jenius

Keep in mind, it's really just GERWALK that doesn't jive well with the ankle design. This toy has two other modes it does fantastically and it can do GERWALK... it's just a bit more awkward than it should be. I do like the toy and all the thought that went into it but I was tempted to drop the design score down on my most recent revision since there's no evidence of fast pack support on the 19S and that GERWALK mode is just not quite as sweet as it should be... but since I'm not a fan of the GERWALK mode on 19 at all and the super parts on the 19S look like a child came up with 'em I just left things as was. EDIT - I understand if a toy would need to be perfect for you to spend $300 on it, that's a ton of scratch so I don't mean to make it sound like you'd be foolish not to buy future variants if this does bother you.

I can confirm that the ankle is naked on the 19S and that mine is very stiff... for now. My 19Kai toy's ankles are still pretty stiff but definitely not as stiff as day one. I'd be curious to see if the 19Kai reissue no longer has paint on the housing the ball joint fits into.

Yep, there's a natural failure rate for any product, so far the V2 VF-25 doesn't seem to have a higher than normal natural failure rate. Am I the only one passing on Ozma's VF-25S in the hopes that a bundle toy is released later?

Thank you, I should probably take the ankles apart on both my toys to see if there's really been any improvement... but since both my toys have nicely functioning ankles I don't want to risk having my dicking around ruin them. Sentence now reads: I'm told the ankle's ball joint features a plastic hemisphere coupled with a metal hemisphere which is a step up from an all metal ball joint but it's apparently not enough to prevent loosening over time. I wonder why companies don't use the rubberized sleeve Yamato used on their 1/48s any more? I guess because so many 1/48s had their hip housings crack? Edit - i also added a sentence about how thin the blazer guns look and that it's probably not a good idea to stress them too much. Does anyone know if they're made of POM?

Were there complaints of loose ankles out of the box on the Kai? My Kai's ankles were so stiff I could easily pose the toy on one leg. The 19S looks to have exactly the same ankle mechanism to my eye... and I found GERWALK mode to be a frustrating balancing act. Be warned, you should have some finger nails if you're going to pull that trick off.. especially when the toy is brand new and might have a bit of mold release on it. I spent a lot of time looking at my gun puzzled as to how I would pop that part back out for battroid mode. There's a line that runs parallel across it you can use if you can get a corner of a fingernail in it.

Okay, just added my last two pics and am now done updating my VF-19 review. The last two pics are an additional battroid mode pic and a picture that details the guns and their gimmicks. I also updated the content a bit more so I'm moving on. I think anyone who liked the VF-19Kai (paint scheme potentially excluded) will obviously like the VF-19S.

Exactly, no shoulder speakers or optional face.

I'm gonna leave shooting that video to someone with more free time but I'll keep it in mind for the VF-19P release.

a spartas in 1/60 scale would be tiny. Isn't it smaller than the legioss?

!ust curious, why would you want a video review? It's the vf19kai with a cooler head and fewer gimmicks. I couldn't justify putting it on film myself... It'd just be me holding the toy saying 'like the vf19kai....'

If you just bought the toy from HLJ you probably have a good chance at getting a part. Good luck to you! It's the people who buy things on clearance who are usually screwed because of how long the toy has been out of manufacture.

Was at a dinner party until fairly late in the evening but there are a couple battroid pics up on anymoon now. I did a line art comparison (thank you LoneWolf) and I also added a blue scale comparison pic (VF-19S between a VF-22S Max, YF-21, and Q-Rau Max).

some pics are up on anymoon! I didn't have a ton of time tonight so I'll add more pics over the next couple days.

Have your cotton cloth handy... there's lots of mold release on mine... most I've ever seen on a toy. I imagine the dark blue just makes it more visible... but yeah, you can actually see it caked on, not just feel it. Obviously it wipes right off, I've never really understood why it bothers people so much.

man, I was going to post a different review tonight... Guess that'll have to wait while I play with this new hotness.

I used fedex and am near san francisco... Package got to my office at 9:30am... Crazy fast.

Wow... looks like I got some quick shipping. Estimated delivery date: 11/30. Neat!

The OP's questions wasn't "What's the difference?", it was "Do people still seek out and purchase 1/48 VF-1 toys?". There are other good things about the 1/48 toy besides the size as has already been pointed out in this thread. That said, the Stealth VF-1J (without super parts) wasn't a brisk mover back in the day. It eventually was sold at steep discounts because fans tended to shy away from Yamato's non-canon efforts (which is probably why Yamato now makes blank valks more frequently than non-canon schemes). So, it might be tough to sell a 1/48 VF-1J Stealth toy for the kind of scratch that would allow a straight trade for V2 VF-25. I say this being completely ignorant though of what 1/48 VF-1J Stealths are going for these days, they probably weren't produced in high quantities so they might be becoming more collectable.

Maybe Captain America could take this on to go along with that super fine Legioss he's building and selling. Wish I had been able to purchase one of those. Strikevalk, search for the "it lives" thread to see what I'm talking about.

They're a beast of their own so they still command some popularity. It's not quite like a version 1 toy and then a version 2 toy like we're seeing right now with the Bandai 1/60 DX VF-25 toys (version 1 toys are being relegated to rubbish bins). The 1/48's popularity has certainly been diminished by the V2 1/60 toys but you'll still find collectors who prefer the sheer size of the 1/48 and it's little details like air brakes and wing flaps.

Your original question asks for something you likely will never get. They aren't going to CONFIRM that there won't be a bundle. All they're going to do for now is confirm that the parts are going to be available via Tamashii's website.

They make announcements like: "Tamashii exclusive! Armored parts for VF-25S!" They nearly never add a sentence that says "These parts will never be avalable in bundle form, you have to buy them from Tamashii directly." So if you're really dying to have the armored parts you should probably go the exclusive route and risk kicking yourself for the extra dough you might have to plunk down if a bundle is ever sold.

I was kidding about the v2 but there's no way this is yamato's best valk. The arm articulation is poor and i'm sure i'm far from the only person with issues with the shield. I just included this toy in a line up for my v2 vf25 review... It's definitely not in the same ballpark as the kai.

I think the 11 is ready for a v2 with better articulation and a shield that stays on the arm in battroid.

awww... I guess i'll put away my m2a1-7. I do like the concept that the only way to fix the gap is to ruin all the other modes. Lolz