Bandai 1/72 Scale Transformable Macross Δ Kits

[no3Ljm]

From TagHobby:

1/72 SV-262HS Draken III w/ Lill Draken (Mirage Farina Jenius Unit)
March 25, 2021
Y7400

[no3Ljm]

From TagHobby:

1/72 VF-31F Siegfried w/ Lill Draken (Hayate Immelman Unit)
March 25, 2021
Y7400

[TommyWMan]

Wonder if this VF-31 release will still have that awful gold plastic syndrome in the ABS gold H runner ...

[505thAirborne]

If they make a VF-31A kit I'll be on board for a few. 

[Marcion]

where the hell is VF31E kit?? come on Bandai 

[KOG Water Dragon]

On 3/13/2021 at 1:23 PM, 505thAirborne said:

If they make a VF-31A kit I'll be on board for a few. 

Same.

[KOG Water Dragon]

7 hours ago, Marcion said:

where the hell is VF31E kit?? come on Bandai 

I would love to know as well. Maybe they can't figure out how to make the dish work.

[TommyWMan]

Is anyone here getting the movie VF-31 kit? Would like to know if they improved anything from the previous release.

On another note, a Bandai Kairos kit would be an instant buy for me.

[Sanity is Optional]

Already requested shipping. Looks like the wings are a bit different to allow a fixture for the Lil' Drakkens to peg into the wing root where the tip folds down.

[Chronocidal]

So this is a little wacky, and a bit late, but I just had my pair of Mirage Sv-262s shipped..

They're each about a kit and a half.  

So.. in order to get the proper parts coloring breakdown for her particular scheme, this kit includes multiple copies of several portions of the kit, in different colors.  I'm counting four and five copies of some parts sprues, scattered between light gray, black, and magenta plastic.

I think there's going to be a lot of interesting ways to color this kit, just from mixing and matching the extra parts.  I think I can almost get a primarily gray 262 out of it, or a fully magenta one.  It will be interesting to see what combos I can make.  

Edited June 20, 2021 by Chronocidal

[Sanity is Optional]

16 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

So this is a little wacky, and a bit late, but I just had my pair of Mirage Sv-262s shipped..

They're each about a kit and a half.  

So.. in order to get the proper parts coloring breakdown for her particular scheme, this kit includes multiple copies of several portions of the kit, in different colors.  I'm counting four and five copies of some parts sprues, scattered between light gray, black, and magenta plastic.

I think there's going to be a lot of interesting ways to color this kit, just from mixing and matching the extra parts.  I think I can almost get a primarily gray 262 out of it, or a fully magenta one.  It will be interesting to see what combos I can make.  

Sounds a lot like the P-Bandai recolor gunpla releases, you can get some very interesting color combos.

[Chronocidal]

Update on how these Mirage 262s built up, you can definitely get a few nice variations based on which parts you use, but there are also some limits due to certain parts only being available in one color.

Here's a pair of pics of how I built mine up.  The "official" arrangement of parts depends on reading Japanese labels for the colors, but these two were built using specifically either all the white, or all magenta.  This can't quite be done with a single kit.  The overall scheme is a pattern of magenta on top, and white on the bottom, and while some of the parts have extras of the opposite set, some of the white and magenta parts came with only one tree of what would be a matched pair in one of the other kits.

There are a ton of smaller black/charcoal components that make little details, but no major fuselage components you can see from the exterior.  The largest black components I could make are the cockpit fuselage area, and the tail.  

The way this is broken down is that one kit was using as many white components as possible, while the other was made with as much magenta as is possible.  The wings, nose/head section, and cockpit frame came only in white, while the intakes (and the parts making the connected stripe) and arm cannon details only came in magenta.  I think the white scheme works out the better of the two, but I think a purple canopy frame would be nice, and blend into the stripe on top.

Comparing this to the official scheme, I think I actually like the white one better.  The purple is okay, but the white wings stick out.

Oh, and because of the extra sprue shenanigans, here's the pile of extra pieces.  

This is primarily the exterior bits, since the internal structure of the kit is mostly contained on separate sprues made from ABS, and didn't have any reason to be duplicated.

I do wish there was room to get built-in hands on these kits, but overall the transformation is just smooth, and I find myself fiddling with these quite a bit... Except for the head.  The head transformation is ridiculous, and sends pieces flying everywhere.  Given the option, I would replace all of them with the anubis head version, since it just works better, and looks great.

Edited June 22, 2021 by Chronocidal

[no3Ljm]

Macross Modelers is going to be featured in an upcoming Hobby Japan EXTRA Vol. 23 which will be released in late November. It will feature probably an upcoming Super VF-31AX Hayate model kit. Preorders are now open fot Y1210/Y1100.

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10823400

Edited October 29, 2021 by no3Ljm

[Bolt]

Yes indeed ! Looking forward to it !

[Sanity is Optional]

Just going to point out, that very much appears to be a kit-bash, rather than the movie VF-31AX.

Edited October 29, 2021 by Sanity is Optional

[Shawn]

Sweet-just pre-ordered on Amazon Japan.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/4798626619

Thorough dissection of the appeal of Macross plastic models !! The latest issue of the monthly Hobby Japan sister paper "Hobby Japan Extra" features "Macross Modelers". Launched in 2015 with the announcement of "Macross Delta", "Macross Modelers" is one of the major brands in the Macross plastic kit series, which aims to excite Macross beyond the boundaries of companies. Now, five years after its inauguration, we will deliver the movements and future prospects of each manufacturer, along with the latest kit reviews and interviews. In addition, we will also highlight the latest video work "Macross Δ Absolute LIVE !!!!!!" that has just been released to dig deeper into its charm.

[Shawn]

Finally have a cover-just another 8 days to go!

[Baby]

Mmm, although bandai macross model kits did improve over the years but I'm still not satisfied with the fromtier/delta kits LOL

Hoping quality can be like the Real Grade Gundam cause they even made Real Grade Evangelion, why not remake into all Real Grade Macross kits more solid. LOL

Edited September 15, 2022 by Baby

[Sanity is Optional]

12 hours ago, Baby said:

Mmm, although bandai macross model kits did improve over the years but I'm still not satisfied with the fromtier/delta kits LOL

Hoping quality can be like the Real Grade Gundam cause they even made Real Grade Evangelion, why not remake into all Real Grade Macross kits more solid. LOL

From my perspective, when you compare the RG Zeta (transforming mobile suit) or RG Unicorn (more limited transformation) the 1/72 VF-31 and SV-262 come off pretty well.

Comparing them to the MG transforming suits, honestly I wish the MG kits took some cues, like having metal rods for hinges as necessary.

[Chronocidal]

I can honestly say that the quality varies widely between Bandai's own kits as well.  The VF-25 kits were messes, no locking mechanisms, and they were missing some absolutely essential joints for posing (no hip swivel at all).  The VF-31 kits improved on that.. but then the landing gear were garbage, and various snap on parts just did not stay on.

I think their SV-262 is probably the best of the bunch.  I've built.. I think 8 of them now?  They're far more posable, and much easier to transform than the DX versions.  Still a bit fragile, and some swappable parts, but they have always felt a step or two above the other transforming kits.

(And let's just not talk about the VF-1.. that needs to remain buried.  )

Edited September 16, 2022 by Chronocidal

[Baby]

13 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

From my perspective, when you compare the RG Zeta (transforming mobile suit) or RG Unicorn (more limited transformation) the 1/72 VF-31 and SV-262 come off pretty well.

Comparing them to the MG transforming suits, honestly I wish the MG kits took some cues, like having metal rods for hinges as necessary.

Mmm? Real Grade zeta and unicorn transform still quite fine, quite perfect however transform must be careful cause they are always fragile.(if can, transform the rubber parts first before plastic) And then if metal parts or other reason I will prefer macross toys. The 1/72 scale macross are almost Master Grade size, want to make it stand also hard to stand well and the transformation are even worst.

Edited September 16, 2022 by Baby

[SebastianP]

On 9/16/2022 at 1:46 PM, Baby said:

Mmm? Real Grade zeta and unicorn transform still quite fine, quite perfect however transform must be careful cause they are always fragile.(if can, transform the rubber parts first before plastic) And then if metal parts or other reason I will prefer macross toys. The 1/72 scale macross are almost Master Grade size, want to make it stand also hard to stand well and the transformation are even worst.

The 1/72 battroids are actually a little taller than most Master Grades, though skinnier. I have a small collection of "standard size" Master Grades (Exia, 00R, 007, 00Q) and two slightly larger ones (Sinanju and Unicorn), and I believe the VF-25S in 1/72 is taller than any of them. (at 14.5 meters full scale, they should be 20 cm tall in 1/72, most Gundams are 18-19 with only a few of the larger ones going past 20 cm. 

My problem with the 1/72 macross kits is that the VF-25 transformation joints in the shoulders are ridiculously fragile, so both my VF-25S kits have loose arms (Super version's arm has come off completely due to a broken ABS ring, unfixable so the kit is stuck in fighter mode, and I really should glue it together at some point so the landing gear don't keep falling out every time I lift it; the Armored's shoulder has serious signs of fatigue and maybe cracking but it's still holding together and I'm not moving it again until the arm falls off. My VF-25F Tornado version has been transformed all of twice, and is back in fighter mode and will stay that way forever.)

The VF-31J looks to hold up better, but there's something binding in the "fold the body so the head pops up" part of the transformation so I've never gotten it past Gerwalk. The worst issue with *those* though is that Bandai gave up after doing the C, F, J and S, and never made a VF-31E. Poor Chuck and Reina. 

If pricing wasn't ridiculous (and shipping plus taxes and handling fees even worse!) I'd see about getting the RVF-25, mainly for the Ghosts, because those are cool. Though that set too has a bit of a problem - I think the only time I've seen Luca's RVF-25 without its super parts attached was in the Labyrinth of Time short, because he's always in space in the show and movies, and never joins the fighting inside the colony or the outings planetside... but his unit doesn't come with Super parts, and the sold-separately ones that you could sticker up in his colors were discontinued fairly quickly and are unobtanium.

Hmm. I could just loot the super bits from the VF-25S I have that's falling apart though.

Edited October 29, 2022 by SebastianP

[kajnrig]

9 hours ago, SebastianP said:

the sold-separately ones that you could sticker up in his colors were discontinued fairly quickly and are unobtanium.

Just a head's-up: They show up fairly regularly on Yahoo Japan. If push comes to shove, you can look for them there.