Chronocidal

You know, I keep waiting for someone to remember that there was a sliding cover over the back seat once Yang ejected. Would be a really easy part to make, too. I might have to look into that. Interesting thing though.. the helmet-less Isamu there looks far more detailed than the original, and his hands actually reach the controls. Or maybe they just shoved that one into the seat properly?

More like this.

Seriously, I'm sold for maybe two of those, it looks like a really solid VB-6 kit. I do want to see how the classic destroid mode works without the figure riding it though.

I know, I'm just dreaming that they'll sell all the extra bits separately, so I can grab a few more piles of missiles. They're not even including the fast packs this time, which is actually kind of insulting, considering how minor they are. It was stupid when Yamato didn't include them, and it feels even stupider for Bandai to backtrack on doing it right the first time. Maybe I'll try and pick up a 4th copy to repaint this time around...

Hehe, I might add more details later, but I'm building this primarily for a VR-focused sim pit, so I couldn't see them anyhow. I'm leaving room on the back of the panels for extra stuff to be added if I want it later. The TACAN dial is kind of a "best cheap option" though. The numbers won't work, because I would need to either build a fancy gearbox to convert the motion into the right increments, or find myself a dual-axis multi-position switch dial with 14 notches. The two dial segments do work independently, but they're just driving a dual-axis rotary switch that'll increase or decrease with each click. It'll work for giving me something to interact with that isn't a cross-cockpit mouse click though, so that's all I really need.

Heh.. and here I was hoping they'd make the heels not fugly. Probably asking too much, they really really do not seem to understand how the feet need to be shaped to work in all modes. Looking forward to the accessory pack though, I'll be happy to buy a few extras to outfit all the completely bare Bandai valks I have laying around.

Somewhere in the workbench/modeling/3D printing section of the site, if I recall. I tried using the search, but it either came up with too much unrelated junk to bother digging through, or nothing.

I had the same thought, but wondered if the colors in the photo might just be making it too saturated. That probably is the color it was painted, but it didn't come out that bright on screen. It should probably match the lighter blue seen on the panels around the deflector dish, the one directly under the starfleet emblem. I guess this sort of thing theoretically counts as being on my workbench, since it's my current project, but I'm getting deep into the DCS cockpit build process. While I know a lot of people make tutorials with laser-cut acrylic panels and backlighting, I decided to try what I had on-hand, which is just my 3D printer. I'm not worried about backlighting or gauges/displays for VR, so as long as the buttons are in the right place, they should serve me perfectly well (and I've left room in the radio panel for a frequency panel just in case). Bonus points if you can ID the component reference names, and what plane they're from.

I still don't want to give up hope on Arcadia someday putting out a PF version of that one, but I'd also settle for a DX version It's always baffled me a little about how much of a shelfwarmer the VT-1 tends to be, considering how much screentime it gets in DYRL, and how many iconic scenes it was the centerpiece for.

I wish they'd run their "line-art accurate" filter through a common sense one too. I can understand wanting something to be screen accurate, but you have to draw the line somewhere, and I'd prefer it to fall on the side of things that make physical sense.

I'm pretty sure the issue MANY people are having is related to the borked up elbow/wrist slide extension. Finding a place to actually apply pressure to make the arm slide into the proper orientation for fighter mode is not trivial to begin with, and they seem to have slopped glue throughout the mechanism.

I don't know if anyone posted completed pics, but it's pretty easy to find a photo comparison. For reference, here's Jenius's review of the missile set, which includes photos comparing the Bandai and Yamato missiles in all scales: https://anymoon.com/blog/?p=13242 Otherwise, there are lots of pictures of the Hasegawa weapons set, both CAD and photos applied to the Hasegawa 1/48 VF-1 kits, so it's a pretty easy visual comparison. The most obvious difference is that Hasegawa goes all-in on the realistic details, and the pylons are a huge step up from what Bandai shoved out. Lots of good product pictures here. https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10289601 The biggest headscratcher about Bandai's version is that they went to the trouble of making the working flaps on the DX VF-1.. and then restricted them from moving with the missiles mounted. I did the comparison back when they released, and the pylons of the HMR missiles are literally longer than the DX version. Anyhow, as far as what would be involved in modding the pylons to fit the DX, the most reliable way would be to hack up the missile set and transplant the hardpoints from one set to the other, but what I remember seeing was someone making a 3D-printed part that could be glued into the Hasegawa pylons to allow them to mount on the Bandai hardpoints.

I haven't seen anyone printing a full set, but for the work involved, it's probably a better deal to just buy the 1/48 Hasegawa set for the models, and build hardpoint adapters into the pylons. Bandai made the pylons ridiculously stubby for some reason, so the Hasegawa set is a pretty huge improvement if you're displaying them in fighter or gerwalk.

I don't believe the issues have been seen on any YF-19 release except for the Premium Finish version, which I'm personally leaning toward blaming on tolerancing issues with the weathering coating the parts got. The part that doesn't make any sense with the AX releases is that they know the tolerances for those molds. The parts that don't fit seem entirely randomly distributed through the production run, which makes me think Bandai have been outsourcing the production to alternate factories, possibly with alternate molds that aren't made to the same tolerances. Or.. I actually wonder whether the 31AX is literally a kitbash. What if it was cobbled together from extra parts and molds left from the original 31 production runs? The ones that were almost up to spec? That would explain a lot.

If you actually want one just to have one, in a collecting sense, now's probably the best time. On the one hand, the design has been kind of a clunker, so I would imagine there may be a few bargains to be had on the secondary market. On the other.. Bandai is re-releasing the main character already, and there's nothing special about it compared with the original. That makes me think they're trying to get one last gasp out of the most popular one before they shut down the product line, and abandon the unmade Delta designs. Now might be the last chance to get one at retail before the supply dries up, and Bandai's terrible QC mess winds up boosting the collectability.

Weird backpack split aside, that honestly just looks like you could make it into a pretty solid VB-6 model that might fully transform without many compromises for the figure. Which is nice.. because I really don't care about the figures, I just like nice displayable size of these valks. The fighters are pretty close to HMR-scale..-ish.

Because Bandai needed an excuse to re-use half of the 31 molds (which they somehow made worse) while still making a "new" hero toy to sell for their movie. I do wish they made it easier to get more of the original 31 gun/drone pods, since they look a lot better on the AX than the thermometer.

Yeah, the consistency of all of the AX release is just off the rails. I don't think Bandai is even making it in the same production lines as their older VF-31s.

Honestly, it's just a stick of tan model sprue that I drilled out and filed to match the size of the weapons pylon pegs. Lots of careful trial and error testing to fit, then I sawed the individual rings off, and superglued them to the underside of the wing.

Ok, I'm intrigued. I actually kind of like how the art style is giving me slight Titan A.E. vibes. I'm also a sucker for time travel/alternate timeline shenaniganry, so I imagine it will be quite fun to try and unscrew the twists and see how it interleaves with the original storyline. Even if it breaks things, I'm sure I'll enjoy the mental puzzle of working out the details.

Yeah, it does look similar to the 1/8000 kit, but some of the specific details are different. The thruster banks on the underside are just pits instead of raised nozzles, and there's no molded circle in the side of the rear bridge area. Very cool find!

It really kind of depends on your eyes, and the light you're used to seeing it under. I've actually noticed in the past that my right and left eye actually see slightly different shades of gold/brown/yellow. I think it's not a pure blue, there is definitely a tinge of green in it. It's probably harder to see on the valk itself, since it has a slightly blue-gray color.

I think it's a good balance yeah, I'd still like them a bit cheaper, but I can vouch for their durability quite firmly, and they're the perfect size to display on my desk at work. I had a pair of HMRs posed on my desk during the 2019 earthquake. They toppled onto the floor, parts flying everywhere... but nothing broke. They popped right back together, good as new. One of my DX VF-1Js took it even harder.. took a 5 foot header off a bookcase in gerwalk mode, and fortunately landed in a pile of cardboard boxes and packing materials. Hands and gun popped off, a few parts here and there, and it's still in one piece, but it definitely fouled up one of the hip joints on impact, so that leg isn't much good for posing anymore.

All the more reason to use those with the armor. Or just swap the canopies around, in any case. As long as you have a few in battroid, you'll probably have a few free clear ones to use.