Bandai VF-31AX Kairos Plus - Hayate Type

[Special Sauce]

7 hours ago, Rein+ said:

And with some failed quality control from bandai on top of it.

AND SOME MISSING/BROKEN PART TO ADD TO MY MISERY.

That's ridiculous.  I'm sorry that happened to you.  It almost looks like someone took it out, played with it, then put it back and re-sealed it.

[sh9000]

Luna Park needs to learn how to package items well.  I'm done with them after I receive my few orders.

[Sandman]

3 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Bummer to see that happen.
 

Mine was shipped in two layers of bubble wrap and it survived unscathed. The figure other than the issues everyone else has for figment was fine.

Super lucky, I guess.

Yeah same here. Package was just wrapped up in a bubble of bubble wrap taped up. No Box. The toy packaging ended up being damaged on every corner with one rip of the outer carboard sleeve. Unfortunately i miss judged the pressure on the exacto knife when cutting the mess of packing tape and bubble wrap and i cut into the package. Never happened to me before.

[Sanity is Optional]

Mine from LP came well packed, but I got mine via EMS rather than DHL.

I'm guessing they're still outsourcing packing the DHL ones.

[jenius]

I'm wondering if they didn't get their own stock which was substantially less than their total orders. They shipped out that stock on their own and it's packaged well. For everyone left over, they appear to be sourcing stock from elsewhere and maybe forwarding it along in whatever packaging it comes to them in. The reason the DHL info shows up way ahead of time is because they submit that when they source the toy but it doesn't actually go out until they receive it, place the info together, and then deliver it to DHL. It still blows me away if this is true though because it's the worst business model ever and WILL fail. It must be real hard to be a toy store... I wonder if they just have no idea how many Bandai will provide. 

[sh9000]

I'll see how mine arrives.  Unfortunately I have 2 more preorders with them.

[no3Ljm]

20 minutes ago, jenius said:

I'm wondering if they didn't get their own stock which was substantially less than their total orders. They shipped out that stock on their own and it's packaged well. For everyone left over, they appear to be sourcing stock from elsewhere and maybe forwarding it along in whatever packaging it comes to them in. The reason the DHL info shows up way ahead of time is because they submit that when they source the toy but it doesn't actually go out until they receive it, place the info together, and then deliver it to DHL. It still blows me away if this is true though because it's the worst business model ever and WILL fail. It must be real hard to be a toy store... I wonder if they just have no idea how many Bandai will provide. 

I remember them posting in the Metal Build/Structure/GFFComposite/RobotDamashii thread on the same page that they do have 'direct contract' and 'internal source'. I don't mind them sourcing out for stocks but then they should somehow repackage them if they want to please and keep their loyal customers.

 

@LUNA PARK Quotes from the Metal Build thread above:

On 9/17/2021 at 8:44 PM, LUNA PARK said:

We do have a direct contract with Bandai to fulfil our customers pre-orders. Do not fret  

On 9/17/2021 at 8:44 PM, LUNA PARK said:

We have a direct contract with Bandai to fulfil our client's demand

On 9/17/2021 at 8:45 PM, LUNA PARK said:

We are improving our shipping for premium items and will have announcements about this on our Youtube soon. 

On 9/18/2021 at 2:23 AM, LUNA PARK said:

Yes, from our Bandai Internal source, Bandai hasn't decided yet if they gonna release it as event exclusive, premium bandai exclusive or a regular release (like RX-93 Nu Gundam), we are waiting for them to decide.

 

Edited January 25, 2022 by no3Ljm

[davidwhangchoi]

Luna Park sounds like a kpop group, sounds better than Slave's ex, Nippon Yasan.

[Mommar]

5 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

that is like one piece paper, Luna Park trying to keep shipping costs down. 

I think i feel safer with ebay store sabrinaskimpy, they at least used an extra piece of tissue paper on the outside of the box

 

That’s very weird.  My package from Luna Park was double wrapped in bubble wrap.  It was the most protected box I ever received.  I do wonder why an order from Lina Park came in an Amazon box though…

[Slave IV]

44 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said:

Luna Park sounds like a kpop group, sounds better than Slave's ex, Nippon Yasan.

 NY ain't got nothing on those Meghan/Patricia CS videos! But I gotta say, my last shipment from NY was packed nicely with that blue bubble wrap sealed tightly all around with custom made box to fit perfectly!

[Mommar]

4 hours ago, jenius said:

I'm wondering if they didn't get their own stock which was substantially less than their total orders. They shipped out that stock on their own and it's packaged well. For everyone left over, they appear to be sourcing stock from elsewhere and maybe forwarding it along in whatever packaging it comes to them in. The reason the DHL info shows up way ahead of time is because they submit that when they source the toy but it doesn't actually go out until they receive it, place the info together, and then deliver it to DHL. It still blows me away if this is true though because it's the worst business model ever and WILL fail. It must be real hard to be a toy store... I wonder if they just have no idea how many Bandai will provide. 

I recall being scoffed at when I started questioning how they could keep pre-orders open so long when nobody else could and my suspicion was they were sourcing from other places.  The apparently forwarded along Amazon box confirms what I was thinking because that sort of non-packing is classic AmazonJapan.

Edited January 26, 2022 by Mommar

[last_raven]

10 hours ago, weiser21 said:

If you do a chargeback though you will most likely be banned from their site. 

Pretty sure none of us will cry that much about the relationship coming to an end. My items have arrived fine so far from LP but I hate to see this happening to others

[last_raven]

4 hours ago, jenius said:

I'm wondering if they didn't get their own stock which was substantially less than their total orders. They shipped out that stock on their own and it's packaged well. For everyone left over, they appear to be sourcing stock from elsewhere and maybe forwarding it along in whatever packaging it comes to them in. The reason the DHL info shows up way ahead of time is because they submit that when they source the toy but it doesn't actually go out until they receive it, place the info together, and then deliver it to DHL. It still blows me away if this is true though because it's the worst business model ever and WILL fail. It must be real hard to be a toy store... I wonder if they just have no idea how many Bandai will provide. 

Yea I've heard of this happening a lot with P-Bandai and Bandai Spirits stuff especially. They suddenly limit overall production or how much one seller can get etc. But back in the day I heard of sellers cancelling and refunding POs instead when that's the case. Guess they couldn't stand not having the money or seen as 'not being able to fill orders'

[sh9000]

3 hours ago, Slave IV said:

 NY ain't got nothing on those Meghan/Patricia CS videos! But I gotta say, my last shipment from NY was packed nicely with that blue bubble wrap sealed tightly all around with custom made box to fit perfectly!

Whoever was the worker that used to ship out my packages from them always did an excellent job.  All items arrived with no damage and were wrapped perfectly in blue bubble wrap and shipped in secure shipping boxes.  If things ended up differently with the store I would have ordered the 31AX from them and it would have also arrived with no damage.

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

Whoever was the worker that used to ship out my packages from them always did an excellent job.  All items arrived with no damage and were wrapped perfectly in blue bubble wrap and shipped in secure shipping boxes.  If things ended up differently with the store I would have ordered the 31AX from them and it would have also arrived with no damage.

Yeah, my packages were always good from them and I saved thousands of dollars over the years because of their low prices. Too bad they had to go down the drain. Hopefully we’ll get more domestic shops carrying Macross in the near future. 

[MKT]

18 hours ago, Rein+ said:

AND SOME MISSING/BROKEN PART TO ADD TO MY MISERY.

Sorry to hear this @Rein+. It is hard to believe such an obvious break went past QC, that it looks more like an opened item that was resealed. That LP obviously buying it from 3rd party at Amazon just adds to this possibility.. 

LP initially appeared to have learned from their earlier fiasco of bad packaging; my VF-1D was affected by DHL's shoddy packaging but they have responded well when I reached out to them then, and since then, there were folks who have received packages directly from them on which they have improved the packaging substantially.

Yet it's a shame now to hear LP's practice of buying stock from aftermarket and forwarding it directly to their customers seem to backfire on them, in the area of bad packaging coming back to haunt them & customers again. Robust packaging for toy collectibles is naturally a very important aspect, and I am surprised that they take so long to get this basic aspect right, even from the first time around. Just about every other store we have all shared before over the years, even the shady/problematic ones in terms of fulfilment, get this aspect right (ok except Amazon JP).

It makes me think the persons behind LP do not really understand the toy collector mindset before they started this business. After the VF-1D DHL packaging fiasco, they pushed out a video to sort of explain the reasons, but to me then it was just about pointless. Why make a video about something that many of us in collecting community already know? That in Japan you can just wrap something in tissue paper and it will arrive domestically in just pristine condition, and all other carriers outside Japan may treat your package like a football one way or another? Instead, shouldn't there be something in the video made to address how to improve the packaging in the future? (To their credit, they DID improve after that, so long as it is shipped directly from their hands).

Amazon JP still packages their stuff in thin boxes, but I suppose its a very deliberate decision to keep their shipping costs low. For me, and perhaps other people who order from Amazon JP, understand this trade-off and its somewhat made more acceptable because their item prices themselves are often the lowest too with the PO price guarantee.  LP doesn't have that kind goodwill, since they tend to charge a premium for the items, and even heftier mark-ups for shipping. That the item arrives in horrible condition due to bad packaging just leaves a very bad taste in mouth.

But at this moment, I just think LP is just going through growing pains and I hope they grow & succeed. The current situation seems to me they have been shafted by Bandai / Bandai distributors on the infamous 'stock cut' that hits just about every other smaller stores, and they are in the unpalatable situation of either to cancel & refund, thereby hitting their reliability, or suck it up and procure stock from aftermarket to fulfill as a stopgap measure. Whether it is sound business practice or not, if they are procuring stock again from the aftermarket, they just need to make sure their own staff pack the items themselves before sending it on to customers..

 

[Dirtyboy]

Just got mine, have to say its not nearly as polished as the other VF-31s, and the packagaing wasnt nearly as great as the VF-31s. 

The paint is a bit rough in some areas. Figure is ridiculously tight as well.

 

Wont be purchasing anymore VF-31AX tbh

[Anasazi37]

13 hours ago, Mommar said:

I recall being scoffed at when I started questioning how they could keep pre-orders open so long when nobody else could and my suspicion was they were sourcing from other places.  The apparently forwarded along Amazon box confirms what I was thinking because that sort of non-packing is classic AmazonJapan.

Yep, that's exactly what AJ does for items shipped within Japan, I think because they assume the package isn't going very far. The item inside the box might slide around, get crushed, etc. Tenso generally just slaps an address label on packages sent to them by AJ, so I've seen that level of non-packing when Tenso forwards something to me. It's beginning to sound like it's a real gamble to order from LP. You might get a well-packed item or something that could have just as easily been sent by AJ + Tenso, and without the long delays people are experiencing right now. At the prices LP charges, if they are just sourcing from AJ, it would likely cost the same amount or less to just buy the item yourself on AJ and have a forwarding service like Tenso send it to you.

[davidwhangchoi]

19 hours ago, Mommar said:

That’s very weird.  My package from Luna Park was double wrapped in bubble wrap.  It was the most protected box I ever received.  I do wonder why an order from Lina Park came in an Amazon box though…

That's because Lina Park is the evil step sister of Luna 

18 hours ago, Slave IV said:

 NY ain't got nothing on those Meghan/Patricia CS videos! But I gotta say, my last shipment from NY was packed nicely with that blue bubble wrap sealed tightly all around with custom made box to fit perfectly!

Still faithful to your ex get over her, she's dead

[sh9000]

Luna Park confirmed yesterday that my 31AX will be bubble wrapped well and shipped in a sturdy box.

[weiser21]

@Rein+ is Luna Park aware you are a member of this forum? Did you have to request your item be shipped? Trying to figure out their shipping method pattern.
 

Maybe they only package items properly for folks on this forum that have contacted them through their account here. 

The one purchase I made from them was before they showed up here and it was shipped in a DHL bag with a thin layer of bubble wrap. All the corners of the brown shipper box are rounded, not a single pointy corner. I preorder a Metal Build accessory from them via eBay. They asked for an additional 10K Yen shipping before they shipped and they still skimped on the packaging. 

[seti88]

9 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

That's because Lina Park is the evil step sister of Luna 

Still faithful to your ex get over her, she's dead

ok one like for you for making me lol.... 

[Rock]

23 hours ago, MKT said:

Sorry to hear this @Rein+. It is hard to believe such an obvious break went past QC, that it looks more like an opened item that was resealed. That LP obviously buying it from 3rd party at Amazon just adds to this possibility.. 

LP initially appeared to have learned from their earlier fiasco of bad packaging; my VF-1D was affected by DHL's shoddy packaging but they have responded well when I reached out to them then, and since then, there were folks who have received packages directly from them on which they have improved the packaging substantially.

Yet it's a shame now to hear LP's practice of buying stock from aftermarket and forwarding it directly to their customers seem to backfire on them, in the area of bad packaging coming back to haunt them & customers again. Robust packaging for toy collectibles is naturally a very important aspect, and I am surprised that they take so long to get this basic aspect right, even from the first time around. Just about every other store we have all shared before over the years, even the shady/problematic ones in terms of fulfilment, get this aspect right (ok except Amazon JP).

It makes me think the persons behind LP do not really understand the toy collector mindset before they started this business. After the VF-1D DHL packaging fiasco, they pushed out a video to sort of explain the reasons, but to me then it was just about pointless. Why make a video about something that many of us in collecting community already know? That in Japan you can just wrap something in tissue paper and it will arrive domestically in just pristine condition, and all other carriers outside Japan may treat your package like a football one way or another? Instead, shouldn't there be something in the video made to address how to improve the packaging in the future? (To their credit, they DID improve after that, so long as it is shipped directly from their hands).

Amazon JP still packages their stuff in thin boxes, but I suppose its a very deliberate decision to keep their shipping costs low. For me, and perhaps other people who order from Amazon JP, understand this trade-off and its somewhat made more acceptable because their item prices themselves are often the lowest too with the PO price guarantee.  LP doesn't have that kind goodwill, since they tend to charge a premium for the items, and even heftier mark-ups for shipping. That the item arrives in horrible condition due to bad packaging just leaves a very bad taste in mouth.

But at this moment, I just think LP is just going through growing pains and I hope they grow & succeed. The current situation seems to me they have been shafted by Bandai / Bandai distributors on the infamous 'stock cut' that hits just about every other smaller stores, and they are in the unpalatable situation of either to cancel & refund, thereby hitting their reliability, or suck it up and procure stock from aftermarket to fulfill as a stopgap measure. Whether it is sound business practice or not, if they are procuring stock again from the aftermarket, they just need to make sure their own staff pack the items themselves before sending it on to customers..

 

Out of curiosity, did you use the LP premium service that has the 'upgraded packaging' ?

[MKT]

41 minutes ago, Rock said:

Out of curiosity, did you use the LP premium service that has the 'upgraded packaging' ?

No I didn't. When the VF-1D PO's went up, they haven't launched their premium service then.

I just had a relook at their 'premium service', and am still as confused now as when they started it back then. As far as I can see, the premium service doesn't appear to have any subscription attached (for eg Amazon Prime), so the implication is that the benefits such as 'upgraded packaging' & '5% points' are built into the item prices. Yet when I compare a few Macross items between their premium and normal site, the prices are exactly the same. Whoever orders from their normal site should feel quite screwed. 
 

[Rein+]

10 hours ago, weiser21 said:

@Rein+ is Luna Park aware you are a member of this forum? Did you have to request your item be shipped? Trying to figure out their shipping method pattern.

Well maybe they aware now because the picture i sent them are the same with the picture i post here.

Oh yeah here's an update to my situation.
Luna said they gonna replace my order if i send my order back to them which i did today.

What in my concern right now is that my paypall protection end on 29th this month and luna probably only send the new copy after they received mine back.

as side note, i never knew that sending item to japan is almost double the price of sending thing from japan to my nation😔.

[Rein+]

18 hours ago, Dirtyboy said:

Just got mine, have to say its not nearly as polished as the other VF-31s, and the packagaing wasnt nearly as great as the VF-31s. 

The paint is a bit rough in some areas. Figure is ridiculously tight as well.

 

Wont be purchasing anymore VF-31AX tbh

Yep the arms part is feels like a downgrade version of previous VF-31 IMO and the paint.... oh at least my copy looks like someone made a mistake and try to fix it with adding more paint on top of it😒

it looks ugly in fighter mode bacuse all that cracked looks the arm joint does while it clearly looks better in battroid mode.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

4 hours ago, seti88 said:

ok one like for you for making me lol.... 

[Angesdad]

7 hours ago, Rein+ said:

my copy looks like someone made a mistake and try to fix it with adding more paint on top of it😒

 

Yup mistakes happen (which is inevitable) and they do touch up any imperfections after the fact. My copy of 1D has a rather nice thicc smear of orange touch up on top of what looks like a tiny hair. I just hope it didn't come from there. 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Angesdad

[MKT]

Finally got my copy of the VF-31AX today. Opened and immediately spotted the problems everyone else mentioned in Fighter: the bad alignment of the various arm panels & guns, plus the wings not tabbing properly to the legs.

After spending a better part of 2 hours fighting to get everything aligned properly, and frustrated along by the design of it where there are sharp points everywhere - the serrated wings, dogtooth canards, stinger end, head antenna, I'm giving up.. It is just sloppy tolerancing on Bandai's part on those problematic areas, and it appears to be at a level that's more akin to toys made about 20 years ago in the earlier 2000's, what with all the misaligned paint on the shoulder pieces, the panel gaps, and the tabs not fitting properly. Of the top of my head for comparison, the Yamato v2 VF-1 and VF-19 molds that are at least a decade old now were really the high point on how everything fits perfectly together without any slop.

I then took out the previous VF-31s to compare, and have renewed appreciation on how sleek everything looked under and around the wings. I also pulled up Bandai's promotional pics of the 31AX in Fighter mode, and am not surprised if they photoshopped away all the gaps including the misaligned shoulder paint stripes everyone else has in their pics and review videos. 

But at end of day, these issues will not bother me that much as they will be mostly be display pieces. Just holding out some hope Mirage's AX will have these issues fixed. 

 

[no3Ljm]

Aside from all the things that been said about this, I really hate that rectal thermometer. 

Also, with Battroid in their vanilla form, I prefer their wing unfolded like a cape. Ever since Messiah, the wing is now limited to folding it towards the back which takes too much space. Of course with add-on parts, I will fold the wing as intended to be.

With all that being said, I'm still going to get Mirage's because I like her head design more than Hayate's. And Arad's if that's going to get made since his color is neutral for future repaint.  

 

[no3Ljm]

Quick question. Anyone figured out why the fold-thingy on the chest have hinges on it when it's pulled? Is this for transformation purposes like its previous model or needed afterwards for add-on packs?

 

[Angesdad]

3 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Quick question. Anyone figured out why the fold-thingy on the chest have hinges on it when it's pulled? Is this for transformation purposes like its previous model or needed afterwards for add-on packs?

 

My guess is it's just a drawer + hinge type of design solely for aesthetic purposes. This way the fold pieces retract sitting flush to the chest until you decide to transform. Otherwise there'd be ugly hinges visible on top of the chest. 

[Chronocidal]

5 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Aside from all the things that been said about this, I really hate that rectal thermometer. 

 

5 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Quick question. Anyone figured out why the fold-thingy on the chest have hinges on it when it's pulled? Is this for transformation purposes like its previous model or needed afterwards for add-on packs?

Agreed 100% on the thermometer.  Mine's carrying the spare charger pack from my Hayate with the sound booster.

I'm guessing the folding chest pieces are just a holdover that they left alone since the original release had them, and it was easier than re-molding the chest plate.  They might play a bigger role in giving clearance to the other head designs.

[manfred17]

On 1/23/2022 at 2:29 AM, Chronocidal said:

That does help.  I think the root problem is that those arm panels are so hard to slide.  If they actually reach the position they're supposed to, everything lines up pretty well, but they love sticking, and there's no really any good way to grip them.

On my copy, the canon still goes downward even the arm panels are slided to the max position.

One solution is to do some sandings. For the price, this is unacceptable from Bandai. This is not a plug-and-play toy, but a plug-and-sand-before-play toy !!!

[Slave IV]

2 hours ago, manfred17 said:

On my copy, the canon still goes downward even the arm panels are slided to the max position.

One solution is to do some sandings. For the price, this is unacceptable from Bandai. This is not a plug-and-play toy, but a plug-and-sand-before-play toy !!!

Wait, you have to plug these in too? They couldn’t even make a battery compartment?