Bandai VF-31AX Kairos Plus - Hayate Type

[Angesdad]

18 hours ago, eXis10z said:

Is Manda the only way to get the super parts at this stage? 

Mandarake Nakano branch had it for sale the other day and I’m positive other branches will follow so yeah, not the only way but a great place to get it for 10k yen plus shipping. As for me I emailed LP for order update and to my surprise, they’ve given me a shipping notice w/ tracking hopefully it gets picked up next week!

[Scream Man]

Ive been playing around more with the toy this week (Top Gun got me zooming jets around!) and it's grown on me a lot from when i originally had it. I never hated it, but it didnt grab me the way the 31 did. But Im coming around to her charms  

[sh9000]

The remaining and final item that I ordered from LP which are the Super Parts should be coming in this week.  Freedom.

[spacemanoeuvres]

Paid fedex shipping ($24) for my super parts!

[sqidd]

My supers are at my buddies in JP ATM.

[Angesdad]

 

Got a delivery from LP today. Of course I had to email them to "expedite" the process last weekend. Tamashii web exclusive shipper wrapped in a bunch of paper then thrown into a DHL bag, no major damage, just a corner bit wrinkled. Regardless LP shipped it quick and I am excited to check it out after work. I will be sure to share my first impression. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by Angesdad

[jenius]

Wow, I just got my Mirage and you're already getting super parts? They like you more than me!

[Angesdad]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

Wow, I just got my Mirage and you're already getting super parts? They like you more than me!

I am probably just a few days ahead of you and in this game of Macross collecting, slow ‘n steady wins the race!😄

Edited June 1, 2022 by Angesdad

[Anasazi37]

The proxy I used to order my set of super parts just notified me that it's ready to ship. I should hopefully have it by early next week.

[last_raven]

On 5/27/2022 at 3:42 PM, Angesdad said:

My order is with LP.  I guess I'll have to email them with 'where's my order?!' to get the ball rolling again, when I shouldn't have to. Unless things improve, it's my last order.

Likewise. Just did that myself. Showing 'in stock, ready to ship' on their website and I preordered in December..

[sh9000]

My Super Parts from Luna Park arrived in excellent condition.

[wm cheng]

MyKombi came through and my Super Parts arrived (additional $24 brokerage, customs & duties, plus $30 FedEx - so shipping alone is $54 to Canada)!  The box was cut down and made to fit the brown shipper box exactly, no room for any bubble wrap.  Luckily just the corners were a little dinged, but the box inside is perfect.  I wish the two legs and central pallet clipped together tightly, the legs are really only held in place by the wing root tabs and the central pallet just floats there inbetween - not too solid.  The slot for the wing tabs is really tight, you have to massage the legs at the knee joint and upper thigh joint and knee extension to get the right angle to slot into the wing tabs.  I never sanded mine down yet awaiting these parts and its still fits, but I might sand them down a little to make it easier on myself.  However it seems like the leg joints have to be at some point between the ratchet detents to properly lock into the wing root tabs.  I wished the overall thing was more stable and solid to swoosh around more.  The damn huge joint the forward fuselage (both of them) have to be massaged all the time to eliminate the gap, it would open up again after zooming around.  It looks great as a static piece, but I wished the boosters at the end clipped on closer to the wings, it seems like there's this large gap produced by the round pivot joint, I would have thought they'd be tight to the wing pylons which would look neater.  The forearm shield thingy keeps popping off too.  The leg armour has some notches that does keep the guns aligned up properly.  It sure does look pretty though!  I'll take some pictures after I do a panel line wash on them.  I might keep the Mirage naked though (I can sit out that pre-order), I miss the back swept wings silhouette if they were all to have their super packs on.

[Chronocidal]

1 minute ago, wm cheng said:

...However it seems like the leg joints have to be at some point between the ratchet detents to properly lock into the wing root tabs.  I wished the overall thing was more stable and solid to swoosh around more. ...

This nonsense makes me wish I could reach through the internet and slap whoever is responsible.  This was one of the primary reasons the v1 DX VF-25 was such a disaster, and something they even repeated on the updated VF-27 when they added the leg packs.. freakin.. just engineer your crap to fit together already, Bandai.  It's not that hard.

[Lolicon]

Bandai's add-on parts always makes their valks flimsier, and the 31AX was already a bit dodgy to begin with... 

[sh9000]

I have no more preorders with Luna Park and I'm happy about that!

[Lolicon]

Luna Park is the new NY.

[sqidd]

7 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Luna Park is the new NY.

Yep, I'm done with them.

[Angesdad]

So last night I got the parts installed, swooshed it around and I see why Bandai has chosen Gerwalk mode on the box cover. The rotating boosters are fun, you can position to make them look like hovering or coming to a stop.😁The added weight along with the questionable build quality of 31AX makes it feel a bit flimsy and awkward to handle though.

[rummynose]

NOT from LP. Gotta love mint sealed shipper box.

[Angesdad]

[no3Ljm]

 

[MacrossJunkie]

Picked up mine today. Apparently USPS tried to "deliver" it on June 2nd and claimed I wasn't home and said they left a notice. Except, they never tried to deliver or else someone would have showed up on my Ring doorbell camera on the approach and registered a doorbell press. There was also no notice in my mailbox. I only knew because I remembered to check the tracking yesterday and would have been returned to sender on the 7th. I got no explanation on why they lied about the delivery, but at least I got it when I went to the post office.

The left leg armor seems to have difficulty staying in place and the forearm shields are much looser than what I would have expected from something attached to the hardpoints which are usually very difficult to actually remove. Instead, these things fall off with just a little pressure. Thus far, the 31 AX is a mess of failures.

[PsYcHoDyNaMiX]

11 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

Picked up mine today. Apparently USPS tried to "deliver" it on June 2nd and claimed I wasn't home and said they left a notice. Except, they never tried to deliver or else someone would have showed up on my Ring doorbell camera on the approach and registered a doorbell press. There was also no notice in my mailbox. I only knew because I remembered to check the tracking yesterday and would have been returned to sender on the 7th. I got no explanation on why they lied about the delivery, but at least I got it when I went to the post office.

The left leg armor seems to have difficulty staying in place and the forearm shields are much looser than what I would have expected from something attached to the hardpoints which are usually very difficult to actually remove. Instead, these things fall off with just a little pressure. Thus far, the 31 AX is a mess of failures.

USPS pulled the same crap on me for my xpacs as well. When I went to the post office the clerk asked for the slip and said that I need to have the slip. I informed him that I reviewed the footage 2 hours prior and 1 hr after their attempted delivery. I told the clerk unless their delivery guy is a ghost... no label was left, not on the door, not in the mailbox nor in the hallway. He insisted "the next time you need the label"... I rolled my eyes at him.

[Mommar]

10 minutes ago, PsYcHoDyNaMiX said:

USPS pulled the same crap on me for my xpacs as well. When I went to the post office the clerk asked for the slip and said that I need to have the slip. I informed him that I reviewed the footage 2 hours prior and 1 hr after their attempted delivery. I told the clerk unless their delivery guy is a ghost... no label was left, not on the door, not in the mailbox nor in the hallway. He insisted "the next time you need the label"... I rolled my eyes at him.

This is why I don't ship things EMS.  My local USPS has been this way for at least a decade.

[Angesdad]

1 hour ago, MacrossJunkie said:

The left leg armor seems to have difficulty staying in place and the forearm shields are much looser than what I would have expected from something attached to the hardpoints which are usually very difficult to actually remove. Instead, these things fall off with just a little pressure. Thus far, the 31 AX is a mess of failures.

It sounds like the shields may not have been inserted all the way in. I had the same thing, put them on thinking they’re on but popped right out. There is a point of resistance(almost springy) but if you pass that, the shields will click in and will not pop out easily.

[CF18]

The new booster can be mounted on missile hard point:

 

Source: 

 

[chriswoo]

Hi Guys,

I just recevied my super part for the AX. I think the super part has great value as it compatible with the rest of the of the older VF-31 provided you have purchase the draken pack for VF-31F.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

It also surprisingly compatible with SV-262H too. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by chriswoo

[MacrossJunkie]

On 6/5/2022 at 12:15 AM, Angesdad said:

It sounds like the shields may not have been inserted all the way in. I had the same thing, put them on thinking they’re on but popped right out. There is a point of resistance(almost springy) but if you pass that, the shields will click in and will not pop out easily.

Thanks. I tried with a lot of force to push them in while it was in fighter mode and they just would not go in. I tried it in battroid mode and they snapped right in for some reason. I tried it in fighter mode again and it also started snapping right in without any effort. I have no idea what changed.

Edited June 8, 2022 by MacrossJunkie

[Chronocidal]

I'll give Bandai credit for this one, they actually did manage to make a solid, non-ratcheted rotation joint on those boosters.  They stay in place nicely.  Ratchets probably would have still been better, but I can appreciate the range of motion.

What shocked me was how tightly they actually fit on the wing hardpoints.  Those mounts actually kind of scared me, and they don't actually snap in at all, they just have to be wiggled into place gradually.

[nightmareB4macross]

21 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I'll give Bandai credit for this one, they actually did manage to make a solid, non-ratcheted rotation joint on those boosters.  They stay in place nicely.  Ratchets probably would have still been better, but I can appreciate the range of motion.

What shocked me was how tightly they actually fit on the wing hardpoints.  Those mounts actually kind of scared me, and they don't actually snap in at all, they just have to be wiggled into place gradually.

While I agree, I fear what the weight will do on the joints over time.

I think Bandai forgot that we don’t live in outer space or zero gravity for that matter.

[Chronocidal]

Maybe a silly question, but is anyone else noticing that the pilots in the 31AX seem to be struggling to see over the console?

Did a quick mod and made Mirage a booster seat.. I just cut two number tabs from a kit sprue and glued them together, then trimmed to fit into the cockpit floor.

Really not sure who they got to design the cockpits in the entire 31 series, but they don't really seem to have much of a concept of how people are shaped.  Earlier 31s had the goofy console jammed into the pilots' chests, now the consoles are the right distance, but they're sitting on the floor.  

[Lolicon]

25 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

Maybe a silly question, but is anyone else noticing that the pilots in the 31AX seem to be struggling to see over the console?

Did a quick mod and made Mirage a booster seat.. I just cut two number tabs from a kit sprue and glued them together, then trimmed to fit into the cockpit floor.

Really not sure who they got to design the cockpits in the entire 31 series, but they don't really seem to have much of a concept of how people are shaped.  Earlier 31s had the goofy console jammed into the pilots' chests, now the consoles are the right distance, but they're sitting on the floor.  

 

Mentioned it a few weeks back.

Mirage sees over the console just fine on mine!

Edited June 11, 2022 by Lolicon

[Chronocidal]

Nice, yep, I got behind on these threads. XD

[Lolicon]

Is the 31AX supposed to be a two seater?

[Sokeijon]

Finally received my super parts. It's very tight and hard to snap-in the wings onto the super parts (in red). And it's very loose on the green. Keep falling while installing them.