MKT

So far, I think it's only through the '40th Anninversary' logo sticker on the front of box.

The Arcadia launch arm stands are also now up at Amazon.JP: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/B0B7VZW7M8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=マクロスヴァリアブルスタンド&qid=1659327400&sr=8-1

That Glaug looks like it can pose at even more extreme angles than the HMR..

Awesome! Didn’t know GoodSmile made these Figmas.. I thought only QuesQ were making R-Type ships currently.

Good to see the outer wing pods back to the grey-blue color instead of white..

Lol! Now I can't unsee it..

Hmm.. around the 4-minute mark onwards, reviewer is saying the tolerances around front of the cannons are better, but the tabbing issue at the rear of cannons are still there.

It felt like Cv-19 issues nearly did them in, so pretty much surprised & thought it was good news when they got their own factory for production. But the delays keep persisting lol.. Still confident they will deliver on their POs for their characters. Incidentally, they are now showing yet another new Minmay figure:

Wait a minute.. the chest piece is partsforming? PO CANCELLED!

It’s a good thing those cannon’s are no different from the Armor Part set’s. If they are another unique design, I can see Bandai pulling off another Malibu Stacy and make it available only with a base valk reissue just like the 31J with Speakerpods. In fact, plot twist: Perhaps the Ghosts only comes with the announced 31AX reissue as a bundled set.

Guardian articulation is a winner: nice wide, leg forward A-stance, made even more stable by the flat feet to the ground allowed by that new ankle flap, and plenty of room under the wing for the shoulders to move freely. The 'cheese grater' upper intake is an odd choice, and although it may not be line-art accurate, I kinda like it as it is something stylistically different yet does not interfere with the general sculpt. Something about the overall leg proportions in Battloid appeal to me even more than Bandai's DX. Perhaps it is because they just look fuller, although it remains to be seen if they will make Fighter look too wide from top down view (like the HMR).

Yeahh even having read most of reviews for the v2 previously, for some reason I just had higher expectations for it. Perhaps it was also I so happen to have been handling the Yamcadia's 1/60 over the past week, so it came as an extra shock that this is qualitatively such a big difference. I can now better understand why some folks would recommend even the KO 1/60 VF-1, itself a step down from the originals, over KC's, especially when KC's pricing have really crept up a bit over the years. I really feel sorry for any bloke who gets KC's VF-1 as their first modern VF-1 toy. Any of the other leading established scales are just so much better, and ThreeZero's reveal yesterday immediately makes this KC's VF-1 obsolete. Granted, we do not yet know how ThreeZero's VF-1 handles, but on the strength of their current products, I have no doubt it will be a much better handling experience barring for some manufacturing defect. Ok enough rant for now.. I do commend KC for their earnest optimism, their general willingness to delay releases as long as it takes to get a good (subjective!) product out within their ability, and I love their 1/12 figures enough to support all their releases of that line so far..

It will be attached to the wings, similar to how the Lil Draken drones attached to the SV-262..

Thanks @ValkAddict. That Yammie VF-1A CF is my first modern VF-1 toy, ever since a KO 1/55 chunky I had as a kid. Pretty blown away how overall well engineered it was, and still is for what is now coming to be a 15 year old mold. The VE-1 Elintseeker really shows how well planned this mold was back in its day, because despite all the extra parts, even more so than the strike / super, everything stays really solidly together:

Looking at the ankles, doesn’t it look like there’s a flap there to allow the feet to rock inwards even more? I think only one of the old 1/72 model kits had that feature..

Some progress…

I just received the VF-1S Rick Hunter v2.0 (or whichever version now, seems they made so many changes that I lost track). Prior to this, I have only the VF-1S Dark Gold version. I was very tempted to pick up the VF-1J CF as well when it was on PO, but decided to wait for this VF-1S Rick to arrive first. And boy, this VF-1S Rick is quite the disappointment. The good stuff - the painting and tampos are gorgeous, and I think this is the best finished VF-1 toy at moment. But it looks like the paint can be scratched easily, so very delicate handling is needed, which is just as well because my biggest gripe then would be the built and engineering. In this new v2 sculpt, KC has also tightened all the joints to address the some of the looseness and floppiness. In concept, this is always a good thing and that was my biggest improvement expectation in getting this toy. But I would say tightening things up actually works against this toy, as the base plastics seem be too thin & feels fragile for the tightness achieved. As a result, moving anything makes it feel like its going to break. When trying to pull front landing gear out via the tow hook, the tow hook came off first before the gear budged. When trying to twist either the hips or shoulders, you can't move it with one hand, but have to support the joint itself with other hand less something snaps. It is quite telling when KC's CEO made a video on how to handle the toy, and in that video, there was a segment where he showed how to move the head lasers in a manner so they do not snap. So really, the toy is really now a pre-assembled model kit with nice paint. The v1 Dark Gold also felt fragile, but in hindsight, the overall looseness works for it, giving more 'play' to the moving parts. The real problem is not so much the sculpt, articulation or even tolerances, but the material & structural build of it. I think moving forward, KC should stop tinkering further with this mold, and make an entirely new one if they want to pursue the VF-1.

Hobby Genki's price is the best deal at moment. It's even cheaper than ordering via some proxies..

Never heard of Bandai announcing re-issues so early.. but I think its them acknowledging there's too many add-ons for the VF-31AX Hayate's. Supers, Armors and now the Ghost.

Only recently I discovered Misa Hayase sings! Both truly are gems to me now.. Gotta hunt down the original albums.

When I see this pic, the emblem & colors makes me think of what M&M would fly if they have to downsize to one valk in their golden years. But we already know Max instead trades up to the hypercar YF-29 lol..

Kitz Concept 1/72 VF-1S Rick Hunter..

Don't really see the resemblance to these jets. Perhaps some similarities to the Mirage 2000 in the cockpit and nosecone proportions.. I suppose Kawamori hasn't figured out how to do single engine valks then, until the SV-262.

Yeahh really wished they would have done this in HMR instead. That would be perfect scale to get the whole squad. On positive note, we might see the Yamato 1/60 Angel Birds secondary prices to finally come down a bit.

Usually, the valks Kawamori designed would be heavily influenced by real life jets, & commonly of the prototype variety. I wonder what is this VF-5000 modelled after?