Lolicon

I haven't seen the OG series in decades so I'm not sure how dark Kakizaki's 1A should really be anymore.

And Bandai's "web exclusives" are still subject to PO madness, except now you have fewer options to go about obtaining them.

Bandai might actually finish a squadron? I'll believe it when I have them in hand.

Matte finish really makes the old VF-25 look better.

RE: nose cone gap While it's not present on my 25F, there was a very noticeable gap on my WWM. I noticed the top and bottom halves of the nose were not aligned properly. I pushed the two halves in opposite directions until they were aligned, then applied super glue along the seam to keep them aligned. That fixed the gap.

On the revival 25F one of the arm tabs for the gunpod is incorrectly sized so that's an issue from the WWM release that has not been fixed. Front landing gear is slightly crooked so that when you push back into the bay, the front wheel rubs against one side, which makes is harder to push in and pull back out later. Gunpod is at least straight this time. It was warped on my WWM. Wings and head lasers are still prone to being warped. This is another long-running issue from the renewals. Also have had to touch up some sloppy paint apps, but I think that's just something that's always plagued Bandai's stuff i.e. their fit & finish has always been inferior to Yamato/Arcadia (for the most part).

So, now that I have the Revival version in hand, I have to say it's great for those who missed out on the Renewals. But if you already have the Renewal and are happy with it (and it's not yellowed or broken), I wouldn't sweat missing out on the Revival version. The improved joints are only marginally better than the Renewals and the super parts are more purple-ish (it's the "Gundam grey" color I think if you've ever handled Gundam markers). The matte finish is lovely, but you could achieve the same effect with some matte topcoat sprayed onto the Renewals. But I understand not everyone has the time or wherewithal to do that, so the Revival version is a good choice if you absolutely must have that matte finish.

My copy arrived today. Matte finish makes it look so much better than the renewal. Canopy tint looks to be identical to the previous version. It might be a tiny bit darker, but the difference is so slight that it's negligible. Wings and head lasers are slightly warped because Bandai. Aside from the matte finish and NO STEP markings on the wings, it looks identical to the renewal. I know Bandai made a few modifications to some of the joints, but if it's the same as the WWM version then there won't be much difference. Side by side with my old renewal (phone pics) I broke my Messiah.

There's something rotten going on when HMR costs about as much as the DX line.

I guess Arcadia heard the complaints about loose joints in the original release and overcompensated a bit...

Even in videos the matte finish looks so much nicer than the old glossy versions.

Man I'd forgotten how plain the stock VF-25 toys are.

Shipping from HLJ was 4000 using Yamato transport. 3-5 business days.

Love that pic. Reminds me of this.

Looks great. Also like the use of clear parts for the walls to better diffuse light.

Damn that one on the right must have belonged to a heavy chain smoker or something. Also, he should dust his toys off every once in awhile.

Bandai and the concept of hassle-free shopping are antithetical to each other.

Great news. I'll probably buy some parts to convert the regular double stand into something more like Yeti or the max stand.

I'd pick up a few wall displays like that if they ever became available.

We'll find out when we get it in hand. Should have mine in a few days. I'm just hoping Bandai shored up their QC and this isn't another WWM VF-25.

Got around to setting up an Archi double stand. If you've dealt with Yeti stands before, then putting it all together is a breeze. The quality is the equal of Yeti, so I've no hesitation about purchasing more stands. (Though I do wish I could get more of Yeti's custom stand adapters because they were all much better than the stock adapters.) The only drawback (for me) regarding the double stand is that it takes up way more horizontal space than the double valk setups I had with Yeti stands. Whether or not this is a minus for you will depend on your display setup. For me, I would prefer taking up more vertical space. I also purchased some Archi custom max stand pros which do allow for double valk setups taking more vertical space, but I haven't assembled one yet. https://gokinplus.com/products/archi-custom-max-stand-pro Archi double stand setup For comparison, my Yeti double valk setup. The second valk is up and above the first valk rather than way off to one side. (Essentially more efficient use of limited space inside a display case.)

Hmmm I guess Bandai misplaced the molds for the SMS base. Canopy is heavily tinted so it's harder to see how badly painted the pilot figure is. Also someone forgot to pull out the lower stabilizers on the left one.

Amiami been really slow lately. Sometimes it'll take days after release before I finally get a notice that it's available and to pay shipping. And then after I pay shipping I've waited as long as 9 days for said item to actually go out their door.

Thanks! Though I'm still essentially beginner level, I'd like to think I've improved at least a little over time. Only one more to go and I'll have at last finished the movie skull squadron. Though I suppose I'll have to also finish putting Max's 29 back together too...

I stick by my original theory that the crotch plate was always meant to be colored/textured but the CG guys ran out of time so they said "F it, it's gonna be hidden in fighter most of the time anyway" and left it essentially blank. And now the uncolored crotch plate is canon.