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Kitz Concept Robotech Toy Line


kajnrig

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3 minutes ago, Mechapilot77 said:

hmm being that i paid for the balance of the valk and the fastpack in the same paypal transaction (as i'm sure most that did the preorder did), wonder how it'll work.

Same as with what happened to those who ordered the Minmei and VF-1S on the same order....KC will just ship the items as they become available.  All of these items were sold with "free expedited shipping".....Chinese shipping is dirt cheap I suppose...:unknw:

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Another KitzConcept VF-1 review from a Chinese fan. This might be the same guy that reviewed the Minmay figure early and had a VF-1 prototype in the background. He put the missles on backwards(different reviewer did the same thing not long ago)...

 

https://youtu.be/yRiB8L1ZXNQ

 

Aside from that, things I noticed from the review:

Heat shield seems like it's made from PVC

Shoulders are ball jointed, he popped them off a few times

Elbows have a soft ratchet

Thighs/knees/ankles are ratchets

Even when lower legs extended, seems like thigh swivel and forward knee bend is limited hence leaving the guardian mode not being as dynamic as it could be(I was worried about this since the 1st promo shot of guardian mode was shown)

You don't have to unclip the hip bar when transforming the arms(to give the arms clearance to swivel and tuck underneath) from Battloid to Fighter/guardian mode. There are only 3 transforming VF-1 toys that do this; this, the recent DX VF-1 and the HI METAL R

Shoulder hinges don't seem to swivel 90 degrees in Fighter mode for transformation, they instead seem to stop at 45 degrees which actually makes transformation easier/smoother(since you don't have to unclip the hip bar to make clearance for the arms to swivel)

Panel lines toned down considerably since the 1st promo shots.

Stand didn't seem to need adapters for each mode. Good but the stand itself looks cheap....would've been better molded smoke grey with the UN SPACY kite painted on

Overall it seems like a hybrid of VF HI METAL/HI METAL R VF-1 transformation with Yamato style heat shield transformation and an easier arm transformation going from battloid to guardian/fighter. The detachable gun handle is due to the barrel LED and is something I could do without. I'd rather have a collapsing handle.

 

I did see some comparisons on Facebook and it's a few centimeters shorter than the Yamato/Arcadia VF-1. For the Robotech crowd this is the best VF-1 toy to be offered domestically yet. For fans of Japanese Macross toys his will probably work as a mid-tier figure and possibly an alternative to HI METAL R. At $90-100 this gives you a perfect transformation VF-1 at 1/72 scale, a scale we haven't seen a transforming toy in for over 30 years(Bandai HCM) and also a display stand.

 

I'm more tempted to get it now. 

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Ok. So I was able to get to fighter mode, but I still can’t tab in the legs in completely. I’m sure it’s something I’m doing wrong and will be happy to correct myself once you all figure it out. Too early to tell my final opinion, but my initial thoughts are it’s ok. It would have been something great years ago, but even compared to my Yamato VF-1 v2’s it still needs some tweaking. I’m worried the hands are going to break and overall it’s just needs a little more refinement. It’s really not bad and it’s definitely the best Robotech licensed VF-1. I do like the paint job. The light up gimmicks are neat and something new, but I feel like my HMR is just more refined. That being said, it has a few more things the HMR doesn’t. Gerwalk is not very good though. Not enough knee bend. I guess it’s priced and targeting where it should be. In between both V2 and HMR. Time will tell if it holds together or starts falling apart. Curious to know all of your thoughts. Maybe the next VF-1 Kitz makes will address the things I’m seeing and really get everything right. Oh, and it did come with a t-shirt, gift bag, some kind of VF-1S print, and no super parts yet. 

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Also, please let me know if anyone else has issues with the gun pod sitting lower than the landing gear. I probably messed something up there as well but I sure can’t get it to go away. Not a bad photo in fighter mode. I can’t wait to see some of the pros we have on here make it look really good. 

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Edited by mcfly50
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On 1/22/2019 at 9:17 AM, Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 said:

Even when lower legs extended, seems like thigh swivel and forward knee bend is limited hence leaving the guardian mode not being as dynamic as it could be(I was worried about this since the 1st promo shot of guardian mode was shown)

 

You lost me at "guardian mode" .

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I received my KC 1/72 VF-1S Fokker-type....it is by no means an HMR killer.....but it is nice....

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The biggest thing going for this toy is "looking good"....it takes a lot of deep massaging to get everything to line up "just about right"....but when you get things as good as they can get....it is a pretty decent display toy.

It is very "wobbly" in both battroid and gerwalk modes.....pretty solid in fighter.  I cannot see this toy surviving about a dozen full transformations unscathed.  It will either become extremely loose(r) or something will break.

As I said, this toy looks way better than it is...and for me that is a positive!  It is a 20-footer desguising as a trailer queen.  The panel lining, the tampo, the cockpit details, even Fokker himself....are all top notch.  These are the kind of final touches that any serious contender for "ultimate" VF-1 would need to incorporate to deserve such a title....in a final production model!  Looking right at you DX VF-1J...;)

So for me the question is will I buy the rest?  I think so...probably.  It looks really good.  The size is nice and the detailing is what makes it shine as a display piece.  If you have modeling skills and you can panel line your toys at will, this is an easy pass.  But if you just do not have the skill or even the time....this will look good on a display with the rest of your Macross collection.  Just pick the best pose you like...set it and forget it!  Looking over the tampo on this little guy and they even printed the "VF" on the lower leg...that's Macross street cred! :good:

So how about more pics.....

 

Shopping bag....

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"Free" T-shirt....

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Clear file....

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Cool shipper box....

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Awesome 80's retro boxart.....

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A nod to Yamato's horrid photoshop boxart! :drinks:

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Let's face it...no Valkyrie will ever deliver 100%.....let alone something called a "Veritech"! :db:...accept it and move on...

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Strictly Battroid guy?  You're done right out the box!

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Ok...who the F at KC said...nah...lime green much better!!! 8)

Everyone who buys one of these and plans to get the rest...we need to petition for the clear stand...and ask for 2 of them to be included in the next release!!! :rolleyes:

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Cockpit detail.....why not on the DX VF-1J? :unknw:

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Just needs a 1/72 scale can of Budweiser...

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The weight of the legs (diecast feet) makes the legs detach at the intakes..this should be corrected on future releases...I think the tab needs to go in deeper or something better....you get a better A-stance though so there's that! ;)

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Like I said...it needs some masaging.....the fuselage does not fit all that well, the tabs are insufficient to work the way they intended...but with some work it eventually stays in place, although I do not think it would survive much swooshing....and it definitely will not pass any now standard "shake" tests...

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I think the gunpod is a bit on the thick side.....not a deal breaker but worth mentioning...also, I could not remove the "slip on" handle so gave up for now...

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I really like the TV hands....

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Fighter mode....

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Integrated landing gear.....and it's white!  Yes, the tires do spin...

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That's some nice detail....ejection seat triangles at no extra cost! :wacko:

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It looks much better than it actually is....but that's ok with me...

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Some overspray I think...but that's cool...this little bird has obviously seen some action!

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I think I'll be keeping mine in fighter mode.....as far as my copy is concerned...it seems to be the most solid mode.   

I hope KC can correct some of the issues with fit that this V1 clearly has so they can deliver a better one with the next release.

Regardless, it is a visually appealing display piece and I am glad I picked one up.  Bring on the TV Fast Packs! :good:

Edited by jvmacross
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my impression of this thing after handling it:  The detailing is very nice, nicer than the base toy itself.  Its definitely a bit unrefined but not bad for a rookie effort.  After just handling the DXC last week though and having hanlded yamato/arcadia for 10+ years...this is not nearly as refined.  It does look good if you like panel lining and all the details.  the sculpting is very good and the molding quality is high (even if i don't like the feel of the materials).  my complaint is that it handles poorly in battroid mode.  there are some joints that seem way to tight and others that are too loose such that when you want to get it in a pose, it makes you rethink which joint to move first and how to move it so you don't move another joint out of position first.  The built in hands are worse than yamatos 1/48 chicken hands partially due to the scale though.  just use a fixed pose hand.  they are decent i'm glad they stuck  to the tv style for those.  And yes installing the heat shield take a little bit of faith that the shield wont' snap in half during the bending required to get it in there.  it happily springs right back...its as springy as plastic comes i guess.  Overall, not bad but the HMR handles way better and is cheaper but smaller.  its closest to the yamato in size but yamato does just about everything better unless you love the panel lining and detailing.  I think i would be happier if this was a $75 toy, not a $95ish dollar one.  i haven't tried the light up features yet but look forward to that and the fast pack.  for me....this is a one off -  i won't be collecting the line.  i got it to have a nice looking  panel lined/detailed display piece with lights...something nobody else has right now.  oh and obviusly this thing is  way way way way better than the toynami 1/100 stuff.

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The more I fiddle around with this KC VF, the more I like it....it does, however, have some quirks....finally got around to the lighting gimmick....it looks really nice....unfortunately, my copy has an annoying problem....somehow, no matter if I turn the light switch off for the cockpit lights, when I re-install the nose cone...the dang lights keep coming back on....;)...so basically, I have to remove the tiny batteries to disengage them.....anyone else have that issue?

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I was finally able to get the gun handle removed to allow for it to be mounted in fighter mode....unfortunately, as pointed out already...it does scrape the ground.....hopefully they can just make the landing gear just a little bit longer to fix that issue....there certainly seems to be enough space within the landing gear bays to support longer landing gears....and while they are at it, it would be nice if they could make the connection of the gun to the arms a bit tighter...it is too loose and tends to droop a bit....

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Also, they included the side covers....but they should have also included some snap in covers for these areas...maybe on the next releases.....for what it's worth I sent KC these observations....

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Per KC, VF-1J "Rick" in July...VF-1J Max in December.  Pretty agressive schedule...hopefully these sell well for them.  For now, I'm in.

Edited by jvmacross
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It kind of reminds me of a hasbro black series SW toy compared to a Figuarts toy. It looks pretty good and overall gets the job done, but doesn't quite measure up the the "proper" premium figure. Still I think it's pretty cool to actually see something come out of the robotech license and actually be decently good.

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I received my KC 1/72 1S Fokker on Saturday.   Other then nerd pimping the shirt.   I haven't opened up and taken a good look at it.

Great pictures though,  I'm fairly certain I will be happy with this end product.. just like I am with all my SD Valks.

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Never tried the stand as I usually never use them on any valks.....besides it's awful looking....

Will see if it works on mine....none of the other reviews posted seem to have ever shown it as being an issue....interesting....

Edited by jvmacross
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I suspect it's fighter only and the shapes just don't perfectly correspond to the toy. The back piece sort of rests against the arms and the front tab fits behind the head but if you try to push it in it just slides the nosecone forward. Doing it with the gun installed takes a lot of patience... More than I have apparently.

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So basically, this "stand" is at best "better than nothing"....the only mode that it seems to have had any thought put into it was the fighter mode...well, at least with gunpod attached!

Although it is tricky to get the gunpod into the slots on either end of the stand...once it's in, it seems to make the entire fighter fairly secure....the back piece doesn't seem to swing far back enough to allow for an easy install or removal....

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When using the fighter stand without the gunpod.....it just "sits" on the two ends of the stand.....nothing seems to peg into place......and does not feel all that secure

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Gerwalk and Battroid are not much different, to be honest, they probably are worse as there is no otion specifically designed with this stand to securely support it....again, like the "gupod-less" fighter mode...the valk just rests on the stand....in gerwalk....the stand holds the figure right behind the head...at least as best as I could tell, there doesn't seem to be anywhere else to mount it onto....

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For battroid...the "mounting point" seems to be right under the backpack.....again, nothing seems to click or tab into place......maybe it will work better with the Fast Packs???

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One more thing to note.....there is no mention of the stand or how to mount the toy onto it in the enclosed instructions for this KC VF-1S.....so I guess figure it out yourself! ^_^

If KC does nothing to improve the attachment points for the Gerwalks and Battroid modes....at least they claim future releases will include "clear" stands....;)

All said, I don't buy valks because of their great stands.....or lack thereof.

I still really like KC's 1/72 VF-1S and look forward to the rest of their 1/72Macross lineup! :good:

Edited by jvmacross
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Thanks for the pics, I'll have to try again with the gun attached... It always seemed like one end or the other wouldn't work for me. I did find the lack of mention of the stand in the instructions a little funny.

Edited by jenius
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21 minutes ago, jenius said:

Thanks for the pics, I'll have to try again with the gun attached... It always seemed like one end or the other wouldn't work for me. I did fine the lack of mention of the stand in the instructions a little funny.

Are you making a review for this VF-1S? 

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