Bandai 1/72 Macross Frontier transformable model kits.. what they like

[spanner]

Just thought I would ask the question.. what are the Bandai 1/72 Macross Frontier transformable model kits like? I know they have to be built and painted but seeing how cheap they are it looked like an interesting idea to kill time and get back into model building.. maybe some of you guys have worked with these kits and can point out the good and bad points?

thanks guys!

[mickyg]

There were a few build threads a few years back. I did a lengthy one, WM Cheng did as well. There were others, as I recall too.

The quick summary: built in one mode, they're very nice to look at. If you want to transform them, they're not worth the angst you'll experience.

The long story: terrible decals. Very tight fitting parts. Assemblies that don't lend themselves to easy painting. Yeah, that's not a very long story...

That said, they're a great static model that even when little paint work is done, can actually look pretty nice on a shelf.

I'm after them because my frontier DX collection is small, and I don't have room or budget for the items I'd like (an armored and an RVF) and even if I could justify them, I doubt I'd want to transform them. So for me, the model kits make a lot of sense. Build them how I want and stick em on a stand.

Edited October 17, 2014 by mickyg

[mickyg]

Its a LOOOOONG thread, but here ya go:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=30311&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1

[Jefuemon]

But that's just my opinion.

If you're an experienced builder, you'll hate them. Beginner, you'll probably like them. I got so fed up with mine that I boxed it up halfway, and threw it back on the shelf for another year. Finally finished it, then trashed it when I completed my Hasegawa VF-25S.

[Vifam7]

Just thought I would ask the question.. what are the Bandai 1/72 Macross Frontier transformable model kits like? I know they have to be built and painted but seeing how cheap they are it looked like an interesting idea to kill time and get back into model building.. maybe some of you guys have worked with these kits and can point out the good and bad points?

thanks guys!

From my experience of building the VF-27 kit, the Bandai Frontier kits are not really a great kit for getting back into model building. The Bandai kits are not difficult to build. It's just that they have a lot of pieces and building up parts consume a ton of time.

Even more time if you're going to do any painting as it requires reading the instructions and thinking ahead. Otherwise, you could find yourself building a part only to find out you need to break it down in order to paint (which isn't hard as these kits are snap-fit but time consuming & annoying nonetheless).

However, you don't have to paint these kits if you don't want to. They come pre-colored so like Master Grade Gundam kits you could opt to simply snap it together, put on the decals, spray clear flat, call it a day, and still end up with a decent build.

Oh, and forget about the transformation gimmick. The transformation gimmick has never worked out well (IMHO) in any kit past or present, Macross or non-Macross. Just build and lock into one mode.

Personally I'd go with a more simpler kit to get back into model building. Like the 1/100 scale Wave kits.

Edited October 17, 2014 by Vifam7

[vsim]

I agree, I ordered several of these and built one. I can't even begin to count the number of hours I spent putting on decals. And I had trouble applying several of them, mostly due to my lack of experience . But yeah, tons of parts. I don't recall using glue at all, but there are certain pieces where it would help, but it's not required.

I would get back into model building with something easier .

[modelglue]

Where are you finding them cheap?

I built the VF-27b and the RVF-25 Luca. I ended up gluing the -27 into fighter mode, thinking I would get another to pose in Battroid. After that I built the -25 and cursed the whole way through. If you want a Fighter, just buy the Hasegawa 1/72. You might have to wait a while however for the Battroid version from Hase, if they even make it at all.

Cool8or built a very nice RVF-25 which I think is within the last 50 posts in the model kits section, and Jefuemon has a few completed builds as well, which I think are closer chronologically. You could look at them and compare the two style of finished kits.

[spanner]

Thanks for the information guys! They do seem to be rather troublesome kits. Might give them a miss. I thought it would be cool to try them out as a cost effective alternative to buying actual 1/60 DX Valks for both myself and my son but everyone seems to have more negative than positive to say about them.. oh well.

Although there are a few impressively finished kits out there that folks have painted up! I just don't think I would have the skill or enthusiasm to go that far with them..

@mickyg.. thanks for the link to the thread! sheesh there's a lot in there!

@modelglue.. I saw a few on Mandarake fairly cheap.

[mickyg]

Yeah, I was a zealous sharer of my journey.

Times have changed a bit recently.

Given my other thread where I'm asking for these though, I'm apparently a glutton for punishment!

[chyll2]

I went and bought a used Super 25S, it is the first model that I scrapped.

First of all, I never wanted to get the bare valk since i heard that fighter mode is crap and super/armored is better since it has locking tabs.

I was wrong, anyway, the fighter mode is so irritating to lock in/lined up, Gerwalk mode does not look good unless it is in a stand (standing gerwalk is the ugliest gerwalk pose you can ever do, cant do the A stance) and it looks really good in battroid.

[Nekko Basara]

I recently finished the bare VF-25S, my first modern Macross kit. I built it straight OOB, with just panel lining and a bit of detail painting, using the stickers rather than the waterslides. My points of comparison are a dozen or so modern Gundam kits I've built in the past year, mostly RG with a couple of MGs and HGs. It wasn't as good as those generally, but my overall impression was more positive than most of what I've read here. Maybe that's because I've never handled the 1/60 toys for comparison.
I think battroid is excellent, easily the best mode. Articulation is good if not amazing, it's surprisingly solid given its complexity, and the "look" is striking and - to my eyes - pretty show accurate. The weakest area of the kit - the stickers and lining up panels - are less noticeable in this mode because the shape is broken up.
Gerwalk is decent, but the heavy back panel tends to sag, and it can't pose much without a stand (and the stand attachments in all modes are awful). I can get mine into an "A" stance, but just barely. I also simply don't care for the 25 gerwalk, with so much plane left hanging out the back.
Fighter is an amazing piece of engineering that just doesn't quite work in practice. It's astonishing how all the pieces theoretically line up into a smooth and gorgeous shape, but it needs about 400% more locking tabs and such. It just won't hold together the way it's designed to, and I'm always left with gaps and loose panels, especially if I try to attach the gunpod (which is necessary to use the stand adapter). It still impresses me and looks ok at a distance, but it's not how I'd want to display it. I've transformed the kit a half dozen times, and any gains I make in learning how to line it up are offset by joints loosening with use.
As a building experience, it was pretty good - comparable to a MG Gundam, but with a few more fiddly bits. I also found it harder to picture the assembly from start to finish, but that didn't matter much - I just followed the steps carefully, and got the intended result. I have to say that the stickers are absolutely terrible, almost to the point of ruining the kit. They are far too transparent, so the colors are weak and change drastically based on the underlying plastic. They don't adhere well, either, which is especially bad on a kit that you will handle a lot, with parts that rub together. Given what excellent stickers Bandai makes for its Gundam kits, this was hard to understand.
Overall, I wouldn't say this is a good kit to start with due to its complexity and finickyness, and I'm sure it's no replacement for a 1/60 valk, but I'm satisfied with it as a model that costs around the same as a MG Gundam. It's fun to transform occasionally, see how it works and picture how nice it could be if it locked together, and then put it back on the shelf as a badass battroid.

EDIT: Added some pics. I have a gallery here.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Nekko Basara

[spanner]

@chyll2.. hmmm they do look a little odd in Gerwalk.. but then again as much as I love Gerwalk on a VF-1 even the 1/60 VF-25 struggles to pull it off without looking somewhat odd..

@Nekko.. your photos look great! I can see from the photo of the fighter mode that it doesn't look like it quite fits together smoothly.. Battroid looks great though! I would say the rest of the issues they suffer from are Bandai keeping a strict count on the costs.

I might get one so I can work on it with my son and see how its goes.. how bad can it be!?

[chyll2]

it is a great kit battroid kit, it can even do a good standing pose with Super Parts on, something that MG Aile Strike ver. RM have trouble doing without careful balancing.The fighter mode just wont line up properly even if I used glued. Makes me thinks that the problem is on me and not on the kit since I saw some modeller OOB build that there is less gap.

as for the gerwalk pose, just look for the v1 1/60 gerwalk, it looks closer than that. you can do a fake A-Stance by dislodging the intakes from the fuselage. It is kind of big deal for me since I love Vf-25 gerwalk the same with Vf-1 Gerwalk.