Official Bandai 1/100 VF HI-METAL VF-19S/F

[Graham]

Just picked up two at 2/F Sino Center for HK$488 each (cheaper than I expected to be honest).

Grahm

[VF5SS]

I wouldn't say they have 'eyes',

i would

[Graham]

Can't take it out of the box until the wife falls to sleep, but looking through the box window, I noticed a couple of missing surface details: -

1) The sub-air intakes on the LERX are missing. I'd expected this though, as none of the prototype pics showed them.

2) The triple vernier cluster that the VF-19F/S is supposed to have in lieu of the canards is missing

Graham

[Graham]

Well written passage on the side of the VF-19S Hi-Metal box (see attached pic).

The English on all 3 Hi-Metal boxes so far has been excellent. I wonder who writes them for Bandai?

Grahm

[Graham]

The plastic used on the VF-19S is much more matte, compared with the gloss plastic of the VF-19 Fire Valk. I prefer the matte finish for the VF-19S, as it is a military fighter.

Unfortunately, there is no way to attach the gunpod in fighter mode . This is a shame, as looking at the design of the toy, it would have been very easy for Bandai to add cutouts in the forearms to fit the gunpod grip in fighter mode.

Not transformed it to Battroid mode yet.

Attached are a few quick pics, together with the Hi-Metal Fire Valk for comparison. Excuse the poor picture quality, as they were taken indoors at night withought a proper lighting setup.

Graham

[nexxstrait]

The plastic used on the VF-19S is much more matte, compared with the gloss plastic of the VF-19 Fire Valk. I prefer the matte finish for the VF-19S, as it is a military fighter.

Unfortunately, there is no way to attach the gunpod in fighter mode . This is a shame, as looking at the design of the toy, it would have been very easy for Bandai to add cutouts in the forearms to fit the gunpod grip in fighter mode.

Not transformed it to Battroid mode yet.

Attached are a few quick pics, together with the Hi-Metal Fire Valk for comparison. Excuse the poor picture quality, as they were taken indoors at night withought a proper lighting setup.

Graham

Is it only me or that pilot is mostly white??? The fighter looks good, can't wait for Battroid pictures (I already know I won't resist the urge to buy this toy for much longer...)

[ff95gj]

Argh!

There's only one box left when I went to Sino Centre, but the box is terribly damaged.

So I decided to go to another shop (10 minutes walk), which I saw one selling at HK$499.

But when I went back, I saw the shopkeeper just re-priced (have I just invented a word?) it to HK$520.

I was upset enough to decide to wait for a couple of days more...

P.S. Partly because we just see the CAD for Yamato VF-19 Kai... I bet that Yamato is going to release VF-19S too. Shall I skip the Hi-Metal... Hmmm....

[Graham]

Is it only me or that pilot is mostly white??? The fighter looks good, can't wait for Battroid pictures (I already know I won't resist the urge to buy this toy for much longer...)

Yes, the pilot (Docker), is mostly white, apart from the shoulder & chest are, which is blue.

Graham

Argh!

There's only one box left when I went to Sino Centre, but the box is terribly damaged.

When I bought my 2pcs at about 6.25pm on 2/F Sino Centre at the shop near the down escalator, the shop only had 4pcs in total and I bought 2 of those.

Grahm

[azrael]

Attached are a few quick pics, together with the Hi-Metal Fire Valk for comparison. Excuse the poor picture quality, as they were taken indoors at night withought a proper lighting setup.

Still looks pretty good.

[Graham]

A few more quick fighter mode pics before bed.

One photo on the provided display stand and the other two photos with the landing gear (one using the camera's flash).

Graham

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

God damn the Blazer looks great. GLAD this one comes with a stand. I can do without the gear...I don't like the way they look and the fact that they don't attach..meh.

Graham, what is the swappable head laser/back part of the head for? Is that one for using ABS instead of PVC head lasers? I hope that swapping that piece out is not necessary for transformation. The less parts to keep track of, the better.

I bet that Yamato is going to release VF-19S too. Shall I skip the Hi-Metal... Hmmm....

I don't doubt it, in fact I think it's inevitable. Tooling something the size of the Fire Valkyrie(which is one of the bigger valks) in light of the worsening economy in Japan and rising cost of labor in China is a costly endeavor for Yamato. So I think they are going to use every opportunity to recoup the money invested in tooling the molds. I think we'll see the Blazer, F model, and VF-19P next year, maybe the whale blood stained VF-19P as a Yamato webshop/Summer Wonderfest 2011 shared exclusive. Just having a new faceplate and the 2 shoulder bits for the 19P would probably be close enough.

I EAGERLY anticipate a 1/60 Blazer Valkyrie. Of all the S model valks, it seems to have been overlooked the most.

[ff95gj]

God damn the Blazer looks great. GLAD this one comes with a stand. I can do without the gear...I don't like the way they look and the fact that they don't attach..meh.

Graham, what is the swappable head laser/back part of the head for? Is that one for using ABS instead of PVC head lasers? I hope that swapping that piece out is not necessary for transformation. The less parts to keep track of, the better.

I don't doubt it, in fact I think it's inevitable. Tooling something the size of the Fire Valkyrie(which is one of the bigger valks) in light of the worsening economy in Japan and rising cost of labor in China is a costly endeavor for Yamato. So I think they are going to use every opportunity to recoup the money invested in tooling the molds. I think we'll see the Blazer, F model, and VF-19P next year, maybe the whale blood stained VF-19P as a Yamato webshop/Summer Wonderfest 2011 shared exclusive. Just having a new faceplate and the 2 shoulder bits for the 19P would probably be close enough.

I EAGERLY anticipate a 1/60 Blazer Valkyrie. Of all the S model valks, it seems to have been overlooked the most.

The fact that fate made me missed the 19S today, saw the VF-19 Kai CAD drawing today, coupled with the fact that 19F is likely a Tamashii web exclusive, I am now more inclined to skip the Hi-Metal 19S.

Until the price drops, maybe.

Edited July 16, 2010 by ff95gj

[Dobber]

Got my payment request from AmiAmi this morning. Hope it ships soon, looks great! Bummer about the gunpod though, kind of expected it wouldn't attach to be honest.

Chris

[Black Valkyrie]

The 19F and the 19S together, kinda reminds me of Vic Viper and Lord British from Konami's Salamander.

[Chronocidal]

Ok, I might have to pick up one of these, especially since it comes with the stand. I'd rather have the white striped version, but I kind of doubt that would be an easily obtained version even if Bandai does make it.

[Graham]

Graham, what is the swappable head laser/back part of the head for? Is that one for using ABS instead of PVC head lasers? I hope that swapping that piece out is not necessary for transformation. The less parts to keep track of, the better.

One is with the head lasers in parallel for fighter mode, the other is with the head lasers angled apart for battroid mode.

Graham

[Graham]

A few quick battroid pics. This toy is very cool.

I've wanted a decent Blazer Valk toy for 15 years (the 1/65 DX doesn't count).

[Dobber]

Very nice Graham. So what do you think of the toy? Is everything stable and solid? No shoulder issues....like how people had the Kai's shoulder popping off?

Chris

[Mommar]

*cough* gerwalk *cough*

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

A few quick battroid pics. This toy is very cool.

I've wanted a decent Blazer Valk toy for 15 years (the 1/65 DX doesn't count).

Hey Graham it isn't necessary to swap the head lasers for transformation is it? I'm not a big fan of parts swapping. If I get any VF HI METAL 19, I might not even use the additional leg panels and might just keep the hands on at all times.

[badboy00z]

Wait...the landing gears are basically stands and don't attach to the valk?

Graham, does it look like you can easily swap the wings with the Fire valk?

[Graham]

Hey Graham it isn't necessary to swap the head lasers for transformation is it? I'm not a big fan of parts swapping. If I get any VF HI METAL 19, I might not even use the additional leg panels and might just keep the hands on at all times.

No, it's not necessary to swap the head lasers for transformation.

Graham

[Graham]

Wait...the landing gears are basically stands and don't attach to the valk?

Graham, does it look like you can easily swap the wings with the Fire valk?

Correct, the landing gears attach to the stand, not to the Valk. So basically, the landing gears are just like a cradle that the Valk sits on top of.

Doesn't look like it would be easy to swap the wings with the Fire Valk. I can't see any screw that would allow you to disassemble the thigh to get to the wing joint.

Graham

[Graham]

A few more pics.

Grahm

[Midi_Amp]

Ouch, the gunpod doesn't attach in the fighter mode... Kind of kill the buzz for me. But anyway, I already commit one from amiami and looking from Graham pictures, it's going to be love hate thing... I prefer to tuck my Macross toys in their fighter form, and no gunpod equals sideway smiley face.

[Graham]

*cough* gerwalk *cough*

While I acknowledge the practicality of gerwalk for VTOL and urban combat, I seldom transform or display my toys in that mode. I'm a fighter man first and foremost, a battroid fan second and a gerwalk fan a far distant third.

Graham

[Vi-RS]

*cough* gerwalk *cough*

http://www.metal-box.jp/blog/index.php/archives/date/2010/07/17

[Dobber]

While I acknowledge the practicality of gerwalk for VTOL and urban combat, I seldom transform or display my toys in that mode. I'm a fighter man first and foremost, a battroid fan second and a gerwalk fan a far distant third.

Graham

As a fighter mode guy (like me) do you like the sculpt of the blazer valk...looks pretty close to me from what I can tell to the lineart.

A little OT, do you have any concerns for the looks of the 1/60? Granted the Kai stayed in batt. mode the most, but if they do make the F/S off of the kai's mold we may get the short end of the stick again.

I'm just suprised that Bandai was able to make a nice pretty sleek fighter while still delivering a pretty accurate Batt. mode in such a small scale. Surely a larger scale would make things easier.

Chris

[Chronocidal]

I'm just suprised that Bandai was able to make a nice pretty sleek fighter while still delivering a pretty accurate Batt. mode in such a small scale. Surely a larger scale would make things easier.

I'd say it does make some sense for larger scales to make things easier, but that all goes out the window when Yamato starts throwing in cockpit transformations, retractable gear, and other stuff like that for the larger scale.

Also, in terms of physics, the Hi-Metals have a very large structural advantage. They're so small and light, the joints don't need to be beefy to hold poses, or snap into place correctly. There are several mechanisms in the HM VF-19 that are key to the transformation working out so well (the sliding hips come to mind), but duplicating those mechanisms in 1/60 scale could possibly lead to a floppy mess that doesn't hold together because of the increased weight.

Bigger scale is a double edged sword.. you can add more detail, but the weight penalty you pay for the size requires you to beef up the structure considerably. It's the same reason why my 1/18 Lego VF-1 never could support itself, but the 1/32 version holds together fine.

I still have hope for the 1/60 VF-19 too, but to me the Hi-Metals have pretty much nailed the necessary mix of proportions for a good battroid and sleek fighter in the VF-19.

[Batto_man]

Hey, can the missile bays/parts be left open in fighter mode? (I know that they would still be facing down)

[Mommar]

Thanks for the link. Either it doesn't pose well in Gerwalk or they totally phoned those poses in.

[Graham]

Thanks for the link. Either it doesn't pose well in Gerwalk or they totally phoned those poses in.

Actually, I'm sure you can get some far better poses than that. Looks like they didn't try at all. I'll try to take some pics in the next day or two.

Graham

[Graham]

As a fighter mode guy (like me) do you like the sculpt of the blazer valk...looks pretty close to me from what I can tell to the lineart.

A little OT, do you have any concerns for the looks of the 1/60?

To be honest, the Hi-Metal Blazer looks its best in battroid mode (same of course with the Hi-Metal Fire Valk). It was definitely designed first and foremost with battroid mode in mind.

Fighter mode I will say looks good from certain angles only and not so good from other angles. Viewed from the top it looks pretty good, although there is an unsightly gap between the sides of the shield and the legs. Viewed from either the front or the rear it also looks quite good, although I would have liked the tail fins to be a bit taller.

By far the weakest angle to view the fighter is from the side. Bandai in my opinion, really failed to nail the look of the nose block. Not only do we have the Yamato-esque big gullet (totally unnecessary on a toy without internal landing gear), but the shape of the dorsal surface from behind the cockpit all the way back to the chest plate is all wrong (too high IMO). The cockpit could have done with being raised a bit more as well.

I'm not saying it looks terrible. I can live with it. But in my opinion, Bandai didn't quite capture the spirit of the VF-19 fighter mode. Still until something better comes along, it's certainly a big improvement on its predecessors, the 1995 Bandai 1/65 DX toy and the 1/100 plamodel.

As for concerns about the upcoming 1/60 Fire Valks appearance in fighter mode, I'm as much in the dark as you guys. I have no inside information and I haven't seen it either yet. Lets just say I'm cautiously optimistic.

Graham

[nexxstrait]

Look here for a picture review of the Blazer

VF19S picture review

Since I only really care for battroid mode, so far the Hi-Metal line delivered for me!

Edited July 19, 2010 by nexxstrait

[ff95gj]

I agree. Sometimes it is true that it is more difficult to do certain things in a smaller scale, but sometimes it is not.

I suspect that it is actually easier to do a valk in 1/100 than in 1/60. Details aside, being smaller means (1) pros: lighter weight so gravity won't screw you easily; (2) cons: some parts may be too small to handle pressures (fragile).

Given years of engineering, I believe we worry more about (1) than (2) nowadays. We still see (1) pretty often (floppiness), while (2) are more often mistakes (VF-1 version 2 broken shoulders).

I'd say it does make some sense for larger scales to make things easier, but that all goes out the window when Yamato starts throwing in cockpit transformations, retractable gear, and other stuff like that for the larger scale.

Also, in terms of physics, the Hi-Metals have a very large structural advantage. They're so small and light, the joints don't need to be beefy to hold poses, or snap into place correctly. There are several mechanisms in the HM VF-19 that are key to the transformation working out so well (the sliding hips come to mind), but duplicating those mechanisms in 1/60 scale could possibly lead to a floppy mess that doesn't hold together because of the increased weight.

Bigger scale is a double edged sword.. you can add more detail, but the weight penalty you pay for the size requires you to beef up the structure considerably. It's the same reason why my 1/18 Lego VF-1 never could support itself, but the 1/32 version holds together fine.

I still have hope for the 1/60 VF-19 too, but to me the Hi-Metals have pretty much nailed the necessary mix of proportions for a good battroid and sleek fighter in the VF-19.