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I'm loving this toy, thought I'd chime in after seeing all these amazing photos and really glad to see people taking them out of the boxes and playing and panel lining them! Bravo. Toys are mean to be played that's what I liked best with this one, I love playing with it and handling it. It doesn't feel fragile or over complicated - its a joy to transform, I hope the joints hold up. I use the Flory Wash (its water/clay based and completely inert to the plastic). I use black and two shades, a light grey and dark grey for the panel lines, I use the black for all the vents and moveable surfaces, dark grey for the access panels and slats that's supposed to move and light grey for the rest of the panel lines that make up the rest of the plane, I find this a bit more subtle and gives a bit of life to the paneling. Just adding that outside black ring all around the circular vernier thruster makes a huge difference! I also added the Ejection Triangle graphic (really unforgivable Bandai!) and the "VF" on the legs as for me this defines the TV from the DRYL - also its the first VF-1 that I would want to display in Battroid mode often (fighter has always been my favourite). I haven't decided on post-shading it yet, but might do a light one with some subtle streaking to tie it into the rest of my collection as I have to seal it in with a semi-satin clear coat anyways, but I do love the light grey satin finish Bandai chose. I always have a fondness for the original old 1/48 from Yamato - mainly due to the fact that they were optimized for fighter mode which is my favorite mode. There's no doubt that this is the most advanced VF-1 toy and the improvements all add up to a great toy that wants to be played with. However I feel a little disappointed that they seemed to have missed some opportunities if they wanted to genuinely make this the ultimate Valkyrie. Since they were doing the 1/48 scale again, I would have thought they would have taken some cues from the Club-M resin 1/48 model. Wish list (comments/thoughts/suggestions); -they could have included some more panel lines with some rivet details (there's really no more panel lines than the old Yamato 1/48) -I do love the detail at the top of the chest in Battroid mode with the edge detail all around and folding flaps -I wished they included a double joint in the knee so it can truely kneel and fold back on itself -I wished the canopy was done in two pieces, opaque frame with clear inserts (like the Club-M model) -with all those crazy/non-canon extra markings, they missed the ejection triangle and cockpit display?! really Bandai? -wished instead of the rectangular holes in the legs, they used hidden magnets to hold the fast packs in the future -those three long rectangular indented details on the leg exterior are too high and interferes with the "U.N. SPACY" lettering in an unattractive way -hated that notch under the wing root that seats the arm/shoulder pivot -I'd love to see the swing wings geared to move with each other, or have detents at the very lease to they are extended in a symmetrical fashion -would love to see the wing cross section slight thicker (more of an airfoil shape) so the mounts for the weapons become flush -the wingtip slimelight, red & blue nav lights should be clear inserts at this scale -the back airbrake should have see through louvered slats -the legs should have removable exterior that show off the leg interior mechanics like the 1/48 Hasegawa model -I don't mind the flaps (they work for me but if mine were broken or floppy then it would be annoying) -I wish the ventral fins had a much stiffer joint and something that locks them in position (I wouldn't miss this if it were fixed instead of jointed) -I wished the vernier thrusters were actually cones with a fin on top like the 1/48 Hasegawa model instead of a flat printed graphic -would have loved to see those lighted gimmicks Bandai teased us with the 1/35 scale -the gunpod is just too big, it needs to be 10-15% smaller please That all said I am looking forward to the Roy's VF-1S.

If HLJ gets this could you please post a link. Somehow I never seem to get the right hits when I search on HLJ - I guess my HLJ-fu is weak, although I seem to do fine with google.

So does TWE mean I don't have to get up at 3am in the morning to order, the pre-order window will stay open for a day or two?

Yep, I was hoping I'd see a correction of that closer to the launch date. Can't believe no one else has said anything to them. Of all the other non-sense extra markings, they omit the one that is actually in the cartoon?!?

WOW!!! I absolutely love your builds Electric Indigo - they are so clean and flawlessly smooth - your paint is just so awesome that it really gives the tiny model a real sense of scale. Plus I love the subject matter you always choose. Thanks for posting because I can get my fix by living vicariously through you - I have such little time to model anymore and trying to go through a basement renovation means I won't have a workbench for at least another year

I hope its compatible with the original Thrustmaster T-Flight HOTAS 4 stick and not some special AC version of this same stick. Anywhere does it say its compatible with all T-Flight HOTAS 4 sticks?

No Black Friday sale and $34 shipping to Canada (Aces at War Bundle) - that sucks!

Oh thanks, I didn't realize the Aces at War didn't include the Seasons Pass. I do want that art book though, so I guess its $30 for the art book? How much is the seasons pass separately afterwards? What does the seasons pass include that would be in addition to the game - I don't go online to play.

Hey did the Aces at War Bundle just go up $10 to $89? (I thought it was at $79) Does anyone think there might be a Black Friday or Cyber Monday sale on this?

Hey, I never noticed before, does it have side covers? Yes, the lack of ejector triangles is pretty un-forgivable.

I love decals, its my favourite part of building the model - it was one of the original reasons I got this kit. That's said, its sitting in my stash and haven't been built yet :P

Do you have a link for this company? I'd be interested. I have the Lepin old UCS Falcon (from a awhile ago) and the new Lego UCS falcon now too, does Lepin make a version of the new UCS Falcon?

Thought exactly the same thing! Would love to get Hasegawa on board for some of the more futuristic aircrafts in the AC series!

Hey I'm starting to like that special Cosmotiger (I'm not sure what its called) but that awkward dark grey gangly fighter with all the huge oversized missile pods - does Bandai make a model of this? Btw - is anyone else getting this 0yen on all HLJ prices tonight?

HLJ kept freezing and hanging. First 404 error then 503 error at checkout, then sold out - boo! CDJ sold out as I was checking out too. Luckily Amiami let me get one through. This was a tough one so far. Not happy with the new HLJ site either.

HLJ is giving 404 not found with that link!

Is there a better search button than the one at the top right hand corner for HLJ? It used to be the search at the bottom of the page that worked.

So there's no special bundle with the old/updated HORI flightstick? It's fully compatible with the existing Thrustmaster T.Flight Hotas 4 right (no special AC edition)?

Wow, nice announcement. I still wished that at 1/48 scale, they could have molded a little more details onto those pieces (and the Valk in general) - a little disappointed that there wasn't the molding detail that is present in the Hasegawa 1/72 models. They could at least make the optional hands jointed at the fingers, its a huge toy, you'd think there would be more advances from the Yamato 1/48 days.

Wow!!! So much orange (my favourite colour) that has to be in my collection. Been waiting for Chuck's for too long now and it doesn't disappoint. The Heavy Armor is just so over the top sillyness that I just have to have it - unfortunately it doesn't look very "Macrossy" but I guess its where everything is headed designwise. (moar must be stronger!!!) Any dates on the pre-order for these two beauties?

Now that's what I've been waiting for!!!

Don't worry about it, you'll love it. I did it without numbered bags at all, they just had them in different bags mostly according to the pieces not to the steps. Its part of the fun of lego.

Amazing Arbit!!! Congrats on an amazing build. You can be proud.

What?! That can't be the Hasegawa one could it? It looks horrible. Very disappointed. They look like "bandai" landing gears - argh.

I did, but I got it in the first batch way back when it was initially released and I ordered it within the first minute of the pre-order.