PLAMAX 1/72 VF-1 Valkyrie

[Gabe Q]

The proportions look way better than the Hasegawa version.

[Chas]

1 hour ago, Gabe Q said:

The proportions look way better than the Hasegawa version.

That's what sold me. Pre-order in.

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Gabe Q said:

The proportions look way better than the Hasegawa version.

These pictures and the articulation all make the hasegawa look like garbage in comparison. I’m really glad I held back on those. But instantly preordered when I saw it up the other night.

[GMK]

5 hours ago, Big s said:

These pictures and the articulation all make the hasegawa look like garbage in comparison. I’m really glad I held back on those. But instantly preordered when I saw it up the other night.

I’m off loading my Has GBP-1s. All in on Plamax. 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, GMK said:

I’m off loading my Has GBP-1s. All in on Plamax. 

I don’t blame you. Although some variations that were done by hasegawa might not be done by Plamax. But to be honest, most of the variations would only take a little bit of work to mod. Others like 1A or 1S variants would only require a head from another kit and some paint 

[Bolt]

Looks good. Twice the cost of the Hasegawa version.  Ouch. 

[GMK]

6 hours ago, Big s said:

I don’t blame you. Although some variations that were done by hasegawa might not be done by Plamax. But to be honest, most of the variations would only take a little bit of work to mod. Others like 1A or 1S variants would only require a head from another kit and some paint 

I’m a “SDFM” or “TV only” guy, so, apart from Gerwalks & the orbital booster (!), they seem to have the plastic side of the equation well covered. Maybe a Battroid “Deculture” set would work. 
 

It’ll never happen, but a larger scale Plamax Battroid would be great, 1:48 or maybe even a fixed-pose 1:20 like Max Watanabe did for a promo. 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Bolt said:

Looks good. Twice the cost of the Hasegawa version.  Ouch. 

Yeah but a lot more articulation and ten times better looking totally makes it worth it. It’s like the comparison of hot garbage at a cheap price and a quality item for only a bit more

[Bolt]

8 minutes ago, Big s said:

Yeah but a lot more articulation and ten times better looking totally makes it worth it. It’s like the comparison of hot garbage at a cheap price and a quality item for only a bit more

I don't agree that the Hasegawa version is "garbage ".  More articulation is nice , but I'm only really getting this for Minmei. 

[joscasle]

I'm a 1/48 scale modeler and I love Hasegawa's VF-1s and YF-19s in that scale. Hasegawa's 1/72 scale Battroids were good, but the new Plamax molds, with their more anime style, look very appealing. I'm not entirely convinced by the fighter mode, though. Price is an important factor, and Hasegawa's 1/48 scale models are excellent options when you compare price, size, and detail.

[Big s]

27 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I don't agree that the Hasegawa version is "garbage ".  More articulation is nice , but I'm only really getting this for Minmei. 

I don’t know…..and below is the Plamaxthe chest on the hasegawa is stupid big, the feet and hands ridiculously small , the hasegawa just looks way off in comparison to the Plamax. Plus the Plamax has the better articulation on top of all the looks. And the swimsuit beauty as a bonus cherry on top. It’s easily worth the extra money 

[kajnrig]

It doesn't need to be a competition...

That being said, the Hase photo does a good job making the heft look intimidating. I really like it. Same with the head laser. 

I do have to admit, despite my misgivings about the Plamax kit, it makes a very pretty, clean-looking Armored. Aaaaaalmost enough to make me get one...

[Bolt]

2 hours ago, kajnrig said:

It doesn't need to be a competition...

I didn't say the Hase was better. Just not hot garbage 

2 hours ago, kajnrig said:

do have to admit, despite my misgivings about the Plamax kit, it makes a very pretty, clean-looking Armored. Aaaaaalmost enough to make me get one...

Minmei made me do it! 

[Papa Rat]

I’m just hoping for an overall tighter fit with no floppy limbs and loose joints! I did attempt to build the Hasegawa version last February and it wasn’t that bad besides the fact that it won’t stand on its own without some xtra support like a stand. I know nothing about proportions and what’s cannon and not. That stuff just isn’t a real deal breaker for me. 
Here’s a pic of  the build on a rare occasion I got it to balance enough for a photo. With all that said, I ordered the new version right away cause I’m a sucker for the chunk clunk look. 
 

Edit* I just noticed I never removed the masking from the clear orange shoulder lights. Hahahaha. 🤷 

Edited November 21, 2025 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

41 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

I know nothing about proportions and what’s cannon and not.

Here’s a basic line art picas shown here the chest on the hasegawa is way oversized and hands and feet are way too small

the Plamax is much closer to the artwork here

[Papa Rat]

9 minutes ago, Big s said:

Here’s a basic line art picas shown here the chest on the hasegawa is way oversized and hands and feet are way too small

the Plamax is much closer to the artwork here

That is quite a difference. Thanks for sharing. 😊

[sh9000]

 

 

[GMK]

Model show cannon fodder got me a bit excited 🤩

 

 

[Big s]

2 hours ago, GMK said:

Model show cannon fodder got me a bit excited 🤩

 

 

Gotta love brownies 

[Chas]

On 11/27/2025 at 12:17 PM, sh9000 said:

 

 

Am I understanding this right?

At about the 38/39 min. Mark in that video does he say that we would be able to replace the Armour Valk boosters with the super/strike pack boosters?

[Big s]

15 minutes ago, Chas said:

Am I understanding this right?

At about the 38/39 min. Mark in that video does he say that we would be able to replace the Armour Valk boosters with the super/strike pack boosters?

I don’t know about the translation, but the way the back in designed, it should be easily done 

[Chas]

That would be interesting to see. I'll have to keep a look out for any pics where modelers have made that swap.

[GMK]

Some BTS from Plamax on the upcoming GBP-1.

 

[GMK]

The unpainted plastic:

 

[Papa Rat]

The overall silhouette looks way more streamlined and agile than the Hasegawa. I’m liking it a lot. 

[SteveTheFish]

Keep in mind that since Hasegawa's reputation is the strongest for scale aircraft, apparently their focus is to keep the technology of Macross mecha consistent with real-world mechanics rather than copying the anime aesthetic in which the Valkyrie's nacelles swell up once they form the Battroid's legs to look more stylized for the animation. The thing about the hands is that Hasegawa has to make some compromises in order to maintain uniformity. The Armored Valk, as drawn, has bigger feet and hands, yet it's still supposed to be the same mecha, just with external armor. Those big, fat hamfists won't be able to hold the gunpod. My friend got all upset over Hasegawa's Armored Valk's hands but I pointed this out to him. Big fat fingers can't wrap around the rifle's trigger! So when I built my Armored Valk, I used the DYRL hands just because I think they look better aesthetically.

[sketchley]

22 hours ago, GMK said:

Some BTS from Plamax on the upcoming GBP-1.

 

Thanks for the image!

Interesting... the blue parts are labelled "want to use if possible" and the red parts are "not used parts".  However, many of the red parts have "プロポーション優先": Prioritizing Proportions.

[Big s]

4 hours ago, SteveTheFish said:

Keep in mind that since Hasegawa's reputation is the strongest for scale aircraft, apparently their focus is to keep the technology of Macross mecha consistent with real-world mechanics rather than copying the anime aesthetic in which the Valkyrie's nacelles swell up once they form the Battroid's legs to look more stylized for the animation. The thing about the hands is that Hasegawa has to make some compromises in order to maintain uniformity. The Armored Valk, as drawn, has bigger feet and hands, yet it's still supposed to be the same mecha, just with external armor. Those big, fat hamfists won't be able to hold the gunpod. My friend got all upset over Hasegawa's Armored Valk's hands but I pointed this out to him. Big fat fingers can't wrap around the rifle's trigger! So when I built my Armored Valk, I used the DYRL hands just because I think they look better aesthetically.

Looks like it can hold the gunpod just fine, but to be fair it wasn’t shown holding one in the series. The other thing the hasegawa does is they have the big cheap toy looking chest and the Plamax definitely fixes that.

 

11 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

The overall silhouette looks way more streamlined and agile than the Hasegawa. I’m liking it a lot. 

Looks far better and way better action poses. The Hasegawa looks like it couldn’t walk without falling on its big ol boobs

[SteveTheFish]

2 hours ago, Big s said:

Looks far better and way better action poses. The Hasegawa looks like it couldn’t walk without falling on its big ol boobs

Yes, the Hasegawa one cannot be posed very dynamically at all.

[tekering]

8 hours ago, Big s said:

Looks like it can hold the gunpod just fine, but to be fair it wasn’t shown holding one in the series.

To what series are you referring? 🤔

[SteveTheFish]

42 minutes ago, tekering said:

 

To what series are you referring? 🤔

I must not be properly communicating somehow. We're talking about translating a cartoon into something physical. Roadrunner can paint a tunnel on the side of a mountain and run through the painted tunnel, only for Wiley Coyote to faceplant into the rocks a moment later. That's how animation works, because it's not tangible. The real world doesn't work like that.

Look at those hamfists and look at what your model Hasegawa gunpod looks like. You can't shove a basketball into a can of Pringles, but a cartoon character can. So if Hasegawa was to make their model with those big hamfists, they would not be able to reuse the same pre-existing tooling for the gunpod. They'd have to retool it to include a jibungous hole for it to put its big fat finger through. Like picking your nose with a baseball bat. You can't do that unless you're a cartoon.

Notice that even Max Factory did not make the hands as big as the drawing's. I'm just saying that Hasegawa is going for more practical rather than stylized. Even then, compromises are still made. The wings on their Battroid are smaller than those on the Fighter.

It's why transforming models/toys of these mecha will never be totally accurate in any one given configuration. The Valkyrie's jet engine nacelles suddenly get beefier and more rounded when in Battroid mode in the animation because they are drawn that way. Hasegawa chose not to go that route and instead made the legs more or less compatible with the corresponding parts of the Fighter mode.

Look at how Shoji Kawamori designed Optimus Prime in the Transformers cartoon. Heck, any of the Transformers. The Autobots' tires get really small (or disappear entirely). Not because it's practical, but because they just kind of look cooler that way when animated. 

Edited December 19, 2025 by SteveTheFish

[tekering]

21 minutes ago, SteveTheFish said:

I must not be properly communicating somehow.

Your communication is very clear, but you're responding to the wrong post. 😉

10 hours ago, Big s said:

Looks like it can hold the gunpod just fine, but to be fair it wasn’t shown holding one in the series.

My response to @Big s was intended to illustrate that Hikaru's Armored Valkyrie is shown holding a gunpod... in every single shot, actually. 😅

[Big s]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

To what series are you referring? 🤔

For some reason I don’t remember it having the gunpod, my bad memory I guess.

[Big s]

1 hour ago, SteveTheFish said:

I must not be properly communicating somehow. We're talking about translating a cartoon into something physical. Roadrunner can paint a tunnel on the side of a mountain and run through the painted tunnel, only for Wiley Coyote to faceplant into the rocks a moment later. That's how animation works, because it's not tangible. The real world doesn't work like that.

Look at those hamfists and look at what your model Hasegawa gunpod looks like. You can't shove a basketball into a can of Pringles, but a cartoon character can. So if Hasegawa was to make their model with those big hamfists, they would not be able to reuse the same pre-existing tooling for the gunpod. They'd have to retool it to include a jibungous hole for it to put its big fat finger through. Like picking your nose with a baseball bat. You can't do that unless you're a cartoon.

Notice that even Max Factory did not make the hands as big as the drawing's. I'm just saying that Hasegawa is going for more practical rather than stylized. Even then, compromises are still made. The wings on their Battroid are smaller than those on the Fighter.

It's why transforming models/toys of these mecha will never be totally accurate in any one given configuration. The Valkyrie's jet engine nacelles suddenly get beefier and more rounded when in Battroid mode in the animation because they are drawn that way. Hasegawa chose not to go that route and instead made the legs more or less compatible with the corresponding parts of the Fighter mode.

Look at how Shoji Kawamori designed Optimus Prime in the Transformers cartoon. Heck, any of the Transformers. The Autobots' tires get really small (or disappear entirely). Not because it's practical, but because they just kind of look cooler that way when animated. 

Maybe, but still doesn’t explain the big boob job

[GMK]

Adjacent to the hands discussion, Wave Corp are releasing some rounded mecha hands in the new year.