Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[borgified]

8 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

And no free lunch for those asking where to purchase! Your a*%es better be in the trenches with us on PO night contributing 

There will be some jacka**** that will ask regardless. Then you can just smack them on the head in person if you can hunt them down. 

 

5 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Nobody will blame you for finishing your own order before posting the link though. 

A least there is a confirmation that it does work and it gets through..  

Edited June 27, 2020 by borgified

[Grey728]

9 minutes ago, tekering said:

Excellent list, @Grey728!  

You should add this to your Amazon.co.jp description as well, since Amazon themselves often list pre-orders hours late... and only after third-party Amazon resellers (that should be avoided) list higher-priced pre-orders.

Will do!

 

It can be a rush to get get one at PO night, but chances are extremely high that it's more depressing/rage inducing. Get your alcohol of choice ready. Don't be this guy.

 

[DYRL VF-1S]

38 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

Will do!

 

It can be a rush to get get one at PO night, but chances are extremely high that it's more depressing/rage inducing. Get your alcohol of choice ready. Don't be this guy.

 

That. Is. Amazing.

 Also, I will be sipping bourbon every time I see: cartjacked, frozen, crashed, spinning wheel of death. Pretty sure @borgified has the list. Speaking of...

40 minutes ago, borgified said:

There will be some jacka**** that will ask regardless. Then you can just smack them on the head in person if you can hunt them down.

Yup! But that’s OK as long as people give back the best they can to the community and not just take.

[Lolicon]

I wouldn't bother checking Mandarake on PO day. They're a secondhand shop and their prices are dictated by the demand for and rarity of the item. You won't see the latest release on their site for a day or two at the absolute earliest. 

[dafob]

By this time next week, thousands of us will be in deep depression... feeling a sense of defeat and utter disappointment from a wasted night/day in an exercise of absolute futility.

[sqidd]

6 hours ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

YMMV

 

LOL there are some folks that are reliably summoned anytime you complain about NY; and some folks who reliably join the dog pile *cough cough* 

Wait what? Are you talking about me?

[crackpot]

1 hour ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

And no free lunch for those asking where to purchase! Your a*%es better be in the trenches with us on PO night contributing 

Right on!

[sqidd]

1 hour ago, Grey728 said:

Will do!

 

It can be a rush to get get one at PO night, but chances are extremely high that it's more depressing/rage inducing. Get your alcohol of choice ready. Don't be this guy.

 

I just peed my pants a little.

[wm cheng]

Damn it!  I'll be away at a cottage without cell service let alone internet next week - ARGH!!!  How hard is it to get one of these at release day with the markup?  Where would that be?  How much should I budget more than the 19,800Y MSRP to get one at release date?

There isn't anyone in Toronto that wants to order an extra one for me is there?   (I'd even give them a tour of my models/toy if they wanted to come by?!)

[Chronocidal]

I'm mostly at the point where I consider 25,000Y to be the expected price to pay, if not up to 30,000.  I've basically made my peace with those prices, since when the main vendor sites all crash, that's usually the price at NY once the dust clears.  

Edited June 27, 2020 by Chronocidal

[spacemanoeuvres]

23 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Wait what? Are you talking about me?

I was referring to myself 

[sqidd]

2 minutes ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

I was referring to myself 

[sqidd]

7 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

Damn it!  I'll be away at a cottage without cell service let alone internet next week - ARGH!!!  How hard is it to get one of these at release day with the markup?  Where would that be?  How much should I budget more than the 19,800Y MSRP to get one at release date?

There isn't anyone in Toronto that wants to order an extra one for me is there?   (I'd even give them a tour of my models/toy if they wanted to come by?!)

 

2 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm mostly at the point where I consider 25,000Y to be the expected price to pay, if not up to 30,000.  I've basically made my peace with those prices, since when the main vendor sites all crash, that's usually the price at NY once the dust clears.  

What he said^^^^^

 

You probably won't have an issue picking some up on release day. I picked up six Hikaru VF-1S's on release day between $250 and $300.

[Grey728]

7 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

 How hard is it to get one of these at release day with the markup?  Where would that be?  How much should I budget more than the 19,800Y MSRP to get one at release date?

There isn't anyone in Toronto that wants to order an extra one for me is there?   (I'd even give them a tour of my models/toy if they wanted to come by?!)

 

1 minute ago, sqidd said:

 

What he said^^^^^

 

You probably won't have an issue picking some up on release day. I picked up six Hikaru VF-1S's on release day between $250 and $300.

Thirded! It's not hard at all to get one on release day but it all depends on how much are you willing to pay. I think ~30,000Y is where this will fall on release day not including shipping... unless we're lucky and they over make this thing (which I really hope they do). I think only the Max VF-1A still has a decent after market price. 

 

By the way thanks @sqidd for ordering three VF-1S customs from @Red Cometto get Bandai to make this. Somehow that voodoo worked out for the rest of us. 

[Shawn]

4 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I'm mostly at the point where I consider 25,000Y to be the expected price to pay, if not up to 30,000.  I've basically made my peace with those prices, since when the main vendor sites all crash, that's usually the price at NY once the dust clears.  

Yep-you can get them all day long on release for 26000-27000 (at least the Hikaru J/S was like that, the max was around 24000), this is just the expected price to get one of these on YJ.
I wouldn't worry about it missing the pre-order at all.

[Alphahorizon]

OH GOD the PTSD from the other 2 Pre-order events....I was honestly glad that the Kakizaki was a TWE. Special shout out again to @sumyumgoywho managed to snag an additional VF-1S. Otherwise it would have been at mark up for sure.

[DYRL VF-1S]

I was able to land a VF-1S on release day for 19,800 and a Max on release day for 18,000 so it is possible. 

31 minutes ago, crackpot said:

Right on!

LOL. Pretty much.

[Grey728]

1 minute ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

I was able to land a VF-1S on release day for 19,800 and a Max on release day for 18,000 so it is possible. 

You're PO game is strong! Any PO newbies here will get shredded. All other PO veterans will simply pull their pants down and accept their fate.

[sqidd]

22 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

 

Thirded! It's not hard at all to get one on release day but it all depends on how much are you willing to pay. I think ~30,000Y is where this will fall on release day not including shipping... unless we're lucky and they over make this thing (which I really hope they do). I think only the Max VF-1A still has a decent after market price. 

 

By the way thanks @sqidd for ordering three VF-1S customs from @Red Cometto get Bandai to make this. Somehow that voodoo worked out for the rest of us. 

I aim to please!

[sqidd]

14 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

You're PO game is strong! Any PO newbies here will get shredded. All other PO veterans will simply pull their pants down and accept their fate.

I skipped right to "retired". I've never done PO madness. I have enough stress in my life.

[CzarAlko]

2 hours ago, Grey728 said:

I've compiled a list over the years of places I try to purchase a Macross toy. There's no website in the US that will carry these since Harmony Gold puts a stop to it. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/ - Amazon Japan - Pay later available but may not be able to ship to your address. Usually the best place to buy and can handle the highest load of customers. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list. As far as I know they only allowed the Bandai DX VF-1A Max to sell to the US. All other orders weren't allowed without buying through a proxy site. Packaging is a crap shoot. Don't expect a Mint box from them when it arrives.

https://www.hlj.com/ - Hobby Link Japan - Crap website for pre-orders. Very hard to get one in once people know about it and will usually crash. Allows pay later option. Will open orders at exactly 4pm JST on pre-order day

https://www.amiami.com/eng/ - AmiAmi - Same issues as HLJ.com. Website is slightly faster. Also allows pay later. Will open orders at exactly 4pm JST on pre-order day

https://www.nippon-yasan.com/- Nippon Yassan - Very few sold at retail price with pay later option. After their small supply is sold, they start marking up their prices quickly with high shipping costs. Very slow to ship your item though regardless of shipment type you paid for. Pre-Orders don't usually start until 15-40 minutes AFTER 4pm JST on pre-order day. They also have a weird 'ticket' system to limit people on their website.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ - CD Japan  - Pay up-front. I don't know how people can find links to the items so quickly on this website and once I do find it it's usually sold out already.

https://mykombini.com/en/ - My Kombini - Pay up-front. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list.

https://www.kuramatoys.com/ - Kurama Toys - Pay up-front. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list.

http://www.anime-export.com/ - Pay up-front. Opens pre-orders EARLY but won't ship due to pandemic.

https://www.nin-nin-game.com/en/ - Pay up-front. Opens pre-orders EARLY. 

https://www.biginjap.com/ - Pay up-front. I've ordered Bandai DX missiles and Strike packs from there without issue.

https://www.dejapan.com/en/ - Proxy Service - Pay Up-front. Low overhead cost but generally high shipping costs. You provide the site you want them to buy from. You pay for shipment when it arrives at their warehouse

https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/ - Proxy Service - Pay Up-front. Low overhead cost but generally high shipping costs. You provide the site you want them to buy from. You pay for shipment when it arrives at their warehouse

https://www.play-asia.com/ - Play-Asia - Pay later. Cancelled my VF-31E pre-order so.. YMMV

https://www.mandarake.co.jp/ - Mandarake - Aftermarket. One of the Best places to find your collectible. High prices but they are very strict on packaging. 

This is GOLD, thank you so much!

[VF-Zer0S]

Lately Amiami has been the champ in getting pre orders. Extremely long check out processes but winning none the less. 

[Grey728]

I forgot to add https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ - Hobby Search. Their PO window is quite literally seconds.

[rdrunner]

2 hours ago, Grey728 said:

I've compiled a list over the years of places I try to purchase a Macross toy. There's no website in the US that will carry these since Harmony Gold puts a stop to it. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.jp/ - Amazon Japan - Pay later available but may not be able to ship to your address. Usually the best place to buy and can handle the highest load of customers. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list. As far as I know they only allowed the Bandai DX VF-1A Max to sell to the US. All other orders weren't allowed without buying through a proxy site. Packaging is a crap shoot. Don't expect a Mint box from them when it arrives.

https://www.hlj.com/ - Hobby Link Japan - Crap website for pre-orders. Very hard to get one in once people know about it and will usually crash. Allows pay later option. Will open orders at exactly 4pm JST on pre-order day

https://www.amiami.com/eng/ - AmiAmi - Same issues as HLJ.com. Website is slightly faster. Also allows pay later. Will open orders at exactly 4pm JST on pre-order day

https://www.nippon-yasan.com/- Nippon Yassan - Very few sold at retail price with pay later option. After their small supply is sold, they start marking up their prices quickly with high shipping costs. Very slow to ship your item though regardless of shipment type you paid for. Pre-Orders don't usually start until 15-40 minutes AFTER 4pm JST on pre-order day. They also have a weird 'ticket' system to limit people on their website.

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ - CD Japan  - Pay up-front. I don't know how people can find links to the items so quickly on this website and once I do find it it's usually sold out already.

https://mykombini.com/en/ - My Kombini - Pay up-front. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list.

https://www.kuramatoys.com/ - Kurama Toys - Pay up-front. Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list.

http://www.anime-export.com/ - Pay up-front. Opens pre-orders EARLY but won't ship due to pandemic.

https://www.nin-nin-game.com/en/ - Pay up-front. Opens pre-orders EARLY. 

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ - Hobby Search. PO window is open for literally SECONDS only before selling out. The positive here is they don't waste your time. I don't know if it's pay up front or pay later.

https://www.biginjap.com/ - Pay up-front. I've ordered Bandai DX missiles and Strike packs from there without issue.

https://www.dejapan.com/en/ - Proxy Service - Pay Up-front. Low overhead cost but generally high shipping costs. You provide the site you want them to buy from. You pay for shipment when it arrives at their warehouse

https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/en/ - Proxy Service - Pay Up-front. Low overhead cost but generally high shipping costs. You provide the site you want them to buy from. You pay for shipment when it arrives at their warehouse

https://www.play-asia.com/ - Play-Asia - Pay later. Cancelled my VF-31E pre-order so.. YMMV

https://www.mandarake.co.jp/ - Mandarake - Aftermarket. N/A on pre-orders but great for 1st week + after official release day. One of the Best places to find your collectible. High prices but they are very strict on packaging.

Thanks for the very comprehensive list, to me this is very accurate from my last few year's PO experience as well.

N-Y is probably the only company to enforce virtual social distancing on their website for PO madness!!

[rdrunner]

6 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

I forgot to add https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/ - Hobby Search. Their PO window is quite literally seconds.

I have yet to come across someone who has SUCCESSFULLY placed a PO for a Valkyrie figure there on PO day.

[DewPoint]

If you are new to PreOrder Madness, you may want to pick a few online retailers that appeal to you and create accounts before the PreOrder.  You don't want to get cart-jacked while you are creating an account to complete your order.  I think it helps (not 100% sure) to log-in just before Madness hour to help with check-out.  Regardless, reducing delays in checkout should help.

[Grey728]

^ This guy PO's

[Anasazi37]

48 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I skipped right to "retired". I've never done PO madness. I have enough stress in my life.

I tried a few times, failed, then retired after doing the math on how much a good night's sleep is worth to me. Bandai seems to be hyping Roy a bit more than Hikaru, even though Hikaru is arguably more popular in Japan, so that does make me think that release day prices could be north of 30,000. I don't want that to be true, but I'm preparing myself for it. The included stand probably won't help to keep the price down.

14 minutes ago, DewPoint said:

If you are new to PreOrder Madness, you may want to pick a few online retailers that appeal to you and create accounts before the PreOrder.  You don't want to get cart-jacked while you are creating an account to complete your order.  I think it helps (not 100% sure) to log-in just before Madness hour to help with check-out.  Regardless, reducing delays in checkout should help.

Also make sure that the billing and shipping information for your existing accounts is current. I got cartjacked on HLJ for the VF-1S Hikaru because I had to momentarily pause the checkout process to update my information.

[sqidd]

8 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

I tried a few times, failed, then retired after doing the math on how much a good night's sleep is worth to me. Bandai seems to be hyping Roy a bit more than Hikaru, even though Hikaru is arguably more popular in Japan, so that does make me think that release day prices could be north of 30,000. I don't want that to be true, but I'm preparing myself for it. The included stand probably won't help to keep the price down.

 

I'm interested to see how it washes out. As you mentioned Hikaru is more popular in Japan. So, is Bandai hyping it because they think sales will be lower? Will Roy be a lot more popular outside of Japan? What percentage of these go to Japanese customers and what goes to the rest of the world? I don't think we even know what the production number are do we? Is is 10K? 20K? 100K? 500K?

This is a really weird market.

[Lolicon]

1 hour ago, rdrunner said:

I have yet to come across someone who has SUCCESSFULLY placed a PO for a Valkyrie figure there on PO day.

I've managed a few over the years. But no recent 1/48s. Although preorders during the Frontier era were even worse than today. 

Here's a couple of successful orders. 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

I don't think I've ever actually failed a Macross PO (I've failed a couple of others though).

Even managed to get multiples on most, including every 1/48 DX (apart from Kakizaki).

[dafob]

2 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I don't think I've ever actually failed a Macross PO (I've failed a couple of others though).

Even managed to get multiples on most, including every 1/48 DX (apart from Kakizaki).

Famous last words!   Now you've done it... you've just jinxed yourself.  

[sqidd]

7 minutes ago, dafob said:

Famous last words!   Now you've done it... you've just jinxed yourself.  

Thee ol self induced crash and burn

[DewPoint]

Cheep tires strike again!  Or was that black ice? 

[Lolicon]

24 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I don't think I've ever actually failed a Macross PO (I've failed a couple of others though).

Even managed to get multiples on most, including every 1/48 DX (apart from Kakizaki).