Angesdad

Okay I busted my copy open today which marks my very first Arcadia Valk (yay!😗). My first impression is it’s a big bird for 1/60 scale I suppose the Zero valks are designed significantly larger than VF-1’s eh, it takes up a good chunk of my limited display space. I have not audacity to transform it yet however right from the get go, the drooping intakes do bother me as they do not seem to positively lock in against gravity. I keep pushing it up, wiggle jiggle the remainder of the legs with no success. I was watching Jenius’s review dated 9 years ago and it had the exact same problem. 9 years is apparently not long enough time for a reputable boutique toy manufacturer to redesign an extra tab. Lastly is it just me, the whole thing feels so bare like a blank canvas with wings without tampo printing it screams decals and possibly some focused weathering because this was a 40k yen valk, yikes. I see now why folks spend the money to get its premium finish equivalent. Of course it isn’t the worst toy, I like the die-cast landing gears come already painted in white, that’s a first and real fresh coming from a heavy Bandai’d user.😆 I have ordered in some Aliexpress third party waterslide decals hopefully I will grow to appreciate it more when everything is said and done.

Up next the inevitable Tamashii exclusive sound booster the dx for..say 13,000 yen?!😆

Does anyone have recommendations for a decent third party waterslide decal to replace the sticker sheet it comes with?

Being a latecomer to the party I seem to remember being real desperate trying to pick up a 31j super pack which was scarcely popping up on Mandarake and if you blinked, you’d miss it.😆 The tables have turned indeed, at least for Delta franchise.

It going to be my first SDF-1 toy I am excited. Apparently it hardened yes the bridge.🙃

His observation of “The lock on the left ankle is loose” is also seen on my Ozma, it does engage but pops out of furthest extension point a bit too easily.🧐

Will Arcadia address the leg popping issue ball joint at the hips?🧐

Not sure if the 2 screws instead of 3 is actually the culprit but I did notice the legs on my Ozma is satisfyingly firm. You hold it horizontally and the legs don’t droop down against gravity. At least not as much. The same for the shoulders, no sagging out of the box and I wonder if they went full metal ball on the shoulder too. Overall the whole figure feels more solid. Wasn’t the case with Alto rerelease which should have come with a Philips screwdriver in the blister.😁 If I was to nitpick, one of the diecast ankles on mine that you pull out to extend is on the loose side that I am not getting a satisfying click into position.

I second your sentiment. Just had my extra Ozma shipped from YYK and the shipping was indeed higher than usual at 9600 yen via Fedex. From the shipping dimensions noted on FedEx, I am certain It comes in a shipping box just big enough to accommodate the figure and then some packing material. No over packaging lives here that affects such an extravagant shipping. Holiday rate in effect or am I being ripped off by Ryota-san? On the other hand, Hobby Genki shipped me at a very reasonable rate, however the outer shipping box was cardboard pieces slapped together with ZERO room for protection. A couple corners dented, it’s pissing me off to see such business practice and negligence, is 40,000 yen some pocket change to these people?

Yes it does. NNG blacklisted me because I made them refund for an order that never seemed to get fulfilled in timely fashion. This is when DX VF-1 armored released. Go figure.😎

Waiting for someone posts a review I’d like to see how they treated “matte” surface finish for the armor parts.😎

The secondary market price (Mandarake) for a missile pack has gone up to 22k yen, the same as VF-31J super…insane.

Maybe the new Ozma kit released next month will inspire me to top coat Alto’s down the road, for now I put it up for the first time and it is glorious! the bunny gal is for scale comparison purposes only.😜

That is a beautiful semi gloss finish😍 I should have been more specific, the metallic finish of my inquiry was on the silver radiator fin things middle of the boosters. For sure I am staying away from applying matte coat as it will pretty much flatten metallic feel and make it look grey almost, done it before swore I’d never do it again. 🤣 As for what @David Hingtgen mentioned, durability could be an issue however if you clean it well oil free prior to top coat, it should be okay?!

Hey gang I’ve finally gotten my paws on an armoured parts for Alto after stalking Mandarake for quite some time now, an awesome kit but I see that the grey plastic is real glossy for my taste. The red looks right. Has anyone tried top coat treatment on this particular armour set, If so does the metallic paint on the boosters get dull and lose its metallic sheen thus looking like matte grey? Your input is much appreciated.😊