Hi all, Since I can't afford a mint and complete G1 Jetfire, I was thinking of getting a Robotech/Macross fighter that would most ressembles Jetfire. The problem is I know nothing about Robotech/Macross. So my question is what should I get? My requirements are simple: 1. Must look good. 2. Must display good (i.e. posable). 3. Transformation is not important (seeing this is not a Transformers) 4. I can afford up to $50 (more if the toy is really, really nice) I was thinking about this one but it's damn expensive. Like I said, I know nothing about Robotech/Macross so am I dreaming in hoping to find something cheaper? thanks for your help.
the standard VF-1A/J I find resembles jetfire nicely. Has 3 transformations between battloid, gerwalk (guardian) and jet.
Sorry Nothing in the price range that you want. You need to make more money haha. My macross friends literally collect cases of those Yamato 1/48 scale valks. not one or two but hundreds. I have a few myself. In terms of looks, they are the greatest. Here is a custom someone is selling. http://robotjapan.proboards12.com/index.cgi?board=RBay&action=display&thread=1172006018 Close but the chest stripe is reversed. For a true G1 Jet fire look the red should be on the botom and black above. You want to look for a VF-1S. The 1S head is what Jetfire was based off of. The closest thing to a G1 Jetfire would be to look for a Bandai reissue Super VF-1S Here is a picture of one of mine. These could be found for less than $100. The Original from the late 70's is in the front. The Reissue is in the back. There are 2 types of VF-1S. There is the one called Focker (the pilot) and Hikaru (another pilot) Focker's is grey and Hikaru's is white. Focker is the fighter itself but no armor. Hikaru comes with the armor. with a little paint it could look like a Jetfire.
http://www.agesthreeandup.com/main.jsp?p2=shopping/product.jsp&product_id=793 this is a pretty good KO. It even has metal!
toyami has those $20 1/100th scale valkeries, but i myself, while interested in them, do not have them yet. though i hear that the transformations is pretty good. jetfire style toys, are normally very pricey, just on the fact that it is a complicated design. and they want them huge, so i am not sure on the quality of the 1/100 scale stuff from toyami. but i imagine they are kind'a like the $10 dollar ones that came out not long ago, and you pay for what you get. a $100 dollar toy, scaled down *quality too* to a $10 dollar toy.
I had a 1/48 and they're not nearly as complex as people claim them to be. A lot of detailing in those figures though.
I got series 2 of the 1/100s (Hikaru, Max, and Millia) and they are pretty cool, but only approximately deluxe size. About the size of BW Dinobot, just less bulky. Probably not worth the $20 or so I paid for each, but pretty nice. They come with a lot of accessories and transform pretty well. Only a few parts need to be switched - hands (couple different sets) and the heat sheild needs to be removed and replaced.
Well, ideally I'd recomend a Yammy 1/48... but that's about three times your price range. You could always go for a Bandai 1/55 w/fast packs, but last I checked those things ran for about $100. A 1/60 Yamato VF-1 with fastpacks is probably looking at around $70... although I wouldn't really reccomend it. Unfortunately, I don't know of anything that's really nice for under a $100. If you want my advice, save up for a Yamato 1/48 VF-1S and a set of super/strike parts. It'll probably cost you around $200... but it's worth every penny. Hope this helps somewhat.
While I'd say Cdn is probably right for the most part, I think his love of the 1/48s is clouding his judgement when it comes to the 1/60ths. If you don't care about perfect transformation (the legs must be removed), they look pretty darned good. Though, if you can't find them for under seventy, I'm not sure I'd buy them. If you're getting into that price range, you just as well get a 1/48 at this point. Pricey, but even if you only ever buy one, it's so very, VERY worth it.
Thanks to all for the replies. I'm still trying to understand the different terms... I'm really tempted in getting some of Cdn's recommendations. But let me ask you this: If I were to spend about $200 on a 1/48, am I not better off getting a G1 Jetfire instead? I mean, the only reason I want to get a Valkerie is because I don't want to spend that much on G1 Jetfire. I know you all say the 1/48 is great and all but is it better then Jetfire?
The 1/60 VF-1S (Jetfire is based off of this) has such a horrible looking head IMO. I find that the heads on the 1/60s sit too low on their chests and it just looks awkward. This is all based off of online pics, I've only ever seen one 1/60 VF-1 in Battroid mode in person. But since you want something under $50, there's the KO Jetfire posted above. Toynami makes 1/100 scale Valkyries for about $20 a pop. There's a VF-1S with yellow and black trim and an SDCC exclusive with red and black trim. The red and black trim is closer to Jetfire but it's an exclusive and with cost a bit. Now as CDN stated, the best option out there is a 1/48 Yamato VF-1. Specifically you'll want to get the VF-1S Hikaru version with Super & Strike parts. This is the closest you'll get to having a Masterpiece Jetfire besides that custom posted earlier.
Yes. If you want something that looks good on display, then the answer is a thousand times yes. Posability mean anything to you? The answer is yes. Sleekness, ability to add-on later down the line for less than the cost of the main jet itself? The answer is yes. Unless the colors mean a whole lot to you. I personally enjoy the J head better than the S head, so the one 1/48 I've snagged so far is a 1/48 Hikaru VF-1J. Nice and clean looking, but there's countless options out there in the 1/48 scale. Just nothing that's going to be an exact match to the G1 Jetfire scheme.
