Bandai 1/60 DX Chogokin Macross Plus YF-21

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, Actar said:

The transformable gunpods can fit under the plane (without the packs), but there is pretty much zero extra clearance. Wish the front of the gunpods were secured as well, like on the Yamato.

Just doesn't look right, dragging gun pods  like that.

[PointBlankSniper]

Was not expecting it to be dragging on the floor even without FP... Feels like just having thicker tires could have avoided that.

[jvmacross]

So dissapointing to hear of the QC fails for this release...I have some incoming....

Summer of Macross '24 is shaping up to be a bust so far....underwhelmed by Three Zero's first VF-1 release and now potentially getting Bandai'd by the -21....the VT-1 should be good, right? 

[Test_Pilot_2]

27 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

So dissapointing to hear of the QC fails for this release...I have some incoming....

Summer of Macross '24 is shaping up to be a bust so far....underwhelmed by Three Zero's first VF-1 release and now potentially getting Bandai'd by the -21....the VT-1 should be good, right? 

Isn't it exciting? It's like the season of the box of chocolates... You won't know what you got until you open the box!

/bangs head on wall... I'm on a streak here with a jacked up YF-29 and VF-27... There's no two without three, so dreading receiving the YF-21 now.

[MKT]

Don't forget the HMR VF-0A.. that is a solid release. 

[Bolt]

I smell a renewal waiting  in the wings..

That's a proper Bandai maneuver. 

[Actar]

11 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I smell a renewal waiting  in the wings..

That's a proper Bandai maneuver. 

But how many years is that gonna take? Especially if they wanna milk the mold with 22s?

...I don't know if I'm gonna laugh or get angry if they fix a ton of the issues for the inevitable 22s.

[Mog]

Well, no externally mounted gunpods on the -22’s.

So, automatic win there. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[jvmacross]

2 hours ago, MKT said:

Don't forget the HMR VF-0A.. that is a solid release. 

I completely forgot to have mine shipped....but good to know that release was good

[David Hingtgen]

That photo makes me wonder why they couldn't adjust the gun pod mounting angle to cant inwards by 1 degree, or just make it 1mm shallower.  It's THAT close to being just fine...

[jenius]

The plates should have openings that slide closed and the guns should mount to the legs. This would also help with the 22. The guns could also be designed to collapse more. 

[treatment]

latest from heppoko samurai...

https://x.com/simsim5479/status/1807715271794454900

web-translated:

Clck on his twitter link for full-scale pics and to help him earn twitter-bucks...

 

 

[M'Kyuun]

I POed mine through BBTS which means I won't be getting my copy until August or so (they're always slow at getting stock) and I wonder if Bandai will have fixed the antenna issue by then. It would be as simple as packing it with the other accessories rather than attaching it to the head, a really easy and no-cost solution. I hope that's what they do in light of the number of bent antennas showing up. Since BBTS keeps $35 even if I canx my PO (pretty shitty tactic to make you keep it), I'm thinking of having them open my copy and check it and perhaps paying a little extra for additional packing to make sure it doesn't get bent enroute. The various package carriers aren't exactly delicate with packages.

 

Beyond that, I hope my copy will have the proper shoulder bits. I've never had to use BBTS' customer support, but in light of the issues already popping up, I hope they're good to work with.

[MacrossJunkie]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

I POed mine through BBTS which means I won't be getting my copy until August or so (they're always slow at getting stock) and I wonder if Bandai will have fixed the antenna issue by then. It would be as simple as packing it with the other accessories rather than attaching it to the head, a really easy and no-cost solution. I hope that's what they do in light of the number of bent antennas showing up. Since BBTS keeps $35 even if I canx my PO (pretty shitty tactic to make you keep it), I'm thinking of having them open my copy and check it and perhaps paying a little extra for additional packing to make sure it doesn't get bent enroute. The various package carriers aren't exactly delicate with packages.

 

Beyond that, I hope my copy will have the proper shoulder bits. I've never had to use BBTS' customer support, but in light of the issues already popping up, I hope they're good to work with.

I have mine through Kappa Hobby so I won't be getting mine until August either, but I doubt we'd see any fixes if they were even inclined to make any. I believe that time gap is mostly shipping by cargo ships across the ocean as it's far cheaper than by air. So unfortunately, what we'll be getting will likely be the batches already made and to be distributed throughout NA.

[Lolicon]

Bandai - f***ing up things already solved by smaller companies over a decade ago.

[treatment]

11 hours ago, Actar said:

The transformable gunpods can fit under the plane (without the packs), but there is pretty much zero extra clearance. Wish the front of the gunpods were secured as well, like on the Yamato.

 

Clearly Bandai's unsurpassed design and engineering at their very best...

 

 

 

[ArchieNov]

Just received my first copy from Anime Export. Sadly the head laser is also bent... I am sad...

But to be honest, I'm not sure if the packaging is at fault. I tried pushing down on the bubble above the antenna and it felt pretty solid. Even with a lot of force, the bubble doesn't touch the antenna. I am inclined to believe it got bent before or during packaging by Bandai.

Now I'm undecided if I want to try and fix it. I can see stress marks on one side, but not sure if trying to bend it the other way will snap the tip off.

On another note, this thing is surprisingly heavy.

2nd Edit: I just realized that my antenna is not as severely bent as the others, and mine is bent towards the opposite side of the other pictures shared here. So it's not all bent to one direction like some have suspected.

 

Edited July 2 by ArchieNov

[Test_Pilot_2]

Since the antenna is removable, what are the odds we can just 3d print replacements? It's all one color, one piece, right?

[Mommar]

9 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I POed mine through BBTS which means I won't be getting my copy until August or so (they're always slow at getting stock) and I wonder if Bandai will have fixed the antenna issue by then. It would be as simple as packing it with the other accessories rather than attaching it to the head, a really easy and no-cost solution. I hope that's what they do in light of the number of bent antennas showing up. Since BBTS keeps $35 even if I canx my PO (pretty shitty tactic to make you keep it), I'm thinking of having them open my copy and check it and perhaps paying a little extra for additional packing to make sure it doesn't get bent enroute. The various package carriers aren't exactly delicate with packages.

 

Beyond that, I hope my copy will have the proper shoulder bits. I've never had to use BBTS' customer support, but in light of the issues already popping up, I hope they're good to work with.

Nothing will be fixed by then in regards to a BBTS shipment.  It's coming via ship right now, that's why it takes two extra months.  They couldn't make a profit otherwise.

[Mog]

Well, in typical Bandai Macross fashion, there is some red tampo markings on the piece too.

[M'Kyuun]

16 minutes ago, Mommar said:

Nothing will be fixed by then in regards to a BBTS shipment.  It's coming via ship right now, that's why it takes two extra months.  They couldn't make a profit otherwise.

Well, there's gotta be some profit with a nearly $100 markup. I'm sure some of that goes towards shipping, but they return the favor in part to the customer with $4 flat rate shipping. And, if you canx your PO with them, they keep the $35 deposit. I hope they're gearing up now for the deluge of complaints when the majority have bent or broken antennae. I'm hoping mine will be ok, but luck is not one of my talents.

[M'Kyuun]

4 hours ago, treatment said:

 

Clearly Bandai's unsurpassed design and engineering at their very best...

 

 

 

Yep, inexcusably poor, especially for their high-end product selling at a high price.

[MKT]

I hope Bandai addresses the bent laser, and issue replacements. It's just a straightforward swap of a small piece so that's the easiest fix ever that can be done by a manufacturer. Question is if they do, will they address it now, or only wait until the overseas batches arrive stateside in couple of months?

It's not unprecedented for Bandai to make fixes, and this is all the more urgent since it's a worldwide item instead of JP-only. I just hope they don't come out with some strange excuse that insults our intelligence like that 100-001 modex number fiasco.

 

[Chronocidal]

21 minutes ago, MKT said:

I hope Bandai addresses the bent laser, and issue replacements. It's just a straightforward swap of a small piece so that's the easiest fix ever that can be done by a manufacturer. Question is if they do, will they address it now, or only wait until the overseas batches arrive stateside in couple of months?

It's not unprecedented for Bandai to make fixes, and this is all the more urgent since it's a worldwide item instead of JP-only. I just hope they don't come out with some strange excuse that insults our intelligence like that 100-001 modex number fiasco.

 

Yeah, I have absolutely zero expectations that they will ever offer any sort of satisfying explanation or fix for anything like this.

It's less work to fix it yourself than to get Bandai to admit they did anything wrong in the first place, let alone do anything to make it right.

[ArchieNov]

2 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Just received my first copy from Anime Export. Sadly the head laser is also bent... I am sad...

But to be honest, I'm not sure if the packaging is at fault. I tried pushing down on the bubble above the antenna and it felt pretty solid. Even with a lot of force, the bubble doesn't touch the antenna. I am inclined to believe it got bent before or during packaging by Bandai.

Now I'm undecided if I want to try and fix it. I can see stress marks on one side, but not sure if trying to bend it the other way will snap the tip off.

On another note, this thing is surprisingly heavy.

2nd Edit: I just realized that my antenna is not as severely bent as the others, and mine is bent towards the opposite side of the other pictures shared here. So it's not all bent to one direction like some have suspected.

 

Okay I just opened my 2nd copy from Hobby Genki. The antenna was perfect this time. Thank goodness. Now I feel better about getting this 2nd copy as soon as Hobby Genki sent the notification that it was available again a few days ago.

Now I wonder if Anime Export can do anything about the one I got from them.

[ArchieNov]

4 hours ago, Test_Pilot_2 said:

Since the antenna is removable, what are the odds we can just 3d print replacements? It's all one color, one piece, right?

Sorry for the spam. But is it confirmed that the antenna is removable? I tried tugging a little on mine but it didn't want to come off. Didn't want to pull too hard since I wasn't sure how it's connected.

[MKT]

34 minutes ago, ArchieNov said:

Sorry for the spam. But is it confirmed that the antenna is removable? I tried tugging a little on mine but it didn't want to come off. Didn't want to pull too hard since I wasn't sure how it's connected.

its just after the 10 mins 10 sec mark:

 

[m0n5t3r]

Lol, the reviewer manhandled the antenna when he removed it and it didn't break. Makes me think that someone at the factory is punking Macross collectors 

[ArchieNov]

43 minutes ago, MKT said:

its just after the 10 mins 10 sec mark:

 

Thanks. I wish I could get a closer look at the detached antenna so I can check if the pegs are rounded nubs that's meant to come off if there's too much force applied to it. Too bad the video didn't show a close up of the antenna's pegs and also didn't show him putting it back on.

[recon]

19 hours ago, Bolt said:

Just doesn't look right, dragging gun pods  like that.

The belly fastpacks should have a retractable feature that stows away the gunpods, leaving them partially exposed

[WhatBoutMyStar]

12 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Okay I just opened my 2nd copy from Hobby Genki. The antenna was perfect this time. Thank goodness. Now I feel better about getting this 2nd copy as soon as Hobby Genki sent the notification that it was available again a few days ago.

Now I wonder if Anime Export can do anything about the one I got from them.

My 21 from Hobby Genki was also fine.

[pengbuzz]

16 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Just received my first copy from Anime Export. Sadly the head laser is also bent... I am sad...

But to be honest, I'm not sure if the packaging is at fault. I tried pushing down on the bubble above the antenna and it felt pretty solid. Even with a lot of force, the bubble doesn't touch the antenna. I am inclined to believe it got bent before or during packaging by Bandai.

Now I'm undecided if I want to try and fix it. I can see stress marks on one side, but not sure if trying to bend it the other way will snap the tip off.

On another note, this thing is surprisingly heavy.

2nd Edit: I just realized that my antenna is not as severely bent as the others, and mine is bent towards the opposite side of the other pictures shared here. So it's not all bent to one direction like some have suspected.

 

Try dipping the bent antennas in hot water for a minute and then seeing if you can bend them back.

[spacemanoeuvres]

Wow, she's got a fat @$$ 

Battroid backpack reminds me of the vf-25.  Haven't heard anything from Luna Park or Nin-Nin; hopefully they will ship soon!

[rematron]

18 minutes ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

Wow, she's got a fat @$$ 

Battroid backpack reminds me of the vf-25.  Haven't heard anything from Luna Park or Nin-Nin; hopefully they will ship soon!

Yup, I'm waiting to hear from Luna Park as well.

[graphic revolt]

finally got mine