jvmacross

Bandai's Monster "BigFoot" anime style v Original lineart "LittleFoot".....

So if the VF-17 lead to the VF-171....is it possible there is an in-universe SV-26 and SV-261, which the SV-262 derives from?

After having it for a few days...a solid B+ overall.....it loses points due to the poor fit in fighter mode and ugly Gerwalk mode, but makes up for it with a very solid Battroid and Gerwalk (although worst looking mode). This score is just based on the toy, as everything else, such as packaging, etc would do little to affect the purchasing decision for many but the most die-hard collectors. However, I think the biggest impediment for the Silvie VF-2SS was all ET's doing....they should have sold it with the SAP...it would have been perceived as a better purchase packaged as a valk + armor combo.....I think many customers skipped the Silvie when ET announced the bundle sets and will be purchasing at least one of the upcoming SAP bundles...I have no reason to believe that the VF-2SS will not be able to accommodate the SAP armor in at least the Battroid and Gerwalk modes....I'm thinking the current weak attachment points in fighter mode will be "fixed" by either improvements from ET or better attachment points via the armor itself. Well....at least I am hoping that will be the case! As far as the price....it is a very niche product with most likely a small run, so the price is probably as low as it can get for ET to still make a profit...with that said.....if my thoughts are correct regarding dropped pre-sales after the SAP bundles were announced...it may be possible to get one at.... "gulp".... clearance at some later point in time.....but that is if they do not announce a stand-alone SAP.....just some personal speculation on the market for this toy....I guess it all depends on how few they actually produced...

It is not "floppy" per say....the fit is just very poor and weak in FIGHTER MODE....some areas I would expect to get worse over time....it will hold it's poses and configurations in gerwalk and battroid........ The poor fit in fighter mode is due to two areas and 4 attachment points..... The first area is where the arms attach to the legs....see pic This would normally not be an issue...it attaches very similar to how the arms and legs attach on a VF-1.....the issue is that on the VF-1...the design allows a further attachment point between both arms...the VF-2SS as designed by ET...can only connect between the arm and the leg...the arms cannot connect to each other.... To make matters worse, the flip-out style arm tabs as designed by ET are too thin and do not stay secured to the legs when they are inserted into the leg slots or you can argue the slots in the legs are to big for the arm tabs..... ......this can be resolved by either making the arm tabs thicker or narrowing the leg slots.... The second problem area in fighter mode is the where the leg assembly attaches to the fighter body..... ....See where the arrow is pointing?....That is the only area where the leg assembly attaches to the body in fighter mode....and it is moderately tight out of the box, but I can definitely see this getting loose over time if you transform it often.....the tab is located on the body and slides into a slot located on the leg...it does not click or lock in place.... I would not trust swooshing the VF-2SS without holding onto both of it's legs......and afterwards, due to the poor fitting connection where the arms and legs connect....you will surely need to "adjust" it..... So again, not really floppy...just not very secure in fitment in FIGHTER MODE....it is not something you will want to handle too much in fighter mode as its attachment points will only get worse for wear over time.....and probably not that much time...

Monster feet as drawn for the anime... Monster line art....

Add the rear landing gear too to the list of diecast content...

I guess I lucked out with my EMS delivery....helps to be near O'Hare too I suppose!

Only the swing bar from what I can tell....unless you want to count pins and screws.... If you were to melt down the metal content of an HMR VF-1 and VF-2SS....the HMR would probably have more metal...

Was wondering when you would chime in.... I am really curious to hear opinions from others who have had a chance to see it in person and handle it....I think it's pluses outweigh it's obvious flaws...in the few days that I have had it...it has really grown on me, especially the battroid mode.....it has a nice solid feel and commanding presence...I am really looking forward to seeing it in SAP-equipped mode...needless to say, I too am keeping the Faerie type pre-order and will definitely get the Nexx as well when it become available... I wonder how many -2SS's ET actually produced...it can't be more than 1000 units for such a niche valk and much maligned Macross series...

HM-R(espect)!

I'm with you! For example, I am sure someone would be able to design a new tailwing assembly that actually locks in place properly with the booster...but that would require skill to make it look presentable...it is a part that is in plain sight so it just wouldn't look right if installed straight off of a shapeways printer....another example would be redesigning the "white plank" hanging off the backpack.....it too is in plain sight so it would require some skill to make it look right.... Still, I would really like to see some of our design gurus make those improvements....

Actually, the small folding arm tabs that would have made a huge difference in holding the VF-2SS together in fighter mode are hidden during that mode and mostly hidden in battroid/gerwalk mode. It would be like purchasing the hinges that break on the V2 VF-1 via shapeways....they too are mostly hidden and their "finish" is not as important as the "job" they are meant to perform...which is to hold the toy together....I would definitely welcome someone redesigning those arm tabs so they are a bit thicker so it holds in place better when inserted into the leg slots...

I wouldn't get stuck on how it looks in any of the posted pics...it looks much better in person....especially battroid mode.... But as some have pointed out....it is kit-like...it is not something that will be able to be handled very often....definitely not in fighter mode....it fits very well in Battroid and Gerwalk (although gerwalk looks the worst IMO)...everything locks tightly and you can shake it and it will stay locked.... If a great percentage of the value you get out of Macross toys is the ability to transform them over and over again....then the VF-2SS is probably not for you...if you are more of a "set it and forget it" type of Macross collector...where you transform it a few times then put it on display in your favorite mode for a long while.....then you should be able to enjoy the VF-2SS even in it's worst fitting mode..which is the fighter mode... To anyone on the fence on this Silvie release.....I would suggest to wait for the SAP Faerie or Nexx.....I am hoping that the armor bits will aid in the fitment in fighter mode....the arm armor tabs and leg armor slots will need to fit much tighter in order to be able to hold them together

Basically another collector that agrees with my first impressions....completely solid in battroid and gerwalk.....not so much in fighter mode.... Plus whether or not it is canon...I like his idea of storing the gunpod when in battroid mode (at least I think it is his idea, I do not remember it from the anime nor did I follow the manual when transforming it )....with the gunpod attached, the long white plank is less of an eyesore! This pic also has a clean shot of the back of the chest plate and the infamous chest tabs....ET could have come up with at least three different ways to have concealed them in battroid mode! Additionally, the pic also has a clear shot of the arm tabs that "flip" out during fighter mode....these are the only tabs that are used to keep the arms and legs attached when in fighter mode....and as this collector also points out....they are the weakest connection points of the entire toy......I am pretty sure designing the small bit in shapeways with a thicker connecting tab would resolve the issue it has currently with it easily slipping out of the slot where it connects to the leg...

Looks like one of the Arcadia websclusives that were sold with the gunpod as a bonus....

Yeah...just paying around with it....the whole backpack area is fine...other than that big white "plank" hanging from it....the thrusters slide up and down and hold any position you leave them in...overall, it is not the kind of toy you will probably get away with transforming too many times before things start getting loose... Other than a swappable piece for that "plank"....not sure what else could have been done with it...if it is too short...it just leaves the battroid "head" exposed when in fighter mode....maybe if it was made so it could fold to half the length once in battroid mode???

After closer inspection of the line art...you are correct regarding the positioning of the intakes during gerwalk mode.....it's like the intake/legs are still in that "disconnected" looking configuration that they are in during fighter mode....it is very unique to this valk and without that "look", the gerwalk mode ends up being the weakest mode representation for ET's VF-2SS....it looks too much like a VF-1's gerwalk mode...

I believe they would have....at least in the area where the arms are supposed to lock in with the legs in fighter mode...funny as the use of magnets are one of ET's gimmicks used in their other lines...missed opportunity I suppose

Do you have the Robotech Movie soundtrack? If so, does it contain music from Megazone 23? Anyone know the answer to this?

OK...so I went ahead and transformed it to Gerwalk and Battroid. Both of these mode feel leaps and bounds more solid than the fighter mode......swooshability-proof in both Battroid and Gerwalk modes... However, I have a major issue with Gerwalk mode....it is not how it should be according to the line art.... In the line art....the intakes "jut out" and basically remain unchanged in their position relative to the fighter mode configuration... So basically....I think it should look closer in position to this on the toy.... Unfortunately, in this position....there is no way to bring out the arms......additionally...it is basically held on by a small tab towards the rear of the intake where it fits onto the bottom of the chest piece... When you transform it the way ET designed it...IMO....it loses the proper "look"....with the intakes now fully under the chest area and looking more like a VF-1's Gerwalk mode.... When transformed as ET designed it...it is extremely solid...upon transforming the VF-2SS to gerwalk and Battroid, I have to say ET clearly has a grasp on the use of moveable tabs and panels...they probably needed a few more months in design time to have figured out how to properly hide the transformation mechanism...but who knows.... As a result, if I wanted it to look better in Gerwalk...I would need to leave it "mistransformed".... Finally...Battroid....again very solid, everything locks up nicely...the only thing that could have been improved was the hip area.....it is a bit too narrow.....this part also can be left "unlocked" and you gain some additional range in poseability...but at the expense of leaving it "floppy"..... Battroid looks good and feels tight when properly transformed with everything locked in place....I have to say...it looks much better in person..it has a very nice presence...on some of the pics on the web...the legs seemed too short....perhaps the legs were not pulled out correctly? Anyways, looking at it in person...the proportions look good.....and it displays very well in battroid mode... After transforming the VF-2SS to Battroid...it is really odd why ET left the tabs on the chest plates....they clearly had the ability to have designed them so they could either flip back, spin 180 degrees, or simply slide down....perhaps someone can devise a solution for them....

yeah...she displays very nicely....probably in battroid mode getting "repaired" in a hangar will probably look nice too....hide all the "imperfections" is the key!

I have not transformed it into battroid or gerwalk. However, the tabs do not hold the legs/arms in place....same for the tail wing tabs.....with that said..."swooshability" is poor to none in fighter mode.....you can do it...but you will need to hold it together with your hand.... Since these specific tabs do not play much of a role when transformed in battroid....I would think that battroid might provide a better "play" option for the VF-2SS....and to a lesser extent, gerwalk mode..... I'll tinker with it later and post some more pics.... Oh...and comparing the durability of the VF-2SS to a Chunky Monkey would be like comparing a mudhut to a concrete bunker....but to be fair, nothing compares to the durability of a chunky monkey...not Yamato, Arcadia, or the recent Bandai stuff....IMO toys built like the original 1/55 can never exist again...

And some pics of the VF-2SS on display.....