Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[derex3592]

I'm just gonna say this...Compare the old Yamato 1:48 AT IT'S TIME OF RELEASE to a similar time frame Bandai release.....nuff said.  Yamato was waaaay ahead of the game on the 1:48 and 1:60ver 2's.  For the DX line, Bandai took an already great idea and updated it slightly with new materials and engineering methods in some areas, then in other areas it takes a step back IMHO. 

 

 

 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

I'll point out that if you're going to compare quality/innovation at the time of release, you should also compare costs at the time of release.

The DX is actually quite inexpensive considering how prices have gone up overall since the Yamato releases.

[derex3592]

No argument on that point. The Bandai DX is very reasonably priced at MSRP.  I was actually surprised by how cheap it was when it's price was first known.  NOT that anyone usually gets them at that price in the 2.4 seconds they are available. .  I never remember stressing out in the Yamato days , oh wait, that's because I didn't.. But Yamato's long term financial plan was not very good apparently, so here we are! 

[Lolicon]

All the things that I wish Bandai would've done to make the DX better would not have impacted the price in any significant way. Correctly sized pilot, HUD details, painted landing gear, smaller text font, not skipping important markings like the ejection seat or skull emblems... stuff Yamato was doing a long time ago.

 

[Sanity is Optional]

25 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

No argument on that point. The Bandai DX is very reasonably priced at MSRP.  I was actually surprised by how cheap it was when it's price was first known.  NOT that anyone usually gets them at that price in the 2.4 seconds they are available. .  I never remember stressing out in the Yamato days , oh wait, that's because I didn't.. But Yamato's long term financial plan was not very good apparently, so here we are! 

I have so far bought 7 DX VF-1 at MSRP. 3x 1J (one gifted to a friend), 2x 1A, and 2x 1S (though one had to be proxy shipped via Tenso).

 

In other news, just put the strike parts on one of my VF-1S figures, and I have to say these go on smooth and stay on pretty well. Much easier to put on than either my HMR or Arcadia versions.

 

Spoiler

 

Edited December 23, 2019 by Sanity is Optional

[Sanity is Optional]

Since nobody's mentioned it yet, I am very surprised how far down the strike cannons will rotate. The first joint allows them to go a full 90-degrees, and there's a second joint as well that will point them another 45degrees or so down, well past what they can actually achieve when mounted to the figure.

[DYRL VF-1S]

18 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

All the things that I wish Bandai would've done to make the DX better would not have impacted the price in any significant way. Correctly sized pilot, HUD details, painted landing gear, smaller text font, not skipping important markings like the ejection seat or skull emblems... stuff Yamato was doing a long time ago.

 

Good thing you kick ass at modifying them.   Good thing none of that bothers me compared to having to put decals on a Yammie that eventually fall off since I suck at mods.

[Lolicon]

22 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

Good thing you kick ass at modifying them.   Good thing none of that bothers me compared to having to put decals on a Yammie that eventually fall off since I suck at mods.

Thanks though I don't use stickers either. Never liked them. Too thick and yeah the adhesive fails over time so eventually they begin to peel. I'm happy that Bandai tampo prints everything but baffled when they add lots of excessive marking but skip basic ones like the ejection seat. 

Still need to fix that 100 on the stabilizer too.

[Slave IV]

Porsche often charges MORE to take away features. Seems in line with Bandai so we can move on from that discussion.

[Anasazi37]

Status update for anyone who ordered SSP sets from AE: I'm still waiting for an "item available for shipping" notification from them. They've confirmed twice that mine will ship this month, but I don't believe them. I'm beginning to think that they completely screwed up orders for the first release since it sold out so fast.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I'm just gonna say this...Compare the old Yamato 1:48 AT IT'S TIME OF RELEASE to a similar time frame Bandai release.....nuff said.  Yamato was waaaay ahead of the game on the 1:48 and 1:60ver 2's.  For the DX line, Bandai took an already great idea and updated it slightly with new materials and engineering methods in some areas, then in other areas it takes a step back IMHO. 

 

 

 

 

Yea if you compare the Yamato 1/48 on release in 2002 to their V1 1/60 VF-1, it was a huge jump. Even that 1/60 VF-1 compared to the Bandai HCM was a huge jump in sculpt.

The DX does some things better than the 1/48 and I do prefer it. It's just not the advancement I would've expected, the jump forward isn't like the long shot between the Yamato 1/48 and V1 1/60, when we know it could've very easily been.

Stuff I would've liked to see on the DX, would've been stuff unique to Bandai's HCM; like missles that can stay on in battroid when wings are swept all the way back(yes the HCM had a gap to enable this but this 30 some years later, I'm sure Bandai could figure out an aesthetically pleasing way to incorporate that). Knees that can bend back beyond 90 degrees(like on their other mecha toys where they incorporate spring loaded doors to make way).

Since the DX did copy the way the Yamato V2 1/60 VF-1 FAST packs attached, I wish the internal details would've been retained as well. The colors are the only things I like more on the DX FAST packs.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

Status update for anyone who ordered SSP sets from AE: I'm still waiting for an "item available for shipping" notification from them. They've confirmed twice that mine will ship this month, but I don't believe them. I'm beginning to think that they completely screwed up orders for the first release since it sold out so fast.

I'd also love to hear if/when anyone gets a shipment preparation update from NY.

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I have so far bought 7 DX VF-1 at MSRP. 3x 1J (one gifted to a friend), 2x 1A, and 2x 1S (though one had to be proxy shipped via Tenso).

 

In other news, just put the strike parts on one of my VF-1S figures, and I have to say these go on smooth and stay on pretty well. Much easier to put on than either my HMR or Arcadia versions.

 

  Hide contents

 

You can ignore my question in the other thread. Yup, Strike Parts.

Yeah, the tampo is a bit over the top. I never really noticed till now.

Looks like it's going to be after Xmas before mine show up. Tracking stalled out in customs for a few days. Booooooooo.

 

[kkx]

26 minutes ago, sqidd said:

You can ignore my question in the other thread. Yup, Strike Parts.

Yeah, the tampo is a bit over the top. I never really noticed till now.

Looks like it's going to be after Xmas before mine show up. Tracking stalled out in customs for a few days. Booooooooo.

 

Sorry to hear that. I hope it will start moving soon. Maybe before the new year.

[Sanity is Optional]

43 minutes ago, sqidd said:

You can ignore my question in the other thread. Yup, Strike Parts.

Yeah, the tampo is a bit over the top. I never really noticed till now.

Looks like it's going to be after Xmas before mine show up. Tracking stalled out in customs for a few days. Booooooooo.

I got lucky. Requested shipping on mine last Thursday, got shipping confirmation on Saturday, and showed up this morning via EMS.

[sqidd]

7 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I got lucky. Requested shipping on mine last Thursday, got shipping confirmation on Saturday, and showed up this morning via EMS.

I'm pretty sure I missed shipping on Friday Japan time by just a bit.

It would have been nice to set them up on Xmas. I'm going to be alone after noon (yay!). May as well get some me time in for a few days. Historically customers leave me alone for a few days too.

 

[beatsing]

11 hours ago, Bahamutzyro said:

Comparing a Chevy to a Porsche hilarious. 
no comparison. 
I own a few cars and I don’t care what Chevy try’s to do with the vette. It will never compare. They need to do a real vette n bring the price up level with the 911 turbo etc.

the problem is that American cars where always shabby floppy builds with poor reliability. Similar to Yamato vs Bandai.

bandais 1/48 feels of quality where the Yamato is flaky. It was good back then hen we didn’t have a choice but now it’s a crap show.

Yup, Bandai feels solid.  But I'm not sure about the plastic connector on the swing bar separator, it might be loose over time.  Yamato both 1/48 and 1/60 v2 (other than those with shoulder issues) have lasted over a decade, mine are still in good shape.  Also my Bandai arms in fighter mode don't lock into place without a lot of finagling, but the yammies are solid.

 

9 hours ago, peter said:

See??  The vertical lines in the chest intakes are there on their 1/35........

Where did they go on their 1/48? 

Yamato did them, but Bandai didn't.  Are they not line-art accurate?

That 1/35 has interesting connectors for the legs to the hips, the 1/48 does not look like that.

Those lines on the chest are on the HMR line.

6 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I'm just gonna say this...Compare the old Yamato 1:48 AT IT'S TIME OF RELEASE to a similar time frame Bandai release.....nuff said.  Yamato was waaaay ahead of the game on the 1:48 and 1:60ver 2's.  For the DX line, Bandai took an already great idea and updated it slightly with new materials and engineering methods in some areas, then in other areas it takes a step back IMHO. 

 

 

 

 

this

Edited December 24, 2019 by beatsing
spelling

[derex3592]

I will say that I LOVE the Bandai tampo overload on the DX VF-1 and the SSP's.  I didn't get an SSP set yet, but as one of the guys who spent countless hours trimming and putting on teeny weeny little "NO STEP" stickers on all my Yamatoes...NOPE..don't miss that one bit! That being said, they are all still on and flat last time I took a few out to rearrange the display cabinet. I wasn't a fan of the tampo Bandai did for the YF-19 though. Too much oddball stuff that wasn't there in the anime for me. Same with their upcoming 21, but I still want one regardless.

[Lolicon]

Speaking of tampo printing, I really shouldn't have to spend time fixing this kind of screw up.

[Saviant]

Has anyone heard anything of the orders from NY shipping?

I ordered mine within 24 hrs of the first preorder and they are telling me now I am not going to get it till April 2020, I am honestly not happy with them atm.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Saviant

[DYRL VF-1S]

1 hour ago, Saviant said:

Has anyone heard anything of the orders from NY shipping?

I ordered mine within 24 hrs of the first preorder and they are telling me now I am not going to get it till April 2020, I am honestly not happy with them atm.

Same thing happened to me. Many are wondering if they simply didn’t score any from the first batch. Major fail.

[Slave IV]

This is a case where Bandai's own store sold out in what was it, two or three days or was it the first day? It was something insanely short and unexpected for a TWE item. I don't care about making excuses anymore for a store that everyone wants to use and bash at the same time but it really is getting old hearing about it. I haven't even bothered checking when my orders will be coming but I was pretty late so I'm sure I'm in the later batch. All good.

[DYRL VF-1S]

19 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

This is a case where Bandai's own store sold out in what was it, two or three days or was it the first day? It was something insanely short and unexpected for a TWE item. I don't care about making excuses anymore for a store that everyone wants to use and bash at the same time but it really is getting old hearing about it. I haven't even bothered checking when my orders will be coming but I was pretty late so I'm sure I'm in the later batch. All good.

Personally, I’m not bashing and agree. Bandai sold out in 3 hours I think. I knew what I was getting into when I purchased before Bandai even posted the reservations.  Still a bummer/fail. My gamble didn’t pay off. Instead, they’re holding my money longer than I needed them to. They’ve never done wrong by me, but I think I have proper expectations of what I’m getting and not getting from them. 

[Saviant]

At this point I am over and done with NY, I have had nothing but troubles with them, every order has been problematic. They don't even have the decency to let you know what is going on. If they would of come out and sent an email letting me know what is happening I wouldn't be as upset but they are useless for support and the prices they charge. I have ordered from other sites and never had these issues.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Saviant

[Matt Random]

Funny, I just got this from NY...

Your trust is the foundation of our success.
It is wonderful to express our highest and sincere regards to you.

NY does certainly test my patience, but I think this time it is more due to Bandai underestimating demand. The retailers probably were waiting until close to the close of the ordering window to submit their orders. This time that backfired and resulted in their orders going to the April batch.

If this wasn't the last Macross purchase in my foreseeable future I'd finally take the plunge and set up an address forwarding proxy account. Seem like the best bet for TWE stuff.

Edited December 24, 2019 by Matt Random

[DYRL VF-1S]

7 minutes ago, Matt Random said:

If this wasn't the last Macross purchase in my foreseeable future I'd finally take the plunge and set up an address forwarding proxy account. Seem like the best bet for TWE stuff.

FWIW, it doesn’t work with the TWE stuff directly on P-Bandai unless you can get a credit card issued in Japan. Or a gift card while in Japan. 

[Anasazi37]

21 minutes ago, Matt Random said:

If this wasn't the last Macross purchase in my foreseeable future I'd finally take the plunge and set up an address forwarding proxy account. Seem like the best bet for TWE stuff.

 

12 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

FWIW, it doesn’t work with the TWE stuff directly on P-Bandai unless you can get a credit card issued in Japan. Or a gift card while in Japan. 

My hopes of obtaining TWE items directly were dashed right after setting up a Tenso forwarding address. Bandai put several countermeasures in place to thwart forwarding services:

1. You have to provide your name in both Kanji and Hiragana
2. You have to provide a valid domestic phone number (they won't accept the one provided by Tenso and other forwarding services)
3. You have to provide valid domestic financial information (e.g., bank account, credit card, pre-loaded debit/gift card)

The first one isn't too difficult, and the second one could potentially be arranged with some planning (buy a cell?), but the third is the hardest because of banking laws and procedures that require identity and residency verification. I'm sure that those laws and procedures exist for very good reasons and, based on a quick interwebz search, trying to set something up remotely looks to be challenging.

So far they haven't blocked proxy buying services, but they do put a limit on purchase quantity. I found that out the hard way when I recently tried to get two Missile sets using FromJapan and my order was cancelled because FJ hit their ceiling. I think we're finding that the proxies move faster than AE and NY, and are a heck of a lot more transparent and professional, but there is still a delay (several hours to several days, depending on your time zone) because you have to tell them what you want, they have to send you a quote, then you have to pay, and only then do they attempt to make the purchase for you. Given how quickly the first release SSP sets sold out, I wonder how many people managed to snag them via proxies.

[crackpot]

12 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

 

My hopes of obtaining TWE items directly were dashed right after setting up a Tenso forwarding address. Bandai put several countermeasures in place to thwart forwarding services:

1. You have to provide your name in both Kanji and Hiragana
2. You have to provide a valid domestic phone number (they won't accept the one provided by Tenso and other forwarding services)
3. You have to provide valid domestic financial information (e.g., bank account, credit card, pre-loaded debit/gift card)

The first one isn't too difficult, and the second one could potentially be arranged with some planning (buy a cell?), but the third is the hardest because of banking laws and procedures that require identity and residency verification. I'm sure that those laws and procedures exist for very good reasons and, based on a quick interwebz search, trying to set something up remotely looks to be challenging.

So far they haven't blocked proxy buying services, but they do put a limit on purchase quantity. I found that out the hard way when I recently tried to get two Missile sets using FromJapan and my order was cancelled because FJ hit their ceiling. I think we're finding that the proxies move faster than AE and NY, and are a heck of a lot more transparent and professional, but there is still a delay (several hours to several days, depending on your time zone) because you have to tell them what you want, they have to send you a quote, then you have to pay, and only then do they attempt to make the purchase for you. Given how quickly the first release SSP sets sold out, I wonder how many people managed to snag them via proxies.

I think a few here got their orders in via proxy. From what I have read here, at least AE offered a refund while NY on the other hand, hasn't offered any options. 

[Saburo]

Got this in my email inbox...  Thanks NY, now where's my Strike Parts?

[canklebreaker]

lol, was just about to say something about that email too. they've confirmed I'm in the April batch as well

[DYRL VF-1S]

56 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

 

My hopes of obtaining TWE items directly were dashed right after setting up a Tenso forwarding address. Bandai put several countermeasures in place to thwart forwarding services:

1. You have to provide your name in both Kanji and Hiragana
2. You have to provide a valid domestic phone number (they won't accept the one provided by Tenso and other forwarding services)
3. You have to provide valid domestic financial information (e.g., bank account, credit card, pre-loaded debit/gift card)

The first one isn't too difficult, and the second one could potentially be arranged with some planning (buy a cell?), but the third is the hardest because of banking laws and procedures that require identity and residency verification. I'm sure that those laws and procedures exist for very good reasons and, based on a quick interwebz search, trying to set something up remotely looks to be challenging.

So far they haven't blocked proxy buying services, but they do put a limit on purchase quantity. I found that out the hard way when I recently tried to get two Missile sets using FromJapan and my order was cancelled because FJ hit their ceiling. I think we're finding that the proxies move faster than AE and NY, and are a heck of a lot more transparent and professional, but there is still a delay (several hours to several days, depending on your time zone) because you have to tell them what you want, they have to send you a quote, then you have to pay, and only then do they attempt to make the purchase for you. Given how quickly the first release SSP sets sold out, I wonder how many people managed to snag them via proxies.

Correct on the detail for purchasing directly from P-Bandai. I actually got around the first two and tried two different ways around the third. Both times, my “test” order was accepted but then days later was told that it was reported my payment method was issued out of country. I even tried a Travelex pre-paid card in Yen, but still not accepted since it was issued in the States.

Fortunately, I got Strike parts through an Amazon seller who shipped Global and was only $10 more than the cost of NY.

[canklebreaker]

Stumbled across a IG post from dislexicons where he displayed a valkyrie on a levitating display.

[Duymon]

The worst part about it now is it's been 6 months since I made my Preorder to NY so they can just never deliver and I can't do anything about it for my Strike Parts

[Anasazi37]

3 hours ago, Saburo said:

Got this in my email inbox...  Thanks NY, now where's my Strike Parts?

Mine went straight to the Junk Mail folder, so even my email provider is skeptical of their "highest and sincere regards"

[sqidd]

10 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

Mine went straight to the Junk Mail folder, so even my email provider is skeptical of their "highest and sincere regards"

LOL