Kinzoku VF

Great pics as always Saburo. Kinda looks better in pics. Received mine this morning. First impressions.....not too sure. Granted, having reservations before even having it in my hands, probably did not help, but on this instance I feel they were justified. Love the color scheme, no issues with the tampo prints etc. Main gripe: it's really 'gappy'. The fact that the patterns are spread on many separated parts makes it even more obvious. Not transformed yet, not sure I'm looking forward to do so. I can already spot some tiny plastic rods that must slot into equally tiny plastic clips.....( the kind and size you find on the Hi-Metal !!!) Does not feel very inspiring. As I've mentioned previously, I'm a real 'maniac' when it comes to marks, cracks etc To recap, looks-wise, different, but not bad at all. Manufacturing side of things, it feels fragile even when handling it in fighter mode. (Not transformed it yet as I've already said, it might feel more robust in Battroid). But all these little flaps etc.... *sigh* aligning everything back afterwards will be a pain.... Hope it's just an impression. The mode that I really dig from pics is Gerwalk.....Next to the Zero's SVs, looks like a long lost brother! On a positive note,after quickly removing and cramming a few other VFS, it blends in completely in a random crowd of VFs, you can hardly see it.....(no room to fit it in my Detolfs, so it will most probably end up on the ...." Messy shelves " for now .....) Overall....still not sure!! Need to fiddle about with it a bit more for a definitive opinion. But won't be getting 4 though that's for sure, ( getting the 'drones' though.....I mean that flashy blue scheme, is just too cool to pass ).

Top part of that wing hinge for example.....Not the end of the world, but for something that was only transformed once or twice ( just assumption from my part as it has just been released...).

Still not got mine....so only judging from what I can make out from some of the pics etc. And the overall feeling I get is not : "Wow, best DX to date!" or "Such a unique piece with amazing engineering". Lots of mitigated opinions. Not saying people seem disappointed, but not elated either. Is it just a "Meh" release? Or just too 'unique' for its own good? (It does not look very 'Macrossy'....so if you haven't watched Delta you won't relate as easily....) Looking at some pics, I can already see stress marks on some of the parts! With the amount of hinges, and swivelling parts all over, not sure if the plastic route is a good thing. Cannot stand stress marks on any of my Valks (one of the reasons some never even get transformed.). Will they eventually emulate the Yamarcadia manufacturing trend and end up 97% plastic (3% being the screws and the occasional metal bar..). I don't have any (or hardly any) scratches on the die-cast parts of my other DX, (Not everyone treat their DXs like 'Transformers' going back and forth between all modes 5 times a day....). Cannot see any valid reasons behind this lack of die-cast other than saving on materials whilst still selling at a premium. Maybe it's just an 'experiment' for this rather 'unique' VF design to gauge people's reactions. Hopefully with mostly mitigated feedbacks, they'll forget about 'plastifying' their Chogokins as much. Or possibly it was an 'on purpose', rushing it in order to give us an improved 'Renewal' version down the road, (after having released at least 5 coloured variations of course......) Hoping this lack of metal does not become a trend, as it's already prevalent in a lot of their other lines Hi-Metal (lol...), Socs, Srcs.....Who knows, maybe they plan to revive the old 'Pla Dx' from the golden Popy days. (Ok....I'm pushing it....). Anxiously waiting until it arrives next week so that I can get some clarifications regarding this 'odd' VF.... Rambling as usual...

Still waiting for mine.... Not sure what to make of this VF. Only reason I did not skip on it, was the unique design. Transformation seems like a pain in the backside..(amazing engineering for sure though.) The Battroid mode looks great, probably the strongest of all 3 modes imo. Fighter is o.k, but looks more like a 'Shmup spaceship' (Dodonpachi etc...) than a 'proper' Macross VF. Even the more recent VFs (Frontier...) look more like fighters. Lastly.....Battroid mode. *sigh*. Not digging the head at all. And the whole thing looks like a TF Decepticon or something (sorry TF fans..) Not to mention the upcoming sword accessory. It'll look like some kinda Sci-fi 'robot-dragon-thing'.... Delta was a weird chapter in the Macross saga. Like a 'Love Live'' chapter on steroids. Sure, music always had an inherent part in Macross. But It's becoming a bit much. Banpresto is having a field day with this one....So many outfits to choose from . Hard to tell if I will like that one until I have it in my hands. Might be one of those VFs that needs a bit of time to truly appreciate..... I'm rambling....

"Supaaa attack modo".....Was fiddling about with the Cronos and a twin attack mode sprung to mind.....Not seen any pics in that 'mode' yet? (haven't opened the instructions...so not sure, might be a legit transformation mode?).

Sorry Spanner, late reply....Yes, I think I had posted pics of one of them ages ago on MW ( I'm usually more of a lurker....) . These are some Yamato unpainted VF's that I painted (I really wish Arcadia would re-release those unpainted kits, they were just great. I still nave 3 or 4 unpainted sets left, but cannot get myself to paint them until I come up with some kick ass paint schemes.) Anyway, here are 2 clearer pics I found in some of my albums.

Quick on the fly pic....(forgot to close the drone bays.). 1st impressions are positives. The box imo is perfect....If only all boxes could be as sturdy with a top lid like that one. The inside presentation with the blueprint cover thing is excellent too. As for the VF, haven't transformed it yet (I rarely transform my VFs.... Some never, others just once for pics). Great looking bird, still prefer the YF-30 though....Not sure I'll be shelling out to get all 5. Maybe 2...tops. Like the 01 VF-31S and the 03. Rambling....

Still don't get the price hikes on these DX Deltas.....It's really too much 😒. I mean ¥15000/¥17000 should be an average price for DX at retail. There aren't any extras with this VF to justify the price. At this rate, most newly released VFs are going to end up costing ¥30000. I did pick up a VF-31J. But not the SP. (Wish they could have a 'pay later' for those....). As it is, I'll skip and wait 6 months or so to get them 2nd hand. They look great in battroid mode (adds a bit of bulk to the skinny frame) , but I don't like them on the fighter....With 90% of my VFs displayed in fighter mode guess it's not a must-have for now.(trying hard to convince myself to skip the SP.....) As for the VF itself, hope it'll look better irl than on the pics. It's cool sure,but not "blown away cool". We'll see! Kinda like the box though 😓 Rambling as usual...

Sorry about the crappy lighting. A quick pic. Modern Vs vintage Takatoku Sofubi, nearly identical right?! .(Love Sofubis, granted, they don't transform, but you can drop them without having a heart attack, they have the 'VF' on the legs AND you can play with them in the bath..priceless 😁)

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.

Update: As I was not getting any luck here, (aside for some help from a great guy on this forum, you know who you are if your reading this, thanks man!.). I ended up getting it New/sealed direct from Japan. Problem solved. Cheers.

Hey everyone, Looking for a Bandai Hi-Metal R Macross VF-1S Strike Valkyrie Ichijyo Hikaru Custom. Price obviously depending on condition. Preferably 'New', but would consider 'Used' if the price is right (and if it doesn't have stress marks/ cracks on every hinges...Not too sure why the 'R' versions seem more prone to cracks and stress marks after 1 or 2 transformations, compared to the original 2010 line) No overinflated EvilBay 'Pro sellers' price range though. (Mentioning this to avoid wasting everyone's time) Thanks for letting me know. m(_ _)m. Sorry this thread was initially posted in the 'Buy' section by mistake.

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) ...