regult

I've got the Nora, praised as the the "safe" SV-51, but my wings collapsed completely after a 2 or 3 gerwalk poses (never even posed it in battroid), that little peg that is supposed to make it straight in fighter mode enlarged the misaligned holes on the outer wings, so I've got a bat wing forever. I already sent a request to Overdrive for Yamato replacement wings and would really appreciate them and Yamato would care about a humble customer like me (the "toy" is worth like 200 bucks!!!). The request was sent almost 2 moths ago and still no reply. Basically the SV-51 toy was never the most solid of the Yamato valks and probably they gave up on it so I am on my own. You seem to have a greater problem with yours...how many times did you transform or posed it? maybe you could still isolate the problem and use the superglue technique to increase tightness of joints involved? This didn't work for me on the wings though, so thighs/legs should be a greater challenge.

Taking on the cockpit covered by the backplate issue: if you think anime magic was gone with CG, you're really wrong...in Macross Zero, most mecha combat was CG animation, I believe in Frontier 100% of the mecha action was CG, still, there is A LOT of anime magic and concessions...like most dramatic poses you'll never achieve with any model or toy available because solid stuff cannot just blend/sink into each other. Below are some screencaps of sequences lasting no more than 1 second is some cases... I think the 1/72 plamo is really close to the CG model they used in the show, and certainly there is no more "where did that go during transformation" in the VF-25, so what I am saying is, maybe because of this, some concessions on proportions need to be accepted. That's why I am not sure Macross 7 mecha can be made into transformable lineart-accurate or anime-accurate toy/models in all three modes. I think it is simply cool that fiction mecha designs can be made into physical models, wasp waist or not, I think the VF-25 is the closest I've got to it. EDIT: I want to add, I consider these "anime magic" concessions for the sake of a dramatic sequence and not really animation errors (like the head of the Alto custom being with or without the red/black stripes in fighter mode from scene to scene), and stress they don't fall into the category of "where did that go upon transformation" or as anime53k8 puts it "parts completely changing shape and size"

I could have missed sth here, but where does this picture come from? Leg position is corrected, but...did Bandai do it?

I guess I am lucky...the wife and I were looking for the VF1/100s when suddenly we were like struck by lightning at the sight of the macro Klan displayed in one of the shops. Honestly, we both went "Whoa!" and made the shopkeeper jump. Then realized it was a "bootleg" or QC-rejected batch, but before I came to my senses, I was searching inside a box with a dozen or so figures, most of which were Klan with sth broken. Picked up one after a long while (then the wife was still helping me select the least damaged one) and upon paying without even bargaining, the wife reminded me I payed what a VF plamo is worth, and it wasn't even properly packaged (QC-defective), and made the following remarks about the boobs: "they look like aubergines". We watched Frontier together and she liked the character too, but just thinks the boobs are hilariously large. EDIT: I actually think they could have gone a bit lighter on the boobs with the sculpt, but I understand it belongs to a niche market in Japan.

It's been months since the VF-25F (first and only) assembly...the rest are all piled up next to my computer desk...hope I "get the hang of it" and finish the Skull team in a go instead of huge hiatuses between each build. Should be moving sometime this year so I guess it will be long since I start the assembly line! I just re-watched episodes with close ups of the G, and that blue valk does have blue underside of the cockpit as the instructions indicate, which brings the question "why did Bandai bother to do a separate white crotch but not a white intake and a blue underside?"...I think I will steer away from that foil sticker, and since I am not planning on painting the model, I will leave it anime-inaccurate ... someday

That's what I pick up from the illustration and the text...The armored S cannot stand by itself without the action base so they decided it's a must...good thinking. Also, the armor seems to be detachable just like the Super pack, which means some parts need to be changed, so it's not a completely new kit...good! (will we ever get a stand-alone all-purpose armor? hmm...only the S and the F used it in the show??)

Not surprising the Armored versions will be coming next in the line, since Frontier is the new Bandai Macross puppy...I was pleasantly surprised they went with the VF-19Kai, but since the 1/100 seems to be so closely related to the 1/60... Hoping they have enough cash or know exactly what they're doing, 2008-09 is certainly Macross revival years but it's also financial tsunami, and despite us not being Bandai's main target market, Japan is not doing great either (correct me if I am wrong). I am most likely not buying any more 1/100 unless they're BELOW the 5K Yen line...or the toy is 100% transformable miracle (and we all know that's impossible).

That's the helmet I am missing...thanks for the pics. Mine looks the same, some paint scratches due to rough packaging and shipping (it's a QC-rejected leak to Hong Kong...cannot complain too much, at least I got the figure!) Don't take the bait, the G will still be dwarfed by Klan...they're not meant to be to-scale... Thanks too for the extensive photo review!! (I looked so closely at every picture!, but saved everyone from looking at them again in my reply). Wish mine had a helmet! but still, better no-helmet than no-Klan at all.

thanks for your sacrifices mate!

Worthless without pictures? here goes my collection (not much to see, just a pile of boxes), only the first VF-25F is assembled...no idea when I will be able to start building the rest of the Skull Squad and there is the Armored VF-25S around the corner! Bandai did bother to give us a white "crotch" for the G, but didn't do so for the S and the RVF...they all have a crotch the same color as the upper fuselage (darker grey and darker green). I am also quite troubled by the blue intake parts, but since I have a plain and a Super F, I think I can cannibalize that part. I am also puzzled if the piece around the landing gear is supposed to be white or blue...it came white in the kit, it shows white in some lineart I have, but there is a dedicated blue sticker. Didn't re-watch the show to come to a conclusion.

I may be the only one to not have filed a request for VF-0S shoulders (have transformed mine once and it's back to fighter, as I like it best)...Over a month ago, I placed an oreder for SV-51 nora wings (some cracking, ever-sagging, never locked properly, left wing has glue smudges), emailed them about a month ago...NOTHING yet. Maybe it is discontinued!?

IT's really sad, but these are not "off the shelf" items (that's why they sold out so quickly at online shops). If you live in Japan, go to a family-mart and try your luck! if not, and missed the deadline (twice), if you really still want it, what other option? That said, I don't recall having purchased anything off ebay or other auction sites, so I understand your concern. Maybe you will really have to just pass on these items.

Pix man, I want to see the properly QC'ed version!! If you have time please do a photo "walkaround" of the Pixie Captain!

Yup, we should just give it up, she was never meant to be "to scale" with any VF, whatever scale. If she were close, it would have been a coincidence. MAcro Klan is the same height as Sheryl, and chibi-Klan is probably the same height as the Banpresto Ranka... Nobody would have wanted Klan to be any shorter, trust me, she looks beautiful this tall, I am just a bit overwhelmed by the excessive boobage, but I knew it from day 1, so...

It maybe myself, but I don't want to see a 1/100 VF-1 from this series at all (at least for a long time). Maybe scale-purists would like to have it sitting next to the YAmato Monster, but the world is already saturated with VF-1s. The Basara custom is a very very wise move as many pointed out. Bandai should definitely revise their partsforming excess though, and seems they are working on it. I have no VF-19 but I understand the mechanism is simpler than the VF25, so it should be possible to change less parts and achieve more transformation fun. As for the inevitable VF-1...scale down the original YAmato 1/60, end of story, remove anything other than the leg and don't bother packaging the thing. But stress again: prices should always be kept lower than 5K Yen. That's not fun in any way, full-transformation or not! (HMM...too bad the Q-rea is not a "VF"!)

Sorry, missed your post before replying! You actually have a very good point here. Idiots like me are also assembling and decalling the model kits, and barely surviving the process!!! But since this is SCIFI action, I will keep giving credit to the mecha designers (Be it Kawamiri himself or a team) for making or at least trying to make such intricate and impressive-looking products. But they definitely look great in the display cabinet, not the battlefield (yeah, make a battroid with wings folded at the dorsal roll around, transform and still fly away with wings straight!? go do that with your toy!). (EDIT: For a battleground giant robot, I pick ZakuII, my favorite military looking mecha of all time: it JUST looks right (in olive drab livery) with infantry, tanks, jeeps, whatever. The Centurion/Roman "skirt" (not sure what's the proper term, sorry) also adds some flavor to it.

There are two issues here: 1) beefy/anorexic 2) retcon problems First, If beefy is your preference, then Macross7 was VF heaven for you: very fat legs, thick shoulders, chubby overall, big heads, you name it. I may be alone, but I do like the longer legs and thinner shapes of the later (in real-life chronology SV-51, VF-25/27) VFs. I am very happy with the zigzag lines and tallness of the VF-25 battroid: actually in all 3 modes it looks fast and dynamic. I am right now looking at the Yamato 1/60 V2.0 VF-1 and the Bandai plamo 1/72 VF-25F...the latter seems it's going to just fly out of my desktop while the other guy is just standing there (I know, toy/model comparison is not all that fair). Just wished they had assigned the VF-25/27 a larger scale, the 1/72 pilot in the cockpit looks more like a 1/100 gunpla pilot! I see the VF-25/27 as over 20m long, much like the SV-51 (there is a pattern...I like long legs!). Insect??? Vajra's are lobsters and other seafood+ladybug...maybe that was an aesthetic choice to differenciate it from the straight lines in the latest Gundams?? I think it is within bearable limits. Second, advanced looking yes, but the VF-0 is definitely made to transform intentionally more like the VF-1 (almost EXACTLY the same way) than other "future" designs (Macross Plus, 2040's...). I am more pissed at the SV-51 at that, which honestly ressembles more the VF-25/27 in terms of proportions, transformation and even cosmetics.The huge "cockpit" between the legs in the VF-1 and VF-0 has always been too phalic IMO...I think Kawamori-san consciously started avoiding that after VF-1 but with the VF-0 (so many years after SDF) he intentionally revisited the classic, simplest of all transformations for the sake of continuity...retcon or not. Then there was market appeal, it was the 21st Century and there were toys to be made...new fans to be brought into the franchise! By the way, I do have 1/72 diecast F-14s sitting in the same display case as my VF-0 and VF-1, the latter does NOT look more like the F-14 than its "predecessor" to me.

That is exactly why I decided to give the QC-rejected item a chance, maybe that makes me a non-collector, but at least I have the figure I wanted now! OH! and if anyone got two Klan helmets or is willing to part with it, send me a PM!

Did anyone give you the pictures you asked? I used blue-tac to "glue" the legs to the arms in fighter mode, and this is the result. It doesn't go as high up as the 1/72, because the sculpt is completely different here, and you can still see prominent gaps between the shield and the legs, and you can barely make out "sms007" up (down?) there on the auxiliary vents. At this scale, I think it's fine as is, especially head-on, besides, it is much more solid than I expected and blue tac seems to hold pretty well.

So much talk about the kits and this is going way off-topic...but let me say this: I have 4 kits, 1 finished F...the Ozma S has been waiting construction in the box since it's release back in November last year (the first one was overwhelming, the 1/72 kit is not just a model, it IS a 1/72 machine)! I just acquired the Super F and the RVF-25, chasing after a G and waiting for the armored S. BUT, now that I got my first 1/100, I actually like it! I had read all the negative reviews, and honestly, I don't LOVE the piece, but if you suck at sanding and painting (or taking good care of decals so they don't peel off), THEN: 1/100 is your friend, inaccurate hip and all...Maybe the drop in the price helped a bit: HK$228 at Richmond111, I decided to give it a try: still, there are things I hate about the 1/100: 1) the misplaced legs in battroid mode (they could have done it right! just a different insert, no folding joints or anything!) 2) the unnecessary indentation in the lower nose section (which allows the DX toy to fold, but since it's just an insert in the 1/100...WTF?) 3) the consistently banana shaped gunpod (I was probably lucky the open one was fairly straight?!). Conclusion: if it's cheaper than the 1/72...it is quite a good alternative. (edit: added the price factor)

If it really is going to be released by May, shouldn't we have seen pictures of the samples by now? Armored Ozma would be the ultimate VF-25...don't want to hold my breath for too long!

Honket, I cannot tell from the pictures if you used the decals or the stickers, either way, did you clear coat your model and if yes, how? I only have 1 plain VF-25F finished, and decals are 60% partially damaged. Have the super pack combo F, RVF-25 and the plain S waiting in their boxes. Chasing after a plain G and then the armored S that our Singaporean blogger friend sighted...that would be my SMS squad, but Pixies adn Antares would be welcome too! (when will I ever have so much time to build all these models?!!?)

My computer's wallpaper is now a screencap of the sequence when Michel is calling Alto in the docking bay and Klan is inside the Q-rea...Michel is barely the height of her head, and he's in first plan, she's behind...whenever she climbs (squeezes) into the armor, catastrophic scale errors occur! in that sequence klan seems at least the same height of the VF-25, if not taller! What unmanageable size should the Q-rea be??? That said, I still wish we had a figure/model of the battle suit to play with someday, but that discussion goes in the toy or model forums!

I have found the earlier discussion about here size here in MWF. I don't know why some of the members keep bashing the figure's head sculpt?? I think it's pretty good, but then again if I had paid the full price of the properly QC'd figure, I'd be more critical? Not really. Here goes a pair of pictures of my now repaired figure.

Thanks MechTech for the input (and Vostok on the other discussion), I have used Loctite Gel (superglue), and apparently that worked perfectly fine. Klan is now standing again with boots and hair safely glued in place, only the original smudges from the factory (or previous repair attempt?) are still visible, my work was clean!