Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[treatment]

48 minutes ago, eggy99 said:

I was looking again at my 3rd one at work to check for any more defects besides the wing flap, and discovered more about the arms locking to the fighter chest tabs.

It's also related to the shoulders and how they are rotated on the ball joints. If they aren't in the correct position, then the pressure of the shoulder will exert enough force to push the arm of the chest tab. I tested this a few times and it worked after adjusting the shoulder positioning.

You need to pull the arm back on the rail so and then move the shoulder on the ball joint so that it wants to points upwards (against the bottom of the fighter). Straighten up the elbow and forearm, and then slide back until the tab lines up with the socket. Now when you press the arm into the tab it will lock in tight.

 

39 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

 

Thanks for the recommendation.

I did try to reset the position. When I first pulled the Valkyrie from the tray it was already misaligned and the backpack looked askew. 

I massaged everything back to place and it seemed to work. Then I started to transform it and the arm just popped away. I tried putting it back in place but it just refused to stay. I checked the alignment and everything was level, yet no success to keep the right arm in place. 

Hopefully this doesn’t turn into a larger issue with Super or Strike parts attached.

From what I've observed so far on my copy.

I think the alignment-issue in fighter-mode on the DX is due to the arms not being tabbed-in to each other for secured connection, and are naturally flaring out in opposite directions. With the right-arm pulling out more. 

It'll need some pressure (tabbed-in legs) to get them to join together to align and fit the back-tabs. This is a bit limited, tho.

The best solution so far to secure the arms and not have it droop out or disengaged its tabs is to both install the gunpod and have the legs tabbed-in since the gunpod slot pegs in both arms secured both in the more correct alignment position and the legs prevents either arm from flaring or biasing out on one side.

The yammarcadia 1/60v2s have the bracing/edge along with dimple/tab on the arms to avoid this particular issue, it seems.

 

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by treatment

[davidwhangchoi]

Alright guys, looks like Arcadia/Yamato is correct printing right side up on one side and upside down on the opposite side of the gunpod.

I was able to capture both sides of the gunpod from unknown soldier 0A 

i found a scene where Shin sweeps the gunpod from left to right showing both sides in one scene

From the audience view: In fighter is the UN SPACY printed on the gunpod is upside down from the right side of the plane and right side up on when viewed from the left.    

 

since it's in CG i'm pretty sure it was drawn in correctly by the creator of the mechanical design/director.  

 

Edited January 10, 2019 by davidwhangchoi

[sixtybucks]

25 minutes ago, treatment said:

 

 

Yeah. Your snaps are mostly DYRL except for the last one.

Here's some TV-snaps from yt:

 

I have two VF1 Master File books and I just checked: in the "Atmosphere" book gunpods don't have any markings. 'Space" one most depictions have no markings, but there's a few that show "U.N. SPACY". These are only aligned for fighter mode, so when shown in battroid they are upside down.

But if you go strictly canon (TV & DYRL), looks like gunpods have no markings.

[davidwhangchoi]

4 minutes ago, sixtybucks said:

I have two VF1 Master File books and I just checked: in the "Atmosphere" book gunpods don't have any markings. 'Space" one most depictions have no markings, but there's a few that show "U.N. SPACY". These are only aligned for fighter mode, so when shown in battroid they are upside down.

But if you go strictly canon (TV & DYRL), looks like gunpods have no markings.

you have to check both sides. 

Yamato/Arcadia and Macross Zero has the markings correct: one side up one side down. 

Bandai has it incorrect. 

[no3Ljm]

Guys, always remember -- In Macross, there's no such thing as canon. 

 

[Sanity is Optional]

They're all correct, to *something*.

[davidwhangchoi]

2 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Guys, always remember -- In Macross with Bandai, there's no such thing as canon. 

fixed

jk, noel

but bandai does funny stuff that's inaccurate all the time on the DX line.

Edited January 10, 2019 by davidwhangchoi

[no3Ljm]

13 minutes ago, davidwhangchoi said:

fixed

jk, noel

but bandai does funny stuff that's inaccurate all the time on the DX line.

True. But aren't they all including Tatsunoko for making those non-canon inaccuracy images? It's not HG's fault that we have VF-1R. 

VF-1R... let's not go down to that conversation.

 

[Dobber]

Despite, what my tracking says my DX showed up today! What a beauty! Though my only gripe is the folding ventral fins. When handling the toy I keep knocking them and causing them to fold or get out of place.

Chris

[wm cheng]

I'm loving this toy, thought I'd chime in after seeing all these amazing photos and really glad to see people taking them out of the boxes and playing and panel lining them!  Bravo.  Toys are mean to be played that's what I liked best with this one, I love playing with it and handling it.  It doesn't feel fragile or over complicated - its a joy to transform, I hope the joints hold up. 

I use the Flory Wash (its water/clay based and completely inert to the plastic).  I use black and two shades, a light grey and dark grey for the panel lines, I use the black for all the vents and moveable surfaces, dark grey for the access panels and slats that's supposed to move and light grey for the rest of the panel lines that make up the rest of the plane, I find this a bit more subtle and gives a bit of life to the paneling.  Just adding that outside black ring all around the circular vernier thruster makes a huge difference!  I also added the Ejection Triangle graphic (really unforgivable Bandai!) and the "VF" on the legs as for me this defines the TV from the DRYL - also its the first VF-1 that I would want to display in Battroid mode often (fighter has always been my favourite).

I haven't decided on post-shading it yet, but might do a light one with some subtle streaking to tie it into the rest of my collection as I have to seal it in with a semi-satin clear coat anyways, but I do love the light grey satin finish Bandai chose.

I always have a fondness for the original old 1/48 from Yamato - mainly due to the fact that they were optimized for fighter mode which is my favorite mode.  There's no doubt that this is the most advanced VF-1 toy and the improvements all add up to a great toy that wants to be played with.  However I feel a little disappointed that they seemed to have missed some opportunities if they wanted to genuinely make this the ultimate Valkyrie.  Since they were doing the 1/48 scale again, I would have thought they would have taken some cues from the Club-M resin 1/48 model. 

Wish list (comments/thoughts/suggestions);

-they could have included some more panel lines with some rivet details (there's really no more panel lines than the old Yamato 1/48)

-I do love the detail at the top of the chest in Battroid mode with the edge detail all around and folding flaps

-I wished they included a double joint in the knee so it can truely kneel and fold back on itself

-I wished the canopy was done in two pieces, opaque frame with clear inserts (like the Club-M model)

-with all those crazy/non-canon extra markings, they missed the ejection triangle and cockpit display?!  really Bandai?

-wished instead of the rectangular holes in the legs, they used hidden magnets to hold the fast packs in the future

-those three long rectangular indented details on the leg exterior are too high and interferes with the "U.N. SPACY" lettering in an unattractive way

-hated that notch under the wing root that seats the arm/shoulder pivot

-I'd love to see the swing wings geared to move with each other, or have detents at the very lease to they are extended in a symmetrical fashion

-would love to see the wing cross section slight thicker (more of an airfoil shape) so the mounts for the weapons become flush

-the wingtip slimelight, red & blue nav lights should be clear inserts at this scale

-the back airbrake should have see through louvered slats

-the legs should have removable exterior that show off the leg interior mechanics like the 1/48 Hasegawa model

-I don't mind the flaps (they work for me but if mine were broken or floppy then it would be annoying)

-I wish the ventral fins had a much stiffer joint and something that locks them in position (I wouldn't miss this if it were fixed instead of jointed)

-I wished the vernier thrusters were actually cones with a fin on top like the 1/48 Hasegawa model instead of a flat printed graphic

-would have loved to see those lighted gimmicks Bandai teased us with the 1/35 scale

-the gunpod is just too big, it needs to be 10-15% smaller please

That all said I am looking forward to the Roy's VF-1S.

 

Edited January 11, 2019 by wm cheng

[Tallman]

Finally have time to play with this toy. After playing a while, I was so regret that why I didn't buy one more ... 

Although it is not perfect, but close to perfect for me. Nice work Bandai 

Edited January 11, 2019 by Tallman

[wm cheng]

Is there a PDF of the transformation manual put out by Bandai?  They used to have some online for download for their older toys.

[jenius]

I scanned mine and put it in anymoon.

[nightmareB4macross]

18 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

I'm loving this toy, thought I'd chime in after seeing all these amazing photos and really glad to see people taking them out of the boxes and playing and panel lining them!  Bravo.  Toys are mean to be played that's what I liked best with this one, I love playing with it and handling it.  It doesn't feel fragile or over complicated - its a joy to transform, I hope the joints hold up. 

I use the Flory Wash (its water/clay based and completely inert to the plastic).  I use black and two shades, a light grey and dark grey for the panel lines, I use the black for all the vents and moveable surfaces, dark grey for the access panels and slats that's supposed to move and light grey for the rest of the panel lines that make up the rest of the plane, I find this a bit more subtle and gives a bit of life to the paneling.  Just adding that outside black ring all around the circular vernier thruster makes a huge difference!  I also added the Ejection Triangle graphic (really unforgivable Bandai!) and the "VF" on the legs as for me this defines the TV from the DRYL - also its the first VF-1 that I would want to display in Battroid mode often (fighter has always been my favourite).

I haven't decided on post-shading it yet, but might do a light one with some subtle streaking to tie it into the rest of my collection as I have to seal it in with a semi-satin clear coat anyways, but I do love the light grey satin finish Bandai chose.

I always have a fondness for the original old 1/48 from Yamato - mainly due to the fact that they were optimized for fighter mode which is my favorite mode.  There's no doubt that this is the most advanced VF-1 toy and the improvements all add up to a great toy that wants to be played with.  However I feel a little disappointed that they seemed to have missed some opportunities if they wanted to genuinely make this the ultimate Valkyrie.  Since they were doing the 1/48 scale again, I would have thought they would have taken some cues from the Club-M resin 1/48 model. 

Wish list (comments/thoughts/suggestions);

-they could have included some more panel lines with some rivet details (there's really no more panel lines than the old Yamato 1/48)

-I do love the detail at the top of the chest in Battroid mode with the edge detail all around and folding flaps

-I wished they included a double joint in the knee so it can truely kneel and fold back on itself

-I wished the canopy was done in two pieces, opaque frame with clear inserts (like the Club-M model)

-with all those crazy/non-canon extra markings, they missed the ejection triangle and cockpit display?!  really Bandai?

-wished instead of the rectangular holes in the legs, they used hidden magnets to hold the fast packs in the future

-those three long rectangular indented details on the leg exterior are too high and interferes with the "U.N. SPACY" lettering in an unattractive way

-hated that notch under the wing root that seats the arm/shoulder pivot

-I'd love to see the swing wings geared to move with each other, or have detents at the very lease to they are extended in a symmetrical fashion

-would love to see the wing cross section slight thicker (more of an airfoil shape) so the mounts for the weapons become flush

-the wingtip slimelight, red & blue nav lights should be clear inserts at this scale

-the back airbrake should have see through louvered slats

-the legs should have removable exterior that show off the leg interior mechanics like the 1/48 Hasegawa model

-I don't mind the flaps (they work for me but if mine were broken or floppy then it would be annoying)

-I wish the ventral fins had a much stiffer joint and something that locks them in position (I wouldn't miss this if it were fixed instead of jointed)

-I wished the vernier thrusters were actually cones with a fin on top like the 1/48 Hasegawa model instead of a flat printed graphic

-would have loved to see those lighted gimmicks Bandai teased us with the 1/35 scale

-the gunpod is just too big, it needs to be 10-15% smaller please

That all said I am looking forward to the Roy's VF-1S.

 

 Excellent effects and execution.

I whole heartedly agree that there really was a missed opportunity to really gear up the engineeiring and details to truly supass anything we have seen to date be it model or toy.

 

[wm cheng]

5 minutes ago, jenius said:

I scanned mine and put it in anymoon.

Is it available for download, I didn't see it here;

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=12016#more-12016

Is it in another section?  Amazing review BTW!

[treatment]

2 minutes ago, wm cheng said:

Is it available for download, I didn't see it here;

http://anymoon.com/blog/?p=12016#more-12016

Is it in another section?  Amazing review BTW!

Should be in the Packaging/Extras section at #11.

[jenius]

Thanks! look for item 11, there's a link 

Edit... Video review will hopefully be up soon and I'm going to pull out some new tricks...

Edited January 11, 2019 by jenius

[wm cheng]

2 minutes ago, jenius said:

Thanks! look for item 11, there's a link 

Edit... Video review will hopefully be up soon and I'm going to pull out some new tricks...

Thanks so much, just found it.  I was half way through scanning when I thought hey, maybe I should ask online first :P

Now more time to swoosh it around the room!

Edited January 11, 2019 by wm cheng

[jvmacross]

2 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Guys, always remember -- In Macross, there's no such thing as canon. 

 

 

[Sildani]

1 hour ago, nightmareB4macross said:

 Excellent effects and execution.

I whole heartedly agree that there really was a missed opportunity to really gear up the engineeiring and details to truly supass anything we have seen to date be it model or toy.

 

Yeah, but at what cost?

[TheLoneWolf]

8 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

He was thinking skiers bending the knees? So it's not the birds, right? 

 

Actually, it's both . Shameless plug: Kawamori discussed the origins of the gerwalk mode at a panel in Otakon 2018, which can be found below.

http://www.macrossworld.com/shoji-kawamoris-panel-at-otakon-2018-part-1/

[seti88]

wow this thread is moving so fast...

Love all the panel lined results!
I had always tot the gunpod had upside down UNspacy from even back in the day when macross came out. Never knew it was in contention...

As for the arms tendency to pop out of the tabs sometimes, i posted that i found adjusting the arms along the slider rails, helps to keep the arms locked into the tabs.
So far its still aligned after i adjusted it.

4 minutes ago, TheLoneWolf said:

Actually, it's both . Shameless plug: Kawamori discussed the origins of the gerwalk mode at a panel in Otakon 2018, which can be found below.

http://www.macrossworld.com/shoji-kawamoris-panel-at-otakon-2018-part-1/

 yeah i noticed he mentions it most of the times, when someone asks him abt the beginnings of macross and how he designed the valks. 
Still nice to hear 

[yman1437]

21 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

Found the best vf-1J 

Speechless....can't find any words to describe it and my feelings of it.....

[mickyg]

2 hours ago, wm cheng said:

I'm loving this toy, thought I'd chime in after seeing all these amazing photos and really glad to see people taking them out of the boxes and playing and panel lining them!  ....Snip

Hey WM!  Thanks for posting your great work and review.  I don't have mine yet but your thoughts echo what I've been thinking, based on all the feedback from folks who have it already and all the pictures.

My only addition would be the non-painted landing gear (but that's always a pet peeve with anything Bandai and I'm pretty much used to it by now) and that slime lights are actually opaque and wouldn't look right if they were clear.  I'm with you on the wingtip lights though - they really should be clear parts instead of the metallic painted red and blue.

Can't wait to see how you do with post-shading it.  I think you totally should.

[jvmacross]

22 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

Found the best vf-1J 

Best. Episode. Ever.

[CF18]

The funniest part of the manual is gerwalk step 2 - open the air brake when deploy the leg.  Totally not needed unless you are re-enacting the animation.

[seti88]

Would any folks foresee a 'serious' loosening of joints over time, if too wide of an A-stance is displayed?

Cant imagine what the weight of the fuselage would do to;

1. rotation knee joint (at 1/48 scale, meaning top heavy). 

2. ankle joint (i tend to shift the weight of the entire valk onto the back heels, since it looks more dynamic with the toes forward) 

I just love the A-stance on this thing, combined with the heft in the feet. Tend to leave it standing on its own...

[ghostryder]

Where's the best place to get a set of VF-1 1/48 decals or stickers for the missing warning symbols? I used to use Takatoys back in the day, but I think he only makes 1/60 sets now?

After playing around with this all day, I can say the only issues I have are the loose ventral fins and nosecone. One of my wing flaps was bowed a bit down in the middle, but I was able to straighten it out with hot water.

Now my big problem is I love battroid and fighter mode equally... must... resist... buying... another... (I'm determined to wait for Focker 1S).

 

 

Edited January 11, 2019 by ghostryder

[Roy Focker]

Too bad Mobile Suit Garfield isn't a real toy.

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, jvmacross said:

You nailed it again, JVM. 

2 hours ago, TheLoneWolf said:

Actually, it's both . Shameless plug: Kawamori discussed the origins of the gerwalk mode at a panel in Otakon 2018, which can be found below.

http://www.macrossworld.com/shoji-kawamoris-panel-at-otakon-2018-part-1/

Thanks, TheLoneWolf. Great read.

 

[Lolicon]

Wow this thread moves so fast! Already two full pages behind! 

10 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

ah... the master at work

Nah, I'm an amateur just doing what he can to spruce up his valks. Though as Macross has shown us, even amateurs can do good.

 

10 hours ago, 505thAirborne said:

That panel lining and white landing gear is Top Notch Lolicon!

Thanks guys!

9 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Now that is how I wish Bandai would make them look.  Did you actually remove the landing gear to paint them, or just mask and spray them in place?

I will say that I'm a little disappointed that Bandai couldn't figure out how to attach the fast packs without cutting slots all over the lower legs though.  

Seeing as Bandai "borrowed" a number of things from Yamato, they should have done something like have the side leg armors tab into the rear leg armors, eliminating the need for big unsightly tab holes in the leg.

 

8 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

I finally received my copy today all thanks to HLJ. 

Off the bat, this is one heavy piece of machinery. My first impression upon looking at it is that it looks amazing. The tampo printing is crisp and clear as are the paint apps. This really is an apples to oranges comparison to Yamato’s old 1/48. I wanted to do a comparison but the fit finish and feel is far different from even the 1/60 V.2. What more can I say to praise this magnificent rendering for what it is.

Sadly there are quite a few flaws that I too have received like others have already pointed out:

1. Arms that pop out during fighter mode. I tried to shift all the parts into place with care and ease but the darn right arm just keeps popping out. I thought it was misaligned but that wasn’t the case. Every time I put in place it just shoots the are away.

So I never transformed mine from battroid to fighter until earlier today (now yesterday). Wow the tabs for holding the arms in place really suck! They're only somewhat secure once you have everything tabbed and lined up together, and can pop out of place easier than I'd like. It's a big step back from Yamato's 1/60, which was rock solid.

The gunpod handle on mine also doesn't lock in the deployed position, so it's constantly retracting back into the gunpod when I'm trying to put it in the battroid hand. I've pulled really hard on it thinking maybe I haven't pulled far enough, but no dice.

 

7 hours ago, davidwhangchoi said:

also disappointed: with all the tampo, they are missing one:

Is that the chest plate? Were are those two verniers located? 

 

7 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Nice clean panel linings, Lolicon! Superb!    

Thanks @no3Ljm! I knew you of all people would be dissatisfied if I left the landing gear bare diecast. 

 

7 hours ago, treatment said:

Best not to treat screencaps from SDFM as 100% canon or gospel, with all of its animation screw-ups. Otherwise we should be complaining about the incorrectly colored knee armor! 

 

6 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

True. But aren't they all including Tatsunoko for making those non-canon inaccuracy images? It's not HG's fault that we have VF-1R. 

VF-1R... let's not go down to that conversation.

 

So who here would buy a VF-1R if they released one?

 

5 hours ago, wm cheng said:

I'm loving this toy, thought I'd chime in after seeing all these amazing photos and really glad to see people taking them out of the boxes and playing and panel lining them!  Bravo.  Toys are mean to be played that's what I liked best with this one, I love playing with it and handling it.  It doesn't feel fragile or over complicated - its a joy to transform, I hope the joints hold up. 

I use the Flory Wash (its water/clay based and completely inert to the plastic).  I use black and two shades, a light grey and dark grey for the panel lines, I use the black for all the vents and moveable surfaces, dark grey for the access panels and slats that's supposed to move and light grey for the rest of the panel lines that make up the rest of the plane, I find this a bit more subtle and gives a bit of life to the paneling.  Just adding that outside black ring all around the circular vernier thruster makes a huge difference!  I also added the Ejection Triangle graphic (really unforgivable Bandai!) and the "VF" on the legs as for me this defines the TV from the DRYL - also its the first VF-1 that I would want to display in Battroid mode often (fighter has always been my favourite).

I haven't decided on post-shading it yet, but might do a light one with some subtle streaking to tie it into the rest of my collection as I have to seal it in with a semi-satin clear coat anyways, but I do love the light grey satin finish Bandai chose.

I always have a fondness for the original old 1/48 from Yamato - mainly due to the fact that they were optimized for fighter mode which is my favorite mode.  There's no doubt that this is the most advanced VF-1 toy and the improvements all add up to a great toy that wants to be played with.  However I feel a little disappointed that they seemed to have missed some opportunities if they wanted to genuinely make this the ultimate Valkyrie.  Since they were doing the 1/48 scale again, I would have thought they would have taken some cues from the Club-M resin 1/48 model. 

Now the real master makes his appearance! As always, fantastic work on your valk! Looks way better than mine! I used two different shades of wash on mine, but you had to go and upstage me with three! 

Seriously, it's looking amazing and you're not even done! I'm eager to see how it looks once you've panel shaded it and all. You are going to paint the landing gear? I started painting the landing gear on all my Bandai valks at your suggestion, and it's probably the best piece of advice I've ever gotten.

1 hour ago, seti88 said:

Would any folks foresee a 'serious' loosening of joints over time, if too wide of an A-stance is displayed?

Cant imagine what the weight of the fuselage would do to;

1. rotation knee joint (at 1/48 scale, meaning top heavy). 

2. ankle joint (i tend to shift the weight of the entire valk onto the back heels, since it looks more dynamic with the toes forward) 

I just love the A-stance on this thing, combined with the heft in the feet. Tend to leave it standing on its own...

The hips on mine are already stating to get a little loose, though that may just be because I didn't tighten the screws with the strength of the mentally deranged when I reassembled it, as Bandai factories are wont to do.

[borgified]

1 hour ago, ghostryder said:

Where's the best place to get a set of VF-1 1/48 decals or stickers for the missing warning symbols? I used to use Takatoys back in the day, but I think he only makes 1/60 sets now?

Now my big problem is I love battroid and fighter mode equally... must... resist... buying... another... (I'm determined to wait for Focker 1S).

Have you tried here??

I'm also waiting for Roy and Milia versions

[Sanity is Optional]

22 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

 The gunpod handle on mine also doesn't lock in the deployed position, so it's constantly retracting back into the gunpod when I'm trying to put it in the battroid hand. I've pulled really hard on it thinking maybe I haven't pulled far enough, but no dice.

I had a similar problem, I think it's actually due to limited wrist articulation and the gigantic gun (with gigantic back fin). Essentially the gun needs to tilt up at the back over the forearm in most poses, and that tilting up unlocks the grip.

[davidwhangchoi]

1 hour ago, Lolicon said:

Is that the chest plate? Where are those two verniers located? 

his future wife trying to kill him

 

Edited January 11, 2019 by davidwhangchoi

[ArchieNov]

I wonder if I'm just really lucky with my 2 copies, or if there's something being missed by those with the arm tabbing issue in fighter mode. Both of mine tab in very securely with no signs of it trying to dislodge itself. They don't need the gunpod or legs to help keep them in place, and they're both aligned with each other and no need for offsetting.

I would like to help but not sure how since most peolple with the issue are experienced owners, some waaay more than I am. Hard for me to imagine that they're doing something wrong.

But anyway, in my case what I do before transforming the valk from battroid to fighter is to make sure the arms are rotated down all the way at the shoulder hinge as far as it can go. It's a tight joint so best to grab it at the base of the shoulder or upper arm when rotating down rather than using any part below the elbow or else it might not be fully rotated. If not done all the way, I can imagine that may cause it to want to flex outwards (or downwards in fighter mode), coming undone at the tabs.

Again not sure if that will help anyone with the issue but thought I'd give it a shot.