Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[lavinrac]

I want it, So I'll give PO a shot, but if i fail I fail. And if it comes available later.. cool. I want a Focker VF-1S, but I don't have strong feelings about TV vs. DYRL... if you look at all the macross toys out there, there are so many inconsistencies.. both in the show and in the toys.. I have (diagnosed not appropriating the term) OCD, and this STILL doesn't bug me. Its just.. Hey cool an awesome Valk! 

Hope I can get one but if not.. Well the Hikaru VF-1S is pretty awesome.

 

 

[Alan Molina]

need to pre-order this !! wonder where will it be the best place to do this?

 

https://tamashii.jp/special/macross/vf-1s_RFS/

[jvmacross]

4 minutes ago, Alan Molina said:

need to pre-order this !! wonder where will it be the best place to do this?

 

https://tamashii.jp/special/macross/vf-1s_RFS/

The place where your order actually goes through...

[pablumatic]

So 3am Friday morning July 3rd for the east coast of the U.S.? 

I've missed every pre-order so far for Bandai stuff. I don't think that will change this time either.

[borgified]

If you don't want to be "Cart Jacked, in the Spinning Wheel of Death or experience Website Crashes", then you can pick a unit up after release date at a slight mark up @pablumatic. 

Just hang around here and enjoy the craziness during the pre-order night. I'm going to be in the sidelines as I have pre-order for the re-release of the Arcadia VF-1J with the GBP this August.

 

[jenius]

Thank God we won't be lining up at a brick and mortar store or I'd fear there would be violence!

[DYRL VF-1S]

48 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

The place where your order actually goes through...

This.  LOL

15 minutes ago, borgified said:

If you don't want to be "Cart Jacked, in the Spinning Wheel of Death or experience Website Crashes",

Uh oh... did the drinking game start already?

[borgified]

If your doing the pre-round shots today for next week, then I see why not @DYRL VF-1S? 

Just don't over intoxicate yourself and cause another liver cirrhosis count to go up by "x" amount by the end of the day. 

[Roy Focker]

I'll tell you this. If NY ends up being the only store not sold out on preorder night I won't be getting one at all.

[pablumatic]

49 minutes ago, borgified said:

If you don't want to be "Cart Jacked, in the Spinning Wheel of Death or experience Website Crashes", then you can pick a unit up after release date at a slight mark up @pablumatic. 

Just hang around here and enjoy the craziness during the pre-order night. I'm going to be in the sidelines as I have pre-order for the re-release of the Arcadia VF-1J with the GBP this August.

 

That's what I will be doing. 

Bandai and other companies limiting pre-orders to a specific number of units rather than giving a time period and fulfilling all orders has always been bizarre to me. They could make so much more money that way.

[crackpot]

18 minutes ago, borgified said:

If your doing the pre-round shots today for next week, then I see why not @DYRL VF-1S? 

Just don't over intoxicate yourself and cause another liver cirrhosis count to go up by "x" amount by the end of the day. 

Please everybody, have all the pre-round shots you want. That'll definitely make my PO night easier 

[borgified]

13 minutes ago, Roy Focker said:

I'll tell you this. If NY ends up being the only store not sold out on preorder night I won't be getting one at all.

Looks like someone called out the NY gif! 

Anyone want to upload it and has ready? 

[jvmacross]

Just curious....is there any other company that has used the term "Roy Focker Special" for their VF-1S Roy VF-1S product?

I am wondering if this is a Bandai thing inherited from the old ARII/IMAI days, which I think they bought up a while back....I don't think Yamato or Arcadia uses it either

 

The only one I can think of is the upcoming MasterFiles book for the VF-1S "Roy Focker Special"....

 

[Chewie]

Besides amiami and HLJ, any other suggestions for trying?

[spacemanoeuvres]

36 minutes ago, Roy Focker said:

I'll tell you this. If NY ends up being the only store not sold out on preorder night I won't be getting one at all.

I don’t know why I keep ordering from them. I have six sets of DX SSP at NY and they haven’t responded to my ticket for 5 days.

Fingers crosses I hear something this year. I don’t have too much more on order with them but I imagine I’ll place a PO wherever I can for this bad boy. 

[RedComet]

27 minutes ago, pablumatic said:

That's what I will be doing. 

Bandai and other companies limiting pre-orders to a specific number of units rather than giving a time period and fulfilling all orders has always been bizarre to me. They could make so much more money that way.

I feel like they could REALLY make a lot more money by charging an extra 5000 for this one (because release stand? Who really acres about their rationale) they must have some idea what the Hikaru 1J sell for in the aftermarket? Hate to say it, but they seem to be putting it too far below what people are perceiving to be its market value, and THAT is what really opens it up for the scalpers.

[borgified]

18 minutes ago, Chewie said:

Besides amiami and HLJ, any other suggestions for trying?

AE, your two suggestions (however HLJ will either cut your order off or the website will not load at all), Bandai on line, CDJ and others.. 

There will be other sites for link during next week to give more chances in getting it. 

 

[Chewie]

2 minutes ago, borgified said:

AE, your two suggestions (however HLJ will either cut your order off or the website will not load at all), Bandai on line, CDJ and others.. 

There will be other sites for link during next week to give more chances in getting it. 

 

Thank you. I really want to try this time. Excited and flush with cash. Let's do this. =)

[DYRL VF-1S]

7 minutes ago, Chewie said:

Thank you. I really want to try this time. Excited and flush with cash. Let's do this. =)

However, be careful of where you order.  Many sites are not offering a viable means to ship since Japan Post suspended SAL and EMS to the States (and other locations).  So for example, if you order from AE it will have to sit in their warehouse until Japan Post restores SAL and/or EMS.  NY will let you do ferry but that's it - or it sits in their warehouse.

Edit:  For those particular about details, both of those sites offer alternatives but reports are that AE has a courier service that costs a ton and requires your Social Security number.  NY has UPS and costs about double of shipping EMS.

Edited June 26, 2020 by DYRL VF-1S

[Chewie]

3 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

However, be careful of where you order.  Many sites are not offering a viable means to ship since Japan Post suspended SAL and EMS to the States (and other locations).  So for example, if you order from AE it will have to sit in their warehouse until Japan Post restores SAL and/or EMS.  NY will let you do ferry but that's it - or it sits in their warehouse.

Edit:  For those particular about details, both of those sites offer alternatives but reports are that AE has a courier service that costs a ton and requires your Social Security number.  NY has UPS and costs about double of shipping EMS.

Very good to know, thank you. I was reading a little about that yesterday and then got sidetracked at work. 

Sitting in a warehouse isn't awful if I get one, but then how long until we're go back to any semblance of normal. 

Also, what's the reason behind the quip about NY up there? Are they bad?

[DYRL VF-1S]

8 minutes ago, Chewie said:

Also, what's the reason behind the quip about NY up there? Are they bad?

That's debatable and has been hashed out on this thread quite a bit already.  Most of these companies have a different idea of customer service than how we are accustomed to in the States.  NY is not the most accommodating in ways that you might expect in the states.   But I don't want to rehash here.

Just dive in and watch this thread on PO night.  You'll see great chatter and info here. 

[sqidd]

8 minutes ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

That's debatable

I'm not sure 100 vs 1 is a debate.

[spacemanoeuvres]

59 minutes ago, Chewie said:

Very good to know, thank you. I was reading a little about that yesterday and then got sidetracked at work. 

Sitting in a warehouse isn't awful if I get one, but then how long until we're go back to any semblance of normal. 

Also, what's the reason behind the quip about NY up there? Are they bad?

YMMV

 

39 minutes ago, sqidd said:

I'm not sure 100 vs 1 is a debate.

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* 

[MKT]

I'm really liking this shade of yellow Bandai have chosen. In fact, so far the colors used for this 1/48 line, from Max's blue, Hikaru's VF-1S red, Kakizaki's green in pics and now Roy's yellow, have a certain richness or saturation that makes them pop.

[Chewie]

Thanks, guys. Really. I know there is a ton of info already in the thread, but lets face it, this thread is effin' yuge. 

I will certainly keep an eye out over the coming days and be here with ya'll night of. 

If I get one, it'll be my first that wasn't second hand. 

 

[Slave IV]

Haha, this NY talk is a non-issue to me. As @DYRL VF-1S stated, there is a thread about it where people can read although I haven't read the thread myself lately or ever (don't remember). I think the simplest thing to look at is how many people who are so vocal about complaining about them still order from them regularly. That pretty much says it all to me and objectively, there are many pros and cons about all the Japanese retail sites so it depends on what is most important to you and in these preorder madness cases, who you can actually get an order with. But I'm happy to say NY sucks if it makes it easier for me to get my preorders there.

[Chewie]

I am reading the thread now, I didn't mean to dig up any bones about it. I appreciate the feedback in any case. 

[DYRL VF-1S]

According to Hobby Watch, ""DX Chogokin VF-1S Valkyrie Roy Focker Special" will be introduced at the online event "TAMASHII Features 2020" which will be held from July 4th."

https://hobby.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/1261799.html

Would seem our suspicions would be correct.

[Tking22]

Looks gorgeous, I'm so glad it's the TV Roy too, I would've passed on DYRL. I'm cynical about these DX though, I've accepted, a week ahead of pre-orders, I'm not getting one at retail and will have to pay some assperson on eBay for one at a markup. I need one though, so what can you do? 

[CzarAlko]

5 hours ago, borgified said:

AE, your two suggestions (however HLJ will either cut your order off or the website will not load at all), Bandai on line, CDJ and others.. 

There will be other sites for link during next week to give more chances in getting it. 

 

Quick question?

What is AE?

I usually get my model kit stuff from HLJ without any trouble, but I have not had much luck with Bandai Items (idk if they are even open for preorder one minute its not even there and the next it says order stop) 

Anyone had any luck pre-ordering from Hobby Search? (1999.co.jp)

How about Toydojo? They are from Texas, Ive seen they sold the previous releases at a markup,  they pre order some Bandai Items but I've never dealt with them before.

I really want to get this one, I'm hoping to be able to preorder it at a regular price from!

 

[Grey728]

11 minutes ago, CzarAlko said:

What is AE?

http://www.anime-export.com/

[Grey728]

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. Occasionally raises prices on Pre-Orders they know will sell well. (Metal Build Evangelion Unit 01 Re-release as an example)

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.

Edited June 27, 2020 by Grey728
Added more info about Amazon JP and Added Mandarake. Added Hobby Search

[tekering]

Excellent list, @Grey728!  

4 minutes ago, Grey728 said:

Doesn't usually have item right away for pre-order. Seems random when they list.

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.

[DYRL VF-1S]

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

[Sanity is Optional]

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