Oh no! This is a training aircraft.

In the ever widening world of VF-1 toys, the VT-1 Super Ostrich is a unique variant with its own charms. Taking a cue from the first few episodes of the original Macross series, the "star date" between Hikaru and Minmay during Macross: Do You Remember Love is meant as a callback to when those two young teens were out fighting for their lives in an orange Valkyrie. Unlike the VF-1D, the VT-1 is a dedicated trainer much like a real life example of the T-38 Talon, which is the training version of the F-5 Freedom Fighter. For a little boy with a copy of Clash of the Bionoids, this entire ordeal is summed as follows:

"OH NO! THIS IS A TRAINING AIRCRAFT!"

From then on I was doomed.

Yamato's new VT-1 is a great execution of a unique design. The basic fighter mode looks right and feels good in the hands. The changes to the design are not immediately apparent, but once you scratch the surface you'll find at least 20% of this toy is all new parts. The first being a new nose section with the VT-1's signature raised seating style where the rear seat is higher than the front. As such, the chest plate has also been redesigned to account for the new nose section.

From the rear we can see the redesigned tail section with features new fixed tailfins and a hinged rear flap. These are used when the backpack is folded against the top of the aircraft.

This version of the VT-1 allows for the head to be tucked away.

Here is a picture of the three Valkyrie nose section types. From left to right are the VF-1D, VT-1 and VF-1S. Like the previous two releases, the VT-1 has a lot of tampoo markings which make the toy very presentable out of the box.

After a few quick snaps, the FAST packs are installed with little effort.

Check out the engines on this ostrich.

Both the dorsal boosters and the leg parts feature removable panels. These panels are easy to remove yet at the same time, do not fall off with the slightest touch.

Here is a close-up of the leg detail.

And here is a close-up of the booster detail.

This toy does include the usual Yamato display stand adapters, but I find a Flexdisplay stand suits this toy much better.

The GERWALK mode of the VT-1 is quite distinct. It is mostly shown with its arms retracted and the hump created by the backpack evokes images of a speedy bird.

Owners of old Macross artbooks are familiar with this pose.

This is the most we ever see of the VT-1's transformation. Super GERWALK is probably its most notable appearance in the film.

In the cockpit we find a matching pair of Hikaru and Minmay (or Misa in a spacesuit) figures.

While the VT-1 is never seen in Battroid mode, it was always meant to have one. I have chosen to use the fixed posed hands for these pictures because I liked how expressive they can be.

There are an additional pair of locking clamps on either side of the tailfins in Battroid mode. I did not use these clamps as I feel they're really redundant and difficult to extend without a small tool or sharp fingernail.

Minmay!

I want you for UN Spacy!

I say chaps, I am armed with a nasty fingergun

Super Battroid mode is just as sturdy as regular Battroid mode.

Here you can see the fuller bust line of the VT-1 in comparison to regular VF-1.

Really, the VT-1 is another winner from Yamato. Its a great design executed almost perfectly in toy form. Yeah it is another VF-1, but the Super Ostrich has a lot of charm.

While it would have been nice to see Max's movie-ver. VF-1S come out in 1/55 scale, this one is equally appreciated, and hearkens (if in appearance only) back to his VF-1A from the series which was white with blue trim (which also has not been make into a 1/55 Valkyrie yet).

Video review included!

The 1984 feature film “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?” is an alternate retelling of the events of the 1982-83 TV series, with many storylines merged or rewritten to save time and provide an alternate look at the then-budding franchise…

Hikaru Ichijyo is a Valkyrie fighter pilot aboard Earth’s massive transforming space warship Macross, which was accidentally stranded beyond the orbit of Pluto in order to avoid an invasion by massive aliens known as the Zentradi. Within the ship are the preserved remains of South Ataria City which grew up around the rebuilt super-dimensional fortress when it crashed from deep space a decade earlier. Ichijyo’s interest in pop star idol Lynn-Minmei leads him to coincidentally rescue her from certain death after he disobeys orders when the Zentradi invade the Macross, and they are lost within the bowls of the ship for several days. Meanwhile, the Zentradi- a race of giants bred solely for the purpose of galactic conquest- are completely stunned and sickened by the equally-alien culture and music of “microns” [humans], and seek to destroy them as quickly as possible to preserve their own existence, and prevent microns from being used as a weapon against them in the ultimate war-of-the-sexes against their female counterparts, the Meltrandi. Ichijyo, Minmei, and the Macross’ tactical officer Misa Hayase are captured and taken aboard the Zentradi’s flagship to be interrogated, but a Meltrandi squadron breaks into the ship. Ichijyo and Hayase escape in the confusion and are teleported to a suddenly-devastated Earth, but unfortunately Minmei is taken to the Zentradi’s leader, Golg Boddole Zer. As Misa and Hikaru roam the wastelands of Earth and develop a new relationship with each other, they come across a huge sunken city of alien design which belonged to an ancient race called the Protoculture. 20,000 years ago, the Protoculture tired of the war between Zentradi and Meltrandi, and decided to start anew on Earth, thus making them the distant ancestors of all humans. When the Macross finally returns to Earth, it is discovered that Boddole Zer’s fleet of millions of warships are waiting there to lay a trap for the Meltrandi fleet by using a Protoculture song sung by Minmei to disable them! As the two massive alien fleets tear into each other, the Macross rises from its scorched homeworld alone armed only with a song that reminds all that love is the ultimate conquer…

. . .

The VF-1 Valkyrie series is a high-mobility fighter designed and built for the United Nations Space Navy (UN Spacy) for use in both in atmosphere and in Earth-orbit. The unique capability of this craft is that it is variable – it can rapidly change from the high-speed air-superiority Fighter Mode, to a humanoid-shaped Battroid mode which can stand toe-to-toe against 12m-tall Zentradi-sized soldiers, and a third hybrid mode called a Ground-Effect Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint (GERWALK) which combines some traits, mobility, and multifunction of the other two modes. Three primary combat models are available, differing mostly in their weapons and slight changes in capabilities: the standard mass-production VF-1A, the less-numerous squadron-leader VF-1J, and the more-limited senior commander VF-1S. A two-seat trainee version- the VF-1D- also exists, as well as a limited-armament two-seat VE-1 “Elintseeker” space-only reconnaissance fighter. Valkyries are nimble in an atmosphere as well as in space, but do not have enough fuel reserves or power for their paired thermonuclear engines needed to rocket out away from the planet unassisted; however they can successfully re-enter Earth’s atmosphere unassisted.

In the continuity of the movie (frequently abbreviated as “DYRL”), the Fuel And Sensors, Tactical (FAST) optional accessory armor has already been developed by the time that the Macross arrived at the ringed planet Saturn in the opening scenes. A FAST Pack augments the already space-capable Valkyrie variable fighter with additional fuel, armor, and weapons, whilst allowing it to still shift between its three modes at will. While the Super FAST Pack is seen prominently in the latter half of the series, the movie introduces the Strike FAST Pack which has a single variation- the right booster is replaced with a double-barrel laser cannon which can flip over the shoulder of the Battroid Mode as well if need-be. While Super Packs are used by all Valkyries in the movie, the debuting Strike Valkyrie is a commander- and ace pilot-only accessory.

The Valkyrie presented here is the VF-1A model. Various trivial stats aside, the easiest way to identify this particular model is in the head- it has a small square green monoeye and one laser cannon on top of it. The VF-1A model is the standard soldier mass-production Valkyrie, and so is not linked to any one pilot. In the series, they were typically liveried in white and tan brown, but notable characters often had more identifiable colors available to them. This remains so in the movie’s setting, but the liveries are more varied, often limited to squadron-specific designs. The liveries of the Valkyries in Skull Squadron in the movie are a variation of the so-called “Roy Focker Special” seen in the series- base-white with black and yellow highlights, and have the skull-and-crossbones across both the canopy shield and twin V-tail diagonal stabilizers. However, to identify characters within the movie-Skull Squadron, specific highlight colors are used: Focker (his typical yellow), Ichijyo (red), Genius (blue), and Kakizaki (green). This specific Origin of Valkyrie VF-1A Super Valkyrie is used by Maximilian Jenius in the movie, and so has the base-white with black and blue highlights. This particular fighter is seen only for not even a few minutes in the entire movie- initially being deployed along with the rest of Skull Squadron to intercept a force of Zentradi pods. As in the series, Max demonstrates his extraordinary ace pilot skills despite being only a second-lieutenant- quickly destroying three Regult pods by himself in the space of a few seconds! After the death of Commander Focker, Max is promoted to the leader of Skull Squadron and given a new higher-performance VF-1S variant in favor of his original standard-issue VF-1A shown here.

In 1982 when “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross” debuted in Japan, the Valkyrie mecha imagined by the series’ creator & mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori, became a near-overnight success as quickly as many of his other creations in the anime series. While there were other mass-produced transformable robots on the market from other unrelated series and movies, none of them seemed to have the appeal of the smaller and non-combining “real robot” Valkyries. Indeed, twenty-six years later, despite numerous sequels and successors throughout other “Macross”-titled series, the VF-1 Valkyrie has become and remains a legendary icon for science-fiction anime and toy/model collectors at-large both in Japan and across the world.

However, the complexity of the design at the time meant that toys and models often were designed to come apart in order to achieve the three modes of the variable fighter- a trait that continued to plagued designs for years to come. Takatoku Toys (aka TT) was one of the first to produce a fully-complete 1/55-scale Valkyrie that could transform without removing almost any components- utilizing both ABS plastic and die-cast metal to achieve strength and integrity. After the Takatoku Toys Valkyries became an equal hit, accessory sets for the Armored and the FAST Pack set were added.

When Takatoku Toys folded under in 1984, Bandai purchased the rights and molds to many of their toys, including the 1/55-scale toys.

. . .

For the 25th Anniversary of the start of the Macross franchise from 1982, Bandai commemorated the achievement with the re-release of four separate Takatoku Toys 1/55-scale Valkyries. These reissues make up the Origin of Valkyrie line released in 2008, highlighting two from the series-

VF-1S Valkyrie (Roy Focker ver.)

VF-1J Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.)

-and two seen exclusively in the 1986 feature film “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?”-

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.)

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Maximilian Jenius ver.)

-the latter-two of which, ironically, Takatoku Toys did not survive long enough to release.

For the Origin of Valkyrie release, the VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Max ver.) seen in the movie is new- having never been released before by Bandai. However, with respect to their 20th-Anniversary reissues in 2002, this Origin of Valkyrie set has a brown-tinted canopy versus Takatoku Toys’ original clear canopy. Additionally, the FAST Pack’s ABS plastic has been changed from the normal light blue to an odd sea-green.

While the original release(s) had very few painted sections and many decals to fill in details like the red stripes and the UN Spacy delta kite logo, most of those decals are now stamped on, removing the need to place any decals on it- providing an immediate anime-accurate appearance right out of the windowed box. However, Bandai has now provided a bonus decal sheet which provides a much higher level of detail if you so wish- perhaps only the four decals for the shoulders are ‘required’ to make it completely accurate, with the others resembling warning labels that you might find on a real air fighter. (Over 30 warning labels are already stamped on when you take it out of the box- some of them with text so small that you need a magnifying glass to read them!)

In the gallery for this review are some pictures of the Valkyrie as it appeared mint out of the box; all other pictures will show it with detail decals [that I] selectively applied afterwords.

Fighter Mode

In this form, the Valkyrie more-closely resembles a late 20th-Century jet fighter, like the McDonnell Douglass F/A-18 Hornet. And yet, it has variable-sweep wings and expanding jet thrust nozzles like that of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, allowing it to achieve supersonic speeds. In space, air-lifting surfaces are useless, and so it is equipped with thrusters at all of their tips.

On either side of the nosecone and rectangular air intakes are a pair of non-functional laser cannons. The cockpit is transparent, and allows a view of the pilot’s seat, though it is a simplified design. For transformation purposes involved in the Origin of Valkyrie release, the cockpit canopy can now be removed. Wedged tightly between the engine intakes and the undercarriage is a small rotating turret with one additional pulsed laser cannon. As mentioned above, the main wings angle away from the chassis, but can also sweep backwards. Different [for me only, perhaps] is that the wings can also extend to a full 90° perpendicular away from the chassis. (Why this is, I don’t know, since I have never seen a Valkyrie with wings extended out all the way as opposed to always diagonally.) The V-tail diagonal stabilizers have a single large Skull Squadron logo on the outside of each one. Though they move during transformation, they cannot move about in Fighter Mode. Along the engines near the exhaust nozzles are smaller flight stabilizer fins which cannot move, but do bear Jenius’s [movie] squadron ID number (013) which is repeated stamped elsewhere with across the toy. The exhaust nozzles themselves have small ribbed patterns across them to indicate vent fins; the nozzles are solid rather than being hollow enough to see inside of them. Two features that are inconsistent from the series, though, are that there are no hard points under the wings with which to attach missiles (none were ever made for these toys), and the provided spring-powered gun pod cannot attach to the undercarriage.

For movable features, the Fighter Mode features the aforementioned swing-wings, the exhaust nozzles can independently open and close (again due to the transformation), and the turret beneath can turn side-to-side a little & point the cannon down/up a ways.

Of interest to me, though, is the landing gear... The Origin of Valkyrie release(s) restore the Valkyrie(s) to as close to their TT origins as possible. (While the VF-1A was indeed released by TT, this particular movie variant makes its debut in 2008 despite being first seen in 1984!) First, while the landing gear struts are always made of die-cast metal, the ABS wheels were replaced with more die-cast. And the other is that now all three landing gear are spring-deployed, whereas in the past just the back gear was. In front of each gear is a small trigger that activates the powerful springs within. The back gear, also, now have the addition of separate ABS doors which flip open manually when the gear are extended! While not necessary for the nose gear, they do help to preserve the appearance of the legs where the retracted back gear reside.

GERWALK Mode

The basic GERWALK form retains the Fighter Mode’s nose & main chassis, but then deploys the arms and legs of the Battroid Mode. There are two infrequently-seen variations of this-

• with the arms remaining stored, but the legs are deployed, and the V-tails left open
• with the arms and legs deployed, but the V-tails are also left opened

-but the GERWALK is mostly seen with both the arms & legs deployed, and the V-tails retracted. While GERWALK Mode is capable of flight, it can hover across land faster than the Battroid Mode can, also allowing for more-effective close-range evasive maneuvers than Fighter Mode. All weapons from Fighter Mode are accessible here, while adding the accessibility of the arms and hands for grappling.

The two parallel engines- which run most of the length of the aircraft- fold downwards at the intakes to form a pair of reverse-knee legs & feet. The undercarriage from between the engines in Fighter Mode form the arms- the shoulders of which come to rest to either side of the air intake/hips. The V-tails have been collapsed down on top of each other, and the platform upon which they are mounted swings up-and-over to form a thruster backpack unit on top of the fighter’s back-half. The laser cannon turret remains between the air intakes/hips though. With the arms deployed, the Gatling cannon pod machine cannon can be inserted into the right hand-only since the left is a solid fist.

Figure articulation enters the picture with the GERWALK Mode... The shoulders ratchet forward backwards every 30°, and ratchet outwards every 30° out to horizontal. Because of the design of the toy, the swinging transformation joints that move the shoulders from between the legs to outside of them rest at a notable outwards angle, so bringing the shoulders straight down is not possible (even though they are shown as such in the anime series). Both swiveling joints in the elbows allow both full-twisting, and 90°-upwards movement. Both the knees and hips ratchet at every 30° forward/backwards, but unfortunately, the ankles do not move about, so putting the GERWALK into more-dynamic poses is not possible; thus, the legs become limited because of balance issues. (Really, all you can do is make it stand straight because the legs & feet are not capable of balancing the toy in any other way.) The laser turret- without the undercarriage to block it- can now swivel around 360°.

GERWALK Mode

The entire purpose of making a transformable fighter in the Macross universe is so that it can literally engage Zentradi soldiers at their own height since they are normally four times the size of humans! (According to the series’ lore, the GERWALK Mode was not intentionally designed into the VF-1 prototypes, and was accidentally happened-upon during the testing phases when an incomplete-transformation occurred.) The missile pods usually attached to the wings are disposed of since the wings need to be folded back for improved dexterity. But on occasion, wings with un-fired missiles can be left open, though this can potentially throw off the Battroid’s balance within a gravity field. The Gatling cannon pod can be wielded like a rifleman’s machine gun, and it retains full use of the single laser cannon atop the lower turret (now acting as the head of the Battroid). While it is still capable of flight in this mode, the Battroid is mostly meant for ground-based, even melee-range combat as its engines can quickly overheat from supporting itself without air-lifting wing surfaces, despite being V-TOL-capable. (In space, this obviously becomes a non-issue.)

While the legs straighten out and can now bend in a more human way, the main top-half chassis splits down the middle crosswise, and folds in upon itself, with the wings retracting behind the new humanoid form. The cockpit is now positioned in the center of the torso- covered by an additional retracted layer of armor- and the laser cannon turret moves to form the head of the Battroid. Unlike the VF-1S, Bandai never made a modified version of TT’s VF-1A head. Despite that its proportions are still a little off, it remains the most anime-accurate of the four original TT designs. (While prototypes for the heads of the -1A and -1J were built by Bandai, they were never put into production at any time. An alternate head was made for the -1S, but only appeared in Bandai’s first reissues in the late-80s & early-90s.) The original TT version had a removable cockpit canopy which could be replaced with an identical-sized cockpit shield equivalent, which- as stated above- is recreated here. When they first reissued the 1/55-scale Valkyrie(s), however, Bandai forewent the removable canopy- opting instead for a removable accessory which fit over the screwed-in-place canopy. (Why the cockpit shield was changed, I don’t know.) The arms go through no changes in the transition between GERWALK and Battroid Modes.

. . .

One of the more baffling issues with the VF-1 design for toy and model makers was the transition that the legs make- going from behind & below the cockpit to now hanging aside it. In official series line art, a collection of hydraulic pistons swing the engines/legs down and forwards, and then a pair of clamps emerge from the nosecone to grab onto them, forming the hips. Then, before the transformation is completed, the pistons release their grip on the legs, and retract back into the chest section. The magic of TV and instantaneous-transformation animation made this a non-issue, but most toy and model designs have simply substituted this process for detaching the legs completely, providing an accessory part which clamps onto the nose, and then reattaching the legs onto the now-hip joints.

Takatoku Toys was one of the first to solve this in a practical way- its 1/55-scale toy was breakthrough in making a complete and realistically-transforming Valkyrie. A pair of silver die-cast levers extend just beyond the leading edges of the air intakes ending in a pivot point. Then, during transformation, the levers pivot on these points, and allow the legs to swing down further than they could on their own. But, unlike the “real” Valkyrie, these die-cast levers do not detach once the transformation is complete, and can still be seen to either side of the cockpit in Battroid Mode.

. . .

For accessories, a Gatling cannon gun pod is provided, which can shoot five plastic projectiles (which actually resemble the missiles used under the wings in the series). Though not appearing in the series, there is a small sensor atop the gun pod which acts as the trigger for the spring-powered projectiles.

Rather than being held within a hidden storage compartment, the VF-1s carry their 50mm Gatling cannon from the undercarriage in Fighter Mode. The toy cannot do this as there is not enough clearance provided by the landing gear to do so; also, there is no slot or clip for the gun to attach to as there is not enough room amongst the undercarriage itself. However, as in the series, the Gatling cannons can be affixed to the outside of the forearm (as they are in Fighter Mode). Since the toy cannot do this (needing to make room for the retractable hands), an accessory clip is provided, into which the handle of the cannon can be attached.

. . .

Also of interest is the point that most of the detailed labels from the original TT version were replaced with decals that had to be applied by you after you removed it from the box. (While later releases would restore most of the originals’ stamped-on labels, decals were still used.)

Fuel And Sensors, Tactical Pack

(Super-type)

This particular set includes all of the parts necessary to convert the standard Valkyrie into a Super Valkyrie. These consist of:

• Two boosters and a connecting panel (needs to be assembled)
• Two fuel pods with clips (needs to be assembled)
• Two additional paired missile launchers

While the 1/55 Valkyrie toys were not designed from the start to incorporate accessory armor components, the FAST Pack had to still work in all three modes without significant interference. This is accomplished by using small tabs and clips on the armor which merge & hook onto the original toy.

In the series, the large boosters on top of the Fighter Mode are attached directly to the retracted/folded V-tail backpack. But since the original toy had no purchase, a special accessory ABS plate slips over the backpack, and then the boosters connect to the plate. (The other pairs of armor can’t really be attached in Fighter Mode.)

In Battroid Mode, the additional missile launchers hook and snap over the top & bottom of the outside of the lower arms. This way, when the arms form the undercarriage, there is still space allowed for the legs & arms to swing about.

The spare fuel tanks/thrusters for the legs are actually made of two pieces each. The larger exterior section must be carefully hooked over the two small flight stabilizer fins, and then held in place as the back section(s) slip into holes. An extended length of ABS along the inner-side of each leg- and the small clips along the fins- prevents the completed assembly from slipping off.

. . .

The completed Super Valkyrie is able to pose and transform just as easily as if it did not have the armored sections in place. The only limiting factor may be that the backpack thrusters add a good share of weight- putting it onto carpet may risk having it fall over backwards! Same with GERWALK Mode- because of the limits in the legs, balance is also a potential problem here as well, but on a hard flat surface there is no issue.

The other is that, in Battroid Mode, to prevent the Valkyrie’s own smaller white backpack from hinging open under the new weight, the dark green panel which is slipped over it has an extended bar that rests directly against the folded-up wings. (This, alas, prevents the Super Valkyrie from being posed in Battroid Mode with the wings open. You can optionally hold the backpack in place yourself if you want the wings open, but the moment you take your hand away, the backpack boosters- and thus, the toy- will suddenly flip over backwards!) In both Fighter and GERWALK Modes, however, this is unavoidable because that bar is not resting against the wings, so don’t turn it upside-down unless you’ve got a good grip on it. Now, during transformation, it is required that the backpack still be able to open easily like this, so you just have to deal with it.

When the Super Valkyrie is in Fighter Mode, the legs intentionally curve downwards- as they do in the series- to make room for the additional fuel pods on the lower legs; whereas without the armor, they are straightened.

. . .

Unfortunately, Takatoku Toys- despite the success of their “Macross” toys- folded under before the film’s release. Bandai did, however, later release a movie-specific VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.) set which could swap the front of the right booster with the paired movable laser cannons.

I first learned about Takatoku Toys’ 1/55-scale Valkyries when I was gifted one in 1991 for Christmas (the 1990 reissue which I covered for CDX). Whereas then I was simply thrilled that I was getting one simply because it looked cool, now I look back and see how well it has stood the test of time despite the damage it has taken over the years. To this day, Takatoku Toys’ design remains the standard by which I judge all others toys of the beloved variable fighter. Even with later releases by Yamato like their improved 1/60-scale Valkyrie design, it is not something that kids can play with- but rather a transformable collector’s figure meant to be posed and appreciated for its immaculate details rather than banged around between 6 year-olds. And so, for me to see Bandai reissue not one, but four 1/55-scale figures is like a dream-come-true. While my 1990 reissue will remain a treasured founding piece in my own collection, the Origin of Valkyrie line allows me to appreciate the quality of the design once more from a collector’s standpoint. (I tell ya- when I got [these] in the mail, it was like F-ing Christmas 1991 all over again!) While it was nice to have the super-detailed stamps and an even wilder assortment of optional decals with which to clutter up all of that carefully-poured ABS, I wish that some of the pre-packaged labels had not been there in order to preserve the less-cluttered anime look, and then allowed me to decide what went on and what didn’t. While I think having the extra labels, stamps, and decals makes it more “realistic” and will encourage collectors to customize as they see fit, I would like the option of preserving what I see from the original series. (What bothers me most is that they don’t explain where almost all of those decals go- you have to guess at about 90% of it!)

Of the four Origin of Valkyrie sets, this one, I thought, was the best at color coordination- light gray, blue, black, and sea green. While only seen on-screen for seconds at a time (at maximum no more than a minute in the entire film), it still works for me. While it would have been nice to see Max's VF-1S come out in 1/55 scale (which has the same livery as this one does), this one is equally appreciated, and hearkens (if in appearance only) back to his VF-1A from the series which was white with blue trim (which also has not been make into a 1/55 Valkyrie yet). But as a movie-exclusive, I felt this set was equally deserved of time in the sun. The decorations on the set- sensor(s) on the lower arms, warning labels on the back of the hands, blue skull-and-crossbones- also add to the movie's interpretation of it, as it did on Ichijyo's version of the VF-1A. Besides, the VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Max Jenius ver.) is just as good a Takatoku Toys 1/55-scale figure as the rest of them.

Author’s Note: I want to quickly and publicly pass on my heartfelt thanks to our own CollectionDX co-owner/CFO and fellow reviewer ShogunDan for giving me the opportunity to cover the Origin of Valkyrie line. He was unable to cover the four of them, and so he handed them all to me to review instead- to which I was both stunned and highly appreciative. ShogunDan- thank you very much!

This set is still great despite my biggest complaint being the trivial-only odd coloring of the Super FAST Pack.

Video review included!

The 1984 feature film “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?” is an alternate retelling of the events of the 1982-83 TV series, with many storylines merged or rewritten to save time and provide an alternate look at the then-budding franchise…

Hikaru Ichijyo is a Valkyrie fighter pilot aboard Earth’s massive transforming space warship Macross, which was accidentally stranded beyond the orbit of Pluto in order to avoid an invasion by massive aliens known as the Zentradi. Within the ship are the preserved remains of South Ataria City which grew up around the rebuilt super-dimensional fortress when it crashed from deep space a decade earlier. Ichijyo’s interest in pop star idol Lynn-Minmei leads him to coincidentally rescue her from certain death after he disobeys orders when the Zentradi invade the Macross, and they are lost within the bowls of the ship for several days. Meanwhile, the Zentradi- a race of giants bred solely for the purpose of galactic conquest- are completely stunned and sickened by the equally-alien culture and music of “microns” [humans], and seek to destroy them as quickly as possible to preserve their own existence, and prevent microns from being used as a weapon against them in the ultimate war-of-the-sexes against their female counterparts, the Meltrandi. Ichijyo, Minmei, and the Macross’ tactical officer Misa Hayase are captured and taken aboard the Zentradi’s flagship to be interrogated, but a Meltrandi squadron breaks into the ship. Ichijyo and Hayase escape in the confusion and are teleported to a suddenly-devastated Earth, but unfortunately Minmei is taken to the Zentradi’s leader, Golg Boddole Zer. As Misa and Hikaru roam the wastelands of Earth and develop a new relationship with each other, they come across a huge sunken city of alien design which belonged to an ancient race called the Protoculture. 20,000 years ago, the Protoculture tired of the war between Zentradi and Meltrandi, and decided to start anew on Earth, thus making them the distant ancestors of all humans. When the Macross finally returns to Earth, it is discovered that Boddole Zer’s fleet of millions of warships are waiting there to lay a trap for the Meltrandi fleet by using a Protoculture song sung by Minmei to disable them! As the two massive alien fleets tear into each other, the Macross rises from its scorched homeworld alone armed only with a song that reminds all that love is the ultimate conquer…

. . .

The VF-1 Valkyrie series is a high-mobility fighter designed and built for the United Nations Space Navy (UN Spacy) for use in both in atmosphere and in Earth-orbit. The unique capability of this craft is that it is variable – it can rapidly change from the high-speed air-superiority Fighter Mode, to a humanoid-shaped Battroid mode which can stand toe-to-toe against 12m-tall Zentradi-sized soldiers, and a third hybrid mode called a Ground-Effect Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint (GERWALK) which combines some traits, mobility, and multifunction of the other two modes. Three primary combat models are available, differing mostly in their weapons and slight changes in capabilities: the standard mass-production VF-1A, the less-numerous squadron-leader VF-1J, and the more-limited senior commander VF-1S. A two-seat trainee version- the VF-1D- also exists, as well as a limited-armament two-seat VE-1 “Elintseeker” space-only reconnaissance fighter. Valkyries are nimble in an atmosphere as well as in space, but do not have enough fuel reserves or power for their paired thermonuclear engines needed to rocket out away from the planet unassisted; however they can successfully re-enter Earth’s atmosphere unassisted.

In the continuity of the movie (frequently abbreviated as “DYRL”), the Fuel And Sensors, Tactical (FAST) optional accessory armor has already been developed by the time that the Macross arrived at the ringed planet Saturn in the opening scenes. A FAST Pack augments the already space-capable Valkyrie variable fighter with additional fuel, armor, and weapons, whilst allowing it to still shift between its three modes at will. While the Super FAST Pack is seen prominently in the latter half of the series, the movie introduces the Strike FAST Pack which has a single variation- the right booster is replaced with a double-barrel laser cannon which can flip over the shoulder of the Battroid Mode as well if need-be. While Super Packs are used by all Valkyries in the movie, the debuting Strike Valkyrie is a commander- and ace pilot-only accessory.

The Valkyrie presented here is the VF-1A model. Various trivial stats aside, the easiest way to identify this particular model is in the head- it has a small square green monoeye and one laser cannon on top of it. The VF-1A model is the standard soldier mass-production Valkyrie, and so is not linked to any one pilot. In the series, they were typically liveried in white and tan brown, but notable characters often had more identifiable colors available to them. This remains so in the movie’s setting, but the liveries are more varied, often limited to squadron-specific designs. The liveries of the Valkyries in Skull Squadron in the movie are a variation of the so-called “Roy Focker Special” seen in the series- base-white with black and yellow highlights, and have the skull-and-crossbones across both the canopy shield and twin V-tail diagonal stabilizers. However, to identify characters within the movie-Skull Squadron, specific highlight colors are used: Focker (his typical yellow), Ichijyo (red), Genius (blue), and Kakizaki (green). This specific Origin of Valkyrie VF-1A Super Valkyrie is used by Hikaru Ichijyo in the movie, and so has the base-white with black and red highlights. While initially deployed along with the rest of Skull Squadron to intercept a force of Zentradi pods, Ichijyo moves in to more-directly defend the Macross against orders. As he works his way inside, the Macross transforms to Battle Mode, and gravity control is disrupted- sending a frightened Lynn-Minmei hurling hundreds of feet downwards! Ichijyo catches her mid-air with his VF-1A, but then suddenly crashes into a large machinery room and his fighter is trashed… stranding the pop idol and her biggest fan together for days.

In 1982 when “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross” debuted in Japan, the Valkyrie mecha imagined by the series’ creator & mechanical designer Shoji Kawamori, became a near-overnight success as quickly as many of his other creations in the anime series. While there were other mass-produced transformable robots on the market from other unrelated series and movies, none of them seemed to have the appeal of the smaller and non-combining “real robot” Valkyries. Indeed, twenty-six years later, despite numerous sequels and successors throughout other “Macross”-titled series, the VF-1 Valkyrie has become and remains a legendary icon for science-fiction anime and toy/model collectors at-large both in Japan and across the world.

However, the complexity of the design at the time meant that toys and models often were designed to come apart in order to achieve the three modes of the variable fighter- a trait that continued to plagued designs for years to come. Takatoku Toys (aka TT) was one of the first to produce a fully-complete 1/55-scale Valkyrie that could transform without removing almost any components- utilizing both ABS plastic and die-cast metal to achieve strength and integrity. After the Takatoku Toys Valkyries became an equal hit, accessory sets for the Armored and the FAST Pack set were added.

When Takatoku Toys folded under in 1984, Bandai purchased the rights and molds to many of their toys, including the 1/55-scale toys.

. . .

For the 25th Anniversary of the start of the Macross franchise from 1982, Bandai commemorated the achievement with the re-release of four separate Takatoku Toys 1/55-scale Valkyries. These reissues make up the Origin of Valkyrie line released in 2008, highlighting two from the series-

VF-1S Valkyrie (Roy Focker ver.)

VF-1J Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.)

-and two seen exclusively in the 1986 feature film “Super Dimensional Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?”-

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.)

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Maximilian Jenius ver.)

-the latter-two of which, ironically, Takatoku Toys did not survive long enough to release.

For the Origin of Valkyrie release, the VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Ichijyo ver.) seen in the movie is new- having never been released before by Bandai. However, with respect to their 20th-Anniversary reissues in 2002, this Origin of Valkyrie set has a brown-tinted canopy versus Takatoku Toys’ original clear canopy. Additionally, the FAST Pack’s ABS plastic has been changed from the normal light blue to an odd sea-green.

While the original release(s) had very few painted sections and many decals to fill in details like the red stripes and the UN Spacy delta kite logo, most of those decals are now stamped on, removing the need to place any decals on it- providing an immediate anime-accurate appearance right out of the windowed box. However, Bandai has now provided a bonus decal sheet which provides a much higher level of detail if you so wish- perhaps only the four decals for the shoulders are ‘required’ to make it completely accurate, with the others resembling warning labels that you might find on a real air fighter. (Over 30 warning labels are already stamped on when you take it out of the box- some of them with text so small that you need a magnifying glass to read them!)

In the gallery for this review are some pictures of the Valkyrie as it appeared mint out of the box; all other pictures will show it with detail decals [that I] selectively applied afterwords.

Fighter Mode

In this form, the Valkyrie more-closely resembles a late 20th-Century jet fighter, like the McDonnell Douglass F/A-18 Hornet. And yet, it has variable-sweep wings and expanding jet thrust nozzles like that of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, allowing it to achieve supersonic speeds. In space, air-lifting surfaces are useless, and so it is equipped with thrusters at all of their tips.

On either side of the nosecone and rectangular air intakes are a pair of non-functional laser cannons. The cockpit is transparent, and allows a view of the pilot’s seat, though it is a simplified design. For transformation purposes involved in the Origin of Valkyrie release, the cockpit canopy can be removed. Wedged tightly between the engine intakes and the undercarriage is a small rotating turret with one additional pulsed laser cannon. As mentioned above, the main wings angle away from the chassis, but can also sweep backwards. Different [for me only, perhaps] is that the wings can also extend to a full 90° perpendicular away from the chassis. (Why this is, I don’t know, since I have never seen a Valkyrie with wings extended out all the way as opposed to always diagonally.) The V-tail diagonal stabilizers have a single large Skull Squadron logo on the outside of each. Though they move during transformation, they cannot move about in Fighter Mode. Along the engines near the exhaust nozzles are smaller flight stabilizer fins which cannot move, but do bear Ichijyo’s [movie] squadron ID number (011) which is repeated elsewhere with across the toy. The exhaust nozzles themselves have small ribbed patterns across them to indicate vent fins; the nozzles are solid rather than being hollow enough to see inside of them. Two features that are inconsistent from the series, though, are that there are no hard points under the wings with which to attach missiles (none were ever made for these toys), and the provided spring-powered gun pod cannot attach to the undercarriage.

For movable features, the Fighter Mode features the aforementioned swing-wings, the exhaust nozzles can independently open and close (again due to the transformation), and the turret beneath can turn side-to-side a little & point the cannon down/up a ways.

Of interest to me, though, is the landing gear... The Origin of Valkyrie release(s) restore the Valkyrie(s) to as close to their TT origins as possible. (While the VF-1A was indeed released by TT, this particular movie repaint makes its debut in 2008 despite being first seen in 1984!) First, while the landing gear struts are always made of die-cast metal, the ABS wheels were replaced with more die-cast. And the other is that now all three landing gear are spring-deployed, whereas in the past just the back gear was. In front of each gear is a small trigger that activates the powerful springs within. The back gear, also, now have the addition of separate ABS doors which flip open manually when the gear are extended! While not necessary for the nose gear, they do help to preserve the appearance of the legs where the retracted back gear reside.

GERWALK Mode

The basic GERWALK form retains the Fighter Mode’s nose & main chassis, but then deploys the arms and legs of the Battroid Mode. There are two infrequently-seen variations of this-

• with the arms remaining stored, but the legs are deployed, and the V-tails left open
• with the arms and legs deployed, but the V-tails are left opened (seen prominently in the movie as Ichijyo is rescuing Minmei)

-but the GERWALK is mostly seen with both the arms & legs deployed, and the V-tails retracted. While GERWALK Mode is capable of flight, it can hover across land faster than the Battroid Mode can, also allowing for more-effective close-range evasive maneuvers than Fighter Mode. All weapons from Fighter Mode are accessible here, while adding the accessibility of the arms and hands for grappling.

The two parallel engines- which run most of the length of the aircraft- fold downwards at the intakes to form a pair of reverse-knee legs & feet. The undercarriage from between the engines in Fighter Mode form the arms- the shoulders of which come to rest to either side of the air intake/hips. The V-tails have been collapsed down on top of each other, and the platform upon which they are mounted swings up-and-over to form a reverse-knee legs & feet on top of the fighter’s back-half. The laser cannon turret remains between the air intakes/hips though. With the arms deployed, the Gatling cannon pod machine cannon can be inserted into the right hand-only since the left is a solid fist.

Figure articulation enters the picture with the GERWALK Mode... The shoulders ratchet forward backwards every 30°, and ratchet outwards every 30° out to horizontal. Because of the design of the toy, the swinging transformation joints that move the shoulders from between the legs to outside of them rest at a notable outwards angle, so bringing the shoulders straight down is not possible (even though they are shown as such in both the anime series and movie). Both swiveling joints in the elbows allow both full-twisting, and 90°-upwards movement. Both the knees and hips ratchet at every 30° forward/backwards, but unfortunately, the ankles do not move about, so putting the GERWALK into more-dynamic poses is not possible; thus, the legs become limited because of balance issues. (Really, all you can do is make it stand straight because the legs & feet are not capable of balancing the toy in any other way.) The laser turret- without the undercarriage to block it- can now swivel around 360°.

Battroid Mode

The entire purpose of making a transformable fighter in the Macross universe is so that it can literally engage Zentradi soldiers at their own height since they are normally four times the size of humans! (According to the series’ lore, the GERWALK Mode was not intentionally designed into the VF-1 prototypes, and was accidentally happened-upon during the testing phases when an incomplete-transformation occurred.) The missile pods usually attached to the wings are disposed of since the wings need to be folded back for improved dexterity. But on occasion, wings with un-fired missiles can be left open, though this can potentially throw off the Battroid’s balance within a gravity field. The Gatling cannon pod can be wielded like a rifleman’s machine gun, and it retains full use of the two laser cannons along the lower turret (now acting as the head of the Battroid). While it is still capable of flight in this mode, the Battroid is mostly meant for ground-based, even melee-range combat as its engines can quickly overheat from supporting itself without air-lifting wing surfaces, despite being V-TOL-capable. (In space, this obviously becomes a non-issue.)

While the legs straighten out and can now bend in a more human way, the main top-half chassis splits down the middle crosswise, and folds in upon itself, with the wings retracting behind the new humanoid form. The cockpit is now positioned in the center of the torso- covered by an additional retracted layer of armor- and the laser cannon turret moves to form the head of the Battroid. Unlike the VF-1S, Bandai never made a modified version of TT’s VF-1A head. Despite that its proportions are still a little off, it remains the most anime-accurate of the four original TT designs. (While prototypes for the heads of the -1A and -1J were built by Bandai, they were never put into production at any time. An alternate head was made for the -1S, but only appeared in Bandai’s first reissues in the late-80s & early-90s.) The original TT version had a removable cockpit canopy which could be replaced with an identical-sized cockpit shield equivalent, which- as stated above- is recreated here. When they first reissued the 1/55-scale Valkyrie(s), however, Bandai forewent the removable canopy- opting instead for a removable accessory which fit over the screwed-in-place canopy. (Why the cockpit shield was changed, I don’t know.) The arms go through no changes in the transition between GERWALK and Battroid Modes.

. . .

One of the more baffling issues with the VF-1 design for toy and model makers was the transition that the legs make- going from behind & below the cockpit to now hanging aside it. In official series line art, a collection of hydraulic pistons swing the engines/legs down and forwards, and then a pair of clamps emerge from the nosecone to grab onto them, forming the hips. Then, before the transformation is completed, the pistons release their grip on the legs, and retract back into the chest section. The magic of TV and instantaneous-transformation animation made this a non-issue, but most toy and model designs have simply substituted this process for detaching the legs completely, providing an accessory part which clamps onto the nose, and then reattaching the legs onto the now-hip joints.

Takatoku Toys was one of the first to solve this in a practical way- its 1/55-scale toy was breakthrough in making a complete and realistically-transforming Valkyrie. A pair of silver die-cast levers extend just beyond the leading edges of the air intakes ending in a pivot point. Then, during transformation, the levers pivot on these points, and allow the legs to swing down further than they could on their own. But, unlike the “real” Valkyrie, these die-cast levers do not detach once the transformation is complete, and can still be seen to either side of the cockpit in Battroid Mode.

. . .

For accessories, a Gatling cannon gun pod is provided, which can shoot five plastic projectiles (which actually resemble the missiles used under the wings in the series). Though not appearing in the series, there is a small sensor atop the gun pod which acts as the trigger for the spring-powered projectiles.

Rather than being held within a hidden storage compartment, the VF-1s carry their 50mm Gatling cannon from the undercarriage in Fighter Mode. The toy cannot do this as there is not enough clearance provided by the landing gear to do so; also, there is no slot or clip for the gun to attach to as there is not enough room amongst the undercarriage itself. However, as in the series, the Gatling cannons can be affixed to the outside of the forearm (as they are in Fighter Mode). Since the toy cannot do this (needing to make room for the retractable hands), an accessory clip is provided, into which the handle of the cannon can be attached.

. . .

Also of interest is the point that most of the detailed labels from the original TT version were replaced with decals that had to be applied by you after you removed it from the box. (While later releases would restore most of the originals’ stamped-on labels, decals were still used.)

Fuel And Sensors, Tactical Pack

(Super-type)

This particular set includes all of the parts necessary to convert the standard Valkyrie into a Super Valkyrie. These consist of:

• Two boosters and a connecting panel (needs to be assembled)
• Two fuel pods with clips (needs to be assembled)
• Two additional paired missile launchers

While the 1/55 Valkyrie toys were not designed from the start to incorporate accessory armor components, the FAST Pack had to still work in all three modes without significant interference. This is accomplished by using small tabs and clips on the armor which merge & hook onto the original toy.

In the series, the large boosters on top of the Fighter Mode are attached directly to the retracted/folded V-tail backpack. But since the original toy had no purchase, a special accessory ABS plate slips over the backpack, and then the boosters connect to the plate. (The other pairs of armor can’t really be attached in Fighter Mode.)

In Battroid Mode, the additional missile launchers hook and snap over the top & bottom of the outside of the lower arms. This way, when the arms form the undercarriage, there is still space allowed for the legs & arms to swing about.

The spare fuel tanks/thrusters for the legs are actually made of two pieces each. The larger exterior section must be carefully hooked over the two small flight stabilizer fins, and then held in place as the back section(s) slip into holes. An extended length of ABS along the inner-side of each leg- and the small clips along the fins- prevents the completed assembly from slipping off.

. . .

The completed Super Valkyrie is able to pose and transform just as easily as if it did not have the armored sections in place. The only limiting factor may be that the backpack thrusters add a good share of weight- putting it onto carpet may risk having it fall over backwards! Same with GERWALK Mode- because of the limits in the legs, balance is also a potential problem here as well, but on a hard flat surface there is no issue.

The other is that, in Battroid Mode, to prevent the Valkyrie’s own smaller white backpack from hinging open under the new weight, the dark green panel which is slipped over it has an extended bar that rests directly against the folded-up wings. (This, alas, prevents the Super Valkyrie from being posed in Battroid Mode with the wings open. You can optionally hold the backpack in place yourself if you want the wings open, but the moment you take your hand away, the backpack boosters- and thus, the toy- will suddenly flip over backwards!) In both Fighter and GERWALK Modes, however, this is unavoidable because that bar is not resting against the wings, so don’t turn it upside-down unless you’ve got a good grip on it. Now, during transformation, it is required that the backpack still be able to open easily like this, so you just have to deal with it.

When the Super Valkyrie is in Fighter Mode, the legs intentionally curve downwards- as they do in the series- to make room for the additional fuel pods on the lower legs; whereas without the armor, they are straightened.

. . .

Unfortunately, Takatoku Toys- despite the success of their “Macross” toys- folded under before the film’s release. Bandai did, however, later release a movie-specific VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijyo ver.) set which could swap the front of the right booster with the paired movable laser cannons.

I first learned about Takatoku Toys’ 1/55-scale Valkyries when I was gifted one in 1991 for Christmas (the 1990 reissue which I covered for CDX). Whereas then I was simply thrilled that I was getting one simply because it looked cool, now I look back and see how well it has stood the test of time despite the damage it has taken over the years. To this day, Takatoku Toys’ design remains the standard by which I judge all others toys of the beloved variable fighter. Even with later releases by Yamato like their improved 1/60-scale Valkyrie design, it is not something that kids can play with- but rather a transformable collector’s figure meant to be posed and appreciated for its immaculate details rather than banged around between 6 year-olds. And so, for me to see Bandai reissue not one, but four 1/55-scale figures is like a dream-come-true. While my 1990 reissue will remain a treasured founding piece in my own collection, the Origin of Valkyrie line allows me to appreciate the quality of the design once more from a collector’s standpoint. (I tell ya- when I got [these] in the mail, it was like F-ing Christmas 1991 all over again!) While it was nice to have the super-detailed stamps and an even wilder assortment of optional decals with which to clutter up all of that carefully-poured ABS, I wish that some of the pre-packaged labels had not been there in order to preserve the less-cluttered anime look, and then allowed me to decide what went on and what didn’t. While I think having the extra labels, stamps, and decals makes it more “realistic” and will encourage collectors to customize as they see fit, I would like the option of preserving what I see from the original series. (What bothers me most is that they don’t explain where almost all of those decals go- you have to guess at about 90% of it!)

While I am covering all four Origin of Valkyrie sets for CollectionDX, it doesn’t really matter which order I wrote & posted them in, nor does it matter which order you read them in; they are not meant to be read in order, nor are they meant to all be read at once- each is written as a stand-alone. (For the record, this set is the third one that I opened.) As always, Takatoku Toys did a fine job designing the variable fighter, and later incorporating the Super FAST Pack accessory. The head is a little more out of proportion than I was expecting, but it is not a let-down. But some of the complaints that I held in check regarding these 2008 reissues must also be addressed since the pattern(s) seem to extend beyond simple quality-assurance issues which may slip through the cracks. (For example, the single laser barrel and both wing joins on this one are really loose compared to the other three sets’.) And the big issue is the alignment of the parts that make up the Fighter Mode’s main chassis/Battroid Mode’s torso. Put simply- on all four sets they seem to be loose-fitting. How do I know this? From Day One when I opened it in 1991, my original VF-1S Super Valkyrie never had a loose-fitting anything, but 16 years later- fresh from the factory- these four do. While it is a slight irritation with the VF-1S and VF-1J, it became far more pronounced when I attached the boosters to the top of this set. It’s like the chest plate and inner torso can’t fit together smoothly in Fighter Mode, and the boosters only serve to exaggerate this flaw. While the legs and undercarriage/arms should line-up with each other, the arms droop lower because the loose chassis can’t handle the weight of the boosters! With the shoulders angled diagonally in GERWALK Mode, they push in the opposite direction upwards on the chassis, and it looks like it will snap in two (though I am very confident that it is strong enough not to)! To check, I put the FAST Pack onto the two non-Super Valkyrie sets [the VF-1S and VF-1J], and they reacted the same way. I would attribute it to age of the original TT molds, or perhaps to changes which Bandai made to them when they got them. It may just be me, but… four times in a row? Nuh-uh- it’s something else. And it is clearly not isolated to just this one set- it is widespread. (Don’t understand what I mean? Watch my video review and I’ll highlight it for ya!) The other thing is the change in the color pallet, mainly in changing the very-obviously white to light gray. Why do that? Same with the [two] FAST Pack(s)- where they are always a light blue (TV series) or dark blue (movie), here they are a very unusual dark green; a color which I have never seen before on either a Super or Strike Valkyrie. And please keep in mind that I am commenting on all four Origin of Valkyrie sets, not just the one here. This VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Ichijyo ver.) is still great despite my biggest complaint being the trivial-only odd coloring of the Super FAST Pack. Highly recommended!

Author’s Note: I want to quickly and publicly pass on my heartfelt thanks to our own CollectionDX co-owner/CFO and fellow reviewer ShogunDan for giving me the opportunity to cover the Origin of Valkyrie line. He was unable to cover the four of them, and so he handed them all to me to review instead- to which I was both stunned and highly appreciative. ShogunDan- thank you very much!

"I'll sing with all my heart." Leonardo Flores reviews one of the Minmei figures from CM's Corporation's Minmei Super Series.

Minmei

If you are a Macross fan, Cm's Corporation's Macross Collection Minmei Super Series is a nice little collection of six classic Minmei figures you might want to pick up for the collection. What is so great about this set of figures is the creative poses and vignettes CM choose to recreate for this series. The figure sculpting and box art is outstanding and the figures themselves are a reasonable size considering they are gashapon.

This figured pictured here is from Macross: Do You Remember Love? (1984) and represents Minmei during the final act of the film during the "Quivering Heart" scenes of the film. The figure comes apart and a plastic stand is included to recreate Minmei floating in space ready to receive the lyrics to the song "Do You Remember Love?"

Just be careful not to lose her beret as it just sits on the head and does not snap in place, and if you are not careful you can easily lose it like I have a few times. A little white glue should do the trick and not ruin the plastic.

Some of these figures are now quite expensive in the collector market, especially the chase figure, but if you look carefully many sellers still have these in stock as I found this one for $5.00 from a dealer at Frank & Sons. A must pick up for the casual and serious Macross collector!

©2009 Article and pictures Leonardo Flores and Collection DX

VF-1S with SUPER and STRIKE Parts (Hikaru Ichijo) is the latest release from Yamato in their newer Macross line. While I am hard pressed to come up with new ways to discuss this fantastic line I do like it, a lot!

I get all of my Macross product from Angolz.com because their prices are great and their Customer Service rocks. That and they advertise with us… :)

So when I say in these reviews if you don’t like this color scheme, wait and I’m sure Yamato will do one you like I wasn’t kidding. Yamato has announced no less than 6 more paint styles due before the month of May is over and I am sure they're not done. So while I am happy it looks like my fanboy dream of building an army of Valkyries is coming true, coming up with clever things to say about the same toy with a different paint scheme is getting difficult.

This is Hikaru Ichijo’s VF-1S at it appears at the end of the film version of Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Yamato packs a ton of accessories into the box. Included with the transformable fighter are Super and Strike armor parts, 6 x RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles, 4 x 12 x AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles (clustered in 3’s), 4 x UUM-7 micro-missile pods, 1 x Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod, a pair of “anime” hands, 2 x stand clips (to attach to aftermarket stands), 1 x escape pod clip (this allows you to attach another Valkyrie nosecone to the arm of the Battleoid or Gerwalk mode), 1 x Hikaru Ichijo Pilot.

Yamato took all they learned engineering the older and larger 1/48th scale and applied it to the 1/60 scale while improving the fit and finish along the way. These newer Valkyries are not only super sharp looking with all of their painted detail but way fun to handle. You’ll be picking it up and flying it around without even realizing your doing it. They're that good.

The 1/60 2.0 Valkyrie looks perfect in all three modes. Traditionally manufacturers had to cheat or short change one mode to get the other two to look correct. Well, welcome to the 21st Century, Yamato finally mastered the design and manufacturing process in this slightly smaller yet far more manageable scale.

Not only does it look flawless it’s built tough and fun to play with. That’s right there is no need to fear transforming your Valkyrie because it was built to play with. Everything is tight (but not to much so) and straightforward to transform. The piece is tight and playable in all three modes and doesn’t disappoint.

Of course the supplied Super and Strike armor parts are included with the set I picked up. Yamato does sell the Super Strike parts separately for those on a budget but for about 20.00 more you can get it all bundled together.

Perfect transformation without parts swapping, tight fit and finish, solid and stable in all three modes. Yeah the line in general is a real winner. If you’re a Macross fan you NEED one of these in your collection. Save your pennies and get a paint scheme you like you won’t be disappointed.

I just hope Yamato has enough sense to break up releasing Valkyries and starts slipping some Zentran mecha into the mix. While getting the upcoming Ben and Max TV style schemes is high on my priority list I will hit burn out quick if they don’t mix it up.

Want your 1/60 (2.0) Valkyrie? You can get yours at Angolz.com

Yep it's just more of the same goodness from the 1/60 (2.0) Macross line from Yamato. This time around it is Hikaru Ichijo's VF-1A from the film Macross: Do You Remember Love?

This fine Yamato VF-1A is brought to us by our sponsor, Angolz.com. The only really notable difference between this release and the previous VF-1S is a slightly looser swing bar in the leg mechanism and of course the new head sculpt featuring the single antenna design. For those not in the know the letter designation after the 1 (as in VF-1A) generally tells you what the antenna array looks like. A has a single antenna, J has two and the S features 4. The first release got everything right so there wasn't much room for improvement between releases so just expect more of the same goodness as the last review.

The VF-1A is packed in the usual Yamato window box package with two inner trays stacked on top of each other. The fighter and it's accessories in one tray and the Super and Strike Armor parts in the other tray. Yamato also sells the fighters and Super/Strike armor in separate packages for those that want a slighter cheaper experience. Personally I would rather get the set together and have it all at the same time.

Included inside the box :

• Valkyrie variable fighter
• 4 Missile Banks
• 4 Missile Boxes
• 6 Heavy Missile Clusters
• Gun Pod
• Pilot Hikaru Ichijo
• 2 clips for the Yamato after-market stand
• 1 arm clip to attach fuselage of fighter as an escape pod
• Super and Strike parts
• Manual for Fighter, Manual for attaching Super/Strike armor
• Sticker sheets for Fighter and Super/Strike armor parts

Fighter mode looks excellent and over comes the usual shortcomings of previous designs by eliminating the gap between the leg and the chest without ending up with skinny legs in the other modes. Keeping an excellent and well balanced look in all three modes. One mode doesn't look better than others, they all seem to have been given equal treatment and attention.

As you can see from the pictures in the review paint detail is excellent and features tons of tampo printed detail. I think most collectors will not find a need to use most of the stickers on the sticker sheet.

Gerwalk mode is the VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) mode of the fighter and this iteration again just looks stunning. The feet and knees are given the ability to hyper extend so that you can get them flipped forward to simulate the animated look of this mode. Personally I think this version of the toy has capture Gerwalk mode better than previous releases. Using the after-market stand by Yamato allows you to get some truly dynamic poses.

The most famous of it's alternate modes is Battroid mode and again the 1/60 (2.0) version really nails it. While remaining a solid toy it captures the look of the series/movie nicely but it doesn't stop at looks, the figure has a full range of motion in the thighs and knees and the arms feature a double joint so that you can get the arms in close to the body for some (again) dynamic poses.

Included with the set is an extra set of pre-formed hands. The right hand is shaped to hold the gun pod handle but also looks like it's pointing when not holding the gun. The left hand is shaped to hold the barrel of the gun pod but also looks like the classic animated hand spread open pose.

The articulated hands that fold in to the fighter do not suffer from “chicken hand syndrome” like previous releases and look nice and beefy. The right hand also has a peg in it to clip into the gun pod handle so the gun pod stays in the hand nice and tight. So you may not feel the need to use the fixed posed hands as the articulated ones work and look very well but it is nice that Yamato included the extra set.

This set does include the Super and Strike armor parts. In the film Macross: Do You Remember Love Hikaru's VF-1A is only seen with Super Armor but Yamato was nice enough to include the Strike cannon in the set.

Armor is simple to attach and all stays of the VF-1A nice and tight. Yamato improved the design of the backpack attachment by adding clips that attach to the back of the fighter instead of just attaching to the backpack. On the 1/48 version the backpack had a tendency to break during transformation so that is no longer a fear when handling the new 1/60 version. Be sure to check the video at the end as I highlight the Super and Strike armor this time around...

Transformation is very intuitive and straight forward but there are a couple of “Yamato engineered” points to be aware of. Check the video below if you want to see the full transformation. Unlike previous releases there is no parts swapping and retains the advances of the 1/48th scale by keeping the swing bar mechanism to get the legs where they need to be in Battroid mode. Get to clicking below if you want to see more...

All around I do believe this release is superior in every way to previous releases by Yamato. While the 1/48th scale had some fantastic detail, it's large scale made it a bit too unwieldy to transform on a regular basis. I also felt the 1/48th in comparison to the newer 1/60 looked a bit long in the nose. The 1/60 scale has not sacrificed the aesthetic of one mode over the over. Simply put the new 1/60 is tight and fun to handle and looks wicked on the shelf. Buy one with no hesitation and have fun playing with it. Seriously Yamato has made a fine toy this time around, you can get yours at Angolz.com

This has been out for about a month now, and while I did get it right away I wanted to make sure to spend some quality time with it before giving you (our readers) the full review. In short, believe the hype. This may very well be the finest “toy” Yamato has made to date. Yes I said toy.

Personally I was first introduced to the world of Japanese toy collecting thru the American syndicated show, Robotech. Having grown up in Hawaii with a heavy Asian population I very quickly learned about Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada and that there where toys from the line better than most of the Matchbox line that was out. It was the 1/55 Takatoku/Bandai releases of the Valkyries that got me into the Japanese toy collecting culture before there was such a thing known in the States. It's all been downhill ever since...

So let's start at the top. What is a Valkyrie (aka variable Fighter?) From Wikipedia:

“A Variable Fighter is one of a series of fictional transforming aerospace fighters primarily designed by Studio Nue's Shoji Kawamori and Kazutake Miyatake for the animated series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and later related projects.”

“Their most notable feature is the ability to transform—usually into a humanoid giant robot called Battroid and an in-between mode called GERWALK (Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint), in which the nose and wings have a pair of "chicken walker" legs extending underneath enabling VTOL, and two arms reaching forward from the sides. Another prevalent (but not universal) design point is the use of a detachable gun pod instead of an internally mounted gun. This allows it to be used as a hand-held weapon in GERWALK and battroid modes. They usually also have one or more trainable head-mounted lasers in battroid mode, stowed internally or used as fixed armament in fighter and GERWALK modes.”

“In the original series, the reason behind the development of the variable fighters' Battroid mode was the discovery of the existence of the Zentradi race, giant humanoid aliens genetically engineered for military conquest. Although at the time the humans hadn't met any actual Zentradi, the discovery of the SDF-1 Macross and its accommodations for humanoid giants justified the development of a weapon that could enable mankind to fight the aliens on their own environment (Battroid mode), on the ground (Gerwalk mode), and the air (Fighter mode). Thus, research into Overtechnology culminated in the development of the variable fighters for the U.N. Spacy.”

This is obviously not the first toy of the well loved mecha from Japan and what follows is not by any means a complete history of its different incarnations as a toy. Consider it more of a greatest hits.

The first licensor was Takatoku, who produced the original 1/55 Valkyrie toys, which revolutionized the industry with their “Perfect Transformation” system. Later, Bandai would get the molds and begin to produce new toys of the series. Most “old school” collectors consider this to be the pinnacle of toy engineering from the 80's and lovingly referring to it as “The Chunky Monkey”. While it was a bit chunky and did not have an “anime accurate” look too it, it was a very well made and rugged toy with lots of die-cast content and for many years it represented the best Valkyrie on the market.

Then around 2001 Yamato of Japan got the license to Macross Plus and Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and quickly came out with transformable 1/72 scale Macross Plus mecha and then the (first generation) 1/60 scale Valkries began to appear and many fans where happy. Many, but not all, as this release was not a “perfect transformation” but featured part swapping to keep an anime accurate look in all three modes and the die cast legs tended to ding and scratch very easily.

So fast forward a few more years later and Yamato decides to reboot the Valkyrie line in the 1/48th scale, this time promising a “perfect transformation.” most considered it an engineering marvel and I myself gave it a good review. It's larger size and complex engineering made for a very unwieldy transformation that just wasn't much fun. Not a problem for those collectors that just want their stuff to look pretty on the shelf but disappointing those that wanted a “toy” that was solid feeling and fun to transform.

The box is smaller than the newer 1/60 Macross releases from Macross Zero and Macross Plus measuring at 13x11x7 inches all around with very nice 4 color art and photos are all over the box. They continue the tradition of the window box with flap/cover and the toy being displayed in fighter mode with the strike/super armored parts in a vacuum-formed tray behind the fighter.

Inside the box is a manual for the transformation of the toy and a separate manual for placing the strike/super armor pieces on the Valkyrie. Both are printed in Japanese but the photos are very clear and steps are easily understood if you pay close attention to them (more on this a bit further into the review.)

Also packed in the box is a sticker sheet for both the fighter and a separate one for the strike/super armor parts. I won't be using the stickers for this piece as it has every “memorial” detail (Macross kite logo, skull squadron logo, U. N. Spacy markings, Etc.) already tampo printed on.

The full breakdown on accessories is:

• set of “anime” hands
• 4 missile clusters (black)
• 4 missile clusters (white)
• 4 heavy missile clusters
• Super/Strike armor pieces
• 3 stand attachments
• 1 pilot

Taking it out of its package for the first time is a very, very pleasant experience. The first thing you will notice is the fighter alone feels very light and the second thing you notice is nothing is loose, nothing dangles or flops around and everything is tight and secure. You can do barrel rolls and zoom around with it and it all stays put. First impression ... feels like a toy. A real, honest to goodness toy.

The tampo printed detail is super clean and neat, seriously the paint application is flawless. No sign of over/under spray anywhere and printed/painted detail is generous. Every major and memorable marking you would remember from the Movie or TV series is already printed on the piece right down to details on the cockpit instruments.

Color just pops on this VF-1S. The yellow is rich and bright, the black is pitch as night and the white is the right shade- not to bright, not to dull. Just right. The cockpit window has a coating applied to it to give it reflective look that many did not like when pictures first showed up on-line of it but I think looks very nice actually as it creates a prism effect like real glass would. It is nice that Yamato has gotten their manufacturing process to the point that stickers are not necessary to get all the detail of the show/movie.

The fit and finish are just plain awesome on this release. Word on the street is, Yamato has someone new in the position of Quality Control and with this release it appears he is having a real impact on their design and manufacturing process. Like my initial impressions, continual handling and transformation do not appear to loosen anything. Everything is tight; wings, missiles, landing gear hatches all sit where there supposed too.

Fighter mode measures 9 1/2 inches long from tip to tail and looks great no matter what angle you look at it from with all of it's proportions looking fantastic. Nothing is too big and nothing is too small.

Gerwalk mode is very good as well. As a matter of fact I think this is the best Valkyrie to do the mode any real justice. The proportions again are perfect and with the stand you can really get some wicked poses with this thing.

And in it's most famous alternate mode, Battroid mode - it looks absolutely fantastic. If I were to nitpick I'd say the gap on the sides is a bit unsightly but it is just that, a nitpick. The overall look and feel is great and proportions are excellent. Not to mention how solid it feels when you handle it in this mode. I keep bringing it up but it is indeed a very solid “toy”.

Transforming the fighter is no less impressive. While it is true that Yamato has basically taken all that they have learned about engineering over the past 6 plus years and tweaked to perfection everything along the way. While it has some complex engineering to it, it is fun to transform and I am happy to say it's seen a lot of “off-the-shelf-action.”

Directions are in Japanese but the photos are very clear as to what is going on. If you have any familiarity with previous releases of the Valkyrie fighter much is intuitive and the same as previous releases. Something to note however, be sure to slide the chest panel bracket toward the front of the fuselage BEFORE you get it into Battroid mode, otherwise you may end up with a broken Heatshield. Luckily Ken from Angolz was able to get me a replacement one thru the Yamato Hong Kong offices. Both Yamato and Angolz went above and beyond to get me this piece and it is very much appreciated.

Final verdict is ... Love it! Love it! Love it! Seriously, you want one of these. Yamato has finally knocked it out of the park (so to speak) this time around and not only made an excellent reproduction of a revered Japanese mecha but have succeeded in making a fantastic toy. In my opinion this may very well be Toy Of The Year. Not a fan of this paint scheme just hang a bit, I am sure Yamato will pump out one of every color at some point just grab the style you like best but know it's very good and worth your hard earned money.

Should you want your very own 1/60 2.0 VF-1S with Super and Strike Parts head over to Angolz.com
and grab one today. Seriously, you WANT one of these. I think Yamato has a real winner with this new line. Video is included of course.

If you haven’t broken down and tried a Revoltech figure yet you are officially not a cool kid. I just got my hands on the Hikaru VF-1A Super Valkyrie and to be honest, it’s pretty sweet.

I’ll cut to the chase; I think Revoltech’s lines of super poseable figures are a no-brainer for fans of Japanese robots. If you haven’t tried one; you owe it to your self to do just that. This fine VF-1A Super Valkyrie came courtesy of HobbyLink Japan.

Revoltech started doing Macross Valkyrie figures a few months back, but this is my first chance to get some quality hands on time with one. This is Hikaru’s (Rick Hunter for Robotech fans) VF-1A from the film version of Macross: Do You Remember Love decked out like he appears at the beginning of the film with Super Armor.

Despite their diminutive size these guys are hands down the most poseable Valkyrie to ever be made….Period. The unique Revoltech joints combined with the excellent stand allow you to pose the Battroid in action poses NEVER before possible.

Now if Kaiyodo will just do some Zentrand and Meltrand mecha you could really get some cool action scenes going! Are you reading this Kaiyodo? There’s a REAL opportunity there to cash in on mecha that has not been beat into the ground…PRETTY PLEASE? While there at it I’d like to see them tackle some Character figures as well.

The sculpt detail is fantastic. They went with capturing the “anime” feel of the Battroid (robot mode) instead of going with “line-art accurate” which works very well for this scale. Paint detail is sharp with very little over spray.

Speaking of scale these guys are smaller, standing at about 5 inches tall. Which works considering once you buy one Revoltech you have a hard time stopping and they fill the shelves quick. I mean for around $20 bucks you get some great robot goodness, it’s hard to say no.

The figure features 40 points of articulation (yes I said 40), 7 Swappable Hands, a Gunpod, 4 Missile Pods, a full set of Super Armor and a Stand with two arms to hold the Valkyrie in mid flight. The missile pods and armor are of course removable.

I have only one complaint, the antenna on the head doesn’t rotate forward and back. It is sculpted to always be forward. As soon as I was done shooting video and taking pictures for this review I bumped it the wrong way and the antenna broke. A little crazy glue and its all better but this would have been avoided if they had made it an actual piece that rotated forward and back.

To show off what a quality product these guys are I have included a video review as well. Click the video to hear the nice, tight, clicky sound of the Revoltech joints...

This is a fantastic value for the price and if you’re the slightest bit a Macross/Robotech fan you need to get one for yourself. You can get yours at HobbyLink Japan.

Yamato has been known to make some very fine, anime accurate collectibles over the last few years and in that time I have wanted a 1/48th scale Valkyrie from Macross. Can you believe the hype or is it overrated? Read on to find out. VIDEO included.

Yamato has been known to make some very fine, anime accurate collectibles over the last few years and in that time I have wanted a 1/48th scale Valkyrie from Macross. Thanks to a trade with Sanjeev I finally got my hands on one. Can you believe the hype or is it overrated? Read on to find out.

So the 1/48th scale Valkyries have been out for a few years and finally broke down and got my hands on one this summer.

This is the Max Genius (or Max Sterling for you Robotech fans) Macross: Do You Remember Love version of the VF-1A.

At 1/48th scale this guy is big. In Fighter mode from tip to tail it measures just over 12 inches long, in Battroid mode it stands just over 10 inches tall. The figure comes with some nice accessories. There is no denying its impressive scale on the self.

Included in the package are:

• 1 Removable seated pilot (this one is painted like Max of course)
• 1 Gunpod
• 4 Larger Missle pods
• 4 Smaller scale missle pods
• 2 Vent covers
• 1 Sticker sheet

The Valkyrie fully transforms between all three modes, Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid and looks great in all those modes. This toy doesn’t favor one mode over the other as far as proportions go. It looks great no matter which mode you choose to display it in.

The toy is almost all plastic, with the exceptions of the landing gear doors under the nose, shoulder joints, swing bar underneath for the legs. Those are all die cast.

But it is the transformation that ends up being the downside to this toy. You see being as accurate to the show and design as it is makes for a fairly complex transformation and when you’re about midway thru from Gerwalk to Battroid it becomes quite a floppy mess. If you are not careful you could easily break things off if you’re not aware of the whole toy the entire time you are transforming it. This has been the downside to having it, as much as I like it, I rarely feel the urge to pick it up and transform it, not like my old classic Bandai Valkyrie.

I have two other complaints for this toy. First the stickers are pretty shabby. Any sticker that goes over a curved piece on the toy has already started to roll off. Any sticker on a flat surface has stayed put. To be honest Yamato has addressed this issue with some of it’s newer Macross Zero Valkyries by printing most of the major details right on the toy. Second, my Valkyrie has loose knees in Battloid mode, it still poses fine but there is about half an inch of slack there. This doesn’t appear to be a common complaint for most and seems I just got the luck of the draw.

At $125 to $150 I shouldn’t be afraid to transform it and for that price I shouldn’t run the risk of getting a bum one (Loose knee joints). So this is a mixed bag to recommend to our readers.

If you are a HUGE Macross/Robotech fan I do feel you owe it to yourself to get at least one, it looks great on the shelf and really is the nicest “looking” Valkyrie made to date, it just fails the “toy” aspect in my opinion. If you want your stuff to be highly playable and “sturdy” this is a pass for anyone that is not enamored by the transforming jet.

If any of our readers know how to “fix” the loose knees (I can’t find how to un-attach the lower part of the lower leg. I can get the top screw out at the knee that is it.) Please feel free to drop a comment here or send me an email.

And for those that really want to go deep diving on the transformation on the toy be sure to check the videos below. These are only for the highly nerdy… you have been warned.

You knew it would happen. Once Kaiyodo released a Revoltech Valkyrie, there would be another and another.

It has begun… But at least they are cool toys!

You knew it would happen. Once Kaiyodo released a Revoltech Valkyrie, there would be another and another. It has begun… At least they are cool toys!

I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t own any incarnation of the Strike Valkyrie until now. From HobbyLink Japan comes the 36th release from the regular Revoltech line, the VF-1S Strike Valkyrie.

The Strike Valkyrie is a variable fighter, capable of changing into three modes – Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid. The Revoltech toy is in Battroid mode, and CANNOT transform.

This Valkyrie comes from the landmark movie “Macross: Do You Remember love?”, a movie set inside the fictional Macross universe. It’s piloted by ace pilot Roy Focker.

The toy features 37 points of articulation including 11 Revoltech joints. The toy uses a lot of swivel joints but they don’t detract from the coolness of the toy.

The main draw of the Strike Valk is of course the Strike Armor. The armor can be attached to the legs, arm and back. The cannon booster on the back has a Revoltech joint inside of it to allow you to position it over the shoulder. In addition, there are four wing missile pods that can be attached.

The Revoltech VF-1S also comes with your standard Revoltech Stand, enabling it to pull off some terrific poses.

The sculpt is excellent as always, but I found some of the paint work to be sloppy. I guess you can’t expect perfection on a $20 mass produced toy.

Kaiyodo made a good choice with releasing the VF-1S rather than re-cycle the previous design over and over, but I have to wonder how far they are going to go with this.

Roy Focker’s VF-1S Strike Valkyrie is available now at HobbyLink Japan.

Roy Focker’s VF-1S Strike Valkyrie is available now at HobbyLink Japan