The Official Yamato Price Gouging Rant Thread

[eugimon]

my snobbish fanboyism aside...

I hope I haven't come across as saying yamato *shouldn't" charge what they're charging or that retailers are evil. I also think yamato and any one else is perfectly entitled to charge what they want. It's up to the consumer to decide if that price is worth what they get in exchange and that is a very subjective thing.

Nor do I think attacking the middle man is right or fair as well. Importing goods from overseas in bulk is expensive and time consuming and Customs can make life very difficult... if you factor in other variables such as fluctuating fuel costs, rising rent/lease costs, rising insurance costs and the like... and gee, just the time involved... these small business people have every right to make a profit on their hard work and labor.

So I'm throwing my hat in with godzilla on this issue... for me, personally, the YF-19 fast packs are not worth 50 bucks. They may be for others, and thats great. i don't think any less of them for going out and spending that money, and I hope they don't think any less of me for not doing the same.

[danth]

Some of you are forgetting the main point: quality. Regardless of who's marking the prices up, Yamato, and only Yamato, is responsible for the quality issues.

Edited February 16, 2007 by danth

[Beware of Blast]

Some of you are forgetting the main point: quality. Regardless of who's marking the prices up, Yamato, and only Yamato, is responsible for the quality issues.

Do not Disturb, in regards to your points on the MSRP, I think you gotta get the priorities right. As far as the whole issue is concerned, danth sums it up the best.

[David Hingtgen]

Seconding(thirding) danth's point---I could have paid HALF what I did for my YF-19, and a crooked gunpod and wheels is still inexcusable!

[Beware of Blast]

the YF-19 retailed at $120 USD in HK, yet we in the US ended up paying $200, an $80 price hike....how exactly is that yamatos fault?

And... I didn't even argue about the USD80 price hike (retailer & Shipping fees) beyond the original price point. Most people that buy collectable items like the YF19 UNDERSTANDS this. The BLAME is still on the Fattest kid in the pool.

[arrow]

who know how much yamato is making. but, they better fix their qc problems and risk producing larger batches.

[promethuem5]

You know what... i think this whole complaint thread is simply unfair and stand right behind Godzilla's remarks... the difference in price between HK sellers and import sellers right there tells us Yamato is in no way responsible for any possible overpricing... and yet, Yamato makes some damn impressive pieces, and I have never once regretted a purchase, no matter what I payed for it. The loudest complainers here are really starting to get old, with nothing new or constructive to say...

[Valkyrie addict]

mmm....you guys are kinda getting out of hand

I'm not a very happy camper for not getting a 100% perfect product, but I still thing it's a great toy and I love looking at it everyday, the QC on the YF-19 are really minor stuff, we don't need to be replacing any big pieces or anything like that, I think we've made our point, all this hating is really not necessary, Graham's going to get sick and say the hell with it and we won't be getting any info about anything, he already stated all this problems to Yamato and well, I'm sure we'll get an answer, let's just be patient and not overreact too much

[Guest sh002]

What's crazy is when they get to US stores, the prices are jacked up even more.

Edited February 16, 2007 by sh002

[eugimon]

mmm....you guys are kinda getting out of hand

I'm not a very happy camper for not getting a 100% perfect product, but I still thing it's a great toy and I love looking at it everyday, the QC on the YF-19 are really minor stuff, we don't need to be replacing any big pieces or anything like that, I think we've made our point, all this hating is really not necessary, Graham's going to get sick and say the hell with it and we won't be getting any info about anything, he already stated all this problems to Yamato and well, I'm sure we'll get an answer, let's just be patient and not overreact too much

have we made our point? I guess we'll see when the SV-51 comes out.

[justvinnie]

I agree with the "if you're not happy with Yamato, don't buy their toys" bit. I haven't bought their toys in years... I only recently bought 2 new 1/48 VF-1's. These are far from the first generation Hikaru I had that I wasn't too pleased with for minor details.

I was going to buy the VF-0A, but decided not to since the problems have not been addressed from the VF-0S. You DON'T have to buy every first release. I never do! But in the end I still get nice toys that do not have QC or design issues and usually for much less than original releases. It's the "I've got to own it right NOW " and the "I've got to own EVERY version" mentality that is the cause of so much grief. And you know what? If people stop buying first releases, I guarantee you'll see an increase in QC as well as a lowering of the prices.

vinnie

[kensei]

I was going to buy the VF-0A, but decided not to since the problems have not been addressed from the VF-0S.

Wrong, the issues of the collapsing feet and the loose elbows and shoulders have been addressed in most of them. The only thing that hasn't been addressed is the fragility of the shoulder piece due to it being relatively thin for it's work.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Wrong, the issues of the collapsing feet and the loose elbows and shoulders have been addressed in most of them. The only thing that hasn't been addressed is the fragility of the shoulder piece due to it being relatively thin for it's work.

I consider the breaking plastic an even larger problem than the non-locking feet or loose elbows.

[Mechinyun]

This town needs an enema..

[kensei]

I consider the breaking plastic an even larger problem than the non-locking feet or loose elbows.

Which occurs because of the transformation process from Fighter to GERWALK. When you pull out the arms, you have to make sure they clear the corner that keeps them in place in fighter mode. If they hit, and you pull them out, the shoulders simply can't take the stress. It's partially the transformation technique of the owner, but I myself would have liked them to be a bit stronger.

Edited February 16, 2007 by kensei

[Dante74]

You wanna know what I think?

I think Macross World needs a big ol' group hug!

So, where do we meet?

[Ignacio Ocamica]

You wanna know what I think?

I think Macross World needs a big ol' group hug!

So, where do we meet?

Exactly

[Godzilla]

Ok,

Here is what I see and I am seeing the same damn BS here at work as the mob mentality.

-Yamato screwed up the YF-19 1/72. We are upset with the hip joints

-Yamato makes a decent VF-1 1/60 series.

-Yamato make a decent VF-1 1/48. Minor issues with nose cone crooked tampo of the skull and crossbones.

-Yamato makes VF-1 mk2 releases. Everyone is happy as a clam. minor paint quality issues. Yamato is seen as it can do no wrong.

-Yamato makes the VF-0 and screwed up in VF-0 series. Everyone complains that Yamato is crap and never ever gonna buy it.

-Yamato makes a yf-19 1/60. It is decent save for the crooked gunpod in plane mode and stress marks due to the tightness on the underpart of the cockpit. People complains it is crap and Yamato is seen as shitty toy maker.

-Yamato will make a SV-51 and ppl speculate the crapness of it.

You ppl need to get your head out of your arses. Again, if you dont like the toy why buy it? You as the consumer are willing to pay that price and settle for mediocrity of the product. For those of you who do not know about economics, there is a law of supply and demand. You have the power to buy or not to buy. If you hold onto your cash and refuse to buy means that you are telling the companies you do not settle for crap. They will either die, move on to another product, or improve. You guys still buy. There is not a gun up to your head to say buy it. You guys are willing to buy. Yet I hear these bullsh!t excuses/reasons as it is the only game in town or if we dont support them, no one else will step up to the plate to make macross toys. Well, aint that a catch-22 then?

I am not buying the yf-19 combo and the FPs. Frankly, IMHO, it is not offering that a great deal and not worth it. As for the SV-51, I am on the wall on this. I need to save money for a house and skeptical on to many complicated parts to transform it as Graham warned. Who knows it maybe vaporware since Yamato reads these threads and realizes that this is the Goldilocks and 3 bears game.

[big F]

The whole price thing has reminded me of a situation we have in the U.K.

For example I saw a book I wanted in London the other day, I didnt buy it as it was heavy and didnt want to be luging it round the whole day. It was £30.

When I got home I logged onto Amazon to see if they sold it. Somehow I managed to log onto Amazon.com instead of .UK so I saw it in U.S$ it is $30.

Now this is a common thing for manf`s to sell goods in the U.S at one Price and then for the U.K they just change the currencey sign. Now it dosent take much brain power to work out thet they get more money selling to the Limeys than the Yanks. This sort of thing happens on books, car parts, toys, DVD`s and all manner of other stuff.

The only time I benifit from the exchange rate is when I get stuff direct from the States but not all retailers will send a box to the U.K.

The situation is even more insane if I get stuff from OZ. I can Buy Cell phone parts that are made 14 miles from my house from a Co in Sydney Cheaper than I can get them at the place they are made. The Aussy company thought I was mad the first time I bought stuff from them but now several U.K customers are on their books.

I feel for all of you who have bought high priced Yammies (I have too) but the nature of world curencies is always against you somewhere.

Do check the prices and always add into the price the cost of shipping. I have seen loads of Yammies on eBay over the years selling for $30 and then you see they are charging $90 postage, people get caught out.

I piad over the odds for a Roy when I thought they wouldnt realease anothe run and bugger me two monthe later they anounced a new run.

P.s Im not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs.

[Aegis!]

I think all this debate is useless, we´ll never convice each other of what´s best to do.

In any case, I think the lesson to be learned here is to simply NOT buy first releases.

That´s what I´ve been doing since the first 1/48s.

No one is forcing you to buy these toys as soon as they come out ( Specially when you know there´s a probability of them being flawed ) Why not wait for second or third releases? they won´t dissapear from the market, we still see VF-1s al over the place and those have higher demand.

Wait for later releases and you won´t have to deal with any QC issues and the whole ¨don´t like,it don´t buy¨ crowd, do yourself a favor and WAIT.

[toysaddict]

Ok I think I should really clear things up here. I'm toydeals888(Jason) I don't think anybody on this thread has purchased more Yamato Macross than me. I see people are taking stabs at the retailers , yamato and that’s not fair. The break down is like this…remember when gas prices was $1.50 a long long time ago is when the products we’re at a much lower price. You need to realize the one main component in toy making is plastic and what makes plastic is OIL ! Oil has shot up at record highs all manufacture has to reflective this in their price so it’s unfair for you guys to point at the manufacture for prices getting high. Each part component requires a mold and can range from 1K – 10K depending on the complexities. Because it’s made in China does not mean it should be a lot cheaper, and there are no under paid workers in China we cannot use our standard to compare to a developing country.

For us retailer in the US and around the world it take huge commitments for us to purchase and resale Yamato toys. Break down goes like this

(Yamato R/D , Licensing ) – Manufacture (Factory…Yamato does not own their own factories actually no major toy manufacture owns factory in China ) – Distributor (HK, Japan wholesaler) – Retailer (importer ) .

This is a obvious simple break down of how a toy gets from A to B. There are numerous factors that wasn’t even addressed for example the shipping process which is a whole other issue that reflects price. But one very important factory is OIL! Just think about it. It take barrels and barrels of Oil to produce these items and as we all know now oil is only going UP! So expect inflation and prices to slowly creep up for everything you buy. The price of the dollar and Yen has huge factors over price. You guys might think it’s over cents but if you times that by millions it adds up.

Each Yamato item that comes out required huge amounts of money enough for down payments on home as a retailer we are in the business of making a money to make a living like everyone else. We make very little ( I assure you) I’m not talking about the retailer that price gouge but for me we make very little margins b/c as you can see on the list above there are countless middleman involved. I must back Godzilla up that it is a free market we can ask for any price if people are willing to pay but that would be bad business practice but extremely common for collectible market.

Last point I want to make is if you order by Pre-Order it’s always cheaper and as a retailer like me I’m willing to make less if people pay up front b/c that doesn’t require us to fork out 30K to order items b/c it’s already called for so the risk is much lower. If I was to import then stock the item and sit on 30K worth of stuff till who knows when. I would make sure the price is reflective in warehouse space labor etc etc so maybe that explains why BTS has such high prices. But everyone presumption on how people brings these in are all wrong BTS pays a lot for shipping unlike us on the west coast. They are in WI on average these people pay at least 50% more than say when I bring these in. So his prices are justified but not “TISINCâ€.

I have a question for you ALL what do you think the wholesale price of Yamato is ? This would clarify a lot for me as to understand why people think that we up the price so much.

Alright just wanted to let you guys know how it’s really done so nobody needs to speculate.

[toysaddict]

The whole price thing has reminded me of a situation we have in the U.K.

For example I saw a book I wanted in London the other day, I didnt buy it as it was heavy and didnt want to be luging it round the whole day. It was £30.

When I got home I logged onto Amazon to see if they sold it. Somehow I managed to log onto Amazon.com instead of .UK so I saw it in U.S$ it is $30.

Now this is a common thing for manf`s to sell goods in the U.S at one Price and then for the U.K they just change the currencey sign. Now it dosent take much brain power to work out thet they get more money selling to the Limeys than the Yanks. This sort of thing happens on books, car parts, toys, DVD`s and all manner of other stuff.

The only time I benifit from the exchange rate is when I get stuff direct from the States but not all retailers will send a box to the U.K.

The situation is even more insane if I get stuff from OZ. I can Buy Cell phone parts that are made 14 miles from my house from a Co in Sydney Cheaper than I can get them at the place they are made. The Aussy company thought I was mad the first time I bought stuff from them but now several U.K customers are on their books.

I feel for all of you who have bought high priced Yammies (I have too) but the nature of world curencies is always against you somewhere.

Do check the prices and always add into the price the cost of shipping. I have seen loads of Yammies on eBay over the years selling for $30 and then you see they are charging $90 postage, people get caught out.

I piad over the odds for a Roy when I thought they wouldnt realease anothe run and bugger me two monthe later they anounced a new run.

P.s Im not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs.

THE UK HAS A 18%+ import tax on all imported goods the us is much lower and depends on what the item is plus your gas prices are twice as much for us. I imported before to the UK and exported just want to let you know it's one of the most expensive places to import into or even export.

[dr_vandermeer]

To me this is more about our end cost so I'm totally going to avoid the gold vs. crap debate about the quality of Yamato's output...

The way I see it, there are a variety of factors that leads to the end price that a consumer pays for these items - final destination, import cost, manufacture cost, taxes, retailer, etc. Most of it is just unavoidable, so it's just a fact of life that Consumer A will pay $100 and Consumer B pays $130 for the same item.

However, one thing that I do see that has always bothered my is the size of Yamato's packaging. There are surely a number of ways that it can be reduced, and yet they continue to create humongous packaging that as far as I can tell, adds cost to the end price that a consumer pays.

Not to mention that from a business standpoint, they're making it difficult to buy more of their toys by virtue of them taking up so much space, especially in space-starved Japan where room is a premium.

I do understand and appreciate that they are trying to create a desirable piece of packaging to enhance the toy's value, but it's personally not worth the extra cost to me.

Reduce the size of the packaging and the end costs for these items for everyone will drop.

Edited February 16, 2007 by dr_vandermeer

[GDomino]

I think all this debate is useless, we´ll never convice each other of what´s best to do.

In any case, I think the lesson to be learned here is to simply NOT buy first releases.

That´s what I´ve been doing since the first 1/48s.

No one is forcing you to buy these toys as soon as they come out ( Specially when you know there´s a probability of them being flawed ) Why not wait for second or third releases? they won´t dissapear from the market, we still see VF-1s al over the place and those have higher demand.

Wait for later releases and you won´t have to deal with any QC issues and the whole ¨don´t like,it don´t buy¨ crowd, do yourself a favor and WAIT.

Technically that is a catch 22 in itself.... Granted that if the Macross license is as obscure as some claim it to be and Yamato is the "small company, that really doesn't profit from these expensive toys" (that [again] some people claim it to be) and technically they are the only Mac+ and MacZero toy fix in town; if a first release doesn't sell, is there really a guarantee that there will be a reissue?

IMO, it's like Yamato has the fanboys by the balls by saying "we are the only game in town, if you don't buy now, we probably won't be making anymore because the interest isn't there." So you can't blame people wanting to jump on buying a first release because of the fear that Yamato might not be around in the future and you risk paying more later if you really want one (circa 1996 when Macross toys consisted of after market Takas, customs, or fan recasts before the Bandai reissues and Yamato came around). This has been their mentality 6 years ago and it seems to continue to this day.

[big F]

THE UK HAS A 18%+ import tax on all imported goods the us is much lower and depends on what the item is plus your gas prices are twice as much for us. I imported before to the UK and exported just want to let you know it's one of the most expensive places to import into or even export.

Actually its 17.5% (not spilitting hairs) but yes this does not help the importer but some times the companies take advantage a little. recently i had to send something back to a friend in the U.S he sent it to me via DHL.

So I decided to send it back to him Via DHL. In the same box it was sent excatly the same weight etc. It cost me nearly three times what it cost him to send it. Now not all of that can be contributed to Gas prices.

The U.K goverment is well practiced at separating the U.K citizens of their hard erned cash. it is estimated that V.A.T adds arround 50% to all the prices, when it is charged at every stage of production and sales of goods.

Now im not expecting any sympathy for living in the most expensive and mostly backward country in the Western world, but sometimes you gotta ask why ??! The goverment is busy strying to find away to tax everyone who buys on the internet from abroad as they say we should all pay tax on it on top of the customs taxes you get caught for when they open your case full of expensive goodies that are marked up as "GIFT" Basically the U.K goverment would rather you buy from the nice regulated shopping mal and not off those nasty foreigners on the internet.

I feel sorry for all the Americans I have met over the years when they come to Blighty with their pockets full of U.S$ and they get back a few small £notes and a hand full of small change. Then they see the price of Gas and resturant food and jump straight on the next plane home.

Yammatos problems aside there are plenty of people in this world who make cash from us for not doing much because they se a demand for something and cash in.

Audio Cd `s used to cost arround £14 in the U.K and everyone started to buy from Play.com and from other off shore companies. Now the supermarkets wanted a slice of that and Wally world and Tesco etal dropped the prices to compete now the likes of Virgin and HMV music stores have had to follow as sales were dropping, they publically blamed MP3 sales and Bitttoerent but we know differently.

Prices will drop but not while the demand is high.

I will probabably get a couple of Yammies in Japan when I go even if wonky wheels and loose sholders are still a problem, as I dont transform em and they stay in my display cabinets. Now if a Vf17 comes out Im all over Preorder no matter how many QC issues there might be.

P.S my Dad works for DHL but we dont get free and discounted post any more since Deuch Post took over

Edited February 16, 2007 by big F

[bigkid24]

I agree if you don't like a product then don't buy it. That's the loudest way to talk to a vendor. It is supply and demand. I assume they put out a product at a price point (MSRP) that they feel the market will support. If you don't buy it then they won't sell it. At that point it's either okay let's adjust future products to meet the new equilibrium point. The toys at that point may not be as pretty or detailed but it'll be cheaper.

Look at what happened to the Toynami MPCs. A lot of people didn't buy them at the MSRP of $80. Stores were stuck with them and now at RT.com the price is something like $40 or $50 and people are buying them.

Speak with your wallets.

Also, as dr vandermeer said, if they change their packaging they may be able to move more units. Smaller packaging means more in a case box than 4 or even the 2 that they are going to now. More product in the same amount of space should appeal to vendors and buyers.

[mpchi]

Haha. I took the easy way out and will avoid Yamato stuff from now on. Glad they made me some very cool 1/48 toys. But the 2 broken Garlands and the cracked VF-0S shoulders left me a major sour taste for the price I paid these things. Just want my money to be more well spent.

[drifand]

Toysaddict,

Thanks for chipping in with your insight. I, for one, have not pointed any fingers at the retailers. My ire is strictly for Yamato's consistent inability to produce a truly worry-free 1st release.

As some others have said, if Yamato really made things well, we FANS will suck up the wallet abuse with a (painful) smile. For most customers, the high final prices (for WHATEVER reasons) inevitably create HIGH EXPECTATIONS. Unfortunately for quite a few customers, those expectations were not met on the VF-0 or the '19 (or the tragically beautiful GARLAND). Hence the resulting perception of 'price gouging'... or more accurately, 'not getting what I thought I was paying such a HIGH PRICE for'.

As prices are unlikely to go lower, we really just want to get our money's worth - from the very first release. But as this too seems unlikely from the company's track record, many will start to skip 1st releases. We won't gain ANY SATISFACTION from denying ourselves or Yamato... but at least we'd lower some of the chances of being hurt.

Edited February 16, 2007 by drifand

[bandit29]

. Just want my money to be more well spent.

Bingo. That's why I dropped out of the hobby. I didn't feel I was getting my money's worth anymore.

And thanks to Godzilla and toysaddict for explaining the process. I deal with importing/exporting and every cost under the sun has gone up alot in the last couple of years.

[toysaddict.com]

Look guys if you guys can come up with a large group buys ahead of time (pre-order) you won't have to pay the redicoulous prices after that and be gouged by retailers. I'm a importer wholesaler I'm just in it to move units maybe $10-15 bucks /pc on it which I think is more than fair for my importing services.

QC issues Yamato probably has to find another Factory but good factories is hard to find in China b/c everyone claims they can make anything.

Toysaddict.

[GDomino]

So called "experts" talk about the price of oil going up and is affecting the costs of various toy manufacturing processes and the shipping costs involved. So a few questions;

1) Shouldn't the same costs affect other collectibles, for instance diecasts toys as in the melting/molding of zinc?

2) Is diecast that much more difficult to integrate into designs and is it more expensive than say the plastics, PVC, or whatever special plastic Yamato plans on using?

3) There are other similar sized JP toy companies out there like Aoshima, CMS, Max Factory, etc.. with more obscure licenses yet they manage to keep their diecast and non diecast toys at mostly manageable prices. How is this possible?

hmmm...

[HoveringCheesecake]

1) They did, actually. For a specific instance, look at "Forces of Valor" collectibles. The die cast tanks/armor used to be $30, but now they cost $45. All because of the zinc, apparently.

Star Wars toys have gone up in price as well, just as an fyi. They were 4.99 in 2003, 5.99 in 2004-2005, and 6.99 in 2006. Same thing with Hasbro's Titanium line (not the MSRP, strangely enough - the retailers all jacked the prices up by a dollar from 4.99 to 5.99.)

Edited February 16, 2007 by meh_cd

[eugimon]

wihtout knowing what these "obscure" licenses charge in fees, speculation and comparison is pointless.

[toysaddict.com]

So called "experts" talk about the price of oil going up and is affecting the costs of various toy manufacturing processes and the shipping costs involved. So a few questions;

1) Shouldn't the same costs affect other collectibles, for instance diecasts toys as in the melting/molding of zinc?

2) Is diecast that much more difficult to integrate into designs and is it more expensive than say the plastics, PVC, or whatever special plastic Yamato plans on using?

3) There are other similar sized JP toy companies out there like Aoshima, CMS, Max Factory, etc.. with more obscure licenses yet they manage to keep their diecast and non diecast toys at mostly manageable prices. How is this possible?

hmmm...

I'm by no means a expert but have produce products in Mass to Target, Kmart Homedepot etc but also made smaller items. I'm just one small piece that fits into a much larger picture

1) Shouldn't the same costs affect other collectibles, for instance diecasts toys as in the melting/molding of zinc? Yes it does affect other collectibles and all prices have gone up over time you probably just didn't notice. But not all retailers are equal some buy very small QTY maybe a case or two so their prices are always reflected. Melting of metal and oil does not really has anything to do with each other except that oil powers the machines. Oil is an acutal raw material of plastic...by the way look certain precious metal you can see a dramtic increase in prices. 1 ton of aluminum and 1 ton of steel is very close in price now. China is consuming so much and in return to produce products for the world the prices will only go up since raw material is not infinite

2) Is diecast that much more difficult to integrate into designs and is it more expensive than say the plastics, PVC, or whatever special plastic Yamato plans on using? No it's not but it's alot more expensive than plastic. Look it up people sell by the TON prices vary from country to country.

3) There are other similar sized JP toy companies out there like Aoshima, CMS, Max Factory, etc.. with more obscure licenses yet they manage to keep their diecast and non diecast toys at mostly manageable prices. How is this possible? You ansewered your own question they are obscure license with limited fan base and cannot withdstand the test of time like Macross as a brand which has worldwide fans that spans 20 + years

[toysaddict.com]

I'm by no means a expert but have produce products in Mass to Target, Kmart Homedepot etc but also made smaller items. I'm just one small piece that fits into a much larger picture

1) Shouldn't the same costs affect other collectibles, for instance diecasts toys as in the melting/molding of zinc? Yes it does affect other collectibles and all prices have gone up over time you probably just didn't notice. But not all retailers are equal some buy very small QTY maybe a case or two so their prices are always reflected. Melting of metal and oil does not really has anything to do with each other except that oil powers the machines. Oil is an acutal raw material of plastic...by the way look certain precious metal you can see a dramtic increase in prices. 1 ton of aluminum and 1 ton of steel is very close in price now. China is consuming so much and in return to produce products for the world the prices will only go up since raw material is not infinite

2) Is diecast that much more difficult to integrate into designs and is it more expensive than say the plastics, PVC, or whatever special plastic Yamato plans on using? No it's not but it's alot more expensive than plastic. Look it up people sell by the TON prices vary from country to country.

3) There are other similar sized JP toy companies out there like Aoshima, CMS, Max Factory, etc.. with more obscure licenses yet they manage to keep their diecast and non diecast toys at mostly manageable prices. How is this possible? You ansewered your own question they are obscure license with limited fan base and cannot withdstand the test of time like Macross as a brand which has worldwide fans that spans 20 + years. Maxfactory figure how many moving parts does it have? None you gotta compare apples to apples buddy. You cannot compare a Porsche to a Civic b/c they are completely different aside from have 4 wheels and steering wheel.

Edited February 16, 2007 by toysaddict.com