DX VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie WORLD WIDE MACROSS (WWM) 40th Anniversary

[Halfstep]

2 hours ago, Jasonc said:

Got my two today. Love the matte finish.

 

How are the hip joints?  Loosey goosey?

[Jasonc]

5 minutes ago, Halfstep said:

How are the hip joints?  Loosey goosey?

The one I opened seems solid, and I don't plan on opening up the second, so I am happy for now. If it gets loose, I have ways of permanently fixing it.

 

[Rein+]

2 hours ago, Halfstep said:

How are the hip joints?  Loosey goosey?

Yep at mine is. Is it me or they lower the metal content on this one? it weight less from other vf-25

[neuromancer]

2 hours ago, Halfstep said:

How are the hip joints?  Loosey goosey?

I received mine on Friday. One of the hips was fine, the other was loose. It wasn't floppy like the video someone shared earlier in the thread. I'm using Pledge Future Finish on both hips (I like my joints to be on the tight side), and at first it didn't seem to be working on the looser side... But then I remember Pledge can take some time to set and in those ball sockets, things are likely to dry more slowly.

One of my shoulders had a bit uneven tightness (where parts of the range of motion were a little loose). Not really a big deal... But I'm picky... so I'm tightening both there as well.

The crotch on mine holds on pretty snuggly. When I hold it by the crotch and shake it a little, it doesn't budge... And neither do the shoulder and hip joints suggesting they're setting nicely (I won't try moving them for a few more days to allow it to fully set).

I have a 2nd one coming on Friday or so... We'll see how that one goes. I'm mostly worried about loose crotches, because I'm not so sure those are fixable. Maybe one could do it by bending the 2 sides of the locking metal piece somehow (depending where the looseness is caused)... But I'm sure I'd mess something like that up if I tried so hopefully my 2nd one doesn't have that particular issue.

It's ridiculous that we have to fix $200 toys... But it's great that most of the common issues (so far) are likely fixable. Otherwise, I'm absolutely loving this thing. I really like the matte. I have the 25F and 25S in storage... But I was hesitant to handle them due to the gloss (but maybe I was overthinking it).

Anyway, is this all due to QC issues? Mold degradation? Both?

 

[Sildani]

Received mine. Hips and ankles are solid, the kneecap armor is floppy however. 
 

Overall it’s a nice piece with good paint. I’m honestly not sure I’ll hold on to it though. I bought Michael’s Tornado Parts for it and I’ll apply them tomorrow. See if that grows on me. 

[derex3592]

I'm still waiting on mine. Was supposed to show up yesterday, now it says "no delivery estimate" or something like that. Good Job Fed-Ex! 😠

[Halfstep]

I guess my RNG was not so lucky with this one as my feet joints are loose as hell.  I spent so much time worried about hips I never considered feet being an issue.  The forward and back tilt joint is very loose.  The heel and toe tilts are also very loose.  Trying to stand it up in gerwalk or battroid is a effort of frustration with it tilting forward or back.  

Hips are ok.  I like tight hips...would not say these are tight, but not as bad as these feet.

I have used Kikis on hips and multiple places on the feet which after 24 hours sees much better.  I have had this bottle of Kikis for over a year.  First time I have used this stuff and I have to say its pretty damn awesome.

I do have a question.  This is my first VF-25, is there a trick to the chest shroud that comes over the fuselage in battroid?  I am failing to see/feel a position where it locks into solid position.  Feels like it just floats up there and can easily move about and out of position.

This thing is beautiful to look at but seems like just a let down as a "toy".  Its going on display to never touch again as it seems so finicky.  Before Kikis I was really regretting this thing.  Now I am just sorta ok with it as I am not sure how Kikis hold up over time or if this stuff makes plastic weak after a while.

[Sildani]

Got Mikhail’s Tornado Parts on. Battroid:

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, Halfstep said:

I do have a question.  This is my first VF-25, is there a trick to the chest shroud that comes over the fuselage in battroid?  I am failing to see/feel a position where it locks into solid position.  Feels like it just floats up there and can easily move about and out of position.

This thing is beautiful to look at but seems like just a let down as a "toy".  Its going on display to never touch again as it seems so finicky.  Before Kikis I was really regretting this thing.  Now I am just sorta ok with it as I am not sure how Kikis hold up over time or if this stuff makes plastic weak after a while.

The trick on the top chest area is to push more the shoulder hinge and the back plate hinge towards more to the back, basically locking the top part securely. Most would like the shoulder part kind of leveled straight in Battroid. But by doing so, it will still shake a bit, feeling it's not lock. Hence your feeling of it just floating there. Where once you fold it down more towards to the back, it will lock properly. Though, the downside is the shoulder armor bit would not look straight. If you prefer it that way. Also, by pulling the whole thing towards to the back, the canopy would look more hidden by the side covers.

 

 

[Halfstep]

4 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

The trick on the top chest area is to push more the shoulder hinge and the back plate hinge towards more to the back, basically locking the top part securely. Most would like the shoulder part kind of leveled straight in Battroid. But by doing so, it will still shake a bit, feeling it's not lock. Hence your feeling of it just floating there. Where once you fold it down more towards to the back, it will lock properly. Though, the downside is the shoulder armor bit would not look straight. If you prefer it that way. Also, by pulling the whole thing towards to the back, the canopy would look more hidden by the side covers.

 

 

See I had done this and it felt locked in but thought this was wrong.  maybe I will do this again.  I knew exactly what you mean and thought it felt solid.

 

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, Halfstep said:

See I had done this and it felt locked in but thought this was wrong.  maybe I will do this again.  I knew exactly what you mean and thought it felt solid.

Like I said, most prefer the Messiah's shoulder plate leveled probably like how it was shown in the anime/lineart.

 

But on the manual's section 12, it tells us that the wing section and the cockpit block should be parallel once the wing section pulled back further. And it what makes the chest section locked together.

[derex3592]

Well mine showed up yesterday, playing around with it this morning. All joints are good and tight. Been about 6 years since I transformed a 25... so I went by the manual to see if I could get there.   I gotta say, it's still a pretty cool toy. It especially benefits from the matt finish. Fighter mode is totally my favorite on the 25, but due to space limitations I'm gonna probably have to display it in battroid. 

[Bolt]

On 8/13/2022 at 8:07 AM, Sildani said:

Got Mikhail’s Tornado Parts on. Battroid:

Looks really good with the Tornado's !

[Halfstep]

On 8/13/2022 at 10:19 PM, no3Ljm said:

But on the manual's section 12, it tells us that the wing section and the cockpit block should be parallel once the wing section pulled back further. And it what makes the chest section locked together.

And this indeed is the secret sauce.  I had it this way and it felt right.  But then every shot I saw of others it was flat as you mentioned so I thought I was over extending something that would lead to breakage

This and a little Kiki's and I am happy with this thing.  I want armored parts for it.

 

 

[General Rasp]

https://tfsource.com/articulated-figures-statues/vf-25-messiah-valkyrie-worldwide-anniversary-version-dx-chogokin-macross-frontier-bandai-spirits/

If anyone was on the fence or still waiting one, TFsource has the VF-25 on sale. 

[derex3592]

Damn..now wish I would have waited 

[General Rasp]

49 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Damn..now wish I would have waited 

Same here ... Either you miss the pre-order and pay more OR get the pre-order and the damn thing goes on sale.

[iguanaman8989]

Finally got into mine the other day, and there’s a break. One of the panels on top of the intakes that holds the clips to attach in fighter/gerwalk broke off.

No real loss in function though. The clips are attached to the chest/fuselage, and the pin mount that broke, works as a peg anyway. I’ll post a pic later at some point.

Not great that it’s broken out of the box, but an invisible break that doesn’t affect operations of the toy, is better than something truly damaging.

[DewPoint]

On 9/8/2022 at 4:49 AM, General Rasp said:

https://tfsource.com/articulated-figures-statues/vf-25-messiah-valkyrie-worldwide-anniversary-version-dx-chogokin-macross-frontier-bandai-spirits/

If anyone was on the fence or still waiting one, TFsource has the VF-25 on sale. 

Thanks for sharing the info.

I was on the fence about this for a long, long time.  I finally decided to roll the dice and go for it.  "Free domestic shipping on orders over $150" is a lie by the way.  At least for me it was ($12).  This will be my first VF-25 and with my luck I'll probably get Bandai'd with 2 floppy hips. 

Edited September 18, 2022 by DewPoint

[DarthSpank]

Hello guys. I am new to this forum and waited a long time to get me a Valk. So this VF-25 is my first and have few questions if you do not mind to help out.

1. Do you panel line and if so, what do you use?

2. Where can I get (buy) a more dynamic stand for it?

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Anasazi37]

5 hours ago, DarthSpank said:

Hello guys. I am new to this forum and waited a long time to get me a Valk. So this VF-25 is my first and have few questions if you do not mind to help out.

1. Do you panel line and if so, what do you use?

2. Where can I get (buy) a more dynamic stand for it?

 

Many thanks in advance.

One of the best panel lining options out there, especially when you're applying it directly to a valk and want easy cleanup, comes from Flory:

https://www.florymodels.org/washes

The best dynamic stand option is the the Yeti Stand, and you'll see a lot of discussion about them here, but they haven't been available for several years. No one knows when, or if, they'll ever be sold again. Next best option is the Flightpose Stand, but I think the manufacturer is still experiencing production delays and has no stock at the moment. You could also look into getting a different Bandai stand, like the ones used for Gundam models, and finding/printing an adapter so it will work with your valk. I'm not sure about that option, though, since valks tend to be a lot heavier than Gundam models and the arm portion of the stand might not be able to support the extra weight.

[MKT]

7 hours ago, DarthSpank said:

Hello guys. I am new to this forum and waited a long time to get me a Valk. So this VF-25 is my first and have few questions if you do not mind to help out.

1. Do you panel line and if so, what do you use?

2. Where can I get (buy) a more dynamic stand for it?

 

Many thanks in advance.

 

There is also another option for stands, which is the Calibre Wings Router-Style Stand 2.0. It works very similarly to Flightpose stands. Ver 2.0 appear to be much better than their earlier 1.0 version, as the improved metal base gives it more stability for banking poses.

[Special Sauce]

42 minutes ago, MKT said:

 

There is also another option for stands, which is the Calibre Wings Router-Style Stand 2.0. It works very similarly to Flightpose stands. Ver 2.0 appear to be much better than their earlier 1.0 version, as the improved metal base gives it more stability for banking poses.

Would that just be for posing in fighter mode?

[MKT]

46 minutes ago, Special Sauce said:

Would that just be for posing in fighter mode?

By mixing the length of the arms and some creativity, you can balance other modes on it.
Here are some examples from another tread over the years. These are using Flightpose stands, but you should be able to get somewhat similar results with Calibre’s.

 

 

 

[enphily]

Stands by Flightpose and Calibre Wing are great. There is Calibre one holding armored VF-25

[no3Ljm]

And this is a Flightpose holding Armored Gerwalk.  

[MKT]

Love both of the pics @enphily & @no3Ljm! 

 

[Sildani]

Oh @ChaoticYeti, ChaoticYeti, wherefore art thou ChaoticYeti?

[Special Sauce]

On 9/13/2022 at 11:42 AM, MKT said:

By mixing the length of the arms and some creativity, you can balance other modes on it.
Here are some examples from another tread over the years. These are using Flightpose stands, but you should be able to get somewhat similar results with Calibre’s.

 

 

 

Thanks!

[DewPoint]

My VF-25 came in 3 days ago.  I finally had the time to take it out to inspect it.  Paint is fine, hips are both fine, left ankle is looser than the right, but it doesn't seem to be a problem at the moment.  Everything locks together nicely.  It indeed has a lot of sharp bits that can scratch paint.  I like it, but I probably won't be transforming it often.

[Sokeijon]

Happily saw a pre-owned VF-25 Ghost Weapons Set. Bought it without checking the missiles whether are compatible with VF-30/VF-31. My intension is to put up on them. When arrived, only realized it is a clip-on missiles. Anyway, still not bad to use on VF-25 WWM and VF-31AX Mirage. 

[MacrossJunkie]

1 hour ago, Sokeijon said:

Happily saw a pre-owned VF-25 Ghost Weapons Set. Bought it without checking the missiles whether are compatible with VF-30/VF-31. My intension is to put up on them. When arrived, only realized it is a clip-on missiles. Anyway, still not bad to use on VF-25 WWM and VF-31AX Mirage. 

 

 

That's an interesting stand mod. Did you get that from somewhere or make that yourself?

[Sokeijon]

1 hour ago, MacrossJunkie said:

That's an interesting stand mod. Did you get that from somewhere or make that yourself?

Got it somewhere from China marketplace. The adapter/connectors are 3D printed. And hooked up with the flex metal. The base stand is still Bandai's. 

[Duymon]

Finally snagged one that was missing a shoulder piece for a good discount. Added my non canon armored packs

[Bolt]

That's awesome @Duymon !