This was bound to happen...gray market VF's?

[rdrunner]

1 hour ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Is this a gray market version of the Arcadia basic clear stand?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Marcross-Arcadia-Yamato-Dx-Base-Support-Holder-Stand-Transparent-60-Series-VF-1-19-25-29/32976160670.html

Funny you should mention these. I have a set coming my way from taobao. Will let people know how they are if you guys are interested. 

[rdrunner]

1 hour ago, Mommar said:

If it’s 90% of the way there and they put out a 31A version a lot of us on this board are going to have literal fleets of those things.

I have to say I have been quite impressed with the standards of KOs these last couple years. But the Arcadia KO still fell short of a decent replica (try fitting the GBP to it to see what I mean lol). 

I will be curious to see how the 31J kai turns out, but they will be stupid not to do a 31A KO. 

[Shizuka the Cat]

16 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

Funny you should mention these. I have a set coming my way from taobao. Will let people know how they are if you guys are interested. 

Please let me know. I am kind of curious about these.

[rdrunner]

18 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Please let me know. I am kind of curious about these.

Sure. I’m surprised that there aren’t any reviews of the original when they came out a year or so ago. 

[Shizuka the Cat]

Welp, ended up ordering a set of 4 stands. At $20 after shipping, I just could not resist.

[seti88]

How does the order go? If i want 4 stands, do i choose 4 pieces and then in the quantity just leave it as 1??

Not to mention the pics shows a stand version with black non-slip pads?

Edited April 12, 2019 by seti88

[Shizuka the Cat]

3 minutes ago, seti88 said:

How does the order go? If i want 4 stands, do i choose 4 pieces and then in the quantity just leave it as 1??

Not to mention the pics shows a stand version with black non-slip pads?

I think you pick the 4 piece and then choose quantity 1.

As for the one stand with the black pads on it, I wonder if they give you the pads that you can then attach on.  I am not sure.

[seti88]

Thanks shizuka. Aliexpress/taobao sites annoy me by giving so many weird options...

[chyll2]

3 hours ago, rdrunner said:

I have to say I have been quite impressed with the standards of KOs these last couple years. But the Arcadia KO still fell short of a decent replica (try fitting the GBP to it to see what I mean lol). 

I will be curious to see how the 31J kai turns out, but they will be stupid not to do a 31A KO. 

This, the copy of other toy line is actually quite very good saw I was surprised to see some quality problems on the VF-1

[seti88]

2 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Welp, ended up ordering a set of 4 stands. At $20 after shipping, I just could not resist.

Ordered the stands too. Used the new user signup discount for $1 shipping.

[rdrunner]

12 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Welp, ended up ordering a set of 4 stands. At $20 after shipping, I just could not resist.

Yeah, I can't wait to get mine as well.  Mine came to about $5 per stand all-in from TB. 

[rdrunner]

10 hours ago, chyll2 said:

This, the copy of other toy line is actually quite very good saw I was surprised to see some quality problems on the VF-1

For some of the TF Masterpieces, the KO actually surpasses the original in size and quality (think the MPP-10 with the extra metal chest parts and larger scale), and moral issues of buying KOs aside, as a collector, it benefited the community in the short term by cutting out scalpers on the originals.  In the long run, it remains to be seen if KOs will kill demand for the originals that Hasbro may drop the line altogether.  I hope not, but we shall see.

[rdrunner]

11 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

I think you pick the 4 piece and then choose quantity 1.

As for the one stand with the black pads on it, I wonder if they give you the pads that you can then attach on.  I am not sure.

From the taobao description, I think the black pads come with the package that you can attach yourself. 

[no3Ljm]

16 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Is this a gray market version of the Arcadia basic clear stand?

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Marcross-Arcadia-Yamato-Dx-Base-Support-Holder-Stand-Transparent-60-Series-VF-1-19-25-29/32976160670.html

This is nice. So the cutout differs for VF models? So based on the URL, it covers VF-1, YF/VF-19, YF/VF-25, and YF-29. So we're missing YF-21/VF-22, VF-11, YF-30, VF-31.

Thanks for sharing the link, Shizuka-chan. Let us know how the stands are. Thanks!

 

[seti88]

Saw this pic in the comments section ...

[Shizuka the Cat]

11 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

This is nice. So the cutout differs for VF models? So based on the URL, it covers VF-1, YF/VF-19, YF/VF-25, and YF-29. So we're missing YF-21/VF-22, VF-11, YF-30, VF-31.

Thanks for sharing the link, Shizuka-chan. Let us know how the stands are. Thanks!

 

No problem.  It just shipped, so it should arrive in like 4 weeks. I will let you know how it is when it arrives.

[seti88]

31 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

This is nice. So the cutout differs for VF models? So based on the URL, it covers VF-1, YF/VF-19, YF/VF-25, and YF-29. So we're missing YF-21/VF-22, VF-11, YF-30, VF-31.

Thanks for sharing the link, Shizuka-chan. Let us know how the stands are. Thanks!

 

Noel, it fits the vf-31 too, so i would think the 30 as well...basically i thk its general purpose, and somehow you just need to balance the valk on it, with several points that catch edges....

the only valk which i thk would differ significantly is the SV-262 with its single thruster configuration...

Edited April 12, 2019 by seti88

[no3Ljm]

16 minutes ago, seti88 said:

Noel, it fits the vf-31 too, so i would think the 30 as well...basically i thk its general purpose, and somehow you just need to balance the valk on it, with several points that catch edges....

the only valk which i thk would differ significantly is the SV-262 with its single thruster configuration...

Thanks Seti! Were those photos included in that link? I haven't click it actually.

I'll probably go ask my Chinese friend here at work to translate it so I know which ones to order.

 

[seti88]

Yeah its in the link and I dont think there is a specific stand for a specific type.

They only give you the choice of 4 stands or 2 stands per order.

[sumyumgoy]

I picked one up as well, thanks @Shizuka the Cat for the link and everyone for the information!

The aliexpress link is also in english.

[kkx]

I was looking for this stand a while back. Was thinking of cutting one out from an acrylic sheet and heat bend it.

So thank you so much for finding this @Shizuka the Cat

If it is an exact copy of the Arcadia one, I can check out how it fix a VF-31 when I get home.

The only concern is, the edge that touches on and supports the weight of the Valk is rather thin, so if it is not a perfect fit so that weight can be spread out across the whole edge, I am worried about pressure point and paint wear.

[rdrunner]

2 hours ago, kkx said:

I was looking for this stand a while back. Was thinking of cutting one out from an acrylic sheet and heat bend it.

So thank you so much for finding this @Shizuka the Cat

If it is an exact copy of the Arcadia one, I can check out how it fix a VF-31 when I get home.

The only concern is, the edge that touches on and supports the weight of the Valk is rather thin, so if it is not a perfect fit so that weight can be spread out across the whole edge, I am worried about pressure point and paint wear.

From the taobao link, I see a lot of pics with different 1/60 VF's mounted on the stand, even the Bandai DX line.  Here is a list of what I saw mounted on these stands:

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09.2.0.0.1dec2e8dD2NvgJ&id=577653562006&_u=d3kdj6jp29f8

1/60 VF-0 (0A/0S/0D)

1/60 VF-1/VE-1

1/60 VF-17

1/60 VF-171EX

1/60 VF-19

1/60 VF-22

1/60 VF-25 (super and armour packs - but the AP clearly looked unstable in the pics, so not recommended!)

1/60 VF-27 (with super pack correction: that's a Gallia-4 fold booster, weird combo by the way)

1/60 VF-31 (31F super/31J/31A)

(Presumably the YF-29 and YF-30 would also work as they have similar designs as the 25/27 and the 31...)

 

 

Edited April 12, 2019 by rdrunner

[seti88]

As i thought! It seems to "support" (or more like balance!) most valks!

Thanks for the post rdrunner, yeah the AP 25 valk looks like it could topple...best to see how each valk balances...

Is the taobao price cheaper? I see they have choice for 5 stands...but the translation is so bad, at least aliexpress is more readable,...

[rdrunner]

1 hour ago, seti88 said:

As i thought! It seems to "support" (or more like balance!) most valks!

Thanks for the post rdrunner, yeah the AP 25 valk looks like it could topple...best to see how each valk balances...

Is the taobao price cheaper? I see they have choice for 5 stands...but the translation is so bad, at least aliexpress is more readable,...

hey thanks @seti88, I ordered 2 sets of five from taobao and all-in, with international shipping, I paid around 50 USD for, so I think the Ali Express price is comparable.  You may even save on the first user $1 shipping discount.

The TB description section, in Chinese, says:

超时空要塞 太空堡垒Arcadia yamato dx超合金 60系列通用支架送4颗底部防滑垫片，选装。参考arcidia出版支架优化可以用在vf-1，19， 21， 22，25， 29，171，31等各种机型上通用支架，除了不能用在vf4，sv51和sv262上其他机型都可以用。量大有优惠。

Trying my hand in translating, but please pardon the crappy job:

"Super Dimension Fortress Macross Arcadia Yamato DX Chogokin [1/60] series universal support stand.  4 friction pads included free, select package [of 1 or 5]

Design of the Arcadia stand has been optimized for use with the VF-1, 19, 21, ,22, 25, 29, 171, 31, with the exception of VF-4 and sv-51, and the sv-262, can be used in all other designs.  Volume discounts available.

 

Hope this helps somewhat.  Cheers.

 

[rdrunner]

I just looked at the Aliexpress description in English:

Buy the Marcross Arcadia yamato dx super alloy 60 series universal bracket for free gift 4pcs bottom non-slip gasket. Based on Arcadia published bracket version, Arkbird bracket has been optimized and can be used for VF-1, 19, 21, 22, 25, 29, 171, 31 and other models, except VF4, SV51 and SV262. More quantity, more discount. 

It seems to be based on the same original Chinese description above, so at least I don't think I've made any mistakes in my translation then.  Haha.

[kkx]

1 hour ago, rdrunner said:

I just looked at the Aliexpress description in English:

Buy the Marcross Arcadia yamato dx super alloy 60 series universal bracket for free gift 4pcs bottom non-slip gasket. Based on Arcadia published bracket version, Arkbird bracket has been optimized and can be used for VF-1, 19, 21, 22, 25, 29, 171, 31 and other models, except VF4, SV51 and SV262. More quantity, more discount. 

It seems to be based on the same original Chinese description above, so at least I don't think I've made any mistakes in my translation then.  Haha.

Thanks for the translation and photos. That is a big help.

[rdrunner]

I think this photo shows us the difference between the Arcadia original (left, with the slightly thicker material), and the two on the right (KO version).  You can see the profiles of the original and the "optimized" KO are slightly different.  For reference, here's the link to the original: http://arcadia.ac/products/detail.php?product_id=179

I suspect they have tweaked the shape of the front edge of the stand to accommodate more models including the DX line, hopefully without compromising too much the stability for VF-1's (which the stand was originally designed for.

[ScrambledValkyrie]

If anyone’s ordering these and would like sell me one piece once they receive them, I’d be willing to pay a reasonable price. I only have a single 1/60 valk and would rather not order a set.

[kkx]

9 hours ago, ScrambledValkyrie said:

If anyone’s ordering these and would like sell me one piece once they receive them, I’d be willing to pay a reasonable price. I only have a single 1/60 valk and would rather not order a set.

I have a set incoming. Not sure if I will need all four. But adding shipping to get it to you will make it very similar in price to for you to just get the two piece set.

Maybe having one extra stand will encourage you to buy an additional 1/60 valk?  Ah... is that what your are worry about?

[ScrambledValkyrie]

39 minutes ago, kkx said:

I have a set incoming. Not sure if I will need all four. But adding shipping to get it to you will make it very similar in price to for you to just get the two piece set.

Maybe having one extra stand will encourage you to buy an additional 1/60 valk?  Ah... is that what your are worry about?

Hmmm, you’re right. I wasn’t aware there was a set of 2. I’ll probably just order that. And then see what else I can use the other stand for. 

[rdrunner]

Ok the KO acrylic flight stands finally arrived. I’m going to post a few pics at the end so you guys can judge for yourselves. 

My verdict: no-frills clear stands that are perfect for displaying a fleet of valks in fighter mode at the same angle, but you need to be extremely careful about paint scratching. Works for most 1/60 models as seen in the taobao pics.  Not cheap at about $5 a piece - for die hard fighter mode fans only. 

 

[seti88]

How rough are the cut edges of the arcylic resting on the valk? Do you feel some sanding will help reduce paint scratches?

Still awaiting mine  ...

Edited April 21, 2019 by seti88

[Slave IV]

Looks pretty good. I just don’t like that they are all the exact same angle. About as boring as displaying a bunch of action figures standing straight up in a row next to each other. It would be worth having one though. 

[rdrunner]

6 hours ago, seti88 said:

How rough are the cut edges of the arcylic resting on the valk? Do you feel some sanding will help reduce paint scratches?

Still awaiting mine  ...

Hi @seti88, the cut edges aren’t that rough and I was comfortable enough to rest all my valks on it for the pics, but I wanted to be careful because a large portion of the weight is resting on the back end of the stand on one or two contact points, usually the area above the ankles. Instead of sanding down the stand, maybe using small cuts of the protective wrap that came with the original valks might help. 

I would love to see what you think about these when you get yours. Cheers. 

[kkx]

4 hours ago, rdrunner said:

Hi @seti88, the cut edges aren’t that rough and I was comfortable enough to rest all my valks on it for the pics, but I wanted to be careful because a large portion of the weight is resting on the back end of the stand on one or two contact points, usually the area above the ankles. Instead of sanding down the stand, maybe using small cuts of the protective wrap that came with the original valks might help. 

I would love to see what you think about these when you get yours. Cheers. 

I am thinking of cutting a small piece of scotch tape and stick it to the edge of the stand, to add a thin layer of plastic like what you have suggested for protection.