regult

Yes, that's what some of us who criticize the overall looks of the DX have done or are in the process of doing, but that doesn't mean we don't like to see a 1/60 toy that is both accurate and still a toy, not a fragile model kit that requires intermediate skills to complete properly, but more sth you take out of the box and say "wow!!that looks great and it transforms!" instead of "oh, what a sturdy design, I can kick it around the room and it won't break" (which remains to be proven actually). (edited "some" instead of "most"...didn't really conduct a poll on the issue, should not assume, but from number of posts in the 1/72 model thread, you do get an idea how many have turned or would like to turn to it, and then still wish there was a good toy as an option)

We finished ours at about the same time, and I did less transformations so far, maybe 5, everything mechanical seems ok, though shoulders are far less tight than before. How are your stickers holding? My decals are pretty much chipped all over the edges, and even the wing glove ones managed to crack somehow. Maybe Mr. Mark Setter really has an issue with Bandai decals, or I should have never used them without a clear coat? Graham or wolfx, would you kindly post a picture of the air intake area and particularly how the sticker conforms to the contours around the "hip"?? as I posted earlier, my decals went horribly wrong, thinking of replacing all of them with the stickers all at once when they become too "weathered"...and seriously thinking about buying a couple more for later (when I improve my skills?). Ozma's custom is a tempting option, but without armor it just doesn't look like Ozma's valk.

Wonder how things would have turned out if that kid (Pedro was it?) hadn't got into Emilia's mouth when she tried to kiss Basara in the hut... what was she thinkin??

in that picture with Kawamori Sama, she looks so totally kawaii!

Sure looks good, don't know if these are the figures somebody was cancelling the preorder for? I want them all, and I actually like Ranka in Nyan uniform! am I alone?? (Of course I love Klan in full Meltran glory, and wished she was made to scale!

I am certainly not a member of the academy, but Sheryl trying to move mountains was just too great (I like the artist's style too) so the pic is now my wallpaper. Honestly, can you imagine Sheryl singing Basara's songs? Hey, Ranka got to sing Minmay songs, it's not fair!

hmmm...1/60 V2...I don't like the VF-1A's head...I prefer the S, and mine is fine, been transforming it a few times since I got it over 2 months ago, and my only complaint is the folded tailfins tend to rub against each other and the dorsal antena, so it's a bit bad for the paintjob (black with the jolly rogers). I now "mask" the spots with tamiya tape and so far so good. I am waiting for the TV-version Hikaru VF-1J, which has a fairly simply livery, and should be (if I guess right) a white plastic tailfin, so it would be worry-free, even with the full weigh of the Fast packs on.

Same here, honestly I forgot what's the price range for the 1/100, but I would give them a chance if they were cheap(really dirt cheap), even if they looked exactly like their 1/60 brothers... I don't think Bandai has a problem selling Macross Frontier stuff, they are doing fantastic with the 1/72 plamo, and that is not a "perfect" rendition IMO (when my "accuracy nazi mode" is activated)...it's just far more appealing than the 1/60 fugly toy. The sturdy/accurate trade-off was just too much, and it's not like young kids even know what the heck Macross F is (it was broadcasted at 1 am in Japan!), and are going to jump over them and play with them in a park...no need for the added chunkyness and resilience of a baby-item!! The solid-archive gashapon by the way are a waste of time, the vapor trails and smoke look exactly like too much resin or plastic with paint on them, I was tempted, but it's a waste of desktop space really, Alto and co. look far better, doesn't matter they're not poseable, I am now getting impatient (Klan is in micron size, but looking mature...weird, wonder how she'd look like stading beside a 1/72 model???). I really wanted a 1/60 toy (I am not experienced enough to build good models, and VF-25s DO require some skills or else you're wasting your time), but I just cannot give Bandai my hard earned $$$ in exchange for these fugly chunkies.

not very flattering pictures really...with armor, the DX toy looks like it's going to burst at the seams, even chunkier than the original chunky money. On the other hand, those figures of Alto and co. are frikin' good, I am completely buying all...still missing Ozma tho.

I am quite sure this is not animation, but did you guys notice that the battroid is actually lying on a desktop instead of standing on its feet? they only flipped the picture to make it look better...

I think those of us who complain about the "accuracy" of the DX toy are a bit "retconed" by the 1/72 model...Certainly, the model is very close to the CG model we see in Frontier and the lineart that's been circulating around, but some things are never "perfect", still, the proportions in the model look very good to me eyes and if the 1/60 model was exactly like that, I'd be woohooo and get it in a second. I don't own a large collection of mecha, only selected Macross toys...the Revoltech Regults are not lineart or TV show accurate at all, but come to think of it, the mechs in the show were very "low resolution" so I am not bothered by the longer legs and bigger feet of the revoltech Regults, I tend to think of this as some kind of artistic license, and if the outcome pleases me, I am fine. Back to the VF-25, as I said, the model may actually be more "visually pleasing" than accurate (or both which is great), and I really wish the toy was a bit more like the model. Regarding mechanical feasibility, and despite the exoskeleton explanation, from 1/72 to 1/60 is not that far really and it's been proven that those proportions work even though there is some partsforming, most certainly the actual skeleton of the toy would need to be much simpler than that of the model. To answer Graham, I really cannot ignore any of the design problems of the subject discussed. I agree that Macross toys (or the trasformable Bandai kit) are very cool toys in their own rigth, in the "vacuum" of no TV shows or anime whatsoever, but at the end of the day, they're designed, produced, marketed and purchased because they represent some mecha we saw in action in the anime. I have no idea if Yamato would have done a better job, or if/when will they get a license for MacrossF, but as some others suggested, maybe the best solution is to pass on this one.

Hmm...careful, sounds to me this could be true...a prequel, linking F to 7...and Basara in concert....BOMBAAAA!!!!!! (after all, M7 was a hit in Japan's home market right?)

The reviewer needs to really listen to Basara...he's like Gamlin at an early stage, with time he may get anima spirita ecstasy.

Let me just add 1 more thing: if this toy had been released 4, 5 years ago, maybe it's fine (remember those early Yamatos??), but after years of technical development, of trial and error, a modern-day toy could be more lineart or anime accurate than this. Nobody is really asking for perfection (even with CG they still "cheat" -a lot-: in episode 25, you can clearly see the tailfin of Ozma's gunpod "sink" into his battroid's right arm!!!!!), I am just hoping for a toy that's more durable than a model and accurate enough to fool my eyes.

Instead of saying the tailfin SMS decal is too thin, I would say it's the pixels which are too far from each other. Same occurs with the "gray" stripes, which to me are actually darkish grey dots evenly distributed on the decal, with enough space between them to fool the eye at a distance and appear ligher gray. I did notice that all decal printings are done on top of a white "base coat" (my technical vocabulary fails here). I already have a new nightmare with these decals: the "SMS" logo on nose area got stuck with the wing root extension during transformation, now it's probably either sliced in half or caught between two plastic parts...Jarrod clear coated the model, I wonder how's that subject enduring repreated transformations.

After updating myself on this thread (yes, read all 36 pages, or at least scanned thru them), after building, applying decals (with softener and in a wrong way), transformed the 1/72 kit...I really would like to get a sturdier toy. I have no idea how many more transformations it can take before I have to redecorate it completely or sth just snaps (3 or 4?), even thought about buying a back up kit... Unfortunately, the latest painted samples are different from the earlier unpainted ones in only one area: PAINT (and the black artsy fartsy backgroud). None of the real problems have been addressed: leg position in battroid mode, leg position in fighter, pushing too hard on the "A stance" in gerwalk mode (knees still don't go forwards all the way), drooping nosecone, hiding the landing gear, (not really mentioned) a biggish chest area...I am not sure why so many of us didn't notice, besides a paint job and some lighting effects, nothing was done to the tooling AT ALL. Maybe Japanese fans of chunky monkeys can dispose some income on this DX 1/60, and some hardcore guys can instead go and spend days building transformation kits that cannot really be transformed many times...but my plan is either to become a master model builder (?!?!) or wait for Revoltech figures and gashapoons now! (it's not lthat the kit is PERFECT: it looks good in battroid and gerwalk modes and is quite poseable, but in fighter, there are too many gaps in the chest/shoulder and the legs/engines just don't stay there unless sitting on landing gears. Still, it's much more accurate than this DX version).

Agreed, only fighter mode is a bit hard to handle...you have a point, this is a model and not a toy. I am fine with battroid mode, it's IMO 99% line art/anime accurate and doesn't feel flimsy. If you look carefully at the custom buiild in November's Hobby JApan (battroid full page pic), you'll notice the modeller made some pegs for the legs, I have no idea where they're atteching in fighter mode, but seems it works just like in the Yamato toys. My wing gloves don't stay in place and the laser section also does not want to attach properly, but once you pull the legs out/upwards, the problem is partially solved (more pressure on the moving wing glove section), but looking from behind, the exhausts/feet are at an angle (NOT anime accurate)...compromises.

You guessed right...I didn't have to nudge decals on fuel trucks and some airplane models I did before, but on tricky contours I really had to realign the decals! I guess I should have not used the softener at all...well, too late for me, maybe next kit! Let's recap for the sake of clarity: once you brush on the decal softener, don't even touch it, the wrinkles will vanish once dried, 95% of the time! (but they REALLY started to wrinkle all over and it was alarming), I wanted to have the decals really well "painted" on the surface so they don't peel off during transformation and handling. Warning: like somebody already said, the decals will still scratch and peel off in some areas (no matter how well you applied them) where stress of friction is inevitable during transformation, maybe clear coating will be the only way to protect the livery.

Last night I was going through the same scenes and took some screenshots too, but you already posted them! The thing that bothers me is the placement of the nose gear, which in the anime it usually is a bit further back, say more below the windshield than before it. It gives the VF-25 a more balanced look than in the Bandai kit. In the November issue of Hobby Japan, the Alto Custom CUSTOM shows the mod: the guy moved the nose gear a bit back and looks great IMO. After building the kit and watching the scenes, I seriously doubt that super packs can just snap onto it (the kit)...at least in fighter mode, it will just collapse, in gerwalk... can you really transform it without part-swapping? in battroid, the weight of back area will just make the model unable to stand on its own, Gundam action base will be mandatory! I will wait and see, guess the toy engineers are working on that extra time and consuming seven-eleven frozen meals, drinking energy drinks 10 times stronger than red bull...hee hee.

Another photo in Gerwalk mode, Bandai family moment with ZakuII Char Aznable custom 1/100, completely unpainted except eyes and some "weathering" on the gun (should paint that axe, aka. "heat hawk" (?)). Alto's Vf-25 is 95% decaled, 99% panel line "washed" with gundam pen (GM01-black and GM02-grey, didn't find their specific color names on them). Maybe some lines (and decals!!!) were gone after handling during transformation and application of decals though. Because Char's custom Zaku II is red and fit was 100% PERFECT, I didn't think it was begging for panel lines, but as I said, Alto's VF-25 is completely white (and Bandai gives us this purplish-white plastic), adding the profusion of real "panel lines" for transformation, leaving the model commpletely clean would be horrible. Upon close-up you'll again notice, like Graham pointed out, that I suck at cleaning the traces of the sprues... Regarding sanding paper grit, I think it's best to use a scalpel (saves time) to remove any leftovers from the sprue and then use the finest sandpaper you can get (2000 is my max right now, and I didn't like the outcome).

Not really complicated to assemble. If you have some experience with Gunpla (Bandai does a great job with "no glue, snap assembly, colored plastic", you would be fine (get a pair of cheap gundam plamo for experimenting like David did). Unfortunately, it was impossible for the VF-25 to come with black, red and white parts for the "skin" (because it DOES have a real working "squeleton" for transformation and posability), so you will either have to use the stickers, the decals or paint the decorations yourself...I used decals and will talk about that later, but the thing is: be careful with curves: the decals or stickers have to conform to contours and some raised detals (air intake area, shoulders, the circle bar vernier in the wing root (or shoulder depending on mode)...I consistently screwed up on all those areas, but will use paint to conceal the cracks and missing bits of the decals. Maybe it's the decal "Mr. Mark Setter" I used, or the lack of proper procedure! Overall, I truly enjoyed building the kit, and it was somehow rewarding to see that everything worked and could transform fine (fighter mode...flimsy as hell, we need a proper traditional model for fighter mode, preferably snap assembly and no paint required!), but decorating was demanding, at least to me, I could not get all the decals to fully comform to the intricate surfaces. Snapped a pix for illustration on how awful I did around the intake...beware lucky you, who hasn't yet got there, or who successfully did it!!

IT was stated at the begining that because the Destroid is looking good, why not Zentradi mecha... the walking tank is not transformable really, only articulated and as I said before quite light (you'd think it's hefty because of the design features) Zentradi ships were freakin' cool...I always wanted one of those...but anyway, those are a bit off-topic (mecha, not ships I guess)... This picture is not new, it came out way before we actually got the 1/72 Alto's VF-25F, but I seriously doubt we'll get a fully-grown 1/72 red vajra in real world...and this would be a non-transformable too! (unless they plan on giving us a plush toy oversized "aikun" that zips open and reveals a flying-crab vajra kid?????)

Don't have a scalpel, but did use a knife and tamiya modelling sand paper (up to 2000 grit only...), but probably some parts were forgotten or left imperfect because I was tired...I know exactly what you mean, I think I spent twice as much time doing the sanding and polishing than actual building...painting was also very time consuming. My wife kept telling me to enjoy the process (the "fun of it"), but I was just tired of gundam pens, trimming, thinner, washing the brush...I wanted to see the VF-25!! I totally agree with you: I really didn't see any launch bars in the anime, and the landing gears are usually light grey or off-white. Actually, after posting the photos, I tried using one of the Tamiya flat grays but it didn't go too well either, maybe I should just leave it because I washed the landing gear with thinner too many times and I don't want to damage them. May consider cutting off that horrible, orversized launch bar. In one split second, forgot the episode sorry, you could clearly see Michel's valk's nose gear up close, and the wheels were into some kind of catapult (sorry, not sure what's the proper macross terminology), without the help of a bar.

Graham, you have just given me "double woops" and this is no technical vocabulary...299 in Wanchai!! and confirmed my fear that I will not be able to apply the decals properly now that the thing is assembled. This is what I have so far: spent a lot of time trying to paint the landing gear, but Tamiya flat white just does not stick properly, so after repeated trial and error, decided to leave it unpainted, but had to do the hydraulics, rubber and hubs, also had to do some weathering and washing with gundam pens and/or black paint...looks so much better afterwards!! if the panel lines were not higlighted, the real seams would be distracting and too obvious. Another part that demanded a lot of time was the cockpit frame. I tried masking and painting, but then opted to go "commando" and rely on my "naked" hand. Alto hime was challenging too, I don't have the proper color, so he turned out to be a bit blueyish...he's too underscaled, which made it harder to paint. I decided to use decals instead of the stickers, have a hard time aligning them, so the decals will give me that extra time to nudge and adjust, but I guess without a clear coat I will be losing them pretty soon (?!)

Probably never? The Q-rea is one mecha I am looking forward too, piliot figure of the characters inclusive!! but...I think we're not going to see it anytime soon. This is off-topic, I know, but one last sentence: don't forget the cannon-fodder livery in Galia IV and the Nene and Raramia versions!! Back to Alto's mecha: cannot gather how to apply the decals or stickers on the wings now that I've assembled it! but neither can align the stripes to the wing-root ones without putting the parts together wolfx: as you can see, I am already overwhelmed even before applying stickers/decals! but still not completely put-off...will probably give Ozma's VF-25S one chance. Guess I am just too put off by the DX toy!