Transformers Masterpiece MPG-03 Yukikaze Available on Amazon Japan for $110 USD

william-james88 wrote:TF fan Justin M reached out to let us know that Transformers MPG-03 Yukikaze is available on Amazon Japan which

What am I chopped liver? (See above from Monday). Anyway, I hope the price does come down. My base price is 16,290 Yen currently.

o.supreme wrote:My base price is 16,290 Yen currently.

No, it isn't. You didn't read the article, even though I put it all caps in bold.

I read the article, I just had the wrong screenshot. My apologies. But still a higher price than stated. I know shipping/ taxes etc will vary, but as you say, this is before all that.

Amazon.jp doesn't ever show me the base price, even when I put it in the cart. I wonder if what they show differs from country to country for tax purposes.

I can't recall...I know Amazon US doesn't charge your card until the ítem ships.... does Amazon Japan charge right away?

Bounti76 wrote:I can't recall...I know Amazon US doesn't charge your card until the ítem ships.... does Amazon Japan charge right away?

Nope, they don't.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:I can't recall...I know Amazon US doesn't charge your card until the ítem ships.... does Amazon Japan charge right away?

Nope, they don't.

Ooh, thanks, Chuck!

Yukikaze looks a little weird, but I like it. I really like the aesthetic of these figures. and that Raiden face is something I like.

I placed my preorder though Amazon JP. 15,731 yen base, 18,167 total cost, so right now about 135 shipped. Not too bad.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:I can't recall...I know Amazon US doesn't charge your card until the ítem ships.... does Amazon Japan charge right away?

Nope, they don't.

This is actually one reason I'm willing to give Deep Discount a try on this one since their base price for the pre-order is in USD and not JPY. The yen is at a pretty unusual low versus the dollar right now and I think there is a better chance of it going up by the time amazon.jp would start charging than there is of it staying the same or going lower.

By that same measure I'm really glad I locked in the first 2 in JPY with amazon.jp.

Playing the next 3 out will be interesting, especially if deep discount comes through with no issues on this one.

Bounti76 wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:I can't recall...I know Amazon US doesn't charge your card until the ítem ships.... does Amazon Japan charge right away?

Nope, they don't.

Ooh, thanks, Chuck!

Just don't use a debit card.

What is wrong with using a debit card?

o.supreme wrote:What is wrong with using a debit card?

Nothing, they do a card hold but it'll go away after a few days.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

o.supreme wrote:What is wrong with using a debit card?

Nothing, they do a card hold but it'll go away after a few days.

Emerje

Yes, however if that debit card is linked to your primary bank account and you are light on funds when you pre-order, it could screw you if other bills come in while the hold is on, whereas a credit card won't affect you in that way. The hold will be temporary, but the timing could be a disaster if someone didn't know and wasn't prepared.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Emerje wrote:

o.supreme wrote:What is wrong with using a debit card?

Nothing, they do a card hold but it'll go away after a few days.

Emerje

Yes, however if that debit card is linked to your primary bank account and you are light on funds when you pre-order, it could screw you if other bills come in while the hold is on, whereas a credit card won't affect you in that way. The hold will be temporary, but the timing could be a disaster if someone didn't know and wasn't prepared.

Well yeah, but that's just a reason to be cautious, not a reason not to use it at all.

Emerje

I am aware that holds on debit cards are common, but I've ordered all 3 MPG from Amazon Japan now with my Debit card from a credit union, and never had a hold placed on my orders. Perhaps it depends on the individual financial institution?

Emerje wrote:

o.supreme wrote:What is wrong with using a debit card?

Nothing, they do a card hold but it'll go away after a few days.

Emerje

Nope. They have a different policy for Debit cards. When the item comes in they charge it, as a temporary hold. By the time you actually get the item they put ANOTHER charge through on your card, it often caused me to have a negative balance in my PayPal account and I believe was one of the reasons that PayPal closed my account back in October.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Emerje wrote:

o.supreme wrote:What is wrong with using a debit card?

Nothing, they do a card hold but it'll go away after a few days.

Emerje

Nope. They have a different policy for Debit cards. When the item comes in they charge it, as a temporary hold. By the time you actually get the item they put ANOTHER charge through on your card, it often caused me to have a negative balance in my PayPal account and I believe was one of the reasons that PayPal closed my account back in October.

I've placed three large preorders with them over the last few months. The first two were PayPal pay in 4 so I started paying for those immediately, but their policy says PayPal orders are charged at time of order. You always have to check this, every store handles preorder charges differently. My third order for Skyfire and Yukikaze I put on my debit card. I placed the order, had a hold that day and it cleared Monday as it often does in these situations. I haven't experienced anything unusual in the way they handle payments. If they charge your debit as a bank card you likely won't have a hold (like with Amazon), but if they charge your card as credit based on the logo on it (Visa or Mastercard or something else) you'll probably see a hold.

Emerje

Some great pics of Shouki in Hand

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7883718331

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/7884013706






I originally thought the combined mode would be about a head taller than CW/UW/PotP combiners, but with Shouki being around 7 inches in Robot Mode, I'm hoping he will actually be closer to CW/UW Dev/PotP Predaking height. Raiden would be the perfect rival for PotP Predaking if this works out.

Seems very promising, but I'm not optimistic about the combined form being more than 12" when an entire leg is the height of the bot, unlike Predaking which had taller bots and longer thighs.





He gets a little more height from the hips, but not quite enough get him up to CW Titan height.

Emerje

The more I look at that silhouette of MPG Raiden, I wonder...where is Kaen? (the lower torso?), seems like he contributes very little/almost nothing to the combined mode, and that may make all the difference in the world. (Whereas Long Haul which serves the same purpose on Devastator is actually the largest bot)

While PotP Predaking leg bots (Headstrong and Tantrum) do have thigh extensions, Raiden (Like CW Dev) relies on 6 bots and still gets to the same height. Upper chest, arms & legs all seem about right, but its that lower Torso that is the real unknown right now, and will likely be the last bot revealed...Go figure.

o.supreme wrote:The more I look at that silhouette of MPG Raiden, I wonder...where is Kaen? (the lower torso?), seems like he contributes very little/almost nothing to the combined mode, and that may make all the difference in the world. (Whereas Long Haul which serves the same purpose on Devastator is actually the largest bot)

While PotP Predaking leg bots (Headstrong and Tantrum) do have thigh extensions, Raiden (Like CW Dev) relies on 6 bots and still gets to the same height. Upper chest, arms & legs all seem about right, but its that lower Torso that is the real unknown right now, and will likely be the last bot revealed...Go figure.

Pretty sure half of Kaen forms the "wings" (which are now huge blocks) at his feet. The thing about Devastator is Longhaul forms half the leg and the lower torso while on Raiden the leg trains form the entire leg up to the hip and Shouki is making most of the torso. Besides, we know the legs are roughly 7"-8" like a regular CW combiner.

Emerje

...How uncanny that just minutes ago I was thinking about Raiden an his height versus other Titans combiners and where might he fall in with height and all. But for me it's no problem.....

Greetings all,

ok may need some assistance here. Looks like Amazon Japan just tried to charge my Debit Card for Shouki, they "rejected" the payment, not sure why as there is far more than enough funds. So I addressed the issue directly, I reentered my Debit Card information, and now am awaiting judgment (I guess? Things look ok on my pre order at the moment) Even if they put an amount DOUBLE the cost on hold, it will not adversely effect me right now. I just need to make sure they accept the payment method. Others have stated they've ordered from Amazon Japan with U.S. Debit Cards without issue, I hope this can be resolved, calling Amazon Japan customer service isn't really an option for me...

I've heard others say they ordered through Amazon Japan with Paypal? I'm not sure how this was accomplished as I dont see that as an option, otherwise I would have gone that route.

I dunno how people ordered through amazon japan with paypal, I would prefer that route as well.

As for your main concern: every time I order from amazon japan, my credit card treats it as unauthorized charges. In my case, my credit card is set up so when I get charged, i approve the cost via text message and it processes. Not sure if you followed that route or not.

I haven't got the text yet, but my card is showing a pending charge for $131.99 from them, so I am guessing that is Shouki

My bank doesn't let me use debit cards for foreign transactions unless I call them ahead of time to "open" the card for 24 hours which is a huge hassle so I just use a credit card and pay it off. I have had Amazon Japan decline my card before, but I use virtual numbers for security so I just swap in another one and it usually works fine.

My pending transaction is for $123.66. My card usually has bad conversion rates, but I recently upgraded it to a travel card so I wonder if the rate improved?

Emerje

Emerje wrote:My bank doesn't let me use debit cards for foreign transactions unless I call them ahead of time to "open" the card for 24 hours which is a huge hassle

I just found out after a 40 minute call with my bank yesterday this was the case for me as well. Which is a pain because I have 3 pre-orders now with Amazon Japan that may not happen... Unfortunately I don't have a standard credit card. I may give the funds to someone else and switch the payment method that way...but we shall see.

I was thinking of perhaps purchasing a Visa gift card (which works as a credit card), and just put little over the amount needed on it, but I don't know if Amazon Japan would accept that either?

The safety/fraud prevention of my bank is awesome, but in this case is a hindrance, oh well, I guess you cant have everything.

Oof, sorry to hear about your situation o.supreme, I hope everything works out for you.

I've gotten my shipping notice from DHL and should have him in hand on Wednesday. I had forgotten how damn fast amazon.jp ships.

I was able to use a family members credit card, so should be good. Thanks for the advice from the members here. I haven't gotten a shipping confirmation yet, but we shall see. I did notice it is in stock now for any who didn't pre order, but the price is a bit more. Not sure if it would still be a better deal than Pulse at this point or not.

AJP charged my gift card yesterday; $132.17.
DHL is saying expect delivery on Wednesday 6/29 .

o.supreme wrote:

Emerje wrote:My bank doesn't let me use debit cards for foreign transactions unless I call them ahead of time to "open" the card for 24 hours which is a huge hassle

I just found out after a 40 minute call with my bank yesterday this was the case for me as well. Which is a pain because I have 3 pre-orders now with Amazon Japan that may not happen...

Future suggestion for both of you, if it is not possible for the current predicament.

If you only have that 24 hour window to work in and you have not been able to obtain a credit card, try purchasing an AJP gift card instead and use that as your card for payment of your order. It will auto-clear when the item ships, so no delays there. You can bang out the purchase in one shot within the 24 hour gap with no future ramifications.

For myself, i started using the gift cards routinely as an auto reload on a weekly basis to prepay for future pre-orders; generally $10 a week with a credit card. Then just go into the order after the reload and apply the gift card amount to the current pre-order. i have been able to do all of the AJP TF MP releases in the last year with this method, covering all, long before the pre-order is due and getting price drop refunds at a small weekly out of pocket rate. I even double down and do it on a card that i get reward points on so make a little extra back on the deal.

Regardless, good luck to both of you and i hope something can be done to get things back on track.

triKlops wrote:AJP charged my gift card yesterday; $132.17.
DHL is saying expect delivery on Wednesday 6/29 .

o.supreme wrote:

Emerje wrote:My bank doesn't let me use debit cards for foreign transactions unless I call them ahead of time to "open" the card for 24 hours which is a huge hassle

I just found out after a 40 minute call with my bank yesterday this was the case for me as well. Which is a pain because I have 3 pre-orders now with Amazon Japan that may not happen...

Future suggestion for both of you, if it is not possible for the current predicament.

If you only have that 24 hour window to work in and you have not been able to obtain a credit card, try purchasing an AJP gift card instead and use that as your card for payment of your order. It will auto-clear when the item ships, so no delays there. You can bang out the purchase in one shot within the 24 hour gap with no future ramifications.

For myself, i started using the gift cards routinely as an auto reload on a weekly basis to prepay for future pre-orders; generally $10 a week with a credit card. Then just go into the order after the reload and apply the gift card amount to the current pre-order. i have been able to do all of the AJP TF MP releases in the last year with this method, covering all, long before the pre-order is due and getting price drop refunds at a small weekly out of pocket rate. I even double down and do it on a card that i get reward points on so make a little extra back on the deal.

Regardless, good luck to both of you and i hope something can be done to get things back on track.

Double Ditto, can't wait!

They're being shipped out, and you know what that means:



Again, don't worry about the language, he's known for showing off in detail. And turns out it's licensed by JR (Japan Railways)?!

A lot of moving parts. I think it could've been done easier and simpler. Raiden looks like it's going to be a big boy.

Whoo-hoo! A day early!

Dang I am so jealous...I got the credit card situation resolved...but my order still says "preparing for shipment" has been that way for 3 days.

Part 2 of the review:



Nothing new, just the transformation from Robot to Train Mode... which can be very precarious with the shoulder panels and lower legs.

Got mine today too, two days early.

The magazine was sold out from primary sources by the time it was out but we still wanted to let you know about this. The latest Figure King Magazine, issue 293 spotlights the MPG Trainbots and has something quite special. It comes with a sticker sheet that has stickers for Masterpiece Raiden's chest to give him a more G1 toy look. You can see the images below. and we also have an image of the G1 toy to show you the matching sticker detail. The magazine also has a spotlight on the upcoming Titan Metroplex and other upcoming toys.

























Transformers G1 1987 Raiden Gallery

That's really cool, too bad magazines are prohibitively expensive to ship. Toyhax will be cheaper.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:That's really cool, too bad magazines are prohibitively expensive to ship. Toyhax will be cheaper.

Emerje

It was about $31 total on Amazon Japan when they were still in stock, and $21 of that was shipping. No regrets though, I imagine these will be extremely pricey as a piece of MP esoterica in the years to come.

ScottyP wrote:

Emerje wrote:That's really cool, too bad magazines are prohibitively expensive to ship. Toyhax will be cheaper.

Emerje

It was about $31 total on Amazon Japan when they were still in stock, and $21 of that was shipping. No regrets though, I imagine these will be extremely pricey as a piece of MP esoterica in the years to come.

That could be, or it could just be another magazine pack in that litters places like Mandarake for 200JPY. It was probably smart to include all those symbols, they'll likely (definitely?) sell more magazines than figures in Japan.

Emerje

I got my Shouki in. He came in at $131.99 on my card. I enjoy him a fair bit already. The train mode is a stunner to look at, and I love the track bits. Robot mode is a bit delicate, specifically the backpack, but the transformation is quite intuitive. I used the instructions going to robot mode and then transformed him back without instructions needed at all.

He is a good first step for this MPG journey.

Mine is finally on the way. Not sure what the hold up was after I changed my payment to an actual credit card, just a few days delay cost me a couple bucks ( came to 133.64). But hopefully the payment won't be an issue next time. I did email Amazon.JP, and got the kindest, most professional response I think I've ever had.

Hoping to be joining the MPG club in the coming days .

Mine came in yesterday. Man, what a figure! The transformation to robot mode was ridiculous, and as someone who enjoys more complex conversions, it was quite a fun challenge. Haven't put him back into train mode or into chest mode yet since I didn't get to open him until late last night. I'm really enjoying the robot mode though, so I might wait a little longer.

Having the full team is going to be insane. I know many want to complete them as soon as possible, but I actually hope they space them out a bit so I can recover financially after each one

Just got mine yesterday as well, but haven't opened it yet. The spacing for each is several months apart so no worries there.

I wonder if the stand for Haslab Victory Saber will work with the small post they included? This is my first MP, so I don't have any of the seeker stands for the "flight pose"

I've seen a lot of online reviewers are nervous about all the clear plastic and possible future breakage.

I'll probably just Transform it back and forth one time, then wait until all parts are released and leave it in combined form.

I am so sorry

That is fantastic D-Max

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I am so sorry

Happy to see me?

Actually, this brings up an interesting topic. While for some transformers there is a specific order to the transformation, for many it can be varied.

How do you do it? Follow the instructions exactly? Go from the bottom and work your way up, start at the top and go down? Just whatever random way you feel?

I just bring this up because as annoying as he may be on camera, I like how emgo316 always starts with the base ( if the toy is in alt mode), and works up, thus you always can get the toy on its legs for some stability. This pic just reminded me of that for some reason.

I usually start pulling and prying anything that looks like it'll move and work around from there. I've done this with everything from MPs to BotBots, the only figure I've ever broken is the first movie Sideswipe when I accidentally snapped his foot off at a pin.

Emerje

For me, there is no consistency. It is whatever I can budge first and go from there. I don't really aim to complete 1 section of the bot or alt modes first across the board.

In Shouki's case, I prefer the legs first, then the torso, and finally the arms.