improving the TOYNAMI 1/55 MPC VF-1 series

[Shaorin]

before i start; yes, i understand and sympathize well with the intense antipathy most of us "Hardcore" Western-based MACROSS fans have for anything

the slightest bit related to that hoary old plagiarist pseudo-property whose brand name starts with an R and ends with an H,

and, further still, the intense animosity towards that particular property's parent firm and their related associates and licensees.

that in mind, i've felt it necessary to acquire a copy of of the infamous, decade old TOYNAMI MPC 1/55 VF-1,

mostly due to it's close similarity with the 1985 vintage BANDAI 1/72 HCM VF-1 series,

which was a dream acquisition well out of my reach for many years, and,

as most any MACROSS fan of more than a decade's standing is well aware of,

the very best variable VF-1 scale replica anyone could hope to aspire to own right on up until the early 2000's,

and, arguably, right up to the very debut of the legendary YAMATO 1/48 Kanzen Henkei.

so, as you may have guessed, obtaining an MPC 1/55 was pretty much a no-brainer for a sentimental old fan such as myself,

right after mostly satisfying myself of the core of what i have desired of the various modern-day cutting-edge YAMATOARCADIA offerings, at least.

as such, just a few days ago, i get my first (and only) MPC 1/55 from a fellow MWer, and immediately see in it

a rather flawed and lazy copycat of the venerable HCM, albeit with some clear potential to actually become a decent homage to the 25 year-old 1/72,

with the touch of work that TOYNAMI should have already had thought out through before proceeding past their DEV stage.

really, just a simple litany of cheap and dirty mods that Really help this toy to shine (in it's own nostalgic sort of way) by leaps and bounds;

- improvements/modifications include; -

* painting, various areas (chest/frontal fuselage intakes, backpack module detail, etc)

* removal of light up visor LED wiring (provides better head movement)

* refit/rebonding various parts (poor factory fit/finish)

* wing glove modding (to allow full open wing spread, impossible as factory stock)

* hip modding (simple really, pair of long, narrow screws, pair of small rubber washers)

- all of these subtle changes, most especially the hip mod, combines to allow for a far superior profile

in all three modes, especially BATTROID, and brings the whole

so much closer to something very much like an honest to goodness improved HCM homage,

and so much less like the cheap and dirty, lazy copy it was originally intended as.

indeed, now the toy feels closer to something BANDAI could have/should have rolled on out

back during 10th and/or 15th anniversary of SDFM,

rather than the tired old lazy plastic model reissues they've always been so fixated on, YMMV...

Edited August 22, 2013 by Shaorin

[Shaorin]

GERWALK is now the mode that seems to suffer most, but that's hardly surprising of a pre-1/60v.II VF-1 toy, no?

Edited August 22, 2013 by Shaorin

[Hoptimus]

I had a few of the MPC's 1/55's VF-1 series. Not a bad figure but really outdated. It is basically a sized up HCM. Seemed like they were pretty durable. I sold/traded them later on.

Nice job on fixing that guy up.

I was going to take my "Ben" VF-1A to make a quick Max VF-1A but I never did.

[Mommar]

I don't understand, what did you tweak on the leg? I still have my Max 1J MPC that I leave in the armored up, tank-like Gerwalk just because.

[jenius]

He moved the hips out away from the body.

[Shaorin]

yeah, like i mentioned above, small rubber washers, to serve as spacers, and extra-long self-tapping screws to hold it all fast.

it is actually secure as a drum, and yet allows a relatively terrific degree of hip swivel actually quite beneficial to a much better FIGHTER mode fit.

plus, it allows for a broader, better BATTROID stance, YMMV; closer to that of the HCM it is based upon;

- now see, doesn't that look like so totally awesomely awkward-assed

that it like totally blows the Yammie/ARCADIA 1/60v.II out of the complete effin' water?

Edited August 23, 2013 by Shaorin

[SuperSenpai]

I never liked the way the chest and nosecone sculpt looked on the MPC VFs -- a little too broad relative to the rest of the body. However, the hip joint mod seems to help alleviate this by broadening the hips to be more in proportion with chest. Good work.

Of course, this isn't making me rush out to buy an MPC valk anytime soon. I still see these things go on the secondary market for well over $100. I guess some people never got the memo.

[Shaorin]

I never liked the way the chest and nosecone sculpt looked on the MPC VFs -- a little too broad relative to the rest of the body. However, the hip joint mod seems to help alleviate this by broadening the hips to be more in proportion with chest. Good work.

indeed, i had come up with the idea on the spur of the moment just this morning, in fact,

and i was just delighted beyond words when i saw just how well the mod actually came together, and just how much it drastically improved everything

Of course, this isn't making me rush out to buy an MPC valk anytime soon. I still see these things go on the secondary market for well over $100. I guess some people never got the memo.

yeah, pretty ridiculous what i see these "command" on the BAY, for starters.

i mean, we're talking 1/60v.II prices and up, often as not

anyway, as bad as the nosecone sculpt already is,

can you believe the sculpt was actually shorter/goofier by far before the single revision TOYNAMI made somewhere in dev. stage

to allegedly lengthen it in order to allow better cockpit detail and and opening canopy?!? claims as such right there in the manual,

as well as showing off the godawful initial sculpt in full color photographic glory

anyway, since i'm on a roll here, i need a BANDAI 1/55 reissue 1J Hik, now, as well as possibly a Yammie 1/48

and just maybe a 1/100 HI-METAL as well if i don't have to pay an arm and a leg for one these days.

i think i'll skip the TOYNAMI 1/100, - no retro HCM sentimentality to be had there, just pure distilled inferiority, IMHO -

and i know i'll definitely pass EASILY on the Yammie 1/60v.I,

the single Version one i once owned long ago being more than enough, thankyouverymuch...

Edited August 23, 2013 by Shaorin

[skullmilitia]

I like the LED visor, but hate everything else.

it's too bad, I had a Roy and a Ben but eventually over time

got rid of them

[Vifam7]

Any added on Yamato stickers or Hasegawa water slide decals?

[TheLoneWolf]

Nice work! Battloid mode definitely looks better now.

It's a good thing you worked on the Rick MPC and not the others, because they've got way more problems thanks to their die-cast metal legs.

[Shaorin]

Nice work! Battloid mode definitely looks better now.

It's a good thing you worked on the Rick MPC and not the others, because they've got way more problems thanks to their die-cast metal legs.

so, while the VOL.1 has a solid metal block inside each of the lower legs, which i removed,

all subsequent releases have die-cast inner leg halves ALA the vintage TAKA/BANDAI 1/55's?

[TheLoneWolf]

Yeah, they do. The problem is that the added weight throws off the alignment in fighter.

On top of that, since the arms have magnets in them, the arms will splay outwards towards the metal legs in fighter mode, instead of tucking in together. Maybe this was Toynami's way of "locking" the arms to the legs in fighter mode, unfortunately it just looks like a mess when executed.

[EXO]

How to improve a Toynami MPC Veritech in two steps:

1. Sell it

2. Buy a Yamato v.2/Arcadia 1/60 valk.

[jenius]

Nuke it from orbit

[skullmilitia]

Just to be safe!

[Shaorin]

How to improve a Toynami MPC Veritech in two steps:

1. Sell it

2. Buy a Yamato v.2/Arcadia 1/60 valk.

silly puppy, i've got one of those already, (with future intentions of adding at least one more,1S Focker ARCADIA ed.) and i'm just attempting to clean up

on things i long lusted after, but were generally unavailable to me for various reasons up until just a few years ago.

sorry to butthurt in any way, but the MPC 1J Ichijo/Hunter was, for a very long time, (to me) and has remained, one of those MACROSS/related items

that i just had to add to my collection for, if nothing else, than to thumb my nose at the unfortunate surcumstances

that had kept all this crap beyond my reach for far, fatr longer than i was ever anything at all approaching comfortable with...