Is it worth it anymore?

[slaginpit]

I know some people are going to flame me. But hear me out.

 

Being a fan of the Macross franchise is exhausting to say the least. Especially if you are into the cool jet designs and want a figure.

 

Let me start from the show perspective

 

I Know that Songs, singing, bad pop was always a part of the story. But it wasnt the whole part of the story. It actually aided the story along. In fact if it was it would be another musical but just animated. Argh. The original was more about a love triangle and a struggle of being lost in space being perused by aggressive aliens. It was a lost in space meets cowboys and indians with Top Gun machismo

 

I always hated that a an alien race would go bonkers with a humans song. For all that matters their vocal cords and internal ear structures could have evolved into something that didnt even hear human audible sounds. Ugh, playing a guitar while flying around. Having a jet fighter strapped with huge speakers in space ugh. OK OK we can hear sounds from space ie radio waves with specialized equipment but the Zentrati could have just blocked those sounds. anyhoo whatever, I liked the fighter vs Fighter scenes.

 

Honestly speaking story wise, I think Macross the Movie, the original OVA and Zero were the best shows. Although Zero started getting weird in that Evangelion way.

The new show UGH. ....But the biggest selling point is also the Jets.

When Yamato was doing it, it was cool 1/48 scale !!!! AWESOME !!! but they were limited. Often broke and were bloody expensive and almost impossible to get. And still they are with the new company whatever they are. Then bandai came around and a Great Eureka moment occurred. A chogokin Quality and quantity with a decent price. And then what we got were poorly designed jet with short gimpy landing gears, parts that break. I mean my Version 1 Blue jet, forgot the name and I got the edition with the Super part packs with the missile pods, just broke the other day, all I did was move the wing into position to pose in the cabinet, and only ever transformed it once to robot mode and it just snapped. LOL incredible. I know people here in HONG KONG are bathing in money, but for me money or not, its a just such a waste to have a collectable item break on you. I mean there are G1 transformers out there that have been taken care off that are still functional at that and that was 36 years ago not something from 6 years. Really piss poor sub standard chogokin from the Worlds Biggest Toy Fab company.

 

And please dont make the excuse well its share of the market is low. I call bull. 3rd Party Transformers have a pretty small Market share and actually have a lot of costs that have to be adsorbed by a small group of people, 1) design, 2) pre fab, 3) QA and defect fixes  4) final assembly and then 5) sales Bandai doesnt suffer from any of this.

Then Bandai sneaks in V2s with a price increase of a 100 dollars. And I guess people really dont know what to do with their money cause they seem to just replace the entire fleet with V2s Jeez. I wish i had that kind of miscellaneous speeding ability

 

If you compare high end toys, like Hot Toys, sideshow and dare I say now a lot of the 3rd parties it seems that Bandai keeps giving the middle finger to collectors from the Gundam and Macross base.

Trying to get a valk in 2017 is expensive and nearly impossible. So I am saying what is the point. With 3rd Parties branching into Ninja Turtles and now Gundam I really welcome 3rd Party getting into Macross. Screw the IPs if companies are going to be that brazen with a fan base then 3rd party should pick up that slack. It certainly has not hurt Hasbro.....

 

 

 

 

[Mommar]

Hot Toys is a bad example of quality, their stuff breaks all the time.

[jenius]

The renewal VF25 cost about the same as the original... like 2000 yen more and you got a display stand. 

This actually sounds like a Robotech vs Macross debate in some respects on a very high level. Robotech tells the story of a prolonged resource war. Macross made the very conscious effort not to go that way and it probably saved the franchise since the pop music is a big part of its success. It definitely causes some groan worthy moments but I still find the shows fun. I really enjoyed Frontier.

[Kanedas Bike]

What's the question - is it worth it anymore?

Yes, absolutely. 

Toys that I love from a show/series that I love. I used to literally dream of Valkyries just like this when I was a kid, and now I have the opportunity to own them.

Personal experience (regarding items breaking and the ability to purchase them at a cost that I find reasonable)  + personal preference are also key to each person's answer.

-b.

[HardlyNever]

For me it is like... 80% nostalgia.  These are the toys I wish existed when I was a kid, so having them available now is sort of a dream come true.  But I'm only really interested in SDF Macross/DYRL.  Zero is decent, I haven't tried M+/7 or Frontier, so I can't comment on those(I probably will get to them one day).  I tried to watch an episode of Delta... nope.  I might buy one vf-31 because they seem to be really well made toys, but I can't see myself ever even watcing that series.

So, for me it is "worth it," but I basically only care about the show I have nostalgia for.  I'm rewatching SDF macross now, and it still holds up IMO.  Having the toys there that I wish I could have had when I was a kid in the 80s... it's about the best nostalgia trip I could ask for.  It's worth the price, to me.  But I don't have that feeling about any of the other shows, so I do balk at the higher prices I see for stuff that isn't so nostalgic to me.

[wmkjr]

 People gonna get what they want regardless of price. I'd welcome a 3rd party's take on the their version of Macross items and not some KO reprints. Interesting that there's a ton of 3rd party Transformers out there. You'd think by now, someone would've tried to tackle a non SD Macross one. Just need a brave 3rd party to get the ball running.

[seti88]

The title sounds like you are facing a burnout dude.

If so, just take a break and don't feel the need to analyze every aspect of macross or the toys.

You will enjoy macross better...

[spacemanoeuvres]

38 minutes ago, slaginpit said:

I know some people are going to flame me. But hear me out.

 

Being a fan of the Macross franchise is exhausting to say the least. Especially if you are into the cool jet designs and want a figure.

 

Let me start from the show perspective

 

I Know that Songs, singing, bad pop was always a part of the story. But it wasnt the whole part of the story. It actually aided the story along. In fact if it was it would be another musical but just animated. Argh. The original was more about a love triangle and a struggle of being lost in space being perused by aggressive aliens. It was a lost in space meets cowboys and indians with Top Gun machismo

 

I always hated that a an alien race would go bonkers with a humans song. For all that matters their vocal cords and internal ear structures could have evolved into something that didnt even hear human audible sounds. Ugh, playing a guitar while flying around. Having a jet fighter strapped with huge speakers in space ugh. OK OK we can hear sounds from space ie radio waves with specialized equipment but the Zentrati could have just blocked those sounds. anyhoo whatever, I liked the fighter vs Fighter scenes.

 

Honestly speaking story wise, I think Macross the Movie, the original OVA and Zero were the best shows. Although Zero started getting weird in that Evangelion way.

The new show UGH. ....But the biggest selling point is also the Jets.

When Yamato was doing it, it was cool 1/48 scale !!!! AWESOME !!! but they were limited. Often broke and were bloody expensive and almost impossible to get. And still they are with the new company whatever they are. Then bandai came around and a Great Eureka moment occurred. A chogokin Quality and quantity with a decent price. And then what we got were poorly designed jet with short gimpy landing gears, parts that break. I mean my Version 1 Blue jet, forgot the name and I got the edition with the Super part packs with the missile pods, just broke the other day, all I did was move the wing into position to pose in the cabinet, and only ever transformed it once to robot mode and it just snapped. LOL incredible. I know people here in HONG KONG are bathing in money, but for me money or not, its a just such a waste to have a collectable item break on you. I mean there are G1 transformers out there that have been taken care off that are still functional at that and that was 36 years ago not something from 6 years. Really piss poor sub standard chogokin from the Worlds Biggest Toy Fab company.

 

And please dont make the excuse well its share of the market is low. I call bull. 3rd Party Transformers have a pretty small Market share and actually have a lot of costs that have to be adsorbed by a small group of people, 1) design, 2) pre fab, 3) QA and defect fixes  4) final assembly and then 5) sales Bandai doesnt suffer from any of this.

Then Bandai sneaks in V2s with a price increase of a 100 dollars. And I guess people really dont know what to do with their money cause they seem to just replace the entire fleet with V2s Jeez. I wish i had that kind of miscellaneous speeding ability

 

If you compare high end toys, like Hot Toys, sideshow and dare I say now a lot of the 3rd parties it seems that Bandai keeps giving the middle finger to collectors from the Gundam and Macross base.

Trying to get a valk in 2017 is expensive and nearly impossible. So I am saying what is the point. With 3rd Parties branching into Ninja Turtles and now Gundam I really welcome 3rd Party getting into Macross. Screw the IPs if companies are going to be that brazen with a fan base then 3rd party should pick up that slack. It certainly has not hurt Hasbro.....

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry you broke your toy. It will be okay

[jvmacross]

At some point you just have to move on....

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/40391-have-macross-become-out-of-reach-for-collectors/

 

But yeah, Macross is still totally worth it for many....probably also worth it to many that don't feel compelled to drop a single penny into the franchise too!

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/38871-macross-collectibles-market-watch-current-auctionstore-sold-prices/

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/40095-your-most-recent-macross-or-toy-purchase-general-thread/

 

 

[SuperSenpai]

It's a hobby.  It's supposed to be fun.  Don't take it so seriously.  There are more important things in life than toys.  If you don't enjoy it anymore then stop. 

Edited April 21, 2017 by SuperSenpai

[Mog]

Part of the reason 3rd Party Transformers are more successful is twofold:

* There's umpteen versions of the numerous Transformers out there (Don't like the version that's too beholden to the cartoon?  There's one that leans more to the G1 toy.  Want something more like the IDW comic book version?  There's a 3P toy for that!)

* There's a ton of gaping holes that Hasbro/Takara has never bothered to fill with official releases (Dinobots, combiners, Jazz, Hound, etc.)

You really don't have those kind of opportunities with Macross.

If a manufacturer gives us a TV Hikaru with a 1S head and a maroon stripe (rather than bright red), we'll scream bloody hell murder.

Other than SD's/joke machines, there's not much opportunity for variations.

As for untapped/"ignored" figures, the TV SDF-1, enemy mechs, and one Destroid type are really the only items that haven't been mass produced in a larger, non-Hi-Metal R scale.

If I was a third party manufacturer, I wouldn't consider Macross a highly lucrative market. <shrugs>

Edited April 21, 2017 by Mog

[SpaceCowboy]

With the US Dollar and Bandai making cheaper valks it is a bit easier than it was a few years ago towards the end of Yamato and a weak dollar.

All that said - jesus is the new series absolutely horrible.  I agree completely with you that Macross was a war saga that had a backdrop of singing.  I accepted the "aliens affected by song" the first time, because, okay sure.  But once that started becoming a critical core of the series I think they lost the plot.  I HATED Basara, and the new series, there is literally no one I like.  I have no reason to root for the protagonist (I don't even remember his name).  He's a pacifist that goes into the military, and immediately is able to hang and best some of their ace pilots.  There is no struggle, nothing I can relate to.  It seems highly tailored to a group of fans of macross that I'm not part of.

All of that said, I generally love the jet designs of Macross in general.  I too have been very critical, especially of Yamato, for selling $300 figures that break out of the box.  For $300 this should not be a statue.  It is frakking designed to be transformed.  I'm not manhandling these things in any way, but the tolerances on them were so tight that they couldn't help but break.  I think in recent years the valks have gotten a lot better in that department by Arcadia and Bandai.  

I do sympathize with you though.  It is an expensive hobby, and with a series as weak as Delta its easy to ask the question about what you are doing with your time/money.  I say just don't sweat it too much and come back maybe for the next series.  Hopefully they'll pull their head out of their ass and give the other fans the war epic the loved from the original.

[dizman]

55 minutes ago, seti88 said:

The title sounds like you are facing a burnout dude.

If so, just take a break and don't feel the need to analyze every aspect of macross or the toys.

You will enjoy macross better...

Exactly this, I want to say we all face it every now and then. I sure have at one point or another, I just had to put everything up and take a break for a bit. As for the price of valks and if they are worth it well that's up to you and only you. They are worth it to me as I love most valk designs and Arcadia/Bandai have hit the point where they are knocking each design outta the park (with small QC issues here and there of course).

I wouldn't bank on 3p getting into original designs just yet, we will have to see how the KO VF-1 goes and see if the factories producing them make enough money to justify production. Maybe it will be the push 3p needs to show there is a market but that remains to be seen.

[Zx31]

If anyone thinks that war was the main plot of Macross, I'm curious if we watched the same show. While the Zentraedi attacking the SDF-1 and earth was the trigger, most of the series was about trying to come to an understanding and common ground with the "enemy". Those who only wanted to annihilate the enemy ultimately lost their arguements or were annihilated by superior firepower which is a theme that comes up repeatedly in each series.

The series literally revolves around "culture" as a means to understand each other in times of conflict, making all of the musical focus in other shows exactly in line with the original.

[seti88]

frankly the reasons i liked the original macross (SDFM) vibes were in order of importance;

1) animation
2) valkries
3) characters who grew-up, had responsibilities and weren't teens who can magically pilot mecha.  (hikkie at least went to flight school rite? )

but that's nostalgia, macross has evolved, animation has evolved, and so has the need to grow a new audience.

That aside, the current valks are like works of art! Mechanical design wise kawamori-san has improved leaps and bandai has kept up!

if not for anything, just be glad that the valkyrie design envelope is still being pushed to the sky is the limit!!

Edited April 21, 2017 by seti88

[easnoddy]

19 minutes ago, Zx31 said:

If anyone thinks that war was the main plot of Macross, I'm curious if we watched the same show. While the Zentraedi attacking the SDF-1 and earth was the trigger, most of the series was about trying to come to an understanding and common ground with the "enemy". Those who only wanted to annihilate the enemy ultimately lost their arguements or were annihilated by superior firepower which is a theme that comes up repeatedly in each series.

The series literally revolves around "culture" as a means to understand each other in times of conflict, making all of the musical focus in other shows exactly in line with the original.

They "came to an understanding" with a small portion of the enemy, and wiped out most of the rest (or so it seemed).  Pretty sure they killed Grace in Frontier instead of getting her to come to an understanding.  Isamu was "cleaning out" Zentran rebels in Plus.  So violence is a means to an end in much of Macross.  Accept our culture or die.  Good stuff.

[Zx31]

18 minutes ago, easnoddy said:

They "came to an understanding" with a small portion of the enemy, and wiped out most of the rest (or so it seemed).  Pretty sure they killed Grace in Frontier instead of getting her to come to an understanding.  Isamu was "cleaning out" Zentran rebels in Plus.  So violence is a means to an end in much of Macross.  Accept our culture or die.  Good stuff.

All very small parts of stories where one of the primary threads is how music can be used to control or influence others.

[Britai 7018]

I think at the end of the day, this should be a fun hobby. It should not be a chore. If it brings anxiety or pain to buy some toys (or watch some cartoons for that matter) then it sounds like it really isn't worth it. 

I love collecting figures and misc. collectibles still but agree that it does go through peaks and valleys. 

[Slave IV]

A couple big reasons why old toys lasted longer is:

#1: It was still early on relatively in the profit is #1 toy industry and resources were more plentiful.

#2: The designs were much simpler...it's easy to make a block that just bends in a couple places with a big solid screw hinge durable. 

The "toys" we are buying these days are way more detailed and complicated than anything we ever got before. The fact that they can even be produced and sold as consumer products is already pretty impressive. Could they be even better? Sure!, always!

All I know is I buy tons of Macross and most the time, they are just repaints of the same VF-1 or whatever but every one I get gives me much more satisfaction than just about any other toy. That's all that matters to me. Am I getting what I want and am I enjoying it? If not, then I'll do something else.

[Boobytrap]

Not all hobbies are affordable. I'd love to collect high end Italian sports cars and floor them up and down the Autobahn. Unfortunately I'm not a millionaire so that's not going to work for me. As it is collecting Macross, 1/6 figures, and Gundam is about all I can afford. If you want to collect high end toys you have to expect to pay high end prices. You also have to accept that not a single one, no matter how well it is designed and how much we pay, will be 100% without flaws (paint chipping, parts breaking, proportions off, etc...). Of course some issues can be worse than others, like Arcadia VF-0A/D, and should not be tolerated in any toy.

Anyone is perfectly, and understandably, within their right to not pay high end prices for a toy that may break. Perhaps a better route is to pick one that doesn't cost as much so you aren't as upset should something bad happen. Maybe HMR would be a better route. Or going even cheaper, Toynami's. Of course the cheaper you go the lower the quality goes.

In the end it is a subjective decision as to whether what you want to buy fits into your budget and expectations. If you can't find something you can afford that also meets your standards then maybe it's time to move on to another hobby.

[Lolicon]

If you don't enjoy it anymore, then quit, I guess? Hobbies are supposed to be fun. 

Not sure what the quality of the shows has to do with toy quality. Most of of the Macross shows are terrible, but the same can be said about Transformers. 

[Cowboy17]

4 hours ago, Mog said:

Part of the reason 3rd Party Transformers are more successful is twofold:

* There's umpteen versions of the numerous Transformers out there (Don't like the version that's too beholden to the cartoon?  There's one that leans more to the G1 toy.  Want something more like the IDW comic book version?  There's a 3P toy for that!)

* There's a ton of gaping holes that Hasbro/Takara has never bothered to fill with official releases (Dinobots, combiners, Jazz, Hound, etc.)

You really don't have those kind of opportunities with Macross.

If a manufacturer gives us a TV Hikaru with a 1S head and a maroon stripe (rather than bright red), we'll scream bloody hell murder.

Other than SD's/joke machines, there's not much opportunity for variations.

As for untapped/"ignored" figures, the TV SDF-1, enemy mechs, and one Destroid type are really the only items that haven't been mass produced in a larger, non-Hi-Metal R scale.

If I was a third party manufacturer, I wouldn't consider Macross a highly lucrative market. <shrugs>

Transformers is a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more lucrative market than Macross, and OP bringing up good 3rd parties as a "they can do it, why not bandai" forgets one thing

3rd Party chinatransformers aren't paying anyone for licensing.  Major cost burden that they don't have. 

[Cowboy17]

1 hour ago, Boobytrap said:

Not all hobbies are affordable. I'd love to collect high end Italian sports cars and floor them up and down the Autobahn. Unfortunately I'm not a millionaire so that's not going to work for me. As it is collecting Macross, 1/6 figures, and Gundam is about all I can afford. If you want to collect high end toys you have to expect to pay high end prices. You also have to accept that not a single one, no matter how well it is designed and how much we pay, will be 100% without flaws (paint chipping, parts breaking, proportions off, etc...). Of course some issues can be worse than others, like Arcadia VF-0A/D, and should not be tolerated in any toy.

Anyone is perfectly, and understandably, within their right to not pay high end prices for a toy that may break. Perhaps a better route is to pick one that doesn't cost as much so you aren't as upset should something bad happen. Maybe HMR would be a better route. Or going even cheaper, Toynami's. Of course the cheaper you go the lower the quality goes.

In the end it is a subjective decision as to whether what you want to buy fits into your budget and expectations. If you can't find something you can afford that also meets your standards then maybe it's time to move on to another hobby.

 

You think buying 300 dollar toy planes is an unaffordable hobby? Just pray you never get started on camera stuff....or watches.

[Boobytrap]

12 minutes ago, Cowboy17 said:

 

You think buying 300 dollar toy planes is an unaffordable hobby? Just pray you never get started on camera stuff....or watches.

For some people, yes I'm sure it is. It can quickly add up to thousands of dollars a year. Not everyone has that much disposable income. For me, a better way to phrase it than what I did is that I'm at the limit for what I want (not ability) to spend on hobbies, and Macross isn't the only thing I collect. Available display and storage space is actually more of an issue for me than the financial part. 

And i'm just going to plug my ears, close my eyes, and pretend you didn't say anything about the existence of any other hobbies in the world. I like being married to my wife

[hachi]

I cannot have all the toys that I want because I cannot afford it all. Acceptance of this fact is key to contentment but yes, it's still hard. And I am reminded that I am fortunate to be able to buy these toys every time I see a beggar or a homeless person on the street.

I love Macross and as long as the quality of the future shows don't dip below Delta I am OK with that. If they do go below then I have SDF Macross and Macross Frontier series to fall back on. There are other better things/hobbies we can spend our time on than anime/toys we don't like.

So yeah it's still worth it (at least the stuff I can afford).

[UN Spacy]

Meltdown in progress?

[promethuem5]

Based on your entire post, I've come to the conclusion that you don't actually like Macross.  You should spend your time on things you enjoy, because it ain't this.

[pengbuzz]

On 4/21/2017 at 2:38 PM, Cowboy17 said:

 

You think buying 300 dollar toy planes is an unaffordable hobby? Just pray you never get started on camera stuff....or watches.

It is "unaffordable" when that 300 dollars has to go to either groceries or medications; some of us don't have the luxury of that kind of "disposable income". As for cameras and watches, the Easyshare digicam I have works fine, as does the 10 dollar watch I got several years ago. Not everything has to cost a mint to work or be appreciated, and I do think there's a kind of conceit where brand and cost take precedent over function.

 

As to the OP:

On 4/21/2017 at 9:12 AM, slaginpit said:

I know some people are going to flame me. But hear me out.

 

Being a fan of the Macross franchise is exhausting to say the least. Especially if you are into the cool jet designs and want a figure.

 

Let me start from the show perspective

 

I Know that Songs, singing, bad pop was always a part of the story. But it wasnt the whole part of the story. It actually aided the story along. In fact if it was it would be another musical but just animated. Argh. The original was more about a love triangle and a struggle of being lost in space being perused by aggressive aliens. It was a lost in space meets cowboys and indians with Top Gun machismo

 

I always hated that a an alien race would go bonkers with a humans song. For all that matters their vocal cords and internal ear structures could have evolved into something that didnt even hear human audible sounds. Ugh, playing a guitar while flying around. Having a jet fighter strapped with huge speakers in space ugh. OK OK we can hear sounds from space ie radio waves with specialized equipment but the Zentrati could have just blocked those sounds. anyhoo whatever, I liked the fighter vs Fighter scenes.

 

Honestly speaking story wise, I think Macross the Movie, the original OVA and Zero were the best shows. Although Zero started getting weird in that Evangelion way.

The new show UGH. ....But the biggest selling point is also the Jets.

When Yamato was doing it, it was cool 1/48 scale !!!! AWESOME !!! but they were limited. Often broke and were bloody expensive and almost impossible to get. And still they are with the new company whatever they are. Then bandai came around and a Great Eureka moment occurred. A chogokin Quality and quantity with a decent price. And then what we got were poorly designed jet with short gimpy landing gears, parts that break. I mean my Version 1 Blue jet, forgot the name and I got the edition with the Super part packs with the missile pods, just broke the other day, all I did was move the wing into position to pose in the cabinet, and only ever transformed it once to robot mode and it just snapped. LOL incredible. I know people here in HONG KONG are bathing in money, but for me money or not, its a just such a waste to have a collectable item break on you. I mean there are G1 transformers out there that have been taken care off that are still functional at that and that was 36 years ago not something from 6 years. Really piss poor sub standard chogokin from the Worlds Biggest Toy Fab company.

 

And please dont make the excuse well its share of the market is low. I call bull. 3rd Party Transformers have a pretty small Market share and actually have a lot of costs that have to be adsorbed by a small group of people, 1) design, 2) pre fab, 3) QA and defect fixes  4) final assembly and then 5) sales Bandai doesnt suffer from any of this.

Then Bandai sneaks in V2s with a price increase of a 100 dollars. And I guess people really dont know what to do with their money cause they seem to just replace the entire fleet with V2s Jeez. I wish i had that kind of miscellaneous speeding ability

 

If you compare high end toys, like Hot Toys, sideshow and dare I say now a lot of the 3rd parties it seems that Bandai keeps giving the middle finger to collectors from the Gundam and Macross base.

Trying to get a valk in 2017 is expensive and nearly impossible. So I am saying what is the point. With 3rd Parties branching into Ninja Turtles and now Gundam I really welcome 3rd Party getting into Macross. Screw the IPs if companies are going to be that brazen with a fan base then 3rd party should pick up that slack. It certainly has not hurt Hasbro.....

I believe I understand where you're coming from on this: it would seem that the hobby has become so expensive that just trying to get something of a decent quality and representation in the series is becoming more "out of reach", while quality control seems to be an issue. This is largely why I resorted to buying a secondhand model from 30 years ago at a thrift store: the kind of money to be spent on a collectible cannot be justified in many households.

(My replies from here on out are in general to replies on this board)

That said, for someone to say ""if you want it, you'll find a way" comes across as a bit shallow and out of touch. So does the comment "then you must not like Macross then", as those things denote a sense of elitism and really in of themselves "give the bird" to folks who do like the various series but are already struggling with finances. An example is that I love Star Trek, but I am not able to put out 150 dollars or more for the 1/350 scale TOS Enterprise. Does that mean that I "must not like Star Trek"? No, and that's an unfair characterization of anyone who has an interest in a particular genre or topic. I was never able to buy the Moebius TOS Galactica, but instead reworked the Monogram version from the 80's. That doesn't make me any less of a fan of TOS BSG; it simply meant that I found a way to make masking tape, glue and plastic work to create the replica I wanted.

Yes, the replicas now are indeed far more complex than their predecessors; that said, for those prices, the quality of the plastic and the manufacturing needs to come up. And if that is going to cost more money, then what exactly are we paying for in the first place? A complex replica that falls apart when stress is placed on a part? That's akin to building an advanced nuclear submarine, then using tinfoil for the hull and installing screen doors "as a safety measure". C'mon, what do you really think? If the replica is supposed to be that "high-end", then do what you're charging the money for and get it right to start with. A wing joint should not be busting apart just because it was moved as it was designed (this is Macross, not Iran trying to design a fighter for crying out loud!!). And if the quality is not going to be that great, then why the high price? It's not just complexity that is being paid for here: if I want complexity, I can simply write HTML or CSS on a piece of paper for free. There: instant complexity and it didn't cost me a dime.

Onto another point (I know these are out of order, but unless the "Composition Police" pull me over, to blazes with it!!!), I think in the later series, some of the music and it's place has become a bit exaggerated and a bit inane. Sure, I liked DYRL, M@2,M+ and M7, and I liked much of the music. But an integral part of the story has always been the struggle, whether between cultures or between fighters. M+ had several one-on-one battles (in and out of mech) between two former friends over an incident in the past, and M2 was Ingues trying to turn Earth into a smear with his fleet. So I think Macross for all of us has different elements that we appreciate. But nowhere do I see the "Robotech Vs. Macross" debate coming in. I tend to think that accusation is often used (and overly so) when a difference of opinion is expressed on what the original show was about.

So, with all of that stated (putting on my asbestos suit now and strapping on multiple layers of reactive/ ablative armor for the potential incoming combos of verbal Itano Circii, Beam Cannons, overtechnology super-dimension-energy cannon and possible Minmei Attack salvos. ): I sympathize with you greatly, Slaginpit. I understand the frustration you surely feel, and the anger at having something you treasure break on you. I also understand the frustration of trying to follow the series and seeing it move in a direction that was not what got you interested in Macross in the first place. I think a kind of fatigue can set in from all of that, and I wish I had better answers and a potential solution for you.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2017 by pengbuzz

[blackconvoy_D01]

On ‎4‎/‎21‎/‎2017 at 11:43 AM, seti88 said:

The title sounds like you are facing a burnout dude.

If so, just take a break and don't feel the need to analyze every aspect of macross or the toys.

You will enjoy macross better...

THIS!

I've burnt out 4 times with Macross collecting. This time around I finally learned to do and get WHAT I LOVE from Macross and not try to compete or keep up with others collections. Doing it at your pace too will make you feel better financially.

Edited April 24, 2017 by blackconvoy_D01

[Mazinger]

I'm newer around these parts and can sympathize with the disappointment in having something so expensive and dear break.

I also somewhat of a cheapskate. I gave myself a rule that I would not spend over a certain dollar amount for any toy.  I've failed to comply only twice - in both cases I jumped at previously owned holy grail items - interestingly enough not Macross (Orguss, Mospeada).  Much of my collection is also second hand.  Some of the items have problems, but I'm OK with that.

My has prevented me from going after the Delta DX items, but didn't prevent from getting some of the 1/72 bandai models.

Setting limits helps.

[Graham]

I  stopped trying to be a completest about 5 years or so ago. It's just become too unaffordable, especially if you like to own multiples of each VF.

Now I just buy designs I like, which at the moment happen to be the Macross Delta toys.

I skipped several of the Bandai Frontier and Mac 30 DXs.

I skipped most Arcadia releases apart from the YF-19 and 30th Anniversary VF-1J.

I skipped all the Bandai HMR toys.

 

[spanner]

On 4/22/2017 at 1:32 AM, Kanedas Bike said:

What's the question - is it worth it anymore?

Yes, absolutely. 

Toys that I love from a show/series that I love. I used to literally dream of Valkyries just like this when I was a kid, and now I have the opportunity to own them.

Personal experience (regarding items breaking and the ability to purchase them at a cost that I find reasonable)  + personal preference are also key to each person's answer.

-b.

I can agree with what KB said. I love the toys and I love the series. Even as wishy washy as Delta was, its still Macross and I still love it!

I can't think of any toys that I have ever bought over the course of my life including model cars, figures, rc cars, planes, boats, bike, tanks bla bla bla that has not had breakages and as much as some Valkyrie's been known to have that problem and being quite expensive its a thing and a risk I accept. Nothing is ever been nor will ever be perfect anyways. I am far more worried about buying a brand new car and having a $50-100K lemon than a $250 toy with something fall off or a detail not correct to the anime..

Macross is something I have dearly loved since day 1 and im not going to stop collecting the toys because one of two have a leg or something that falls off. Yeah they are expensive but that adds to the charm and besides its only money and more will always come around.

Edited April 24, 2017 by spanner

[Big s]

I find these newer collectibles easier to afford now than a few years ago. Here in ca we have had inflation issues on everything. Toys are more expensive than a decade ago, but since my first job only making around $6 an hour to the minimum wage being $11 an hour and going to $15 within the next couple years the toys really haven't doubled in price but maybe quadrupled in detail. I love the hmr series and will keep finding it worth the trouble for a good while to come.

[fenrir72]

@OP

I have aveeeeeeeeeery limited Macross figs collection. Bandai re-issue of the Takatoku Super VF1S, Yamata VF1s 1/60 + armor,HMRs Monster, Regult and Glaug, VF1J armor, VF1J new ver,Max VF1j,VF1S Strike Valkyrie and the VF1A CF. Very limited eh?

But one thing I can say  being an avid TF G1 vintage owner, the quality is no less superior as no matter how much you care for you figs, the still/WILL BREAK on you.

My TF Godginrai year 2000 made in Japan re-issue broke on me after  15 years. without any manhandling. Just the act of transformation caused his ankle to break (the cab part). Same with Bigconvoy's plastic shoulder (left part). It was just on display when it fell off. Bad materials or bad luck. It's just part of the game I guess.

[Ivan]

It's okay to stop collecting Macross figures/toys.  That should not prevent anyone from being a true fan or from enjoying the shows.  I got burned out and lost my patience after watching 3 episodes of Delta, which in turn led me to stop buying the VF-31's as I can't help but feel like I am repeating the VF-25 cycle.  Anyway, I may change my mind later on, but for now, I am done.