Graham's Review of Yamato 1/60 Scale YF-19

[VFTF1]

Hobby Link Japan have charged my card and are processing/packaging/whatevering my order...

So hopefully, since I'm using EMS, I should have mine in a week or so.

Unless customs gets to it...then look for pictures and happiness ...sometime next year!

VFTF1

[Odin]

To those of you who thought you didn't get one from HLJ, I just now got my shipping confirmation today( the 11th) I guess they updated the website before filling the orders.

[kensei]

From what I can see there is absolutely no need to fix or change anything on this beauty. I found NO QC problems or design issues on my toy.

Are you saying you have no crooked gunpod?

Can't wait for my case on Friday. Confrimation, in!

Edited December 11, 2006 by kensei

[kensei]

. sorry.

Edited December 11, 2006 by kensei

[Apollo Leader]

I'm a few days late, but I wanted to say "Thanks!" to Graham for doing his YF-19 review.

Hard to believe it's been over 6 years since the 1/72nd scale YF-19's came out. Time is aflight...

[DARKWIND]

I too am waitingFor this much anitcipated Christmas gift. . . HLJ reports it is shipping. . . .

[Sebastian]

Are you saying you have no crooked gunpod?

Can't wait for my case on Friday. Confrimation, in!

Well... I havent tried attaching the gunpod in fighter mode

[zeo-mare]

mine will be coming in, in the next few days i cannot wait. by the way i watched the video for the transformation to mech mode, is the top half of the body loose from the lower half it seemed to flop around is there a locking piece for it?

[Zeta Otaku]

I will be getting mine tomorrow... I seriously can't wait. Been having a craving for new mecha and this certainly fits the bill

[gian7675]

This is a little bit off-topic but theoretically when will the color variants of the 19 be released by Yamato?

How many months before a color variant shows up?

Anyway, looking at the contents of the YF-19 package...it kind of looks...empty...as if something's missing.

[rikiryou]

Another review here:

http://honowo5.hp.infoseek.co.jp/19yf1.html

[attachmentid=38922]

[attachmentid=38923]

Hmm, it's as Graham mentioned in his review; the alignment of the arms and therefore the Gunpod joint seems a tiny bit off, and thanks to that the Gunpod crooks to the side. *Scratches head* Although as we can see here it's not as big a deal. I wonder if it's possible to fiddle with the arms' alignment?

[David Hingtgen]

The arms look to be secured together in like 4 different places--to themselves in 2+ locations, to the shield, and to the legs. I think it'd be easier to adjust the posts on the forearms that the gunpod attaches too.

[kensei]

That guy's gunpod looks nowhere near as bad as Graham's.

[drifand]

The crooked gunpod is not really a show stopper but wouldn't it bug you that such a pricy and otherwise gorgeous model would have such a dumb flaw? I simply don't have the heart to start filing and cutting up such a tiny crevice to attempt righting the gunpod... might end up a lot worse and terribly unsightly. It confounds me that a CAD project can end up like this when the old 1/60 VF-1s mostly got away with their higher fit tolerances.

With Yamato, things are almost always better the second time around. <-- Think I'll make that my sig.

[holytoledo69]

mine will be coming in, in the next few days i cannot wait. by the way i watched the video for the transformation to mech mode, is the top half of the body loose from the lower half it seemed to flop around is there a locking piece for it?

Graham clearly states:

"Like the older 1/72 toy it still cannot be held upside down as the chest will unlock and hang down. When handling the Battroid the best places I've found to hold the toy are on the mid-to-upper leg, the groin or the backpack."

[Temjin]

From Graham's review page about the Gun pod.

"The cause of this appears to be that the two arm pegs are slightly misaligned when the arms are joined together in fighter mode."

Just some random ideas to get the Gun pod fix. May be possible to cut one of the arm peg off and let the Gun pod attach to only one Peg.

Another idea May be make the Gun pod handle hole bigger, so there's some room to push it over.

[Scream Man]

my plan is to enlarge the hole on the pod, then fill it with a putty and press it into place straight. let the putty dry, paint it, and voila!

[holytoledo69]

I think the best way to "lock" it in Gerwalk mode is to have it in semi-gerwalk mode (as in rickryou's photo review with arms still locked in fighter mode)

[promethuem5]

I'm really really glad to hear the durability is solid... cuz like Graham, I handle and play with my toys...

[wolfx]

Well with that picture, i think those who are brave enough could castrate the offending peg. The gunpod can still stay on the right hand's peg. But i'm still curious about hayao's fix. Did he post it yet?

[dizman]

Woo, got mine today! Really neat transformation and sculpt. I only wish 2 things had locking mechanisms, 1.The upper torso, if u angle the battroid back too much the upper torso flops off and its kinda annoying. 2. the shoulders, If only yamato would have put a lock in the shoulders for the down position, then the unsightly gaps o-doom wouldn't be so bad in fighter mode (mine kinda stick up instead of sitting flush with the rest of the frame). Otherwise this is yamatos best work yet, WOOOOO!

[Wicked Ace]

Well with that picture, i think those who are brave enough could castrate the offending peg. The gunpod can still stay on the right hand's peg. But i'm still curious about hayao's fix. Did he post it yet?

Page 11.

[David Hingtgen]

BBTS doesn't even mention it in their latest email, so it may be a while for those who ordered from there. Though I think it's good news that so far no one has missing/wrong/broken pieces--all the issues seem related to the design/mold itself.

Anyways, just from looking at the photos, my current guess/plan to straighten the gunpod is to sand the foward side of one post, and the rear side of the other. That would effectively "align" the posts, moving their centerlines towards each other. Of course, it all depends on how tight the gunpod is--if sanding both pegs would make it too loose, then I'd probably go with WolfX's idea, and just "eliminate" whichever peg is the real source of the problem, relying on just one, tight peg to hold the gunpod.

[wolfx]

Page 11.

Thanks.

And nice fix, Hayao.

[aaajin]

wohooo...thanks Graham & Hayao for the videos and the fixes~! cant wait to get mine...wait...I havent preorder one yet !

[Zeta Otaku]

I'll have mine in a few hours... and I'm so excited, I actually can't sleep...

holy poo I think I have a problem >_< I mean, it's 4 AM... screw it, I'll just play around with my VF-1J, VF-0, and classics Jetfire until the UPS guy shows up... then I will have my precious... and probably pass out.

[Hayao Kakizaki]

Well with that picture, i think those who are brave enough could castrate the offending peg. The gunpod can still stay on the right hand's peg. But i'm still curious about hayao's fix. Did he post it yet?

actually, when I planning to do the gunpod fix, I have a number of ideas,

1. sand the peg made it become symmetric

2. drill the gunpod handle hold become bigger

3. increase the thickness of the gunpod handle

I try 1. first but the result is no good, no effected.

then try 2. have effected a little bit, the gunpod attach become lose, you can turn the gun angle straight by hand, but no stable. So I reallize that the peg maynot the main point of the fix, I took out the VF-1 and VF-0 to

compare, I found that the thickness relationship between the gunpod handle and the attach area is the main reason. if there have no surplus space between them, the gunpod will come straight naturally.then follow this idea, that's work finally!

and the good point of the "3" is no harm of the YF-19, no need to take out anything of it, and can do fine adjustment to get the best result.

[Chaos]

I'll have mine in a few hours... and I'm so excited, I actually can't sleep...

holy poo I think I have a problem >_< I mean, it's 4 AM... screw it, I'll just play around with my VF-1J, VF-0, and classics Jetfire until the UPS guy shows up... then I will have my precious... and probably pass out.

Classics Jetfire? Man, I want one of those.... Anyhow, check out this thread on TFW2005:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=117382

Personally, I think the lines need to be a tad lighter, but it friggin rocks!

[myk]

BBTS doesn't even mention it in their latest email, so it may be a while for those who ordered from there.

I can live with that. I'm not much in the mood for dropping $200 on a toy or $600 on a video game console these days anyway...

[Retracting Head Ter Ter]

I can live with that. I'm not much in the mood for dropping $200 on a toy or $600 on a video game console these days anyway...

Inflation. Not just in the economic sense of the word but the general need to 'outdo' previous products and benchmarks.

The world will move on and $400 plastic toys and $1200 consoles will come.

[myk]

Edited December 13, 2006 by myk

[Scream Man]

I just bought a 360, which is the most expensive gaming consol Ive ever bought...

[zeo-mare]

Graham clearly states:

i did not have sound during the video so i did not hear him say that. it is a shame you cannot lock it into place.

chris

[kensei]

I just bought a 360, which is the most expensive gaming consol Ive ever bought...

So worth it for Gears of War tho'.........

[kaiotheforsaken]

So worth it for Gears of War tho'.........

QFT (quoted for truth) that game is amazing