Hi-Metal R

[Sanity is Optional]

Well, Bandai did VF-1, VF-2, VF-4.

Maybe up next will be 9 or (more likely) 11?

A modern VF-17 would also be nice.

[sh9000]

Plenty of numbers to still make after VF.

[sh9000]

I got you.

[borgified]

9 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

I got you.

Which intern reminds me of this.. 

 

[sh9000]

I’m happy that I was able to remove it.  Now I’m going to find a way to attach it to the VF-1S arm.

[Convectuoso]

1 hour ago, borgified said:

Which intern reminds me of this.. 

 

That song reminds me of Groundhog Day

[sh9000]

[twich]

I would like a bandai Hi Metal R VF-27 all variants, VF-25 all variant to include super/armor packs and the VF-0 all variants and the SV-51, all variants....Now that would be a sweet collection

Twich

[Ignacio Ocamica]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

Awesome!!!!

You've done it 

[atreyu2112]

Honestly l, I'd *really* happy at this point just to get the 2 Destroids & Max/Kaki TV 1As. The more time passes though, the less hope I have.

[vlenhoff]

8 hours ago, sh9000 said:

If I knew nothing about Macross, I'd say this is a finishing move...

@sh9000 

[sh9000]

14 hours ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

Awesome!!!!

You've done it 

Thanks!

8 hours ago, vlenhoff said:

If I knew nothing about Macross, I'd say this is a finishing move...

@sh9000 

Thank you!

[jeniusornome]

On 7/5/2019 at 10:49 AM, HardlyNever said:

If we got anything from Mac II, it would probably be just more fairie squadron.  The demand doesn't seem to be there for anything that isn't a valk.

Well, it was a rhetorical question - since they've now thrown two random releases into the lineup that looked like it was going to be a complete SDFM one, why not just go full crazy?

One downside I've noticed while collecting Macross "toys" that are priced like "collectibles": If they were cranking out less articulated, less featured, less "perfect design so close to line art" figures and selling them for, say, ¥4,000 instead of ¥8,000+ they could probably knock out a whole line of toys for each series and there'd be a lot of happy completionist fans out there.

But like it is now, when even the "affordable" line of figures has 2 or 3 limited releases a year that regularly go for $100+ when they hit secondary market, the bar for entry is so high, of course there isn't much demand for anything other than a recognizably popular hero mecha. To that end, I am surprised there hasn't been an HMR release of a tweaked HM VF-19S/kai. I never would have expected the VF-4, which has just a few seconds of screentime, to come before those. Or ever, honestly.

Yamato's prices made the high end 1/60 and 1/48 a lot more accessible. I think Bandai's pricing on the earlier Hi-Metal line had to account for that. But then Arcadia thought they could make more money selling the same thing but with increased prices, and it worked, and so now everything is more expensive, and that means the less popular designs are even less likely to get a release.

(TL;DR: I imagine the 2SS would have sold quite a bit more if it was priced at ¥7,000 like an HM release instead of ¥14,000 like it was. Too bad, too, because it is a stunner of a design, and I wonder if we'll ever see the 2JA now).

[Sanity is Optional]

7 minutes ago, jeniusornome said:

But then Arcadia thought they could make more money selling the same thing but with increased prices, and it worked, and so now everything is more expensive, and that means the less popular designs are even less likely to get a release.

Slight correction: Arcadia doesn't have much choice but to sell the same thing with an increased price. Manufacturing is more expensive now than it used to be.

Also I'm pretty sure their production volumes are lower than Yamato, which makes the cost to produce go up as well.

Edited July 7, 2019 by Sanity is Optional

[sh9000]

YMMV for anyone else trying what I did with the VF-1D.

[Lolicon]

5 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Slight correction: Arcadia doesn't have much choice but to sell the same thing with an increased price. Manufacturing is more expensive now than it used to be.

Also I'm pretty sure their production volumes are lower than Yamato, which makes the cost to produce go up as well.

No, no, Arcadia charges more than Yamato because they're greedy, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with increased labor costs or increased cost of materials or economies of scale or any of that nonsense. Also let's ignore that toys across the board have skyrocketed in price in the past 10 years, from valkyries to anime figures and everything in-between.

No, it's just pure 100% unadulterated greed on Arcadia's part. Bandai is still charging a measly 12000 yen for their latest Delta valkyries.

[sh9000]

I love the Hi-Metal R thread.

[optimuspint]

2 hours ago, Lolicon said:

No, no, Arcadia charges more than Yamato because they're greedy, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with increased labor costs or increased cost of materials or economies of scale or any of that nonsense. Also let's ignore that toys across the board have skyrocketed in price in the past 10 years, from valkyries to anime figures and everything in-between.

No, it's just pure 100% unadulterated greed on Arcadia's part. Bandai is still charging a measly 12000 yen for their latest Delta valkyries.

Anything bandai makes is going to be comparatively cheeper because they manufacture everything in house.  They are not  paying in excess of $100,000.00 for the molds for one valk.  They are paying someone a salary or hourly wage of less than that a year to make multiple molds all year round.  

[vlenhoff]

Let's not forget Yamato flooded the market, and sadly, not everyone bought those well priced valks. Yamato , meant well, but they went bankrupt. I am not excusing Arcadia for their higher prices, but has anyone considered inflation? ALso I agree, Bandai is a monster corporation, unlike Arcadia/Yamato. This is why i refuse to pay over inflated prices for the whole DX line. I WAS going to get them all, but now, only a select few. I am not getting DX missiles or fastpacks either. My Yammies and Arcadia valks have those well covered. 

Bandai better finish the HMR line or else...

Edited July 7, 2019 by vlenhoff
I will stab myself with Jetfire's nose cone.

[Vifam7]

3 hours ago, vlenhoff said:

Let's not forget Yamato flooded the market, and sadly, not everyone bought those well priced valks. Yamato , meant well, but they went bankrupt. I am not excusing Arcadia for their higher prices, but has anyone considered inflation?

10 years ago. the price for a 1/60v2 VF-1 with super parts was around $140US. In 2019 dollars, that price would be around $170. Arcadia now charges around $300 for the same toy with extra tampos.  It's up to each individual to determine whether the cost is worth it.

[optimuspint]

Maaaan... I got my VF-4 a few months ago, opened it up, never transformed it and left it in jet mode.  Today I went to mess with it for the first time and its missing one of the shields in the back of the legs that cover the hole below the knee joint.  Its been way too long to try a return or replacement.  Anyone else have this issue?  

[Sanity is Optional]

25 minutes ago, optimuspint said:

Maaaan... I got my VF-4 a few months ago, opened it up, never transformed it and left it in jet mode.  Today I went to mess with it for the first time and its missing one of the shields in the back of the legs that cover the hole below the knee joint.  Its been way too long to try a return or replacement.  Anyone else have this issue?  

Mine had that exact problem. Anymore I'm opening and inspecting every HMR figure I get.

[DewPoint]

9 hours ago, Lolicon said:

No, no, Arcadia charges more than Yamato because they're greedy, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with increased labor costs or increased cost of materials or economies of scale or any of that nonsense. Also let's ignore that toys across the board have skyrocketed in price in the past 10 years, from valkyries to anime figures and everything in-between.

No, it's just pure 100% unadulterated greed on Arcadia's part. Bandai is still charging a measly 12000 yen for their latest Delta valkyries.

^ total troll ^

[nightmareB4macross]

1 hour ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Mine had that exact problem. Anymore I'm opening and inspecting every HMR figure I get.

It seems Bandai has a pattern developing with HMR. My VF-1D was missing the wing with Macross Kite. I asked the vendor to replace it and they just ignored my request. So luckily I used my PayPal assurance and got a full refund. Of course I bought another and it was complete.

[Slave IV]

Don’t want to take this much further where but just going to say I wish all these toys were cheaper but I don’t think greed has too much to do with Arcadia’s prices. More likely economies of scale for what amounts to a small boutique company doing this for the love compared to a multinational giant in Bandai. 

[optimuspint]

2 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

It seems Bandai has a pattern developing with HMR. My VF-1D was missing the wing with Macross Kite. I asked the vendor to replace it and they just ignored my request. So luckily I used my PayPal assurance and got a full refund. Of course I bought another and it was complete.

Yeah I’m inspecting everything from now on

[vt102]

Man...that is a bummer. I didn't want to have to open and inspect all of mine.... 

[DewPoint]

I always open and inspect all of mine.  I also transform everything at least once to make sure everything is functional and seated properly for storage.  Best not to let a miss-transformed toy cause unneeded stress on joints when stored long term.  No one wants an exploding toy when display rotation comes around.  But that's me and I'm not a MISB collector.

[nightmareB4macross]

20 minutes ago, DewPoint said:

I always open and inspect all of mine.  I also transform everything at least once to make sure everything is functional and seated properly for storage.  Best not to let a miss-transformed toy cause unneeded stress on joints when stored long term.  No one wants an exploding toy when display rotation comes around.  But that's me and I'm not a MISB collector.

For most of my collection I always open them to inspect and asses their completeness and discover if anything is broken.  Unfortunately, I don’t practice the same with my multiples.  

I could be in a world of hurt as in some instances as I have up to five of some items.  

It might be best to stop thinking about this.

[rocketblast]

6 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

It seems Bandai has a pattern developing with HMR. My VF-1D was missing the wing with Macross Kite. I asked the vendor to replace it and they just ignored my request. So luckily I used my PayPal assurance and got a full refund. Of course I bought another and it was complete.

 

Did it happen to be MyKombini?

[jeniusornome]

On 7/7/2019 at 12:07 AM, Sanity is Optional said:

Slight correction: Arcadia doesn't have much choice but to sell the same thing with an increased price. Manufacturing is more expensive now than it used to be.

Also I'm pretty sure their production volumes are lower than Yamato, which makes the cost to produce go up as well.

Well, the HM Valks in 2010/2011 were around ¥6,000 SRP, and the 1J/1A HMR ones that were the equivalent (without super parts) were around ¥7,000 in 2016. TBH it seemed to be like HMR was a lot more expensive than that, but that's probably because the secondary market prices are so high, and also because 9 of the 12 HMR Valks have included extra accessories (armor, super parts) I didn't account for, so it actually tracks pretty well with expected price increases due to manufacturing costs.

My overall impression of the line's pricing was incorrect, but there's also nothing to compare newer jets like the VF-4 and VF-2SS with in OHM.

 

18 hours ago, Lolicon said:

No, no, Arcadia charges more than Yamato because they're greedy, plain and simple. It has nothing to do with increased labor costs or increased cost of materials or economies of scale or any of that nonsense. Also let's ignore that toys across the board have skyrocketed in price in the past 10 years, from valkyries to anime figures and everything in-between.

No, it's just pure 100% unadulterated greed on Arcadia's part. Bandai is still charging a measly 12000 yen for their latest Delta valkyries.

As I've admitted, my impression of HMR pricing was wrong.

On the other hand, Yamato's Valks were ¥9,800 in summer 2012. Arcadia's first release after the 30th was fall of 2013, and was ¥16,800. That's a really steep increase for a little over a year's time. Maybe they are trying to recoup some of the costs for buying the molds, but those prices went up fast and they've stayed up since (because if people are buying it, why drop the price, right?).

Bandai's DX "V1" VF-25s were around ¥12,000 in 2008, and the V2s around ¥14,000 in 2011. Slightly higher price for more complexity, increased manufacturing, yeah, that sounds reasonable. But the YF-29, also in 2011, was ¥17,000 and then the VF-31s rolled out 6 years later at ¥20,000.

I don't doubt that manufacturing costs have increased over the years, but we are talking about a 70% increase from Yamato to Arcadia in one year, and a 60% increase for Bandai over 8 years.

(looking at the timeline of pricing, though, now I wonder if the success of the YF-29 in 2011 informed both Bandai's future DX pricing and possibly Arcadia's as well - companies monitor the market for that sort of thing).

-----

Anyways I've diverged the conversation from HMR more than enough, so let me contribute:

"Escort Duty" - been re-working my limited display space and I had this idea for the more "unique" VF-1s.

I have a VF-1A mass production off to the left of this, and a set of HM super / strike parts on the way to add to it, along with a dark blue trident plus stand. Putting either my HMR Super VF-1A on the other front position, or maybe a custom paint job one I want to do. Going to hang a starfield background behind it, which would be multi-purpose for me since I'd be able to put just about anything in front of it and have it fit.

Also really dig the HMR VF-4, although I did just get a sweetheart of a deal on a Yamato VF-4 with some very minor damage and I'm waffling about whether I want to keep the HMR one now. I just love this design - I feel like if you asked any kid in the 80s to draw a picture of a "space fighter jet" it would look just like the VF-4.

I <3 Max and Milia (or Miriya, if you prefer). I really, really hope KC gets around to doing them in their 1/12 line, would buy them in a second. I liked that the white on these was the DYRL white as used on the super VF-1A and not the bleach-white as used on the Hikaru 1J, I think it would have been too bright with the red and blue being the primary colors here.

Trying to figure out what to display with them - I don't have a lot of room so I'm trying to mix and match from a couple of lines, in this case Gundam and Macross. I thought maybe an RG Strike & Strike Rouge with some added blue and red accents would make a nice pairing, and I think the kits are about the same height as the HMR VF-1. I could do the RG Skygrasper in Mirage's colors and put it in the middle, although the scale there would be a little off.

Or maybe MG kits next to them and forget the Skygrasper part, not sure. Would be closer in "real" scale at least.

Way back I had this idea that I could do a pair of PG kits, the Strike and Strike Rouge, all custom'ed up in Max and Milia's colors, same with the PG Skygraspers, and put them alongside the 1/60 Yamato/Arcadia Max/Milia VF-1Js, but I was a lot more ambitious about what I could do with my free time before I had kids.

Still, I can dream.

Edited July 8, 2019 by jeniusornome

[borgified]

HMR Missile Effect set on Manda for 7k yen (opened, minor box damaged)

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1115537591&ref=list&keyword=%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AD%E3%82%B9&lang=en

[twich]

Yeah, trying to compare scales with Gundam and Macross is hard...things that are 1/60, like my PG Wing Zero is so much larger and taller than any of my Macross stuff, and that is like the shortest Gundam out there.  Then when I compare to my one HMR, the VF-2SS, the MG Justice Gundam 2.0 is so much bigger.  The MG gundams really compare to 1/60 Macross toys

Twich

[Alto-23]

1 hour ago, twich said:

Yeah, trying to compare scales with Gundam and Macross is hard...things that are 1/60, like my PG Wing Zero is so much larger and taller than any of my Macross stuff, and that is like the shortest Gundam out there.  Then when I compare to my one HMR, the VF-2SS, the MG Justice Gundam 2.0 is so much bigger.  The MG gundams really compare to 1/60 Macross toys

Twich

Gundams are usually taller in head height than Valkyries in head height

[vlenhoff]

Gundams tower over valks.

Another gif. The HMR is in the background.

Edited July 8, 2019 by vlenhoff