DX VF-25 Renewal Series (Part III)

[Chronocidal]

I have noticed one small ding in the paint on one of Ozma's hips, but it was there from before I got the armor parts, possibly caused by hip armor that came with the super parts. I really still not sure how any bad scratches could even happen, unless you're extremely brutal with how you put those pieces on. They don't slide around at all, they just clip.

Only issue I've had so far is that the wing boosters don't like to stay on as well as the ones that came with the super packs. They clip on securely enough to stay put, but I can't lift the wing sections by holding them, or they'll pop right off. The boosters are actually surprisingly lightweight though, for how bulky they are.

I think I'm going to work on tightening up the wing hinges on my VF-25S before I try going to battroid though, since they've gotten very loose. The boosters will want to flop around like crazy right now.

[mass driver]

What's that little mars rover thing in your twit pics Veef? Do you work in NASA?

Oh, and I dig the teenage mutant ninja turtle mutacarrier. So funky. Of course the VF-25S with armor rocks. Too bad mine no longer stands even after multiple coats of nail polish. I might just have to go the super glue route.

Edited August 30, 2012 by mass driver

[VF5SS]

What's that little mars rover thing in your twit pics Veef? Do you work in NASA?

yes but plz don't tell anyone about the secret pics of Mars dinosaur fossils or that Monolith they told me to blow up

[Loop]

I have both my VF-25's setup in the armor atm. Once I get the rest of the squad I think only Ozma will don the mighty armor parts and Alto will go back into his super parts along with the rest of the squad.

[Chronocidal]

If they have the decency to include the speaker pods and fold booster with Michael's pack set, I might be willing to spring for those when they come out, but I think given we still don't have actual hardpoints on the wings, they'll probably be resorting to those stupid clip-on weapons again. Otherwise, Michael will probably be posed with no packs at all.

Luca's an odd case though.. I don't think he was ever missing his packs, because I don't think we ever actually saw him flying in anything resembling an atmosphere.

[Swoosh]

I don't have Ozma, and Alto's Armor is still unopened...

[Kanedas Bike]

Just got the shipping notice for a set of Alto Armor parts. Paid more than what I would have liked, but less than what I've seen on eBay.

Still looking for Ozma's, which judging by after-market prices and general lack of availability, so is everyone else.

With regard to display/play options I prefer Alto with Super Parts, followed by Tornado Parts (hope Bandai releases for the Renewal DX's) as a close second with the Armor Parts as third place.

Ozma should only be seen in Armor.

-b.

[Lolicon]

Transformed to battroid mode. Like the model kit, the legs are so heavy with the armor that the hips can't hold a pose.

The weight of the wing boosters are held almost entirely by the wing glove joints and they just flop around freely; the little friction that gave the wing gloves stability can't possibly hold up against the weight of the wing boosters. I hope it doesn't cause problems later on down the line, as I plan on keeping it in battroid mode. The 1/72 kit has a back brace piece that goes between the backplate and cockpit to provide additional support to the back and wing gloves. Kinda wish they included that in the 1/60 parts.

1/60 Armored VF-25S and its 1/72 little brother.

[UN Spacy]

The 1/72 kit has a back brace piece that goes between the backplate and cockpit to provide additional support to the back and wing gloves. Kinda wish they included that in the 1/60 parts.

They DID include a brace. I talked about it in my review (at the 5 minute mark).

Edited August 31, 2012 by UN Spacy

[Lolicon]

I'm well aware of what comes in the box, thanks.

I'm talking about a real brace that comes with the 1/72 kit. It not only holds the backplate away from the cockpit, it also provides support for the wing gloves themselves so the joints are not stressed.

Edited August 31, 2012 by Lolicon

[mass driver]

yes but plz don't tell anyone about the secret pics of Mars dinosaur fossils or that Monolith they told me to blow up

Edited August 31, 2012 by mass driver

[eugimon]

I would have liked a wing brace as well. One side holds just fine but the other side was floppy before the armor and all that weight just makes it even worse (perhaps this was done on purpose as an homage to the v.1 vf-25POS )

[Kanedas Bike]

So...it sounds like if one is to use the Armor Parts, keep the 25 in fighter mode. Or is there risk (outside of paint chips or minor cosmetic damage) there as well?

-b.

[Chronocidal]

Basically, there's a reason those armor parts are supposed to be restricted for use in space.. they don't play nice with gravity.

[Drackie]

I'm well aware of what comes in the box, thanks.

I'm talking about a real brace that comes with the 1/72 kit. It not only holds the backplate away from the cockpit, it also provides support for the wing gloves themselves so the joints are not stressed.

you can use the gunpod holder, supporting the weigh in the front glass of the cabin, is not the best way but is useful, you can cover the gunpod holder with soft plastico to dont damage the transparent plastic of the cabin, that solve some of the stress of the hinges, but if the wing joints are a problem, in my first ozma valky one was right and the other was loose, so i have now my second ozma and that one is nice and very thight in all joints

Edited August 31, 2012 by Drackie

[Chronocidal]

That'll take a tiny bit of stress off the shoulder hinges, but those aren't the problem.

The issue is that the "flappy" joints that the wing gloves rotate on often have the staying power of soggy cardboard. The right wing on my Ozma already flaps back and forth if you breathe on it funny, so there's no way it's ever going to support the armor booster without soaking that joint in superglue, or building a custom support to hold the wing gloves back.

[Mommar]

That'll take a tiny bit of stress off the shoulder hinges, but those aren't the problem.

The issue is that the "flappy" joints that the wing gloves rotate on often have the staying power of soggy cardboard. The right wing on my Ozma already flaps back and forth if you breathe on it funny, so there's no way it's ever going to support the armor booster without soaking that joint in superglue, or building a custom support to hold the wing gloves back.

I could see this being a huge problem. My Ozma's is pretty loose. My Alto is a lot more tight though. I don't care for the super packs or the armor so it doesn't affect me but this is definitely sloppy and I could see it being an issue for a lot of other people who are fans.

[the9breaker]

Hah - I knew it - regardless of the improvements - the v2s. ended up being floppy regardless. (take that you v1 haters)

At least the hinge systems in the shoulders that support the backpack seem to hold a lot better than the v1 ozma, with better material (ticker too).

@ Drakie - THAT IS A MARVELOUS IDEA!! - that's from the v1 gunpod holder piece right? I will be employing that in my tornado v1 vf25g messiah.

Any words on the special stands from bandai? like the ones released for the v1s where you can change the angles, etc. (I really liked those - I got two of them, but man, were they pricey at $60)

Edited September 1, 2012 by the9breaker

[xrentonx]

Hah - I knew it - regardless of the improvements - the v2s. ended up being floppy regardless. (take that you v1 haters)

I'm almost 100% sure that none of us want to ever go back to v1 despite the potential floppiness of v2. The main selling point is that they look better

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, Bandai still doesn't seem to know how to make a good solid joint (which is, frankly, astounding due to what their major cash cow franchise is ). But the actual accuracy of the renewals is just a quantum leap ahead of the first versions.

They just can't seem to nail it though. I actually wonder how much of what tends to go wrong with the Bandai valks is that they're specifically trying to not copy stuff Yamato has already done. I do wish they'd ditch the die-cast pieces entirely, or at least reduce them to what Yamato uses, because it never ever seems to cause anything but trouble.

As far as the paint/colored plastic issue goes.. I think that's just lack of any foresight, or possibly a lack of trust in the franchise. I mean, why plan ahead and spend the extra time to make sure the parts on future versions are molded the right color, when you don't expect to ever have the line be successful enough to warrant putting out anything but a solid white VF-25F?

Alto's is easy, it's all one color. Just means they didn't think enough about the later releases, or just chose to play it safe, and not spend the money ahead of time to prep for potential future products.

[Lolicon]

I would rather f*** a cactus than go back to the crappy V1s. Whatever flaws the renewals have, they're nothing compared to the POS's the V1s were.

On another note, I was able to tighten the hip joints with nail polish to where it can actually hold a pose. The drawback is that, in order to hold a pose with all the extra armor weight, I had to make the joint super tight. Like the VF-171 "I feel like I'm going to break it if I try to move it" tight.

I need to loosen the screw in the back before transforming it. A minor inconvenience since I end up removing the wing boosters and back antenna anyway just to make transforming easier.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Lolicon

[Loop]

Never owned any of the V1's, but would have to agree with Lolicon.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

Yeah, Bandai still doesn't seem to know how to make a good solid joint (which is, frankly, astounding due to what their major cash cow franchise is ). But the actual accuracy of the renewals is just a quantum leap ahead of the first versions.

They just can't seem to nail it though. I actually wonder how much of what tends to go wrong with the Bandai valks is that they're specifically trying to not copy stuff Yamato has already done. I do wish they'd ditch the die-cast pieces entirely, or at least reduce them to what Yamato uses, because it never ever seems to cause anything but trouble.

As far as the paint/colored plastic issue goes.. I think that's just lack of any foresight, or possibly a lack of trust in the franchise. I mean, why plan ahead and spend the extra time to make sure the parts on future versions are molded the right color, when you don't expect to ever have the line be successful enough to warrant putting out anything but a solid white VF-25F?

Alto's is easy, it's all one color. Just means they didn't think enough about the later releases, or just chose to play it safe, and not spend the money ahead of time to prep for potential future products.

I think toy-wise Bandai excels at transforming mecha toys so long as they are not based on realistic designs. For example, the big ass Super Robots from the 70's-80's, Bandai made some SOC toys of those which can be seen as definitive toys. I agree that the Renewal Messiahs are far more accurate than the V1's, but as toys, Bandai still hasn't made them to the point where I can say "wow this is the definitive VF-25 toy". All I can say is "this is the best VF-25 toy BECAUSE it is the only one we can get(at the moment) that is better than the V1, perfect transformation, et al". I'm even convinced that TakaraTomy can do a better job quality-wise(not sculpt/accuracy-wise).

Pretty sad too, as good as these look, they were not designed to last. My Ozma was posed standing for a few months, only to turn loose the minute I picked it up again. Made even worse once the Armored Parts came in. The Super parts don't weigh the Renewal Messiahs down as much but the Armored Parts...holy crap. Bandai nailed the sculpts but as toys I am left underwhelmed.

Ball joints that are not too tight but won't get ragdoll loose over time and/or under the weight of armor would suffice for now but..it's like these Renewal Messiahs are destined to become loose.

At least if we get Tornado armor, the extending "tailbone" ought to help. At this point my Ozma with Armored Parts disconnects at the crotch and falls back unless it is on its stand.

[the9breaker]

I'm almost 100% sure that none of us want to ever go back to v1 despite the potential floppiness of v2. The main selling point is that they look better

True. Very true, I agree. v1s weren't THAT bad IMHO. I also agree that the selling point here was just the looks, design, and accuracy of the valks. Besides that, I wasn't too keen to jump on the bandwagon of the how they were going to hold up. Call me pessimistic. Either way Bandai made its money from me by having me buy the v2 ozma with armor parts. And with that - my VF collection is done. (Now to save up to the 1/6 scale Hot Toys THE BAT)

By the way - when they say 1/6, do we mean like 1/60 scale?

[ff95gj]

I plan to get a glass/ clear plastic block to support the armored part boosters.

My armored 25S is displayed without the boosters at the moment.

[gaoJP]

Are there any major differences (aside from the fit) between the 1st ver Ozma armor parts and the 2nd ver?

[VF5SS]

it doesn't suck

[the9breaker]

Are there any major differences (aside from the fit) between the 1st ver Ozma armor parts and the 2nd ver?

Exhausts at the leg missiles. More accurate decal tempo applications. The brace for battroid mode. The locking piece for fighter mode. The locking tabs for the hip intake. No add on for the side wing. No need for extra piece for the gunpod in fighter mode. No extra joint for neck piece. That pretty much covers it besides the more accurate look.

[VF5SS]

Here's the first video. The second should be up soon.

[Reïvaj]

Are there any major differences (aside from the fit) between the 1st ver Ozma armor parts and the 2nd ver?

Exhausts at the leg missiles. More accurate decal tempo applications. The brace for battroid mode. The locking piece for fighter mode. The locking tabs for the hip intake. No add on for the side wing. No need for extra piece for the gunpod in fighter mode. No extra joint for neck piece. That pretty much covers it besides the more accurate look.

In one word: Everything.

Here's the first video. The second should be up soon.

Cool, thank you!

[VF5SS]

and here's the second part

[Twoducks]

I’m a bit special when it comes to colors. Feel like the Alto armor parts are too red when opened (red trim + red doors + red missiles) so I’m using the Ozma parts on the F for the contrast.

Doors closed it doesn’t looks so hot.

BUT I just noticed seeing some photos further back in this thread that the differences in the armor parts also include the brightness of the parts (and here I thought they were the same minus trim). The Ozma type is really dark (don’t like that much). Has anybody a pic of the Ozma with the Alto parts?

As you can see, in my case, I’m not very strict with canon.

[GU-11]

Is the VF-25G going to be as hard to find as the VF-25S?

[Chronocidal]

If you don't pre-order one now, probably.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten a VF-171 from Nippon Yasan, because I ordered the day after it was released, and they still had stock. If you're dead set on getting one, I'd say it might be worth a shot to try ordering one from them still, assuming their preorders are still open.

[GU-11]

Truth is, I'm kind of undecided. While it'd make a great addition to my Macross collection, I keep hearing just how fragile and these Bandai figs are, and how the joints inevitably loosen in time. Seems like such a waste to buy something that might turn into an unstrung puppet in a matter of years, or even months if you're not careful.

I just wonder if I should wait a few years (or a decade) for Yamato to eventually make these. As it is, I've already got Alto's VF-25F and his Super Parts, and I'm pretty happy with just him. But I do like the -25G. Decisions, decisions....