Bandai 1/72 fully transform able VF-1 plastic kit for Macross 30th Ann

[Valkyrie addict]

Those chicken legs!!!!

How could they screw up so badly? everything is just wrong, very gimmicky but wrong.

[Chronocidal]

Part of what looks weird about the nose.. Because they turned that black ring into a separate piece instead of a painted-on stripe, it's huge. Waaayy too thick. Plus, they forgot that the nose stripes extend past it onto the nosecone.

I really just do not get it. I mean, it's utterly baffling that they can make a new iteration of a design that's been done over and over in every format conceivable for 30 years now, and they're still repeating mistakes made on some of the earliest iterations.

Are they completely oblivious to the fact that line-art showing everything wrong about that design has been available online for upwards of 10 years now, or do they just not care?

Edited May 16, 2013 by Chronocidal

[Vifam7]

Part of what looks weird about the nose.. Because they turned that black ring into a separate piece instead of a painted-on stripe, it's huge. Waaayy too thick. Plus, they forgot that the nose stripes extend past it onto the nosecone.

I really just do not get it. I mean, it's utterly baffling that they can make a new iteration of a design that's been done over and over in every format conceivable for 30 years now, and they're still repeating mistakes made on some of the earliest iterations.

Are they completely oblivious to the fact that line-art showing everything wrong about that design has been available online for upwards of 10 years now, or do they just not care?

It's most likely just a result of it being a pre-production rush paint job.

Not only is the forward fuselage paint trim not extending into the nose cone but it's also missing the aircraft number. Number is also missing on the starboard wing. The gerwalk display has the inner leg black trim missing as well. These are all correctly on the CG artwork so i assume they'll be right in the final release.

However, the chest paint trim is incorrect on the CG art and on this display model.

[johnkillingsworth]

Man, that is one fugly battroid mode!

[eugimon]

meh. It looks like it was designed by committee. Everyone picked a part and did it however they wanted and no took the time to see if all the bits and pieces would work as a unified whole.

Kind of like the v1 DX vf-25.

[kyekye]

Design and transformation was reviewed by Kawamori. What happened there?

Maybe He was paid to do review on early stage only?

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, I did figure most of the paint errors are just rushed display model issues. But I almost feel like we're dealing with a "THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS" situation here with the chest.. I went back and checked, and no, Bandai didn't get the chest stripes on the Hi-Metal VF-1s right either.

I don't think Bandai has ever gotten those correct, in any form, on any release. It's like they're completely insistent that they're correct, despite every other source disagreeing with them (including the original artist who designed the freaking thing).

Do they look bad that way? Not terribly no. It's just the fact that for all the effort they go to, it's still as wrong as it was on the Takatokus, and they can't seem to take one look at the line-art to see what the problem is.

Eh, I should say though, this really isn't about the chest stripes, because those are easily fixed. Bandai just seems to either be completely oblivious to the fact that there is a massive amount of source material that disagrees with them on multiple issues, or they just don't care.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Chronocidal

[Reïvaj]

The more I look at the pictures, the more I dislike it

[electric indigo]

I wonder how far you would get with using parts from the Hase kit with this one for one massive kit bash...

[lechuck]

I am still liking it, articulation looks great and the Strike is probably just transformed wrong.

Also smooth arms, no cheap indentations for arm packs and it looks you actually have room to move on fully decked out VF-1.

Nose and/or wings are not long in Battroid, sunken head (Jenius must be jumping with joy) and waist joint!!!

It's funny because I just messed around with Yamato's VF-1 the other day and maybe I am spoilt, but I found articulation to be pretty poor.

I mean it has got all these (click-)joints, but you can't really put it all to good usage, especially the legs and lets not talk about the poor range for the knees...

Edited May 17, 2013 by lechuck

[Vifam7]

Design and transformation was reviewed by Kawamori. What happened there?

Maybe He was paid to do review on early stage only?

Kawamori and other creators often tweak their works. In some ways for the better and in some ways for the worse.

[mechaninac]

Maybe, where this 1/72 VF-1 model is concerned, Banday just decided to subscribe to the Krusty the Clown corporate motto...

Off course, they fail to realize that modelers are a notoriously anal bunch and this offering of theirs is falling short on way too many levels.

Edited May 16, 2013 by mechaninac

[MechTech]

It's still early looking at some spects, but I'm beginning to think if you took this and the OLD Imai transforming valk and swapped parts, you'd get the way it's supposed to look - just sayin' - MT

[VF5SS]

http://home.comcast.net/~vega1635/pwpimages/Document%20of%20macross%20006%20-%20design%20of%20valkyrie%203.jpg

real Kanzen Henkei VF-1 should look like this

[GU-11]

What's with the weird hip articulation? Makes the batrroid look like it's trying to hold in it's pee while on guard duty.

Just glad I picked up most of my favorite VF-1's while Yamato was still making them.

[joscasle]

I really insist, why most of you compare these to Yamato, these is a "model kit"not a toy. BTW these Bandai looks really bad.

[JET7]

hasegawa is smiling

[danth]

Excuse me for just a second here.

Ahem.

BWAAAA HAHAHAHA!

Edited May 17, 2013 by danth

[Chronocidal]

I really insist, why most of you compare these to Yamato, these is a "model kit"not a toy. BTW these Bandai looks really bad.

That's the entire problem. Model kits are supposed to be more accurate than toys, and better looking, because they're more precisely designed, and molded.

Some of the details may be more accurate, but a lot of them are horribly off, and this model is not as good looking as the Yamato toy.

[JET7]

i think they focused on the GERWALK mode too much thats why the legs on the battroid mode looked like it has two broke pegs. it really is my first time to see a broken part of the feet thrusters.

of all my vf-1 toys, i never imagined having a broken leg part.

[kyekye]

More pics at Master File Blog

Every bit of each area is off in strange ways..

These are prototype- meaning 3d printed or test run. So don't mind the parts fitting or smoky glass part..

Edited May 17, 2013 by kyekye

[GU-11]

I don't like the frosted canopy and the skinny arms.

Is it just me or is the nose strangely angled downward a bit?

[Chronocidal]

It's not just you. Either it's sagging from the waist joint they stuck in there, or it's really misshapen. Actually, it could be both. It just looks way too much like the old droopy nose I've seen on some of the older kits.

[electric indigo]

It has to be said that the pilot actually does look good.

Is there any indication how this kit is received in the japanese modeling community?

[myk]

Design and transformation was reviewed by Kawamori. What happened there?

Maybe He was paid to do review on early stage only?

Maybe he's over the whole thing already...

[Noyhauser]

I really insist, why most of you compare these to Yamato, these is a "model kit"not a toy. BTW these Bandai looks really bad.

Because a lot of us don't consider this a true model kit. View it more like a gunpla... or gundam model. Its certainly aimed at a more casual market segment than hasegawa... to me its somwhere between Yamato and Hasegawa (particularly given Yamato offering more options for customizations.)

[CF18]

Kawamori and other creators often tweak their works. In some ways for the better and in some ways for the worse.

Quite true.

This view make it looks like a VF-25 to me, because of the almost continuous wing-chest-wing black strip.

May be they should have gone all the way with Macross The First design:

[Hoptimus]

Ummm. Yeah. So I am a little disappointed. I think though if it is parts molded color like MG Gundam kits than I may still be in but not looking likely...

[peter]

I think they rushed it. Maybe it will have nice box-art? Haha!

[anime52k8]

Serious question: if this was a super expensive, limited run resin kit from someone like Experten, would you guys have the same level of hate-on for this?

I think it's a cool alternative take on something that's been done a million times in a million different ways already.

[Noyhauser]

Serious question: if this was a super expensive, limited run resin kit from someone like Experten, would you guys have the same level of hate-on for this?

I think it's a cool alternative take on something that's been done a million times in a million different ways already.

Personally, I'm not really one to care for transformables. I'm really an old school model builder: I build WWII props, modern jets and ships... all in a specific scale (1/72 or 1/700.) Once completed I don't touch them again. So the "gimmick" of transformation doesn't interest me. As such, its closer to a toy in my view (but not a toy... its a gunpla)

Don't get me wrong... I think they are very cool and show unbelievable levels of skill. However its just not for me.

[Vifam7]

Serious question: if this was a super expensive, limited run resin kit from someone like Experten, would you guys have the same level of hate-on for this?

I think it's a cool alternative take on something that's been done a million times in a million different ways already.

Resin garage kits are limited run products made by single guy or a handful of fans with limited resources. I personally wouldn't even know how to acquire one or consider to spend the money to get it. Thus, whether their products are utter perfection or crud, it's hard for me to actually care about them.

However, Bandai is a company with tremendous resources and their products are attainable so there is a certain amount of expectation.

Now that all said, you are correct in that there has been numerous renditions of the VF-1 over the decades. The toy and kit designer(s) and even Kawamori are adjusting the look of the VF-1 each time to fit their biases, ideas, and any limitations that comes in trying to make the product. Considering that we're also talking about a make-believe machine whose look in the anime and various artworks was also subject to much deforming and anime magic, I personally do not mind alternate takes.

Sure, there may be some design elements I already don't like on this Bandai kit (such as the thighs in battroid form) but I'm still going to buy one. Until i get one in my hands and build it up, I'm going to try not to make too many final judgements on the product.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Vifam7

[EXO]

Excuse me for just a second here.

Ahem.

BWAAAA HAHAHAHA!

Hideous, right?

Serious question: if this was a super expensive, limited run resin kit from someone like Experten, would you guys have the same level of hate-on for this?

I think it's a cool alternative take on something that's been done a million times in a million different ways already.

Honestly, I think it would be more offensive if a resin kit that is so expensive was this ugly. Truth be told though, Expertens respect the lineart more even with all the shortcomings of the material.

Maybe he's over the whole thing already...

Take this for what it's worth but rumors are the froating head's notes were ignored to rush this into final production. IMO, Yamato couldn't and wouldn't dream of getting away with that, but this is Bandai we're talking about.

[Duymon]

*looks at 1/48 Yammies in display case*

Sorry....won't be needing this. I was cautiously optimistic about this for the longest time but now... not anymore. Considering the other Bandai Releases like the RG GP01, I am upset a kit of a mecha that costs nearly TWICE that of the RG GP01 doesn't have the same polish

Edited May 18, 2013 by Duymon

[Chronocidal]

Resin garage kits are limited run products made by single guy or a handful of fans with limited resources. I personally wouldn't even know how to acquire one or consider to spend the money to get it. Thus, whether their products are utter perfection or crud, it's hard for me to actually care about them.

However, Bandai is a company with tremendous resources and their products are attainable so there is a certain amount of expectation.

There's also the fact that years ago, the resin kits were all we had if you wanted to build a detailed model of a valk. They were there to satisfy the aircraft modelers who wanted more detail, because the Bandai, IMAI, and other kits were always fairly simple, or transformable/partsformable, and usually pretty small scale.

Now, we don't have that issue, because Hasegawa has been sneezing out Macross kits in high detail and larger scales for years now. The resin kits have gone from "sought after because they're the only thing that exists" to "sought after because they're rare and collectible." They're worth so much, people don't really build them that often, or so it seems.

I think a decent number of people were willing to look past inaccuracies and flaws in the early kits because they were all that was available. With the selection we have now, it's easy to get picky.

Making something that's innovative can only take you so far if you throw common sense to the wind, and ignore the fact that you're actually doing things wrong.

Take this for what it's worth but rumors are the froating head's notes were ignored to rush this into final production. IMO, Yamato couldn't and wouldn't dream of getting away with that, but this is Bandai we're talking about.

So, you're saying it took this long, and was still rushed? Wow. If they actually did that though, I hope it comes back and bites them in the backside with a vengeance.

Edited May 18, 2013 by Chronocidal