posted 02-18-2011 06:27 AM
Bandai has updated their website. It looks like JAXA's Hayabusa asteroid sample return probe will be released next in their Otona No Chogokin series. About $290 and coming out in June.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-18-2011 06:28 AM
AmiAmi is offering this model for 16,850 Yen which is a 25% discount on the original price.
I think it is a lovely model for any collector, but before I pre-order one I would like to hear some more comments.
It seems that it also has some LED lights which are controlled with an infrared remote control so I think it will look great on any desk or showcase.
Space In Scale Member
Posts: 33 From: Essex, England Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-18-2011 06:30 AM
It looks like the bonus piece to this latest model for the first production run is a 1:144 scale Hayabusa, to go with the Shuttle and Saturn V. Kind of neat.
Looks really nice and can't wait to hear more.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 02-18-2011 08:16 AM
A model more aimed at the Japanese market? The previous two had a more international flavor.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42982 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-18-2011 08:29 AM
Hayabusa was the first mission from any country to return samples from an asteroid.
While Bandai's earlier choice of the space shuttle can be seen as international (given its crew members and payloads from many different countries), the Saturn V was a solely American achievement. And while granted, the Apollo program's accomplishments have a much wider appeal, Hayabusa's feat should be celebrated worldwide.
Had they chosen Viking or Voyager, would they have been viewed as having less international flavor?
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-18-2011 09:10 AM
I think Hayabusa should appeal to the worldwide community as it was successful in it's mission on returning back to earth with samples from the asteroid Itokawa.
Philip Member
Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
posted 02-18-2011 10:16 AM
So far, Hayabusa has been the most remarkable asteroid mission in spaceflight history, with a successful sample return from the 500 m long asteroid 25143 Itokawa.
Okay, there was NASA's NEAR Shoemaker which landed on the 34 km long asteroid 433 Eros in February 2001. And we're looking forward to ESA's Rosetta mission to deploy its Philae lander on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.
tankerdriver New Member
Posts: From: Registered:
posted 02-18-2011 10:25 AM
Personally I am glad that they are keeping this line open. Hopefully there will be more releases this year.
Space In Scale Member
Posts: 33 From: Essex, England Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-18-2011 11:59 AM
They say that they are planning two more additions in 2011. This being the first, so there will be another release at some point... if everything goes to plan.
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 02-18-2011 01:38 PM
Just pre-ordered mine from AmiAmi. I have the Saturn V and Endeavour models, so I'm confident in the quality.
While I can understand the particular appeal of this model to the Japanese home market, Hayabusa was a fascinating and ambitious mission with a lot of "firsts." Looking forward to adding this to my collection.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-19-2011 02:25 PM
My Hayabusa is also pre-ordered from AmiAmi, I am sure that it should compliment my collection.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 02-23-2011 03:16 AM
A YouTube video of the Bandai Hayabusa spacecraft model, that is if you understand Japanese!
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 06-23-2011 04:51 AM
I have just confirmed my order for my Bandai Hayabusa spacecraft model with AmiAmi Japan, should expect it in the next few days.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 06-23-2011 04:56 AM
Shipped to Malta 22,570 yen which converts to 201 Euros. I think it is going to sit nicely with my collection.
Peter Kemp Member
Posts: 91 From: Chelmsford, Essex, United Kingdom Registered: Jul 2002
posted 06-23-2011 05:28 AM
Yes, just notified that my model is now ready for shipping to the UK.
Is this release earlier than expected?
Trouble is I will be in Florida hopefully watching STS-135 lift off on the 8th July so I have emailed them asking to delay shipping as there's a good chance UK Custom's would return it as undelivered by the time I get back home in mid July.
I think they only hold items where charges are to be paid for a relatively short time.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 06-23-2011 09:07 AM
It's here on Hobby Link Japan. It seems that this one went rather unnoticed...
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 06-23-2011 09:12 AM
Yes but AmiAmi seems to be cheaper as it is listed at 25% discount so the price is 16,850 Yen with a shipping cost of 5720 Yen.
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 06-29-2011 12:02 PM
Ordered mine this AM from AmiAmi at a total of JY21,830...US$276.40 at Paypal's current exchange rate.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 06-29-2011 01:35 PM
I should be picking mine tomorrow from Maltapost office.
Philip Member
Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
posted 06-30-2011 08:25 AM
Nice Alex... post a picture? Import tax?
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 06-30-2011 10:20 AM
Unfortunately I could not pick it up today, but I will go tomorrow. I will post some pictures, but please bare with me as I am a bit busy.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 07-01-2011 09:50 AM
I just picked up my Jaxa's Hayabusa, from the little time I had to inspect it, it is an excellent example of fine workmanship.
Packaging as usual nice black box with grey foam and packed neatly. There is a warning sign in Japanese regarding the thrusters, they are very tiny and fragile so must be handled with care.
Tax import was 35 euros so in total it costed me 236 euros, not cheap but for the fine workmanship it is fine by me.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 07-03-2011 02:38 PM
I managed to find this site courtesy of Apollo Maniacs which has some very good photos of the Bandai Hayabusa. I am sure I can not do much of a better job in photography than these photos.
Enjoy this beautiful crafted model.
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 07-06-2011 10:21 PM
Received mine today in Denver. Fastest transit time yet for the Bandai models I've bought from AmiAmi...couldn't have been in customs more than a day or two, even given the US holiday weekend.
Only a cursory examination so far, just to make sure everything is included and intact, but this is a beautifully crafted model. I've always been fascinated with the architecture of unmanned space probes, so this was an easy sell, especially given my satisfaction with Bandai's Saturn V/Apollo and Endeavour (I especially appreciate the inclusion of a 1:144 Hayabusa for a scale comparison with those models).
I'll also second alexbaja's caution about taking care unpacking this model...the packaging isn't complicated, but the model's got fragile features sticking out all over the place, so be gentle!
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 07-13-2011 01:20 AM
It seems that this model is going to be very rare outside of Japan as there was not a big response from the international market.
It is a pity as it is such a beautiful model with fine workmanship and also it has it's unique part in history.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 07-13-2011 01:40 AM
quote:Originally posted by alexbaja: It seems that this model is going to be very rare outside of Japan as there was not a big response from the International market.
Told you so.
alexbaja Member
Posts: 448 From: Naxxar, Malta Registered: Dec 2010
posted 07-13-2011 02:51 AM
Yeh! But it is only the price that is shying away the international market.
Let's hope that Bandai will not shy away from doing future models.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-21-2013 10:12 AM
45% off from Hobby Link Japan, for those interested.
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 03-21-2013 01:01 PM
It's on sale at Amazon as well.
A friend of mine does marketing for a large hobby manufacturer and he once told me he was baffled at releases like their Saturn V, citing it as a specific example because many people in his industry apparently use that model as a case study for marketing every now and then. Clearly it has huge mass appeal and the tooling work costs a fortune, yet they produced a small run and that's it, never to look back. He told me the profit margin is very small in such a case and wondered why a company wouldn't do a mass release of a model with such broad appeal (as, say Dragon would have). From purely capitalistic standpoint, it didn't make much sense to him. He said it was almost like Bandai did the run as a public service to boost the secondary market and not their own profits as they had to know exactly what would happen with the models once they were released.
But the lack of interest in this satellite model should tell Bandai this, but I doubt any lesson has been learned.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-21-2013 04:05 PM
I found it hard to believe that the profit margin is small and at the same there's a limited production run. It doesn't make sense.
But Century Wings latest SR-71 model was limited to 500 copies so... (although in this case they produced other SR-71 models so the tooling was already there).
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42982 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 03-21-2013 04:26 PM
quote:Originally posted by p51: From purely capitalistic standpoint, it didn't make much sense to him.
And there's your answer. Bandai is large enough to have more than just profit as a concern. It also works, like most large corporations, on building customer and brand loyalty.
Limited edition, high-end models such as those offered by Bandai under their "Otona No Chogokin" series, provide their affluent customers a product they desire and in the process make them appreciate Bandai all the more.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 03-22-2013 06:28 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: It also works, like most large corporations, on building customer and brand loyalty.
I could understand that argument if the Hayabusa/Saturn V/Space Shuttle models were used as showcases to other space-related products (real space as opposed to imaginary, ie.sci-fi). That would make sense but other Bandai's products are a lot different, at least as far as I can tell. But I may be missing something.
PeterO Member
Posts: 399 From: North Carolina Registered: Mar 2002
posted 04-28-2013 03:39 PM
I have just been setting up my Hayabusa, and I cannot get the light effects to work. Could someone with the model explain how they work?
I think the instructions tell me to use SW1, the button with the circle on it, pressing it repeatedly to get different combinations of the ion engines and radar range finder to light up. I have no idea what the other two buttons on the remote control do.
The conical instrument that protrudes above the sample return capsule can be pressed in and springs back, so it may be a switch also.
Here are scans of Page 4 and Page 5 of the instructions, showing the operation of the lights. If somebody could explain them, I would greatly appreciate it.
posted 02-18-2011 06:27 AM
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