There was a HI METAL R VF-0 prototype shown years back at a Tamashii Nations event. Same event which had early HI METAL R VF-4 and VF-2SS prototypes. Those 2 made it to production so hopefully the VF-0 makes it as well. Be nice to have a VF-0 toy that won’t cost over $200. A DX Fire Valkyrie was also shown. While I doubt it’ll be better than the Yamato, the main reason I’m excited is because Bandai would likely retool it to make a DX Blazer Valkyrie and I’m down for a prototype Blazer Valkyrie.
Also found this absolute dinosaur in storage earlier today, and I second the notion for a dx blazer Valkyrie
Wow Mighty Block...those had a lot of potential since they were modular but I think died out due to not being able to hold the bigger/heavier Valkyries well.
Fitting throwback, Macross commercials from the early 80’s to early 2000’s, starts with the Bandai Strike Valkyrie, ends with the Yamato V1 1/60 VF-1 toy and Hasegawa 1/72 VF-1A Hikaru fighter mode kit. The V1 1/60 VF-1 was quickly overshadowed by the 1/48 VF-1 a year later. However, it kicked off the demand for fully articulated and more accurate, transforming VF-1 toys, so credit where credit is due. It raised the bar for what a modern VF-1 could be. The 20th anniversary of its creation is next year. I wonder if Arcadia has something cooking for a new one, or if Bandai is trying to beat them to the punch and pounce on the 1/60 VF-1 transforming toy license. Sure if you want the most detail, you could build a Hasegawa kit. Yamato stood out for making a transforming VF-1 toy that actually surpassed many previous VF-1 models from ARII/Imai/Bandai Hobby, transformable or not.
I love the Valks I currently have and can't wait for the next ones. The DX VF-1 and VF-31E I have are fun and have a crazy amount of folding and moving pieces that they are more like puzzles than anything. The Arcadia VF-1J I currently have is a bit easier to transform and I leave it on my desk to fiddle with. Funny you both talk about MP-36 Megatron since I finally took the plunge and transformed him a few seconds ago. It was fun and honestly was on the same level as my 31E for being foldy and amazing that pieces move where they do to make the end result. I do have to say I like my VF-31E a bit better and probably will transform my DX Valkyries more than Megatron. In fact I have the urge to play with my 31E now.
That's the bestest Valk stand ever! Iirc, think I got it to hold my Roy Zero, M&M VF22, and the YF-19 back in the day. Just remembered Nora had a different/incompatible adaptor, but I think I ghetto'ed it on the mighty block once or twice. The Mighty Block was just a bit short/low compared to the Launch-Arm and the SV-51/YF-21 stands. I have one out right now holding my old rather heavy yammie 1/72 YF-21FP... edit: found my old pics at MWF (2011): Mighty Block Stands r0x0r!!!
Yamato Valkyries used to have a reputation for taking long to transform, but they tended to take a more straight forward approach so they don’t seem to take as long to transform now. With Bandai, their DX VF-31 is a lot faster to transform than their DX VF-171s and a lot smoother than the VF-25/27/VF-31. I preferred that dark bluish purple over the brighter blue of the 1/60 YF-21
That’s a great piece to find in storage! Always good to have different stand options. Yeah, I do vow to transform my MP-36 once I dig it out of storage and have a proper MP TF display setup again. The DX 31s are pretty fun toys to fiddle around with. Really solid all around and great looking. My only real complaint is the unsightly gap behind the cockpit but it’s really not that bad if you line it up and finesse it together best you can. Reminds me the 31E is the only one I haven’t opened yet. My shelves are almost ready to setup again so looking forward to playing with more toys again.
Hello all, this is my first time posting in the Macross thread so be gentle with me k . I normally post in the Transformers 3rd Party Discussions. I'm considering on jumping ship from Transformers and go on board the Macross ship instead. I only have 30 Masterpiece figures, mostly 3rd parties, I only buy what I like/love. When I brought up the idea to my wife that I was gonna sell my Transformers collection and start a new Macross collection, she immediately responded "NO", heck even my 2 kids said no right away. They didn't want me to sell my collection. But I've always loved Macross figures, just never owned them. I can only imagine what I'm missing out on. The first time I saw the DX Chogokin VF-1S, I fell in love right away. It's like I'm torn between 2 lovers. LOL. What to do... what to do?
Haha, seems to be a similar trend. Just get the DX first, ask questions later. Once you get the DX in hand, your next step will become very clear. I'm just warning you that Macross can and will break fools. You WILL need more than just the DX because EVERY OTHER major release is spectacular in its own way and your NEED them. OG Chunky, Yamato 1/48, Yamato/Arcadis V2 1/60, HMR, DX...those are just the basics and only the VF-1. The rabbit hole gets much, much deeper... Welcome and enjoy the satisfaction (and sometimes pain) that only Macross brings.
Your peering into the never ending rabbit hole of collecting @barok! Go for the DX VF-1 first like @Slave IV mentioned and see where it goes from there. Get the ones that interest you the most like I and like I always say: "Do your due diligence" before you buy. If any questions you have, your welcome to ask us. Just watch your back and make sure that you have enough money for future and upcoming big purchases. It all boils down to what you like and want in your own personal collection.
@barok We might be in the same boat but for your MP's Keep what really like and sell the rest. That's what I did to fund my Dx YF-19 and IMHO Macross figures display so much better than a group of MP's together. Just remember man,Macross can get pricey.
Thanks for the advice guys. I'll probably get the DX VF1S or the DX YF19 that 510 got recently. So my next question is, Where is the best place to get these from at the lowest price possible, I live in California. I don't want to sell my kidney.
Thanks guys, both for the welcome back, and the intell..... Awesome, many thanks. Its good to know that the Elint is essentially what I was expecting. I know that previous versions have been like hens teeth to buy, so when I saw this one at Mandarake I grabbed it before I could work out the details. Doubly happy because I got it at a great price too. I think that the Woodlands is my favourite VF-1, but the Elint is a close second. Poor old Ivanoff. Screwed every time. His had the wrong wing hinges the first time around. I am unnaturally fond of the 51. I think that the only thing I really wanted from a v2 was a general tightening of joints. The real stabilisers in particular are a nightmare in both modes. Watching that video and it seems that there is a bit of an improvement, but its still kind of loose in places.... and at almost double the cost I will stick with my current Yamato versions. I have a Nora and three CFs and there is no way I am replacing that squadron just for slightly tighter joints in a few places. In a lot of ways, I am glad its not a huge improvement, but I still can't work out WHY the Arcadia version is so damn expensive! Thanks. For me, it just feels like moving to Macross from TF is like taking the training wheels off your bike. Its hard to quantify but you can see the difference with the new Movie MP Starscream compared to a recent VF. Starscream still has that hug saw blade stuck under the wing, while Macross are sleek space fighters. Its a lot of subtle differences that add up to a lot, and you can feel the quality difference in hand. With the TF MP line just being a game of Russian Roulette, and now going to back to do the same characters for a third time, I lost interest. With Macross, I can see where the cost is, which I just cant do with MP TFs any more, especially since the price has climbed so much without actually resulting in more for the customer. I didn't actually realise that the Bandai VF-1 was a different scale! The Yamato VF-1's that I have feel..... tidy. They are generally well engineered and built, and feel solid even when made out of plastic. I guess it will come to whether Bandai put out a VF-1 deco that I like. I have most of the main cast in Yamato 1/60, so now I am more interested in interested new colour schemes and ideas for these. I love all the detail. One thing I loved about the original MP-03 Seekers was the real world touches like all the 'no step' signs over them.... but now the MP line has gone anime accurate and I have gone cold on it. For 19s, I have the two special Yamato special releases - Bird of Prey and Double Nuts - and I actually have the Bandai Advance..... but its still in the box, unopened. For the 19, I found the Yamato styling a little cartoony. They had an almost 'chubby' appearance and proportions, and whether accurate or not, I liked the more sleek look of the Bandai offering. So Bandai included a stand, and then made all the missiles a Tamashii web exclusive add-on set? That sucks. A lot. I am getting tired with getting half a set and having to buy the rest a second time. For FAST packs, I can kind of understand it, especially for the 25s and beyond, but a stand.... missiles.....? Is there any good reason NOT to include missiles, beyond being able to make another buck on them? I actually did the opposite. I dropped out of the MP line. As I have already said above, the move to cartoon accuracy, the huge price increases, the generally bad QC.... all just left me cold. Some of the mainline TF offerings are good though, and cheap enough to grab almost on an impulse. So, now I focus on the occassional Macross, mainly 3P stuff, and grab a few mainline TFs when I get to the shops to fill in the gaps when I just want a new toy!
Welcome everyone to the cult...errr...i mean...club!!! I promise you, Macross is generally waaaayyyy more fun to transform than just about any TF MP.
Recent MPs were confusing to me. Not confusing to transform, but confusing aesthetically. Inferno was so cartoon-accurate there were whole parts of him that were bare red plastic, with no detail at all. Sunstreaker, otoh, fits in nicely with some of the earlier carbots (except for his face). I definitely am not liking the trend of "fifteen folding panels to hide kibble" though. I liked the earlier attempts at alt-mode / toy accuracy, even if they were a little bulky or had extra visible kibble. My interest in MPs came from seeing them as "Masterpiece" versions of the toys I had when I was little, so once they started to shift towards more cartoon accuracy (and especially recently, with MP Bee v2, Optimus v3, etc) I just wasn't as interested. Anyways, back on topic, @CyberShadow , seems you were collecting in the Yamato days? You may be in for a bit of sticker shock getting back into Macross now. If you can't get in a pre-order somewhere it's safe to assume average selling price for a figure is approaching $300 right now. I wouldn't actually recommend this hobby to anyone because the bar for entry is so high.
that's the infamous "Gullet" issue with the YAMATO 1/60 YF-19 design. direct cause of much Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth from 2005/2014...
The designer said it was deliberate to keep the costs down. Lower production run possibly and they’re a lot smaller than Bandai. Plus AFAIK, the factories they use are still in China and production costs have gone up substantially in the last decade. So if you were around for the Yamato days, enjoy what you had. Arcadia was formed from Yamato’s former development team but Yamato prices are gone and sorely missed.
