Shawn

Just catching up, but it looks like the Bandai Prototype SDF-1 is on display there for a limited time too

I would think unless your display lights are like this in your cabinets, you are probably going to be ok

I suspect that one might have ended up costing more than $35. Don't think I will attempt the discoloration. I can only assume they are so burnt because they were on display for their brief lives literally 2 feet from never ending bright display lights They will live out their retirement in a dark cardboard box...with maybe brief appearances at the next SDcon or something.

From the youtube auto translate of the captions, I got the idea it was asked if the Booby Duck (Fast Pack Armor) version was going to be released, and it was a yes, but for this release, it was the plain simple version first. I think....

Nah...I was just wishing it said P...prototypes are always quite a bit more exclusive than test shots or samples, or like these, pre-production versions which fit somewhere in between I think its a D for Display or Demo or something alongst those lines.... I found them on Yahoo Japan auctions...the 2nd hand shop was just selling it on there. I was just online at the right time...they were both Buy It Nows and had been newly listed Thanks for everyone who helped ID this (especially Chronocidal for remembering the chest etching!)! It was fun digging and aggregating all the various pieces of information into something coherent. My favorite part was seeing the D1 and D2 sets that predated this one actually existed. We need another challenge now!

As Gwen mentioned "multiple stores in Akihabara have displays set up to show off the upcoming toy to curious shoppers. Akihabara Yodobashi Camera" and the other video for D2 said "Yodobashi Camera and the Sofmap Tamashii Shop" So "for the official records for future generations to wow over at our banality of such things" we should be able to identify each location and flag each D1/2/3 as on that location. again...I prefaced this entire thread with "I sort of fell ass-backwards into this one..." and ain't that the truth.

And sorry Emilio, but we found the REAL D2....DewPoint was right. https://www.decultureshock.com/dx-chogokin-vf-1j/ check out the pics at the bottom I think there was a primary D1/2/3 series valk, and a secondary one that tagged along with it, with a clear canopy. I just need to match my 2nd valk with the D1 or D2 displays, and life will be good

since it is fun..one more diff I noticed prod(L) says BEWARE while D3 says BE WARE

D1 baby! I am the owner of D3! Need to find a pic of D2 somewhere. Kite on the right wing again...I wish I could find a rear shot to see the color of the wing flaps

no-neither unit has those blemishes under the leg like shown in the video in fighter mode was hoping!

mark in a weird place

From the blog-we get some clearer pics than the video http://toho.seesaa.net/article/460813985.html from my crappy camera...I'm going to say match?

On the fighter in the video, there are paint blemishes under the right intake, which I do not see on my 2nd valk, so I doubt this one is from that display.

The canopy cover basically wants to fall out everytime you move it, the air brake is super loose (hence the putty), the canopy glass is lift off..nothing seems to be really glued down, so you might be on to something that as the display changed, parts might have re-assembled if they fell off in transport ( a guess) I'll look at the 2nd unit I have here, and see if it matches anything on the display fighter in that video

the little red paint on the back edge of the cockpit also matches up I think (left and right under the head)

Looking back at around page 45 I had asked this.

The intake nubs are actually melted plastic...something was done to the BACK of the intake for some sort of clearance or something.

Now all we do is look for flaws and blemishes to match...stress crack on the right upper thigh under the intake matches too Feeling pretty confident on this unit being the battroid on display

maybe it means 'display 3'? Wonder if there are other pics of other displays with maybe 'D 1' or 'D 2' or it doesn't mean that at all...just guessing oh...the D is really a P, you try writing with a soldering gun on a valk, and it means 'prototype 3'....HA 😛

I believe you have solved the mystery! Wow..talk about detective work!!! I missed the top of the intake nub too I had not noticed either on con-prep night...woah. Video on left, mine on right So that probably means the other valk I got in fighter mode in the video is this one's matching pair on the display...will need to look for a blemish or something to verify, like they do on the movie props haha And the 2nd hand shops I am referring too are the ones selling on Yahoo Japan

I did find a bit of this white putty stuff on the inside of the chest airbrake to keep it closed...otherwise it just flaps open

I know for sure, next time I see a yellowed out VF-1J for sale, I'm going for it

Look at that bottom light toasting one side of it LOL

This was the OTHER valk that was from the same seller at the same time...another $35 I can't find the oddities I found on the other one, at least yet. From the sunburn patterns, I would think THIS one was the fighter mode, and the pre-prod was the battroid version.