raptormesh Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 hope we don't get a YF-19 V.3 for quite a few years You're evil , but may be right. Really excited about the engineering, doubt I'll be getting this even at 50% off to be honest. Saving up what little money I could for the P and Nightmare. Actually I'm secretly hoping they'll repaint this kai in low-vis colours, and replace Basara with a nondescript pilot.
Loop Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Mine shipped from AmiAmi this morning!!!! Should be here Mon or Tues! Mine shipped this morning too! So excited to get this after watching those videos.
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Youtube vids are extremely helpful for first-time transformations. Like I said in a previous post we need a sticky thread dedicated just to links to all transformation videos to all the yamatos. It's possible to break these things when you forgot a step. When you first buy a expensive toy, your eyes can't see where all the little parts lock together and you have to kinda guess where to push or pull and if it is really stiff, you don't know if you should use more force or if you are doing it wrong. Seeing someone in the video actually transforming it tells you exactly what part locks to what other part so you can see what's going on without having any experience beforehand transforming it. One of the reasons I get scared to transform things the first time (old yamato konig monster for instance) is when you have a toy that has tiny little pegs and if you twist something the wrong way or put too much force behind unlocking something, it will snap off the peg just because you didn't do it the right way. Yes, yes, I know the manual comes with it, but seeing it in real time allows the brain to process it all quickly plus sometimes you feel lazy and don't want to find the manual and dig it out of the box. It's just the yamato toys that make me nervous because they are toys, but feel close to model kit in delicateness sometimes. I can man handle the chunky monkey stuff but I never want to transform my yamato's often. Oh yeah for all those who are defending macross 7, just let me clarify: yeah I do like some of the serious looking mecha in the show along with the rest of you, (VF-17 is an example - the elite pilots get a nice black paintscheme and their robots come with superior firepower to the grunts) just that I think the original YF-19 holds a special place in macross history and seems to have a more "real robot" feel to it compared to the ones in the mac7 tv series. Since macross is a "real robot" show (to me at least) I prefer the serious looking stuff. I was just hoping yamato would make Macross Plus as high priority as the valks from macross 7. Remember how excited people were about yf-19 and how long they waited for the ultimate yf-19? It's starting all over again now that we know yamato can raise the level higher with this fire valk release. I'm not trying to discourage people from loving macross 7 or hating this toy, just encouraging fans of yf-19 to put some pressure on yamato to devote some attention on yf-19 too. I hope sales of this vf-19 go well for them but I also hope they work hard on improving the older yf-19 release since from what I hear all the time on these boards is that the Macross Plus OAV wasn't as popular in japan as macross 7, (Dyson is a redneck and they probably turned off by the arrogant behavior) yet it has a superior-looking design to the valkyries in macross 7 to me. (ok ok it's my opinion, just saying most of us here don't like the idea of controlling a mech with a guitar and couldn't care less about how much money yamato will be profiting from the release of toys in the more-highly-popular series and just want our perfect yf-19 damnit. ) For example I know VF-1 is more popular because it is more recognisable and they can milk the mold but how many here would love to see some valkyries which are not as exposed in shows to the masses like the VF-4 for instance? By no means do I hate the vf-1 or anything like that. Just that I love other designs too and given that the less-popular show might not get as many toys due to perceived lack of interest by the masses who may not instantly recognise it on a shelf, I feel like it's better (for the hardcore enthusiasts) to just have releases being done together. ie give us new version of yf-19 early, don't wait until after all the VF-19 variants are done. By then a new macross show will probably be out and then the shelves will be crowded with even more merchandise and nobody will have any money left lol. Edited May 21, 2011 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
anime52k8 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 It's just the yamato toys that make me nervous because they are toys, but feel close to model kit in delicateness sometimes. I can man handle the chunky monkey stuff but I never want to transform my yamato's often. I don't see the fun of having these toys if you don't take them off the shelf and play with them every once and a while. tbh, how much I like any given figure in the long term is directly proportional to how much I pick it up and mess with it (which is why I love the VF-11 the most). That said, my favorite part of these things is popping them out of the box for the first time and trying to transform it into every mode several times without looking at the instruction at all.
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) I think it's because when I finally get a good pose in robot mode I realise that moving the joints around all the time will eventually loosen everything. I don't buy them as toys to play with but more like models for people who want to transform them. Since transformation means having to constantly move stuff around and parts must rub up against each other, I naturally buy the yamatos as big "completed models". In my mind all the chunky munky stuff is the toys, and the banpresto's and hi metals are toys but for yamato I still think of them as "durable completed models that can transform". I've already got a VF-11 gunpod that has cracked on the bottom just because I had the robot hold the gunpod in its hand for so long. This is what I mean man. It's too expensive to play with! Yamato should have went the route that bandai and toynami went with (smaller versions of the vf-1 that are PT) if they wanted a cheaper and safer alternative, and not the GNU figures. Say what you will about toynami but the little banpresto sized vf-1 are a great cheap alternative to people on a tight budget. Back when the toynami robotech "vf-1 masterpiece" line had come out people used to compare the 1/48 to those because they are both sort of like "collector pieces" and you were not supposed to man handle them like chunk munky. That perception seems to have changed over time and now they are like mass production items for everyone to buy and not keep "mint in box forever never to be touched". People would actually get angry that yamato would dare do a re-release and upset those who bought early releases hoping the value would go up on ebay so they could sell them later during another "dry season". I'm still treating the yamato toys of today like I treat my 1/48 back when you were really expecting to only buy one of them. (fat chance of that happening with all the stuff coming out today, I can barely keep up with it all) Edited May 21, 2011 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
Tking22 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 FYI angolz.com has this guy now in stock for $242.00USD, I've personaly ordered from angolz many, many times and they're very good, much better overall than HLJ.
eugimon Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 FYI, Angolz is on our blacklist and a quick google search of "Angolz review" should be enlightening as well.
Tking22 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 FYI, Angolz is on our blacklist and a quick google search of "Angolz review" should be enlightening as well. Okay well FYI I could care less about the blacklist or other people's reviews, I've never had a problem in my five or so years of ordering from them, so I gave my opinion, be a dick somewhere else I was trying to help.
eugimon Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Okay well FYI I could care less about the blacklist or other people's reviews, I've never had a problem in my five or so years of ordering from them, so I gave my opinion, be a dick somewhere else I was trying to help. And I'm just passing along other people's experience with them because while maybe it was smooth sailing for you, they've been less than awesome for a lot of other people. Not sure why you think that only giving people one side to the story would be helpful to anyone other than Angolz.... Go be a shill somewhere else.
alchemo Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Honestly I don't like the story of Macross Seven and I don't like the "face" of VF-19 Custom, but I am very much enjoying this piece of toy/model/figure...whatever you may call it. There are compromises like the non-removable intake covers and the neck cover, but generally it is very good, the Batroid mode can be posed just like any non-transformable figure. I also prefer the design of YF-19 and also think that A remake of YF-19 base on this structure is definitely good but think about it, we have the old 1/60 (which is already the second version) and though it is not as good as this one structurally but it is still a fine transformable figure, right? For those who love the VF-19 custom, VF-19S and VF-19F, they had their dream come true only now. regardless of all real odds like the VF and the YF only share very few common parts, even for the love of the fans, I think a VF-19S or 19F should come before a remake of YF-19. And it also make more sense business-wise.
kensei Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Wow, I can really feel my Macross collecting vibe take off again. Looks like the YF-19 was truly a prototype. I cannot wait for this one.
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Just got mine today. BTW, I already broke it. More on that later. This is a really good toy. The first impression: The yellow on it is really pale, making it look REALLY toy-like. The finish is quite similar to the Bandai efforts. Transformed it to Gerwalk with no problems, but the first transformation to Battroid is a total b1tch, in particular the section where the backpack hinges over the cockpit, and fiddling with the nosecone took forever to get it just right, there is a lot of sliding going on and one hinge in particular looks really fragile -- it is also the most problematic one, because you are supposed to slide it a couple of millimetres, even though there is no space for you to use your fingers to do so... I used a small tools in a couple of areas. Once it's done, it looks good. Except mine has an issue with the crotch hinge -- it's too loose, so it kept hanging down. Looks like he has a pouch. Thematically, that may have worked for the Zola Patrol VF-19P, but not this one. After putting it on the stand for a while, the problem seemed to go away, though I'm not sure for how long. The opening rear hatch gimmick is great... except when I opened it in Battroid mode, Basara had slipped out of the seat and had almost been decapitated (voodoo magic from MWers?). It must have happened in the 30 mins or so that I tried to assemble the chest area. Overall, excellent toy, I'm impressed. The arms also are ingenious. Possible problem areas: - I think this is the first Yamato valk to use ankle ball joints. I don't know why they chose to go this route, I hated them on the Bandai toys and I just hope they last longer here. In fact, there are quite a few areas like the elbows where they usually use ratchets and they haven't here. - I cut my finger under the nail when trying to remove the magazine from the gun. I still couldn't do it, and won't be trying it again.. Not a big deal, really. - The crotch thing I mentioned -- I wonder how many people will have this issue? - Paint chipping. It's not a big deal for me, but I know people here are fussy about it. There is quite a lot of die-cast here, including the entire rear engine section -- in Fighter mode, the crotch piece plugs into one of the nozzles and the first time I disconnected it, it left a paint chip. I don't think that can be helped. Also the lg missiles tend to scrape along the edge of the bay doors, and since they are all painted I can see that being an issue over time. As for how mine broke... The valk is BLOODY tight. The tightest hinge is probably the upper leg one, used only for Gerwalk. Well I pulled and pulled and eventually it moved but it took out the tiny tab which limited the movement past its maximum angle (I think there are only like three positions in that super-tight ratchet joint, so it's a small window of error -- cross it and pay the price). I don't have photos of that yet because that was on my second transformation, but I will upload it later. Anyway, it doesn't really affect things that badly, it still poses fine, I only have to be extra careful when moving it around in Gerwalk or transforming it. Bottom Line: BOMBER!! Now for some OPERATION STARGAZER goodness. Edited May 21, 2011 by Renato
alchemo Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Oh by the way remember to turn the knee sideway when you bend the upper leg forward or the edge of the knee cap can be damaged
eugimon Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for the review. You truly have the worst luck when it comes to these things though!
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 More pics. Here's the floppy crotch plate issue. I had to do this to keep it up: Missiles. After having put it on the stand for a while, the crotch plate became a little stiffer. Go ahead with your sexual innuendo humour. I haven't transformed it back to Battroid yet, so I don't know if the issue will reappear... but I will attempt to nail-polish-fix it anyway. Oh by the way remember to turn the knee sideway when you bend the upper leg forward or the edge of the knee cap can be damaged Yep, did that. Yamato really makes a big deal about that. Thanks for the review. You truly have the worst luck when it comes to these things though! Tell me about it. For the record, I'm not one of those guys who sits on their toys to "apply pressure" or whatever, neither are my hands overly large, nor am I inexperienced when it comes to complex, transforming toys or anything like that.
kurdt_the_goat Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Got mine today too! Happy to report no breakages or QC issues. I concur that the sliding bar in the nosecone is really tight to move, but i didn't think it was at risk of breakage. Normally when i open the box i'm straight to transforming, but the fighter mode is so exquisite and solid i must have admired it for a good 30 mins before even taking the landing gear out! Not sure if it's new from the VF-11 (haven't got one) but i really appreciated the locking mechanism for the rear landing gear, especially since playing with my VF-22S recently, whose landing gear keeps collapsing on itself. The transform is excellently done - and it's simple to do considering how well everything locks together. There are seriously locks all over the place that you don't even realise are there until it clicks in. The chest in battroid, understandably after the YF-19, seems to have been paid particular attention, to make it lock in every way possible! It's stunning. This is also the first valkyrie where i think i might actually display sometimes in Gerwalk mode; the A-stance & angle of the nose is a thing to behold, and it's incredibly sturdy. With the leg missiles, if u have a small tool u can pull them out prior to rotating into place which should avoid scratching them on the leg. They look really nice as does everything else, perfectly painted! The intake covers not being removeable are the only slight disappointment. And, i noticed on the sticker sheet one of the profiles of VF-19 has a misplaced "B"! Something i'm sure everyone can live with! There are also no guidelines for sticker placement, a nice touch to make your VF-19 truly custom! Overall, I think this will be hard to top for toy of the year... Bring on the VF-17!!! Not really set up for taking nice photos (I'm on holiday), but here's a few anyway. Btw, to the user who asked, the legs are very nicely ratcheted! Edited May 21, 2011 by kurdt_the_goat
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 I concur that the sliding bar in the nosecone is really tight to move, but i didn't think it was at risk of breakage. I think the bar itself is die-cast. However, the plastic hinge itself showed stress marks before I ever did anything.
jenius Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Got the first hunk of my review up... broke mine already but I think it's a good toy none-the-less.
treatment Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 More pics. Here's the floppy crotch plate issue. lol! I like that subtle Big Mac background.
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Got the first hunk of my review up... broke mine already but I think it's a good toy none-the-less. You too? Jeez... Is it the leg joint like on mine?
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Good reviews. So out of ten what would you give it? Assuming there are no quality control problem that are found out a few months from now, that is. It is good to hear this thing has stuff locking together nicely. Now robot mode fans have nothing to complain about anymore. Edited May 21, 2011 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
jenius Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) As for how mine broke... The valk is BLOODY tight. The tightest hinge is probably the upper leg one, used only for Gerwalk. Well I pulled and pulled and eventually it moved but it took out the tiny tab which limited the movement past its maximum angle (I think there are only like three positions in that super-tight ratchet joint, so it's a small window of error -- cross it and pay the price). I don't have photos of that yet because that was on my second transformation, but I will upload it later. Anyway, it doesn't really affect things that badly, it still poses fine, I only have to be extra careful when moving it around in Gerwalk or transforming it. Yep, exactly the same tab broke on mine... I'm guessing the japanese instructions say "Be careful not to go too far!" but that didn't help me. It sucks because you really want to get it fully extended to get a good GERWALK pose so I can see lots of people breaking that tab not just in the first transformation when things are super stiff but later when they're trying to pose the toy in GERWALK. Having the tab broken actually makes GERWALK more fun to pose... but that doesn't make me feel much better about it. On a 1 to 10 scale? If I hadn't broken mine I'd probably give it a 9 or 9.5. Fighter mode has a couple parts that can move freely during handling which is a pet peeve of mine. I couldn't give it a 10 because of the lack of truly perfect transformation. Since it costs just south of a billion bucks and it broke on its first transformation I might be more apt to give it an 8.5. Still a great toy and if people learn from the mistakes of us early converts a lot of people are really going to love this thing. Edited May 21, 2011 by jenius
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) Good review. So out of ten what would you give it? Assuming there are no quality control problem that are found out a few months from now, that is. I don't like to give scores, because it has different value to different buyers. I got a Bandai Hi-Metal last year, and that affects my objectivity to judge this. There are people who skipped on that one and waited for this, and probably only know the old 1/65 Bandai chunky. I'm very satisfied. A little peeved in some areas, but the transformation issues will hopefully resolve themselves as I get accustomed to its peculiarities. One thing that stands out -- it's quite heavy, the VF-11 feels really light, even flimsy, after handling this. I'm guessing the japanese instructions say "Be careful not to go too far!" Trust me, they don't. I tend to read everything carefully most of the time, precisely so this kind of thing won't happen. Alas. Having the tab broken actually makes GERWALK more fun to pose... "GOTTA TAKE OFF THE LIMITER... AND TAKE IT TO THE EDGE!!" Oh, wait, wrong valk. Edited May 21, 2011 by Renato
anime52k8 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) More pics. Here's the floppy crotch plate issue. God dammit, Now I want to go buy expensive toys AND fast food! If I hadn't just dropped way to much money on some 3A toys I'd be ordering one of these right now. At least I'll have time to save up enough money for the Blazer Valk. :edit: BTW, HAPPY RAPTURE EVERYONE! Edited May 21, 2011 by anime52k8
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) So is the heaviness of the toy a good thing to you or a bad thing? Some people think heavy = good. eg They eat nuts and need something to crack the nutshells open with. Others say weight adds stress so it = bad for them. ("the limbs are too droopy thanks to all this weight. I'm buying transforming revoltech versions only from now on..") Ok better example might be bintech transformers vs alternators transformers. The cheaper feeling lightweight toy = "more fun" to some people because they never worry about floppy limbs or paint scraping off. While the BT guys used to argue that holding a heavy toy feels like you get your money's worth through the better materials. "Adults only look at poo, it's not a child's toy dude, it's a collectors grade statue with moving parts, so stop acting like I should have fun playing with it." Edited May 21, 2011 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 So is the heaviness of the toy good thing to you or a bad thing? Some people think heavy = good. eg They eat nuts and need something to crack the nutshells open with. Interesting... example... But yeah, sorry I wasn't clear. For me, the heft is quite welcome. In particular in Fighter mode. It remains to be seen how the joints hold up, but I can't imagine it being as bad as the recent floppy Bandai valks. BTW, there is LOADS of die-cast on this toy. I think there has not been so much die-cast in a Yamato toy since the original 1/72 Macross Plus line.
jenius Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 I'd say the heaviness is perfect. The metal is in good places... where it can't do any harm by weighing on joints.
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 (edited) That's good to hear. I want the heavy material but only in the places where it needs it. I don't care about weight for the sake of weight, I just care about the overall durability of the toy. (stuff like the gunpod strap breaking on my 1/48s is one example. I never use it now because I know I'll tear them accidentally eventually) 1/48 had some pretty heavy fast packs. And I would always get paranoid that if I ever wobbled it, the whole thing is going to fall down. That's why I asked the question. Certain things like massive gunpods that are really long, I think they need a counterweight towards the stock of the gunpod to keep the robot hand from drooping downwards due to the pressure on the wrist when posing for instance. Edited May 21, 2011 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker
Renato Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Found some worrying cracks along the swivel joint on the wing root (the main one that connects the wing to the leg).
charger69 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 Renato is like a volunteered QC guy "Let's see if we can break this joint"
derex3592 Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 when i do get this.......I'm SO waiting for Graham or somebody to do a good transformation video before I attempt it!
firmpulse Posted May 21, 2011 Posted May 21, 2011 they've been less than awesome for a lot of other people. that and amiami has it for 232 usd
UN Spacy Posted May 21, 2011 Author Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for the reviews folks. I look forward to Graham's, jenius's, and CollectionDX's.
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