jvmacross Posted July 12 Posted July 12 (edited) 14 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said: There is no Bluefin sticker. So anyone importing is SOL. That’s the message I got. Bandai seems to be going out of their way to make sure they do not support overseas customers...can't say I blame them if the goal is to make non-Japanese consumers buy directly from their own markets.... With that said, I feel your item would definitely have been replaced had you been a Japanese consumer... The HG-BW deal just legitimized Bandai's stance on never needing to provide support to their "overseas" customers...but it still doesn't make it right for the Japanese shops where we buy these items from to not support us...Bandai doesn't know who their items are being sold to once the Japanese stores take delivery of the items....so these shops not providing support is lame as it always has been....but we have all somehow collectively accepted this for decades... Funny....now that there is a legit way of buying Macross in the US....how would Bandai know if you bought a perfect one via a US retailer and a bad one from a Japanese store and did a switcheroo? I'm thinking that link you were provided with may come in handy for some.... Edited July 12 by jvmacross Quote
Shawn Posted July 12 Posted July 12 Oh they'll find a way..like changing the color to be a slightly different blue lol Quote
jvmacross Posted July 12 Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Shawn said: Oh they'll find a way..like changing the color to be a slightly different blue lol I guess it depends if the non-Japanese production allotment is actually being manufactured separately from the Japanese run...I kind of doubt it though...but who knows... Actually...we have already had a few WWM releases....has anyone done any comparisons to the Japanese and "international" toys? In particular the color used in the plastics? Bottomline....if Bandai is saying "screw you" to anyone seeking help that bought their products and is not from Japan....then you are free to "screw them"...lol Quote
treatment Posted July 12 Posted July 12 Maus' broken head-laser update: https://x.com/MAXX_2nd/status/1811726293433712829 web-translated: Quote
Paco Grande Posted July 12 Posted July 12 28 minutes ago, jvmacross said: I guess it depends if the non-Japanese production allotment is actually being manufactured separately from the Japanese run...I kind of doubt it though...but who knows... Actually...we have already had a few WWM releases....has anyone done any comparisons to the Japanese and "international" toys? In particular the color used in the plastics? Bottomline....if Bandai is saying "screw you" to anyone seeking help that bought their products and is not from Japan....then you are free to "screw them"...lol I am not an expert at all. But I just received a North American release of the VF-117EX and I believe the packaging is identical to the Japanese box but there is an English language sticker for the choking hazard etc. So I would guess it's the same product, they just add a sticker for local languages. I cannot comment on the actual figure because I have not owned one before. Quote
jvmacross Posted July 12 Posted July 12 18 minutes ago, Paco Grande said: I am not an expert at all. But I just received a North American release of the VF-117EX and I believe the packaging is identical to the Japanese box but there is an English language sticker for the choking hazard etc. So I would guess it's the same product, they just add a sticker for local languages. I cannot comment on the actual figure because I have not owned one before. What about the "bluefin" sticker mentioned in a previous post as being a requirement for processing a claim via Bandai support...does your packaging have such a sticker applied to it? Quote
Paco Grande Posted July 12 Posted July 12 1 hour ago, jvmacross said: What about the "bluefin" sticker mentioned in a previous post as being a requirement for processing a claim via Bandai support...does your packaging have such a sticker applied to it? I’m not sure what it looks like. I have the larger warning sticker on the back and there is a small Tamashii Nations Quality and a blue sticker on the front. Not sure if that is the bluefin sticker or not. The smaller blue “Macross B-02” below is a sticker as well as the small quality sticker on the left everything else is part of the box. This item came from Ages 3 And Up in Canada Quote
davidwhangchoi Posted July 12 Posted July 12 2 hours ago, treatment said: Maus' broken head-laser update: https://x.com/MAXX_2nd/status/1811726293433712829 web-translated: nice i hope to get this type of service in the USA, have to wait though... US distributors are taking a while to get theirs. Quote
davidwhangchoi Posted July 12 Posted July 12 19 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said: There is no Bluefin sticker. So anyone importing is SOL. That’s the message I got. Not sure the confusion but to be clear: Bluefin stickers will not carry on imports unfortunately, if Bluefin does have a sticker it will be for US market or Bandai will have a distinct marker on the box that indicates it's not an import. (might be an WWM emblem or bluefin sticker, we'll have to see.) Quote
Paco Grande Posted July 12 Posted July 12 2 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said: Not sure the confusion but to be clear: Bluefin stickers will not carry on imports unfortunately, if Bluefin does have a sticker it will be for US market or Bandai will have a distinct marker on the box that indicates it's not an import. (might be an WWM emblem or bluefin sticker, we'll have to see.) Sorry but this is still not clear at all. What exactly is "bluefin". I've never heard of it. My pics above are from a North American retailer so it should be a WWM release. There isa WWM logo on the back of the box but it is not a sticker and I would guess it's on the Japanese domestic boxes as well. But I'm not sure. We are going to need to see pics of the Japanese domestic YF-21 box as well as the box being sold in other countries when it releases so we can compare and see if there are any differences. If this bluefin thing is inside the box I wouldn't know because I have not opened my VF-117EX yet. I'm thinking about selling it so I don't want to break the seal. Quote
jvmacross Posted July 12 Posted July 12 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Paco Grande said: I’m not sure what it looks like. I have the larger warning sticker on the back and there is a small Tamashii Nations Quality and a blue sticker on the front. Not sure if that is the bluefin sticker or not. The smaller blue “Macross B-02” below is a sticker as well as the small quality sticker on the left everything else is part of the box. This item came from Ages 3 And Up in Canada It's probably the "English" label....guessing other non-Japanese markets may have similar stickers in different languages....the other stickers are the same across both Japanese and international releases...unless Bandai takes it to another level and produces different colored "Macross" license stickers to denote which market the item is designated to be sold in... Still...it is just the box....there is nothing to stop someone from buying an international version and swapping into it their damaged Japanese purchased version....then claiming the international item arrived damaged....so far there is no evidence that there are differences between the actual toys....at least not that I am aware of... Edited July 12 by jvmacross Quote
treatment Posted July 12 Posted July 12 4 minutes ago, Paco Grande said: Sorry but this is still not clear at all. What exactly is "bluefin". I've never heard of it. My pics above are from a North American retailer so it should be a WWM release. There isa WWM logo on the back of the box but it is not a sticker and I would guess it's on the Japanese domestic boxes as well. But I'm not sure. We are going to need to see pics of the Japanese domestic YF-21 box as well as the box being sold in other countries when it releases so we can compare and see if there are any differences. If this bluefin thing is inside the box I wouldn't know because I have not opened my VF-117EX yet. I'm thinking about selling it so I don't want to break the seal. Bluefin was a distribution-brand and used to have a distinct logo pasted on SOCs and stuff when they were just one of the distributors for Bandai and other japanese companies. Seems like they were bought out by Bandai some time ago and is now called officially as Bandai-Namco. The Bluefin sticker was probably dropped, but they never updated their warranty-form to replace "Bluefin" sticker with "Bandai-Namco" sticker. The label below from your picture should be enough to identify and used as Bluefin distribution sticker since it states California, which is not in Japan... Quote
davidwhangchoi Posted July 12 Posted July 12 7 minutes ago, Paco Grande said: Sorry but this is still not clear at all. What exactly is "bluefin". I've never heard of it. My pics above are from a North American retailer so it should be a WWM release. There isa WWM logo on the back of the box but it is not a sticker and I would guess it's on the Japanese domestic boxes as well. But I'm not sure. We are going to need to see pics of the Japanese domestic YF-21 box as well as the box being sold in other countries when it releases so we can compare and see if there are any differences. If this bluefin thing is inside the box I wouldn't know because I have not opened my VF-117EX yet. I'm thinking about selling it so I don't want to break the seal. Bluefin official is the distributor of Bandai merch in the US. They used to be a separate company but Bandai brought them out and are under Bandai. I don't know if Macross will get bluefin stickers. the bluefin emblems was on my USA metal build Gundam packages and chogokin voltron slip covers vs. the import boxes. (I purchased both import and domestic copies) It looks like your box doesn't have bluefin on it but Bandai did slap a Bandai/Namco domestic sticker on the back of your box. That should be proof enough for claims support and don't need to worry about the bluefin emblem. Quote
davidwhangchoi Posted July 12 Posted July 12 2 minutes ago, treatment said: Bluefin was a distribution-brand and used to have a distinct logo pasted on SOCs and stuff when they were just one of the distributors for Bandai and other japanese companies. Seems like they were bought out by Bandai some time ago and is now called officially as Bandai-Namco. The Bluefin sticker was probably dropped, but they never updated their warranty-form to replace "Bluefin" sticker with "Bandai-Namco" sticker. The label below from your picture should be enough to identify and used as Bluefin distribution sticker since it states California, which is not in Japan... ah @treatment you beat me to it by a few seconds!!! Quote
Paco Grande Posted July 12 Posted July 12 Thank you all for your replies. I'm a n00b with Macross collecting and was not aware of that history. Quote
oshanmacross Posted July 13 Posted July 13 My Thoughts... Bandai Japan holds the US executive staff accountable for how Bandai products are marketed, distributed, customer service, etc. The CS reps in Japan have no real motivation to provide returns of their probably extremely limited supply of spare parts. But, Mine is at the post office awaiting redelivery or pickup. If my head laser or any other parts are busted beyond repair I might try reaching out to their leadership team: https://www.bandai.com/company At least for the cause Quote
nightmareB4macross Posted July 13 Posted July 13 7 hours ago, Paco Grande said: Sorry but this is still not clear at all. What exactly is "bluefin". I've never heard of it. My pics above are from a North American retailer so it should be a WWM release. There isa WWM logo on the back of the box but it is not a sticker and I would guess it's on the Japanese domestic boxes as well. But I'm not sure. We are going to need to see pics of the Japanese domestic YF-21 box as well as the box being sold in other countries when it releases so we can compare and see if there are any differences. If this bluefin thing is inside the box I wouldn't know because I have not opened my VF-117EX yet. I'm thinking about selling it so I don't want to break the seal. Bluefin “Warning” sticker is part of the criteria needed. If the product does not have it customer service will just kick out you request. Then they will respond stating you do not have the Bluefin “Warning” sticker“ and wash their hands. The. Tell you to go back to your retailer for support. I went back to vendor. They made the claim so now it’s a waiting game. Quote
oshanmacross Posted July 13 Posted July 13 (edited) In the end, we are nothing but Decuture Consumers Edited July 13 by oshanmacross Quote
jvmacross Posted July 13 Posted July 13 26 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said: Bluefin “Warning” sticker is part of the criteria needed. If the product does not have it customer service will just kick out you request. Then they will respond stating you do not have the Bluefin “Warning” sticker“ and wash their hands. The. Tell you to go back to your retailer for support. I went back to vendor. They made the claim so now it’s a waiting game. Who is the vendor you bought your YF-21 from? Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted July 13 Posted July 13 On 7/10/2024 at 9:41 PM, Lolicon said: Come on guys let's cut Bandai some slack already. Don't you remember the SV-51 ankle debacle? Where Arcadia said having the wrong ankles installed was just a "quality variance" and told everyone outside Japan to piss off? Bandai is a pretty small company and couldn't possibly handle the cost of replacing all those broken head lasers. FWIW, I was able to contact Arcadia and get the replacement leg shipped to my Tenso address quite easily, with basic google translated emails to them directly. And yes, I did explain I was in the US and bought through a vendor that couldn't help me directly. Quote
Chronocidal Posted July 13 Posted July 13 (edited) 9 hours ago, treatment said: Thank you for making me aware of this sticker. As it turns out, I've got the same sticker on a YF-29 I picked up from Amazon. Don't know if it'll help me any, but if I get screwed by my imported copies, I might roll the dice with a local distributor (either purchasing one, or just contacting them) and see what happens. Edited July 13 by Chronocidal Quote
RicePiece Posted July 13 Posted July 13 On 7/12/2024 at 11:05 AM, treatment said: meanwhile... MarkH's DX YF-21 part-02 (Battroid ⇒ Gerwalk ⇒ Fighter): That transformation sequence causes me soooo much stress. Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted July 13 Posted July 13 Just sitting here, waiting until the US distributors I ended up going with actually ship... And hoping no broken head lasers when these show up... Quote
treatment Posted July 13 Posted July 13 (edited) Bandai jp-support and response is quite quick and immediate... to jp-based purchasers... https://x.com/cat_squadron/status/1812035961255338169 reference issue https://x.com/cat_squadron/status/1810653701285310787 web-translated: Edited July 13 by treatment Quote
treatment Posted July 13 Posted July 13 (edited) yet another issue with the unnecessarily removable parts to be wary about... https://x.com/ZEAMTIGER/status/1811737337275253048 as usual, Bandai-support is superb handling DX YF-21 issues... of jp-based purchasers... --- meanwhile, I'm still unable to find the lost part on mine and now contemplating of seeking Bandai support for it even if I'm not jp-based. what could possibly go wrong... Edited July 13 by treatment Quote
Actar Posted July 13 Posted July 13 1 hour ago, treatment said: yet another issue with the unnecessarily removable parts to be wary about... https://x.com/ZEAMTIGER/status/1811737337275253048 as usual, Bandai-support is superb handling DX YF-21 issues... of jp-based purchasers... --- meanwhile, I'm still unable to find the lost part on mine and now contemplating of seeking Bandai support for it even if I'm not jp-based. what could possibly go wrong... So, they're supposed to be removable, but not that easily removable? Quote
Lolicon Posted July 13 Posted July 13 Why didn't Bandai just glue the wing parts on? God knows Bandai loves glopping glue over everything else, including parts that are already held together by screws. Quote
Shawn Posted July 13 Posted July 13 Took it to battroid mode today for the first time. It's crazy complicated but once completed it's amazing solid. I do have one side where the leg almost refuses to rotate on the hip pivot and the same thing with one of the arms...it doesn't want to rotate where attached to the base. It looks like the attachment screw could've hidden behind a glued in panel but I could not get it loose. Aside from bent laser and 2 joints that are breaking level tight it's a really cool addition to the collection lol Quote
davidwhangchoi Posted July 13 Posted July 13 6 hours ago, treatment said: Bandai jp-support and response is quite quick and immediate... to jp-based purchasers... https://x.com/cat_squadron/status/1812035961255338169 reference issue https://x.com/cat_squadron/status/1810653701285310787 web-translated: hopefully Bandai USA will take care of any fears of bent lasers or broken wings. Quote
Angesdad Posted July 13 Posted July 13 28 minutes ago, Shawn said: I do have one side where the leg almost refuses to rotate on the hip pivot and the same thing with one of the arms...it doesn't want to rotate where attached to the base. It looks like the attachment screw could've hidden behind a glued in panel but I could not get it loose. The shoulder joints on mine were also excessively tight moving up and down sideways. I applied some 50 wt shock oil, slowly expanding the range working the joint and now at least it doesn’t feel like i am going to rip the shoulder off when articulated. Quote
Shawn Posted July 14 Posted July 14 Tried the hair-dryer thing for a few minutes, got it mostly straight, but still a bit wonky. Quote
Angesdad Posted July 14 Posted July 14 1 minute ago, Shawn said: Tried the hair-dryer thing for a few minutes, got it mostly straight, but still a bit wonky. Hey @Shawn, how did you manage to take the head off? Does it just pop off if you pull on it or? Quote
Bolt Posted July 14 Posted July 14 5 minutes ago, Shawn said: Tried the hair-dryer thing for a few minutes, got it mostly straight, but still a bit wonky. It looks like there's a kink in it. Quote
Shawn Posted July 14 Posted July 14 Yeah-the head just pops off on a ball joint Agreed its still wonky, might try it again later, you really need some sort of press of something to cinch it down. I was using something flat to press it down with when it was warm, but it seemed to rebound a bit, like muscle memory. Next attempt tomorrow will be to warm it up, then clamp it down and let it sit for a while. Quote
Actar Posted July 14 Posted July 14 (edited) I figured out a way to secure the backpack in Battroid mode without using the brace! There are these two pegs on the "shelf" that, in the proper configuration, are supposed to go into two holes on the back. In the proper configuration, these don't actually provide any structural support and are more to guide the backpack into the correct position. Now, instead of pegging them in, take the two pegs and rest them on the top of the back. You'll also need to pull the intakes as far up as they can go. This actually provides the entire backpack the support and structural integrity required to maintain its position in Battroid mode, even with some light handling and posing. Of course, you'll need to hold it down when moving the arms, and leaning the figure back might cause the thruster section to come unpegged. However, the only one real downside is that this configuration limits the head articulation as the intake section is slightly higher than it should be. I think it might be too high for some, but it looks okay to me. Edited July 14 by Actar Quote
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