Lolicon

I've built six of the 1/72 kits and I can tell you that the decals are pretty piss poor. Chronocidal covered the bases on that. The dithering is easily visible to the naked eye. You don't need a macro lens to tell it's some shoddy print quality. The stickers have the same poor print quality and fit issues, but have the added minuses of being thicker than decals, more difficult to conform to surfaces (no such thing as "sticker softener"), and worst of all, the pigment/coloring/whatever is thin as hell, meaning the stickers are actually translucent. It's not an issue on a white surface, but it becomes obvious when you try to apply a sticker on a darker surface, say a white sticker on Michael's 25G, or a white sticker on Alto's red YF-29, which ends up looking pink. I'm currently building building a Sheryl and Ranka YF-29, and I threw the stickers aside in favor of just painting all the stripes on. If you just want a fighter mode model, I'd get the 1/100 scale kit. It's cheaper and fewer parts and no transformation mechanism to deal with. In addition to being expensive, the 1/72 kits are pretty laborious to actually build because of the transformation feature. Plus it's a pain to actually get all the parts lined up in fighter mode, and you'll still end up with some unsightly gaps. Oh, and you'll probably end up with at least some paint and decal damage while fiddling around trying to get everything in place.

Just received my new kimono-clad Sheryl figure today. Oh my dear lord this is easily the best Sheryl... no, the best Frontier figure released so far! (Though I still like Ranka more. ) She's slightly taller than the black and white rabbit figures, and pretty heavy with that massive kimono and all that hair. Both the sculpt and paint job are superb, and I love the level of detail. For once Banpresto captures Sheryl's face perfectly! (The only other Sheryl figure to get her face just right is the Megahouse concert Sheryl, though I have two more Sheryls coming in the mail, so we'll see...) Right now I have her displayed in her bikini because you have to pull the kimono off to remove tons of plastic and bubble wrap, and I don't have the heart to put it back on. Rubbing painted parts on each other always makes me nervous. For anyone who collects anime (or just Frontier) figures, you don't want miss out on this one!

He means Bandai decals/stickers are hideous screen-printed affairs, if you stand closer than 3 feet away from the model.

I found a Sheryl right after for 16k on Mandarake, so I'll pass on it. I want the new movie Sheryl and Ranka figures. I'd prefer if they made full size figures of those two though.

What in particular is wrong with it? I'd be interested in it, unless what you have to say really about it is really that bad...

The gap is like 2 mm wide. It's a "no one at Bandai gave enough of a crap to check the CAD drawing before finalizing it" type of screwup. Also, the way the kit is assembled means that attempting to remove all the seams would entail an enormous amount of time and effort (and masking tape) that just isn't worth it for this kit. Even the pro built YF-29s in Hobby Japan left those seams in (or are photographed in such a way so that you can't see them).

First episode aired in December 2007.

Hit or miss with HLJ. Sometimes they ship fairly quickly, sometimes it takes forever. I guess it depends on how many people bother showing up to work there. When I ordered my YF-29 kits, they sat in the the "Preparing for Shipment" stage for 9 days. And they were "in stock" items. You are correct, sir. I held out hope that maybe the stuff would be caustic enough to melt those stickers, but then again if it was that strong it'd probably just melt the plastic too. I did discover something that is effective at getting the stickers to conform to the surface: a toothpick!

Here's something that I haven't seen mentioned. #$%@&*! Bandai can't even get the parts of their own simplistic kits to fit together properly. I wanted to paint as many of the markings on as I could, but when I went to assemble the upper and lower halves of the front fuselage, there's a gigantic gap in the parts. The two pieces are flush against each other at both ends. Also, the upper and lower halves of the lerx (is that what it's really called?) aren't even the same length. The bottom half of the lerx is clearly longer. I suppose it wouldn't be as much of an issue if you just cover it with a sticker... Some damn sloppy work, Bandai. I went online to see if it was just me, but it's not. Gap can be seen on this build too. http://reggiocomics.blogspot.com/2011/03/kit-review-yf-29-ranka-marking-ver_03.html

Out of boredom, I picked up a couple new items recently. There's been plenty posted about the Sheryl rabbit figures, so I'll skip those and go straight to Maiko Ranka, my new favorite Ranka figure. I was quite disappointed by the first wave of Frontier Ichiban Kuji figures, and even the Sheryl rabbit figures, though a vast improvement, have faces that don't really look like Sheryl. Banpresto finally gets it right with the release of Maiko Ranka and Oiran Sheryl (which I'll also pick up if I can find one reasonably priced). The pictures tell you pretty much all you need to know. She's a little taller than the other 1/8 Ranka figures I have, but they got her bust (or lack thereof) correct.

Thanks for the tip. I gave it a try but it didn't seem to have any effect on the marking seal. Does it take awhile to work or am I doing something wrong?

Hobby Search has pics of the upcoming Sheryl and Ranka marking versions. Not sure what to make of the Ranka version. Decal softener doesn't work on Bandai's marking seals, does it? http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10146349 http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10146350

Picked up a few new items when I was in Tokyo last month. Black/White Bunny Sheryl- For a game prize figure, it's quite nice... except the face! Gah! The sculpt and paint job all around are good, but the face... I haven't seen Sheryl with such a stoned, dead expression since the Emotion Style release. A shame really, because it's a great figure from the neck down. Ranka SQ Figure- I've been hoping that they'd release a figure of Ranka in her white dress and oversized boots, and Banpresto finally delivers! And it does not disappoint. I absolutely love this figure. Like B/W Bunny Sheryl, it's a great figure, made all the more impressive that it's also a relatively cheap game prize figure. But unlike B/W Sheryl, she has a good face sculpt, better than the first Ichiban Kuji figures IMO. She's the same size as Super Dimension Cinderella Ranka. If there has to be something to gripe about, it's that her hair is a lighter, more yellowish green than is normal for Ranka. But that's a minor quibble. Can't wait to get the last episode Sheryl to go with it. What can I say? I love girls with a penchant for big boots, be it Ranka or the real life Megumi. Ranka Valkyrie Shoujo- Smaller than the SQ figure, but I like it a lot. Definitely worth the 1100 yen. Also actually looks like Ranka, unlike Love Slinger Sheryl, whose face is... off. (Why does Banpresto have such a hard time with Sheryl's face?) I wish I could see some good Valkyrie Girl cosplayers in the real world! Also picked up a Maiko Ranka from Yahoo Auctions recently. Everyone's busy drooling over Oiran Sheryl, but no love for Maiko Ranka?

You're a goddamn genius! I'll do precisely that. Not interested in the canon schemes either.

So Bandai finally releases reasonably-priced, fighter mode-only Frontier kits... and they don't come with decals? I don't know what to say to that.

Thanks guys. You're too nice. I think I'm done with the 1/72 line though. Just a lot of hassle to build. The worst part is the sanding, IMO. I think before commencing any actual work on any kit, I must spend like two weeks' worth of evenings just sanding all the parts down. After this kit, I've sort of developed an affinity for these non-canon schemes. I think the Ranka & Sheryl versions of the YF-29 are next on my list.

Bandai clearly engineered the 1/72 kits for the "snap it together yourself toy" crowd, because for anyone who seriously wants to do a good job building and painting the kit, it's a royal pain in the rear. That being said, I think yours turned out pretty good, given the shortcomings of this kit. Dunno if you ever plan on building anymore VF-25s, but if you do, I'd recommend painting the sides of the interlocking parts where the stripes are, because just sticking the decals/stickers alone will leave lots of unsightly gaps. For my part, I will probably never build another 1/72 VF-25 kit. I think I'll look into the YF-29 fighter kits next... though they have their own problems. *coughstickerscough*

Hey all, Just thought I'd share the Deculture version of the VF-25F I recently completed. I started it when I had some free time over the holidays but couldn't finish till recently. Decals aside, the kit is identical to the regular VF-25 kit, so you all know what building one is like. Mine is painted and assembled straight out of the box. I lack the insane skills that many of you more awesome builders employ. But for a fun little project that I did when I had a bit of spare time here and there, I enjoyed building this kit... right up until the decaling and final assembly. Getting the often large deculture decals (which are mostly just carrier film) to lie flat over the 25's many irregular surfaces was troublesome, to say the least. In retrospect, I should've just sliced up the decals into smaller pieces and ditched most of the carrier film. Ironically, this is my most accurate VF-25 to date, even though it's for a non-canon paint scheme.

Yup, apparently she plays the piano too. And who knows, maybe having a niche status might be for the best. Being "mainstream" has its drawbacks too. I'm from the Gulf Coast region of the USA, and it's just as hot and humid as in Japan, except back home I make it a point to stay indoors as much as possible and, like everyone else in America, I drive everywhere, so my exposure to the H&H is minimal. Not so while walking and taking trains everywhere in Japan. My apologies though, as I should have been more specific about the crowding. It wasn't so much being packed shoulder to shoulder that I disliked as it was the effort to get a good view of May'n. Spent much of the nearly two hours standing on my toes with my head craned upwards to maintain a line of sight on her. By the end my feet and back were killing me. The crowding was actually a little better than taking the rush hour train.

Awww it sounds like I hit a nerve. Back on topic, I didn't like the tiny standing room-only venue. It said 500 people but that was way too many people for the place. We were quite literally packed shoulder to shoulder, everyone struggling to see over each other. I noticed the Side A/Side B thing but didn't really stop to take it in. Are the later concerts listed going to be at better venues? I'd hate to see May'n relegated to only tiny dives like the Palooza. I picked up a few souvenirs on the way out and was sufficiently gouged for them.

Hey all, I happened to have the good fortune of being in Tokyo during May'n's summer tour and was able to snag tickets to see her in Kashiwa (because I sure as hell wasn't going to go to Nagano!). I was going to put up an extensive report on the concert, but my enjoyment of the evening was curtailed by being crammed into a small room with 500 smelly otaku, all struggling to see over each other in a standing room-only venue. This is not an insult; it's ridiculously hot and humid in Japan right now. One local I spoke with told me it's unusually hot this summer. So this is really just my impression of the concert and May'n's appeal. First off, I would like to address the moronic anime bloggers who have written idiotic things like "May'n is fugly" or "Stop pretending to be Sheryl Nome." I'd like to address the second remark first. I have never actually seen May'n in a pink wig, so I'm not sure why they think she's "pretending" to be Sheryl. Second, if there's anyone on the planet who has the right to pretend to be Sheryl, it's going to be May'n. Regarding remarks about May'n being fugly: HUH? Have these loser anime bloggers never actually interacted with a real woman before? May'n is a cutie and I think she's even more adorable in person. I won't say she's the hottest Jpop singer I've ever seen, but I think she looks great. I want her to have my babies. I think these bloggers need to look in a mirror if they want to know what fugly really means. Anyway, unlike Megumi, May'n seems to be going for a more mainstream appeal, and she only performed a few songs from Macross. I actually got there a little bit late so I missed a few songs from the start, but the Macross songs I caught were: Obelisk Diamond Crevasse (amazing piano rendition with May'n playing; the best part of the evening) Lion ENCORE 1: Universal Bunny ENCORE 2: Don't Be Late Which brings me to my next impression. If she really does want to be a big-time "main" star like she's stated during previous interviews, she really needs to appeal to more than just the creepy otaku crowd, which was all I saw in attendance. Note this is merely my impression from a single concert; I have no idea how popular May'n is in Japan and I haven't really followed her work after Macross. Will she become a popular, long-lived singer and not just a passing fad as Frontier becomes a thing of the past? I have no idea. I hope she does, because she as an amazingly good singer. There's nothing better than hearing her perform live. We weren't allowed to take pics, so I don't have any images to offer you guys. Sorry!

Is the movie still playing in theaters?

Great review. I had never seen this VF-25 "in action" until now. The VF100 is still as crappy today as it was in December 2009, so it's still a relevant review. I'll just keep my hopes up that Bandai will revisit it in their Hi-Metal line.

You can add blue food coloring to the purple ink + Future mix to get the shade you like since acrylic ink is often way too purple.

Detailed 1/72 fighter mode and battroid mode-only kits would be nice. And what happened to the 1/48 scale model?