Does Bandai have poor QA or am I just unlucky.

[Hagerstrom]

I've been slowly building my Bandai DX Macross collection but I seem to be having real trouble acquiring examples without issues.

The first YF-19 I bought was fine apart from the fact the panel lines were not great and after seeing better examples on this forum and else where, I decided to buy a replacement and then sell the original on Ebay,

Unfortunately the 2nd YF-19 arrived with a broken right tail fin. The tail fin wouldn't fold to the correct position and would fall off very easily. I returned this one for a refund and ordered another replacement.

The 3rd example arrived with the same tail fin defect but this time on the left side. Again, I returned the item for a refund.

On top of this, I received a YF-29 (Isamu version), with scratches on the top left wing mount and left engine nacelle from the factory.

I've bought all these examples as brand new f/s.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? Or am I just incredibly unlucky?

It's really taking the fun out of collecting these toys.

 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

The YF-19 is known to have a few issues with hinges being weak, though IIRC it was the leg-fins, rather than the tail-fins. It also had a lot of issues with the antenna arriving broken due to the box design.

On the whole though, you're either unlucky or are looking a bit too closely for imperfections. All toys are going to have minor issues, so hard to say how yours stack up without pictures.

[Hagerstrom]

13 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

The YF-19 is known to have a few issues with hinges being weak, though IIRC it was the leg-fins, rather than the tail-fins. It also had a lot of issues with the antenna arriving broken due to the box design.

On the whole though, you're either unlucky or are looking a bit too closely for imperfections. All toys are going to have minor issues, so hard to say how yours stack up without pictures.

Here's the scratches on the YF-29.

[Hagerstrom]

19 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

The YF-19 is known to have a few issues with hinges being weak, though IIRC it was the leg-fins, rather than the tail-fins. It also had a lot of issues with the antenna arriving broken due to the box design.

On the whole though, you're either unlucky or are looking a bit too closely for imperfections. All toys are going to have minor issues, so hard to say how yours stack up without pictures.

The scratch on the nacelle is a bit difficult to capture.

[Lolicon]

In general, the fit and finish of Bandai's valkyries has not been as good as Yamato/Arcadia releases.

BUT! Yamato/Arcadia valkyries have tended to have more catastrophic failures (usually on early versions of a particular line): cracked shoulders, broken legs, exploding arms, mismatched ankles, that sort of thing.

Bandai tends to have smaller but more numerous issues that are endemic to their valks and that Bandai will never acknowledge are a problem. They've improved a lot over the years for sure, but things like the YF-19 stabilizers falling off if you breathe on them too hard, miscellaneous scratches and chips all over the valk, weak tampo that flakes off, backwards modex numbers, locking tabs that don't actually lock anything/dependence on friction and hope to hold things in place, etc.

How serious or not these Bandai issues are will vary from person to person. Some peeps may not care or don't see them as problems.

The problems you (the OP) mentioned are endemic to all Bandai YF-19s.

My YF-19 has chipped navigational lights on the wing tips that I will have to touch up eventually. Others received their copies with broken head lasers due to poor packaging.

Also, someone at the factory vandalized every Bandai YF-19 with huge ungodly graffiti on the wings. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Lolicon

[Hagerstrom]

41 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

In general, the fit and finish of Bandai's valkyries has not been as good as Yamato/Arcadia releases.

BUT! Yamato/Arcadia valkyries have tended to have more catastrophic failures (usually on early versions of a particular line): cracked shoulders, broken legs, exploding arms, mismatched ankles, that sort of thing.

Bandai tends to have smaller but more numerous issues that are endemic to their valks and that Bandai will never acknowledge are a problem. They've improved a lot over the years for sure, but things like the YF-19 stabilizers falling off if you breathe on them too hard, miscellaneous scratches and chips all over the valk, weak tampo that flakes off, backwards modex numbers, locking tabs that don't actually lock anything/dependence on friction and hope to hold things in place, etc.

How serious or not these Bandai issues are will vary from person to person. Some peeps may not care or don't see them as problems.

The problems you (the OP) mentioned are endemic to all Bandai YF-19s.

My YF-19 has chipped navigational lights on the wing tips that I will have to touch up eventually. Others received their copies with broken head lasers due to poor packaging.

Also, someone at the factory vandalized every Bandai YF-19 with huge ungodly graffiti on the wings. 

I totally understand that some of these issues are down to the individual but getting the brand new YF-29 and seeing scratches on top of the toy is really frustrating.

[MKT]

2 hours ago, Lolicon said:

In general, the fit and finish of Bandai's valkyries has not been as good as Yamato/Arcadia releases.

BUT! Yamato/Arcadia valkyries have tended to have more catastrophic failures (usually on early versions of a particular line): cracked shoulders, broken legs, exploding arms, mismatched ankles, that sort of thing.

Bandai tends to have smaller but more numerous issues that are endemic to their valks and that Bandai will never acknowledge are a problem. They've improved a lot over the years for sure, but things like the YF-19 stabilizers falling off if you breathe on them too hard, miscellaneous scratches and chips all over the valk, weak tampo that flakes off, backwards modex numbers, locking tabs that don't actually lock anything/dependence on friction and hope to hold things in place, etc.

How serious or not these Bandai issues are will vary from person to person. Some peeps may not care or don't see them as problems.

The problems you (the OP) mentioned are endemic to all Bandai YF-19s.

My YF-19 has chipped navigational lights on the wing tips that I will have to touch up eventually. Others received their copies with broken head lasers due to poor packaging.

Also, someone at the factory vandalized every Bandai YF-19 with huge ungodly graffiti on the wings. 

I second this. Bandai's valks, especially from Frontier era, do tend to have more random, minute imperfections - scratches, dents, warped pieces, loose pieces, inconsistent panel gaps etc. It feels like they are more loose in visual QC during assembly stage at the factory. Which I think are not that out of place compared to other general non-Macross toys & figures. It's just Chogokins are on average pricier, even more so now, that the expected standards are naturally much higher.

Yamato/Arcadia really shoot for higher standards, and one of the things I'm always impressed with are the small, & generally very consistent panel gaps. But sometimes it feels they push tolerances too far, and failures are always more structural in nature in terms of materials selection or assembly process.

[MacrossJunkie]

I think most of the Bandai DXs I had have had some scuffs out of the box. The problem is that the majority of them have a very glossy smooth surface so those scratches and scuffs show quite easily. Those surface scratches aren't too bad. They can usually be buffed out with some buffing compound and a microfiber cloth if you really felt like it, just be careful not to hit the painted areas. 

For me, since I do stuff like clear coating them, the scratches and other surface imperfections disappear with that too.

[Hagerstrom]

32 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

I think most of the Bandai DXs I had have had some scuffs out of the box. The problem is that the majority of them have a very glossy smooth surface so those scratches and scuffs show quite easily. Those surface scratches aren't too bad. They can usually be buffed out with some buffing compound and a microfiber cloth if you really felt like it, just be careful not to hit the painted areas. 

For me, since I do stuff like clear coating them, the scratches and other surface imperfections disappear with that too.

Thanks for the info. Do you have any recommendations for buffing compounds?

[MacrossJunkie]

You could try Tamiya's fine and finishing compounds for light scuffs. Or if you already have some polishing compounds for cars (for removing swirls from a car's clear coat), you could try that first. If that doesn't get the scratches out, you'll likely want to start with some very fine sandpaper before using the compounds. 

It's hard to judge from your pics, but I would guess that you should be able to get that out with compounds alone without having to resort to sandpaper. 

[Hagerstrom]

2 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

You could try Tamiya's fine and finishing compounds for light scuffs. Or if you already have some polishing compounds for cars (for removing swirls from a car's clear coat), you could try that first. If that doesn't get the scratches out, you'll likely want to start with some very fine sandpaper before using the compounds. 

It's hard to judge from your pics, but I would guess that you should be able to get that out with compounds alone without having to resort to sandpaper. 

Okay, thanks. Do you think this would do... Novus Plastic Polish

[MacrossJunkie]

Yeah, I don't see why not.

Looking at that, I would start with 1 to see if that's enough to get out the blemishes. If not, then 2 and then 1. If that's still not enough then do 3, then 2, then 1.

Though some good advice is to test the 1 in a minor area you wouldn't really notice to make sure it leaves a polished glossy look to the plastic and not swirls. I'd also recommend putting some masking tape over the painted areas just so you don't accidentally damage or remove any paint.

Edited September 9, 2020 by MacrossJunkie

[Hagerstrom]

2 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

Yeah, I don't see why not.

Looking at that, I would start with 1 to see if that's enough to get out the blemishes. If not, then 2 and then 1. If that's still not enough then do 3, then 2, then 1.

Though some good advice is to test the 1 in a minor area you wouldn't really notice to make sure it leaves a polished glossy look to the plastic and not swirls. I'd also recommend putting some masking tape over the painted areas just so you don't accidentally damage or remove any paint.

I'll give that a try. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

[Paco Grande]

5 hours ago, Hagerstrom said:

I've been slowly building my Bandai DX Macross collection but I seem to be having real trouble acquiring examples without issues.

The first YF-19 I bought was fine apart from the fact the panel lines were not great and after seeing better examples on this forum and else where, I decided to buy a replacement and then sell the original on Ebay,

Unfortunately the 2nd YF-19 arrived with a broken right tail fin. The tail fin wouldn't fold to the correct position and would fall off very easily. I returned this one for a refund and ordered another replacement.

The 3rd example arrived with the same tail fin defect but this time on the left side. Again, I returned the item for a refund.

On top of this, I received a YF-29 (Isamu version), with scratches on the top left wing mount and left engine nacelle from the factory.

I've bought all these examples as brand new f/s.

Has anyone else had similar experiences? Or am I just incredibly unlucky?

It's really taking the fun out of collecting these toys.

 

I just received the DX YF-19 Full Set Pack and I was very impressed with the whole package except for the tail fins falling off. On mine it's both sides and if you look at it funny they will fall off. I just keep putting them back on. It's a flaw in the design. They should have put a pin in those hinges but I'm sure that would have ruined the look of the fins so they went with the crappy joint.

As for your scratches, they aren't ideal but I've seen much worse on other collector toy lines. For example, the white parts could be painted white with a different colour of white plastic underneath. That would make the scratches much more visible. 

I'm actually surprised you were able to return the figure for those issues. Where did you buy it from? Mine is from Nippon Yasan so I have no hope of returning it.

 

 

[Hagerstrom]

13 minutes ago, Paco Grande said:

 

I just received the DX YF-19 Full Set Pack and I was very impressed with the whole package except for the tail fins falling off. On mine it's both sides and if you look at it funny they will fall off. I just keep putting them back on. It's a flaw in the design. They should have put a pin in those hinges but I'm sure that would have ruined the look of the fins so they went with the crappy joint.

As for your scratches, they aren't ideal but I've seen much worse on other collector toy lines. For example, the white parts could be painted white with a different colour of white plastic underneath. That would make the scratches much more visible. 

I'm actually surprised you were able to return the figure for those issues. Where did you buy it from? Mine is from Nippon Yasan so I have no hope of returning it.

 

 

I bought mine from Ebay, The first return did produce a refund but the seller then claimed that I sent the YF-19 back broken. The YF-19 arrived back in Japan with both tail fins detached and the seller assumed the item was broken. I then had to produce annotated images of the YF-19 explaining that they do fall off and can be reattached.

The 2nd YF-19 is being posted back at the moment.

My original YF-19 does suffer from tail fins popping off but the problem with the replacements is that the tail fins do not fold out to the correct angle. The tail fins should fold out and stop. These tail fins also fell very easily compared to my original.

You can see from the image, the left tail fin is not seating properly compared to the right and does not fold out to the correct angle

 

[seti88]

I shared a post on how to strengthen the tail rudder in the YF-19 thread.

 

 

[Lolicon]

16 hours ago, MKT said:

I second this. Bandai's valks, especially from Frontier era, do tend to have more random, minute imperfections - scratches, dents, warped pieces, loose pieces, inconsistent panel gaps etc. It feels like they are more loose in visual QC during assembly stage at the factory. Which I think are not that out of place compared to other general non-Macross toys & figures. It's just Chogokins are on average pricier, even more so now, that the expected standards are naturally much higher.

Yamato/Arcadia really shoot for higher standards, and one of the things I'm always impressed with are the small, & generally very consistent panel gaps. But sometimes it feels they push tolerances too far, and failures are always more structural in nature in terms of materials selection or assembly process.

I've spent more time than I cared to trying to match paints on the VF-25 so I could touch up all the numerous paint scratches they have right out of the box. 

[MKT]

9 hours ago, Lolicon said:

I've spent more time than I cared to trying to match paints on the VF-25 so I could touch up all the numerous paint scratches they have right out of the box. 

More and more I'm thinking I should at least start picking up some painting skills, so won't be so much bothered about paint imperfections or scratches. But maybe I'm not bothered enough yet to pick it up.

[Sanity is Optional]

1 hour ago, MKT said:

More and more I'm thinking I should at least start picking up some painting skills, so won't be so much bothered about paint imperfections or scratches. But maybe I'm not bothered enough yet to pick it up.

Just throw a matte or semi-matte coat over the top and they all disappear.

[MacrossJunkie]

9 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Just throw a matte or semi-matte coat over the top and they all disappear.

In this case, Lolicon and MKT are talking about scratches or scrapes on the paint itself rather than on plastic which would require paint matching to touch it up.

[Sanity is Optional]

1 hour ago, MacrossJunkie said:

In this case, Lolicon and MKT are talking about scratches or scrapes on the paint itself rather than on plastic which would require paint matching to touch it up.

You can hide a lot of defects (including minor paint defects) with a matte coat, speaking from experience.

[Lolicon]

You're not hiding missing patches of paint with a matte coat.

[MacrossJunkie]

15 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

You can hide a lot of defects (including minor paint defects) with a matte coat, speaking from experience.

I guess we're probably thinking of two different things here. I was thinking of the cases where paint has actually come off and is showing some of the plastic's color underneath rather than imperfections to the surface of the paint where the paint is still there. One would require matching the paint and touching it up or just accepting it as is, if the former scenario. If the latter, then yes, it would be just like imperfections to the plastic surface and you can hide that with a clear coat.

I also get why you're saying matte since it's less reflective so it doesn't show bumps and such. Same reason one would paint a wall with a satin or matte paint if using it to project on. A gloss finish would show every bump and imperfection on a drywall surface.

Edited September 10, 2020 by MacrossJunkie

[Sanity is Optional]

7 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

You're not hiding missing patches of paint with a matte coat.

You can hide sloppy edges, scratches, uneven color, uneven finish, and other minor paint errors. Whole areas of removed paint? Of course not.

It'll also cover up slight paint color/texture mis-matches.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Sanity is Optional

[Hagerstrom]

On 9/9/2020 at 3:53 PM, MacrossJunkie said:

Yeah, I don't see why not.

Looking at that, I would start with 1 to see if that's enough to get out the blemishes. If not, then 2 and then 1. If that's still not enough then do 3, then 2, then 1.

Though some good advice is to test the 1 in a minor area you wouldn't really notice to make sure it leaves a polished glossy look to the plastic and not swirls. I'd also recommend putting some masking tape over the painted areas just so you don't accidentally damage or remove any paint.

Thanks to your advice, I managed to pretty much polish out the scratches on the nacelle and top-left wing (which, hopefully you can see in the before and after shots). I also bought some Tamiya fine polish, which helped to bring out a nice shine to the plastic.

Thanks again!

[MacrossJunkie]

10 hours ago, Hagerstrom said:

Thanks to your advice, I managed to pretty much polish out the scratches on the nacelle and top-left wing (which, hopefully you can see in the before and after shots). I also bought some Tamiya fine polish, which helped to bring out a nice shine to the plastic.

Thanks again!

Glad it helped. That looks perfect!