Bandai VF100's Official Thread Ver.2

[SDF-ONE]

Can anyone tell me what the length of the fighter mode is?

-Kyp

Looks like it is about 20cm. With an official length of 18.72m that makes it ~ 1:94.

Edit - Forgot that the ankles are not retracted in this picture.

Edited March 6, 2009 by SDF-ONE

[Vifam7]

Can anyone tell me what the length of the fighter mode is?

-Kyp

It's hard to measure accurately but my toy in fighter mode is about 18.5cm from tip to tip.

[Graham]

My 1/100 VF-25F arrived from HLJ yesterday.

I’ll post more comments in a separate post, but for now, I want to discuss a revelation I had about the toy.

OK, perhaps theory is a better word than revelation.

Anyway, after studying the toy, I’m convinced the designers based the overall look of the 1/100 on the 1/60 DX sculpt, rather than the line art or CG art.

Previously some members have commented that the 1/100 resembled the 1/60, but I didn’t really see it myself until actually holding the toy in my hands.

After holding the toy in my hands. It’s obvious to me that the battroid mode is a near exact copy looks-wise of the 1/60. From the misplaced hip joints, down to the chunky legs. Even in fighter mode, especially from the side, the same thick legs and slightly down-turned nose are evident.

There are two main points that make me think the 1/100 is based visually on the 1/60: -

1) On the 1/60 DX, the battroid mode waist joint leaves an unsightly cut-out in the underside of the fighter mode nose, that spoils the clean lines of the fighter. The 1/100 features exactly the same cut-out, which is completely unnecessary on the 1/100 as there is no waist joint.

2) The second piece of damning evidence is of course incorrectly positioned hip joints. As the 1/100 uses a completely separate crotch piece for battroid mode, there is no excuse for having the legs in the wrong place.

Graham

[Alex]

2) The second piece of damning evidence is of course incorrectly positioned hip joints. As the 1/100 uses a completely separate crotch piece for battroid mode, there is no excuse for having the legs in the wrong place.

Graham

I really get the feeling that they were planning on making this a lot less of a parts-former than it eventually became. As I mentioned, the fighter mode hip and under-belly cover could have very easily been jointed to achieve this.

The sculpting on the fighter mode crotch piece makes me think that it was abandoned mid-way. Also, the rather unsightly way the Battroid crotch piece has been bolted to the under-belly plate also gives me the feeling that they changed it at a later stage.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Alex

[Graham]

Here’s my mini-review, based on my somewhat limited time spent with the toy so far – 1 hour and 1 transformation. My opinions/impressions may change later.

OK, so I finally received my 1/100 VF-25F from HLJ yesterday, but had to wait until after my son went to bed at 9pm, before I could open it up.

My initial impressions from the packing are that Bandai loves sticky tape. I think they must have used a whole role of the stuff, not only on sealing the box, but also on taping the many clear plastic inner trays together!

So after cutting my way through all the tape, I start separating the inner trays. Boy, are there a lot of them. Just when you think you have got to the last inner tray, you find there are still more, each with tons of tiny little parts.

Which brings me neatly onto the subject of parts. Now we have all seen the hobby magazine photos and known for months that this thing is going to have lots of small parts, but the sheer number doesn’t really hit you until you have them spread out before you. Lots and lots of small fiddly, tiny, little parts.

So I take the battroid out of the box. Not too bad, feels a bit flimsy and fragile, but that is to be expected given the size. It probably isn’t fragile in reality, but time will tell I guess. The back plate hinge seems quite loose and keeps wanting to flip up when I’m handling it, no big deal, means I just need to hold the toy a different way.

The joints in battroid mode seem reasonably tight, but as these are ABS ball in ABS socket type affairs, I’m sure they may loosen up after a while.

As I mentioned in an earlier post today, the appearance of the 1/100 VF-25 appears almost identical to a scaled-down DX, right down to the cut-out on the underside of the nose and the incorrect hip positioning (both unnecessarily copied from the DX).

Next I take a look at the black and white photo instruction sheet, which overall is pretty clear and easy to follow, except for the part about removing the battroid mode crotch piece, which isn’t very clear at all. I was a bit nervous during my first transformation from battroid to fighter, as the instructions didn’t show (and I wasn’t sure), which way I should pull the crotch piece to remove it. Anyway, besides that, the rest of the instructions where pretty clear and simple to follow and transformation was fairly straightforward, if somewhat time consuming (took about 20 minutes) and fiddly, due to the small size of many of the parts.

During transformation from battroid to fighter mode, I bent the tips of one of the fingers of the Karate-chop hands while trying to get it into the shield. That is a very fiddly part of the transformation. Luckily I was able to get the finger tip straightened again.

Some members have posted that fighter mode locks together well, while others have posted it doesn’t. My experience is that the chest, nose/cockpit, hips and upper legs, arms and shield all lock together solidly. Hip guns sit in place nicely, although they are not locked. However, the wing gloves and lower legs do not lock at all. When you pick up the toys, the lower legs want to droop down slightly and the wing gloves want to hinge up at the slightest touch. This is the most disappointing aspect of fighter mode IMO, that there are no locking pegs for the wing gloves.

Fighter mode sculpt is improved over the DX in the following areas: -

1) The ventral lower leg fins are now angled out correctly, unlike the DX, where they are hang straight down.

2) The wings now sit parallel to the ground when viewed from the front or back, unlike the DX, where the wings are angled up.

3) Landing gear is longer and more detailed than the DX, but also far more fragile.

My other major concern is the worry of some of the small parts such as ventral leg fins, tail fins, rear landing gear doors, even rear landing gear falling off and getting lost during play. Some of these parts are only held in place by friction fit and not too tightly at that. Some parts like the rear landing gear, I was scared to push them in too tightly for worry about snapping pegs on removal.

As with other members who have posted reviews, my PVC fighter mode (closed) gunpod was as bent as a banana, but a short dip in hot water, followed by a bit of bending to reshape it quickly took care of that

And before somebody asks, there is no sticker sheet and all the markings are printed on.

My conclusion so far is that this is a fairly nice looking toy, although to be honest not much different in proportions from the DX. However, it is quite fiddly to transform and there are a heck of a lot of parts to keep track of. Also, there is the nagging worrying that parts are going to fall off during play and I won’t notice and will lose them. This is not the toy to take outside to play on the grass.

One of the things I love about the DX is that is easy to transform, fairly rugged and given that it is (near) perfect transformation, there are minimal parts to worry about (hands and gunpod clip basically). I can transform and play with the DX without worry. The 1/100 on the other hand, doesn’t give me that carefree feeling of enjoyment. Instead, I constantly find myself checking the damn thing to see if anything has snapped or fallen off.

The jury is still out on whether I will buy any more of these. If Bandai releases 1/100 VFs that are not available in other toy lines, such as a VF-171 or VF-2SS, I will likely buy them. For VFs that are already available as other better toys, I will probably pass on the 1/100. For the VF-25, I think I will stick with the DX.

Graham

[ff95gj]

Thanks Graham, that's a great review.

Me too may get a VF-2SS, but otherwise I would prefer other alternatives at this price point.

[UN Spacy]

Thanks for your review Graham. IMHO they're a complete pass.

Although. If Yamato keeps me waiting for the VF-4 I'll have to reconsider.

I'll stick with the revised DX VF-25's.

[m0n5t3r]

... If Bandai releases 1/100 VFs that are not available in other toy lines, such as a VF-171 or VF-2SS, I will likely buy them. For VFs that are already available as other better toys, I will probably pass on the 1/100....

Graham

based on this statement and the non-mention of the VF-4... just a feeling, but i'm betting Yamato will definitely make the VF-4. the only question is when...

Edited March 6, 2009 by m0n5t3r

[Graham]

As others have said, quality on this toy is similar to the HCM-Pro line and most parts are made of ABS, with a few hard PVC parts (gunpod, optional head lasers and possible a few others (not sure?)).

As Alex, I think stated, there are a few parts that you do need to be quite gentle with so that you don't break them when attaching or detaching them, these being the rear landing gear and the shield, as the rear of the shield is very thin plastic, so don't push down too hard on the face of the shield when attaching it to the arm. Also of course be careful when removing or attaching the rear landing gear, so you don't snap them or the pegs.

Paint application is overall pretty good on the toy, but the black or dark grey paint is a bit sloppy on some toys around the mouth and also on the groin.

Disappointing that no stand is included for the toy and only stand adaptors are included for Battroid and Gerwalk modes I think (haven't really studied the adaptors yet).

The toy is a bit overpriced and I think a retail price point of 3,500 Yen or not more than 4,000 Yen would be more reasonable for what you get.

Graham

[Graham]

As I said I my mini-review, my opinions may change the more time I have with the toy, but for now, I'm rating it a fail.

If it had say 25% less parts removal and locking wing gloves in fighter mode, I'd be much more keen on buying the other 1/100 VF-25 variations (RVF, S & G).

Also, I gotta measure the thing, as I can't belive it is really 1/100 scale. Seems far too small. Although I also suspect that the dimensions that Kawamori assigned to the VF-25 are way off (far to small).

Graham

[Graham]

based on this statement and the non-mention of the VF-4... just a feeling, but i'm betting Yamato will definitely make the VF-4. the only question is when...

I will say that it is on the short list for the next 1/60 PT VF, but not the top contender. There are 3 different VFs in the running and I know which one my money's on.

Graham

[Renato]

I will say that it is on the short list for the next 1/60 PT VF, but not the top contender. There are 3 different VFs in the running and I know which one my money's on.

Graham

I hope you mean aside from any more VF-1 or VT-1 or VE-1 variations...

I'm gonna pester Yamato to make a VF-9 and/or a Variable Glaug.

[Graham]

I mean next new non-VF-1 PT variable 1/60.

But anyway, this is the Bandai VF-100's thread, so no more Yamato talk here please.

Graham

[UN Spacy]

I will say that it is on the short list for the next 1/60 PT VF, but not the top contender. There are 3 different VFs in the running and I know which one my money's on.

Graham

You TEASE!

That's good to know the VF-4 is still in the running. Like you said before we shouldn't give up hoping.

[lechuck]

Hmm.... top 3 contenders....

That would probably be either

- VF-0D, because only 30-40 percent new molds necessary for complete new Valk.

- VF-5000, similar sibling to VF-0, VF-1 and VF-11

OR

- VF-17, one of Grahams favourites and he's putting his money on it

But back to the 1/100 and therefore the VF-25.

I have noticed that in this thread and the DX one there has been a lot of scathing and bashing on Bandais take of the Battroid mode.

On the other hand most of the same people seem to be very lenient on Yamato's take of the YF-19/21 Battroid. They are just as much off, perhaps even more so than the VF-25.

Why this discrepancy in dis-/approval? It seems that members are applying two different standards here.

[Renato]

The double-standard issue/discrepancy/debate has been done to death in the DX thread, if I recall. It got so tiresome I skimmed most of the thread because of it.

In terms of inaccuracies with Bandai's DX and 100s VF-25s as compared to those of Yamato's YF-19, I can see one reason why general approval for the 19 would be higher: simply that there is no other transformable YF-19 in the market. With the 25, Bandai has made three incarnations so far, with the Robot Tamashii thing still to come, and the jury is still out on whether that will transform or not (though I doubt it). And though earlier in the thread I was lectured that comparisons with models and toys are "silly", I know I am not the only one making them, nor am I the only one that feels the narrowing gap between the attributes of the two in recent years.

If someone makes a better proportioned, PT YF-19 than what Yamato has on offer now, you will see its popularity decline (or just see how few people care any longer for the 1/72 MacPlus toys).

Edited March 6, 2009 by Renato

[Cent]

I think it'll be pretty difficult to get the PT on the 19 right. Too much anime magic involved, and while Yamato did make some QC errors, overall, i think they did a pretty good job doing what they could while keeping fighter mode as accurate as possible.

The DX inaccuracies are a different story. It was purposely made less accurate to bolster 'durability'. I'm not sure if I buy that entirely, since I can see places where accuracy could be improved without sacrificing durability, but the bottom line is one toy tried to be accurate, while the other did not have the same sort of priority. I think that behind it all, it's the design decision that garners a lot of flak.

[sidearmsalpha]

Definitely want one of these to at least have in fighter mode, as it's the only mode I really like of the VF-25, and I don't want to pay the asking price for the DX version, but the price on these is still too much. I'll have to look out for a price drop on this one.

[edwin3060]

Macross Plus was hand drawn, which is why there is tonnes of anime magic involved and Yamato gets a pass. If the same inaccuracies had happened in the Macross Zero line, for example, which is CAD, Yamato would have been hung, drawn and quartered. Bandai has shown that a show-accurate VF-25 is possible in the 1/72 model kit, and the model kit is not all that fragile, which is why there are so many complaints about the anime-accuracy of the DX and the VF100.

As to the waist joint, I maintain that it is a nice, but totally unnecessary feature that totally spoils fighter mode for me in the DX. I actually thought of puttying it and painting it over, but the need to paint all the rest of the VF (and worries about paint adhesion) to get the same finish put me off. I'm disappointed to hear that it is present in the VF100s line as well, and doesn't even function as a waist joint to boot. Major fail on Bandai's part.

My VF100 is stuck in customs right now... and I'm actually regretting pre-ordering Ozma and Michael. Judging by the discounts available on the 1/100 VF-25, I'd guess that the sales aren't impressive as well, which means that the likelihood of Bandai continuing the line is low. The main draw of the VF100s line for me was that it would have valks from every single series, but if it's not going to have that then I'll not be getting any more of these (and be glad that I'm only out the equivalent of 1 Yamato valk so far )

[Vifam7]

As I said I my mini-review, my opinions may change the more time I have with the toy, but for now, I'm rating it a fail.

If it had say 25% less parts removal and locking wing gloves in fighter mode, I'd be much more keen on buying the other 1/100 VF-25 variations (RVF, S & G).

Also, I gotta measure the thing, as I can't belive it is really 1/100 scale. Seems far too small. Although I also suspect that the dimensions that Kawamori assigned to the VF-25 are way off (far to small).

Graham

Considering that this is the very first release of the VF100s line, I'd give it some leniency. As I wrote in my review, I hope to see improvements as the line progresses. While I don't think the VF-25s will improve anytime soon (unless they're already working on a v1.5), perhaps by the time they get to the VF-4, they'd have a better grasp of how to make these toys better. Less parts removal and better locking design is definitely the 2 key areas.

With regards to the wing gloves, with my toy the area come together quite nicely. Pushing it from the sides and from the bottom does the job. On the other hand, it's the wings that don't form up smoothly with the glove area. It needs to come down 1mm more but it won't.

Of all the parts on the toy, the only parts that fall off easily on mine are the rear landing gears.

As for scale size, it really is 1/100 scale. Or really close to it. Measuring roughly from above, the length in fighter mode was approximately 18.5cm. A smidge bit more from below. To me, it wasn't the measurements that mattered. It was whether it "looked" in scale with other 1/100 aircraft. I was happy to see that it looked just fine sitting next to Alter's Yukikaze and my WW2 fighters. This is not the case with Toynami's VF-1s.

Btw, I've started work on Bandai's old 1/100 scale Fire Valk kit. I think I'll just slap it together without any paintwork. It'll be interesting to compare this to the upcoming VF100s Fire Valk.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Vifam7

[Ivan]

I am really looking forward to the Fire Valkyrie in the series. However, I certainly hope it's not based visually on the original DX toy back in the 90s

[GGemini]

As Alex, I think stated, there are a few parts that you do need to be quite gentle with so that you don't break them when attaching or detaching them, these being the rear landing gear and the shield, as the rear of the shield is very thin plastic, so don't push down too hard on the face of the shield when attaching it to the arm. Also of course be careful when removing or attaching the rear landing gear, so you don't snap them or the pegs.

It was actually me (the shield note)

Regarding the attachments for the stand, I tried using the simplest Bandai stand and... it works for Gerwalk:

It's the same stand that can be used for the CM's Mospeada Ride Armors.

[GGemini]

I'll try the stand attachment for battroid mode tomorrow. And I'll also check if there's a way to use this stand for fighter mode...

[edwin3060]

I am really looking forward to the Fire Valkyrie in the series. However, I certainly hope it's not based visually on the original DX toy back in the 90s

From the preview pictures so far, the proportions are more like the Yamato 1/60 YF-19 than the 1/65 toy

GGemini: That looks like it works, but it wouldn't allow the classic spread leg Gerwalk pose?

Edited March 6, 2009 by edwin3060

[biggooftoybox]

Hmm my 1/100 VF-25F is in transit from HLJ. I'm kind of worried based on all the reviews here. (Great reviews everyone by the way!)

I'll probably add in my two cents once i get it. Yeah a main draw for the VF100s line is the breadth of the Valkyrie line they can have. However I have a question, what macross licenses can Bandai use for their Valkyries? All MAcross series or just some? i.e. I know Yamato was holding the license for Macross Plus correct?

Many of the obscure valks we want to see are from the video games, manga and other non-cartoon/tv sources. If there is no hope of seeing the obscure Valks in other lines then i'm goign to throw my full support behind the VF100s.

[Vifam7]

I'll probably add in my two cents once i get it. Yeah a main draw for the VF100s line is the breadth of the Valkyrie line they can have. However I have a question, what macross licenses can Bandai use for their Valkyries? All MAcross series or just some? i.e. I know Yamato was holding the license for Macross Plus correct?

According to their posters and promotional info, it appears Bandai can use every single Macross property including Macross Plus. Yamato has a license for Macross Plus (and some others) but it appears not to be exclusive.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Vifam7

[Midi_Amp]

Anybody knows where I can buy this toy on Singapore? I saw at XL-Shop.com which is a Malaysian toy shop and they carries it... So shouldn't one be available somewhere in Singapore I live in Indonesia, and right now, all hell broke loose on the custom office... Every imported stuff tax is calculated with its shipping fee... Super crazy people working there.

As I have a younger brother in law studying at Singapore, I might just asked him to buy it and carries it when he came home for holidays

[Dashgtr]

Are you talking about the VF-25 1/100 by bandai? I saw it at TFH ( http://www.tfh.com.sg/ ) they still have on FRI which is yesterday. You can try China Square too I'm they have it there too. It's kind of small and EX I feel but it looks good.

Good luck

Anybody knows where I can buy this toy on Singapore? I saw at XL-Shop.com which is a Malaysian toy shop and they carries it... So shouldn't one be available somewhere in Singapore I live in Indonesia, and right now, all hell broke loose on the custom office... Every imported stuff tax is calculated with its shipping fee... Super crazy people working there.

As I have a younger brother in law studying at Singapore, I might just asked him to buy it and carries it when he came home for holidays

[Midi_Amp]

Are you talking about the VF-25 1/100 by bandai? I saw it at TFH ( http://www.tfh.com.sg/ ) they still have on FRI which is yesterday. You can try China Square too I'm they have it there too. It's kind of small and EX I feel but it looks good.

Good luck

Yup, this [VF100 VF25] Macross toy. Thanks for the info, my brother in law is still quite new to Singapore, so he might got lost without proper address. Thankfully, waterloo centre seems easy to find... At least on Google maps.

I know it's small and doesn't have stellar reviews, but it's a Macross and first ever affordable transforming variable fighter available. As my disposable income for hobbies are just under US$25 per month... Try saving that for a Yamato/Bandai DX variable fighters, it will take a year's worth of saving before I can buy any hobby related stuff... Well, beggars can't be choosers

Edited March 7, 2009 by Midi_Amp

[Graham]

Been spending a bit more time with the toy in battroid mode.

Overall posability is actually pretty good. The swivel joint just below the intakes gives the legs a few more options for posing compared to the DX.

Both the knee and the elbow joint on the 1/100 can bend 90 degrees.

Sholder posability is a bit more limited than the DX due to the fixed nature of the 5-dot shoulder block, but not too bad. On the 1/100 the shoulder block non-movable (fixed in 1 position), and the shoulder connects to a ball on the 5-dot block).

The lack of an open hand for holdingthe gunpod foregrip is a bit of a bummer though.

Will try to post some pics later. Want to take some comparison pics with the DX.

I'm warming to this thing slightly, although I still like the DX much more.

Definitely prefer battroid mode on the 1/100 though. The non-locking wing gloves are a PITA in fighter mode. When you hold it in fighter mode, the wing gloves and wings constantly want to hing upwards due to the lack of any form of locking.

Still haven't transformed it to Gerwalk mode yet.

Graham

[ff95gj]

However I have a question, what macross licenses can Bandai use for their Valkyries? All MAcross series or just some? i.e. I know Yamato was holding the license for Macross Plus correct?

This may give you some insight on the licenses Bandai owns ("Bandai owns"! I sound so fanatic):

(Picture borrowed from uwants)

[DarkReaper]

popular opinion is that bandai only owns the 1/100 scale licenses.

[Graham]

As has been explained many times over the years, toy licences in Japan are mostly non-exclusive and given to multiple licensors, unlike in the US, where often just one toy company is granted the master toy licence to manufacture any and all toys related to that franchise.

In Japan, toys licences for a franchise are often granted on a scale or type basis to different companies. At the moment, Yamato holds licences with big west for the 1/48 VF-1 toys, 1/60 SDF, DYRL, M0 & M+ toys as well as the GNU and VFC figures. Bandai holds and exclusive Frontier licence and a 1/100 licence for all shows.

The reason Bandai holds an exclusive licence for Frontier, is because were the major sponsor of the show and paid several million US$ to fund the production. Still, word goes that this exclusivity is only good for a few years.

However, the same was true of Macross 7 and Bandai have been using their muscle to sit on the licence for over a decade, despite their exclusivity technically expiring.

Graham

[Graham]

Got round to transforming to Gerwalk mode.

You can get quite a good 'A' stance, due to the swivel joint below the hip.

However, the knees actually have very limited forward bend, so you cannot get a good deep crouch pose in Gerwalk. In the attached photo, you can see the limit of the forward knee bend.

Also, the Gerwalk mode does not balance well with the feet open and wants to tip forward.

Like in most of the publicity photos, you have to close the feet in Gerwalk mode to get it to balance on the tips of the front and rear foot sections.

Graham

[Graham]

Here you can see the cut-out on the underside of the nose, which the 1/100 designers obviously copied directly from the 1/60 DX sculpt, despite it being completely unecessary and having absolutely no function on the 1/100.

Graham