DX VF-171EX from Macross Frontier

[pud333]

That, or they have no problem leaving your pre-order hanging until a reissue happens.

That would suck.

Yeah, but hasn't conventional wisdom been that the only people clamoring for these secondary valks been the minority rabid fans like us? Why is the 171 so popular?

- Alto flew it.

- There's an important scene with Alto and Ozma conflict.

- CF's are probably not covetted by casual fans. Bandai probably knows this. Putting out a CF 171 is a bit of a risk, but an Alto one isn't. It's like putting out a pair of sneakers, vs putting out the same pair of sneakers but branding it with a recognizable face.

- This thing looks awesome.

[VF5SS]

Yeah, but hasn't conventional wisdom been that the only people clamoring for these secondary valks been the minority rabid fans like us? Why is the 171 so popular?

a

Most of those secondary Valkyries were not unique units piloted by main characters. Even Isamu's VF-11B is the same one as all the other seen in the OVA. And quite frankly, it's a filler design. I mean I own both VF-11s but there's nothing to revere about it other than being a nice design and a great toy.

Also you have to realize both Plus and 7 are nearly 20 years old now. Frontier has just come off of a recent TV series and two successful movies. There's more buzz for Frontier than any of the older shows and the new fans want the latest and greatest.

[eugimon]

Oh look, Bandai is half-assed on their own Macross product! Let's just blame Gundam because Bandai ONLY produce Macross and Gundam toys and nothing else, right ?

I wonder if wide array of their catalog is what makes them produce each item in limited quantity. I've heard this "Bandai is stupid enough to not wanting my money" many times before. Quite recently in case of D-Arts Megaman, and almost every Kamen Rider SHFiguarts will ended in 5-minute preorder window battle. Correct me on this, but do Yamato has other things to sell other than Macross VFs and anime statues? I haven't heard anything new from their Patlabor, ZOIDS or Votoms line. So maybe that what's make Bandai and Yamato strategy different.

Yamato has a bunch of other stuff. They mostly make figures.. but yes, yamato and bandai have a very different approach to producing their high end toys.

If you look at the pre-order window for yamato toys, they're often 6+ months in advance. So, they're taking orders *while* they're building the toys. The pre-order window for the latest Bandai MF offerings have been 2-3 months in advance, meaning that the toys are already made or are being assembled (with the actual injection molding have been finished and the next line already being produced) when the pre-orders are being placed. This means Bandai has a firm ceiling and they're probably allocating a known quantity to the various retailers.

If you add in the fact that the MF shares a large amount of parts; that is, the yf-29 shares the same skeleton as the vf-25, that makes it far less likely that Bandai will re-issue a particular model in the middle of a set release schedule since it will mean taking a line down, purging, cleaning and recalibrating it for a different color mix and then running it again.

Yamato, on the other hand, tends to have two or more different models at the same time. That is, they'll have a vf-19 out but they'll also offer a vf-1 or vf-17, or whatever at the same time. So if they need to run off more of toy X it won't affect the schedule for toy Y.

And then we need to think about how poorly the MF line did previous to the yf-29. There's still a bunch of half off Quarters and Monsters out there, so doubtless the bean counters at Bandai made demand predictions based on those latest soft figures... set their target numbers and release schedules and now Bandai is just following a calendar that was set up early last year.

So yeah, I'm sure Bandai is *well* aware of how angry fans are but I'm sure they're also well aware that they have only so much factory space and time and that they have a whole toy line to get out and stopping the entire, multi-toy run, just to issue a couple hundred re-issues doesn't make sense in the big picture.

[SpaceCowboy]

What strikes me as weird about this - is if you are going to have such a limited production run, why not charge more? I mean, they are leaving money on the table. Seriously, if I'm going to release such a limited run, do it like Yamato did with the SDF-1 - $500-$1000. The rabid fans will still buy it, Bandai makes more money, and even once "discounted", Bandai maximizes their profit. Releasing it for $150-$200 but not producing enough to even fulfill preorder demand just seems short sighted.

If I were at Bandai, I would not be thinking "oh goody money!" I would be thinking "we just made a lot less money than we could have.". Ideally you want to have a little stock leftover, but not that much. It's like feeding people a meal - if all the food is gone too fast, chances are people are still hungry. If there is way too much left over, you spent to much. You want just enough food left over that everyone got their fill.

[jvmacross]

It turns out YesAsia no longer has them available either.

Sold out in about an hour from my post?

Hope some of you guys were able to get one.......

I would hate for our "where to buy it this nanosecond" posts to be merely pointing the scalpers in the right direction.....

[pud333]

Yamato has a bunch of other stuff. They mostly make figures.. but yes, yamato and bandai have a very different approach to producing their high end toys.

If you look at the pre-order window for yamato toys, they're often 6+ months in advance. So, they're taking orders *while* they're building the toys. The pre-order window for the latest Bandai MF offerings have been 2-3 months in advance, meaning that the toys are already made or are being assembled (with the actual injection molding have been finished and the next line already being produced) when the pre-orders are being placed. This means Bandai has a firm ceiling and they're probably allocating a known quantity to the various retailers.

If you add in the fact that the MF shares a large amount of parts; that is, the yf-29 shares the same skeleton as the vf-25, that makes it far less likely that Bandai will re-issue a particular model in the middle of a set release schedule since it will mean taking a line down, purging, cleaning and recalibrating it for a different color mix and then running it again.

Yamato, on the other hand, tends to have two or more different models at the same time. That is, they'll have a vf-19 out but they'll also offer a vf-1 or vf-17, or whatever at the same time. So if they need to run off more of toy X it won't affect the schedule for toy Y.

And then we need to think about how poorly the MF line did previous to the yf-29. There's still a bunch of half off Quarters and Monsters out there, so doubtless the bean counters at Bandai made demand predictions based on those latest soft figures... set their target numbers and release schedules and now Bandai is just following a calendar that was set up early last year.

So yeah, I'm sure Bandai is *well* aware of how angry fans are but I'm sure they're also well aware that they have only so much factory space and time and that they have a whole toy line to get out and stopping the entire, multi-toy run, just to issue a couple hundred re-issues doesn't make sense in the big picture.

This is the best explanation and most plausible that I have seen so far. Thanks; puts things into perspective.

Sold out in about an hour from my post?

Hope some of you guys were able to get one.......

I would hate for our "where to buy it this nanosecond" posts to be merely pointing the scalpers in the right direction.....

It's the nature of the beast. Scalpers lurk these sites like crazy. Actually, if a scalper was on their game, they would know approximately what times these stores post their preorders. I suppose certain sections of the boards would be made so it is closed off to anyone who doesn't have X number of posts - that way you force people to at least make an effort to post before they have access to certain parts of the forum where members would place "sightings," but that would unfortunately punish any collectors who lurk, cause not all collectors take part in forum discussions...

That said, I do know some sites that won't let you put up a sales thread unless you have X number of posts.

[Mommar]

This is the best explanation and most plausible that I have seen so far. Thanks; puts things into perspective.

Unfortuantely a huge portion of that explanantion means we're all suffering now because of Bandai's frakk-ups and promises not kept with the quality of their first releases.

[eyesonme78]

Guys, i just found another way to get the VF-171EX from noppin.com but of cos they charge higher price of 14700 yen, not including all the surhcarges and such, but for those who like to get one, it might be a better way, i am asking for a quotation for it now.

the link is here

http://www.noppin.com/portal_ra_details/detail/721A8CFE/hobbyone%3A10019472

[PsYcHoDyNaMiX]

Guys, i just found another way to get the VF-171EX from noppin.com but of cos they charge higher price of 14700 yen, not including all the surhcarges and such, but for those who like to get one, it might be a better way, i am asking for a quotation for it now.

the link is here

http://www.noppin.co...yone%3A10019472

Nice find, but with a service surcharge of 2,500 yen for an item that is about 15,000 yen it comes out to more than 210+$ US prior to shipping.

[Vifam7]

Guys, i just found another way to get the VF-171EX from noppin.com but of cos they charge higher price of 14700 yen, not including all the surhcarges and such, but for those who like to get one, it might be a better way, i am asking for a quotation for it now.

the link is here

http://www.noppin.co...yone%3A10019472

That's just using a proxy buyer. Celga, Shopping Mall Japan, Rinkya, etc all offer similar services. If you're going to buy this way, make sure to find a store with a good low price because these services charge various fees which could add another 3-4 thousand yen to the total before shipping to your country.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Vifam7

[Tober]

Have any of the HK stores started/ended taking pre-orders? Apparently eToys are still waiting for actual numbers from Bandai.

[Chronocidal]

I actually wonder if any of the shops have actually gotten real numbers yet at all...

What if that microscopic preorder was just based on the absolute minimum the various shops know they can get without any trouble?

[Golden Arms]

I'll just wait until HLJ, puts it back on order. I swear, Bandai can't seem to take their heads out of their own arses sometimes.

[chen]

Wow Bandai just can't win, they get lambasted for creating half-assed Valks or they get blasted for not building enough lol. I can understand the anger in not getting your pre-order in but to be fair Bandai just has a rough guess of how much to produce, these figures have probably been already assembled or pretty close to it that Bandai is probably already on the next production run of another toy. Who knew the YF-29 would be such a hit let alone the version 2 VF-25's especially after getting critisized, and rightly so, for the version 1's? Bandai has and will create another production run of a figure if the demand is there or they have some stored in the wharehouse but changing a production line is like stopping a train with a rubberband it's a slow process and there has to be enough demand to justify it. With that said I can see Bandai making a certain amount just below expected demand just to keep interest high and also cutting losses of un-sold product

.

[Chronocidal]

Given the pictures we've all seen are of a resin prototype, I don't think they're making these yet. They might be using the hype generated from the preorder as a way to guess at how many to manufacture though.

[eugimon]

what makes you think those shots of it are resin? Looks to me like it's molded in color and machine painted. It's just missing tampo printing.

[Chronocidal]

If you look at the arm, there's a big crack running through it. There's also paint chipping near there, where the arms attach to the backplate. It's possible it's plastic, but if the plastic they're using is cracking that easily, I'm just fine not buying one. It is possible that only certain parts are made of resin, but who knows why they would mix and match materials that way.

One thing I did notice though.. you can tell that the hardpoints should go all the way to the wingtip. There's a large panel on the upper surface of the wing that's popped up a little. It doesn't seem to be fitting very well either yet, so I think this is a pretty early prototype.

Edited March 3, 2012 by Chronocidal

[chen]

Honestly those look like pre-production test shots too me, also when I meant these where already in production I meant that the tooling is probably done with packaging design already ready, it wouldn't take long for the factory to actually start pumping these things out.

[eugimon]

If you look at the arm, there's a big crack running through it. There's also paint chipping near there, where the arms attach to the backplate. It's possible it's plastic, but if the plastic they're using is cracking that easily, I'm just fine not buying one. It is possible that only certain parts are made of resin, but who knows why they would mix and match materials that way.

One thing I did notice though.. you can tell that the hardpoints should go all the way to the wingtip. There's a large panel on the upper surface of the wing that's popped up a little. It doesn't seem to be fitting very well either yet, so I think this is a pretty early prototype.

can you point out the crack? I can't see it. As for the paint chipping... we are talking about Bandai here... paint chipping is par for the course.

but yeah, given the complete lack of tampo, it probably is a pre-production sample but I doubt it's resin. 3 months is not a lot of time if they haven't even finalized the mold yet... if that's the case, then no wonder it's a tiny production run. They just don't have time to make any more.

Edited March 3, 2012 by eugimon

[MacrossJunkie]

can you point out the crack? I can't see it. As for the paint chipping... we are talking about Bandai here... paint chipping is par for the course.

but yeah, given the complete lack of tampo, it probably is a pre-production sample but I doubt it's resin. 3 months is not a lot of time if they haven't even finalized the mold yet... if that's the case, then no wonder it's a tiny production run. They just don't have time to make any more.

It's on the oval bump on the stabilizer part of the left arm coming from the area that looks like a hinge or something.

[Chronocidal]

Yep, most sites have pics too small to see it, but AmiAmi has a closeup with it really easy to see.

[eriku]

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[ps99042]

Another seller on eBay just threw up a listing for the 171 and lists more than 10 available while the first 2 sellers only listed 1 and 5 available, respectively. Not sure if this means stores/dealers are getting confirmation of larger orders but I doubt any of these sellers will stiff you for the item as their feedback is really good. (They'll just stiff you on the price I guess which still isn't that much higher from the discounted preorders if you included shipping) It may be a viable way to get multiples though if you can afford to...

[moose]

You guys are forgetting the Bandi is competing with Yamato and its no surprise that Yamato comes out with its Nightmare then Bandi brings this thing out they will produce enough just to compete with them. If not in this color then for sure they will milk the mold in other colors. I am sure the vf 19 lost sales to the yf 29. LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!!

Not to stray of topic, but I was expecting that the next Valk would be Max in blue but since they released this can we expect that it might come out in the the fall of 2012 its looks like they are releasing one valk per quarter.

Oh and any news on a possible updated vf 27

[Jasonc]

I want one, but if I happen to completely miss out, I'm not going to worry about it. It's an Alto version, and one that I can easily skip over. I just want the damn CF versions.

[Archer]

Actually, I don't think we can claim that the yf-29 outsold the VF-19. I actually think the VF-19 sold decently, and the yf-29 just seemed so much more popular because there were so few units made. It's like saying that the yf-29 is more popular since 500 units were made and all sold out, while 10,000 units of the Yamato VF-19 were made, and only 8,000 were sold.

See what I mean?

Edited March 3, 2012 by Archer

[moose]

You could be right but I just imagine how many more vf 19's they could have sold if the yf 29 was not comming out around the same time.

I wassurprised that yamato never got the frointer license before that they were king of the hill bandi is comming up

Edited March 3, 2012 by moose

[Jasonc]

I'm sure Bandai got it, due to the fact that they distribute the Frontier DVD/BD, and put out the games.

[Darth Mingus]

Bandai was one of the main sponsors for Macross Frontier. That is why they have the license and why Yamato will probably never get it.

[VF5SS]

See what I mean?

...

Yamato production runs are usually in the low thousands.

[Old Man]

Has anyone lucky enough to have made it in time for the AmiAmi preorder received anything other than an "Order Acknowledgement" email yet?

[pud333]

Has anyone lucky enough to have made it in time for the AmiAmi preorder received anything other than an "Order Acknowledgement" email yet?

That's all you'll really get until the item is out. Check your account there. It should be listed there.

[Old Man]

That's all you'll really get until the item is out. Check your account there. It should be listed there.

That's what I thought...just wondering. Thanks!

Edited March 3, 2012 by Old Man

[SpaceCowboy]

...

Yamato production runs are usually in the low thousands.

If Yamato production runs are in the low thousands, Bandai must be doing runs in the hundreds. I've never had a problem getting a Yamato release that was widely distributed (i.e. not a web exclusive), even if I waited until after the toy launched.

[chen]

I'm pretty sure Bandai produces just as much if not MORE units than Yamato. The simple fact is right now Frontier is just more popular then Macross 7, it's the latest and greatest Macross series and certainly the most popular in awhile so wouldn't it just makes sense that it's merchandise is more popular than a series over 15 years old? Could it be that Bandai isn't making less but the fan base for these figures is just growing, perhaps after a hit tv series, two movies, and being inundated with all kinds of swag that people are finding it hard to get these because Frontier is a worldwide hit and just not a nostalgia feeder like 7? Maybe fans are finding out that honestly since the VF-27 each release has gotten better and that these Valks are honestly pretty damn good toys so they want one? Or maybe the simple fact that the MSRP YEN price on Frontier Valks have been considerably cheaper then recent Yamato offerings? Naw must be Bandai is only making like five and saving four for the their buddies and letting everyone around the world fight over one.

Honestly don't sweat it if you don't get your pre-order in now Bandai will usually have either another re-run or re-stock you just need to keep an eye out and be fast because not only you want one but a fan in Hungary wants one not to mention a fan in Puerto Rico, a fan in London, a fan in Italy, a fan in Canada....

Edited March 3, 2012 by chen