Arcadia YF-19 coming in 2014

[Kanedas Bike]

So are ankles still loose?

A couple of people have left feedback on the re-release on this and the previous page.

-b.

[Bub]

Picked up the reissue from a brick and mortar store. The left ankle is loose. The right is tight...

(Whoah, sounded "like lefty loosey, eighty tighty)

[Bub]

What I meant was RIGHTY tighty.

[realdeal]

Picked up the reissue from a brick and mortar store. The left ankle is loose. The right is tight...

(Whoah, sounded "like lefty loosey, eighty tighty)

Well i guess thats an upgrade from the previous release, hopefully it holds up over time.

[Bub]

Yeah, maybe if they reissue it again, both ankles will be tight.

[realdeal]

Yeah, maybe if they reissue it again, both ankles will be tight.

Haha good one!

[realdeal]

A couple of people have left feedback on the re-release on this and the previous page.

-b.

Thanks, I think i only saw one but i'll go back and look.

[Kanedas Bike]

Thanks, I think i only saw one but i'll go back and look.

No prob - based on how many people have commented I'm not sure if a lot of members, or frequent posters, double-dipped on this one. This thread has been relatively quiet with regards to this release.

Maybe if or when it goes on sale we'll see more people buy it.

-b.

[auberondreaming]

I really like mine, but I don't need 2 at this price point. And thats not a dig at the price, I think the toy justifies the cost. Just not something I want to double dip on. Of course if it went on sale that's a different story, but that's true of any product.

[Kanedas Bike]

I really like mine, but I don't need 2 at this price point. And thats not a dig at the price, I think the toy justifies the cost. Just not something I want to double dip on. Of course if it went on sale that's a different story, but that's true of any product.

My sentiment ex-act-ly.

Especially since I bought multiples the first time around (when I had more disposable income) - but once I sold all but one I just didn't/don't have a burning need for another.

-b.

[Chronocidal]

I did wind up picking up a third YF-19 this time around, but that's a combination of a few personal reasons. Mostly I just love the design, but my brain likes the idea of having three of any valk before I seriously consider experimenting or customizing one. Mentally, it means I can keep one mint, transform one freely, and modify the third.

The third one will probably remain mint, while I tinker with the wing mechanism of one of the older ones, which I've already disassembled. If I can get access to the resources to do it, I plan on reworking the wing mechanism entirely so it functions off of a sliding pivot, instead of the double swing arm.

Whether I'll need access to metalworking tools to do this, I don't know, but I hope whatever I come up with can be put up on Shapeways. At the very least, I plan on a new pivot that'll just remove the high speed mode function.

[Offswitch]

The third one will probably remain mint, while I tinker with the wing mechanism of one of the older ones, which I've already disassembled. If I can get access to the resources to do it, I plan on reworking the wing mechanism entirely so it functions off of a sliding pivot, instead of the double swing arm.

Oh man, that would be fantastic! Definitely looking forward to your mod. Cuz that damn wing swing bar..... Ugh.

[Xigfrid]

The third one will probably remain mint, while I tinker with the wing mechanism of one of the older ones, which I've already disassembled. If I can get access to the resources to do it, I plan on reworking the wing mechanism entirely so it functions off of a sliding pivot, instead of the double swing arm.

Whether I'll need access to metalworking tools to do this, I don't know, but I hope whatever I come up with can be put up on Shapeways. At the very least, I plan on a new pivot that'll just remove the high speed mode function.

I will also be looking closely to what you come with. I recently post a quick fix solution, but a more robust one, with click stops would be really something!

[Mommar]

The third one will probably remain mint, while I tinker with the wing mechanism of one of the older ones, which I've already disassembled. If I can get access to the resources to do it, I plan on reworking the wing mechanism entirely so it functions off of a sliding pivot, instead of the double swing arm.

Whether I'll need access to metalworking tools to do this, I don't know, but I hope whatever I come up with can be put up on Shapeways. At the very least, I plan on a new pivot that'll just remove the high speed mode function.

I think we're all waiting to hear about this project.

[Pedro2k6]

I will also be looking closely to what you come with. I recently post a quick fix solution, but a more robust one, with click stops would be really something!

really???...where you post that...I will like to see it. thanks

[Chronocidal]

Well, like so many project ideas I have, I don't know if it'll get done by me personally, but either way, I intend to get a design figured out. Finding time to actually build things has been difficult for me recently.

[Xigfrid]

really???...where you post that...I will like to see it. thanks

That was not so recently, how can time passes so fast...

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=39470&p=1246175

The fix really help the wing not moving the 7mm backward when in normal mode. But it doesn't "lock" it in place like a true design should have been

[Chronocidal]

Small update about the wing mechanism, I finally got the screw cover out of the underside of the wing glove. It took a lot of prying with a razor blade, but I kept the part mostly intact. It's a battle of patience getting it out without deforming it horribly, and even then, the part fits so tightly, I definitely warped the edges of it.

Slightly sad news is, my original thought about a sliding joint won't quite work, the distance involved is slightly too long. Measuring the distance between the base swingbar pivot and the one at the wingroot, the wingroot is 3 cm away from the base when folded for battroid, but a little over 6.5 cm when in the outer position for high speed mode. So, a sliding joint to shift the pivot outward for high speed mode would need 3 segments, which might be too fragile or bulky to fit well. I'm going to keep brainstorming on that one.

The slightly better news is that if you ignore the swingbar entirely, the wingroot pivot stays essentially stationary between normal fighter and battroid position. So, you could potentially replace the entire swingbar with a single piece that screws in place, and just have the wing pivot on its own.

On top of that, locking the swingbar in place has one other benefit. If the wing doesn't have to shift outward for high speed mode, there's an opportunity to extend the trailing edge of the wing to give it some surface contact against the sides of the legs, and keep its sweep constant in fighter mode (though attaching fast packs might alter the contact point somewhat).

I'll post some pictures later of what I'm thinking about, but the gist of it is that where the very trailing edge of the wing meets with the wing glove inner surface in battroid position, there's some hollow space in the wing glove. If you were to add an extended tab at the trailing edge to rest against the legs, there could be room for that same tab to slide inside the wing glove in battroid mode, so it doesn't interfere with the wing position. You'd just need to cut a slot for the tab to rotate into when the wings are moved for battroid mode.

I'd love to keep high speed mode just for making it easier to display these in cramped spaces, but it'll take some fancy engineering to rework the existing swingbar to let it work better, and not flop around.

[iguanaman8989]

Yay! Replacement YF-19 is on it's way!

HLJ's customer service was wonderful, had no issues with replacing the first one and reimbursing me for the return shipping charges!

[vlenhoff]

Yay! Replacement YF-19 is on it's way!

HLJ's customer service was wonderful, had no issues with replacing the first one and reimbursing me for the return shipping charges!

Very cool. i should open mine and see that it is complete.

[iguanaman8989]

#2 is a winner!

Both canards, tighter overall, no complaints (for the most part)

Leg fast packs are still kinda derpy.

[Loop]

I wish Arcadia would have kept the magnet gimmick for the leg packs on the YF-19 and the VF-0's.

[Lolicon]

I wish Arcadia would have kept the magnet gimmick for the leg packs on the YF-19 and the VF-0's.

Probably too many problems with factory workers installing them backwards. Which is much worse than having SMS printed upside-down, IMO.

[no3Ljm]

I wish Arcadia would have kept the magnet gimmick for the leg packs on the YF-19 and the VF-0's.

+1

[vlenhoff]

I've only gone as far as Gerwalk. The right forearm is sort of tough to slide into place, but it is the only tricky thing i've found so far. I like the feel of the thing.

Edited May 18, 2016 by vlenhoff

[Muzaffar]

My 19 is great and tight in fighter mode but I haven't transformed it yet. I don't think I ever will. In fact, I haven't transformed any of my valks except for the 30th anniversary 1/60 edition. I love macross for the fighter and not really the robot mode. Also, I still feel that the VF-19 is a better build.

[no3Ljm]

My 19 is great and tight in fighter mode but I haven't transformed it yet. I don't think I ever will. In fact, I haven't transformed any of my valks except for the 30th anniversary 1/60 edition. I love macross for the fighter and not really the robot mode. Also, I still feel that the VF-19 is a better build.

No offense here. And I don't want to instigate any trouble. But I find it confusing at times, how can one say the other Valk felt kinda better built, when the other Valk is not even been transformed, not even once? Out of curiousity, is this just based on the feel on both Valks in Fighter modes? Thanks!

[ChaoticYeti]

Schrödinger's Valkyrie. It is both perfectly tight, and a floppy mess. It exists in both states until transformed. Than it is either tight, or loose.

[Chronocidal]

Schrödinger's Valkyrie. It is both perfectly tight, and a floppy mess. It exists in both states until transformed. Than it is either tight, or loose.

Technically, the Arcadia YF-19 doesn't even count in that category though, since the wings might be floppy in fighter mode as well.

I'd actually say the same about the VF-19s though, they feel more solid than the YF-19, and not just for the wings. Maybe it's the polished surface hiding flaws, or maybe it's just a difference in tolerances, but the YF-19 didn't seem to me like it had the same "WOW!" factor straight out of the box. I dunno, maybe by the time the YF-19 came out, I was just spoiled by all the VF-19 variants.

From a design standpoint though, I'd put the VF-19s ahead by a decent margin. They had a more streamlined intake design for one (that blocky lip still bothers me), and less fiddly/fragile bits around the hip plates, but they also made a few unnecessary changes to the YF-19 design that actually made it more annoying to transform.

Specifically, they added an interlock to the wing root hip hinges that keeps them from rotating out away from the chest unless the wingroots are first pulled out, away from the hips. That's great... except you need to rotate them out away from the chest to unlock the chest for gerwalk mode, and they're locked down by the chest, so you can't extend the hinges to unlock them. It winds up meaning you need to do a bunch of hip-related shenanigans to shift the wingroots enough to unlock them, all for a locking mechanism that really has no purpose at all, in any mode.

Still, it's a beautiful design, I just hope I can find a way to make the wing mechanism not suck.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Chronocidal

[ChaoticYeti]

Technically, the Arcadia YF-19 doesn't even count in that category though, since the wings might be floppy in fighter mode as well.

"My 19 is great and tight in fighter mode but I haven't transformed it yet."

To be pedantic, I am simply speaking to the Valk in question, not all arcadia Y-19's.

[vlenhoff]

In short words, the 19 feels nice, but the wings feel like they nearly stab you. They are sharper than Yamato's wings. This may make the 19 feel somewhat flimsy, but I think this is done for cartoon accuracy/fighter sharpness. As i recall, The eternal complaint about the 19 and the 21 was about anime magic. Some said Mac+ transforming toys would never be sharp or slim as the their show's counterparts. I think the 19 finally looks slim enough.

It is a sharp looking bird, I love it. Could it use some improvement? Anything can, but I think it was a great effort.

BTW: Chrono, I don't know if my Arcadia 19 is different, but the wings rotate slightly out to allow fighter to Gerwalk transition. It was very easy to me, I don't know if I'm missing something from your explanation. I wish I can get my hands on a bandai VF-19 advanced in the future, and see how much superior it is.

I have the old Yamato YF-19, so naturally I'm very happy with Arcadia's improvements over the old design. My only complaint is the ankles do not have enough clearance for extreme gerwalk poses.

Edit in: I wrote this in a hurry, so i had to correct it.

Edited June 6, 2016 by vlenhoff

[Chronocidal]

Well, I mean, it is called the VF-19 "Excalibur."

Though, I'm not sure which wings you mean. The Yamato VF-19s had wings thin enough to slice yourself open like blades, but the YF-19 has thicker wings for hardpoints, and I don't think they have any sharp edges at all.

[vlenhoff]

I was referring to the point you made about transforming the YF-19 from fighter to gerwalk.

Anyway, beautiful bird.

[Muzaffar]

No offense here. And I don't want to instigate any trouble. But I find it confusing at times, how can one say the other Valk felt kinda better built, when the other Valk is not even been transformed, not even once? Out of curiousity, is this just based on the feel on both Valks in Fighter modes? Thanks!

No offense taken. But yeah, since I display my valks only in fighter mode, I say better built strictly on how tight, heavy and solid the fighter mode feels and fits together. The VF-19 feels the best compared to the YF-19. The worst valk I have in fighter mode is the VF-22S strumvogal. It's a mess. The wings drop down and the darn legs don't fit snugly underneath the fuselage.

[no3Ljm]

No offense taken. But yeah, since I display my valks only in fighter mode, I say better built strictly on how tight, heavy and solid the fighter mode feels and fits together. The VF-19 feels the best compared to the YF-19. The worst valk I have in fighter mode is the VF-22S strumvogal. It's a mess. The wings drop down and the darn legs don't fit snugly underneath the fuselage.

Did you try to follow the insert flyer guide from Yamato on how to tuck the legs in for fighter mode? I know it's tricky at first but you have to push the knee joints one click more (4th click) until you don't see the dot on the side of the joint. And everything will flush in perfectly. You can check my post here. Let me know if that will fix the belly problem.