QEssential Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Mine arrived this morning! I'll prolly keep this in the box and wait for Nexx to open up and play. 😁 Quote
Kinzoku VF Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Stop teasing QE, open the thing,you know you're dying to...(if you haven't already done so, bet you have!) . If it's that bad, you'd be opening 2 crappy things in one go....(although, maybe it's best to be disappointed once rather than twice)....Whatever, don't wait for the other one, open it!!! We want more opinions. Especially regarding the material....is it the exact same plastic one used on the Evo Dynamic Action stuff? I really hope it's different, even if only slightly. It's got to be, with all the hinges etc in a VF, their usual plastic would not withstand more than a few transformations before getting cracks and stress marks all over. . Come on Ems, get me my parcel already! I want to know. Quote
Dark Skull Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) I'm reading a quick review of this on another board and it would seem he's saying this valkyrie isn't as bad as others have made it out to be. Then again, I have seen people be overly critical and overly nitpicky about toys in the past. When I get mine and it's the same, then yeah, I guess that doesn't surprise me one bit. Edited February 20, 2016 by Dark Skull Quote
Jasonc Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Personally, I'd prefer that ET loses the license. I don't mind waiting another decade for a proper version from Bandai or Arcadia if it still survives. This is like paying $60 for an indie game when you have games like Fallout 4 and Witcher 3 at the same price. There, I said it. You'll probably be waiting a lot longer than a decade, most likely. You can always put faith in the Hi-Metal R line. They could very well put one out in a smaller scale. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) Ok...so I received it this morning....first impressions..... The box graphics are really nice...classy and clean on all sides....box is also not too big...but as soon as it took it out of the shipping box I could feel how "light" it was.....diecast? About as much as an HMR.....if not less.... The pilot is painted well-enough... The cockpit has some nice detailing.... About the plastic....well....too all you old-schoolers...think Joons....'nuff said.... About the fit.....really poor.....think Yamato VB-6 at best.....I can only speak of the fit in terms of fighter mode as I have not transformed it into gerwalk or battroid... Other things that will eventually become problematic.....the small caps that fit onto the screws on the tail wings are made of pvc...I'm pretty sure they will yellow....the landing gear almost seems to be made of a different type of plastic as well and may yellow too in time.... Finally......habemos pinkish white plasticus!!! Yes, under certain light...it is very obvious....I don't think my phone's cam captured it...but your naked eye will... My favorite mode for all VFs is fighter mode...I also only display my VFs in dioramas.....so I can "live" with the issues on ET's -2SS since it will live on my displays in fighter mode forever.....it can do the job I need it to do well enough....basically looking cool on a flight deck or hangar display... I agree, with some lining and perhaps appying some of the included decals...this can be made to look much better... In conclusion, I have no regrets on purchasing ET's VF-2SS.....it displays well in fighter mode....and more importantly, we finally have a 1/60 VF-2SS.....like the source material itself, Macross II, you either love it or leave it, but it's still Macross! Some pics... The caps were tricky to install....don't lose them...they only packed one for each tail wing.... This is the "straightest" I could get it....mind you...it is being held in this position by the pressure of my hand....the locking tabs are very weak and loose fitting.... the tabs that are used to "lock" the arms to the legs are practically useless...the legs slip out easily..perhaps adding something to the tab to make it tighter would help...or even replacing it with an improvised shapeways part.... Also note the (dis) coloring of the landing "gear".... The tail wing tabs are even more useless than the arm tabs...I could not get them to lock"...in fact they do not seem to be able to lock at all.... Again....discoloration in the landing "gear".... more landing "gear" discoloration.... These just will not "lock" in place..... Cockpit cover was difficult to open...had to use the tip of an exacto blade....but once opened you are rewarded with some detailing..... Edited December 4, 2016 by jvmacross Quote
SuperHobo Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Neat ET painted in the cockpit display from the opening. I can hear the op song now. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 And some pics of the VF-2SS on display..... Quote
jimber Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 hows the play ability of the toy? is it durable? like the Chunky monkey vf-1 from bandai? Quote
sh9000 Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Looks cool in those diorama pics jvmacross. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) I have not transformed it into battroid or gerwalk. However, the tabs do not hold the legs/arms in place....same for the tail wing tabs.....with that said..."swooshability" is poor to none in fighter mode.....you can do it...but you will need to hold it together with your hand.... Since these specific tabs do not play much of a role when transformed in battroid....I would think that battroid might provide a better "play" option for the VF-2SS....and to a lesser extent, gerwalk mode..... I'll tinker with it later and post some more pics.... Oh...and comparing the durability of the VF-2SS to a Chunky Monkey would be like comparing a mudhut to a concrete bunker....but to be fair, nothing compares to the durability of a chunky monkey...not Yamato, Arcadia, or the recent Bandai stuff....IMO toys built like the original 1/55 can never exist again... Edited February 20, 2016 by jvmacross Quote
GabrielV Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I have not transformed it into battroid or gerwalk. However, the tabs do not hold the legs/arms in place....same for the tail wing tabs.....with that said..."swooshability" is poor to none in fighter mode.....you can do it...but you will need to hold it together with your hand.... If you've ever had a Toynami Masterpiece VF-1 is the floppiness worse or about the same? Quote
no3Ljm Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Thanks for your insight, jvmacross. Really appreciate it. Can't wait for mine to be shipped from private warehouse. To be fair, it really looks nice besides the VF-1J. Also, I know you didn't transform it yet, but did you ever get a chance on fiddling the main wing joints? If it's tight enough for posing it during Gerwalk mode? Thanks in advance. Quote
GabrielV Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 To be fair, it really looks nice besides the VF-1J. I agree. Those diorama shots kick ass. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Looks cool in those diorama pics jvmacross. yeah...she displays very nicely....probably in battroid mode getting "repaired" in a hangar will probably look nice too....hide all the "imperfections" is the key! Quote
warrhead Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 You read my mind jvmacross... this thing totally reminds me of a Joon's valk, especially the pics of the rear in fighter mode. Quote
treatment Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Thanks for the review, jvmacross! I'm pretty sure the MWF will post/feature it up on the front and FB-page when they wake up. I think the discoloration issue is pretty minor. The "joons" plastic-quality is prolly livable. However, it is quite unfortunate about the tabs not locking properly in place. "Swooshability" is pretty important to some, if not most, of us. We can only hope that ET will get wind of your review and apply the necessary improvements for the Nexx version. Can't have their Nexx's SAP flopping all over like the old Bandai kit. Should we give them a B or a C for effort? If this was a $100-$120 valk, prolly at least a solid B+... Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) OK...so I went ahead and transformed it to Gerwalk and Battroid. Both of these mode feel leaps and bounds more solid than the fighter mode......swooshability-proof in both Battroid and Gerwalk modes... However, I have a major issue with Gerwalk mode....it is not how it should be according to the line art.... In the line art....the intakes "jut out" and basically remain unchanged in their position relative to the fighter mode configuration... So basically....I think it should look closer in position to this on the toy.... Unfortunately, in this position....there is no way to bring out the arms......additionally...it is basically held on by a small tab towards the rear of the intake where it fits onto the bottom of the chest piece... When you transform it the way ET designed it...IMO....it loses the proper "look"....with the intakes now fully under the chest area and looking more like a VF-1's Gerwalk mode.... When transformed as ET designed it...it is extremely solid...upon transforming the VF-2SS to gerwalk and Battroid, I have to say ET clearly has a grasp on the use of moveable tabs and panels...they probably needed a few more months in design time to have figured out how to properly hide the transformation mechanism...but who knows.... As a result, if I wanted it to look better in Gerwalk...I would need to leave it "mistransformed".... Finally...Battroid....again very solid, everything locks up nicely...the only thing that could have been improved was the hip area.....it is a bit too narrow.....this part also can be left "unlocked" and you gain some additional range in poseability...but at the expense of leaving it "floppy"..... Battroid looks good and feels tight when properly transformed with everything locked in place....I have to say...it looks much better in person..it has a very nice presence...on some of the pics on the web...the legs seemed too short....perhaps the legs were not pulled out correctly? Anyways, looking at it in person...the proportions look good.....and it displays very well in battroid mode... After transforming the VF-2SS to Battroid...it is really odd why ET left the tabs on the chest plates....they clearly had the ability to have designed them so they could either flip back, spin 180 degrees, or simply slide down....perhaps someone can devise a solution for them.... Edited February 20, 2016 by jvmacross Quote
Kinzoku VF Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 (edited) Many thanks for taking the time with these enlightening insights Jvmacross. And for sharing your impressions and having answered most of the questions we all had. It's pretty much exactly what I expected from Evo Toys ( in terms of quality). I just hoped that being a different line as Dynamite Action, we would get lucky with the materials used, but it was not meant to be....If any of you own some of their other stuff will know how crappy the materials are... They are not 'action figures' they are more akin to built model kits. ( I know, I keep saying it, but all the Dynamite Action figures I own have issues...ALL of them! I have given up on the line completely. All are in their boxes in storage, aside from 1 that is on display. ( just because it's the only version of that particular robot I own...) Still, I am happy to finally get a 1/60 rendition of this bird though. Even if it's model kit quality... Now that I know more or less what to expect, I definitely won't be keeping this VF as it is out of the box. It will be customised and 'detailed up'. It's just a bit bland and 'meh' as it is. I'm sure with a bit of work that it can be turned into a nice piece! ✌️ Thanks again for all your pics Jvmacross, much appreciated m(_ _)m. Edit after seeing the Battroid and Gerwalk pics: I would've preferred a tight 'Swooshable' fighter mode over Battroid, but I guess 1 decent mode out of 3 is something. (Odd that as a robot collector, when it comes to Macross, I'm really into fighter modes more than anything 😭) Edited February 20, 2016 by Kinzoku VF Quote
SuperHobo Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I'm more of a battroid mode guy so hearing it locks together well in B and G mode is good to my ears. Hopefully Nexx time ET can get the tolerances right for all of three modes and have the manufacturing down pat. Quote
Guest davidwhangchoi Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 battroid look good in those poses Quote
anime52k8 Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 yeah but I agree they would have been a bit more discrete yeah that was a bit hard for the first transforming toy of ET lets keep in mind nobody wanted to pick this license, and I think there is a lot of anime magic on the transformation of the VF-2 I actually don't think the VF-2's (SS and JA) actually cheat all that much. they're not that much mass shifting or cheated use of space or mechanisms that don't actually make sense. TBH even some of the modern CG valks cheat more with there mechanicals. Quote
505thAirborne Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Thank you for the pics & review jvmacross, I was getting a bit concerned with this Valk, mine should be here next week and am totally looking forward to it. Question as you have this in hand, would small magnets possibly help this Valk for fighter mode? Something like the Leg Armor on the Yamato VF-0's. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 Thank you for the pics & review jvmacross, I was getting a bit concerned with this Valk, mine should be here next week and am totally looking forward to it. Question as you have this in hand, would small magnets possibly help this Valk for fighter mode? Something like the Leg Armor on the Yamato VF-0's. I believe they would have....at least in the area where the arms are supposed to lock in with the legs in fighter mode...funny as the use of magnets are one of ET's gimmicks used in their other lines...missed opportunity I suppose Quote
Dark Skull Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I believe they would have....at least in the area where the arms are supposed to lock in with the legs in fighter mode...funny as the use of magnets are one of ET's gimmicks used in their other lines...missed opportunity I suppose Magnets huh? I have some small earth magnets. Maybe I should give that a try when I get mine in...... Quote
505thAirborne Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I believe they would have....at least in the area where the arms are supposed to lock in with the legs in fighter mode...funny as the use of magnets are one of ET's gimmicks used in their other lines...missed opportunity I suppose "Swing and a Miss" for sure if that is ET's usual routine. I think little mini magnets are my next purchase (can't hurt to try!) Quote
Bobby Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 Unfortunately, in this position....there is no way to bring out the arms......additionally...it is basically held on by a small tab towards the rear of the intake where it fits onto the bottom of the chest piece... When you transform it the way ET designed it...IMO....it loses the proper "look"....with the intakes now fully under the chest area and looking more like a VF-1's Gerwalk mode.... When transformed as ET designed it...it is extremely solid...upon transforming the VF-2SS to gerwalk and Battroid, I have to say ET clearly has a grasp on the use of moveable tabs and panels...they probably needed a few more months in design time to have figured out how to properly hide the transformation mechanism...but who knows.... As a result, if I wanted it to look better in Gerwalk...I would need to leave it "mistransformed".... Actually, I think ET has the placement correct, the issue is more in that D (see pic) is not long enough and able to point downwards to give that effect. In G-walk, it appears to me that the relationship from A and D is they are stacked on top of each other and very close compared to how far away those corresponding points are in Fighter. The lineart seems to show that the top of the valks hip/intake actually sits underneath the intakes on the underside of the chestplate. The relationship in Fighter between B and D is that they are more side-by-side (i.e. D's distance from A is greater). Our old Bandai kit kinda got it right when they provided us with 3 hip-socket sets where the G-walk set spacing was in between Battroid and Fighter width, but closer to the spacing of battroid. Quote
jvmacross Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 Actually, I think ET has the placement correct, the issue is more in that D (see pic) is not long enough and able to point downwards to give that effect. In G-walk, it appears to me that the relationship from A and D is they are stacked on top of each other and very close compared to how far away those corresponding points are in Fighter. The lineart seems to show that the top of the valks hip/intake actually sits underneath the intakes on the underside of the chestplate. The relationship in Fighter between B and D is that they are more side-by-side (i.e. D's distance from A is greater). Our old Bandai kit kinda got it right when they provided us with 3 hip-socket sets where the G-walk set spacing was in between Battroid and Fighter width, but closer to the spacing of battroid. After closer inspection of the line art...you are correct regarding the positioning of the intakes during gerwalk mode.....it's like the intake/legs are still in that "disconnected" looking configuration that they are in during fighter mode....it is very unique to this valk and without that "look", the gerwalk mode ends up being the weakest mode representation for ET's VF-2SS....it looks too much like a VF-1's gerwalk mode... Quote
no3Ljm Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 Thanks jvmacross for all your posts and insights. As for the legs resting in Gerwalk mode, I think ET has it right, lineart based wise. That's what I'm thinking too before when they're started showing photos of the toy. And I started looking at the lineart back and forth. If the leg should be more outward like in the Fighter mode. And when I saw some transformation art, I found out that the legs contract under the chest area like VF-1 does like what Bobby pointed out. But hearing good things about it coming from you, I think I will be happy transforming it. Can't wait. Finally...Battroid....again very solid, everything locks up nicely...the only thing that could have been improved was the hip area.....it is a bit too narrow.....this part also can be left "unlocked" and you gain some additional range in poseability...but at the expense of leaving it "floppy"..... Battroid looks good and feels tight when properly transformed with everything locked in place....I have to say...it looks much better in person..it has a very nice presence...on some of the pics on the web...the legs seemed too short....perhaps the legs were not pulled out correctly? Anyways, looking at it in person...the proportions look good.....and it displays very well in battroid mode... Hey jvmacross, did you intentionally didn't flip the rear wing fin for Battroid mode? And how's the back pack thruster sliders are they loose? Quote
jvmacross Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 Hey jvmacross, did you intentionally didn't flip the rear wing fin for Battroid mode? And how's the back pack thruster sliders are they loose? Yeah...just paying around with it....the whole backpack area is fine...other than that big white "plank" hanging from it....the thrusters slide up and down and hold any position you leave them in...overall, it is not the kind of toy you will probably get away with transforming too many times before things start getting loose... Other than a swappable piece for that "plank"....not sure what else could have been done with it...if it is too short...it just leaves the battroid "head" exposed when in fighter mode....maybe if it was made so it could fold to half the length once in battroid mode??? Quote
GabrielV Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 The one decent shot shown of the Gerwalk mode of the VF-2SS in Episode 4, section B of the OAV shows the leg intakes way out to the side of the fusealage intakes. More or less position D or fighter position. The shoulders are resting on top of the intakes. Is there any way to connect the gunpod to the undercarriage? I've seen something that looks like this in a few shots. Incidentally, I don't think I've seen the fin coming down from the bottom center (slightly to the rear of the cockpit section). I take it that feature doesn't exist on this toy? Quote
spanner Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 im liking the box art. has a very 80's style look to it. The pilot figure looks like a hastily painted blob of chewing gum from under a school desk. But in fairness to ET most other Valkyrie toy pilot figures have been poor to marginal. The overall look of the toy from JV's photos it appears fairly reasonable and I commend ET for their efforts but in saying that it still is far from up to scratch with toys from Arcadia and Bandai. And a little too distant from the line art for my liking. It definitely has an unpainted assembly kit look to it and the fit and finish is rather subpar. Certain in your face details such as the upper chest plate locking tabs are a shame they didn't hide or design those out of site and the underside in fighter mode is way to blocky / busy compared to the more slender design in the line art. It will be interesting to see some dynamic poses and gauge its abilities. But I guess the most important thing with this toy is that its been finally done for the pleasure of the fans but I think I speak for most here when I say that we hope for a refined or redesigned toy in the future or even something from the other big two toy manufactures. Quote
Kinzoku VF Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 Even my hand painted Yamato 1/60 kit ver pilots look "neater" at least most lines, along the trousers and sleeves are straight (old pic that was in my Ipad from when I was painting some 'Unpainted" ver...) Same thing goes for the details I painted in the cockpits....I did not try "ultra hard", but they still are twice as detailed.... Obviously you cannot compare "Mass produced" to Hand-painted. But again, feels like I'm going to be receiving a partially finished VF 😭....Don't mind the work,I love modelling, but they should've just marketed it as a kit from the get go an lower its price. People would've been more forgiving of its faults ( I say this, but we probably would've complained anyway....Macross peeps are a hard crowd to please! Lol ) Whatever, it is what it is. Will have to make the best of it. Grateful to finally have it in 1/60 as it might be a long wait until we get see another one. Quote
treatment Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 (edited) im liking the box art. has a very 80's style look to it. The pilot figure looks like a hastily painted blob of chewing gum from under a school desk. But in fairness to ET most other Valkyrie toy pilot figures have been poor to marginal. The overall look of the toy from JV's photos it appears fairly reasonable and I commend ET for their efforts but in saying that it still is far from up to scratch with toys from Arcadia and Bandai. And a little too distant from the line art for my liking. It definitely has an unpainted assembly kit look to it and the fit and finish is rather subpar. Certain in your face details such as the upper chest plate locking tabs are a shame they didn't hide or design those out of site and the underside in fighter mode is way to blocky / busy compared to the more slender design in the line art. It will be interesting to see some dynamic poses and gauge its abilities. But I guess the most important thing with this toy is that its been finally done for the pleasure of the fans but I think I speak for most here when I say that we hope for a refined or redesigned toy in the future or even something from the other big two toy manufactures. I will say this. This ET VF2SS' battroid-mode is much more pleasing to look at than Yamarcadia's VF-4G's battroid-mode. Heck! It looks much better than any of the Frontier valks in battroid-mode! And it does not even have the SAP to wear and accentuate as of yet. Edited February 21, 2016 by treatment Quote
spanner Posted February 21, 2016 Posted February 21, 2016 I will say this. This ET VF2SS' battroid-mode is much more pleasing to look at than Yamarcadia's VF-4G's battroid-mode... hehe! yeah probably! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.