ATTN: YAMATO, START SEALING YOUR BOXES

[Fly4victory]

Am I the only one that saw this thread and thought it said Yamato should start sTealing boxes?

Nope!!!! Your the only one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought the same thing until I read the posts.

[sqidd]

I was always suprised when they were not sealed

[promethuem5]

Never understood the lack of a seal myself... it really is quite ridiculous with how easy the boxes open and how valuable the contents are.

[robokochan]

by the way.. i just finally got my MAX AND MIRIA Super 1Js directly from japan!

and i'm not sure if this is the case when you buy these items personally from there.. the boxes are actually partly sealed in plastic, preventing store staffs or just anybody to open it:

asked the store staff about it, and she said it already was like that when they got the stocks..

I used to work in a Japanese Hobby Shop. If boxes are not taped by the factory, most stores will go ahead and tape them shut. Also that plastic wrap you have on your Valks, that was put on by the shop itself. Most high value toys, especially in smaller shops, place figures and toys in these big plastic bags. It is to protect them from being handled and from dust. But it is a practice that is becoming out of style.

Rob

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

i bought a vf-0a once and the pilot figure was in the cockpit. i guess the person from the (non-hlj) overseas online store forgot to put him back in the clear plastic after playing with the figure or something. laugh.gif this is how easy for sellers to sell the figures as brand new when they have been opened, transformed, or used. the outer box and inner trays are so easy to open without tampering. in fact maybe all the qc issues are due to the fact that we are getting played with broken toys sold as new. laugh.gif j/k.

Yes that's why the seal should be unique to something only yamato makes so the reseller won't try to counterfiet the seal. If the customer sees a broken seal they'll know the reseller isn't selling the toy MIB. I don't care so much about the box itself not being mint, so much as whether the box was opened and the toy was handled.

It's not just that these are high value toys and that it will help reduce risk to the customer, but that stuff like that adds to the presentation too. Collectors complain about the crappy box design, but aren't the collectors supposed to care about whether the item itself is untampered with too? Anyone that is against seals should just buy one to play with and another to leave MIB. No excuse. If you have the money to afford to pay for the high priced toy, naturally you'd want to ensure the item inside is truly perfect condition as if it left the factory and presented in a box that looks nice. (just as you might see some comic collector who puts stuff in protective plastic bags for preservation reasons. They shouldn't be touching the paper as it might even leave oil marks from their hands) The seal would remind you that the item is fresh, the reseller didn't package an older version of the toy in a new version box, or buy a cheap secondhand valk (or maybe their own one) and replace the new one with that used one and then charge you full price.

Lets say for example they like the new gummy pilots in later releases and they give you their old hard plastic pilot and take your gummy one? Or take a piece from their toy that has a loose wrist joint that they filed down too much and replace your stiff one with their old one? Wouldn't be hard to get away with if they ketp their old toy in very good condition enough to pass as new.

I'm not a big fan of twisty ties though. The transformers that come with TT is just excessive and it takes ages to release the toy from the packaging. No thanks.

Edited January 10, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[ruskiiVFaussie]

clear twisty ties (plastic) are the way to go, and melted together.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

They actually spoil the presentation of the toy too when you think about it. You open the lid to see through the clear plastic, and you see a valk in bondage. But I can see the advantage it would have in keeping it from shaking around too much for the bumpy trips.

Things that would be good:

-Thicker cardboard boxes that are smaller

-spare parts that can be ordered if one part is damaged (whether in transit or by you on your first transformation ) and have the website with the order form on a sheet to order from (sometimes you might get sent two right shoulder or something)

-images of the lineart inside the box packaging to illustrate accuracy of the sculpt for comparison. Not just the cad from the instructions.

-tamperproof stickers that once removed let you know the reseller opens the boxes

-boxart that looks good as if the toy is a masterpiece over a mass produced toy.

-thin stickers (have these improved a lot yet?)

-why not an image of the pilot on the box? So people know which character's plane it is rather than just seeing a name?

Edited January 10, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Mog]

clear twisty ties (plastic) are the way to go, and melted together.

Oh Lordy NO!!!! I've already heard enough horror stories about plastic toys getting warped because of those twisty ties. Except for maybe one exception, I think Yamato's current, molded plastic inserts do a good job of keeping the Valk's in place without really screwing up the toy itself.

Besides the last thing I want to deal with when I'm trying to open up the box and get to my Valky goodness is deal with upteen billion of those stupid twisty ties.

As I've said in the past, keep it unobstrusive and just use some tamper-proof, holographic, GREAT SEALS OF YAMATO on the box flaps/tabs.

[big F]

Ahh why not go the whole way and seal the box in clear resin that way you'll never open it and it will be mint for ever.

[Scream Man]

yeah twisty ties suck. Ask any Marvel Legends collector or transformers collector and he'll tell u how much they suck.

My Nora had 2 lots of tape on every side. But the plane was fine, all looked as new to me. Make of that what u will

[do not disturb]

yeah twisty ties suck. Ask any Marvel Legends collector or transformers collector and he'll tell u how much they suck.

yeah but they suck so bad that no one in their right mind would try to pull the switcharoo and expect to get away with it. have you ever tried to repack a twist tied toy? its nearly impossible!

i'm all for twist ties(even though i despise them) or whatever other countermeasures if it means getting an unmolested toy, thats really my biggest and only concern.

[promethuem5]

ARGH TWISTY-TIES SMASH!!!

[Kyp Durron]

How about them sealing the inner clear trays with tape? That would work for me.

-Kyp

[misterryno]

How about them sealing the inner clear trays with tape? That would work for me.

-Kyp

Don't they do that?

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

yeah but they suck so bad that no one in their right mind would try to pull the switcharoo and expect to get away with it. have you ever tried to repack a twist tied toy? its nearly impossible!

If it's going to mean the toy doesn't shake around too much within the box I'm all for it. I hate the idea that someone else has tampered with the toy more than I hate the untwisting of millions of little twisty ties.