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Posted (edited)

this seemed like a no brainer to me but the only way to have the gun sitting as correctly as possible when in fighter mode whilst fully utilizing the gimmicky bending gun feature is to make sure the arms are not clipped to the shield. That will allow the arms to drop down a bit and the gun then tucks up under the body better. I figure this wont effect the look of the thing in fighter mode much at all as you can't really tell that the arms are not in their correct position but I think its a worthwhile compromise. And the gun sits where its meant to.

I don't have mine in hand yet, but does unclipping the arms make the rest of it a floppy mess?

Edited by CoreyD
Posted

It's not too late to buy one now. It's a regular link so they will definitely fulfill the order. Well, there's at least a 70% chance.

i have a problem with the order from HLJ. i received order confirmation this afternoon but since i've chosen "Ship When Available" for order handling, they said all available items would be billed when entering payment processing, and shipped after payment has been verified. what should i do is to wait for the payment request until the item is available again? because the state of vf-19adv at HLJ was discontinued. Does that mean i miss the order only beacause of the wrong way to order handle. honestly, i really dont know what is private warehouse

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Posted

i have a problem with the order from HLJ. i received order confirmation this afternoon but since i've chosen "Ship When Available" for order handling, they said all available items would be billed when entering payment processing, and shipped after payment has been verified. what should i do is to wait for the payment request until the item is available again? because the state of vf-19adv at HLJ was discontinued. Does that mean i miss the order only beacause of the wrong way to order handle. honestly, i really dont know what is private warehouse

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It just means all available stock have been allocated to the people who placed orders. They should send you a payment request within the next 6 hours.

Posted

Wow , lots of mixed reviews..... I'm sure I'll have my very own by next week when I get mine from HLJ... ! :) in regards to HLJ screwing people with the cancelled PO's , same thing happened to me with the release of the VF-25s Ozma, I had gotten a PO and then HLJ emailed me saying that they had run out of stock. It pissed me off but I got over it quick. crap happens and I get that sometimes HLJ has issues with their system. But they still have the best customer service from the rest of the pack so I still choose to buy from them over all.

Posted

It just means all available stock have been allocated to the people who placed orders. They should send you a payment request within the next 6 hours.

Glad to hear that :D . Do you mean i'll receive the payment request shorly no matter what the way for order handling i chose? just because my order was confirmed

Posted

I finally received my copy today and I feel most of the negatives are mostly minor nitpicks. Although I haven't tried putting on the super parts yet so I have yet to see how hard they are to get on.

The feet could be improved by sliding further in when in fighter mode, but maybe they couldn't do so because of the leg gimmick.

So far I've transformed it to battroid. It took me a little under 2 hours on my first attempt mainly because the wing root joints were extremely tight and I was taking my time checking the tolerances and engineering.

I must say that the joints are super tight on mine, especially the hips and shoulders. Hopefully they don't become floppy in the future, but it seems that is less likely because the mechanisms used in those joints are different than the VF-25 family. And maybe Bandai has improved on their joints from becoming floppy because my YF-30 still has super tight hip joints up until now.

I don't have the same concern as others on the chest locking. Mine is so secure that I can lift the battroid completely and shake it vigorously from the chest and it won't dislodge. Not really sure how the chest can be loose on others because I had to manually pry it wider when pushing it down into the nosecone just to fit through. Moreover, the way the chest locks is better IMO because there are tabs for each piece, and they only tab together in a single way so you'll know when you got everything in the right position.

Lastly, I'd like to mention that I love the extending back mechanism. Sliding it out reveals the back boosters underneath. I found that to be a really nice touch.

Anyway, that's my initial feedback. May give more once I get home later. Overall it met my expectations and even exceeded it on some. I definitely prefer it over my Arcadia. The Arcadia has tighter tolerances on how the parts fit together, but that's nothing new and they've usually done better than Bandai on that.

Posted (edited)

Wow , lots of mixed reviews..... I'm sure I'll have my very own by next week when I get mine from HLJ... ! :) in regards to HLJ screwing people with the cancelled PO's , same thing happened to me with the release of the VF-25s Ozma, I had gotten a PO and then HLJ emailed me saying that they had run out of stock. It pissed me off but I got over it quick. crap happens and I get that sometimes HLJ has issues with their system. But they still have the best customer service from the rest of the pack so I still choose to buy from them over all.

Mixed? For a macross toy, they're overwhelmingly positive. (^.^ ;)

Edited by Actar
Posted

Wow, all kinds of "fun" going on with HLJ today. Out of curiosity to see if it was still open for orders, I checked the posted link and it takes to a server error.

Posted

I got a chance to transform my VF-19 into Gerwalk last night. It's... a mixed bag. So I love the fact the thigh joint clicks so far forward. it makes getting the weight distribution underneath the toy much easier.

What I don't like are the ankles. After I thought I would. They actually have very little side-to-side (or it's so tight I dare not break it.) The fins on enclosures of the bottoms of the feet are TOO LONG, they block some of the articulation of the foot. I'm also not too happy with how floppy the forward to back motion of the feet are, but that might just be my copy.

So it stands/poses better in Gerwalk. However I don't like the gap that's created in the aft section between the fuselage and what becomes the chest area. At least the wings tab in and hold great with the Boosters attached.

I like the arm articulation. The way the forearm rotates is superior to the Arcadia version. I wish the arms could be extended though, they seem even more stubby than the Arcadia version.

So it's a mixed bag again, just like Fighter mode.

Posted (edited)

Looking at the VF-19 and VF-30 makes me wish Bandai had done matte finish + tampo on all their VF-25's and 29's :(

It's great to see how much they've evolved since the Alto YF-29 in 2011....

I wonder if next month's YF-29B will be gloss or matte

Edited by Duymon
Posted (edited)

So I have a dilemma. I can either return mine for a full refund including shipping costs or I can keep the one I have and take roughly $40 in discounts for my next purchase.

Ideally, I'd prefer to send it back if I could find another one at a reasonable price somewhere else, but it seems like the prospects of that are extremely slim unless I opt to pay for the marked up price at NY (roughly $80-90 more than I paid for at HLJ after considering shipping).

I really do like it and want to have a copy, but the one I have now leaves me dissatisfied with the broken head laser...

Edited by MacrossJunkie
Posted

Looking at the VF-19 and VF-30 makes me wish Bandai had done matte finish + tampo on all their VF-25's and 29's :(

It's great to see how much they've evolved since the Alto YF-29 in 2011....

I wonder if next month's YF-29B will be gloss or matte

Likely it's glossy because that's what the mold already is but it would be cool if it were matte.

So I have a dilemma. I can either return mine for a full refund including shipping costs or I can keep the one I have and take roughly $40 in discounts for my next purchase.

Ideally, I'd prefer to send it back if I could find another one at a reasonable price somewhere else, but it seems like the prospects of that are extremely slim unless I opt to pay for the marked up price at NY (roughly $80-90 more than I paid for at HLJ after considering shipping).

I really do like it and want to have a copy, but the one I have now leaves me dissatisfied with the broken head laser...

Did you post a pic of the broken head laser?

Posted (edited)

Did you post a pic of the broken head laser?

Yep. A few pages back. Here's an additional pic that I sent to HLJ.

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I would have been happier if it had just snapped off in the box or something. That way, I'd have the piece and just glue it back on and be done with it. But the break is so clean, it's almost like someone just cut it off the sprue at the wrong point. I checked the inside of the box, inside the styrofoam tray and in the plastic trays to no avail.

Edited by MacrossJunkie
Posted

So I have a dilemma. I can either return mine for a full refund including shipping costs or I can keep the one I have and take roughly $40 in discounts for my next purchase.

Ideally, I'd prefer to send it back if I could find another one at a reasonable price somewhere else, but it seems like the prospects of that are extremely slim unless I opt to pay for the marked up price at NY (roughly $80-90 more than I paid for at HLJ after considering shipping).

I really do like it and want to have a copy, but the one I have now leaves me dissatisfied with the broken head laser...

HLJ is covering the original shipping cost plus the return shipping too? If so, that is awesome. I'd take the $40 discount and solicit someone to do one in shapeways for you.

Posted

HLJ is covering the original shipping cost plus the return shipping too? If so, that is awesome. I'd take the $40 discount and solicit someone to do one in shapeways for you.

Yeah, they specifically said I could choose to get a "...full refund--meaning the cost of the item, the cost of shipping it from us to you, and your cost to return it to us."

Posted

So I have a dilemma. I can either return mine for a full refund including shipping costs or I can keep the one I have and take roughly $40 in discounts for my next purchase.

Ideally, I'd prefer to send it back if I could find another one at a reasonable price somewhere else, but it seems like the prospects of that are extremely slim unless I opt to pay for the marked up price at NY (roughly $80-90 more than I paid for at HLJ after considering shipping).

I really do like it and want to have a copy, but the one I have now leaves me dissatisfied with the broken head laser...

Maybe you could get someone here on the board to model a head laser and print it out with Shapeways. I'm certain that you can make it indistinguishable from an original one with all your painting skills. I don't know if that would be more expensive that order one from NY where you're screwed if something is wrong with the toy.

Of course I have hidden agenda because I try to find someone that will model a VF-25 hip joint for me that I can print in metal through Shapeways, because I broke one of mine. :D

Maybe I should start teaching myself some 3d modeling skills. That seems quite useful in the coming age of 3d printers.

I tried to model something with 3DVIA Shape (http://www.3dvia.com/products/3dvia-shape/) but I don't know if this is a good tool for the task especially if I don't seem to be able to export a finished model. I leave it at that because I don't want to derail the thread any further. ^_^

My VF-19 ADVANCE is sitting at NY and is waiting for the Itasha VF-171EX getting released. :)

Posted

Yeah, they specifically said I could choose to get a "...full refund--meaning the cost of the item, the cost of shipping it from us to you, and your cost to return it to us."

You have two great options...but one will leave you hunting for more than a head laser! :rolleyes:

Posted

At this point, I'd keep it and take the discount, since that's going to be much easier than getting another one, and a whole heckuva lot cheaper.

Considering how much stress the head laser takes on a regular basis (that is, pretty much none at all), I dont know if I'd even bother with something as fancy as a printed replacement. You could just extend the tip to the right size with plastic scraps, sand it and paint it, and it might look as good as new.

You could probably even just replace the entire laser with one made from styrene scrap, provided you can get the head apart to install it, but given Bandai's history with gluing everything, I wouldn't count on it at all.

Posted

Sorry to hear that MJ!

I would second Chronocidal's suggestion and make one yourself, its just the end tip, you can sand yourself a piece of styrene - layer it up to the right thickness, sand the edges a little bit round. Use a pin-vise and drill a little hole in both the existing piece and the newly made replacement and stick a piece of paper-clip wire inside and crazy glue it on so the paper-clip is like a re-inforcement (used to do that all the time when "pining" resin kits) it will greatly increase the strength of the glue joint on such a small area. Take the $40 and buy yourself something nice!

I'm keeping quiet till I get the toy in my hands, luckily its paid for and sitting in my Private Warehouse - but I'm leaving for vacation for 2wks, so I get them to ship it when I get back. It looks real good though, I can't wait!

Posted

Wow, HLJ hasn't shipped mine yet so it's looking like Saturday is the earliest I can play with this thing after I pick up my CDJ copy.

Posted

Thanks, guys, for the input!

I think I may try going with the styrene idea and take the discount. The styrene may be the easiest route for me. I've got no knowledge or skill with how to make stuff for Shapeways. I toyed with the idea of epoxy putty, but that stuff is really hard for me to shape or use. I just don't think I could make it look right.

Posted

That $40 discount is pretty nice. Better than the $5 or $10 other places would've offered :p

Posted (edited)

After transforming it back to Fighter mode last night less than 2 hours, I really find it more difficult than Arcadia's YF-19. After reading Graham's and Spanner's post, they've almost said everything what I noticed on this Valk. In the end, I like the whole concept but somehow kinda hate how it was implemented. :unsure:

Like Graham said, there's too much locking tabs everywhere to not to implement it in between the legs, shoulders, and shield during Fighter mode. It would be nice if there's some locking tabs in there.

Spanner showed something regarding how to straighten the Gunpod during Fighter mode by not connecting the arms to the shield, Which I guess is ok, but you will leave a big gap in between of arm and shield. It's probably doable if we could lay out the shield without the neck cover. But sad to say, that can't be done since the neck cover is connected to the shield. The only way to do that is remove the neck cover from shield rail.

Saburo pointed out the wing tabs is not connected to anywhere when the Fast Pack is attached to the leg. I understand why it is but it's an eye sore to see an exposed tab esp in an 'ADVANCE Mode'. This is what the mode they're selling, right? And they have exposed locking tabs. And people complain about the exposed tabs on the VF-2SS prototype. :lol:

And speaking of ADVANCE Mode, those big boosters have different pegs from each other. I know it's a 'dot' and a 'rectangle' tabs. But one of mine have longer rectangle tab over the other, and one has faded circle tab from the other. And yes, even a slight touch would get this Boosters off the wing.

Speaking of Tampos, I really like all the tampo markings on this one except on the underside of the wings. Like who's going to step on it during routine check-ups and repairs? By the way, with all those tampos and whatnot, they forgot to tampo the Cockpit's HUD/Consoles. :lol:

Overall, I'm still happy with my purchase. I'm still satisfied why I purchased 2 so that I will not transform it. One will stay in Fighter with all it's Advance Pack glory. And one in Battroid. And besides, they're cheaper than Arcadia's. But I have two of those as well. ;) I'm not too keen on VF-171Ex transformation process, but I do like that one better than this one. :rolleyes:


still I need a video review <_<

Yeah, this thread is lacking video reviews...

Care to make one, guys? ;)

Edited by no3ljm
Posted

So Saburo mentioned this earlier and I also noticed it last night when I was putting the Advance Packs to play with it in Fighter mode. From what it says in the instruction manual, the wing root tab to be inserted on the leg's Fast Pack were from the bottom part. So how come Bandai's Official Photo says differently? Like how's Bandai's photo shows the Fast Pack is overlapping the wing root area. I compared all the shown parts to the actual and somehow it shows the same, like how the leg is aligned to the shield/arm area, except for that leg's Fast Pack overlapping on the wing area. Even if the exposed locking tabs are erased via Photoshop, how come the Fast Pack is aligned somehow to the wing roots? I know all those 'actual products may vary' excuse, but why?

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Posted

Care to make one, guys? ;)

So I was just looking into making this for you guys and I've come to discover that my webcam can't record 1080p at 60 fps. Can't even do 30 fps. That kinda sucks.

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