rematron

Agreed. And it's amazing what a different kind of camera lens will do in combination with approach and composition. It makes the front look longer and the back look shorter just like most of Bandai product and packaging shots go for. I'm liking it, though. Can't wait to get it in my hands and on my shelf. Really looking forward to landing gear that won't collapse with the slightest nudge.

Thanks for the video, @Froy. Some more stills for comparison:

Oh! Do I see a tilting seat gimmick in there?!

Thanks for the link, @dtwn! @M'Kyuun, that’s some really amazing work. Inspiring! I’ve been a big fan of Legos since forever and you’ve taken them to an awesome level!

Got me curious. Could you please post a link?

@Seto Kaiba Thank you. Those are the reasons I made up in my head but it's good to hear someone confirm my fantasy.

This is a little off topic but something that’s been at the back of my mind for years but never vocalized maybe because it might be a stupid question. What’s up with the lack of horizontal stabilizers on Macross non-delta style airframe designs? There, I finally asked. 😅

Well, I suppose if I really want a matte coat I could apply it to the one I have. But I have yet to take any steps like that in the refinement of my toys. Someday I'd also like to paint one of my VF-31 Siegfried's matte black for a stealthier look.

I'm really hoping they reissue the 'general issue' VF-25. That's my favorite.

This is AMAZING. I'm so happy I happened upon this thread. I'm speechless.

Fair point but we all have to agree that the YF-21 has a whole new special kind of anime magic necessary when it comes to those big legs disappearing into the sleek fighter. It is, after all, the only one of Kawanori-san's designs that doesn't utilize the 'intake/engine/thruster = leg' format which enables him to 'hide' the legs in plain sight. Even the line art and drawings I've seen don't really address how the big legs fit into the little space under the belly plates without squishing the fairly large engines up top. Not a problem for the VF-1. I wonder if the design was sort of a personal challenge for Kawamori-san to see if he could break away from the 'legs=engine nacelles' formula. My defense for the Yamato design has always been that if it were 'real life', big legs wouldn't be necessary to make the mech mobile in battroid because the lift would still be generated by the 'backpack/engines and that would be the majority of the control for its lateral or vertical movement with the legs acting more like kickstands - sort of like an Appollo lunar lander or the legs of a mosquito. This is to say nothing of how the legs look or support the weight of the TOY. It's just my brain making a reason for this toy to look the way it does as if I were playing with it in deep imagination mode. The Bandai design is sort of a different Macross universe in my mind where they (General Galaxy) decided that the legs needed to be big and beefy and agile for whatever reason (in case the engines break down and it still needs to be mobile?) And they (Bandai) tackled the question of what the plane would actually look like if it needed beefy legs AND engines. Just my personal take on it. Cheers and happy Halloween from the west side of Washington State.

Honestly, I'm really getting used to Bandai's vision of the YF-21 and its proportions. It reminds me a little of an F-35 in the nose, canopy and forward fuselage. in this rendition. I'm looking forward to the PO and getting one in my hands and on my shelf. Here's a thought: What if this mecha had been imagined and designed within the last few years using computer graphics instead of hand drawn and therefor wasn't using nearly as much anime magic to pull off its presentation in various modes? Would we have gotten something more like this in the first place? It may be improved upon in the future and I'd welcome that but I'm super excited to get this version now. Being a watcher of Macross back in its incarnation with DYRL, Macross Plus got me back into the franchise when it came out and the YF-21 has been one of my favorite valks ever since.

I'm also not liking how the arm canons are pointing inward in that photo. Great if it's shooting at something a few meters in front of it.

It's hard to tell for sure but it doesn't look like there is a rotating chair in the cockpit. It seems like it would be necessary to add that feature or at least some sort of canopy shielding to obscure the interior if they're ever going to release a VF-22 (which I hope they do). On a side note, I'm really looking forward to a YF-21 that won't fall on its belly with the slightest touch because of unlocking landing gear.

Yeah, I'm still getting 2. My reasoning may sound strange though. I don't display Bandai next to Yamato/Arcadia because the scales look off to me, specifically cockpit and canopy and pilot size. Putting a 1/60 Yamato VF-1 next to a 1/60 Bandai VF-25 just looks wrong to me. Sooooo, I need a Bandai YF-21 to display with my other Bandai stuff. I'll get used to the differences.

Ugh... If only they had made the nose a few millimeters longer and wider... It looks like a prototype of the VF-21. Almost a different plane.

They look weird to me too. Flared out at the bottom edges which looks okay in battroid but throws off fighter mode for me. 'Wonky' is a good word for it. They seem to have taken a ton of artistic liberties for their design. Another example of Bandai prioritizing battroid mode over fighter mode. But as has been discussed at nauseam, they failed at making battroid that much better to justify the sacrifices made to fighter mode.

Awesome photos, @MKT. I bought a couple sets of these even though I refuse to buy a 31AX. I do wish they had their won landing gear and I wish I could attach them to my Kairos but they're awesome stand-alone pieces.

Perfect transformation is ideal for me because it’s awesome when a toy is engineered that well. That’s the attraction. When it’s perfect transformation it makes the animation that much more enjoyable because it adds a sense of reality to the animation. This is not an impossible mech to engineer. Yamato got really close. A few tweaks and it could satisfy everyone. Back in the day the VF-1 had a lot of anime magic as well with the original macross series. Yamato eventually got it close enough that we’re pretty satisfied but even this last version, the canopy and nose of the the toy are longer in battroid compared to most of the animation and line art. The YF-21 is totally do-able if the right people could work on it.

I’d take the Yamato YF-21 over a parts former any day. For me, if it’s not perfect transformation, then what’s the point? But, it’s great for people that don’t care. To each their own.

Are we sure the model is perfect transformation? The cockpit and nose cone look very different from fighter/gerwalk to battroid.

My thoughts as well. I don’t think I’ll ever get an AX. But I have 5 Kairos. Yeah. I just imagine to myself that it’s charging something else…

I don’t like how thick the wing bases got. I don’t think the slight differences in battroid were worth it. The original 31’s were thickish but it was a lot easier to suspend my disbelief that they could obtain lift. The basic design of the new 31Ax just doesn’t appeal to me. In light of the quality issues, it’s been an easy pass for me.

Mine arrived today. Ordered from KAPPA HOBBY.

Damn. I was counting on them having landing gear. That was stupid of me.