Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[Bolt]

5 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

What Gundam fans? 

 

They lurk around every corner..

[rdrunner]

Just now, no3Ljm said:

What Gundam fans? 

 

Hahahaha!

I have been a gundam fan for a long time, as well as a fan of the transformers masterpiece line.  While Gundam mecha has beautiful and extremely detailed sculpt and articulation, most of them don't transform and even when they do (zeta/zz/etc) the non-robot mode always look "forced".  Transformers on the other hand, feels more like a kids toy and a lot of the transformation gimmicks are needed to account for "anime magic", and the resulting sculpt and lines aren't as refined as Valkyries. 

To me, valks strike the perfect balance between decent forms (in both fighter and battroid modes, in most cases), great articulation (I'm looking at you, VF-4, with the fixed shoulders, as the only exception), and the pristine finish to them as a figure for grown ups, not just a toy.  It's a shame that valks are not more widely appreciated by the market, which could have increased production volumes and our chances of securing these GD preorders...

[Sanity is Optional]

6 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

What Gundam fans? 

Mess with my GFFMC wing zero and it's on .

[Bolt]

Lol. Case in point!

(I’m rather fond of my ñu Gundam..)

Edited April 8, 2019 by Bolt

[no3Ljm]

4 minutes ago, Bolt said:

They lurk around every corner..

3 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

Hahahaha!

I have been a gundam fan for a long time

Same here.  But I'm no lurker. 

3 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Mess with my GFFMC wing zero and it's on .

I'm not a big fan of Wing Zero so it's definitely on. 

 

[DewPoint]

32 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

True. But that's in DYRL. Not on SDFM series.  

 

 

We should probably rephrase the original statement.  For starters, Kakizaki had the same initial "A" rating as Max in SDFM.  He got taken out by bad luck in SDFM.  As far as DYRL, we should say that "You needed someone like Milia to take out Kakizaki."

Edited April 8, 2019 by DewPoint
Always typos!

[Bolt]

3 minutes ago, DewPoint said:

We should probably rephrase the original statement.  for starters, Kakizaki had the same initial "A" rating as Max in SDFM.  He got taken out by bad luck in SDFM.  As far as DYRL, we should say that "You needed someone like Milia to take out Kakizaki."

Bad luck in SDFM for sure,  still portrayed as a bit of a buffoon. In DYRL he didn’t even see it coming..

Edited April 8, 2019 by Bolt

[yman1437]

3 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

It was about an hour and half for the 3rd party sellers on AmazonJP to start listing the VF-1A, about an hour after that for AmazonJP itself to list a few.

Thanks for the clarification. 

[ArchieNov]

Hey if worse comes to worst, I hope they'll at least release Kakizaki and I'll be able to get him. Then at least I can get a mold of the 1A, then keep the rest of the 1/48 collection to just 1 of each type.

[Bolt]

I can’t see why they wouldn’t release the Kakizaki version. Wouldn’t make sense not to.

[Gabe Q]

1 hour ago, gingaio said:

Also, I don't know how many more of these nights I have in me. I feel like a punch-drunk fighter in the morning. 

So tired at work today, too! I regret staying up for nothing. So bummed out about this. All because a bunch of a-holes want to make a few bucks...

[rdrunner]

1 minute ago, Bolt said:

I can’t see why they wouldn’t release the Kakizaki version. Wouldn’t make sense not to.

To me it's not a question of if, but when.  It would make the most sense to issue that next to complete the Vermillion squadron, but I think we can never predict Bandai...

[RED WOLF]

Does this mean once it's in stock I'll automatically get one? Or do have to keep on trying to check out?

 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

2 minutes ago, RED WOLF said:

Does this mean once it's in stock I'll automatically get one? Or do have to keep on trying to check out?

 

 

If you ordered it, yeah.

They won't let you check out if they don't estimate having enough stock. From that phone pic it looks like you did not check out, only managed to get it into your cart.

 

The fact their website errors sometimes and over-sells (causing them to cancel orders), is something else.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Sanity is Optional

[no3Ljm]

1 minute ago, RED WOLF said:

Does this mean once it's in stock I'll automatically get one? Or do have to keep on trying to check out?

No. There's no guarantee. In order for it to show up in your PW is when you receive a confirmation email that you did have it in order. Besides, your order will not go thru since there's a red warning above.

 

[RED WOLF]

ok good to know. I was checking out then hit my card then came back to this screen and got sad lolz.

[slide]

Just now, Sanity is Optional said:

Remember, the larger strategy decisions aren't made just in regards to Macross, but the whole DX Chogokin line (of which macross is only a part of) and their premium lines in their entirety (Chogokin, Metal Build, the various Fix Figuration/Metal Composite/etc...).

I don't collect anything Toy-wise outside MAcross, so I have no idea how expansive this particular line of pruducts truly is, however one would think a data-driven approach would solve any such problems/uncertainty-of-demand across their entire business model... but hey, who am I to tell them how to run their [obviously successful] business?

 

Quote

 

In a lot of those cases, there's more or less competition, or no competition at all.

 

Just now, slide said:

...Bandai are making a bigger, sturdier, CHEAPER VF-1 than Arcadia, with new versions are coming out faster/more consistent... so Bandai's winning..

Again, just comparing within an arena I know.

 

 

Quote

 

Also part of the risk adverseness comes down to the shops too, they'd much rather get a shipment that flies off the shelves, than one that sits. Which gives Bandai better leverage over MSRP and distributor pricing.

 

[again, back to theory] Is it not, in fact, the shops themselves who should be most worried?

Bandai gonna make collectibles, [at least some] Fans gonna buy collectibles...

If Bandai decided they'd like to bring-in 100% of MSRP* from a release, they can simply use the internet to Cut-out the middle-men. My understanding is they already do this with P-Bandai releases [though not for this reason]. Bandai's price [whatever they say it is] becomes MSRP, everything else is a markup.
Surely, there could be no better Leverage than that?

 

In my method the stores know exactly how many they will need for POs, and the choice of risking more capitol on in-hand-copies is up to them, don't have to if they're happy with their cut of the PO's.

The Potential for Certainty goes all around!

 

*of course, it would be boorish to throw-your-weight-around and burn bridges with shops/distributors like that, which would likely be a bad move...

[RED WOLF]

Anyone with an extra PO let me know. I have an SOC Voltron PO that we could work something out let me know. Or MP44 if you are into that.

[Sanity is Optional]

5 minutes ago, slide said:

[again, back to theory] Is it not, in fact, the shops themselves who should be most worried?

 Bandai gonna make collectibles, [at least some] Fans gonna buy collectibles...

 If Bandai decided they'd like to bring-in 100% of MSRP* from a release, they can simply use the internet to Cut-out the middle-men. My understanding is they already do this with P-Bandai releases [though not for this reason]. Bandai's price [whatever they say it is] becomes MSRP, everything else is a markup.
Surely, there could be no better Leverage than that?

 

In my method the stores know exactly how many they will need for POs, and the choice of risking more capitol on in-hand-copies is up to them, don't have to if they're happy with their cut of the PO's.

The Potential for Certainty goes all around!

 

*of course, it would be boorish to throw-your-weight-around and burn bridges with shops/distributors like that, which would likely be a bad move...

As I understand it, at least for Bandai's gunpla lines, Bandai decided what spread of kits to provide. Bandai decides that the retailers get a 5:1 (example numbers) split between MG and HG, and what the distribution of HG/MG is for instance. The shop just determines how large an order they're getting.

Very different distribution arrangement.

Edited April 8, 2019 by Sanity is Optional

[mapendieck]

38 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

Hahahaha!

I have been a gundam fan for a long time, as well as a fan of the transformers masterpiece line.  While Gundam mecha has beautiful and extremely detailed sculpt and articulation, most of them don't transform and even when they do (zeta/zz/etc) the non-robot mode always look "forced".  Transformers on the other hand, feels more like a kids toy and a lot of the transformation gimmicks are needed to account for "anime magic", and the resulting sculpt and lines aren't as refined as Valkyries. 

To me, valks strike the perfect balance between decent forms (in both fighter and battroid modes, in most cases), great articulation (I'm looking at you, VF-4, with the fixed shoulders, as the only exception), and the pristine finish to them as a figure for grown ups, not just a toy.  It's a shame that valks are not more widely appreciated by the market, which could have increased production volumes and our chances of securing these GD preorders...

This...all of it. 

[Reïvaj]

13 hours ago, Lolicon said:

"I want Bandai to be the sole provider of Macross toys!"

Edited April 8, 2019 by Reïvaj

[derex3592]

woooooow....just now catching up on the umpteen pages of pissed off people around here...man...glad I slept through that blood bath!     Way to go Bandai/scalpers! 

[Foblander]

Now that I'm committed to at least the Vermillion Squadron and a Roy DX, I'm thinking real hard about slowing down on the robot spirit line to make sure there is enough space for the giants. Lol I love my robot spirit Gundams and they are so fun to play with, but Macross toys are such delightful pieces of art to own Each Macross toy I can appreciate and view as a unique masterpiece on it's own.

[Sandman]

1 hour ago, SpaceCowboy said:

I'm writing Bandai to let them know how shitty this is.  No good complaining on here.  Let them know.

Got an email address for Bandai?

[Slave IV]

Regarding the whole business aspect and Bandai, here is my take:

I don't think it's an example of Bandai being bad at recognizing demand. I think it's just another case of limited resources for a company that makes thousands of products with varying degrees of profitability. No matter what anyone thinks, these are still high end niche markets and relatively, there are not many people who want to spend around $200+ on a toy robot. Some of those who do want it and are pissed that they haven't been able to get one should blame retailers with inadequate online store programming and themselves for not being on the ball enough before they blame Bandai...IMO.

Also, I will reiterate that I don't think Bandai is miscalculating anything...at least not by as much as we all hope to think. They are an international corporation with bean-counters whose calculations are most likely telling them it's more profitable to produce other items instead of more of these high end niche items. It's great for business when all your high end items sell out instantly and you have no extra stock clogging the shelves. Each unsold SOC or DX item costs more to make and to store because of the size and parts count. Selling more small, cheap items at a higher margin means more profit and less potential loss.

It is simple, ruthless business just as people are hoping for but some people seem to be letting their own desire for Macross toys cloud their thoughts on how business works. It's all about the bean counters!

Regarding the demand for Max's SDFM 1A:

1. The success of the DX 1J - The overall satisfaction reported with it being regarded as the best overall Valk made to date and the first new design in about a decade all make the appeal greater to collectors and scalpers.
2. The SDFM Max 1A has not had a quality release since the Yamato days. Max is probably a lot of people's favorite pilot since he was THE MAN and like me, itching to get his original Valk.

We've seen several versions of Hikaru's 1J released in recent years...1/60, 1/100 (2 types), 1/48. Max's 1A hasn't been released in any form by anyone reputable (Yamacadia/Bandai) for 10 years.

[slide]

 

Just now, Sandman said:

Just now, SpaceCowboy said:

I'm writing Bandai to let them know how shitty this is.  No good complaining on here.  Let them know.

Got an email address for Bandai?

Nah, you gotta go Full-Canadian and write a physical letter!

 

If nothing else, they'll be surprised someone went to the trouble.

[Bahamutzyro]

3 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Oh yeah, I also pre-ordered the Arcadia VE-1 Premium Finish, when I already own 2 Elintseekers.  *sigh*

Radar domes are my kryptonite... as are apparently DX VF-1A TV Max  *double sigh*

Dude, you just made me spend 244.00 on NY for an Arcadia elintseeker. I didn’t even realize this was up for pre order.  I need to unsubscribe from these threads!

[Shizuka the Cat]

4 minutes ago, Bahamutzyro said:

Dude, you just made me spend 244.00 on NY for an Arcadia elintseeker. I didn’t even realize this was up for pre order.  I need to unsubscribe from these threads!

I got someone to buy a valkyrie that they otherwise might not have purchased?

My work is done!  

[mechaninac]

@Shizuka the Cat: Macross World's newest Super Dimensional Enabler...

[Shizuka the Cat]

2 minutes ago, mechaninac said:

@Shizuka the Cat: Macross World's newest Super Dimensional Enabler...

Super Dimensional Enabler  SDE-92  Shizuka

[slide]

Just now, Slave IV said:

Also, I will reiterate that I don't think Bandai is miscalculating anything...at least not by as much as we all hope to think. They are an international corporation with bean-counters whose calculations are most likely telling them it's more profitable to produce other items instead of more of these high end niche items. It's great for business when all your high end items sell out instantly and you have no extra stock clogging the shelves. Each unsold SOC or DX item costs more to make and to store because of the size and parts count. Selling more small, cheap items at a higher margin means more profit and less potential loss.

It's not a 'miscalculation';

"Bandai made X amount of DX Max VF-1A. Bandai assumes [correctly] that the number they made will be Pre-sold or otherwise picked up by a retailer."

All fine and dandy... One even assumes that's how they do business in general, like most companies in this game.

However: This still leaves customers with money in-hand, and no supply to meet them, except scalpers.

What I'm harping on is a failure to modernize/optimize/integrate the data systems they already have in-place, when doing so opens up the opportunity to expand sales.

 

Again: Bandai, the Manufacturer and Primary Distributor of the product in question, has the power to solve this problem; simultaneously getting more product into collector's hands, and potentially expanding their profit margins beyond what they had planned, simply by utilizing the systems/Data already in-use, in a new/different way, to nail down EXACT numbers before they even begin pressing plastic into moulds.

Seems a no-Brainer to me, but again, I don't know their production limitations, etc. etc. etc...

 

This is a potential optimization applicable for all lines of "high-end, low-margin" Collectibles they make, not just Macross:

Actually manufacturing an amount of stock in accordance to your pre-payed pre-orders would [in theory] remove the issue of oversupply completely from the table.

 

I also realise that Bandai has little incentive to care, since they [presumably] sold their entire run. If they're fine with that, then mission accomplished.

 

Whatever, it now makes no difference to myself. Bandai's loss of potential revenue

Edited April 8, 2019 by slide

[Bolt]

Everyone is napping now...

[Shizuka the Cat]

A friend of mine who works at Hasbro explained a possible theory as to why Bandai does not make enough valkyries.

He said that, depending on the manufacturer, one cannot just order an arbitrary number of toys to be made. Rather, they have to be ordered in lots.  For example, if a single lot is 2500 valkyries, maybe Bandai ordered 2 lots of the VF-1A because they knew that would completely sell, but were not convinced that 3 lots of inventory would clear quickly.

Also, due to the quantity of a lot, it is not practical to have open pre-orders, since what happens if the pre-orders that come in does not come close to filling out a lot multiple? That runs the risk of the company either needing to cancel pre-orders down to a lot multiple, or going up to the next lot multiple and having too much extra merchandise.

He also said that Bandai may be trying to avoid warehousing product as much as possible, so they might have fewer products manufactured, but don't have to worry about warehousing since they pretty much already sold everything off due to pre-orders. This is versus an approach of making perhaps too much and needing to keep some inventory warehoused in hopes of eventually getting sold off, potentially at a discount.... which they might be trying to avoid.

He's not sure if this scenario is true for Bandai... or at least the division of Bandai responsible for Macross toys, but he offered it as to one possibility.

Edited April 9, 2019 by Shizuka the Cat

[Checkmate]

Has anyone been monitoring Japanese Macross sites or forums? I wonder if they experienced the same hell we did?

[rdrunner]

1 minute ago, Checkmate said:

Has anyone been monitoring Japanese Macross sites or forums? I wonder if they experienced the same hell we did?

I would be curious to know too. What websites would you search for a Japanese Macross forum??

A toy reviewer in HK said none of his friends and him were able to secure a PO for the Max 1A. So it’s not just us American fans who got screwed this time.