistic. I'd be dissapointed if it were 30$. And I do realize these are not mass market...but I'm being optimistic. I mean sites like figures.com and action figure were stating that the price would be 20-25$, so I assume they won't go higher than that. And those weren't the prices retailers were paying for them from what I recall. I guess we should just wait and see.

If these had clear canopy and simple folding landing gear, these would be PERFECT for 20$!!

[danth]

Edit II - you're probably talking from the tip of the nose to the tail of the fighter.  I'm sorry, I always meant to be talking about how tall the thing is.

370423[/snapback]

Yeah, I could have at least mentioned the words "fighter mode" since that is what I was talking about. Sorry 'bout that. I knew you were right about the height. I just wanted to point out that the Alpha/Legioss' biggest dimension is its length in fighter mode.

How big is that mini Henshin Robo Legioss that links up with the Lansay Tread? I'd guess it's around 1/100.

If that price is shown at NY TF, then it is the distributors price @ 3-5K pieces. Suggested Retail Price should be ~ $39.99 USD. A major retailer would probably try to push the price down to $29.99 - $34.99 or if they did a huge volume, $24.99 USD and that is only on promo.

Well, Figures.com says:

The first assortment, slated to hit retail this July for a SRP of 20-$25 each...

What does SRP mean? Is that retail?

Edited February 16, 2006 by danth

[Macross73]

SRP = Suggested retail price

like MSRP

[jenius]

How big is that mini Henshin Robo Legioss that links up with the Lansay Tread? I'd guess it's around 1/100.

The smallest Gakken Alpha and the Tread toy were both 1/72. If you own one of them, you know just how bad they were. Now imagine trying to do that toy even smaller. OUCH!

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

I assume these could have been 10$ to produce with a 10$ mark up...or maybe 15$ to produce with a 5 markup. These are smaller then the usual valk after all.

[Neova]

I did a little research just to see how feasible that 20-25 retail 6\" PV Valkyrie is. Its actually pretty easy to guess the prices.

I searched Amazon.com to see what kind of Transformers would sell for 20-25 USD retail and compared the level of quality and complexity.

The alternators came up and a few of those does retail for ~ 20 bux retail. Size wise, quality wise and complexity wise was pretty close to Toynami\'s offering.

It is feasible at the $20-25 retail price point so I stand corrected. But, this assumes that it will be a mass market toy with a high production volume. At this price point, there is no doubt Toynami will target that market to keep the cost down.

I personally do not own any of the Transformer line, but have handled a few binaltechs and alternators. Reviewing the comments on Amazon.com backs ups my first assumption. For $20-25 retail, I still am not confident of the quality for an all plastic with minimal diecast content toy.

By the way, most exhibitions or trade shows will display wholesale pricing, and not retail from my experience. And yes, almost everybody who attends those shows always thinks the wholesale prices are the retail prices.

[Ginrai]

yeah, I have 2. I meant 'rubbery' as opposed to decent ABS plastic. It just looks rubbery and cheap. Plus the leg on my cannon fodder just fell off without touching it. I did replace the heads with 1/72 hasegawa kits to make em look a lil bit better though.

370303[/snapback]

So by "rubbery" you meant something that was not at all like rubber. I see.

[Black Valkyrie]

So then the super possibles valks are hard PVC ?

[Guppy]

So then the super possibles valks are hard PVC ?

370952[/snapback]

yes, that's what I meant. Thank you for understanding, unlike Mr. No-Allowance-For-Poetic-Licence above you.

[danth]

The smallest Gakken Alpha and the Tread toy were both 1/72.  If you own one of them, you know just how bad they were.  Now imagine trying to do that toy even smaller.  OUCH!

370694[/snapback]

Damn, those were 1/72? You're crushing my dreams here....Anyway, I know they didn't put much heart into that Henshin Alpha -- it could have been done much better!

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

No kidding? Damn. I was just going off what the box says.

A 1/100 alpha is not possible.

No!!! I refuse to believe!

In any event, they can fudge the scale a bit if they need to make it bigger. As long as it's smaller than the VF-1 I'll be happy.

Edited February 17, 2006 by danth

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

In any event, they can fudge the scale a bit if they need to make it bigger. As long as it's smaller than the VF-1 I'll be happy.

My toughts exactly

[Cyclone]

Well... Superposable and SD Legioss/Alpha are only a CM shorter than their Macross counterparts, so any Legioss made in a similar style would likely throw any considerations of scale to the wind, and IMO all the better for it.

[Chet]

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

Really? This I did not know. Do you have a picture of the MPC Alpha suitably close to a 1/48 Yamato Valkyrie for scale comparison?

[UN Spacy]

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

Really? This I did not know. Do you have a picture of the MPC Alpha suitably close to a 1/48 Yamato Valkyrie for scale comparison?

371080[/snapback]

Dem Legioss' are tiny little suckers.

[jenius]

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

Really? This I did not know. Do you have a picture of the MPC Alpha suitably close to a 1/48 Yamato Valkyrie for scale comparison?

371080[/snapback]

Hold on, let me don my scale nazi hat, if you do the math the MPC and the Imaii kits are neither accurate 1/48s nor 1/55s. They lie squarely in between. This probably made Toynami feel a lot better about taking them and "changing" the scale to fit their previous line. You want proof?

Alpha in battloid is 28.7' tall.

Convert to inches: 344.4

divide by 48: 7.175"

divide by 55: 6.26"

Actual height of MPC: 6.7"

Edited February 17, 2006 by jenius

[jenius]

Wow UN Spacy, that Legioss model looks SHARP. I don't understand why the models came with that center missile rack and the ability to clip the gun on it though...

[LL Cool VF1J]

370423[/snapback]

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

A 1/100 alpha is not possible.

370993[/snapback]

A 1/100 Legioss is possible.

3 inches tall

[bsu legato]

This things typically run 20 to 40 with the doll, dress and weapons.   It is an import and Toynami and everyone is taking their cut but this alone does justify $79.99.

370590[/snapback]

Considering that Sideshow is selling the Hot Toys Colonial Marines for $85 (complete with tons of accessories) there's no way a plain jane "Hikaru in uniform" without any accessories is worth it. But hey...it'll have an overstyled package with pudy Tommy Yune art on it.

Edited February 17, 2006 by bsu legato

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

Ok, this is for potential Toynami lurkers here: Nevermind the scale. Just do new transforming Alphas! I want to believe that you've learned a lot since the Masterpiece collection, so make a decent smaller line and I'll buy multiples, I swear.

[kanata67]

370423[/snapback]

Actually they grabbed the molds from the old Imai molds whcih were 1/48 so what you have there is a 1/48 Legioss. The only part that's 1/55 is the pilot and the cyclone.

A 1/100 alpha is not possible.

370993[/snapback]

A 1/100 Legioss is possible.

3 inches tall

371154[/snapback]

nice.

I'll probably pick up at least 1 1/100 toynami vf to compare against my other 1/100's. At the least maybe I can use the box to hold a loose 1/100 taka safely away from cat vomit

[Sebastian]

Considering how good the Macross offer is right now, and the quality of Toynami... I'am definetelly spending my money on the good big 1/48's Yammies. Considering a 1/60 VF 0 comming SO soon, plus the Garland and so many cool thingies in the next months, a "Banpresto Upgrade" wich already sounds crappy without adding "toynamy" is not an option for my shelfspace.

On Zincpanic they mentioned the possiblity of a SOC VF... now THAT WILL BE SO SWEET. Just check how cool toys are getting lately, more and more "collectors" toys (wich are NOT McFarlane). No way I spend on crappy rubbery PVC anymore... for shelf space sake and because my wife will cut my balls if my toys ever goes out of the "toy room".

So my advice would be... dont spend your moolah on crap and save it for the good stuff.

[kanata67]

Considering how good the Macross offer is right now, and the quality of Toynami... I'am definetelly spending my money on the good big 1/48's Yammies.  Considering a 1/60 VF 0 comming SO soon, plus the Garland and so many cool thingies in the next months, a "Banpresto Upgrade" wich already sounds crappy without adding "toynamy" is not an option for my shelfspace.

On Zincpanic they mentioned the possiblity of a SOC VF... now THAT WILL BE SO SWEET.  Just check how cool toys are getting lately, more and more "collectors" toys (wich are NOT McFarlane).  No way I spend on crappy rubbery PVC anymore... for shelf space sake and because my wife will cut my balls if my toys ever goes out of the "toy room".

So my advice would be... dont spend your moolah on crap and save it for the good stuff.

371175[/snapback]

as I waste my 1/55 elintseeker savings on a 1/48 1s with f/p and a vf-0

[UN Spacy]

Considering how good the Macross offer is right now, and the quality of Toynami... I'am definetelly spending my money on the good big 1/48's Yammies.  Considering a 1/60 VF 0 comming SO soon, plus the Garland and so many cool thingies in the next months, a "Banpresto Upgrade" wich already sounds crappy without adding "toynamy" is not an option for my shelfspace.

On Zincpanic they mentioned the possiblity of a SOC VF... now THAT WILL BE SO SWEET.  Just check how cool toys are getting lately, more and more "collectors" toys (wich are NOT McFarlane).  No way I spend on crappy rubbery PVC anymore... for shelf space sake and because my wife will cut my balls if my toys ever goes out of the "toy room".

So my advice would be... dont spend your moolah on crap and save it for the good stuff.

371175[/snapback]

A SOC Valkryie?!?!?!?

My preciouuuuuuuussssssssss.

[Black Valkyrie]

Yeah I read about but it isn`t confirmed.

[EXO]

http://www.toynami.com/macross.html#

[Mechafan]

I don't believe it. They finally did a website update.

Not bad, I can see me getting a set.

[EXO]

Actually to me, it looks worse now. They'll sucker me in when they say there's gonna be enemy mecha in scale with this. But as of now, the proportions are kinda weird. Small legs and huge shoulders. At least the 1/48s look good even with the skinny arms. I can understand if people want this for the price point though.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

They don't look too much different from the prototypes. I keep thinking that armor is almost a given but I shall wait for confirmation.

The articulation and sculpt already rivals the MPC....which surprises me, being a smaller toy, one would think these would be worse. But in regards to price, articulation, and sculpt, toynami's pretty much outdone their MPC. Give this thing some substantial metal, foldable landing gear, and decent plastics+clear canopy and you've got an MPC killer on your hands.

And for me the price and size along with the configurable stand are my main motivations to buy this. It also helps that IMHO this looks much better than the previous 1/100 offerings(ARII figures, super poseables, 1/100 takatoku).