What are Everybody's 3 favorite & 3 least favorite Macross toys?

[Boobytrap]

On 5/13/2017 at 2:05 AM, Graham said:

Toys only, no model kits please.

Fine Fine. I was counting them as toys as when I first got them I wasn't buying the toys. They were too expensive for me and I figured these were a good toy alternative, much like I view their Gundam models as a good toy alternative. I was wrong. But I will play by the rules.

#3 least favorite - Revoltech VF-1. At the time I got these I thought it would be fun to have a posable battroid, even if it didn't transform. All it did was provide me with further validation that I don't like the revoltech joint. The joints are large and bulky ruining the visual aesthetics of the toys. The pegs slide out and/or rotate too easily. The joints are too tight and require more force to move than a light plastic toy needs. I got bored/frustrated with the one I got and it quickly ended up in storage never to be seen from again. I learned my lesson and stayed far away when they tried their transforming version.

[Boobytrap]

Double post

Edited May 15, 2017 by Boobytrap

[Foblander]

So how has everyone's favorite toy ranking changed now that it's 2019?

Top 3

1. Bandai DX VF-1J

2. Bandai DX YF-19

3. Arcadia VF-0S

Honorable mentions:

- Bandai DX VF-31 (haven't transformed yet so it could move into top 3 once I do.

-Yamato VF-19S and Kai  (these could easily have taken the number 3 spot depending on how I am feeling lol)

[Arkham]

I don't own a DX YF-19.

 

1. SV 262

2.  DX 1J, VF-0S

3. VF-25 Armored (Renewal)

[spacemanoeuvres]

Top 3

1) Bandai DX VF-1J

2) Bandai DX VF-31A

3) Bandai DX YF-19 / Bandai DX YF-30

[Rogueload]

Top 3 

1. DX VF-25S Renewal w/AP

2. DX VF-31A 

3. Arcadia VF-0S

[Spiff]

Fav

1. Bandai DX VF-1J. Super awesomes, I did't transform it for over a week just admiring valk mode.

2. Bandai DX YF-30. 

3. Yamato v1 VF-1J. Yah weird eh, I just love this little battroid.

Honorable mention: Bandai DX YF-25

Worst

1. Bandai VF-17, sorry Graham, makes me think of Frankenstein.

2. Yamato v1 YF-19, the horror...….

3. Yamato v1 YF-21, just badly executed.

Honorable mention Banpresto partsformer valks

[Shizuka the Cat]

Favorite 3 that I own:

1.) Yamato 1/60 version 2  VE-1

2.) Arcadia 1/60 YF-19 with Fast Pack

3.) Arcadia 1/3000 SDF-1 Premium Finish

Least favorite 3 that I own:

1.) VF-100's VF-25 Fighter Special

2.) Toynami 1/100 VF-1

3.) Yamato 1/60 YF-19

Edited January 30, 2019 by Shizuka the Cat

[tekering]

Once the offensive tampo is removed, the no.1 spot is easy:

No.2 is difficult... but definitely one of these:

No.3 glows-in-the-dark!

[Slave IV]

1. DX VF-1J

2. Arcadia VF-0S

3. Chunky Monkey

Close behind

PF SDF-1, V2 1/60 M&M & Roy 1S, HMR GPB VF-1J & Monster, Yamato 1/48 Low Vis Valks.

I don’t think I can catorgoize any Macross toy as least favorite. I think I have a Toynami 1/100 that I never opened that I could put in the lowest spot. 

[TheLoneWolf]

Favorites

1) Bandai DX VF-19 Advance

2) Bandai DX VF-31's

3) Takatoku/Bandai 1/55 VF-1's

Worst

1) Bandai DX VF-171 CF

2) Toynami 1/100 VF-1's

3) Takatoku Henkei VF-1's

Just to clarify, I mainly judged the "worsts" by what I paid for them and what I actually got.

Edited January 30, 2019 by TheLoneWolf

[Spiff]

I like your reasoning on the worsts. Price compared to quality is a definite factor for sure. For instance I am glad I did not buy into the Evolution VF2ss else it would have topped my worsts list.

[Slave IV]

Wait, does this mean the Toynami 1/100 Valk I have is the best since I got it for free? Nooooooo!

[Spiff]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

Once the offensive tampo is removed, the no.1 spot is easy:

No.2 is difficult... but definitely one of these:

No.3 glows-in-the-dark!

Nice pictures!

For the life of me I can not give any love to the yf-19. It's in the coyote ugly vain for me. Might be sexy last night but your chewing your arm off to get away from it the next day. /mansplaining

My apologies to any 19 lovers I may have offended.

[Spiff]

3 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Wait, does this mean the Toynami 1/100 Valk I have is the best since I got it for free? Nooooooo!

LOL, Stop it!

[DewPoint]

Best

1.  Bandai HCM VF-1J.  I've had it since 1985!  My favorite toy from my younger days.

2.  Bandai Hi-Metal R Monster.  Because it's just AWESOME!

3.  Arcadia VF-1S Hikaru.  They're just the right size and feel great in my hands.

 

Worst

1.  Takatoku Henkei VF-1A.  Quite possibly my 1st Valkyrie.  I played with it until it broke!  My god the thing was cheap and it looked horrible!

2.  Bandai Hi-Metal R VF-1A Hikaru.  Because I got Bandai'd on the leg armor.  The QC was horrible on my 1st copy.  I'm still looking for someone who has 2 rights to trade with.  One of the feet will not rock back for Gerwalk mode.  It can swing forward, but not back.  It feels like it will snap off if I try to hard to rock it back.  The cover plate between the tail fins came installed at an angle.  It is not flush with the rest of the backpack.  It is either glued in or jammed in tight.  I cannot remove it to reinstall it correctly.  I was very fortunate that CDJapan sent me a replacement at no additional cost.  My original copy is now my cubicle toy at work.

3.  Bandai Hi-Metal R Regult.  Mine came with a droopy leg.  It stands fine and I can pose it, but if I pick it up, one of the legs droops down.

[Scyla]

Favorite:

1. Bandai DX Renewal VF-25S Armored Messiah

Not the best mold but it just looks super awesome. Love the white rings they painted around all the missile warheads a detail lacking on many other missile containers.

2. Bandai DX VF-31S

It is probably the best Valkyrie I own (don't own the new DX VF-1J). Love the unusual green color scheme of Arads machine. The only downside are those damned articulated hands with their static index finger otherwise it would be perfect. I also like the shape of the Messiah more so second place it is.

3. Arcadias PF SDF-1 

It is a sight to behold. All the painted details, the size, the sculpt. It almost made me buy the Bandai DX Macross Quarter because I wanted to have more capital ships. 

 

Least favorite:

1. Bandai DX YF-29 30th Memorial Color Version

Not that I dislike the mold but the copy I received from NY was a QC nightmare with lots of paint defects and loose joints. I was also new at the collector game and I massively overpaid for an in stock version after the reissue was announced. Oh and I think the purple canopy looks inferior to the green one

2. Yamato VF-17 (any variant)

What I don't like about the toy is that it looks so spindly and hollow from the side yet it is super fat in fighter mode. Also lots of sharp edges that can get dinged if you are not careful during transformation. It looks also totally out of place next to the Yamato VF-19 mold (which is awesome) in Battroid-Mode due to different plastic finishes and a big size difference that make the Excalibur look like a dwarf. Also it lacks any detail so I had to add the U.N.Spacy kites and triangle markings as stickers myself and I hate stickers on my high-priced collectibles. If the YF-29 didn't had as many QC defects the VF-17 would be clearly number one on that list. All in all I like the Bandai DX VF-171 much more.

3. Yamato VF-22S Max Custom

It looks good in Fighter-Mode I guess. But on the other hand the landing gear has a tendency to collapse. No storage anywhere for the gun-pods (I know internal storage is impossible but I would be happy with two slots on the outside just to keep them attached to the toy. Transformation is suboptimal and the Battroid-Mode legs are lacking in definition. Also no replacement canopy with the canopy cover down. It is not as bad as the other two but all the small issues add up.

 

[borgified]

After giving it some thought, my top choices: 

1/55 Chunky Monkey

1/48 Low Vis Variants

Tie between Strike VF-1s Roy/Hikaru and the DX VF-31C/F

Bottom of the list:

Yammie SV-51 - I only have Nora's; however, I learned that all the Yammie SV-51 variants are floppy (love the colour scheme on Nora's). Got to see how Arcadia's take in the renewal version stacks up.

As for design esthics: 

Tie between the YF-30/VF-31 and the SV-262 Hs with the Lil Draken add ons in valk mode. 

Edit:

VF-171: Compact buggers based to the VF-17 valks

Value for your money:

DX YF-19 Full Set Pack

Edited January 30, 2019 by borgified

[Dirtyboy]

From What I Own,

Best:

a) Yammy 1/48 Stealth VF-1J (when i get my hands on a Bandai VF-1 this will probably change)

b) Bandai VF-31 (Just the most fun to transform)

c) Bandai YF-19 (cause its the YF-19)

Worst:

a) Toynami Masterpiece VF-1 (Just terrible, but the packaging is probably the best)

b) Yammy V1 1/60 VF-1J (even though this kickstarted it all, so I dont hate it but dont like it)

c) Bandai YF-29 Memorial (I love the colours and design but I can see this not holding up over long time and lots of paint chippings)

 

 

[Lolicon]

Had to mull over this one for awhile as it was super difficult to choose just three as we've had so many great releases over the years.

Favorites

1) Arcadia 1/60 VF-0S (PF version)

Just an absolutely flawless, beautiful, well-engineered valkyrie flown by the most awesome pilot in the franchise. The only downside is the astronomical price tag.

2) Yamato 1/60 VF-1 (v2) line

Yamato's 1/48 line was a landmark achievement. After over two decades, we finally got a proper, high quality, perfect transformation VF-1 that was (more or less for the time) anime-accurate. And then only a couple of years later Yamato surpassed that with an even better perfect transformation VF-1, but at a smaller scale! The only major black eye for the line was the cracked shoulder issue on the early releases. And oh how I wish Arcadia would bring back the rainbow canopy tint!

Bandai is only just now surpassing what Yamato did over a decade ago with their VF-1, which involved "borrowing" heavily from them.

3) Bandai DX VF-25F (renewal version)

Although this toy is pretty dated now, it's a favorite of mine not just because I love the VF-25 design, but because it marked the first time that Bandai produced a perfect transformation valkyrie toy that wasn't terrible. 

 

Honorable mention) Bandai 1/48 DX VF-1J

She's a fantastic bird, no doubt. But a few niggling issues keep it from breaking into my top 3, the most annoying of which is the shoddy tampo printing used. I've had bits of tampo come off with gentle handling and from masking tape when I was working on it. Never had this issue on any previous valk from any company. It's an eye sore seeing " FT INTAKE" on the chest plate and having bits of the "UN SPACY" on the legs flake off. Two steps forward, one step back. 

And, aside, from licensing issues, there's nothing that couldn't have been done in 1/60 scale. Would liked to have seen what could have been done at 1/35 scale...

 

Worst

1) Evolution Toy VF-2SS

Just, ugh. Seeing it in pictures doesn't do justice to just how craptastic this thing is. It would have been a cool toy if it had come out in 1992 alongside Macross II. In 2016 it was just hot garbage.

2) Bandai DX VF-25 line (first version)

Another crappy toy that belongs in the 1990s. Seriously, why did Bandai think this was a good idea? This was being released alongside Yamato's excellent new 1/60 VF-1 line, which just made it look even worse.

3) Yamato 1/60 YF-19

I have to admit I absolutely loved this toy when it came out in 2006, despite its flaws. But more and more problems arose over the years and now, looking back, I view it as an ambitious but ultimately bad release. That giant gullet, crooked gunpod, exploding arms, overally kinda funky proportions, morbidly obese Isamu... It's like looking back on a terrible relationship years later, through a much more objective lens.

[Bishop]

Best: 

DX Chogokin VF-1J

DX Chogokin SV-262

1/48 Yamato vf-1s (this may change upon release of bandai dx)

Worst: 

1/60 Yamato v1 (though, I like the die cast in them)

DX Chogokin vf-25 v1

Arcadia vf-1j anniversario (the mold is great, but the color?)

 

 

 

[HardlyNever]

Best:

DX Chogokin VF-1J.  It's new, we're biased, but it really is the best VF-1 ever.  This thing gave the rest of my collection an existential crisis.

DX Chogokin VF-31S.  I'm not a fan of the show, but the design of the valk, and the toy are just awesome.  Nearly flawless execution.

Arcadia PF SDF-1.  Not the most fun toy, but still looks amazing.  Makes a great centerpiece, and transformation is still pretty easy.

Worst:

I rarely buy anything that I don't like,  but I'll try:

HMR Defender.  Might get some hate for this.  It isn't that it is a bad Defender.  It is that the Defender is a boring toy compared to basically every other mecha in the Macross world.  

Lill Draken accessory kit for SV-262.  Ok, this isn't bad, I actually even like it, but it is simply overpriced.  It was overpriced when it was released, and the aftermarket prices are stupid.  The sword, shield and missile pods are great; the Lill Drakens themselves are where this goes wrong.  They are the most expensive bit of the kit, and the least interesting.

Evolution toy VF-2SS.  The only thing on this list that I don't own, but my god, this thing looks terrible.  I really wish people would stop buying anything from this company, so they would either get their act together, or go out of business.  I genuinely wouldn't have this in my collection if someone gave it to me for free.  It looks like actual garbage that just takes up precious space.