Actar

I already preordered mine. It's too beautiful to pass up.

Ah, that, I can understand. Perhaps it's because I watch a ton of Super Robot stuff (Brave Series and the like) that I'm pretty used to it. But then again, I see it as more of an ornamental/aesthetic design choice on Basara's part than anything else. Thank heavens it doesn't actually move. (^.^ Also, regarding the color scheme, I can understand where people are coming from, but I myself never really did get the 'Ronald McDonald' vibe from it due to the serious lack of white, stripes and a dominance of yellow. If the color scheme was flipped, yeah, I can see the Ronald McDonald. But as it is, it truly is the Fire Valkyrie in my eyes. It's kinda like how Optimus Prime and Spiderman don't remind me of the American Flag at all due to a lack of white, stripes and stars.

No love for Yui? (^.^ But I don't really understand where the hate for mouths come from... It sounds exactly like when people heard that Optimus Prime was going to have a mouth in the first Transformers Movie. What's so unattractive/detracting about it? Personally, I'm not too particular about it and I'm more of the 'if it's in the show most of the time, that's how it should be' kind of guy, so mouth it is!

Here ya go. (^o^) Closed Open Back

Check out this pose I managed to get my YF-19 in:

Necessary means, making it look decent. Shield isn't too noticeable. Leg panels are on the back, so that's ignorable. The neck cover however is necessary. Otherwise, there would be a gaping hole on the top of the plane that isn't ignorable no matter how you spin it. But yeah, it isn't the 'lynch pin that holds the transformation together'. If you go by your logic, then the Hi-Metal also doesn't have any 'essential extra parts'. For a small scale like the Hi-Metal, a removable neck cover is acceptable, but for Yamato? I had higher expectations. I mean, technically, even the YF-19 had a sliding neck cover, as crappy as it was. That's exactly the point. Yamato's 1/60 VF-1s all had integrated heatshields which blew my mind. It's YAMATO. They make perfect transformers. Look at the YF-21. Anime magic, but still realized in true 3-D with zero extra parts (sans intake covers of course).

Funny to see everyone so receptive to the extra parts on a large-scale-supposedly-Perfect-Transformation toy. Where'd all the hate go? (^.^ Looking at the Yamato VF-1 integrated heatshields, I would have expected Yamato to have engineered something. But, on the bright side, I guess it's kinda forgivable since it doesn't have any intake covers. (..and simce I'm a fan of the Fire Valk I'll buy it regardless)(^o^) Also, I suppose the head lasers can't pivot outwards? Hm...

Ore no Uta o KIKE!!!

Mm... That's kind of a shame. For me, red and yellow are some of my favorite colors, signifying FIRE, COURAGE, DANGER, LEADERSHIP, etc...

ARGH!!! I can't wait to get my hands on it and transform it while having TOTSUGEKI LOVE HEART blasting away in the background. d(~.') For me, the Fire Valk is looking simply amazing. However, I am curious as to what the panels are at the bottom section of the chest are all about. Would have preferred it to have been smooth like the YF-19 or Bandai's Hi-Metal...

I'm not really sure if this has been mentioned before, but I just noticed something on my YF-21 that could potentially help people out with the nosecone locking issue. Notice that there is a double hinge joint where the nosecone folds down? Most of the time, the double hinge joint isn't completely pulled all the way down. To illustrate this, I have made the following 'guide'. - The light blue line represents the main body. - The red lines show the incorrect position of the hinge and nosecone. - The green lines show the correct position of the hinge and nosecone. Notice that in the correct position, the entire head and nosecone assembly is slightly lower than if the hinge is not pushed fully down. The gap between the nosecone and body is also wider. While this may seem insignificant, this few millimeter of clearance is imperative in allowing the nosecone to lock securely and tightly. Hope this helped.

My goodness, talking about a nosedive, my reissue YF-19 fell off my shelf onto the hard floor not once, but twice! :0 It just fell off for the second day today thanks to an accidental hand wave. I nearly had an heart attack. Thank heavens the only thing that detached was the upper torso via the rail. Other than that the toy stayed in one piece and shows no signs of damage.

I'm suspecting something like the Fold Booster Set and the Ghost Set.

Out of curiosity, which company made that Mahoro figure?

Hm... I would really love to help out, but it would be great to have some pics to better illustrate your problem. (^.^ I personally suspect improper leg placement, but it could also be due to incorrect transformation. If everything is in its proper place, there should be no problems lining up the belly plates:

But then again, I think each figure has its own market. Yamato for the high-end replica and Bandai for the small scale action figure. Considering the immense difference in price range, I don't see the Yamato one appealing to many non-hard-core Macross fans. Replace? Not really. Offer an alternative? Yes. But then again, again, it won't really matter to me since I'll be sure to get them all. (^.^) Oh, when was the expected release date again?

That's what I don't get... the 17, 19 and 21/22 were all unique in their own right and a departure from the 'traditional' design. Not forgetting the, Az-130A, FBz-99G, Fz-109A, Fz-109F, etc...

If I may ask, is the SDF-1 that is seen in Macross Plus similar to the DYRL version? I'm not that huge of a fan of the SDF-1 itself, but I am actually considering biting the bullet and getting this to compliment my Macross Plus display. I imagine that it would be one heck of a center-piece. In fact, if someone does own the 1/60 YF-19 and YF-21, is it possible to get a shot of them together with the SDF-1?

Well, the toy is a 1/100 model kit, so I doubt it can transform...

Glorious red~

I bought mine a year ago and it's the regular release (not renewal version). The canopy is kinda loose but stays open fine on mine. Here's what I do, when the canopy is fully open, try shaking it side to side a little.

Gah!!! Didn't realize that. (^.^ Was looking out for Youtube links.

Trailer is out!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVT5b8z-oFA I love the fact that the YF-21 is prominently featured on the front cover. (^.^)

Posted these pics in the Gallery thread, but will post them here as well. (^.^)

Thanks! Then you'll definitely like the following pics~ BTW, the YF-21 is my all time favorite Valkyrie in terms of design, capabilities and character from all of Macross. (^.^) Thanks so much! Here are some more pics mainly focusing on the YF-21! (^o^) PIN-POINT PAWNCH!