The newbie guide to transforming the new Yamato 1/60 VF-1 2.0

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Okay folks, I don't have the new 1/60, but want to buy one eventually(hopefully next month). I have seen the galleries, photo reviews, read the reviews and sifted through many threads about it. I thought it would be a great idea if those of you that own it from here could post a suggestions, photos, guides, and advice on what to do, and what not to do with the new 1/60 over here, with regards to transformation. For example, whats the best way to avoid breaking the shoulders? Whats the easiest way to transform it? How the hell do you get the swing bar out of the crotch section in battroid mode?

Basically a transformation guide like the SV-51 guide elsewhere on this same forum. Post links to videos for transformation and what not.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Yeah that'd be good.

Peolesdru guides were handy for the vb-6 monster. I don't transform my toys often so once in a while I forget the order to do the steps in and might end up wrecking something when I do want to tf them back.

[pochimus prime]

yes! I've been wanting one like this as well I'm too scared to transform my valk back to fighter without a guide:(

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Main issues are avoiding shoulder breakage, and getting the swing bar out of the nose in battroid mode, going to fighter. Something tells me the new 1/60 could have definitely benefited from the door latch on the 1/48.

[zephon]

For me the biggest problem is removing the leg bars from the jet's nose.

All I can say to help is that one needs to go thru gerwalk mode first when transforming to jet mode. To yamato's credit, going thru the instructions in reverse order helps a lot. Good thing the sequence numbers arent in japanese hehe

[ghostryder]

Here's what I wrote in the 1/60 VF-1 breakage poll, about the shoulders and swingbar:

1. When transforming the arms, be sure to handle the shoulder hinge, not the shoulder ball joint or pulling the forearm. This also holds true for posing the arms - grasp the hinge with one hand while moving the ball joint, to minimize stress on the hinge. Personally, I'm ok with this issue, as I would rather have the ball joint too tight, than flopping all around like my Zero.

2. Swing bar detachment from nose section going from battroid to fighter - as Jenius said, first disengange the swingbar from the back plate. Then if you hold the Valk facing away from you and bend the legs slightly forward, place the feet on your chest and gently apply pressure. This will push the swing bar at just the right angle to pop it free with little effort, and little stress on the nose hatch. I was pleasantly surprise how easy this was to do.

Edited August 2, 2008 by ghostryder

[Nujevad]

This might not apply to everyone but I found that using a tool, like a very small flathead screwdriver, can help in dislodging some of those tight parts. Take the part where the legs are locked to the chest plate in fighter mode, instead of bending the whole leg inwards to dislodge it, insert the tool in the gap and gently apply pressure to both the leg and the tool. Another part where it helps is with the swinging part of the shoulder joint. Using the tool helps getting the joint over the small hurdle which locks it into place.

[danth]

I've noticed that it's easier to get the legs unhooked from the back plate (fighter mode to gerwalk) if I pull back on the legs while pushing them down. In other words, pull back on the valk's ankle and the legs should pop free easier.

[jackdaniels]

edit: figured out how to get the shoulders over the tab thing to lock them, but that seems such an easy way to break them.

I've also been pulling pretty hard on the foot thrusters to come out and they aren't. Are they supposed to just slide out really easily. Now I thought maybe one foot was tight, but both aren't coming out.

Edited August 16, 2008 by jackdaniels

[misterryno]

Here ya go guys. I've never done a "how to" vid before...so don't laugh...I know you guys are a bunch of big* jerks anyways . I hope you guys like the Foo Fighters So....without futher ado...

How to get that swing bar in the slot baby!!!

Edited August 16, 2008 by misterryno

[Valkyrie addict]

this is great, took me a while to figure out the swing bar thing...

what I'm scare the most is when I have to pull the cockpit back in place for fighter mode, it's too stiff and I'm scare I could scratch the thing or break something else by pulling too hard

and is there any way to transform from battroid to fighter without removing the FAST packs so the head can rotate back to it's place?? doesn't seem possible

[Grand Admiral]

Here ya go guys. I've never done a "how to" vid before...so don't laugh...I know you guys are a bunch of big* jerks anyways . I hope you guys like the Foo Fighters So....without futher ado...

How to get that swing bar in the slot baby!!!

Thank you for making a video without annoying commentary. Simple, to the point, and the thumbs up was great.

[misterryno]

Thank you for making a video without annoying commentary. Simple, to the point, and the thumbs up was great.

That's what I'm here for. To help without annoyance.

[UN Spacy]

Thanks for the vid.

I'm not really digging the new swingbar system.

[misterryno]

Thanks for the vid.

I'm not really digging the new swingbar system.

No worries mate. I really enjoy the new swingbar system myself. It feels to be much tighter...but of course that's how the bird feels as a whole anyways.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Alright so to avoid breaking the ventral fins on the sides of the legs, they need to be pulled out a bit before folding. For removing the swing bar from the nosecone to transform from battroid to fighter, follow the technique shown in Yamato's video, grab the nose, gently push both legs down while holding with one hand, and the bar should be released.

[misterryno]

Alright so to avoid breaking the ventral fins on the sides of the legs, they need to be pulled out a bit before folding. For removing the swing bar from the nosecone to transform from battroid to fighter, follow the technique shown in Yamato's video, grab the nose, gently push both legs down while holding with one hand, and the bar should be released.

yes and yes

the swing bar is a little harder than it looks but easier after you have done it a couple of times and know the process. You'll be ready to TF a v.2 1/60 in no time .

[msterling21]

This is my first Yamato. Can somebody translate the guide?

edit: well, I was able to get him into battleiod mode.

Edited August 18, 2008 by msterling21

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

As per misterryno's instructions, to avoid breaking the shoulder hinge, pull the arm forward to clear the tab/bump that holds the arms up in battroid mode

[UN Spacy]

I don't think pulling the arm forward will prevent breakage.

[misterryno]

I don't think pulling the arm forward will prevent breakage.

Of course you don't

[charger69]

When someone will post a transformation video of VF-1S Ver2 on Youtube?

I still didn't transformed mine... I'm so scared when I saw Step 11 of the manual, from fighter to gerwalk...

Step 11: Any tips to release the shoulders and arms between the legs will be appreciated

[David Hingtgen]

Just transformed mine for the first time, went VERY slowly and carefully, here's my tips:

Page 6, step 4, section 2. The outlined hinge is often stiff. Get that loose before folding the backpack---I would avoid trying to fold the backpack to unstick that hinge---BP8 situation.

Page 6 step 6. Look at the shape of the tab. Move the legs INWARD as you pull them down. This should help a lot, both with difficulty and breakage prevention.

Page 8, step 11 and 12. The infamous shoulders. My suggestion which I think will GREATLY reduce stress on the parts: skip ahead and detach the legs/swingbar fully. With the intakes/hips out of the way you can then grab BOTH sides of the shoulders, and EVENLY *lift* them over the tab/stop. If you do it how the instructions say, you have to lift just one side of the shoulders--the side that is NOT encountering the tab---you have to lift that side WAY up, to try to get the other side to come up to get over the tab---that can't be good for it---you're lifting one side WAY high, and trying to force the other side over the tab via a twisting force in doing so. Or, if you're swinging/pressing instead of lifting, you're just pressing the shoulders until they bend and "jump" over the tab due to the amount of force they're receiving---also not good. By doing it my way, you can directly lift that "other" side over the tab, placing far less force, and evenly-applied force, on both sides of the shoulder. Yes, this means you are doing a few unnecessary steps if you plan to stop at GERWALK, but well worth it. (and if you're going to GERWALK from battroid, there's no extra steps, it's just out of order)

Page 9, step 13. Super-stiff. Works exactly like the YF-19. Just grab the leg and pull until it comes. Wiggling doesn't help. I'm going to try loosening a leg screw or two---even 1/4 turn makes a big difference with the -19.

Page 12, step 1/2/3. Their suggested method's pretty good. I would add that you do not want to free the legs ONLY by bending them inwards. Bend them inwards to free the inner tab, then pull/wiggle the intakes down directly to disconnect the forward tab---do not rely soley on the lower legs to make the intakes let go. Also, you'll probably find one side lets go easier---once that intake's free, disconnect that side's hip bar as well---it'll help leverage/wiggle the other side.

Page 14, step 7. Another "important" tip I have. Pushing down the cockpit is NOT the method. It is the goal. You can press and pull the nose down all day, and just end up with a lot of bending or even breaking. There is no lock/tab at all in the nose/cockpit/intake area there. But you'd think so based on the instructions. The actual lock for the whole front section is at the chest-plate/back-plate seam. Right behind the yellow chest stripes. THAT is where the tabs holding the nose together are. What you need to do is to grab the chest plate near the circle-bar verniers, and LIFT UP. Look at step 8---directly below the outlined heat shield, you can see a tab. That's it. The slot it goes into is down and to the right of the tab, at the very bottom of the pic. Pulling down on the nose is NOT going to free that tab without high odds of breaking it--and some people have, I think. Lifting up the chestplate where that tab is is FAR better and easier.

Page 16, step 14. Opposite of the legs---don't push or pull--wiggle!

Page 18, step 20. VERY tight "clasp", unlike the 1/48. "Just do it". It won't break. Well, so far at least.

Swingbar---watch the video. Also--Yamato's website showing how to get it out--that's pretty much the same angle as getting it in. Getting the bar into the square notch is more important than getting the hip bars into their holes to start the process, and should be the first thing you get lined up. It really does "go all together" and should be done in one motion--you can't do this part, then that part, then close the door. It's all or nothing. Everything will "snap into place" all together. And do NOT try to close the door to force the parts together--will not work. The bars will actually automatically close the door (more or less) when they get into position. "Wiggling the bar down to get the hips in" seems to work decently, especially if you lock the swingbar into the backpack first to help hold it in place.

[jackdaniels]

I just transformed it back to fighter for the first time. The guy in the video seemed to use some force to get it out. For me, for me it pretty much slid out with little resistance.

[David Hingtgen]

Just attached FAST packs for the first time. Heard a big "snap" when doing the boosters, and totally freaked out--it was the head/back flap pulling out from the recessed position. Apparently it's NOT recessed when the boosters are installed, making the whole thing pointless----it's not needed in any mode/configuration it seems. Backpack no longer supports anything other than itself, and the hook is under stress even without boosters. It seems the only reason that flap can still be recessed is because the 1/48 did. Same for the hook. I'm just glad the flap let go from its position, rather than the backpack's hook snapping or something. There's no mention anywhere of battroid mode having that part in different positions based on whether the boosters are installed.

FAST pack tip: For the armor on the back of the legs, work with the upper tab first. Seems counter-intuitive based on the "hook" of the lower tab, but lower tab first just doesn't work.

[jackdaniels]

Be careful about pushing too much on the backpack when you have it folded for battroid and gerwalk. There's a little bump that sticks out that scratched a bit of my black coloring off my fin when I was hooking it to the back of the battroid.

[misterryno]

Be careful about pushing too much on the backpack when you have it folded for battroid and gerwalk. There's a little bump that sticks out that scratched a bit of my black coloring off my fin when I was hooking it to the back of the battroid.

Yeah that little piece sucks...I always removed that piece on the 1/48s....but you cannot remove it on these.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Page 6, step 4, section 2. The outlined hinge is often stiff. Get that loose before folding the backpack---I would avoid trying to fold the backpack to unstick that hinge---BP8 situation.

So after loosening this hinge, is the BP8 situation virtually gone from the 1/60? Can the backpack bend all the way, over the bump/stopper/groove(if there is one), without breaking, unlike the 1/48?

Also THANK YOU SO MUCH for the tips, they help a lot. I have a feeling I will be ready to tackle the transformation, and your tips are exactly what I was looking for.

[David Hingtgen]

There's little bump-stop just like the 1/48. But I don't know if you can "go past it"---I've never tried, nor with the 1/48. Overall the backpack is much more solid than the 1/48, with thicker hinges and the like. (kind of the opposite of the shoulders).

[msterling21]

How are you guys posing him with the gun w/o it flopping around so much? especially with his floppy wrist.

[ghostryder]

FAST pack tip: For the armor on the back of the legs, work with the upper tab first. Seems counter-intuitive based on the "hook" of the lower tab, but lower tab first just doesn't work.

Weird, I attached them just like the 1/48 (lower tab first) and had no problems?

I also agree that the non-retractable dorsal antenna is annoying in fighter mode with fastpacks on. I don't keep it in that mode for fear of scratching the black paint on the tail fins. I'm glad the back hatch recesses in battroid mode, so there isn't the same problem.

[jackdaniels]

I recommend never hooking the backpack to the back plate. Once you hook it, the bump will always come in contact with the edge of the fin. The backpack hinge is tight enough so that it won't flop down anyway.

edit: gah, just put on the super pack and the clip forces the fins to rub against the bump. Gonna leave them off until someone can find a way around it.

I'm starting to see scratches on the edge of the black part of the shoulders. They keep coming in contact with the back of the chestplate when I move the arms around or rub against each other when I taking them out from fighter mode.It seems that the paint there is different and more fragile than those used on the rest of the valk.

Edited August 25, 2008 by jackdaniels

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Okay boys, mine just arrived, and since I tend to play with my toys a lot, I figured my input will help others. For the record, Not once did I ever think the 1/48 was fragile aside the bp8 piece, and I thought the fragility of the 1/48 overall was far exaggerated. Mine is still in one piece after 4 years. A lot of people were scared to transform theirs and said it was like a model kit. I called bs and thought it was a disgrace just to leave it like that.

With that out of the way, I go on to the new 1/60. First off, this is bigger than I thought it would be in battroid mode. I have an old 1/60, a 1/48, and now this new 1/60. This new 1/60 seems a bit bigger than the old one. This is good, as it makes me feel more like I got my money's worth. Most of the necessary details are painted on, this is very surprising considering Yamato rarely did this in the past. Seems like constant demands for more tampo prints finally paid off. The canopy is beautiful, reminiscent of the RAM coatings applied to some modern day fighters. Even the skull badge is painted aft of the canopy...something that tiny. Very impressed with that. I like that detail, and a sticker of that would be a pain in the ass to apply.

When going to fighter to gerwalk, make sure to slightly twist the lower legs inwards before bending down. Whenever I do this, the thigh swivel comes into play, and actually aids this effort. The arm hinges are the tricky parts, and what David mentioned above works. Either grab the shoulders, or the hinge itself, and gently lift it above the stopper/ridge that secures it in gerwalk mode. The 1/48 shared a similar design but the hinge on that was less likely to break. On the new 1/60, you can tell that the shoulder hinges are definitely the weak links of the toy. Another reason its best to grab the hinge/shoulders instead of merely pushing the hinge, is that the shoulders are extremely tight. Tight enough that you risk breaking the hinge if you try to move the shoulders without supporting the hinge. I think mine actually has a tiny hairline crack out of package, so I am trying my best to avoid breaking that tiny piece of the hinge of. On the 1/48, the only thing to worry about in this area, would be the stoppers/ridges wearing down over time. You could push the hinges over those with reckless abandon on the 1/48.

Gerwalk mode is outstanding. The best gerwalk yet, beating the MPC version's(which I previously thought had the best gerwalk modes of all VF-1 toys). The gerwalk on the new 1/60 makes the 1/48 gerwalk mode look boring, and make the old 1/60 gerwalk mode look ancient. Poseability in the legs is excellent in this mode, no worries of breakage, very solid, tight ratchets, nice clicking noises that inform you of position locking. Ah the sound of ratchets. Now the arms.....be careful posing them in this mode. Again support the shoulder hinge if you want to move the shoulders in any way. This is tedious and a pain in the ass over time. Great articulation that is fragile to use. The 1/48 did not have this problem, but in return, the shoulders loosened much, much quicker.

Going to battroid mode is tricky, but not terribly difficult. The videos, and the instruction booklet definitely help. To seperate the intakes from the chest plate, the hip ball joints are helpful. Move them inwards first, making use of the ball joint, this will dislodge the intake from the securing notches, and once this is done, the swing bar can be popped off of the securing clip. Make sure the nose area is pushed all the way up before trying to get the hip bar into place in the nose. Getting the bar in, and having the door secure itself is all done in one motion. What makes this part tricky is the fact that the swing bar hinge itself is tight. I don't see a benefit of this method over the 1/48's, which dealt with merely folding down a door, plugging the hip bar in, and then closing the door shut. Maybe there is something I am not seeing, but on the 1/48, it is better. The hands fold out much easier than on the 1/48, and are neither tricky to get in, or out, like on the 1/48. At the same time, they are proportional to the body, unlike the 1/48. The head is also easier to get out than the 1/48.

Battroid mode is excellent, better than both the 1/48 and old 1/60. The old 1/60 looks like a caricature in comparison, and the 1/48 suffers from a manly chest with feminine arms. The robot mode on the new one is similar to the animation model. 1 thing that I found neat, is that the ankles extend twice. They extend twice for gerwalk mode, and for battroid mode, you can push them back a notch, so that there is no gap between the feet and legs. When you open the thrusters all the way, a thruster in the middle of the foot is formed. The knee caps are an excellent touch, superior to the 1/48's. The head sculpt is excellent and dynamic. Damn this thing looks good. Arm articulation is great. Despite great arm articulation, using this articulation is a pain in the ass. If you were not dissapointed with the fragile shoulder hinge/stiff shoulders in gerwalk mode, you sure as hell will be in battroid mode. For fear of breakage, I always support the shoulder hinge when I want to move it into another position. Now I favor tight joints over loose, but I absolutely hate when the joints in question are attached to fragile hinges. I advise all of you who buy this, to support the shoulder hinge whenever you move the arms. We have already seen a few breakages in this area. Honestly, having a 1/48, and now this, I think the shoulder hinges are more breakage prone on this 1/60, than the bp8 on the 1/48.

With that said, those of you with broken shoulder hinges, did yours break when moving the arm, or when transforming from fighter to gerwalk? Now if I could move the shoulders with reckless abandon and no fear that the hinges would break, I'd be much happier. I also wonder if POM was used on these hinges, because I think they are actually ABS. If I am wrong and they are POM, well...would diecast work better in this case?

Has anyone figured out a way to remove the shoulder covers? I ask this because the covers block the screw ports. If the covers could be removed, the screws could be loosened, therefore reducing tension on the shoulders, making them looser in the process, but easing up pressure on the shoulder hinge. Yet, this would leave us with possibly less chance of breaking the hinge, but much looser shoulders. I hate compromises like this. I wish we had a near indestructible shoulder hinge, and tight shoulders. Currently, we have 1 without the other. This sucks!

Also, even if HLJ were to offer replacement parts...it looks like the parts would be a bitch and a half to install.

FAST packs attach very securely. In armored, and regular modes, I have no fear of bp8 breakage. You don't need the backpack hook for battroid mode. The worst thing about mounting the gunpod in fighter mode, is that its not secure in regular or armored modes. It will stay, but it won't always be aligned correctly. The left leg armor plating has fallen off on mine a couple of times. Not sure why, there is nothing broken. Fighter mode is excellent, except that there are no soft detents for positioning the wings. They rely on tension, I can only image looseness occurring after a long while of mounting the missles in battroid mode.

Overall, very impressed, my favorite Yamato VF-1 toy to date. The 1/48 has a better(or rather, safer) transformation, but the new 1/60 has better articulation, a better sculpt, much better proportions, and much more solid/tighter modes. Details are better, since most of the details you'd want to put on, are already tampo'd on.

Edited August 26, 2008 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0

[David Hingtgen]

Two positions for ankle extension? Hmmn, never noticed. (only transformed once to each mode though) I'm guessing it takes so much pressure to get them in or out that it just skips past the middle position usually. The YF-19 has it too, but it definitely "stops" at each position.

As for shoulders/arms---yeah, even if you could get replacements, I don't see how you could actually swap parts---the shoulder "rotating bars" are pinned to the back plate, and the shoulders themselves seem very "sealed up". Did you notice the shoulder armor is quite independent of the shoulder itself? Try moving the armor "up and out" in battroid mode. Still haven't figured out why it can do that, and then can rotate. Very much like YF-19 shoulder armor.

I miss the detents for the wings too. The others had "mid-way" points that looked nice in fighter mode (I always like VF-1 wings at the mid-way point). Now I just have to visually align them to something (like a panel line) and keep checking them, and keep adjusting them with the missiles to keep them even, etc.

[jackdaniels]

I don't think its possible to get the first ankle position while pulling out since it takes so much force, but I do hear two clicks every time I push them back in.

My visual cue for the wings is to line up the back with a black line that's on the back of the legs.