Wouldn't be surprised if Arcadia rereleases Hikaru's VF-1J, that and Roy's VF-1S, eventually. Their Valks are the ones most often rereleased, even when Yamato was around.
I was quick to snatch up 2 of their Roy release from last summer, as well as a third Roy (sans fast packs) off of ebay..so I am all set on him.....just crossing my fingers on the 1Js or 1A. The Hikaru/Max valks from DYRL (1S or 1A) just do nothing for me, so the April release of Hikaru is wasted on me .
We did recently get Hikaru's 1J with armor parts. I'm really looking forward to Max & Milia 1Js with Super Parts.
Yeah I think I read that on Macrossworld this week. A 2015 release, or thereabouts? Shit is going for $5-700 on ebay, last I checked. I'll have to wait until the carousel comes 'round again for that one.
Thanks! Those enemy Mechs are what ultimately broke me into collecting the HMR line. Now that I have them, I'm really glad I didn't wait any longer but I'm going broke, lol.
So I got in that VF-19ADVANCE from Mandarake this morning and man, it is absolutely the YF-19 I've wanted since 1994. You guys were right, it was in nearly pristine condition. The box has seen better days, but no worse than other figures I've purchased new. They included everything it came with originally, down to the survey card, so no worries there. The figure itself is, with one glaring exception, perfect. Unfortunately, the exception is that the hinge rivet halfway down the metal swing bar in one of the wings is incredibly loose, which makes that wing quite floppy when it's extended. It also has a faint floral scent for some reason, but I don't count that as a negative. I read that I can tighten the rivet with a BB, a flat piece of metal and a pair of vice grips, but I'm wary of doing permanent damage. Any suggestions from the thread would be appreciated.
Would've preferred swappable swept back wings for high speed mode on the YF-19 and VF-19 Advanced rather than that expanding hinge mechanism. I don't mind the wings sweeping back for battroid but to go into high speed mode there's extra movement that I could live without.
It looks the same as the normal hinge, to be honest. It's the one circled here, but on the other side:
^^ Did you try flowing a drop of floor polish in between the rivet and the hole in a bar? It's not a permanent fix but its probably the least invasive.
Speaking of the YF/VF-19, I really want a VF-19s, Emerald Force edition, scaled to go with the VF-25 and VF-29 I got last year. But from what I see, doesn't look like that's an option for less than at least double what paid for the 25 and 29 (each a little under $200). Is that an accurate assessment, or am I missing some options?
The VF-19s should be the cheapest out for those 3. The one at AE is still there $154 before shipping. Macross Perfect Transformation VF-19S Emerald Force Color A04
I'd like to add that the Bandai Hi-Metal VF-19 is rather reasonably priced (there's blue one on eBay for ~$120 and a red one for ~$100). Also, I own a Yamato's VF-19S Emerald Force colors. The colors look HIDEOUS in photos but look quite good in person.
Quality is substantially higher than the VF-25 Renewals and YF-29, consider yourself lucky if you can get a Yamato VF-19 for that price now.
While VF-19S prices have come up since Yamato went under, they are still some of the easier to find for a reasonable price of the 19s. With a little looking, you should be able to find one shipped for under or around $200. Keep an eye on Mandarake, AE, or even Macross World in the for sale section... ....or just grab this one. Good price, honestly, and while it's not quite my favorite VF (definitely in the top 5 though), this is, still to this day, my favorite VF toy. It's the most well built, solid, fun to handle VF I own, from Yamato, to Bandai, to Arcardia. Honesly, I wouldn't call either of those prices "reasonable." Those Hi-Metal's don't come close to the quality of the HMR's, and if you're looking for something to fit in with Bandai's DX line, these are not good. They're small, ~1/100 scale instead of ~1/60, feature lots of partsforming, have no built in landing gear, and altogether feel maybe like a $40 figure. The 19S is a little better of a deal, including a stand (with landing gear attached to the stand that you just set the fighter mode on) a gunpod mount, closed fists, and optional leg missile bays. The 19kai features none of those...no way to mount the gunpod at all, no landing gear, only gun holding and open palm hands....unless you buy the web exclusive add on set. Really, something like $40-$50 for each is "decent" at best.
Yeah, I actually agree with your point. My use of the word "reasonable" was taking into account the fact that @theosteve wanted a YF-19 or VF-19 toy and wanted to know which options are out there. I actually do think a triple-digit price for the Hi-Metal versions aren't worth every penny, but considering most YF-19 figures and variants are well above $300, I thought it was worth a mention.
Agreed on all points I should also add, I have a bunch of Yamato and bandai VF's from the last 17+ years and to me, the Yamato Fire Valkyrie is up there as the best modern VF toy I've handled. It's very hard to choose between the VF-19F, VF-19S and Fire Valkyrie. There's just something about them. So definitely don't pass up a Yamato Macross 7 VF-19 for under $200. I'm surprised a 19S is even going for $140. As good as the VF-4G looks, the VF-19 is still the better toy, substantially so even.
