Review of the Toynami 1/100 Scale VF-1

[Valkyrie Driver]

Recently I bought a Toynami VF-1A DYRL Max type. I love this little thing, much more fun to play with than my TRU Yamato VF-1A. I really like this toy, and I plan on purchasing another 1/100 from Toynami, as soon as I have the funds. The toy came Packaged in a Nice window style box. It's displayed in Battroid mode and looks very good. It's nice and Tidy when you open the panel to see all the Acessories it came with, more on those in a bit.

CONS

1. The biggest gripe I have about it is the mismatched proportions. Using my Yamato as a guide to how it should look, the Legs/Nacelles in fighter mode are too skinny. The backpack thruster doesn't fit neatly between the legs as it does on the Yamato.

2. The Arms stick out too far in fighter mode. They aren't kept way back and under the backpack as in the Yamato.

3. The Toy wasn't engineered to look good in the fighter mode.

4. The Frailty of the plastic. I managed to keep this toy looking sharp and unbroken for the first several months that I had it. It has only broken once, and not even where I expected it to. The Port side Vertical stabilizer's hinge broke. (Easily fixed by an ingenious application of scotch tape. I Remember how I fixed the Problem on my Banpresto Valk a few years ago.)

That being said, I still love the toy. I understand that some of the details like those that would make it look exactly like it was in DYRL aren't all that easy with a small scale like 1/100.

PROS

1. Detail. This toy does make up for some of the shortcomings in detail I mentioned earlier. The Gunpod expands, that was nice. It also has the three barrels molded into it. The Toy was supplied with a small sticker sheet to apply, which I did.

2. Accessories! This toy has tons of accessories that it comes with, not to mention that super parts are available as well. It Comes with Four sets of triple missiles, as well as four five tube missile pods. It also Comes with a display stand with brackets to display it in all three modes. The Gunpod requires the use of a bracket to mount it in fighter mode, but I easily grew accustomed to it. The Heat shield has a raised Skull Squadron insignia on it, not accurate but still acceptable. It is also supplied with landing gear, so you can just set it on your desk just liek it would be on The Flattop.

3. Pose ability. This thing is fun. It will take a pose and hold it. The Joints are nice and tight(most of the time). This simple aspect is what makes it more fun than my TRU Yamato. The Yamato just can't do all the fun poses this toy can.

4. Light weight. The same frail plastic that I griped about also has a plus. Due to the Low weight of the toy, it is actually less likely to break.

5. Low cost and availability. I hesitate to say cheap as the word tends to carry a certain stigma. I don't want to call the toy cheap. Mine cost me about $24 after shipping. There are scads to be found on amazon.com or any other online toystore.

I feel I should explain how mine broke. I had a kitten at my old place and the little bugger knocked the toy off of the shelf I had it on and the toy landed topside downright on the left stabilizer. Needless to say it broke. A few days later I remembered a similar problem with the Banpresto I had, and was able to fix my Toynami.

The Joints are very nice on this toy because they are a linked by a peg. The peg inserts into the rotating collar and presto multi-axis movement. The reason I like this approach is because the joints will just pop off if there is too much pull on the joint. It also relieves the OH GOD I BROKE IT! response when the arm or lower leg pops off. Now My toy occasionally has its arms pop off, which can be a bit annoying, but all in all I find the toy fun and it's a fun piece to display on one's desk or a shelf. The other bonus is the size. When you don't have a lot of space, the toy is great to satisfy the craving for a new valk toy.

I would recommend this toy to anyone wanting to start a collection or to someone who just wants a fun display piece. It's also great for customizing due to it's low price. More sophisticated collectors might shy away from this toy due to the little inaccuracies I mentioned, however I mention customization again, pick one up if want to get into it, you won't be disappointed.