1/55's revisited

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 11/9/2023 at 8:20 PM, DownIsUp said:

That's one of the least yellowed Jetfires I've ever seen, you could tell me you pulled that right off the shelves from 1986 and I'd believe you

I cheated,  it's in a dark room and I put an industrial flood light to get decent pictures 

[magicsp00n]

On 11/13/2023 at 11:49 AM, Radioguy said:

Thanks! So much missing though. The yellowing I could live with, but I doubt I can re-source the armor and fast pack. At least not cheaply.

Thanks for pointing that out!

I kinda agree regarding restoration. I'm just not sure I'm the one to do it yet.

They also added that black paint around the cockpit; originally the nose wasn't painted.

I also think this could clean up pretty well. The broken bits don't appear to be anything unique to the VT-1, so you could likely source some Jetfire parts as replacements.
Even without the armor the Super Ostrich is my fave and deserves some love.

[DewPoint]

Just happened upon this on Amazon.com.  Do with it what you want.  I might be good for donor parts, customization or just to fool around with.  Reviews claim that the plastic is pretty thin and nowhere near as robust as the official products.

Happy-Well Robotech Hyperspace Fortress 7 Skeleton Fighter Xbot VF1 Model Arcadia Handmade Skills Mix Hasegawa 0d (RED)

Ships from Amazon

Sold by 一本商行

 

$35.00 USD

[kanata67]

Great to see this thread is still going all these years later.

    Like my brain, the collection has gathered dust over the years...

[sh9000]

Welcome back @kanata67.

[strikevalk]

10 hours ago, kanata67 said:

Great to see this thread is still going all these years later.

    Like my brain, the collection has gathered dust over the years...

ayyy, Set inna house!  I'm still tryna rank up my Angry Birds flock!!! 

[Hiriyu]

Glad to see you're still around @kanata67. Do you still have my old 1/100 "funky gun" VF-1 bootleg?

[nightmareB4macross]

On 12/1/2023 at 3:11 PM, kanata67 said:

Great to see this thread is still going all these years later.

    Like my brain, the collection has gathered dust over the years...

Nice collection.

 

[Spark-O-Matic]

I was just saying it could be a vender sample but no facts, I was just expressing a questioning opinion of its origins, the only facts are it's a Takatoku Variant not the updated 1985 mold with trademark and the paperwork, accessories were all slightly different in font and sizing, dates then the later version. Imo it's still ultra rare even if they made 90,000 how many are left and what condition? combined with how many had the first details before they changed to final details that are common. 

I only mistyped the first time admitting it was a typo but still sticking with its scarcity it's still the Masushiro type of rarity imo.🙂 

[Shawn]

👍 

[Shawn]

I picked up a couple of those loose DX 1/48 VF-1 Gunpods on Yahoo Japan, to see if they could be used with some of my loose 1/55s that don't have gunpods
I think it looks ok. Its not perfect, but in a pinch it could work on the shelf  

Size comparison

 

 

Original.
Do I dare criticize the Legacy 1/55 crowd and say it might be a tad undersized? Blasphemy!!

 

The Real Big Kahuna...ok this angle is LONG

 

 

This works better!

[takatoys]

Looks great! Sadly, those 1/55 reissues tend to yellow so quick. I heard that it is the because of a flame retardant additive they put on plastic nowadays😕.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

I hope one day they`ll be reissued again. 

[Anasazi37]

8 hours ago, Shawn said:

I picked up a couple of those loose DX 1/48 VF-1 Gunpods on Yahoo Japan, to see if they could be used with some of my loose 1/55s that don't have gunpods
I think it looks ok. Its not perfect, but in a pinch it could work on the shelf  

For folks adventurous enough to try resin 3D printing (or willing to pay someone with a printer to do a run for them), there's a really good replica of the 1/55 gunpod available on CG Trader:

https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-print-models/games-toys/toys/reproduction-gu-11

Created by a MW member many years ago. I heavily modified the design to make it easier to print and a bit more screen accurate:

[nightmareB4macross]

I gotta admit they do stand in well. A little oversized but look good overall.

 

Anasazi’s gun is also a great alternative. I like sleeker no-scope look.

[Shawn]

Ok-where is the deeper breakdown of those 2 valks? They look amazing.

How many customized areas can we identify?

[nightmareB4macross]

These actually belong to a customizer named Ricky Mui out of Hong Kong. He’s very talented.

You can find him on the “1/55 VF-1 Valkyrie Museum and Archive” FB page.

Edited December 9, 2023 by nightmareB4macross

[nightmareB4macross]

After so many years spent looking for these, they are finally here.

[Shawn]

Wow-I've not seen those forever!!

Which old-timer is getting out of collecting!? LOL

You'll need to share some more pics of those when you can

 

[jenius]

Looking for them... as in you misplaced them or looking for them as you sought out the person that made them and was able to buy them? 

[strikevalk]

1 hour ago, nightmareB4macross said:

After so many years spent looking for these, they are finally here.

dang, they arrived quick!  and safely!!!   Congrats Alex!

[jenius]

Ah, there's the answer. Really fun pieces!

[nightmareB4macross]

40 minutes ago, jenius said:

Looking for them... as in you misplaced them or looking for them as you sought out the person that made them and was able to buy them? 

Looking to purchase. 

Was fortunate enough to have the same buyer holding both.

So happy right now.

[nightmareB4macross]

19 hours ago, Shawn said:

Wow-I've not seen those forever!!

Which old-timer is getting out of collecting!? LOL

You'll need to share some more pics of those when you can

 

Will be on display…

Edited December 15, 2023 by nightmareB4macross

[nightmareB4macross]

19 minutes ago, strikevalk said:

dang, they arrived quick!  and safely!!!   Congrats Alex!

Thanks Mark.

[takatoys]

Finally I was able to complete the four box variations of the Takatoku VF-1J. Twenty five years ago, this set could’ve cost a fortune, nowadays prices have gone down considerably. Only super mint in box boxes are going for big money.

 

[jenius]

I feel like this is one of those puzzles where you're told there are X differences between pictures that look identical and you have to find them all. 

I see someone must have complained that the toy wasn't made 100% of die cast so they had to add "Die cast / Plastic" at some point. 

Edited December 16, 2023 by jenius

[takatoys]

10 minutes ago, jenius said:

I feel like this is one of those puzzles where you're told there are X differences between pictures that look identical and you have to find them all. 

I see someone must have complained that the toy wasn't made 100% of die cast so they had to add "Die cast / Plastic" at some point. 

I did not notice that until now! 😦

[strikevalk]

1 hour ago, takatoys said:

Finally I was able to complete the four box variations of the Takatoku VF-1J. Twenty five years ago, this set could’ve cost a fortune, nowadays prices have gone down considerably. Only super mint in box boxes are going for big money.

 

ayyy, good job man.  those boxes are in pretty good condition too, for all 4.  what's next on your list now?

[nightmareB4macross]

5 hours ago, takatoys said:

Finally I was able to complete the four box variations of the Takatoku VF-1J. Twenty five years ago, this set could’ve cost a fortune, nowadays prices have gone down considerably. Only super mint in box boxes are going for big money.

 

Very cool. 

Welcome to the club!

[takatoys]

4 hours ago, strikevalk said:

ayyy, good job man.  those boxes are in pretty good condition too, for all 4.  what's next on your list now?

I replaced the plastic window on two and put some paint on corners and edges. That helps the good condition appearance.

Next on my list, trying to get the Takatoku Max and Miria, but still too expensive.

[Shawn]

Nice box variant collection!!
Your patience led to some great quality examples.

For the casual toy surfers, its all about the box's head laser cutouts and the feet. There are 4 'variants' throughout the VF-1J production.

[takatoys]

17 hours ago, Shawn said:

Nice box variant collection!!
Your patience led to some great quality examples.

For the casual toy surfers, its all about the box's head laser cutouts and the feet. There are 4 'variants' throughout the VF-1J production.

Yes, I was very patient to find good condition boxes. Took me a year to complete the set. The hardest to find was the second version.

Edited December 17, 2023 by takatoys

[magicsp00n]

19 hours ago, takatoys said:

I replaced the plastic window on two and put some paint on corners and edges. That helps the good condition appearance.

What do you use to replace the plastic windows?

[takatoys]

18 minutes ago, magicsp00n said:

What do you use to replace the plastic windows?

Acetate sheets