Bandai DX VF-31

[no3Ljm]

4 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

Another day, another Kairos sold. 35k starting to look like a good price now...

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1086160425&ref=list

Let's just hope it's no going to go more than that. 

 

[CharlesXavier]

Just bit the bullet and bought 1 piece at USD418 from a local shop. End my frustration of waiting from NY.

If NY delivers my PO then I’ll sell off this piece. Else I’m getting my $ back from them. 

[CharlesXavier]

Costly but happy weekend.

[rdrunner]

2 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Let's just hope it's no going to go more than that. 

 

I have never owned a Bandai VF and this would be my first. 35k to me seems a bit steep to invest into a unit that I’m not sure I am going to love. I think I’ll be happy if NY delivers, but if not I will just put the $250 somewhere else in what I’ve now realized is the bottomless money pit called Macross toy collecting.

[rdrunner]

2 hours ago, CharlesXavier said:

Just bit the bullet and bought 1 piece at USD418 from a local shop. End my frustration of waiting from NY.

If NY delivers my PO then I’ll sell off this piece. Else I’m getting my $ back from them. 

Nice! Just curious - do you live in Japan or Hong Kong where you can actually walk into a local shop to get this from? 

[Guyffon]

19 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

The suspicion is that non-US customers got theirs first, and now they're finally getting to US orders.

Nope, from singapore here and i my irder was completed on 7th oct and have not gotten a shipping notice from ny yet

[CharlesXavier]

24 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

Nice! Just curious - do you live in Japan or Hong Kong where you can actually walk into a local shop to get this from? 

Singapore. We have quite a number of toy shops here, not as many as Hong Kong or Japan though. There is only 1 shop left with the 31A now, so I am not taking any further chances or risk.

2 minutes ago, Guyffon said:

Nope, from singapore here and i my irder was completed on 7th oct and have not gotten a shipping notice from ny yet

The only other Singapore member who got his piece was Recon. But I believe there should be more.

And again, I believe the delivery sequence is random but likely for single pieces first.

[CharlesXavier]

2 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Let's just hope it's no going to go more than that. 

 

I will grab another 1 if a 35k yen piece pops up. This seems to be the cheapest price now.

[Guyffon]

The thing I don’t get is why is bandai not allowing webshops to sell these valks? Its not like anyone outside of Japan can order direct from their tamashi webshop correct? If so I would have done that instead. Just don’t understand the economics of bandai when there is money to be made.

Btw is the local shop in suntec? If so i might go down and see if I am willing to fork out that insane price for it. Thanks

[CharlesXavier]

14 minutes ago, Guyffon said:

The thing I don’t get is why is bandai not allowing webshops to sell these valks? Its not like anyone outside of Japan can order direct from their tamashi webshop correct? If so I would have done that instead. Just don’t understand the economics of bandai when there is money to be made.

Btw is the local shop in suntec? If so i might go down and see if I am willing to fork out that insane price for it. Thanks

There is no concrete evidence that Bandai is disallowing japanese webshops from selling these. As far as I know, all web orders for the 31A were fulfilled. So whatever theory about bandai cutting stock of webshops is nonsense. Webshops buy TWEs the same way every other Japanese does via the TW website. Bandai doesn't care who orders their TWEs. As long as you pay, they deliver. What you do with them they don't care. They earned their margin and that's that.

Bandai could cut stock of Ami Ami, HLJ, NY, AE etc for regular releases but never for TWEs.

Aside, the local shop is in "The Aldelphi" level 3. Tell the male boss CharlesXavier recommended you. He might be a bit merciful on the price. MIGHT.

Edited April 7, 2018 by CharlesXavier

[Shukenzero]

32 minutes ago, CharlesXavier said:

There is no concrete evidence that Bandai is disallowing japanese webshops from selling these. As far as I know, all web orders for the 31A were fulfilled. So whatever theory about bandai cutting stock of webshops is nonsense. Webshops buy TWEs the same way every other Japanese does via the TW website. Bandai doesn't care who orders their TWEs. As long as you pay, they deliver. What you do with them they don't care. They earned their margin and that's that.

Bandai could cut stock of Ami Ami, HLJ, NY, AE etc for regular releases but never for TWEs.

Aside, the local shop is in "The Aldelphi" level 3. Tell the male boss CharlesXavier recommended you. He might be a bit merciful on the price. MIGHT.

The shopkeeper will be like "anything for a fellow mutie"

[sh9000]

I would buy this custom scheme for a DX.

[raziel03]

5 hours ago, 20max20 said:

I received my 31A from NY today. Interesting to notice a QA issue due probably to poor coloring (maybe they were really producing in a rush?) and then relative attempt to fix.

guess not wise to ask for replacement :/

not big deal, I had really hard time to get it on camera as it is barely noticeable.

a part from this...seriously...this bird is ridiculously cool. Bandai HAS to release more! Come on Bandai, put a 02 mark on it and give it to us all! We’d probably be ok even with the frozen canopy...

This makes me wonder if the shortage is due to lower than expected yields at the factory.  Companies generally don't like to advertise quality problems of any kind.  Internally, Bandai might be scrambling to get another batch started in order to meet existing commitments.  Wish I had some insight into what they are telling individual customers who haven't received their allocation.  You'd think they'd just issue refunds if they had no way to eventually fill the orders.  I kind of doubt Bandai is suffering from the kind of cash flow problems the webshops we're dealing with might be.

[Shukenzero]

48 minutes ago, raziel03 said:

This makes me wonder if the shortage is due to lower than expected yields at the factory.  Companies generally don't like to advertise quality problems of any kind.  Internally, Bandai might be scrambling to get another batch started in order to meet existing commitments.  Wish I had some insight into what they are telling individual customers who haven't received their allocation.  You'd think they'd just issue refunds if they had no way to eventually fill the orders.  I kind of doubt Bandai is suffering from the kind of cash flow problems the webshops we're dealing with might be.

I noticed QC issues. I do believe they had problems with it, so it would explain quite a bit.

[recon]

2 hours ago, sh9000 said:

I would buy this custom scheme for a DX.

Yeah i saw it too. Its a badass paint scheme. If messer was alive, this maybe his alternate variant in the movie

[derex3592]

A USPS delivery man attempted to deliver a very "Bandai DX" sized looking package to my door 2 hours ago. OF COURSE .. I was working today, my Ring Doorbell DIDN'T notify me (this is the only time it hasn't of course) and my wife WAS HOME but didn't answer the door, I hauled ass to the PO but was 24 minutes to late to pick up a package..SO...I can only assssuuummmmeee I have my 31 Kairos waiting for me at the PO until Monday AM!!!  I don't have anything else on order...it HAS to be the 31A!  No emails from NY....but I may know the answer to that one, I was using an old Yahoo account back when I made the order in Oct, so maybe they are still using that email even though I put a new gmail address in their system a couple of months ago.  

 

I guess we'll know Monday AM!!!   

[Moosey]

37 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

I guess we'll know Monday AM!!!   

Hype intensifies...........

[F360]

46 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

A USPS delivery man attempted to deliver a very "Bandai DX" sized looking package to my door 2 hours ago. OF COURSE .. I was working today, my Ring Doorbell DIDN'T notify me (this is the only time it hasn't of course) and my wife WAS HOME but didn't answer the door, I hauled ass to the PO but was 24 minutes to late to pick up a package..SO...I can only assssuuummmmeee I have my 31 Kairos waiting for me at the PO until Monday AM!!!  I don't have anything else on order...it HAS to be the 31A!  No emails from NY....but I may know the answer to that one, I was using an old Yahoo account back when I made the order in Oct, so maybe they are still using that email even though I put a new gmail address in their system a couple of months ago.  

 

I guess we'll know Monday AM!!!   

There's also this scenario too

maybe the mailman notice that he went to the wrong door just before hitting your "ring" doorbell.  That's why it did not notify you.  Did he leave a "note"?

But I'll hope for your bad email scenario. good luck 

[derex3592]

Yes, delivery notice left with my name and address and some unreadable scribble from the shipped from line 

 

And my ring did notify my wife’s phone and the ipad at home, just didn’t come to my phone. 

 

the curse of the 31 continues!!!

Edited April 7, 2018 by derex3592

[HG Blows]

7 hours ago, sh9000 said:

I would buy this custom scheme for a DX.

Source?  Would like to see more pics

[sh9000]

4 minutes ago, HG Blows said:

Source?  Would like to see more pics

https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1717591844990850&id=334036913346357

[F360]

33 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Yes, delivery notice left with my name and address and some unreadable scribble from the shipped from line 

 

And my ring did notify my wife’s phone and the ipad at home, just didn’t come to my phone. 

 

the curse of the 31 continues!!!

wow , they really don't make it easy..  well best of luck on Monday.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Like others said best of luck on Monday Derex!!!

Lots of pics of the 31A please?

[GabrielV]

::sigh::  With all the stuff going on and how limited it is, now I'm scared to transform it.  I took these tonight though.

[CharlesXavier]

26 minutes ago, GabrielV said:

::sigh::  With all the stuff going on and how limited it is, now I'm scared to transform it.  I took these tonight though.

 

Totally feel you. Mines still in the box. Guess I will only open it when I get a 2nd piece

[sh9000]

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Yes, delivery notice left with my name and address and some unreadable scribble from the shipped from line 

 

And my ring did notify my wife’s phone and the ipad at home, just didn’t come to my phone. 

 

the curse of the 31 continues!!!

Couldn’t you just log into NY’s site and check the order status and if there’s a tracking number?

[Guyffon]

13 hours ago, CharlesXavier said:

There is no concrete evidence that Bandai is disallowing japanese webshops from selling these. As far as I know, all web orders for the 31A were fulfilled. So whatever theory about bandai cutting stock of webshops is nonsense. Webshops buy TWEs the same way every other Japanese does via the TW website. Bandai doesn't care who orders their TWEs. As long as you pay, they deliver. What you do with them they don't care. They earned their margin and that's that.

Bandai could cut stock of Ami Ami, HLJ, NY, AE etc for regular releases but never for TWEs.

Aside, the local shop is in "The Aldelphi" level 3. Tell the male boss CharlesXavier recommended you. He might be a bit merciful on the price. MIGHT.

If that is really the case, then maybe ny’s shipment really got lost or something, i have ordered many twe’s from ny before but never had anything like this happen to my previous orders. Oh well, lets hope they pull thru, will go look at the valk in the store and see if my heart thinks that its worth $400usd

[Kcsquare]

1 hour ago, Guyffon said:

If that is really the case, then maybe ny’s shipment really got lost or something, i have ordered many twe’s from ny before but never had anything like this happen to my previous orders. Oh well, lets hope they pull thru, will go look at the valk in the store and see if my heart thinks that its worth $400usd

I am in the same shoe. Still patiently waiting for NY to ship my single 31A  to Singapore. But definitely not going to pay US$400 for it

[CharlesXavier]

2 hours ago, Guyffon said:

If that is really the case, then maybe ny’s shipment really got lost or something, i have ordered many twe’s from ny before but never had anything like this happen to my previous orders. Oh well, lets hope they pull thru, will go look at the valk in the store and see if my heart thinks that its worth $400usd

Already 2 weeks past the official release date and NY is the only online store still holding on to its POs. 

Honestly I’m not that optimistic. Hence I took the leap to buy it at USD418. If it pops up again at mandarake at 35k Yen I will buy it without a moment of hesitation. 

But I still hope NY gives us good news on Monday by starting to ship out or at least processing all of their pending 31A orders 

[derex3592]

3 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Couldn’t you just log into NY’s site and check the order status and if there’s a tracking number?

I posted yesterday something is screwy with my NY account. It doesn’t show any orders after 2015 for me, and i have had several obviously, including the 31A, so i had zero idea it was coming... assuming that’s what it is.

[neoexcaliber]

11 minutes ago, CharlesXavier said:

Already 2 weeks past the official release date and NY is the only online store still holding on to its POs. 

Honestly I’m not that optimistic. Hence I took the leap to buy it at USD418. If it pops up again at mandarake at 35k Yen I will buy it without a moment of hesitation. 

But I still hope NY gives us good news on Monday by starting to ship out or at least processing all of their pending 31A orders 

It's actually been more than 3 weeks. The toy came out on the 15th.

[CharlesXavier]

50 minutes ago, neoexcaliber said:

It's actually been more than 3 weeks. The toy came out on the 15th.

Oh yes you are right. Seems 2 weeks to me cos I only started getting frustrated in the last 2 weeks. Glad I put it behind me now. 

[TrickyCustomer]

Found some more shots of the 31 @sh9000 showed us. Looks pretty good

 

[recon]

Hi guys. Just a headsup, im selling my kairos to whoever is keen as i found some manufacturing defects which to some, it maybe insignificant but to me its unacceptable. Attached pics of the irregularities i found on thewing canards. Item is listed in the sales thread

[chyll2]

What is the defect?