Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[lavinrac]

5 minutes ago, Agent-GHQ said:

Holy crap man that’s quite a gift for a kid of the 80s! The closest thing to a Valkyrie that I came across back then was the knock offs found at flea market. 
 

Do you remember what year your parents got you this strike valk set? 

It almost HAD to be 85 or 86.The movie came out what.. THIS week in Japan in 1984? I was still watching Robotech and it didn't come out til March 85 according to Google just now. It was bought at Fuji Oriental Market in Palmdale CA. Shortly after i got the Shogakukan Macross DYRL Photo Novels. The shop also had a VT-1 Ostrich, in a glass case, not for sale.  Other than a small anime toy section, they sold food and groceries from Japan. 

[seti88]

7 hours ago, RED WOLF said:

I'm thinking for me it's a bit of both, especially with COVID. The hunt is always  thrilling as well. Once we have it, onto the next.  Since my collection has grown significantly (for me) I often wonder what I'm chasing or searching for.

 

Hows the closet space coming along? 

6 hours ago, Pcfly said:

I know this is going to sound "old mannish" but has anyone else at one point stood back and said......WTF......$300 for a "coveted statuette".......ummm....toy.  

I've been a fan of this stuff since 1984 but holy toledo......my 1984 side is looking at this and saying.......ohhhh heeeeeeell no.....you'll never have one of those in your lifetime.....and here I am, one orders.   Don't get me wrong I appreciate the stuff that goes into making this stuff but to pay basically twice the price.......seems to be normalized these days. I mean geeez......I don't see any of this stuff at MSRP any more. 

From one old man to another, i hear ya. Hard to imagine macross toys are still going stronger and pricier still.

Still, viewing it as a marathon not a sprint. I might not get all of em, but if i am collecting some i really like, am ok missing out on a few favs.

Do i wish it was easier to get at MSRP, and i wouldnt pay for scalper prices? Hell yeah.
But i also understand am not here to tell folks what to do with their money. 

 Luckily, not everyone has a money printing machine (unlike the fed), and the prices eventually settle back NEAR MSRP. 

5 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Haha yeah. I won’t pay markups for this stuff but just a few years ago, $100 for a single figure was a major decision and usually out of the question. Now, I buy $200-$400 figures regularly like they are candy. I buy $100 basic action figures at a blink of an eye like it’s nothing. Only thing I can say is I’m glad I make more money now and the figures have improved to a point where I feel they are worth it. I mean, all this stuff is still way overpriced imo but if a basic, low quality figure I can find at a department store costs $30 these days, I sure as hell would rather pay 2-3 times that to get an extremely high quality figure that has detail, articulation and quality feel that was unheard of ever before. At that point, paying $200-$300 for a big, high end, engineered, transforming Mecha seems like a no brainer. 

Down the rabbit hole we go! 

5 hours ago, myk said:

That's why I mostly gave up toy collecting.  As I get older I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on a piece of inanimate plastic/metal/resin or whatever, no matter what it transforms into or how much clothing you can remove off of the figure, but I WILL make an exception for Roy's 1S and come out of retirement  for him, no question...

I cant tell what attracts me to roy's valk. Is it the yellow scheme??Or merely skull leader designation.

 I mean i could have gotten hikaru's 1S and be done with a 1S, but somehow i still go for roy's ride.

5 hours ago, lavinrac said:

 

Thanks for posting that nostalgic image. Brings back the feels bigtime. Grateful for being part of it when other kids may not have been able to get one.

Edited July 10, 2020 by seti88

[lavinrac]

9 minutes ago, seti88 said:

 

Thanks for posting that nostalgic image. Brings back the feels bigtime. Grateful for being part of it when other kids may not have been able to get one.

My friend had the Elint Seeker 1/55. I was SUPER JEALOUS... and we. *gasp* played with our toys. Elint was where i found the stub nose that was on my Jetfire.  Before that i thought the US version just had a stubby nose no one else got. Even at that age we were already griping about our missile toys not shooting or being super weak.

 

[Vi-RS]

2 hours ago, lavinrac said:

Robotech is approved by this child, on Christmas morning with the only gift he really cared about and still has to this day,  who turned into me, now aged 47 and with a massive collection of macross and a reasonable collection of Mospeada:

this kid would not see DYRL in motion for another 3-4 years, or Macross  TV in Japanese for. god.. mid 90's?? Anyhow. I would not have begged my parents to take me to Smith Brothers Hobbies in Lancaster CA (outside Edwards AFB) or Fuji Oriental Market (Palmdale) Or Books Nippan (LA) if not for Robotech... I can't hate it. Now HG on the other hand.. they can **** right off the planet. 

 

I need to see a reenactment picture of a middle aged man holding the Hikaru DX VF-1S with the Chunky monkey left at the back.

[Lolicon]

Unopened Hikaru 1S just sold for 26k. It came out last November.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1136428812&ref=list&keyword=マクロス

So please don't get impatient and FOMO and pay the ridiculous scalper prices at places like NY or Nin Nin for Roy's 1S.

[myk]

16 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

Unopened Hikaru 1S just sold for 26k. It came out last November.

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1136428812&ref=list&keyword=マクロス

So please don't get impatient and FOMO and pay the ridiculous scalper prices at places like NY or Nin Nin for Roy's 1S.

Too late!

 

In any case, I remember the absolute rapture I experienced when my mom took me to a hole in the wall comic shop and spent $60 on a takatoku VF1S for me.  I was 11 at the time and couldn't understand why the words ROBOTECH or Roy Fokker didnt appear on the textured box, but I was so happy because to me that particular mecha with those markings was the holy grail of any toy.  F**k man I miss those days...

[weiser21]

4 hours ago, borgified said:

Who still here needs the Movie SSP set?

Priced at 12k yen - https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1142910248&ref=list&keyword=マクロス&lang=en

How much does it cost to ship though? Only DHL is available to USA.

[chyll2]

2 hours ago, Vi-RS said:

I need to see a reenactment picture of a middle aged man holding the Hikaru DX VF-1S with the Chunky monkey left at the back.

@lavinrac you dont owe us anything but if you can humor this request, it will be awesome.

[weiser21]

4 hours ago, lavinrac said:

Constantly questioning. I won't pay $300 in 2020 for a single Valk. Both for OMG $300 for a valk and to not feed the scalpers. I guess i have $300 tied up in a Valk and Armor Just at MSRP tho.  DX 1/48 line seems to be worth i.t. Still. im my last post. that 1/55 with armor. in.. musta been 1985? Was $40. Still in great shape but a bit yellow. 

 

To get back on track as a derailed a bit there. I just got my reply from N-Y and they are ready to change my shipping for a $50 box of Plastic Missiles (just missiles!)  I can have them sent by Ferry, or I can pay $40 more for UPS.. for plastic missiles (Overpriced by bandai, overpriced shipping by Covid/UPS)  

*** What are you guys picking? Is Ferry trackable and just slow as heck? If its not trackable I'd probably pay for UPS. I don't have to have them NOW. but no tracking means i might never see them at all (im my experience) I trust the USPS about.. well none. 

 

I paid a fellow MWer $95 shipped for set of missiles. Got here yesterday,

[yman1437]

5 hours ago, lavinrac said:

 

*** What are you guys picking? Is Ferry trackable and just slow as heck? If its not trackable I'd probably pay for UPS. I don't have to have them NOW. but no tracking means i might never see them at all (im my experience) I trust the USPS about.. well none. 

 

They do provide tracking but prepare to wait 3 months (my case before covid)

[Bahamutzyro]

10 hours ago, DYRL VF-1S said:

I mean you are on a Macross thread and not a Robotech one. 
 

But everyone here is pretty cool about it unlike some of the other forums on the interwebs. I like both personally but to each their own.

For the love of all that is sacred, please watch Macross legit style. You can find SDFM on Amazon Prime with English subs. Or better yet, since you’ve watched the Macross Saga on Robotech, go to YouTube and watch Do You Remember Love? 

I’m gonna watch on prime now that you mentioned. I’ll also watch do you remember love.! I’m on furlough so nothing but time right now!

[Bahamutzyro]

7 hours ago, borgified said:

That is true @skullmilitia.

If it wasn't for the US version and Transformers, I wouldn't have found Macross and the offshoots of the franchise.

Right now I'm waiting for the pre-orders for either the DX DYRL 1s Roy/Max and the upcoming YF-21. If Milia's 1J and the VF-11 gets made, I'll decide then. 

 

Cmon, lol you know that if they make Millia or any other 1/48 gets made you will be hitting F5! Lol

[lavinrac]

1 hour ago, chyll2 said:

@lavinrac you dont owe us anything but if you can humor this request, it will be awesome.

New one In box?  I also dont have any 70's furniture. anymore.

Did you know that 'RoboStrux' next to me was Zoids, rebranded for US in the mid 80's? 

I'll see what I can do this weekend.

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 hours ago, Bahamutzyro said:

I’m gonna watch on prime now that you mentioned. I’ll also watch do you remember love.! I’m on furlough so nothing but time right now!

It’s fun! DYRL is my favorite Macross release (does my super creative sn give it away?) And SDFM is cool to watch as Roy is more badass and minmay is a more believable character. Some extra scenes as well.

[DYRL VF-1S]

6 hours ago, lavinrac said:

My friend had the Elint Seeker 1/55. I was SUPER JEALOUS... and we. *gasp* played with our toys. Elint was where i found the stub nose that was on my Jetfire.  Before that i thought the US version just had a stubby nose no one else got. Even at that age we were already griping about our missile toys not shooting or being super weak.

 

Now that is legit. Awesome pic!

[Pcfly]

3 hours ago, weiser21 said:

I paid a fellow MWer $95 shipped for set of missiles. Got here yesterday,

Isn't that nuts.....plastic missiles!!

I agree with you guys, I'm thankful I have the coin to pay for a thing or two but its just fascinating and scary at the same time to see how much this stuff goes for. I guess the question is, does Bandai do this as a calculation? Like I mentioned, I feel like its becoming "normalized" to pay twice the price? I'm guilty of it, I purchased a Roy DX at over $300......and I just paused typing that.

[spacemanoeuvres]

I bought one for $300 shipped at mykombini.  Will definitely be hunting for a couple more units on release day but I expect they will be around the same price 

I would feel better about spending that much if they came with missiles; but I guess the stand is nice.  I can always snuggle my 1/48 Yamato if I strike out on release day haha

[derex3592]

I'm older and wiser these days to where I might pay a small $20-$40 markup on these things to avoid the 7 circles of pre-order HELL.  There's no way I'd ever pay double or more for the DX stuff.  I'm sorry, it's just not worth it to me anymore.  Just my .02.  DX 1:48 stuff is cool and all, and if I can pick it up later for a slight markup, cool, whatever.  If not, I'm not gonna die without it.  My Yamato customized 1:60 V2 collection is still amazing and I love looking at it every day! 

[sqidd]

I've gotten over what the mostly imaginary retail price is on these. Unless you secure a PO, you're paying way over. How many people got one in the recent PO? 5% of people who wanted them.....at the most? And what if you want three units (a lot of us do)? You're not getting them from one source at PO pricing so now you're paying a lot more shipping.

I don't think that DX Valk is not worth $350 shipped. In reality it's a low production boutique product that is not being marketed to the US. Or even outside of Japan in some cases.

I don't let the "I could have gotten it for $XXX if, if and if" thing bother me. I'll pay my $300-350 and be happy with it.

@Slave IV is zen about shipping times. But not zen about price. I'm zen about price but not shipping times. People are weird.

[HardlyNever]

31 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

I'm older and wiser these days to where I might pay a small $20-$40 markup on these things to avoid the 7 circles of pre-order HELL.  There's no way I'd ever pay double or more for the DX stuff.  I'm sorry, it's just not worth it to me anymore.  Just my .02.  DX 1:48 stuff is cool and all, and if I can pick it up later for a slight markup, cool, whatever.  If not, I'm not gonna die without it.  My Yamato customized 1:60 V2 collection is still amazing and I love looking at it every day! 

Yup, that's where I'm at with it.  I've collected long enough to realize what I value, and how much certain products are worth to me.  I'm fine with paying up to $250 shipped for a DX 1/48 (I haven't had to pay that yet, but I feel like that is about what it is worth to me).  Anything more than that, and I'll personally feel like I overpaid, and it will hurt my enjoyment of the purchase.  So I just won't pay that much.  

But that is my personal line in the sand, and that is just for this particular product.  I've paid over $500 for an SDF-1, and been very pleased with my purchase, and paid less than $100 for an HMR, and felt a little bit disappointed.  It's all about personal value assessment, and realizing what things are worth to you individually.

[Slave IV]

@lavinrac That is an awesome picture and Christmas for you! I had some Robo Strux too...loved all that stuff. Getting the Japanese Macross toys back then was basically one of the coolest things ever for a kid.

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

I've gotten over what the mostly imaginary retail price is on these. Unless you secure a PO, you're paying way over. How many people got one in the recent PO? 5% of people who wanted them.....at the most? And what if you want three units (a lot of us do)? You're not getting them from one source at PO pricing so now you're paying a lot more shipping.

I don't think that DX Valk is not worth $350 shipped. In reality it's a low production boutique product that is not being marketed to the US. Or even outside of Japan in some cases.

I don't let the "I could have gotten it for $XXX if, if and if" thing bother me. I'll pay my $300-350 and be happy with it.

@Slave IV is zen about shipping times. But not zen about price. I'm zen about price but not shipping times. People are weird.

I totally agree with the "worth" part and the explanation for it. I keep saying that we are lucky that it is even this easy for us to get Macross at all, let alone for the same price or less than people in Japan pay (since we don't have to pay their tax). That is the main thing that bugs me when I see mass amounts of complaints and why I sometimes chime in regarding some of them. That being said, if we have the opportunity, I will do what it takes to get my full value out of it. That includes the "fun" of preorder madness. I see it as the new "hunt" since shopping at stores is basically a novelty at this point. Because of this and the limited availability, some effort is involved so if you aren't in the trenches hitting F5 like a madman with all of us on preorder nights, I don't think you have much to say about missing out on the preorder discount and you should just be either focusing on keeping an eye out for openings or paying a markup graciously like @sqidd. Once you start going into the kind of effort it takes to get these things, you are damn right I care about getting my penny's (or hundreds of dollars) worth. I don't want to pay an extra $20 or more for shipping if I don't have to. When you buy as many Valks and other high end toys as I and many people here do, that adds up fast! 10 items paying an average of $20 more for shipping equals a whole extra Valk I can get and I buy a lot more than 10 items in a short period of time.

[easnoddy]

Just got ripped off by NY for UPS shipping to the states for my 0D and 2 SSP.  Nearly $100 more than I originally paid for EMS. 

I won't be using NY again until the pandemic is done.

[sqidd]

18 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

 

I totally agree with the "worth" part and the explanation for it. 

So much this^^^^. Everyone has a different definition of worth and they are all based on what are real things for them/in their likes. The person who is on a fixed income or limited to a 3% increase in wages a year (which really isn't an increase because of inflation) for the foreseeable future who also has a couple of kids to finance is going to have a much different perspective than the person who works for themselves and doesn't have kids. The person that works for them-self can in most cases increase their income at will. They just have to work harder/longer/smarter. And obviously the lack of the child overhead is huge. That person working the 8-5 on a fixed income is generally going to have more spare the then a the person that is self employed. There is a big perspective difference on what is worth what to who there. I pretty much don't have any spare time. But you post like a madman in here sqidd! you say. True, but I'm multi tasking. I've got multiple windows open in multiple monitors and usually have 3-4 things going on at once. When I'm waiting on something I'll pop in here for a few and talk some smack. But for the most part I'm busy all the time. I am either working, at the gym, or on a mountain bike. And sometimes if I'm lucky I get to sleep. I also have about 10,000 plates in the air at any given time. Me being able to just pull the trigger on some toys even if they're over priced so I can have one less spinning plate is worth something to me. It's worth a lot actually. My stress levels this year have been something I never thought possible. COVID has made what I do 10x harder and I released three new major products this spring so I'm slammed with that too. Not having to divert brain power to hunting down the best deal matters to me. If I had just 2-3hrs a day where I wasn't booked solid I would go about it a little differently.

At the end of the day everyone needs to do what they need to do to make it work for them. And above all, never lose track of what you're trying to accomplish. Toys are supposed to be an escape, and fun, and remind us of simpler times. If those positives are getting tarnished by something (this is going to be different for everyone) I think it's time to re-asses the approach being taken.

I myself am as giddy as a 9yr old when I new toy shows up at the house. Then I get to unbox it, set it up, play with the displays so I like the composition, etc. And then after that I will sometimes sit there late into the evening listening to a pod cast or something just looking at them. It's an escape for me. An escape I need. When toys become stressful for me, I'm done with them. I don't think I'm going to let that happen though. I do it purely for the joy.

[sqidd]

5 minutes ago, easnoddy said:

Just got ripped off by NY for UPS shipping to the states for my 0D and 2 SSP.  Nearly $100 more than I originally paid for EMS. 

I won't be using NY again until the pandemic is done.

I paid $232 to get FOUR 0D's shipped DHL. Yeah, that UPS charge was bonkers. I'm really starting to fall in love with Tenso and From Japan. They have worked out great for me during the EMS shutdown. And an honorable mention to Mandrake too.

Edited July 10, 2020 by sqidd

[Slave IV]

11 minutes ago, sqidd said:

So much this^^^^. Everyone has a different definition of worth and they are all based on what are real things for them/in their likes. The person who is on a fixed income or limited to a 3% increase in wages a year (which really isn't an increase because of inflation) for the foreseeable future who also has a couple of kids to finance is going to have a much different perspective than the person who works for themselves and doesn't have kids. The person that works for them-self can in most cases increase their income at will. They just have to work harder/longer/smarter. And obviously the lack of the child overhead is huge. That person working the 8-5 on a fixed income is generally going to have more spare the then a the person that is self employed. There is a big perspective difference on what is worth what to who there. I pretty much don't have any spare time. But you post like a madman in here sqidd! you say. True, but I'm multi tasking. I've got multiple windows open in multiple monitors and usually have 3-4 things going on at once. When I'm waiting on something I'll pop in here for a few and talk some smack. But for the most part I'm busy all the time. I am either working, at the gym, or on a mountain bike. And sometimes if I'm lucky I get to sleep. I also have about 10,000 plates in the air at any given time. Me being able to just pull the trigger on some toys even if they're over priced so I can have one less spinning plate is worth something to me. It's worth a lot actually. My stress levels this year have been something I never thought possible. COVID has made what I do 10x harder and I released three new major products this spring so I'm slammed with that too. Not having to divert brain power to hunting down the best deal matters to me. If I had just 2-3hrs a day where I wasn't booked solid I would go about it a little differently.

At the end of the day everyone needs to do what they need to do to make it work for them. And above all, never lose track of what you're trying to accomplish. Toys are supposed to be an escape, and fun, and remind us of simpler times. If those positives are getting tarnished by something (this is going to be different for everyone) I think it's time to re-asses the approach being taken.

I myself am as giddy as a 9yr old when I new toy shows up at the house. Then I get to unbox it, set it up, play with the displays so I like the composition, etc. And then after that I will sometimes sit there late into the evening listening to a pod cast or something just looking at them. It's an escape for me. An escape I need. When toys become stressful for me, I'm done with them. I don't think I'm going to let that happen though. I do it purely for the joy.

Yep! Nice way to paint a picture of some different scenarios. I keep saying it's no one's place to tell others "not to feed scalpers" or pay whatever amount because they can get a better deal here or there. Like I said in my post, either way it often takes time and effort to find those deals. The fact that these things sell at higher prices means there are people who find those prices worth it to them and we have no way of knowing what their situation is so have no place in judging them for spending their money how they chose.

I just hope everyone who does end up buying these for their collections are able to enjoy them however they want to.

[sqidd]

3 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Yep! Nice way to paint a picture of some different scenarios. I keep saying it's no one's place to tell others "not to feed scalpers" or pay whatever amount because they can get a better deal here or there. Like I said in my post, either way it often takes time and effort to find those deals. The fact that these things sell at higher prices means there are people who find those prices worth it to them and we have no way of knowing what their situation is so have no place in judging them for spending their money how they chose.

I just hope everyone who does end up buying these for their collections are able to enjoy them however they want to.

[easnoddy]

CD Japan and DHL have beenb really good once I switched to that route.  Generally non-Macross stuff though.

Jeez, NY UPS shipping for TV SP is $65 to the US...

Edited July 10, 2020 by easnoddy

[Lolicon]

LMAO love how those two have turned their reaction to "You don't need to pay scalper prices with a little patience" into some kind of brave, principled stand on their part. 

It's just a friendly suggestion, just like when someone says "Hey you probably shouldn't touch that hot stove." Of course, I or anyone can't stop you from paying scalper prices anymore than we could stop someone from putting putting their hand on a hot stove if they so choose.

Anyone, that's all I'll say about it. Back to the echo chamber for you guys. 

[treatment]

18 hours ago, Grey728 said:

Someone needs to buy this before I do... Shipping to US and it's getting harder to resist.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/超時空要塞マクロス-劇場版VF-1S-約300mm-ダイキャスト製-塗装済み可動フィギュア/dp/B07SH712YR/ref=sr_1_19?dchild=1&keywords=超合金魂&qid=1594338651&sr=8-19

 

I think either or both that listing and/or that pricing by AJ-marketplace scalpers vendors have been there since even before actual the Hikaru-1S release-date.

Still high scalper-pricing, regardless if the 10% tokyo-tax gets taken out.

Wonder if Bandai will decide to re-release it if the upcoming Roy-1S does not have the "100" shenanigans...

 

 

 

 

[Slave IV]

Hey, we're nerds talking about sci-fi toys and everything around the culture of collecting these things.

[sqidd]

1 minute ago, Slave IV said:

Hey, we're nerds talking about sci-fi toys and everything around the culture of collecting these things.

Yeah @Lolicon, nerd shaming is frowned on around here!

[totallyjem]

1 hour ago, easnoddy said:

Just got ripped off by NY for UPS shipping to the states for my 0D and 2 SSP.  Nearly $100 more than I originally paid for EMS. 

I won't be using NY again until the pandemic is done.

Dang. I'm afraid to ask because I have a previous dx and two ssp waiting there...I've been afraid to ask about upgrading to ups now my worst fears are confirmed.

[Sanity is Optional]

Just now, totallyjem said:

Dang. I'm afraid to ask because I have a previous dx and two ssp waiting there...I've been afraid to ask about upgrading to ups now my worst fears are confirmed.

Worst case, have them ship it to a Tenso address, and then forward via Tenso?

[Slave IV]

Or switch to ferry, get store credit and your same toys....

[Darth Mingus]

I put in a ticket to upgrade from SAL to EMS (still supported in my country) and NY came back with $14.  This was for a single SSP set.  The key is to use the correct subject line "Change Shipping Method".  My previous ticket was ignored, even after escalating with their Live Chat person.