Yamato 1/100 VF-0S - New Photo

[Graham]

whoa! graham where are the pics from?

From the new Dengeki Hobby magazine. I'll scan them as soon as I get home.

Graham

[Max Jenius]

Well, I think I'm gonna hold out for a bigger variant. Unless I am defeated by temptation yet again.

[Graham]

The VF 0 looks much better than the unpainted version, sure, but those hips destroy Bat mode. I think Yamato is gonna keep it in that way, after all they allready must have the moulds ready... hope not.

I suspect you are probably right

Oh well, maybe we will be able to disassemble the toy and modify it by cutting off those ugly hip joint buldges and shortening the pegs that join the leg to the nose.

Graham

[Graham]

Just like to add, it looks like this toy definitely has a mid-calf rotation point (where the red band runs around the lower leg), just like the 1/60 VF-1.

Graham

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

graham, is the nose portion for battroid the only shortened area? and the same legnrth fueselage compared with fighter mode? If so I have become ambitious.

Maybe one of the customizers can help bUt I hav an idea to make this thing evben MORE of a simple transformation

get fighter mode nose

-drill a hole where the hip joints would meet(easy since this is PVC)

-when transforming instead of swapping noses, there is no swapping

-simply plug leg joints into nose. VOILA!

of course then again this may not work if the nose is not the only part shortened.

[Graham]

I think the battroid mode nose is the only part shortened.

However, one thing I'm not sure of is exactly how long are the removeable and swapable nose cones. I suspect they may consist of the complete nose & cockpit section. i.e. from the tip of the nosecone all the way until the neckpeice (where the head attaches).

If this is the case, your idea might not work as to transform the toy from battroid mode to fighter mode, I know it is necessary to remove the neck peice from the battroid mode nose section. So to make your idea of only using the fighter mode nose cone in all 3 modes, you would have to modify it to accept the battroid mode neck piece as well.

Anyway, your proposed modification would leave two holes in the nosecone for fighter and gerwalk mode and probably destroy the two red color hybrid sensors on the sides of the nose as well.

Plus you would end up with a disproportionately long nose in battroid mode.

Graham

[Graham]

According to the new Dengeki Hobby magazine, looks like the release date for the 1/100 VF-0S is now June 2004.

Graham

[danth]

Wow. I was never a huge fan of the 1/60's, but this VF-0 makes the Yammy VF-1's look awesome.

For Yamato to make a valk with removable legs and nose that doesn't even look good is pretty lame. They took the easy way out and it still looks bad.

[Graham]

Here's the pics from the new May 2004 issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine.

This time we get a pic of the back of the battroid.

Graham

[eugimon]

battroid doesn't look bad at all, but I'm not really likeing the fighter and gerwalk modes... specially the gerwalk mode. It looks like the body is squashed a bit.

Kinda sad, I'm hoping yamato will do another sculpt revision before they're released but I doubt it.

[RTShark]

I dunno, I'm just not impressed with this VF design.  It has no realistic continuity to the VF-1, of which it's supposed to be a precursor.  It's too skinny in too many areas, and doesn't look at all like a tough mecha in any mode.

I gotta agree here.

I actually don't think the design looks bad at all, though it's not my favorite VF...

I haven't even actually seen any Macross Zero yet, but this VF looks like something that would be designed from a much more modern perspective when it should look like it was designed from a 70s/80s perspective like the VF-1 was. It looks like a modern replacement for the VF-1, not a precursor, as you said.

Having said that, I don't think the toy looks half bad as a rendition of the VF-0, especially factoring in the small scale.

[wolfx]

I doubt the final release will have them panel lines...but one can wish. The figure looks good only in Battroid mode, imho. In fighter mode, the air intakes look huuuuge, or it may just be perspective. Instead of the rotational calves, they should've just kept the rotating knees that were in the 1/48s. I hope the PVC is at least Gundam FIX Quality. But PVC don't make for very good transforming parts.

PS: Ooh...and the tail fins bend dowards away from each other, not into each other.

Edited March 24, 2004 by wolfx

[Black Valkyrie]

May be they should call it VF in Action

[Mr March]

Man, just hearing you guys..... I'm glad I'm not a toy manufacturer.. you guys are impossible to please. Seeing as how they're offering the ONLY VF-0 toy on the market, they could make it a lot worse and I bet people would still buy it!

Possibly true, but consider each individual person. I am not a toy and model collector. I own three Yamato 1/48 Scale Valkyries and that's it. I've never had a Bandai, Hasegawa, or any other Valkyries and I sold the 1/60 scale Yammie that I did own. So I'm the person that is very discriminating about the products I buy. I'd love to have a VF-0, but I want one with the quality of a 1/48 Yammie.

Though to say something positive, the proportions and design of the first VF-0 toy sure is a lot better than the first VF-1

[redsilk]

HI fellas this is my first posting on this forum but have been following u guys for a long time and like u guys being a avid fan of macross since young and still is now can't stop myself from marvelling at how macross toys have evolved to the present accurate and precise piece of art in the form of 1/48 valks and has been anticipating the release of the latest generation of marvel ( VF-0 ) but much to my disappointment on the news of the scale and IMperfect transformation i really have to ask why settle for a mediocre when we well know they ( YAMATO ) have the resources and capacity to churn out an 1/48 equivalent ?? And do anybody have any idea at all if there is going to be a perfect transformation VF-0 in the foreseeable future ?

[bandit29]

Welcome to the MW red silk. I dunno why Yamato chose to go this route with

VF-0. Maybe a test to see if a bigger version would have enough interest. Like most OVA's, Macross Zero ain't setting the world afire.

Yamato has done a good job on the sculpt of the ugly VF-0.

[Batou]

HI fellas this is my first posting on this forum but have been following u guys for a long time and like u guys being a avid fan of macross since young and still is now can't stop myself from marvelling at how macross toys have evolved to the present accurate and precise piece of art in the form of 1/48 valks and has been anticipating the release of the latest generation of marvel ( VF-0 ) but much to my disappointment on the news of the scale and IMperfect transformation i really have to ask why settle for a mediocre when we well know they ( YAMATO ) have the resources and capacity to churn out an 1/48 equivalent ?? And do anybody have any idea at all if there is going to be a perfect transformation VF-0 in the foreseeable future ?

(breathe ....)

Welcome to Macrossworld, redsilk. You're in good company here.

Yamato hasn't announced plans for a larger version of the VF-0 yet, but it's a pretty safe bet they will. If they do, the swing bars on the reference designs would make 'perfect transformation' pretty much a given if they do, but who really knows for sure? Yamato and maybe Graham, but they aren't going to say.

The reason they'll release the smaller ones first are obvious - 1.) to test the waters, and 2.) to sell more units (i.e., they know if they released a big one and then the smaller units, most of us would snatch up the big ones and stop there). That's just speculation, though.

[warrhead]

...can't stop myself any more... This toy blows. Imperfect TF blows. PVC blows. 1/100 scale blows. 40+ bucks for this piece of s$%t blows. The fact that I'll pro'ly have to wait the better part of a year for a decent VF-0 BLOWS. And if I decide that I have 40+ bucks to blow, I'll buy this and some M80's and BLOW this thing to s$%t!

not a bad sculpt though...

EDIT- typo

Edited March 24, 2004 by warrhead

[tetsujin]

Welcome to the MW red silk. I dunno why Yamato chose to go this route with

VF-0. Maybe a test to see if a bigger version would have enough interest. Like most OVA's, Macross Zero ain't setting the world afire.

Yamato has done a good job on the sculpt of the ugly VF-0.

I disagree. I think they did a rather poor job with the sculpt on the fine looking VF-0. :P

[drifand]

As nice as it looks, this toy is not for me. I believe a modern-day realistic transforming robot design deserves realistic full-transformation treatment. Swapping parts because of proportion problems just means one thing: the designer didn't really think it all the way through. That Kawamori has had 20 years of experience with this type of mecha and still can't perfect it even with CAD... sigh.

Maybe a larger full TF toy would be more appealing to everyone.

[bsu legato]

Swapping parts because of proportion problems just means one thing: the designer didn't really think it all the way through. That Kawamori has had 20 years of experience with this type of mecha and still can't perfect it even with CAD... sigh.

Actually, I believe the nose swaps because one has the hip pegs and heatshield, and the other one doesn't.

[Majestic]

I'm not too impressed either...but then who am I kidding, I'll probably buy it anyway.

The size of the intakes reminds me of the YF-19 figure, and not in a good way.

Yamato's scale variations (although I understand the inherent problems with same-scale) are driving me insane. 1/60, 1/48, 1/72, hell let's throw in 1/55 just for shits and giggles!!!

Add me to the list of people hoping to see a 1/48 "perfect" version of the VF-0S and VF-0D. Sure, it would be huge and $200, but I'd be happy to get a weekend job to purchase one.

My thanks to Yamato for the 1/48's I do have. Beautiful stuff and good work.

[Nani?!]

some thoughts and replies I have to what's been posted:

1) Panel lines aren't hard for a toy manufcturer to do... nor is it very expensive. Yamato did i before with the 1/72's and I think it's more than safe to say they'll do the same for the Vf-0's. I really think this is a good step forward. For the amount of profit one of these make for Yamato, more detail is definitely warranted.

2) I think it's almost certain a bigger version will be made so all the people who can't get over the small size should not worry too much.

3) upon my years of buying japanese products I think despite their kick ass quality, they (the japanese) seem to forget (better word, neglect) smaller but nevertheless important aspects of the product that really hinders it from being perfect. The errors almost seem totally "DUH!", and hard to overlook but they do so over and over again. Yamato's are plagued by these and a lot of their electronic products (ie. Gameboy advance first version, Playstation 2 lack of four controller ports, etc. etc.) I guess it can seem like a generalization but because their products kick ass, you kinda wonder about these obvious gaping flaws.

4) I don't think perfect transformation was bypassed here because of "accuracy" issues as yamato claims. Though, again I must say I'm not worried by it, it could have been done if they wanted to. I think it's quite clear they went the easier path because the engineering of the transformation is probably what costs the most in production. The VF-0 is far from the most complicating transformation. It obvious they wanted to maximize profits.

5) I like the VF-0 design. I liked it even more when I saw it in the Macross 0 series. Why do some of you hate it so much? Just a question. I really want to know what reasons.

6) Lastly, I wonder how yamato will treat the other valks of the series. For the SV-51 and even the 0D, I think yamato should get on the bandwagon of better detail in the paintjobs. I dont think they can simply rely on colored plastic as much as they did in the past. I hope their growth really allows them to add more detail and bang for the dollar (or yen). Overall, they're getting a bit better (given what I see now) with the VF 0S.

[Renato]

Jeez... Long thread.

I haven't read all of it so forgive me if what I say has already been mentioned.

ATTENTION GRAHAM: POINTS TO CLEAR UP

It does not say that the release will be in April, rather the caption explains that the picture is of a painted version of the same VF-0 design which was featured in the April issue of the magazine (this issue being the May one).

It also notes that there WILL be further changes in the design prior to release. Therefore, the situation with the hip joints, tailfins and whatnot will probably be remedied.

Having said that, the VF-0 is one ugly piece of crap. Bring on the SV-51!

Edited March 24, 2004 by Renato

[Renato]

Ah. Just saw the new pics from Dengeki Hobby.

Hmm. Yes, it's definitely looking more like a glorified Banpresto. I'll get one if they're on sale.

[imode]

Yeah, something's definitely wrong with the legs. The intake portion seems far too large and is especially noticeable in that bizarrely proportioned fighter mode. It reminds me of that one VF-X toy design. That crazy big joint is still there, but June is awhile away and that can probably be refined, but a smaller joint on an already small toy will probably create issues concerning durability. The engine section seems too skinny, making it look weird and lanky in gerwalk.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

you kniow...with a cheaper price and softgoods for material.....as well as the relatively small size(not that small...may be up to the 1/55 chunky monkeys chestplate)

MAYBE yamato can turn this into a macross fix line by adding VFERR variants!

damn it biout time we got kick ass variants~! Gundam gets all the neat variants bout time we got one!(BTW with VFERR drones on the back,...looks like fast packs to me! actually who cares they are fasst packs to me and look awesome).

and uhm..wait

[mcpaz]

Hi, all!

First of all, thanks Graham for the pics and info.

And well, in second place, I would like to say:

-- The VF-0 does not look bad at all

-- But it's too expensive for the look&feel it has...

Don't you guys think that this 1/100 is TOO similar to a 500yen banpresto? Yeah, it has the Yamato brand and all that... but under my opinion it doesn't worth 4K yen, nor 4.4K yen. Not even under severe ethilic effects.

It's the first Yammie I'm not even thinking on purchase (and I like the VF-0 a lot, believe me!). Too Crappy.

I do expect Yamato to make a damn good yf-19. That's my only wish right now.

Manu

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

isnt banpresto a much smaller scale thogu? IN scale the Vf-0 is taller than the VF-1 by a cuple meters. A 1/100 bandai is up to the leg of a 1/55 bandai./ Therefore a 1./100 VF-0 would be close to the chest plate of a 1/55 chunky monkey.

[Anubis]

Remember, even if it's fighter mode that's 18cm, that's still not bad for a 1/100. I think many are still stuck on 1/100 VF-1 size when thinking the VF-0.

The VF-0 is a huge plane.

Remember the side by side Graham showed a while back with a Hasegawa 1/72 VF-1 and 1/72 VF-0. BIG difference. I don't have the pic to post again here though.

1/100 VF-0 is very likely comparable to a 1/72 VF-1 would be my guess. So the price point isn't bad, especially for something I don't have to build from scratch, and comes with leg fast packs and missles. Yeah it's smaller than what we're used to, but it's by no means on Banpresto level.

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

perhaps there IS no nose swapping! please look at the attached image! NOtice that the heatshield is barely hanging and is not connected to the chestplate?( it is but its hanging)...

also notice

-underneath there appears to be a CLEAR canopy

-nose in fighter mode looks to be the same legnth as in battroid

-plug ins for leg joints are not too apparent on battroid mode...perhaps a plate is used to clip to the underside of the VF-0s nose in battrouid...a plate with raised ball joints that are cconnected to the legs....in this way the plate merely clips onto the underside of nose in battroid and clicls into place under chest plate in fighter.

[SuperSkylineGTR]

I dunno about the rest of you, but generally, I like the design (upper legs/hips look a bit bizarre). Also wish Yamato would go would print the skulls on, too.

1/100 scale? Isn't that gonna be small?

Also, the most vital question: WHEN THE F^$% IS BANDAI GONNA GET MACROSS ZERO TO THE US?!!

[Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0]

im satisfied with macross 0 as a import but id much rather have bandai make a chunky VF-0!! chunky monkey fans unite!

im intrigued by wht i saw though peep my postr above

[EXO]

perhaps there IS no nose swapping! please look at the attached image! NOtice that the heatshield is barely hanging and is not connected to the chestplate?( it is but its hanging)...

also notice

-underneath there appears to be a CLEAR canopy

-nose in fighter mode looks to be the same legnth as in battroid

-plug ins for leg joints are not too apparent on battroid mode...perhaps a plate is used to clip to the underside of the VF-0s nose in battrouid...a plate with raised ball joints that are cconnected to the legs....in this way the plate merely clips onto the underside of nose in battroid and clicls into place under chest plate in fighter.

Shin, give it a break. You always get into these wild speculation tangents.

It's a NOSE swap... not the whole fuselage.

Edited March 24, 2004 by >EXO<

[Jasonc]

Honestly, the sculpt is good except for what everyone is complaining about; the hips. I could also careless about diecast or none. So long as there is decent plastic on it. I love the VF-0, especially as a toy, but I will not be getting this one based on the fact that Yamato made a bad decision in producing such a small toy. I don't care if it's close to the YF series 1/72s. It's not a 1/72. I'd go with a 1/72, even moreso, a 1/60. And I'm not one to complain about price. If I like something, I buy it. If not I don't. This one, unfortunately, I won't.