MKT

So it looks like the VF-1S re-issues have been delayed yet again, probably the 3rd time? It's now listed as Dec 2024. If I remember correctly, they were initially to be out in Feb 2024, delayed to May, pushed to Aug, then now Dec. https://www.hlj.com/1-60-scale-complete-transformation-vf-1s-strike-valkyrie-hikaru-ichijo-boarding-machine-movie-ver-reissue-aca82131-2# https://www.hlj.com/1-60-scale-completely-transformed-vf-1s-strike-valkyrie-roy-focker-special-movie-ver-aca82166 I'm guessing we won't be hearing anything more from Arcadia this year.

Ah its another L-size only.. but I like this. Short video:

Yeahh somehow the 1/72 label really stuck with Threezero's, but it really should be considered 1/60. I suspect now that the 1J is pretty much well accepted, Roy's 1S will be the one everyone really wants.

The issues on the VT-1 seem to be worse than the YF-21.. so far the running list: 1. Broken tailfins. All on the left side. 2. Snapped head sensor, and easily broken from handling due to poor design. This is surprising, because T-Rex usually doesn't make these kinds of mistakes. Unless, Bandai handled the VT-1 design changes from the base VF-1 themselves. I remember prodding that part a bit out of the box in Fighter and it felt pretty fragile. 3. Something about nosecone tabs not working properly in Battroid? Not sure if this only afflicts certain copies or everyone's like that. I haven't transformed mine yet to know.

Nice! Love the Barbatos design.

It looks like Hikaru’s gonna slam both hands together, PPAP-style. “I have a Minmay, I have a Misa….”

That plastic sleeve was a surprise. This is probably the first P-Bandai Macross item that comes with it. LP didn’t even give an approximate date to ship your item? Just radio silence since release?

Patiently waiting for my copy & looking forward to handling it to get a good feel of the in-hand difference between it and the other brands out there. But I thought there's a brace that locks the backplate to the underside of the chest plate? I remember thinking it was something that wasn't present in other iterations of VF-1, and a nice way to shift some pressure from the hip bars since the latter also need to do swiveling duties now. But later I found that the DX also has this, and TZ just copied it almost wholesale lol.

DX Chogokin VT-1 Super Ostrich.

This is what I was afraid of when repairing mine - overheating the plastic & cause it to warp in other ways beyond simple bending. Meanwhile, did a another round of heat treatment & it staying very straight this time. Ultimately the head laser issue is something that can be DIY repaired. I’m now thinking, nothing really comes close to the exploding plastic problem of the CF VF-171 many years ago - that would have been really heartbreaking if parts break on first transformation. But this Yf-21 head laser problem grates more because it happens right out of the box, & the YF-21’s do have higher MSRP so expectations run pretty high.

Ditto on my copy as well when I first opened it. Sorry to hear this, & also seeing it’s the same left stabiliser again that’s broken. At first thinking if it was just a single isolated case, but someone else in that post also had the same broken part.

I can't remember, but does Luna Park automatically ship once the stocks come in, or do they first notify that item has arrived at their warehouse?

To me, the wheels looks both mis-transformed and lower, especially in comparison to the second grey prototype pic you posted. In the grey prototype, the wheels clearly go above the level of where the handlebars are, but in the colored images, even if the wheels tuck in closer to the rider's back, the top level of the wheels doesn't look like it will go higher than the handlebars. Perhaps there are other unseen mechanisms to allow the whole lower backpack assembly (where the wheels are attached to) to go further up.

My copy arrived. From the box itself, am quite surprised everything fit into a standard sized looking DX VF-1 box, despite it having an extra tray for the booster parts. Was expecting it to be as at least as thick as the YF-21 box lol. I opened it immediately to check on the stabilizers and thankfully both are intact. Took the naked valk out just for very quick impressions: 1. I'm struck by how big the cockpit canopy looks, even if put beside the already elongated canopy of the VF-1D. With the now bigger and raised cockpit at the front in conjunction with the shrunken vertical stabilizers at the rear, the valk actually gave out semi-SD vibes lol. I don't remember having the same impression when first handling the smaller DYRL 2-seaters - namely the HMR VT-1 and Arcadia VE-1. Perhaps it's just the sheer size of the 1/48 scale. But I really like the implementation of this 2-seater more than the 1D, it looks much cooler. 2. The stabilizers have a slight slack - very tiny range of inward tilt movement, I think to allow them to tuck onto the clips on the back when folded over. Is this slack sufficient to mitigate impacts from above? We'll never know, but I'm willing to bet the stabilizers snapping is related to whatever caused the YF-21 bent head lasers. 3. Was concerned about the beige looking too pale from earlier pics, but when looking at it in flesh, am quite happy with it. I quite like how the orange & beige sufficiently contrast from those on the VF-1D. Didn't look closely on which parts are molded or painted, but there doesn't appear to be color matching issues between various parts. 4. The 4 figures are nicely and sharply molded, and they seem to be bigger than previous DX VF-1 figures. I have no trouble thinking white pilot-suit Hikaru is the same as the one that came with 1S Hikaru, but blue-suit VT-1 Hikaru here is slightly bigger than orange-suit 1D Hikaru that itself (if I'm not mistaken) is bigger than white & red suit 1J Hikaru. Some peeves though: 5. I wish the clips for the stabilizers on the back plate are more seamless when recessed. They look quite distracting, but I suppose most will display the VT-1 with the boosters (including me), so eventually will not be an issue. 6. The rear landing gear doors are still rubbish to me. Just don't like the DX implementation of having to first pry the doors ajar, then having to pull out the joints a bit before fully swinging the doors open. Also, while the sideway-canting wheels look fantastic, there's just so little clearance around that space where everything have to positioned juuuuust right to avoid the doors not touching the wheels on one side & the horizontal stabilizers on other. Everything there just feels so fiddly. 7. The cockpit canopy have some opacity that isn't present in all previous DX VF-1 valks. Not much, perhaps about 10%, but quite obvious to me when put beside a DX 1D or 1S. It's rather similar to what we got with the old Yammie 1/48. Couple of quick snaps:

Yet another case on FB. There seems to be an emerging pattern - all the broken stabilisers are on the left side.

It seems many exhibitions are happening almost simultaneously worldwide.. From ChinaJoy 2024. Screen grabs:

This is my fav Ken color last time haha.. the red fireball is a cool touch and a nod to the glitch in the original SF2.

Interesting variation with just little color swaps. I haven't got a male version yet, might get this one..

I suppose just touching up the stress mark alone, even if the yellow doesn't match perfectly, should be an improvement than it is now. I just noticed the bend have returned ever so slightly, so will try another round of heat treatment.

Just saw this, pretty enjoyed it and change of pace from the creator's earlier projects.

Also from Sega Figurizm prize figure line, another set of Sheryl & Ranka. Out end of the year in Dec 2024.

So, anyone who got bent head laser other than from HLJ got any resolutions yet? Meanwhile, after a long back and forth with HLJ, I finally used the hair dryer trick on mine. My head laser wasn't that much bent compared to others I've been seeing, but the stress mark is quite visible. Here's a before pic for one side. I should have taken a pic of the other side too, because the stress mark there is more prominent. After using the hair dryer, I managed to straighten it out quite perfectly. The stress mark on this side also reduced quite a lot, but I could not get it to completely disappear. Other the other side, the stress mark only reduced a little, so it's still quite visible. I'll just leave it at that, and won't carry on further in case I'll over-correct & get irreversible damage. At normal handling / display distance it shouldn't be that bothersome, and especially considering our eyes may not be so good now. Meanwhile, many thanks to @Actar for showing the way with this hair-dryer method.

This being a duplicate, I think one of the biggest fan on this forum @mjenius928 will like this. Got another copy of the Miria 639, and even though it's an opened item, I'm quite surprised that Miria in her wedding dress is a nice bright white. My first copy some time ago had very slight yellowing going on all around when I got it, and I always thought that was the way is until now.

With this issue, I'm tending to agree with theory that it's the blister covers that's been forced down at some angle as per what happened with the YF-21. With Bandai, I don't think the covers are put on manually, but with a machine - quick & forceful. Notice how the blisters are consistently tight & perfectly closed all around when we first unbox it, as opposed to say an Arcadia blister cover that's likely manually put on. Bad Bandai!

Air Fighters Collection #93, F-20 Tigershark. This is another bird that I think is the only diecast 1/100, or in fact diecast of any scale, of the Tigershark. Thanks to Mandarake again, for not overpricing this.