Welcome! I think many of us have found ourselves in similar boats. I’ve all but stopped collecting TF in favor of Macross. I still want to grab all of the Wally G1 reissues but aside from that I’m happy with the handful of MP’s I have. Everything is Macross now. And if I can entice you, I’d start watching Frontier if you like Plus. Plus is one of my favorite, but Frontier has elements of a few genres of anime including the sci-fi of Plus. So you get a nice mix.
i dunno, the old 2001/2002 MG SENTINEL MSZ-006A1/C1 are Fantastic kits, IMHO; the 2005 MG 2.0 MSZ-006 PROTO, however, GREAT on paper, not so much so upon physical execution;
See I have no idea who Qrau is (been awhile since I've seen the Original Robotech/Macross series) but I've always thought the YF-21's Battloid Design resemble something Zentraedi'ish. Also has an Invid vibe to it IMO. I remember always arguing with my friends about which plane looked better in Macross Plus. Of course the YF-19 has a more unique and well proportion Battloid and the YF-21 just looks funky lol but still to this day I adore that alien looking Battloid Just dipping my toes in the water for now. Thanks for all your help and I think I will go the Dx route. Now to debate what MP's to sell/Keep. Don't think I'm gonna all in on everything but just the Planes from Macross Plus and a couple VF-1 planes but for now I'm on the hunt for a Dx YF-19 then the YF-21. Yea I forgot to ask about what series would be a good watch. My buddies said the same thing about Frontier and I hope to watch it sooner or later. Only fear I have with watching Frontier I that it would interest me for more of the figures lol. Thx! @Slave IV I think once I sell some of my MP's or maybe even my Jordans (Ive been done with the shoe game for awhile now and they have just been sitting in my closet) Might just bite the Bullet and pay the late tax on a Dx YF-19. IMO I'm a strong believer on if you really want something,Just buy it and get over that hill lol. Thanks again everyone for your help on this next chapter in my hobby! You guys rock
I’m with you on not settling and buying what you want but personally, I don’t like and rarely ever pay late tax. If I miss something, that means I got assed out that time but there is almost always a next time so I just sit back and wait for it. In this case, a next time for any new YF-19 release may be too long for you to bear so I can understand paying some tax if it is something you really want. Just be careful with this Macross Game! Once you get a few Valks in hand, your MPs could start to feel very 2nd tier or lower in comparison and you just might find yourself like a lot of us here who barely even collect Transformers anymore.
Oh yea I don't think there's even been a time I payed "The Late Tax" for my MP collection. I usually Buy/PO everything right away once released. The only figure I still LOL and kick my ass about is FT Forager as I chose Warbotron Onslaught over Forager thinking "I can get him later down the road" bc back then FT didn't really have a Feeding Frenzy like how it is nowadays. As I look @ my shelf I know I have some Gems I can get a pretty penny for including Spotter,the Grey chest Bombshell and of course the Metallic GP Dino's to name a few. TBH though about the DX YF-19 I believe you or someone mentioned it's possible Bandai might Reissue it since DX YF-21 is close to production. We'll see how everything plays out. I'm in no rush especially when you see the goin rate for this lol.
Qrau is short for Queadlunn Rea, the Zentraedi suit Milia(girl who fought Max) used in the original Macross. The battroid mode of the YF-21 is directly based on it. I always liked the bulky battroid of the YF-21 and it's fighter mode since it's based on the YF-23. For Plus I've always liked the VF-11, ironically the very valk that was being replaced by the YF-19 or YF-21. Dated sure, but I loved how it had swing wings and canards. Plus the deco for Isamu's was awesome.
It is possible Bandai May reissue the YF-19 to go with the release of the YF-21 but there is just as much chance that they don’t rerelease it and then watch the price skyrocket even more. I think the general rule for Macross figures that I go by is if you know you want it, get in as early as possible because the price will climb. Otherwise, you have to be willing to admit defeat and be willing to wait for your next possible chance that may not come.
My counter to that is that the rising prices are in the aftermarket. Bandai doesn't get a cut of that. By that metric, there's more incentive for them to re-release the '19.
In a world where Bandai cares about the tiny market that is Macross, I’d agree. In our reality where Macross is a niche with the YF-19 being a tiny niche within that niche, I’ll say it is unlikely. Definitely possible so it’s all about how much of a betting person you are and how much you want it. I’ll just say I’m glad I got both recent versions of the YF-19 at pretty much the lowest preorder price possible.
The DX YF-19's pricing has not risen in the current aftermarket, specifically. In fact, I've seen it go down to around 22k-yen at some point last year. I see it currently at 24k-yen at mandy, actually. Fwiw, I think the only incentive for Bandai to re-release the DX YF-19 is to fix the damn stabilizers-connectivity and with a better packaging technique to prevent the head-laser from breaking in two while still mint in the box...
Amiami had the DX YF-19 Full Set for ¥23.5k last year and I posted it here and in MW. As for the eventual DX YF-21 (or Full Set if Bandai decides to give us the Missile set and the Fold Booster together), I think the price will be the same after the release date (¥22k - ¥24k). Jungle had it listed for around ¥26k (?) all sealed units at one point last year.
24k yen plus shipping is a good price for the DX YF-19 and we all know that even though it is used from Mandarake, it is probably as good as new. Still, it is opened and “used” so it is not a good indicator of the actual current value of a new one to have in hand in the US. If I were to need one, I’d probably pay that markup right now just to have one in hand. Looks like to get a new, unopened one, its going to be around $300 shipped from Mandarake and they are selling for around $300-$400 on eBay so that is a more accurate, real world value of getting one in hand in the US. Still not too bad but that’s out of the range I would pay. Again, my guess is the price will keep going up if the YF-21 is announced with no word of a YF-19 reissue.
An incentive would be to make more money to recoup the amount they invested in retooling it. Plus the demand is there and will be higher if and when the DX YF-21 is released. The YF-21 has its fans but the YF-19 has always been more popular and is arguably the 2nd most popular Valkyrie behind the VF-1 The full set DX YF-19 release was something Bandai was trying to make special so I can see a rerelease of the DX YF-19 without all the FAST packs, missles, Monster destroyer arm gun and the extra markings Tenjin designed for it. Most of the markings weren't in the anime anyways. So there's more than 1 reason for a DX YF-19 rerelease, even if it lacks what the previous releases have: It's been out of production for a while Some don't care for the extra missles and FAST packs Some fans who want a DX YF-21 will want a DX YF-19 to go with it if they missed out Since it would be a mere rerelease, it'd be like printing free money I'm still hoping we get a DX YF-19 repainted as Aegis Focker's VFX Ravens VF-19A. Same for a Ravens VF-11 if Bandai ever decides to make a DX VF-11. The VF-11 is the 1 out of the 3 Plus valks that usually gets overlooked.
I'll definitely double-dip if either Bandai or Aradia does Aegis Focker's VF-19A. With build-improvements, of course. Not just a damn recolor... Shinsei Industry VF-19A Excalibur
I got away from collecting for a long time and only got back in about 3 years ago but it has been a good time to do so. Much of what I sold ( and regretted doing) got reissued or an improved/better version came out. When Bandai announced the new VF line I thought I would go all in on just that but after the fiasco that was trying to pre-order the VF-1A (Max) and the VF-1S (Hikaru) I gave it some long thinking and decided I am only doing the tv style in DX Chogokin. Those will end up in a bigger "Robotech" display. Doing a mix of Bandai and Arcadia/Yamato in 1/60 to represent one of every major generation of variable fighter across the movie version and various sequels. All of those will live in a bigger "Macross" display. Both are great and do things differently.
Fwiw. The DX Max-1A is still quite available from regular import-shops at usually around 22k-24k yen (and sometimes less) nowadays in either "New" and/or "Damaged-box"/"Used" conditions. I think I saw one at 20k-yen this morning at Mandarake. May still be available if you check. On the other hand, the DX Hikkie-1J and Hikkie-1S? Fuggedaboutit. Scalper's market on 'em still.
