Arcadia: 1/60 VF 1S Strike Valkyrie Hikaru Ichijo Special Movie Ver /and/ Premium Finish ver

[no3Ljm]

3 minutes ago, technoblue said:

That's still up there, but I paid exactly $280US for my copy with shipping. I think I paid more for the Orguss in my avatar.  I might need a new wallet saving strategy.

Granted that you paid more for that Olson's Orguss. With new engineering and mold, it sure worth it, right? Not some 10 year old mold.

As for a new strategy, try Costco Hotdog for lunch everyday.

 

[spacemanoeuvres]

Costco hot dogs are da bomb!!! Sausage and Caesar salad are good too 

[technoblue]

10 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Granted that you paid more for that Olson's Orguss. With new engineering and mold, it sure worth it, right? Not some 10 year old mold.

As for a new strategy, try Costco Hotdog for lunch everyday.

 

No doubt. The Orguss was worth every penny.  

After the M&M 1Js, I think only a VT-1 announcement would lure me back to Yamarcadia's VF-1. That, interesting paint schemes or a completely new VF-1 mold. 

Edit: Okay...Max's 1S would get my attention too.

Edited June 2, 2017 by technoblue

[no3Ljm]

12 minutes ago, technoblue said:

No doubt. The Orguss was worth every penny.  

After the M&M 1Js, I think only a VT-1 announcement would lure me back to Yamarcadia's VF-1. That, interesting paint schemes or a completely new VF-1 mold. 

Edit: Okay...Max's 1S would get my attention too.

Wait. How about my wallet strategy suggestion? No Costco Hotdog for you then?

By the way, did you purchase a second Orguss this HLJ Sale?

 

[no3Ljm]

19 minutes ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

Costco hot dogs are da bomb!!! Sausage and Caesar salad are good too 

Yes it is, sir. Yes it is.

If Japanese have their Nissin Cup Noodles, we have Costco Hotdogs.

 

[technoblue]

25 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Wait. How about my wallet strategy suggestion? No Costco Hotdog for you then?

By the way, did you purchase a second Orguss this HLJ Sale?

 

LoL! Yeah, I'm gettin' old and the doctor tells me that I have to eat more rabbit food and less hot dogs. It's the way it is. I still indulge once in a while. 

I didn't get in on the latest HLJ Orguss deal. It's okay though since I have Kei's version already. I'm starting to save more pennies for the "brownie" Orguss that was announced. 

[treatment]

2 hours ago, technoblue said:

Hm. NY didn't use their usual tactic of inflating the price. 28600JPY is exactly what they charged for pre-orders. At today's rate, it comes to about $256US before shipping.

That's still up there, but I paid exactly $280US for my copy with shipping. I think I paid more for the Orguss in my avatar.  I might need a new wallet saving strategy.

 

N-Y charges 28.6k yen for it during po?

Guess HLJ was a bit cheaper at 25.8k yen. 

Relatively speaking, that is.

Surprising, nonetheless.  Thought N-Y charges lower, and then jacks it up on the expedited-shipping fees.

 

Edited June 2, 2017 by treatment

[no3Ljm]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

LoL! Yeah, I'm gettin' old and the doctor tells me that I have to eat more rabbit food and less hot dogs. It's the way it is. I still indulge once in a while. 

I didn't get in on the latest HLJ Orguss deal. It's okay though since I have Kei's version already. I'm starting to save more pennies for the "brownie" Orguss that was announced. 

Actually, I was thinking the same on the Orguss II CF figure when I purchased the 2nd Kei's Orguss. I need to save more. Hehehe.  That's why I was hoping they would release the brownie one next year like Kei's. But it makes me excited since it was shown that the release date is September. So we have to save a lot now.

 

 

[technoblue]

3 hours ago, treatment said:

 

N-Y charges 28.6k yen for it during po?

Guess HLJ was a bit cheaper at 25.8k yen. 

Relatively speaking, that is.

Surprising, nonetheless.  Thought N-Y charges lower, and then jacks it up on the expedited-shipping fees.

 

Yep. HLJ was in the rare position of offering the lowest pre-order price.

But I gotta admit, since I've had time to reflect while waiting for these premium releases, even that HLJ price is high. It's a shame Arcadia never gave a retail release with extra markings a chance. 

[linitrofe]

So, Is the Y10.000 difference between regular and premium worth it? Any focused pictures showing the differences?

[Slave IV]

I was hoping HLJ would have the same discount for Roy's premium but they were around 3000y more so it was definitely a special deal they had for Hikaru.

there are tons of comparison photos from Arcadia and throughout this thread. 

[technoblue]

On 6/3/2017 at 10:56 AM, linitrofe said:

So, Is the Y10.000 difference between regular and premium worth it? Any focused pictures showing the differences?

@Lolicon and @neko878 posted good pictures already. If you can't tell the difference, then I would say it isn't worth it. Save the money!

Edit: Extra double correction...sigh... 

Edited June 10, 2017 by technoblue

[linitrofe]

Back in stock at NY

https://www.nippon-yasan.com/figures/19852-macross-1-60-kanzen-henkei-vf-1s-strike-valkyrie-ichijou-hikaru-custom-premium-finish-ver.html

A bargain! 

[Xigfrid]

I hope that Roy's premium got as easy to get as this one!

[jenius]

Is this one easy to get? The price appears to be shooting UP. 

[Ridden001]

18 minutes ago, jenius said:

Is this one easy to get? The price appears to be shooting UP. 

Availability is there but you are correct, these premium versions are escalating.  I think the premium strike 1-S releases are going to reach market values we haven't seen in a very long time.    

Edited June 6, 2017 by Ridden001

[spacemanoeuvres]

11 hours ago, linitrofe said:

Back in stock at NY

https://www.nippon-yasan.com/figures/19852-macross-1-60-kanzen-henkei-vf-1s-strike-valkyrie-ichijou-hikaru-custom-premium-finish-ver.html

A bargain! 

Holy moly 

[davidwhangchoi]

Yamato panic pricing is back! Arcadia pulled a trick out of bandai's book. we are all brainwashed. 

[technoblue]

I finally got a chance to look at my Hikaru VF-1S premium in person last night...

The added details are really nice, and there are a lot of them when comparing the markings to those of other 1/60-scale Valkyries that I own. Some of these have already been discussed. For example, the yellow icon near the landing gear bay doors that denotes a jack/lift point on the aircraft. Such a small, but neat detail. There are other odd yellow marking on the top of the fighter too. These look like a yellow number 2 and appear behind the cockpit and on the main body of the craft. See Lolicon's pics for what I mean.

The only other Valkyrie in my collection that comes close to this is the VF-1J Brownie. I'll try to put together some rough comparison shots later. I don't have a nice phone, though, so beware that they will be cell phone rough. The most noteworthy difference is the carrier markings on the tail fins: The VF-1J has markings for the Prometheus instead of the SDF-1 (on the new 1S).

The price...yeah, I've come around... it is too high... For the price this needed a lot more than just printed detail. 

Recommended only if you know what you're getting yourself into and don't mind paying the price. Otherwise, stick with Arcadia's regular version.

Edited June 9, 2017 by technoblue

[Kanedas Bike]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

I finally got a chance to look at my Hikaru VF-1S premium in person last night...

The added details are really nice, and there are a lot of them when comparing the markings to those of other 1/60-scale Valkyries that I own. Some of these have already been discussed. For example, the yellow icon near the landing gear bay doors that denotes a jack/lift point on the aircraft. Such a small, but neat detail. There are other odd yellow marking on the top of the fighter too. These look like a yellow number 2 and appear behind the cockpit and on the main body of the craft. See Lolicon's pics for what I mean.

The only other Valkyrie in my collection that comes close to this is the VF-1J Brownie. I'll try to put together some rough comparison shots later. I don't have a nice phone, though, so beware that they will be cell phone rough. The most noteworthy difference is the carrier markings on the tail fins: The VF-1J has markings for the Prometheus instead of the SDF-1 (on the new 1S).

The price...yeah, I've come around... it is too high... For the price this needed a lot more than just printed detail. 

Recommended only if you know what you're getting yourself into and don't mind paying the price. Otherwise, stick with Arcadia's regular version.

 

Thanks Technoblue, I've been kicking myself for not pre-ordering when it was available at HLJ and I missed the couple of times orders reopened prior to release.

Your feedback helps me to not give into the "have to have it now" temptation and OVER pay at N-Y or someplace else that this might pop up.

-b.

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, Kanedas Bike said:

 

Thanks Technoblue, I've been kicking myself for not pre-ordering when it was available at HLJ and I missed the couple of times orders reopened prior to release.

Your feedback helps me to not give into the "have to have it now" temptation and OVER pay at N-Y or someplace else that this might pop up.

-b.

You're welcome, b. I'm glad I helped to save you some money in the short term. 

As happy as I am to own this version of Hikaru's 1S, I can't help but wonder how things would be different if Arcadia had updated the mold to a 2.5 or 3.0 VF-1. I wonder where they would make improvements or change the articulation to make it more of a modern toy?

[spacemanoeuvres]

18 minutes ago, technoblue said:

You're welcome, b. I'm glad I helped to save you some money in the short term. 

As happy as I am to own this version of Hikaru's 1S, I can't help but wonder how things would be different if Arcadia had updated the mold to a 2.5 or 3.0 VF-1. I wonder where they would make improvements or change the articulation to make it more of a modern toy?

They could have fixed the priest collar in batroid mode and added back the 1/48 gimmicks 

Edited June 9, 2017 by spacemanoeuvres

[Xigfrid]

I got a few ideas how to improve the current mold:

-improve the feet shape in battroid 

-larger hands, better shape (bandais hands are much better)

-remove this fakin metal hips bar and make another mechanism

-better rear landing gears

-integrated side cover

-rotating chair

-one more rotation axis at the hips for the feet

-one more rotation axis at the nose level

[The Smirker]

Okay, so is there anywhere to find the arcadia roy focker vf-1s valkyrie for under $250, I've seen on amazon it's $250, but also I'm asking if I should look with interest at the premium version which is only about $50 more?

[Kanedas Bike]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

You're welcome, b. I'm glad I helped to save you some money in the short term. 

As happy as I am to own this version of Hikaru's 1S, I can't help but wonder how things would be different if Arcadia had updated the mold to a 2.5 or 3.0 VF-1. I wonder where they would make improvements or change the articulation to make it more of a modern toy?

Short term is probably right, but time will tell. 

I think I'd welcome a v3 but honestly I can't see myself re-collecting the line from Arcadia. It'd have to be far superior in almost every single way.

I'd be more likely to invest in a DX Chogokin VF-1 line to be honest.

-b.

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, The Smirker said:

Okay, so is there anywhere to find the arcadia roy focker vf-1s valkyrie for under $250, I've seen on amazon it's $250, but also I'm asking if I should look with interest at the premium version which is only about $50 more?

AmiAmi still has the retail version available on backorder for a 10% discount:

AmiAmi: http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?scode=FIGURE-018953-S001

As for your other question, do you like stickers? The standard version has stickers that you apply. The premium version eschews all stickers for printed markings. That's the only difference, there are no additional items or anything like that bundled with the premium version.

2 hours ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

They could have fixed the priest collar in batroid mode and added back the 1/48 gimmicks 

Yes! I miss the flaps and the antenna on the Gerwalk backpack. At this scale such things would be more delicate I guess, but if done right they could make the toy that much more enjoyable. And it isn't like we don't have small moving parts already. I also agree with Xigfrid...on all points! Better hands (maybe even an articulated finger or two?), better landing gear, the rotating seat (which we've seen elsewhere). 

I think a new mold would be great for favorites or special paint schemes. The HM-R line is better served for collecting everything, and it is cheaper when buying up front. I wouldn't replace all of my v2 Valkyries with a new Arcadia or Bandai DX VF-1. To be honest, I might use a new VF-1 as an excuse to thin my collection down. 

[F360]

9 hours ago, The Smirker said:

Okay, so is there anywhere to find the arcadia roy focker vf-1s valkyrie for under $250, I've seen on amazon it's $250, but also I'm asking if I should look with interest at the premium version which is only about $50 more?

right now the premium is about $100 more.

[technoblue]

I know I'm getting old because I'm starting to forget the finer details in my own collection.  Anyway, I set up the cell phone this morning to take comparison photos of Arcadia's VF-1S Hikaru premium, the VF-1J "Brownie", the VF-1A "Brownie", and Arcadia's Hikaru VF-1J that they included with the armor set. I don't own the Yamato version of Hikaru's VF-1S anymore, so that won't be part of my comparison. 

As a side note, I do own the Yamato Hikaru TV VF-1J; however, since it has the exact same amount of printed detail as the Arcadia release, I didn't include it my comparison.

Now, onto the pictures! I scaled them down 50% to preserve the details.

The VF-1J "Brownie" is one of the few Valkyries in my collection that comes close to matching Arcadia's premium VF-1S. Those fans and collectors who were able to buy it when it was new are lucky. It was a deal back in the day compared to what it goes for on the aftermarket now. I do need to make one correction: It does not have carrier markings printed on the tail fins. That was a detail that was on the TV VF-1A. There are a lot of other details that this TV 1J shares with the premium 1S, though.

It's hard to see in this shot, but the 1S and the 1J share a lot of  the same cockpit detail. The 1S has only a handful of additional markings. Most notably, the skull squadron marking.

Here's a shot showing how the 1J has a slightly different printed layout when compared to the 1S. The square forward of the triangle ejection warning symbol is also a different color. It is more of a yellow on the 1J, where on the 1S it is more of an orange. The 1J is also missing a couple of the yellow warning arrows.

From the top of the 1S: Those yellow 2-like icons, no-step icons, other text details (too tiny to read).

Showing the difference.

More differences. For me, this kind of inconsistency is a bummer, especially when prices inch over $100US. Subjectively, I think it would have been cool if Arcadia had rebooted their philosophy early on. Other manufacturers are releasing ultra realistic movie versions of toys and anime (or TV) accurate versions of toys regularly now. It would have been cool if Arcadia had jumped onto that boat early.

The tale of two Arcadia Valkyries.  This picture represents the ideal that I was hinting at above. I really like both of these Valkyries. It's just too bad the premium 1S wasn't priced more in line with the 1J armor set.

Edited June 10, 2017 by technoblue

[technoblue]

Double post...

This is a long shot of the 1S premium together with the two Yamato "Brownie" Valkyries. For this picture, I tilted up the tail fins to better illustrate those differences.

[Kanedas Bike]

Great comparison shots and details Techno!!!

Arcadia was smart to limit the release of their Premium offering, if it was the only version, or readily available at this price point it would have been a shelf-warmer. But by limiting production it creates/ed demand.

I was recently very tempted to sell my last Yamato 30th Anniversary DYRL Cannon Fodder 1A, but I know I would have regretted it (I articulated that just a moment ago in a private conversation) - especially seeing the pics above.

-b.

 

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, Kanedas Bike said:

Great comparison shots and details Techno!!!

Arcadia was smart to limit the release of their Premium offering, if it was the only version, or readily available at this price point it would have been a shelf-warmer. But by limiting production it creates/ed demand.

I was recently very tempted to sell my last Yamato 30th Anniversary DYRL Cannon Fodder 1A, but I know I would have regretted it (I articulated that just a moment ago in a private conversation) - especially seeing the pics above.

-b.

 

You're welcome, B!

Thanks for reminding me about the DYRL VF-1 Cannon Fodder. The one I have is currently wearing armor and I didn't include it in the photos, but it's almost like the TV version. The differences are very minor. I think it doesn't have Prometheus on the tail fins.

And it's interesting that you bring up being tempted to sell it, because I'm also finding myself tempted to sell off parts of my collection lately. Mostly, I'm thinking of cutting down on what I own from the later series like Frontier and Delta. The VF-1 is where it's at for me.

[yman1437]

Still waiting for payment request from hlj. Start to get worried a little bit

[technoblue]

Yuck. I would send them a message. I know a couple members have received this one from HLJ already. 

[spacemanoeuvres]

22 minutes ago, yman1437 said:

Still waiting for payment request from hlj. Start to get worried a little bit

I would contact them. It's been released for a while now so they should have asked for payment at this point. 

[F360]

53 minutes ago, yman1437 said:

Still waiting for payment request from hlj. Start to get worried a little bit

I'll be more worry for them suspending your account for non payment if they sent you a invoice and you didn't see it. 

When did you order this? it's release awhile ago.

This is the Hikaru version we are talking about right?  not the roy?