ThreeZero ROBOTECH (Macross) Toys

[Duymon]

4 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Considering the comparison to the Yamato V2, I don't even think you can say it qualifies as a different scale, it's just another very slightly different take on a scale we already have saturation in.

Also the fact that I bought many of my Yamato V2's back during the $60 fire sale days of late Yamato XD

[pezley]

4 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Considering the comparison to the Yamato V2, I don't even think you can say it qualifies as a different scale, it's just another very slightly different take on a scale we already have saturation in.

It's with in the same scale but a significantly better product ( visual preferences aside )

I replaced all my Yamato 1/48 with the bandai DX and will be doing the same with the arcadia /yamato 1/60 with these. I want pieces that will stand against time. My yamato's are yellowing, my arcadias feel flimsy compared to these. These are a great step toward more modern build. Understandably considering how old the yamato designs are.

Edited August 4 by pezley

[Black Valkyrie]

 

I was thinking to one but now I am more interested in the upcoming from Unix Square. 

 

[Chronocidal]

18 hours ago, pezley said:

It's with in the same scale but a significantly better product ( visual preferences aside )

I replaced all my Yamato 1/48 with the bandai DX and will be doing the same with the arcadia /yamato 1/60 with these. I want pieces that will stand against time. My yamato's are yellowing, my arcadias feel flimsy compared to these. These are a great step toward more modern build. Understandably considering how old the yamato designs are.

I'm holding judgement until I get one in hand, but I do not even slightly entertain the idea that ThreeZero is going to release most of the variants that Yamato covered, so it's very unlikely that any manufacturer is ever going to produce something to replace them all.

Visually speaking.. it's okay.  Does a few things better, a few things worse, like someone stuck a Yamato and a Bandai DX in a blender, with some of the benefits and detriments of both.

[MKT]

Yeahh somehow the 1/72 label really stuck with Threezero's, but it really should be considered 1/60. I suspect now that the 1J is pretty much well accepted, Roy's 1S will be the one everyone really wants.

[Raikkonen]

2 hours ago, MKT said:

Yeahh somehow the 1/72 label really stuck with Threezero's, but it really should be considered 1/60. I suspect now that the 1J is pretty much well accepted, Roy's 1S will be the one everyone really wants.

Everyone except me. 😅

I'm still gonna hold out for a low-vis/stealth repaint. 

[no3Ljm]

I watched this short transforming video of the ThreeZero VF-1J figure. Even though it's a 'copy' of the DX design, ThreeZero somehow upgraded the design on the rotating swivel bar and those locking mechanism on pulling out the legs and feet. Nice touch. I don't have one. But I did like their direction.

 

Bandai should've done the same on their YF-21. Rework and refine what's available out there rather than over-engineer it.

[twich]

I just ordered/pre-ordered one of these from BBTS. I’m excited and hope that it is as good as it looks. I hope that BBTS gets it soon.

Twich

[sjoebarry]

17 minutes ago, twich said:

I just ordered/pre-ordered one of these from BBTS. I’m excited and hope that it is as good as it looks. I hope that BBTS gets it soon.

Same. It’s taking FOREVER!  

[Radioguy]

Yeah, Amazon has cancelled POs on this, but I was just given an offer I couldn't resist (a mix of promotions that brought this under $100 there), and I bit.

Let's see what happens...

[twich]

I’m curious if anyone has an idea of when this will be available from BBTS. I know that it usually takes 2 months on the slow boat from China, but again, anything more concrete that 3rd Quarter 2024? Thanks!

Twich

[rsvictor1976]

I was able to get one from a local shop here in SoCal, Maybang Collectibles, at regular MSRP. Overall, its pretty good but I have a few concerns.

It lacks any ratcheting joints so it may not hold poses very well in the future. 

The hardpoints under the wings only attach the missiles with pressure. It isn't like Yamato toys that click into place. 

The display stand doesn't lock the toy into place like the DX Chogokins do and the toy simply rests on the appropriate adapter. The stand will hold the toy in battroid and fighter mode  okay, but it doesn't do too well in gerwalk and could topple over if too much weight is shifted forward.

ThreeZero did a good job with the paint and detail application. I didn't see any overpaint or blurry lines on the unit that I got. The toy is hefty with a lot of the weight at the legs making it easier to stand.

In my opinion, the Bandai DX Chogokins are still a better toy and I admire them in my display cabinet while I have this one on my desk to play around with. At $150 AND comes with a  1-year warranty in North America, it's a great option for someone just starting a collection or doesn't want to spend too much.

 

Edited August 23 by rsvictor1976

[Chronocidal]

Thanks for the details, though that tail gap is weird.  Are you sure the tails don't slide inward to close it up?  That's been the mechanism for pretty much every VF-1 in recent memory.

Edited August 24 by Chronocidal

[rsvictor1976]

33 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

Thanks for the details, though that tail gap is weird.  Are you sure the tails don't slide inward to close it up?  That's been the mechanism for pretty much ever VF-1 in the past several years.

 

Thanks for the tip, I managed to close the gap. 

 

[jvmacross]

17 hours ago, rsvictor1976 said:

 

 

 

16 hours ago, rsvictor1976 said:

 

 

Whatever camera or lighting you are using makes the VF-1 look like it's already yellowed....

[rsvictor1976]

48 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

 

Whatever camera or lighting you are using makes the VF-1 look like it's already yellowed....

Just my iPhone 14. It doesn’t look yellow on my screen but it may also be lighting from the my monitor in front of it.

[jvmacross]

3 minutes ago, rsvictor1976 said:

Just my iPhone 14. It doesn’t look yellow on my screen but it may also be lighting from the my monitor in front of it.

Yeah I'm sure it's just the lighting...it's way too new to already be yellowing...lol

[Big s]

18 hours ago, rsvictor1976 said:

Maybang Collectibles

I’m sure they will.

[ArchieNov]

I just got my copy. Overall, I would say that if someone wanted to get their first 1/60 VF-1J, this is the one to buy. It takes a lot of the good things from both the Yamato and Bandai designs and improves on other things neither have done before. While it still does some things worse than either, I think the pros far outweigh the cons. I'm hoping the upcoming VF-1S will have better fitting/tolerances. The current one isn't bad, but it could be better.

EDIT: So I pulled out my Yamato 1/60 v2 VF-1J out of storage to compare it to the Threezero. Man it's only after I put them side by side did I realize how the proportions on the Threezero Battroid look sooo much better than the Yamato. I used to think that the Yamato was pretty close to perfect already but now its age is really starting to show.

But kudos to the Yamato. Even though it has slightly yellowed over the years (still doesn't look too bad), the joints are still holding up very well. In fact, some of the joints (e.g. head lasers) actually became even tighter. I can't rotate them 360 degrees anymore and can only move it around 45 degrees. I'm not risking putting any more force because ilI can see that it's easy for my fingers to slip and I end up accidentally breaking off the laser.

Edited August 24 by ArchieNov

[Sandman]

Noticed this today at BBTS:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/276874?o=4

Weathering version of VF-1J

Edited August 26 by Sandman

[WhatBoutMyStar]

I've had mine for a little over a week now. It does feel premium due to the weight of the figure. Gives it a solid feel. Paint work is clean. I also like the flip top box.

There are some issues I have with it though that prevent me from liking this more. The biggest being the slide rails being way too tight. Even after applying shock oil, it still requires much more force than I would like to slide the arms back and forth along those rails for transformation. I've never had this problem on any of my DX VF-1s.

The rotating swing bar connection can detach pretty easily on mine, and has 4 times during transformation since I've had it. I know many have had issues with their DX disconnecting, but I've only ever had it happen once on just one of my DX VF-1s in years. I guess I've been lucky with that. The tab connections for the hip/intakes in gerwalk and fighter are also way more finicky for some reason than on any of my VF-1s. Despite the larger size, the transformation process is much smoother for me on the DX than it has been so far with the Threezero.

I'm also not fond of the buttons to unlock the sliding knee and feet joints. I've never had a problem with the lack of this on any of my VF-1s in the past, so I'm not sure why it was necessary to implement here. I'm mostly annoyed with the unlock button for the feet since it's right next to the protuding tabs on the lower legs which can block access to push it from the rear while handling.

The knees out of the box were extremely tight, and while better now, they are still very tight compared to the rest of the joints on the figure. In contrast, I wish the ankles could be a little bit tighter in the forward and backward movement, as there is much more easy play in those directions than I would like. My DX VF-1s are much stiffer in comparison. I have applied kiki's twice and it's made it better, but I think I need a little more for my liking. The outward ankle tilt is fine though. I would've like to seen the use ratchets for this and other joints as well.

As others have mentioned, the elbow joint definitely isn't the prettiest.

Speaking of tight, I had to use the included spudger to take off the intake covers. Well, one of the intake covers, which launched a great distance and required almost 30 minutes for me to find. I immediately put in back on and didn't bother trying to take off the other.

I'm fine with the lack of articulated hands, but I wish there were more fixed posed hand options like a left-handed gun holding hand.

In fighter mode, the arms do noticeably hang below the rest of the valk, and the gaps from the side on the DX are even more pronounced here. The big, rounded head also protudes much more.

Despite the above issues, I do like the figure and do appreciate improvements Threezero has implemented like the ankle tilt flap and the waist swivel without having to disconnect the swing bar. I still prefer the DX though.

[rsvictor1976]

I haven't had issues with the rotating swing bar but I'm not a fan of the buttons on the legs. I thought the buttons were a cool idea at first but now that I've transformed it several times, its more of a nuisance when you're trying to extend/contract the legs while you're holding the toy up. You also can't twist the knee unless the legs are extended.

Edited September 3 by rsvictor1976

[Black Valkyrie]

 

@WhatBoutMyStar 

Nice review, I was planning to purchase one but I cancelled in the last moment, I am more interested  the upcoming VFs by Unix Square. 

 

[General Rasp]

3 hours ago, Black Valkyrie said:

 

@WhatBoutMyStar 

Nice review, I was planning to purchase one but I cancelled in the last moment, I am more interested  the upcoming VFs by Unix Square. 

 

Are those the stylize VF prototypes shown at the recent toy fair?

[twich]

6 hours ago, General Rasp said:

Are those the stylize VF prototypes shown at the recent toy fair?

Yes

Twich

Edited September 4 by twich

[jenius]

BBTS sent their 'preparation' email so looks like I should have one in a week or so. 

[DYRL VF-1S]

14 hours ago, jenius said:

BBTS sent their 'preparation' email so looks like I should have one in a week or so. 

Looking forward to your thoughts in this one.

[Pontus]

I got mine from Amazon yesterday, and color me impressed!  Except for the less than Bandai quality stand that is, where it doesn't even hold it in battroid.  It just sits on the stand in a couple of grooves but doesn't snap in or actually hold it at all.  Lame.  I bought this (and preordered a 1S Roy) to have something to display at work and brought it in today, but I think this is nicer than any other iteration I have.

 

[DYRL VF-1S]

2 minutes ago, Pontus said:

I got mine from Amazon yesterday, and color me impressed!  Except for the less than Bandai quality stand that is, where it doesn't even hold it in battroid.  It just sits on the stand in a couple of grooves but doesn't snap in or actually hold it at all.  Lame.  I bought this (and preordered a 1S Roy) to have something to display at work and brought it in today, but I think this is nicer than any other iteration I have.

 

Hmm maybe I’ll use the Arcadia stand since it’s close to 1:60 scale

[mikeszekely]

As someone who's first Valkyrie was the Fugu Jetfire, I'm going to preorder the VF-1S from ThreeZero.  They've got a good rep, and I want to see what they do differently than a KO Yamato/Arcadia.

[sjoebarry]

20 hours ago, jenius said:

BBTS sent their 'preparation' email so looks like I should have one in a week or so. 

I haven’t heard a peep from them?!?! 

[grundee]

Has there been any news on a release schedule for the weathered version?

[jenius]

Nothing I've seen... a very prolonged definition of 'soon'.

[WhatBoutMyStar]

On 9/3/2024 at 3:09 PM, rsvictor1976 said:

I haven't had issues with the rotating swing bar but I'm not a fan of the buttons on the legs. I thought the buttons were a cool idea at first but now that I've transformed it several times, its more of a nuisance when you're trying to extend/contract the legs while you're holding the toy up. You also can't twist the knee unless the legs are extended.

The knees can rotate without having to extend them. Just need to get the knee covers out of the way.

I've transformed the figure back and forth about 7 or 8 times now. After a little more shock oil on the rails and sliding the arms back and forth pretty hard, they finally slide now much easier. Not sure if excess flash or whatever needed to worn away. I am a bit more cognizant when transforming not to let the legs dangle, so thankfully I haven't had the swing bar inadvertently detach during my last several transformations which has been pretty easy and smooth sailing like transforming any other of my VF-1s.

Still don't like those unlock buttons though or how big those tabs are in the lower legs.

And  like @jvmacross earlier in this thread, the beware of blast tampo on the nose of mine got dinged up and wore away very quickly in addition to that whole sliding mechanism for that crotch locking hinge being a bit loose.

[twich]

Got mine today from BBTS! Quality seems to be there, although the slider rail system for the arms did not slide without applying more force than I cared to. I got it into fighter mode though with nothing broken! Very happy with this!

Twich