Official 1/100 BANDAI Hi-Metal VF-1S Valkyrie with Strike Parts

[m0n5t3r]

the regular release prices are ok, IMO... it's the web-exclusives people are complaining about... as an example, a local shop here has put up a pre-order price for the DYRL 1As for approx. $120 each. that's the local retail price of a non-FP 1/60 Yamato v.2 VF-1.

add the fact that only 2 out of the 6 announced hi-metals are regular releases... and they're not even special coating or clear-parts or whatever usual Bandai-type exclusives, they're just regular Max VF-1J and DYRL VF-1As (w/out Super Packs to boot!)... compare that to the percentage of v.2 VF-1 regular releases vs. web-exclusives.

@pud333 - Tokyo Hunter is pretty reliable... he's been around for a while... a lot of fellow local collectors here have ordered from him in the past (that was before shops here were able to sell these exclusives locally).

Edited November 30, 2010 by m0n5t3r

[ff95gj]

Just my situation and not the problem of Bandai/Yamato; in where I live, a 1/60 VF-1 is only 1.5 times more expensive than a Hi-Metal in "normal" price.

Not to mention that once the VF-1J and Hikaru VF-1S/1A were on discount to cost the same as a Hi-Metal 1J, generally you get 10%-30% discounts for older models such as cannon fodder, Max TV 1A, etc.

[Valkyrie Driver]

I love my yamatos, perfect transformation and no part-swapping, makes me happy. Big though, and hard to pack, but hey, such is the price of the hobby. I'm not gonna buy one of these anytime soon, maybe never. I have too many VF-1 toys, and I certainly don't need another Fokker VF-1S, I have two with strike parts already. A sturdy VF-19 or VF-17 I'd go for though, even with part-swapping.

[pud333]

@pud333 - Tokyo Hunter is pretty reliable... he's been around for a while... a lot of fellow local collectors here have ordered from him in the past (that was before shops here were able to sell these exclusives locally).

Thank you. It's always good to find out about different sources for toys.

As for the price of these hi metals, I don't have an issue with the cost considering 1) the amount of engineering involved for such a small toy and 2) the fact that macross doesn't necessarily have the biggest market fan base. I'm just happy this option is available to us north American collectors. Whether I buy these depends on if I like the Vf-1j I just ordered. If I like it enough I will collect this scale but I would really have to love it considering how much I love the yamatos. Again, it is nice to have this option at such a quality piece. There are times when I wish Hasbro or Mattel would make certain toys even if it means it is a web exclusive.

[jenius]

Just my situation and not the problem of Bandai/Yamato; in where I live, a 1/60 VF-1 is only 1.5 times more expensive than a Hi-Metal in "normal" price.

Not to mention that once the VF-1J and Hikaru VF-1S/1A were on discount to cost the same as a Hi-Metal 1J, generally you get 10%-30% discounts for older models such as cannon fodder, Max TV 1A, etc.

That's a very dynamic comparison though. Six months from now you'll be able to get Hi-Metals at big discounts that will negate the observation you're making now comparing a brand new product to one that super saturated the market. Well, unless Bandai isn't producing these in as big a quantity as Yamato did (or unless the demand is much higher) so stock doesn't stick around as long. That should be the value of the MSRP comparison. If you can get a Yamato right now for 30% off, chances are with the Hi-Metal is older you'll find that discount too.

EDIT - on that MSRP comparison, the Hi-Metal is definitely smaller but it seems nearly just as complex as the 1/60 V2 toy. The fact that it sells for roughly 50% of a V2 toy has me convinced that it's a pretty fair price. That's not to say I wouldn't love all these things to be cheaper

Edited November 30, 2010 by jenius

[ff95gj]

That's a very dynamic comparison though. Six months from now you'll be able to get Hi-Metals at big discounts that will negate the observation you're making now comparing a brand new product to one that super saturated the market. Well, unless Bandai isn't producing these in as big a quantity as Yamato did (or unless the demand is much higher) so stock doesn't stick around as long. That should be the value of the MSRP comparison. If you can get a Yamato right now for 30% off, chances are with the Hi-Metal is older you'll find that discount too.

EDIT - on that MSRP comparison, the Hi-Metal is definitely smaller but it seems nearly just as complex as the 1/60 V2 toy. The fact that it sells for roughly 50% of a V2 toy has me convinced that it's a pretty fair price. That's not to say I wouldn't love all these things to be cheaper

In my first sentence I already mentioned the before-discount price, and my feeling is that the 1/60 worths more than 1.5 times than the Hi-Metal in my personal preference.

Does smaller and complex cost more or as much? I don't know. I look at the Bandai SIC and Kiwami Tamashii SIC, the smaller cousin is very detailed too, but it costs only 1/4 or 1/5 as much.

I've also been told than toys of smaller size are easier to design, because you don't have to worry about joints and whether they can hold. The Hi-Metal is not small enough to need very high tech to manufacture either (e.g. finger size valk that can do PT).

[hulagu]

Did the previous Hi=Metal VF-1J have the slots available to attach the Super/Strike packs of the 1S?

[Keiichi]

Did the previous Hi=Metal VF-1J have the slots available to attach the Super/Strike packs of the 1S?

I don't have the VF-1J, but looking at review pictures of it I can see it has all the proper slots for armor attachment.

[Frogze]

This looks phenomenal! The problem for me is that I can't choose between Yamato and Bandai, I want both... Damn!

[Tking22]

I just noticed something, the hi-metal 1J's pilot is VERY small, my 1S Roy looks proportionate so I guess they fixed this for future releases, I can't believe I never really noticed before it makes Hikaru look tiny.

[Vi-RS]

I just noticed something, the hi-metal 1J's pilot is VERY small, my 1S Roy looks proportionate so I guess they fixed this for future releases, I can't believe I never really noticed before it makes Hikaru look tiny.

The pilot that doesn't in scale with the valkyrie is a major gripes on the Hi-metal VF-1J, the pilot in VF-1S is getting slight larger and beefy.

Of course, there are things like "tiny feet", "huge gap" in between the chest plate and intake due to elongated fuselage etc, which are subject to personal's preference or dislikeness, IMO.

[nexxstrait]

well, Hikaru WAS much smaller than Fokker (thin, 1,70 cm teenager vs muscular 2m man). So for once they did it right

[s001]

Hehehehe. Looks very funny. 'Hey that kid is taking a valkyrie... stop him!' Hehehehe.

[Tking22]

Oh and on a darker and lighter note, first off the 1J looks pretty damn sweet with the super parts on him, but the 1J backpack is MUCH weaker than the 1S so it doesn't stay up very well in battroid. That aside when I got my 1S I received 2 left side open intakes, so yea that kind of sucks.

[Vi-RS]

Oh and on a darker and lighter note, first off the 1J looks pretty damn sweet with the super parts on him, but the 1J backpack is MUCH weaker than the 1S so it doesn't stay up very well in battroid. That aside when I got my 1S I received 2 left side open intakes, so yea that kind of sucks.

Thanks god it's a Bandai, or else people will start pressing the panic button everywhere on the board.

[m0n5t3r]

Thanks god it's a Bandai, or else people will start pressing the panic button everywhere on the board.

actually, it should be "oh crap, it's a Bandai"... esp. now that they've discontinued their replacement parts service (one-time if it's your fault and anytime when it's their fault)... it was super slow but i did get to use my one-time request for replacement part/s.

the only reason why people are so vocal about Yamato qc issues is coz we have Graham to possibly hear the complaints and relay it to Yamato if it's a widespread problem. Whereas with Bandai, now it's just "suck it up", "take it or leave it"...

[jenius]

It's funny the Yamato vs. Bandai comparisons that get made on this board. It makes sense though that people would hope Graham could bend Yamato's ears to our problems. Then again, when Yamato's response to Graham's inquiries about the VF-1 V2 shoulders and the VF-0 shoulders was "what issues?" there shouldn't be too much hope.

[ff95gj]

It's funny the Yamato vs. Bandai comparisons that get made on this board. It makes sense though that people would hope Graham could bend Yamato's ears to our problems. Then again, when Yamato's response to Graham's inquiries about the VF-1 V2 shoulders and the VF-0 shoulders was "what issues?" there shouldn't be too much hope.

What's so funny?

At least I've got replacement shoulders from Graham. We've got refined shoulders in newer productions and clear canopy too.

[Renato]

Yamato and Bandai are marketing almost the same product to the same fanbase. Of course there are going to be comparisons.

[eugimon]

wait, wait... weren't we all clamoring for Bandai to make Macross products just so we could compare how awesomely spectacular the Bandai would be next to the exploding, cancer causing yamatos that also kick small dogs and steal candy from poor children?

[Keiichi]

Oh and on a darker and lighter note, first off the 1J looks pretty damn sweet with the super parts on him, but the 1J backpack is MUCH weaker than the 1S so it doesn't stay up very well in battroid. That aside when I got my 1S I received 2 left side open intakes, so yea that kind of sucks.

Yeah, I was quite pleased with how solid the backpack is. Sorry to hear about your missing part, did you try contacting the retailer you purchased the valk from for a replacement part? I got all the proper pieces for my valk though there was one problem; the replacement piece to change the right-side booster from Strike Cannon to Missile Pod wouldn't attach. After testing out some theories, I was able to figure out the cause was due to one of the plastic tabs being too long. Couple minutes with a hobby file and Roy was all Super'd out as you can see below. I love the symmetry of the Super parts, but Roy always had Strike parts in DYRL so it somehow feels wrong to equip him with a Super load out, heh.

One piece I wish they included would be a saluting hand, I really like when mecha salute . Maybe when/if a VF-1S Hikaru is released they'll include one.

[Tking22]

Yeah, I was quite pleased with how solid the backpack is. Sorry to hear about your missing part, did you try contacting the retailer you purchased the valk from for a replacement part? I got all the proper pieces for my valk though there was one problem; the replacement piece to change the right-side booster from Strike Cannon to Missile Pod wouldn't attach. After testing out some theories, I was able to figure out the cause was due to one of the plastic tabs being too long. Couple minutes with a hobby file and Roy was all Super'd out as you can see below. I love the symmetry of the Super parts, but Roy always had Strike parts in DYRL so it somehow feels wrong to equip him with a Super load out, heh.

One piece I wish they included would be a saluting hand, I really like when mecha salute . Maybe when/if a VF-1S Hikaru is released they'll include one.

I already contacted HLJ about it, they said they'll be able to send me one but it's such a small damn piece, but on the other hand I am still pissed I got two of the same piece so I'm gonna have them contact bandai and have them send me it. Overall I'm very happy with this 1S, it's VERY solid, and the small updates to the mold and the stiffer joints makes this one of my favorite valks.

[Black Valkyrie]

How solid it is comparing to Yamato 1/60 VF-1 ?

[Vi-RS]

How solid it is comparing to Yamato 1/60 VF-1 ?

I don't understand why people are comparing it with Yamato? It's like comparing a 12 years old boy with a full grown aldult.

Toynami may be a good candidate?

[jenius]

It goes without saying that it's light years ahead of the Toynami. People are comparing it to the Yamato V2 toy because it's that good.

[ff95gj]

How solid it is comparing to Yamato 1/60 VF-1 ?

I have several parts popped off during transformation, but you can plug it in easily.

Besides the shoulder problem, the 1/60 is rock solid, so it's difficult to beat.

[jenius]

What parts are popping off on you during transformation? I don't remember any parts falling off in transformation but I haven't handled my 1J in a few weeks.

[ff95gj]

What parts are popping off on you during transformation? I don't remember any parts falling off in transformation but I haven't handled my 1J in a few weeks.

My 1J doesn't have the same problems. My 1S, had its shoulder hinge (that one connects to the back plate) and right front foot(do you call it that?) come off during transformation. Just pop it back. Not much of a nuisance.

The same "left wing is floppy" problem for both 1J and 1S though.

[Frogze]

I got mine this week, no problems at all. I remember popping off a shoulder the first time I transformed my 1J because the joints were very stiff out of the box.

Edited December 5, 2010 by Frogze

[pud333]

The same "left wing is floppy" problem for both 1J and 1S though.

I can confirm my own 1J has a very floppy left wing. I finally got one of these today, and my first impression is that I like it. But not as much as my Yammies. If the 1/60s didn't exist, I would totally be all over this line like a fat kid on a smartie. However, I just don't like it as much as the 1/60s. I know it's not fair to compare, but if I'm going to spend money, I'd rather pay more for the 1/60s, I've decided now. Design wise, the hi metals are fantastic, but I can't get over how... tubby my 1J looks from the top in fighter mode. I don't care what anybody says: Perfect transformation beats parts swapping any day of the week, even on Sundays. If the Hi Metals were cheaper, it would help, but it hurts this line that a lot of the skull squad are Tamashii web exclusives. This means I'm paying way too much to import these. That being said, I can see why a lot of people would like these. It's a good alternative to the Yammies.

Edited December 5, 2010 by pud333

[Keiichi]

I already contacted HLJ about it, they said they'll be able to send me one but it's such a small damn piece, but on the other hand I am still pissed I got two of the same piece so I'm gonna have them contact bandai and have them send me it. Overall I'm very happy with this 1S, it's VERY solid, and the small updates to the mold and the stiffer joints makes this one of my favorite valks.

Glad to hear HLJ is helping you out!

I don't care what anybody says: Perfect transformation beats parts swapping any day of the week, even on Sundays.

Has anyone even said that parts swapping is better? I don't think there's any argument over that as the answer is fairly obvious.

I got pretty lucky it seems, as both wings are nice and tight on my Roy. I keep him like this on my gaming desk when I've got him in fighter mode and don't feel like popping in the landing gear.

[pud333]

Has anyone even said that parts swapping is better? I don't think there's any argument over that as the answer is fairly obvious.

Haha. Yeah, when I read that back it sounds strange. Like saying drinking water is better than not drinking water. What it should have said was that when you have a figure that is a perfect transformation, it's pretty tough to beat.

[CF18]

Review with inked panel lines:

http://schizophonic9.com/vfhimetal_vf1s.html

http://schizophonic9.com/vfhimetal_vf1s2.html

[jenius]

Mine is being shipped with my Yamato SDF-1 so I'll probably have to wait until January

[Old Man]

Just picked one of these up at MPK in Bangkok for 2,450฿ (about $82). Is that about right, or did I get ripped off?