Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[magicsp00n]

3 hours ago, grogall said:

NOOOPE! 😱

And I was sure he had a VF-1A in D.Y.R.L !?

Max flew a 1A early in the movie but switched to a 1S later on, when he fought Milia.

[grogall]

1 hour ago, magicsp00n said:

Max flew a 1A early in the movie but switched to a 1S later on, when he fought Milia.

Im sure it's all to make us buy more Valk's...🤪

[locidm]

7 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I would definitely say so.  I mounted mine on there and that stupid clear plastic mount formed a stress fracture in a matter of minutes.  I'll see if I can find the photo.

Here it is:

 

Thank you. Switched back to the ugly black one.  mine sat overnight but luckily no stress marks. 

[grogall]

On 12/29/2023 at 6:12 PM, locidm said:

Thank you. Switched back to the ugly black one.  mine sat overnight but luckily no stress marks. 

Just to let you know mine has been siting over a week in this configuration with no damage to the stand or the pegs....

[Big s]

On 12/29/2023 at 5:06 AM, magicsp00n said:

Max flew a 1A early in the movie but switched to a 1S later on, when he fought Milia.

He got an instant promotion when everyone else either went mia or kia. I gotta do a rewatch since it seems that once Hikaru returns he got promoted and not sure about the head on kakizaki. Kinda wondering if he at least got a 1J , but I’m pretty sure it’s a 1A when he gets splodied 

[Reni]

1 hour ago, Big s said:

He got an instant promotion when everyone else either went mia or kia. I gotta do a rewatch since it seems that once Hikaru returns he got promoted and not sure about the head on kakizaki. Kinda wondering if he at least got a 1J , but I’m pretty sure it’s a 1A when he gets splodied 

Kakizaki is definitely still flying a 1A when he's killed.  The only time we see a 1J in DYRL is when the Armored Valkyrie fires off all its missiles in the opening battle.
Looking at the screenshot makes me realize that the Hikaru reaction shot of Kakizaki's death doesn't match up at all continuity-wise with the previous shot of Kakizaki's death on the monitor display.  You'd think the cockpit would be more damaged based on what we see on the monitor.  But hey I guess continuity never stopped gruesome anime deaths before. 
 

[Big s]

3 minutes ago, Reni said:

Kakizaki is definitely still flying a 1A when he's killed.  The only time we see a 1J in DYRL is when the Armored Valkyrie fires off all its missiles in the opening battle.
Looking at the screenshot makes me realize that the Hikaru reaction shot of Kakizaki's death doesn't match up at all continuity-wise with the previous shot of Kakizaki's death on the monitor display.  You'd think the cockpit would be more damaged based on what we see on the monitor.  But hey I guess continuity never stopped gruesome anime deaths before. 
 

Poor guy dies two horrible deaths and still can’t get promoted 

[shazam]

 

[etcknight]

On 1/8/2024 at 8:32 PM, shazam said:

Wait?  They said a second batch is coming out in May?!  Has anyone else seen/heard anything about this?

Edited January 18 by etcknight
text in wrong box

[shazam]

3 hours ago, etcknight said:

Wait?  They said a second batch is coming out in May?!  Has anyone else seen/heard anything about this?

It will be good if it is true. This figure is already going up in price. 👍

[Anasazi37]

5 hours ago, etcknight said:

Wait?  They said a second batch is coming out in May?!  Has anyone else seen/heard anything about this?

Yes, I remember hearing something about this right around the time the first batch was released. Might be more of a general release for the second batch instead of another lottery, but we're talking about Bandai, and they like to torture collectors, so it could be another lottery.

[grogall]

2 hours ago, shazam said:

It will be good if it is true. This figure is already going up in price. 👍

The site clearly states that a second release will be in April 2024, The lottery for this was held in November soon after the first release was sent out!

[seti88]

15 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

Yes, I remember hearing something about this right around the time the first batch was released. Might be more of a general release for the second batch instead of another lottery, but we're talking about Bandai, and they like to torture collectors, so it could be another lottery.

April release is likely to be for the post TN event sales held in JP last November.

If there was a general release there would be a PO day, which hasn't happened.

[Radioguy]

How good has the demand been for the Mechanic Edt. so far? Overwhelming, good, middling, etc?

I'm curious if the demand is strong enough so far for them to run off more than just a bigger run, but alternate liveries (Roy, Max, Millia, Hayao, etc) before we get a new model like the VT-1.

[Shawn]

The 2nd 'lottery' ended in Dec 2023 for those lucky buyers, and the winners for that batch of Mechanic Editions ships in April 2024.
There has been no news of a general release or 3rd lottery.
Demand on auction sites has frequently been around 64000+ yen, now slowing down a bit to about 56000

I am hoping once the new batch is on the marketplace the price drops significantly, like a low 40000 range once demand is met.
But who knows.

 

[jenius]

I'm going they announce clear parts as an accessory with the regular covers.

[Shawn]

Yeah-but then the Mechanic Edition wouldn't be special anymore.

When it first came out someone was selling just the armor parts (no valk) for $200...kick myself for not grabbing it to use on another valk now!!

[jenius]

I'm getting close on this

I wish I loved the DX VF-1 more than I do. It's good... but it still leaves room for improvement and Bandai seems content to ignore the issues. 

[Slave IV]

8 minutes ago, jenius said:

I'm getting close on this

I wish I loved the DX VF-1 more than I do. It's good... but it still leaves room for improvement and Bandai seems content to ignore the issues. 

I was going to mention in the other thread about Arcadia/Bandai preorders and quality that the Yamato 1/48 also still holds up as one of the 5 Almost equally greatest VF-1 toys ever. OG 1/55, Yamato 1/48, Yamacadia 1/60, HM-R and DX 1/48. Each one of these  stands out for different reasons and are irreplaceable in a collection, imo. 

[Spark-O-Matic]

7 hours ago, jenius said:

I'm getting close on this

I wish I loved the DX VF-1 more than I do. It's good... but it still leaves room for improvement and Bandai seems content to ignore the issues. 

I think I might just buy a Roy Yamato as its almost Impossible to get a good deal on the Bandai on second hand market.  Pic is very helpful. thanks!

[jenius]

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I think I might just buy a Roy Yamato as its almost Impossible to get a good deal on the Bandai on second hand market.  Pic is very helpful. thanks!

Don't be fooled too much by that photo! There is a night and day handling difference between those two toys. My major problems with the DX are:
1) The stupid detaching legs. Even if you don't "HAVE" to detach them, I still have them detach during transformation frequently when I don't intend them to and sometimes it's scary, like they could fall to the ground and break something. The metal in the feet is just way too heavy for that little plastic housing lock they have. Also, when I do detach them, the hip joints are so stiff that moving the legs around can cause the lock on the back of the nosecone to unpeg and then the toy becomes floppy. I would rather not have the twisting waist honestly.
2) The connection of the strike parts in fighter mode. Yamato gave us individual mini missiles which was a nice touch but ulitimately a handling problem. Yamato (at 1/48) also didn't peg together securely enough, I had some issues with my missile towers being bumped off which could cause the cover to pop off which could cause the mini missiles to pop free. Bandai's big improvements are details, affixing the missiles, and much tighter attachments. This all great for handling but then Bandai goofed and made the attachments to the toy (in fighter mode only) worse. The Yamato 1/48 has insufficient arm support in fighter mode and the DX has the pegs that are good enough but don't lock everything into exactly the right spot like they should. The legs and arms should be held exactly flush which Yamato was able to do on their 1/60 V2 so there's no excuse. 
3) The strike parts are lazy! It's as if someone said "Let's copy Yamato but make it prettier!" There is line art for what's supposed to be in the arms and the back of the calves. If the DX is the 'ultimate representation' then they should have made those clear and mechanical also! 

All that said, the Yamato 1/48 doesn't hold a candle ot the DX in handling. There's 20 years of manufacturing improvement in the DX toy and it shows. It just feels like Bandai set the bar at "better than Yamato" rather than "the best we can do." The Yamato 1/60 V2 still does a pretty good job of holding its own against the DX toy. It's smaller, lighter and feels less significant, the priest collar still bugs me in battroid, it lacks the articulation improvements, but otherwise still a very good toy and a better strike parts experience than the DX. 

[grogall]

1 hour ago, jenius said:

Don't be fooled too much by that photo! There is a night and day handling difference between those two toys. My major problems with the DX are:
1) The stupid detaching legs. Even if you don't "HAVE" to detach them, I still have them detach during transformation frequently when I don't intend them to and sometimes it's scary, like they could fall to the ground and break something. The metal in the feet is just way too heavy for that little plastic housing lock they have. Also, when I do detach them, the hip joints are so stiff that moving the legs around can cause the lock on the back of the nosecone to unpeg and then the toy becomes floppy. I would rather not have the twisting waist honestly.
2) The connection of the strike parts in fighter mode. Yamato gave us individual mini missiles which was a nice touch but ulitimately a handling problem. Yamato (at 1/48) also didn't peg together securely enough, I had some issues with my missile towers being bumped off which could cause the cover to pop off which could cause the mini missiles to pop free. Bandai's big improvements are details, affixing the missiles, and much tighter attachments. This all great for handling but then Bandai goofed and made the attachments to the toy (in fighter mode only) worse. The Yamato 1/48 has insufficient arm support in fighter mode and the DX has the pegs that are good enough but don't lock everything into exactly the right spot like they should. The legs and arms should be held exactly flush which Yamato was able to do on their 1/60 V2 so there's no excuse. 
3) The strike parts are lazy! It's as if someone said "Let's copy Yamato but make it prettier!" There is line art for what's supposed to be in the arms and the back of the calves. If the DX is the 'ultimate representation' then they should have made those clear and mechanical also! 

All that said, the Yamato 1/48 doesn't hold a candle ot the DX in handling. There's 20 years of manufacturing improvement in the DX toy and it shows. It just feels like Bandai set the bar at "better than Yamato" rather than "the best we can do." The Yamato 1/60 V2 still does a pretty good job of holding its own against the DX toy. It's smaller, lighter and feels less significant, the priest collar still bugs me in battroid, it lacks the articulation improvements, but otherwise still a very good toy and a better strike parts experience than the DX. 

Like I also said in my previous recap from 29 December. I agree that the pegs should be a simple thing to fix but they ignore it! The crap about the stabilizer numbering is point 2, But I have sort of gotten used to the peg thing since this doesn't make the model fall apart... but still would be great if they worked on it! I also agree the the DX is vastly improved over the Yamy, but the could have done some things better! I still enjoy the DX series for its posse-ability and clear printing which I have been lucky to have only one tiny dot somewhere where it shouldn't be. I still look forward to your great review of the Mechanic Edition. So please keep them coming! 🤗 On second thought, maybe they are not fixing the pegs since they can come out with V2 in 15 years and say new feature "we fixed the pegs" 🤪

Edited January 20 by grogall

[Slave IV]

The Yamto 1/48 is a pain to handle with super parts because its just too much stuff for the frame. But it looks great when all setup! That's the other thing with Yamato is it still looks better in some ways and modes. As for overall handling, I'd argue the Yamato 1/48 still has the most pleasant transformation out of them all except the OG Chunky. You can easily transform it into all modes quickly and with no fiddly parts that fall apart.

[WhatBoutMyStar]

I must be one of the lucky ones that hasn't had any issue with the legs detaching on any of the 3 DX VF-1s that I have when transforming them, which granted isn't that often and I've only unpegged that lock once (when I first got the 1J) to check out the waist swivel feature only to think, eh not worth it, and never used it again on any of my VF-1s. I can can  sway the figure mid-transformation back and forth and it stays locked with the legs attached. The only annoyance I have w/ the DX is the leg fins easily getting moved or falling off. Otherwise, I think they are significant improvement over the older Yamato 1/48 and Yamato/Arcadia 1/60 VF-1s that I have.

[Anasazi37]

1 hour ago, Slave IV said:

The Yamato 1/48 is a pain to handle with super parts because its just too much stuff for the frame. 

This is particularly true in Fighter mode. I designed an adapter for the Archi Stand and had to do some clever engineering to make sure that the back-heavy weight was distributed well and that the arms don't drop down when the armor and gunpod are attached. They don't "peg in" as securely on the Yamato as on the DX when the legs are lowered to accommodate Super/Strike parts. 

[Shawn]

Stupid question on the 1/48 VF-1 Line

In the old days, Takatoku/Bandai/Yamato would put their name, and a reference to Big West and a year molded into the toys (backs of chest plates and underneath wings)

I haven't found anything yet on a DX 1/48 VF-1, have you?

If it isn't there anymore I wonder what happened.

If it is there, I'll go get some new glasses!

 

[Slave IV]

2 hours ago, WhatBoutMyStar said:

I must be one of the lucky ones that hasn't had any issue with the legs detaching on any of the 3 DX VF-1s that I have when transforming them, which granted isn't that often and I've only unpegged that lock once (when I first got the 1J) to check out the waist swivel feature only to think, eh not worth it, and never used it again on any of my VF-1s. I can can  sway the figure mid-transformation back and forth and it stays locked with the legs attached. The only annoyance I have w/ the DX is the leg fins easily getting moved or falling off. Otherwise, I think they are significant improvement over the older Yamato 1/48 and Yamato/Arcadia 1/60 VF-1s that I have.

My DX VF-1s don’t have the legs falling off too easy either. My main complaint about them is their fit and tolerances feel sloppy. Look and articulation are great but the v2 1/60 feels like a much more refined and quality piece in hand even though it’s lighter with much less metal content. Heck, even Bandai’s own HMR feels better than the DX in similar ways. 

1 hour ago, Anasazi37 said:

This is particularly true in Fighter mode. I designed an adapter for the Archi Stand and had to do some clever engineering to make sure that the back-heavy weight was distributed well and that the arms don't drop down when the armor and gunpod are attached. They don't "peg in" as securely on the Yamato as on the DX when the legs are lowered to accommodate Super/Strike parts. 

I still need to get some Yamato adapters at some point to get my display set up ideally. 

[Anasazi37]

3 hours ago, Slave IV said:

I still need to get some Yamato adapters at some point to get my display set up ideally. 

They've made a big difference for my displays. I now have options for Fighter, Armored Fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid. Those last two work with or without armor. Fighter required a separate adapter for each.

[Slave IV]

32 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

They've made a big difference for my displays. I now have options for Fighter, Armored Fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid. Those last two work with or without armor. Fighter required a separate adapter for each.

Really nice!

[grogall]

16 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

They've made a big difference for my displays. I now have options for Fighter, Armored Fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid. Those last two work with or without armor. Fighter required a separate adapter for each.

 

Have you tried this stand with a DX and Super/Strike parts? or anyone else? Would like to know if they hold!

[Anasazi37]

31 minutes ago, grogall said:

Have you tried this stand with a DX and Super/Strike parts? or anyone else? Would like to know if they hold!

There's a whole lineup of DX adapters for the stand and if it can handle the weight of a fully-armored Yamato 1/48, you should be fine. Just be sure to tighten the nuts and bolts appropriately.

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, grogall said:

Have you tried this stand with a DX and Super/Strike parts? or anyone else? Would like to know if they hold!

This style of stands are the best you can get. Check the yeti stand thread for examples of what it can do. Depending on how you configure, it can easily handle multiple Valks with super parts.

[grogall]

40 minutes ago, Anasazi37 said:

There's a whole lineup of DX adapters for the stand and if it can handle the weight of a fully-armored Yamato 1/48, you should be fine. Just be sure to tighten the nuts and bolts appropriately.

Ok Thanks! But there is quit a bit of weight difference between a Super DX then a Super Yami since there are hardly any metal parts in the Yami...

[505thAirborne]

 

[Radioguy]

Yay!