Bandai DX VF-31

[Lolicon]

I'm also quite upset that NY hasn't sent me a VF-31A. 

[Guyffon]

Hmmm the MB arbalest I bought from cdjapan is shipping, ok I will buy all my stuff from cdjapan in future, lesson learnt

[spacemanoeuvres]

Ah damn, no shipments yesterday. I doubt I’ll get mine before golden week; fingers crossed for the mysterious May restock 

[SuperDimensionalDave]

Anime Export $405USD. http://www.anime-export.com/product/39812

Man these online retailers have no shame with this one. I thought the HMR Missile Regult TWE prices got outta control fast. This takes the cake. 

[no3Ljm]

Anyone still looking for DX VF-31J Kai? Y35000 at Mandarake.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1086958170

[Lolicon]

42k yen seems like a bargain at this point. 

[no3Ljm]

13 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

42k yen seems like a bargain at this point. 

At this point, it's more of Y42000 for one VF-31A or two YF-19? (Only a few yen to add.) 

 

[borgified]

Since that focus is now waiting to get the remaining 31a units to those who are still waiting for it, there's a quick question and I apologize if this has been done before. Has anyone put on Messer's Super Parts on the YF-30?

Note: I haven't looked back in this thread nor in the YF-30 (if it has been made).

Edit: I'm I thinking too far ahead in all in this aspect?

 

Edited April 24, 2018 by borgified

[Kinzoku VF]

58 minutes ago, borgified said:

Since that focus is now waiting to get the remaining 31a units to those who are still waiting for it

Like those two and a half months of 31A preorders that have yet to be shipped. Good things come to those who wait. Right! What a load of bull. Not to mention that Cyclone which (as expected) seems far from 'the ultimate rendition' most people expected. Was I wrong to be pessimistic about this release? Guess not, glad I didn't have high hopes for it. You'd think in 2018 they'd finally produce a decent rendition without stuff falling off everywhere and the need to customise it, glue stuff here, cut and trim bits there etc.... Yet, again, some people seem to think it's worth $300 and more ?? Probably caught whatever disease that Kairos had. What's wrong with this hobby lately? There are more scalpers than actual collectors .

Still looking to get rid of mine (on its way via EMS ), ideally a swap for that last Maize release . Why not ?....seems more than fair by today's f'd up standards. 

Odd that Toynami hasn't tried to strike some deal with Sentinel for local distribution....like in the Beagle days (maybe they tried, no ideas as I don't follow any of their stuff). But not many big companies want to to get involved with them, (as the probably ask for 80% of any revenue ). Beagle was tiny, Sentinel probably don't need Toynami's charity to survive..

Rambling to myself. My bad, but as this Kairos thread has mostly strayed off-course, might as well talk about whatever until (if) the rest of us (ever) receive their orders...(too late,  jinxed it now )

[Slave IV]

10 minutes ago, Kinzoku VF said:

Like those two and a half months of 31A preorders that have yet to be shipped. Good things come to those who wait. Right! What a load of bull. Not to mention that Cyclone which (as expected) seems far from 'the ultimate rendition' most people expected. Was I wrong to be pessimistic about this release? Guess not, glad I didn't have high hopes for it. You'd think in 2018 they'd finally produce a decent rendition without stuff falling off everywhere and the need to customise it, glue stuff here, cut and trim bits there etc.... Yet, again, some people seem to think it's worth $300 and more ?? Probably caught whatever disease that Kairos had. What's wrong with this hobby lately? There are more scalpers than actual collectors .

Still looking to get rid of mine (on its way via EMS ), ideally a swap for that last Maize release . Why not ?....seems more than fair by today's f'd up standards. 

Odd that Toynami hasn't tried to strike some deal with Sentinel for local distribution....like in the Beagle days (maybe they tried, no ideas as I don't follow any of their stuff). But not many big companies want to to get involved with them, (as the probably ask for 80% of any revenue ). Beagle was tiny, Sentinel probably don't need Toynami's charity to survive..

Rambling to myself. My bad, but as this Kairos thread has mostly strayed off-course, might as well talk about whatever until (if) the rest of us (ever) receive their orders...(too late,  jinxed it now )

I think part of what's wrong is people complaining all the time instead of enjoying the whole process of collecting. If everything frustrates you so much, why do it? Other than reading a few threads on forums, my collecting hobby is going great for me in the "real" world. There has never been a better time with so many great options for the characters I've always wanted better toys for.

[jenius]

Ordering something and getting dicked around is not fun. Hunting for a rare item is fun. Having an item and displaying or handling it is fun. Not having an item you should have while it gets harder to obtain sucks.

[spacemanoeuvres]

I think the process of collecting would be more enjoyable if it was a little easier to acquire the things we really wanted.

I’m a grown ass man trying to spend money on toy robots. Just let me have the damn plane already. 

[Sanity is Optional]

Ultimately, from my perspective, Bandai is to blame for not making these available outside Japan except via grey-market, and then cutting supply.

NY may have crap customer service, but I understood that when I ordered from them. I expected better out of Bandai.

[Slave IV]

17 minutes ago, jenius said:

Ordering something and getting dicked around is not fun. Hunting for a rare item is fun. Having an item and displaying or handling it is fun. Not having an item you should have while it gets harder to obtain sucks.

Agreed. I'm speaking in more general terms since @Kinzoku VF seems to be lamenting about the whole art of hobby collecting. In this specific case, I still don't see it as getting "dicked around" when all they said is something to the extent of sorry, we don't have the item yet and will send when we can...which is what they seem to be doing. Sure, it sucks balls for those who are waiting but if it were me, I wouldn't even be worried about it and it wouldn't suck that bad because I have plenty of other toys on hand and coming to me every day to enjoy. If one day, I hear that my 31A is finally coming, cool! If I find out they can't deliver, that would suck but oh well. Holding a personal grudge about a company that has a history of delivering the toys you want for the lowest price but f'd up one time for reasons we don't know is a bit silly and doesn't help you or anyone else (unless that means you really won't use them again and therefore, makes preordering easier for the rest of us ).

15 minutes ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

I think the process of collecting would be more enjoyable if it was a little easier to acquire the things we really wanted.

I’m a grown ass man trying to spend money on toy robots. Just let me have the damn plane already. 

That's what I'm talking about! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Right?! Why the hell does any of this have to be so hard? I don't want to and should not have to comb toy stores (or these days Target, Walgrens and Walmart), stepping over little kids and fat, bald scalpers to only find empty pegs or loads of shelfwarmers of adult collectible toys. Nor should I have to run bot programs and customize my F5 button with a Turbo feature on 10 browsers at 3am to get something I have money to pay for. This is all a big joke overall but you know what? So what? It is what it is. F5 and new listing search skills is the new "hunt" in today's collecting age and I'm fine with it. You win some, you lose some. In the end, I have a collection that I would have never dreamed could be possible when I was a kid and that makes me happy.

[no3Ljm]

My only gripe on this whole debacle is that:

- We don't know if Bandai made enough since some of the shops cancelled orders.
- Nippon-Yasan for having crappy customer service which we already know since -- ever.
- And Nippon-Yasan not letting the customer know the real reason or their method on handling exclusive items. Which we will never know for sure. But somehow kind enough to reply even if it's just a generic copy paste response. Atleast this time they offer cancellation and store credit which they don't usually do.

And I'm just going to stop right there. Why, because no matter how this will end, I'm still going to buy Bandai stuff. And probably still use Nippon-Yasan for exclusive items if I won't be able to get it somewhere.

It is what it is. The only time I'm going to hold grudge to this companies and stores included is that if I won't get my paid money back. Period.

Until then, I will still collect.

Cheers! 

 

[Moosey]

I salute you @no3Ljm hope NY do right by you eventually!

[no3Ljm]

9 minutes ago, Moosey said:

I salute you @no3Ljm hope NY do right by you eventually!

Oh. Thank you for the kind word sir. I guess I just want to stay grounded and real. After all, these are just toys.

 

[Moosey]

1 minute ago, no3Ljm said:

Oh. Thank you for the kind word sir. I guess I just want to stay grounded and real. After all, these are just toys.

 

NP

I hear you

But what fantastic toys!

[MacrossMania]

8 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Anyone still looking for DX VF-31J Kai? Y35000 at Mandarake.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1086958170

What's your experience with Mandarake been?  I'm an MISB guy and getting anything in other than tip top shape is the stuff of nightmares for me.  Will the box be in C-9 condition or better when it arrives?  Is it a crap shoot?  I'd seen other people opining on this subject, and everybody seemed to really love Mandarake.

[raziel03]

1 hour ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Ultimately, from my perspective, Bandai is to blame for not making these available outside Japan except via grey-market, and then cutting supply.

NY may have crap customer service, but I understood that when I ordered from them. I expected better out of Bandai.

Let's not forget, this aspect is not entirely Bandai's fault.  The patent troll company known as HG has a huge part in why Bandai can't offer this stuff outside of Japan in the first place.

It is definitely a crappy situation all around, made worse by poor communication by multiple parties in the supply chain.   Of course this has left all of us to try to come up with whatever theory we can to fill in the blanks and make sense of this absurdity.  The worst part is that even if we all get our orders, we'll probably never know the real truth of what happened.

[Sanity is Optional]

10 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

What's your experience with Mandarake been?  I'm an MISB guy and getting anything in other than tip top shape is the stuff of nightmares for me.  Will the box be in C-9 condition or better when it arrives?  Is it a crap shoot?  I'd seen other people opining on this subject, and everybody seemed to really love Mandarake.

As someone who cares not one iota what shape the box is in, the toys inside are pretty much mint unless it specifies "used", and almost every single box is noted as having some form of damage. Usually there will be pictures of the specific box, so you can judge for yourself.

I wouldn't expect the box to be mint, though you might have better luck as the 31JKai has a sleeve that may protect the box itself. Their packaging is decent, but I've had the shipping boxes dinged with some frequency, even EMS.

[MacrossMania]

3 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

As someone who cares not one iota what shape the box is in, the toys inside are pretty much mint unless it specifies "used", and almost every single box is noted as having some form of damage. Usually there will be pictures of the specific box, so you can judge for yourself.

I wouldn't expect the box to be mint, though you might have better luck as the 31JKai has a sleeve that may protect the box itself. Their packaging is decent, but I've had the shipping boxes dinged with some frequency, even EMS.

Good to know, thanks.  I can get it guaranteed mint elsewhere, but I'll end up paying for it, which is something I don't want to do.  Here I can get it for a decent price, but I figured just what you're saying.  It'll probably end up on my doorstep dinged in some form or fashion, which is just unacceptable to my obsessive tastes...Somewhere in the back of my mind I keep thinking I'll discover the promise land where toys are for the taking, gradually enveloped by a Japanese fan of sun rays.  Then I wake up and search my empty wallet, wondering what the hell happened.

[Guyffon]

1 hour ago, raziel03 said:

Let's not forget, this aspect is not entirely Bandai's fault.  The patent troll company known as HG has a huge part in why Bandai can't offer this stuff outside of Japan in the first place.

It is definitely a crappy situation all around, made worse by poor communication by multiple parties in the supply chain.   Of course this has left all of us to try to come up with whatever theory we can to fill in the blanks and make sense of this absurdity.  The worst part is that even if we all get our orders, we'll probably never know the real truth of what happened.

Last I heard HG never had the rights to the depiction of the characters to begin with as tatsumoto did not owned those rights. That said, even if they had the rights to the original macross, that has nothing to do with current macross and the new vf incarnations

[Sildani]

39 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

Good to know, thanks.  I can get it guaranteed mint elsewhere, but I'll end up paying for it, which is something I don't want to do.  Here I can get it for a decent price, but I figured just what you're saying.  It'll probably end up on my doorstep dinged in some form or fashion, which is just unacceptable to my obsessive tastes...Somewhere in the back of my mind I keep thinking I'll discover the promise land where toys are for the taking, gradually enveloped by a Japanese fan of sun rays.  Then I wake up and search my empty wallet, wondering what the hell happened.

Yep. Obsession costs double!

[no3Ljm]

1 hour ago, MacrossMania said:

What's your experience with Mandarake been?  I'm an MISB guy and getting anything in other than tip top shape is the stuff of nightmares for me.  Will the box be in C-9 condition or better when it arrives?  Is it a crap shoot?  I'd seen other people opining on this subject, and everybody seemed to really love Mandarake.

My experience with Mandarake has always been great.  

They always put in the description if it’s used, open, or not. Just a heads up though. As a rule of thumb when using Mandarake, don’t expect to get a super mint nor a C-9 condition boxes.

For me, as long that the item inside is good and pristine and doesn’t smell tobacco (which sometimes they mention in the description), I’m good.

Edited April 25, 2018 by no3Ljm

[MacrossMania]

39 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

My experience with Mandarake has always been great.  

They always put in the description if it’s used, open, or not. Just a heads up though. As a rule of thumb when using Mandarake, don’t expect to get a super mint nor a C-9 condition boxes.

For me, as long that the item inside is good and pristine and doesn’t smell tobacco (which sometimes they mention in the description), I’m good.

So I hate to ask, given how popular it's been lately, but what about Nippon Yisan?  Are the boxes generally delivered mint?

[IIymij]

I know everyone's a little frustrated given the situation but is there any benefit in Nippon Yisan not fulfilling their orders? If they did indeed purposely hold back orders to resell at a later time it creates a bad reputation but is that worth it? I think we should stay positive for everyone's order and if you can't wait start your refund process.

[Jasonc]

I'm on the bandwagon for asking for my refund from NY. I get uncomfortable waiting for a month after something has been released, and it's been paid for, for quite sometime now. I am worried about not getting a toy, and then them not giving a refund because they've had my payment for so long. If I really want this, which I really, really do, then I'll pay more elsewhere.

[raziel03]

1 hour ago, Guyffon said:

Last I heard HG never had the rights to the depiction of the characters to begin with as tatsumoto did not owned those rights. That said, even if they had the rights to the original macross, that has nothing to do with current macross and the new vf incarnations

Are you seriously trying to argue that HG has nothing to do with the reason nothing Macross related has been released outside Japan since Plus?   How do you explain why we never got R1 releases of Zero, Frontier and Delta?  How about the lack of any re-release of Plus on BluRay?  You should probably study up on the mess of copyright claims and lawsuits involved with Macross before you get so dismissive.  What I said is hardly controversial.

Edited April 25, 2018 by raziel03

[Lolicon]

1 hour ago, MacrossMania said:

Good to know, thanks.  I can get it guaranteed mint elsewhere, but I'll end up paying for it, which is something I don't want to do.  Here I can get it for a decent price, but I figured just what you're saying.  It'll probably end up on my doorstep dinged in some form or fashion, which is just unacceptable to my obsessive tastes...Somewhere in the back of my mind I keep thinking I'll discover the promise land where toys are for the taking, gradually enveloped by a Japanese fan of sun rays.  Then I wake up and search my empty wallet, wondering what the hell happened.

You can just visit Mandarake yourself and they'll open it up and inspect the item prior to purchase (unless it's a sealed & new item) and then you can take it home yourself and not have to worry about it getting banged up in transit by the postal service. Of course that's even more expensive, but Mandarake is worth the visit!

[no3Ljm]

3 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

So I hate to ask, given how popular it's been lately, but what about Nippon Yisan?  Are the boxes generally delivered mint?

To be honest. I really don’t know how to answer this. Because, I really don’t care about the condition of the boxes since I’m more concern on the condition on what’s inside. From what I received from NY, if it’s a Tamashii Web Exclusive item, then I’m comfortable that the box looks pristine since TWE shipped with the shipper box. Regular releases still looks fine for me. Sometimes it has small dents or dings in the corners. But not too biggie. 

If you’re really that concern with boxes, I can’t recommend any online stores since you won’t have guarantee that you’re going to get a pristine box. The only thing you can do is order multiples from different stores and select the best one, then sell the rest. However, BBTS offers Package Grading. The only downside to that is not everything on sale in Japanese store they carry. If they do, it costs more than what Japanese store offers.

Hope that helps.

[MacrossMania]

1 minute ago, Lolicon said:

You can just visit Mandarake yourself and they'll open it up and inspect the item prior to purchase (unless it's a sealed & new item) and then you can take it home yourself and not have to worry about it getting banged up in transit by the postal service. Of course that's even more expensive, but Mandarake is worth the visit!

This would of course require me to visit Japan myself, take myself on a plane, buy the other "plane" I'm after, pack it up, and babysit it halfway across the world as I return to my home in the States.  But seeing as I cannot possibly do that without giving up all my hard-earned cash for otherwise earmarked toys I plan on buying - hell, I might even give up coffin insurance for this hobby if I get a chance to own just one more toy before I croak - that won't be happening anytime soon.  But it's a nice thought though.

 

[no3Ljm]

2 minutes ago, raziel03 said:

Are you seriously trying to argue that HG has nothing to do with the reason nothing Macross related has been released outside Japan since Plus?   How do you explain why we never got R1 releases of Zero, Frontier and Delta?  How about the lack of any re-release of Plus on BluRay?  You should probably study up on the mess of copyright claims and lawsuits involved with Macross before you get so dismissive.  What I said is hardly controversial.

I’m no mod but we do have threads for this. A lot. Unless you guys still want to continue this conversation until some moderator stops you. Just sayin’.

[MacrossMania]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

To be honest. I really don’t know how to answer this. Because, I really don’t care about the condition of the boxes since I’m more concern on the condition on what’s inside. From what I received from NY, if it’s a Tamashii Web Exclusive item, then I’m comfortable that the box looks pristine since TWE shipped with the shipper box. Regular releases still looks fine for me. Sometimes it has small dents or dings in the corners. But not too biggie. 

If you’re really that concern with boxes, I can’t recommend any online stores since you won’t have guarantee that you’re going to get a pristine box. The only thing you can do is order multiples from different stores and select the best one, then sell the rest. However, BBTS offers Package Grading. The only downside to that is not everything on sale in Japanese store they carry. If they do, it costs more than what Japanese store offers.

Hope that helps.

It does.  I guess at the end of the day I knew all this.  Again, I'm just looking for that promise land that will never come.  As to the buying multiples, I have a hard enough time as it is buying singles, I can't imagine what a slog this hobby would be if I took to buying multiples and selling the rest off after I cherrypicked the best.  Even for me that's over the top.  Not saying it isn't done, just saying that's a rabbit hole I shouldn't go down.  I will fall way, way down.  I guess at the end of the day hunting down these little treasures is half the fun.  The stories of our collecting almost have as much currency as the collections themselves, and it's nice to be able to share them on these forums.  

[Jasonc]

OK, back to the topic of NY for the Kairos. What was the last batch of these that have been shipped from them? Are they at least shipping any of them out as far as we know, or are we all just waiting for some type of miracle to drop?