Bandai DX Chogokin 1/48 VF-1

[Convectuoso]

Just got shipping confirmation from CD Japan!! 

[seti88]

33 minutes ago, jenius said:

Finished my first transformation to battroid mode. It seems pretty clear the legs were meant to stay on a lot better than they do. They give you a tool to pry the housing open. That tool is totally unnecessary as-is. I hope future variants tighten that up.  On the flip side, I wouldn't mind if they loosened up the hips a bit (but maybe that's why the intakes stay attached so firmly in GERWALK/fighter modes).  I think a lot of the complaints about parts getting jostled out of position stem from the fact that joints that are normally easy to move are really tight out of the box so people need to man-handle it a bit to get it in the pose they're going for (or to complete transformation). Once the joints loosen up a bit and people get more accustomed to the transformation many of the minor issues will resolve themselves.

Jenius, will you be doing a vid review or is that something i shouldnt even ask?

Could i ask if you could show in fighter mode, for the head popping out and turning gimmick is affected with the attached display stand, or if the gunpod attached in fighter mode, hinders the head popping out in any way? 

So far, no video's from JP have even shown that gimmick! *insert valk head shaking in disbelief here*

Edited January 2, 2019 by seti88

[seti88]

 

[jenius]

48 minutes ago, seti88 said:

Jenius, will you be doing a vid review or is that something i shouldnt even ask?

Could i ask if you could show in fighter mode, for the head popping out and turning gimmick is affected with the attached display stand, or if the gunpod attached in fighter mode, hinders the head popping out in any way? 

So far, no video's from JP have even shown that gimmick! *insert valk head shaking in disbelief here*

I will show the head twist gimmick, I'm surprised no one has talked about it since it's illustrated in the instruction manual. 

Answers: Gunpod has no impact on the head exposing/twisting gimmick. The stand adapter limits it but doesn't inhibit it entirely. 

I don't want to rush a review up too quickly... I want to make sure I've handled the toy more so it's not just first impressions. I'm going to transform the toy a few times taking photos of it in all modes in different poses then I'll probably do a transformation guide then a review.

[spanner]

2 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Just got shipping confirmation from CD Japan!! 

Same here!! 

[Slave IV]

3 hours ago, seti88 said:

Thin box must have split at the seams....too close of a call! No filler's in the box too? 

Thats one thing you would NOT see from HLJ/Ami/CDJ...

Its a lovely thing to open a box packed carefully....makes you appreciate the purchase more...

 

Yep, the shipping box is barley thicker than the toy box paper. No filler at all but it was wrapped to a board on the bottom so I guess that saved it from completely falling out of the shipper. 

[treatment]

Welp! 

Finally had some time today to do the transformation.  Went straight from Fighter to Battroid mode.

Overall, it was not all that exciting if you're used to the Yammies/Arcadia or the HMR. This DX seems to incorporates all the past innovations and stuff from both.

At least the good ones.

Bandai also introduced some new annoyances, which are sometimes unnecessary or just to be different from the Yammie/Arcadia valks.

Annoyances (to me):

• Swingbar separator. Nice concept, but it's a fail-point if you don't align the back properly.  Also, the swingbar themselves are very tight like the recent DX-YF19, so the nose-housing for it will not be closed and the "separator" will disengage if things are not aligned properly. Don't forget to connect that back-brace thingy to secure the back and alignment help.
   
• Nosecone-tip is annoyingly feather-sensitive and annoyingly disengages all the time when touched slightly.
   
• The chest is floaty and does not really secure.  To secure it properly, you'll need to install the under-arm option-parts.  It really helps secure the chest from being floaty.
   
• The wing-flaps are annoying.
   
• The leg-flaps are less annoying. Easy to pop-up and go inwards or outwards when accidentally touched. At least, it's not as obnoxiously WTF/stupid like the DX-YF19 vertical-stabilizers.

Other than that, this is a very nice valkyrie.  Big, hefty, and no chicken-hands. While the yammie/arcadia 1/60v2 is still more superbly elegant and sexy to me, this DX is rather more mecha beastly and is a very nice chogokin. I say a really better chogokin than any of the chogokins (macross, SOCs, etc) in Bandai's stable.

 

[Slave IV]

4 minutes ago, treatment said:

Welp! 

Finally had some time today to do the transformation.  Went straight from Fighter to Battroid mode.

Overall, it was not all that exciting if you're used to the Yammies/Arcadia or the HMR. This DX seems to incorporates all the past innovations and stuff from both.

At least the good ones.

Bandai also introduced some new annoyances, which are sometimes unnecessary or just to be different from the Yammie/Arcadia valks.

Annoyances (to me):

• Swingbar separator. Nice concept, but it's a fail-point if you don't align the back properly.  Also, the swingbar themselves are very tight like the recent DX-YF19, so the nose-housing for it will not be closed and the "separator" will disengage if things are not aligned properly. Don't forget to connect that back-brace thingy to secure the back and alignment help.
   
• Nosecone-tip is annoyingly feather-sensitive and annoyingly disengages all the time when touched slightly.
   
• The chest is floaty and does not really secure.  To secure it properly, you'll need to install the under-arm option-parts.  It really helps secure the chest from being floaty.
   
• The wing-flaps are annoying.
   
• The leg-flaps are less annoying. Easy to pop-up and go inwards or outwards when accidentally touched. At least, it's not as obnoxiously WTF/stupid like the DX-YF19 vertical-stabilizers.

Other than that, this is a very nice valkyrie.  Big, hefty, and no chicken-hands. While the yammie/arcadia 1/60v2 is still more superbly elegant and sexy to me, this DX is rather more mecha beastly and is a very nice chogokin. I say a really better chogokin than any of the chogokins (macross, SOCs, etc) in Bandai's stable.

 

Better than any SOC or anything else from Bandai (Metal Build) even with the annoyances?! Wow, that is very high praise. Nice to hear. 

[UN Spacy]

Haven't made a Macross toy review in a LONG time. Happy 2019 everyone!

 

[kkx]

1 hour ago, UN Spacy said:

Haven't made a Macross toy review in a LONG time. Happy 2019 everyone!

 

Under USD180 shipped? That is a great price. Where did you PO?

[Sanity is Optional]

Probably Amazon Japan. Mine was $173.83 shipped from them.

[spanner]

1 hour ago, UN Spacy said:

Haven't made a Macross toy review in a LONG time. Happy 2019 everyone!

 

Great review! Hopefully mine arrives by Friday!

[kkx]

26 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

Probably Amazon Japan. Mine was $173.83 shipped from them.

I see. Missed the PO and got mine for $243 shipped from Amazon.

Can't wait to get mine.

[seti88]

3 hours ago, jenius said:

I will show the head twist gimmick, I'm surprised no one has talked about it since it's illustrated in the instruction manual. 

Answers: Gunpod has no impact on the head exposing/twisting gimmick. The stand adapter limits it but doesn't inhibit it entirely. 

I don't want to rush a review up too quickly... I want to make sure I've handled the toy more so it's not just first impressions. I'm going to transform the toy a few times taking photos of it in all modes in different poses then I'll probably do a transformation guide then a review.

Thanks Jenius. Good to know the stand or gunpod doesn't totally hinder the head.
No rush on the review, which would be more than welcome by the fan-dom...

31 minutes ago, spanner said:

Great review! Hopefully mine arrives by Friday!

 

16 minutes ago, kkx said:

I see. Missed the PO and got mine for $243 shipped from Amazon.

Can't wait to get mine.

You guys made me pull the trigger on DHL...used my ami points and ended up as ~4900 yen plus for 2 valks by DHL, which was ~340 yen more than SAL.....

now only to wait till the 3rd when ami comes in!! gah.......

[rdrunner]

Disgruntled amiami customer here. No updates to the shipping status yet. At this rate I don’t think it will arrive before the 9th even by EMS. 

[Lolicon]

30 minutes ago, rdrunner said:

Disgruntled amiami customer here. No updates to the shipping status yet. At this rate I don’t think it will arrive before the 9th even by EMS. 

They're closed through Jan 3 so I wouldn't expect any change until the 4th at the earliest.

[seti88]

Weird timing..back on Friday and then off for the weekend...maybe ami would still be on skeleton staff on the 4th ..

fingers crossed...

[rdrunner]

54 minutes ago, Lolicon said:

They're closed through Jan 3 so I wouldn't expect any change until the 4th at the earliest.

Thanks Lolicon. Then I may have to wait until the 23rd before I get my PO copy. 

[kkx]

7 hours ago, seti88 said:

Thanks Jenius. Good to know the stand or gunpod doesn't totally hinder the head.
No rush on the review, which would be more than welcome by the fan-dom...

 

You guys made me pull the trigger on DHL...used my ami points and ended up as ~4900 yen plus for 2 valks by DHL, which was ~340 yen more than SAL.....

now only to wait till the 3rd when ami comes in!! gah.......

4900 yen for two is not a bad price for DHL. Hope you will get yours soon. Amazon estimated early next week for mine. Can't wait.

 

[kkx]

2 minutes ago, seti88 said:

Weird timing..back on Friday and then off for the weekend...maybe ami would still be on skeleton staff on the 4th ..

fingers crossed...

Bandai does choose a bad time for this release. Most shops will be affected by staff going on holiday. Maybe this is not as prominent in Japan hence Bandai's choice of timing.

 

[kkx]

On 12/31/2018 at 11:34 PM, no3Ljm said:

From @tekering's post from Page 93:

Looking at it, I'm thinking, is it ok to insert some magnets into it?

 

 

I have been messing with Fusion 360 this week and manage to build a model for a missing missile pod for my Bandai RG banshee.

Maybe I can build a model for the pylon if someone shares some detailed picture of Yamato's missile pylon, that will allow mounting the Hasegawa missile on this.

From the picture I can find, it looks reasonable for a 3D print.

[Kanedas Bike]

Have had mine for a couple of days (arrived on Monday) and my thoughts are pretty much the exact same as @treatment's.

Will I get future releases? Yes, absolutely

Will this replace my 1/60's? Nope - but to be fair, I don't think this was ever intended to. Thinking of this as a SOC is the perfect way to go IMHO

My hope is that future releases tighten the nose cone, get rid of the wing flaps, and tighten up the leg-flaps (they're not anywhere near as bad as the YF-19, but definitely need improvement).

-b.

[treatment]

Charles (charlesxavier here, i think) review:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 2, 2019 by treatment

[HardlyNever]

I got mine from AmiAmi, and I went with SAL, so I'm going to be super late to the party on this one.  I appreciate all the reviews and first impressions.

The more I see of this, the more I'm thinking I just want the one.  It looks good, but I might be at the point of vf-1 fatigue, at least personally.  I'm going to wait until I've had it in hand for a while, but for now I'm thinking this might be a one-and-done line for me.  The size is also an issue for collecting multiples.

[Chronocidal]

I only intended to pick up two, but AmiAmi's site flaked out and I got an extra.   Will probably sell one somewhere down the road, or maybe two if they release all the versions I want.

The more I see of Bandai's designs though, the more I have to question what (lack of) design process keeps making them choose these horrible mechanisms for moving parts.  It's not like hinged fins are a new thing, or even a difficult thing, but they keep flubbing it in ways that make me scratch my head.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think they're actively avoiding using any previously proven design.  If they were managing to improve on old designs, I'd applaud the effort.. but they're repeatedly failing to come up with something even equivalent to what's already been done by other companies.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I think I'm good with this Hikaru VF-1J equipped with GBP armor, Roy's VF-1S and (if bandai releases it) a CF.

[Alex GS]

9 hours ago, rdrunner said:

Disgruntled amiami customer here. No updates to the shipping status yet. At this rate I don’t think it will arrive before the 9th even by EMS. 

Don't worry we will have the shipping notification by Friday or late Sunday I'm sure of it, the issue here was that we end up paying(Payment request email) exactly almost at the start of the holidays in Japan so this delay for me at least is absolutely not surprising.   

[Sanity is Optional]

Just got home and got to open mine. That's some serious heft, and all the tampo looks nice and crisp.

Also finally got to put in payment for the AmiAmi order.

[Matt Random]

Still waiting on my DHL delivery. It got delayed 2+ days due to changing the address. I would have it in hand already if Amazon would have let me change the address on their site after the order was placed. 

I love the VF-1, but I try to keep my collection small so I'm thinking just two. One naked and one strike. Or maybe just go for one and stick with the PF Strike.

[canklebreaker]

After updating my old debit card to a CC, they attempted to charge it again which was once again declined becus I had to verify if it was fraud...after confirming the transaction was valid I havent been able to switch payment methods anymore. Does that mean that they finally accepted my payment on amazon JP?

[treatment]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I only intended to pick up two, but AmiAmi's site flaked out and I got an extra.   Will probably sell one somewhere down the road, or maybe two if they release all the versions I want.

The more I see of Bandai's designs though, the more I have to question what (lack of) design process keeps making them choose these horrible mechanisms for moving parts.  It's not like hinged fins are a new thing, or even a difficult thing, but they keep flubbing it in ways that make me scratch my head.

If I didn't know any better, I'd think they're actively avoiding using any previously proven design.  If they were managing to improve on old designs, I'd applaud the effort.. but they're repeatedly failing to come up with something even equivalent to what's already been done by other companies.

 

You know?

Not sure if anybody else already mentioned it yet or not, but...

It seems this DX 1J's nosecone/cockpit section is non-removable,

This is in contrast to the yammie/arcadia 1/60v2 feature.

Can't remember if the old yammie 1/48 had removable nosecone/cockpit section,.

Wonder if Bandai will update/tweak the design if/when they make a DX VF-1D. 

Or just make it an exclusive feature of the DX VF-1D since it's the only valk in the anime that the feature was shown being used.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2019 by treatment

[rdrunner]

26 minutes ago, treatment said:

 

You know?

Not sure if anybody else already mentioned it yet or not, but...

It seems this DX 1J's nosecone/cockpit section is non-removable,

This is in contrast to the yammie/arcadia 1/60v2 feature.

Can't remember if the old yammie 1/48 had removable nosecone/cockpit section,.

Wonder if Bandai will update/tweak the design if/when they make a DX VF-1D. 

Or just make it an exclusive feature of the DX VF-1D since it's the only valk in the anime that the feature was shown being used.

 

 

 

 

Exactly - I have been thinking about it since the detialed specs of the DX VF-1J was announced. I was disappointed that it went backwards from the 1/60 v2 design in this regard. 

When the HMR VF-1D was announced, I was also hoping it will have the same feature, but it didn’t, and that was the deal breaker for me. To me the two classic scenes I wanted to recreate with the 1D are the battroid/double seats scene, and the focker rescue with the nosecone attached to the VF-1S’s arm. 

I really, really hope that when Bandai does the 1/48 VF-1D, they will add this gimmick to the design...

[Domcalmet1]

22 hours ago, jenius said:

Finished my first transformation to battroid mode. It seems pretty clear the legs were meant to stay on a lot better than they do. They give you a tool to pry the housing open. That tool is totally unnecessary as-is. I hope future variants tighten that up.  On the flip side, I wouldn't mind if they loosened up the hips a bit (but maybe that's why the intakes stay attached so firmly in GERWALK/fighter modes).  I think a lot of the complaints about parts getting jostled out of position stem from the fact that joints that are normally easy to move are really tight out of the box so people need to man-handle it a bit to get it in the pose they're going for (or to complete transformation). Once the joints loosen up a bit and people get more accustomed to the transformation many of the minor issues will resolve themselves.

Looking forward to your video review, I am still awaiting mine, but not so sure if I want to start this scale all over again, as I already said goodbye to all of my 1/48s

[dapro]

My pending credit card charge changed form $356 to $360 from Amiami. Did this happen to anyone else?

[Shizuka the Cat]

5 minutes ago, dapro said:

My pending credit card charge changed form $356 to $360 from Amiami. Did this happen to anyone else?

Could be differences in Yen to Dollar conversion rate between PO date and now.