Scyla

I know my prayers are in vain but I hope that the included stand will look different (more like the launch arm ) in the final release since this thing is ugly. As a remark I have to add that I really like the Bandai stands (for their Renewal Valkyries). Don't know why but something in my brain must be weired differently. Come on Arcadia release the launch arm stands for a reasonable price and redesign them so even the biggest Valkyries can attach to them safely. You know that this thing is ugly. As a second remark I have to add that i would prefer a stand like the one that will be included in the 30th anniversary VF-1J.

If this is official I might consider a buy. Especially since I don't have a V2 VF-1 from Yamato. I don't know if I prefer the DYRL? Skull Squadron or the SDF Vermilion Squadron. I like the gray color and the consistent markings as well as the Strike Parts better on the DYRL? Squadron but on the other hand the SDF Squad + Roy has a VF-1J whose head unit I adore and since the four planes include a VF-1S, VF-1J and two VF-1As you get more variations.... and no strike cannons. So I guess DYRL? yay!

Mine is now in storage but the last time I handled it the chest seems to sit firmly once you lock the whole thing together. I think the crux for the Battroid-Mode is to tab the main body into the plate where you slot the gun-pod in in Fighter-Mode. I find this tab very annoying because if you fold the nosecone in the wrong way you cannot lock it together making the whole chest area a floppy mess. Once it's connected with the "spine" everything is nice and solid. The downside of this mold clearly are the die cast metal hip bars because they don't lock in position firmly and since the ball-joints where the legs connect with the hip bar are so terribly tight posing the legs is tedious because moving the legs always pops the hip bar out of position. This is really prevalent when posing the toy on the stand because there you always pop the toy out of the stand rest when moving the legs. Also transforming is scary because the legs have to rotate almost 180 degree and I fear that I break the hip bar one day if the joints not wear down quickly.

Those are very useful diagrams Xigfrid. Hope to see more from Arcadia at the Wonderfest Event. I somewhat doubt that that the finished toy will sport hollow wings because they look very thin. Since the wing roots are looking very voluminous I assume that the wings will rotate differently in the wing gloves for High Speed- and Battroid-Mode.

On the VF-19K the wing and the socket align to form a fluent hip-thingy. On the VF-19S/F they look not as slick due to the shape of the wings. The way it is implemented on the Yamato toy is accurate to the line art.The way the wings move in their sockets are the same for the VF-19K/P and and the VF-19S/F. They move at a rotational joint but I always thought it would look better if the wings align in a different way on the Excalibur. But that is just my aesthetic reception of the wing design.

I always though that a system where the wing could move inside the wing glove (something like a key and slot joint) would help to make the hip wings on the VF-19S/F in Battroid-Mode look more streamlined like on the VF-19K (which is sadly not line art accurate). A system like that would allow although for wing movement in Fighter-Mode i.e. the High Speed mode. Depending on how such a joint is implemented it could be a save connection if it locks into place on the end points of the joint. If they do it that way I hope that the wings move in a fluent and intuitive way. Since you cannot see the joint moving in the wing glove things like a 90 degree turn can be quite frustrating especially if you have to do it in a small area. As for the price point of this release I'm throwing 30000 Yen into the hat.

If this is really a widespread issue (and I'm sure it is based on the MW sample) maybe Bandai has to make a move. Since Macross toy products are pretty niche compared to other stuff that Bandai produces the issue might not be a big one in the global scale, at least not for Bandai. Besides that as foreign Macross toy collector there would be no way to get to the replacement parts even if they would exists. That said it would be awesome if they include a set of replacements with the Super Parts. Mine are not cracked at the moment *knock on wood* only having a fracture in the part between the two triangle pieces. I will see what happened to them when the VF-171 comes back out of storage. I heard a documentation about 3D printer yesterday and maybe in the future the technology is far enough to print us replacement parts that are indistinguishable from the factory made ones and include printed on details. It can only be a small step until that happens because they talked about printing living organs and a meat like substance in the (near) future. I should teach myself 3D modeling this summer.

IIRC Bandai only replaces full units and does not send replacement parts (unlike Yamato did). In addition they don't have a customer support for foreigners (i.e. for products that are officially distributed exclusively in Japan). I think the only hope for us is a set of replacement shoulders that is included with the Super Parts. It would be awesome if you have success but I'm rather pessimistic about it. Please keep us updated.

I don't have the urge to buy this one (maybe I should instead of the VF-25A) since I don't think it looks good. The different translucent color pieces make the plane look very busy. You have the blue canopy and fold quartz bits the purple lights on the wings and the green tinned clear bit in the nose cone/cockpit area (why are they not read since they are on the YF-19) and the green visor. The head only differs from the previous iterations only by the single head laser and for some reason I don't like the color scheme in combination with the glossy finish. It looks much better in the matte Yamato (and hopefully Arcadia) plastic. On the other hand I would like to buy it so I send a signal to Bandai so that they can estimate the demand for their products properly and I have already four VF-25 planes in my collection. I think I'm gonna cancel my VF-25A and buy none of them.

Awesome I'm gonna buy a DYRL? Skull Squadron! Ok. is it allowed to change my wish? May only wish would be that Arcadia releases a stand that works for all their Valkyries (especially the VF-19) and that looks like the launch arm stand from Yamato. Yeah sometimes it's that simple....

I feel metal should only be applied to the structure of a toy (i.e. joints and internal workings) and the feet to give it a solid stand. All other parts should be cast in plastic. Painted die-cast looks terrible and is lacking the sharp edges of casted plastic (see the VF-25 renewal intakes). In addition if something breaks gluing plastic together is way easier then gluing (haven't tried soldering and welding) metal parts. All this talk from Shaorin about how bad the Plamo VF-1 is makes me wanna buy it. I have a delivery from hlj in August maybe I should add a 1/72 VF-1 Kit into the box. I'm searching for something that brings me back into model building and painting so maybe that will do instead of a PG Gundam. Although that 00 Raiser looks good To get back to the Hi Metal line. Do we know where the name originated from? Maybe in Japanese it means something different then for the rest of the world.

No, he is low.....

If I understand the tos of NY correctly you will only get a penalty when an invoice for a preordered item was already send. If you didn't receive an invoice for the VF-25F you should be fine. Since this information is not proven it might be wrong but I'm sure that you can send NY an email asking if a cancellation would be problematic.

I assume the triangle pieces can be stressed when you use the shoulders to rotate the metal shoulder joint underneath when transforming the Valkyrie back to Fighter-Mode. You know when you try to align the arms so that they fit onto the back plate. Then a shearing force would be applied to the shoulders and since the shoulder pauldrons are mounted to the shoulder via the black tirangle pieces the applied force would be transfered to the triangle pieces them self. I don't know how to describe it better. I have the feeling that much more force can be applied trying to align the arm joints during the transformation then rotating the arm for posing.

Iirc the VF-171CF Super Parts will be released in September so I don't know if Bandai will release another Valkyrie in the same slot.

I assume that are the M&M paint schemes for the YF-19. Is there any plane that they haven't piloted? Do those Fast Packs attach to the shoulders in Battroid-/Gerwalk-Mode like the packs on the VF-19?

Nope it's August the 10th 2013. Either that or my budget is out of sync.

Maybe they are looking for inspiration how to do good box art.

I will go with reissuing the old Yamato product line so I can buy a new VF-1 from a retailer. As for crazy wishes I would love to see a VF-9 Cutlass. Not because I like the design but I want to see the transformation happen on a real object.

Why do we have three topics open for basically the same question?

The most iconic Valkyrie really is the VF-1 that's why it is in almost every Macross show. Also the VF-1S (with Fast Packs) was brought over to the states as G1 Jetfire. So I would say a VF-1S is a great way to link your Transformers collection to a Macross collection if you are familiar with G1 Jetfire and like the design. The problem is that Yamato went out of business so Yamato toys can be more expensive than they should be. If you like hunting stuff down you might get a good deal. They are out there you just have to be patient. In addition the VF-1S comes in several variants. There are three with a light gray color and yellow/red/blue trim (from DYRL?) one is white with yellow trim (from SDFM) and there is a low viz variant that has a dark gray color with yellow trim. Also be aware that there are version 1 and 2 VF-1 toys. The version 2 toys are the ones to track down but they also come in various types and some have a shoulder assembly that is prone to breakage. Check out jenius site for more information. http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=4599 If you like the stealth fighter design (i.e. the F-117/F-22) the there are three toys you can get: As said the VF-17S/F from Yamato are available at a discount but they have some shortcomings (like a gappy side profile in Battroid-mode) and cartoonish proportions that you have to like. The design is very reminiscent of the F-117 The VF-171 from Bandai is similar in design to the VF-17. They come in two variants one is white with red and black trim the other is a dark teal color. In my opinion they look more like a real piece of military hardware and less like an anime superhero so if realism is your thing check them out. The white one might be a little hard to get since they released it a while back. The teal one is available but has durability problems mainly in the shoulder assembly. Also they are kinda fiddly to transform even if you know the steps very well. The VF-17 is the more solid option here but you have to like the design. The YF-21/VF-22S is based on the YF-23 from the fighter competition against the Raptor from Lockheed Martin. It has an great and sleek fighter mode but the Gerwalk- and Battroid-Mode have some odd proportions that you can only appreciate if you know the pilots and the story behind the design. The VF-22S has also a strange canopy. They where also made by Yamato and are sold out pretty much everywhere in normal online stores but you can find them if you look in the right spots. The YF-21 is only available in blue with yellow markings and the VF-22S where made as a black plane with yellow markings, a blue plane with white markings or a red one with white markings. Be aware that Yamato also made a YF-21 in the 1/72 scale but those are not the one you should buy if you like that mold. No check the sources given to you in this thread and see what you like the most. If you want the best Macross toy buy the 1/60 VF-19/S/F/K/P from Yamato. Keep us updated if you buy one and share your impressions here on MW.

You don't really have to watch the various Macross anime shows to start collecting. For me it helps to get a more personal relationship with the toys. For example I think the VF-22S has a horrid Gerwalk- (to speak in Transformers therms: an in between mode from aircraft to robot) and Battroid-mode (the robot mode) but since It is piloted by the best Valkyrie (the jets) pilot ever Captain Maximilian Jenius I really like it beyond my appreciation for it's engineering and the sleek Fighter- (alt mode) Mode. However if you like realistic looking jets that transform into sometimes bulky sometimes lanky looking mechas with almost no gabs that don't have a robot hanging on the underside of the plane (like say RotF Jetfire or G1 Dreadwing) there is something to find for you here. My advice would be to go over to http://www.macross2.net/m3/m3.html look up the links for the various incarnations of Macross-mechas (skip Games, Macross 2 and For Fans Only because it is unlikely to find toys of the Valkyries listed there) and see if you like any of the designs. Then go out on ebay and hunt them down or ask in the forum where you can buy on of those because some are still available even with a discount. Be aware that Valkyries are a little bit more delicate collectibles than Transformers. Think of a collection of MP Rodimus version 1 without the chance of ever getting a replacement part ever. Also some toys that are white get yellow pretty easily and some disintegrate even if they are stored in boxes. It's not like the Transformers line where most of the stuff you can buy are kids toys and therefore are pretty durable and cheap. In my Masterpiece and third party collection there is nothing like my Valkyries (Masterpiece Rodimus and MMC Cyclops come close). I'm not saying you can't play with them but you have to be careful. Some people shed blood while handling their toys. If you are a anime fan and like j-pop than I would recommend to watch some Macross anime. If you don't like long series I would start with Macross Plus (available as movie or OVA) or Macross Frontier (25 episodes and two movies where the first movie is a compilation of the tv-show). Macross Frontier is the newest show so you have good animation (if the 80s style is not your thing). Many forum members will tell you that you have to have in depth knowledge of the Macross universe to enjoy the show but I say it is a great show without any background information. If you are more familiar with Macross down the road you can always come back and watch it again. So go find a Macross toy that you think looks cool, track it down and see if you enjoy it. Be aware it can be addictive! Oh and you should watch a transformation video of your first Valkyrie very very closely. You don't want to break your first high end collectible Macross toy don't you. Check out the video reviews and transformation guides from some of the fellow board members: VF5SS at: http://collectiondx.com jenius at: http://anymoon.com UN Spacy at: http://www.youtube.com/user/pinoi78 If you know peaugh from the TFW2005 boards he also did a few Macross reviews. Happy collecting! [edit: ] Oh and be prepared to import toys to you since you can't buy them in stores.

Well you could transform it back when you but the shoulders back into place without sliding the parts under the chest plate outwards. Then you should be able to get to the screw. Of course then you have to move the shoulders which could cause damage to the part. So it's your call. I'm not telling you to do one or the other because I don't want to be the one to blame if something goes wrong.

What he said!

My VF-171CF has a crack on the "U" of NUNS on the left shoulder. The crack is on the middle part of the shoulder filler piece. To prevent further damage I unscrewed the assembly and lowered the pressure that way. Hope nothing breaks *knock on wood*