I need help in buying a Macross Model

[big_2d_boss]

I know this may sound stupid but it is my first and last time to buy a macross model. i have been a macross fan for a long long time and i have watched most of the anime, but now i really really want a model for my own... but since i am poor and doesn't have much money, i will be able to buy only 1 model at least in 2-3yrs time.(I live in philippines and currently have enough money to buy only 1 model) So if you guys could help me for a GREAT BRAND and SCALE 1/60 or 1/48 model with any kind of VF or YF. since you guys are the experts! i need your help in deciding which one to buy. Thank you in advance since i don't also have time to browse the website because i am only at a NET cafe, i will just be logging in from time to time. Thanks buddies i appreciate this very much.

[renkenjutsu]

If it's model kits that you want, Hasegawa's non-transformable kits are right on the money. They're kinda big too with the 1/72 scale. My favourite is the YF-19 and VF-0S fighter kit. The only transformable models that I know of come from Bandai. They're reissuing past models at the moment. You can buy or find out more about it at www.hlj.com.

Though in my opinion it is a good investment (as well as satisfaction) to save up for a Yamato toy. The new 1/60 VF-1S looks like a winner, though you might want to wait a bit for a review from those who'll get it soon.

Other senior members on this board might give you a better or precise advice though. But here's mine: Take your time and try to find out as much as you can before you buy. And buy from stores like hlj.com or from straight shooter members here. Avoid eBay! (maybe it's just me but I've had a bad experience shopping there)

Edit: You might want to wait a bit for Bandai's 1/72 Macross Frontier models to come out. Not sure when that might be, but it'll give you more time to save up for it.

Edited May 28, 2008 by renkenjutsu

[big_2d_boss]

wow thanks ren! actually i was thinking of buying yamato 1/60 YF-19 it costs around Php 8,800.. i already have the funds for it... but if anyone can suggest something better out of the ordinary why not!!! Bandai figure from macross frontier? VF-25? for me its negative... i don't like it that much... from the pictures i have seen and the color complexities. haha. but i definitely like the anime and the story... it evolved into a better more worth watching anime. thanks for the fast reply though! now the time here is just 7:22pm

[Chas]

Well it seems to me that if you can only get one then the question is which of the mecha is dearest to your heart? That, I think, is what is important here. Perhaps come up with a list of your three favourite Macross fighters (so you have some options) and go from there. (Perhaps the experts here could then guide you if, say your number two choice has notorious problems, or something.)

As for what's available, well it looks like what you're after is a good transforming toy and, while I'm more of a model guy (the kid you build for yourself) and don't actually own any of the toys, I would say that from what I've been exposed to on these boards you probably want a Yamato.

That being said, the availability of the particular mecha you want may varry. As for the size although the 1/48's are bigger there are certain things (like the hands) that some consider drawbacks. From what I've been reading the new perfect transforming 1/60 line from Yamato, while smaller than the 1/48's are more accurate and I believe they promise to be less expensive over all as well.

Anyway I'll stop here and let the toy experts guide you from here on out.

Good luck.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Chas

[Major Focker]

as mentioned, if it's going to be just one, then it better be your favorite.

if you want out of the ordinary, you're probably looking for VE-1 or the VT super ostrich. they are rarer though, but a number of HK sellers seem to have been dumping their stock recently.

beware though that importing stuff to PH can increase your cost by 30 to 50% to cover for shipping and customs. so you might want to check the local boards first like greattoys online.

as the release of the new yamato 1/60 line nears, you can expect more people will be selling off their old versions. for the price you've mentioned, you might even be able to get two.

edit:

but if indeed you want a model rather than a toy, you can get a squadron of models for the price of one yamato toy. but that's before you factor in the cost of paint, tools etc.. might not be worth it if you're just going to build one.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Major Focker

[Grayson72]

I'm confused, are you wanting a model or a toy? The scales you mention that you're interested in are toys from Yamato which can be played with and require no assembly but are much more expensive.

The most common Macross models are in 1/72 scale and require assembly, modeling supplies and some skill to get to look correct. The most detailed models currently available are from Hasegawa and are significantly cheaper to purchase than the Yamato toys.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

If you're going to buy just one model kit then I suggest you get the 1/48 Ultimate Strike VF-1S resin kit

[JLYC]

If you're on a budget and not too experienced with models, I would count out resin kits.

Get a Hasegawa..you should be able to pick one up for reasonable price...I picked up a Super Valk for $12 on my last trip to Asia...

it will keep you busy for hours to days and the proportion and detail of these kits are awesome!

[Excillon]

The best deal, if money is scarce, is go for the 1/55 reissues. for 85-90 dollars you can get a valk with Fast packs.

However, if you really want to buy more than one, at risk of making people mad, buy Toynami 1/100's. They're inexpensive, pretty good toys, come with stands and extra hands, and on top of that they're making fast packs for all of them. about 50 USD will get you a set of three.

[warpaint22]

One thing to remember is that often the cheapest part with a model is the model kit itself, your going to need paint glue and other items to assemble the model. One thing to remember is that a model kit takes a good amount of skill to assemble well and most of us model builders have spent quite a lot of time and money on model kits to develop our skills. If money is an object I would not buy a model kit at all unless you plan to assemble it without paint or even just brush paint it, but this can often leed to great disappointment as the finished item is not what you invisioned or not even close to the picture on the box. I would never advise anyone from not building models as it is a great pass time and lots of fun, however it can be expensive and if money is a struggle then it will not be fun but could be really disappointing.

If you can't afford to buy items to finish the model or you plan just to buy one I would say forget the model and go with either a Yamato, a 1/55 Bandai or even the 1/100 Toynmi valks, as some of the gents above have suggested. Then you get a completed painted and transformable collectable model (toy if you like), I just think this would offer more plesure for you than a model kit that you may be disappointed in if it dones not turn out how you had hoped and do not have the money to keep buying more.

[AcroRay]

The classic Imai/Bandai transformable 1/72 kits are a lot of fun. The detail is nice and strikes a nice balance between fighter & Battroid anime-accuracy, and the transformation isn't too bad. They've just been re-issued, but my only experience is with the vintage editions.

They include very detailed cockpits, transparent running lights and eye panels, collapsing gun pod, missile racks and multiple hands. They've got diecast landing gear and some other hinge elements for durability and weight, and poly-caps for solid articulation. They're also a fairly easy build/paint for an unskilled builder and have nice decals. Its molded in white, so if you're neat and tidy you could get away with just the detail colors. Yamato's 1/60 VF-1 replica line reminds me an awful lot of these kits.

To transform to Battroid, they've got an interesting arrangement. You remove the airframe's nose/cockpit area and replace it with one that has the canopy shield molded-in and features hip posts and a slight variation in proportion so you don't wind-up with a nosecone hanging down between its knees. That may seem odd, but when its in Battroid mode the full-detail cockpit segment displays nicely on its own. If you have the VF1D variant as well (which hasn't been re-issued, but is out there on the vintage market) you could have some display fun trying to attach it to a VF-1S to replicate the scenes from the show's second episode...

D4mn, I've almost sold myself on picking up one for old-time's sake! I had a blast with the ones I had back in high-school (1985 or so) that I picked up via Revell's ROBOTECH repackage line, and they stood up to pseudo-play well enough to sell for a nice amount to a collectible shop back in the early 90s. I had the VF-1S & VF-1D variants. The 1S & 1A versions have recently been re-released:

VF-1S at HLJ:

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN953433

[big_2d_boss]

now i get it.. hmm i see.. i think i would go for TOYS rather than MODELS. Because i don't have much time or money to give in building or painting this model... first of all from what i have heard i think VF-1S is pretty good.. right?

my line-up of toys to want is as follows:

VF-1S

YF-19

and you guys suggest an idea also..

my dilemma right now is.. even though i like this toys, i don't know if they have enough details on them or they might be super fragile(in the means of transforming them) because as i have said this is my first time in all of this..

i will be getting a YAMATO toy scale around 1/48 or 1/60 so what should i get? is it VF-1S or YF-19?

i really appreciate the replies and the time given to answer this questions.

*i really wanted to get something out of the ordinary, but i would loose the chance in getting one of the lead characters in the series or movies etc... that's my another problem haha.

[renkenjutsu]

Yamato produces the most detailed and faithful valks out there that I know of, comparing to those of Toynami and Bandai. I'd go for the YF-19, it'd fit both your criteria nicely (I think).

[big_2d_boss]

hahaha! yea! everyone what do you think? YF-19? VF-1S? or something else? since i have saved money enough to buy one of this i would want the best toy made! i still have 3 days before i buy or one last pay day to complete the money needed to buy one! yea!!! hahaha! thanks to everyone! whew!

[warpaint22]

Well you can't go past the 1/48 VF-1 from Yamato as they are fantastic, however the new 1/60 VF-1S with super/strike packs is to be released soon which looks to be a very nice item. If you went with the new 1/60 VF-1 you then get a good option to display it in different form such as with out fast packs or as a strike or a super valk, it'll give you a cange from time to time and some really neat details. The 1/48 like I said is awesome but you'd have to buy the fast pack set seperatly and this adds to the over all cost.

The YF-19 is also a good option but again you may want the YF-19 with Fast packs to give it a little more and also have the little fixes that Yamato performed such as the gun pod being straight. Again the fast packs allow that little bit extra for changing how you want to display it from time to time but again you'll be up for extra money. Either the VF-1 or the YF-19 are great Macross toys ( I use the word toy loosely as I would more say collectable figures due to price and complexity) and will give years of injoyment.

I myself would go for a VF-1 mainly due to my age and a live of older style fighter designs and also the fact that it is the original VF and I would say the most reconisable. If money is an object then I would "myself" wait for the 1/60 VF-1S with Fast Packs as I think this offers the best value money wise and it should only be a short wait for release. It will not be as big as a 1/48 but is still larger than a 1/72 model and should be a nice size to display and fool around with having most of the options of the 1/48. But it comes down to what you like and I can only offer my opinion, but I suggest having a read around this forum as you will find a lot of very informative information to help you make a good decision.

[Excillon]

I'd recommend Roy's VF-1S in 1/48. You could get that, and the strike set for the price of a YF-19. Besides, if you're only buying 1 toy, IMO Roy's valk is the best of them all!

[Major Focker]

VF-1S hands down and don't let my callsign make you think i'm biased.

here's why:

- it's the classic, original poster boy

- more stuff to play with (assuming you get the new 1/60) ie. you can expose the missile detail, or the fast pack, or you can swap the canon with a missile pack etc

- it's not too big such that display space is not an issue

plus, it's 30-40% cheaper!

[big_2d_boss]

uhm.. i see.. so definitely i will be getting the VF-1S.. but i might buy the 1/48 scale though.. because if its just about to be released then its going to take a lot of time to reach philippines. Unless it would be released sooner? anybody have any idea when it will be released? and as a follow up what's the difference between 1/48 or 1/60 scale? only the size? or is there something else?

*thanks everybody! now i have definitely made-up my mind in buying VF-1S hehe (i hope when bandai releases there VF-25 i wont cry over it lolz)

Edited May 30, 2008 by big_2d_boss