Hey man what's it been like five years? And I've actually been looking myself for these on ebay I might bite the bullet and get one of these so called "added subtitles" blu ray discs and I'll let you know if they're worth getting and if they actually are the same level of quality as the actual blu rays from Japan without subs
Hey, yeah, probably not five years, but I've been around. Mostly got out of the toy game. 95% of my money is spent on comics now. I have a nice custom library now and a collection jumpstarted by funds from a bunch of Macross I sold years ago. I'm still looking to get some Macross figures every now and then, same with MP TFs. Delta has me sort of interested, so I might dive back in. I don't know. That means less money for comics, and quite frankly, I get way more out of comics these days than I ever did toys. Yeah, PM me or something when you get one of those blu rays. Let me know what the quality is like if you don't mind.
HI METAL R Strike Focker was a Tamashii Web exclusive, so there was an order close date for Bandai's site but the window from start to close was a few months. If you had a middleman it was easier to secure a preorder for it than the none-exclusive HMR's.
It's not that bad , but I'm still sour from getting hit with extra charges for shipping on my tamashii web exclusive recently. I ordered the metalbuild wings of light option set for the strike freedom, but this web exclusive is so over the top packages that it become huge , which increased my shipping cost to over 5000yen for some pieces of flat plastic and sticks /joints, oh and big extra boxes of course . Yeah it would be great if Arcadia includes stands on their valks instead of only giving a set limited amount to people that preordered on the Arcadia website .
Oh that makes it clear, you were talking about Gundam. I was thinking what the heck a metal build light option on the VF-1S would be. I really wish I had some Arcadia stands but no way I'm paying the current prices for them.
So I thought you were talking about just filling to preorders and not necessarily having everything as a Tamashii exclusive. So you lost me when you started talking about having to add the extra packaging. I didn't see why that was necessary for just keeping a preorder window open.
I apologize if this has been covered, but I'll ask anyway. I had been a big Macross Collector in the early 2000s. Between the Yamato 1/60 and 1/48 releases, as well as the Bandai 1/55 re-releases, it was a great time to be a VF-1 collector. Having sold my collection years ago, I'd wanted to go back and grab a few pieces. Sticker shock quickly set in as it seemed like Yamato went MIA, and Bandai never did any further 1/55 VF-1 releases. This weekend I did a bit more research, and discovered that Arcadia=Yamato. My two questions are: 1)It looks like Arcadia is releasing s DYRL Strike version of the Focker VF-1s in August. Is this true? HLJ seems to have stop taking preorders until they get a handle on their stock, it seems. Any other reputable online stores for a US buyer? 2) does Bandai have any plans to re-release the 1/55 mold?
1) Available at Amiami and cheaper than HLJ AmiAmi [Character & Hobby Shop] | Macross 1/60 Kanzen Henkei VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Roy Focker Special) movie ver.(Tentative Pre-order) 2) I dont think so.
Definitely go for the reissue of the Arcadia 1S at amiami. It has pretty much everything you could want from a 1/60 Version 2 Roy Focker VF-1S. It's iconic, it has all the accessories and more and you're paying retail for it.
1) HLJ usually has some available once released. I would wait for that. Otherwise same for AmiAmi and Hobbysearch. It's not often that Arcadia preorders sell out, they usually make an ample amount unlike Bandai it seems. 2) highly doubtful. Plans died off after the 2008 Origin of Valkyie reissues didn't seem to sell well. Last 2 releases were the DYRL? Max/Hikaru VF-1A Super Valkyries. Originally Bandai was going to make 1/55 VF-1's with new heads in 2009, that would be brought over by Toynami and sold in Robotech boxes. This would include the VF-1D shown by Toynami at SDCC years back. Word is bandai pulled out of the deal. In 2002 when the reissues were 1st released, the VF-1A Hikaru and mass production brown one went on clearance quickly. Meanwhile the Max and Milia VF-1J's gathered dust in Japan. What's sad is that when the Origin of Valkyrie line was 1st teased, the VF-1S Strike Valkyrie was hinted at on placards. The 1/55's IMHO are a victim of prolonged timing; bandai could've capitalized on sales prior to Yamato but waited until after Yamato released VF-1 toys to market.
That is a very informative post. Thank you. Sad to hear about the 1/55s not likely to see re-release. I'll have to accept second hand prices to tickle my nostalgia it seems. I AM very excited about the Focker 1/60 release next month. I want to nab a pair of those. I take it Arcadia has no plans to roll out the 1/48 again. A cursory glance of the macross world forums tells me the v2 1/60s seem to be a lot more popular. I did love the sheer size of those 1/48s though .
You're welcome. I doubt Arcadia will go for the 1/48's again. Not even sure if they got the molds back for those. V2 1/60 has a slightly more complicated transformation but very similar. However the V2 1/60 VF-1 lineup came very close to completing the entire onscreen lineup of the VF-1 from SDF Macross and DYRL?. In addition it had 2 seaters which the 1/48's lacked as well as easier to remove FAST pack boosters. I find them easier to balance while the 1/48 could be a tad unwieldy while posing in battroid mode. Also the 1/48 has skinny arms while the V2 1/60 is more proportionate. There were only a handful of VF-1's missing from Yamato's lineup, including the Alaska Guard VF-1A. They were thinking about releasing it back then though. Yamato went much further than Takatoku ever did when it came to VF-1 variants. Coincidentally they both were the most innovative toy license holders for Macross and both went out of business. Fortunately their development arm became Arcadia but their pace is much slower when it comes to new releases. I regret passing on the unpainted VF-1S and unpainted VF-1A/J/S in kit form when they were under $100. For some reason Big West is hesitant to grant license approval for Flashback 2012 VF-4's. Even Wave's upcoming plamo kit is in some generic scheme.
Now that you mention it, I remember both issues with the 1/48 bothering me a bit (the tiny hands/arms, and instability in battroid mode with fast packs attached). Still, overall I loved those things. I'm not sure what the intentions are on Arcadia's part for further reissues of the 1/60 VF-1 line (which is all I ever cared for, honestly). After I pick up the pair of Skull Leaders, I'd be interested in the stock brown 1a and Hikaru's 1j, but would likely be satisfied at that point. As for the 1/55s, I saw a couple of Super 1S's MISB (from the early 2000s) going for around $250/shipped on eBay. Not terrible I suppose.
I need Max/Milia VF-1Js with Super Parts from Arcadia in 1/60. I'm sure they are coming, I hope they take their time so I can save my money but once I get those, I will be satisfied with my 1/60 SDFM collection. If anyone knows when the HMR Milia is going up for pre-order, please lmk! I cannot miss that item. TIA!
A few years back when Arcadia started, they answered a bunch of questions in their dev journal. It sounded like IF FAST packs were to come, they were going to be bundled with Valkyries only. So far this seems to be the case with the VF-1. Hopefully this changes. All V2 1/60 VF-1 releases prior to Max had shoulder hinges prone to cracking, theorized due to knurled pins. Unfortunately the 1st run GPB VF-1J Hikaru bundle, orange VF-1D and VT-1 Super Ostrich have reported breakages too. Haven't heard of widespread issues on the Arcadia VF-1's. 1/48 VF-1 is easier to transform but has an easier to break backpack hinge(BP8) which doesn't seem to be an issue on the V2 1/60 VF-1. The V2 1/60 VF-1, due to the removable cockpit, has a "priest collar" in battroid mode that sticks up above the chest in the middle. This also lends itself to the nose not sticking below the knees, unlike the 1/48. I find that the V2 1/60 VF-1 doesn't seem as prone to becoming rag doll loose as the 1/48. A few years back the 1/55 Super Valkyries could be had for $100+ shipped, maybe less. The Hikaru/Max VF-1A Super Valkyries sat for a long time. I should've gotten them back then. The 1/55 VF-1 is an excellent toy, even today you'll be hard pressed to find a mainstream transforming jet toy that even comes close to hiding all obvious robot parts while maintaining a sleek profile.
The 1/55 Valkyrie is still one of my all time favorite toys. I think I have 6-7 or more versions of it. It actually ruined Transformers for me since it was superior to all that came before it and the newer ones that came after it kept getting worse and worse until MPs came along and it still stands up to those or is still better in many ways.
Yep, the 1/55 has so much appeal: a great design in it's own right, nostalgia, Jetfire, etc. I do recall those re-sissues (non fast pack)being somewhere in the neighborhood of $50-75. I really have to nab one of them on ebay.
What's your opinion on the Bandai 1/100 "Hi Metal" versions? I def prefer the Arcadia/Yamato design, but at $60-70 a pop, they seem like a nifty little representation that can be picked up cheaply. I think you stated that Bandai doesn't seem to produce large numbers of them? I might PO the brown 1A on amiami while I am still able to.
