ThreeZero ROBOTECH (Macross) Toys

[Paco Grande]

10 hours ago, Radioguy said:

Obviously. Scale was the basis of my initial posts long ago saying they must be different, and that was why they could co-exist, but I remember someone saying they were the same (here or on TFW). They attempted to eviscerate my argument that there can't be two licensees for matching products (brand, scale, articulation, materials, etc) in the same market as it would potentially leave a licensor liable to litigation when each complains the other is undermining sales.

So, TZ don't list a scale? Interesting. I guess we'll see if they are significantly different when you post a video of TZ and KC standing side-by-side. Hopefully that video won't have to be played subsequently in a courtroom.

Still, I thought the burden lies on the company to restrict licenses, or else the outcome I described would happen constantly and tie up the courts. I mean, why would a company seek a license to produce the same product as an existing licensee in a market already saturated by them, and especially when the licensor would grant the same license again the following day to create an additional competitor in the same market?

It's not quite wholly analogous, but I always think of franchisers and franchisees when thinking of this topic. In point, how many franchisees have sued franchisers for over-saturating a market, unknowing to a potential franchisee, with that new franchisee discovering sales are poor due to other franchises in the same market being awarded before or subsequently.

I guess we'll see how the product quality is. It's gotta be better plastic than KC, but those heads and that chunk...we'll see. KC has set the bar on including additional features. It would be a shame if TZ doesn't meet that bar, and if Bandai doesn't pad theirs to compete (If anything, they've reduced included accessories, so likely not).

I'm surprised KC hasn't done strike part sets available separately. Perhaps they will to squeeze some more money if they will be winding down at some point.

If you already knew about the scale thing then why were you asking the question in the first place? Sorry for giving you such an idiot response. I’ll go back to lurking. 

[Radioguy]

4 hours ago, JB0 said:

HG bought a merchandise license for DYRL a while back. I suspect the suspicion is the agreement between HG and Big West involves them abandoning their DYRL merch rights.

I just wonder when, since I think Toynami continues to produce those strike parts under the Robotech brand.

1 hour ago, jenius said:

Remember, BW gave a license to Kaiyodo to make Revoltech toys at the same time they gave Yamato a license to make the Gnu Dou toys. Again, I think it comes down to the toy makers not thinking it was worth spending on exclusivity... And it didn't turn out great for either of those toy makers. If you don't want competition, ya gotta pay more.

Interesting. I wonder, if that is the process, whether a licensor needs to tell the licensee who else they have granted that "non-exclusive" license to, or who they have subsequently. Again, it seems to me a gamble to acquire a license that could be undermined so easily, but I obviously  may not see the entirety of the process.

38 minutes ago, Paco Grande said:

If you already knew about the scale thing then why were you asking the question in the first place? Sorry for giving you such an idiot response. I’ll go back to lurking. 

You're not an idiot...you just missed my mentioning other criteria than scale (which presumably can be the basis for a license).

In this case though, it may all be moot if anything goes.

[jenius]

5 hours ago, Radioguy said:

I just wonder when, since I think Toynami continues to produce those strike parts under the Robotech brand

Nah, Toynami hasn't made anything new in a while. I think their only product since the updated BW settlement has been the 3" character figures from the Macross Saga. They haven't done DYRL designs in a LONG time, well before the settlement with BW.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

Nah, Toynami hasn't made anything new in a while. I think their only product since the updated BW settlement has been the 3" character figures from the Macross Saga. They haven't done DYRL designs in a LONG time, well before the settlement with BW.

I’m pretty sure all their Dyrl stuff was just the banpresto stuff anyway, and that was long ago and best forgotten 

[jenius]

No, Toynami did DYRL superposeables and 1/100 way back in the day, and Popbox did the DYRL Hikaru and Max figures, but that was well before the licensing issues were settled and HG was left only with Robotech specific rights.

[Radioguy]

3 hours ago, jenius said:

Nah, Toynami hasn't made anything new in a while. I think their only product since the updated BW settlement has been the 3" character figures from the Macross Saga. They haven't done DYRL designs in a LONG time, well before the settlement with BW.

They did have models with strike parts not long ago, but checking their online shop I see only super parts right now.

[no3Ljm]

49 minutes ago, jenius said:

No, Toynami did DYRL superposeables and 1/100 way back in the day, and Popbox did the DYRL Hikaru and Max figures, but that was well before the licensing issues were settled and HG was left only with Robotech specific rights.

23 minutes ago, Radioguy said:

They did have models with strike parts not long ago, but checking their online shop I see only super parts right now.

Out of curiosity. Is this the one you guys are talking about?

[jvmacross]

58 minutes ago, jenius said:

No, Toynami did DYRL superposeables and 1/100 way back in the day, and Popbox did the DYRL Hikaru and Max figures, but that was well before the licensing issues were settled and HG was left only with Robotech specific rights.

In hindsight, the HG/BW "deal" actually decreased the available options for consumers....BW isn't doing anything with DYRL outside of Japan and seemingly never will....seems dumb for HG to have relented on this issue....we probably could have had at least KC DYRL VF-1's had things remained "unchanged" or HG was smarter at negotiating....LOL

[Radioguy]

2 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Out of curiosity. Is this the one you guys are talking about?

One of them. There were also strike parts sets unto themselves.

[Spark-O-Matic]

No one knows anything about the business contracts unless the companies themselves provide the info publicly or its leaked or changes in the products themselves demonstrate an unspoken change. good guesstimate's can be made from experience and observation, but that's about it.

[Big s]

4 hours ago, jenius said:

No, Toynami did DYRL superposeables and 1/100 way back in the day, and Popbox did the DYRL Hikaru and Max figures, but that was well before the licensing issues were settled and HG was left only with Robotech specific rights.

But weren’t all the super poseable ones based off another company’s resin garage kits and the 1/100’s just copied from Banpresto 

[jenius]

Definitely copied from kits, not sure if they paid the kit makers something but I would hope so. That doesn't impact the licensing though or that the toy versions were made and distributed by Toynami. Still, all these DYRL releases were more than a decade ago. Toynami has been off the DYRL license for a long time.

[grogall]

Wow these where already being shown in 2017 when even Bandai was in there prototype stage with the DX series! and getting on to over eight years, that these have been teased here or there but still no concrete information on release??? Not sure what to make of the reliability! 🤔

[jvmacross]

5 hours ago, grogall said:

Wow these where already being shown in 2017 when even Bandai was in there prototype stage with the DX series! and getting on to over eight years, that these have been teased here or there but still no concrete information on release??? Not sure what to make of the reliability! 🤔

[26662]

5 hours ago, grogall said:

Wow these where already being shown in 2017 when even Bandai was in there prototype stage with the DX series! and getting on to over eight years, that these have been teased here or there but still no concrete information on release??? Not sure what to make of the reliability! 🤔

It’s annoying.  I stayed up late to preorder 2 directly from ThreeZero as soon as preorders went live for a total of ~$338.00.  My records say that was 23JUL23.  I’ve read the fine print since then and learned that ThreeZero has a no-refund policy.  This situation combined with my having waited in vain for more than 2 years for 2 pre-paid Gigapower Dinobots that were never produced has me looking at non-exclusive pre-orders very differently.  [And many thanks to TFSource for giving me a full refund on the Gigapowers rather than forcing me to take store credit.]

Edited May 26 by 26662

[Convectuoso]

6 hours ago, grogall said:

Wow these where already being shown in 2017 when even Bandai was in there prototype stage with the DX series! and getting on to over eight years, that these have been teased here or there but still no concrete information on release??? Not sure what to make of the reliability! 🤔

Project ZeroThree is not related to ThreeZero

[no3Ljm]

6 hours ago, grogall said:

Wow these where already being shown in 2017 when even Bandai was in there prototype stage with the DX series! and getting on to over eight years, that these have been teased here or there but still no concrete information on release??? Not sure what to make of the reliability! 🤔

I guess you just got confused the VF-1J here because of @Saburo's 'Projekt ZeroThree Design' logo. It's what he's been using for his photography job. That's actually YamArcadia's 1/60 VF-1J.

Just to show below is his current 'logo'.  

Edited May 26 by no3Ljm

[26662]

12 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

I guess you just got confused the VF-1J here because of @Saburo's 'Projekt ZeroThree Design' logo. It's what he's been using for his photography job. That's actually YamArcadia's 1/60 VF-1J.

Just to show below is his current 'logo'.  

I don’t fault him.  The similarities are remarkable.

[grogall]

1 hour ago, 26662 said:

I don’t fault him.  The similarities are remarkable.

Ok thanks! Thought it was the same project... Guess never go by name on these 🤪

And really dig @Saburo Photography! keep em coming! 👍🏻

Edited May 26 by grogall

[ToyTalk3D]

Awesome 👍 

[Convectuoso]

Some people are already posting pics of the VF-1J

[MKT]

Ah finally it gets released. 

[Raikkonen]

Need videos... 

[Radioguy]

5 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Need videos... 

Indeed. With closeups of those areas that differ in style from DX, HMR, KC, etc.

[26662]

Threezero is shipping product:

 

“We would like to inform you that your order “ROBO-DOU ROBOTECH VF-1J Veritech (Rick Hunter)” has been dispatched.

Tracking number:
HVCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”

 

[26662]

I’ll add a little more info:

 

Edited June 2 by 26662
Attached jpg

[26662]

13 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Some people are already posting pics of the VF-1J

Gah.  Didn’t see this until after my post.  I dig the packaging. 

[jenius]

I got mine from bbts so I'm guessing I'll be waiting for a bit.

[sjoebarry]

8 hours ago, jenius said:

I got mine from bbts so I'm guessing I'll be waiting for a bit.

Same….

[MKT]

In-hand video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV19i421m7BP/

Articulation wise, there doesn't seem to be much surprise from the pics we've seen so far. The guy in the video didn't really go through articulation in detail, but we do see the new ankle flap. He didn't try the sideway hip joints or pull out the feet though. But the way he puts the figure through its motions give the impression that the joints are suitably tight yet smooth like how a normal TZ figure is, and certainly no hint of fiddly-ness that plaque KC's valks.

We also see the waist swivel mechanism in more detail, and it is exactly as described in my earlier post a few pages back when TZ released the transformation animation video - this is a big win over Bandai's fiddly mechanism that I think many of us pretend doesn't exist lol.

What is surprising is the rear landing gears also cant sideways like the DX. I always felt that was a nice touch on the DX, and it is very welcome here.

 

Edited June 3 by MKT
Typo

[jvmacross]

Any boxart pics yet?

[no3Ljm]

3 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

Any boxart pics yet?

I took some box screenshots from the video link above.

[jvmacross]

5 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

I took some box screenshots from the video link above.

Thanks!...look very clean...

First thing I notice is the lack of any "マクロス" logos....

For some reason the video does not load for me...

[no3Ljm]

7 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

Thanks!...look very clean...

First thing I notice is the lack of any "マクロス" logos....

For some reason the video does not load for me...

You're welcome. I didn't notice the missing 'マクロス' when I posted it.  

I'm using Safari when I checked on the video. See, if you need to update your web browser. Hope that helps.  

[m0n5t3r]

3 hours ago, MKT said:

In-hand video:

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV19i421m7BP/

Articulation wise, there doesn't seem to be much surprise from the pics we've seen so far. The guy in the video didn't really go through articulation in detail, but we do see the new ankle flap. He didn't try the sideway hip joints or pull out the feet though. But the way he puts the figure though its motions give the impression that the joints are suitably tight yet smooth like how a normal TZ figure is, and certainly no hint of fiddly-ness that plaque KC's valks.

We can also see the waist swivel mechanism in more detail, and it is exactly as described in my earlier post a few pages back when TZ released the transformation animation video - this is a big win over Bandai's fiddly mechanism that I think many of us pretend doesn't exist lo.

What is surprising is that the rear landing gears also cant sideways like the DX. I always felt that was a nice touch on the DX, and it is very welcome here.

 

Thanks for the video link and your insights. Looks good and very solid just like their Evas that I have. I'll skip the 1J but will be preordering the 1S in the coming days after more reviews pop up. I hope they go through all the TV "veritechs" just like Yamato's v2 VF-1 line up... and more.

Edited June 3 by m0n5t3r