HMR Macross Zero VF-0S Phoenix

[derex3592]

I really COULDN'T care less how much METAL the HI METAL R's have in them! They are great figures. Have you picked up the MONSTER?! Trust me, there's PLENTY of metal in that!  People who complain about the name thing need to just STFU honestly. 

[treatment]

lol!

 

Bandai: we sell you Hi-Metal R valk toys

us: ...

 

[borgified]

There’s already whining of collectors quoting: “False Advertising! They say it Hi-Metal, but it’s all useless cheap plastic to make these crappy toys! Why did I bother forking out $150 USD of this POS”. 
 

Um.. Did these guys do your due diligence or just buy it just because and hope for the best (which is most likely)? 

[505thAirborne]

For what one regular Arcadia VF-0D goes for these days as well the 0S, I can have 3 of these HMR's, one for each mode. 

 

And if I'm nuts enough, a 4th for just in case. 😆

[Raikkonen]

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

I really COULDN'T care less how much METAL the HI METAL R's have in them! They are great figures. Have you picked up the MONSTER?! Trust me, there's PLENTY of metal in that!  People who complain about the name thing need to just STFU honestly. 

Who ever buys something, and they're unhappy with it, then they have every right to complain. Then whether others want to hear them out or not, that is their right too. 

2 hours ago, borgified said:

There’s already whining of collectors quoting: “False Advertising! They say it Hi-Metal, but it’s all useless cheap plastic to make these crappy toys! Why did I bother forking out $150 USD of this POS”. 
 

Um.. Did these guys do your due diligence or just buy it just because and hope for the best (which is most likely)? 

Show only the box cover to your non-collector friends, and ask them what they think the figures are mostly made of? The will say metal, so casual buyers are not at fault. 

36 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

For what one regular Arcadia VF-0D goes for these days as well the 0S, I can have 3 of these HMR's, one for each mode. 

 

And if I'm nuts enough, a 4th for just in case. 😆

Even more according to some Ebay listings. 

Edited August 15, 2023 by Raikkonen

[Slave IV]

39 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

For what one regular Arcadia VF-0D goes for these days as well the 0S, I can have 3 of these HMR's, one for each mode. 

 

And if I'm nuts enough, a 4th for just in case. 😆

For the price of one Lambo, I can get an Audi, Porsche, Benz, and if I'm nuts, maybe even a Subaru.😉

[505thAirborne]

2 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

For the price of one Lambo, I can get an Audi, Porsche, Benz, and if I'm nuts, maybe even a Subaru.😉

🤣

[Raikkonen]

10 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

For the price of one Lambo, I can get an Audi, Porsche, Benz, and if I'm nuts, maybe even a Subaru.😉

Well... that really depends on the state and models of all the mentioned cars. And... the scale... 😆

[vladykins]

14 hours ago, Slave IV said:

I know when I first heard about the HMR line and saw the reviews, I thought the same thing. Hi-Metal with barely any metal huh? Pass. Then I got a Regult and was so blown away with how good it was I ended up getting ever single HMR release with many multiples and never looked back. 

While I am not as crazy as you, I do have most of the releases and too many multiple of cannon fodders and Hikaru VF-1Js. The one that got me in was I got the Monster. And the Monster looked lonely, so I got a Defender and Spartan. And then I said I needed a glaug. And a regult. And the missile regults because I needed some of those. And some more regults. I finally bit on a Valk by convincing myself that I didn't have the Messer Memorial scheme on any other releases. It's been all downhill since then. 

[vladykins]

43 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

 

Show only the box cover to your non-collector friends, and ask them what they think the figures are mostly made of? The will say metal, so casual buyers are not at fault. 

 

I would buy this argument except for the fact that Macross is a niche market, with Mac Zero even more so. 

[HardlyNever]

I'm sure most people around here are aware of this fact, but the "Hi Metal" branding started way back when they were making the 1/55 "chunky monkeys."  I'm not exactly sure why they ever put "Hi-Metal" on the box (maybe someone knows the story behind that), but it's been a part of their branding for Macross since the 80s.

 

They brought back that branding around 2010 when they did the first reboot of the Hi-Metal line, which strangely, was just called Hi-Metal again (shouldn't that one have been Hi-Metal R?).  And now we're on the 3rd iteration of that branding with Hi-Metal R (R?).  There's never been a lot of metal in any of them; it's a branding thing.  Is it misleading? Maybe, but it's been around forever, and it's pretty clear this is meant to be, at least in part, a nostalgia bait line, so they're going to lean into that.

The chogokin line (超合金) isn't made out of... super alloys... whatever that would be, and people don't seem to complain about that.

I'm not saying I love the name, but it is what it is, and it's been around for decades, and I get why they want to keep that branding around.

[Raikkonen]

16 minutes ago, HardlyNever said:

I'm sure most people around here are aware of this fact, but the "Hi Metal" branding started way back when they were making the 1/55 "chunky monkeys."  I'm not exactly sure why they ever put "Hi-Metal" on the box (maybe someone knows the story behind that), but it's been a part of their branding for Macross since the 80s.

They brought back that branding around 2010 when they did the first reboot of the Hi-Metal line, which strangely, was just called Hi-Metal again (shouldn't that one have been Hi-Metal R?).  And now we're on the 3rd iteration of that branding with Hi-Metal R (R?).  There's never been a lot of metal in any of them; it's a branding thing.  Is it misleading? Maybe, but it's been around forever, and it's pretty clear this is meant to be, at least in part, a nostalgia bait line, so they're going to lean into that.

The chogokin line (超合金) isn't made out of... super alloys... whatever that would be, and people don't seem to complain about that.
I'm not saying I love the name, but it is what it is, and it's been around for decades, and I get why they want to keep that branding around.

I really appreciate this. Really informative, and glad to know it now. 

Still, this information is only accessible or hunted by the serious Macross 'Collectors'. 

I have plenty of friends, that even remember some of the lines of plus and 7, yet, know close to zero about the collectors market behind Macross. They sometimes buy maybe a Eva statue, or Gundam or a figure of Jujutsa, a shelf filler, because they're main interest is solely the anime. 

But sometimes, it feels there's this impression that loving Macross means loving the collectables religiously. Its not like that, just for any other franchise. There are thousands of Star Wars for example, that only collect the comics, the lightsabers and don't care about the toys. I have a friend that's only cased about the helmets. 

So we cannot always expect a positive reaction from someone that came about Zero for the first time in their life yesterday, then suddenly wants a momentum of it and goes to Amazon, and says, "Oh wow, Hi Metal, this must piece with have quite an amount of metal. And it's made by Bandai, I believe they're good. Cool, add to cart."

Edited August 15, 2023 by Raikkonen

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, vladykins said:

While I am not as crazy as you, I do have most of the releases and too many multiple of cannon fodders and Hikaru VF-1Js. The one that got me in was I got the Monster. And the Monster looked lonely, so I got a Defender and Spartan. And then I said I needed a glaug. And a regult. And the missile regults because I needed some of those. And some more regults. I finally bit on a Valk by convincing myself that I didn't have the Messer Memorial scheme on any other releases. It's been all downhill since then. 

This sounds about right. The Monster is an incredible release!

27 minutes ago, HardlyNever said:

I'm sure most people around here are aware of this fact, but the "Hi Metal" branding started way back when they were making the 1/55 "chunky monkeys."  I'm not exactly sure why they ever put "Hi-Metal" on the box (maybe someone knows the story behind that), but it's been a part of their branding for Macross since the 80s.

 

They brought back that branding around 2010 when they did the first reboot of the Hi-Metal line, which strangely, was just called Hi-Metal again (shouldn't that one have been Hi-Metal R?).  And now we're on the 3rd iteration of that branding with Hi-Metal R (R?).  There's never been a lot of metal in any of them; it's a branding thing.  Is it misleading? Maybe, but it's been around forever, and it's pretty clear this is meant to be, at least in part, a nostalgia bait line, so they're going to lean into that.

The chogokin line (超合金) isn't made out of... super alloys... whatever that would be, and people don't seem to complain about that.

I'm not saying I love the name, but it is what it is, and it's been around for decades, and I get why they want to keep that branding around.

Yes, but that original did have a decent amount of metal. You can club someone to death with it and still transform it no problem afterwards.😁

[vladykins]

14 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

I really appreciate this. Really informative, and glad to know it now. 

Still, this information is only accessible or hunted by the serious Macross 'Collectors'. 

I have plenty of friends, that even remember some of the lines of plus and 7, yet, know close to zero about the collectors market behind Macross. They sometimes buy maybe a Eva statue, or Gundam or a figure of Jujutsa, a shelf filler, because they're main interest is solely the anime. 

But sometimes, it feels there's this impression that loving Macross means loving the collectables religiously. Its not like that, just for any other franchise. There are thousands of Star Wars for example, that only collect the comics, the lightsabers and don't care about the toys. I have a friend that's only cased about the helmets. 

So we cannot always expect a positive reaction from someone that came about Zero for the first time in their life yesterday, then suddenly wants a momentum of it and goes to Amazon, and says, "Oh wow, Hi Metal, this must piece with have quite an amount of metal. And it's made by Bandai, I believe they're good. Cool, add to cart."

I still disagree mainly because Macross is a niche market (and Mac Zero even more niche). This isn't something you just stumble upon looking around a physical store- this is something someone clearly went looking for Mac Zero goodies on Amazon and bought it. It would be like being into the Star Wars character Sabine, searching her out on Amazon, finding her Black Series figure, then being mad that the figure wasn't dressed in black. 

[Radioguy]

I got him, and I'm pleased for the price. Thankfully Amazon shipped him in a padded mailer and not a bag as I'd feared. Maybe they are actually getting the message on returns due to poor packing/handling.

[Alex GS]

100? nah, how about almost 90 bucks now 😄

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B23ZMHYZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[davidwhangchoi]

Should we just call these LM-R

and call it a day? 

[Shawn]

Wow-it really is $93.72, with overnight shipping, what a world

These will be collectors editions soon when they change the model line to be HCM again

😛

[sh9000]

The HMR has metal in the arm joints, swing bar, and feet.  That's close to being proportional to the amount of metal in a 1/55.

[borgified]

If any of us told that in the Amazon write up, then maybe they might flame us for buying a overpriced plastic toy that looks and feels like a KO?    

[Chronocidal]

4 hours ago, sh9000 said:

The HMR has metal in the arm joints, swing bar, and feet.  That's close to being proportional to the amount of metal in a 1/55.

I thought whole sections of the lower legs and backplate in the 1/55s were metal as well?  Not to mention the landing gear.  

The feet being metal on the VF-1 HMRs is a nice feature, and gives them some good stability, but the VF-0s don't even have that, because the feet are much more detailed.

[vladykins]

It's also "Hi-Metal". As in, if you find a little bit of metal in there, you say "oh, hi!"

 

[sh9000]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I thought whole sections of the lower legs and backplate in the 1/55s were metal as well?  Not to mention the landing gear.  

The feet being metal on the VF-1 HMRs is a nice feature, and gives them some good stability, but the VF-0s don't even have that, because the feet are much more detailed.

The inner half of the lower legs, swing bar, and landing gear.

[sjoebarry]

1 hour ago, vladykins said:

It's also "Hi-Metal". As in, if you find a little bit of metal in there, you say "oh, hi!"

 

Edited August 17, 2023 by sjoebarry

[Radioguy]

Spoke to Amazon about a different item damaged in delivery (being resent), and I brought this up while chatting. They're sending me the difference back! Surprising, as it's now gone to $110+ and still sold by Amazon.

Incidentally, that really has been the lowest price ever for it on Amazon:

https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B0B23ZMHYZ

[Raikkonen]

On 8/16/2023 at 2:44 PM, Radioguy said:

I got him, and I'm pleased for the price. Thankfully Amazon shipped him in a padded mailer and not a bag as I'd feared. Maybe they are actually getting the message on returns due to poor packing/handling.

How did you find the plastic and transformation? I'm still tempted myself for this one, but I tend to avoid white plastic. 

[Radioguy]

31 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

How did you find the plastic and transformation? I'm still tempted myself for this one, but I tend to avoid white plastic. 

The transformation was ok. I'd be a liar if I said as pleasant as larger scales like 1/60 or 1/48 versions, of course. The fighter was tight and tightly pegged together. I agree with @jenius that you don't want to try and hold it from the nose in that mode as it will unpeg a little, but I'm quite pleased overall.

I had to hold it to sunlight to get any transparency from the wings, so I don't get that knock on this. If I had any big gripe it's that the feet are plastic, and that made me think of Toynami. In that area, I can say the metal is obviously lacking, but the joints are metal and feel secure.

Edited August 17, 2023 by Radioguy

[Raikkonen]

2 hours ago, Radioguy said:

The transformation was ok. I'd be a liar if I said as pleasant as larger scales like 1/60 or 1/48 versions, of course. The fighter was tight and tightly pegged together. I agree with @jenius that you don't want to try and hold it from the nose in that mode as it will unpeg a little, but I'm quite pleased overall.

I had to hold it to sunlight to get any transparency from the wings, so I don't get that knock on this. If I had any big gripe it's that the feet are plastic, and that made me think of Toynami. In that area, I can say the metal is obviously lacking, but the joints are metal and feel secure.

Yeah, I just finished transforming my 0D to plane mode for the first time, and I'm not impress. Junk was the word that at times when trying to fit the little fists.

I've never seen the 0S in person, but where I saw the bad transparent plastic was on a photo of the Max version on display at a Tamashi store. 

[Radioguy]

12 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Yeah, I just finished transforming my 0D to plane mode for the first time, and I'm not impress. Junk was the word that at times when trying to fit the little fists.

I've never seen the 0S in person, but where I saw the bad transparent plastic was on a photo of the Max version on display at a Tamashi store. 

In case it's not still implied by my earlier "pennypinching" posts, I'm pleased at the final price I paid, which ended up equal to or less than Toynami's MSRP right now.

I know for some that price shouldn't matter for when it comes to evaluating a figure, but I have to be honest and say that if I had bought this at MSRP, I wouldn't be as pleased and might be griping more. Still, I can't imagine coming down too hard on this but for comparison to other HMR releases (My Dougram weighs like five times more). If I really had to find fault, it might be that @jenius's point that "there's too much" is likely true. I could live with less accessories and more metal or other improvements to the main figure.

Edited August 18, 2023 by Radioguy

[badboy00z]

I finally got my VF-0S from Amazon. I got it and the Revoltech YF-21 for free since both had shipping delays. I'm stoked! lol

[sh9000]

https://www.amazon.com/Tamashi-Nations-Macross-Phoenix-HI-Metal/dp/B0B23ZMHYZ

[ValkAddict]

Damn that is a great price!!

[MKT]

2 hours ago, ValkAddict said:

Damn that is a great price!!

Get multiples of multiples 

[MKT]

For those outside of US, there's one available now at Mandarake for Yen 10k, as of the 0D for Yen 11k. Link in the Mandarake tread.

[Raikkonen]

They really can't move them... 

If it was the 0D at that price, trigger pulled a couple of times...