Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[seti88]

26 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

Here's a major improvement over Yamato that I don't remember anyone mentioning: the backpack hinge is diecast. While I wouldn't exactly call the Yamato hinge fragile, it could be broken somewhat easily if you were careless. So chalk another point up for the DX.

YES!!!
My super O chunky monkey backpack hinge disintegrated itself years ago. So glad bandai went with a metal hinge this time...

[eggy99]

Received my Ami shipping email. Those guys working hard to get through their back log. 

[eggy99]

3 hours ago, DWN013 said:

My dream would be for the Roy 1S release to come with 3 pilot figures:

TV Roy, DYRL Roy, TV Hikaru

 

Sigh, I know it won't happen...

Then we also need additional canopy also with matching tampo for Roy and Hikaru. 

Oh wait. It’ll be TWE option parts. Yay!

Edited January 5, 2019 by eggy99

[mechaninac]

Amiami shipping notification received as well... 

[Dobber]

3 hours ago, vlenhoff said:

Got shipping notice from Amiami, yay!

Yay, me too! We will soon be able to join the fun!

Chris

[spacemanoeuvres]

Received shipping notification from AmiAmi as well, woot

[Jwwu]

Seeing the ads for this figure is what drew me into collecting Macross figures about 6 months ago.  I had been a TF MP collector prior to that.  I fell into the deep end... catching up on the HMR line within a couple of months.  Thanks to the promise of this DX VF-1J, I have avoided the temptation of collecting Yamato v2s and Arcadia (their inflated prices for someone coming late to the game made it easier.)

Now that I have the DX in hand, I can say that it's worth the wait.  Wow, what a figure.  A childhood dream come true.  Only niggles to me are: the movable tail fins and wing flaps (won't use them and contribute to fragility) and the fact that the legs section separates easily unless you consciously try to keep it attached to the swing bar to achieve perfect (i.e. one piece) transformation. Oh yeah, pilot's a bit small. 

 

9.9/10.

[Smiley424]

Got my AmiAmi shipping notice just in time to be off on a short trip to Osaka.  It'll be waiting for me when I get  back.

I'm gonna see if any of the stores in DenDen Town may have them in stock.  If anyone really, really, really wants one, I might be able to pick one up if I find any available.  PM me and we can work out the details.

Edited January 5, 2019 by Smiley424

[LunchMeat]

This morning I met up with @Duymon, who was kind enough to sell me one of his extra DX VF-1J at cost! This is unbelievably lucky for me, as I didn't pre-order and had given up the idea of getting one for quite some time. So I'd like to take a moment to give a big thank you to Duymon for saving the day. You're awesome!

Since everyone else is posting first impressions, I'll write mine, as well:

On the plus side:

• People have mentioned the weight, and they're not kidding. I like heft in my toys, it makes it feel like expensive jewelry. Remember when the iPhone whatever came out and people commented on the satisfying weight of it? This is the same. It reminds me of high-end 3rd-party Transformers toys, such as those from FansToys.
• The overall fit-and-finish is leaps and bounds beyond the old Yamato 1/48. This is exactly what I wanted: a VF-1 with Bandai quality.
• This is a personal thing, but I don't mind about the absence of missiles, and in fact I glad for it. In my opinion, they just get in the way, and now I have left junk in the box.
• The use of materials is brilliant. Die cast in the knees, shoulders, backpack hinge, and feet really make it feel better to handle.
• The hands are great. Way better than the old 1/48. Expressive, robust, and attractive.
• Articulation is fantastic. Double bicep joint works amazingly and the ankle mechanism is just ridiculous.

On the minus side:

• My single biggest gripe: the ailerons are finicky and prone to pop out during handling, as I feared.
• The landing gear covers are a little too easy to accidentally pop out.
• The T-bar clip connecting the two halves is not as strong as it should be. I am tempted to just superglue it together. This is particularly problematic given the tightness of the hip joints (which in-and-of itself is a good thing), meaning that the force you need to apply to rotate the hips is likely to cause the T-bar clip to accidentally disconnect. I am a perfect transformation purist, so this issue bothers me somewhat.
• The stands are completely uninteresting. Wish they didn't include them.
• The heat shield, like on the old 1/48, is too easy to pop out.
• I'm surprised that there are not detents in the wing joints so you know where to position them.
• Air intake covers don't fit well.

The toy is a winner. Most of my complaints boil down to "something is too fragile or easy to pop out," but most of the toy is brilliant and solid. Perhaps these complaints will be addressed in future releases.

Edited January 5, 2019 by LunchMeat

[CRYO]

My review is up at my page, english caption in picture.  

Overall I really like it, just the clip lock on the bar screwed this thing, it makes this VF1 really not perfect transformable.

 

[Alex GS]

16 minutes ago, LunchMeat said:

 

On the plus side:

• People have mentioned the weight, and they're not kidding. I like heft in my toys, it makes it feel like expensive jewelry. Remember when the iPhone whatever came out and people commented on the satisfying weight of it? This is the same. It reminds me of high-end 3rd-party Transformers toys, such as those from FansToys.

Exactly! this is why I'm so excited for this release, for me it could be my grail  of all the Valks  that I have but that I will know  until this monday when I received mine    

[Matt Random]

29 minutes ago, Alex GS said:

Exactly! this is why I'm so excited for this release, for me it could be my grail  of all the Valks  that I have but that I will know  until this monday when I received mine    

For me it is the Grail. It is not perfect, but it is what I've wanted in a VF-1 for a very long. I find it more solid (feeling) than a Yamato 1/48 and the arms don't hang low in fighter mode. I was never much of a fan of the 1/60 v2 for various reasons. The HMR line is diverse and fun to play with, but just too small for my aging eyes.

Above all it is fun to play with. This guy may remain a permanent fixture on my desk even though it takes up quite a bit of space. Going from fighter to gerwalk is so smooth. Gerwalk to battroid is only hampered by the swing bar clip coming loose. I'll probably try the shrink tubing idea if I can find a piece with a sufficient diameter.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Amiami shipping notification received as well!!!

[skullmilitia]

Finally got shipping notice. Can’t believe it’s this close!

[NeoMatter]

39 minutes ago, Matt Random said:

For me it is the Grail. It is not perfect, but it is what I've wanted in a VF-1 for a very long. I find it more solid (feeling) than a Yamato 1/48 and the arms don't hang low in fighter mode. I was never much of a fan of the 1/60 v2 for various reasons. The HMR line is diverse and fun to play with, but just too small for my aging eyes.

Above all it is fun to play with. This guy may remain a permanent fixture on my desk even though it takes up quite a bit of space. Going from fighter to gerwalk is so smooth. Gerwalk to battroid is only hampered by the swing bar clip coming loose. I'll probably try the shrink tubing idea if I can find a piece with a sufficient diameter.

Also have this piece on my desk. It's a lot more fun to play with than the 1/60 VF-1 v2. This is built more like a toy than a fragile model in my view. I seem to have gotten lucky with the swing bar connector. I can't disconnect it on my own without the use of a pry tool (the blue back scratcher pic I posted earlier). Even when disconnected, trying to open the latch again needs a tool to pop open. Though on the downside I do suffer a minor issue with the arms slightly sagging in fighter mode as they don't peg into the tabs on the underside. Using the gunpod though secures it somewhat. Overall, still quite happy with this and having a lot of fun with it despite the minor flaws associated with it.

[borgified]

1 minute ago, NeoMatter said:

Also have this piece on my desk. It's a lot more fun to play with than the 1/60 VF-1 v2. This is built more like a toy than a fragile model in my view. I seem to have gotten lucky with the swing bar connector. I can't disconnect it on my own without the use of a pry tool (the blue back scratcher pic I posted earlier). Even when disconnected, trying to open the latch again needs a tool to pop open. Though on the downside I do suffer a minor issue with the arms slightly sagging in fighter mode as they don't peg into the tabs on the underside. Using the gunpod though secures it somewhat. Overall, still quite happy with this and having a lot of fun with it despite the minor flaws associated with it.

Nice to see a familiar name here on MW and his write up.. I'll bug you later on the other site.  

[derex3592]

AmiAmi shipping email received overnight. 

[Sanity is Optional]

32 minutes ago, NeoMatter said:

Also have this piece on my desk. It's a lot more fun to play with than the 1/60 VF-1 v2. This is built more like a toy than a fragile model in my view. I seem to have gotten lucky with the swing bar connector. I can't disconnect it on my own without the use of a pry tool (the blue back scratcher pic I posted earlier). Even when disconnected, trying to open the latch again needs a tool to pop open. Though on the downside I do suffer a minor issue with the arms slightly sagging in fighter mode as they don't peg into the tabs on the underside. Using the gunpod though secures it somewhat. Overall, still quite happy with this and having a lot of fun with it despite the minor flaws associated with it.

That's my experience as well: need to pry open the swing-bar connector to detach the legs, and the arms sag a bit in fighter mode. Also I kinda wish they'd added a mechanism to retract in the wings a bit in battroid mode, but I know why they didn't with how much people hate on the double-hinge on the YF-19's wings.

[sharpnel]

Just got mine from CD Japan yesterday.  Beautiful bird.  Gonna take mine time to enjoy each mode.

 

[enphily]

I don't like too small pilot and weak left landing gear. Also my left wing not really straight.

Transformation is good and some small features too. Ball jointed feet and hips will loose overtime and it's scares me.

Very good articulation too.

I think i'm not so happy as i should

[kanedaestes]

Mines in customs in Chicago so I will hopefully have it by Monday or Tuesday!!

[manfred17]

Received mine. 

As expected, What  a wonderful toy !

I really like it, it is heavy , no loose joint, and so so sexy..

 

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by manfred17

[Alex GS]

3 hours ago, manfred17 said:

Received mine. 

As expected, What  a wonderful toy !

I really like it, it is heavy , no loose joint, and so so sexy..

 

 

Awesome picture @manfred17 , seriously Bandai is raising the bar very damn high with its recently releases Valks I mean just look at them, yes there are some defects outhere like the antenna and other things, but damn overall it can't be denied that these Valks looks stunning, seriously Arcadia needs to step up their game fast!! and stop with those nonsense Premium Finishes price tags. 

Can't effing wait for my VF 1J!, the excitement is increasing by the minute   

 

[Dobber]

4 hours ago, manfred17 said:

Received mine. 

As expected, What  a wonderful toy !

I really like it, it is heavy , no loose joint, and so so sexy..

 

 

Is it me or does the 1/60 YF-19 pilot look larger than the 1/48 VF-1 pilot? I know the 1/48 pilot was reported as a little small but damn! 

Chris

Edited January 6, 2019 by Dobber

[NeoMatter]

3 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Is it me or does the 1/60 YF-19 pilot look larger than the 1/48 VF-1 pilot? I know the 1/48 pilot was reported as a little small but damn! 

Chris

Here's the pilot compared to a Dianaut (which is supposed to be 1/60 scale).

Hikaru and Dianaut chilling out 1 by Vicki Lee, on Flickr

Hikaru and Dianaut chilling out 2 by Vicki Lee, on Flickr

And in the cockpit:

Dianaut Pilot VF-1J by Vicki Lee, on Flickr

4 hours ago, manfred17 said:

I really like it, it is heavy , no loose joint, and so so sexy...

Catwalk by Vicki Lee, on Flickr

Dang... it does balance very well. It may look deceptive, but it's only standing on one leg.

[eggy99]

16 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Is it me or does the 1/60 YF-19 pilot look larger than the 1/48 VF-1 pilot? I know the 1/48 pilot was reported as a little small but damn! 

Chris

It’s bandai poking fun at how shrimpy Hikaru is. 

[HardlyNever]

18 minutes ago, eggy99 said:

It’s bandai poking fun at how shrimpy Hikaru is. 

Bandai perpetually has the idea that the TV pilots are ridiculously small.  I'm not sure how or why they got this idea, but if look at the HMR valks, they always make TV pilots smaller than DYRL pilots, in the same sized cockpits.  

I'm guessing they just continued this same trend into the DX 1/48 line, for reasons unknown.

[jenius]

Are you guys sure the pilot really is small? Like, have you measured it and extrapolated height?

Edited January 6, 2019 by jenius

[derex3592]

Hikaru was a really thin little guy honestly in the show. If they make Focker bigger, I'll get over Hicky being on the small side. 

[HardlyNever]

17 minutes ago, jenius said:

Are you guys sure the pilot really is small? Like, have you measured it and extrapolated height?

I don't have my 1/48 in hand yet, so I'm just going off of other peoples' pictures, so I can't do a side-by-size comparison.

Looking at @manfred17 pic, it looks like 1/60 Isamu and 1/48 Hikaru are roughly the same size, with Isamu being perhaps slightly larger (how they sit in the cockpit could affect this.  A a side-by-side comparison would obviously be better).

The macross wiki has TV Hikaru's height at 175 CM.  It has Isamu's height at 183 CM (I don't know where they got these numbers, I'm willing to accept others if people have sources).  By my calculation, 1/48 Hikaru should slightly less than  0.6 real-life CM taller than 1/60 Isamu (someone check my math on this, I could be way off).

I think Bandai made their SDFM pilot small again, but I can't commit to that opinion until I have my 1/48 in person.

Edited January 6, 2019 by HardlyNever

[DewPoint]

Keep in mind: he is about 16 to 17 years old and Japanese. Asians are not normally full adult size at that age. It would be interesting to see if they make Roy larger. 

[no3Ljm]

7 hours ago, sharpnel said:

Just got mine from CD Japan yesterday.  Beautiful bird.  Gonna take mine time to enjoy each mode.

Looks gorgeous, @sharpnel!  

 

Quick question for those who have it. What do you guys think about the back neck part of the DX version? Would you guys prefer the added details that YamArcadia have on their neck cover option part? I don't have mine yet, but after I checked back the photos in the Tamashii site, I noticed that there's not enough detail on it that suggests that there should be a door somehow for the pilot to release.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

[jvmacross]

7 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Quick question for those who have it. What do you guys think about the back neck part of the DX version? Would you guys prefer the added details that YamArcadia have on their neck cover option part?

Don't care for it.

I would have preferred "neck parts"...or some better execution/design.

I have had it for a few days now and find the detachable leg "gimmick" really annoying/dissapointing.  I really cannot think of it as an improvement over the Yamato...unless you are comparing it to the Yamato V1 where both legs detached separately.

In all, I see this DX as a moderate improvement over the Yamato 1/48 , rather than the Yamato V2.  By no means is it a giant leap forward in VF-1 toy design.  This definitely not the "ultimate" VF-1 we were waiting for.  Maybe in another 5-10 years?

With that said, it doeslooks great in all 3 modes, but that detachable leg gimmick, to me, leaves me feeling like something better can be done...perhaps it really does need to be in that 1/35 scale they teased to be able to accomplish "ultimate" status.

I honestly hope that if Bandai ever "downscales" this DX to more of a 1/60....that they drop the detachable leg gimmick, seems more of a headache than what you get out of it.

 

[NeoMatter]

14 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Looks gorgeous, @sharpnel!  

 

Quick question for those who have it. What do you guys think about the back neck part of the DX version? Would you guys prefer the added details that YamArcadia have on their neck cover option part? I don't have mine yet, but after I checked back the photos in the Tamashii site, I noticed that there's not enough detail on it that suggests that there should be a door somehow for the pilot to release.

Anyways, let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

There's really no detail back there. However, it does give a small semblance that the hatch is there (if you knew there was one there in the first place). Doesn't bother me as I don't look back there anyways. 

[F360]

more side by side comparisons