1/55's revisited

[transjet]

11 hours ago, strikevalk said:

Okay @nightmareB4macross, you were right... it's really cooking in here!  The mythical Joons 1A!  Just incredible.  Since we're on the topic of Joons, just last week I found that the "1996, Patriot" colored Joons leg fin had either blue paint, or left blank.  I had my original from the late 90s that I converted to a 1S, with Jetfire arms and legs, repainted most of the valkyrie to a Max blue.  Fast forward to a month ago... worked on reverting that same Joons back to its original colors and parts, minus the 1J head... which had been traded away over 2 decades ago.

Here's the back of the leg fin from my originally purchased one late 90s. Blue paint.

 

Here's one from a listing online.  Blank.

 

 

 

Here's a friend's one from Wisconsin.  Blank.

Here's a friend's one from Northern California.  Blue paint.

Seems like the ones with the blue paint on the back of the fin also have the top quarter of the outer leg painted blue originally, then painted over completely with red paint.

I finally completed the "restoration" of the "converted to Max 1S Joons that I had... he still has a 1S head, inspired by Alex's earlier pictures from this thread.

 

うーん、この出品もウェブで見つけました…2017年に販売されたものですか？ 改ざんされていないと主張しています...これで作業は終了し、残った在庫バージョンを処分するだけだったのでしょうか?

I have seen it on Korean websites too.
They said that this was not tampered with either.

[strikevalk]

16 minutes ago, transjet said:

I have seen it on Korean websites too.
They said that this was not tampered with either.

Wild!  Thank you so much for the pictures!!!

[Spark-O-Matic]

First time I've seen a Spanish version VF-1S made in the UK by Bandai,   seller thinks its new, but its used. auction what I like is the combined foam insert, its nice to me.  it would have been cool if all the old ones were like this imo. I've heard many do not like this version, but to me it looks better then the later toynami 1/55.

 

 

[Shawn]

I believe that one is French (France) 
Well...as the PRIMARY language...that sure is spanish on the secondary phrases...I've only seen it in person once and it was referred to as the valk from france
nice to learn something new!

That is in super nice condition, surprised it hasn't been sold yet!

I confirmed with my local 1/55 guy, and he agrees its the only one with the single large styro

[strikevalk]

a buddy of mine picked one up earlier this year, courtesy of our very own NightmareB4.  did not know about them until that point! 

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 7/16/2023 at 10:39 PM, Shawn said:

I believe that one is French (France) 
Well...as the PRIMARY language...that sure is spanish on the secondary phrases...I've only seen it in person once and it was referred to as the valk from france
nice to learn something new!

That is in super nice condition, surprised it hasn't been sold yet!

I confirmed with my local 1/55 guy, and he agrees its the only one with the single large styro

Thanks, I didn't know that.  one has to wonder what else is still hidden out there .  

[nightmareB4macross]

21 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

Thanks, I didn't know that.  one has to wonder what else is still hidden out there .  

Oh boy, so much.

Take a trek through this thread and start at post No. 1.

 

[Spark-O-Matic]

Found another unopened Joons wierd"o" Valk this time a crazy looking angelbird?

I really like the 1/55 scale it would be great if a new licensed brand would try and make a modern remastered 1/55 with all the detail the new 1/48 gets

 

[magicsp00n]

All right, crew, let me hear from your experiences - I've only recently started picking up some of the Takatoku / Bandai 1/55s from the 80s (I've had some of the 200X reissues since they came out) and I find myself stressed out about how fragile they might be these days. For example, I picked up the Strike VF-1S, which I'd love to display out of the box, but the plastic on the armor pieces seems so brittle I'm not sure it'll flex the way it's intended to to fit on the arms, etc. Interestingly, the Takatoku Super VF-1S armor appears to be more flexible.

What's the consensus? Is it safe to gently transform and put on the armor? Or is the 40 year old plastic going to break my heart?

Edited August 28, 2023 by magicsp00n

[jenius]

I've encountered plenty of old brittle armor bits... I don't really trust them any more. I'm sure some or more resilient than others depending on how they were stored but you'll never be privvy to that information and even so, it may still be a crapshoot. 

[DownIsUp]

9 minutes ago, magicsp00n said:

All right, crew, let me hear from your experiences - I've only recently started picking up some of the Takatoku / Bandai 1/55s from the 80s (I've had some of the 200X reissues since they came out) and I find myself stressed out about how fragile they might be these days. For example, I picked up the Strike VF-1S, which I'd love to display out of the box, but the plastic on the armor pieces seems so brittle I'm not sure it'll flex the way it's intended to to fit on the arms, etc. Interestingly, the Takatoku Super VF-1S armor appears to be more flexible.

What's the consensus? Is it safe to gently transform and put on the armor? Or is the 40 year old plastic going to break my heart?

I'd suggest picking up some reproduction parts off ebay for a display with the armor, sometimes original pieces still have flex, but I wouldn't risk it.

[DewPoint]

One of my coworkers brought out his old Jetfire. The poor thing was just falling apart as he tried to transform it. The tail fins and backpack fell off. I don't know how far he got into the transformation before he stopped.

[Spark-O-Matic]

As others have suggested just get some reproduction kits and call in a day!

I've got a lot of 1/55 sets and I have never played or displayed any of them not that it's wrong to do so it's the toys were not planned scarcity and they tried to put out as many as they could when bandai bought them they brought in there own distributer of plastic polymers and fire retardants. The change in materials quality and chemistry created unequal distributed flow rates in the plastic mold injection chambers due to the heated fluid viscosity that required retooling of the mold cavities, pre-injection chambers, while alternating pre and post temperatures of the polymer exstrusion that also then required the molds be further tapped to hold more water for cooling the molds themselves then overhauling the whole induction system for leaks in the excursion process were you have extreme static high and low pressure in the system. Basically bandai bought them, they were using outdated manufacturing processes so bandaid updated what they could for making what was then just childrens toys expected to be worn out and thrown away. This is why jetfires and white balls made by bandai have all uneven yellowing due to parts having an unequal mixture of polymers and added fire retarders and with age there reactions to oxygen and moisture vs Taka where often you will old ones yellowed uniform across the whole toy not just spotted in different areas. The fire retardant was also a stiffing agent and as it was never mixed as well as required your armour pieces that once were designed to be malobly stiff are now brittle.

[Spark-O-Matic]

Another Rare 1/55 came & went on Ebay again. " Matsushiro Space Fighter " almost as rare as the Takatoku Jetfire Variant.

I know some of you probably have entire rooms filled with these, but for the 99% of the rest of us this was a rare sighting out in the wild.

 

 

 

[Shawn]

So the Matsushiro VF-1s all come with left-over Takatoku decals?
Was surprised to see those in there

[glane21]

That Matsushiro sold super cheap, someone got a great deal.  There is also another box variant of that release that is slightly different.

[GrampaStump]

That is amazing. I always knew that Matsushiro sold them out the backdoor on the gray market, and that many of the high quality vintage bootlegs were so high quality because they were literally the real authentic product, but I never before realized they actually did it with their name on the box! That's great. And the TT sticker sheet is not a surprise; Matsushiro was contracted by TT to manufacture them, so all of their sticker sheets would probably have been from TT (unless they manufactured their own stickers?).

Great pictures!

 

[grogall]

So I came across this picture today, but not sure when it was taken... Is there a 1:55 VF-1D?

[jenius]

Not an official one but lots of unofficial ones. Bandai teased an official one, that might even be the prototype, but then BW reminded them they couldn't sell it in the US and they scrapped it.

[MacrossMania]

On 3/26/2023 at 7:55 PM, nightmareB4macross said:

Interesting.  
 

i just came across this new listing where the seller states the first run or edition of the VF-1S DYRL is left from the VF-1S Super from Takatoku. Never heard of this before. Anybody want to chime in.

This is discoloration.  Not the original color.  The originals are snow white.  This is more like some of the older Jetfires.  Those are prone to severe yellowing over time and you can see how the yellowing starts.  The originals were eggshell white or "bone white" to begin with.

I speak from experience because I got a Bandai 1/55 VF-1S years ago from a Japanese seller.  It was graded by AFA and perfectly preserved in the acrylic case and little baggie it came with.  Which is, by the way, one of the reasons that you grade.  It doesn't completely eliminate the risk of yellowing, but does reduce it. 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by MacrossMania

[GrampaStump]

Are you are saying that part of the reason you pay for grading is because they put it in acrylic and that reduces yellowing? You can reduce yellowing without paying a grading company for an acrylic box. You can keep it out of heat and sun light, you can put it behind glass (plain old glass is pretty decent at blocking UV), you could maybe even put a sealant on it. There are options that don't involve joining the grading game!

 

 

 

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 10/20/2023 at 12:53 AM, GrampaStump said:

Are you are saying that part of the reason you pay for grading is because they put it in acrylic and that reduces yellowing? You can reduce yellowing without paying a grading company for an acrylic box. You can keep it out of heat and sun light, you can put it behind glass (plain old glass is pretty decent at blocking UV), you could maybe even put a sealant on it. There are options that don't involve joining the grading game!

 

 

 

That's mostly true out of  the heat and sun light but also in a room with dehumidifier to remove the water in the air and temps at between 65 to 70. moisture/Water is a solvent that creates the surface of the toy a chemical reaction that helps start the yellowing process combined with oxygen in the air. might not hurt to use a food grade vacuum sealer on some things that lets moisture out while not letting it back in. food for thought

[jenius]

I put silica packs in all my closets and tubs to keep humidity down. If you're somewhere hot, your AC is probably also dehumidifying for you. A food grade vacuum sealer is an interesting thought if you're really putting things in deep storage. 

[Spark-O-Matic]

I've just back back from the toy convention with a new horse for my stable 

1986 Hasbro 1/55 Scale Jetfire European Edition! ... this is Much Rarer then the 1985 Milton Bradley European Edition(That one I'm still looking for as it's still rare)  what makes this one special is it's complete, almost unused contents and box is not totally worn out.  I really got lucky with this as not many even know they exist or that they made a 1986 Jetfire.

 

 

[Shawn]

I had no idea that even existed, incredible find!!!

Super Styling Indeed!

[strikevalk]

4 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I've just back back from the toy convention with a new horse for my stable 

1986 Hasbro 1/55 Scale Jetfire European Edition! ... this is Much Rarer then the 1985 Milton Bradley European Edition(That one I'm still looking for as it's still rare)  what makes this one special is it's complete, almost unused contents and box is not totally worn out.  I really got lucky with this as not many even know they exist or that they made a 1986 Jetfire.

 

 

very nice.  the MB box tho... in my opinion... is still the Grail!  I saw one a few months back in box, not really mint... and it still went for a Loooooot.

[Spark-O-Matic]

1 hour ago, strikevalk said:

very nice.  the MB box tho... in my opinion... is still the Grail!  I saw one a few months back in box, not really mint... and it still went for a Loooooot.

That's Based! I thinks it might be because its part of the Milton Bradley Universe were Optimus Prime does not exist and Jetfire is the Autobot Leader. my 86 one has a trace of that on the back in Dutch it states " Lieder Van De Autobots " that translate into " Leader of the Autobots " . you probably already know about the MB version coming with a wild mini comic with G1 Jetfire fighting Megatron on the cover.  I'm thinking any good deal on finding one was grabbed up long ago, but I hold out hope.

[DownIsUp]

That's one of the least yellowed Jetfires I've ever seen, you could tell me you pulled that right off the shelves from 1986 and I'd believe you

[nightmareB4macross]

14 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I've just back back from the toy convention with a new horse for my stable 

1986 Hasbro 1/55 Scale Jetfire European Edition! ... this is Much Rarer then the 1985 Milton Bradley European Edition(That one I'm still looking for as it's still rare)  what makes this one special is it's complete, almost unused contents and box is not totally worn out.  I really got lucky with this as not many even know they exist or that they made a 1986 Jetfire.

 

 

I am always amazed about how these rare items keep popping up so many years later.

Congratulations. 

[Radioguy]

I recently obtained a VT-1 in awful shape; no pack, armor, gun, etc. and yellow as hell. I felt sorry for it, what with its stabilizer pack snapped off and on the side along with a few other shards of plastic formerly attached, and naively thought I might be able to spruce it up just a tad. Still, even in the shop I realized that was impossible. Pity had me walk out with it all the same. I bet they would have tossed it in the trash if I hadn't bought it.

Oof, another piece snapped off after just retracting a fist.

Oddly enough, the previous owner cut out and applied the descriptive SUPEROSTRITCH title of the decal sheet to a wing. That threw me off for a second as to why.

Damn. Another shard just fell out of it while handling it. I fear it is not long for this world. Perhaps it is destined for die-cast organ donation...

Edited November 11, 2023 by Radioguy

[nightmareB4macross]

On 11/11/2023 at 8:24 AM, Radioguy said:

I recently obtained a VT-1 in awful shape; no pack, armor, gun, etc. and yellow as hell. I felt sorry for it, what with its stabilizer pack snapped off and on the side along with a few other shards of plastic formerly attached, and naively thought I might be able to spruce it up just a tad. Still, even in the shop I realized that was impossible. Pity had me walk out with it all the same. I bet they would have tossed it in the trash if I hadn't bought it.

Oof, another piece snapped off after just retracting a fist.

Oddly enough, the previous owner cut out and applied the descriptive SUPEROSTRITCH title of the decal sheet to a wing. That threw me off for a second as to why.

Damn. Another shard just fell out of it while handling it. I fear it is not long for this world. Perhaps it is destined for die-cast organ donation...

So sad to hear it crumbling away. 
 

got any pics to share?

[Radioguy]

34 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

So sad to hear it crumbling away. 
 

got any pics to share?

Yes, that is the remains of a gun grip in his hand.

[pengbuzz]

On 11/11/2023 at 11:24 AM, Radioguy said:

I recently obtained a VT-1 in awful shape; no pack, armor, gun, etc. and yellow as hell. I felt sorry for it, what with its stabilizer pack snapped off and on the side along with a few other shards of plastic formerly attached, and naively thought I might be able to spruce it up just a tad. Still, even in the shop I realized that was impossible. Pity had me walk out with it all the same. I bet they would have tossed it in the trash if I hadn't bought it.

Oof, another piece snapped off after just retracting a fist.

Oddly enough, the previous owner cut out and applied the descriptive SUPEROSTRITCH title of the decal sheet to a wing. That threw me off for a second as to why.

Damn. Another shard just fell out of it while handling it. I fear it is not long for this world. Perhaps it is destined for die-cast organ donation...

Devcon Plastic Welder: two part adhesive that's stronger and more resilient than the original plastic. You can  use it to reattach parts and reinforce those that are at risk; I used it in my rebuild of the Matchbox SDF-1.

[nightmareB4macross]

36 minutes ago, Radioguy said:

Yes, that is the remains of a gun grip in his hand.

Such is the fate of many 1/55. 

Whomever had owned this originally was a Macross fan for sure. They actually added custom touches to extend the chest stripe all the way to the backplate as it should have been.

Nice find. It definitely deserves to be repaired and preserved.

[Radioguy]

18 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Devcon Plastic Welder: two part adhesive that's stronger and more resilient than the original plastic. You can use it to reattach parts and reinforce those that are at risk; I used it in my rebuild of the Matchbox SDF-1.

Thanks! So much missing though. The yellowing I could live with, but I doubt I can re-source the armor and fast pack. At least not cheaply.

5 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Such is the fate of many 1/55. 

Whomever had owned this originally was a Macross fan for sure. They actually added custom touches to extend the chest stripe all the way to the backplate as it should have been.

Nice find. It definitely deserves to be repaired and preserved.

Thanks for pointing that out!

I kinda agree regarding restoration. I'm just not sure I'm the one to do it yet.