Bandai DX VF-31

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, given the way those pieces snap in, I think it'd be pretty easy for them to break.  Honestly, for pieces that shape, it might be best to glue a support brace across the inside surface of the door, and just paint it to match. 

I do feel like they skimped on the detail for those pod doors though, they're not quite the right shape, and the hinges are really bulky.  Makes me wonder if something a little better could be designed and put up on shapeways that would put the rotation point back further inside the box.

[MacrossJunkie]

It's probably just my crap luck with QC. Like:

• my VF-19S right leg just randomly falling off not too long after I got it, while it was displayed in battroid mode
• one of my VF-171's missing a multitude of parts in addition to the exploding shoulders
• tip of the VF-19Advance head laser was broken off and missing out of the box
• VF-0D head laser hinge cracked out of the box
• folding hinge for sliding neck plate of YF-29 Alto disintegrated. worked out a fix for it.
• SV-51 Nora leg swivel part disintegrated over time. Was able to repair with glue.
• VF-22S Gamlin thighs weakened and split apart

I know there's more but can't remember them at the moment.

Keep in mind I don't play with them. I transform a few times, then weather them and stick them on display. So some of these broke on their own or disintegrated over time while not being handled and only noticed until later...

9 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

Yeah, given the way those pieces snap in, I think it'd be pretty easy for them to break.  Honestly, for pieces that shape, it might be best to glue a support brace across the inside surface of the door, and just paint it to match. 

I do feel like they skimped on the detail for those pod doors though, they're not quite the right shape, and the hinges are really bulky.  Makes me wonder if something a little better could be designed and put up on shapeways that would put the rotation point back further inside the box.

Yeah, I noted those were not the right shape as well. I'll see if I can find some plastic weld type glue. Hoping it will work on this type of plastic. I guess worst case scenario, I'll just display it in fighter mode where the missing flaps are mostly hidden. I'll re-tint the canopy and hope it helps to hide the crack.

Edited January 4, 2017 by MacrossJunkie

[Saburo]

13 hours ago, TCracker said:

 

 

 

 

Love the shots TC!, keep the photos coming.

 

3 hours ago, MacrossJunkie said:

The plastic of one of my copies seems kind of brittle. The canopy cracked down the middle of the front half, probably sometime while I was opening it. The two large top and bottom flaps on the container module have also split apart. One split in half where it attaches to the hinge, and the other is in the process of splitting apart along the same area. Not sure if they were on too tight which caused them to split or what. Waiting to see what happens to my other one. Hopefully it was just bad luck/QC on the one.

The canopy is very surprising considering how many of them I've opened or taken off without a problem. Anyone else have any similar issues?

Damn MJ that sucks. I am sorry. Hope your other one doesn't have the same problem. This the first report of this issue and hoping its not a wide spread issue.  I'll take a look at mine and check for any type of stress marks.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Saburo

[Garfinkel]

I have a slight QC issue with mine. There is some kind of burr/paint/lump on the inside of the double hinge for the shoulder which stops it from moving more than a few degrees. Anyone have any good ideas?  I have applied more force to it that any other valk part i have encountered and i am very worried that i will destroy the parts around it before it moves.

I  can still get some passable battroid mode poses but they generally have to be quite aggressive. It certainly has knocked my enjoyment of the toy which otherwise has been excellent.

[Saburo]

1 minute ago, Garfinkel said:

I have a slight QC issue with mine. There is some kind of burr/paint/lump on the inside of the double hinge for the shoulder which stops it from moving more than a few degrees. Anyone have any good ideas?  I have applied more force to it that any other valk part i have encountered and i am very worried that i will destroy the parts around it before it moves.

I  can still get some passable battroid mode poses but they generally have to be quite aggressive. It certainly has knocked my enjoyment of the toy which otherwise has been excellent.

Can you post a picture of the burr/paint/lump?

[Scream Man]

Man MC, you are cursed man  Im sorry about all the problems.  

[aaajin]

41 minutes ago, MacrossJunkie said:

• my VF-19S right leg just randomly falling off not too long after I got it, while it was displayed in battroid mode
• one of my VF-171's missing a multitude of parts in addition to the exploding shoulders
• tip of the VF-19Advance head laser was broken off and missing out of the box
• VF-0D head laser hinge cracked out of the box
• folding hinge for sliding neck plate of YF-29 Alto disintegrated. worked out a fix for it.
• SV-51 Nora leg swivel part disintegrated over time. Was able to repair with glue.
• VF-22S Gamlin thighs weakened and split apart

well to be "fair" with your predicament, the last two issues are pretty common.

my ivanov 51 suffered from hip breakage, which I suspect because of brittle plastic. they crumbled into several pieces & it was one hell of a job to glue them back.

my 2 x gamlins cracked their hips, but were easily repaired with plastic cement.

[MacrossJunkie]

12 hours ago, TCracker said:

TCracker, I haven't been around for over a year probably, but I have to say that I noticed your photos have really improved. These are nice shots.

 

6 minutes ago, aaajin said:

well to be "fair" with your predicament, the last two issues are pretty common.

my ivanov 51 suffered from hip breakage, which I suspect because of brittle plastic. they crumbled into several pieces & it was one hell of a job to glue them back.

my 2 x gamlins cracked their hips, but were easily repaired with plastic cement.

Ah, I didn't realize they were common problems. I left out the typical broken VF-1 and VF-0 shoulders that happened to just about everyone.

[abbadon]

Love the pics, TCracker!

Might have to get that Freyja figure after all.

[jenius]

Better late than never; my review is up!

 

[Lolicon]

Good review. I'd like a YF-31.

I believe the clear parts on the nose are sensors, not fold quartz. They're actually supposed to be set inside a transparent cover, but that would be more expensive. The Tomy version has it painted the way it's supposed to look. 

[Graham]

Great review, but yeah, as Lolicon mentioned, the sensors on the nose are NOT Fold Quartz, they are just sensors.

Also  "Individual hologram devicë"!!!???  I think you mean multi-drones.

Graham

[jenius]

Thanks guys, if I'm able to get Messer's I'll get that stuff right in the review.

[Graham]

My only negatives so far with the VF-31J toy are:

1) The gap behind the cockpit in Fighter/Gerwalk mode.

2) The non-hinged trigger finger of the articulated hands.

But, these are minor quibbles. So far I'm overall super impressed with this toy. It's become my favorite VF toy.

 

[Sandman]

Yeah the articulate hands are a step backward imo. The knives not being able to be stored in fighter mode is another step backward. I'd also add the crappy knee landing gear to your list.

Despite the above I agree it's still one of the best valk toys out there. Definitely the best DX. Not the best design but those of the best valk toys out there. I love how solid battroid mode is. I'm usually a fighter mode guy but I find myself leaving this guy in battroid mode just because how fun it is and doesn't fall apart list most DX battroids.

[Graham]

Actually, I had mine in fighter mode with the knives stored in the shields and didn't notice any problems.

I'm probably the only person on the forum that's actually OK with the landing gear design. At least it's something different from normal........Hahaha

I'm normally a Fighter mode guy too, but I'm finding I really love the Gerwalk mode on this and I'm a person that rarely displays my VFs in Gerwalk.

[Lorindor]

I got mine yesterday and I transformed it to battroid right away. I like it. Easy transformation as compared to the VF-25 family.

I agree with most criticism though; that canopy doesn't look good, for example. I haven't done any poses yet, but the shoulder doesn't seem to be that flexible. Let's see how that goes.

[spanner]

1 hour ago, Graham said:

My only negatives so far with the VF-31J toy are:

1) The gap behind the cockpit in Fighter/Gerwalk mode.

2) The non-hinged trigger finger of the articulated hands.

But, these are minor quibbles. So far I'm overall super impressed with this toy. It's become my favorite VF toy.

yeah the gap behind the cockpit can be a little annoying but I found if you firmly hold the cockpit section with one hand and the the forward fuselage with the other and do a slight and gentle twisting motion (each hand twisting in the opposite direction) it can help encourage the parts to lock together a little better thus close the gap right up. 

The trigger finger isn't much of an issue for me as im liking leaving the gun pod attached to the backpack thing in both gerwalk and battroid. In my opinion the Valkyrie looks really good with the forearm cannons deployed! Like you mention in a following comment about the landing gear, the forearm cannons are different and welcoming idea.

35 minutes ago, Sandman said:

Yeah the articulate hands are a step backward imo. The knives not being able to be stored in fighter mode is another step backward. I'd also add the crappy knee landing gear to your list.

Despite the above I agree it's still one of the best valk toys out there. Definitely the best DX. Not the best design but those of the best valk toys out there. I love how solid battroid mode is. I'm usually a fighter mode guy but I find myself leaving this guy in battroid mode just because how fun it is and doesn't fall apart list most DX battroids.

28 minutes ago, Graham said:

Actually, I had mine in fighter mode with the knives stored in the shields and didn't notice any problems.

I'm probably the only person on the forum that's actually OK with the landing gear design. At least it's something different from normal........Hahaha

I'm normally a Fighter mode guy too, but I'm finding I really love the Gerwalk mode on this and I'm a person that rarely displays my VFs in Gerwalk.

I don't have any issue with the knifes left fitted when in fighter mode. The only time I ran into trouble with the knife stowed in the arms / wings in fighter mode is when I hadn't quite pressed one on firmly enough and it wasn't sitting properly flush and level. 

Im also a fighter mode guy but the VF-31 looks equally spectacular in all three modes! Still not quite as good as the all time king the VF-1 closely followed by the VF-0.

Edited January 4, 2017 by spanner

[spanner]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

Better late than never; my review is up!

great review Jenius! thanks for your efforts! 

[Lolicon]

Looks like the 171 armor sets have been disappearing since the release of the 31. Probably just coincidence. 

[Chronocidal]

I just hope they update the super packs to include the reaction missile mounts before they release them.  That's a huge letdown to not include the one external weapon they were shown with in the entire series, especially after going to the trouble of adding all those hardpoints.

I should start working on a shapeways adapter to mount Yamarcadia missiles on the Bandai hardpoints though.. the ones in the 171 sets just don't look very good on anything.

[chyll2]

2 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Looks like the 171 armor sets have been disappearing since the release of the 31. Probably just coincidence. 

part of the coincidence is it being sold at higher price.

 

What modern missile 1/72 kit can be bought that will look good on Frontier/Delta era planes?

Edited January 4, 2017 by chyll2

[sh9000]

When I first got the 31J it took a little bit of time for me to get the hand to hold the gun and put trigger finger on the trigger properly.

[ArchieNov]

Finally got my copy from HLJ today (man they suck at packaging stuff, no protection at all).

I would have to agree that this is one of the best valks made in terms of engineering, and may hopefully usher in a new era of hip ratchets

Still not perfect though as people have mentioned. I also would've preferred less of a gap behind the cockpit, and index fingers that could bend to make a better fist. But unlike most here, I actually like the frosted canopy. I don't mind the rear landing gear either as it's screen accurate.

I do have a few very minor QC issues (paint errors), but these are barely noticeable unless you really look for them. Everything else is great. But the ONE thing that I think they got wrong with this valk is the Freya figure. It doesn't sit flush in the rear seat. 

Now the only thing left that's upsetting me is that NY hasn't shipped my other copy. It's been in Preparation in progress since 12/19. And I even paid for UPS so I could get it before the holidays. Sigh...

Edited January 4, 2017 by ArchieNov

[sh9000]

Did NY ask for an extra payment to ship it?  If they haven't then that might be the delay.

[mog_kupo]

NY its on vacation from December 31 to January 6 so Ill guess they'll ship yours in the next days or early next week

[ArchieNov]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

Did NY ask for an extra payment to ship it?  If they haven't then that might be the delay.

Nope. I've been following up with them since 12/19 but all they kept saying is that they had a lot of orders to process due to the holidays but will ship mine as soon as possible. 

I have this sneaking suspicion that the delay might be because I had another item in the same shipment, an MP-17 Prowl. When I placed that order it went out of stock so that means I got the last one. Since this item is an out of print figure, maybe they were having a hard time finding it on their warehouse?

 

[brannon]

On 12/29/2016 at 5:43 AM, dgco86 said:

Sigh, was hoping for a third Amiami restock but it seems unlikely. 

By the way, does anyone have experience with Tokyo Hobby Portal / Wonder Craft Tokyo? They seem to have the VF-31J in stock for 21,600 JPY but I've never heard of them and can't find much on the internet about them.

http://www.thp-shop.com/ban62981.html

I ordered from them when you posted as i needed a second 1. Total shipped to florida was 26000 yen about 230 U.S by ems. I just got it today. Perfect in the box. Even got a thankyou card. When i emailed him because of an issue on my end, he replied back fairly quickly. Seems he just started the online part of his business. So i hope all goes well for anyone else.

[jenius]

I'll try the knife in fighter mode again. I had a problem before where that side (using one) was like a couple mm higher near the shoulders. Since I was only using one the issue was obvious. It's possible though that one arm was just rotated wrong or something, perhaps I jumped too quickly to my conclusion.  If I can get it to work I'll add a mea culpa comment to the review. 

[no3Ljm]

10 hours ago, jenius said:

Better late than never; my review is up!

 

Great review as always Jenius. Still waiting for mine though. Our workplace is having backlogs on packages during the Christmas break.

 

8 hours ago, Graham said:

Actually, I had mine in fighter mode with the knives stored in the shields and didn't notice any problems.

I'm probably the only person on the forum that's actually OK with the landing gear design. At least it's something different from normal........Hahaha

I'm normally a Fighter mode guy too, but I'm finding I really love the Gerwalk mode on this and I'm a person that rarely displays my VFs in Gerwalk.

Count me in on the landing knee gear. Everytime I look at it on photos online, I really appreciate how unique the look is. Assuming people will not throw rocks at me. Hahaha!  

 

3 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Finally got my copy from HLJ today (man they suck at packaging stuff, no protection at all).

*edit*

Now the only thing left that's upsetting me is that NY hasn't shipped my other copy. It's been in Preparation in progress since 12/19. And I even paid for UPS so I could get it before the holidays. Sigh...

True about HLJ. As much as I love them esp their Customer Service, I just don't like how they pack stuff esp for big bulk packages. No protection. No concern if you're going to receive a good box copy. For them, box is just box.

NY also gave me this extra shipping cost request. And the moment I paid them, they ship it out instantly. Hahaha!

 

[derex3592]

Great review video Jenius! Ready for the Messer pre-order! 

[Eslim109]

When exactly does the pre-order for the VF-31F Messer come out?

[derex3592]

Very early AM this Friday here in the states. 

[wm cheng]

I think its January 6th Japan Time.  Is it also 4pm as the previous pre-orders?

So that would make it Thursday morning 2am for those of us in Eastern Standard Time?  Just wanting to set my alarm clock - argh!

 

I like this toy, its fun to transform.  The rear wheel doesn't roll - does it roll for you guys who "taxis" their aircraft on the table?   The frosted canopy is a definitely drawback, but its enough for me to get two more (one for each mode) but I don't like it enough to get all five.  I think the VF-31F (because I like the grey) and the VF-31E (I love orange) and I'm a sucker for the AWACs dish and we'd call it done!

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles MacrossJunkie (that sucks!) - that canopy crack will disappear when you transform it into Battroid mode.

[Raptor One]

12 hours ago, Graham said:

I'm probably the only person on the forum that's actually OK with the landing gear design. At least it's something different from normal........Hahaha

Yea add me to the list of those that  actually don't mind the landing gear design at all. Still far better than the VF-25 v1 lmao

 

12 hours ago, spanner said:

yeah the gap behind the cockpit can be a little annoying but I found if you firmly hold the cockpit section with one hand and the the forward fuselage with the other and do a slight and gentle twisting motion (each hand twisting in the opposite direction) it can help encourage the parts to lock together a little better thus close the gap right up. 

Honestly the gap behind the cockpit might be a dealbreaker for me, and it bothered me from the very first shots of the transformable toy were released. Plus I'm already not crazy about the canopy and nose shape. Even when it's pushed together it still seems noticeable, but that might just be psychological. Have any pics of how it looks when using your method? If it really does sit flush then I'd be more likely to try and get Messer's.

 

Also, is there any easy way to lighten the orange tint of the canopy?

Edited January 4, 2017 by Raptor One