HMR Macross Zero VF-0D Shin

[ArchieNov]

Just received my copy. Not sure if it's been said before, but this is probably their best transforming HM-R to date. All the tabs on mine plug in perfectly flush (yes including the wings) and everything lines up properly. The build also feels a lot more solid than the Roy VF-0S for some reason, but that's probably just my imagination. The colors look really good to me too, much better than the first Arcadia release.

Now I kinda want a 2nd copy because it's so good, but I've restricted myself to only keep one copy of each Macross toy and stop getting duplicates.

[MKT]

2 hours ago, ArchieNov said:

Now I kinda want a 2nd copy because it's so good, but I've restricted myself to only keep one copy of each Macross toy and stop getting duplicates.

I'm quoting @Chronocidal here on HMR vs 1/60s "if they have half the calories, I can eat twice as many, right?" 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by MKT

[Raikkonen]

12 hours ago, Lolicon said:

Printed them myself. HMR is non-scale so I used the Arcadia VF-0D as a reference on how big the decals should be relative to the aircraft. Even then I still had to upscale them slightly to make them look right. It reminded me of Yamato's 1/3000 SDF-1. Instead of doing a straight scale down of their 1/2000 kit, Yamato had to make some tweaks to the SDF-1 to make it look "right" at the smaller scale.

This is epic work. Well done!!!

Any chance of willing to share the digital file please? 

[Radioguy]

I wasn't going to have a Dr Pepper Zero, but after so much quoting, I feel I have to now.

No one start a thread for it or else I'll be in serious trouble.

[Lolicon]

17 hours ago, Angesdad said:

Very nice @Lolicon. Did you have to apply a layer of clear on top of it?I managed to break mine and in pieces currently, deciding what to do with it...

Yeah you have to apply a layer of clear acrylic over the printed decals and let it set before they're ready to use.

 

6 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

This is epic work. Well done!!!

Any chance of willing to share the digital file please? 

I'm not at home atm but I'll post it later.

 

20 minutes ago, Radioguy said:

I wasn't going to have a Dr Pepper Zero, but after so much quoting, I feel I have to now.

No one start a thread for it or else I'll be in serious trouble.

LOL!

[Angesdad]

On 8/30/2023 at 9:59 AM, Lolicon said:

Yeah you have to apply a layer of clear acrylic over the printed decals and let it set before they're ready to use.

My photoshop skills are rusty to say the least and after getting much needed help from my 12-year-old daughter with a questionable look on her face, we came up with this together..no vector all the pixels that I had to clean up this entire afternoon...wish me luck printing it!🤣 and thank you @Lolicon for the scan and introducing me to the world of homemade decals.

 

Edited September 5, 2023 by Angesdad

[Convectuoso]

Does anyone else have this issue?

 

[Lolicon]

On 9/4/2023 at 4:25 PM, Angesdad said:

My photoshop skills are rusty to say the least and after getting much needed help from my 12-year-old daughter with a questionable look on her face, we came up with this together..no vector all the pixels that I had to clean up this entire afternoon...wish me luck printing it!🤣 and thank you @Lolicon for the scan and introducing me to the world of homemade decals.

 

Nice work cleaning it up!

Unfortunately I don't think the console decals are going to be useful. It appears Bandai decided to glue the pilots into the cockpit. Bandai just loves glopping glue everywhere, even when it's completely unnecessary

 

21 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Does anyone else have this issue?

Looks like typical sloppy Bandai paint app.

[MKT]

I've only recently opened my VF-0D, and played around with it a bit in Battroid & Gerwalk. The 0D by nature of its design with the various winglets does feel a bit fiddlier than the 0S, but to compensate, Bandai refined the tolerances compared to Roy's 0S and mostly for the better.

Stuff that was very tight before, such as the cockpit heat shield, now slides smoothly in and out. The ankles are now easier to slide in and out too, so it's less effort to adjust minute feet posing. On other hand, the joint extension at the knees feels a tad too loose, and I foresee it may flop as it becomes looser over time with more handling. Specific to Gerwalk (and also Fighter), those small flaps that wrap around the head stay tightly tabbed with handling and do not come undone as easily as the 0S. 

One of my biggest gripes with Roy's 0S was the translucent plastic, and thankfully it doesn't rear its head here. Been taking a few pics and so far haven't noticed any unusual light bleed through the plastic like Roy's.

The rainbow coating on the canopy looks to be lighter on this compared to Roy's, but that is likely due to variations between individual copies.

Haven't put in into Fighter yet, hopefully everything tabs in nice and tight like the 0S. It's kinda strange; this 0D is a derivative of the swing-wing 0S and VF-1, yet there are enough differences such that it handles like a whole new mold. Perhaps it is also because I've never transformed my Arcadia 0D, so everything on this HMR 0D feels very fresh to me.

 

[MKT]

Ok got it into Fighter today. Yup, everything stays on better than Roy's 0S, I never once had the arms or any other bits pop off, with everything underside coming together perfectly. 

There was some complication tabbing one side of the wing to the leg like some folks here experienced, but in the end the entire leg first needs to be perfectly straight for the wing to tab on securely. Small gripe: after the wings are tabbed on, there's still a slight bit of tab being very visible, and it's mostly down to that tab being in base white/grey among its blue surroundings.

For better or worse, the canards and vertical stabilizers are like Arcadia's, needing to be manually adjusted to align both sides, instead of having some fixed detent position. OCD folks will go nuts trying to align them perfectly. 
 

Edited September 15, 2023 by MKT

[Chronocidal]

13 hours ago, MKT said:

For better or worse, the canards and vertical stabilizers are like Arcadia's, needing to be manually adjusted to align both sides, instead of having some fixed detent position. OCD folks will go nuts trying to align them perfectly. 

 

On the plus side, at least it can't be as bad as the VF-2SS.  That thing is just a pile of joints that you can eventually manhandle to look sort of like an airplane.  

[Slave IV]

Just opened mine and I’m liking it!

[MKT]

6 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

On the plus side, at least it can't be as bad as the VF-2SS.  That thing is just a pile of joints that you can eventually manhandle to look sort of like an airplane.  

Yeah especially when the super pack is slapped onto Fighter & then everything underside barely holds together. Even so, the mold has its own charms and sculpt-wise Bandai really tried to make it look great in all modes. It is a shame they didn't continue with the other designs. Would have really loved the VF-2JA, and an eventual Metal Siren.

[Angesdad]

TGIF everybody. I've begun messing around with my 0d, starting with fixing the fuzzy, narrow & crooked chest stripe.😁

[MKT]

No idea what I'm doing with this pic.. But I think the side profile is the HMR VF-0's weakest point. It shows off the more visually unflattering aspects of this mold - the various thick hinges, and the soft and big panel lining details.

Something that has bugged me somewhat since Roy's 0S, is that the front landing gear looks to be a bit too long? It somehow gives the impression that Fighter has a bit of negative rake going on while on a flat surface, not by much, but just ever so slightly enough to notice in a way I don't get with the larger Arcadia 1/60.. Initially I thought its me not plugging the landing gear deep enough into the bay, but I've prodded it quite a bit and it should be as far up as it can go.

 

[Chronocidal]

11 minutes ago, MKT said:

Something that has bugged me somewhat since Roy's 0S, is that the front landing gear looks to be a bit too long? It somehow gives the impression that Fighter has a bit of negative rake going on while on a flat surface, not by much, but just ever so slightly enough to notice in a way I don't get with the larger Arcadia 1/60.. Initially I thought its me not plugging the landing gear deep enough into the bay, but I've prodded it quite a bit and it should be as far up as it can go.
 

Something to keep in mind about the VF-0, I think they are naturally raked.  They were patterned after the F-14 after all, and it wouldn't surprise me if they just modeled it in a general kneeling position.

In Bandai's case though, it also might be that the rear gear are actually too long.  The old Yamato VF-0s had gear that splayed outward, and I think the Arcadia's followed that pattern.  The HMR version there certainly looks like there's a fair bit more clearance under the back of the gun than the Arcadia would have.

[MKT]

10 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

In Bandai's case though, it also might be that the rear gear are actually too long.  The old Yamato VF-0s had gear that splayed outward, and I think the Arcadia's followed that pattern.  The HMR version there certainly looks like there's a fair bit more clearance under the back of the gun than the Arcadia would have.

This is one aspect of Yamcadia's I like, there's always a bit more attention to detail in these little areas. Bandai missed the opportunity to make the rear gears splayed here, and they are easy enough to do given these are parts-forming items. They could have also done it for their HMR VF-1, but perhaps that gets a pass as that mold was based on the legacy HM.  

[Angesdad]

Okay work continues on my vf-0d. Got to sit down at my spray booth this morning trying to get some personal quiet time if you know what I mean:). I never got the pleasure of owning Arcadia’s premium finish version of the 0d so I figured would dare to replicate the weathered effect on the HMR. The gradient on the arms and legs, which I believe is the focal point on the PF were quite challenging but nothing my shaky aging hands couldn’t handle apparently.😂 Some WIP shots;

Still got a long way to go, lots to be done. updates to follow!

 

Edited September 16, 2023 by Angesdad

[MKT]

8 hours ago, Angesdad said:

 

Nice shading already! Looks like going to be a very nice custom. 

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I'm digging the 0D!! Can't decide which mode I'm leaving it.

[Froy]

19 minutes ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

I'm digging the 0D!! Can't decide which mode I'm leaving it.

Easy peasy! Get 2 more for, one for each mode 😆

[MKT]

Like Roy's 0S, the 0D price have dropped on Jap secondary markets. Extra helpings so easy to justify now 

[seti88]

8 hours ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

I'm digging the 0D!! Can't decide which mode I'm leaving it.

like Froy said get 2 more....😁

for me though, i like battroid mode...somehow aggressive with jangly bits and not sure if nose fuselage slimmer than arcadia's for a fitter/not fat look..

[Chronocidal]

20 hours ago, seti88 said:

like Froy said get 2 more....😁

for me though, i like battroid mode...somehow aggressive with jangly bits and not sure if nose fuselage slimmer than arcadia's for a fitter/not fat look..

I think the overall proportions are slightly different, because I don't think the HMR slides up the nose quite the same way as the Arcadia.  I haven't transformed either in quite a while though, so I might not remember it correctly.

[derex3592]

The only thing the Arcadia 0D suffers from IMHO is not having the stubby wings like the HM-R does. It really does make a difference. It's like I never knew I needed that until I saw it on the the HM-R and was like --wow-- yeh that really works! 

[MKT]

4 hours ago, derex3592 said:

The only thing the Arcadia 0D suffers from IMHO is not having the stubby wings like the HM-R does. It really does make a difference. It's like I never knew I needed that until I saw it on the the HM-R and was like --wow-- yeh that really works! 

+1 

[Raikkonen]

On 9/19/2023 at 6:28 AM, MKT said:

Like Roy's 0S, the 0D price have dropped on Jap secondary markets. Extra helpings so easy to justify now 

Price dropped to 127 Euro from 150 Euro for pre-order in a European store I used. 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Raikkonen

[sh9000]

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by sh9000

[Lolicon]

On 9/16/2023 at 3:52 PM, Angesdad said:

Okay work continues on my vf-0d. Got to sit down at my spray booth this morning trying to get some personal quiet time if you know what I mean:). I never got the pleasure of owning Arcadia’s premium finish version of the 0d so I figured would dare to replicate the weathered effect on the HMR. The gradient on the arms and legs, which I believe is the focal point on the PF were quite challenging but nothing my shaky aging hands couldn’t handle apparently.😂 Some WIP shots;

Still got a long way to go, lots to be done. updates to follow!

 

Wow that already looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product! 

[MKT]

Having handled the 0D quite a bit side by side with the 0S (something I didn't do with the Arcadias), I'm just even further impressed with it.

The 0D seems to be a more refined design of the 0S in some ways. For example, by moving the vertical stabs to the legs, the backpack now looks more compact & seats closer to the back. The 0S design, which traces back to the VF-1 of resting on the folded stabs always felt a bit janky in that regard.

In Battroid, I feel the 0S has rather lanky proportions, something I don't quite get with the 0D. I couldn't really put the finger on it before, and now I know why. Not sure if it could be mis-transformation on my part, but the larger cockpit canopy of the 0D appear to make the chest bulge out slightly more in Battroid. This is then balanced out by the bulkier-looking legs, in some ways due to the folding fins on the hips and ankles, but the larger reason are the bigger and meatier calves of the 0D, having to fill out the space previously taken up by the swing-wing trajectory area of the 0S. It also for this reason, why the rear of 0D Fighter looks much more integrated, and in toy form, feels more solid. 

These little changes somehow just make the 0D Battroid look beefier and all the better for it. 

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by MKT
Added Battroids pic

[Raikkonen]

3 hours ago, MKT said:

Having handled the 0D quite a bit side by side with the 0S (something I didn't do with the Arcadias), I'm just even further impressed with it.

The 0D seems to be a more refined design of the 0S in some ways. For example, by moving the vertical stabs to the legs, the backpack now looks more compact seats closer to the back. The 0S design, which traces back to the VF-1 resting on the folding stabs always felt a bit janky in that regard.

In Battroid, I feel the 0S has rather lanky proportions, something I don't quite get with the 0D. I couldn't really put the finger on it before, and now I know why. Not sure if it could be mis-transformation on my part, but the larger cockpit canopy of the 0D appear to make the chest bulge out slightly more in Battroid. This is then balanced out by the bulkier-looking legs, in some ways due to the folding fins on the hips and ankles, but the larger reason are the bigger and meatier calves of the 0D, having to fill out the space previously taken up by the swing-wing trajectory of the 0S. It also for this reason, why the rear of 0D Fighter looks much more integrated, and in toy form, feels more solid. 

These little changes somehow just make the 0D Battroid look beefier and the better for it.  

 

This leads me to 2 questions...

Will the eventual 0A HMR have slight tweaks to improve transformation?

And you going to get more 0D when they start hitting the western market? I'm tempted myself for one more. 

[MKT]

44 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

This leads me to 2 questions...

Will the eventual 0A HMR have slight tweaks to improve transformation?

And you going to get more 0D when they start hitting the western market? I'm tempted myself for one more. 

The HMR VF-0 mold doesn't give good impression at the start, due to the lack of weight as discussed before, but the more time I spend with it the more I like it - it hits the sweet spot of good sculpt, nice playability and robustness.  I'm of those toy collectors who want duplicates when something is that good, more for a just-in-case scenario so I'll likely get another.  

Any eventual VF-0A in all honesty doesn't really need much tweaks.  Perhaps just make the heat shield easier to deploy like the 0D, and get rid of the terrible plastic translucency of the 0S.

[Lolicon]

0D is the first HMR valk I've bought where I didn't feel like I got ripped off by Bandai.

[Tking22]

Still waiting on BBTS, will probably have mine early 2024.

[Angesdad]

6 hours ago, Lolicon said:

0D is the first HMR valk I've bought where I didn't feel like I got ripped off by Bandai.