Kitz Concept Toy Thread 2.0

[Stranger]

Hi, I just picke dup the Minmei figure. Is there a good way to get the plastic cellophane wrapping stuff off that is around her skirt? Just pull on it? I don't want to break the figure.

[crackpot]

1 hour ago, Stranger said:

Hi, I just picke dup the Minmei figure. Is there a good way to get the plastic cellophane wrapping stuff off that is around her skirt? Just pull on it? I don't want to break the figure.

Microwave. 60 seconds. 

Just get a pair of scissors and cut a slit as close to the figure then pull it out.

Edited August 30, 2020 by crackpot

[jvmacross]

Anyone else get theirs?

 

First impression out of the box....way less diecast...but that is probably a good thing....hopefully this will end up better than their VF-1S, if so, would like a re-release of the VF-1S using this mold...the tampo is great...the panel lining much better than the "heavy" panel lining on the VF-1S....dare I say this almost feels like a Yamato? 

If you own the original Focker....you will immediately notice the difference in weight...

Will transform it to fighter tomorrow and take some pics...crossing my fingers and everything else I can in hopes that this will be the KC VF-1 release we were looking for...

Edited September 2, 2020 by jvmacross

[tekering]

33 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

dare I say this almost feels like a Yamato?

The lanky proportions certainly suggest a Yamato, but the extensive tampo looks like a Bandai DX... but significantly different.  

It does come with screw covers, right?  'Cause those holes on the legs are deep and pronounced.  

[TeaSeabz]

9 minutes ago, tekering said:

It does come with screw covers, right?  'Cause those holes on the legs are deep and pronounced.  

Those big holes on the back of the legs are meant for the super parts to connect. 

[jeniusornome]

Nice! I have one on order with BBTS so I’ll probably see it in another month or so. Would love to hear more impressions once you’ve had more time with it. 

[Convectuoso]

Looks good, but I'm not a fan of the panel lining they did on the shoulders

[Stranger]

What were some of the main problems with the VF-1s in case I ever decide to grab one?

[Keith]

Too lanky, I don't like it.

[tekering]

3 hours ago, TeaSeabz said:

Those big holes on the back of the legs are meant for the super parts to connect. 

Hey look, new Cannon Fodder!  Welcome, @TeaSeabz.  Come to drop some knowledge, have you?  

Note that screw covers are meant to cover screw holes.  

[jeniusornome]

5 hours ago, Stranger said:

What were some of the main problems with the VF-1s in case I ever decide to grab one?

Fit and finish, mostly. It isn’t a bad figure but to me the balance was a little off and it felt a bit wobbly.

it still held together just fine, and I haven’t yet had any of the joint looseness that some others have, but if anyone went in expecting Yamato quality they would have been disappointed. 
 

early reports are that this “v1.5” or whatever you want to call it is better in that regard, and I think KC said somewhere they’d go back and redo the 1S eventually as well. 

[TeaSeabz]

4 hours ago, tekering said:

Hey look, new Cannon Fodder!  Welcome, @TeaSeabz.  Come to drop some knowledge, have you?  

Hey gotta start somewhere 

[vladykins]

Is it just me or does the backpack seem excessively large for the toy?

 

Or maybe the back is too thin making the backpack look huge?

Pict for reference:

Edited September 2, 2020 by vladykins

[MKT]

12 hours ago, jvmacross said:

 

 

Maybe it is just a very quick pic snap, but the intakes doesn't look like it has enough rake angle, and make the whole hips look too low & short. It almost seem like it's mandatory to use the gerwalk joint to fix some of that though..

[DYRL VF-1S]

I purchased the Fokker 1S and then the Dark Red 1S.  It was such a horrible experience with crap breaking etc. that I'm gun shy about buying the 1J.  Is it a significant improvement @jvmacross?

[jvmacross]

A few extra Battroid pics with his bros.....

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by jvmacross

[jvmacross]

So let's get into the Gerwalk...but first some pics....

 

So full disclosure....in my 35+ years of collecting Macross VF's I never had one break on me during initial handling (not even the Evolution VF-2SS although that happened after the second or third transformation!).....with that said, I will not entirely blame poor construction or quality.....more so extremely tight joints and fit, which was sort of the opposite of what I experienced with the VF-1S....the pieces that broke on me were the heat shield tabs....so now it is a parts former due to the small tabs breaking off during transformation to Gerwalk from Battroid....I will ask KC if they can replace it, if not, I can live with it as it still can be transformed and the pieces stay in place.....with that said.....

I do like it, but it still has it's flaws.....KC did attempt to correct some of the bigger flaws it had before with fit and to an extent has made good improvements, but it still is not 100% there......

Here are the spots that were improved, but still need further improvement....

Connection betweeen the main body and leg intake sections.....they still require considerable fiddling to get them to line up and more importantly stay attached...once they do, they hold better than before, but still separate with handling....

 

.....the intake connection points have been improved, but they still have a tendancy to separate with handling, still, much improved from the previous attempt on the VF-1S....

The intake has much improved tabs (2 X) that assits with the connection to the main body of the VF, the weaker one is still the one directly underneath(behind) the intake, the side tab hold well....

 

Once again, the connection of the fuselage/cockpit to the main body is problematic...it requires much finagling to get it in place and it still seems to separate after you have accomplished the connection.....

 

One good thing is that KC seems to have added an additional folding tab that helps to "tuck in" the head (ok, that sounds bad) underneath the cockpit...still not as good as Yamato's design or the Bandai DX's, but better than KC's previous attempt.....

 

That's as far as I cared to dive into this toy for the time being.....I like it in Battroid more so than in Gerwalk....overall, it is an improvement to the V1 KC VF-1S...eliminating the diecast will go a long way for this toy, in terms of floppiness, but only time will tell.....

I would say, buy this toy instead of the VF-1S if you have not purchased either.....the scale makes it a unique addition to your collection, but you probably just need one of these hybrid Bandai/Yamato VFs....it's sort of a peek into the much prophesized Bandai 1/60-ish DX that has not shown up...yet

[sh9000]

Kind of cool.  To me it’s like an updated HCM with a pilot figure and better head.

[lechuck]

Does this hinge allow the VF to pivot its arms forward? Seems like a USP that none of the others have, and would provide some nice arm articulation options.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I just got an email stating KC shipped my 1J Super and Roy Fokker Figure.

[TeaSeabz]

@lechuck The arm swivel is very helpful.

[Mechapilot77]

this has its proportoin problems but i applaud kc is improving.  the arm swivel is unque too and i thin would add a ton of poses look a lot better.  the bandai dx can't even do that.

[crackpot]

56 minutes ago, TeaSeabz said:

@lechuck The arm swivel is very helpful.

Do you feel that new swivel can loosen eventually and it will end up drooping down with gerwalk/guardian mode?

[TeaSeabz]

17 minutes ago, crackpot said:

Do you feel that new swivel can loosen eventually and it will end up drooping down with gerwalk/guardian mode?

Honestly the arms are so light and the the shoulder joints are so tight, I don't foresee drooping being an issue. 

[jvmacross]

OK...time for fighter mode.....pics first.....

 

How to begin....well, it definitely holds extremely well in this mode....in fact, it is slightly better than Battroid....the bad news is the sculpt.....in some angles it is fine....in angles that show too much of the intakes from either the side or head on...they just seem way too big and boxy.....again, it all depends on how you are posing it or looking at it.....however, because of how well it all holds together in place with various well-placed tabs, I can overlook the intake design by posing it in more flattering angles...

Some of the misses that still exist in fighter mode is the dragging gunpod....all that had to be done is to make the landing gear a bit longer and it would have resolved the issue...the gundpod is sort of thicker than it should be, so maybe redoing the gunpod sculpt may help....another issue is with some "gappiness" throughout the valk in fighter mode....most noticeably when viewed from the side in the intake area and within the space between the hips and kneee joint area.....

One other "nitpick" is the bizarre paint used for the cockpit seat....it looks like some aqua-green chrome paint?  Perhaps KC had gallons left over from when they worked on that 1/2000 Chrome painted TV SDF-1?  Anyways, someone with painting skills can probably correct that problem.....

The light gimmicks are still there and look good, but are much easier to enable/disable them this time around with a process that does not necessitate major disassembly combined with utter frustration!  So kudos to KC for those improvements...

I feel I like Battroid the best, followed by Fighter mode and finally Gerwalk.....the 1/72 VF-1J is put together much better than the VF-1S and most of that improvement has to do with the wise move away from diecast....oh...to answer a previous question about the "holes"...nope...no covers included in my set....not sure if they should be, but I did not see anything about them in the instruction manual....so it looks like you will need to settle for "holey" rather than "floppy" this round! 

If you have not jumped on a KC 1/72 VF-1....I would recommend to pick up the VF-1J rather than the VF-1S...or just wait until your preferred flavor gets released using the current mold...or perhaps a tweaked one in a future release.....

Edited September 2, 2020 by jvmacross

[jeniusornome]

Fantastic write up @jvmacross, thank you for sharing your impressions with all of us !

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Fast Packs, and TV Hikki 1J just arrived today.   Not a bad turnaround for international shipping.      

Will get a better look at it when I get a chance,  but from what I have seen so far I'm happy with it.

 

[mojacko]

nice pix, been wanting to get one but havent seen much info about these 1/72 scale valks

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

7 hours ago, mojacko said:

nice pix, been wanting to get one but havent seen much info about these 1/72 scale valks

Take a look at the previous thread (1.0)  there is some good information there.    Honestly between this and Hi-Metal R valks these are probably your biggest bang for your $$.     I have all the 1/72 releases so far,  Fokker 1S,  Black and Gold 1S, Black and Red 1S,  and now Hikki's TV 1J.    I haven't been disappointed yet.      The SD valks however are still my favorite of KCs toy line.  

[sh9000]

Lisa Hayes will be shipping soon.  Make sure to respond to KC’s email so that they can ship the figure out.

[vladykins]

Looks like they are working on GBP:

 

 

[jenius]

Going with a boxier look on the arms. Looks suitably beefy.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Very reminiscent of the Yamato ver 1 1/60 GBP.

[Froy]

Is there something in the art line or on the master files(?) that say something about the extra armor part on the shoulder bellow the missile pod? The 3 of the Yamato iterations have it too.

Edit*

I can't see that small shoulder part here

Edited September 24, 2020 by Froy

[Big s]

I think it was just anime magic. Sort of like the giant hands thing