The Fold Booster & Fast Pack set completes the Yamato 1/60 YF-19

HD Video review included!

If you get the YF-19 Valkyrie, you kind of need to get the Fold Booster & Fast Pack, it just seems incomplete without it. Yamato sold the fold and fast set as a stand alone set (as reviewed here) or they also sold a combined set.

The set, which runs about $50, includes the fast packs, cockpit parts, an additional pilot, and of course the fold booster, with stand.

So lets start with the Fast packs. FAST is actually an acronym for Fuel and Sensor Tactical. These are add-on armor packs that can enhance the Valkyrie's range or firepower.

The YF-19 FAST packs consist of shoulder and leg armor. The shoulder armor (while small) act as supplemental fuel tanks. In fighter mode, the tanks are grey aerodynamic blocks behind the center section. The parts feature a flip out connector that connects to the back of the shoulder blocks, while a flip down spacer moves the legs lower.

The leg packs are supposed to feature extra banks of micro missiles but don't open. You just have to assume they do. Each large FAST pack adheres to the side of the fighter with MAGNETS! The magnets, while not super strong, are strong enough to stay attached.

Fighter mode with the YF-19 is already a tricky thing to manage, and with the addition of the FAST packs it just gets worse. You click one thing in and another pops out and after a few minutes of this you are ready to throw it against the wall. If you are anything like me, you will just lose your mind.

Fortunately, in Battroid and Gerwalk mode, the FAST packs stay on just fine, so its likely that this is the mode you will want to display the toy in.

The next addition is with the cockpit. Included in the set is an additional seat and co pilot, one scientist by the name of Yang Neumann. You must remove the existing cockpit and kibble around it to replace this seat.

While all these things are well and good, the real reason you want this set is the Fold Booster. The booster enables the YF-19 to do a space "fold" to cover long distances in a short amount of time.

The fold booster consists of the booster itself, 2 connector parts, and a base (for storage when not in use).

The beauty of the fold booster is that it lights up. Yep - electronics. 3 LR44 watch batteries (not included) are needed to power the lightshow. Once installed, turn on the switch and the lights pulse and dance in patterns replicating its fold journey. It's really quite stunning.

The Fold booster attaches to the YF-19 by its two connector parts which snap in the body and around the shield. The fold booster is unusable in the other modes, hence the stand. It is worth noting that the YF-21 comes with parts so it too can use the same fold booster.

Could this set have been done better? Sure. But the cool light up fast pack, the extra pilot, and even the packs themselves (when in Battroid mode) are worth the money. If you haven't gotten a YF-19, go for the combo pack, as I hear the Valkyrie has had small improvements. Otherwise, this pack is neat.

Yamato has taken another stab at this iconic Valkyrie, this time in a larger, 1/60 scale.

The YF-19 should need no introduction at this point. Hell, we’ve done 4 other reviews of this mecha, and the background of it is pretty much well covered at this point.

I’ve been clamoring for a nicely done version of this since the release of the first Yamato YF-19 in 2000. That one was a noble effort, but the company was very much in its infancy at that time.

Here we are NINE YEARS LATER, and Yamato has taken another stab at this iconic Valkyrie, this time in a larger, 1/60 scale.

I have to apologize up front, I can’t show you the box for this. I had left it out in our living room and my son tore it up. So – no box for you. But if you have handled one box you have handled them all. Window box, cover flap, plastic tray etc.

The YF-19 comes packed with surprisingly few extra parts. In the package, aside from the ship itself, is the pilot, gun, two optional stand parts, and two extra fins. An instruction sheet and sticker sheet are also included. Not included with this set is a display stand, and optional fold booster and fast packs, which are sold separately.

Since the YF-19 comes packaged in fighter mode, we’ll start there.

In fighter mode the YF-19 measures in at about a foot long, which is impressive. The toy feels solid and has weight despite the lack of diecast.

The cockpit can open (in two sections) but you have to push down the black part in front to make room for the front window. This is not ideal, but it works. The small pilot figure of Isamu Dyson can fit in, but it’s a tight squeeze. The figure is quite rubbery so you should have no problems fitting it in.

Behind the cockpit are two fins that are hinged for the transformation process. These can bump out of place easily, so pay attention. There is a second set of fins included, so perhaps these are prone to breaking.

Further back, on either side are the engine intakes. In-package, the YF-19 has the intake covers on, so be sure to remove them for jet mode (I didn’t – unleash the hate mail!)

The only visible metal on the YF-19 is the landing gear. The front gear is located behind the cockpit and has the small metal flap in front (I think its for towing the jet) and rubber tires. Opening the three panels to extend the gear is a breeze. Not so for the rear gear. You need some kind of sharp object to pry open the doors, and then something to pry out the gear. The landing gear does not come out as far as it looks as it should, but the ship stays up so it must just be made that way.

To display the YF-19 with the Yamato Valkyrie Display Stand, you just clip on one of the attachments to the center fuselage part and attach it to the stand.

Transformation from Fighter to Gerwalk is very similar to the classic version, but I will let you watch the video to see how that is done.

It's worth mentioning that the first time I transformed this, I had held it by the chest area, and the whole rest of it detached and came crashing to the ground. The connection points where the chest meets the fuselage are just not strong enough to support the weight. Just make sure you keep a hand underneath the toy during transformation, and you should be all set. Its a sucky lesson to learn.

The YF-19 has a surprisingly nice gerwalk mode, with the additions of swivel joints just above the knees. It looks good, but I am let down by the fact that the chest assembly just rests above the body. There's nothing that it can clip into.

The YF-19 can also be displayed on the stand in Gerwalk mode.

Once again, refer to the video for transformation to Battroid mode.

Once fully transformed, the YF-19 is very impressive. Standing at about 13 inches tall, its the biggest valkyrie I own.

Articulation in this mode is equally impressive. The hips have a fantastic range of movement, and the legs have so much articulation that you can pull off a kneeling pose. What other valkyrie can do that?

One nice feature is the removable head armor, revealing the inner mechanism to the machine.

There are a few problems in battroid mode though - The shoulder pads are a bit loose and look ill-fitting, and the main one there is the way the nosecone is supposed to lock into place.

See, underneath the nosecone there is a panel with a tab that looks like it is supposed to lock in to a hole, but there's not enough of a peg on the tab for it to do so. This results in none of the top section really locking together.

And then there are the hands. As you can see in the video, I broke one of the hands during the transformation process. They just don't fit well into the forearms, and taking them out is an exercise in frustration. I popped the outer cover off on mine but was able to superglue it back on. Each hand has spindly little fingers that look odd on this model. Each has pegs in the hands to hold the gun, but due to the nature of the weapon it just doesn't sit straight. The hand doesn't grasp the handle tight enough, and the pegs really don't do much.

Lets see, what else can I complain about. Oh yeah, the hips don't swing out at all, nor is there any kind of waist joint.

Yamato has announced repaints of this valkyrie due out in 2009, lets hope they addressed the few QC issues in these releases.

I also have the armor and fold booster set, I'll tackle that in a future review.

Yamato knocks one out of the park with the under-loved third wheel of the Macross Plus trinity!

The 1/60 VF-11B with FAST Packs is available from HobbyLink Japan.

Macross Plus debuted in 1994, and brought the Macross franchise into the modern vernacular, with stellar CGI, gorgeous animation, sleek designs, a killer soundtrack, and what is still one of the most popular Macross stories. The main-character mecha of Macross Plus were the experimental prototypes YF-19 Excalibur and YF-21, competing for the role of UN Spacy’s next standard-production variable fighter, to replace the aging VF-11B Thunderbolt, some thirty years after the first VF-1 Valkyries were put into service. The VF-11B is a ‘grunt’ variable fighter, designed to fulfill a variety of roles without excelling at any one.

The 1/72 VF-11B was among Yamato’s first Macross toys, when Yamato first started to produce perfect-variable Macross toys way back in 2001, with the infamous easily-broken hip-bar and vacuformed heat-shield that had to be held in place with double-sided tape. The FAST Pack release fixed the hip-bar, and added tabs to the heat-shield which could be tucked under the canopy instead of using tape.

Thankfully, Yamato has come a long way since 2001 in toy making, especially in regards to their Macross perfect-variable fighter releases. The 1/60 VF-11B with FAST Packs is the latest release from Yamato, completing the holy trinity of Macross Plus valks in Yamato’s new standard 1/60 scale. The new Thunderbolt toy is a marvel of modern engineering, with Yamato getting pretty much everything right, proving that when they bang their heads together hard enough, Yamato can pump out a really fine toy.

Starting with the packaging, the actual box is thankfully much smaller than that of the other 1/60 Macross Plus releases. I’ve read that it is closer in size to the box of the new 1/60 VF-1 version 2, but I do not own one of those yet to confirm… the box is shy of a foot square, and around 4 inches deep. The box features Yamato’s now signature crazy photo-shopped toy images, with a front box flap revealing detail shots of all three modes and a clear window allowing the actual toy in fighter mode to be seen in its clear vacuformed tray, with the various accessories arranged around the toy.

Comparing to the 1/60 YF-19, and other large 1/60 releases, the box feels to be a bit higher in quality, with a slightly heavier grade cardboard and tighter fit than on previous Yamato boxes.
When we remove the toy from the box, the complete contents are:

- 1x VF-11B Thunderbolt, in fighter mode including removable anti-projectile shield, removable intake covers, and removable Marty & Beck Mk11 Ejection Seat
- 2x Super Part dorsal missile launcher-equipped boosters
- 2x Leg-mount FAST Packs
- 1x 30 mm Gunpod with retractable anti-armor bayonet and removable ammunition clip
- 1x Gummy pilot figure
- 2x Yamato-stand attachment parts (One for fighter/GERWALK mode, and the other for Battroid mode
- Instruction Manual, Sticker sheet, special notice sheet

The first important thing to do once the toy is removed from the box is to scope out the special notice, showing that there are two pieces of soft packaging foam underneath the removable canopy ejection seat that need to be removed. There was a great debate upon the toy’s release due to some owners not looking at this notice or being able to read Japanese, and assuming the foam was in place to make up for an engineering shortcoming in the mounting of the removable cockpit. This turned out to not be the case, and the foam is simply present to prevent any potential damage to the cockpit area during transit… a nice inclusion on Yamato’s part, showcasing their emphasis on providing a high-end well-engineered toy experience.

The sticker sheet looks crisper than on some of Yamato’s previous releases, and the film looks thinner than on that of the 1/48 VF-1 line, but I still did not apply any stickers, as eventually I plan on printing a decal sheet for each of my valks and panel-lining and weathering them a bit. The instruction manual is in Yamato’s standard well-photographed black and white, with a line-drawing in the front for sticker application, and an impressive number of pages walking the buyer through transformation from fighter mode to GERWALK mode, and then on to Battroid mode, with a section at the end for the special features of the toy.

Now that the toy is freed from its cardboard and plastic prison and devoid of any packing foam (I used a tweezers to get the two pieces of foam out), we can get to know it. The gunpod mounts in between the arms under the ventral end of the fuselage, and fits solidly. The intake covers can be removed for fighter mode, and both lock in solidly and still come off easily enough using a fingernail. The fighter mode overall has a fantastic tight finish, and can be barrel-rolled and zoomed around no problem. Looking at the underside of the fighter, there is a small slider under the cockpit on the nose of the plane. This slider moves an angled piece of plastic inside the front of the plane, which supports the removable cockpit in fighter mode, as the cockpit can then retract or depress into the nose of the plane for Battroid mode. Fighter mode features die-cast retractable landing gear, which brings us to one of my only two real complaints on this toy: the landing gear are near impossible to deploy without some kind of tool, and I have already both broken a fingernail and scratched the paint on one of the gear struts trying to get them out. I ended up using a piece of silverware to get the landing gear out for this review, and do not plan on deploying them again. The fit of the gear doors is very good, especially considering the awkward shape of the gear doors on the VF-11; the tires are rubber, and the wheels roll, and to accommodate the small profile of the landing gear bays on the legs, and leg gear rotates on the strut.

Now is as good of a time as any to discuss the FAST Packs and Super Part boosters, as I’ll be taking them on and off for the remainder of the review to showcase all three modes. The dorsal boosters mount via clips that fit into the intake and exhaust detail on the top of the fighter, much like they do on the old 1/72 Yamato toy, but the leg FAST Packs are now mounted via magnets, a trend started with the 1/60 VF-0 line. On the VF-0s, the magnet fit was not always perfect, and the FAST Packs could be knocked off easily, but on the VF-11B, the fit is spot on, and the leg armor is not going to be accidentally knocked off ever when mounted on the legs. It is worth noting that the VF-11B’s tail fins retract when mounting the FAST Packs, but on this toy, they can be left deployed if so desired.

Transformation to GERWALK mode is straightforward, and gives us our first look over the single biggest improvement over the old 1/72 toy: the shoulders. The old toy had these big ugly hinges on the wing-roots and this terrible sliding pin design to get the shoulders from retracted in fighter mode to deployed in GERWALK and Battroid mode. The new toy adds in a few extra parts and steps to prevent any unsightliness in the design. The tips of the wing roots have a hinge to allow the shoulders to move past without having to make the wing roots slide out of the way, and the shoulders feature a two-point hinge with an oddly shaped bar that allows the shoulders to get where they need to be and still be articulated and attractive. Discussing the shoulders brings us to my second minor issue on the toy.

The armor flap that covers the shoulder bar is held on by a plastic pin-hinge, and they pop off easily if you hit them wrong during transformation, which seems to happen to me most of the time. These parts should really have had metal pins going all the way through them to hold them on, as it would suck if one of them got lost when it pinged off. I will probably drill these out and add my own metal pin, as I am fairly ham-handed and seem to knock them off most of the time, but they do fit right back on without any fuss. GERWALK mode also features a couple of folding and sliding panels that fill in some of the gaps that would otherwise be present. A large panel slides out of the front of the wing struts to cover the gap between the front of the fuselage and the wing struts, and two small panels fold out around the head to cover some of the gaps in the back of the fuselage. The fit of these parts is perfect, and they really add that bit of extra detail to the toy.

GERWALK mode is fantastically poseable, featuring the extendable knees of all the recent Yamato releases and very well articulated ankles. The articulated hands are a drastic improvement over the first chicken-hands of the 1/48 VF-1, eliminating the separately articulated pinkie, allowing for a rock solid grip on the gunpod and much less ugliness. New Macross fans joining us after the debut of Macross Frontier will be happy to note that the VF-11B can achieve the ‘nose in the dirt’ GERWALK pose seen so often in that anime, something noticeably lacking in Bandai’s recent DX Chogokin VF-25 toy’s GERWALK mode.

Transformation to Battroid mode is where some of the engineering magic of this toy really comes to light, especially in the design of the heat-shield, something that was basically considered anime-magic impossible until now. When transforming to Battroid mode, the cockpit is depressed, and the bottom panel of the heat-shield is exposed. The bottom piece must be pulled up into position, and must be pulled until it is felt to firmly click, and then it is rock solid. When the front half of the forward fuselage is bent down, the larger top section of the heat-shield is exposed, and the engineering Yamato is capable of is really visible. The heat-shield is mounted on a multiply hinged bar, allowing it to retract most of the way into the rear portion of the neck of the fighter while still being able to slide forward into position where the canopy of the fighter previously was, including a panel that folds into position to cover the gap in the top of the neck needed for all this sliding magic.

The rest of the Battroid folds neatly into position without any trouble spots, and locks in solidly thanks to some clever catches on the back of the torso. Two sensor units slide out from the top of the fuselage to sit next to the shoulder hinge bars.

Articulation in Battroid mode is among the best Yamato has ever produced, if not the best. All of the joints are rock solid, something Yamato has had trouble with in the past, and nothing feels even remotely breakable. The hip-bar is die-cast, and extends to allow extra clearance and articulation instead of having the socket mount for the hips extend out from the hip itself, as on the 1/60 YF-19 (my single biggest complaint on that toy, as it is prone to falling out). The elbows feature just under 90 degree bending, a minor failing of the toy after the double-jointed elbows of the 1/60 VF-1 v.2. The forearms have a bit of rotation to them, allowing some great poses with the shield blocking shots.

In Battroid mode, the gunpod’s foldout bayonet can be used to great effect, and the Battroid can also be posed reloading the gunpod with the removable clip panel on the top of the gun. The one thing missing from the gunpod that the old 1/72 toy had is an extendable stock, but that’s really minor. The knee armor is movable like on the 1/48 VF-1 line, and the shoulder design makes for some phenomenal articulation there. Even with the Super Parts mounted, the toy has fantastic balance, and is really fun to play with.

I am really pleased with this toy, as Yamato has proven that they can indeed deliver on their promises of durable well-engineered toys. The VF-11B hits on all the right parts, and is definitely among the best toys Yamato has produced. Yamato made sure to use all the right materials in all the right places, with phenomenal use of die-cast in all the high-stress places. My only two complaints are the hard to use landing gear and easily dislodged shoulder armor parts, but those are minor in comparison to the kinds of problems some Yamato releases have suffered from. The toy is not cheap, but really, if this higher price means the toy will be flawlessly engineered instead of almost good, I’ll take it.

I’ve seen some complaints about the lack of tampo-printed markings, but really, I’d still rather the toy was well made than be festooned with markings. The toy has an immaculately clean and crisp paint job, with no over-sprays at all. I’d recommend the VF-11B to any and all Macross fans, even if they’ve been burned by Yamato in the past. It’s really that good.

At least it isn't tan.

The YF-19 from Macross Plus is a interesting design. Co-starring in the 1994 OVA and Movie Macross Plus, it shares an obvious design lineage with the X-29 experimental airplane and I feel it represented a new successful experiment in Macross Valkyrie design. The manner in which the whole fuselage claps down on itself was an innovative twist that would be repeated in future designs like the VF-25. Curiously enough, the YF-19 has had at least five fully variable Garage Kits, which out numbers even the VF-1's offerings. These represent some of the best homegrown engineering for a transforming model. On the toy front, there have been three variable YF-19 (and VF-19) toys: Bandai's 1/65th scale VF-19, Yamato's 1/72nd scale YF-19, and Yamato's 1/60th scale YF-19.

I had initially skipped out on Yamato's original offering of their YF-19 toy mostly because its strange beige/tan color. It's almost the same color as an unpainted resin kit, which I find to be really weird for an airplane. For the 25th anniversary of Macross, Yamato released a black YF-19 which I picked up. I actually picked up the toy at the post office before heading in to work and spent my lunch break just playing with it because I'm a goddamn nerd. What I found is a toy that is surprisingly simple in execution while also being somewhat fidgety and complex.

The 1/60 scale YF-19 comes packaged in fighter mode. It comes with two stand adapters for Yamato's Macross Display stands and their upcoming standardized display stands. Since I do not have either of these stands, I did not bother to extradite these bits. It comes with an extra set of canards, which have additional gold detailing and can be swapped out with the installed set. It also comes with one gunpod, which has a removable magazine and a pilot. Also included is a very sparse decal sheet that consists mostly of UN Spacy symbols and a few miscellaneous details.

The YF-19 sits on three diecast landing legs which have rubber tires. I found the nose wheel easy to deploy while the other wheels require a good fingernail for both the door and the landing gear itself. Everything locks in tightly in this mode and offers a fairly lightweight toy you can zoom around the room.

This close-up shows the pilot figure festooned in an odd Halloween style flight suit. The figure itself is rubbery and you may have to squeeze it into the seat. You can also see the matte finish of the toy. Even the gold detailing is not especially shiny.

Here you can see more of the gold detailing and writing. The markings read, "25th Anniversary," "U.N. Spacy," and "YF-19 Excalivor" proving that there is no limit to the pervasiveness of Engrish.

In the half-GERWALK mode one can see some more detailing such as the red and blue formation lights as well as the bright orange dot on the shield. The legs themselves feature a telescoping knee joint that allows the leg to swing forward almost 90 degrees. There is also a swivel joint in each knee and the feet angle back with a satisfying "click" (well more a "pop" really).

GERWALK mode for the YF-19 has always been a bit of a pain. The transformation deems that the upper body just sort of straddle the rest of the plane while edges of the wings rest directly under the armpits. This mode is really only good for display as there is no good way to lock the chest down. I must point out that Yamato re-used the hands from their 1/48th scale VF-1 for some bizarre reason as the hands were worst part of that toy. There is one improvement in that the palms have a small peg for attaching the gunpod. The shield is securely attached to the left arm via two pegs.

From the rear we can see how the tail fins slide up the lower leg and the movable indents that allow the arms space to rest in while the toy is in fighter mode. I found that to be a pretty clever solution to the arm storage problem.

In Battroid mode the toy is about a foot tall. Getting to this point can be daunting at first. I found that the tabs and pegs holding the two parts of the forward fuselage together are unnecessarily tight and simply sanded them down. That is actually the only tricky part to the Battroid transformation as everything else clamps down pretty easily. One caveat is the upper chest does not lock together, but the position of all the parts tends to keep it together. This mode also allows you to use the toy's extending hip joints that provide a more natural A-stance. These joints are the only diecast part other than the landing gear.

Not much going on in the rear. I do like how the wings hang off the legs.

The YF-19 is good at holding its gunpod in that classic Han Solo style. I should note that the front portion of the head and the visor are removable to expose some technical details like in the OVA. It's not terribly exciting.

In defiance to all tradition, the YF-19 toy can achieve a kneeling pose.

Just as a point of comparison, here is the YF-19 with another all black variable jet toy (also 1/60th scale). The YF-19 might have looked better with a shinier coat of paint, but as it stands the toy looks good. Overall I feel satisfied with the toy itself. Yamato has just announced a pair of new YF-19 repaints that I am considering for purchase. Ideally, I would really love to see the light blue color scheme from the Macross VFX-2 game. That is probably the best official YF-19 color scheme out there. My final word on the toy is get one for a fair price and take care of it until you figure out its quirks. You'll have a great YF-19 toy.

As a whole, the YF-21 is a pretty good toy, but what would a review of a Macross toy be without nitpicking and bitching about tiny things?

Video review in HD

I totally love Macross Plus. It was my second awakening to the world of anime, and it was the first series to get me into an anime composer – Yoko Kanno.

It’s hard to pinpoint what it is about PLUS that I love so much. Sure, it has a lot to do with the fantastic soundtrack and dazzling visuals. I love all the mecha designs, and I think the story is fantastic. It’s just so different than other Macross series. It still has the central theme of music and love, but the backdrop is much smaller this time. You don’t get involved in some galactic war. In this series, the war is for the love of a woman.

Guld Goa Bowman and Isamu Dyson are both ace pilots, chosen to test pilot two new Valkyries. The two have a bitter rivalry going back to their youth over their love for Myung Lone. While the boys have both grown to become pilots, Myung has become the manager for Sharon Apple, a “Virtual Idol”, and the hottest singer in the Galaxy.

Little do they know that Sharon’s AI is patterned after Myung’s personality. Sharon’s obsession for Isamu leads her to take control of a third prototype fighter, the Ghost X-9, as well as the SDF-1 in a final battle during a concert in Macross City.

Needless to say, it’s pretty epic.

The YF-21 is the losing ship in this contest. The ship features a Brain Direct Image interface, which enables the pilot to control the ship with his mind. Guld Goa Bowman suffers from severe mental instability due to use of the BDI, and it is theorized that only his Zentradi physiology enables him to push the ship to the limit.

Although the YF-21 Omega prototype failed and was eventually destroyed, a production version dubbed the VF-22 would eventually be brought into service, although without the BDI interface.

Enough backstory, onto the toy.

There have been a few YF-21 toys before this one, and only one of those being transformable (the notorious 1/72 Yamato). Recent releases have included both GNU and Revoltech releases.

Fortunately, Yamato decided to go back to the drawing board and re-engineer one of their earliest Valkyires to bring it up to modern design standards, and to make it the standard 1/60 scale.

The result is what you see here – a perfect-transformation 1/60 scale YF-19 Valkyrie. It’s very nice, but of course there are a few flaws that need to be mentioned.

It should be noted that the YF-21 is a big ship, much larger than the standard VF-1 series. The toy in fighter mode comes in at 35 cm long.

Fighter Mode

As the toy comes packaged in fighter mode, that’s what we will address first. The fighter has fantastic lines and is smooth as could be. All transforming parts are hidden well beneath various covers and panels. The cockpit can open and features a detailed interior and removable Guld figure.

Behind the cockpit is a large yellow antenna that is removable. I recommend you remove this when transforming this toy, otherwise you risk snapping it off if handled improperly.

The surface of the fighter features etched details, paint application, and various decals that you can apply. More decals are provided than are needed, so it’s best for you to decide how detailed you want it to be. I added some decals around the cockpit, but left the rest of the ship alone.

The wings can bend down to replicate the steering mechanism of the fighter, and the rear fins are moveable as well. The exhaust fins are also poseable, but perhaps too much so. The slightest bump and they are moved out of position. These are also easily removable, so take care not to lose them.

The landing gear on the YF-21 are made out of painted metal, and feature real rubber tires. Landing gear is located beneath the nose and underneath each wing. Opening the panels requires strong fingernails or the use of some sort of sharp object. The paint on the gear chips easily.

Gerwalk Mode

Let me say this – transformation is difficult, but like anything, the more you so it the better you will get at it. I shot a video about the transformation, but better you watch it than me try to explain it all. It is complicated, but that’s par for the course with these new valks.

Once in Gerwalk mode you are greeted with a surprise – it stands! It looks good! Really good! The YF-21 is poseable as hell and stands pretty solidly. No complaints here. It can use both the FAST packs and the stand in this mode, but we’ll talk about those in a later section. Gerwalk mode is great.

Battroid Mode

Once you are in Gerwalk mode, you are almost there. Just a few more clicks and clack and snaps and viola! You have Battroid mode, and the thing looks just great. There are a few things you need to be aware of during transformation, but once again, watch the video for that.

There are a few neat touches that I wanted to point out in Battroid mode. For one, you can open the cockpit and push the whole assembly backwards so that the pilot is in the proper position for this mode.

The hands feature articulated fingers (trigger and thumb) as well as pegs to hold the included weapons in place. The forearms slide back to reveal cannons at the bottom of the arms.

The head is fully articulated. You need to be sure that the cockpit is pushed fully down and out (again, see video) to get the full range of motion.

Oh, and yes, there is a Waist Joint, but it doesn’t move much.

FAST Packs

FAST stands for Fuel and Sensor Tactical and what these are is additional armor to beef up the appearance and armament of the Valkyrie. It seems each Valkyrie has FAST packs, but the YF-21’s FAST pack is the least assuming of the lot. The packs consist of additional arm armor, and large panels that cover the bottom of the fighter and become the “Skirts” in Battroid mode.

The FAST packs for this toy suck balls. For one, the arm armor clips on too tightly, causing me to actually break off one of the rear wings while trying to remove one (more on that later). And the large panels are almost impossible to get on, and when you finally do, its almost impossible for those panels to come back together under the toy. Each lower panel features a spot to hold a gun, but the guns do not stay clipped into them. They just fall off. I don’t know what the deal is with these, but it definitely feels like this armor was an afterthought.

Weaponry

The only included weaponry are two cannons that are stored on the underside of the FAST packs. Each cannon extends to reveal a collapsible handle with a hole in it. These holes fit into pegs on the hands to ensure a firm grip.

Also included are attachment parts to attach a fold booster (Sold separately)

Stand

The YF-21 includes a clear display stand, and is different than the standard Yamato display stand. I got real annoyed at this stand, real quick.

First of all, you need to use special attachments to use the stand with this fighter. One part is used in both fighter and Gerwalk mode, the other in Battroid mode. In fighter mode, you have to open up the underside of the ship to attach it, and then it pokes out below, barely allowing the fuselage to close. The clips aren’t so bad in the other modes. But the way the clip attaches to the stand is troublesome. The connection here is SO TIGHT that you cannot twist the Valkyrie at all, lest the whole base come wrenching apart. I mean, it’s a peg, it should rotate.

At the head of the base is a joint with keyed points of articulation. This means that while positionable, it can only be in certain positions, and you actually have to take the whole assembly apart to reposition it. Couple that with the arm and support that barely attaches to the base and you’ve got a difficult situation. Once you have found a way you like it, great, but getting there is a bitch.

Problems

As a whole, the YF-21 is a pretty good toy, but what would a review of a Macross toy be without nitpicking and bitching about tiny things?

Well, this first thing isn’t really a nitpick; it’s a very legitimate flaw. When I said earlier that I broke off the rear wing, I wasn’t entirely accurate. What I DID break off was the clip that holds the wing itself in. I can easily re-insert this piece, and it stays in well enough, but if you try to use the FAST pack armor, forget it. I’ll probably glue this part in at some point, but be aware.

The die-cast metal used in this toy is scarce, but what is used is painted and chips very easily. Mainly the landing gear and the hip connector parts. The legs can easily detach at the hips (the instructions show you, so I guess its technically not a defect) but sometimes these come apart when you don’t want them to.

When transforming back into Fighter mode, getting the legs and the fuselage covers to line up flat is a PAIN IN THE ASS. There just seems to be not enough room for all the parts to connect. I can make it look good enough, but definitely not the way its supposed to look. There is a supplemental piece of paper included that looks to have handy tips to help this mode along, but since I can’t read Japanese, that’s pretty much useless.

In Battroid mode, the cockpit is floppy against the body. It would have been nice to include some kind of clip here to keep these two parts together.

And as I said before, the FAST packs suck.

CONCLUSION

Yeah, I like it, despite its flaws. If you are a perfectionist, you may want to wait until a version 2 comes out someday. For now, this is as good as it gets for a YF-21. Its’ big, looks great, and has a complex and interesting transformation.

I want to give a special CDX shout out to Wing from Image Anime who gave me the hook-up on this piece. Thanks a lot Wing!

Guld Goa Bowman's YF-21 Valkyrie from Macross Plus is realized in Revoltech form. With Video comparison with the GNU series YF-21

The YF-21 Valkyrie is a unique valkyrie design that unfortunately was never used after the series aside from an appearance in a Macross video game. I guess thats what happens when you lose the contract to UN Spacy for the next generation fighter.

The Revoltech YF-21 is a good toy - very articulated and durable. Despite being bested by the GNU series YF-21, it is still a worthy purchase and worth adding to your collection.

Articulation is great, especially for this design. Somehow Revoltech designer Yamaguchi managed to give this toy a waist joint, a much-needed addition to the design. There are 46 points of articulation, largely due to the Revoltech joint system. Because the YF-21 is a slimmer mecha, they use the smaller Revoltech joints for most of the joints in this figure.

There are a plethora of accessories included with the YF-21.

The Gun fits securely into one of the included variant hands. There are also closed hands and open hands.

Fastpacks are included with this figure as well. The Fastpacks are additional armor used to beef up the existing design. Here the panels are added onto the wing sections on the arms (which are articulated with Revoltech joints) and on the large panels on the hips. They go on easy enough, but taking them off is tough.

Also included are parts for the pinpoint barrier system - a movable electric shield of sorts. These parts can plug into either forearm armor for additional protection.

A small pinpoint barrier shell can attach to one of the variant arms to act as a pinpoint barrier weapon.

The stand is pretty much the same as any other Revoltech stand, and attaches to the rear of the waist of the figure.

Naturally one is going to compare the Revoltech YF-21 to Yamato's GNU series YF-21. Both have their pluses and minuses, but I am drawn to the clean lines and toy-like quality of the GNU version. The Revoltech version is not bad at all, but when stood next to the GNU - you can see the differences.

I do still recommend this version, especially if you are a fan of the Macross line. the feedback I have been getting is that although the GNU appears superior, people just like collecting the Revoltech line.

Of course, you can get your Revoltech YF-21 at HobbyLink Japan.

VIDEO REVIEW

You can get your Revoltech YF-21 at HobbyLink Japan

On the planet Eden, two test pilots battle it out for for the contract and the girl. In this corner, Isamu Dyson and the YF-19 Valkyrie...

The YF-19 valkyrie comes from the 1994 OVA series Macross Plus. I won't go into the details again, but suffice it to say that it is one of my favorite anime.

Previously, Yamato had put out larger scale transforming versions of the YF-19, and then when they announced a GNU version, someone must have tipped off Kaiyodo, because I doubt it is just coincidence that both companies put out similar toys at the same time. We saw this earlier in the year with Mospeada toys - its just how the industry works.

So lets cut to the chase. Is it any good? yeah, its really good. It's typical Yamaguchi Revoltech fare - if you've had one before and liked it you will like this. The proportions are a bit exaggerated for my tastes - the head seems a bit small and low to the shoulders, but it works. It's a very stylized representation of the mecha. The YF-19 comes courtesy of HobbyLink Japan

What makes this toy above average in my opinion is the accessories. Not only do you get the YF-19 and his gun, but you get fastpacks, a shield, a stand and even pinpoint barrier effects. While I prefer the styling of the GNU YF-19, this one has it beat on accessories.

The gun is one piece and can be held by one of the variant hands in either hand. Nothing too exciting here. The gun holds firmly in the grip of the machine.

The shield attaches to the left arm by a Revoltech joint, oddly placed at the rear of the arm.

Fastpacks are attached to the end of the shoulders and the back of the legs. They are the same color and style as the rest of the figure, so they don't really stand out that much. They are nicely done and a welcome addition.

The pinpoint barrier system is kind of like an electronic shield that moves around to wherever a blast is anticipated to hit. This manifests itself as small glowing circles that appear on the surface of the valkyrie. Kaiyodo includes 2 pinpoint barrier shields that can be attached to the arms or the shield.

Also included is a green transparent shield that fits over the hand of the valkyrie. This replicates the use of the pinpoint barrier system as a weapon.

The stand is standard Revoltech fare.

I like this one a lot, but i still am partial to the GNU series one. Don't misunderstand me - it's a great figure, but the other is like a breath of fresh air where this seems like more of the same. I suppose it is good that "more of the same" is pretty good.

You can get your Revoltech YF-29 at HobbyLink Japan

Video Review and comparison with the GNU series

You can get your Revoltech YF-29 at HobbyLink Japan

In a way the VF-11B is the little valk that could.. it's the underdog, and I always have a soft spot for the underdog. Includes video overview of all the Macross Plus GNU-DOU

In the anime Macross plus, the VF-11B Valkyrie is the standard service valkyrie until the decision was made to replace it with one of two fighters - the YF-19 or the YF-21. While the new fighters are more advanced, the VF-11B is no slouch....

In a way the VF-11B is the little valk that could.. it's the underdog, and I always have a soft spot for the underdog.

Jump to video

The GNU-DOU VF-11B is available at Angolz.com

I always liked the design of this battroid, and I actually liked the early Yamato 1/72 valkyrie, despite the QC issues. I just thought it was a great design that didn't get enough love - until now that is.

The VF-11B is the third entry into the GNU-DOU line and it keeps up the fantastic quality of the previous releases. The paint detail is crisp, the molding sharp, and there is not a screw hole in sight. Accessories are sparse with only a few variant hands and a gun, but really, that's all it needs.

The gun seems a bit big for the figure but it looks damn cool. There is also a shield that pops into the arm with a ball joint.

I'm not sure what the exact makeup of the materials here is, but it seems that the body and limbs are made of ABS while the jointwork is made out of POM.

In addition to the awesome articulation, the VF-11B has a moveable antenna, and moveable wings.

So, if I haven't beat it into your head yet, go get one. Where Revoltech has chosen to also release their versions of the YF-19 and 21, they have decided to overlook the VF-11B - so this is your only chance to get one at this time. You can get yours at Angolz.com

The GNU-DOU VF-11B is available at Angolz.com

The YF-21 looks nothing like any valkyrie that has come before it. It has a definite Zentradi influence to it, looking more like a Q-Rau than a Valkyrie. I'm sure this is no coincidence - it's pilot is half Zentradi.

in the 1994 anime Macross Plus, two rival test pilots face off in two different valkyries, not only to see who's fighter is better, but to see who gets the girl...

We've already looked at the first entry in Yamato's GNU-DOU line, the YF-19 Valkyrie. Now we take a look at Isamu's rival - Guld Goa Bowman's YF-21. The YF-21 GNU-DOU comes courtesy of Angolz.com

The YF-21 looks nothing like any valkyrie that has come before it. It has a definite Zentradi influence to it, looking more like a Q-Rau than a Valkyrie. I'm sure this is no coincidence - it's pilot is half Zentradi. And the difference between the two is more than appearances - the YF-21 is controlled by the MIND of the pilot as opposed to traditional controls.

The toy shares the similar construction and quality as the YF-19. The toy is made of sturdy ABS and POM parts, and has a wide range of movement. Seriously. It's the most poseable YF-21 made to date.

The head has a great range of articulation, considering the limitations of the design. To move it you have to pull it back a bit and tilt the front down, and then you will find you can move it around.

Also like the YF-19, there isn't much in the way of accessories. You get 3 variant hands and a gun. No stand, no fastpacks. Still, this figure looks great and it's actually kind of refreshing to not have to keep track of all those parts.

Detail, paint and finish are all excellent. Even the small flaps on the rear engines are separate pieces. Yamato manages to pull off a great figure with no screw holes by making the whole figure essentially Lock together like a puzzle. You can remove the back section to separate the shoulders, which then release the fuselage and so on. Still, the figure holds together well.

The is my second GNU-DOU and so far they are on a roll. If you like what you see you can get yours at Angolz.com

Get your YF-21 atAngolz.com

The big question is - are they worth it? The GNU-DOU average about 1,000 yen (about $10) more than a Revoltech. Honestly - I think they are. They are made out of a better material, are sturdier, and are a little larger. For a non-transforming toy, the engineering is pretty complex, and the toy for the most part feels very sturdy.

For the most part.

The YF-19 valkyrie is the first release in Yamato's GNU-DOU line of poseable super robots. The GNU-DOU line is characterized by hard plastic and an internal frame. these can be thought of as Yamato's answer to Kaiyodo's Revoltech line, but these are larger with better quality material.

This is one of my favorite valkyrie designs, and it comes from one of my favorite anime - 1994's Macross Plus. In the series, the YF-19 is a prototype valkyrie in the running to be selected as the new fighter for UN Spacy. Piloted by hotshot Isamu Dyson, The YF-19 represents the next generation of fighter (at the time).

The GNU-DOU comes in at 13cm tall, just a bit taller than a Revoltech. The YF-19 is constructed out of high quality ABS and POM, so the figure is durable and the detail is machine sharp. The joints are solid and provide a wide range of motion. There is motion in unexpected places - the head antenna, the flaps on the shoulders, and the large wings on the hips. There's a lot to this figure. You can get your YF-19 at Angolz.com.

One thing I found interesting about these figures are their modular design. there are no visible screw holes on these figures, as Yamato has found a way to assemble each figure carefully, almost as if they were some kind of puzzle. for example, you can pull the sides of the chest off and see how they use tabs in that part to anchor the shoulder parts in. The arms and legs are snapped together with tight tolerances and hold the jointwork in place. Contrary to popular belief - there is no internal skeleton with the GNU-DOU series, but the jointwork does extend a good amount into the sections.

Accessories include a few variant hands, a gun, and a shield. That's it. I suppose you don't need a lot of accessories for a non-transforming toy, but even the Revoltech toys manage to include a stand.

yep - the GNU-DOU does not come with a stand.

The GNU boxes are decidedly simple - A window box with the toy packed in a clear plastic tray.

The big question is - are they worth it? The GNU-DOU average about 1,000 yen (about $10) more than a Revoltech. Honestly - I think they are. They are made out of a better material, are sturdier, and are a little larger. For a non-transforming toy, the engineering is pretty complex, and the toy for the most part feels very sturdy.

For the most part.

The only issue I had with the toy was with one of the small fins on the legs. I hit one of the fins the wrong way and it came right off. Fortunately it looked as if there wasn't enough glue holding it on, so a bit of super glue made it all better.

You can get your YF-19 at Angolz.com