GU-11

Heheh, yeah, I noticed that the feet don't really plant themselves firmly on the ground. Being mostly die-cast metal, I guess there might be some balance issues with it--some of the reviews I read said so, at least.

Thanks for the info, guys! I can't really remember if I saw the term being mentioned in a review or some Macross shrine. I do remember it had something to do with the YF-19.

The logo on my VF-11B's off center too.

When I first transformed my VF-0S, I thought you had to pull the legs out like the V2 1/60 VF-1 Valks. Damn near broke the legs on mine until I figured something wasn't right and checked online. The instructions weren't much help visually. Maybe the extra steps were written in Japanese somewhere.

Wow, didn't know exploding shoulders were an issue even in those days. I do agree that the color on the 1/60 YF-21's are too light compared to its anime incarnation. That said, the slightly lighter blue ironically lends a more anime feel to the toy than the original colors, for better or worse. It's not my place to give an opinion about the 1/72's legs, as I've been spoiled rotten by the latest generation of the YF-21 and its Sturmvogel offspring. I will say this, though; in my personal opinion, the 1/72 YF-21 has a very pleasing GERWALK mode, easily on par with the 1/60. They're still on sale at HLJ if you're still interested.

Thanks for the info, man! Sorry for being nebulous there; I thought those camera things on the sides of the nose were called "imaging cameras", because I saw them being called that in a few VF reviews. As for Pledge, we have those where I'm at. Just a couple of questions: is there any particular ink-to-Pledge ratio, and how long should I leave the parts to cure?

So, would the VF-1 be closer to the size of an F-16 Fighting Falcon in real life?

Glad I could help. Speaking of the 1/72 YF-21, I used to dream of owning one after seeing it on the Net way back when. Watching MacPlus made a Macross fan of me, but the price of the 1/72 MacPlus VF's were way over my ability to buy them back then. While it does fall short of perfect by today's standards, it was cutting edge back then, considered by many to be next to impossible to build. Comparing the pics of the old 1/72 and the 1/60 YF-21 sitting on my shelf right now, it does make you marvel at just how far toy designing has come over the years. Damn, I feel old! Thanks, man! I've been hesitant to put the armor on my YF-21 after reading the CDX review back then, but now, I guess I can try it one of these days.

The parts that go on the arms will definitely fit, being essentially the same arms with different colors. As for the parts that go on the belly plates, I doubt it since the shape of the YF-21's and VF-22S's fuselage differ substantially. Haven't used the FAST packs on my YF-21 personally, so I can't say for sure. I don't know if it's just a case-by-case thing, but the CDX review by JoshB states that while the arms parts on the YF-21's FAST packs are easy to apply and feel very sturdy, they can be a real bitch to remove. He supposedly broke off the rear stabilizer wing on his YF-21 trying to get the arm part off. If you'd like to know more, here's the link.

Looking pretty good so far! Can't wait to see the finished kit! Sorry for the newbie questions, but how do you tint that canopy? Fortunately, my planned build of the VF-25G (whenever that might be) only involves it being in battroid mode where the canopy is hidden, I'm really curious as to how you guys tint clear plastic. Then again, I might still need to tint the "imaging cameras".

I agree; all my other VF-1's are fine (touch wood). Some of them might be rather tight around the intake pegs, but they still came off intact without much trouble. I never had to pry at them or attempt any alternative method of transformation--just angled the legs inward and they detached. While I don't want to make any guesses as to what the underlying problem is, the fact that they're chalking it up to user negligence is IMO rather irresponsible.

If I ever get around to buying the SV-51's (expensive mother-effer's, those), they'd definitely be displayed that way. Actually, I've seen an old review on Collection DX of the VF-22S Gamlin being stood up on its engines, featuring a "hidden fourth mode". Witness the mighty Pengoid mode! Ouch! That can't be good for the thruster pedals....

Glad to hear it! I guess the general rule here is when your VF-1 happens to be unusually tight around the intake pegs, you should try to gently pry the leg loose with something first instead of sticking to the instructions.

Same here. I was pleasantly surprised when they emailed me the "we received your payment" thing and I found the shipping fees to be a mere 504 yen--EMS, too. That's about as good as free shipping, as far as I'm concerned.

That's a cool idea! I never thought to display them that way, although I remember the seeing SV-51's being housed like that in the animation (yeah, that scene where Nora grabs the balls of some maintenance guy ).

Muahahaha! Preorder has just become open order! HLJ is getting ready to ship my VF-1S TV Roy to me even as I'm typing this post! Now if only HLJ will hurry the hell up and send me the replacement leg and cockpit capsule for my -1D, so I can get set up a cool diorama for it and Roy's -1S!

Other than that one time I had put a screwdriver to my Gamlin VF-22S to loosen up the ultra-tight chest hinge, I've never trusted myself enough to attempt any "invasive exploration" of my Valks. About the way the feet on the VF-0's sliding side to side, yeah, same thing on mine, too. My VF-0A, though, seems to be slightly less affected by it. According to the Scorched Earth reviews, it seems to be a minor issue that dates back to the the 2006 re-releases. Personally, if it doesn't affect its ability to be posed or displayed, I can deal with it, since my only purpose for it is to look cool on my display cabinet.

Thanks for the info, man. Other than that one time I had to fix up the ultra-tight chest hinge on my VF-22S Gamlin, I've always tried to avoid any "invasive exploration" of such high-end toys. I'll need all the tips and advice I can get. I appreciate the heads up, man! Thankfully, the left leg on my -1D is fine, and the usual angling inwards of it easily detaches it from the diecast part. It's just the right leg that's impossibly tight. Either way, I'll be filing the paint off the diecast part and maybe file at the peg of the replacement leg just a little to be safe. As for the VF-1D as a Valk, even after this whole issue with the leg and all, I've never regretted buying it. Design-wise, it's got my favorite head sculpt among all first-gen VF's--simple, elegant, and somewhat timeless. While it's not exactly Hikaru's perennial hero-Valk, it was his very first taste of piloting a VF, and even indirectly hooked him up with the future Miss Macross. I also own the VR version which in its blue custom paint is a very cool VF in its own right, but Hikaru's tan/beige one is what it's all about! Same here. I've wanted that accessory ever since it was made official last year!

Great report, Chronocidal--very thorough. I'll just add my two cents about my VF-0S and -OA. No drooping nose syndrome on either of them. The skull symbol on my -0S was just slightly off center, but nothing that would call attention to itself. The -0S's rear thruster cover (those two panels that split to form the "foot") was not glued, but I easily glued it back with a touch cyanoacrylate--a minor QC thing at most. All in all, I'm a happy camper.

Actually, I wanted to try fixing up the -1D's leg while I was waiting for that replacement HLJ's working on sending to me. The thing is, I don't want to get super glue around places that might seal up the two parts, and make the leg hard to remove when I try to replace it. And the peg sits right between the seam line between the two halves of the leg. HLJ said they'll be making arrangements with Yamato to get the replacements, but I'm not sure when. They said they'll get back to me as soon as they hear from Yamato. I'll send them a follow up email next week if they still don't reply by this Friday. As for replacing the leg itself, I'll have to be real careful, as there's a certain order to things. Macross Fanboy reported that he accidentally placed the fittings that should go around the ball joint into the leg first, and that caused the ball joint to be unable to fit into the leg--that's my understanding of it, at least.

Maybe if you explained to them that it was some kind of misunderstanding, they might make an exception for a loyal customer. No harm in trying. Besides, it that their wacked up email service and that snafu with the tracking number that caused all this to happen.

Sublime...intricate and yet never overbearing. You, sir, are a maestro.

Thanks for the heads up, Shin Densetsu Kai!

Hope you get a good one this time; the -1D's currently out of stock at HLJ, though. BTW, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind posting a tutorial on replacing the leg? I'll definitely benefit from some advice and pointers.

Great to hear that you've received your shipment after all! BTW, love that Klan fig and those tee shirts!