fast pack review

[do not disturb]

so i got the FPs a while back but since no ones done an "official" review, here goes...

so they did a good job in making all the major pieces fit together nicely.

the leg armor couldn't be better. they loaded it with details and has a nice snug fit, both the back leg armor/tank and the side leg armor. some of the details inside could stand out a little more but nothing to cry over and its better than a non-removable leg plate with no details, so no whining here.

The arm armor fixes the skinney arm problem and almost fits snuggly into both "catches". It isn't 100% perfect but ¡'ll take 99.9%. One thing I feel could¡'ve been done is to make the missles on the arms removeable instead of just sitting there like on a 1/60 FP. But thats just my preference.

The back pack/engine

First thing is, could it be any tighter? Its quite difficult to remove the entire FP without having one or both of the packs coming off without the die-cast "pin". Almost feels like you¡'re going to break it so its wise to be gentle. Its not a biggie as it only requires you to "jiggle it, just a little bit"sorry dudes. Besides, I'd rather have FP's that are hard to remove than ones that fall off if you tilt it to it side. So I can't complain there. At first I was surprised to see that it was so tight cause the 1/60 FPs tended to get loose after you remove them a couple of tim....plastic, what can you do? I m really glad they went with the die-cast inserts since they'll last longer and adds a little weight to your valk. The details underneath the engine cover....spectacular, and won't get loose no matter how many time you take it on and off....you can't beat that!

missle packs/strike cannon,

The first thing I noticed was how loose the missle packs were when attaching to the engine section of the backpack. the simple "slot" design they used, I have a feeling won't last too long, and removing these repeatedly can't be good. The removable missle pack covers work well. Its nice and tight and doesn't just fall off....its almost a pain to get them off, which is a good thing IMO. The key is the little "red dot", push it in and it comes right out. the strike cannon is fine but it will not sit flush on the engine. Its not a big deal and could be solved with a little sanding and a little touch of grey paint.

the weird looking piece that fits on the back of the neck.

nice touch since i don't think those to tiny little tabs that holds the rear plate will hold up after a few transformations. its an odd extra but one thats definitely needed...yamato "just about" thinks of everything.

BIG missles...this is where things went sour for me, anyway.

i think they are rather large in proportion to the scale of the valk. they fall off too easily, also the peg that goes into the wing is too big or small and doesn't hold "still". if you shake your valk, the missles will fall off or be out of place. definitely the worst part of the FP kit. i have nothing positive to mention other than the paint job is nice them. <_<

mini missles...kind of a pain...you'll see.

I took all the mini missles off the sprues but personally I dislike how they had them on sprues to begin with. Its not a model so i can't see why they could've just taken them and put them in a plastic baggies. It isn't a big deal but i know some people didn't bother to take them off cause they have plans of re-selling them. which is fine, but in doing so it takes away from the play value. Afterall its a toy, and toys are meant to be played with even if its just missles. okay back to the review. The double missles fit super tight in it slot, great! But the single missles just tend to fall out on its own. making it quite difficult to slide the cover without having a missle getting loose, and making that rattling noise which bothers the heck out of me. It takes surgeons hands or "fun-tack" to get them to stay while sliding the cover back. I'm sure its not the case with every FP kit out but it is with the one I have so I figured i'd mention it.

okay the color....eeewwwww!

I hate the cheapy blue color they used on the FP's. It stands out too much and doesn't fit into the color scheme of the valks as smoothly. It odd but it reminds me of those jerry¡¯s kids candy displays with the crappy fake ass grape candy....don't know why, but it does.

Once again, just my preference but I feel it could've been a darker blue as with the 1/60 1S FP.

I'd give the FP a 8 out of 10.

Loose missles definitely not a plus(both mini and big) and the color leaves much to be desired. I know the color shouldn't affect my judging but its hurts my eyes and I can't get passed it.

If you don't pick up atleast one set, you're missing out on the macross goodness.

Edited October 11, 2003 by haterist

[kam63]

Nice review, one question does the added armor added to the valk make it feel more " beefy "

[tom64ss]

Nice review, one question does the added armor added to the valk make it feel more " beefy "

Absolutely. It adds much needed weight to the toy overall and makes the Battroid mode look much better.

A little fix for the micro-missles is to use a little bit of Elmers. It doesn't ruin the plastic, can be peeled off any time you decide you don't need it anymore, and how many of us are going to be repeatedly taking those tiny little missle on and off the rack, honestly?

Personally, I like the color. Other than that, this review pretty much covers everything I think about these FP myself.

Nice job Gene.

[1 VF-1 2NV]

For those micro missiles, I use small pieces of paper. Cut out a small piece so it fits into where the missiles meet the missile rack. It holds pretty firmly .

[Angel's Fury]

Long, but worth reading haterist. Thanks.

[tom64ss]

For those micro missiles, I use small pieces of paper. Cut out a small piece so it fits into where the missiles meet the missile rack. It holds pretty firmly .

Great tip! I tried it out last night and it worked like a charm. Thanks!

[do not disturb]

i tried the paper trick too....nice! and it sure beats the glue i was going to use

thanks for the helpful tip.

[Fortress_Maximus]

Nice info but does anyone have pics or a URL w/the specific features they are referring to? Thanks!

[do not disturb]

here ya go.

[Godzilla]

Well, you need to add this: The damn gunpods do not absolutely hold onto those arm armor. Yamato did not drill the holes properly or molded the tabs on the armor correctly.

[zeo-mare]

you mean the strike pack armor? the one i had held fine, i know you have a lot of valks so maybe thee are a few that hold better than others.

chris

[kensei]

I have no problem with the DYRL? FAST Packs for this one. Only with the TV FAST Packs. Damn they are a pain. It seems that they orientated the connection point backwards.

[do not disturb]

the TV FP's is a simple fix, just cut/sand off the little piece thats in the way(don't know how to describe it but its self-explanatory) and it holds nice and tight.

BTW, i was did a review on the DYRL FP's not the TV FP's.

[kensei]

the TV FP's is a simple fix, just cut/sand off the little piece thats in the way(don't know how to describe it but its self-explanatory) and it holds nice and tight.

BTW, i was did a review on the DYRL FP's not the TV FP's.

*gulp* Sand? Ok....I'll try, but how do I get the sanded area to look like the rest of the part after sanding?

[do not disturb]

the TV FP's is a simple fix, just cut/sand off the little piece thats in the way(don't know how to describe it but its self-explanatory) and it holds nice and tight.

BTW, i was did a review on the DYRL FP's not the TV FP's. 

*gulp* Sand? Ok....I'll try, but how do I get the sanded area to look like the rest of the part after sanding?

actually, i just used a blade and cut off the little tab whatchamawhosits that are in the way. i said sand incase someone didn't want to cut into it.

honestly, its not a big deal and it take like 10 seconds to do. i'll take a a couple of pics and post them here as a reference when i get a chance.