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BlitzBlast posted:Considering they put the effort into getting almost the entire Island Wars line out as general release, GM's Counterattack's releases just makes me think that Island Wars sold horribly enough it wasn't worth betting on. No one would have a bad word to say about P-Bandai if they let people outside of Japan order directly from it. People get into "why is this P-Bandia and that retail release" for the sole reason that if it's P-Bandai we won't be able to buy it without the markup and hassle of going through a third party. That is not a desire for a magical wish
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Aug 31, 2017 17:14
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Yeah, that's my main gripe; I love the look of the Waterproof Gundam, but not enough to either bother to mess with middle-men sellers (with respect to Samueldecal) or pay 50 dollars for an HG grade kit.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:17
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BlitzBlast posted:
As guy said, this is bullshit. Complaints about P-bandai are justified when they don't offer the service overseas. Plus the lovely website they do have has a flat shipping flee of 35 bucks american which is just ridiculous. No one would be complaining if they offered their lineup to North America at reasonable shipping rates.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:19
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Effort-wise, that's a pretty intensive kit to develop Bzzt. HG P-Bandai releases get to cut corners hard since the assumption is that if you're getting it at all you don't care. Sometimes it's a massive sticker sheet, sometimes it's like the Waterproof Gundam where they just straight up expect you to paint a billion missing color apps. Guy Goodbody posted:That is not a desire for a magical wish You are, in fact, wishing that Bandai would magically sprout a half decent international shipping organization and infrastructure. They're in the process of doing that as we speak, but it is going to take time and a poo poo load of surveys. You guys did respond to that P-Bandai USA survey regarding shipping rates, right?
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Aug 31, 2017 17:23
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BlitzBlast posted:Bzzt. HG P-Bandai releases get to cut corners hard since the assumption is that if you're getting it at all you don't care. Sometimes it's a massive sticker sheet, sometimes it's like the Waterproof Gundam where they just straight up expect you to paint a billion missing color apps. Have you looked at the Fenice Libertalia and read the rest of that post? Neddy Seagoon posted:that's a pretty intensive kit to develop given the big thigh thrusters and motorcycle transformation for only a P-Bandai release.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:27
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BlitzBlast posted:You are, in fact, wishing that Bandai would magically sprout a half decent international shipping organization and infrastructure. They're in the process of doing that as we speak, but it is going to take time and a poo poo load of surveys. Aww shucks, Bandai is just a little mom and pop garage shop, putting together wooden horses and dollies for the kids. They don't know about fancy airplanes or international distributors.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:31
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So you're just going to ignore that Bandai also tried teaming up with international distributors at first too then. I've been following P-Bandai USA for a while now. From what I understand, it's effectively a small start-up at the moment with a lot of duties being covered by other teams (P-Bandai HK handles shipping and payment, for instance, which is the reason for the high fees since stuff gets sent to HK and then to US/Canada). But it is growing, and is actually getting some stuff targeted at its primary audience that other P-Bandai branches didn't (most P-Bandai branches could only offer one copy of GFF MC Wing Zero to pre-orderers, but P-Bandai USA and JP got six copies). I'm sure said growth is going to be excruciatingly slow and afraid of risk like literally any other corporation ever, but that's how it is. Neddy Seagoon posted:Have you looked at the Fenice Libertalia and read the rest of that post? Have you? Because I see a new back skirt armor (easy x2 assembly) and a new backpack (jury's still out on if it's actually new or if the motorcycle assembly just plugs into the pre-existing hole in the back). The transformation is the usual Wing Gundam transformation with the wings folded up and some wheels deployed. It doesn't seem particularly amazing, so I'm not sure why you're so bedazzled about it.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:41
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BlitzBlast posted:I know that nobody likes paying more for stuff, but the sheer vitriol people express for P-Bandai gets so overdone it's ridiculous. The fact of the matter is that most of the time, if it wasn't going to be P-Bandai it wasn't going to exist at all. You have to think of Bandai less as a magical wish granting lamp and more as a business. Because that is, in fact, what they are. I never assumed that Bandai was a "magical wish granting lamp", but when they make a product that I want I would expect them to be a business and ensure that I, as a consumer, can get that product easily and for a reasonable price.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:46
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You do not live in Japan. You are thus currently not one of their main consumers, so as a business it would be unprofitable for them to specifically cater to your needs. This has and will hopefully continue to change over time. But until then, spewing expletives and shaking your fist at the sky every time this happens as if it hadn't happened dozens of times already isn't going to do much of anything.
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Aug 31, 2017 17:53
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BlitzBlast posted:So you're just going to ignore that Bandai also tried teaming up with international distributors at first too then. P-Bandai USA isn't growing, it still only offers a half dozen seemingly randomly selected things. And it still has flat rate thirty three loving dollars shipping. Don't act like just letting people order directly from them is some insane logistical mindbender that poor old Bandai couldn't figure out. Goodsmile did it.
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Aug 31, 2017 18:01
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BlitzBlast posted:You do not live in Japan. You are thus currently not one of their main consumers, so as a business it would be unprofitable for them to specifically cater to your needs. Yes, how dare someone continue to voice their disagreement more than once with an unnecessarily lovely business practice. It's not like there are at least half a dozen import/export stores that would jump at the chance or anything. Or that there is likely a much larger global community that would leap at P-Bandai kits for a decent price. Or there being pre-existing export licensing routes for other Bandai lines, like through Bluefin, making the only difference being what gets packed into a shipping container.
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Aug 31, 2017 18:02
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BlitzBlast posted:So you're just going to ignore that Bandai also tried teaming up with international distributors at first too then. I get what you're saying, and I'm not against you, but if the P-Bandai branches are in an arrangement where shipping results in 35 dollar shipping fees, then something's pretty hosed. AFAIK Hobbylink Japan ships straight from Japan to the US, and that's a like, 9-12 dollar shipping at highest. And if they are shipping from China, it would be pretty trivial to get 0 shipping costs on their end (it will take a month to ship out, but most people would tolerate that over 35 dollar shipping costs).
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Aug 31, 2017 18:10
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Neurolimal posted:I get what you're saying, and I'm not against you, but if the P-Bandai branches are in an arrangement where shipping results in 35 dollar shipping fees, then something's pretty hosed. AFAIK Hobbylink Japan ships straight from Japan to the US, and that's a like, 9-12 dollar shipping at highest. And if they are shipping from China, it would be pretty trivial to get 0 shipping costs on their end (it will take a month to ship out, but most people would tolerate that over 35 dollar shipping costs). Bandai owns their own Gunpla-making factories in Japan, they don't outsource.
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Aug 31, 2017 18:11
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Neddy Seagoon posted:Bandai owns their own Gunpla-making factories in Japan, they don't outsource. I know that (it's how they've managed to avoid knock-off kits for so long up to now), I just wasn't sure of the exact logistics required to bum free shipping off china's government. Is it only available to local factory/manufacturing businesses?
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Aug 31, 2017 18:13
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Guy Goodbody posted:P-Bandai USA isn't growing, it still only offers a half dozen seemingly randomly selected things. And it still has flat rate thirty three loving dollars shipping. I just gave an example of a noted change. China, Taiwan, Hong Kong; all of the Asia branches besides Japan only got one run at preordering GFF MC Wing Zero, and only up to one copy (there were lots of angry Wing fans!). JP and USA got two runs, at 6 per order. Up till now P-Bandai USA was just getting leftover stock as its wares, so this is the first instance of them getting something targeted at their intended audience. As for Goodsmile, they have an in-house distributor located in America, which is why they can offer better prices. Up until then, as far as I know GSC's prices weren't much better than Bandai's. Neddy Seagoon posted:Yes, how dare someone continue to voice their disagreement more than once with an unnecessarily lovely business practice. It's not like there are at least half a dozen import/export stores that would jump at the chance or anything. First off, way to drop an argument the second it starts going south. Bandai did partner up with several other import/export stores. It didn't go that hot. Similarly Bandai clearly does recognize the international market, which is why we're seeing stuff like P-Bandai USA that would've been pipe dreams half a decade ago. And finally, Bandai is already working with Bluefin on this: Derringer has gone on record saying he pushed hard to get the MG XN Raiser is general release in America. But I'd invite you to look at the recommended prices Bluefin sets on its websites. Just about anywhere I go on the net, I see complaints about how US retailers tend to be much more expensive than their equivalent Japanese stores. The main reason why is because of Bluefin acting as middleman, so I don't really think asking them to do everything would lead to a lower price. XN Raiser is what, $90? Middlemen always make the price shoot up, it's why people would prefer directly ordering from P-Bandai JP. Neurolimal posted:I get what you're saying, and I'm not against you, but if the P-Bandai branches are in an arrangement where shipping results in 35 dollar shipping fees, then something's pretty hosed. AFAIK Hobbylink Japan ships straight from Japan to the US, and that's a like, 9-12 dollar shipping at highest. And if they are shipping from China, it would be pretty trivial to get 0 shipping costs on their end (it will take a month to ship out, but most people would tolerate that over 35 dollar shipping costs). Yeah, it's a pretty screwed up situation from what I hear. At least they're aware of how angry people are over the shipping costs (again, it was the main subject of the recent survey) though, so I'm hoping to see some changes on that front in the next half a year or so. EDIT: Actually if I'm going to be honest, it's more like next two years or so. BlitzBlast fucked around with this message at 18:43 on Aug 31, 2017 |
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Aug 31, 2017 18:32
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Seeing people defend corporations for being bad at selling things always warms my heart.
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Aug 31, 2017 21:04
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I can assure you that Bandai's approach to the North American Gunpla market is beyond reproach. They've managed it so successfully in the past!
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Aug 31, 2017 21:07
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Monaghan posted:I can assure you that Bandai's approach to the North American Gunpla market is beyond reproach. They've managed it so successfully in the past! The thing is, they made the exact opposite mistake the first time, flooding the market with product they couldn't sell. It's understandable they'd be a little gunshy. P-Bandai's a pain in the rear end stateside, yes. And it's quite possibly Bandai leaving more than enough money on the table to cover the expenses. But they have a system that works pretty well for them, so I can see the reluctance to go any faster at setting up wider operations.
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Aug 31, 2017 22:02
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I feel like it's safe to say that Bandai's committed to a western market again, at least. The most recent news I heard regarding gunpla's overseas appeal was that the bulk of the international market is "mostly in Asia", but IBO appears to have done a great job at advertising to the west: BDs are coming over, whole shows are being subbed on youtube, even the manuals are being translated now. That article I linked says Bandai is hoping international sales can one day surpass domestic sales, and I guess it's no wonder why they'd want that because Japan's economy hasn't been doing all that hot. Which, incidentally, is the main answer for any questions related to "why is Bandai taking it so safe on all their releases recently?". chiasaur11 posted:The thing is, they made the exact opposite mistake the first time, flooding the market with product they couldn't sell. It's understandable they'd be a little gunshy. I think they might have an advantage this time around on that front in that brick and mortar hobby stores are basically dead. Online retailers are all the rage these days, and something tells me Amazon cares a lot less about having "aisles" of unsold stock than Toys R Us did.
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Aug 31, 2017 23:27
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TaurusOxford posted:gently caress YOU P-Bandai: http://p-bandai.jp/item/item-1000117195/ Another finger on the monkey's paw curls...
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Sep 1, 2017 01:09
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I got the Metal Gear Sahelanthropus 1/100 by Kotobuyika today, and holy poo poo is this box fuckin' massive. I mean drat
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Sep 1, 2017 01:31
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Oh cool, the Raftclans had a kit announced.  Kinda sad it doesn't provide green effect parts for people who want to recreate the classic SRW J look, but what can you do.
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Sep 1, 2017 13:22
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Jut finished building the gm gaogaigar. It's a pretty good kit but good god there's some serious gap filling that's gonna have to happen in thethe legs, forearms and parts of the lion. Monaghan fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Sep 1, 2017 |
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Sep 1, 2017 15:41
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Someone on Reddit is saying PG Exia coming in December? https://imgur.com/FUVwQbm
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Sep 1, 2017 16:30
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Given that all of the JP text is talking about RGs, and that the image on the right is the RG's lineart, I'm inclined to say that's a fake.
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Sep 1, 2017 16:35
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BlitzBlast posted:Oh cool, the Raftclans had a kit announced. Yeah I'm hoping that they'll do one with the Real Big Sword later.
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Sep 1, 2017 19:26
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People who make fakes about a PG Exia have a special place in hell IMO.
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Sep 1, 2017 21:32
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Monaghan posted:Jut finished building the gm gaogaigar. Here's mine:  Currently working on the second now.
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Sep 1, 2017 22:34
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Is that the SoC Galeon in front? How big is the SoC compared to, say, a non-Victory/Wing HG? Is the new Gaogaigar bigger? (I just want an entirely kind of to scale Alpha Numbers collection)
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Sep 2, 2017 00:18
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Broken Loose posted:Is that the SoC Galeon in front? How big is the SoC compared to, say, a non-Victory/Wing HG? Is the new Gaogaigar bigger? (I just want an entirely kind of to scale Alpha Numbers collection) SoC GaoGaiGar is 26cm tall at head height. The GM model kit is 28cm tall, which still isn't QUITE big enough (31.5cm) but it's probably the closest we'll ever get to a 1/100 scale GGG. As for size comparison with a HG, here's Tryon 3:  
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Sep 2, 2017 00:58
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poo poo. I've been avoiding 1/100 for my models because it gets really problematic with size L+ units. 1/144 Dygenguar is already the size of a chair. Thank you!
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Sep 2, 2017 01:17
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Built the MS-05S Zaku 1 kit. I have no idea why Bandai released the regular MS-05 Zaku 1 in Char's colours four months later, since literally everything you need to build the standard MS-05 is already in the MS-05S box, minus the shield. But whatever the reason, the kit itself looks awesome and the belt fed machine gun is neat. Not having to fiddle with torso hoses or leg tubing is also nice and increases the articulation a bit.
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Sep 2, 2017 02:58
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  Think this is all I'll get done for a while. Maybe fix up some areas that have rubbed and get a top coat on it sometime this week. Didn't have a real plan with this, just kinda played it by ear.
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Sep 3, 2017 09:24
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It looks really good!
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Sep 3, 2017 17:48
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 You're doing god's work.
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Sep 4, 2017 04:40
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Pretty good finish for a first attempt on a cheap as chips airbrush setup. I can only imagine what a decent brush would be like. Vallejo model air is fragile as gently caress though, luckily it had paints beautifully normally and dry brushing, so any scratches can be blended in very easily. Their topcoat layers out smooth as butter with a brush too if I want to protect some pieces that could rub. Two coats with a few days drying and it's a pretty strong cover until I can get some final topcoat on it. Makes cleanup a breeze to boot, dump it I water and swirl it around will get it pristine 99% of the time. Puddin fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Sep 4, 2017 |
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Sep 4, 2017 06:16
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I built my first Maschinen Krieger kit today and I wanted to just break down and cry at the end. The Falke is just brutally loving unfun at parts, especially trying to get the top body section to line up with the bottom.
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Sep 4, 2017 07:34
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The real gunpla coming-of-age experience is when you buy your first traditional model kit, and realize there's probably some pretty good reasons gunpla is getting more popular. I'm currently working on a Revell P-38 kit, and it advertised having conversion parts for the Night Fighter variant. What they dont mention is that the conversion parts is basically "use an X-acto saw to cut off most of the canopy, then glue this new canopy sculpt on top and try to make the gaps not look like poo poo. We saved many pennies by avoiding retooling the sculpt to add pegs for swappable canopies". And this is one of the most mainstream model kit producers, not some garage kit fly-by-night. Neurolimal fucked around with this message at 07:51 on Sep 4, 2017 |
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Sep 4, 2017 07:46
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Neurolimal posted:The real gunpla coming-of-age experience is when you buy your first traditional model kit, and realize there's probably some pretty good reasons gunpla is getting more popular. I'd buy the poo poo out of real world military models made with the same amount of engineering quality as gunpla kits. I put together a Revell car kit 15 years ago that took a shitload of effort to put together and still looked like poo poo, and I am willing to bet that Revell's kit engineering hasn't advanced one iota since then.
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Sep 4, 2017 08:05
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Neurolimal posted:The real gunpla coming-of-age experience is when you buy your first traditional model kit, and realize there's probably some pretty good reasons gunpla is getting more popular. Even Gunpla on it's own has come a long way  Want to put the command horn on your Char Zaku? Cut the loving hole yourself
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