New member ra ra, yada yada...
I had been a long time fan of macross, and macross +. I picked up a yammie yf-21 about a month ago ( I had been drooling over it since the whole toycom fiasco ).
***CAUTION. WHAT FOLLOWS IS A RANT. DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL***
When I finally got it I must saw I wasn't really impressed. I was able to snag the FP version from tisinc. The legs are floppy, it doesn't stay together well, and my over all feel for it is underwhelmed.
When I first heard wind of the 1/60's I got excited again. I picked up two VF-1A CF's. I really must agree with most of you. Yamato Quality control sucks. They are the same make of the toy, but they are very inconsitent. What is perfect on one, doesn't fit right on the other. I love all of the yammies I've picked up so far, but I think it's more of a childhood attachment than anything else.
I finally burned my wallet and went for a 1/48. I picked up a H.I. VF-1J w/ FSTPCK from tisinc. It arrived today.
My first impression was that of glee. What could go wrong with such a huge box! Everything was perfect as I removed the childhood icon from its oft exhalted cage. I removed missles from the sprues with care. I placed H.I. in his rightful place inside the VF-1J. I merely had the notion of transforming the fighter when both missle pods fell off of the FSTPCK. As I turned the Valk to place the items back on, the nose cone fell off. As I reached for the nose cone both arms flopped out of what seemed like a secure fit.
Even with these first short comings I had to agree that the sculpt was exact, and the overall feel of the Valk was perfect. I placed the nose cone, and FSTPACK pods to the side and began my transformation. Fighter to GERWALK was a breeze. Way better than my old JOON rip off, and obviously more exciteing than the 1/60. GERWALK to Battroid mode also seemed like a breeze. Heat Sheild! Ingenuity at it's best. I had forgtten of Yammies short comings all too quickly. As I bent the legs to complete the monolithic humanoid form of this mechanical beast, a small piece of plastic exploded towards my right eye. I blinked just soon enough. I nervously inspected the legs hoping that there may have been a spure, or piece of packaging I missed. No, not so lucky. A piece of the "hip cap" that covers the ball joint had attempted to kill me. I am taken back to my original disapointment.
I love it, I'll keep it, but I don't think I'll get another. Maybe I was spoiled by Hasbro's Alternators line. QC. It's easy, and I'm sure people would feel better for the price they pay.