Trigore is ugly and weird and charming in his way.

In honor of ugly toy month, I present Trigore!

The Power Lords is a strange property. In 1983, Revell, the ubiquitous model company, threw its hat into the action figure ring with the Power Lords, a fantasy themed series roughly in the vein of Masters of the Universe. Revell enlisted the talents of science fiction illustrator Wayne Barlowe to develop the designs. Barlowe’s designs are some of the strangest ever created for the mass market. The Power lords were creepy, sinewy, organic space aliens, more like nightmares than the muscle-men of the He-Man roster. I remember being disturbed and intrigued by the toys as a child. I was too fixated on the Transformers and G.I. Joe to pay much attention, and the Power Lords were on shelves for about a half an hour, but they were some of the first figures I picked up off of ebay as an adult.

To be sure, these figures are an acquired taste. Trigore is an excellent example of the Power Lords aesthetic.

Trigore is both a monster and a spaceship. In the terrible comic book miniseries, whole fleets of Trigores attack our hero, Adam Power, in space.

No pilots or riders are ever shown. Trigore is articulated at his front leg, which swivels a little, and his feet all have wheels.

His pincers are spring-loaded, and will lock open until you press his horn down, in which case they snap shut.

A portion of the creature’s back can be removed to reveal a non-descript hatch. I guess you could imagine this as a cockpit, but none of the figures really fit. Ditto for the “saddle” area.

The figure’s sculpt and finish are exceptional. The brainy skin, the protruding eyes, those creepy organs on the side of his body, all beautiful.

Trigore is ugly and weird and charming in his way. He makes He-Man look like something for children.

Sorry, no toy designer on acid bootleg here. But there are differences that make this boot worth getting.

This is a bootleg of the small plastic and diecast Victora toy made in 1983. Besides being a lower quality, its nearly identical to the original. Sorry, no toy designer on acid bootleg here. But there are differences that make this boot worth getting.

While the original can be somewhat tough to find, the bootleg is pretty common, and cheap.

The box is completely original to this toy. Inside you will see that toy is actually packed with its limbs removed. The original did not have removable limbs, at least, not on purpose. Here its marketed as play value.

The package has some great engrish on it as well, with such classic phrases as:

"Directions to play the Albegas"

"Do not point the people when shooting the missile"

and my favorite:

"Press the button on the back, and the missile SHOULD shoot out"

It's as if the bootleggers knew that the toy may or may not work! Classic!

The toy features a diecast chest with plastic limbs. The front of the lower legs are also diecast.

Albegas is stuck in its Denjin Dimension (Alpha > Beta > Gamma) form, and is non-transformable. The arms are really nicely articulated and this toy even comes with a sword. This is interesting because the Victora version does NOT come with a sword. It appears that a hole was drilled in the hand of the bootleg specifically for this purpose. The sword included is of unknown origin, but it does not belong with this character.

Included with this toy are small, blue, chokable missiles. You load the missiles by flipping down the panel in front and inserting them, then they can be fired by pressing the button on the back. Contrary to the text on the back of the package, the missiles DO shoot.

This cheap, small Abegas toy is a nice little addition to your collection that can be had for under $20, and worth hunting down even if you have the original.

Shout ‘Sekisha!’ and see an action figures light-years ahead of its contemporaries.

Taken from Wikipedia: "Uchuu Keiji Sharivan (宇宙刑事シャリバン ,Uchu Keiji Shariban), translated in English as Space Sheriff Sharivan, is the second installment in Toei's Metal Heroes franchise which aired on the TV Asahi network from 4 March 1983 through 24 February 1984."

The Metal Heroes have always held a special place in my heart, as someone who grew up in the age of live-action Japanese shows first being imported to the US.  Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was awesome, with their fantastic giant robots, but when Big Bad Beetleborgs and Virtual Reality Troopers introduced much more armored heroes, I was hooked.  Since finally remembering how awesome VR Troopers was, I’ve been on an information bender learning about all the Metal Heroes.  Space Sheriff Sharivan never made it to the States like his brother in-arms Shaider did in VR Troopers (along with Metal Heroes Spielban and Metalder), and it’s a shame because Sharivan clearly has some of the best toys.

GC-06 Chogokin Sharivan comes in a gorgeous box measuring 5 1/4" by 3” by 11/4".  The box is adorned with some stylish 80’s graphics, and what I assume to be a photo of the actor in-costume of Sharivan, with a lovely soft-focus effect that makes all the chrome on the costume POP!  My sample also has a Toei licensing sticker on the front, in shiny silver with orange text.  The back graphic looks painted to me, and on the back we also see an early COMPUTER NUMBER, very neat, along with the most important words "Made in Japan".

Opening the box we are greeted with a wondrous Styrofoam coffin for our hero, and a paper instruction (more like features) sheet showing off the amazing articulation of the figure (more to come on this later).  Sharivan comes out of the foam easy enough, and there is a push hole on the back if for some reason you cannot get him out.  The accessories sit to the left of the figure and basically just sit in grooves in the foam.  The total contents of the box are the foam, figure, instruction sheet, pistol, and sword.  Sharivan himself is just about 5” tall on the nose.

When we remove Sharivan from his foam packaging, it is immediately noticeable how heavy he is.  By my eye, the entire body is metal, along with the armor segments of the arms and legs.  The actual joints are all tough black plastic, and the head, hands, weapons, and holster are shiny chromed plastic.  What makes Sharivan really unique is that in order to replicate the pleated material joint covers of the Solar Armor suit, Bandai used wound metal springs to cover the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle joints.  This admittedly does block a little articulation in the elbows and knees, but it looks fantastic doing it.

Along with the die-cast goodness, the other thing that really sticks out for me with this toy is the amazing articulation.  In the early 80s, most toys were still lucky to have any more than shoulder joints… most robot toys like Transformers had just that, barring any joints needed for transformation.  In America, kids were stuck with Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe figures.  G.I. Joe 3 3/4" figures are still vaunted for their great poseability for the time, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Sharivan's is better.  Sharivan features a neck swivel and good head elevation, shoulder swivels and lateral motion, elbow swivels and rotation, wrist swivels, hip swivels and lateral motion, knee swivels and rotation, and ankle swivels and rotation.  That’s right, ankle joints!  I know many collectors really like the addition of a waist joint to spice up their figures, but I have always felt that ankle joints are far more important, and help figures to stand up and pose well.  Sharivan also features a hip-holster for his Crimebuster Handgun, which is also made of chrome plastic and features a bit of motion to prevent it from blocking the side-to-side hip motion.

Sharivan's only accessories are his standard-issue Crimebuster Handgun, and his standard-issue Laser Blade. Both fit nicely into the hands; the sword slips in and fits well without being too tight or loose, and the pistol can actually be pushed in so the trigger finger sits in the grip properly.  Sharivan looks great using either or both accessories, and can even be posed with a two-handed sword grip (for, you know, keeping the peace).  I know that Sharivan is a Space Sheriff, and spends most of his time fighting monsters, but I still think it's awesome that a Sheriff comes with a laser sword; Solar Armored police-brutality at its finest.

Sharivan is amazingly dynamic and incredibly fun because of his very well executed articulation.  Most figures at the time were lucky to stand up straight, but Sharivan is ready for action, able to take most poses one could think of.  Getting Sharivan to stand while doing these great poses is surprisingly manageable: my specimen is nice and tight after all these years, and holds up great.  I have handled my figure a lot since I got it, and all the joints feel solid and rugged, and I don’t have any qualms about handling this figure.  The ankles do not have any side to side motion to plant Sharivan's feet flat on the ground in any pose, but it’s fairly easy to come up with something good looking with one foot flat on the ground and the other angled for balance.  Sharivan lives on my lofted bunk-bed/desk at college, and even with my climbing up the side to get into bed every night he hasn’t fallen over once.

From my observations, GC-06 Sharivan can be had for pretty cheap, especially when buying direct from Japan.  I’m sure most fans of the show have or want this piece, and I’d highly recommend it to those that don’t.  Sharivan's also a great piece to pick up as a wonderful late-run Chogokin piece, as well as an engineering marvel way better than most of its action-figure contemporaries.  Pick one up to reenact Sharivan's finest moments of Metal Hero galactic police brutality (and heroism)!

I'm writing this toy review while i'm drunk, so it won't make sense. I think his weapon is lobster breath...I received this vinyl from friend who found it at a thrift store I think I traded some northern soul records for it....

I just came from http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/ in Uptown Whittier and I'm so drunk. I've never written a Toy review while I was drunk so here it is.

This is a Soft Vinyl Baltan Seijin from Ultraman from 1983. I really don't know much about this Vinyl..but I think his weapon is Lobster breath...Andrew and Jeremy from Destroy all Podcast should know everything about this guy, ask them if you have any questions.

My friend Steve found it at a thrift store along with the Ultraman Family, I sold those on Ebay but I kept this Lobster Kaiju because it was too cool. I think I traded some Northern Soul records for it. Japanese Vinyl toys are the best in the world next to the Apollo Peanuts Snoopy Vinyls from the Mid 1960's and It's my favorite Vinyl I own. BTW I'm listening to Harry Nilsson's The Point you should buy the CD and watch the cartoon as well.

©2009 article and photos by Leonardo Flores & Collection DX

Leonardo Flores reviews Bandai's Godaikin's Goggle V and how his brother Michael should replace the part he threw away when he "cleaned" the room.

Goggle V

It is fascinating how some series are just going on for years with each new generation discovering a particular program every year and making it theirs. Series like James Bond, Dr Who, Godzilla and Super Sentai are reaching or have passed their 40-year mark and still going quite strong. We all have our favorite Bond, Doctor, Godzilla and Super Sentai programs and have gotten in heated debates with our friends about the subject.

Take Super Sentai for instance. My favorite Sentai group is JAKQ Dengekitai and I just cannot get into Super Sentai starting with and after Maskman. I don’t know what it is but starting with Maskman the art design of the Chogokins and uniforms just don’t do it for me, as the late 80’s designs and music is just too late 80’s in my point of view and the 90’s and 00’s the Robot art design is just too busy for my modernist mid-century tastes. But I am sure that some younger fans who grew up with the 90’s Super Sentai shows would feel the early Super Sentai designs are dated and crude.

I like the simple clean and colorful look of the early Super Sentai robots such as Goggle V, Sun Vulcan, Dynaman and Changeman.

Bandai’s Godaikin range of re-boxed Japanese Chogokin robots for the export market was the transcending line of toys that kicked up the benchmark for kids that were infatuated with Japanese robot toys. Godaikin said, ”respect” and I respected. Even at an early age I somehow grasped that Godaikin toys were important even though nearly all the releases did not have any TV shows to promote their figures.

Somehow we had to piece together what Godaikin toys were all about. Regardless if they were from an anime or tokusatsu program the robots were just amazing. Godaikin figures were nearly all die cast, with chrome plastic details, colorful stickers, bright painted features, huge boxes with foam trays, shooting missiles and fists, cryptic names in Kanji on the chest, full color instructions, and bonus figures that confused matters even more. To this day Godaikin toys are some of the finest ever manufactured and the great success of Soul of Chogokin owes their pedigree to Godaikin.

I bought Goggle V at the toy discount store Kay-Bee Toy store at the Montclair Plaza back in the 1980’s for what I remember $15.00. Because Godaikin toys did not have TV programs to help promote the line, many uneducated kids saw these as Transformers and Go-Bots knock-offs, similar to something you find at a swap meet. Accordingly you could find many Godaikin products at the toy discount outlets, marked down to sometime more than 50% of its retail price.

Figuring out what Goggle V or Super Sentai in general was quite another matter that would be cleared up when Friday Night Flight debut its comically dubbed version of Dynaman. Although I first saw Dynaman on a lazy Sunday afternoon in 1986 on channel 11, it was Friday Night Flight, an alternative TV cable show that aired each Friday night to Saturday morning, that regularly showed Dynaman.

When I saw first viewed Dynaman I flipped out and thought I already had the robot in my collection, but it later turned out that I had a different robot but I somehow knew they were connected in some way. It would be years later that I would know the true connection between Dynaman, and Great Squadron Goggle V and many of the other Godaikin releases and its relation to a genre called Super Sentai.

Here's the opening for Goggle V and the theme is also in my top 5 Super Sentai Themes ever and Goggle Pink is way hot! ...And if I only knew the Goggle Dump flew when I was a kid.

Goggle V Comes with: 1x Goggle Jet, 1x Goggle Tank, 2x Goggle Dump halves, 1x Earth Sword, 1x Goggle Cutter, 1x Goggle Hand, 1x Goggle Spindle, 1x Goggle Shield, 2x right fists, 2x left fists, 3x kaiju cards, 6x Missiles, 1x Godaikin Catalog,1x color instruction booklet. Goggle V is packed in a slide tray box. There are no options.

Goggle V is made up of three vehicles, Goggle Jet, Goggle Tank and Goggle Dump. Goggle V is one of the smaller of the Godaikin DX sized releases. Small that it might be it still stands quite tall especially compared to recent Soul of Chogokin releases. It is made up of about 75% die cast and accordingly it is a bit heavy for its size. The paint is bright and thick and applied well. I love the chrome stickers applied throughout.

Goggle Jet is a cool little vehicle. To convert the jet into the head and chest area for Goggle Robo just telescope the wings into the body of the plane and fold down the stabilizers and rudder. I think the face sculpt is one of the best of the series. To reveal Goggle V Robo’s face just turn the cockpit around and the face will be revealed.

Goggle tank is a fun little eight-wheeled vehicle typical of the 1970’s and 1980’s Super Sentai / Chogokin era. It is a nice die-cast solid vehicle with a turret on top, which shoots two yellow missiles that are provided. The detailed chrome sticker underneath the turret is a nice touch by Bandai. To transform the Tank into Goggle Robo body just open the bottom of the tank fold out the arms and fold in the wheels.

As much as I love the Goggle Tank and Goggle Jet I just do not understand why Goggle V’s legs are a dump truck, which even threw me for a spin when I was kid. Everybody knows the legs are supposed to be some kind of submarine! Nevertheless Goggle Dump is still a nice little vehicle made with some solid metal content with two rotating carriers and a dump bed which folds to a dumper. The Goggle Dump solidly snaps together and apart with two yellow folding pegs and to convert it to Goggle Robo legs just fold in the dumping beds and snap apart the dump truck and fold up the feet.

All the vehicles snap together quite firmly and once it is in Goggle Robo mode it is a solid toy. Unfortunetly there is not much of articulation to speak just the arms having the ability to move up and down. But in today’s contempory days of ultra articulation this might seem like a bad feature but back when I was a kid I had so much fun with this toy and it was one of my favorites. Do not get me wrong I hope a Soul of Chogokin version is released but this version of Goggle V is excellent as it is.

Goggle V also comes with some great weapons. A nice large plastic chrome Earth Sword is included. Four shooting fists are also included to shoot at your cat or small dog, and a Goggle Shield is included to defend yourself from that same cat or small dog.

Three others weapons are included: a Goggle Cutter claw that snaps into the fist, a Goggle Hand mace on a real metal chain and Goggle Spindle. It looks like the Spindle should fit into something and I never figured out how the Spindle fitted with any other part, if at all. The Spindle is just a strange accessory that does not lend itself to the rest of the toy.

If you notice one part is missing, the chained Goggle Hand mace. When I was younger I had to share a room with my older brother (Yes you Michael) and I had all my robots displayed on the headboard that had a shelf above my bed. One day I get home and all my robots were gone! My brother Michael decided to “clean” our room and threw out my now thousands of dollars worth of robots in a box and threw out all the loose accessories in the dumpster.

The rest of the afternoon was spent going though the dumpster retrieving GI Joe, Spiral Zone, Godaikin, and Robotech parts. I never did find the Goggle Hand mace. Am I still angry with my brother Michael? Of course I’m still quite angry about that, we’re talking Godaikin here! I lost a lot of cool things that day and maybe I should ask him to replace it, that is something a brother would do!

You simply cannot go wrong with any of the Godaikin line of Chogokins. The packaging is always excellent, and the figure and accessories are top notch. Although Goggle V is a bit smaller than the other Godaikins it still a nice even release that is still quite impressive nearly 25 years later.

Article & Pictures © 2009 Leonardo Flores & CollectionDX.

Grandbirth is fearlessly and uncompromisingly ugly, and I like that.

The Metal Hero genre is not unlike other Tokusatsu series, featuring endless variations on a space-cop hero battling monsters. The space-cop typically operates from a spaceship base, and this spaceship base typically transforms into a humanoid robot. Grandbirth is the base for Space Sheriff Sharivan, the second of Toei’s Metal Heroes.

The Metal Hero designs are among the purest of the eighties aesthetic. Think Space Shuttle Lander, Lamborghini Countach, and Delorean. Hard lines; a white, black, and gray color palette; chrome; and the discreet use of saturated color all characterize the look of this era. Grandbirth is right at home with Laserion, Vavilos, and Juspion. Collectors, in general, aren't particularly fond of these toys. The designs are more eccentric than mainstream mecha before or after, eschewing the classic sentai or super robot proportions. Vavilos has a flat heat, giant legs, and tiny little arms. Laserion is built from hollow cages. Grandbirth has an abstracted head, weirdly faceted arms, and a big protuberant belly. That belly, more than anything else, makes Grandbirth an acquired taste.

Grandbirth comes in a largish box (measuring 12"x13"x3.5") with a nice photograph of both modes on the front, a rainbow border and an inset photo of Sharivan himself. The back and sides are similar. The toy comes in spaceship mode, rests in a Styrofoam coffin, and comes with very little in the way of accessories - just a few missiles and three tiny yellow ships. A manual and decal sheet are provided. The decals are not pre-cut.

The spaceship mode (measuring 12" long with an 11" wingspan) didn’t break any new ground, but it looks good. It's boxy yet sleek, and the blue-gray finish has a "real robot" feel to it. It is heavy. The entire Middle section is diecast, which is the only metal in the toy except for screws and wheels. The body is detailed with panel lines all over the place. The trapezoidal wings with chrome cannons at the tips are reminiscent of an X-Wing. Cannons on either side of the middle section are spring activated, popping out from a recess in the body. These fire the included missiles. A detachable, smaller ship attaches at the rear, forming a conning tower. The ship rolls on tank treads with metal wheels.

The tiny yellow ships included with the set can fit into three small hatches which open from the front section of the ship.

Transformation is straightforward. You fold down the legs, push in the cockpit and cannons (both spring activated), fold up the wings, fold up the conning tower, and pull out the arms from the bottoms of the wings. The robot stands at 10 inches tall.

The arms are beautiful. They fold and collapse like a puzzle into a cavity in the wing. The joints and articulations (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) are a work of art, like something Syd Mead would design. The hands are just abstract paws, without any finger articulation.

The legs are chunky, but surprisingly well-proportioned. The legs twist at the hip so you can splay them. The knees bend, but the detents are so stiff that I haven't felt brave enough to force them. The head can swivel on a peg. The chest is attractive. The composition of the colors and details is really sophisticated, and creates just the right emphasis for the figure in robot mode.

Grandbirth is really meant to be viewed from the front. The back isn’t really detailed, and you mainly see the cavity left by unfolding the legs. Still, it doesn’t look too bad from behind.

And how about that belly!? Grandbirth is criticized for looking a little half-assed, like a ship with a torso and legs growing out of it. I partially agree, but I also think that the concept makes sense. I think a giant base should look clunky and ungainly when it becomes a robot, it’s more realistic that way, and realism was a hallmark of this variety of eighties mecha design. I love that Grandbirth is fearlessly and uncompromisingly ugly.

I’m not sure how rare this piece is in Japan, but I almost never see it on ebay in the states. I can’t really speculate at what a good price would be, but something in the range of 100-200 bucks seems reasonable.

Bandai also made a huge "Big Base" version, as well as two variants of the ST size.

When I turned 15 years old all those years ago, some friends of the family had bought me for my birthday Revell’s Robotech model kit of Orbot, the USA re-boxed version Imai’s variable VF-1D Valkyrie. Due to many circumstances I was finally able to complete the model kit a week ago, which just happened to be my 34th birthday! This is the saga of one VF-1D, changing modeling skills and one of the greatest Macross model kits series ever.

1/72 Imai Macross VF-1D / Revell Robotech Changers Orbot

When I turned 15 years old all those years ago, some friends of the family had bought me for my birthday Revell’s Robotech model kit of Orbot, the USA re-boxed version Imai’s variable VF-1D Valkyrie. Due to many circumstances I was finally able to complete the model kit a week ago, which just happened to be my 34th birthday! This is the saga of one VF-1D, changing modeling skills and one of the greatest Macross model kits series ever.

What prompted me to finally complete my long unfinished VF-1D is when a few months ago I bought Hasagawa’s 1/72 VF-1A/S Strike/Super Valkyrie model kit. I have been anticipating the building of the new Hasagawa kits for years and it was great to finally build one. I bought the Hasagawa kit, the photoetched parts, the display stand set and optional weapon packs kits. Then I pulled out my trusty x-acto #11 blade. But something lingered in the back of my mind. “I know, I can’t start this kit until I finish the last Valkyrie I started all those years ago”.

Back in the 1980’s model kit manufacture Revell was keen on the growing US market of Japanese related robot model kits and picked up the license to re-package some of Imai’s model kits. The bulk of the line was Fang of Sun Dougram, but a few Macross and Orguss model kits were thrown in for good measures. The model kits were released under one banner, most likely coined by one of Revell’s still nameless marketing employee. The name of the model kit line was called Robotech, which actually predated the Robotech TV series by at least a year. How the Robotech model kit line became the name of a TV series produced by Harmony Gold is another story for another review.

Robotech model kits could be bought at many shopping mall outlets such as Kay-Bee Toy & Hobby and Playco Toys stores. When Revell repackaged the kits they did not keep to the original names, paint schemes and decal placement as Revell decided to publish new instructions in English and photographed new model kit box art. Thus the VF-1D became the Viet Nam era camouflaged Orbot, the VF-1J Millia became Axoid and the VF-1S became Vexar.

I was indebted to the friends of the family who gave me the kit but for some reason life has given me VF-1D model kits to build when I wanted to build a VF-1J, VF-1S or the even better VF-1A Hikaru from Do You Remember Love. As a kid I thought that the VF-1D was the silly trainer version that got all shot up in the first four episodes of Macross. I had built four VF-1D's and quite frankly I am tired of building them. Even the Hasagawa limited release of their 1/72 VF-1D blows me out just thinking about it.

First off, if you have not experienced more than a few model kits I would flatly suggest you pass up building this kit. Although the VF-1D is a well-produced kit this is a very difficult and trying model kit to build. There are many seams to fill, many parts to easily confuse and assemble backwards, and many complex and fragile parts to easily break or accidenly glue together.

Revell Robotech Orbot/ Imai Macross VF-1D come with the following: Set of sprues, 1x clear sprue, 3x rubber tires, 2x metal landing gear, 2x metal shoulder joints, 1x screw, 1x polycaps, 1x set of decals, 1x instructions, and 1x Robotech model one-sheet catalog. I do not know if the Imai VF-1D came with any other extra inserts such as an Imai catalog or stickers. The plastic parts are finely molded with recessed panel lines and the metal castings are solid with hard sturdy metal, not soft pewter type metal.

The designers at Imai had thought this kit through; two of the most fragile parts were cast in metal such as the landing gear and shoulder hinges. A screw is used to keep the many body parts together. For a nice added touch the wheels could be assembled with an optional choice of plastic injected molded tires or rubber tires.

The assembly of the kit can be broken down into three main components: 1) body assembly 2) leg and arm assembly 3) cockpit assembly. Although this is a variable model kit the cockpit needs to be pulled off and replaced with a shielded cockpit for the legs to attach to in Battloid mode.

The arm and leg assembly are the most difficult parts to assemble. Always remember to check and check again before you apply glue. I remember my friends and I building these kits when I was a kid. It happened more than once when we glued the wrong intake parts to the wrong leg parts. This was partly the fault of Revell as they attached the legs backwards on the box art.

One feature I did not like on the kit was the kneepad armor in Battloid. That is one feature I love about the Battloid armor and was, until recently, consistently being left off toys and models of the Valkyrie and this Imai kit was no different. I am sure it would not be too difficult to scratchbuild that mod.

Be careful with only using just enough glue to attach these parts together. If the glue overflows into a joint, just forget finishing the kit, as it will be dead in the water with an unmovable joint. This happened to one of my arm parts, I broke it apart and now the parts fall off if the arm joint is rotated. This also happened with the gun pod as I put too much glue and it spilled over into the sliding joint and now the gunpod is glued opened. Special care is also needed when gluing the sliding fist parts into the forearm area.

The only major modification I made to this kit was making the fist shields on the hands and the squared off fingers Do You Remember Love style. Sausage fingers on real robot era robots do nothing for me and it is a great and simple mod that improves the look of the kit. Unfortunately, the shields are two big to fit in the hole when they retract so I plan to steal some other fists from another Imai Valkyrie kit I plan to purchase soon.

As stated before the center cockpit capsule needs to be changed out when transforming from the Fighter/Gerwalk mode to the Battloid mode. The cockpit is finely detailed but the undercarriage wheel well is plain and is best to use some sheet styrene to spice up the look of the wheel well. The shape of the two cockpits is different to compensate for the minor scaling issues from the Fighter to Battloid mode.

I started building this kit when I graduated High School in the early 90’s when I felt that I could approach it with better skills. Another mod that I planned to do was convert it into Hikaru’s VF-1A DYRL style as the kit does come with extra parts such as the short nose glass and standard chest plate. So I thought I would be cute and cut the long glass shorter and use that part to fill up the second seat space and use the short window as the main window. Very much my chop job was a nightmare. Not only that the VF-1A head I was going to use from the Bandai 1/72 Valkyrie kit was too thin looking for the body.

I used a dark grey Testor’s “primer” that was too dark for the light colored paint scheme. It was not a proper primer; just a grey color that I thought would work for the kit. That alone was another nightmare as the paint never really grabbed onto the plastic and up until the last day, paint still flaked off when I pulled the tape off.

The body part is straightforward but take special notice of making sure you do not glue parts that should otherwise move freely. The wings are capable of holding the missiles on pylons using polycaps but keep in mind it is near impossible to paint polycap material and it is just best to keep them unpainted. The missiles do come off the wings.

One of the best details of the model kit is the head, it is well molded and the front sensor glass area looks great when painted in clear green and grey. The only regret is that it is not on a ball joint. Otherwise it looks accurate when use in both Fighter and Battloid modes.

For about 15 years I worked on and off again on my VF-1D. My skills improved over the years and I have not made those types of mistakes in many years, but at the time for every step forward I took on the kit it put me two steps backwards. You live and learn. When I bought the Hasagawa kit I still had the sense to finish one Macross Valkyrie project before I started another. So I pulled out the Imai kit for one last push to finish the model. It seems in 2008 I had new tools and friends to help out.

The first step I took was to convert it all back to what the kit was intended for, as a VF-1D. So I took all the irrelevant parts off and put on all the VF-1D parts again. Also these days I am a part of a local International Plastic Modelers Society (IPMS) model building group and a fellow member was kind enough to take some time out of his schedule and vacumform a new canopy for me.

I finished the kit with Testors Radome Tan and a custom flat orange I mixed up using Testors flat yellow and flat red. Having built a few VF-1D’s DO NOT under estimate the black stencils on the chest area and shielded Battloid cockpit area. Take out a day to paint the intricate black stencils, as they are very time consuming to paint and to line up properly when masking. And whatever you do not use Comico's Robotech: The Macross Saga comics as a paint guide!

Another nice tool that was not available in the 1990’s was the Internet. Macross World has a great gallery of classic Macross model kit box art and instructions. Revell left out all the decal and painting information in the Vexar instructions but I was able to use Macross World’s resources to complete the kit properly.

Once assembled the transformation of the kit is quite easy. The kit looks well balanced and appealing in all three modes. Considering this kit came out in 1983 it still holds up very well and is still the only 1/72 scale transforming model kit of a Valkyrie. Because of the thick paint application many of the parts do not close properly like the cockpit to the body section and the top seam of the chest plate and back plate when it is in fighter mode. The vertical stabilizer backpack section does not hold well on the back in Battloid mode. Any idea of making it hold better would be greatly appreciated.

I am content that I was finally able to finish the kit after all those years. It is one of my most commented models I have on my display shelf although these days I could definitely build and paint a better version. I must have done something right as I was able to finish up the model in time of our regional IPMS model kit contest in Ontario, CA last summer and I was quite surprised when I took home the second place trophy in Sci-Fi category ( I displayed the model in Battloid mode at the contest, I did not finish the cockpit until a couple weeks ago)!

The Imai variable Valkyrie kits are definitely worth picking up. In all reality the first Valkyrie we see in Macross in Battloid mode is this VF-1D and it is must to have a representation in any form in the collection. Hobby Link Japan right now has the current Bandai reissues of the Imai kits of VF-1A and VF-1D for about 1700 yen. The Robotech boxed kits are surprisingly hard to locate unbuild these days and most of the boxes are crushed due to the thin cardboard that Revell used for all their model kits in the 1980’s. My only suggestion is if you decide to build these kits is to double and triple check your parts before you glue them together and take your time when building and checking seams, although I do not think you will need to take 15 years time in doing so!

© Article and Photos Leonardo D Flores “modcineaste” and Collection DX

There is something about toy and model collectors that when a manufacture reissues a product in chrome or clear, we just lose it. We could be perfectly content with our collection and be about our business but as soon as we glance at a chrome reissue of a toy we already have we are drooling fools.

Arii Metalized Custom VF-1D 1/100

(For my review of the building and scale issues with this kit please read my Arii 1/100 VF-1A review, as it is the same kit with a different head detail and without the chrome plating.

There is something about toy and model collectors that when a manufacture reissues a product in chrome or clear, we just lose it. We could be perfectly content with our collection and be about our business but as soon as we glance at a chrome reissue of a toy we already have we are drooling fools.

Arii picked five model kits from their 1/100 Super Dimensional Space Fortress Macross line and plated them in blue tinted chrome. These included A Battroid VF-1S, Destroids Defender, Destroid Spartan, Gerwalk VF-1J and this Fighter VF-1D. I do not know how limited edition these kits were but I do know the Valkyrie fighter was fairly common back in the 80’s and 90’s but the other four are quite rare as the only other kit I have managed to locate is the Spartan.

When building this kit remember that glue does not stick to plastic chrome plating well, so the main issue when building this kit is making sure you scrape off all the plating with an x-acto blade in the areas about to be glued before building as your model will fall apart if you don’t. Trust me I found out the hard way all those years ago when I originally built this kit when I was a kid in the 80’s and the kit kept falling apart! I am surprised I still have as many pieces of the kit as I do.

I purchased this kit on clearance at a great, but no longer in business, hobby shop called The Hobby Hut in Upland California for $6.00 in the 1980’s. The Hobby Hut stocked a lot of great anime, airplane and military kits at great prices and it was a huge loses when they closed down. Not only that the Hobby Hut has got to be the greatest hobby shop name ever!

I am not particularly fond of the box art of this series as its very boring and the picture of the model could have been framed better.

There are some details with this kit that work and others that do not. For one thing the one of the main themes in building model kits is filling the seems in and with the chrome plating one simply can not fill in and sand the seams as the unique chrome finish can not be duplicated. You could use Testors Metalizer or Alclad metal finish but it would not match the chrome finish of the kit. Metal finishes are the hardest paint finishes to duplicate on model kits and it would be much easier to just buy an unplated kit and spray it with Alclad or Metalizer, which kind of defeats the purpose of a chrome plated kit to begin with. So if you are going to build it understand the seams are going to be part of the kit when it is finished.

And because its chrome I’m sure you’ll get a lot of discussion and remarks from other collectors and casual fans about that shinny Chrome Valkyrie on your shelf.

Leonardo Flores “ModCineaste” Copyright 2008

It is odd to note that when Japanese model kit firm Arii was licensed to produce model kits for the 1982 series Super Dimension Space Fortress Macross that the worst scaled kits in the line would be the flagship vehicles of the show, The Valkyrie Fighters, Battroid and Gerwalk variations.

ARII VF-1A Valkyrie Fighter 1/100 #50

It is odd to note that when Japanese model kit firm Arii was licensed to produce model kits for the 1982 series Super Dimension Space Fortress Macross that the worst scaled kits in the line would be the flagship vehicles of the show, The Valkyrie Fighters, Battroid and Gerwalk variations.

Looking back all these years it’s good to note that most of the other kits produced by Arii of their 1/100 Macross model line still hold up quite well. Good examples are the Destroids and Regult battle pod lines, one of which I should have finished for a review shortly.

Most model airplanes plastic model kits are usually manufactured in four scales: 1/144, 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32. 1/144 is considered the airliner scale, as most all airline model kits would be much too large to fit on a shelf if they were produced in a larger scale. The second scale 1/72 is considered an international or standard scale as most all manufacturers worldwide still produce kits of this size. It is a great scale as it is just large enough to produce a decent scale kit of a small WWII airplane but just small enough to produce a large bomber kit such as Monogram’s B-36 Peacemaker kit.

I/48 and 1/32 are great scales for large high detailed kits and it is a good scale to mix armor and airplane kits with for same scale diorama scenes. Yes there are other scales but these four are the most popular in aviation plastic modeling.

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One scale that has seemed to have died in military modeling is 1/100 scale. In the 60’s and 70’s there were quite a few companies producing 1/100 scale model kits, but over the last couple of decades 1/100 scale has seemed to disappear from the model shelves for aviation modeling. The huge exception of course is if you build anime robot model kits.

Most Gundam model kits are produced in 1/144 and 1/100 scale and those two scales are the most popular in anime robot modeling, with 1/100 scale being reserved for Gundam High Grade model kits. I personally build model airplanes in 1/72 scale and having these Arii Valkyrie kits produced in such a small scale that is out of scale with all my other airplane model kits, the VF-1A just does not look right sitting on the shelf next to my other airplanes.

Is it really not too much to ask to produce a 1/72 scale or even a 1/48 or 1/32 scale Valkyrie kit? The Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which is slightly larger than a Valkyrie, has been produced in 1/48 and even 1/32 scale by a few manufactures. So I ask, “When is our large scale Valkyrie model kit going to be produced?”

The VF-1A was the standard and most numerous fighters in the Macross TV show. Usually they were the cannon fodder in the series and most of the pilots on Macross seemed to have started with the VF-1A.

If you are going to build it out of the box, one fault is the clear window is molded distorted and thick and is out of scale. If you have the ability it would be best to vacumform a new window with thinner clear material. Also there is sparse detail in the cockpit and landing well areas of the kit.

I painted my VF-1A with Testors Model Master Flat Military Brown and flat white, they appear to be a great match to the colors on the instruction sheet. The model was painted with a Badger 350 airbrush. After spraying a gloss coat I applied the decals, which were a bit thick but went on and set well with Microset and Microsol decal setter. After a flat coat to seal the paint I applied a thin wash of paint thinner and black paint although these days I do not apply washes that way (I use oil paint now). I built the kit around 11 years ago, and although I have lost a few pieces over the years it still looks nice.

Now lets talk about Arii scale issues with the entire kit and entire Valkyrie line. If this model kit were to transform it would look nothing like the Arii 1/100 scale Battroid. The body of the aircraft is too thin and long and the arms would be too long and small. The heads are too completely different sizes as well. The Battroid is shorter looking and stocky and the legs and arms are fat. The Gerwalk and fighter bodies are two different bodies. It seems there was no continuity in designing the Valkyrie series, which is too bad as the Valkyrie was the main icon of the series. But of the three the Valkyrie Fighter looks the best and still looks in proportion even though it is out of proportion.

Since these poor kits were manufactured a few other Valkyrie kits were produced. Soon after this kit was released one of the other Macross model kit licensee Imai would produce an excellent 1/72 scale Variable Valkyrie model kit that 20 years later still hold up beautifully. Also Arii will scale down the Imai molds to 1/100 scale and release their own variable Valkyrie kit that also still holds up well.

Most important and recently, the model industries most innovative and important model aviation manufacturer Hasagawa started producing Macross Valkyrie kits. Of what I have seen they look beautiful and better yet they are manufactured in 1/72! It appears the designer of the new Hasagawa Valkyrie kit approached the kit as if it was a real aircraft, something Arii should have done all those years ago. I am looking forward to building one these Hasagawa kits soon; their Strike Valkyrie Fighter is a beauty!

Leonardo Flores “Mod Cineaste”

The first Kaiju of Bemustar was made by Popy and later imported to the US as part of Mattel's "Godzilla's Gang" series. In 1983 the character was re-sculpted and released as part of the Ultra Kaiju series from Bandai.

Bemustar (or Bemstar) first appeard in the 1971 series "Return of Ultraman" (otherwise known as Ultraman Jack) but has made appearances in other ultra series since.

The first Kaiju of Bemustar was made by Popy and later imported to the US as part of Mattel's "Godzilla's Gang" series. In 1983 the character was re-sculpted and released as part of the Ultra Kaiju series from Bandai.

The figure is about 5 inches tall and is cast in Soft Vinyl, with various color sprays. The figure was sold with a tag and a hanger.

Bemustar has articulation at the shoulders - thats it.