Good Experiences with Yamato Toys?

[Radd]

Peeking at any thread where the Bandai DX VF-25 toys are mentioned usually gets the whole debate going over whether people want model-kit quality looks, or a sturdy, problem free toy. I know that Yamato has something of a reputation for poor QC, but to be honest, I've rarely had any worse luck with Yamato toys than I've had buying Transformers, or other such toys. I've only had two instances that I'd call serious QC issues, and one of those might be more of a design issue.

The first was my 1/72 YF-21 FP edition. One of the gunpods was glued shut. Won't open. Can't seem to do a thing about it.

The second was the 1/100 Koenig Monster's leg hooks that lock the legs into place in shuttle mode. Never really understood if that was just a design compromise, or if somehow the hooks had all been installed backwards.

Beyond that, 5 of my Yamato toys have joints that are far looser than I'd like, making them a pain to pose. That would be the 1/60 Q-rau, Ivanov's SV-51, Roy's VF-0S, the 1/60 YF-19, and the 1/60 YF-21. It's nothing very serious in any of these cases, just annoying. It's particularly bad with the M0 toys, enough to put me off buying any more of them.

All four of my 1/48ths, and both my new 1/60 v2 VF-1S and 1/60 Tomahawk are practically perfect toys. Durable, poseable, the joints aren't too lose or too tight, they're just absolutely wonderful. I don't really have any complaints about the rest of my collection either, and I've got 17 Yamato toys in total.

Of course, because of the horror stories I've heard, I do tend to be a bit on the patient side, waiting for second releases for the most part. Even that's only really true for about half my collection, though, and several of my practically perfect toys are first releases.

I don't doubt that there's a lot of people who've been burned by Yamato's poor QC, and so I can certainly see why anyone who has would be more than willing to give Bandai the benefit of the doubt and sacrifice some looks for a toy that might not fall apart as it's being removed from the box. I've still got my pre-order on, and I'm interested in seeing if they hold up, quality-wise. I suppose my question is, are there many more people who've had similar experiences as myself with Yamato's toys?

[Impreszive]

The only issue I ever had with a Yamato toy was the old VF-11. The hip broke and I just tossed it. Nowadays, I usually just keep the Valks in fighter mode. That was always my favorite configuration. I've had no real issue because of the fact that I really don't mess with them.

[drifand]

I believe it’s a combination of luck, individual ability to afford the big price tags, and Yamato’s relative inability to enforce better QC because they are ‘small’ and do not account for significantly large quantities in orders (relative to Bandai and Takatomy) to warrant the respect of the Chinese factories they use.

Since the advent of CAD planning for the M0 series, every new release has been absolutely stunning in sculpt and technical execution. Who wouldn’t want to own such beautiful pieces of memorabilia of their favorite franchise? Then comes the money decision. I’d say for most folks, $150USD a pop is not a trivial purchase. So...

Scenario 1

if you’re lucky, you buy one and nothing breaks... you become a fan. Two more lucky buys and you’re a believer: Who needs Bandai and their kiddy toys? I’ve got a fully detailed completed model that rivals their Perfect Grade kits right here in my hands!

Scenario 2

Not so lucky. Your first or second purchase breaks and because of your local retail situation, you are unable to seek redress from Yamato Japan or Yamato USA. Depending on the severity of damage, you either get annoyed or really angry, especially if $150 was a significant chunk of your income. You become hesitant to buy again. If you do AND stay unlucky, guess what? You become a ‘hater’.

Individual levels of quality acceptance and feelings of disappointment vary, depending on collecting experience and preference for other qualities in your toys besides top-notch sculpt and ‘accuracy’.

The lucky ones stay happy and wonder what the fuss is all about, even to believing the complainers are ‘ungrateful’ or ‘lacking in taste’. The unlucky ones grow more bitter because they want so much to be a part of the happy campers, but continue to be dealt a bad hand from the stacked deck of poor QC. They start to wish for an alternative provider (any provider) who can give them what Yamato can’t: A reasonably attractive facsimile of their favorite Macross or anime designs that won’t break so easily.

Can the situation change? After 8 years, I seriously don’t think so unless Yamato grows a lot bigger so that THEIR factory orders command the respect of the corner-cutting factory heads. Who knows, maybe with all the factory closures in China, they’ll start to realise real quality could mean survival over quicker profits.

Addendum

List of Purchases & Issues:

- Original YF-19: Broken Tab-B from poor fitting

- VF-11B: The infamous hip joints of doom

- VF-19A (VFX): Poor fitting in fighter mode still prevalent

- 1/60 VF-1J Hikaru Super Pack: Poorly designed shoulders, cracked hip-joint housing, poor-fitting gunpod, poorly designed hands.

- 1/60 VF-1J Max Super Pack: Poorly designed shoulders, poorly designed hands.

- 1/60 VF-1J Miria Super Pack: Poorly designed shoulders, poorly designed hands.

- 1/60 GBP-1S Armor parts: Terrible proportions, loose hip armor

- 1/100 VB-6 Konig Monster: Over-stressed plastic pegs, badly designed non-supporting arm joints with no means of repair.

- 1/60 VF-0S: Broken arm (due to production mistake and adverse material reaction), broken backpack hinge.

- 1/15 Garland Army Ver: Un-glued magnets & tail light, limp feet and hands, misaligned knee guard <- this is the replacement toy; original was worse.

All of this does not include the well-documented problems on other releases that dissuaded me from purchasing those toys.

Edited November 1, 2008 by drifand

[Sumdumgai]

Only problems:

-1/72 VF-11B hip broke after several years of transformations (and warnings that the non-FP VF-11B is prone to hip breakage). Quick super-gluing and it's held together good as new ever since and been through countless transformations.

-1/48 VF-1J Miria, BP8 hinge while putting fast packs back on. I should superglue the part back sometime, but I keep forgetting.

-1/60 VF-0A shoulder disintegration. Glued back together, shoulders aren't tight anymore. Still pissed about this.

All the other valkyries (1/60 VF-1 v1s, 1/48 VF-1s, YF-19, YF-21) have absolutely no problems and have been through a countless number of transformations and poses.

The QC/engineering problems are most certainly issues. Despite those issues, "you can fix broke, but you can't fix ugly."

addition: and the 1/60 Q-rau has been problem free once I finally got one to me safely.

Edited November 1, 2008 by Sumdumgai

[M'Kyuun]

My 1/72 non-fast pack VF-11's leg came off on first transformation. A small screw and some super glue fixed it. A small piece of my YF-19's right arm cracked and broke off (around the hinge pin where it attaches to the shoulder), so that only one of the 2 halves forming the inner arm were holding it on. I glued both halves together better(they were spreading apart out of the box) and glued the small broken off piece back. The arm held poses better afterwards and held together very well, even around the hinge pin. I have a first edition VF-0S and , knock on wood, have had no breakages. My 1/48 VF-1S backpack hinge has held up well, although I only kept it posed with fast packs for a month or two before packing them away. Overall, comparatively, I've had good luck with my Yammies. I don't really play with them, but leave them posed for a couple weeks then repose.

[Jasonc]

while I have been one of the "fortunate ones" not to have any serious problems with my Yamato toys, that's not to say that I am not worried about them. There are slight issues I've had with quite a few of my Yamatos, but at the same time, they've been minimal. I'm not gonna say what company is better (yamato or bandai)...to be honest, I don't have enought Bandai hi detailed toys to make a conclusion. It seems like both companies have taken a different approach in the way they are going to present their Macross toy lines. Being used to Yamato, I love the attention to detail, and how far the company has come in their toy designs. As far as Bandai, my only impression has been that of sturdy toys, without much detail. As for the question as to if I prefer detail over sturdiness, I'd probably choose detail, but with the same token, it should be possible to have both.

My Yamato experience has been pretty good so far, and I hope they continue to produce Macross product. The day it all stops, I think the excitement will start to diminish. Hopefully with more stuff like Macross F, and what's been coming out, Macross products will continue to grace us with their presence.

[mr.chogokin]

Yamato... I don't have a lot of their toys, but those few that I have all require some attention immediately out of the box. Those attentions range from broken handle bars, broken hinge hidden inside some glue-shut housing, stress mark on the BP8 and broken VF11B hip bars.

I like most of the stuff that Yamato makes... but not enough that I won't pass them over for a nice chogokin toy. Bought a SOC Daimos after reading the breakage problem with the V2 1/60 VF1 shoulders. Less headache for me that way.

[Graham]

Not sure exactly how many Yamato toys I currently have, probably around 50 to 60, but I've owned and sold many more than that over the last 9 years.

I've had relatively few problems with mine: -

• 1 x tab B break on a ver.1 1/72 scale YF-19.
• 2 x hips break on ver.1 1/72 scale VF-11B.
• 1 x BP8 hinge break on a 1/48 scale VF-1A Hikaru (this was completely my fault).
• Cracks found on the shoulders of 2 x 1/60 scale VF-0S and 2 x 1/60 scale VF-0A toys (luckily, easily fixed with epoxy).

Graham

[bluemax151]

Here's a list of issues minor and major I've had.

-1/72 VF-11B nonFP Broken hip out of package but got a free replacement

-1/72 YF-19 standard colours Paint chipping plus a hand that cracked from putting the gunpod in it

-1/60 VF-1A Hikaru Extreme yellowing

-1/60 VF-1S ver 2 Mispaint on a section of the nose cone

1/12 Scopedog ver1 Floppy joints

1/60 YF-21 Gunpods won't stay seated in the fast packs and fall out.

There are of course problems with some molds overall like all the 1/60s ver 1 VFs have floppy backpacks and hip joints that get severely loose if left in battroid mode. Also my Miria power armour is fine so far because I don't play with it it all but I can tell like others the joints are weak and will loosen severely over time. I am more cautious about my purchases due to my experience but the general Quality of Yamato products keeps me buying.

[sqidd]

I have done pretty well. A majority are too loose for my tastes though. Not the end of the world but that does seem to be the one common theme with the Yamato stuff. I don’t play with mine at all though. They get unboxed and displayed. If they get transformed it’s once.

I have only ever had one issue that was bad enough for me to get rid of it and that was the VF-0A Shin. It was so sloppy loose I just couldn’t deal with it. I sold it. It is also consequently the only Mac Zero release I don’t have. I would like to get one but I don’t know if the ever tightened them up though.

[miriya]

I consider myslef very lucky with yamato. I have had no problems.

V.1 1/60:

VF-1J Milia - Pefect

VE-1 - Perfect

VT-1 - Perfect

VF-1D - Perfect

Quedluun Rau - perfect

VF-0A shin with booster - Perfect

1/48:

VF-1J Hikaru (I dont have it anymore - wish I did) - Perfect

VF-1J milia - Perfect

VF-1S Roy (4th release?) - Perfect

GBP Urban - Perfect

VF-1S (2nd release?) - Bought used with missing head and broken chicken hand - supposedly user error. otherwise perfect.

GN-U

YF-19 - Perfect

YF-21 - perfect

[Hurin]

I cracked the hips on my first 1/48 VF-1A Hikaru.

I thought: Hmmm, I'll be more careful with future ones. Then I got over it.

[Valkyrie addict]

My old 1/60 v1 are good for me, some a bit loose but still good

VF-1S

VF-1J hikki, max, miria

VF-1J armored

VF-1A CF, Max

1/48 VF-1J Stealth is perfection

1/60 VF-0S, is a loose mess but I can live it, was lucky it didn't come with any broken or missing antennas, pieces or crooked skull, no exploding or cracked arm

1/60 YF-19, loose, broken neck hinge, replaced with recast

1/60 YF-21 perfection

1/60 VF-1S v2 is slowly disintegrating into oblivion

I don't mind looseness on some toys since it's more of an annoyance but when things starts breaking up for no reason, I have a problem, things are not meant to break

[justvinnie]

I think people are overly finicky with their Yamato toys personally. I've own close to 30 of them at one point or another and never truly had any problems. So my 21 fin broke, but that was because I dropped it. I never had problems with the "exploding" hips on the 11 either.

I think people would complain even more if Yamato decided to drop their Macross license. When it comes to business you vote with your wallet. I stopped buying them not because they were bad toys, but because I think its ridiculous that at these prices I could get an iPod or a new cellphone. To be a plastic toy should never approach those kinds of prices.

As for Bandai's vaunted QC and design team, I own a Bandai military Aquarion toy and damn if pieces don't keep falling off on it. I lost several pieces already.

vinnie

[Dante74]

17 Yamato toys, nothing broken. *knocks on wood*

[nightmareB4macross]

Of all the Yamato toys I have purchased...

1/48 - Only a few have been loose at the joints but otherwise in perfect shape

1/60 - Only a few have been loose/very loose at the joints but otherwise in perfect shape

1/60 V2 - Broken before I touched it.

1/100 - Perfect

[squall]

I've got one VF-0S. I bought it last year. Though it is nice from the CAD design, its quality of build was disappointing for me to pay so much for a toy. What I really do not like is that the cracks on shoulder, the painting job was not great, issue of durability of the plastic itself during transformation and also loosen part...

[anime52k8]

"you can fix broke, but you can't fix ugly."

maybe, but then again ugly is subjective, broke is well... broken.

anyways I've had only a handful of yamato's, and of those I've had 3 with issues.

first was my 1/72 VF-19A. It came out of the box a floppy mess, about half the paint on the legs and torso eventually chipped off, and then the right elbow joint go so weak that the forearm now falls off.

my 1/60 v1 VF-1J miria had the nose gear wheels snap off (it was just sitting there, and they broke) then the backpack snapped off.

and finally on my stealth VF-1J the air-break, flaps, and the rear landing bay doors were all floppy.

[drifand]

Not sure exactly how many Yamato toys I currently have, probably around 50 to 60, but I've owned and sold many more than that over the last 9 years.

I've had relatively few problems with mine: -

• 1 x tab B break on a ver.1 1/72 scale YF-19.
• 2 x hips break on ver.1 1/72 scale VF-11B.
• 1 x BP8 hinge break on a 1/48 scale VF-1A Hikaru (this was completely my fault).
• Cracks found on the shoulders of 2 x 1/60 scale VF-0S and 2 x 1/60 scale VF-0A toys (luckily, easily fixed with epoxy).

Graham

Hi Graham, just curious but did you manage to escape the problems on the first batch of Garlands? That one is a real tragedy because it had so much promise.

[Graham]

Actually both my Garland's metal swing bars broke on the first transformation. Real poor casting on the zinc.

Didn't mention them, as I assumed this thread was about Macross toys only.

Graham

[Arthurius]

I presently own 10 yamato toys, some are good, some arent so good. I must mention i had 5 more 1/60 vf-1 version 1, but sold them all. That makes 14 in total. Here is the rundown, in order:

1) 1/60 version 1: vj-1a hik and brown, vf-1s fp, vf-1j max, and vf-1s fp. Out of these, the comon problem: paint chip, paint fade, and BROWNING. Other problem/Flaw: GBP armor extremely loose. Now on the valks, they looked good in plane mode, less in robot, specially the vf-1s. I have to admit, i still didnt mind, as NONE of them BROKE, and still looked nice for display. I sold all of them though for money / space reasons, but somehow, i wish i hadnt.

2) 1/72 yf-21: bought this used, no real complain, it is staying in plane mode though.

3) 1/48 VF-1J Stealth with FP: PERFECT!!! I have to say that the 1/48th vf-1j series in yamato is the most perfect, problem free, line I own, and I am not sure why, but heck, i am happy.

4) 1/48 VF-1S Roy: The BP8 broke!!! Now, i fixed it by buying from a recaster, as superglue would NOT work for me. Vf-1S is my favorate still, and I love it, and will always keep it, but i am extremely carefull with their bp8 movement.

5) 1/48 vf-1a hick: Only minor issue is one of the skulls is crooked, bummer!!!! Everything else is SOLID, no problems with BP8, or transformation.

6) 1/48 vf-1j normal: I bought this used at a good price, and man, it is exactly like the vf-1j stealth, ROCK solid, no problems with BP8, and the most perfect line of yamato i own.

7) Quedluun Rau: Its ok, but i find it loose and thus hard to keep a pose. I also find the paint finish too plasticy. Nevertheless, it was only 50$, and still it looks great in my collection, and i will keep it always.

1/60 VF-0S: Plane Mode is flawless. Robot mode is HORRIBLE, extremely loose, backpack falls, NO locking systems, loose arms, does not feel good transforming compared to a 1/48 where everything is tight, made me regret to buy 1st versions and promissed myself: YAMATO never again will i buy your first release, i paid with transport 200$ to you, and this is the crappy piece of crap crappydi crap thing you give me??? Anyways, i didnt sell it, cause i would feel bad giving to someone, and it would lose great value in money.... so i keep it in plane mode, where it still looks great, and not loos, but beckons the question that i should have bought a model instead, for like 50$.

9) 1/60 VF-0A: Well, this one is quite different, and in my case, PERFECT. As it was second release, i said they must get it right this time, which was announced, and the color scheme is close to a low vis 1, which i unfortunately can never afford. This toy has locking mechanism, yeah baybe, and beautiful color, and much better feel when transforming it, and solid. I have not had the shoulder problems, but bought the recast shoulder anyways, just in case. Following this, i got a good deal on the stealth that attaches to it, and make the toy even better.

10) 1/48 VF-1S 25th aniversary: This is the best scheme yet, but, again, like my other vf-1s, not as perfect as the vf-1j, and i dont know why. The BP8 was extremely difficult to maneouver, and it took me forever to transform, and i have to be extremely carefull on this part when trasnforming it. On the 2x vf-1j i have, i can do it with my eyes closed, and no stress!!! Another problem, but which is fixed, is that the head was not perfectly attached, or fitted. Meaning that the bore where the head was fitted, and screwed, was not perfectly done, so it wouldnt fit. I carved the interior piece, until it could go fully in. Problem fixed. So no major biggy. The good side, this is my favorate scheme, and the gold trims are absolutely perfect, so well done, it looks like a bling bling valk!!!! Also, i bought some fps, which i painted black, cause yamato doesnt want to make any, and its even better!!!

11) 1/60 YF-19 25th aniversary: Another great scheme, no real problems, though i wish it had more locking mechanism on the chest. Again, the gold trims are perfectly done, so paint wise, this is a superb piece of art for display!!! I am keeping this in plane mode, too beautifull!!!

Thats it. Waiting for a SECOND releace/scheme of the yf-21, again not taking chances. The problem is, what will i do about the vf-11??? I may be drawn to buy first version, but hopefully, i will wait for second release.

[Golden Arms]

I currently own well over 60 yamato toys and these are the few issues Iv'e had over the years:

I still own every macross toy that they have put out with the exception of the original 1/72 yf-19 and Max Quadelaun Rau.

1) paint scrapping on the 1/72 game edition Y-19

2) yellowing on the v1. 1/60 Hikaru vf-1a

3) stress marks on the legs of the 1/72 vf-11 non fast pack edition

4) cracked shoulder on the 1/60 vf-0s Fokker (replaced the arms--now its all tight)

5) Looseness on various v1 1/60 dyrl valks (landing gear, legs, etc)

6) Missing sticker sheet in the Max v1 1/60 vf-1A

Iv'e yet to have anything flat out break on me that was a manufactures defect. I've broken several pieces, BP-8 notably, because I've dropped them or was carless. So I think they have done a very good job with most of the toys they've made. I think there is still room for improvement, but I believe they have gotten appreciably better over the years.

I even own several Yamato non Macross Models and toys and they are in pristine condition.

Edited November 2, 2008 by Golden Arms

[MasterOfPuppets]

Well the only problems I've had with my tiny amount of Yamatos are:

1) Broken 1/48 Hikaru VF-1J BP-8. In retrospect, completely my fault. I put on the fast packs but they were all droopy because I had completely missed the step in the instructions about depressing the back plate in. I thought I was supposed to push the BP-8 above the stopper to keep it from being droopy. Big mistake.

2) I barely tightened the screws behind one of the shoulders on my VF-0S (first release), and I mean barely and the thing just cracked. Aside from this, the thing is still a floppy mess. A beautiful floppy mess.

3) 1/48 Max VF-1J has some over spray on the white paint on the section to the right of the head.

All my other Yamatos are fine but I am still very scared when it comes to removing the FAST packs from the BP-8 on my 1/48s. The connection looks so ridiculously delicate that I can't imagine how this design was passed. I still don't know if I should just leave the FP on when transforming or take them off every time. And it still makes displaying them without FPs a bit of a fright when I want to remove them.

[ruskiiVFaussie]

No problems whatsoever here.

Oh wait, i lost a couple of no-step stickers. dammit Yamato!

Really, no problems, besides a little bit of looseness on some of my 1/48s. Fixed em with clear nail polish.

I was lucky i didn't get the Roy VF-0S 1st release, as i really only wanted Shin's VF-0A, so i dodged a fair bit of dissapointent there.

- main problems first, least worries last -

1 1st release YF-19 1/60 landing gear not panning out correctly and gunpod not straight. (well noted)

2 rubber seepage on my first 1/48 (hikky 1st release VF-1S) on the hips/connecting points

3 legs a little loose on a couple of my 1/48's, mostly my 1st release VF-1 Hikky, and 4th release Hikky 1S, plus my YF-19 is a bit loose

4... ? nothing. All are tight, and have been transformed numerous times. I display alot so that's a given. Can't say any major bad here.

Just for the bandai people, i haven't had any problems with my SOC's or Spec yet either.

Edited November 4, 2008 by ruskiiVFaussie

[kaiotheforsaken]

I've never had an issue with any of my Yamato products. Granted I've avoided some purchases based on the horror stories (Vf-0a I'm looking at you). Still my FP VF-11, 1/60 YF-21, YF-19, 1/72 19, 1/48 1S and SV-51 Nora have been flawless. I also had an old 1/60 1S that was problem free in terms of QC.

[mcpaz]

Hi,

in my case, I've had 14 yammies. From those, I've sold all 4 1/60 VF-1's, 1 YF-21FP and 1 1/72 vf-19 VFX2.

Let's recap...

SDF 1/60's:

1. vf-1a hikaru's: a little yellowing, a little paint chipping.
2. vf-1a CF, vf-1a Roy: puuurrrfect. No flaws, cool.
3. vf-1a Max: hip joints slightly loose.

1/72's:

1. VF-11: had to make some "tunning", like G-man proposed on the forums. Some sanding here, some screw-tightening there... The only flaw it ended with is some stress marks on his left hip. Other than that, it's still in shape and supports all the transforming process without problems (yesterday I did...)
2. YF-21: no problems.
3. YF-21FP: no problems. Well, yes, it was... purpy... does it count as an issue? :-P
4. VF-19 VFX2: a little paint chipping on the die cast part of the left leg.

1/48's:

1. VF-1S hik, VF-1J hik, both with FP's: Purrrrrrfect!!! no flaws, no problems, tons of transformations, barrell rolls, swooshes around the house...

1/60's:

1. VF-0s: the only flaw I found on this was, in fighter mode, the cockpit part of the fuselage is a little loose (there's like a 2-5 degrees of freedom, which you notice when you play "landing on the Asuka II/Illustria": when you land the front landing gear, it kinda "variates its shape" -sorry, I don't know how to explain it better)
2. SV-51 Nora: once hip's screws were tightened, perfect!
3. YF-19 (v 1.0) and FP's: had only the misaligned gunpod issue.
4. YF-21: perfect.

And that's all folks!

Manu

[kensei]

near miss with 1/48, hips block almost cracked due to the rubber layer in side being glued to the hip joint via paint.

Suffered a VF-0A broken arm. That's it.

[ultimateone]

Just got my very first piece yesterday, 1/48th scale VF-1J Stealth Type and it's freaking amazing!!!

I'd always wanted a Valk when I was a kid watching the "Robotech" series on the Armed Forces Network in Germany, but even then I knew that the level of detail wasn't what I wanted. So I put it off to the side then eventually forgot about it. I was sitting on the computer last week, drinking some wine and feeling nostalgic, and decided to look up Macross. Lo and behold, I found this site, and then found the 1/48's. Needless to say, a week later, UPS is dropping off my Stealth and I couldn't be more pleased. The only issue so far was one of the plastic pieces in the leg shaped to look like an engine fan came off, quick fixed with some Lock-Tite adhesive.

Let's just hope the wife doesn't find out what my "toy" costs, eh?

Thanks to all of you for getting me hooked on a costly habit!!

[VFTF1]

Hmm....

I remember how, before I knew any better, I decided on a mixed purchase: Masterpiece VF-1S (toynami), Toynami Alpha, Yamato 1/72 YF-21, VF-11B and the 1/60 (first version) Elintseeker - also by Yamato.

The run down went something like this:

VF-11B Yamato - legs fell off: well - that majorly sucked.

But then again the Toynami Alpha was gangly, brittle and really hard to transform too.

The Yamato YF-21 had problems standing up, but was both visually pleasing and durable.

The Toynami VF-1S was passable, although the hip bars really annoyed me and it didn't feel very "masterpieceful" in terms of sculpt and detail.

The Elint Seeker on the other hand, despite the complex transformation and removable legs, felt like a winner.

But it wasn't until I finally got the 1/60 YF-19 from Yamato that I became a believer.

In fact, the YF-19 1/60 from Yamato was my first "insanely expensive toy." Up until then, something like Armada Unicron for 50 bucks had been the most I'd ever paid for a single item. But just looking at the YF-19 in final toy form was...an experience.

Anyways - after that, I got the VF-1J Stealth and a Super/Strike Parts set to it. (all 1/48)

Suffice to say when I took THAT thing out of the box and compared it to Toynami's "masterpiece"....umm... yeah..the Toynamis which were retailing at 79 bucks suddenly seemed way over priced for such low quality, while the Yamatos were just utterly amazing.

Since then, I've been getting more and more into Macross, more and more demanding of producers like TakTom/Hasbro), and more and more Yamato valkyrie.

Great company. Great stuff.

Pete

[MacrossJunkie]

My problems were few:

- 1/72 VF-11B non-FP - self destructing left hip. (was fine out of the box. had it displayed standing up and after a month, it fell over under its own weight due to osteoporosis)

- VF-1 TV fast packs - can't attach the gunpod to the arm armor due to the pegs being too big to fit into the gunpod hole. I guess I could widen the hole on the gunpod, but I never bothered to.

- VF-0A cannon fodder - plastic where the shoulder goes over the ball joint was cracked and split open. Wasn't like this when I first got it and I had left it in fighter mode so I never knew, but after all the horror stories about the shoulder piece, I removed the shoulder armor and sure enough, it was broken like everyone else's. Epoxied it together and then put the arm armor back on. Left it in fighter mode again so I don't know if my fix is lasting or not.

- SV-51 Nora - the part of the leg that has the joint that allows the twisting of the leg had a weak peg or something and split on its own accord. I just epoxied the two halves together instead and it's better than new now.

- YF-19 - uncommon problem, the surface above upper left intake has a stress mark/crack. Not sure how it happened, but I saw it there one day. Also crooked gunpod.

Edit: blah, I just remembered the title was about good experiences but with people listing their problems it threw me off.

I also have a couple 1/72 YF-21 FP, another 2 VF-11B FP, 11 1/48 VF-1s, 2 VF-0S, an SV-51 Ivanov, Q-Rau Milia, Koenig Monster, 2 1/60 YF-21, another YF-19 (no problems with this one... yet) and a Tomahawk. No problems with these other than looseness in some joints for the VF-0 and Koenig Monster. I think I've had a great deal of luck with my purchases and most things that were bad were easily fixable.

Edited November 9, 2008 by MacrossJunkie

[Scream Man]

Had a garlands arm break with the infamous shoulder issue.

Had a Zero with cracks in the shoulder that I fixed. Had another zero Im pretty sure got damaged in transit: Both arms shattered, bothtails shattered, a leg tailfin busted off....it looked crushed. So I dont count that one.

Pretty sure thats it.

I have 6 Zeros of varying types, 9 1/48's, 2 VF-1 1/60 v2's. had a complete set of v1 1/60's as well but sold em. Had all three 1/72's, including FP and non FP versions of the 21 and 11B, all fine. Have 3 1/60 YF-19's, a 21 and 2 SV-51's.

Trust me Ive had worse QC on other lines.