Stampeed Valkyrie Posted December 19, 2023 Author Posted December 19, 2023 6 hours ago, Black Valkyrie said: How's the QC in general. Largely depends on the release. For the most part its acceptable, I have only had 1 real issue with the Rick TV 1S. It was a tampo misprint and they ended up sending me a replacement. I would be the first to say that KC Customer Service is pretty responsive, but with MY moving on their Customer Service has taken a total crap. Might be my luck, but I have asked several questions and never gotten a response. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 19, 2023 Posted December 19, 2023 40 minutes ago, Stampeed Valkyrie said: Largely depends on the release. For the most part its acceptable, I have only had 1 real issue with the Rick TV 1S. It was a tampo misprint and they ended up sending me a replacement. I would be the first to say that KC Customer Service is pretty responsive, but with MY moving on their Customer Service has taken a total crap. Might be my luck, but I have asked several questions and never gotten a response. Yeah...their CS has basically become average at best...it was nice to have had such an unparalleled level of CS from a Macross toy vendor for several years...unfortunately, with their history of QC problems, at least for me, I have to be much more vigilant when dealing with their releases...as I have said before, I normally leave most of my Macross toys unopened, but I have made an exception for all KC VF-1 releases since the V 2.x came out... Quote
Stampeed Valkyrie Posted December 20, 2023 Author Posted December 20, 2023 I just got an email notification stating that the Angel Birds VFs have shipped. Quote
MKT Posted December 20, 2023 Posted December 20, 2023 (edited) I received the Vermillion Squadron in their new, smaller packaging today, so just some brief unboxing impressions: Rick's packaging comes in a black box, no viewing window, with a sleeve that goes over it.. The new box is substantially smaller than the old packaging, although they have the same thickness.. Just like before, the valk is packaged in Battroid and comes with its own clamshell that fills up the whole box. The accessories tray goes under it. No missiles or stand in this new package. Max & Ben also come in the same smaller-sized packaging, but unlike Rick there's no sleeve but just stickers on the black box to indicate the product within. I opened all three of them just to inspect for any defects. Apologies if no further pics here, but just describing my impressions of them from here on. It has been a long while since I laid eyes on a KC valk in person, but it does appear that the quality of paint and tampo have considerably improved from previous efforts. We know that most surfaces of the valk are painted, and the paint looks really consistent in terms of thickness & application. No unevenness, orange peel, stray splotches or over/under spray can be detected on my copies. I can see the panel lining have been done very well - no irregular line thickness or splotches where 2 lines meet. I briefly compared the tampos with a v1, and this current version has more, such as the 'no step' markings along the wing edges with the tampos being very sharp & legible even if the fonts are tiny on some of them. Rick's was the first one I opened, and an additional surprise awaited. I was expecting the predominantly white valk to be all matte finished. Instead, selected areas have a slightly different finish on them; a somewhat subdued sheen that contrasts just a little to the matte finish on rest of areas that is not easy to capture in pics. It is not a glossy finish like the older Bandai DX, but a very soft lustre - think of a timber surface that's been lightly finished in natural oil instead of synthetic polish. Despite the different surface treatments on the valk, the whites remain evenly matched. In default Battroid, it really looks good but given the build's finicky nature, I don't think I will transform it to Fighter to see how the different paint finishings look like. For better or worse, this dual sheen treatment isn't carried over to Ben's or Max's toys. Everything is matt-finished on both of them. I don't know if it will be odd putting all three of them together and Rick's slightly shinier whites being very conspicuous, but I don't think so. Given the outstanding paint job it has, which is really the one & only thing going for it, it is quite a shame that KC's build quality & fit continue to feel suspect with this mold even if there haven't been widespread reports of catastrophic breakage. When I took the valks out for inspection, I was very reluctant to move any of the joints, such is the play-unfriendly nature of this mold. I'm pretty confident Threezero's upcoming iteration of the VF-1 will easily surpass KC's in the build department, and hopefully the paint (if not molded in coloured plastic) will be as good. Edited December 20, 2023 by MKT Quote
jvmacross Posted December 20, 2023 Posted December 20, 2023 Are the colors on the leg stabilizers painted correctly for the Max and Kakizaki -1A's you received? Quote
jvmacross Posted December 21, 2023 Posted December 21, 2023 Well, looks like we are back to the toy looking worse than the boxart....40+ years of toy design advances down the tubes! Way to go KC! Quote
MKT Posted December 21, 2023 Posted December 21, 2023 11 hours ago, jvmacross said: Are the colors on the leg stabilizers painted correctly for the Max and Kakizaki -1A's you received? I forgot about this issue, so I went back to check. Thankfully the paint on the stabilizers is done correctly.. However, I then noticed the modex numbers.. Looks like I got KC-ed! The numbers on the vertical stabilizers are correctly aligned though. On a related note, I wonder why the numbers on Max & Ben differs from Macross. Here they are 113 & 202, but on the Yamato 1/60 Kakizaki it is 112, and Chogokin Max has 111 printed. Another inconsistency is the numbering fonts used for Ben's 1A & Rick 1J. On Rick, his modex is 101, but the font used for the number 1 is just a straight 'I', whilst on Ben's as seen above, it is '1'. But at least for Rick, there won't be the issue of the modex being upside down! Quote
shazam Posted December 21, 2023 Posted December 21, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, sh9000 said: Box art. I appreciate seeing something new that is NOT ANOTHER VF-1 VALK every 5 minutes. 👏👏👏 Thanks for the share. Edited December 21, 2023 by shazam changing file Quote
shazam Posted December 21, 2023 Posted December 21, 2023 10 minutes ago, Swann said: Something different. How about Daicon. Nice!! 🤩 Quote
Convectuoso Posted December 22, 2023 Posted December 22, 2023 14 hours ago, Swann said: Second time buying it. I bought the first one at Kimono My House. I have to find the 1993-1994 catalog. To post here. Or maybe post it on the Southern Cross thread so this one can get back to topic 😉 Quote
Radioguy Posted December 22, 2023 Posted December 22, 2023 19 hours ago, Swann said: Second time buying it. I bought the first one at Kimono My House. I have to find the 1993-1994 catalog. To post here. There's a Sparks store? Quote
jvmacross Posted December 22, 2023 Posted December 22, 2023 On 12/21/2023 at 12:03 AM, MKT said: I forgot about this issue, so I went back to check. Thankfully the paint on the stabilizers is done correctly.. However, I then noticed the modex numbers.. Looks like I got KC-ed! I think I could live with the modex goof ups...the incorrect paint bothers me more so... Not sure if it is the lighting in your pic, but the blue on Max seems darker than the initial release... I do like the compact packaging and am glad they still come configured in Battroid mode... Quote
MKT Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 8 hours ago, jvmacross said: Not sure if it is the lighting in your pic, but the blue on Max seems darker than the initial release... Lighting is warm white, but the darker tone is mostly down to pic processing. Actual blue is slightly lighter. Quote
Swann Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 14 hours ago, jvmacross said: I think I could live with the modex goof ups...the incorrect paint bothers me more so... Not sure if it is the lighting in your pic, but the blue on Max seems darker than the initial release... I do like the compact packaging and am glad they still come configured in Battroid mode... That's a very good and solid color. Quote
Swann Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 On 12/21/2023 at 1:21 AM, shazam said: I found some old photos of the kits I had. Now that was a mighty fine collection. Quote
Swann Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 15 hours ago, jvmacross said: I think I could live with the modex goof ups...the incorrect paint bothers me more so... Not sure if it is the lighting in your pic, but the blue on Max seems darker than the initial release... I do like the compact packaging and am glad they still come configured in Battroid mode... Very detailed. In my opinion. Quote
Swann Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 On 12/21/2023 at 1:07 AM, shazam said: I miss not having these kits. I remember seeing that some of the kits having a die-cast Southern Cross emblem key chain as part of the kit. I ended up giving away all of my Southern Cross models to a close friend. Did you knew. Many of those Southern Cross kits. Has been reissued. Easy to spot. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 23, 2023 Posted December 23, 2023 This is a Kitz Concept toy thread....there is a thread to discuss and reminisce about Southern Cross model kits and other vintage SC here... https://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/28681-no-love-for-southern-cross/page/39/#comment-1679920 Quote
tekering Posted December 24, 2023 Posted December 24, 2023 I hope those are hand-painted prototypes. The white surfaces look particularly rough, especially on the thighs and the helmet. 🤨 Quote
MKT Posted December 24, 2023 Posted December 24, 2023 (edited) I actually saw that pic not that long ago, but if not mistaken it turns out they were of old prototypes in 2020. Edited December 26, 2023 by MKT Quote
CoryHolmes Posted December 26, 2023 Posted December 26, 2023 I will have her... *makes grabby hands* Quote
Stampeed Valkyrie Posted December 26, 2023 Author Posted December 26, 2023 Santa dropped this off a day late.. First KC release I have seen that has started putting the limited number on the front landing gear doors. No misprints or other obvious typos that I can see. I have the 1A on order apparently not released yet. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 I received my Kitz Concept Angel Birds too! I was sort of surprised I received these before my "low viz VF-1A/S" pair....hope they didn't get lost! Anyways...since you started with the VF-1J AB....I'll start with the VF-1A.... I think I like KC's Angel Birds logo better than Bandai's...kind of has a cool "nose art" vibe to it.... My VF-1A came "unsealed" on one side....guess it made it easy to figure out which side to open it from...lol... Kit Concept VF-1A's Assemble! (wait...where's the VF-1A LowViz?....) Oh...and my VF-1J...still need to unbox and make sure I have not been KC'd...again.... So overall a really good job with the paint application and tampo printing....no changes I could notice to the mold from the V 2.X....as far as I can tell, no QC issues on my Angel Birds VF-1A...YMMV! Again, will need to check the VF-1J when I have a chance.... Quote
m0n5t3r Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 5 hours ago, jvmacross said: I received my Kitz Concept Angel Birds too! I was sort of surprised I received these before my "low viz VF-1A/S" pair....hope they didn't get lost! Anyways...since you started with the VF-1J AB....I'll start with the VF-1A.... I think I like KC's Angel Birds logo better than Bandai's...kind of has a cool "nose art" vibe to it.... My VF-1A came "unsealed" on one side....guess it made it easy to figure out which side to open it from...lol... Kit Concept VF-1A's Assemble! (wait...where's the VF-1A LowViz?....) Oh...and my VF-1J...still need to unbox and make sure I have not been KC'd...again.... So overall a really good job with the paint application and tampo printing....no changes I could notice to the mold from the V 2.X....as far as I can tell, no QC issues on my Angel Birds VF-1A...YMMV! Again, will need to check the VF-1J when I have a chance.... Looks cool. I'm seriously considering getting my first KC VF-1 (and 1st 1/72 scale whatever) as soon as the preorder opens from my local shop for the low vis. It's not white and the ad says it'll come with 1A and 1S head, the latter which I prefer. Hope you'll post about the low vis as soon as you get yours. Quote
Radioguy Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 49 minutes ago, m0n5t3r said: Looks cool. I'm seriously considering getting my first KC VF-1 (and 1st 1/72 scale whatever) as soon as the preorder opens from my local shop for the low vis. It's not white and the ad says it'll come with 1A and 1S head, the latter which I prefer. Hope you'll post about the low vis as soon as you get yours. I sound impossible to please, but I really would prefer the 1J head. GBP armor, as was available with the Yammie, would be great too. I always picture the grey low-vis in that fighting amongst skyscrapers. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 Got around to inspecting my KC VF-1J Angel Birds and it looks like KC did a great job on this one as well.... Still waiting for my VF-1A LowViz pair..... Quote
Stampeed Valkyrie Posted December 27, 2023 Author Posted December 27, 2023 well apparently my KC AB 1A was seperated from the 1J. I am looking at tracking and it looks like USPS has it taking a grand tour up and down the east coast. Gotta love it. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 My 2 x KC VF-1A/S LowViz have arrived...opened up just one of them...will need to open the second one later and make sure it is free of QC issues.... Anyway....this is probably my new favorite from KC...the paint and tampo is really cool...proving that sometimes less is more....no QC issues on the first of two...so crossing fingers...maybe the low production numbers is helping them keep the mistakes to a minimum.... So one of the few things that the KC VF-1S Focker "Special Paint" missed on was the paint application on the head lasers....the "Focker" on the left and the new "LowViz VF-1S" on the right..... So a quick swap and the Focker "lowViz" is now looking much better with the swapped head unit from the newly released "LowViz" VF-1S.... IMO, the "LowViz" VF-1S makes better use of the "All-Black" head lasers....think I will permanently keep both this way.... Quote
jenius Posted December 27, 2023 Posted December 27, 2023 Totally agree on the head swap, I'll probably do the same. Quote
jvmacross Posted December 28, 2023 Posted December 28, 2023 OK, so now that I am going over the pics...I noticed "two" small errors...tampo errors to be exact....and it could have been minimized if KC would have also tossed in a "LowViz' VF-1J head.....can you spot it? It's sort of comical how of all the available VF types from KC...they went and printed the one type that this release does not represent....I bet a VF-1J "LowViz" with a super low production count release is in the works...lol Quote
Spark-O-Matic Posted December 28, 2023 Posted December 28, 2023 My Angel Birds came in yesterday. they look nice! not sure if they will crumble in my hands like the GOF did, but I'll find out soon. will post pics later Spark Quote
tekering Posted December 28, 2023 Posted December 28, 2023 10 minutes ago, jvmacross said: It's sort of comical how of all the available VF types from KC...they went and printed the one type that this release does not represent That's deeply ironic... and yet, this low-viz scheme is still a total success by Kitz Concept standards. Quote
m0n5t3r Posted December 28, 2023 Posted December 28, 2023 (edited) 18 minutes ago, jvmacross said: OK, so now that I am going over the pics...I noticed "two" small errors...tampo errors to be exact....and it could have been minimized if KC would have also tossed in a "LowViz' VF-1J head.....can you spot it? It's sort of comical how of all the available VF types from KC...they went and printed the one type that this release does not represent....I bet a VF-1J "LowViz" with a super low production count release is in the works...lol Haha. There was a 2/3 chance to get it right and they still got it wrong. Any pics in fighter mode? Are you even gonna transform it, lol? Edited December 28, 2023 by m0n5t3r Quote
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