Newer Yammi 1/60 Valks and their prices

[Warmaker]

I was just browsing around HLJ. My focus on Macross collectibles is on the 1/48. But I browsed the 1/60 section for the sake of it, especially since I have yet to buy a Macross Zero item.

Shock of all shocks, I was laughing when I saw the ridiculous prices being asked for Yamato's 1/60 Macross Zero line.

SV-51 $173 U.S. Preorder

VF-0A Kudo Shin w/QF-2200D-B Ghost Booster $165.98 U.S. Preorder

Contrast it to past, highly sought 1/60 Valks:

Max TV Super VF-1J $82.15 (discontinued)

Millia TV Super VF-1J $82.15 (discontinued)

Hikaru TV Armored VF-1J $82.15 (discontinued)

Roy Strike VF-1J $82.15 (discontinued)

Contrast it to the larger 1/48 Valks which on average sell for $124.06 U.S.

Even better are the new Preorders for the Max & Millia 1/48 TV VF-1J Reissues, with each costing $165.98, Valks that alot of people missed and really wanted more of when they first came out... the E-Bay prices for them prior to news of the reissue are a case in point. The Max & Millia TV Super Valks are also stacked with godly heaps of accessories.

Thank goodness I'm not a fan of Macross Zero. I'd be paying more for something that's smaller and less sturdy than the 1/48 VF-1 Valks, with less accessories of moderate cost, and not exceedingly more detailed than the 1/48's. To top it off, a quick browse of various online stores reinforce the HLJ costs for the Macross Zero 1/60's, some going $30 U.S. more!

Edited April 15, 2007 by Warmaker

[ruskiiVFaussie]

It is nice to see that HLJ is selling on special 95 US 1/48 Valks...

I'd like a 1J for that price. {Nudge nudge hint hint HLJ lurkers}.

[myk]

Yup, glad I stopped buying this stuff altogether. Someone wake me when the 1/60 '21 hits the shelves...

[jenius]

Apples vs. oranges..... FIGHT!

[Valk-1S]

The 1/60 Macross Zero line actual toy size is closer to those of the 1/48 VF-1 line and should not be compared to the 1/60 VF-1. However, agree with you that Yamato have been increasing their prices lately for all their new products which somewhat will eventually make it out of budget for a lot of ppl to collect or even to consider buying it.

[Warmaker]

Apples vs. oranges..... FIGHT!

Not quite so!

As I said in my original post, the 1/60 line back in the day WAS a pretty dang good deal. The current and even older crop of 1/48 VF-1 Valks are still an even better deal than what you get with the new / upcoming 1/60's.

I can see myself paying what they're asking for with 1/48 versions, including all the bells and whistles of accessories, just like the highly sought after Max & Millia 1/48 VF-1J's.

Again, look at what you get with a 1/48 Max / Millia -1J.

- Big VF-1J in blue / red

- FAST Packs!

-- Openable FAST Packs showing engine and missile bay details, including removable micro missiles

- Gun Pod

- A whole slew of missiles & missile pods.

... all for a slightly cheaper price than any of the upcoming 1/60 YF-19, SV-51, etc. which barely have anything!

Even the old Hikaru VF-1J FAST Pack combo, Roy VF-1S Strike combo, etc. give you more bang for the buck!

Previous combo packs for the 1/60 lineup yielded you a fine deal on your purchase also. Armored VF-1J? Then there's the combo packs for Hikaru, Max, Millia, and Roy with Super / Strike FAST Packs.

With the newer, upcoming stuff of the 1/60 lineup, you won't get better quality / durability, you get less accessories despite the newer stuff... you don't get more for your money. You get less. I pay enough for my 1/48's. But it seems Yamato is approaching the $200 U.S. mark quickly enough with very few add-ons for your money.

Maybe Gun Pods will be a separately bought item soon? $15 U.S. for your VF's gun? Missiles sold separately also soon for another $15 U.S.? Sounds like a joke, but the way Yamato is going these days, never can be too far off.

Edited April 15, 2007 by Warmaker

[drifand]

Maybe it's a last grasp for profits before Big-B wrestles its way back in?

Yes, I am a cynic.

[Fly4victory]

Well, it sounds like HLJ continues to be a good place to buy.

Costs increase. Some due to market forces such as labor, materials, maintenance of equipment.... profit margin.... "greed".

The only thing a consumer can do with a limited supply item is pay what the primary market demands, hunt the secondary market "E-bay", or not buy and built it ourself.

I do not have the time, money, or skill to start my own production line. It hurts to spend the money but this is not a need. At least the Yamatos are not a need as long as I can get Hasegawa models.

[Ryoma]

Well, I understand the point but I don`t totally agree. The 1/60 line has now to be compared to the 1/48 line (same size maybe even bigger) and if we look to the upcoming release like the VF-0A + ghost and the SV-51 well, it seems you`ll get tons of accesoriers for these two models.

Not to mention that the quality of the last products has increased since the first releases (including max and millia super)...more stickers already applied, more details... besides the price of other popular products have increased in the last few months(myth cloth bandai for example) and if you wait a couple of months chances are that you`ll find the product on sale on HLJ(of course it might even be happening the contrary, that is product sold out).

[Sumdumgai]

Other thing to consider is that with the Max and Miria FP valkyries, the VF-1 line in the 1/60 and 1/48 scale have been milked to death (okay 1/48 more than 1/60), The initial development cost has paid off and they can afford to drop the price a bit.

VF-0s and SV-51s give you a very limited number of official paint schemes people will be willing to buy. Even less selection with the YF-19, since the only alternate scheme is the VF-19A. Plus the newer valks may not necessarily have the same number of fans as the classic VF-1.

Still, the price is still over the top. I can see why it's somewhat more expensive, but the point it's at now... Yeesh.

With the way prices are now, I'm limiting my spending to only one valk per model type. One 19, one 21/22. I may make an exception on the VF-11 though, if they come out with some awesome custom schemes. I'm a sucker for the VF-11.

[Valkyrie addict]

there are days were I wake up and wonder what's more expensive, my fuel or my valks... hehe

I still think they're overpriced, but since there is no direct competition on the market agains Yamato's Macross line, they can do whatever they want with their prices until people really stop buying them

if you're thing is toy size and money value, then I think the most overprice Macross toy is still the Wave SDF-1 paperweight, haha

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Maybe it's a last grasp for profits before Big-B wrestles its way back in?

Yes, I am a cynic.

Surely Yamato will have access to making the new series valks wouldn't you think?

[Nightbat]

- Big VF-1J in blue / red

From what i understood, the 1/60 Zeroes are bigger than the 1/48's

i.e: they are MUCH bigger (in dimension) than the 1/60 VF-1's you're comparing with

Ah, found G's comparison:

Many people can't seem to grasp how the 1/60 VF-0S toy can be longer than the 1/48 VF-1, when it is in a smaller scale. The simple answer is that the anime VF-0S is a much bigger plane than the anime VF-1, which is a comparitively tiny design. If the two toys were the same scale, then the VF-0 would absolutely dwarf the VF-1.

I rest my case

[drifand]

Surely Yamato will have access to making the new series valks wouldn't you think?

Actually, nobody knows for sure. Graham has indicated something's afoot for the new show. As long as neither Yamato nor Bandai has an exclusive license on future Macross toys, things will be better for all of us.

[Sumdumgai]

I'm not going to get excited about possible future valkryie toys from the new series until I see what's going to be in the series.

And if Bandai gets a license for awesome valkryries from the new series, and produces more M7 type chunky-monkeys, my money goes elsewhere.

[Dante74]

I can see myself paying what they're asking for with 1/48 versions, including all the bells and whistles of accessories, just like the highly sought after Max & Millia 1/48 VF-1J's.

Again, look at what you get with a 1/48 Max / Millia -1J.

- Big VF-1J in blue / red

- FAST Packs!

-- Openable FAST Packs showing engine and missile bay details, including removable micro missiles

- Gun Pod

- A whole slew of missiles & missile pods.

... all for a slightly cheaper price than any of the upcoming 1/60 YF-19, SV-51, etc. which barely have anything!

I can't disagree with you that Yamato's prices are getting out of hand, BUT...the SV-51 will not have less accessories than the 1/48 M&M Valk. The SV-51 will have;

- Very big S-51, according to Graham it'll be Yamato's largest Valk to date.

- Booster/missile packs, granted, there won't be any openable hatches or anything, but they're still accessories.

- Gun pod (has there ever been a release that doesn't have a gun pod?)

- Huge display stand that'll be able to hold the SV-51 in all modes.

- The SV-51 has a much more complex transformation than the VF-1, which means a lot more moving parts etc. (It also means it'll probably be a lot more fragile...)

[Warmaker]

My final piece is this, and I guess this is my opinion.

More accessories than these? 1 2 3 (reminder on how much VF-1 FAST Packs bring to a package) 4 (just reminding the capability and details of the GPB)

The new VF accessories for the -0 and -19's? They don't do anything. Just tack them on. No extra details, no extra features.

Especially noteworthy is the VF-1J + GBP in 1/60. For a good price, the combined package was overflowing with goodies... for $82.15 U.S.! What the 1/48 & 1/60 GBP sets did have in common were lots of total parts, openable missile bays exposing a s**tload of missiles. Even the VF-1 FAST Packs as mentioned before, had the extra details and components (mainly differences in Strike and regular FAST Packs).

These new VF's are approaching $200 U.S. with the YF-19 + Fold Booster FAST Pack set at $191.12 U.S. easily leading that charge. For a non-limited issue item, that's steep, that doesn't bring that much more to the table than VF-1 combination packages full of everything. Very steep.

Really, it's almost like they're doing a Tamiya.

As for the notion of the complex transformation nature of the newer VF's meriting higher price tags: The VF-1 Valks when Yamato first brought them into 1/60 were also complex. Recall that the only transformable Valks in mass quantity that weren't models were predominantly the stiff but durable 1/55's. The 1/60's were cutting edge transformable toys when they came out. When they transferred to 1/48, they were even more complex. Yet we didn't see the 1/60 or 1/48 Valks close to $200 U.S.

Even the crammed packages of 1/48 VF-1J combination packs only approached $166 U.S., and there were enough guys here moaning about those prices... really, I was moaning about the price of the initial 1/48 Max / Millia deals and missed that run.

Note: Examining details of the lengths of the VF-1 1/48 and VF-0A 1/60 in fighter modes, I finially saw they are equal in length despite the scale difference. Still, paying more for a Valk the same size as my 1/48 VF-1's isn't enticing, especially if they don't bring that much more or even less than the best of my VF-1 packages. If the VF-0 and YF-19 Valks were 1/48 scales with the current pricing, then I could see justification for the steep prices. But even then, those are still very high costs.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Warmaker

[fulcy]

b*tch b*tch b*tch - if you don't like the price, don't buy them - more for me!

Edited April 16, 2007 by fulcy

[do not disturb]

i'm not happy with the prices of these either but if you wait a couple of months after the item is released, the price will usually drop.

i.e. YF-19 was selling for $200+, now people can't get rid of them for $150...shipped! i think it'll be the same case for the SV-51.

[eugimon]

i'm not happy with the prices of these either but if you wait a couple of months after the item is released, the price will usually drop.

i.e. YF-19 was selling for $200+, now people can't get rid of them for $150...shipped! i think it'll be the same case for the SV-51.

I think the price dropped on the YF-19 because of the YF-19 FP bundle. People are trying to offload it to buy the much more economically sensible bundle.

Anyways, I've said this before, but the prices are fine imo... a lot of these newer valks are riskier releases for yamato having only 1 or 2 two canon paint schemes and less model variants. my only complaint has been and continues to been the build quality and materials choices.

[do not disturb]

I think the price dropped on the YF-19 because of the YF-19 FP bundle. People are trying to offload it to buy the much more economically sensible bundle.

Anyways, I've said this before, but the prices are fine imo... a lot of these newer valks are riskier releases for yamato having only 1 or 2 two canon paint schemes and less model variants. my only complaint has been and continues to been the build quality and materials choices.

possibly, but i think it had more to do with all the complaints that killed its sales, not to mention the price offered in HK was about $80 less.

while it does seem more risky, if its one thing yamato has learned for the past few years, we'll buy almost anything, canon or otherwise.

so far theres 3 varients of the VF-0 and i'm pretty sure theres another one coming, as well as the Ghost(2 varients so far).

theres 2 varients of the YF-19(solo and bundle) but you know the blue version is coming, a LV version, and if they're smart, the super nova schemes people have been clamouring for. shoot, they might even release them in the M&M schemes and bet people would eat them up.

they can milk the molds over and over again for all these toys, and if sales start dropping off, they can just slap "limited" on the box then everyone will buy it just because.

[Warmaker]

b*tch b*tch b*tch - if you don't like the price, don't buy them - more for me!

Hey, they're ALL there for you... almost $200 U.S. a pop!

[baronv]

Well I'll be one of the punks buying the SV-51 when it comes out. I've already been a sucker when the VF-0S and VF-0A came out and paid $180 for each and when the Stealth came out I paid #215 for the FAST pack bundle. So nowadays when I'm souring on the toy collection and actually been selling some off the only one I really am looking forward to is the SV-51. I skipped on the YF-19 1/60 scale since I actually want the older 1/72 size to round out my collection of the M+ valks.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

So your after a 1/72 YF-19? Really sad to hear you don't want to handle the 19 1/60 goodness.

[Sumdumgai]

Wow, I can't believe someone is passing up the 1/60 YF-19 for the old 1/72. I skipped out on the 1/72 because I thought it looked like crap, although nicer crap than the Bandai 19s.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

The 1/48 vf-1 kicks ass. What were the improvements on the new 1/48 vf-1 that somebody mentioned? (like better stickers and stuff?)

[baronv]

So your after a 1/72 YF-19? Really sad to hear you don't want to handle the 19 1/60 goodness.

Well I don't want to plunk down $200 for the 1/60 when the old 1/72 version has come down where I can get one in decent condition for $80-90. Plus I want one in scale with the M+ YF-21 & VF-11 and the YF-19a I have already, no point in buying the 1/60 for double the price and then if Yamato makes a 1/60 YF-22 and VF-11 have to buy that scale as well...I'm outta money!

[Guest sh002]

Price is one thing but so is size. The figures are large but so is the packaging. About 80% of my collection is MISB. I've run out of space and had to cancel my preorders. Too bad. The SV-51 looks nice. Maybe I'll purchase it later.