Bandai
vs Joons 1/55 Comparison
By Jeremy Housdan 10/10/00
jhousdan@hotmail.com
aka Skull
Leader on the Macross World Discussion Board
Overview
For
the most part, when you're going to switch parts from a Joons to a Bandai (and
vise versa) you're not going to notice much difference, especially if you have
a custom paint job in mind. HOWEVER, there ARE a few differences that need to
be brought to light if you want to make a working Valkyrie that functions correctly
and does not look awkward when transformed.
Torso
Of course,
here's the biggie, we all know that if you want an accurate looking Valkyrie,
you need a streamlined nose (unless you're making an Elintseeker or Super Ostrich,
which have the rounded nose). The end result will leave you with a white valk
with a streamlined nose, sadly, the legs will inherit the looseness the legs
a Joons valk has. There will also be a considerable gap in the two halves of
the nose, this can be solved with any modeling gap-filler. (If anyone knows
how to correct this WITHOUT using other sources, I'd LOVE to hear about it)
The canopies should be an easy fit. I am told that Taiwanese valks have a problem
with this, but I've never worked with one and any input on this matter would
be appreciated. At this point, I should inform you that the Joons valks have
inferior quality springs at all points, so if the Bandai you are using still
has a tight spring for the landing gear, use it instead.
Head
There's
a lot more happening here than you might believe. First of all, it's important
to note that the head mount must remain with the nose in the transfer. (Joons
neck-Joons nose, Bandai neck-Bandai nose) They are actually different sizes
and will not fit correctly (one will be too loose, the other will not fold in
completely in fighter mode the Joons parts are ever-so-slightly larger than
their Bandai counterparts). Now, when transferring the head, you must be very
careful while unscrewing them from the mount. There is a spring loaded underneath
that will go flying if not properly attended to. When you screw the head back
to the new mount (if you're doing such) be extremely careful when tightening,
the piece that you screw into tightens the headlasers. (once heard this referred
to as a screwboss, so I'll call it that from here on out) The screwboss is EASILY
stripped (especially the Joons one) so take care.
Legs
There's
surprisingly little difference here. The big thing is that the metal inner-legs
of the Bandai are desirable, they give it stability. Remember that the Joons
ratchet-joints aren't so great, use the Bandai ones where you can, springs also,
this applies to the landing gears as well. If you're using Joons legs, you may
want to re-set the feet, the usually come crooked (facing down slightly in fighter
mode and standing crooked in Battroid mode) this is simple to correct, simply
unscrew the leg and re-set the foot correctly.
Arms
Not
much to say about the arms, just remember that shoulder joints will be tighter
with Bandai springs and ratchet joints, use where possible, but beware, resetting
the shoulder spring correctly is a pain in the ass, be patient! Joons hands
also seem to be looser (don't click like the Bandai's do when extended into
place) but this isn't usually a big issue to people, like I said, nothing much
here.
Back and tail-fin
thruster pack
Only
one or two things here, really. First of all (and most important) the tab that
connects the back with the nose/torso needs to transfer with the appropriate
nose, the Bandai tab has roughly a fat "T" shape, while the Joons
has a more "—" shape. The Bandai tab will NOT fit in the nose
of a Joons! Likewise, the Joons tab will NOT hold the Bandai body in place.
Again, be careful. There's a spring involved that needs to be kept track of.
The section that rotates the wings are important, the Joons part won't click
very well, and the blockers that keep the wings from over-extending is NOT there
(it's not there on the Bandai Elintseeker or Super Ostrich either) The Bandai
part WILL click and is generally more desirable to use. In regards to the Thruster
pack, disassembling is not so easy when it comes to the Bandai, some are glued
together and take a little working to get loose (you can do it, again, just
be patient). The Joons thruster pack seems to be overall a little larger and
is NOT glued together in the middle, but at the same time, it a lot looser too.
The largeness seems to keep it from setting just right in fighter mode. A little
filling of the area where it rests can solve that. NOTE: It is too big for the
FAST pack booster connector, I cannot get one to fit completely on there without
breaking it (anyone who knows how to solve this one, feel free to respond).
Do NOT plan on making a Supervalk of any sort if you're using the Joons thruster
pack (you'll be in for a painful surprise after all that work.)
Final notes
A
little bit of advice, most ALL of the screws used in the body of the valk are
identical (with only the occasional exception) so don't be afraid of loosing
one if you've got Valkyrie spare parts on hand. When you use Joons parts, the
plastic is of a slightly inferior quality, therefore a little more breakable.
Be ginger and don't force parts together, these toys took out many bad guys
in the cartoons, but they're powerless to the human hands ;)
Good luck on your conversion!!