Kitz Concept Robotech Toy Line

[DYRL VF-1S]

1 hour ago, mechaninac said:

Here you go...

Womp womp 

[Tober]

From KC rep:

"We are preparing for the Toysoul in Dec and there will be more action Figure prototype at that time."

I was asking about Dana and if there would be any other new figures to show any time soon.

[jeniusornome]

Got my black and red VF-1S in the other day, #19 if anyone is keeping track, and had a chance to open it earlier. Initial impressions:

I have the Max and Miriya SD VF-1Js, and I always thought they felt a little wobbly. I think they're fun, cute figures, but I was worried this would have that same loose feel. Thankfully it does not. To me it feels like somewhere in between an HMR and Arcadia VF-1 (the only other VF-1s I have for comparison). This seems fitting since both price and size-wise it's between those. Transformation is very familiar, as a nice mix of both HMR and Yamato/Arcadia method. I like how the arms lock everything into place. The "filler" pieces aren't too annoying, and the integrated hands are pretty good. I like them about the same as the Arcadia ones.

Hips and antennae are very tight on mine. Going to have to take some careful working of them to loosen up a bit, especially since the swing bar isn't metal, really don't want that to break, and the antennae are thin, so using them to rotate for transformation would likely just lead to them breaking off. I would have liked to see metal in that swing bar, or a stronger feeling plastic at least.

The box on mine also had "gold" written on the sides as some others have reported. No visible gold paint as spray under the red that I can see on mine. The only real "QC" issue I can find is that where the top of the legs / intakes are supposed to snap into place for fighter mode, the connection comes loose easily - like, if I go to transform the legs for Guardian mode, it pops loose like it's ready to swing down for Battloid. Fine once it is all in place though, so it's really only a little fiddly during transformation.

In isolation, considering KC toys are literally the only Macross merchandise we can easily get in the US, I would be absolutely over the moon with the figure. I think it feels nice, it nails the look, it's very poseable, and it doesn't break the bank (compared to importing).

In comparison with HMR and Arcadia (I haven't played with a DX VF-1 so I can't compare) I would put it squarely in between the two. I think fans of transforming mecha would be well served to own at least one of KC's Valks. Macross fans if for no other reason than to ensure they find it successful enough to continue producing additional Macross figures we'd likely never get from Bandai, and for everyone else, if the line continues successfully, it could mean Southern Cross toys in the future!

I expect they will be much easier to get than other Macross merchandise with all sorts of pre-order madness and scalping and markups and so on. I hope to eventually see a 1D, various models of 1A and 1J from them as well - I will probably buy a couple more rather than try to hunt down the hugely overpriced Yamato/Arcadia out of print ones.

Overall, very happy with it. Glad I got this color scheme, but would be even happier with this quality for the $100 price point that it seems standard releases will carry. Looking forward to seeing more from KC.

[jenius]

The shirt is really cool but it runs small... Afraid I needed a size larger. 

[sqidd]

38 minutes ago, jenius said:

The shirt is really cool but it runs small... Afraid I needed a size larger. 

Just tell everyone you have been working out.

[sqidd]

58 minutes ago, jeniusornome said:

Got my black and red VF-1S in the other day, #19 if anyone is keeping track, and had a chance to open it earlier. Initial impressions:

 

@jeniusornome where is the number located at?

[jeniusornome]

Bottom left of the box on mine. It’s a sticker they put on it. Nothing on the protective shipping box. 
 

hmm. Trying to upload a picture but the board is throwing an error when I do. Weird. 

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, jeniusornome said:

Bottom left of the box on mine. It’s a sticker they put on it. Nothing on the protective shipping box. 
 

hmm. Trying to upload a picture but the board is throwing an error when I do. Weird. 

TY

[technoblue]

What a weekend! Once KitzConcept's customer support team received the photos I sent and were able to confirm the problem, they agreed to send a pair of replacement arms my way. Diagnosing the right leg issue required some additional surgery and poking about to confirm my suspicions, but I gotta give them props for all their help and guidance.

KC sent instructions that showed me how to take apart the lower half of the intake to check for the ratcheting piece, which I did. Thankfully, It was an easy job with the right screwdriver and a plastic spudger. There is no glue in that location. Sure enough, comparing my Dark Red 1S to my Roy 1S, I was able to confirm that the ratcheting piece was missing.

The spoiler shows the upper ratchet housing and some quality paint skillz.  

Spoiler

To be clear, since the Dark Red 1S is a limited release Valkyrie, they don't have 1:1 parts replacements. I'll be getting a white ratchet piece instead of a black one (not a big deal since it is hidden inside the leg) and the arms will be from a Dark Red 1S sample (not a big deal either). 

My Dark Gold 1S arrived yesterday. This one arrived with no issues, so things are looking up and up again.  

I gotta say too, I'm surprised with how much I'm enjoying this scale.

[sqidd]

1 hour ago, technoblue said:

What a weekend! Once KitzConcept's customer support team received the photos I sent and were able to confirm the problem, they agreed to send a pair of replacement arms my way. Diagnosing the right leg issue required some additional surgery and poking about to confirm my suspicions, but I gotta give them props for all their help and guidance.

KC sent instructions that showed me how to take apart the lower half of the intake to check for the ratcheting piece, which I did. Thankfully, It was an easy job with the right screwdriver and a plastic spudger. There is no glue in that location. Sure enough, comparing my Dark Red 1S to my Roy 1S, I was able to confirm that the ratcheting piece was missing.

The spoiler shows the upper ratchet housing and some quality paint skillz.  

  Reveal hidden contents

To be clear, since the Dark Red 1S is a limited release Valkyrie, they don't have 1:1 parts replacements. I'll be getting a white ratchet piece instead of a black one (not a big deal since it is hidden inside the leg) and the arms will be from a Dark Red 1S sample (not a big deal either). 

My Dark Gold 1S arrived yesterday. This one arrived with no issues, so things are looking up and up again.  

I gotta say too, I'm surprised with how much I'm enjoying this scale.

Sounds like they're a solid company to deal with.

[jeniusornome]

They actually reached out to me after I placed my order about the shirt size- it defaults to SS on the website and I didn’t see that, so they emailed and said “hey, we noticed your shirt size is the default, is that correct or did you want a different size?”

proactive customer support is awesome IMO, and the few other times I’ve heard someone mention needing to contact them it’s all been good. 

[jenius]

I couldn't justify making the same review I just did for the Dark Gold VF-1S but this time having the Dark Red VF-1S so I made a new video where I covered both at the same time. They're really the same toy with different trim paint, see the review here:

 

[Bolt]

Great review

Those dark schemes are very sexy.

It seems like Kitz Concept got something's right and something's not. The light gimmick is cool. And i really like the pose ability of these too. 

[Mechapilot77]

On 9/22/2019 at 6:08 PM, DewPoint said:

Rick has narrow hips, no butt and twiggy legs.  Minmay has wider hips than he does.  Great review as always.

well women do have wider hips (for child bearing!) than men proportionally.  isn't that where the term broads came from?

[Mechapilot77]

On 10/6/2019 at 11:43 PM, jenius said:

I couldn't justify making the same review I just did for the Dark Gold VF-1S but this time having the Dark Red VF-1S so I made a new video where I covered both at the same time. They're really the same toy with different trim paint, see the review here:

 

those do look pretty nice... honestly if it were an arcadia mold done up in dark colors like that i'd grab it.  I have the fokker scheme KC VF-1S and although its got a nice deco and finish, i just can't help feeling its an "also ran".  if i didn't have any valks and was starting today i think i might be way more into it....exepically if they had matchign fast packs in those colors.

[jeniusornome]

I can see that sentiment. For a Robotech fan who has been used to Toynami stuff for years and years, these figures are great! Or, if you're just starting out in Macross I think they're a good value, and would be more appealing when they have more variants available (and if some of the QC oddities get ironed out).

OTOH, If you're a Macross collector and already have Yamato/Arcadia v2 1/60s, Yamato 1/48s, or one of the new DX figures, it's a much tougher sell.

[jenius]

I think these non-canon schemes are great because it gives KC something unique to sell... if you like these there's only one place to get them. For everything else, KC has an uphill battle. Bandai's Hi-Metal toys are not as full featured but they're cheaper and are a much more polished product with a robust line of schemes, destroids, and bad guys. If KC fixes the missiles their toy still won't compete with Arcadia's 1/60 line so their sweet spot is really limited. Basically, if the Hi-Metal R doesn't have enough features or look good enough to you, you can spend 33-50% more (roughly) and get the KitzConcept. However, if you're willing to pay $115 for a bare KitzConcept, you're only $100 away from a top of the line DX toy or an Arcadia toy WITH super parts. I think a lot of people at that point will talk themselves into the cheaper option or into saving for one of the better options. 

[Chronocidal]

Inflation/economy-wise, it's even harder for folks who already have a substantial collection, because they remember when $115 would have bought a super/strike-packed Yamato 1/60.  Prices have gone up substantially, but I feel like KC is fighting market saturation most of all.

Honestly, coming from an aircraft collector perspective, the 1/72 scale is by far the biggest draw I would have to get one of these, but the little issues have kept me from biting.  I might still grab one in the future, but I definitely want to wait for the little issues to get fixed, and pick up a complete super-packed version... someday.

[vlenhoff]

2 hours ago, jenius said:

I think these non-canon schemes are great because it gives KC something unique to sell... if you like these there's only one place to get them. For everything else, KC has an uphill battle. Bandai's Hi-Metal toys are not as full featured but they're cheaper and are a much more polished product with a robust line of schemes, destroids, and bad guys. If KC fixes the missiles their toy still won't compete with Arcadia's 1/60 line so their sweet spot is really limited. Basically, if the Hi-Metal R doesn't have enough features or look good enough to you, you can spend 33-50% more (roughly) and get the KitzConcept. However, if you're willing to pay $115 for a bare KitzConcept, you're only $100 away from a top of the line DX toy or an Arcadia toy WITH super parts. I think a lot of people at that point will talk themselves into the cheaper option or into saving for one of the better options. 

Pretty much this.

[sh9000]

Awesome!

 

Edited October 14, 2019 by sh9000

[jenius]

Wow, where did that come from? 

[Mazinger]

3 hours ago, jenius said:

Wow, where did that come from? 

Asking the important questions here.

[vlenhoff]

4 hours ago, jenius said:

Wow, where did that come from? 

This.

[Convectuoso]

I've seen that diorama before, and from other angles. I'm just trying to remember where

[jvmacross]

I'd buy pre-built dioramas for the KC 1/12 Macross figures....

 

 

[Dynaman]

I'm fairly certain it was in the macross Facebook page

[Tober]

Yep, Halicon OG WERKZ
 

 

Edited October 15, 2019 by Tober

[derex3592]

I'm afraid if I got that apartment diorama, the 12 year old in me would have Rick and Minmay posed in naughty ways on the bed in about 3 minutes...

[sqidd]

6 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

I'm afraid if I got that apartment diorama, the 12 year old in me would have Rick and Minmay posed in naughty ways on the bed in about 3 minutes...

You don't need an apartment diorama for that. Just sayin!

[sh9000]

Yeah Brandon Flores does awesome work.

[Mechapilot77]

that diorama is so awesome.  i didn't even remember what his room looked like but when i saw it i was like....yup something like that.  seen other pics of that setup somewhere on social media.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

On 10/14/2019 at 10:39 PM, derex3592 said:

I'm afraid if I got that apartment diorama, the 12 year old in me would have Rick and Minmay posed in naughty ways on the bed in about 3 minutes...

The 43 year old in me has already posed Rick and Minmay in naughty ways...

[jenius]

21 minutes ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

The 43 year old in me has already posed Rick and Minmay in naughty ways...

You can't be blamed, Hikaru does try to take Minmay into a hotel on the first date.

[Kuma Style]

 

[Kuma Style]