jenius

Someone on RT.com has stated that there are two different versions of the green MPC. One supposedly has a red eye and another that has a blue eye. Can anyone confirm this? Anyone wanna throw out what number they have and what color the eye is?

LOVE those pics. Do you have to build the Imai with that middle missile bay? I own three of the kits (recent purchases with the hope I will some day be great at modeling) and the one thing I instantly didn't like was that center missile bay. The alpha MPC doesn't have it's front wings place correctly in a few of the comparison shots Still, beautiful photos and I'm very happy to have the comparison. I also absolutely LOVE the paint job on that Imai.

ebay

thanks everyone, there's a Takatoku on Ebay that i'm looking at that has the heatshield and is gray with beige cockpit. Maybe the person is just putting a Bandai one in a Takatoku box?? I would provide a link but I'm at work... He does state it's a "collector's issue." Hrmm....

No background... I have no skill at fluffy clouds and boulders

Oh no, I'm aware of all the other Taka VFs, I'm talking about JUST the VF-1S. There are at least two different VF-1S and I have now seen a third. Again, there's the White VF-1S with beige cockpit, gray VF-1S with black cockpit, but is there also a legitimate gray VF-1S with beige cockpit or any other VF-1Ss? (we're talking all 1/55 scale here). If anyone does know of all the details behind the different VF-1S (like what packages they were available in or what year changes were made) I would love to hear about it.

Okay, I have to know, how many different versions of the VF-1S did Takatoku make? I always thought there were only TWO. 1) Super VF-1S White with beige canopy 2) Gray TV version VF-1S (came with GBP or stand alone). This version also came with a black canopy that looks a bit odd in fighter mode... Now I see a third one that is gray with a beige canopy and a separate heat shield that can be clipped in (I imagine this heat shield was also in the VF-1S package). Can anyone confirm this third VF-1S (gray with beige cockpit) and let me know if there are more variations?

I highly doubt this toy is in great shape and it's more than likely just a beat up Robotech toy, either way $15 isn't much money at all. I'm on a gakken quest so for my current project I consider it money well spent. Now, the $66 I just spent on an MISB version of the toy was way too much... but oh well.

with the nose facing me the one on the left is missing.

my FP is missing one. I bought it off Ebay and it never had it on there to my knowedge. I just keep the fast packs on now, hopefully it'll catch anything that pops off.

I took that last one, I needed the gun.

Total Rookie question here (not really into models but I like the idea of being into them). The pictures show everything painted on the sprue, they're just doing that for demonstration right? You're not actually expected to paint stuff while it is on the sprue are you? Seems like by the time you're done the whole paint job would be all muffed up.

So the next question could be, who has the photo shop (and other) skills to make the new VF-1D box? I would love to have a completely legit looking 1D. Pricing and all that good stuff would have to be considered. Unfortunately, I doubt I'll have the scrill this summer to keep up my collecting....

wow, i never thought about the whole shoulder pod thing... interesting, it's just gonna look like it has a flap hanging out on one shoulder... I just checked the two MPCs I have that I transformed to battloid and then back into fighter: My Scott has a gap at one of the forearms. This gap is actually caused by poor construction of the forearm, not because everything hasn't made it all the way back into place. For whatever reason the forearm is a little too wide so when it attaches to the shoulder the hooks create pressure that push the forearm back out. If I push the sides of the forearm together it actually makes it back into fighter mode seamlessly. My Rook looks almost perfect. Obviously not quite as good as the Shadow mock-up but darn close. I believe that part of the trick my be in pushing the kneecaps back into position. I can't swear but it certainly can't hurt.

How do the MPC Alphas compare to the Imai 1/48 variable model? I imagine the MPC is significantly more sturdy than that model. So, if Toynami stays true to form, we'll get the same treatment with the MPC cyclone. It will be fragile for a toy but more sturdy than a model.

Yeah, the Gakkens are friggin' huge. I think the green diecast guy in the middle is about 6", the red MPC to the right is about 8", and the gakken in the rear is about 10".

I have now owned quite a few of these MPCs (no greenie yet as you can see). My biggest complain is the shoulder design (should rachet like a Valk's shoulder so you could feel secure it will always be able to support the arm's weight). My second biggest complaint would definitely be the crooked heads! I think every single one has had a crooked head. The best you can hope for is one with a head that isn't so crooked it looks like it's confused. Turning the head to the side helps but I'm not sure that's a great solution... Here's another pic for comparison purposes... *edit - picture was huge so I shrank it down for y'all

Man, I have a tough time agreeing with that statement. Not so much because I don't love the new Legioss but because I also really love the old ones. the 1/35 are clearly more durable and less prone to getting sloppy joints. Of course, the 1/35 eventually can break and get sloppy joints but it takes some time with those bad boys. The 1/55 MPCs are clearly better detailed with better materials but I dare anyone to spin an arm around a dozen times and then try to still get it to hold a gun completely horizontal to the ground. Now I did just buy the Imai 1/48 variable models and would love to see how those stack up... unfortunately I'm gonna have to practice on a lot of other models before I try building and painting those. Check back with me in 5 years for an opinion... Finally, the diecast two changes are great for display.. that's about it. They don't really hold a candle to the other toys/models mentioned. *edit* The gakken 1/72 aren't in the same league as these figures.

I've been over-paying on Gakken Mospeada stuff and probably will continue to do so for until I get this out of my system. This guy is probably in the same boat as me... I empathize and hope both of our phases are short...

I've sent a few MPCs back to Toynami and, if you have a receipt or can get a copy of your credit card statement they will ship you replacements super quick. I sent A VFA-6H in for the same problem you have and had a replacement less than a week later. You basically have to learn to almost never touch the hands on these things. Shipping will cost you $10 but i'd rather do that then make some effort at a repair...

The green one is easily receiving the least complaints of all the alphas so far. This could mean two things. 1) Quality has improved slightly. 2) People have accepted its faults and learn to handle it more gingerly.

I can come up with a dozen reasons why each one sucks and why each one is great and even why each one is better than the other. This is all just gonna boil down to what YOU prefer. Some of these things are also comparing apples and oranges (legioss to valk). Consensus from previous threads is, if you can afford it, go 1/48 and don't look back. You know, that could also apply to the Legioss if you're into building variable models...

For some reason that mac logo by the cock-pit keeps drawing my eyes. Otherwise I love the dark one. Me likey.

If anyone knows where I can get a mint Taka super VF-1S let me know!

The quality of the toy involved plays only a small part in the value of the object. Afterall, I think most of us would agree that the Toynami MPC is a better toy than the original Takatoku toys. Takatoku toys, however, tend to be sold for more than Toynami toys. Obviously the real value driver there is the rarity of the toy. The MPC VF-1S is the most popular valk and since there's only a limited quantity were just watching a simple process of supply and demand. Obviously most people on this site could give a shake about Toynami, some might even want to dispute my claim about Takatoku toys being inferior (don't bother, I love Takatoku Valks so I'm not saying it out of bias). Everyone agrees the 1/48s are WAY preferable to the MPCs and maybe some day they will greatly appreciate in value like we're already seeing with the LowVis. In the meantime, just be happy you're not a completist who hesitated on an MPC collection VF-1S for too long.