Kinzoku VF

Thanks! I assume you're talking about the SDF-1. It's the 1/3000 Yamato SDF-1.

Randomness....Playing around with my 1/100. For the longest time I could not stand this line.The first one, I got years ago from the original releases, felt like it was a $20 toy. Not that there are much differences between the two lines, ( aside from he thicker upper arms and metal swivel things for the shoulders)... But, really got to appreciate the fact you can just fiddle around with them anytime anywhere, (Forget about Yamarcadias,Dx Bandai etc I never touch those, just display fodder...). Not to mention the amount of space you could save, especially for those of us collecting other bots aside from Macross. (Although not planning on replacing my extensive VFs collection for 1/100 anytime soon....) My only gripe(s),same as with the first line: the material used feel cheap for what they charge, too delicate, many tiny plastic hinges everywhere, some stress marks right out of the box, metal content is a joke, and fiddly transformation...). $50 a pop would be more reasonable,but I guess Mr Tenjin has to eat, same goes with the licensing etc. Not even gonna delve into the obligatory 'on purpose' price hikes if you don't get the darn things the second they come out...(but nothing new here, it's Macross after all..we should be used to it by now..right?)..Rambling. :-p

Arrived today as well. Supa nice! Kinda prefer the blue on this one compared to the old version.

I have the English Ver. I think it was from 'Manga Mania' in the U.K. Had it on VHS, then later, they released all their old VHS stuff onto DVD, and I picked it up again. ( but Macross Zero was much better imo, personally I really enjoyed it....) Most of their releases were always dubbed (the heresy! I hate dubs...). It was the early 90's, they started releasing loads of stuff.....One that I remember well was Urotsukidoji ( with that little pants-less flying demon familiar.) ......THE OVA that introduced the use of tentacles in the most imaginative ways. Anime has never the same since. Was 15/16 year at the time, had never seen an anime like this one! Nowadays, the barriers of decency have long been shattered...Boku no *cough* Pico *cough* ...My eyes....it burns it burns... The horror...Cannot unsee .... __/|o Anyway....Rambling aside..... Out for preorder you say....? Next summer? Maybe this time they will bother revisiting a few (LOTS) of badly thought out features before it gets let out into the wild. Not preordering anything though... Like someone else said "not getting bitten twice" The current one put me off completely, especially when the price is already getting lower a week after release.... Thanks, I'm giving it a miss. Also, have not forgotten about the future DX VF-1 Chogokin from Bandai! Already putting money aside....That will be a 1st minute preorder for sure.....eyes closed. Although.....would consider another VF-2SS if/when it gets cheap enough. ;-) Wanted to dismantle and paint mine from the get go, but the screws and plastic, made me rethink the whole thing.

Here is a "venting my disappointment"...video I did last week when I received this lovely Vf-2SS."... For anyone still undecided, might help you make your mind up. ( at least for collector who like the VFs in Fighter mode...). No transformation. As I had filmed it I though I might as well post it. Whatever....here it is: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=foG-nNQUtUk&feature=em-upload_owner Only thing that was done to the Vf when it was filmed was the panel lines.... Have since started putting decals etc (not using the crappy stickers included with it...they are huge!!! Made for a 1/55! Not 1/60....). It's already starting to look a bit better. With a bit of luck though, looks like the price will go down drastically...I'll then pick up 1 or 2 just for 'painting fun'.

Cancelled mine!! Whoohoo! Got some spare cash now for other stuff!! \(*^__^*)/ I could not be asked to get another one after all...Had they done the flashback colours it would've been a no-brainer. But at this point I thought getting another one ( even though it is one of my top fav valks) would've been just to boast that I got 2 of them. (See I'm honest....) Also...a tiny invisible drop of varnish had solved the missile issue ages ago....a a little piece of blue tack under the pilot's butt it solved the 'rattling pilot' issue.... Maybe, just maybe if the price drops to ¥17/20k. I might pick another one up... I did not think it would do that well though, I assumed that anyone into Macross for years/decades....would've already had one by now. It's such a great piece. I seem to remember a lot of people with a disliking the 4G....Maybe it was its price, not the Valk itself......Anyway, here is my 'old' friend....with it's 'work in progress VF-2SS)

Anyway...got to go get some sleep, just realised it's 3:00 am.....Will check back in tomorrow. Ooops u replied just as I posted... My bad... Shame though...also it complicates things slightly as some want the head showing...Maybe do 2 "models" ..... ;-)

Yes Bobby, you 'drew' exactly what I was describing ! A one linked part part that does it all! At least you'd have some kind of continuity now between the fugly front part and back part!!Top job! m(_ _)m. But Nightingale are you sure it would bring up the cost that much though? It's just 1.5 inch extra in the middle?

Fighter is sadly the mode that needs the most TLC. .... As far as having 3 parts in one vs 2 separate pieces. The "middle section' would not need any 'thrills' or particularly complicated geometry. Might not add that much to the cost if everything is moulded in 1? ( got not clue to be honest...). Anything to improve that mess below is welcomed...as it won't be displayed in flying mode as it is!! It's grounded...On another topic,talking about grounded.... Is anyone having clearance issues with the legs canards/wings? Seems that even with the landing gears out, they touch the ground. :-( They (landing gears) could've done with being 2 millimetres higher.... Sure, it's not a big deal...not 'rolling' it about or anything. It's just all these little things (that would not have been too hard for ET to rectify....) would've made a big difference... Anyway....I complain a lot, but I do like it.... If I didn't I would not have bought it in the first place and could not have cared either way... I suspect I probably like it more than I think.... Oh! Last thing, nearly forgot! ( sorry about all the rambling! That part is kinda interesting though) It's pictures 25 and 26 in the instructions. (The last section that shows how to transform back from Battroid into fighter mode.) They mention something about the main 2 tabs that hold the legs.The ones shaped like an " L ". Picture 25 shows to push the leg up to tab it. But then, picture 26 seems to imply that you also have to pull backwards so that it locks into the "L" bit of the tab securely into that little indent??? Is that right? I tried gently but to no avail....(don't want to break it either!) Also, if you did that...it would mean that the legs would be sticking out a bit more at the back also moving back the shoulders/intake at the same time? Then they would be even further down than they currently are?? Maybe it's another one of those features that were poorly implemented. I don't get it... The drawings definitely show that these 2 front legs tabs 'lockin in' ? Anyone? Maybe that's what affects the arms tabs, and makes it floppy? It these leg tabs were completely stable, then the arms tabs would not come out as easily? Not forcing it though! Pretty sure the "L" part would end up cracked...

Nice one Nightingale. And also agree with Bobby as far as the thickness/ angle. Would look sleeker. Another suggestion, ;-) Rather than having 2 parts ( one on each side) could be to go for 1 part. Having the part that you designed linked by another bit in the middle. That 'link' would hide the gap created by the two plastic bars ( talking about the dark grey ABS plastic bars that hold the metal ones). And at the same time hold the left and right parts together ( one mould for the 3 parts) That way you'd only need one part, and also be 'camouflaging' more of that mess in the middle. Like a 'cap' of sorts. O.k it's slightly more complicated....but would hide more. Don't know how feasible it would be in terms of engineering though. Anyway! Great work so far. Looking forward to the progress.

True...they do go well together..... ;-) But in terms of supa' sleekness you cannot beat the 4G..... No contest.... Just noticed that the few people that started on the 2-SS 'visual improving' went for really thick panel lines on the top? Was it to match the line art? Felt it looked more subtle with thiner lines somehow, less distracting.

Well, fiddled with it a bit. ( not transformed it though). Was rapidographing ( is that even a word?) the panel lines...some are really kit-like, very narrow and no depth. I did it 'old school way' as I was out of grey markers and even the thinest was to thick...Used a 0.1 tip. Had to make my own mixture, I tried light grey, but did not like it at all...so went with dark-grey with a mix of dark chinese ink, some white acrylic, and Tamiya thinner to avoid clogging....It was a major PAIN as the VF kept flopping during the whole procedure, took me 3 times longer. It's better, but still needs loads more... Will forget the stickers and will go for Yamato decals, so that will probably take forever as well :-( And that gun....Love that they show how it fits in fighter mode....( anime accurate or not, I cannot believe that they could not get that right!....complete afterthought in the design, they saw a 'spare hole' in the right place and thought why not...) Has anyone managed to attach that gun?? ( without cheating...no glue, blue tack or whatever?). And definitely need to sort those tabs out somehow. But Superglue...no way...it's not indefinite, and damages the plastic. Need to find another way to strengthen or thicken those stupid arm tags...then it'll be the turn of the metal bars ( not as ugly as the pics showed, but far from great). Has anyone found a viable alternative to glue? Anyway, all flaws aside, for now, I'm happy to finally bet a 1/60 Vf-2SS, warts and all.

Been complaining about the plastic since day 1. Well, finally received it this morning..... I can say one of the good points IS the plastic. A 'slight' improvement over the usual ET figure! So guess I was wrong after all....My bad. Also, before I forget, the little 'back wings' do slot in!! ( you have to reposition the metal ball joint a certain way, as out of the box, they just won't even go near the slots ( it's not super tight though, but they slot in.) As far as the rest. I can tell you, the messy undercarriage part is going to be the least of your worries.....or at least mine... That will probably be the last thing I will try to improve. To me the worse thing were the tiny little stress marks here and there ( not really obvious, unless you look for them...)again right out of the box!!! I have an allergy to stress marks...however small they are!!! Will have to use the good old 'boiling water ' technique to get rid of them...Not sure how as I would rather not dismantle it. Feels like once the screws are out....they'll ever go back in properly. AND the unforgivable floppiness....nothing stays tabbed longer than a few minutes..... The 'toy' as it is out of the box...(.I'm only going to talk about fighter mode as I haven't transformed it and probably won't.) It's "O.k" from a distance, but in your hands LOL.... Fail.... Sorry....it's an: "only at a certain angle" display piece.... Will see once the makeover is complete. Might grow to enjoy it more. In all, despite all its flaws, I am happy to finally have a 1/60 Ver....it was such a looong wait. And overall it looks 'o.k'. Just no touching, at least not for those of who like fighter mode. No regrets from my part. ( ok....I certainly would've rather have payed ¥10000/ ¥15000 but you have an extra ¥10000 slapped on top just for the Macross II fan club membership privilege....) Here is a crappy pic in the 'ok' angle. I did actually filmed myself opening it up, but did it really hastily, and swore a lot in the video...not sure if it's worth uploading. Now, the gruelling beautifying task begins......

My 5 cents..don't bite my head off, I could be completely wrong! From what I gathered, as they are currently ( on the front) when you close up the two halves, the tabs give some support and lift to the front portion. Had they placed the tabs on the back where they tap in, they would most likely be pushing down the front part rather than supporting it. ( would be worse). As far as these tabs are concerned, the engineering is sound/logic , it just doesn't take the aesthetics into account. Some sliding mechanism to hide them once in Battroid mode could've been implemented, but then it adds to the part counts, complexity etc....Then they would've probably charged ¥35000 to make up for all these added intricate designs ( also as we know more complexity/gimmicks does not necessarily equate to solidity....the opposite in a lot of cases) ...

He did not just picked it up. He played "Samba de Amigo" with it.

Will be getting mine, on the 24th...(according to EMS.). Finally.... Was getting tired of reading about it. Would like to know if I'm gonna hate it or love it.....or give it away to someone who might enjoy it more than me....( as if....lol..) But good ting is there are other stuff with it.....So if it's really that bad, I'll have some 'consolation' mechas and gokins to look 'play' with....

I'm one of those collectors that hardly ever transforms his VFs....so should be o.k... But, as it is, it's an 'o.k' looking Battroid, but the 2 other modes are 'meh' ( don't want to say 'crap' until I've had it in my hands....want to stay objective...) If only they had messed up Battroid mode rather than the fighter mode...(we would most likely still have been p'd off... but more forgiving). Like some people mentioned, a fair amount of Macross collectors prefer fighter mode...What were EToys thinking?....Doesn't seem they had any real ideas regarding the nature of the target market for this particular line! ( OR...on the contary! They knew we would get it no matter how it turned out!!! Bstrds!!!) I think they just ran out of time and could't afford to continue working and revising the piece longer than they already had. With all the releases they constantly keep putting out, they need their designers for other stuff. (They never took that long for any of their other stuff, even the transforming ones...) Still, it will be a custom/re modelling project, and hopefully with the help of all the talented 3d printing gurus out there, a better looking/holding fighter should be feasible

Main thing that shows this Evo Toy release is 'so-so' (or really bad depending on who you ask) , is that on some pics it looks great, while on others it look really crappy... No consistence in the piece whatsoever. Had it been good/average, most pics would've looked equally similar whatever the angle. Sadly not the case. Anyway still waiting for mine.... For a European country in Fr, service-wise it really feels like you're stuck in an 80's time warp. Yes it could be worse, but It's still a complete hole as far as I'm concerned. Venting some frustration, sorry m(_ _)m.

I still want it, even if it's not great, won't be returning it ( unless it completely falls apart whilst being taken out of the box.....) But not hidding that I'm getting more and more apprehensive as the days go by regarding this VF-2SS release. (So happy I have other stuff in that parcel too, it will help to alleviate the potential disappointment ...) Also trying hard to convince myself it will be a 'nice custom project' to work on....( just so that I can forget about the price....) Hopefully, it will get to me this week so that I can make up my own mind about it. You know what they say about tastes and colours...I might just love the thing!!! (Wishful thinking ).

They do stick out, but it's not the worse thing. You plan to do some kind of retractable tabs? Or just never display it in fighter mode?

Been rambling about ET crappy Qc and materials for the past few days. Seems people are still surprised? The bloke who broke his most definitely handled the thing like a Transformers. Sad, for the guy sure. But...anyone who has handled a Yamato 1/48 or even 1/60 should know the deal with 'those' hinges.. Do members on this thread exclusively collect Macross? Nothing else?....I know I saw a post from someone who had some Evo Toys....so it should not come as a surprise. "Their stuff are built kits with magnets". Don't let the looks fool you, you just need to lift the thing up to understand you're holding a kit. Some have nice red glossy paint ( Red Baron for example) yet, it's lighter than a Revoltech figure....I've got it right next to me as I'm typing ....he'll tell you himself if he could. Wait...I know!

Even my hand painted Yamato 1/60 kit ver pilots look "neater" at least most lines, along the trousers and sleeves are straight (old pic that was in my Ipad from when I was painting some 'Unpainted" ver...) Same thing goes for the details I painted in the cockpits....I did not try "ultra hard", but they still are twice as detailed.... Obviously you cannot compare "Mass produced" to Hand-painted. But again, feels like I'm going to be receiving a partially finished VF 😭....Don't mind the work,I love modelling, but they should've just marketed it as a kit from the get go an lower its price. People would've been more forgiving of its faults ( I say this, but we probably would've complained anyway....Macross peeps are a hard crowd to please! Lol ) Whatever, it is what it is. Will have to make the best of it. Grateful to finally have it in 1/60 as it might be a long wait until we get see another one.

Many thanks for taking the time with these enlightening insights Jvmacross. And for sharing your impressions and having answered most of the questions we all had. It's pretty much exactly what I expected from Evo Toys ( in terms of quality). I just hoped that being a different line as Dynamite Action, we would get lucky with the materials used, but it was not meant to be....If any of you own some of their other stuff will know how crappy the materials are... They are not 'action figures' they are more akin to built model kits. ( I know, I keep saying it, but all the Dynamite Action figures I own have issues...ALL of them! I have given up on the line completely. All are in their boxes in storage, aside from 1 that is on display. ( just because it's the only version of that particular robot I own...) Still, I am happy to finally get a 1/60 rendition of this bird though. Even if it's model kit quality... Now that I know more or less what to expect, I definitely won't be keeping this VF as it is out of the box. It will be customised and 'detailed up'. It's just a bit bland and 'meh' as it is. I'm sure with a bit of work that it can be turned into a nice piece! ✌️ Thanks again for all your pics Jvmacross, much appreciated m(_ _)m. Edit after seeing the Battroid and Gerwalk pics: I would've preferred a tight 'Swooshable' fighter mode over Battroid, but I guess 1 decent mode out of 3 is something. (Odd that as a robot collector, when it comes to Macross, I'm really into fighter modes more than anything 😭)

Stop teasing QE, open the thing,you know you're dying to...(if you haven't already done so, bet you have!) . If it's that bad, you'd be opening 2 crappy things in one go....(although, maybe it's best to be disappointed once rather than twice)....Whatever, don't wait for the other one, open it!!! We want more opinions. Especially regarding the material....is it the exact same plastic one used on the Evo Dynamic Action stuff? I really hope it's different, even if only slightly. It's got to be, with all the hinges etc in a VF, their usual plastic would not withstand more than a few transformations before getting cracks and stress marks all over. . Come on Ems, get me my parcel already! I want to know.

Bobby got the design pretty much spot on! A non- obtrusive 'bit' that just clips in. That's exactly what I had in mind when I mentioned a part that could slot into the already present 'tab-holes'. Makes a hell of a difference. At that stage, I'd rather have an 'add-on' part than a mess. As it is now, there's no way I'd ever display it in flight...I would just leave it resting on its *cough* amazingly detailed landing gears. ( not even little moulded shock absorbers...*sigh*.) Again, great job Bobby, at least now there is more of continuity between the front undercarriage part and the back, not such an eyesore 👍. I really wonder what people truly thought of the final Ver they saw at the various presentations/conventions? Issue here is probably the Japanese way of face to face criticising (lack of rather). Even if a majority thought it looked crap, they most probably were 'uber polite', saying it was the 'dog's bollocks'...🐩 Had it been presented at western toy/hobby fair, pretty sure the reception would've been somehow different. More along the lines of "not bad for a prototype "....."What? Really! That's the final version!? ", "My 1992 Bandai kit looks better than this" ( had to put it in there...kidding though...it looks more like a 1/60 V2 of the Bandai kit 😏). All this said, I'm still looking forward to receiving it ! :-p