Wave 1/72 vf-171

[Chronocidal]

On 6/2/2023 at 5:41 AM, Thom said:

 

The thing is though, base price of the kit aside, it's the shipping that kills the most. At least another $20 just to get it to me, which with tax could put this close to $90! This ain't the Enterprise-D!!

 

This is why I stock up things like this at HLJ, and ship them all at once  

[Big s]

On 6/2/2023 at 5:41 AM, Thom said:

The thing is though, base price of the kit aside, it's the shipping that kills the most. At least another $20 just to get it to me, which with tax could put this close to $90! This ain't the Enterprise-D!!

You could see how much the price is at one of the U.S. sites if that’s where you’re located. Bbts  and Usags usually get wave kits, but the preorder usually comes up a week or so after they do in Japan. I don’t know if these sites will have a markup though 

[Thom]

13 hours ago, Big s said:

You could see how much the price is at one of the U.S. sites if that’s where you’re located. Bbts  and Usags usually get wave kits, but the preorder usually comes up a week or so after they do in Japan. I don’t know if these sites will have a markup though 

Thanks for the suggestion but USAG isn't showing the VF-171 and BBTS has the initial release for $90!!🤯 (whistle)

13 hours ago, Big s said:

You could see how much the price is at one of the U.S. sites if that’s where you’re located. Bbts  and Usags usually get wave kits, but the preorder usually comes up a week or so after they do in Japan. I don’t know if these sites will have a markup though 

I never buy that much from them as it is.

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Thom said:

Thanks for the suggestion but USAG isn't showing the VF-171 and BBTS has the initial release for $90!!🤯 (whistle)

I kinda figured bbts would have a bit of a markup, but not that much. In a few days you could try and see if the new kit pops up on any other sites for less, but it’s a little tougher finding wave kits than Bandai 

[sh9000]

 

 

[KOG Water Dragon]

On 6/3/2023 at 9:00 PM, Chronocidal said:

This is why I stock up things like this at HLJ, and ship them all at once  

HLJ has been weird. I ordered the HG YF-19 on Oct. 22nd, 2022. Never received. Meanwhile, bought 3 copies at 3 different local brick & mortar stores.

But the Wave VF-171EX I ordered at HLJ did come in.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, I'm still waiting on the same kit, but I'm in no rush to get more of them.  I'm getting the impression that Bandai doesn't like HLJ very much for some reason  

Whatever the reason though, they seem to have gotten bumped to the end of the line for stock of that kit.  Maybe an ordering snafu on the back-end?

[KOG Water Dragon]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Yeah, I'm still waiting on the same kit, but I'm in no rush to get more of them.  I'm getting the impression that Bandai doesn't like HLJ very much for some reason  

Whatever the reason though, they seem to have gotten bumped to the end of the line for stock of that kit.  Maybe an ordering snafu on the back-end?

I dunno if it's a general thing between hlj and bandai. I was able to get some recent gundam kits through hlj easily enough. Just seems like they had a hard time with the yf-19. I'll probably cancel my order with hlj as i don't need more than 3 anyway.

[kajnrig]

HLJ fills a small and shrinking hole in Bandai's... portfolio? market? That is, HLJ is the local Japanese shop that caters to overseas customers. Ever since Bandai refocused their efforts on establishing a Stateside foothold - partnering with then buying Bluefin, working with local shops, etc. - it seems they've allocated less and less to HLJ, who I'm sure they would prefer to compete for their local market, ie the domestic Japanese market.

With the YF-19 in particular, I imagine they wanted a strong US/international launch and so have dedicated a far greater proportion of their stock to those territories instead of Japan. It would certainly explain why it's so easy to get one locally and nearly impossible to get one from HLJ.

[Big s]

7 hours ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

HLJ has been weird. I ordered the HG YF-19 on Oct. 22nd, 2022. Never received. Meanwhile, bought 3 copies at 3 different local brick & mortar stores.

But the Wave VF-171EX I ordered at HLJ did come in.

Wave kits in general are just a lot easier to get, at least as far as preorder and within a certain time after release. There isn’t the same crazy demand as there is with Bandai kits. Bandai has a lot of kit builders spoiled with tiny nubs and little cleanup and pre colored parts. It makes it tough for the smaller companies. But the smaller companies often times will have a subject that Bandai might totally ignore.

[sh9000]

 

[Raikkonen]

Huh, was watching the video moments ago. I'm so tempted as I love this in plane mode!!!!

Does anyone have any experience with the white version? How's the build and quality? How are the water slide decals? 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Raikkonen

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Huh, was watching the video moments ago. I'm so tempted as I love this in plane mode!!!!

Does anyone have any experience with the white version? How's the build and quality? How are the water slide decals? 

If it’s anything like other wave kits, the decals are pretty basic and a little thinner than Bandai, but don’t seem to fall apart 

[kajnrig]

3 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Huh, was watching the video moments ago. I'm so tempted as I love this in plane mode!!!!

Does anyone have any experience with the white version? How's the build and quality? How are the water slide decals? 

Great kit in every way, a bit pricey.

[Raikkonen]

6 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

Great kit in every way, a bit pricey.

Yeah, I noticed the price weight, but I tend to give in if the quality is tops. Thanks. 

7 minutes ago, Big s said:

If it’s anything like other wave kits, the decals are pretty basic and a little thinner than Bandai, but don’t seem to fall apart 

So there's risk with applying liquids and clear coats? 

[Big s]

Just now, Raikkonen said:

Yeah, I noticed the price weight, but I tend to give in if the quality is tops. Thanks. 

So there's risk with applying liquids and clear coats? 

They’re like any other decal, just Bandai usually uses extra thick decals compared to other companies 

[Chronocidal]

Just got the purchase notice from HLJ for my pair of CF-171 kits, so those should be ready to ship out soon.  

[Raikkonen]

Waiting for Amazon to restock...

[Raikkonen]

Anyone know why this item is actually yet to appear on Amazon japan? 

Is it an exclusive for some stores? 

[kajnrig]

1 hour ago, Raikkonen said:

Anyone know why this item is actually yet to appear on Amazon japan? 

Is it an exclusive for some stores? 

Alto: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Macross-VF-171EX-Nightmare-Machine-Length/dp/B0BCTZ1N2H/

CF: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Macross-Nightmare-General-Machine-MC-075/dp/B0C6LYX19M/

Buying options, including the Amazon-sold option, are limited to those stores that ship to the location you specify. If you choose a Japanese postal code, more stores (including the Amazon-sold option) open up.

[Raikkonen]

6 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Alto: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Macross-VF-171EX-Nightmare-Machine-Length/dp/B0BCTZ1N2H/

CF: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Macross-Nightmare-General-Machine-MC-075/dp/B0C6LYX19M/

Buying options, including the Amazon-sold option, are limited to those stores that ship to the location you specify. If you choose a Japanese postal code, more stores (including the Amazon-sold option) open up.

Immense gratitude for this tip!!!

[Urashiman]

I ordered the VF-171 nightmare plus

[KOG Water Dragon]

I got my VF-171 (and the earlier Alto type) right away through HLJ. HLJ seems to get the Wave and Hasegawa Macross kits very easily, unlike the Bandai 1/100 kits...

[Big s]

1 minute ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

I got my VF-171 (and the earlier Alto type) right away through HLJ. HLJ seems to get the Wave and Hasegawa Macross kits very easily, unlike the Bandai 1/100 kits...

Bandai tends to be far more popular as far as kits go. Wave, Hasegawa, Max Factory and others rarely sell out the way Bandai stuff does, even if the other companies do something super cool.

[KOG Water Dragon]

1 minute ago, Big s said:

Bandai tends to be far more popular as far as kits go. Wave, Hasegawa, Max Factory and others rarely sell out the way Bandai stuff does, even if the other companies do something super cool.

Sure but.... I got every single 1/72 Macross release from Bandai easily through HLJ. It's just the 1/100s that have been trouble.

[Big s]

1 hour ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

Sure but.... I got every single 1/72 Macross release from Bandai easily through HLJ. It's just the 1/100s that have been trouble.

The Bandai issue is more of a recent thing. Those 1/72 kits were out before Bandai stopped everyone but hlj in Japan from selling their kits

[seti88]

Vf-171ex armor next..

[Urashiman]

33 minutes ago, seti88 said:

Vf-171ex armor next..

wait - is this legit?

[KOG Water Dragon]

1 hour ago, Urashiman said:

wait - is this legit?

Seems so.

[Thom]

3 hours ago, seti88 said:

Vf-171ex armor next..

Don't get me wrong, that's cool, but can it be bought separately, or do we need to buy a whole nother kit...?

[505thAirborne]

If it's a whole new kit that includes the Armor, I'll be glad I waited. 

[Big s]

4 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

If it's a whole new kit that includes the Armor, I'll be glad I waited. 

It’s probably the same kit with the armor 

[kajnrig]

I'm 90% confident it'll only be offered as a full kit, not a separate standalone item. No real reason why, just my own suspicion.

I wonder if they'll do a similar with the CF and include the reaction warheads instead, a la the DX toys.

[505thAirborne]

1 minute ago, Big s said:

It’s probably the same kit with the armor 

I just realized I phrased that the wrong way... as you said, Same kit but with the armor. 

[KOG Water Dragon]

2 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

I'm 90% confident it'll only be offered as a full kit, not a separate standalone item. No real reason why, just my own suspicion.

I wonder if they'll do a similar with the CF and include the reaction warheads instead, a la the DX toys.

Seems more likely than not.