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Bandai 1/60 DX Chogokin Macross Plus YF-21


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4 hours ago, 505thAirborne said:

So, my question is, which toy has the more complicated transformation, Yamato or Bandai? 

Thank you!

I don’t have my DX YF-21 yet. But based from what I’ve seen in Youtube, I think it’s Bandai with those complex transforming (origami) steps. Yamato on the other hand, you just have to be careful transforming the legs esp the rotating thigh steps where its fragile. And that extra click on the knee joint for Fighter mode.

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4 hours ago, Silverstreak said:

So, after getting Bandai’d a few too many times in the past, I swore off them. Decided to give them a chance again with the 21. 
 

IMG_3382.jpeg.ec490e689e3dde0b0a7c9756a9504b50.jpegIMG_3383.jpeg.2ef2a2b0302234ea4ead111d735db450.jpeg
 

I’m done with Bandai. I’m debating whether to fix it myself or send it back for a refund and just settle with my Yamato 21. Will be interesting though as I bought through a third party Amazon JP seller. 

For what it's worth, I was able to straighten mine out without breaking it. It resulted in some stress marks but it already had them out of the box when it initially got bent, and I'd rather have some small barely noticeable stress marks rather than a bent laser. The plastic actually doesn't feel like it will snap that easily, or at least it's not as brittle as the head laser on the YF-19. This is probably the reason why everyone with this issue got a bent laser instead of a broken one. 

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6 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Pics I came across. Wanted to share the nightmares that await a few YF-21 owners.

😏image.jpeg.0b41993742a7cfe0eab5bef16c616517.jpegimage.jpeg.da6a7d2119879f81ce08bdceb2178c8b.jpegimage.jpeg.a92de7afabb0db5bad3d89a4fb2d0527.jpegimage.jpeg.157fcbee6128d265297f1e34db2537ac.jpeg

came out of the box like that? crazzyyyy surely this is not within their variance?

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27 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Pics I came across. Wanted to share the nightmares that await a few YF-21 owners.

😏image.jpeg.0b41993742a7cfe0eab5bef16c616517.jpegimage.jpeg.da6a7d2119879f81ce08bdceb2178c8b.jpegimage.jpeg.a92de7afabb0db5bad3d89a4fb2d0527.jpegimage.jpeg.157fcbee6128d265297f1e34db2537ac.jpeg

Makes you want to cry. 🥲 What ever happened to QC? :unknw:

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44 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Pics I came across. Wanted to share the nightmares that await a few YF-21 owners.

😏image.jpeg.0b41993742a7cfe0eab5bef16c616517.jpegimage.jpeg.da6a7d2119879f81ce08bdceb2178c8b.jpegimage.jpeg.a92de7afabb0db5bad3d89a4fb2d0527.jpegimage.jpeg.157fcbee6128d265297f1e34db2537ac.jpeg

Cheebus that’s horrible!!  For the money people spent this should never ever happen  I hope we start to hear some news about Bandai doing what’s necessary to fix these issues for their paying customers 

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2024-07-10_180748.jpg.b0653a390c0fb03d31bef28915404199.jpg

Alrighty! Both bad news and good news. My second YF-21 from Amazon came today and the box was absolutely trashed. This was from an Amazon Marketplace seller, so I was expecting this, but still disappointing all the same (considering it was marked up). Regardless, as feared, the head laser did arrive bent.

2024-07-10_174331.jpg.8c0603b318f459acc2b4f9da5b65e083.jpg

2024-07-10_174543.jpg.496107f0ebda524c3980c514623f443b.jpg

The good news? I was pretty much able to completely repair it with just a hairdryer by blasting it with heat until it was soft enough to reshape and slowly bend back. I've used a hairdryer to reheat and repair other figures before, and I'm glad to say that it worked on this head laser as well. Not only did I manage to get it straightened out, but the heat also made the stress mark disappear completely.

2024-07-10_180017.jpg.be655d0605070f5ac15bcd7db2aa932b.jpg

2024-07-10_180004.jpg.40807fea2d47a26ba7fdcd5b9b08a3e2.jpg

2024-07-10_180146.jpg.5c82a1a84bc93f56cfc6b77ed1b04773.jpg

So, if yours does come with a bent head laser, this is definitely something you can try (at your own risk)!

Edited by Actar
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9 hours ago, 505thAirborne said:

Hi everyone, besides getting my DX YF-21 the other day, I also acquired a Yamato VF-22 Max a few days ago, after watching @jenius Anymoon.com transformation guide, I'm a little hesitant about transforming the Yamato into Battroid (as well the Bandai DX 21.) 

So, my question is, which toy has the more complicated transformation, Yamato or Bandai? 

Thank you! 

 

20240709_212021.jpg


I remember Yamato's a bit nerve-wracking to transform the backpack the first time. Basically when the pieces at those areas disengage, it sounds like plastic cracking, but on other hand it is always these tighter tolerances on late Yamato / Arcadia valks that makes for a tight Fighter mode. I think the difficulty is transforming back into Fighter - the knees have to be in exact position for it to work.

I see @Jenius already working on the Bandai DX review; as the Yamato YF-21 page has been updated with some DX content. :good:

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57 minutes ago, Actar said:

2024-07-10_180748.jpg.b0653a390c0fb03d31bef28915404199.jpg

Alrighty! Both bad news and good news. My second YF-21 from Amazon came today and the box was absolutely trashed. This was from an Amazon Marketplace seller, so I was expecting this, but still disappointing all the same (considering it was marked up). Regardless, as feared, the head laser did arrive bent.

2024-07-10_174331.jpg.8c0603b318f459acc2b4f9da5b65e083.jpg

2024-07-10_174543.jpg.496107f0ebda524c3980c514623f443b.jpg

The good news? I was pretty much able to completely repair it with just a hairdryer by blasting it with heat until it was soft enough to reshape and slowly bend back. I've used a hairdryer to reheat and repair other figures before, and I'm glad to say that it worked on this head laser as well. Not only did I manage to get it straightened out, but the heat also made the stress mark disappear completely.

2024-07-10_180017.jpg.be655d0605070f5ac15bcd7db2aa932b.jpg

2024-07-10_180004.jpg.40807fea2d47a26ba7fdcd5b9b08a3e2.jpg

2024-07-10_180146.jpg.5c82a1a84bc93f56cfc6b77ed1b04773.jpg

So, if yours does come with a bent head laser, this is definitely something you can try (at your own risk)!


Great to hear the fix worked out 100%, thanks for sharing. :good:

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1 hour ago, Actar said:

The good news? I was pretty much able to completely repair it with just a hairdryer by blasting it with heat until it was soft enough to reshape and slowly bend back. I've used a hairdryer to reheat and repair other figures before, and I'm glad to say that it worked on this head laser as well. Not only did I manage to get it straightened out, but the heat also made the stress mark disappear completely.

Nice! May I ask how hot did you have to get it in order to get the stress mark to disappear? Or how long did you blast it with the hairdryer? I tried using a hairdryer on it for 30-40 secs but it doesn't seem to want to heat up that much and the stress mark hasn't faded either. I'm worried about having it under the hairdryer for too long and the plastic ends up warping.

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7 minutes ago, ArchieNov said:

Nice! May I ask how hot did you have to get it in order to get the stress mark to disappear? Or how long did you blast it with the hairdryer? I tried using a hairdryer on it for 30-40 secs but it doesn't seem to want to heat up that much and the stress mark hasn't faded either. I'm worried about having it under the hairdryer for too long and the plastic ends up warping.

That part, I do believe, is made out it ABS. It has a higher heat tolerance than PVC and is much more solid. I used the high setting on my hairdryer (different depending on the model) and blasted it for about 5 minutes, checking incrementally (every minute?) to see if it's gotten too hot by touching it. I don't think there's any risk of it warping from overheating, to be honest, especially if you're careful.

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Received my second YF-21. Slightly bent laser out of the box. I was able to straighten it with just my fingers, but there's a visible stress mark where the bend occurred.

This unit will be my permanent battroid display.

Oh, and F U Bandai.

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1 hour ago, Actar said:

That part, I do believe, is made out it ABS. It has a higher heat tolerance than PVC and is much more solid. I used the high setting on my hairdryer (different depending on the model) and blasted it for about 5 minutes, checking incrementally (every minute?) to see if it's gotten too hot by touching it. I don't think there's any risk of it warping from overheating, to be honest, especially if you're careful.

Thanks. Maybe I'll try heating it up longer next time if I'm able to detach the laser from the head. I haven't been able to do so yet because I'm worried I might break it as it seems that it takes a lot of force to remove it.

Funny idea. Maybe I can send my laser to you and you can fix it for me :)

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This angle show my biggest disappointment with the DX YF-21. It looks a little weird on the belly, with super parts even more.

The backpack separation is another drawback but it doesn't look that bad when you have the figure in your hands. Maybe it helps that everything else in that mode is great.

450534260_10168842929385632_6828319349191211810_n.jpg.b2b97af806a44fddf89fe53696bc5034.jpg

But I don't want to sound overly negative. I still really like it.

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11 hours ago, Actar said:

2024-07-10_180748.jpg.b0653a390c0fb03d31bef28915404199.jpg

Alrighty! Both bad news and good news. My second YF-21 from Amazon came today and the box was absolutely trashed. This was from an Amazon Marketplace seller, so I was expecting this, but still disappointing all the same (considering it was marked up). Regardless, as feared, the head laser did arrive bent.

2024-07-10_174331.jpg.8c0603b318f459acc2b4f9da5b65e083.jpg

2024-07-10_174543.jpg.496107f0ebda524c3980c514623f443b.jpg

The good news? I was pretty much able to completely repair it with just a hairdryer by blasting it with heat until it was soft enough to reshape and slowly bend back. I've used a hairdryer to reheat and repair other figures before, and I'm glad to say that it worked on this head laser as well. Not only did I manage to get it straightened out, but the heat also made the stress mark disappear completely.

2024-07-10_180017.jpg.be655d0605070f5ac15bcd7db2aa932b.jpg

2024-07-10_180004.jpg.40807fea2d47a26ba7fdcd5b9b08a3e2.jpg

2024-07-10_180146.jpg.5c82a1a84bc93f56cfc6b77ed1b04773.jpg

So, if yours does come with a bent head laser, this is definitely something you can try (at your own risk)!

awesome job on the head laser repair!

 

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9 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Got Bandaid. :( 

The arm vertical stabilizer is busted.

Packaging itself is undamaged and shipping was top notch.

I hope I can get a full replacement or an arm with said stabilizer.image.jpeg.104747cfb5b435d9f45620fef568a19a.jpegimage.jpeg.5cc28f9f812bb1a39835698650b0bf61.jpegimage.jpeg.126de1e7c46cd0d50ca83ce70f21c128.jpegimage.jpeg.1be55c1c8e6acb9d5fb2a05d9519dfaa.jpeg

That fracking sucks man!! The same stabilizer on my 21 doesn't lock correctly and looks like if you applied to much pressure could break it, a bad design vs. Yamato IMO. 

I truly hope you can get a replacement!! 

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7 minutes ago, 505thAirborne said:

That fracking sucks man!! The same stabilizer on my 21 doesn't lock correctly and looks like if you applied to much pressure could break it, a bad design vs. Yamato IMO. 

I truly hope you can get a replacement!! 

I hope so too.

The wing flap is popped out of place.  Haven’t even taken it out of the clamshells.

Crazy enough the box is pristine with no visible damage.

This sucks.

Edited by nightmareB4macross
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19 minutes ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Got Bandaid. :( 

The arm vertical stabilizer is busted.

Packaging itself is undamaged and shipping was top notch.

I hope I can get a full replacement or an arm with said stabilizer.image.jpeg.104747cfb5b435d9f45620fef568a19a.jpegimage.jpeg.5cc28f9f812bb1a39835698650b0bf61.jpegimage.jpeg.126de1e7c46cd0d50ca83ce70f21c128.jpegimage.jpeg.1be55c1c8e6acb9d5fb2a05d9519dfaa.jpeg

holy smokes, damn man.  your head laser seems to be intact.... but that stabilizer...... :(

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1 minute ago, nightmareB4macross said:

I hope so too.

The wing flap is popped out of place.  Haven’t even taken it out of the clamshells.

This sucks.

Bandai seems to have dropped the ball on this Valk. Bent head lasers, some have posted shoulder joint issues and now the stabilizers. 

Keep us posted if you can get a replacement! B))

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Just now, strikevalk said:

holy smokes, damn man.  your head laser seems to be intact.... but that stabilizer...... :(

It is. When I opened it that was the first thing I checked before I even considered going any further. Then I see the stabilizer…

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1 minute ago, 505thAirborne said:

Bandai seems to have dropped the ball on this Valk. Bent head lasers, some have posted shoulder joint issues and now the stabilizers. 

Keep us posted if you can get a replacement! B))

Sure will.

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16 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

For what it's worth, I was able to straighten mine out without breaking it. It resulted in some stress marks but it already had them out of the box when it initially got bent, and I'd rather have some small barely noticeable stress marks rather than a bent laser. The plastic actually doesn't feel like it will snap that easily, or at least it's not as brittle as the head laser on the YF-19. This is probably the reason why everyone with this issue got a bent laser instead of a broken one. 

Yeah. The seller appears to be very helpful. They’ve contacted Bandai but based on what others have said I don’t expect much.

I’ll probably just end up heating up and re-setting it, but for how much this thing cost I shouldn’t have to. And by disappearing quietly, Bandai get sent a message that shipping a defective product (at this price bracket) is ok.

 

Although from what I have seen I got lucky compared to some others. So I feel bad for them. 

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19 hours ago, Actar said:

IMHO, Bandai's is definitely more complicated, but I enjoy transforming it more than the Yamato. Maybe it's because of the age, but my Yamato has gotten all loose and floppy, the paint on the die-cast parts has started peeling, and the plastic just feels more fragile. Definitely would like a V2, if that's even remotely possible...

From your lips to Mr. K's ears. I think I'm safe in saying we all echo the sentiment; their first toy was nigh perfect so a second, building off the experience of designing the first with an eye towards a more balanced valk across all three modes, would at least rival the DX.

I think we'd see some of the same solutions, especially the legs. If proportional to the rest of the battroid, they need to store somewhere and those nacelles seem the obvious answer (it has always seemed obvious to me despite Kawamori's mass-shifting artwork showing them shrink as they turn sideways to fit into their bays). I think that was one of Bandai's crowning achievements with the DX. It's not a perfect toy: the backpack gap leaves one wanting for a better solution, the elbow joints are unsightly (even if I laud them for the range of pose ability possible b/c of them), the forearms are a little too small, and the fact that the transformable gunpods don't fit well in the FAST Packs, and the main landing gear are too short to offer proper ground clearance. Yet it has presence and I honestly find it quite striking in fighter and battroid modes (never been much of a GERWALK fan). I'm looking forward to getting my copy. I've watched enough vids now that the transformation is staring to burn into my brain. Honestly, compared to many third-party TFs, and some Takara ones and heck, even some of the old 2007-2009 Bayformers retail toys, this thing really isn't all that complex.

Edited by M'Kyuun
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17 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

Yup. Saw that over Macross group in Facebook. It's from Patrick Yeung.

He also posted these comparison photos with the Yamato figure in Battroid and Fighter.

450010044_10168842102595632_7406774550677483464_n.jpg

 

 

Hmmn.  The -21 is basically a Quedluun-Rau as a valk, so backpack comparison:

 

queadluun-rau-lineart2side.jpg

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On 7/8/2024 at 1:43 AM, ZYZY said:

HLJ got back to me. Said that the damage falls within Bandai's range of quality variation. What a load of bs. 

 

So what Bandai's damage falls within range quality variation excuse actually means is that they will really only send replacements to japan-based purchasers of their DX YF-21 with bent head-lasers...

 

https://x.com/MAXX_2nd/status/1810847457611559270

 

web-translated:

image.png.b58cae0f05f6676c38765c241a73c740.png

 

:angry:

:5:

 

edit:

I highly suggest forwarding the twitter-link and/or screenshot of the original japanese-tweet to HLJ and other import-shops to give them more ammo to try to force Bandai to send out replacement head-lasers to you guys with the issue.

Edited by treatment
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4 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

Got Bandaid. :( 

The arm vertical stabilizer is busted.

Packaging itself is undamaged and shipping was top notch.

I hope I can get a full replacement or an arm with said stabilizer.image.jpeg.104747cfb5b435d9f45620fef568a19a.jpegimage.jpeg.5cc28f9f812bb1a39835698650b0bf61.jpegimage.jpeg.126de1e7c46cd0d50ca83ce70f21c128.jpegimage.jpeg.1be55c1c8e6acb9d5fb2a05d9519dfaa.jpeg

Sorry, brother.  That sucks.  I'm going on vacation tomorrow and will be out of pocket for the next 2 weeks.  Keep me in mind.  If you haven't found a solution by July 26th and see a way to isolate the broken part(s), ping me and I'll happily scan/print/cast a replacement for you at no cost if you'd like.

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3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

From your lips to Mr. K's ears. I think I'm safe in saying we all echo the sentiment; their first toy was nigh perfect so a second, building off the experience of designing the first with an eye towards a more balanced valk across all three modes, would at least rival the DX.

I would like to respectfully disagree here. The Yamato YF-21 was very far from perfect. IMO it was one of their worst ones. It only looked good in fighter mode and even then, it had flaws (like the feet showing at the back). The gerwalk was a hollow mess and the battroid had awful proportions and could barely stand out of the box.

Granted the Bandai is far from perfect either, but QC issues aside, I think overall it is a better toy despite the line art inaccuracies.

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