>>7124155No problem at all anon, I'm always happy to talk Macross!
HMR is a great starting point, I'm a huge fan of the line myself. Hobby Link Japan has fair prices, they generally price at MSRP with some minor discounting. HLJ's main advantage is great customer service and a "private warehouse" feature that lets you hold purchases for up to 60 days. This lets you combine orders to save on shipping.
HLJ's stock of HMRs is pretty limited, though. The only HMR valks that HLJ has in-stock are the Super Ostrich (the trainer valk that Hikaru and Minmay took for a joyride in DYRL) and the non-canon Delta inspired VF-1S repaint. Both are available at lower prices elsewhere, and I don't think either would be a great first HMR (unless you love the designs, then go for it by all means!).
I'd suggest Hikaru's VF-1A:
https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10505301It's a main character's valk (briefly, haha) and has the classic DYRL color scheme plus Super armor parts. It's a full featured release with all the bells and whistles. This valk was sold-out at most places, so it's pretty lucky to see a restock this late after release. Hobby Search is a very reputable retailer too.
Just to note though, some people had a QC issue with their VF-1A where the leg armor part was mis-assembled and therefore unusable. Majority of folks had no problem (including me) and I wanna stress that it's unlikely you'd run into it, but wanted you to be aware of the issue so you can check for it just in case. Even if you do run into trouble though, HS customer service should be able to help.
Also, you can browse through all the HMR releases here:
http://tamashii.jp/item_brand/hi-metal_r/?wovn=en 