Chronocidal

See, this is what makes me suspicious about this design. Those legs do not match the YF-29 pictures seen so far. I mean, look at them, they ARE VF-25 legs. They're the only part of the plane detailed with markings (the red and black ankle stripes, black panels on the lower leg around the gear door, the shaded portion of the kneecap), and all the markings are identical to what the VF-25F has, but not anything matching the colors we've seen on the YF-29 pics. I think the colored physical YF-29 we've seen had the entire lower leg painted reddish. What makes me really interested is that these are NEW VF-25 legs, with several features the DX did not have, like intake compressor blades, actual exhaust ports in the feet, and a redesigned mechanism to let the legs drop correctly for fast packs to mount. It makes me think they're using this new YF-29 design as a springboard to launch a new VF-25 design, since the designs are similar enough to share major components. I mean.. even if the YF-29 DOES use legs identical to the VF-25, that doesn't explain the legs being in markings for Alto's VF-25F (unless the CAD artists just got bored and were experimenting with color schemes >_>).

Can't say it looks worse, but without the engines there, the wings look like they should be clipped off a little. Meh. I like the design okay, but I would love to hear the reasoning behind making those wing engine intakes face inwards of all things. I mean, in space, sure, it doesn't matter, but the airflow into those things is going to be terrible in atmosphere. Truth is though, this thing kinda pisses me off. Not because of the design, but because it's proof that Bandai can make a decent looking VF-25, and they chose not to. I'm almost tempted to get one of these just to have a decent looking nose I can slap on my VF-25F. Anywho though.. unless I'm seeing things, it looks like they already have some sort of fast pack mounted on the legs and around the hip guns. And apparently, they realized that making the legs sloppy to allow room for leg packs was the worst idea in valk design ever, since this one actually has the thigh joint extended to accomodate the packs. In fact, I'm not sure what to think now.. looking closer, that CAD model is a weird hybrid of some sort.. All the newly designed pieces are bright colors, maybe for materials or mold planning. But then, the legs are already decorated with markings and stripes, and look like straight up VF-25F legs in Alto's markings, and a new and improved version at that (uncovered intakes, nozzles in the feet, plus I don't remember the knee covers rotating as shown when the thigh and knee joints were bent like that). Honestly.. now I'm kind of excited about this thing. Not because I love the design all that much, but because it looks like Bandai is trying to sneak in a revised VF-25 design in the process.

Oh please feel free to pass that model around, I've found it all over the net in various forms over the years. Just be warned, that one is 100% Hasegawa based. It's a nice aircraft model, but you will have serious trouble if you try to transform it. It's also fairly low poly for this day and age. I've got an in progress update to it, but it's been on my virtual shelf for a couple years now with no progress. It's meant to be for FSX, but I kind of fell away from my modeling hobby near the end of college. I really should pick it back up again. That leg looks incredible by the way.

Actually, yes, they should, since it would make it just that much easier not to buy them. And by my recollection, they aren't even up to "good enough" quite yet (though I haven't gotten the Monster, so that may make up for the lack of effort on the DX VF-25 and bad paint on the 27).

Grrr, I want to see this movie NOW... Actually, I've read Disappearance backwards and forwards like a dozen times already, so it's no surprise anymore, but I just want to see it. And yeah, that was me discussing the future content. Anywho... off to re-read those novels and wait for a fansub. I forget what the actual name of the particular story is, but I think the one with the treasure hunting, Valentines day, and the duplicate Mikuru is becoming my favorite one, probably right after Disappearance anyway.. the time shenanigans is epic. I really REALLY hope they do that story in anime form someday.. but, well, see above for my concerns about that. Once they open the can of worms that makes itself known in that story, there is no going back.

Dunno how you could go wrong there, both of those releases were pretty solid. Only downside I can see to getting more than one of either is not having the matched set, but it makes perfect sense if you prefer one color over the other.

Good to know that about the flexistands I guess.. but I've never felt I could ever justify how much the yamato stands cost when I could just make my own. I buy wooden bases and add posts of various type to them all the time to make stands for plastic kits, and despite the flexibility of those poseable stands, I've always preferred something solid to mount things on.

Very very true. I got my first one used from someone here, and my second one new. One thing to remember about the DX-25 is that different people will like or dislike different aspects of it. Personally, I'm an aircraft nut. If the plane looks ugly, doesn't look like it would fly, or severely mangles a good design, it's going to outweigh any sturdyness or decent functionality in robot mode. The fighter mode of the DX-25 is VERY different from the models, which look like they were ripped directly from the computer models used in the show. In this case, I place accuracy to the original design first, so I was disappointed in the approach they took. Overall though, I think a lot of the hate comes from the fact that many of us KNOW Bandai can do much better in terms of accuracy. The DX VF-27 is much more along the lines of what people expected with the DX VF-25. We expected Bandai to try and compete with the standard Yamato had set in the high-end collectible toy Valkyrie game. In the end.. they kind of brought a football to Yamato's tennis match.

Toldya. There are Valkaholics Anonymous meetings every thursday at 7pm, new members have to bring donuts. Sadly though, you might have a tough time completing any kind of collection at this point. Some of the earlier releases just aren't around anymore (depending on the retailer). I know HLJ stopped carrying some of the older ones. I'm glad I got my VT-1 last year at this time when it was marked way down, I haven't seen HLJ carry that or the VE-1 for a while now. Fortunately, the TV Roy is new and easy to get still, and the 1D is a classic that probably won't disappear for a while. Besides though, getting the VT-1 would open you up to DYRL, and you're probably safer sticking with just TV ones.

If you really LOVE the VF-25 design, I suppose it's worth it to grab one. There's no guarantee that a version 2.0 will ever come, so I wouldn't wait for it. In my personal opinion, the DX is the worst representation of the VF-25 currently available, in a pure aesthetic sense. It's just ugly to me, and Both the VF100s and 1/72 kits are light years ahead of it in terms of accuracy and looks. BUT (and this is a big "but") the only one that will hold up to any amount of real play is the DX. The models are display pieces which happen to transform, and the VF100s are more like legos than a transformer. For all it's uglyness, the DX is decently sturdy, although make sure to read up on the tornado armor.. if it's anything like the heavy armor set, it might overstress the plastic around the wings. I wouldn't recommend leaving the armor on to display it in any case. Edit: And Jenius is right, I think most of the people still reading this topic are the ones who were disappointed in the DX, so the opinions here are going to be skewed. I too love the design of the VF-25, I just think the DX is a poor representation of a nice design. Didn't stop me from buying an Alto and Michael though, and so far I haven't had any serious problems with them.

I don't know if I would call them different per se, since these are brand new issues. I got Max and Kakizaki strike bundles, which are both new releases, so the boxes are brand new styling. Style-wise, they look about the same as the TV Roy packaging.

Picked up my box last night, and I have to say I'm much more impressed with Yamato's 1/60 run than with the 1/48. Fiddled with my Max and Kaki 1As a little, and they're just as tight and solid as the first ones I got. Joint tightness on these seemed to lessen a little around the time the VF-1D and Max TV 1A were released, but that may be due to different types of plastic being used. Actually it's kind of funny... I almost preferred that run of slightly loose jointed ones, because I could actually get the landing gear down without any tools. Also, happy to confirm, these DYRL strike pack issues of the 1As do have the new nose hatch design, and non-coated canopy, and I checked the shoulders just in case, but no trouble there. As for the missing arm thruster, that sucks, but fortunately it's a very small and easy to replace bit. In fact, with Hasegawa making 1/48 kits now, you might actually be able to use something from those kits to fix it.

Yep, my order shipped monday... and I got a delivery notice today, so I can pick up mine tomorrow. Fast service indeed. Wait, holy crap, you ordered 8 1/60 CF-1As? XD

I think the wing nacelles and tail kinda ruin it honestly. The rest looks like a nice mix of VF-25 and 27, with a forward swept wing thrown in for.. ok, I can't think of a reason, I liked the VF-27's wing much better. But those tails look... honestly really bad. Not as bad as the extra nacelles, but bad.

Props to you for holding out this long, but don't let them suck you in now. That group of three is a nice set to have. I've gotten 14 of the things now over the past year (12 regular releases, and 2 unpainted kits). I haven't been aiming for completion, but I'm getting pretty close, and I'm running out of room, since I like to keep the boxes to store them when they're not on display. I am glad I decided to grab Max's DYRL 1A though, instead of his 1S, now that I think of it. I almost forgot about the two spare 1S heads the kits provided me with, so I can easily swap them around if I feel like it. Heck, I could even do a crazy what-if, and give Kakizaki one while I'm at it. A fully Strike-1S equipped DYRL Skull Squadron would be kind of amusing to display.

I wouldn't bet on it being the new version. I got my Max 1A quite a while after the new crotch design was introduced, and it was still the old version. Likewise, I would assume the canopy probably still has the coating, since I think only the newest releases have been confirmed to not have it. Actually, the canopy thing might bug me a bit.. I'd kind of rather have the coating on all of them so they match, but my DYRL Max and Kakizaki 1As will both have the uncoated version.

That was some great stuff all around. Loved all the Macross love. I think someone even tried to make the red VF-1 seen in that split second clip of the next Frontier movie. Think my personal favorite though was the navalized F-22 Obviously the change to leading edge slats didn't make any sense, but I loved it in those 1970s high-vis markings. By the way though.. what the heck was up with that F-15.. robot... thing...?? It looked like someone threw parts to an F-15 and a Zero in a box, dropped in a tube of glue, cranked up some funky 70s porn groove, and shook the box for all it was worth. Edit: There's actually a lot more fun stuff if you dig around more on the site. Someone built up an F-14 testbed in Focker's markings (VF-84 scheme with macross insignia and a skull on the neck where the VF-0's canopy shield is) and carrying a VF-1 gunpod, and VF-0 missile pods in place of normal fuel tanks. There was also some sort of weird custom armored VF.. I couldn't tell what it was, it was only in the corner of another shot, but the feet looked like a VF-0 battroid.. with reaction missiles and the boxy VF-1 missile pods strapped to its legs.

Well, I'd managed to resist getting a DYRL Max or Kaki until now, but 40% off is too tempting. Picked up a 1/48 Hasegawa VF-1S kit too. Probably didn't need to get the strike versions, but oh well, now I can have the full skull squad displayed together properly.. provided I can find the space to do it. Sad how much the dollar has fallen to the yen though, even with 40% off they were about $90 a piece. A plain non-strike 1/60 now normally goes for nearly much as I paid for my early super Hikaru 1A.

Given how the Mac+ line only has 3 planes, that one's kind of a no-brainer to finish.

I rarely hear F-16s referred to as Falcons by anyone anymore, seems everyone's picked up the nickname Viper instead, similar to how the A-10 is originally the Thunderbolt, but everyone calls it the Warthog.

I always thought it was pretty similar to Dambusters actually. I got the dvd of the first IE a while back for like $2.. figured it was worth it for the soundtrack and reminiscing about my childhood dreams of being a fighter pilot. Same reason I bought Top Gun, actually, though the F-14 pushes it easily on top. In fact, I don't think I've actually watched any part of either of those movies not involving aircraft in years. Reminds me, I need to find a way to setup a custom chapter playlist so I can skip all that useless character development automatically, and get to the flying. Honestly, for all that goes on in the first movie, it needs to be shown as a military training video in how NOT to conduct security. <.< I never could stand the second one, and never even knew 3 and 4 existed.. which was probably for the better.

That could work, but for decent speakers you're probably going to need two plugs.. a patch cord to go into a standard headphone jack, and a tiny power adapter to boost the.. heh.. sound. I mean you could just put a simple speaker and input in there, but it would be a travesty for those speakers to be weak and underpowered.

Aww, no love for a 1/48 YF-21? My ginormous YF-19 will be lonely. I'd rather have a VF-11 anyway though.

Sheesh, why wasn't that book around when I made my old flight sim model? Funny though, I don't think those main gear even resemble the anime. They look decently designed, but I don't think the gear originally had that F-18 style bend. I had a newer set worked out for an updated flight sim version in Gmax once, but that was for MS Combat Sim 3, which uses Gmax only, and I never made a 3DS Max version.

Wait, less than $100 for a fast packed 1/48? Nice, I'd probably jump on that if I wanted more 1/48s, but the 1/60s are just easier to manage, and I really like the sturdy booster attachment. Though as far as quality goes, the 1/48 M&M 1Js were near the end of the 1/48 production line, and the molds had degraded some I've heard. The Hikaru 1J I have has some issues with the nose/intake alignment. Nothing serious, but some parts don't match up as well as they should.