mpchi

http://www.happinetonline.com/NASApp/mnas/...D=4543112568175

May be someone can accurately translate the detail description there.

Not much we don't already know. A few interesting highlights are:

New minor detail added (based on Kawamori's updated design sketches)

New landing gear hatch design.

Packed with tons of missiles (but didn't mention if they are removable or molded in the armor parts)

Comes with display stand

Just a point in Yamato's defence-- all plastics will eventually get brittle, whether it is because of plasticizer migration or oxidation of the polymer chains. Dyed plastics (like Yamato uses) may get brittle even faster, depending on the type of dye used. It is just part and parcel of having a plastic product, just like how metal products will eventually corrode over time. I really don't think that Yamato should be faulted for this here.

Not sure if thats a good defence though. I got some colored plastic figures (Takatoku, Takara, Bandai...etc.) thats more than 20-30 years old. I don't even see stress marks on their pegs thats not even half as thick as the broken swivel of my 1/48 1S.

The theory of brittle yamato plastic after some years might actually be true. Yesterday, my first release 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru just had its right arm elbow swivel cylinder peg broke off clean while I was posing it. It was in display case in the past years with some posing or transformation only once in a long while. That cylinder peg broke off clean from the 'disc', dismembering the entire lower right arm. Looks like just posing and the ratchet elbow had been stressing that peg little by little as it get weaker through time, then broke off without any force needed, like what you would normally pose the arm. Needless to say, 'yamatoed!' once again.

I don't see similar crack on my YF-19 just yet, though I leave it in battroid mode mostly. But wouldn't surprise me if issues start surfacing as the plastic gets older.

I am certain they will make the [antagonist] VF-27 before they make a VF-171..regardless of what status the 171 gains from being flown by Alto. (And that's hoping we get a DX of either! )

Let me put it to you this way:

Think of Macross Plus; Dyson (the hero) flew a YF-19 and a VF-11B. Guld was the antagonist (through most of it anyway) and flew the -21. Now what order did they release the VF's?

YF-19, YF-21, VF-11B.

Both times!

Not sure if that is a good example though, since Macross Plus is all about the 19 vs. the 21 test project. 21 is not just the bad guy's mech per se, but the alternate ego of 19. But in Macross F, VF-25 is not in direct competition with VF-27. They are not that closely related, and you don't get the paired-up impression like you do with 19 & 21.

Just put this guy together, a new 1/48 Focker with the Urban Camo GBP-1S. Combined both stickers sheets as well to get the most details out of this design. While I encountered some QC issues (like usual ), this turn out to be my current favorite incarnation of the VF-1. Can't believe I currently like this more than my favorite anime color GBP with 1J. The colors and camo pattern on this just add a lot more contrast to the figure, without being too loud. Picked more yellow colored stickers to echo the paint scheme. Really loving this one, even though the whole thing really needs something to support it to stand right, thanks to the brand new wobbly knee ratchets of this particular 1S.

Heh, and did this quick photoshop mock-up ad for my boy.

This is the fate that awaits those who treat lightly the polite requests of Gubaba not to copy and distribute the work over the internet...

Pete

Or even better, changed the entire story and dialogue into something else, following robotech tradition.

I seriously doubt Bandai is going to do a complete redesign of the VF-25 DX toy. It's selling well, so why should they.

Graham

Agreed. While the DX VF-25 has shortcomings, really don't see Bandai wants to invest more money on the same toy Bandai itself saturated the market with. I bet Bandai will try to make the most out of this mold to make its money's worth with all the variants they can pull off. While its just a simple assuption on my part, the Movie versions will probably sport a different paint job, or have just a handful of new parts that can swap with the current DX. Just look at SDF-M & DYRL. How much different are the VF-1 between the two?

However, developing other valks from Macross F is much more possible. The same people that bought the DX VF-25 are more likely to buy those too. And I would love to get a VF-171 for sure. With armor pack even better. That is one sweet valk, even if it took over the 'cannon fodder' role of the VF-1A brownie.

I have the same problem with the right leg panel of my 1/48 GBP-1 VF-1J TV Hikaru armor - but it is fixable - that is to say, I managed to get it to stop popping off. You just have to accept that it will not close completely. Maybe one day I'll have a look see at why there is a minor gap - but there it is... it's not that big a deal.

As for the 1/48 shoulder being cracked ....to my mind this is the first time in several years that anyone has reported that major a problem with a 1/48. I have only four 1/48s but all of them are solid, perfect and QC free.

Pete

Thanks for the info. My original color GBP don't seem to have this issue however on the 1J Hikaru. The original GBP has some loose groin pieces instead. But the legs were fine. Though I managed to use super glue to thicken the round peg of the loose panel on the Urban Camo armor, and now it sits much tighter. But like you said, there is a gap.

As of the hinge of the new 1S Focker, I'll leave it for now. Doesn't seem the chest would fall apart because of it. Or I'll superglue it to keep it from worsening later on if necessary. I have a few 1/48 too. But this is the first one to have cracked hinge, while others have other issues. Haha, 'yamatoed' again I guess.

Disintegrating shoulder issues aside, most Yamatos are far tougher than most people give them credit for.

It's sad that some people are actually afraid to transform them.

Graham

Hmm...interesting. But somehow all the broken shoulders, wobbly ratchets, floppy limbs, cracked hinges and stress marks on my entire Yamato valk collection speak otherwise. There is literally none that I don't need to disassemble some parts to fix something. In some case, some are not fixable.

Got myself a new 1/48 Focker VF-1S, but has a cracked front shoulder hinge. Not the one that connects to the arms, but the one that connects to the chest panel. Both shoulders are a bit too loose and need to be fixed.

Also got myself a new 1/48 GBP-1S Urban Camo set. While the armor is really cool, the right leg right panel keeps popping off and can't close up completely. Connection is way too loose. Yellow paint on the chest has a bunch of 'dust' mixed into the paint, creating a lot of tiny bumps. Some stress marks in varous inner panels too.

While I admire their artistry on making some pretty valks, I have yet to buy a Yamato valk with zero issues... really can't see how many of you guys still sworn by its quality and durability.

This is beyond Deculture....

Wow...did all you guys watched this?! This is truely an amazing video. Might be the best compilation Macross clips music video I've seen. Though only has a few hundred views...

Why do they have cars in the first place if they were only gonna run for 300 meters back and forth the city...

LOL. And they even have taxi in there too. If you can run pretty fast, you can cover 100m within 15secs. So having a city around 300-500m long (even with double or triple layers) and having 50000 people living in there is really pushing it. All they really need to change is the length of Macross from 1.2 km to something much longer. Not too sure why they didn't just change those stats and make the whole fiction much more convincing. But instead, they being stubborn about it when the entire show's visual is telling a story of a much much larger Macross.

Minmay got my vote for sure! She got the sweetest voice, well balanced singing technique, got the cutest look, and the songstress that started it all.

Sheryl is pretty hot with some interesting edgy songs. Interesting personality as well. However, I don't always like the way she sings in some. Her voice is nice and she got technique for sure, but there are times she made her voice so 'tight' (like in her version of Aimo, as well as What 'Bout My Star?) in some incidences that is not quite to my liking. As if someone struggling in karaoke trying to hit a high note. But in her case, she purposely sings it that way, not very pleasant to hear nonetheless. But really like her more natural voice when singing in Diamond Crevasse.

Ranka is kind of cute, get some catchy songs, but she doesn't have much technique and feels very green as a singer.

Ishtar, Sharon Apple, Basara all got some nice songs. I like them, but not as much as Minmay or Sheryl.

Worthy mentioning is Ranka's mom. Her voice is actually very nice. Like her version of Triangular better than Sheryl & Ranka combined.

The shoulder problems are probably due to some issue with the tolerances with the mould-- the left shoulder is too tight, causing the screw breakages, while the right shoulder is too loose. These problems seem to be cropping up. However, if you hold the '5-dot' shoulder piece while rotating the left arm, there should be less strain on the screw, and you need some glue or something for the right shoulder as has been mentioned before.

Not sure if the loose shoulder issue are as universal as it seems. As both shoulder ball joints are still evenly tight on both sides. They 'broke-in' after a few transformation and some posing, so they are not super tight like when it was brand new, but they are still very tight. The hip peg on mine still connects pretty sturdy as well. Don't have the same 'universal' issues that you guys have.

Though I do have a non clicky thigh ratchet & a loose hip metal hinge, which I did managed to fix.

i dun said that over here

ozma neck

Yeah. A lot of folks seem to have missed the 'angled neck' trick, and thought the DX VF-25 either has no neck or has a wobbly chest.

Not to mention Amazon Japan no longer ship things with economy shipping (1500yen & up). They use EMS for all oversea orders now, with a base shipping price of 3000yen & up, depending on how many items you adding to your order. So buying from Amazon Japan is no longer as cheap as it used to, unless you have a big order of multiple books, CDs or DVDs.

Its hard to say one better than the other, as I view them as one, 2 components working hand in hand. DYRL is definitely the one that defines the visual for me. When I think of classic Macross, its mostly DYRL visuals that pop up in my head. Its still a visual marvel to behold today, even though its dated back in 84. But it doesn't have all the details and character development from the TV series. Just by viewing DYRL, characters are very shallow for someone never seen the TV series. When we feel like we know the characters like Focker, Hikaru, Minmay and such, its the TV series characters that we actually know, as DYRL gives us very little info of who they are.

So in the end, can't vote one over the other. To me, classic Macross = TV Series + DYRL.

IMO, Bandai's 2008 VF-25 DX are roughly comparable to Yamato's 2000 toys in terms of design. Graham

Woooow~! So the Bandai DX VF-25 is roughly on par with Yamato's 1/60 ver.1 VF-1 & 1/72 YF-19... wow. Just wow. Graham, didn't expect you would go that far.

Yes. With whiny fans.

Haha. So true.

Just received my HLJ package with Alto and Ozma. Man that box looked small. Opened them up and they were pretty fun toys.

Hate the Ozma head because the way it currently looks does not look like the awesome mecha that showed up in Episode 1. Gonna fix it with a double revoltech joint and see if it can still transform with the new joint.

Big plus for Bandai, the boxes are awesome! Small and compact yet with almost no wasted space. If all my previous Yamato toys were this well packaged and space efficient I would have a hell of a lot more space in my closet.

Something that irks me about the toy. Battroid can't do a decent "T" stance.

Yeah. The Bandai box is so compact that its like 4x VF-25 boxes = 1x Yamato Valk box.

Y'all can poo-poo it all you want, I think it's a quality piece, easily on par with my 1A.

While the wing has a definite intentional curve to it, I also think there's a bit of extra upward bend being put into place by the tightness of the lock fit on the wing roots to the legs and the way the root locking peg is angled. It notably cants the legs (and thusly the wings, thrusters, and landing gear) outward and upwards a bit. It messes a bit with that OCD corner of my brain, but not enough to distract me from how great it looks and feels otherwise.

Nice QuinJester! Finally got to open yours huh? Looking at your pic, the DX VF-25F actually made the Yamato VF-1A looks plain when it comes to the details.

I wonder have anyone used the blow dryer technique where you heat the plastic up with a blow dryer and place it on a flat surface or bend it to the position you like, let it cool off and there its straight and it wont form back into its original crooked form, and also try this method with the antenna of the dx ozma due to my experience with some other toys this usually works. I hope this would help with some of the problems. One more thing try to unscrew the other arm and go to a hobby shop, radio shack or a rc shop maybe a hardware store too. show the sample screw piece to them. I'm sure they might have one or if not ask them where can you get the screw they have the knowledge for that.

The blow dryer technique works with the PVC antenna. You can even speed things up by cooling with a piece of ice or ice pack from the fridge.

But make sure you DON'T correct or straighten the wings. Its not a warped plastic defect. Its intended to have that curve. Look at the housing of the wing where the wing is retracted into. The housing also has the same curve. So the curve is an aesthetic touch, not something you should correct. You can ruin your toy and the wings won't retract properly if you 'warp' it straight.

Well, I must say visually, its awesome to see the toy on the screen, so kudos for that.

I will say though, that your commentary is rife with errors which detracts from the "review" overall.

I'd say sorry for being nitt-picky, but this is a Macross forum and one should expect this sort of response

So from a Macross fan perspective, and not being a Transformers fan here are my gripes:

Foremost, comparing Takatoku toys to Jetfire is rather irksome to some Macross fans since Takatoku toys came years before. I understand that it helps American fans by providing a frame of reference for the toy, but maybe a better approach would be to "compare Jetfire to Takatoku toys" if that makes sense. (Basically they came first and Jetfire is really the red-headed stepchild of Takatoku toys)

"Today we've got the Battlroid Valkyrie review, its the VF1J model of "Jet" from the Super Dimensional Macross, The Movie"

It's "Battroid", not "Battlroid". "Battloid" is from Robotech

Did you almost say "its the VF1J model of Jetfire"?

The toy is from the TV series, not the movie.

"This particular one I believe is known as Max Jenius or the "Blue Max" piloted by Max. Its a great rendition of the toy. You can see the tip down here being a bit sharper than average"

Never heard it called "Blue Max" since Max always has a blue paint scheme. "Max VF1J" is what its normally referred to as.

All Takatoku 1/55 Valkyries have that same tip so its not "sharper than average", its exactly the same. I'm guessing you mean "sharper than the Jetfire toy"?

"You can see that Takatoku obviously had some great drawing people"

Actually not Takatoku's artists. That art was supplied by Studio Nue/Artland. Most of that art was by Toshimitsu Suzuki, who worked for Artmic/Artland. Studio Nue was responsible for planning Macross.

"And down below ‘em, the cannon fodder so to speak. The bad guys vehicles."

Only the last one is a "bad guys vehicle". Most of the bottom row is cannon fodder, except the first one in the row. Its the VF1J Armored Valkyrie, which is an armored version of the "hero mech" of the show, definitely not cannon fodder.

"I want to say Max and one of the main female characters. Her name escapes me at the moment."

Millia Jenius. Max's alien wife. Pretty much of as much importance as the Max character himself and who also received her own red VF1J in the same toy line.

As far as transformation, in Battroid Mode the wings are supposed to be closed all the way. They are displayed open in the box to allow the backpack to fold down which saves space.

Thats a lot of nitpicking right there, but at the same time, the info corrections are accurate.

Edward28, just don't feel bad or take it personal. The more you dig into Macross, the more you'll learn the difference.

Yeah, I kind of knew it must be you, as you were bitching about my video

Is there a Transformation guide for the head of the VF-25 here? As I can make it sit a number of different ways but don't know if any of them are the correct one... Learning Japanese is still on my to do list.

Yeah, that neck/chest transformation is a bit funky. I tried following the instruction closely (the pics with the back view showing the cockpit block leaning on the neck platform), but the neck turn out short even on my Alto. But today when I transform it again and did the neck/chest slightly at a different angle, the neck sticks out more and now looks great (though the back view is not as close to the instruction pic as before). Since the chest assembly doesn't lock at a specific spot, I guess its up to us to arrange it however we like to get the best results? Not sure really.

Yeah, the 1/60 v2 is definitely the way to go if you just starting to look for a VF-1 toy. Not too pricey, but improved from all other previous generations.

From my limited knowledge, Yamato is bootleg free. But if the sellers are dishonest, they can still sell you a VF-1 with defect or broken parts. So still need to be cautious. And since English is not your fluent language, its a bit more risky buying on ebay. Harder to communicate when there is an issue with your purchase. Most sellers are good, including HK or asian ones (especially Japanese sellers, they are very nice in general and pack your items real well). But you will encounter some bad ones too. So safer to buy from a online store like HLJ, BBTS, Lost & Found Toys, Angolz...etc., since they have decent prices and have good customer service (especially BBTS) in case something is wrong with your toy.

But for resin kits and not something currently carried by above stores, then you might have no choice but to go ebay.

Good luck on finding your stuff. And looks like HLJ has them in stock.

http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65236

http://www.hlj.com/hljlist2/?Dis=-2&fr...chpage=top_page