So, which is better overall? Arcadia YF-19 or Bandai VF-19 Advance

[treatment]

We'll see how the VF-19Advanced holds up over time. Literally.

I've been reading posts about the Frontier DX-Chogokin valks getting/going loose and floppy after a couple of months or so.

Not sure if any of the Arcadia valks have gotten loose, yet. Well, other than specifically due to the questionable ankle-joints.

[no3Ljm]

That's why I already repaired my Arcadia's YF-19 ankle joints. And up to now, they're super tight.

[ArchieNov]

We'll see how the VF-19Advanced holds up over time. Literally.

I've been reading posts about the Frontier DX-Chogokin valks getting/going loose and floppy after a couple of months or so.

Not sure if any of the Arcadia valks have gotten loose, yet. Well, other than specifically due to the questionable ankle-joints.

A lot of my Yamato stuff has gotten loose already. My VF-19 has gotten loose at the hips, the SV-51 is loose everywhere, the ankles of my VF-17 are looser than my Arcadia YF-19 as of now, my Max VF-22's hips and wings are also loose. The bad thing about Yamato/Arcadia is that they make it almost impossible to disassemble these joints without damaging it in order to tighten them up.

At least for the Bandai valks, the joints are easily accessible.

[chyll2]

A lot of my Yamato stuff has gotten loose already. My VF-19 has gotten loose at the hips, the SV-51 is loose everywhere, the ankles of my VF-17 are looser than my Arcadia YF-19 as of now, my Max VF-22's hips and wings are also loose. The bad thing about Yamato/Arcadia is that they make it almost impossible to disassemble these joints without damaging it in order to tighten them up.

At least for the Bandai valks, the joints are easily accessible.

[Lolicon]

I for one never doubted that Bandai had the ability and the resources to make great valkyrie toys. I did however doubt that Bandai would want to put in the investment needed to make great toys. Whether through carelessness or incompetence, their early Frontier toys were pieces of sh**.

I'm in agreement that they finally got their act together in the renewal era.

The VF-25 and YF-30 are still my favorite Bandai valkyries for being both beautiful and a pleasure to handle & transform.

That second part does not apply to the VF-19.

[Dimis]

I haven't voted and I own three of each. I'm not going to vote because there are things I like and hate about both. 'Brief' (not a full list) examples will be posted below.

I just feel that voting one over the other isn't exactly justifiable because they weren't released 'around the same time'. According to HLJ Bandai released theirs about one year and three months after Arcadia. I just think that gives Bandai (a very large company with maybe unlimited resources) a very large edge and with more time to improve over Arcadia's version.

Likes:

Arcadia bit the bullet and attempted to improve the YF-19 over its predecessor (the Yamato YF-19) before Bandai. I don't think anyone expected a VF-19/YF-19 variant until Bandai announced it.

Bandai put more engineering behind the VF-19... more than any other company did

Dislikes/hates:

Arcadia's use of the ball joints for the ankles

Bandai's horrible... I mean horrible QC to no extent. It completely throws any of their collectible value out the window when you have to worry about exploding, broken, mismatched, missing parts. This is the reason I open all my Bandai products as soon as receiving them to ensure they're not defective out of the box. All three of my VF-19 Advances have small blemishes (embedded in the plastic) all over the valks, one had a gouged edge on a foot, another had nicks in the plastic on the arm, all three have over cut marks on the rear landing bay doors and there are more things I can probably complain about.

I completely agree about Bandai's QC. I'm sick of finding something on every single piece. Paint chips are the least, i know, but my Isamu YF-29 had several paint chips out of the box - i swear, i keep mine in the box even if i open them! - I gave up collecting any repaints because of how annoying it got. Not that Yamato/Arcadia are flawless, but it's more like a 30% having something notable of all that i own - i own most releases post 2012 - whereas with Bandai it's 70%! If only ALTER did Macross... Their QC is out of this world, at least in the ALMECHA line.

Edited August 20, 2015 by Dimis

[Valkyrie Driver]

I for one never doubted that Bandai had the ability and the resources to make great valkyrie toys. I did however doubt that Bandai would want to put in the investment needed to make great toys. Whether through carelessness or incompetence, their early Frontier toys were pieces of sh**.

I'm in agreement that they finally got their act together in the renewal era.

I think Bandai figured out that compared to the Yamato toys, their early attempts were clumsy and hateful, and not at all what the market wanted. Instead of simply keeping up with crap toys, they responded to the markets demands for better, and delivered.

The VF-25 and YF-30 are still my favorite Bandai valkyries for being both beautiful and a pleasure to handle & transform.

That second part does not apply to the VF-19.

So you don't think that the Bandai VF-19 is a pleasure to handle and transform? I disagree, but that's based on my only other YF-19 (ish) toy, the Yamato 1/60, which literally falls apart with handling. The upper torso is not secure, and the legs come off at the hips. The arms are floppy and terrible, and it's a nightmare to pose, but it looks good ones you get it to pose.

I'll take the bandai over that or my VF-171 any day.

[Lolicon]

Despite it's many flaws, the old Yamato YF-19 was a great transforming toy... until parts started exploding. Mine is stashed away somewhere, out of sight.

But I'm not comparing Bandai's current offerings to a 10 year old toy from a now defunct company. I'm comparing it to what's available now.

[Chronocidal]

Joints being accessible is on a valk-by-valk basis, for both companies. Pre VF-19 series, everything Yamato made was incredibly easy to service. The v2 VF-1 series is like a dream to work on, and it's probably why we got unassebled kits of it.

Lately though, every joint has become buried under layer after layer of glued-on parts, making maintenance a nightmare. Certain things you can still get to, but whereas Yamato and Arcadia started gluing screw covers over things, Bandai has a tendency to glue a screw cover on, and then hide the screw cover with a giant plastic panel that you would destroy trying to get off (speaking of the leg assembly on the VF-171.. they really don't want you taking those lower legs apart).

Most of the ball joints can be accessed in one way or another, but I like to break down and rebuild my valks as far as I can to work on them, and that is getting harder and harder to do without damaging them. It also is getting that much harder to fix them when they break, because everything is glued shut.

[Froy]

Isn't 19 advance battroid mode a bit skinny?

[Sildani]

Joints being accessible is on a valk-by-valk basis, for both companies. Pre VF-19 series, everything Yamato made was incredibly easy to service.

Even the broken-hipped 1/72 VF-11? How'd you fix that?

[jenius]

There's a throwback problem.

[Chronocidal]

Ah yeah, I guess I should say, I only got started around the 1/48th VF-1 and Macross Zero line, so the earliest valk I have is a 1/48th VF-1J.

[Mommar]

There is another possibility why the Arcadia is scoring higher in votes right now. if you go look at the introduction to Macross thread a lot of people on this board either discovered Macross through Plus and/or were re-introduced to it through Plus. The 19 is their favorite Valk. Not 3D-rendered, Frontier Isamu 19, but hand drawn Plus YF-19. Despite how accurate the Bandai is to the Frontier likeness, the Arcadia looks like the hand drawn YF-19. And, yes, the lack of tampo actually means it looks more like the Animation than not, so it won't bother too many people that it isn't there.

My kingdom for new ankles.

[treatment]

let's spice this polling up a bit...

from http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=785a0ec3f39a5a820c209375c39c7ff0&showtopic=41848&page=89#entry1208024

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Arcadia's YF-19 is sexier in every mode. Just my subjective two cents!!!

Bandai's fighter is too straight, the canopy is too big, the feet protrude too much.

Bandai's battroid has clown feet compared to the lower thin legs, the shoulders are too small, and the head looks squashed with it's short chin/mouth piece.

Again this is my subjective view. Other members will find things they don't like about Arcadia's YF -19.

Edited August 21, 2015 by Ignacio Ocamica

[Loop]

Looking at the pic above I prefer the YF-19's landing gear.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

yf-19, it's not even close in fighter mode.

[no3Ljm]

Looking back at those photos made me wish that Arcadia will revisit this one again for Ver3 and make the changes that Bandai did and update it more. Simplify it and make it their own sans tampo prints. Hehehe. And release it as the 'ultimate' set along with the Missles, Fast Packs, Fold Booster (Light up), the Advance Booster Pack, and Water Slide Decals! And charge us only for Y41200. Maximum! And that's basing on today's Arcadia's pricing mark. Now I'm looking forward to AmiAmi's 20% off preorder price.

[cyde01]

nice sarcasm! i'm the biggest 19 fan out there but i'm not getting no ver3.

Arcadia's YF-19 is sexier in every mode. Just my subjective two cents!!!

Bandai's fighter is too straight, the canopy is too big, the feet protrude too much.
Bandai's battroid has clown feet compared to the lower thin legs, the shoulders are too small, and the jead looks squashed with it's short chin/mouth piece.

Again this is my subjective view. Other members will find things they don't like about Arcadia's YF -19.

i think i like the arcadia sculpt better but i don't think one's really that overwhelmingly better than the other.

looking at the fighter pics the canards do look too flat on the bandai, but the droopy nose on the arcadia does look weird in side profile. perhaps if the nose landing gear was longer the droop wouldn't bother me so much. also, as has been noted by many the fat lip on the leading intake edge and the exposed knees with black covers is a complete eye sore on the arcadia.

as far as battroid i thought i preferred the bigger, rounder intakes, fatter legs, and larger shoulders on the arcadia but seeing them side to side like that, i'm starting to like the smaller shoulders on the bandai more. as far as the legs, i think the perfect sculpt would be somewhere in between the beefy legs of the arcadia and skinnier legs of the bandai. the overly pointy, triangular shape of the intakes on the bandai does remind me too much of the old yamato 1/60 though. of course, getting the ankles pulled out at just the right amount helps a lot.

Edited August 21, 2015 by cyde01

[no3Ljm]

nice sarcasm! i'm the biggest 19 fan out there but i'm not getting no ver3.

Hahaha! I'm serious about Version 3. I guess, I'm the biggest YF-19 fan now because if ever Arcadia decided to upgrade and make a Ver3 along with those accessories and parts that I've mentioned, then count me in for two.

[PsYcHoDyNaMiX]

Im down for another three! XD

[hadiwinata]

i own both, i have transformed the arcadia but to have transformed the bandai ones...

i display the arcadia on battroid and the bandai in fighter because thats how its shown in the movie....so this comparison is just based on the fighter mode as opposed to the whole 3 modes. for some reason the arcadia just seems more "smooth" and has that high quality look. perhaps the bandai glossy finish is creating a cheap feel. but so far im liking the arcadia just a tad more.

also from the pictures shown. the bandai seems too skinny it gives a frontier-esque vibe.

[chyll2]

perhaps the bandai glossy finish is creating a cheap feel.

@hadiwinata

Are you mistaking something about the Bandai?

[spanner]

let's spice this polling up a bit...

from http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=41848&page=89#entry1208024

Probably the best two modes to do a direct visual comparison with as gerwalk for a 19 is a little awkward looking. Im still not going to chose one over the other as they both each have their good and bad points but looking at these photos im still preferring both the profile in fighter and the chunkier look in battroid of the Arcadia. It just looks better and far more faithful to the anime. But the Bandai gains so much back with detail and tampo! And i love the little gimmicks and technical details they built into it! Adds a charm that the Arcadia simply doesn't have. Its like trying to chose a favorite of your children.. i know i wouldnt be able to and glad i have only one! As for these two 19's, i love them both equally.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i think i like the arcadia sculpt better but i don't think one's really that overwhelmingly better than the other.

looking at the fighter pics the canards do look too flat on the bandai, but the droopy nose on the arcadia does look weird in side profile.

i just opened my advance, bandai's neck in fighter mode looks silly from the side view. not sure about the landing gear but that nose curved on the arcadia makes it much superior to the bandai, neck.

from the top view bandai's is just flat like the SR-71 blackbird. while the arcadia neck has defined curves that go in then widens as it reaches the nose

[Bolt]

if you like Macross Plus go with Arcadia YF19, if you like Macross Frontier go with Bandai VF19A. For me i vote for Arcadia Macross Plus YF19.

Sounds apropriate ..

[no3Ljm]

Isn't 19 advance battroid mode a bit skinny?

Yup, since it was produced by Bandai to make it look somehow in par with their Frontier Valks.

Probably the best two modes to do a direct visual comparison with as gerwalk for a 19 is a little awkward looking. Im still not going to chose one over the other as they both each have their good and bad points but looking at these photos im still preferring both the profile in fighter and the chunkier look in battroid of the Arcadia. It just looks better and far more faithful to the anime. But the Bandai gains so much back with detail and tampo! And i love the little gimmicks and technical details they built into it! Adds a charm that the Arcadia simply doesn't have. Its like trying to chose a favorite of your children.. i know i wouldnt be able to and glad i have only one! As for these two 19's, i love them both equally.

I guess, it's time to wait for Version 3 then eh, Spanner? I'm down with two as long that it will have all that I mentioned above. Hahaha! If so, are you down with three?

[Mommar]

I guess, it's time to wait for Version 3 then eh, Spanner? I'm down with two as long that it will have all that I mentioned above. Hahaha! If so, are you down with three?

It wouldn't take much to get a V.3 right, really. Give it a real double jointed elbow, add a locking mechanism for the wing bar (or just remove the damn thing) add an additional click/more range to the upper thigh and fix the ankles!

[no3Ljm]

It wouldn't take much to get a V.3 right, really. Give it a real double jointed elbow, add a locking mechanism for the wing bar (or just remove the damn thing) add an additional click/more range to the upper thigh and fix the ankles!

Right there, Mommar. That's part of what I'm thinking when I said if Arcadia will pick up this time all the good stuff that Bandai did and add something to make their own again. And add those wonderful accessories from the missiles up to the advanced pack and make it the ultimate set, then everyone will be happy. And the second hand market will get saturated again with the Arcadia's YF-19 and Bandai's VF-19 Advance. Though, we probably gonna hate it again since Arcadia is not a big fan of tampo, they could have supply us with a water slide decal sheet instead and giving us an option whether to dress it up in UNSpacy or SMS. Sounds 'Ultimate' for you, right?

[spanner]

Yup, since it was produced by Bandai to make it look somehow in par with their Frontier Valks.

I guess, it's time to wait for Version 3 then eh, Spanner? I'm down with two as long that it will have all that I mentioned above. Hahaha! If so, are you down with three?

a version 3!?!? gahh! although seeing I only have one YF-19 it wouldn't be so bad replacing just the one! I'd off load the old one to my son which im sure he'd appreciate!

It wouldn't take much to get a V.3 right, really. Give it a real double jointed elbow, add a locking mechanism for the wing bar (or just remove the damn thing) add an additional click/more range to the upper thigh and fix the ankles!

yeah a further refinement of the current design to correct a few things would be appreciated. Along with a few more surface details and the odd extra tampo here n there then hooray!

[ArchieNov]

It wouldn't take much to get a V.3 right, really. Give it a real double jointed elbow, add a locking mechanism for the wing bar (or just remove the damn thing) add an additional click/more range to the upper thigh and fix the ankles!

I'd normally agree with this statement. But after seeing how people here reacted to the VF-27 Renewal, wouldn't they hate calling it a v3 because it was mostly the same mold as before with just a few fixes/enhancements here and there? It would probably be called a v2.5 or something.

Honestly, I never did quite understand the hate on the VF-27 Renewal. It basically gave us all the things we were asking for after the first YF-29 or VF-25 Renewal came out (updated shoulders, hips, ankles, articulated hands, included stand, super pack) plus more (extra tampo, clear canopy, no need for partial transformation to attach gunpod). But in spite of that, people were calling it a v1.5 (which I think is understating what it is). IMO, the first VF-27 was already a v1.5 because it was a vast improvement over the v1 VF-25. The additional revisions they made brought it much closer to the v2 VF-25.

Edited August 21, 2015 by ArchieNov

[jenius]

Well that there VF-27 talk is a whole different discussion entirely but you already understand it. The V2 VF-25 was 100% a new mold. Some people wanted Bandai to do that to the VF-27 because honestly, though the VF-27 is better than the V1 VF-25 ever was, it could benefit from it, particularly around the shoulder mechanisms. I think you're right, if Arcadia made an 'enhanced' YF-19 using their current mold but with fixes for high speed mode and a few other things, it wouldn't be greeted as a new 'version' but rather a variation of the current version. I would totally be down for that. I really like what Arcadia tried to accomplish... but there's no question they came up short in a few areas.

[Chronocidal]

I think one thing that YF/VF-19 molds tend to suffer from in general is that the nose gear is far too short. The gear loses out, because there's not that much room for a full length strut. Consequently, you get droopy gunpods that drag on the ground, and the planes look like they're leaning forward.

Bandai sidestepped that problem a little by making the gear fold in half. End result is that the Bandai is the first 19 mold that actually looks level on the gear, so I have to give them major credit for that. I still think the gear looks goofy with such a short bay, and would gladly have traded the waist joint for a full gear, but that's just my personal preference, and I still have to give them credit for coming up with any waist joint at all.

I think my two biggest gripes about the Arcadia are the bad wing mechanism, and the gappy knee design (besides the ankles, though mine aren't that bad). While I understand the knees give it a much beefier look in battroid, I think they could have easily extended the lower legs a little further forward without drastically changing the overall shape.

The neck comparison is interesting, but I think that VF-19 pictured might a bit of adjusting in the nose area. Mine feels like the nose tends to sit lower than that, and adds a bit to the droop. The biggest detractor from the nose profile though, is that bulgy middle panel underneath. I can't imagine why they molded it that way, I don't think there's anything on the inside that prevents the panel from curving upwards further. They just decided to bulge that one panel downward, and I think it makes the VF-19 look like it's got something stuck in its throat.

The droopy canards will forever bug me though.

[grymg]

I wonder how different this poll would look if it was only open to people who owned both. This coming from a person who only owns the Bandai, so I have no basis for comparison other than pictures... I think those votes are the only reason why it's so close otherwise Arcadia by a large margin.