TOYS FAQ - The New Noobie questions thread

[ValkAddict]

On 3/12/2021 at 9:25 AM, jenius said:

Don't forget to check out reviews one anymoon.com (shameless self plug)

 

@jenius - Your Macross/Mospeada toys review site is AWESOME. Thank you for all of your amazing, detailed, and very well thought out reviews. I have used the reviews many times when deciding which toys to get. The video reviews, comparisons between different releases, handling tips, and transformation videos have been very helpful as well. Please know your efforts are very much appreciated by this Macross okatu fanboy!
 

[jenius]

Thank you kindly! The site will probably go on hiatus (still up, just no new content for a bit) this summer as I move again but it will be back once I find a new place and get settled.

[Slave IV]

3 minutes ago, jenius said:

Thank you kindly! The site will probably go on hiatus (still up, just no new content for a bit) this summer as I move again but it will be back once I find a new place and get settled.

Need to step it up for more Valk space?

[ValkAddict]

19 minutes ago, jenius said:

Thank you kindly! The site will probably go on hiatus (still up, just no new content for a bit) this summer as I move again but it will be back once I find a new place and get settled.

Good luck with the move. Hopefully everything goes smoothly.

[SoLoBoY]

On 6/3/2021 at 11:40 PM, ValkAddict said:

 

@jenius - Your Macross/Mospeada toys review site is AWESOME. Thank you for all of your amazing, detailed, and very well thought out reviews. I have used the reviews many times when deciding which toys to get. The video reviews, comparisons between different releases, handling tips, and transformation videos have been very helpful as well. Please know your efforts are very much appreciated by this Macross okatu fanboy!
 

My thoughts exactly

[RealJayDee]

Hey guys!!! I noticed in my vf1 v2 1/60 yammie that one of the "intake" markings at the side of the chest piece is barely noticeable. 

Was this a noticed QC with your copies as well? Or is it paint degradation from (bad) handling? 

I compared it vs a brand new arcadia and the markings on that one are super red, super sharp, and you can clearly read intake at 30cm away.

Thanks!!!

[CollectorCanine]

As someone who has only been into Macross for about a month now, what would be the best Macross toyline to get into first? Especially for someone like me who doesn't have a ton of space and definitely cannot afford things in the price range of the DX Chogokin toys.

[jenius]

Hi-Metal R sounds like it fits your parameters pretty nicely. Small, mostly affordable, varied line up. 

[CollectorCanine]

I was thinking much the same, from my own research.

HMR seems perfect for me size-wise, but the prices are still just a tad steep for me. They definitely look like they're worth they're asking price, but I definitely wouldn't be able to amass as many as I'd like to very fast. Still the cheapest option out there that isn't a model kit or total crap, though.

Another problem is the current aftermarket prices for some of the older releases I really want, particularly Hikaru's VF-1S Strike Valkyrie from DYRL, being kinda ludicrous.

Edited February 27 by CollectorCanine
Forgot a detail

[jenius]

The hurdle of secondary prices will face you everywhere unless you go with Kitzconcept, but they are Robotech/SDF license limited. Macross goods get limited production runs and remain out of print for years. The drop in quality going down the price spectrum from HMR is steep; worth it to hunt and be patient for secondary market deals rather than collecting something you're not thrilled with.

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, jenius said:

The hurdle of secondary prices will face you everywhere unless you go with Kitzconcept, but they are Robotech/SDF license limited. Macross goods get limited production runs and remain out of print for years. The drop in quality going down the price spectrum from HMR is steep; worth it to hunt and be patient for secondary market deals rather than collecting something you're not thrilled with.

Totally agree. This sums it up perfectly. 

[Slave IV]

2 hours ago, CollectorCanine said:

As someone who has only been into Macross for about a month now, what would be the best Macross toyline to get into first? Especially for someone like me who doesn't have a ton of space and definitely cannot afford things in the price range of the DX Chogokin toys.

HMR are great, I have them all but if you are new to Macross and just starting, you might as well start from the beginning and get yourself a 1/55 “Chunky Monkey” VF-1. The finest toy ever made period and every collector of toys should experience at least one. You can get an original release or any of the reissues (and even some KOs). Depending on which one, they might be around the same price or less than an HMR and you don’t need to worry if it is slightly used. Even heavily used but well cared for copies could be in great condition to this day. 

[CollectorCanine]

3 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

HMR are great, I have them all but if you are new to Macross and just starting, you might as well start from the beginning and get yourself a 1/55 “Chunky Monkey” VF-1. The finest toy ever made period and every collector of toys should experience at least one. You can get an original release or any of the reissues (and even some KOs). Depending on which one, they might be around the same price or less than an HMR and you don’t need to worry if it is slightly used. Even heavily used but well cared for copies could be in great condition to this day. 

I've been looking and the old 1/55 "chunky monkey" Valkyries are all going for around $500 now, even the reissues are around $300-ish...

A 1/55 chunky monkey in bad shape is still $200. I refuse to pay that much for something that isn't PERFECT.

[Slave IV]

2 hours ago, CollectorCanine said:

I've been looking and the old 1/55 "chunky monkey" Valkyries are all going for around $500 now, even the reissues are around $300-ish...

A 1/55 chunky monkey in bad shape is still $200. I refuse to pay that much for something that isn't PERFECT.

I feel like I've seen much better deals than that but I haven't looked recently so maybe that's the case and we need another reissue soon! Also, if you aren't looking to have a huge collection, it might make sense to get one in a larger scale. Since you love the Hikaru Strike VF-1S, I think there is another release of the recent DX mechanical edition so those may show up for a reasonable price. You can also look into the older 1/48 Yamato or 1/60 Yamato/Arcadia Valks. Besides the original, these are all still great options with each one still being great at different things. Again, I love the HMR line but the true greatness of that line is in the displayability of a large collection of them including the Enemy Mecha and Destroids. And the non-transforming mecha are the real stars of that line too...the scale works really well for them. If I was to only have one VF-1, I would not choose the HMR version mainly because it's not as fun to play with by itself and requires a lot more partsforming to get looks in different modes.

[CollectorCanine]

8 hours ago, Slave IV said:

I feel like I've seen much better deals than that but I haven't looked recently so maybe that's the case and we need another reissue soon! Also, if you aren't looking to have a huge collection, it might make sense to get one in a larger scale. Since you love the Hikaru Strike VF-1S, I think there is another release of the recent DX mechanical edition so those may show up for a reasonable price. You can also look into the older 1/48 Yamato or 1/60 Yamato/Arcadia Valks. Besides the original, these are all still great options with each one still being great at different things. Again, I love the HMR line but the true greatness of that line is in the displayability of a large collection of them including the Enemy Mecha and Destroids. And the non-transforming mecha are the real stars of that line too...the scale works really well for them. If I was to only have one VF-1, I would not choose the HMR version mainly because it's not as fun to play with by itself and requires a lot more partsforming to get looks in different modes.

The thing here is that the DX Chogokin toys are faaaaar out of my price range... and the recent release of the Strike Valkyrie with exposed mechanical details just doesn't appeal to me. I think the removable panels some VF-1 Super/Strike Parts toys have are unnecessary and a feature I'd never take advantage of... so one with translucent parts to expose the detail I already don't care about or want simply makes me annoyed it wasn't a straight normal reissue of the set in a normal color scheme. 

[WhatBoutMyStar]

18 hours ago, CollectorCanine said:

I was thinking much the same, from my own research.

HMR seems perfect for me size-wise, but the prices are still just a tad steep for me. They definitely look like they're worth they're asking price, but I definitely wouldn't be able to amass as many as I'd like to very fast. Still the cheapest option out there that isn't a model kit or total crap, though.

Another problem is the current aftermarket prices for some of the older releases I really want, particularly Hikaru's VF-1S Strike Valkyrie from DYRL, being kinda ludicrous.

If you want a DYRL Strike 1S Hikaru, you don't have much in the way of options that haven't been mentioned already. Even the aftermarket for the HMR version is pricey since they go for 20k yen+ on Mandarake (even more expensive than some very good DX valks like a couple of the VF-31s, which is just crazy to me). Another option is Arcadia, which will be re-releasing Hikaru and Roy's Strike 1S in a couple months and which are still up for pre-order from the online shops in Japan for like 21-23k yen, so basically a similar price as the HMR 1S Hikaru and I'd easily take the Arcadia all day over the HMR even though I like my HMR valks.

There's also the Valkyrie Factory KO of the Arcadia and I've seen Hikaru's 1S (non premium finish version without the strike parts) go for as low as $80 shipped from China. I think the strike parts separately go for $50-60. It's a KO, so obviously the build quality isn't going to be on par with the Arcadia, but it's likely the cheapest option available at this point if you want a 1S Hikaru.

[pengbuzz]

16 hours ago, CollectorCanine said:

I've been looking and the old 1/55 "chunky monkey" Valkyries are all going for around $500 now, even the reissues are around $300-ish...

A 1/55 chunky monkey in bad shape is still $200. I refuse to pay that much for something that isn't PERFECT.

Here is where picclick is your friend:

https://picclick.com/1990-Bandai-Japan-1-55-Macross-VF-1S-Roy-Valkyrie-166471119506.html

Picclick is an aggregator that looks at all the stuff Ebay has and you can sert it to find the lowest price, newest item, etc. This one is 119 bucks (for example).