Bandai 'chunky monkey' 1/55 re-reissues

[Chewie]

As much as people hate it, BW shouldn't get a penny for a Valk sold in the US. HG should get that penny. If BW is doing things to prevent the 1/55s from being sold in the US (most likely in the form of a clause in their licensing agreement for the Japanese territory prohibiting the marketing of similar products outside of BW's scope) then it just doesn't seem right to me. That's not to say many things HG has done didn't seem right to me either. I think every Macross Plus and Macross Zero toy should be readily available anywhere... it makes no sense that HG has managed to shut that door. In the end, they're both screwing each other so there's little incentive to work out a happy arrangement... besides, BW has the lion's share of the stuff people want and the people who want it.

I was under the impression HG was the sole reason nothing not dipped in Robotech wasn't allowed in the States.

Not for this thread, I know, just sayin'.

[jenius]

That is a commonly held, but not entirely true sentiment. HG would love to import a lot of toys and collect a licensing fee, it's a no brainer situation for them. However, their bone-headed moves in years past to try to lay claim to everything related to Macross (they claimed to have all rights to the show and its derivatives) have made it so BW will never allow another company to do business with HG again. If companies can't do business with HG then HG can't make licensing fees (BW is happy) and you get no toys unless you import it from someone who is paying BW licensing fees (BW is happy again).

[nghia59]

So lemme' ask you guys, what difference does it make now that we can get all this stuff readily from HLJ? The cost for all the new stuff isn't that bad 'specially when the VF-1's have gone back to 1/60. If someone were to import these guys from Japan to the US market you'd still have to pay a shipping difference and since Macross isn't aired here (and the toys have tiny child choking parts) the market would would not be big enough to get a better price anyway. Also you can find this stuff fairly ready at any import toy or comics shop these days.

- Nghia

P.S. I might be talking out of my ass since I live in Orange County California and anime seems to grow on trees here.

Edited March 4, 2009 by nghia59

[glane21]

So lemme' ask you guys, what difference does it make now that we can get all this stuff readily from HLJ? The cost for all the new stuff isn't that bad 'specially when the VF-1's have gone back to 1/60. If someone were to import these guys from Japan to the US market you'd still have to pay a shipping difference and since Macross isn't aired here (and the toys have tiny child choking parts) the market would would not be big enough to get a better price anyway. Also you can find this stuff fairly ready at any import toy or comics shop these days.

- Nghia

P.S. I might be talking out of my ass since I live in Orange County California and anime seems to grow on trees here.

Because Toynami was going to release variants with new head sculpts. Also, having them easily available to 'Robotech' fans here and in other outside-Japan markets would lead to higher global sales. Therefore Bandai would have been more inclined to invest in the reproduction of more variants and create the new VF-1D. They would have been cheaper for us - $88 shipped in the US for a 1/55 with Super packs is a lot better than $150 shipped from Hong Kong.

As it is there have been no displays of 1/55s even by Bandai at the various Japanese shows since last year, which would seem to indicate they have killed the reissues yet again.

[Salamander]

Back in the 80s even with their excellent QC, I didn`t really like`em cuz the of lack of possibility

"1980s" and "poseability" aren't two terms that I tend to think of together...

The 1/55 Chunky was one of the most poseable transforming toys of the early 1980s with a fairly realistic alternate mode. Could you name what other transformable toys back then had ankle, knee, hip, neck, shoulder, upper arm, and elbow articulation back then?

[promethuem5]

Bandai's HCM line did a really good job of incorporating articulation... I have the Walker Gallier, which is just as poseable as the 1/55, but you are right that most toys at the time we bricks. The HCM lone was also much less durable than the 1/55.

[Apollo Leader]

From CDX's Toynami Toy Fair report:

http://www.collectiondx.com/article/nytf09...bandai_tamashii

"The 1/55 valkyries with the re-tooled heads are on hiatus, due to a licensing issue with Big West."

Sad to say, its Big West who has become the bigger detriment to Macross fans in the US and worldwide then Harmony Gold. Not too surprising, but I'm not upset since I got more VF-1 toys (Bandai, Yamato, and Toynami) then I can shake a stick at. But it would have been nice if the cheaper US release would have taken place and that stuff like the Elint Seeker and Super Ostrich would have happened.

Sales of the Origin of Valkyrie toys may have been low because some fans outside of Japan were waiting for the Toynami/Tamashii release.

Edited March 5, 2009 by Apollo Leader

[bandit29]

Wait...BW did something to thwart the international growth of the Macross franchise again? Shocking... just shocking..

anyway..with the 1/48s still out there and the new 1/60s..the 1/55s sadly never had a chance...the only advantage they have is that they don't break...

so I guess since these are held up, the chances of the 1/100 scale line from Tamashii won't be released here either...

great.. as usual, other franchises (who are less popular in the US) get merchandise released here but Macross stuff gets held up in legal BS..."call the lawyers!" fanf'ntastic...this is getting kind of old...

[Renato]

What is it now, ten years since HG blocked Toycom, and seven or eight years since the cease and desist BS, and the BW vs Tatsunoko court case? By the time they sort all this crap out there'll be no more Macross franchise left to promote. Look at Frontier, they're really only targeting the anime fan market these days, instead of mainstream audiences.

Shame about the 1/55s. I still cannot understand what Bandai was thinking, bringing out the same valks which EVERYONE owns by now, over and over again. Surely they can forsee bad sales.

[Graham]

Edited the topic title to remove the "Coming in July", as it is no longer relevant.

Graham

[eugimon]

What sort of crap you put into your brain to be this ignorant? What don't you bring up those yellowed Lego or SNES as some sort of race issue? :angry:

Here, try some education: http://www.vintagecomputing.com/index.php/archives/189

I didn't get to reading your rant till just now, so you'll have to forgive the flashback.

Obviously I was making a joke. However the "crap" I put in my brain is called the news. And if you read the news you'd know a bunch of kids died in china and hundreds more were severely sickened, as in dialysis for the rest of their lives sick, due to plastic being put in milk in China. Chinese milk producers putting plastic in milk isn't me being racist, it's them being cheap. If you're too much of a toy fanboy to read the regular news, maybe you should try to broaden your horizons from time to time instead of spouting off like some bratty kid.

here, take a page out of your own book and go google "chinese milk scandal" The one in 2008 was hardly the first time this has happened either. Oh, and go google "chinese lead paint scandal" while you're at it.

[Graham]

My take on this is that you are never going to see a deal between BW and HG, too much bad blood there.

Ditto, you will never see a deal between Toynami and Yamato, also too much bad blood.

Both Yamato and I'm sure Bandai as well would love to be able to officially sell Macross goods outside of Japan, but I think BW will do their best to stop any deal dead as long as HG is still in the picture.

Yamato are actually quite happy to work with HG, as are it seems Bandai, but BW will block any attempts by their licensors to do business with HG.

And of course HG will block any attempts by Japanese companies to sell Macross into the US that try to bypass them, e.g. Sunwards.

Graham

[Graham]

Shame about the 1/55s. I still cannot understand what Bandai was thinking, bringing out the same valks which EVERYONE owns by now, over and over again. Surely they can forsee bad sales.

The 1/55 Max DYRL VF-1A was a step in the right direction IMO, but I'm sure if Bandai had first reissued the 1/55 VF-1S Hikaru Strike Valk, VT-1, VE-1 and GBP-1S, sales would have been much improved.

Too late now though I guess. Anyway, I think the impending summer release of Yamato's VT-1 and VE-1 V2 1/60 will likely kill most of the residual interest in the 1/55 versions anyway.

Graham

[Renato]

The 1/55 Max DYRL VF-1A was a step in the right direction IMO, but I'm sure if Bandai had first reissued the 1/55 VF-1S Hikaru Strike Valk, VT-1, VE-1 and GBP-1S, sales would have been much improved.

Too late now though I guess. Anyway, I think the impending summer release of Yamato's VT-1 and VE-1 V2 1/60 will likely kill most of the residual interest in the 1/55 versions anyway.

Graham

Exactly. They should've ignored the tradition of starting with Hikaru and Skull Leader and gone straight into the Ostrich and Elint. I was going to skip the Yamato versions of those and just buy the 1/55 versions, as they have much more value for me.

[sidearmsalpha]

Exactly. They should've ignored the tradition of starting with Hikaru and Skull Leader and gone straight into the Ostrich and Elint. I was going to skip the Yamato versions of those and just buy the 1/55 versions, as they have much more value for me.

This is so true. I just don't get how Bandai does it's research when it comes to rereleasing these again. You would think that it was quite obvious that mint VE-1, VT-1, and Strike VF-1S still fetch quite a bit of money on eBay. These are sure-sellers. I know I'd be pre-ordering these babies. I'm paranoid about even pulling out the vintage ones from time to time. Be nice to be able to display some reissues of these. Bandai is so obsessed with starting with the first releases. I give them credit for finally making a VF-1A Max, but that should have come after the no-brainers. Some generous extras and more tampo-printing would be nice, too. I was shocked to find out that the Origin of Valkyrie VF-1J Hikaru actually came with a heatshield this time around.

[CF18]

I didn't get to reading your rant till just now, so you'll have to forgive the flashback.

Obviously I was making a joke. However the "crap" I put in my brain is called the news. And if you read the news you'd know a bunch of kids died in china and hundreds more were severely sickened, as in dialysis for the rest of their lives sick, due to plastic being put in milk in China. Chinese milk producers putting plastic in milk isn't me being racist, it's them being cheap. If you're too much of a toy fanboy to read the regular news, maybe you should try to broaden your horizons from time to time instead of spouting off like some bratty kid.

here, take a page out of your own book and go google "chinese milk scandal" The one in 2008 was hardly the first time this has happened either. Oh, and go google "chinese lead paint scandal" while you're at it.

Of course I know the news. How can you miss it when every scandal from China get 30 days headline? But have you heard about this or this?

And what does that have to do with yellow plastic? What did that have to do with China when it is a well known problem with toys made from anywhere? Is it because of your well publicized prejudice?

Go ahead continue to singling out Chinese with "jokes" like this or this or this, yes, we are the source of all the world's problem.

[Salamander]

This is so true. I just don't get how Bandai does it's research when it comes to rereleasing these again. You would think that it was quite obvious that mint VE-1, VT-1, and Strike VF-1S still fetch quite a bit of money on eBay. These are sure-sellers. I know I'd be pre-ordering these babies. I'm paranoid about even pulling out the vintage ones from time to time. Be nice to be able to display some reissues of these. Bandai is so obsessed with starting with the first releases. I give them credit for finally making a VF-1A Max, but that should have come after the no-brainers. Some generous extras and more tampo-printing would be nice, too. I was shocked to find out that the Origin of Valkyrie VF-1J Hikaru actually came with a heatshield this time around.

Bandai Japan doesn't bother with Ebay. They release what the Japanese customer wants, not what a bunch of fanboys with too much money want.

Oh, on the 2001 reissues, only the first Valk came without a heatshield.

[Salamander]

And what does that have to do with yellow plastic? What did that have to do with China when it is a well known problem with toys made from anywhere? Is it because of your well publicized prejudice?

Uh, because the stuff put in the milk was put in because it would make the milk nicely white, so people couldn't see water had been added (milk with water is translucent whitish...)?

Instead of going haywire, perhaps you too should get your facts straight.

[eugimon]

Of course I know the news. How can you miss it when every scandal from China get 30 days headline? But have you heard about this or this?

And what does that have to do with yellow plastic? What did that have to do with China when it is a well known problem with toys made from anywhere? Is it because of your well publicized prejudice?

Go ahead continue to singling out Chinese with "jokes" like this or this or this, yes, we are the source of all the world's problem.

The post that I was referring to was pointing out that he thought plastic yellowed more rapidly today than plastic from 20 years ago, it was a joke on quality and declining standards. It was actually told to me, when I spoke about the issue with my Chinese wife who happens to be a materials engineer who has dealt with Chinese factories when she worked for a major sports eye wear company for 5 years and setup factories all over the world, including China.

So now it's a prejudice to talk about actual problems happening to actual people?

I'm actually speaking from experience. I've stayed with, slept in homes of and ate with farmers and factory workers in China. I've spoken to the uighurs who are watching their culture get systematically destroyed by the Chinese government and I've met with dozens of North Korean refuges who have been taken in and sheltered by loving and caring families all over northern China. I've seen, first hand, small communities and villages completely sundered by having all the young people leave for factory jobs leaving only the old or the very very young.

Pointing out and talking about the difficulties that exist in the world isn't racism. Sorry that you think anything other than spouting the same bullshit pro-growth, pro-capitalist propaganda is. The piss poor quality of life for the factory workers, farmers and the working poor in China is a well known tragedy that the US media, corporations worldwide and the Chinese government are all too happy to white wash so that fat Americans can keep buying their cheap crap at walmart and save 25cents on a pair of socks rather than pay a living wage.

And how does this relate to yellowing plastic? We've been in a death spiral for a couple of decades now where consumers demand the cheapest possible prices. People don't care about quality as the mentality is to just buy a new one when their -whatever- breaks or the newest -whatever- comes out with an incremental improvement or a flashy new color. This demand for low cost crap gets passed on to retailers who, like wal-mart, look for ever increasing ways to cut costs, including short changing their employees and the communities they live in. They in turn pressure the businesses for cheaper crap who pass it along in where and who they use to manufacture.

People like Nike USED to manufacture their crap in South Korea when it was run by hardline military dictators and it was easy to oppress their workers. As education and ideas like workers rights improved and workers in s. korea demanded more money, better and safer working conditions, sometimes through bloody rioting (which I have also been involved with) they picked up and moved to other lesser developed countries. In countries like China and Indonesia. And the story I told of the worker's rights organizer having his knees trashed, that's a TRUE story.

But consumers don't care and pro-growth propagandists like you don't either. You've managed to somehow link whitewashing the utter crap of the world with racism. It's no wonder most americans don't treat asians seriously when we talk about racism. Because people like you make it out so that any criticism is racism. The only way to deal with the very real and very troubling issues around the world is to be able to have open and frank discussions about them. And if you're so insecure so that you can't even discuss a well known issue like the spiraling decline in quality in China, a topic that even the Chinese government takes seriously enough to be executing people over, than really, there's no more point in talking with you.

[CF18]

Uh, because the stuff put in the milk was put in because it would make the milk nicely white, so people couldn't see water had been added (milk with water is translucent whitish...)?

Instead of going haywire, perhaps you too should get your facts straight.

They put those nitrogen-rich melamine in so that the raw milk will appear rich in protein and pass the simple test the factories use. How about you try to get your facts straight first?

[Apollo Leader]

My take on this is that you are never going to see a deal between BW and HG, too much bad blood there.

Ditto, you will never see a deal between Toynami and Yamato, also too much bad blood.

Both Yamato and I'm sure Bandai as well would love to be able to officially sell Macross goods outside of Japan, but I think BW will do their best to stop any deal dead as long as HG is still in the picture.

Yamato are actually quite happy to work with HG, as are it seems Bandai, but BW will block any attempts by their licensors to do business with HG.

And of course HG will block any attempts by Japanese companies to sell Macross into the US that try to bypass them, e.g. Sunwards.

Graham

It's a crying shame that after a decade of all this non-sense that there's no progress in establishing some sort of an agreement or compromise that would make either parties happy and so that the ultimate victims in this, the fans, would finally be able to more fully enjoy their fandom of the Macross universe (whether it be watching any of the series, merchanice, etc.).

[bandit29]

Bandai Japan doesn't bother with Ebay. They release what the Japanese customer wants, not what a bunch of fanboys with too much money want.

Macross Japanese customers are the fanboys lol

[amptor]

I stopped buying Yamatos because I was hugely disappointed when I found an entire wing on my Hikaru yellowed from being on a shelf nearby my computer. I have every 1/60th except for max and mirya with boosters, all roy fokkers, elint seeker, VF-1D, and TRU limited edition cannon fodder. I also have a brand new boxed Hikaru I purchased for $25 + s/h on ebay. I keep that one in a dark closet butted up against other Yamato boxes so even if I open the closet, light won't penetrate the box.

Are they still coming out with more bandai 1/55? I have noticed that the q/c from bandai is superior to Yamato as well. I have not seen anyone complaining about broken joints. This is what happens when you have a Japanese company in full control, although the 1/55ths are made in China.

As far as issuing Yamatos in the USA and them being cheaper than in Asia, I highly doubt that. Look what happened to transformers. The reissues of those were fetching a lot more than they originally cost in the 1980's at toys r us. I feel that introducing Yamato or Bandai valkyries in the US stores would have done the same and possibly would have caused prices in Asian markets to go up as well.

Edited March 6, 2009 by amptor

[CF18]

I've seen, first hand, small communities and villages completely sundered by having all the young people leave for factory jobs leaving only the old or the very very young.

Guess what a lot of them are going back now. Is anyone happy about it?

As education and ideas like workers rights improved and workers in s. korea demanded more money, better and safer working conditions, sometimes through bloody rioting (which I have also been involved with) they picked up and moved to other lesser developed countries.

That happens in China too. New labor law already made some move to cheaper places.

The only way to deal with the very real and very troubling issues around the world is to be able to have open and frank discussions about them. And if you're so insecure so that you can't even discuss a well known issue like the spiraling decline in quality in China, a topic that even the Chinese government takes seriously enough to be executing people over, than really, there's no more point in talking with you.

Sure it is well known that many Chinese worker are underpaied and work in poor condition, but if you really care, why do you continue to promote that anything made in China = crap (which is obviously not true)? It only make it more difficult for anyone in China to demand higher price for what they make. What you wrote before were not open and frank discussion, just finger pointing.

And politics discussion have no place in this forum anyway.

[sidearmsalpha]

Bandai Japan doesn't bother with Ebay. They release what the Japanese customer wants, not what a bunch of fanboys with too much money want.

Oh, on the 2001 reissues, only the first Valk came without a heatshield.

The thing is, the last reissues came out not even a decade ago in 2001/2002, and I doubt between then and now, there has been a high demand from Japanese Macross fans to reissue the SAME ones they already did back then, especially when you can still find them now going for less than what they retailed for. I doubt there has been a huge influx of new fans demanding the VF-1J Hikaru and VF-1S because they missed them the first time around also. They should have just continued from where they left off.

And IIRC, the first Valk that was reissued was the VF-1J Hikaru. I was surprised that Bandai actually remembered that this is the one they forgot to include a heatshield with the last time they reissued it. So, I guess not everybody at Bandai is asleep at the wheel with these releases, but they are really missing a great opportunity to put out the unreleased ones.

I'm surprised that the DYRL movie hasn't been re-released in theaters in Japan since 1984. This year (with it being the 25th annivesary) would be a perfect time to show it again like Lucas did with Star Wars. I'm sure there would be alot of new fans that might be interested in picking up the Bandai DYRL Valkyries, especially the Strike VF-1S, VE-1, and VT-1.

[Black Valkyrie]

"1980s" and "poseability" aren't two terms that I tend to think of together...

The 1/55 Chunky was one of the most poseable transforming toys of the early 1980s with a fairly realistic alternate mode. Could you name what other transformable toys back then had ankle, knee, hip, neck, shoulder, upper arm, and elbow articulation back then?

None of course, I ment comparing the 1/55 with 1/100 or the 1/72 kit.

[Black Valkyrie]

Bandai at least should have adapted the Yamato 1/48, 1/60 leg transformation system or something similar.

Edited March 7, 2009 by Black Valkyrie

[505thAirborne]

Bandai at least should have adapted the Yamato 1/48, 1/60 leg transformation system or something similar.

That would have been great a selling feature, but I think Bandai was going for a total 80's nostalgic vibe with these. But after the Yamato 1/48 1/60 system.... Well its hard to be as excited as when you were 10 y/o in 1985 and seeing a Jetfire or Bandai VF for the 1st time!!!

Edited March 7, 2009 by 505thAirborne

[jenius]

There are two things I think that can be changed and retain the chunky vibe:

1) Swivels at the knees

2) Ball joint shoulders

Of course, if you put swivels at the knees you should also make the feet more articulated so it quickly becomes a slippery slope. The ability to pull the hips out away from the swing bars and then give them a chance at holding an A-stance would have been nice also.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Universal hip joints, thigh swivels, missle clusters for the wings, and the ability to attach the gunpod in fighter mode would be good enough for me.

[Graham]

Heh, my 4 1/2 year old son likes Valk toys, but he doesn't want the 1/55 reissues I tried to give him. Instead he wants Daddy's 1/48s or V2 1/60s.

Guess he has taste and is obviously not swayed by nostalgia.

Graham

[katsuden]

Your junior sure has good taste and with big ambition. I guess it's like father like son!

[big F]

Heh, my 4 1/2 year old son likes Valk toys, but he doesn't want the 1/55 reissues I tried to give him. Instead he wants Daddy's 1/48s or V2 1/60s.

Guess he has taste and is obviously not swayed by nostalgia.

Graham

Nah our nostalgia is ancient history to him.

Like would you be happy back in 1984 if your dad given you a wooden doll dressed in army fatigues when all you wanted was the G.I Joe in Coldwar Nato outfit with realistic voice and hair.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Guess he has taste and is obviously not swayed by nostalgia.

Taste is subjective and one need not be swayed by nostalgia to like the 1/55. I still like it even after all these years.

[Roger]

As much as people hate it, BW shouldn't get a penny for a Valk sold in the US. HG should get that penny.

Sad to say, its Big West who has become the bigger detriment to Macross fans in the US and worldwide then Harmony Gold.

Wait...BW did something to thwart the international growth of the Macross franchise again? Shocking... just shocking..

Careful, guys, this is the kind of talk that gets you suspended from Macrossworld...

I want to know, did anyone here change their mind about ordering this toy from an importer when they heard that it was being released domestically by Toynami? I'm curious to see who did and who didn't.