New Pics of Yamato VF-0S 1/60

[wolfx]

I really like that comparison shot. Shows how funky and clunky the Zero is compared to the refined VF-1.

[Sebastian]

Besides the bad QC feedback... the toy looks awsome. I cant whait to get it.

[Mowe]

My VF-0S just landed (thank you Rob from samurai-monkey.com for the super delivery ). This baby flew all the way from Japan to Australia, so it definitely did not sneaked out from the Yamato’s back door (so does Rob tells me anyway )

First up, glad to say this handsome is free from defects that were reported from other HK sites (phew!!!! ): none of the shoulder screw; broken tail fin; missing/upside down magnet; ugly gap; & loose joints.

Basically, this valk is trouble free. Either I am very lucky or people should raise questions about the origin of their valks . Would be interest to hear from people whom brought their valks from HK supplier and see if there is a higher rate of defects.

Moving on. Here are some pictures of interests raised by some posts

The rotating pilot: nice touch but pretty meaning less when the heat shield is down. Nevertheless, full brownie points to Yamato for trying and doing it right.

The moving chest piece: just stroke of genius . The chest piece can actually glide along where my red arrow shown on the pic above. This is truly perfect transformation stuff. Just wish the 1/48 VS-1 has the same technology so their birdie down there is not so long and out of proportion when in batteroid mode.

Having said that, one problem associated with a shorter trunk is the freedom of legs movement. Because the trunk is shorten, the relative distant between top of legs (the vent intake) and the back of chest piece is also shorten. They actually get into each other’s way. Forward leg movement from the hip is very limited – no exciting pose. The 1/48 Valk wins there. I guess this is not so much Yamato’s problem, true to artwork VS playability.

The needle: it can be rotated or removed when transformed to batteroid mode (perfect transformation is looking good). Bty, the sculpting of the needle is beautiful .

The openable flap infront of the head in fighter mode: a neat trick to make the head transforming easier. They also cover up gaps nicely – again nice details. However, these two pieces are very easy to fall off, not QA issue, just design issue. Personally, I am happier to see them falling off than snapping off. I think Yamato make the right decision here.

A look at the back pack: somebody was saying this hinge is an improvement – can’t figure out how it is better. Actually, in battroid mode, there is no clip at the back of the neck to hold the back pack like the 1/48. Personally, I like the 1/48 clip, the VF-0S back pack does flap a little as it rely on the stiffness of the hinge.

Backpack thruster: it actually retracts (I am on my knee)

The flap behind the back pack: warning: do not force this piece to fold, it doesn’t (unless mine is faulty).

Feet thruster: beautiful detail, worth the $160.

The retractable hands: actually the hand does retract and as Graham says it is not fully retracted to be true to the original design.

The only thing that I could not figure out is whether the hands is supposed to be tuck into the back pack (right) or they should be left exposed (left). When tucked in, I felt the back pack is under a lot of pressure, just doesn’t feel right. I am happy to leave it exposed.

Overall comparison to 1/48: bottom line – a slightly bigger toy; better looking & detail sculpt; & some very neat improvement.

Fighter mode hot; Gerwalkmode neat; batteroid mode..um…

Bottom line: I’ll wait for another week to see QC reports from other MW members but I am definitely getting another one (just incase they make the Armour or the ghost pack ).

Edited May 2, 2006 by Mowe

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Thanks for the detailed pics and your review Mowe!!!

Can't wait to get mine

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I'm happy to see that the VF-0S pilot is truly scaled 1/60.

I was afraid Yamato was cheating with the pilot scale making it the same size as the 1/48.

[izzyfcuk]

here's my review if anyone's interested in it

http://www.sgcollect.com/index.php?option=...ntpage&Itemid=1

Edited May 2, 2006 by izzyfcuk

[buddhafabio]

I'm happy to see that the VF-0S pilot is truly scaled 1/60.

I was afraid Yamato was cheating with the pilot scale making it the same size as the 1/48.

395845[/snapback]

it looks like thay only did that to the gunpod. who cares right

[eugimon]

izzyfcuk - thanks for the review. sounds like you really hated the VF-0. I'm surprised it got as a high of a mark as it did based on your review as you had almost nothing positive to say about it.

Edited May 2, 2006 by eugimon

[izzyfcuk]

well still i have to give credits for yamato's work in making this happen,

and also i do like the head sculpt very much and the fighter and gerwalk mode..i find that the battroid mode is just plain sucky...and the flimsy leg coupled with the fastpacks just doesn't seem to be worth it..im actually getting rid of it now

[Fortress_Maximus]

after seeing the 1S and the 0S side by side, i can't help but feel that the 0S looks rather Patlabor'ish. still prefer the 1S. anyone feels this way too?

anyway, will still get one.

395807[/snapback]

I feel the sameway, however, I do like Patlabors Ingram design, IMO practical.

[ghostryder]

well still i have to give credits for yamato's work in making this happen,

... and thanks for the first shots of a panel-lined 1/60 Zero. Sorry you were so disappointed.

[Mowe]

I forgot to mention the following:

- terrible gun fit to forearm, similar to Miria FP problem, but easy fix;

- I pesonally prefer the VF-0S to stay as 1/60. It actually looks right sitting next to the other 1/48s. I am not a scale die-hard. Any bigger, the VF-0S would look out of place from the rest of the 1/48s;

- the magnet is a nice touch but i still prefer the 1/48 clip style - the magnet force is just a little weak at times.

- like izzyfcuk said, very disappointed that no fat hands were included. Tried to pop the 1/48 armour hands, looks very good except the slot on 1/60 is too big (Yamato is up to something by not using the same circular slot size...um... )

edit: I could swear that I remember the 1/60 VF-0S is a little bigger than the 1/48 VF-1. The picture on ghostryder's post above looks a little deceptive. Must check height comparision again .

Edited May 2, 2006 by Mowe

[eugimon]

the 1/60 VF-0 hands always looked fine to me and true to the animation.

I'm curious to see what izzy is talking about with the flimsy leg design though. That could suck and it's one of the things that I can't stand about MPC Convoy is that his leg joints aren't tight enough to compensate for his heavy upper body.

[Mowe]

Not so much the look, the DYRL type hands are just a little flimsy/floppy when they hold the guns. I'll wait for some body to do a proper recast hand.

All leg joints seem tight to me but like I said, I transformed it once and it was quickly back to (& stay as) fighter mode, just too good looking!!!

the 1/60 VF-0 hands always looked fine to me and true to the animation.

I'm curious to see what izzy is talking about with the flimsy leg design though. That could suck and it's one of the things that I can't stand about MPC Convoy is that his leg joints aren't tight enough to compensate for his heavy upper body.

395875[/snapback]

Edited May 2, 2006 by Mowe

[eugimon]

ah, good to hear about the legs. Thanks for the info!

Maybe someone here will do a fixed pose recast in the DYRL style sized for the VF-0?

[ghostryder]

edit: I could swear that I remember the 1/60 VF-0S is a little bigger than the 1/48 VF-1.  The picture on ghostryder's post above looks a little deceptive.  Must check height comparision again .

395870[/snapback]

Yes, that shot is deceptive, but it's been known for a long time (thanks to Graham)

that the 1/60 VF-0 is shorter in battroid and longer in fighter, compared to the 1/48 VF-1.

If the leg joints are reasonably tight, I don't see a reason to b1tch about flimsy legs. The leg thickness is already pushing being too fat compared to lineart... I'll deal with slight balance issues rather than adding paint-chipping metal. Hey, we could always add little lead weights inside the legs to add ballast ! (a trick used for model airplanes).

[Mowe]

More magnet is the way to go!!!

Hey, we could always add little lead weights inside the legs to add ballast ! (a trick used for model airplanes).

395885[/snapback]

[eugimon]

would only be useful when posing your VF-0 on a steel plate! Hah!

but ooooh, you could pose him on your refrigerator like spiderman!

hmmm.... hmmm....

[ghostryder]

would only be useful when posing your VF-0 on a steel plate! Hah!

but ooooh, you could pose him on your refrigerator like spiderman!

hmmm.... hmmm....

395915[/snapback]

I've never seen a $160 fridge magnet before ...maybe an idea to consider for a banpresto space diorama , if you have a black fridge?????

Edited May 2, 2006 by ghostryder

[ghiblione]

Thanks Mowe for your very detailed review!!

Can't wait to get mine too....

[myk]

Unfortunately, I don't think that more time producing the VF-0 will greatly decrease Yamato's QC issues. For example, my Milia Super J and CF came without heatshields and we all know that the VF-1 isn't a spring chicken anymore. At this point I don't think that they really give an F...

[kyatsu]

you mean the 1/48 miria and cf? if that's the case, wow yamato is very sloppy. kyatsu

Unfortunately, I don't think that more time producing the VF-0 will greatly decrease Yamato's QC issues.  For example, my Milia Super J and CF came without heatshields and we all know that the VF-1 isn't a spring chicken anymore.  At this point I don't think that they really give an F...

395959[/snapback]

[Macross73]

QC issues definately should not have been an issue on any of the VF0S , at this stage it should have been perfect. i can only hope that this is a 1/100,000,000 type situation. What does mean for the VF-1J super-stealth?

Edited May 2, 2006 by Macross73

[holytoledo69]

I just got confirmation from Image Anime that I'll be getting my VF-0 tomorrow (yeah, it's a little more expensive than most places, but I get anything that's instock the next business day even through standard shipping, so it sorta works out).

Now I'm REALLY nervous about this... hopefully those insanes QC issues are a fluke and not a recurring thing....

395728[/snapback]

I pre-ordered from BBTS months ago and it was slated for $164. I looked this morning it was $174. Now this afternoon it shot up to $184 and it isnt even in stock. They're expecting their shipment around May 12. I wonder if I should just cancel or wait.

Image anime's stock is going fast....

[kyatsu]

i say you wait. cuz later on the toy will be cheaper. you know how it is at first when a toy is released it will be in high demand and they can crank up the price as high as they want because they know people want the toys. later on when yamato re-issue the toys i am sure the price will drop. but in the end it's up to you. how bad do you want the toy? do you really really need to get it now and face the possibility of the toy having issues? or can you wait until the re-issue with the problems being fixed. it's all up to you in the end. choose wisely my fellow macross fan. use the force, kyatsu

I pre-ordered from BBTS months ago and it was slated for $164. I looked this morning it was $174. Now this afternoon it shot up to $184 and it isnt even in stock. They're expecting their shipment around May 12. I wonder if I should just cancel or wait.

Image anime's stock is going fast....

395977[/snapback]

[eugimon]

meh, buy now. 7 1/48's later including a 1st issue hikaru 1a and roy 1s I have yet to find a QC problem like swapped shoulders or missing parts.

[promethuem5]

Yeah, it probably isn't that huge of an issue.... maybe.... I've been through a number of Yamato pieces and never had a problem...

[BoBe-Patt]

ya, me neither... oh wait, it's probably because I never take mine out.

[wolfx]

well still i have to give credits for yamato's work in making this happen,

and also i do like the head sculpt very much and the fighter and gerwalk mode..i find that the battroid mode is just plain sucky...and the flimsy leg coupled with the fastpacks just doesn't seem to be worth it..im actually getting rid of it now

395858[/snapback]

Aw pity. And you took the trouble to panel line it too.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

meh, buy now. 7 1/48's later including a 1st issue hikaru 1a and roy 1s I have yet to find a QC problem like swapped shoulders or missing parts.

For those that did, I want to see pics of the things missing and/or broken like with GBP.

Actually what would be good is if the person selling checks all this for us customers beforehand and traps it early for 'shipping cost' reasons. (ie that is if you don't want the risk of getting one without a heatshield, you don't have to send anything back and waste more time. I don't want to be the one who has to test stuff)

I just think that if something is broken and damaged in some way and was sent in that condition, it takes effort to send stuff back. It's different if buying from a shop close by, because returning stuff isn't such a hassle. I'm not a MIB person so for me it is no problem if the box was opened if it can garuantee the item hasn't got any parts missing before being sent.

Edited May 3, 2006 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[myk]

you mean the 1/48 miria and cf? if that's the case, wow yamato is very sloppy. kyatsu

Unfortunately, I don't think that more time producing the VF-0 will greatly decrease Yamato's QC issues.  For example, my Milia Super J and CF came without heatshields and we all know that the VF-1 isn't a spring chicken anymore.  At this point I don't think that they really give an F...

395959[/snapback]

395964[/snapback]

Yup, my Super Milia and CF, both '48s, arrived without heatshields. Back when the '48 first debuted years ago, I staunchly defended Yamato and their grand undertaking of a "perfect transformation" 1/48 VF-1; if any of you guys remember there were plenty of quality issues and whiners to match. But with the Super J's and the CF? Gimme' a break, Yamato's had years to tighten up their production techniques and it hasn't gotten much better, this being supported by the VF-0's already problematic launch...

[myk]

I pre-ordered from BBTS months ago and it was slated for $164. I looked this morning it was $174. Now this afternoon it shot up to $184 and it isnt even in stock. They're expecting their shipment around May 12. I wonder if I should just cancel or wait.

If you check your pre-order page in your account, the VF-0 should still be listed as $164. I'm hoping that BBTS will honor this original price quote, which would explain why they haven't changed it there...

[eriku]

I pre-ordered from BBTS months ago and it was slated for $164. I looked this morning it was $174. Now this afternoon it shot up to $184 and it isnt even in stock. They're expecting their shipment around May 12. I wonder if I should just cancel or wait.

If you check your pre-order page in your account, the VF-0 should still be listed as $164. I'm hoping that BBTS will honor this original price quote, which would explain why they haven't changed it there...

396100[/snapback]

BBTS will only charge you the amount the item was listed for at the time of preorder. A recent example is the THS-02 Covoy figure that came out last month. Upon release BBTS jacked the price way up but still honored the preorder price.

[kyatsu]

i just started to collect the 1/48 earlier this year (bought a roy and VF-1J) and had no problem. i used to check out macrossworld a lot and read about the toys review and such (i did remember hearing about the first release of roy and VF-1A hikaru). as of the result, i never bought anything that is new. i wait for re-issue for yamato to fix the problems. but if yours (miria and CF) came without heathshields, man that is one big mistake already. so, did you have to buy a recast from someone and add it to the valks yourself? the only new toy that i am getting is the super stealth. i will let you guys know if there's anything wrong with the toy. i really like the look of the toy and wasnt sure if this is a special edition release or limited release (that's why i didnt wait for the re-issue). kyatsu

Yup, my Super Milia and CF, both '48s, arrived without heatshields. Back when the '48 first debuted years ago, I staunchly defended Yamato and their grand undertaking of a "perfect transformation" 1/48 VF-1; if any of you guys remember there were plenty of quality issues and whiners to match. But with the Super J's and the CF? Gimme' a break, Yamato's had years to tighten up their production techniques and it hasn't gotten much better, this being supported by the VF-0's already problematic launch...

396099[/snapback]

[myk]

Luckily, 2 members had 2 spare heatshields (you wacky customizers!), and I just bought and installed those.

Waiting for reissues is really the smartest way to go, or is it? As we've discovered, time didn't solve the VF-1's QC issues...