The Third Party Gundam Thread

[FattyMoBookyButt]

6 hours ago, slaginpit said:

Well its week 5. If i dont get any of my stuff by next week 6 and i will be fair end of week. I am going to Paypal to get my refund. I feel bad. I mean what can i say. I dont have 800 dollars to just give away. It sucks... but i the transaction is not complete. So I'm sorry ShowZ....but at this point Im not sure i can trust them to refund me. 

They refunded me in store credit last week for a Black Mamba battle damaged Megatron. (It's a limited paint job so they most likely won't get any more stock in.) And I was just asking if they had any more detail on shipping than I could see and they wrote back and offered around $25 more than my order in store credit.

It was shipped Dec 5th and the last known tracking on it was an 'Airline Departure' out of Beijing on Dec 7th. postal.ninja stopped actively tracking it after about 50 days, it's now been in transit 70 days.

I'm sure they are getting hammered right now with package issues. (Some their fault and some just slow/lost in the ether due to multiple holidays.) 

I'd suggest working with them vs PayPal because I've never heard a negative comment about their customer service other than they could have packaged better. (They normally wrap them up pretty good...but I also think that's the rule of numbers, they going to have packages get busted traveling from continent to continent.)

But after all that, I searched for the tracking number on google yesterday, which then provided a link to USPS and it's:

Quote

Expected Delivery on Thursday, February 13, 2020

I'd check yours as well:
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=CP999999999CN

[slaginpit]

32 minutes ago, FattyMoBookyButt said:

They refunded me in store credit last week for a Black Mamba battle damaged Megatron. (It's a limited paint job so they most likely won't get any more stock in.) And I was just asking if they had any more detail on shipping than I could see and they wrote back and offered around $25 more than my order in store credit.

It was shipped Dec 5th and the last known tracking on it was an 'Airline Departure' out of Beijing on Dec 7th. postal.ninja stopped actively tracking it after about 50 days, it's now been in transit 70 days.

I'm sure they are getting hammered right now with package issues. (Some their fault and some just slow/lost in the ether due to multiple holidays.) 

I'd suggest working with them vs PayPal because I've never heard a negative comment about their customer service other than they could have packaged better. (They normally wrap them up pretty good...but I also think that's the rule of numbers, they going to have packages get busted traveling from continent to continent.)

But after all that, I searched for the tracking number on google yesterday, which then provided a link to USPS and it's:

I'd check yours as well:
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=CP999999999CN

Good to know my friend. But I do not want a store credit. Again without getting into too much detail. But I believe we are watching the end of the nation and pushing it back to the stone age. Hopefully we all can weather this bug, and the coming economic crap storm of laying all our eggs in a single basket. Some industries maybe able to pivot production lines to other locals but it will be a bloodbath with a month or 2. So i will need paypal for the refund. I dont want a store credit. 

[slaginpit]

Here is one that was shipped later and has had the same tracking 

 

I think I am going to ask for refunds. I did ask for a refund on the Zeta Bumblebee and have not had a response for 3 days. 

 

[slaginpit]

And the message that they had Feb 10 shipping and then was taken down and now put up again

 

 

Im telling you folks it aint going to ship. 

 

Get your money back from Paypal

 

Edited February 13, 2020 by slaginpit

[slaginpit]

FYI 

I just got off the phone with PAYPAL. 

This is now a pickle of a situation. The rep told me they are very busy fielding calls on a lot of stuff from China that was paid for and now shipping is in limbo not just ShowZ. I will call canadapost and record the call and do the needful to ensure im covered. If I call ShowZ i imagine they will give me a store credit. However I do not want a store credit. Absolutely not. The rep told me they consider that a partial refund. Youre fraked if they do that,  kiss you money goodbye. SO it seems the only option is the nuclear one. Which I dont want to do but im not in the philanthropy business. 

Oh one more thing. I am not sure how the refund process works in the back end for paypal. They sure as crap are insured but they dont have the kind of funds to refund thousands of customers. Some of it is held in escrow. While you file a dispute there is that stupid waiting period where the seller will do everything they can to cover their losses. THINK! Human nature first....before anything else

Edited February 13, 2020 by slaginpit

[sqidd]

On the subject of China I just got a email from one of my suppliers. They're estimating they're going to be 4-6 weeks late on getting my order filled because they can't get the raw aluminum out of China. There only letting "medical flights" out. I'm not sure what that means except it doesn't include aluminum.

I asked my supplier if they can get the aluminum somewhere else and if so what the extra cost passed on to me would be. Looking forward to that number.

 

[JakCrow]

I received the Metal Kingdom Aile Strike today. Other than some of the tampons markings being a bit lighter than the original's and even having a couple markings the original doesn't have, it is damn near identical and appears to have the same level of detail and quality as the original. There may be some minor differences in paint finish but just different, not worse. The die cast metal seems to have a shinier appearance than the original's but it also isn't a bad thing. Early product photos don't do it justice and if you didn't have it next to the Bandai figure, you'd probably never know it was a KO

Edited February 13, 2020 by JakCrow

[PsYcHoDyNaMiX]

1 hour ago, JakCrow said:

I received the Metal Kingdom Aile Strike today. Other than some of the TAMPO markings being a bit lighter than the original's and even having a couple markings the original doesn't have, it is damn near identical and appears to have the same level of detail and quality as the original. There may be some minor differences in paint finish but just different, not worse. The die cast metal seems to have a shinier appearance than the original's but it also isn't a bad thing. Early product photos don't do it justice and if you didn't have it next to the Bandai figure, you'd probably never know it was a KO

you're welcome... XD

6 hours ago, slaginpit said:

Here is one that was shipped later and has had the same tracking 

 

Spoiler

 

 

I think I am going to ask for refunds. I did ask for a refund on the Zeta Bumblebee and have not had a response for 3 days. 

 

My MN White Dragon was shipped Priority Mail International Parcels out from ShowZStore on the 20th before flights from china were being closed off (I think it was the 22nd), and I still got my item. I think the MN WD was just sitting at port stateside because the US was backed up and their union workers had the hibbie jibbees (aside from them being soooo slow already). Maybe your item is at a holding at some port just awaiting for clearance?

EDIT:

Even looking at it now, my shipment started on the 20th but didn't processed out of china until the 21st. USPS gave me a bunch of crap about it being out for delivery the 6th (after it was cleared through ISC the 5th), but failed with no updates, later on the 11th stating it was undeliverable due to an incomplete address and then undeliverable yesterday which caused me to go down there in person to pick it up.
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=CP395895163CN#

Edited February 13, 2020 by PsYcHoDyNaMiX

[slaginpit]

2 hours ago, sqidd said:

On the subject of China I just got a email from one of my suppliers. They're estimating they're going to be 4-6 weeks late on getting my order filled because they can't get the raw aluminum out of China. There only letting "medical flights" out. I'm not sure what that means except it doesn't include aluminum.

I asked my supplier if they can get the aluminum somewhere else and if so what the extra cost passed on to me would be. Looking forward to that number.

 

Good Luck Squids. Thats some business you got. I knew I should have exited my professional career and started my own business 

[slaginpit]

16 minutes ago, PsYcHoDyNaMiX said:

you're welcome... XD

My MN White Dragon was shipped Priority Mail International Parcels out from ShowZStore on the 20th before flights from china were being closed off (I think it was the 22nd), and I still got my item. I think the MN WD was just sitting at port stateside because the US was backed up and their union workers had the hibbie jibbees (aside from them being soooo slow already). Maybe your item is at a holding at some port just awaiting for clearance?

EDIT:

Even looking at it now, my shipment started on the 20th but didn't processed out of china until the 21st. USPS gave me a bunch of crap about it being out for delivery the 6th (after it was cleared through ISC the 5th), but failed with no updates, later on the 11th stating it was undeliverable due to an incomplete address and then undeliverable yesterday which caused me to go down there in person to pick it up.
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?tLabels=CP395895163CN#

Best of luck getting your item remember to let it sit outside and the whole glove thing in case. I heard that this crap may stay on objects for a few days, no reason not to be cautious

ShowZ is refunding me for Zeta Bumblebee. A crying shame tho a nice figure

[Alphahorizon]

1 hour ago, JakCrow said:

I received the Metal Kingdom Aile Strike today. Other than some of the tampons markings being a bit lighter than the original's and even having a couple markings the original doesn't have, it is damn near identical and appears to have the same level of detail and quality as the original. There may be some minor differences in paint finish but just different, not worse. The die cast metal seems to have a shinier appearance than the original's but it also isn't a bad thing. Early product photos don't do it justice and if you didn't have it next to the Bandai figure, you'd probably never know it was a KO

Mine shipped out a month ago. But has never moved. I sent an inquiry well before the Corono Virus became an issue. I do t suspect I will ever receive this one. I have since purchased the Poison Toys/ MoShow 1/72 version. Now that is a TOY!

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, JakCrow said:

I received the Metal Kingdom Aile Strike today. Other than some of the tampons markings being a bit lighter than the original's and even having a couple markings the original doesn't have, it is damn near identical and appears to have the same level of detail and quality as the original. There may be some minor differences in paint finish but just different, not worse. The die cast metal seems to have a shinier appearance than the original's but it also isn't a bad thing. Early product photos don't do it justice and if you didn't have it next to the Bandai figure, you'd probably never know it was a KO

Can you confirm if the plastic color used is somehow near to the original? Red, blue and greys.

Thanks!

 

[sqidd]

2 hours ago, slaginpit said:

Good Luck Squids. Thats some business you got. I knew I should have exited my professional career and started my own business 

It's not all puppies an unicorn farts.

I've been a worn out stress ball since August. My fitness tracker thingy has my sleep at an average of 4:18 for the past 30 days. There is a ton of growth going on right now. Which is great. But stressful. I imagine I have another year of what's going on right now before it lets up. Fingers crossed it planes out a bit after that then one more big push and hopefully able to retire at 55. I probably won't do it. I want he option though. Lot's can go wrong though. If China turns into a long term problem I'm in trouble (so is everyone else I suppose). One stoke of the pen in Washington and my entire industry could change.

I don't think I could work somewhere again. But, I do miss just "punching the clock" sometimes.

[JakCrow]

3 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Can you confirm if the plastic color used is somehow near to the original? Red, blue and greys.

Thanks!

 

It's near perfect from what I can tell. I'm impressed with the results.

[slaginpit]

Sigh Got the one refund for an item that wasnt shipped....but this is going to be painful....

 

[killatopak]

It ain’t a gundam but gonna be getting my hands on this 

 

CCS Toys will be making this.  Same people who did Hardcore Thunderbolt Mecha which is fine quality wise based on Kuma’s review.

Edited February 18, 2020 by killatopak
Spelling

[sumyumgoy]

29 minutes ago, killatopak said:

It ain’t a gundam but gonna be getting my hands on this 

 

CCS Toys will be making this.  Same people who did Hardcore Thunderbolt Mecha which is fine quality wise based on Kuma’s review.

I'm looking forward to this one, can't wait!

[sqidd]

1 hour ago, sumyumgoy said:

I'm looking forward to this one, can't wait!

Yeah, that's awesome. I hope I don't miss the PO.

[sumyumgoy]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

Yeah, that's awesome. I hope I don't miss the PO.

I'm not sure what the availability will be like, I know HLJ carried their last release for Hardcore Mecha.  If interested, showz has it for pre-order:

https://showzstore.com/pre-order-ccs-toys-fanmade-ccsx-1-100-tengen-toppa-gurren-lagann_p1469.html

 

[Alphahorizon]

Pretty spikey. Could poke an eye out wit that thing!

[Sanity is Optional]

5 hours ago, killatopak said:

It ain’t a gundam but gonna be getting my hands on this 

 

CCS Toys will be making this.  Same people who did Hardcore Thunderbolt Mecha which is fine quality wise based on Kuma’s review.

Needs more drills.

I want though.

[sqidd]

2 hours ago, sumyumgoy said:

I'm not sure what the availability will be like, I know HLJ carried their last release for Hardcore Mecha.  If interested, showz has it for pre-order:

https://showzstore.com/pre-order-ccs-toys-fanmade-ccsx-1-100-tengen-toppa-gurren-lagann_p1469.html

 

I didn't think to actually look for it. Duh.

So how tall is that in 1/100? Same size as a MB Gundam?

[killatopak]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

I didn't think to actually look for it. Duh.

So how tall is that in 1/100? Same size as a MB Gundam?

I think so. Most list its size in the 15-18 meter so in 1/100 that’ll be around 7-8 inches. Same size as an MB gundam.

though I did find one youtube video listing it as 5m which is kinda bullshit when you think about it.

Edited February 18, 2020 by killatopak

[slaginpit]

11 hours ago, killatopak said:

It ain’t a gundam but gonna be getting my hands on this 

 

CCS Toys will be making this.  Same people who did Hardcore Thunderbolt Mecha which is fine quality wise based on Kuma’s review.

Its a nice ko of the sentinel 

 

But good luck ever seeing it. Week 7 no package yet 

 

[killatopak]

27 minutes ago, slaginpit said:

Its a nice ko of the sentinel 

 

But good luck ever seeing it. Week 7 no package yet 

 

Sentinel is pure plastic though. This will have die-cast metal which would make it feel much better in hand though it will probably limit articulation just like every die-cast figure. I’d buy it just for the bigger drill and more tiny drills in his body honestly. Hopefully this figure will also be much larger than Sentinel’s which I felt was pretty small.

Also I’m not quite sure if this will be a KO cause I see some crediting to Gainax and Konami. 

 

 

You can also see the actual size of the figure 22cm or 8 and a half inches. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by killatopak

[crackpot]

I can't remember the details but I read somewhere before that this company was able to get the license for the series. So it's not a KO nor a 3rd party (Gundam or otherwise).

[slaginpit]

4 hours ago, killatopak said:

Sentinel is pure plastic though. This will have die-cast metal which would make it feel much better in hand though it will probably limit articulation just like every die-cast figure. I’d buy it just for the bigger drill and more tiny drills in his body honestly. Hopefully this figure will also be much larger than Sentinel’s which I felt was pretty small.

Also I’m not quite sure if this will be a KO cause I see some crediting to Gainax and Konami. 

 

 

You can also see the actual size of the figure 22cm or 8 and a half inches. 

Actually I have the konami and even that one isnt all 100% metal. Its actually quite stupid to have it all metal I had a CMs Chogokin ( I think that is the name) of a figure I took out of storage the entire armor was metal. It so floppy and just broke into a million pieces. The plastic frame and joints just crumbled. There goes 200 plus dollars. Scratch marks everywhere. Yeah no thanks I dont mind some metal here and there and a little bit in the inner frame but generally speaking Diecast all over a figure is not a good thing. I did see the sign POM and PVC so is it the inner joints or the armor. As the one below was all plastic on the inside and metal on the sheel

Edited February 19, 2020 by slaginpit

[killatopak]

8 hours ago, slaginpit said:

Actually I have the konami and even that one isnt all 100% metal. Its actually quite stupid to have it all metal I had a CMs Chogokin ( I think that is the name) of a figure I took out of storage the entire armor was metal. It so floppy and just broke into a million pieces. The plastic frame and joints just crumbled. There goes 200 plus dollars. Scratch marks everywhere. Yeah no thanks I dont mind some metal here and there and a little bit in the inner frame but generally speaking Diecast all over a figure is not a good thing. I did see the sign POM and PVC so is it the inner joints or the armor. As the one below was all plastic on the inside and metal on the sheel

Oh wow. All metal armor sounds awesome in paper but if that is what happens that’s just a disappointment waiting to happen. 

Based on their work with hardcore mecha, I think it’s safe to say it will only have metal inner frame or at least parts of it and plastic on the outer armor. Their previous work was very Metal Build-esque. 
 

 

 

[sqidd]

57 minutes ago, killatopak said:

Oh wow. All metal armor sounds awesome in paper but if that is what happens that’s just a disappointment waiting to happen. 

Based on their work with hardcore mecha, I think it’s safe to say it will only have metal inner frame or at least parts of it and plastic on the outer armor. Their previous work was very Metal Build-esque. 
 

 

 

I'm a designer/engineer by trade. My company deals with completely different product though.

I'm itching to a do a toy some day. It will be years though. I'm really busy. I want to do a 1/35 (or bigger) VF-1S in all aluminum (maybe  few plastic bits and bobs). Right now the plan I have floating around in my head is tension adjustable joints to deal with the weight. So adjustable that they can actually be locked down once in position. To me (at least right now) that seems like the best solution.

[killatopak]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

I'm a designer/engineer by trade. My company deals with completely different product though.

I'm itching to a do a toy some day. It will be years though. I'm really busy. I want to do a 1/35 (or bigger) VF-1S in all aluminum (maybe  few plastic bits and bobs). Right now the plan I have floating around in my head is tension adjustable joints to deal with the weight. So adjustable that they can actually be locked down once in position. To me (at least right now) that seems like the best solution.

Wouldn’t a metal ratchet joint do the same thing? Forgive my ignorance cause I’m not familiar with how a tension adjustable joint works or what it consists of. 
 

Also good luck in your endeavors. I wish I had the skills to do the same. I had seen a single person design and even mass produce a transformers figure and it made me wish I could do the same engineering wise. Though it wasn’t without major flaws it still shows the potential one man could do by himself. I think it was Bold Forms Gladius Megatron.

[Sanity is Optional]

Ratchets wear more, and you'll be limited in fine-positioning. Adjustable tension is better for long-term, don't even need a fighter-mode detent if everything tabs in properly.

Though the various curves will require a lot of CNC time and tool changes to achieve if it's truly all aluminum, not to mention the paint-rub issues.

[sqidd]

26 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Ratchets wear more, and you'll be limited in fine-positioning. Adjustable tension is better for long-term, don't even need a fighter-mode detent if everything tabs in properly.

Though the various curves will require a lot of CNC time and tool changes to achieve if it's truly all aluminum, not to mention the paint-rub issues.

It would take a 5 axis machine and a lot of time for sure. It would be stupid expensive. I'm not even sure if all the parts could be assembled without noticeable fasteners. No "snap together" stuff in aluminum.

Paint rub could certainly be an issue. I really haven't gotten any further than thought concept.

Edited February 19, 2020 by sqidd

[Sanity is Optional]

39 minutes ago, sqidd said:

It would take a 5 axis machine and a lot of time for sure. It would be stupid expensive. I'm not even sure if all the parts could be assembled without noticeable fasteners. No "snap together" stuff in aluminum.

Paint rub could certainly be an issue. I really haven't gotten any further than thought concept.

Depending on part separation you could use colored anodization for large areas, if you do a hard anodize it'll be resistant to wear.

Really though some parts (specifically the cockpit and battroid chest/back pieces) really scream for plastic or resin materials. Might be able to use diecast as well, though they'll be more brittle.

[sqidd]

3 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Depending on part separation you could use colored anodization for large areas, if you do a hard anodize it'll be resistant to wear.

Really though some parts (specifically the cockpit and battroid chest/back pieces) really scream for plastic or resin materials. Might be able to use diecast as well, though they'll be more brittle.

Nice. I hadn't gotten far enough in my fantasy to think about color yet. But yeah, ano would be good. My current ano shop is great. Their hard ano is almost bulletproof. 

I agree. I don't think you could go 100% metal. Some stuff would have to be plastic. That and die cast would be new frontiers for me. I don't do any injection molded stuff (I've looked into it though). I've never considered using die cast for anything.

[Sanity is Optional]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

Nice. I hadn't gotten far enough in my fantasy to think about color yet. But yeah, ano would be good. My current ano shop is great. Their hard ano is almost bulletproof. 

I agree. I don't think you could go 100% metal. Some stuff would have to be plastic. That and die cast would be new frontiers for me. I don't do any injection molded stuff (I've looked into it though). I've never considered using die cast for anything.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of diecast, you get much better material properties out of machined or cold/hot worked metal. It's decent if you just need shape without any strength or ductility though (or can make everything severely over-thick).

Injection molding is good, but it's so damn expensive to get the molds made (I think last thing I looked into was ~50k for molds).