Seeing reviews and feedback ahead of time would’ve helped but his expectations are reasonable. Truth is, the Takatoku 1/55 VF-1 toy designed in 1982, acquired by Bandai & Matsushiro and later released/repainted as Jetfire by Hasbro set a very big precedent that’s been difficult to follow; there’s no other Macross VF-1 toys that have surpassed it regarding overall build quality and intuitiveness/fluidity for transformation. It was a toy far ahead of its time and to not be surpassed in some areas more than 40 years later says a lot.

So going from G1 Jetfire to a KitzConcept repaint homage to it is a pretty wide gap with a wildly different result in feel/handling. Kind of like an overly priced toy that could’ve been better but standing in the shadow of a legend. If KitzConcept’s God of Flames had a lower MSRP closer to the original lower MSRP that their redesigned 1/72 VF-1 and separately available armor had, expectations would’ve been tempered. The asking price now is hard to justify in the face of alternatives from the Japanese market that seem to justify their MSRPs more.

 

No s#!t, you don't say?!  

I preordered (prior to any reviews) a limited deco figure, reminiscent of a different toy, from a toy company, via a toy store, and expected it to be a toy. WTF was I thinking?

No really, I buy plenty of expensive 3P robots, and it's not once ever occurred to me that I needed to go into full research-mode to determine if they are glorified overpriced model kits loved the world over for their fragility. You guys have all made it perfectly clear that Macross people are used to this level of "quality", but a Jetfire homage isn't aimed specifically at Macross people, but rather TF fans who expect to be able to touch their toys.

I stand by my opinion. It might be a great pre-assembled model kit for robotech fans to obsess over the details using their jewelers' loops, but it's a hot-mess of a toy.

People on a TF message board should be appropriately warned, and if my cautionary tale is required, so be it, no matter how many smart-ass "you should have known better" replies I get.

 

That could be said about any G1 toy to a modern toy as well. G1 Optimus is way more intuitive than MP versions (specifically MP44). Mainline toys are the closest which also include more articulation.

While the price of God of Flame is expensive, it's also a limited run. Granted they upped that number by a quite a bit. It's still something they are essentially saying you'll never be able to buy again due to reissues.

 

Regarding the 1/55 Takatoku VF-1 designed and the original Jetfire, I believe they have aged well even until now. All they’re missing to me is better leg articulation(outward leg pivot and thigh swivels) and the ability to mount the gun in fighter mode. I don’t view any other G1 toys on the same level of aging and comparisons to modern counterparts.

For KitzConcept to make an homage to the original Jetfire, they had huge shoes to fill and don’t quite fit them. They and Harmony Gold shouldn’t be surprised at the reception.

I know, because I posted about that in the Robotech thread months back after KitzConcept initially stated the production numbers for God of Flame. It’s nothing new for them, they had released limited production VF-1 toys prior that took a while to sell out.

 

You're the one who came in hot. I didn't care you didn't like the figure. I simply asked why you didn't have armor on and explained why you're having issues with the wings. That's it. Your simple response of "I never put those on with my original toy" would have sufficed. But then you run on and proceed to say how all of Macross/Robotech collectors may like being gouged. That's a side dig. I freaking love Robotech and love what that market has created and continues to create. You don't like Robotech? I don't give a S. But that's what Jetfire was. Cased closed. I don't care if you're only collecting TFs and their homages. The most homage to a g1 toy Jetfire is always going to be a legitimate Veritech and it's limitations. That's where research and the "you should have known better" comments come in.

 

Lol wut? They're on life support

 

I merely gave my opinion so that others may learn from my folly and save themselves $250, end of story. It was not an invitation for anyone to admonish my lack of knowledge and research of another franchise and its convoluted production history and questionable quality. Screw that.

We're on a TF message board in the 3rd Party TF forum. This figure is a de facto 3P TF and the reason 99% of us are in the thread. In that capacity as a 3P TF, this figure is a colossal piece of shit. The Macross white knights should save the scolding for someone who cares.

 

Lol I still have hope

 

You preordered a limited deco Macross figure that was painted to resemble an old Transformer and expected it to be a toy even though it never was…nor was it advertised as a toy. The mold of the figure you bought was not new, the paint scheme was. You bought a figure that had been out for quite a while, that was priced at a premium, assumed that it was something it wasn't, did so blindly and wanted to shit on the figure. Again, the figure is far from perfect but the things you don't like about it aren't necessarily even it's biggest weak points.

The old Takatoku toys were exactly that. Toys. They were built sturdy for kids to be able to play with. They were great toys and were absolute tanks as far as longevity. The figure you bought was not built for kids. It's not the figure's fault you didn't bother to find that out. If I bought a Gundam kit from BBTS and get pissed at the "toy" when I get it and I have to put it together, that's MY fault for not doing the research on a figure I bought from a toy company, via a toy store (where all the pictures make it look like a toy), and expected it to be a toy. You don't like the figure? Cool. It wasn't what you expected. But be a big boy, admit your mistakes and learn from them. Do some research before you spend $300 on a "toy" and you might find out that it isn't what you wanted after all.

You want to warn people? I think most people, including myself, would applaud that. The problem comes from you shitting on things and people that aren't what you assumed they'd be, don't agree with you or call you out on poor behavior. @CyberRat is right in that how you came at this whole thing and people is why you're getting the reaction from some folks that you are. If you're going to shit on things and people, you'd should be prepared for a reaction. I have yet to read any remarks replying to you that have been rude or condescending (surprisingly). Personally, I don't really care. I spent the money, but I know what to expect. You're the one that's pissed and being pissed sucks.

On a positive, at least you won't have any problems selling that "piece of crap".

Your "lack of knowledge and research" is the root cause for your situation. If you'd have said "Hey, folks. I bought this thing thinking it was one thing. It's not. It's this other thing. If you're expecting it to be this thing, don't buy it." you probably wouldn't have gotten the response you got. You keep waxing poetic about this being a de facto 3P Transformer but it's not. It's a Macross figure painted in Jetfire colors, regardless if it's in the TF third party threads or not which, once again, you would have known if you had looked into it. I actually agree in your point that people should know about your experience. I just disagree with how you're going about things and how you're treating people while doing it.

 

Sg jetfire was a reference to a converters figure Zardak which was also a repaint of a Macross figure. The purple and white is powerful and nice looking but misses the point.

 

I think when these were first released, they were like….a hundred and something bucks. They were nicer than Bandai's Hi-Metal but not as upscale as their expensive DX line. I thought it was a great in-between at a fair price and it was pre panel lined…..which I LOVED. I honestly think that even if had Kitzconcept packaged the DX line in the Jetfire colors, TF fans would still hate it….beautiful as it is. That's not to say that they'd be wrong. They're just built for different crowds.

As it stands, KC has alienated themselves from both communities as neither seem to be happy with the line….especially with this latest figure's price point. Crazy thing is, they sold out so fast, even as expensive as they were. They really screwed things up by continuing to add to the limited run. I

Oh, the things greed will make you do.

 

You see, that's where we differ. I don't have a situation. I paid my money, bought the figure, and I told people what I thought of it. There is no obligation for me to do research. There is no obligation for me to sugar coat my disappointment to protect anyone else's emotional investment in the item. You think this is a perfectly fine model-kit-figure-thing that meets your expectations? Great, more power to you, I'm absolutely NOT trying to convince you otherwise. I'm glad you're well-versed in these fragile, near-artwork, non-toys (or however you choose to describe this product - but take it from me, don't call it a "toy" or you'll get yelled at). For me, I clearly didn't care enough to learn the nuances of these figures. If that means I occasionally risk a few hundred bucks and get burned, so be it. I'll warn others to not make the same mistake and get on with my life.

On the other hand, my expectations, no matter how ill-informed or misguided you may think they are, were not met. I have nothing against you or any other member, but I don't appreciate the holier-than-thou lectures. I put my money where my mouth is, and I have every right to shit-talk this figure. Whether or not you think it qualifies, as a 3P TF, this figure is in fact, a colossal piece of shit. If you can appreciate it in a totally different capacity and feel it's a worthwhile purchase, I'm extremely happy for you. But no amount of scolding from the Macross legion about how much homework I should have done will change that. If you don't like my comments, or my tone, or my buying habits... then, bless your heart, I guess we just won't be interwebs besties.

Cheers.

 

I would love to contribute to this conversation, but I’m STILL F’N WAITING even though I preordered this a week after it came out. I’ve already got one KC so I know what I’m getting. I can see how one would be disappointed when comparing this to something like fanshobby ginrai which is around the same price point though. If g1 Jetfire wasn’t one of my favorite childhood toys, I probably wouldn’t have gone for it at that price either.

 

Let me get this straight, you "clearly didn't care enough to learn the nuances of these figures"……….and now you're pissed about the nuances of these figures?   You can shit talk this figure all you want, it doesn't change the fact that you could have saved yourself a whole lot of money and aggravation if you'd have just….well  .

Since this conversation is no longer going anywhere, I'll leave it at that. Good luck with the sale, homie.

I'm in the same boat (literally) as you, my man. Worst thing is, I haven't even been sent a tracking number, nor is one available. Sounds like one of the customer service people left KC which is a bummer because these figures and company have had problems, both QC and otherwise. Their customer service had always been top notch, though. If that goes away, coupled with their rising prices, it makes it harder and harder to justify supporting this company in my eyes.

 

All the hub bub in this thread got me to take a quick handling of my own Kitzconcept Rick hunter deco. I paid 135 for it 2 years ago. The fast pack could have been had for another 80-100(I didn’t bite. I don’t care for it).
I still enjoy this figure. It poses as necessary. Has LEDs. A clever transformation and (to me) feels well worth the price. For anyone wanting on of these, I recommend checking out various videos on YouTube first. Especially Scorched Earth Toys. He does lots of Veritech reviews and is quite honest.

 

There’s a ton of very good info from both of you that I was not aware of, thank you, it’s appreciated!

 

I've been waffling on this for a while. I think I'm ok with it being more fiddly, I have Yamato/Arcadia/Bandai VF-1s so I know what to expect and this would primarily be a display piece for me anyway. KC quality seems to be a bit lesser than those companies but I don't think it's that bad simply for display purposes.
But in a sense, as much as I've come to like Macross as well, the proportions of the chunky monkey TakaToku Jetfire are so imprinted in my mind as Jetfire's proportions that none of the current options really feel right for it(although the non-Transforming Bandai model kit does come close)
I don't think I'll be satisfied until there's a more chunky transforming update that's reminiscent of the old toy. And even then getting another release like this is unlikely.

 

I've been waiting a while for one of these.

I really dislike the Skyfire design but I'd gobble up a 3P Jetfire toy accurate figure in an instant.

 

You guys bring up a good point that maybe I should add to the first post? Don't choose the cheap shipping option if you don't want to literally wait months for the figure to be delivered on a "slow boat from China".

I'm not sure this is something worth mentioning as a positive considering what a PITA it is to get the LEDs turned on, especially in the boosters and leg armor. Seriously, it may as well not have them at all.

 

I don’t have the boosters so my LEDs are only in the gun and cockpit. I’ve seen how they are actived. I wish they had the magnet activated ones instead but it still looks pretty cool all lit up.