Valkyrie Driver

That's not sentai dude.

granted not flamboyant, and maybe I over used the phrase, but still I found it irritating that SMS was portrayed as the only ones who could save the day. also, I guess the other thing I disliked about frontier, was the space bugs, I think I forgot to mention that.

Not sure how Frontier could be said to suffer from "super sentai syndrome"... but I do agree on the subject of PMCs. They were trendy as heroes for a while, now they're trendy as villains... particularly in video games. It irked me to see the New UN Spacy portrayed as barely competent while swaggering mercenaries with all the latest toys wade nigh-invincibly through combat. It's hardly a realistic depiction of PMCs either... SMS is more like MITHRIL from Full Metal Panic! than anything.

Unlike MITHRIL, the SMS just had an air about it, that bugged me. MITHRIL was a bit too fantastic and functioned, as it seemed to me, more like a military organization, than SMS did. The "Super Sentai Syndrome" I refer to is based on how the "elite" SMS had to run out and save the day, while the regular troopers languished in incompetency. MITHRIL, was better equipped in FMP! but overall was as well trained as any professional military. SMS seemed to be somehow on that standard, while the regulars were shown as two cuts below the norm. The whole show seemed over exaggerated to me, and it was over the top to my taste, that's all I was trying to say, other than the PMC comment, But we can talk about that some other time.

I find it kind of odd when people say that the VF-25/27 has a complicated/difficult transformation. admittedly I've only got the 27 but the transformation is pretty similar, and I don't find it to be any more difficult to transform than the VF-11. The current v.2 1/60 isn't that much easier, and the VF-22 is Much more complex and fiddly.

I dunno, I have to fiddle with it some, but not much, certainly not as much as my ver2 vf1s (battroid to fighter, swing bar catch thingy), or the heat shield on the vf11c, but I pretty much broke the code on that, so those ain't bad anymore. Still I just find the execution to be lacking. The way the toy ends up looking bothers me, the thrusting hips, and MTI stance just bother me. Makes me want to put a campaign hat on it and throwing the knife hand... gives me nightmares...

I try to only handle my VF-25 toys on the areas that have no markings.

Graham

That has to be my biggest area of praise, I haven't had any issues with degraded markings. Maybe I haven't had it long enough, or something. My valk is almost as pristine as the day it came out of the box. Save for the dust.

no, it'll probably come with a Huge roll of double stick tape.

I can do better than that... . now where did I put my injection molding machine...

It's perfectly fine for you to like it, no offense. Just my personal opinions:

- Chunky chunky chunky.

- The joints (especially the leg joints and the crouch) get floppy real fast (I have 4 VF-25's BTW).

- You get different shades of colors on the valk. Espeically on my Luca RVF-25. You can see different shades of green easily.

- Neck problem. If they ever have one!

- Super parts and Armor parts seem to be aftersight to me.

- Not very poseable in Gerwalk mode. One can do better if he tweaks about (not locking in the designed positions), but it was a bad design.

- Not very poseable in Battroid mode, especially after you put on the Super parts. The leg armors hinder the knee joint movement.

- There are also minor (to me) issues such as bad landing gear, terrible pilot figure, gunpod requiring an attacher, etc.

- Chunky chunky chunky.

I actually think it is okay in fighter mode.

As a side note, the Yammies are quite sturdy according to experience. Besides some design flaws (exploding shoulders), of course. My 1/60 VF-1S dropped from 5 feet onto the ground (twice) and not even the head laser suffered any damage.

I actually rank the mech design of VF-25 up there right after VF-1 in my personal preference.

I agree, I've not had any durability issues with my yammies either, my vf0a took a tumble from about 4 ft, and landed on the bad shoulder. No damage, leg popped off, but that was easily remedied by popping it back on the nub. My concerns with the vf-25 were quite expertly stated by ff95gj.

In the next few months I plan on sitting down with pencil and paper and trying to sketch up some designs for protect armor. Any input on custom making the stuff would be appreciated. Also, I need Ideas on how to make hardpoints for under the wings, because that seems like an oversight to me. send me a message or something if you wanna give input.

The VF19 Hi-Metal was intriguing, but it had some irreconcilable issues for me. If they would correct those I'd get one, but, I already have Four VF1's don't want/need any more. Besides, I told my friend that if I buy another toy in the next 8 months, he can whoop my arse. So I must hold off for the sake of my bones...

I do think it's cool, I'm just hesitant to do it. I think I'll try doing the custom trial stuff with my ver1 vf1a

I'm still relatively new to collecting macross toys so, bear with me. I am partial to yamato, because they make the valks I like. I've had reasonably good luck with them, save for the weak right shoulder on my vf0a. Yamato is my measuring stick. That said, I still like my vf-25f, if I didn't I'd have sold it. All I was trying to say is, that of all my valks, it has the most complexity, and the transformation seemed cumbersome, as I had only dealt with the vf0 and vf1. It is still more complex than the vf11, that said, it is still the most solid toy in my collection. The up side is it feels substantial, and I'm not worried about breakage. Pose-ability is about average for most of my collection, the most pose able toy I have is the vf11. If I had fast packs the toy might be higher on my list of favorites, as that would offset the wing kibble. Or if Kawamori-san had gone along the lines of the vf-19 for the wings, I don't know it might have felt cooler. Still I'm pleased with it, at least the gunpod stays straight, right?

Damn, all of these look so cool, unfortunately I am loathe to take paints to my valks just yet, as my oldest one has been in my collection for 2 years. Thankfully I got all of mine New In Box. Still, I'd hate to splotch paint on them and leave them looking worse, my hands aren't as steady as they once were.

That makes me sad, but, it means I get to try and do custom stuff, good way to kill some cold winter days.

I was already planning to try detachable under-wing hard-points, because the lack of them seems like an oversight...

I think I'll stick to 1/60 Yamatos. Interesting toy, looks outstanding compared to the Toynami, but, I hate extra parts. I have spent most of my free time building models and fixing cars, extra parts make me feel like I forgot something...

I have a VF25F, I think it's a first edition, it had no FAST packs or armor or anything. I gotta say, I wasn't very impressed. The landing gear was kinda chintsy, and the transformation was unwieldy. It looked better in the show. It's bulky even through it's really skeletal looking, it's weird. Also I dislike the amount of kibble on the back, it makes it look like a transformer, and not a clean battroid as I have come to expect from Macross. Still though it does have a cool looking fighter mode, which is where it stays most of the time.

how much part swapping do you have to do? I know my toynami's have a crap ton of parts, though not as much as the vf100's vf25f that I have (I learned to hate partformers on that one, little turd-burglar broke at the hip on me, and I cant fix it.) Also, I'm interested to know, how close to a perfect transformation is it? I-I gotsta know!

also gotta say, very clean looking fighter mode, nice and proportional just like my Yamato ver2

Protect armor would be sweet, as long as it's under $80 I'll be getting it... this hobby is way too expensive...

I'm sorry if what I'm going to say has been said, but I didn't feel like dozing off whilst reading 5 pgs of text.

I am a Macross fan, no denying that, However, I got my introduction to mecha through MechWarrior 2. Needless to say I came to view mecha as war machines and was given to a vision of Americanized mechs. I learned that FASA had taken from Robotech, which had in turn taken from Macross. I've not seen Robotech, nor do I think I really want to now that I've seen Macross. Gundam brought me to the world of anime at some point between my first intro to mecha, and first seeing Macross. I have seen all the Macross series in multiple, except for frontier.

Ok, put on the flame retardant skivvies because here we go...

I liked Macross Zero, the battles were intense and the story writing was good. The bird man thing was kinda hokey and unbelievable from the human perspective, however, having taken world history, cultural anthropology, and philosophy, I have been aware of Extraterrestrial Intervention theories for a while, not implausible, (also in-universe they are proven true.) I have the VF-0A toy, and holds a prominent place on my shelf. I genuinely cared about the characters, and we got to see the genesis for the variable fighter program. All in all, good prequel. I recommend it.

SDF Macross. Oh where do I begin. The love triangle, the war story, the VF-1! Classic. When I saw SDF:M the only thing I had to compare it to was Gundam. Specifically 08th MS Team. I loved that Gundam show, SDF:M was much better. The Main theme I got from Macross in its entirety is that culture is our strength, our collective Identity drives us to overcome adversity. That is most prominently shown in SDF:M. Again the character writing was good, I cared about them. The love triangles within a love triangle (or the triforce of love as I call it) was a neat departure from the ordinary ho hum Hollywood melodrama. Hikaru loved Minmay and Kaifun loved Minmay, but Misa loved Hikaru and Kaifun, but Hikaru also loved Misa, that was complicated and illustrated a complexity in human relationships I had never perceived before ( I have since). The battles were well done for such early anime, and the mecha was really sweet, It combined two of my favorite things: Aircraft and Mecha. It did borrow from some earlier science fiction, but it was done at the conceptual level for the setting, which is tasteful and acceptable. I loved it so much I got the dvds. Also I have Four VF-1 Toys, 2 toynami 1/100s, a Ver 2 Yamato 1/60 Skull One with fast packs, and the original Yamato VF-1A TRU 10th anniversary, all occupy places of honor on my shelves.

DYRL, Retelling of the tv series, with some minor plot inconsistencies, but survivable. Liked it.

Macross Plus. First Macross I had seen in entirety, I enjoyed the setting and story. Basic Macross Building blocks, Giant transforming robot mechs, love triangle, epic battles. The Contract competition was a nice change of pace for me. The YF-19 and YF-21 stole the show, but my favorite was the simple, and humble, VF-11B. I was unable to obtain an 11 bravo, instead I have an 11 charlie on my desk at my right hand if you will. Not much else to say other than, how is it that the USAF is trying to do exactly what the X9 was supposed to do in M+, when Kawamori-san already proved that unmanned fighters will be vastly inferior to manned fighters (more on that some other time)?

If Y'all will bear with me a bit longer...

Macross 7. Decent sequel. Max was my favorite character from SDF:M. I related to him the most (no homo). I was upset that he was promoted out of his job, but we still got to see him do some ass kicking before the end of the series. That said, the dogfights and action sequences were good. The awkwardness of Gamlin Kizaki was good for quite a few laughs, though the romance between a pilot, (24 yrs old based on rank of LTjg at the beginning), and a 15yr old girl, was odd to my western sensibilities. Love triangles abound, not surprising given the length of the show. The Mecha were the coolest I had seen. I have a VF-11C as previously mentioned, and will buy a VF-17S when/if Yamato releases one. The Song energy thing was hinky, as was the rampant pacifism. As a student of war, I can't imagine any other way to defeat an enemy other than to crush his ability and will to fight. If they had integrated the song energy in a different way that didn't involve the "Super Sentai Sound Force" many fans may have related better. None the less, still enjoyed it, and it was a good way to kill a couple of days off being sick.

Finally Macross Frontier. I did not particularly enjoy the gundam seed syndrome the show suffered from. The adolescent ace pilots and the Vajra. Fighting space bugs with a variable fighter was not what I had hoped for when I saw the first episode. Alto was too emo and angsty, and the only reason I continued to watch was because I liked see Ozma Lee and Klan Klan kicking ass, and to see Alto get his ass handed to him. I waited in vain, because it never really happened. The Mecha were ok, they had a disturbing amount of kibble and and odd bulk to the skeletal looking fighter. I have the 1/72 Bandai VF-25F ( at least I think it's 1/72, if it is, it's as big as my vf0, so that's a big friggin ship), and I find the way it transforms to be weird and ungainly. I leave it in fighter mode most of the time because of the wierdness of the design. Frontier too suffers from the Super Sentai syndrome. Also, I HATE PRIVATE MILITARY CONTRACTORS. I do not identify with them, and despise the concept. The fact that the heroes are all mercs rubs me the wrong way.

Final Tally:

MZero-Good

SDF:M-Good

DYRL?-meh

M+-Good

M7-Fun

MF-get surgery before you watch it, you'll need the pain meds

I would very much like to see a vf-17s, that would be sweet. Also Protect armor for the vf-11c. FYI Did not know the head laser on the vf-11c could point forward in battroid mode, all that is required is some sliding. That aside, VF-17 would be so cool. Nice way to round out my collection, The vf-19 just doesn't do it for me, nor does the vf-22s (too complicated looking, and big, really big, and real estate on my shelves is at a premium.)

Perhaps he figured the missiles in the super packs were good enough for grunts. Now that I think about it, pretty much all the Mac7 valks seem to be lacking hardpoints, which doesn't seem too bad since they all had super packs or internal missile storage, but it'd hamper their use of reaction weaponry. They did sling that nuke onto Max's VF-22S though.

still though with the vf-19, vf-17, and vf-11MAXL, those all had internal missile launchers, is it too much to ask for internal missile launchers? I'm thinking on ways to custom make some hardpoints that will detatch tho, nice custom project...

I agree the price was steep, but when you spend a month or so saving up for it, it offsets it a bit. I bought mine around the 1st of November and got mine for $220 delivered from HLJ. This was the most I'd paid for a valk, even my VF-1S w/ super parts was under $200 delivered. and like I said the only valk I want now is a VF-17D/S. as for the paint scheme, sure it's boring, don't like it, try doing a custom. when I get bored with it, I may try a USAF F-15C Low vis 94FS paint job, complete with nose art, or a USMC/USN VMA-214/VFA-31 paint job.

I love my VF-11C, I've transformed it about a half dozen times in the 2 weeks I've had it, and no issues. The gunpod seems a bit hinky the way it mounts, and won't stay centered. That's about the only thing that bugs me. This is my favorite valk so far, but I'd love to see yamato come out with a vf-17d/s, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. Also, anybody know why kawamori-san designed the thing without hardpoints or missiles?

never the less this is still my favorite valk

does anybody else have a hinky gunpod? is this a design oversight or am just "lucky"?

forgive my horrible spelling, that's what happens when you just get off a mid.

I know the VF-0 is a carrier based bird and all, but I'd love to see an air force version of it, maybe in the colors of the 94th Fighter squadron. Done in the USAF Low vis scheme. I'd do it, but models don't move to well, and, I don't have much space to build models.

I anticipate the arrival of mine with bated breath. Does anyone know how long it usually takes HLJ to ship them? I've never used them before. I have wanted a VF11 since I first started collecting, a few years ago, and This will be a nice final addition to my collection, for a while....