Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[Matt Random]

Quick shot having some fun with portrait mode on the phone.

[ArchieNov]

31 minutes ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

Anyone else still waiting for NY to ship theirs out?

I paid the extra shipping cost and it’s been “in progress” ever since. 

Have you tried opening a ticket to say that you already paid the additional? That works for me. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by ArchieNov

[Chronocidal]

1 hour ago, NeoMatter said:

It is offset in order to get the arm pegged into the tab. If I aligned both arms (no offset), the arm will not peg and pop out of the tab.

Guessing the tolerances on either the tabs or arm holes were off a tiny amount then.  Does mounting the gunpod force the arms to align, and then force that arm to pop off the tab again?

[Roy Focker]

Okay first impressions review time.

I was late to the party on this.  I knew Bandai was coming up with a larger scale VF-1 but had no interest in following it's progress.  I already have a collection of visually appealing Yamato 1/60 v2 and currently collecting the Hi-Metals.  I'm good. I don't need to start another collection.  Then I started seeing the pictures posted here.  Maybe I should just get one.   I missed the pre-order prices but Amazon's prices with shipping was higher than I wanted to pay but not so high I would skip it.

Right out of the package it just looked like another Yamato 1/48.  Feels heavy but not too impressive.  For transformation I just watched a how to on YouTube.  I still went slow as all VF-1 are most fragile during this stage.   Battroid mode is where I saw the difference.  This is the VF-1 of my childhood's  imagination.  It just looks right.  Early VF-1 toys required your imagination to see past their visual flaws.  The rest of this review will be comparing it to other VF-1 toys I have.

vs Yamato 1/48: I previously stated this about my Yamato 1/48's "The large size is impressive. It is sturdier than the 1/60 v2. You can transform and play with them without fear of breaking something."   The DX got the size part for sure.   It also feels sturdy.   Not as sturdy as the transformation process is bit more complex.  More parts more chance of breaking something.

vs Bandai Hi-Metal R: No contest!  These feel tiny, simple and cheap next to it.  The appeal of the Hi-Metal line is their size.  It would be impossible or at least too expensive to have collection of all the various types of mecha in 1/48 scale.   Hi-Metals VF-1s are scaled too allow this.  They aren't perfect but they're just good enough.

vs Yamato 1/60 v2: I think may have been just lost the title of best VF-1 at any scale.   Appearance wise the v2 is still pretty good but these things are just so fragile.  Design similarities with their Yamato 1/48 big brother ends up becoming design flaws when scaled down.  I barely touched them through the years and I've got cracks and floppy parts.  I haven't gotten any 1/60 made by Arcadia.   Have they made improvements to this toy?  It needs a v3 or a v2.5.  It doesn't need a complete remodel just a few improvements.

Final thoughts.  Side to side torso movement is good to have but the toy is more stable with the leg bar connected and that's how I'll keep it.  Features like wing flaps always sound  cool but ever since the Yamato 1/48 will just be a hassle.  Even though I rarely display missiles on any of my VF-1 I would prefer missiles over 2 display stands.  Why 2 stands?   What a waste of plastic.  This toy is the toy you have to get.  You need at least one of these as main display piece.  If they make more I'll have to collect them under the same guidelines I had for the Yamato 1/48.  Don't collect them all!   1/48 scale makes things too expensive and takes up too much space for me to collect them all.  I'll buy a single of each variant.  I already have Hikaru's VF-1J so I won't buy another VF-1J of a different color.  Getting one of nearly every release is something I keep for my Hi-metal collection.

[spacemanoeuvres]

43 minutes ago, ArchieNov said:

Have you tried opening a ticket to say that you already paid the additional? That works for me. 

I have a ticket open now. I’ve updated it 3 times with no response. I think they have me on a “pay no mind” list. 

[Gwynne]

1 hour ago, spacemanoeuvres said:

Anyone else still waiting for NY to ship theirs out?

I paid the extra shipping cost and it’s been “in progress” ever since. 

I had the same problem.  Figures after I defended them earlier in this thread... 

 

It had been in "Waiting for Customer Reply" ever since the additional payment was sent out.  I made a ticket and updated it a few times.  Finally today they moved it to "preparation in progress".  Maybe they shipped a bunch out before going on break for the holidays and are now just getting back and catching up.  Make a ticket if you have not yet.

 

Edit: Well it seems you already have.  I was going to try and call them today if I did not hear from them or if my status did not change.  Thankfully it did so I don't have to deal with international calls.

Edited January 8, 2019 by Gwynne

[kanedaestes]

I.....can’t .........stop........touching it. I should’ve gotten two. One for display and one for play. Welp guess my display will just change every few hours

[no3Ljm]

4 minutes ago, kanedaestes said:

I.....can’t .........stop........touching it. I should’ve gotten two. One for display and one for play. Welp guess my display will just change every few hours

Get one more for... just in case? 

 

[dapro]

I need to figure out where to display this bad boy. I don't have space in detolf, maybe put it on top of a detolf or on my computer desk.

[NeoMatter]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Guessing the tolerances on either the tabs or arm holes were off a tiny amount then.  Does mounting the gunpod force the arms to align, and then force that arm to pop off the tab again?

Attaching the gunpod fixes it a little, though I can't fully tab the arms in. There will be a very, very small gap between the arms and underbody for it to 'fit'. I only have the issue with one arm. The other arm solidly pegs in without issue.

[davidwhangchoi]

29 minutes ago, NeoMatter said:

Attaching the gunpod fixes it a little, though I can't fully tab the arms in. There will be a very, very small gap between the arms and underbody for it to 'fit'. I only have the issue with one arm. The other arm solidly pegs in without issue.

mee too

[Ridden001]

Mine moved to “prep in progress”.  I’m no longer concerned as I’ve nevr had an issue with them not sending something once it reached that point.  They can though take time, but in regards to if I’m going to get it or not, I know I’m good

[treatment]

On 1/7/2019 at 1:25 PM, davidwhangchoi said:

i didn't see this post, yeah, that's my issue with only one arm on mine. the other arm seems to tab ok without feeling loose. 

ah i just refreshed and saw the post,  

i hope so

perhaps the superparts themselves will have something to keep the arms locked when the legs are not tabbed in

 

8 hours ago, NeoMatter said:

It is offset in order to get the arm pegged into the tab. If I aligned both arms (no offset), the arm will not peg and pop out of the tab.

 

7 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Guessing the tolerances on either the tabs or arm holes were off a tiny amount then.  Does mounting the gunpod force the arms to align, and then force that arm to pop off the tab again?

 

Ok. Mine doesn't pop out by itself just yet in comparison with DWC's and NeoMatter's.

At any rate...

Don't really think I can even actually offset the arms or not on mine, but here are pics of my DX 1J's arms connected but somehow misaligned:

 

Maybe a bit difficult to spot it, so here's another pic along with the yammie:

See the misalignment on the DX's arms, yet?

Now here's a pic with the gunpod attached to make the misalignment go away:

It's an annoyance.  May trigger some OCD if you're into proper symmetry and alignment.

Fwiw, the yammie 1/60v2 has tiny tab/dimple combo on its arms to peg together and align nicely.

In contrast, the DX arms are clean and does not have any tabs like the yammie. You'll have to attach the gunpod to join and align its arms together flushed in Gerwalk-mode.

Fighter-mode seems to use the connected legs/backpack as leverage/pressure to keep the arms aligned and flushed.

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by treatment

[no3Ljm]

9 minutes ago, treatment said:

It's an annoyance.  May trigger some OCD if you're into proper symmetry and alignment.

Fwiw, the yammie 1/60v2 has tiny tab/dimple combo on its arms to peg together and align nicely.

In contrast, the DX arms are clean and does not have any tabs like the yammie. You'll have to attach the gunpod to join its arms together.

 

Thanks for showing us this, Treatment.  

It would've been nice if Bandai included a small tab/peg like what YamArcadia did to help support the arms in Fighter/Gerwalk modes. The actual legs however already have an exposed tabs during Battroid mode. What's stopping them to add a small one for the arms?

Can't imagine now how more misaligned it's going to be once the Arm Super Parts are attached. Unless it's the said Arm Super Parts that's going to have those tabs/pegs.

 

[jenius]

The arms themselves are super stiff... those pegs really seem like they only exist for alignment purposes (since the arms slide back and forth). 

To elaborate, even completely not connected to those pegs, the arms will still be above the leg line. 

Also, not trying to say that maybe there isn't a fit issue that should be resolved... just tryin' to say that I don't think there's much reason for concern that it will have a long-term detriment to enjoyment of the toy.

Edited January 9, 2019 by jenius

[davidwhangchoi]

31 minutes ago, treatment said:

It's an annoyance.  May trigger some OCD if you're into proper symmetry and alignment.

Fwiw, the yammie 1/60v2 has tiny tab/dimple combo on its arms to peg together and align nicely.

In contrast, the DX arms are clean and does not have any tabs like the yammie. You'll have to attach the gunpod to join and align its arms together flushed in Gerwalk-mode.

Fighter-mode seems to use the connected legs/backpack as leverage/pressure to keep the arms aligned and flushed.

 

Thanks treatment and Eggy also posted good pics pointing out the issue. the 1/60 definitely solved the 1/48 with the arms clipping on a bracket.  

not too thrilled about bandai going backwards but oh well...  

[eggy99]

15 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said:

the 1/60 definitely solved the 1/48 with the arms clipping on a bracket.  

not too thrilled about bandai going backwards but oh well...  

I've been thinking about this too. Why did they remove the brackets to lock the arms to the underside of the chest?  Someone mentioned this was designed by T-Rex, which is why it is so similar to the Yamarcadia 1/60 design. Then I thought about the paint scraping issues from the the more colourful VF-1s. Clips are definite culprits of paint scraping / wear and tear. this could have been the reason for the change.

Another aesthetic change made from the Yamarcadia - which could be a functional improvement.
- Rear landing gear doors: the 1/60 had really flush doors. DX has visible hinges. the DX's do sit cleaner overall though. The 1/60's doors were some times a bit misaligned.

Then the leg fins. There must have been a functional reason for less ridged lock compared to the 1/60. I feel like ridged flaps would not be safe with the amount of weight the DX has at the rear now. The 1/60 could comfortably be placed on the fins without fear of breaking, but perhaps the same could not be said for the DX. But again, it doesn't feel like the DX fins can be positioned outward and flat, so what happens if you do place the DX on it's leg fins? Snap or fall off the hinges? Who dares to try that?

[no3Ljm]

 

[Hiriyu]

Recieved my Ami shipment today. I haven't transformed the DX yet but holy jeeebus I am loving the way it looks and handles in fighter. The substantial weight (befitting a proper chogokin) already puts this thing light years ahead of the Yammie 1/48 in my book, and I am really digging on the more sharp-edged and chunky styling compared to the Yamarcadias. No complaints here at all regarding flaps, winglets or radome pivots - they're all pretty secure on mine.

[no3Ljm]

^    

 

[mamboeidos]

one got their order(S) from cdjapan already?

 

mine is still In Shipping Process zzzzz

[davidwhangchoi]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

^    

 

Lol that made me laugh. Don't worry I confirmed users with duplicate accounts so it could be one guy using multiples who can't grow up. 

Eggy either it was Trex or someone blatantly copied them bc it's pretty much the same valk minus a few things

 

 

 

[F360]

33 minutes ago, mamboeidos said:

one got their order(S) from cdjapan already?

 

mine is still In Shipping Process zzzzz

did you agreed to pay to the extra shipping charge from their email? 

[no3Ljm]

28 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said:

Lol that made me laugh. Don't worry I confirmed users with duplicate accounts so it could be one guy using multiples who can't grow up.

Thanks David! 

I should probably request the admins to add on the Leaderboards ‘who has the most downvotes’ category. That way, my name is always on the top. I mean, since I’m not getting pennies out of it, I rather stay on the top for getting too much downvotes. 

 

[kkx]

Is anyone bothered by the prominent mold line on the canopy?

[seti88]

1 minute ago, no3Ljm said:

Thanks David! 

I should probably request the admins to add on the Leaderboards ‘who has the most downvotes’ category. That way, my name is always on the top. I mean, since I’m not getting pennies out of it, I rather stay on the top for getting too much downvotes. 

 

 that made me chuckle...

1 minute ago, kkx said:

Is anyone bothered by the prominent mold line on the canopy?

yes! but am learning to tune it out! 

[seti88]

Probably be down to the toothpaste trick again to get rid of seam lines in clear canopies....but gee whiz...i dont have the time to do any of that...

[seti88]

And on the arm tabs front i went from this...

 

to this....

to finally this..

Initially i thought it was the way the arms leaned inwards or outwards that could be the cause of the fit to the tabs hanging downwards from the fuselage.

That worked somewhat, but also gave gaps in between the arms. Had tot that the gunpod would counteract this somehow, but it didn't.

I then worked the arms from the front. And due to the sliding mechanism, the arms were pushed backwards. (All this while i had already secured my gunpod)

So it occurred to me perhaps the tabs weren't biting, not because of the arm rotation but because of the exact positioning of the tab holes on the arms with reference to the tabs hanging down.

so i tried to get the arms tabbed as before, but as a final act, adjusted the position of the arms on the slider, and lo and behold, it held like the final picture with no gaps or sagging! 

Am not sure if this solves the annoyance, and also i don't know how long it will hold. Although leaving it alone now, after swooshing it mildy ..it seems ok!

Long term though, perhaps coating the tabs will help it stay tighter...cant imagine what time will affect it since its basically a vertical tab fighting gravity....

 

[seti88]

Take off!

[seti88]

9 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Get one more for... just in case? 

 

Hahaha just saw this...so accurate..thats not how the falcon lands! psssh pssh...does your wife also like toys...  

Also, thats a nice display cabinet! ....Awesome! 

Edited January 9, 2019 by seti88

[kkx]

2 hours ago, seti88 said:

 that made me chuckle...

yes! but am learning to tune it out! 

Haha, good trick. Safer and avoid a lot of hard work.

2 hours ago, seti88 said:

Probably be down to the toothpaste trick again to get rid of seam lines in clear canopies....but gee whiz...i dont have the time to do any of that...

That is what I am thinking too. I build models and that seam line just scream at me to sand it down and buff up again. Have to resist like seti88, but I know eventually I will break down and do it.

 

[no3Ljm]

Just want to confirm regarding the chest part. Once in Battroid mode, the chest doesn’t lock that much like the YamArcadia and it can easily be move or shake even if the shoulder cavity fillers are folded. Let me know.

Other things I noticed besides what’s already been posted is that I like the backplate small fin that presses down when the backpack is folded. It’s going to eliminate the paint rub on the tail fin esp for colored Valks (e.g. Skull black tail fins).

And there’s a few things that I want Bandai to fix or update on the next release: A.) Have a thin neck base filler. I don’t like the view looking down on the neck area from the back side of the figure. B.) Remove the backplate folding locking mechanism to the nosecone. And instead, Bandai should revise the backplate locking arm peg in Fighter mode to be a lock that wraps under the nosecone in Battroid mode. Kind of like what YamArcadia did. C.) Add the ‘grill’ detail on the backpack’s thrusters. D.) Make the shoulder chest cavity filler metal so it’s more sturdy like Arcadia’s VF-0S/A.

But overall, I like the figure. Didn’t expect that it will took me twice the time of transforming it compared to the 1/60v2’s.

 

Edited January 9, 2019 by no3Ljm

[vlenhoff]

Mine arrived yesterday, and I still haven’t gotten around to open it. Amiami seemed to only put massive amounts stuffing material, only on top and on the sides of the shipping box, lol. All in all, amiami did their job well on my first buy from them. Well done amiami.

Edited January 9, 2019 by vlenhoff

[ArchieNov]

4 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Just want to confirm regarding the chest part. Once in Battroid mode, the chest doesn’t lock that much like the YamArcadia and it can easily be move or shake even if the shoulder cavity fillers are folded. Let me know.

Other things I noticed besides what’s already been posted is that I like the backplate small fin that presses down when the backpack is folded. It’s going to eliminate the paint rub on the tail fin esp for colored Valks (e.g. Skull black tail fins).

And there’s a few things that I want Bandai to fix or update on the next release: A.) Have a thin neck base filler. I don’t like the view looking down on the neck area from the back side of the figure. B.) Remove the backplate folding locking mechanism to the nosecone. And instead, Bandai should revise the backplate locking arm peg in Fighter mode to be a lock that wraps under the nosecone in Battroid mode. Kind of like what YamArcadia did. C.) Add the ‘grill’ detail on the backpack’s thrusters. D.) Make the shoulder chest cavity filler metal so it’s more sturdy like Arcadia’s VF-0S/A.

But overall, I like the figure. Didn’t expect that it will took me twice the time of transforming it compared to the 1/60v2’s.

 

The chest locks solid. You may have missed a step. Try pushing down on it more until you hear it snap into place.

[eggy99]

I received my other 2 from Amiami and did a check on them for faults. Number 2 and 3 are A OK.

Only minor things, like slightly misaligned front and back parts of the foot unit, light tampo of UN SPACY on 1 of the side of 1 of the gunpods. 

My impressions of this toy. 

I love it so much. It exceeds all my expectations. I did a full transformation to battroid and back to fighter for one of them and a half gerwalk on the other. The DX is very solid and feels very sturdy and weighty. Many of the changes from the Yamarcadia 1/60 are functionally better on the DX. 

I mentioned previously about the landing gear doors having visible hinges. The doors work amazingly. Very tight, sturdy and well aligned. 

I think I could go on and on about the DX, but it would be too much to write. 

The attention to detail on the DX puts it in a class above even the PF 1/60. The 1/60 feels light, and just a little bit fragile in comparison. The heft of the DX is just so good in the hands and all the clicky joints are a joy. The DX is immensely more fun and satisfying to play with than the 1/60. 

The things I don't like on the DX. 

The diecast seam on the feet. The 1/60 has no seam, so I’m not sure why the DX feet needed to be cast that way. Must be a diecast VS plastic molding thing. 

Nose cone. I would have preferred it to be removable with radar detail like the old 1/48. I guess they just didn’t want people misplacing their nose cone if they took it off for the GBP. 

Missing ejection warning tampo. A dumb mistake by Bandai. 

Useless wing flap gimmick. It doesn’t add anything. 

I found it very challenging to open the landing gear doors. I had to use a plastic seperator tool for model kits to get started. 

Oh yeah I took a photo of the legs positioned for attachment of the FAST packs. Enjoy:

Ahh yes and Hikaru. I measured him and he’s approximately 3cm so he’s only 144cm tall scaled to 1/1. That's too short even for a 16 - 17 year old Japanese, who ends up at 175cm by adult hood.

I’m very much looking forward to more DX VF-1 toys. 

Edited January 10, 2019 by eggy99