Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[davidwhangchoi]

i need new mechanic,

hopefully i find one after payday

[grogall]

1 hour ago, locidm said:

Has Lunar Park shipped out any VF-1S mechanic version yet?

This is one of my pre-orders as well, and I haven't gotten a shipping notice yet either. although they have marked it as being in stock! Not happy with their service!!! 😡

[dragontype]

1 hour ago, locidm said:

Has Lunar Park shipped out any VF-1S mechanic version yet?

 

5 minutes ago, grogall said:

This is one of my pre-orders as well, and I haven't gotten a shipping notice yet either. although they have marked it as being in stock! Not happy with their service!!! 😡

They told me they would be shipping out this week.  So we'll see.  It's expensive as all heck so not going to be super mad if LP doesn't come through.  I wasn't in a hurry to spend that much money anyway. Lol

[grogall]

1 hour ago, dragontype said:

 

They told me they would be shipping out this week.  So we'll see.  It's expensive as all heck so not going to be super mad if LP doesn't come through.  I wasn't in a hurry to spend that much money anyway. Lol

The sent me an e-mail last week saying the would ship after the weekend... Hope they don't turn out to be a Nippon -Yason! ☹️ You think if you pay for Premium Service with fast shipping they would actually ship, instead of trying to get new orders, since the people that already paid can wait!? 🤬 but maybe @LUNA PARK can shime in?

Edited November 27, 2023 by grogall

[no3Ljm]

Fingers crossed to those who ordered at LP. 🤞🏻

Let us know how it goes once you receive the item. 👍🏻

[Dome Zero]

1 hour ago, grogall said:

This is one of my pre-orders as well, and I haven't gotten a shipping notice yet either. although they have marked it as being in stock! Not happy with their service!!! 😡

 

1 hour ago, dragontype said:

 

They told me they would be shipping out this week.  So we'll see.  It's expensive as all heck so not going to be super mad if LP doesn't come through.  I wasn't in a hurry to spend that much money anyway. Lol

 

37 minutes ago, grogall said:

The sent me an e-mail last week saying the would ship after the weekend... Hope they don't turn out to be a Nippon -Yason! ☹️ You think if you pay for Premium Service with fast shipping they would actually ship, instead of trying to get new orders, since the people that already paid can wait!? 🤬

I e-mailed them around midnight MST last night to politely inquire about what the timeframe looked like for shipping the VF-1S. A few hours later they responded with, "we already shipped some out, aim to ship some more this week for customers. regards."

I would infer but not imply that they shipped their domestic orders first and now are moving on to international. I don't know that, but it's what I'd do.

For what it's worth, though (and I know it may not be much since this is my first post), I've placed three orders with Luna Park in the past year and was pleased with how they handled all of them. The pattern that developed was that it took 5-7 days to get a shipping notice and then the package was on my doorstep the next day, well-packed and in great condition. That's why I felt (and feel) confident placing my pre-order with them. Based on my dealings with them, and my own experience working on these kind of endeavors in the past, I suspect Luna is a pretty small operation in terms of manpower, however they may present themselves, and there's a good chance their shipping department is really one lone tape-gun-wielding person in a back office facing down a mountain of Tamashii Nations boxes.

I see a lot of cynicism about Luna Park on these boards and elsewhere, and maybe it's warranted (I haven't been in the game that long), but they've always done right by me. It would be nice if they could go faster, but I believe they're going as fast as they can. Plus, who knows what kind of skulduggery it took to get all of these lottery exclusives without getting blacklisted by Bandai? I doubt they're all coming in on a pallet. They're probably all getting sent in ones and twos to their homes and their parents' homes and wherever before someone collects them and brings them back to the shop.

[dragontype]

1 hour ago, grogall said:

The sent me an e-mail last week saying the would ship after the weekend... Hope they don't turn out to be a Nippon -Yason! ☹️ You think if you pay for Premium Service with fast shipping they would actually ship, instead of trying to get new orders, since the people that already paid can wait!? 🤬 but maybe @LUNA PARK can shime in?

I got NY'd a couple of years ago so I'm with you and hope this isn't going to be a repeat.  I'll probably give it this week and if there isn't movement, I'll cancel with LP or my credit company.  

 

[Radioguy]

Again, not to come to their defense, but I've only ever ordered once from LP, a DX VF-1D, and they sent it to me well-packed in a shipper box with the Bandai shipper wrapped in bubblewrap within. From what I read subsequently, that experience would seem to be the exception. Still, most of the LP hate I see seems to be references to their repute rather than firsthand accounts. I'd be interested to know how many here have had personal experiences that made them say one time with LP was enough.

[Chronocidal]

I can say I use them as a backup, since their prices are higher to begin with, but there are other reasons to keep them as a reserve.

First off, many folks have had experiences of bad packing jobs done by them, resulting in boxes getting crushed.  I don't know if it resulted in any major damage, but people like their boxes intact.

Personally?  They have come through on my orders, but I would not call them exactly "proficient" at fulfilling them.  They may or may not actually send you your order when it arrives, and you may or may not have to contact them directly to remind them that the product you paid for at pre-order is several months overdue.    

In all fairness, the months-long delay was because I was not in a rush to get the product, and I was genuinely curious if they would actually remember I bought it.  In the end?  No, they never figured it out without me sending them an email requesting what I paid for.

[MKT]

After the initial snafu of mailing out items in plastic bags, we haven't really heard of that happening later on. Back then, LP blamed it on the DHL logistics service they used - stock goes directly to DHL and DHL staff were the one packing it for them. Since then, I think all items sent out have proper shipper boxes. 

But other aspects just points to them not having dedicated staff for the more regular everyday stuff - stock receipt, inventory control & orders fulfillment. It's likely the owners or the front-persons doing everything themselves. Hence the sometimes inconsistent service. A big pointer is how they reply e-mails - instead of cookie cutter or direct-to-the-point responses that one would normally receive from dedicated customer service staff, you can tell by the way they write that it is the owners themselves answering it.

My single experience with them was pretty positive, there were issues on that order but they did make it right & amenable to suggestions & discussions. 

 

[vladykins]

I've gotten maybe three of my DXs from LP when I missed the PO somewhere else. They are usually a little slower shipping, but I've not had any shipping issues with boxes being damaged. They aren't my first go-to, but they are always a good reserve. Never had an NY issue with them.

[grogall]

Well I just received a tracking # from LP, So apparently I get it on Friday... I'll update later!

[sh9000]

Haven't shipped my Mechanic Edition from AE yet.  I think I'll wait and ship it with more items.  In no hurry.

[grogall]

On 11/21/2023 at 6:45 AM, jenius said:

Paid for my mechanic version 1S... the pressure is on to wrap up my current project so I can review it as soon as it arrives!

It would be nice if you could review the VF-1D wenn you review the DX VT-1 Super Ostrich! I really like your reviews please keep it up! 👍🏻

Edited November 29, 2023 by grogall

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 11/26/2023 at 10:18 PM, treatment said:

chinese review of the VF-1S Mechanic edition:

 

Thinking about buying this but its kinda scary how the legs come off. with modern CAD & AI surely they could have created a better transformation?  I did not know the Valk 1/48 were a 2pc design until now. I better decide soon the price keeps going up.

[jenius]

You don't HAVE to separate the legs, it's an option... though in practice it's often tougher to keep it in one piece than it is to separate it. Blame Kawamori though, the design for the VF-1 uses tiny struts that move the legs where they need to be and then disconnect. 

[davidwhangchoi]

bandai loves parts formers. 

 

[Raikkonen]

1 hour ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

Thinking about buying this but its kinda scary how the legs come off. with modern CAD & AI surely they could have created a better transformation?  I did not know the Valk 1/48 were a 2pc design until now. I better decide soon the price keeps going up.

The legs come off to allow the waist swivel to work. It's optional. CAD (a design tool still needing a human to operate it)... or AI (Still uses parameters given by people)... ...cannot fix that as it's a design handicap already from the original drawings of the early 80's. 

23 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said:

bandai loves parts formers. 

There isn't much else in this scale they can do for that waist to swivel. 

[Zeliard]

My unit just arrived today. May I know would it be too stressful for the wheels and landing gears if I were to display it without a stand? Like this directly in contact. 

[MKT]

55 minutes ago, Zeliard said:

My unit just arrived today. May I know would it be too stressful for the wheels and landing gears if I were to display it without a stand? Like this directly in contact. 

I’ve not had the DX VF-1 with supers wheels down for display, but just the naked ones.

I’ve also had other Chogokins & Arcadias wheels down long term, & so far none of the gears have any issues. What I do though is to rotate the wheels periodically to prevent potential deformity / flat spotting on the rubber wheels from the weight.

[grogall]

Still waiting for mine "Fedex" Literarily sent me 25 Different emails with change of delivery time anywhere from 9-11, 10-14, 16-18 Can't deliver today but Monday from 9:00 to 18:00, Then back too today!? I seriously don't know who uses this company here in Germany since they are an utter disaster! 🤬I didn't ask for Fedex delivery! 😡

[Spark-O-Matic]

I just bought the mechanic after thinking about it for a few days. It went up 500yen since then. I waited too long to get the early deals but at least I'll have it.

This will be the only DX I'll likely buy,  it's nice, but I'll just stick to eventually buying all the HMR to match my original HM ones and call in a day.

I had to watch the comparison review by scorched earth on YT to decide as I was tempted to just get a used 1/48 Yamato for half the price.

I did pre-order from Ami-Ami the Arcadia 1/60 rerelease that's coming out in February.

Done buying toys in 2023🤠😭

[MacrossJoe]

Can someone explain to me why these can be purchased and shipped to you now (although at a premium price)???
The official website below clearly listed release date as April, 2024.

https://tamashiiweb.com/item/14582/?wovn=en

[Shawn]

Earlier this year there was a lottery for Tamashi-Nations club members and others.
You would register you'd want a Mechanic Edition and get put into a lottery, then names were announced and toys shipped 11/17 for this years show.

Now we are after-show and they put up another lottery type system which just closed
Those winners get announced next week

I'm not sure how other companies got this, as it says 1 per person everywhere I look
I picked up mine using a proxy buyer from Yahoo Japan auctions from a private seller.

We'll see a bunch of these getting listed in April 2024 so if you missed out on this one (prices too high) just wait a bit longer for more to hit the market

[Spark-O-Matic]

Anime Export says I'll get my Mechanic Edition Wednesday if so, that will be the fastest I've ever got something from Japan. Plaza Japan is about 10 days that's really good too.

[MacrossJoe]

14 hours ago, Shawn said:

Earlier this year there was a lottery for Tamashi-Nations club members and others.
You would register you'd want a Mechanic Edition and get put into a lottery, then names were announced and toys shipped 11/17 for this years show.

Now we are after-show and they put up another lottery type system which just closed
Those winners get announced next week

I'm not sure how other companies got this, as it says 1 per person everywhere I look
I picked up mine using a proxy buyer from Yahoo Japan auctions from a private seller.

We'll see a bunch of these getting listed in April 2024 so if you missed out on this one (prices too high) just wait a bit longer for more to hit the market

Ah, I see, had no idea there was a lottery, thank you very much for the info Shawn.

Yeah, I think I'll wait and hopefully be able to pick this up at a lower price than what is being offered now.

 

[Lolicon]

Bandai saw the PO madness and thought "It's still too easy for people to buy our stuff. How can we make it harder?"

[Froy]

22 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

Anime Export says I'll get my Mechanic Edition Wednesday if so, that will be the fastest I've ever got something from Japan. Plaza Japan is about 10 days that's really good too.

Several years ago (by the time Yamato V2 TV VF-1S Focker was released) I got may fastest shipping from Japan to Mexico. 5 days via EMS post service

Edited December 5, 2023 by Froy

[Dome Zero]

Luna Park sent me a tracking number for my Mechanic Edition during the night, with delivery scheduled tomorrow.

[dragontype]

12 hours ago, Dome Zero said:

Luna Park sent me a tracking number for my Mechanic Edition during the night, with delivery scheduled tomorrow.

They seem pretty backed up on orders.  How long ago did you put your order in?  

[Dome Zero]

10 hours ago, dragontype said:

They seem pretty backed up on orders.  How long ago did you put your order in?  

Mid-August.

[grogall]

12 hours ago, dragontype said:

They seem pretty backed up on orders.  How long ago did you put your order in?  

Well mine finally came through from Luna Park... Although Fedex toke almost a week to deliver with continuously changing the delivery time, I finally had it rerooted to a friend who owns a store. The package came in Excellent condition so at least LP has learned from previous mistakes! Which is nice 👌

Also like that it comes in a Christmas tree box... 🎅🏼

Edited December 6, 2023 by grogall

[Spark-O-Matic]

1 hour ago, grogall said:

 

Also like that it comes in a Christmas tree box... 🎅🏼

1980's Infrared Photograph Technique of the same object moving in frames in a stylized way.  just pointing out for those unaware its just done to evoke a heritage feel to the artwork as if it was 1985 becouse they can't use the HM-R Artwork.

If you ask me it looks like Shin Godzilla's Tail

Edited December 6, 2023 by Spark-O-Matic

[betocc]

3 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

If you ask me it looks like Shin Godzilla's Tail

Xmas tree 🎄

[grogall]

On 11/26/2023 at 9:56 AM, Graham said:

Just picked up mine from my local addiction facilitator. 😅

Anyone know what the big 4 means on the shipper box? I didn't see it on any of the other DX shipper boxes... Maybe a countdown for the four skulls!? 🤪