As MWer Hayao Kakizaki has already posted an extensive review with excellent photos on the Yamato 1/48 GBP-1S armor parts set in this thread, I'm not going to bother writing my own full-length review as I had originally planned, as it would be somewhat redundant now.
However, I will post a few comments and observations here on the 1/48 GBP-1S armor set: -
MISSILES
All the missiles including the forearm missiles and hip grenades are removable. Here's a photo of the 4 different types.
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The short white missiles fit in the shoulder pods. Yamato are kind enough to supply two extra spare missiles in case of loss.
The long white missiles are for the chest, and lower leg launchers. Again, Yamato supply two extra spare missiles.
The 6 long blue missiles fit in the forearms (3 per arm). No spares are supplied, so be careful not to lose any.
The short blue grenades fit on the hips (3 per side). Also, no spares for these are supplied, so be careful not to lose them. The grenades consist of two pieces, being the main body and the end cap. The end cap must be removed first in order to slide the grenade off of the hip armor. One cool thing is the grenade can be held in the hand, to simulate a throwing pose. See pics below: -
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
The short white missiles fit quite securely in the shoulder pods, yet they can still easily be removed by pulling them out by hand. However, they should not normally fall out by themselves.
The long white missiles are a bit difficult to install in the chest armor as the fit is quite tight. Note, the internal grey plastic rack that holds the missiles in the chest seems to be a moveable peice, so care must be taken not to use too much force to install the missiles or you may risk damaging the joints that hold the rack in place. I've found rather than try to push the missiles straight in, which requires a lot of force, it is better to gently twist (rotate) them in using your thumb and index finger. It's probably best not to remove the chest missiles too often due to the tight fit and the risk of perhaps damaging the internal parts that move the rack when you open the chest covers.
The long white missiles go into the leg launchers easily. The fit on the rear leg launchers is quite tight, so they will not fall out easily by themselves. The fit on the side leg launchers is a bit looser though, so that if the missile covers are open and you pick up and gently shake the toy, one or two of the side leg missiles may fall out.
The blue forearm missiles fit quite securely, but can be removed easily.
ARMOR
The plastic used in the armor is very good, being the same type as used in the 1/48 FAST Packs.
The armor installs easily, without any major problems and the fit is very good. I think it took me about 5 minutes for me to install the armor on my VF-1J.
Everybody will be happy to know that the armor is very secure, unlike the atrocious 1/60 GBP-1S armour where parts fell of if you looked at it the wrong way. Yamato have definitely learned their lesson in this regard. The loosest parts are the hip grenade racks, but even they are quite secure.
One thing I'm very happy about is that Yamato have made the back boosters extremely secure. As with the 1/48 FAST packs, the GBP-1S's back boosters connect to the Valkyrie using two metal prongs that plug into twin slots in the Valkyrie's back pack. However, Yamato have also added an extra hook to the side of each booster, which hooks arond the edge of the Valkyrie's back plate. This prevents the heavy back boosters from flopping backwards if the top connecting hook or additional neck peice comes loose. Photos of the hook on the side of the booster can be seen below: -
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
As with the 1/48 FAST Packs, Yamato have also included an additional piece which fits at the back of the neck (behind the head) to help secure the backpack. This time the peice is grey instead of white. When I first tried to fit this piece, I thought that it was oversize as it did not want to fit into place, However, with a bit of downward force it clicked into place and has not popped out even once. This is a big improvement on the FAST Pack neck peice IMO, which is constantly coming loose. A pic of the GBP grey backpack locking piece can be seen below.
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The armour is actually quite thick on the legs and arms and looks like it would actually offer good protection to the Valk in combat. Here's a pic where you can see the thickness of the arm armor: -
Click on thumbnail to enlarge
DIMENSIONS
A 1/48 VF-1J fitted with the GBP-1S Armor set weighs 925g / 32.63 Ounces.
Height (to the top of the boosters) is 29cm / 11.42 Inches.
PROBLEMS
Unlike in MWer Hayao Kakizaki's review, I did have a bit of a balance issue with my Hikaru VF-1J when fitted with the GBP-1S Armor. I don't know if the ankle joints on my Valk are loose or not, but if not balanced just right, the toy has a tendency to want to fall forward.
This was the only problem I have encountered with the toy so far.
BOX & STICKERS
Typical oversize Yamato box, with a flip top so that you can see the contents. As usual made of flimsy card stock and using a plastic inner tray. I didn't bother taking any photos of the box as there are several photos online already, so we all know what it looks like. I have infact already thrown my box away. I didn't measure the box, but it looks about the size of a standard 1/48 VF-1 box.
I'll be picking up my second GBP next week sometime and will probably keep the box for that if anybody does want more photos.
Not much comment on the stickers at this time as I have only quickly glanced at them.
Lots of numbers provided, which is a good thing, so the GBP is not limited to being Hikaru's No.1.As usual with Yamato, the stickers are pre-cut, but look like they need a lot of trimming.
HANDS
Some people have asked to see photos of the new hands on a Valk without armor. Here's a couple of photos with the forearm armor removed (I was too lazy to remove all the armor): -
Click on thumbnails to enlarge
Personally, I think that while the new hands look excellent on the Valk when fitted with the GBP-1S armor, they are a little too large for an unarmored Valk.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I'm highly impressed by this latest 1/48 Macross offering from Yamato. It's well engineered, seems quite sturdy so far, has good proportions, is highly detailed and IMO has an excellent sculpt.
I originally planned just to buy two, but I like it so much that I'm now considering buying a third.
I apologise for the poor quality of the photos, which were taken in a hurry under poor lighting, without using a tripod.
Graham
Not reading the above spoiler as I'm still only on book two, about 65% of the way through. Gotta say I was suprised about what happened to Renly. I didn't see that coming. I liked him as well. Just ordered The Art of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire for myself. Thinking about getting the D-20 RPG as well, even though I may also not end up ever playing it. Must be 10 years since I last played a tabletop RPG. Gonna have to wait until early May 2006 to read A Feast for Crows, as that's when the paperback comes out . I never buy hardbacks even for books I really like as they take up too much space. Any of you ever played the Game of Thrones board game? It seems to get good reviews. Graham