Up for grabs on Jungle (if interested) Yammie 1/60 VF-11b with supers for 44k yen, Grade A. Slight discolouration on the box. Yamato 1/60 Macross Plus VF-11B with Super Pack | JUNGLE Special Collectors Shop
despite the hype, the DX still can't top the legendary Yammie 1/60v2 Strike-Hikkie... I even prefer it over my Arcadia PF version just coz it ain't bleach-white...
Is there any way to preserve it? At least 1 of my rainbow canopies has cracked rainbow finish, the others are fine.
take it from one who built one back in the day, and REALLY WANTED to like it; it SUCKED, HARD. Seriously. it kept falling apart, and finally broke after just a tiny handful of transformations. i was so heartbroken/dismayed/fed up that i just threw the entire works in the trash. kept the box/manual/decals/BATTROID head/etc. however. i use the box for manuals/accs./etc. storage for my VF-1 collection;
Based on the MG Gunpla line, Bandai is not good with transforming robots. All of the Zeta kits are terrible. I would prefer Bandai MG kits of individual modes. I really want a nice Gerwalk kit that needs minimal paint to look cool.
The Zeta is kind of insanity and trying to make it in toy form without resorting to parts forming requires sacrificing one mode or the other and a fair bit of stability/durability.
Hey Folks! Never knew a Thread existed about Macross but Thank God there's one!. So recently I got reintroduce to Macross Plus and it's almost like reuniting with an old friend lol. The Animation still holds up to this day IMHO. So for now I'm looking @ buying a YF-21 Figure/any scale (Yes I love that Jet/Guld lol) but dunno what's good and what to stay away from,any help suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Eventually I would like to own The YF-19 along with a couple VF-1's down the road. Also I've been debating on selling off most my MP's and get into the Macross hobby. I'd rather have a few Jets that meant something to me in a display vs a shelf of a bunch MP's which in a sad way for me has lost my interest. Anyways I know about the Dx Chogokin figures and their prices but any help or suggestions would be great for noob like me when it comes to the Figures. I haven't started yet so I'm open to any scale. Thanks in advance folks
Welcome to one of the best threads on this site! I gotta run and can't respond fully right now but the main scale for high end Macross toys at the moment is 1/60. There are also great lines in 1/100 with tons of options and the OG VF-1 is making waves with a comeback in 1/48. The two main players are Bandai, as you know with their DX and Hi-Metal R line and Arcadia, who is mostly putting out reissues and some new versions of the Yamato 1/60 Valks. The YF-19 is available with pretty recent releases in 1/60 from both Bandai Dx and Arcadia. Both are nice with plusses and minuses depending on what works for you. I have both and like both, lol. Bandai has teased prototypes for a release of their YF-21 in the DX and HMR lines with the 1/60 DX looking like it may be close to a release announcement. Other than that, you got to go with the old Yamato release for a good, high-end 1/60 YF-21. You can get excellent info and details on most Macross releases from this site. He has detailed comparisons and reviews. Good luck and welcome again to the insanity that is Macross collecting!
So @FiVE1ZERO has started to fall into the Macross Hole or at the edge for now? To start off, at least get: (1) Arcadia 1/60 (either Roy, Hikaru, Max and Milia [commonly known by M&M]) will do. Premium Format is the top of Arcadia's line, so be willing to pay a pretty price for it (full tampo graphs and more than compared to the regular version). (2) DX VF valk (to which one is your preference). If you're looking for a DX YF-19 (Full Set), Mandarake will have a stack of them for grabs. Go through all the listings in each of the branches and price the one that suits your budget. (3) The DX VF-1 (1/48) is the hot item to get as it's the newer scale to get into and pre-orders for them is nearly impossible to get through. If your not familiar with pre-order madness, your welcome to sit back and enjoy the ride and you don't have to participate in one if you don't feel obligated. If your interested, you can pick up a Yamato 1/48 valk (as to which one, it's your choice) (4) At least a Bandai Hi-Metal R (1/100 scale). Smaller and takes up less space compared to the 1/60 and 1/48 * Pick up the ones that you want into your collection and enjoy it *
The current Valkyrie Chogokin is the best Valk imo, and I’ve handled almost every VF-1 Valkyrie mold. Only ones that come close imo are the HMR and the 1/60 Yammie/arcadia
Just wanted to pop in to mention I am looking to find forever homes for a set of Arcadia 1/60 M & M Valkyries (Premium Finish) (Like new/Mint) and a Bandai Chogokin DX VF-1A (brand new unopened). See my sales thread in my sig.
For the YF-21 best to wait for the DX in 1/60 scale by Bandai. Shown in prototype form but the last time it was shown, it was the 3rd prototype and they went as far as to have Tenjin readjust the marking placement. So unlike most Bandai protos that show up once and vanish, this one seems like it will actually make it to final production. Unless you can get a Yamato 1/60 for a decent price(which has been difficult since they went out of business), I'd wait for the Bandai DX. Even so, I'd wait for the Bandai. Bandai's battroid mode has a more accurate, thicker profile as you know the YF-21 wasn't skinny onscreen. Yamato went the skinny route as a compromise for a sleeker fighter mode. 1/60 tends to be a main scale that Japanese companies go for when t comes to Macross toys. The DX YF-19 is a good buy but heads up, the left rudder isn't very secure(there's a way to fiddle with it while folding to prevent it from falling off) and sometimes the hips are too tight out of the box(can be loosened with screws, YMMV). Some head lasers were broken out of box. The DX YF-19 is a retool of the DX VF-19Advanced. The main difference is that the Advanced has: SMS markings instead of UN Spacy kites A 1 piece canopy that swivels backwards whereas the YF-19 front canopy swivels forwards and the rear swivels backwards doesn't come with Yang Neuman Boosters that the YF-19 lacks for the wings 1 less leg swivel per leg If you have a favorite etailer in Japan, bookmark their product pages for whichever Macross toy you want. It's sporadic but they do restock sometimes. Last year HLJ restocked some DX's and other valks that had been out of print for a while around the holidays. If you really want to get your hands on DX valks, avoid the V1 VF-25's, be aware that all Frontier valks(Renewal VF-25/27, YF-29, VF-171/171EX) are prone to loose diecast ball joints out of nowhere and sometimes cracked pieces where spring pins are used. Avoid the DX VF-171(the teal one, the EX's are safer) since the black plastic on it is prone to cracking out of box on its own(factory screw up). The DX VF-31 is better designed than the DX Macross Frontier valks. The DX SV-262 is more complex and has its fans but more prefer the DX VF-31. The DX VF-1(in roughly 1/49 scale) is decent but if you're used to Yamatos YMMV, you may not be blown away if you're used to the Yamato /Arcadia V2 1/60 VF-1 toys. The DX does a few things better and does a few things worse. However, for what it is, it's not bad for the price(MSRP). Unlike the Yamato VF-1's, to me the DX is just an evolution of VF-1 toy design, not the revolutions that the Yamatos were. If you want a smaller, wide ranging line of valks, enemy mecha and Destroids, there's Bandai's roughly 1/100 HI METAL R line. It's a more affordable line, be aware it utilizes swapping parts(due to the smaller scale) Meanwhile if you're going for human figures, KitzConcept makes 1/12 Macross saga figures that remind me of Figma(joint design, perceived softness of face sculpts). Toynami makes 3.75 figures that lack elbow joints and look like cheaper in-house designs. KitzConcept also makes SD VF-1's. Meanwhile, if you're into Figuarts, Bandai has some of the Macross Delta Figuarts on sale right now. You came back into the fold at the right time since you're a Plus fan. It does seem like the DX YF-21 will make it to mass production and I wouldn't be surprised if the DX YF-19 is rereleased to coincide with it. Hopefully a DX VF-11 is around the corner too. The Yamato ones had small vertical stabilizers, I want some big anime accurate ones!
Well....if you're looking at Bandai valks...be prepared to stay up all night to get cart jacked Don't know what means? You'll find out
I always liked how it had Qrau lineage since it had Zentraedi designers and looked a Valkyrie + Qrau from hell with mind control. Looked so menacing onscreen. Amiami tends to be reliable as they rarely(if ever) cancel preorders. Problem is if you miss preordering during the initial preorder night, you might miss out on their discount. However even their regular price tends to be reasonable compared to what a scalper would charge you, so it's best to keep the preorder(if you get one with Amiami) instead of playing the waiting game to see if another store has it cheaper. Amazon Japan has offered valks at times but not always. They tend to have good prices initially. HLJ tends to have less of a discount than Amiami but also tends to cancel preorders and their site has never been the same(mobile and on desktop) since their "upgrade" last year or so. Since that "upgrade" they haven't been reliable on Bandai preorder nights. On Bandai preorder nights, preorders usually open 3AM EST but beware of Japanese holidays since sometimes orders don't go up until later(happened with the DX YF-19). If you don't score an order that night, bookmark the order page at the etailers you like and check often. That's how I scored a few of my DX valks, sometimes weeks or months after initial release.
The typical Japanese retailers will have it if it’s not a Tamashii Web Exclusive. HLJ, AmiAmi, CDJapan, Nippon Yasan, Anime Export, Hobby Search, Amazon Japan (sometimes they won’t ship certain items internationally). You can expect preorder madness for it meaning the preorder openings lasting only minutes or even seconds at each shop. If it is a TWE, you need to use a proxy service and buy direct from Bandai or use Nippon Yasan or Anime Export, which are the two main shops that offer exclusives. Good thing if it is a TWE is there is a set time period that the orders will stay open and it will be easy to order casually. There has been two recent cases where they sold out sooner than expected but those were highly irregular occasions and the most recent was for the DX VF-1 SSP sets and Bandai fixed that issue by opening another round of preorders to be released at a later date.
Anyone looking for the DX VF-1 missile set? Two sets up for grabs on Amiami One for 9k yen (Box A, Item B) - AmiAmi [Character & Hobby Shop] Another one for 7,180 (Box B, Item B) - AmiAmi [Character & Hobby Shop]
