boinger Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Big Bad Toy store still does not have the vf-25 alto and ozma toys in stock. I'll try to be patient.
edwin3060 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 High strength steel? This must be a misnomer if it's sheering in an unhandled plastic toy. Steel is probably one of the strongest materials around on a cost basis-- if it's made right. The problems are probably due to a bad batch of screws exacerbated by the overly tight shoulders.
UN Spacy Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Wizartar released 2 transformation videos. Part One - Gerwalk to Battroid Part Two - Battroid to Fighter
OmegaD3k Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Well, my case is a little toughter than yours. My screw broke inside the shoulder casing, and there is nothing to grab on to unscrew it out. To get it out I have to do reverse tapping on a 1.5mm screw that is made out of high strength steel. Not an easy fix. Either that or send it back and wait 5 wks to see another one again.Yikes. Not so sure about how to fix that. If it happened to me, I would have sent it back. For the shoulder issue, I think the problem (at least from fiddling with my kit) is that the left shoulder ball joint is a LOT tighter than the right shoulder ball joint- Same here! That makes three accounts so far, with two of them leading to breaks. Anyone else have these shoulder issues with their DX's?
edwin3060 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Wizartar released 2 transformation videos. Part One - Gerwalk to Battroid Part Two - Battroid to Fighter Great videos! I just got my DX-25F today so they were really helpful. Thanks!
edwin3060 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Yikes. Not so sure about how to fix that. If it happened to me, I would have sent it back. Same here! That makes three accounts so far, with two of them leading to breaks. Anyone else have these shoulder issues with their DX's? Mine would probably have resulted in a break if I had not heard about your accounts-- I'm certainly not willing to test the shoulder joint!
Blaine23 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I can't believe it. is Macross CURSED? Yes. With whiny fans.
UN Spacy Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Yes. With whiny fans. That is signature worthy.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) It will be interesting to see how many VF-25DX toys suffer from this problem and if certain MWers come down as hard on Bandai as they have on Yamato. I suspect not, as Bandai seems to get cut more slack around here. No the people that have an open mind here when it comes to Bandai can be counted by the handful. The amount of people here that cut Yamato slack is exponentially higher. Also, the problem is much easier to fix on the DX than on most Yamato toys, like the 1S shoulder hinges, repairing the broken neck pieces on the YF-19(if they break on yours), et, al. It's just replacing a screw. Maybe adding some lubricant to the left shoulder ball joint. Either way, there are far less breakages of the DX VF-25 toys compared to the Yamato v2 1/60 VF-1 toys. Yes, you, Scream Man, and a few others have VF-1S toys that have not broken at all. Good for you guys. I wish mine was like that. I also wish it was as easy to repair as just changing out a screw. Indeed, Yamato has, admittedly, a whole first run of V2 1/60s that suffer from cracked shoulders... That are easily fixed with a dab of super glue. If it was as easy as that, I, and many others wouldn't have brought it up so much in the first place. Truth is, it isn't as easy as that. It is just a bandaid. m0n5ter's fix seems to be the only one that may actually work. If it wasn't such a detrimental problem, I doubt Graham wouldn't have even bothered talking to the factory owner. Must be the Japanese fans (the only ones they really HAVE to care about) are much kinder and realize the service they are doing for them If you don't speak up with constructive criticism, NOTHING ever gets fixed. No I'm not talking about some of the "WTF BANDAI WHY CAN"T HAZ IS YAMATO LICENSE INTERNETS NBROPKLENZ OMGZ SUCKORZ!" posts, I'm talking about constructive criticism, not fanboy rants. Hell the Japanese fans maybe even more vocal than we are, we just don't here about it because most of us can't read Japanese. Yamato did mention years back, that those guys take their valks in the shower with them, so obviously some of the valks get treated much rougher there than here. Edited January 23, 2009 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0
VFTF1 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I'm probably going to have people stop taking me seriously (as if they ever did:) ) or throw shoes at me or something - but I've once again had a change of heart and now decided... should write "decided" to get the 1/72 models instead. After reading about the shoulder problem on what I consider to be an already yucky DX figure - I just can't stand it any more. Also - looking at all the pictures - it just never stops looking yucky. Heck - the benefit of it being in 1/60 scale was that it would fit right in with my Yamatos - but looking at it next to the Yammies... well - yeah - it fit in with the Yamato 1/72 YF-19 in terms of overall looks - and it does look like something that would have gotten top marks ten years ago... But when you combine ugly+broken shoulders+bent lasers... it's just too much for me. Already, I have passed up the DXs in favor of Soul of CHogokin Daimos jus now - so no, I'm not a Bandai hater; since I love their SOC and Gundam products. Heck - I am going to get the 1/72s from them - so it's not about hating Bandai. I just have (again) come to the realization that for me - personally - these just aren't worth it. It's like with Transformers: there came a point where I began to distinguish, despite being a big fan, between Transformers that SUCKED and Transformers that merited attention. I am a big Macross fan, and love Frontier, but I'm not going to make the mistake I made with TFs (blindly collecting them all only to regret half my collection - mainly Armada, Cybertron, Energon). I would regret these DXs - and I know myself - if I got even one - I'd feel compelled to get the others too. I will go with the models. Really This time I mean it Pete
UN Spacy Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Ozma's VF-25S is listed as IN STOCK at Hobbylink Japan. http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN952783
UN Spacy Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 ...waits for EXO to ruin everything with separate threads for Alto, Ozma, Michael, and Luca.
edwin3060 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) ...waits for EXO to ruin everything with separate threads for Alto, Ozma, Michael, and Luca. Not until they get multiple valkyries each...like when the movie comes out in june! VFTF: I'm going with both-- the 1/72s for display and the DX for playing-- the 1/72s are really too fiddly to play with-- or transform, if you like the fighter mode. Once you transform the model kit, it is nigh impossible to get it back to an acceptable fighter mode, while the DX toy locks together nicely so there are no worries transforming! Edited January 23, 2009 by edwin3060
VFTF1 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I'm going with both-- the 1/72s for display and the DX for playing-- the 1/72s are really too fiddly to play with-- or transform, if you like the fighter mode. Once you transform the model kit, it is nigh impossible to get it back to an acceptable fighter mode, while the DX toy locks together nicely so there are no worries transforming! It's...too late for me, my Son. Tell your Sister...you were...right! You were rigggggghhhhhhhttttttt ********* Pete
Cent Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I got the model kit. Unfortunately, I dont have any time to put it together for the next month or so. Awesome huh? " I really do still wish that it'd be in the same scale as the Yamatos
edwin3060 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) Anyway, I agree with SDK: A broken screw on the VF-25 is much easier to fix than a broken shoulder on the VF-1 v2. If this is the weakest point on the VF-25, then I'd say that Bandai achieved their goal of durability. On the other hand, is it just me, or does it seem like Bandai is always one step behind Yamato in the toy design department? When Yamato was at their 1/72 Mac Plus stage, Bandai was at the 1/65 Mac 7 stage. Now that Yamato has moved beyond that, Bandai looks to be at the Yamato 1/72 stage in terms of design accuracy and overall quality of their toy, less, of course, the QC issues. Bandai's 1/72 model kits, on the other hand, are fabulous, no doubt due to their experience at accurate, yet fairly easy to build, model kits from all their Gundam shows. Still, I wouldn't want to take one of the model kits into the shower with me, while the DX toy looks like it could survive a good scrubbing P.S. Cent: Hence my wish for 1/60 PG, PT kits for MacF. It'll never happen though Edited January 23, 2009 by edwin3060
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 (edited) On the other hand, is it just me, or does it seem like Bandai is always one step behind Yamato in the toy design department? When Yamato was at their 1/72 Mac Plus stage, Bandai was at the 1/65 Mac 7 stage. No they weren't. Macross Plus Toys were designed started shortly before 2000. Bandai's Macross 7 toys were designed between 1993-94. It's not a fair comparison at all. Edited January 23, 2009 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0
Graham Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 IMO, Bandai's 2008 VF-25 DX are roughly comparable to Yamato's 2000 toys in terms of design. Graham
Graham Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 Still no news of Ozma Armored Pack in the new hobby mags.
mpchi Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 IMO, Bandai's 2008 VF-25 DX are roughly comparable to Yamato's 2000 toys in terms of design. Graham Woooow~! So the Bandai DX VF-25 is roughly on par with Yamato's 1/60 ver.1 VF-1 & 1/72 YF-19... wow. Just wow. Graham, didn't expect you would go that far.
honkhet Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 after holding and playing with the DX (my friend's purchase, not mine) i have to agree, bandai is a step behind, maybe even more than a step. but the 1/72 model kit is so awesome, i'm collecting them all unless the announce a 1/60 model kit line.
vf_1s Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) Anyway, I agree with SDK: A broken screw on the VF-25 is much easier to fix than a broken shoulder on the VF-1 v2. If this is the weakest point on the VF-25, then I'd say that Bandai achieved their goal of durability. P.S. Cent: Hence my wish for 1/60 PG, PT kits for MacF. It'll never happen though I can't speak for everyone. But at least I have both cases happen to me, and honestly the broken shoulder on a VF-1 is much much easier to fix than the VF-25's broken screw. If I can get the screw out, it is an easy fix. However, I have already broken 2 high strength tapping drill trying to get the broken screw out. Plastic is much easier to fix on the VF-1. To be fair, I also have the Alto VF-25, and the shoulder were fine on that one. However, I do notice that the shoulder and knee joint coming loose after playing with it for a while. It is most noticible in Gerwalk mode, which require the most stability in the joints to balance. I actually find the Yamato 1/60 vf-1 more advance in design and have way better articulation. May be Yamato have finally got their act together or because the VF-1 have been done and re-done so many times, but I really enjoy the VF-1. The good thing about having very little metal part is that the joints don't have to be as tight to hold in position, hence, less wear on the joints in long term. What I enjoy about the VF-25 is the ease of transformation, but if the screw were to broke inside the casing, there is no fix. Edited January 24, 2009 by vf_1s
Vegas Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 i wonder what the japanese fans think of the vf-25 dx?
Vifam7 Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 i wonder what the japanese fans think of the vf-25 dx? I've been reading Japanese reviews. General consensus tends to be - Positives: - Use of diecast - Sturdiness - Ease of transformation - Parts that lock into place for each mode - Gloss finish - Proportions of battroid (quite a few said it's much better than the lineart) - General overall "look" Negatives: - Warped lasers on Ozma head (many say Bandai should've made the lasers swappable with an optional ABS version) - Lack of neck on Ozma head - Stubby landing gears - Not being able to store knife in shield - Having to swap hands for fighter mode Other comments: - Basically this is a "toy" not a scale model. - If you want an accurate model of the VF-25, go build that snapfit kit. These were the most common positive and negative notes. There were others who were more scathing and others who felt it was just fine.
Graham Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 Woooow~! So the Bandai DX VF-25 is roughly on par with Yamato's 1/60 ver.1 VF-1 & 1/72 YF-19... wow. Just wow. Graham, didn't expect you would go that far. In terms of overall design, yes the DX does give me the feeling of Yamato's 1/72 M+ toys. I love the DX enough to buy 2 of each, but the upturned wings, gap under the nose, limited leg articulation, small landing gear etc really give me a Yamato circa 2000 vibe.
VFTF1 Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I can't speak for everyone. But at least I have both cases happen to me, and honestly the broken shoulder on a VF-1 is much much easier to fix than the VF-25's broken screw. If I can get the screw out, it is an easy fix. However, I have already broken 2 high strength tapping drill trying to get the broken screw out. Plastic is much easier to fix on the VF-1. You know - this is so deja vu... I didn't mention it before, but when the first pictures of the DX shoulder/die-cast metal frame structure came out - the FIRST thing that came to my mind was...G1 Transformers Megatron. And I KNEW IN MY HEART that what happened to G1 Megatron (sometimes) was bound to happen to the DX. And presto - it did. Namely - G1 Megatron had a very similar die-cast shoulder frame that held the arms up, and that you locked into the back of the robot mode. But, in the end, the plastic arms were fastened to the die-cast metal by a SMALL BOLT. It wasn't even a screw - and in some cases, that bolt would become loose and slowly start to inch out. You could push it back in, but in effect, the arm was basically always kind of drooping or falling off on you. Some people on these boards have argued that Yamato made a mistake NOT using die-cast parts for "such a delicate" place as the Valkyrie's shoulders. Well - now it seems that we see that plastic is a lot easier to remedy than die cast. I mean - a broken screw is a pretty big deal compared to a hair-line crack. Naturally - both flaws are regretable. Nevertheless, it is just shocking to learn of this flaw in the DX. IMO, Bandai's 2008 VF-25 DX are roughly comparable to Yamato's 2000 toys in terms of design. Graham Sadly, I agree with this. However, let's hope that now that Bandai has the license, and with the up-coming movie, NEW DXs will be developed. I will happily get Movie DXs if they are better made in terms of sculpt than these guys. Pete
shinjizh Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) Thanks drifand 's suggestion I just modified my VF-25F thigh and heel. In the begining, My gerwalk needs a small stand below its nose... Now, it can stand by itself I also agree with Graham. Bandai doesn't do a good job in this diecast toy. Comparing with prototype of DX VF-25, it still has neck, and outline is better than now. I don't know why Bandai changes original design. Maybe Shoji Kawamori decides final version. Edited January 27, 2009 by shinjizh
m0n5t3r Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) man, those karate-chop hands really don't suit a valk... karate chopping Bandai SOC daimos yes, Bandai DX VF-25 valk no... Edited January 24, 2009 by m0n5t3r
VFTF1 Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Yeah - the fact that the fingers aren't posseable on a "DX" figure is terrible. Also - this particular VF-25 in the pictures above seems to have been panel-lined; because the under-wing carriage looks much better. But not good enough to get me to like it. Pete
edwin3060 Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Still no news of Ozma Armored Pack in the new hobby mags. Bandai will wait till the pre-orders for the Ozma Super Pack have closed, or else they'd be cannibalizing their own sales. Still, I'd expect the pre-order for the Armoured pack to come out before the movie, or just before. I have my DX-25F next to my 1/72 VF-11B now and they look about the same quality... except that even back then, the Yamato pilots were so much more detailed Still, I'm pretty happy with my toy, especially since the wing glove area all fits together nicely unlike some of my model kits!!
isamu-ad Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Just a special picture "dedicasse" to episode 2 of macross zero
shinjizh Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 (edited) man, those karate-chop hands really don't suit a valk... karate chopping Bandai SOC daimos yes, Bandai DX VF-25 valk no... Ha ha, sorry about that. I tried to modify gerwalk position, so I forgot changeing karate hand. I think no one notice it, but I am wrong.... Yeah - the fact that the fingers aren't posseable on a "DX" figure is terrible. Also - this particular VF-25 in the pictures above seems to have been panel-lined; because the under-wing carriage looks much better. But not good enough to get me to like it. Pete Yes, I used gundam pan to draw the line because I don't like valkirye with clear surface. Edited January 24, 2009 by shinjizh
edwin3060 Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Just a special picture "dedicasse" to episode 2 of macross zero Oooh nice to know that the overcomplicated shoulders are actually good for something!
Graham Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 Scans from March Hobby Japan & Dengeki Hobby attached. First pics of open missile hatches on Super Packs & CG pics of Ghost & Fold Booster from Gallia IV sets.
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