DX VF-25 Renewal Series (Part III)

[Duymon]

Pretty much the only way to get an Armored VF-25 at a reasonable price is to buy the 1/72 model or settle for the craptastic V1.

The V2 Armored parts will only continue to become more and more expensive unless Bandai for some reason does a release either as a bundle or something. (maybe an Itasha)

However, with Macross Delta stuff coming out soon I doubt we'll see a revisit to the Macross F DX line for quite some time.

how did you attach those weapon pylon ? :| did the yf 24 have a hole attachment hole

YF-25 is just like all the other VF-25s and has no holes. However, it does have hardpoint markers so you know where to glue the missiles.

I literally just clipped off the connectors from the missile pylons, sanded them flush, used a pin vise to drills holes in both the wings and pylons, and then pinned and super glued them on.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Duymon

[McFly!!]

Sadly, i couldn't catch the VF 1S Strike(Arcadia) preorder, so my only hopes for a first valk are ozma's VF 25S, Isamu's VF 19ADV, or any of the delta valks. Though McFly's deal fell through, so now idk where to find the vf 25 armored parts at a reasonable price

You should've bought it then, instead of questioning the simple math (addition of prices of 2 items and then usd-cad conversion). I don't appreciate being mentioned here like this, like it's my fault. I will not transact with anyone who insinuates that I'm not being fair, to try to haggle. I haggle but, I don't insult anyone while trying to get what I want. I also don't mention the other person on the forum when we can't make a deal.

Edited June 25, 2016 by McFly!!

[notquitefodder]

Pretty much the only way to get an Armored VF-25 at a reasonable price is to buy the 1/72 model or settle for the craptastic V1.

The V2 Armored parts will only continue to become more and more expensive unless Bandai for some reason does a release either as a bundle or something. (maybe an Itasha)

However, with Macross Delta stuff coming out soon I doubt we'll see a revisit to the Macross F DX line for quite some time.

What about the first release is so terrible?

https://www.amazon.com/Chogokin-Macross-Frontier-Armored-Valkyrie/dp/B001UFVJZO/ref=sr_1_11?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1466895099&sr=1-11&keywords=macross+vf+25

I mean, if it's awful it's awful. But are they THAT bad? Or is it just the new ones are much better?

[wmkjr]

It's better for you to just look at these links then decide for yourself:

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=6072 armored renewal

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=6044 original armored

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=3914 VF-25 original

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=5279 YF/VF-25 renewal

[Solo Wing Pixy]

You should've bought it then, instead of questioning the simple math (addition of prices of 2 items and then usd-cad conversion). I don't appreciate being mentioned here like this, like it's my fault. I will not transact with anyone who insinuates that I'm not being fair, to try to haggle. I haggle but, I don't insult anyone while trying to get what I want. I also don't mention the other person on the forum when we can't make a deal.

Apologies if I was rude then. Won't happen again.

[Solo Wing Pixy]

What about the first release is so terrible?

https://www.amazon.com/Chogokin-Macross-Frontier-Armored-Valkyrie/dp/B001UFVJZO/ref=sr_1_11?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1466895099&sr=1-11&keywords=macross+vf+25

I mean, if it's awful it's awful. But are they THAT bad? Or is it just the new ones are much better?

The v1 toys were apparently notorious for their structural problems. They just did not hold together well, and can sometimes even break on you(see CollectionDX's review of the VF 25S renewal). A key difference between the versions is that the v1 lacks a gerwalk support joint unlike the v2, in addition to not being able to do the iconic a-stance. The v1 parts are(according to anymoon) less detailed and don't have as solid a fit to the valk as the v2 toys. Furthermore, the v1s lack the detail of the v2 toys, and the general consensus seems to be that the v2 toys look much better in addition to being anime accurate.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Solo Wing Pixy

[anime52k8]

What about the first release is so terrible?

Everything

I mean, if it's awful it's awful. But are they THAT bad? Or is it just the new ones are much better?

Yes they're that bad. Like if you had the choice between buying a v1 and a kick in the nuts, I'd say go with the kick in the nuts.

[David Hingtgen]

What about the first release is so terrible?

https://www.amazon.com/Chogokin-Macross-Frontier-Armored-Valkyrie/dp/B001UFVJZO/ref=sr_1_11?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1466895099&sr=1-11&keywords=macross+vf+25

I mean, if it's awful it's awful. But are they THAT bad? Or is it just the new ones are much better?

What's so bad? Everything. And they are THAT bad. Even without the existence of the renewals they'd be a POS. IMHO.

[notquitefodder]

Are the 1/72 models a viable alternative?

[F360]

Are the 1/72 models a viable alternative?

I consider them better than the Ver 1. But it's a model, so you will have to build them, it's pretty easy but it's also not a toy.

Figure out your budget and then go from there.

Edited June 26, 2016 by F360

[Alberich]

Are the 1/72 models a viable alternative?

If you are into modeling and just want to display them in fighter mode, I'll go for the V1 instead of the model. In fact I just got my third Valk and I will probably buy more but with price of the VF-25G, I will search it as a V1 just to display it in fighter mode with the other V2's.

Sincerely models from Frontier were awful to transform and if you want a good finish you need experience and patience, I like modeling but the more I have did for my gundams is panel lining and putting stickers. But you can hope for GiMiX to do a remake of the 25's but I think that their 31's are 1/144 like the HG's.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Alberich

[David Hingtgen]

The 1/72 is better than the v1, but the renewal beats even the 1/72 for fighter mode proportions. And at least ties it for battroid.

[Chronocidal]

The 1/72 is better than the v1, but the renewal beats even the 1/72 for fighter mode proportions. And at least ties it for battroid.

Just out of curiosity, which parts of the renewal do you prefer to the model? You may have mentioned it before, I just don't recall.

Personally, I think I prefer the less angled nose section on the model kits, but I might be thinking of the fighter-only 1/100 kits. I bought a bunch of those cheapies to paint up in custom schemes, and I love how clean the lines on that mold are.

[David Hingtgen]

By far the biggest thing, which alone "seals the deal" for superior fighter mode:

The renewals's legs actually sit up where they're supposed to, with the nacelles ABOVE the wing-line. Even if you force the kit's legs up and glue them in place--they are still far too low and sunken in.

[Loop]

If you are into modeling and just want to display them in fighter mode, I'll go for the V1 instead of the model. In fact I just got my third Valk and I will probably buy more but with price of the VF-25G, I will search it as a V1 just to display it in fighter mode with the other V2's.

Sincerely models from Frontier were awful to transform and if you want a good finish you need experience and patience, I like modeling but the more I have did for my gundams is panel lining and putting stickers. But you can hope for GiMiX to do a remake of the 25's but I think that their 31's are 1/144 like the HG's.

The V1's look overly fat from the side view in fighter. I think the VF-25G will stick out imo, the others will have a slim and sexy appearance

[Alberich]

The V1's look overly fat from the side view in fighter. I think the VF-25G will stick out imo, the others will have a slim and sexy appearance

Is going to be ok, all of the others are going to be in battroid XD, also the finish is much better than what can I achieve modeling. Also the peso is falling down harder with the Brexit and without a lot of money to spend (nor permanent job D:) is my best path to go

[SebastianP]

Are the 1/72 models a viable alternative?

What you need to know about the 1/72 models:

1. Building them is work, and you need to know how Bandai's kits work before tackling one.

2. Decalling them is more work, and where I ended up giving up on mine, because the stickers suck, and the water transfers suck worse, because they're fragile as hell. Aftermarket decals *would* be recommended, if there were any available.

3. They are absolutely not toys, and will not suffer any kind of abuse. The kits' joints won't handle more than a limited number of transformations before they start breaking from the stresses. Build it, decal it, pose it, and then *leave it alone*. I've broken one shoulder from transforming a kit too much, and I noticed that the shoulder on my Armored won't stand up to another transformation. Combined with how the decals scrape off? Yeah, not a toy.

4. Despite the above, the one aspect in which they'll always beat the DX toy hands down is how easy they are to get, and the small size of the hole they'll make in your budget. You can get all four of the plain Bandai VF-25 kits for the price of one DX toy, and that's at retail. Also, other than super parts for Luca's and Michel's units, all the configurations are available as a single box for each. (Super parts for Michel and Luca are sadly out of production, and unlikely to come back.)

5. If you're planning on displaying either a plain or a Super VF-25 in fighter mode, do yourself a great favor and get the Hasegawa kit instead of the Bandai kits. Not only are they cheaper, but the lack of a transformation gimmick means that they won't deform from a harsh look, and they're among the easiest to build glue-and-paint kits I've ever tried. I just wish I didn't suck at painting.

Edited June 28, 2016 by SebastianP

[in2seconds]

I'm thinking of picking up the Hasegawa kits. VF-25F's misshaped canopy irked the perfectionist modeler in me. Might try a VF-31A lo-viz paint scheme on it for the heck of it with NUNS markings.

Edited June 28, 2016 by in2seconds

[Duymon]

I picked up the models because the V1's were god awful. I then picked up the Renewals later on because had the aesthetics of the models with the locking and playability of toys. Doing a side by side the renwals have like 90% or more of the same paneling detail as the models so if you really wanted to you could really make a renewal look pretty nice.

The fighter and gerwalk modes blow the model out of the water in terms of looks and stability. The Battroid is prolly a close tie.

You also don't need adapter pieces for gunpods (cept on the RVF-25) or separate hands to facilitate a perfect transformation either. You get what you pay for considering retail renewal is over 3x the price of the models.

[Kanedas Bike]

^Nice customization on that 25A Duymon. It's funny how just a little color, or stripe, adds so much more 'aesthetic' to the 25A Fighter mode.

-b.

[no3Ljm]

Awesome, Duymon!

[David Hingtgen]

Oh, I had forgotten about the gun pod/adapter pieces. That's another point or two in favor of renewal over kit.

[chyll2]

I can only afford the model that time but really, I saved money to get the renewals and it is really worth it.

[Solo Wing Pixy]

Wow those look incredible! Must have taken a lot of work to get them to look that good.

[mzhao3]

Hopefully this isn't too out of topic. But the what its worth thread is locked for me fot some reason. Trying to get an idea of how much the renewals are worth now. I've seen prices for valks being sold around here in the 180s to 200s, but all the prices are pushes up to around 250 to 280 after 4 or 5 months. Having a hard time gauging the market.

[barurutor]

You need at least 10 posts to access that thread/section.

25F's/25S's go around 17k-21k yen in Mandarake. Add currency conversion costs and shipping to your neck of the woods.

[mzhao3]

Thanks a lot!

[Xigfrid]

OK, I received the Shapeways parts yesterday. Sorry for the not-so-great quality photos, but I was trying to shoot these with my camera to show some comparisons.

...

This is really quite a good attempt, but the ultimate angle of the reaction missiles when mounted seems off by just enough to not let my OCD let it go. I also might need to try to put some Future floor polish on the connection peg which goes into the armor pack booster, as it is ever so slightly thinner than the port and doesn't hold securely. If I were to jostle the Valkyrie while on its stand, the pylons will fall out. This is so close to being a solution to my problem, but it needs just a *slight* bit of adjustment.

After this review, I placed an order just to make sure that your sample was not a default.

I just received it and as you said, it is a too far "OFF" the original dimensions. I have removed it from my shop until I fix the design. 1) The main tab needs to be enlarge and slightly recut= Easy fix.

2) The pylon extremities need to be angled a bit more, and to make it right that would some take time because I don't want others to test a faulty design.

As soon as I fix the design and tested it I will make the model available again in my shop

[Xigfrid]

Received the new pylons today and I tested them quickly. They are much better now, perhaps a little too tight: I had to slightly sand the peg before inserting it into the armor part.

Axelay leave me your address in PM so I can send you one FOC.

[Axelay]

Oh, derp! I haven't followed up on this thread in a very long time! I will be in touch with you right away. Sorry for the delay.

Received the new pylons today and I tested them quickly. They are much better now, perhaps a little too tight: I had to slightly sand the peg before inserting it into the armor part.

Axelay leave me your address in PM so I can send you one FOC.

[valhary]

I already ordered a kit so hope as soon as possible my armor back to life

[Impreszive]

This actually answered a question I posted in the sale area earlier. I was wondering why the costs were so high on the v2s. I'll just have to buckle up if I want to replace my v1 Ozma.

[in2seconds]

This actually answered a question I posted in the sale area earlier. I was wondering why the costs were so high on the v2s. I'll just have to buckle up if I want to replace my v1 Ozma.

I have a replacement V2 Ozma for you!

[Impreszive]

I have a replacement V2 Ozma for you!

we may have to talk. It'll be a bit though till I can get it. Saving for a WRX will do that to you.

[Axelay]

It brings me tremendous pleasure to be able to post this photo:

You'll have to excuse the quick camera phone quality (infants are very demanding of one's time), but the key takeaway is that Xigfrid's new set of replacement reaction missile pylons for the armored VF-25 renewal series gets my full recommendation. These are a fantastic replacement for any broken originals which you may have. I sincerely appreciate Xigfrid going back to the drawing board and refining his original pylons, as I had some concerns about the first batch. (See my previous photos in this thread.) Every single issue was addressed, and these are as spot-on perfect a replacement part as I could ask for. The reaction missiles are straight and parallel, the pylons touch the armor pieces correctly, and the quality of the plastic is top notch. Thanks very much for this fine work, Xigfrid!