I'm not saying this isn’t a good toy – in some respects it’s a great toy. The engineering on each individual piece is marvelous. It is only in the connection of the two that the toy fails horribly. Oh yeah, and the fact that its about 300 bucks.

I’ve been kind of dreading doing this review for a number of reasons. There are so many expectations for this toy and I don’t know if I can accurately portray all that is good and bad with this without being a little biased. The fact that a Tread toy has been made sort of makes the set worth it for me, but for others, not so much.

The CM’s Brave Gokin EX-01 Legioss & Tread (Eta) (レギオスwithトレッド ブレイブ合金EX (エータ)) is the first Brave Gokin toy to get the EX designation. EX must stand for Extra Deceiving, because a Gokin toy this is not. In fact, the only metal in this toy is in the joints of the Legioss, the landing gear, and the large cradle that connects the Legioss and Tread. If you are expecting metal, you will be disappointed.

That’s not to say this isn’t a good toy – in some respects it’s a great toy. The engineering on each individual piece is marvelous. It is only in the connection of the two that the toy fails horribly.

Another point of contention with this toy is the price. At a Japanese retail price of 28,000 yen (figure about $350 USD once you factor in shipping), this thing is horribly overpriced. It’s cool but not $300 cool. So when I mention that something is really great about this toy, remember - $300 for the set, and almost no metal.

Packaging

Nothing special here with this packaging. The box features nice product shots and inside is a large clear plastic tray that holds the Legioss and Tread. There are very few accessories as most of the play value is in the units themselves. Included are a stand, gun, fists, sword, small ride armors in various modes, and a sticker sheet.

Legioss

Jump to the Legioss video >

The Legioss comes packaged in Armo-Soldier mode. It’s about 6.5 inches tall and weighs about 6 ounces. That’s pretty light, considering Toynami’s Alpha fighter weighs in at 15 ounces. Both the Toynami and CM’s Legioss are about the same size, but have drastically different proportions.

The engineering and QC are fantastic on the Legioss. Each part fits perfectly, the joints are tight, and nothing about it feels half-assed. Although the toy is light, it is extremely durable due to its use of POM plastic and diecast metal in the connecting joints. Articulation is great with some standouts being a waist joint and innovative elbow joints that allow for an amazing array of movement. One notable omission is the lack of any kind of head articulation.

The toy is molded in color with small amounts of tampo printing for the finer details. The paint is clean and sharp, with no visible over spray. Included with the toy is a sticker sheet that serves all three versions of the toy, but I think the toy looks great as-is. CM’s has also included a bunch of screw hole covers, but once again, I think it looks just fine, screw holes and all. It reminds me that it is a toy I guess, albeit an expensive one. The mold detail is crisp and clean, with etched panel lines, vents with interior detail, and few sprue marks.

One thing you may want to watch - there are two holes in the chest where the front fuselage locks into the body - those seem to be showing some stress marks

In Armo-Soldier mode, the Legioss can make use of several weapons. The EP-13 80mm 3-barrel Gatling beam gun features a moveable stock, and a removable armor clip. The hands of the Legioss have articulated trigger fingers, but there is no peg in the handle or hand to secure the gun to, making a weak connection. The Legioss also includes a sword, of all things. In episode 13 of Mospeada, Ley has a dream that he is fighting off monsters with the Legioss, brandishing a sword. I think it’s cool that CM’s included this as a sign of respect to the series.

In addition to the hand held weapons, the Legioss features two snap-on missile banks that attach to the underside of the chest, and a third, auxiliary missile bank that attaches to the left shoulder. And if the Legioss was not already armed to the teeth, it is covered with opening doors that reveal missile banks all over the figure – I count 14 of them. Not too shabby.

The Legioss is fully transformable into all three modes – Armo-Soldier, Armo-Diver, and Armo-Fighter. The Armo-Diver mode is similar to a Gerwalk mode from Macross – it sits somewhere in between fighter and soldier mode.

In fighter mode the Legioss looks good, but there are a few things that could have been done better, especially for the price. Once transformed into Armo-Fighter mode the parts just kind of sit there – there aren’t any pegs to lock parts into place. For example, it would have been great to have some kind of connector on the back of the legs to lock them together, or pegs on the bottom of the arm assemblies to attach them to the legs. As it is, you just have to put it in the position that looks best. Granted, the parts stay where they should pretty well, but it is not precise. Just look at the placement of the arms in fighter mode – things just don’t line up as well as they should.

The extra missiles and gun can all be attached to the Legioss in Fighter mode. The gun can be stored either under the wing, or in the back of the optional third missile bank. The gun slides into the back of the part by using a replacement gun clip.

The landing gear is all metal, and the wheels spin freely. Each landing gear is hidden behind a panel that is easily opened. The cockpit can also be opened, as well as a storage door on the underside for the Mospeada Ride Armor.

Tread

Jump to the Tread video >

Those of you not intimately familiar with Mospeada or Robotech: The Next Generation may not understand the big deal about the Tread. The Tread fighter (or Beta Fighter) is a support mecha that “docks” with the back of the Legioss for added firepower. Back in the day when Gakken came out with the original Legioss toy, they had planned on a Tread, but it was only released in limited numbers in Europe, and only for the smaller version of the toy. The toy has become a thing of legend, and when a specimen appears, it fetches a LOT of money. Fans have been clamoring for a Tread toy for years, and while Toynami announced theirs first, CM’s beat them to market with the first Tread toy since 1985.

The AB-01 Tread is a fantastic toy. It also fully transforms into three modes: Armo-Soldier, Armo-Bomber and Armo-Diver mode.

In Armo-Soldier mode the Tread is about 8 inches tall and weighs 10 ounces. It is extremely toy-like in its construction and articulation. In fact, I might go so far as to say the Tread is MORE articulated than the Legioss. The Tread has clicky joints all over the place, fantastic elbow joints, articulated fingers, a waist joint, and even head articulation. The toy is the same quality as the Legioss, but this time with almost no metal connector joints (the only one I can see is in the neck).

In terms of armament the Tread has 2 missile banks that open up on the chest and 2 that pop up on the shoulder, as well as cannons molded into the arms. The Tread can hold the Legioss’ gun, but the same issues occur. It’s really really great, and this makes the set for me. It ALMOST convinces me that it’s worth the money.

Transformation has an almost playskool-like simplicity. Fold up the legs, fold in the arms, and fold out the cockpit and the wings. That’s pretty much it. The wingspan in Armo-Bomber mode is a fantastic 14 inches. The cockpit can open and reveal a small pilot – a nice touch.

In Armo-Bomber mode, the Tread has no built-in landing gear, so it relies on the metal cradle to rest on. The cradle is secured to the Tread by way of 2 spring loaded ball connectors in the tail section. Unfortunately, the Tread is a little back-heavy and there is no way to connect it to the front, so it tends to tilt to the back. This is an example of one of many little things that CM’s could have done to go the extra mile. Why not also make connectors for the front to make this mode stable?

Legioss + Tread = FAIL

Jump to the FAIL video >

Here is where it all goes horribly wrong. Each toy on its own is pretty awesome, and if CM’s could have nailed the connection of the two it might, MIGHT have justified the price. But it is as if someone simply gave up when trying to engineer this. A little background information may be helpful here as I explain what went wrong. See, the Legioss was designed as a stand alone toy by Shinji Aramaki.. Gakken decided that they needed more transforming mecha in Mospeada so they had another designer, Hideki Kakinuma design the Tread, with no set means to connect them. In the show, animators relied on “Anime Magic” to make the transformation work. Unfortunately, that left today’s toymakers in the dark as to how they connected, and each maker has to come up with their own solution. Both CM’s and Toynami have come up with a connector bar solution, but CM’s is the first one we have seen in production.

Essentially, the connector bar is a solid metal cradle that attaches to the Tread in the rear and the Legioss in the front. The connection to the tread is reasonably secure aside from it being back-heavy (see above). The connection to the Legioss seems like a total afterthought.

First, you have to move the arm assemblies on the back of the fighter together, and push the tail wings down. These parts have no kind of peg or connector to keep them rigid, so they just mash together. The legs need to be splayed out to the sides so that they look like frog legs. To connect the Legioss to the metal cradle, you have to line up the hip connectors with the U-shaped connectors on the cradle. There is virtually no tension in this connection, so it just rests there. From there you have to “tuck” the Legioss in behind the front of the Tread.

Don’t let the pictures fool you – it’s a floppy mess.  Nothing really connects to anything, and if you pick it up it’s just going to separate. This is a real disappointment – shame on you CM’s. For $300 you couldn’t have figured this out? Added a couple extra clips to lock it together? It feels like you didn’t even try. How can you put so much love into one facet of the toy and completely ignore something like this?

You can also put the dock the Legioss and Tread when the Legioss is in Armo-Soldier mode, but this too suffers from the same issue. The included stand is more like a crutch to hold the unit up. While the pictures on the box show the combined unit floating up off the ground, the stand is not tall enough, nor is the toy balanced properly, to get its feet off up of the ground.

In Conclusion

Taken as individual toys, the Legioss and Tread are great. Not $300 great, but as well engineered toys they succeed. These should probably be priced around $60 each. Look at what $300 gets you for other toys – Soul of Chogokin, Fewture EX gokin – no other toy gives you so little for so much. It’s like an Otaku tax – we pay the premium to get these short run toys of obscure mecha, and even though we are disappointed, we come back for more. It’s like its some kind of sick game at the CM’s head office to see just how ridiculously priced these things can get. The upcoming CM’s Dancougar Nova will be around SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.  Well, here is where I throw in my towel with CM’s. I’m done with toys like this. If you are going to charge me over $100 for a toy, it better be worth it. For this price I demand that the quality and detail and engineering are nothing but the best.

It just kills me that this was the price I had to pay to get a Tread toy.

So obviously I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think it is worth it, but maybe you are a bigger Mospeada fan than me. I can still say though I would recommend this one over the Toynami version. Hell, I would recommend something my 3 year old son made out of Lego before I recommend one of those. What the hell were they thinking? But I digress…

You can get your Legioss & Tread at HobbyLink Japan if you are so inclined, but you will not be able to get the Red or Green version there. Those are going to be magazine and convention exclusives, which will undoubtedly drive up the already high price, even higher.

Good luck with that.

VIDEO

The Mospeada Trilogy

Legioss

Tread

Combination

http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65132

This is the same review I did for the Stick Type. If you've read that, there's nothing different here. It still kind of stinks.

The VR-052T MOSPEADA Ride Armor hails from the anime series Genesis Climber Mospeada, better known as Robotech: The Next Generation here in the states. In Mospeada, the VR-052T ride armor is used by Ley. In Robotech he was renamed Rand and the Ride Armor was renamed the Cyclone.

The last transformable Mospeada Ride Armor toy was made by Gakken in 1983. I got that toy for my 10th birthday, and I still have it to this day. I love that toy and that design.

Last year, no less than FOUR companies announced that they were making new Ride Armor toys. Twenty five years with no ride armor toys then BOOM, 4 toys. These are crazy times we live in.

The first of the four companies to hit the shelves is CM’s Corporation. They released 2 versions of the Ride Armor – a Stick type and a Ley type. I got them both from HobbyLink Japan about a week ago.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN SHALL WE?

Ley

The Ley figure is about the size of a Microman or GI Joe figure. This figure is actually really nicely done, with great articulation and paint detail. The translucent visor flips up and down, the arms are double jointed and pretty much everything moves where it should. The feet have the pull down action to accommodate the ride armor and they pop out just like the old Gakken toy did.

The chest and waist of the figure is painted but the arm and leg armor are just plastic. I’m not sure why these are different, but the figure would look a whole lot better if it was all the same color.

The Bike comes packaged in bike mode with only a few parts to assemble. It features nice printed-on markings, removable saddlebags with opening hatches, rubber tires. The frame is diecast metal as are the swing bars on the legs. Also included is a small stand that clips onto pegs on the bottom of the frame.

Once you begin to handle the bike, it all begins to go horribly wrong. The two parts of the front cowl never seem to line up right, and the headlights on the front have no locked in position, so they are always pointing the wrong way.

The panels on either side of the front wheel are really awkward. Lets see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. The struts that come from under the front of the bike are supposed to clip onto the pegs on the inside of the plates. This peg is removable, so each time you try to clip it in, it pops out. The front of the panel is supposed to attach to a peg on the wheel, but the hole isn’t deep enough for it to really grip. The rear wheel armor has a similar problem.

Riding the bike

In theory, Lei should be able to ride on the bike, but it takes an extraordinary amount of patience. This is the worst part of the entire toy. The interface between the bike and the rider is just terrible.

First off, you have to swap fists on Stick so he can grab the handlebars. Then there is a small “hook” on the back of the seat that is supposed to attach to Stick’s rear, but there’s just no way its gonna work, the fit is all wrong.

Beneath the rear wheel armors there are small riding pegs that fold out and you can insert them into the holes in Stick’s feet. Not only are these pegs small and fragile, but they like to fall off for no apparent reason. If by some sheer luck you get both hands on the handlebar and both feet on the pegs, you will notice that you can’t get the Stick figure anywhere near that peg.

Oh, and as you are doing all that, you will be swearing because the other parts keep falling off. The foot pegs just come right off of the armor.

RIDE BABY RIDE

So, next is the Ride Armor. You’ll be happy to know it’s not all that bad, but still there are some glaring flaws.

Transformation is similar to the vintage Gakken toy, just made more complicated. I’m not going to go through all the steps here, you can watch the video for that. Put it this way, CM’s included some spare parts in case you break something.

Once you go through all that to get it together, its not actually half bad. The figure remains poseable and can stand on its own, but is aided by a stand of sorts. The stand is actually just a stick that plugs into the back. 6,000 yen and they couldn’t pack a real stand?

The most noticeable thing wrong with the ride armor is the giant seam right through the center of the metal. I can’t help but think there was a better way to do this. It just looks like crap.

On the good side, there are some nice touches, like the rubber tires, targeting scope, and the pop-out articulated vents on the wheels.

SIZE MATTERS, NO MATTER WHAT SHE SAYS

This thing is SMALL. Disappointingly small. When I held the box in my hand I had this feeling of dread. It felt light like a model kit. In Ride armor mode, the toy is only 12 cm (4.75in) tall. The metal content is almost laughable. Apparently, at CM’s they apply the Brave Gokin label to anything that has ANY metal in it.

I am going to have to recommend that you don’t buy this toy, unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You have a high tolerance for frustration
2. You are good at origami
3. You are a complete and utter Mospeada maniac (and even then…)
4. You plan on never taking it out of the package

It just misses the mark… sorry CM’s. Let’s hope the Legioss is better.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

The VR-52F MOSPEADA Ride Armor hails from the anime series Genesis Climber Mospeada, better known as Robotech: The Next Generation here in the states. In Mospeada, the VR-52F ride armor is used by Stick Bernard. In Robotech he was renamed Scott Bernard and the Ride Armor was renamed the Cyclone.

The last transformable Mospeada Ride Armor toy was made by Gakken in 1983. I got that toy for my 10th birthday, and I still have it to this day. I love that toy and that design.

Last year, no less than FOUR companies announced that they were making new Ride Armor toys. Twenty five years with no ride armor toys then BOOM, 4 toys. These are crazy times we live in.

The first of the four companies to hit the shelves is CM’s Corporation. They released 2 versions of the Ride Armor – a Stick type and a Ley type. I got them both from HobbyLink Japan about a week ago.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN SHALL WE?

Stick Bernard

The Stick figure is about the size of a Microman or GI Joe figure. This figure is actually really nicely done, with great articulation and paint detail. The translucent visor flips up and down, the arms are double jointed and pretty much everything moves where it should. The feet have the pull down action to accommodate the ride armor and they pop out just like the old Gakken toy did.

The chest and waist of the figure is painted but the arm and leg armor are just plastic. I’m not sure why these are different, but the figure would look a whole lot better if it was all the same color.

The Bike comes packaged in bike mode with only a few parts to assemble. It features nice printed-on markings, removable saddlebags with opening hatches, rubber tires. The frame is diecast metal as are the swing bars on the legs. Also included is a small stand that clips onto pegs on the bottom of the frame.

Once you begin to handle the bike, it all begins to go horribly wrong. The two parts of the front cowl never seem to line up right, and the headlights on the front have no locked in position, so they are always pointing the wrong way.

The missile launchers on either side of the front wheel are really awkward. Lets see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. The struts that come from under the front of the bike are supposed to clip onto the pegs on the inside of the missile launcher plates. This peg is removable, so each time you try to clip it in, it pops out. The front of the panel is supposed to attach to a peg on the wheel, but the hole isn’t deep enough for it to really grip. The rear wheel armor has a similar problem.

Riding the bike

In theory, Stick should be able to ride on the bike, but it takes an extraordinary amount of patience. This is the worst part of the entire toy. The interface between the bike and the rider is just terrible.

First off, you have to swap fists on Stick so he can grab the handlebars. Then there is a small “hook” on the back of the seat that is supposed to attach to Stick’s rear, but there’s just no way its gonna work, the fit is all wrong.

Beneath the rear wheel armors there are small riding pegs that fold out and you can insert them into the holes in Stick’s feet. Not only are these pegs small and fragile, but they like to fall off for no apparent reason. If by some sheer luck you get both hands on the handlebar and both feet on the pegs, you will notice that you can’t get the Stick figure anywhere near that peg.

Oh, and as you are doing all that, you will be swearing because the other parts keep falling off. The foot pegs just come right off of the armor.

RIDE BABY RIDE

So, next is the Ride Armor. You’ll be happy to know it’s not all that bad, but still there are some glaring flaws.

Transformation is similar to the vintage Gakken toy, just made more complicated. I’m not going to go through all the steps here, you can watch the video for that. Put it this way, CM’s included some spare parts in case you break something.

Once you go through all that to get it together, its not actually half bad. The figure remains poseable and can stand on its own, but is aided by a stand of sorts. The stand is actually just a stick that plugs into the back. 6,000 yen and they couldn’t pack a real stand?

The most noticeable thing wrong with the ride armor is the giant seam right through the center of the metal. I can’t help but think there was a better way to do this. It just looks like crap.

Speaking of crap, there’s the gun. The gun comes attached to a hand, but the glue is so weak that it just pops off. The hand doesn’t stay on that well due to the armor, and then get it to try and hold the gun, well, you get the picture.

On the good side, there are some nice touches, like the rubber tires, targeting scope, and the pop-out articulated vents on the wheels.

SIZE MATTERS, NO MATTER WHAT SHE SAYS

This thing is SMALL. Disappointingly small. When I held the box in my hand I had this feeling of dread. It felt light like a model kit. In Ride armor mode, the toy is only 12 cm (4.75in) tall. The metal content is almost laughable. Apparently, at CM’s they apply the Brave Gokin label to anything that has ANY metal in it.

I am going to have to recommend that you don’t buy this toy, unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You have a high tolerance for frustration
2. You are good at origami
3. You are a complete and utter Mospeada maniac (and even then…)
4. You plan on never taking it out of the package

It just misses the mark… sorry CM’s. Let’s hope the Legioss is better.

http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65185

When Shoji Kawamori designed VF-1J Valkyrie, do you think he had this in mind?

When Shoji Kawamori designed VF-1J Valkyrie, do you think he had this in mind?

These little soft vinyl renditions of the Macross mechs are far from anime accurate, but somehow they manage to capture the feel of the series fantastically.

The blue version VF-1J valkyrie is the tv version of Maximilian Jenius iconic fighter.

In 1983, these came bagged with a header card and cost about $10. Talk about toy crack! The amazing thing is that these can be had today for about the same price!

The VF-1J Armored Valkyrie is one of my favorite designs from Macoss, and here it is rendered in dog chew toy vinyl.

The VF-1J Armored Valkyrie is one of my favorite designs from Macross, and here it is rendered in dog chew toy vinyl. Of course, it is so homely I can't help but to love it.

Typical of the time, this is one of a bunch of cheap soft vinyl renditions of mecha from the Macross TV series. Made in 1983, these toys came bagged with a header card and were a much cheaper alternative to the expensive transforming toys.

The Armored Valkyrie is far from anime accurate, but it has a folk-art appeal to it. There is an increasing appreciation for these vintage mecha vinyls in the Japanese toy collecting community and I can see why. These things are funky as hell, and come from a time where not everything had to be anime accurate.

Bask in the glory of sofubi mecha!

You can't deny the charm of these soft vinyl representations of classic mecha.

You can't deny the charm of these soft vinyl representations of classic mecha. The Regult is the standard tactical battlepod of the Zentradi army as seen in the Macross TV series (Or Robotech, for those of you in the states). it's a design that has almost no toys made of it. In fact, the best toy of this design came from a US toymaker of all places - The Matchbox battlepod.

This vinyl comes from Takatoku and was sold bagged with a header card. Its a cheap little toy that is not in the least bit anime accurate, and that is its charm i think. I've really warmed up to these small cheap Japanese vinyls.

Well, I am happy to say that those production issues have been worked out and the latest release from Yamato, the Garland - Factory Color Version is perfect right out of the box.

The Garland is a high powered motorcycle (Maneuver-Craft Mode) that transforms into a combat robot (Slave Mode) that is given to Shogo Yahagi in the OVA series Megazone 23. This leads to our Protagonist discovering a dark secret about the world he lives in and the piece of technology he now possess. But I’m not here to spoil the series for you if you haven’t seen it. If you must know all the details without watching the series you can read the Wikipedia entry here.

I am however, here to tell you about Yamato’s latest release to their 1/15th scale Megazone 23 line of collectibles, the Garland - Factory Color Version. By the way that’s Two-Three not Twenty-Three lest the fanboy’s lynch you.

This is the fourth entry in the series of Garlands produced by Yamato. The first release was the Red version that is seen through out most of the series (you can read the full review of that release written by Josh here .) followed by a Complete Box Set: Megazone 23 which featured a Metallic Red Garland, Military Issue Garland and then the Factory Color Version.

The Factory Color Version is an original color scheme that doesn’t actually appear in the film. Despite that, I must say this is a beautiful looking color scheme that really seems to suit the design. It looks very much like it could have been in the series.

The Garland is molded in the silver with the red trim painted on in fine detail. Paint detail is nice and tight with no over spray or missed spots. Included with the standard accessories from the first release is a racing helmet for Shogo and a sticker sheet to decorate your Garland any way you see fit (notice the Skull Squadron and Valkyrie intake markings.)

Standard Accessories are:

• Shogo Yahagi figure
• Regular head
• Bandana/Headset
• Visor/Headset
• Shoulder Pads
• Gun

In robot mode (Slave Mode) this guy looks real good and is highly poseable. The toy holds poses very well and despite repeated handling and posing everything remains nice and tight. This is a seriously good looking mecha in either mode.

Now I must say I have been a fan of this mecha since I first got a look at the line-art for it back in the late 80’s. I don’t know why but I am a sucker for a transforming motorcycle, be it the Garland or a Mospeada (both designed by the very talented Shinji Aramaki .) I think that Yamato did an excellent job in translating this from cartoon into a transforming reality. It makes me smile actually.

The first release of the Garland did have some production issues. Early releases had problems with the die-cast swing bars for the arms being too tight and breaking for some. The other issue (which got me with my Garland) was the plastic used in the shoulder area would crack after a few transformations. To their credit Yamato USA was diligent in exchanging this product and not only exchanged my Garland immediately also sent me improved shoulders when they where available.

Well, I am happy to say that those production issues have been worked out and the latest release is perfect right out of the box. I have transformed this well over two dozen times and no sign of trouble. I will say Yamato does go out of its way to correct issues when they come up, a sign of a truly customer service oriented company.

The Garland and its accessories come packed in the near legendary Yamato Window Box with it’s contents neatly arranged and easily viewable by lifting the lid.

Yamato brings an excellent level of detail and engineering to this toy and it despite some problems with earlier releases this latest offering is indeed a solid toy and a fine collectible at the same time. If you like the mecha design I can unabashedly tell you to drop the cash for it as it will look spectacular in your collection and you will love picking it up and transforming it.

Here's the full video review:

And here is the full transformation:

You can get yours at Yamato USA

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

What a horrible mess this is, but I’m not sure who to blame.

I’ve always loved the armored Valkyrie but somehow never got my hands on one. At this years summit someone was getting rid of a Yamato set. Now, I don’t really like my 1/60 Yamato, and I was ready to get rid of it, but I thought maybe I could dress it up with some armor.

What a terrible mistake.

The Armor comes sold separately and has to be installed onto a 1/60 Yamato Valkyrie. None of the armor connects how I think it should have. Some parts are passable, some are just horrible.

The good parts

The shoulders, arm armor and lower leg armor are all well done. I don’t know if I like the big anime fists or not, but it doesn’t totally ruin it for me. The feet seem small with the armor on, so why didn’t they give anime sized feet? The chest isn’t also too bad, although it just clips on. The front door on the chest and the doors on the shoulder units open to reveal missile banks that don’t fire.

The bad parts

Everything else is bad. The booster pack on the back attach with a really flimsy bracket, and I have no idea if I’m even doing it right. It just seems half assed.

The crotch piece is actually 2 parts that connect together by incredibly small pegs. The thing comes apart just by looking at it.

Probably the biggest annoyance is the hips. We all know how these 1/60 valks attached at the hips – pegs that go into the nosecone. Well, when you add the hip armor, it adds thickness to the hip, meaning less peg to hook into the nose. Therefore, every time you pick it up, the legs fall off.

Seriously guys, come on.

Now, part of the fault here could be mine, as the valk I used is the very first 1/60 made, and may not have been tooled to be compatible with the armor. But still, there are just too many things wrong here. Yamato has made great strides since this toy came out, but I can’t recommend this armor set to anyone.

Not much else can be said about the famous Valkyrie design. I mean, it’s really not that different from the others aside from the head and a little bit of armor. But what is different here is that it is the first Macross toy to be part of the Revoltech line, and it arrives courtesy of HobbyLink Japan

Not much else can be said about the famous Valkyrie design. I mean, it’s really not that different from the others aside from the head and a little bit of armor. But what is different here is that it is the first Macross toy to be part of the Revoltech line, and it arrives courtesy of HobbyLink Japan.

The VF-1J Super Valkyrie comes from the Macross TV series which aired in 1982-1983. This is the Valkyrie that Hikaru Ichijyo piloted.

The 34th Revoltech has 37 points of articulation and comes with a fair amount of accessories:

• Gunpod
• propellant tank
• fast pack
• four wing missile pods
• two arm missile pods
• five optional hands
• and a display base

The figure looks great with or without the armor. The armor plugs in easily to the figure and once assembled, stays on securely. Some liberties were taken with the design of the armor to accommodate the Revoltech style, but that is to be expected. The figure can hold the gunpod in its hand or it can be attached to the back of the arm armor.

Included with the VF-1J is your standard Revoltech stand, but it enables you to do some pretty cool poses.

It should go without saying, but this toy DOES NOT transform into any other mode. It’s a poseable figure – that’s it.

Yamaguchi’s sculpting is top-notch as usual, but this Revoltech fills me with a bit of anxiety. As with the Eva toys, this could open the floodgates to tons of Valkyrie toys. Think about it – you have your movie versions, your TV versions, with armor, without armor etc… it could go on forever. Let’s hope Kaiyodo exercises restraint and not flood the market with them. Hopefully they will do a lot of the supplemental mecha and we can finally get some Regult toys.

As always, The VF-1J Super Valkyrie Revoltech is available from HobbyLink Japan