DX Chogokin VT-1 Super Ostrich

[seti88]

On 8/16/2024 at 9:44 AM, Agent-GHQ said:

No breakage(s)… but here’s the shipping case of the VT-1 since 1984 

[Dark Skull]

Hey all,

 

It's been a while. Recently got the DX VT-1 in and luckily, no breakages (that I know of).  Put them in a display along with the Arcadia VE-1 PF (waiting for something else to come in soon) 

 

Edited August 19 by Dark Skull

[no3Ljm]

On 8/12/2024 at 7:00 PM, no3Ljm said:

Just posting an update. AE hasn't replied on my first inquiry message last Thursday and DHL tracking still shows as 'Shipping infomration received' last August 2. I just sent my 2nd inquiry message thru their Contact page. I'm now wondering if they don't have stock to ship at this point.

Anyone ordered from AE that experienced the same thing?

I know I'm in no rush but after some holiday in Japan, there's still no movement on my VT-1 via DHL nor no reply even from AE from my 3 messages via their Customer Service page. The DHL Tracking still says 'Shipping Information Received' since August 2.

Edit: I just checked my order page and for some reason, the VT-1 list and its invoice is missing from my Paid Shipping list. I only have the Shipping ID.

Edited August 21 by no3Ljm

[Radioguy]

LP said Bandai declined covering return shipping, and I think they even mean domestic Japanese shipping. LP are still trying with them, but it seems Bandai is admitting some fault by offering a replacement.

[grogall]

5 hours ago, Radioguy said:

LP said Bandai declined covering return shipping, and I think they even mean domestic Japanese shipping. LP are still trying with them, but it seems Bandai is admitting some fault by offering a replacement.

Sorry to hear that this is going to be a problem for you, in just getting a replacement. It is @LUNA PARK that is responsible to replace your Ostrich and not Bandai! 

I am glad that they actually canceled my order after @LUNA PARK actually lied to me several times about when they where going to ship! I ordered from two dealers shortly after PO and both sent my Ostriches in perfect condition! and LP was really only a backup... Their services are NOT RECOMMENDED!!! 

All three of my Ostriches did arrive in perfect condition with even no damage to the boxes!

So I hope you get your problem fixed since it is a nice Bird! 

[jenius]

My second is on its way from AE, normally I would leave a second one totally sealed but I will probably make an exception in this case to confirm the backpack is safe.

[grogall]

1 hour ago, jenius said:

My second is on its way from AE, normally I would leave a second one totally sealed but I will probably make an exception in this case to confirm the backpack is safe.

Great! Hope we don't have to wait for it to come from AE before you do your review! 😉

On another point I committed sacrilege on my two trainers... 😈 But since we don't have orange missile tips I improvised 🥵

 

 

Edited August 22 by grogall

[seti88]

22 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

I know I'm in no rush but after some holiday in Japan, there's still no movement on my VT-1 via DHL nor no reply even from AE from my 3 messages via their Customer Service page. The DHL Tracking still says 'Shipping Information Received' since August 2.

Edit: I just checked my order page and for some reason, the VT-1 list and its invoice is missing from my Paid Shipping list. I only have the Shipping ID.

I had the same missing AE invoice for my shipment too Noel. I think they had a data migration/backup thing over the weekend.

but I messaged them today via the link on their site and they updated the shipping page with the invoice, within the half hour…I only checked it after they e-mailed me that it was done ..

my shipment is detained currently at customs and needs invoice declaration, and I marked the message urgent..

[no3Ljm]

2 hours ago, seti88 said:

I had the same missing AE invoice for my shipment too Noel. I think they had a data migration/backup thing over the weekend.

but I messaged them today via the link on their site and they updated the shipping page with the invoice, within the half hour…I only checked it after they e-mailed me that it was done ..

my shipment is detained currently at customs and needs invoice declaration, and I marked the message urgent..

Hey @seti88. Thanks. Yeah. I guess that's the cause of that missing invoice on my page.

Also, finally someone from AE replied to my message with apology. According to them the parcel was not picked up correctly by DHL. And now it's on the way. And sure enough when I checked my page, the invoice is back.  

Anyways, I'll make sure to inspect mine for what was listed on this thread once it gets here.  

[jenius]

I opened it to be safe and can confirm that my second VT-1 arrived with no broken vertical stabilizers. Woot. 

[nightmareB4macross]

6 hours ago, jenius said:

I opened it to be safe and can confirm that my second VT-1 arrived with no broken vertical stabilizers. Woot. 

Be sure to also check the head for a potentially broken head fin.

Not mine, but they are out there.

[danth]

On 8/15/2024 at 6:44 PM, Agent-GHQ said:

No breakage(s)… but here’s the shipping case of the VT-1 since 1984 

This might be the coolest thing I've ever seen, collection wise. That 80's Bandai shipping box is rad.

[Usagi]

On 8/22/2024 at 4:23 PM, Radioguy said:

LP said Bandai declined covering return shipping, and I think they even mean domestic Japanese shipping. LP are still trying with them, but it seems Bandai is admitting some fault by offering a replacement.

I live in Japan and had been sent my toys for repair and replacement to Bandai support center several times.
They cover the cost of shipping that is for 100%
I think LP just want shake you off.

The problem is that VT-1 is premium Bandai item... which means technically they only support person who bought it.
And I dont think your LP bought it directly. Which means Bandai Just refused to do anything.
Moreover thanks to Harmony Gold this particular figure is Japan Only Item and officially can not be purchased from overseas. 
So Bandai just do not support if customer says "I'm from different country"... it is like saying "I'm not your customer"
 

[Radioguy]

9 hours ago, Usagi said:

I live in Japan and had been sent my toys for repair and replacement to Bandai support center several times.
They cover the cost of shipping that is for 100%
I think LP just want shake you off.

The problem is that VT-1 is premium Bandai item... which means technically they only support person who bought it.
And I dont think your LP bought it directly. Which means Bandai Just refused to do anything.
Moreover thanks to Harmony Gold this particular figure is Japan Only Item and officially can not be purchased from overseas. 
So Bandai just do not support if customer says "I'm from different country"... it is like saying "I'm not your customer"
 

Yes, I know. LP are at least staying in contact. Might they be trying to string me along? Could be. I've had less reputable retailers attempt that to outlast dispute windows with Paypal, etc., but I've had several successful transactions and extremely well-packed shipments from LP. This is the first issue, and it is clearly not their fault, despite it still being their responsibility to resolve.

Let's see how this plays out.

[Zeliard]

14 hours ago, Usagi said:

I live in Japan and had been sent my toys for repair and replacement to Bandai support center several times.
They cover the cost of shipping that is for 100%
I think LP just want shake you off.

The problem is that VT-1 is premium Bandai item... which means technically they only support person who bought it.
And I dont think your LP bought it directly. Which means Bandai Just refused to do anything.
Moreover thanks to Harmony Gold this particular figure is Japan Only Item and officially can not be purchased from overseas. 
So Bandai just do not support if customer says "I'm from different country"... it is like saying "I'm not your customer"
 

Any lawyers around? Wouldn't this be part of the duty of care, owed to customers?

[rocketblast]

I have a VF-1J that came with a broken part.  I didn't even bother to attempt to get an RMA fix for it.  Your best bet is to just buy another one.

[Radioguy]

2 hours ago, rocketblast said:

I have a VF-1J that came with a broken part.  I didn't even bother to attempt to get an RMA fix for it.  Your best bet is to just buy another one.

Not that it matters, but you have a different budget than I do. 😄

Frankly, if you bought it new, from a retailer selling it as such, then you shouldn't walk away. Some do over box damage, as some don't care about boxes, but when you even do that, you do a disservice to those who do collect the boxes, and let stores off the hook for not caring how they ship.

Now, if that's how I feel about the boxes, you can imagine how I feel about receiving broken merchandise.

[danth]

Does anyone know how mushy the connection is supposed to be on the tabs on the back plate that stick down into the arms and legs in fighter mode? I can't really get mine to lock in but I'm afraid to press too hard.

[Shawn]

I would say mushy is probably normal. I only have one VT-1 (broken tailfin) and it definitely feels off in quality. My arms are ok, not great, but I can't even clip in the back support spine to the back of the nosecone, pops right out. In my opinion it is one of the coolest looking valks, but one with the worst fitment I've experienced so far for the normal vf-1 parts

I'm anxiously waiting to see how the 50th anniversary ends up...with all the differing materials/finishes, what new sorts of fun will we experience with slots and pegs and clips.

[Radioguy]

1 hour ago, Shawn said:

I'm anxiously waiting to see how the 50th anniversary ends up...with all the differing materials/finishes, what new sorts of fun will we experience with slots and pegs and clips.

Oh damn. Didn't think of that. I hope we don't get stress marks we didn't get before.

[grogall]

13 minutes ago, Radioguy said:

Oh damn. Didn't think of that. I hope we don't get stress marks we didn't get before.

Just remember to wear gloves when handling that THING!

[Chronocidal]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Does anyone know how mushy the connection is supposed to be on the tabs on the back plate that stick down into the arms and legs in fighter mode? I can't really get mine to lock in but I'm afraid to press too hard.

I mean, I would say these are mushy by design, because Bandai doesn't understand gravity and material properties, but that's maybe too cynical?  

But no, if by "mushy" you mean that the arms just pop back off, yeah, that's how they're designed.  Same for the legs to some extent.  Nothing ever locks together on the DX VF-1, it just fits "mostly snugly" and you pray it doesn't squeeze itself out of place over time.

If you're careful with a nail file, you can help this a little by sanding down just the base of the tabs.  They behave as if they're tapered smaller at the tips, so you basically have to invert that taper, and make them narrower at the base.  That way, the mushiness will work in your favor, and the natural "squeeze" direction will actually keep the arms in place better.

I only did this a tiny bit on the VT-1 to get my arms to stay in place better, and only on one copy that was especially mushy.

Also, keep in mind, this is Bandai we're talking about.  The sloppiness is by design.  No, I'm not kidding.  The "properly seated" position for the legs and arms with the fast packs installed is NOT fully pressed onto those pegs.  That's why they're sloppy.  They left wiggle room because, for some reason, they're just incapable of making arms, legs, and fast packs that lock into a solidly defined position. 

I really wish I was kidding, but you can see for yourself when you mount the leg packs.  With the leg packs mounted, it is physically impossible for the legs to fully seat on the pegs, because they collide with the underside of the backplate.  The slop is completely on purpose, because if the tabs locked solidly like the Yamato version, the leg packs would never snap in place with the packs mounted.

[danth]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Also, keep in mind, this is Bandai we're talking about.  The sloppiness is by design.  No, I'm not kidding.  The "properly seated" position for the legs and arms with the fast packs installed is NOT fully pressed onto those pegs.  That's why they're sloppy.  They left wiggle room because, for some reason, they're just incapable of making arms, legs, and fast packs that lock into a solidly defined position. 

Ha! Okay, thanks for the info. I won't bother trying to get these to snap in then.

Honestly the tabs do literally nothing other than showing that you have the legs/arms where they are supposed to be. They have no hold whatsoever. My left arm tab won't even go in at all. Seems pretty stupid.

Edited August 26 by danth

[no3Ljm]

Finally got my VT-1 last Monday from AE. Technically, Saturday. But since I have it delivered at work, so yeah. Did a quick inspection and Thank God there wasn't any issue. But seeing that the stabilizer are now unfoldable, by nudging and wiggling it, for some reason it feels more fragile than its VF-1 counterparts. Head sensor antenna looks ok for now. I'm going to leave this probably in Gerwalk but if it's not going to fit in my shelf space, in Fighter mode. With boosters and all. And with Minmay. Period.  

[Chronocidal]

Glad to hear you finally got it, and without any broken bits.

The tails do feel a little more fragile due to the limited motion, but staying in gerwalk is a pretty good method to keep them from getting knocked around, whether you have the boosters mounted or not.  I wouldn't recommend the clips on the backplate though, I just don't think they're necessary, and snapping the tails into them seems like a good way to stress them.

Really does make a nice fighter display though, in any configuration.  

[no3Ljm]

14 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

Glad to hear you finally got it, and without any broken bits.

The tails do feel a little more fragile due to the limited motion, but staying in gerwalk is a pretty good method to keep them from getting knocked around, whether you have the boosters mounted or not.  I wouldn't recommend the clips on the backplate though, I just don't think they're necessary, and snapping the tails into them seems like a good way to stress them.

Really does make a nice fighter display though, in any configuration.  

Thanks @Chronocidal!  This one looks gorgeous. I like it more than VF-1D. 

I'm really not sure actually why I don't like VF-1D ever since. I mean if you think about it, the 1D have more good-looking head than VT-1's. Not sure if it's the appeal. 

[grogall]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Glad to hear you finally got it, and without any broken bits.

The tails do feel a little more fragile due to the limited motion, but staying in gerwalk is a pretty good method to keep them from getting knocked around, whether you have the boosters mounted or not.  I wouldn't recommend the clips on the backplate though, I just don't think they're necessary, and snapping the tails into them seems like a good way to stress them.

Really does make a nice fighter display though, in any configuration.  

I actually don't use the clips either. I'm just glad that mine all came in perfect condition as well. Sure was a long wait since the announcement last November, but glad I finally have a Super Ostrich back in my collection...🤗

@no3Ljm I'm actually still liking my VF-1D the most, but maybe cause I always wanted one in my collection, and I already had the VT-1!? 🤔

Oh, and I also removed the backpack clip on the VT-1, this gives the backpack boosters a better angle. 😉

Edited August 28 by grogall

[davidwhangchoi]

13 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Finally got my VT-1 last Monday from AE. Technically, Saturday. But since I have it delivered at work, so yeah. Did a quick inspection and Thank God there wasn't any issue. But seeing that the stabilizer are now unfoldable, by nudging and wiggling it, for some reason it feels more fragile than its VF-1 counterparts. Head sensor antenna looks ok for now. I'm going to leave this probably in Gerwalk but if it's not going to fit in my shelf space, in Fighter mode. With boosters and all. And with Minmay. Period.  

Congrats Noel! 

[Kinzoku VF]

Hey everyone,

I received mine on the 1st of August from Lunapark. And was part of the super lucky ones to have their left wing/stabiliser snapped off...I've gone back and forth with them, their first solution was they would pay for the 'repair' (like what? Superglue?!),

Told them I was a collector and don't want broken pieces, especially as it wasn't exactly cheap. Shipping was nearly ¥10k via Fedex, then add the insanely f'd up high import taxes..

My last contact with them, they asked me to check how much it would cost to ship it back to them. Went to the post office had it weighed etc. Gave them all the options, from cheapest to most expensive.  

Since then....NOTHING. So, I hit them back again about a week ago and got "We are looking into the options". And that's it...

According to them, (I asked when I received mine as I saw a post on FB from someone with the same broken wing). They told me they had about 4 other customers with the exact same break (that was probably on the 5th August..who knows if they had any more since.)

Anyway, to anyone in the same position  what do you intend to do? Feels like they are trying to ghost me, with " we will contact Bandai, then wait, then to go to the post office etc, but no resolution in sight"

Will PayPal side with me if I open a dispute?

What did you people with the same issue do?

Sorry about the rambling, just thought I'd ask for some opinions..

Cheers.

 

[tekering]

1 hour ago, Kinzoku VF said:

What did you people with the same issue do?

Glue.

Garden-variety, buck-store CA Krazy glue.

I don't mean to belittle those who got broken toys, nor excuse Bandai's infamous QC fails of late, but this one's such a stupidly easy fix...

The fins don't have to fold for transformation.  Just glue it!

Edited August 29 by tekering

[Shawn]

How did you get the little nub stuck in the tail fin to roll over so you could glue something to it? Mine is really wedged in there the wrong way.

[Pontus]

26 minutes ago, tekering said:

Garden-variety, buck-store CA Krazy glue.

Be careful with the super glue.  It's good to have a fan on it while it dries.  Super glue can get "bloom" which appears as a white haze from the curing fumes.  At work we use a low bloom CA glue made by Resinlab called Cynergy (bottle is marked CA 6704), but it is really expensive stuff.  Do they make low bloom CA glue for modeling?

I've actually wondered before if model glue would work on this type of plastic, does anyone know for sure?  You'd have to scrape off any paint from any contact surfaces first of course since it reacts with the plastic to do the gluing (at least as I've understood it).

Edit: Unfortunately, model glue only works on polystyrene and no other types of plastic like our toys are made of.  Just make sure to ventilate so the super glue doesn't haze up.  You could also use an accelerator, but I wouldn't recommend it around painted parts as it will take off the paint.  Some accelerators are safer for that tho if they are hydrocarbon based (usually labeled foam safe) like Bob Smith Insta-set.

Edited August 29 by Pontus

[Chronocidal]

I don't think toluene-based styrene glue will work well with the ABS these tend to be molded from, but maybe keytone-based thin glue would work a little better?  I've never tried it myself, so I would defer to anyone with experience testing such glues with ABS.

The nuclear option would just be nail polish remover, which is mostly acetone, and will just melt ABS.  If you have scraps of ABS plastic in the same color, you can dissolve it in a small jar of acetone to make ABS putty.

In this case though, CA glue is probably just the safest to use.  With small-enough application it probably shouldn't fog, but getting a hold of that low-bloom would probably be best, if you can.  I hadn't heard of it before myself.

37 minutes ago, tekering said:

The fins don't have to fold for transformation.  Just glue it!

I hadn't even considered this, but it's mostly true.  If you're not mounting the boosters, the tails don't have to move at all.

Mounting the boosters on the backpack does press on the tails though, and they don't sit entirely in their sockets with the tails pushed outwards.  They look like they'll still stay on fine, but they might be canted outward toward the front.

Edited August 29 by Chronocidal

[Kinzoku VF]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

Garden-variety, buck-store CA Krazy glue.

Thanks for the tip Tekering. I've got modelling skills, but what worries me is that you can't dismantle the back part. Would much rather only work on the 2 parts that need gluing rather than working with the entire thing...Kinda scared to end up messing everything up as it's kinda snapped at an angle.

Out of curiosity which  brand did you use? 

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

The nuclear option would just be nail polish remover, which is mostly acetone, and will just melt ABS.  If you have scraps of ABS plastic in the same color, you can dissolve it in a small jar of acetone to make ABS putty

I did consider acetone having successfully welded back Abs parts together before, but yet again messing up is making me anxious as it can be hit and miss depending how you do it Melting some ABS first to get a paste or just straight on putting acetone between the 2 broken parts with nothing in between you can easily mess up the part completely...

I've now had it close to a month, and haven't taken it out of its box, (aside to take a pic of the broken part....)

Thank you all your suggestions though.  Much appreciated. 

[Shawn]

With the 50th, we can at least now peek inside and see how the backpack is assembled/bonded