Arcadia: 1/60 VF-1S Hikaru Ichijo Special Movie Ver

[Valkyrie addict]

Got my Hikaru 1S finally, the Arcadia white suits it much better than the old Yammie off white.

My 1S tail skull is not crooked.

[DuffCon]

Quick question: I got my Arcadia hikaru today and noticed that it has both waterside decals and stickers, what the pros/cons of using one or the other?

[Valkyrie addict]

The old Yamato's only came with stickers, Arcadia now includes waterslide decals also.

Stickers are easier and more forgiving to place, they are very high quality stickers and bond well with the valk but you will notice they are stickers.

Waterslide decals are a bit difficult to place, if you wish the best result you need to apply them with decal softener/setter for them to set and bond with the surface even taking the shape where they are placed, once placed they look like part of the paint itself but unless you apply a clear coat on top, the decals could get easily scratched or break off.

[close313]

Valkyrie addict pretty much covered it.

If you used decals, make sure they are really set and sealed/coated properly because handling may also dislodge them (happened on my custom VF-25 armor parts).

I never liked stickers because the edges becomes dirty over time as dust would collect on them, espcially if you handle them alot (dead skin etc). I had to remove the stickers of a used 1D I bought a long time ago because the edges were unsightly.

[Raptor]

So... first post in six years.

I have gotten on a Macross hitch again and finally watched the orginal series and am rewatching Seven (love the characters, hate Chie Kajiura's singing and the directing)...

I always wanted a toy Valkyrie, but I have to wonder, is this newest incarnation of the VF-1 the Best Valkyrie Toy Ever?

I live in Japan but even I can't seem to find a discount, so is it really worth $170 dollars?

[barurutor]

It's been selling on yahoo Japan Auctions for around 10k-11k Yen.

[Raptor]

I figured they might be cheaper there, but the other day I saw a *used* one in Akiba for 16,000 yen. Not sure if it was an Acardia 1/60, though.

[Scyla]

Upon closer inspection I found a missing painted on detail on my VF-1S Hikaru Custom. The paint for the position light on the left tail fin is missing. It is not that obvious because the tip of the fin is also red so it is hard to spot. I assume they both should be red like on the Focker Custom.

I might have to send it back to HLJ depending if they can replace it.

[edit: ] The HLJ website shows the Hikaru as discontinued. So I have to paint it myself if it stats bothering me. Any idea what color to use.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Scyla

[Newtype78]

So... first post in six years.

I have gotten on a Macross hitch again and finally watched the orginal series and am rewatching Seven (love the characters, hate Chie Kajiura's singing and the directing)...

I always wanted a toy Valkyrie, but I have to wonder, is this newest incarnation of the VF-1 the Best Valkyrie Toy Ever?

I live in Japan but even I can't seem to find a discount, so is it really worth $170 dollars?

My perspective is that of a person who has just started collecting Macross toys a few months ago so take my view with a grain of salt.

That being said, as an owner of a Yamato version 2 VF-1 toy(specifically the movie version CF VF-1A), I think that the Arcadia VF-1S Hikaru and Roy DYRL colours(and VF-1J in anniversary colours) are nothing short of fantastic works of engineering and art.

I don't own a version 1 1/60 VF toy nor do I own a 1/48 VF toy but from all accounts, the version 2 1/60 scale VF toys are the best representation of the VF-1 design to date.

Are the Arcadia re-issues of Yamato's version 2 VF-1 toys worth roughly $170? There is more than one answer to this question.

A straight up answer is that, I don't think it's worth $170 but if you look around, especially via online retailers or auction sites, you can find discounted pricing.

For a person who has been a collector of Yamato Macross toys and has seen these same toy designs at a MSRP of roughly $100, I don't think that the price tag of $170 is justifiable. The Arcadia VF-1 toys bring a display stand to the package but I don't think it's worth a price hike of nearly double the original MSRP. However, I'm sure there are other factors involved with the higher pricing so it's not just a matter of a $70 display stand.

For a person who has never owned a version 2 Yamato VF-1 toy, I think that the price tag of $170 isn't so bad. Definitely look for a lower price but when I look at the current market of high end action figures, considering the complexity of engineering and design of the version 2 VF-1 toys, $170 for a transforming robot toy of the caliber of a version 2 VF-1 isn't unreasonable.

I think it comes down to what you're willing to do for a toy like this. Yes, you could find cheaper pricing if you hunt around but even if you find a cheaper price online, how much will shipping cost you? Also, how much is your time worth to you? If you can buy an Arcadia VF-1S toy right now locally, that means you can spend your time doing something aside from doing legwork for finding a better deal on a toy purchase.

[DuffCon]

So... first post in six years.

I have gotten on a Macross hitch again and finally watched the orginal series and am rewatching Seven (love the characters, hate Chie Kajiura's singing and the directing)...

I always wanted a toy Valkyrie, but I have to wonder, is this newest incarnation of the VF-1 the Best Valkyrie Toy Ever?

I live in Japan but even I can't seem to find a discount, so is it really worth $170 dollars?

*please forgive the noobie for any opinion/factual mistakes*

My quick take because i just bought an Arcadia Hikaru (first toy in 30 years). After a ton of research I found that the Yamato/Arcadia v2 1/60 is generally considered to be the best (though some prefer the 1/48) given that getting a Yamato in the secondary market is around 130 USD, going to 160-ish for the arcadia isn't really a stretch. Also, IMO the stand is really nice and provides a storage area for all the extra bits that might get lost. In addition, the Arcadia comes with the "option" parts that did not come with previous Yamato releases (side and top covers and that extra pilot seat to simulate the pilot opening in battroid).

The bottom line for me was that I could have spend way less for a 1/55 chunky or the like but in the end the articulation and quality of the Arcadia toy is amazing to me, and I don't regret the extra bucks.

[Kanedas Bike]

^well said

-b.

[Raptor]

Is the Arcadia an improved version of the Yamato toys?

[GU-11]

Is the Arcadia an improved version of the Yamato toys?

AFAIK, this the same mold as the Yamato V2, except the Arcadia version comes with an extra stand and option parts (the option parts are included with the 30th anniversary DYRL Yammies, though), and a white color somewhere between the TV's super-bright white and DYRL version's off-white.

[Raptor]

So did they improve the joints, transformation, or durability? Because I don't really care about option parts.

[GU-11]

So did they improve the joints, transformation, or durability? Because I don't really care about option parts.

Not to my knowledge.

[Kanedas Bike]

Besides the very early v2 should breakage issues, and changes that were made to the hip/swing-bar placement what needs to be improved re: the joints, transformation or durability?

Just curious because I think these new Arcadia and final Yamato releases are/were pretty solid.

-b.

[YF-29 Durandal]

My perspective is that of a person who has just started collecting Macross toys a few months ago so take my view with a grain of salt.

That being said, as an owner of a Yamato version 2 VF-1 toy(specifically the movie version CF VF-1A), I think that the Arcadia VF-1S Hikaru and Roy DYRL colours(and VF-1J in anniversary colours) are nothing short of fantastic works of engineering and art.

I don't own a version 1 1/60 VF toy nor do I own a 1/48 VF toy but from all accounts, the version 2 1/60 scale VF toys are the best representation of the VF-1 design to date.

Are the Arcadia re-issues of Yamato's version 2 VF-1 toys worth roughly $170? There is more than one answer to this question.

A straight up answer is that, I don't think it's worth $170 but if you look around, especially via online retailers or auction sites, you can find discounted pricing.

For a person who has been a collector of Yamato Macross toys and has seen these same toy designs at a MSRP of roughly $100, I don't think that the price tag of $170 is justifiable. The Arcadia VF-1 toys bring a display stand to the package but I don't think it's worth a price hike of nearly double the original MSRP. However, I'm sure there are other factors involved with the higher pricing so it's not just a matter of a $70 display stand.

For a person who has never owned a version 2 Yamato VF-1 toy, I think that the price tag of $170 isn't so bad. Definitely look for a lower price but when I look at the current market of high end action figures, considering the complexity of engineering and design of the version 2 VF-1 toys, $170 for a transforming robot toy of the caliber of a version 2 VF-1 isn't unreasonable.

I think it comes down to what you're willing to do for a toy like this. Yes, you could find cheaper pricing if you hunt around but even if you find a cheaper price online, how much will shipping cost you? Also, how much is your time worth to you? If you can buy an Arcadia VF-1S toy right now locally, that means you can spend your time doing something aside from doing legwork for finding a better deal on a toy purchase.

The value of the Arcadia toy is $100 throw in the display stand at a value of $10 and you have reached $110 take into account that desperate fans wants one in the future when it has sold out at retail so double it's value which gets us to about $220... pretty good huh?