DX VF-25 version 2

[the9breaker]

And beyond that, would you really ENJOY spending that much time and that much care just to keep your product kicking? I don't even treat my Yamato's with that much care, and they keep up fine. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't like it

so much hate for my poor v1. - anyhow - regardless, love the figure regardless. What else can I do? sell it on Ebay!? I guess if I ran into the same issues as some of you have, I would probably be in the other side of the fence....(I really don't see that happening YET, not any time soon anyways, time will tell). And well, it seems like the majority here simply LOATHE the thing with a passion (and with righteous indignation of course), but it still, I think the figure is awesome and great.

And yeah, I take my time - I'm just getting into modeling, and one thing I learned from building Kotobuyika's Armored Core models - IS PATIENCE, some runners are so damn small, they can easily break, get lost, etc. I'm sure any modeler out here would understand that. Is it annoying, no not at all, I actually enjoy it, I stream some MF 1080HD eps on my 42 Plasma, and we are good to go - however, I guess its pointless to convey my point since many of you already suffered enough from poor manufacturing defects/design/parts - and I hope I don't run into the same fortune.

I simply subscribe to a simple ideology: You paid for it, you take care of it, regardless of flaws/quality control issues/poor manufacturing/wrong paint app/poor durability that MAY arise in the future, and live with it. Bandai or Yamato. Regardless, its just my opinion. Bitching, crying, and moaning ain't going to do a thing - at the end of the day - either Bandai or Yamato made their money off you and that's that. What else can you do?

Don't misunderstand - I hold no love towards neither Bandai nor Yamato (I think Yamato has a bad rep, seeing so many damn posts about broken shoulders and crappy CQ but are getting better...at a GLACIAR pace - And Bandai, well, just is Bandai, 'nuff said) The move towards designing a V2 was inevitable and only logical. V1s were crappy and badly designed - what else did people expect. Some love the v1s (like me) and others hate them with a passion. All toy manufacturers do it. Bandai and Yamato are no exception. They both marketed crappy products with poor quality control and made a fortune over it, perhaps one did it better than the other, years go by, they re-release and new re-designed product based on the same concept. As I stated before - What else can you do?

One question lingers in my mind: I wonder how Bandai is going to design the armor THIS time around and how well it hold up. Those armor wing parts ARE going to be HEAVY and without any sort of ratchet joints on those hips - how the hell is it EVEN going to stand with all that back heaviness. Will there be any sort of lockin mechanism in those back plate joints!?

I think its going to be the same drama over again, minus some quirk. Loose joints, easy scratch off tampo, and the inability to free pose without the need of a special stand or something to support the immense weight of the Armored Parts. And looking how FRAIL the v2 is - I would not be surprised if the V1s with all their "flaws" and being giant steaming pile of sh!t end up being more durable than the v2s.

Once again, just my opinion - and I guess time will tell - either way Bandai has made its money of me. (And others who decide to buy)

[VF5SS]

I simply subscribe to a simple ideology: You paid for it, you take care of it, regardless of flaws/quality control issues/poor manufacturing/wrong paint app/poor durability that MAY arise in the future, and live with it. Bandai or Yamato. Regardless, its just my opinion. Bitching, crying, and moaning ain't going to do a thing - at the end of the day - either Bandai or Yamato made their money off you and that's that. What else can you do?

Granted we cannot control anything in the design process of the figure and without the clairvoyance of a Newtype we cannot know how the figure will hold up under initial handling or its mean time to failure, but over 30 years of toy design can inform us on what is a bad decision and what is not. And if I paid for it, I also have the right to return it (under the right conditions). It's a bit difficult for all of us living in the NO MACROSS ZONE to perform such a simple transaction of returning an undesirable figure, but some of us will use our experience with the toy to inform the buying decisions of others. While Bandai certainly made some money of the original DX line, flagging sales were readily apparent from how the toy performed on online retailers like HLJ and Amazon.co.jp. Even most of the Japanese review sites I frequent all had similar issues and opinions on the DX VF-25. So what happened did affect Bandai's design philosophy as the VF-27 address many issues and from some was praised for being more like a Yamato toy.

All toy manufacturers do it. Bandai and Yamato are no exception. They both marketed crappy products with poor quality control and made a fortune over it, perhaps one did it better than the other, years go by, they re-release and new re-designed product based on the same concept. As I stated before - What else can you do?

I think you're overestimating the profit margins on these toys. When they're good they're good. When they're bad, they clog up retail space like those squiddamn Quick Model Buster Gundams.

And looking how FRAIL the v2 is - I would not be surprised if the V1s with all their "flaws" and being giant steaming pile of sh!t end up being more durable than the v2s.

I don't have a Renewal VF-25 yet but from what I can gather from reviews it is a quite solid toy. Whereas from first hand experience I know that the old DX VF-25 can fall apart just by standing on the shelf. So which is more frail?

[valid]

anyone experience bad quality control or scratch paint or lose joint?. i haven't .. can't wait for the upcoming superpack.. and ozma ... and also luca.. i hope there will be 3 ghost fighter this time

[DyNo]

anyone experience bad quality control or scratch paint or lose joint?. i haven't .. can't wait for the upcoming superpack.. and ozma ... and also luca.. i hope there will be 3 ghost fighter this time

Yes, I have a problem with the left foot not wanting to lock into place. It just slides up and down freely.

Edited November 27, 2011 by DyNo

[Kyp Durron]

Don't misunderstand - I hold no love towards neither Bandai nor Yamato (I think Yamato has a bad rep, seeing so many damn posts about broken shoulders and crappy CQ but are getting better...at a GLACIAR pace - And Bandai, well, just is Bandai, 'nuff said) The move towards designing a V2 was inevitable and only logical. V1s were crappy and badly designed - what else did people expect. Some love the v1s (like me) and others hate them with a passion. All toy manufacturers do it. Bandai and Yamato are no exception. They both marketed crappy products with poor quality control and made a fortune over it, perhaps one did it better than the other, years go by, they re-release and new re-designed product based on the same concept. As I stated before - What else can you do?

Are you kidding me? I consider anything Yamato has made since 2001 to be better than the V1 DX VF-25 series, bad shoulders and all, with the only possible exception being the VF-0 line. Even so, I'd still rather have them because at least they're line art accurate and still look great sitting on display in any mode.

One question lingers in my mind: I wonder how Bandai is going to design the armor THIS time around and how well it hold up. Those armor wing parts ARE going to be HEAVY and without any sort of ratchet joints on those hips - how the hell is it EVEN going to stand with all that back heaviness. Will there be any sort of lockin mechanism in those back plate joints!?

I'm pretty confident they designed this new line with the Super and Armor parts in mind this time around.

I think its going to be the same drama over again, minus some quirk. Loose joints, easy scratch off tampo, and the inability to free pose without the need of a special stand or something to support the immense weight of the Armored Parts. And looking how FRAIL the v2 is - I would not be surprised if the V1s with all their "flaws" and being giant steaming pile of sh!t end up being more durable than the v2s.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're wanting this line to fail miserably just so you'll feel better about your purchase of the entire V1 line, exclusive parts, flaws and all. LOL @ you, sir.

-Kyp

Edited November 27, 2011 by Kyp Durron

[eugimon]

wait... how frail the v2 is? Better plastic, better ball joint design, built in support for GERWALK mode, a new wing glove latching mechanism that doesn't stress the hinge...

WTF are you talking about?

[Archer]

I think there is a misconception being applied here that "Because its thinner and generally less chunky, the overall toy must be frail compared to the chunk'full goodness that was the V.1"

But the truth is that most of the V.1's frailty was sourced to cruddy plastic (V.2 improves) and redonkulously horrid joints (V.2 also improves). Amalgate that into an overall better design and forsight into armor packs and you have a MUCH more solid item.

just a thought

[Reïvaj]

wait... how frail the v2 is? Better plastic, better ball joint design, built in support for GERWALK mode, a new wing glove latching mechanism that doesn't stress the hinge...

WTF are you talking about?

Well, he obviously doesn't have the v.2 yet

[Ghostkiller]

the V2 is not a solid toy.........

the joints used will for sure not last long unless you transform the toy once a month......

I can say that just by looking at the mechanism chosen

time will tell

but get ready for the panic mode in couple of months !

but well .... Bandai is pretty new in the party regarding good looking macross toy

Edited November 28, 2011 by Ghostkiller

[ff95gj]

While even Bandai releases a version 2 for the line and in such a short time-frame, why don't we accept that version 1 is in fact so obviously inferior that the market yearns for a refined one?

P.S. I still don't like the articulation joints enough. They are still loose to me. Nail polish may save the day, I hope.

[kanedaestes]

Woooo mine just cleared customs here in Chicago and I just purchased it on Thursday night. Looking forward to this and my Yamato sound booster which also cleared. And yes nail polish is amazing, i used it on my YF-29 and VF-27 and they are good so far.

[the9breaker]

Are you kidding me? I consider anything Yamato has made since 2001 to be better than the V1 DX VF-25 series, bad shoulders and all, with the only possible exception being the VF-0 line. Even so, I'd still rather have them because at least they're line art accurate and still look great sitting on display in any mode.

If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're wanting this line to fail miserably just so you'll feel better about your purchase of the entire V1 line, exclusive parts, flaws and all. LOL @ you, sir.

This makes no sense. Anyways, I'm done with you. Perhaps I am indeed the one of the few out here who still have their V1s in one solid piece with no flaws.

Do I want the line to fail? Ah you must be a mind-reader, good job man. I mean, I already pre-ordered one from HLJ, and yet I still want the line to fail - yeah - you got me there. Ok, go pat yourself in the back now.

the V2 is not a solid toy.........

the joints used will for sure not last long unless you transform the toy once a month......

I can say that just by looking at the mechanism chosen

That's what I'm saying. Will it outlast V1s. Sure, maybe. Will it last the test of time without running into floppy joints, and snapping parts, and crumbling issue. Not too sure. Time will tell. Just saying.

but get ready for the panic mode in couple of months

Yeah, while I am new in this board - I'm beginning to notice people sure like hitting the panic button a lot - specially over minor things. But HEY! if you drop $200 plus, you should. It just amazes me how people tend to blow up small stuff.

I'm pretty confident they designed this new line with the Super and Armor parts in mind this time around.

It's only logical Bandai had to go that route. It would be a damn shame to have them include the weak snapping parts for the hip-intake covers again from all V1s Super Parts. A damn shame. In this I agree with you. The rest not so much....

[Reïvaj]

It's only logical Bandai had to go that route. It would be a damn shame to have them include the weak snapping parts for the hip-intake covers again from all V1s Super Parts. A damn shame. In this I agree with you. The rest not so much....

I bet the new armoured hip-intake covers will attach to the leg just where the removable intake covers do.

[the9breaker]

Could be - actually, the way they snapped to the V1 Armored Messiah wasn't so bad either - AND it was a stable and strong hold. I wonder how will the backplate joints hold up with that MASSIVE weight.

I'm just surprised we haven't had any hobby publications have up-close pictures of them yet.

[Omegablue]

It's just so pathetic looking compared to the new one. I'm so glad I never wasted money on any of these.

Agreed.

[Mechapilot77]

hmmm, i only went thru the website. was there some action required on their forum? I have been charged teh full price already but like iaid, minus any coming shipping charges.

I too, pre-ordered since they announced day one, in both the forums and their websites. They are very reliable as they got me my last ghost and weapon set even after 1 and 1/2yrs after it was released at a very reasonable price. However, like anime export, they demand fullpayment upfront to reserve. So. Be ready to dig in as soon as you checkout your order.

@VF25SSS man, sorry to hear your fig, broke like that. Also, minor tampo scratch I can live with, but once. Stuff like the small sms and numbers go, it really rubs me the wrong way.

@Eugimon, likewise, although my valks are still in good conditions, I feel your pain. That's. Why I take a long time to transform, so as to not scratch the sensitive areas, not stress any joints, and plan ahead what pose I want in battroid mode, always leaving the armored and torando,and super parts back parts so as not stress any joints. Don't care how long it takes. Sorry for mispell, fomr phone.

[pud333]

It's just so pathetic looking compared to the new one. I'm so glad I never wasted money on any of these.

Yup. The standard is so high with perfect transformation valkyries these days. I'm glad Bandai realized this and did a renewal of the Frontier line. Before the renewal VF-25F, I thought Bandai's best from the franchise was the Monster and the VF-27. Now I realize the VF-27 looks lame in battroid standing next to the renewal VF-25F. I now want a renewal VF-27. Since that was the only valk from Frontier that I had bought, I don't mind doubledipping on that one, especially since it's my favorite design.

[M'Kyuun]

Yup. The standard is so high with perfect transformation valkyries these days. I'm glad Bandai realized this and did a renewal of the Frontier line. Before the renewal VF-25F, I thought Bandai's best from the franchise was the Monster and the VF-27. Now I realize the VF-27 looks lame in battroid standing next to the renewal VF-25F. I now want a renewal VF-27. Since that was the only valk from Frontier that I had bought, I don't mind doubledipping on that one, especially since it's my favorite design.

Agreed. Never cared for the overall look of the V1 VF-25 series, but the VF-27 was pretty well done, hip placement notwithstanding. I still like it enough to keep it displayed, and do the occasional transformation. I'm currently looking for a new job, so I gotta reign in my spending. I doubt I'll get a second VF-27, but I will get a V2 VF-25S once the preorders start again. Too awesome to pass up, and even new, they're pretty affordable. Unfortunately, Yamato's valks are becoming increasingly less so, at least for me.

[Kelsain]

Say, outta curiosity, what was the average shipping price that you guys paid on the 25F, from HLJ to the USA? Trying to anticipate the hit on the 25S.

[kanedaestes]

I paid $199 with i believe 32 for EMS

[the9breaker]

^wow....really, I thought it was 152 or some change last time I checked (yesterday) for the VF25S (pre-order price) - so I figured maybe no more than $200

[Archer]

I think big bad toy store is the only website that lists it for $200, but shipping is cheaper with them.

[pud333]

I think big bad toy store is the only website that lists it for $200, but shipping is cheaper with them.

Yes. Even at full MSRP, it's not that high. BBTS has it for $214 last I checked.

[M'Kyuun]

Yes. Even at full MSRP, it's not that high. BBTS has it for $214 last I checked.

BBTS suffer TRU syndrome with pricing, which is why I generally go through HLJ. I've had had nothing but good experience with them. They even got me replacement knee covers for my Eva Unit 1 when it came with 2 left knee covers. (I'm speaking of the Eva toy from which you could remove the external armor). I have heard, though, that BBTS have really good service.

[Kelsain]

Thanks for the info, can't wait!

[pud333]

BBTS suffer TRU syndrome with pricing, which is why I generally go through HLJ. I've had had nothing but good experience with them. They even got me replacement knee covers for my Eva Unit 1 when it came with 2 left knee covers. (I'm speaking of the Eva toy from which you could remove the external armor). I have heard, though, that BBTS have really good service.

I love HLJ. That said, I love Amiami more for preorders on these things. Got both the VF-25F and VF-25S preordered through them for 10,150 yen. Can't beat that with a stick! Although it sucks that the preorders there sell out before you can even blink. But yeah, HLJ is awesome. I still go to them if I miss the Amiami preorder windows.

[M'Kyuun]

I was too late to get in on the preorder for the VF-25S on both Amiami and HLJ. Waiting and hoping it'll come around again. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for reviews on the VF-25S. Seen the reviews for the VF-25F, and I've been tempted. Just absolutely gorgeous in all modes, but especially battroid.

[Ghostkiller]

For info, it is still availaible for 200 usd the last time I was searching on evilbay...

[charger69]

For VF-25F, I recommend this seller, good guy!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bandai-Macross-Frontier-DX-Chogokin-Valkyrie-ALTO-VF-25F-Renewal-Ver-GE-54-/150706719474?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2316d20af2

[the9breaker]

I was too late to get in on the preorder for the VF-25S on both Amiami and HLJ. Waiting and hoping it'll come around again. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for reviews on the VF-25S. Seen the reviews for the VF-25F, and I've been tempted. Just absolutely gorgeous in all modes, but especially battroid.

Doesn't the VF25S come out end of Jan. according to HLJ.

[M'Kyuun]

Doesn't the VF25S come out end of Jan. according to HLJ.

Yes, I believe so. However, if there are no more preorder windows prior to that time, then some folks here will most likely receive theirs and give their impressions. If another preorder does come up, I may just take the plunge, but I'm also content to wait for reviews before committing.

[pud333]

Yes, I believe so. However, if there are no more preorder windows prior to that time, then some folks here will most likely receive theirs and give their impressions. If another preorder does come up, I may just take the plunge, but I'm also content to wait for reviews before committing.

Just read the VF-25F renewal reviews. It'll be the same valk, only different head and paint for the most part.

[OptionZero]

Hey guys,

I recently purchased a VF-25F Renewal. While going from Fighter to Gerwalk, one of the two hip swing bars (metal, connects to the balljoint that goes into the leg) completely snapped in half. The leg is now detached from the figure. It appears as though I can unscrew the hip assembly and replace it.

I purchased through HLJ and emailed them a moment ago, but realistically does Bandai supply replacement parts, and can HLJ help me get them?

I believe the problem is that I did not unlock the legs by flipping open the small armor skirt that locks them into the main fuselage.

[David Hingtgen]

Isn't that the second report of that part/area snapping? I'm not sure Bandai even uses zinc, so zinc-rot is unlikely (especially on such brand-new toys---zinc-rot usually takes a couple years at minimum---18 months would be like record-speed AFAIK)

[Graham]

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that as all modern, complex transforming VF toys, whether from Bandai or Yamato seem to break, decay, rot or whatever even when stored untouched in the box, it's probably a good idea just to play with them and enjoy them while you can, as no matter how carefully you handle them, they are going to disintigrate sooner or later (probably sooner) anyway!

Graham