Knock Off Fire/blazer Valkyrie Question

[Excillon]

Hey, can anyone tell me about the knock off Fire/ Blazer valks ? How's the quality ? Do they break easy ? Would they be good for customizing/ painting ? Is it worth 35 bucks for a set of them ? Basically, I'm an idiot on the subject and would really like to more about them. Any info would be great. Thanks !

[Axelay]

Hmmm! Since I have owned both Bandais and bootlegs at some point, I think I can field this one. I started out owning the bootlegs and got them on eBay many years ago, Unbeknownst to me, I was not aware that they were bootlegs until after I received them. The Fire Valkyrie is not so bad, really, but the Blazer leaves a lot to be desired. The one I had had red shoulders and the Fire Valkyrie's wings (molded in blue), whereas the Bandai Blazer's wings are the correct shape. Oddly enough, both the bootleg Blazer and the Bandai Blazer come with the speaker pod launcher which is completely incorrect. The stickers which came with mine were decent - almost on par with the Bandai ones. Plastic quality is just about the same as well, but the Bandai ones didn't have any plastic tree spurs or poorly-fitting parts. The bootlegs would make for decent customizers if you can get both of them for $35.

I still have my Bandais, but I parted with the bootlegs long ago. My Bandais were the VERY FIRST Macross toys I ever owned, and I still love 'em to death. I was also fortunate enough to have gotten them directly from Graham many years ago.

I still hope and pray that maybe someday Yamato will find a way to produce a VF-17...

[myk]

I have both types and I find the bootlegs to be almost as good as the original. There are issues with parts fitment in some areas as well as colors that just aren't right, but if you're looking to customize then the bootlegs will serve you well...

[Ginrai]

There's different bootlegs. The Blazer that has the gray shoulders is pretty close to the real thing, but as you note, the red shoulder one sucks. It's been a while since I checked out my ex's real Bandai Blazer, but doesn't it ALSO have the speaker pod launcher instead of a real gun, incorrectly?