Arii’s 1/100 scale Regult Battle Pod from the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross TV Series is a great example. Manufactured and designed in 1982 this kit is one of the better kits from the line that builds up to a great representation of our favorite two-legged cannon fodder monster, although not without some minor faults.

Regult Arii 1/100

Model kits have an unusual connection with toy collectors. Usually, they are bypassed and forgotten by toy collectors, as most do not have the skill to build the kits leaving some great subjects that have been represented in sprue sadly left behind and under represented.

Arii’s 1980’s Macross line is a perfect example. Some great subjects were injected into plastic model kits but because many of the kits in the line that were produced were less than satisfactory the entire line has had a bad reputation over the years, even though there are few well done gems in the line.

Arii’s 1/100 scale Regult Battle Pod from the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross TV Series is a great example. Manufactured and designed in 1982 this kit is one of the better kits from the line that builds up to a great representation of our favorite two-legged cannon fodder monster, although not without some minor faults.

Arii’s Regult kit includes: 2x off white sprue, 1x black rubber polycaps, 1x instruction, 1x promotional flyer, 1x sheet of decals, 1x Glue. No options are supplied. The skill level is moderate to advanced due to the fragility of the legs and paint masking.

According to Macross World this kit is a rare kit due to some quality issues with the upper leg joints. I picked up this kit about 7 years ago at an antique store in New Mexico for $14.00. I just happen to luck out when I saw it at a vendor booth with an “all items 50% off“ sign. This was good as the original $28.00 asking price was a bit overpriced. Today, expect to pay from $8.00 to $18.00 for these kits.

As with many of the early 1980’s Macross oil painted toy and model kit box art, this Regult box art is fantastic and first rate and really captures the spirit, realism and mystery of what I love about Macross to this day. The downside, and typical of the era, is that the model kit itself is not represented on the box top or sides, but in this case you are getting a decent kit.

The kit itself is a straightforward build, but there are some things you should be aware of. I was surprised to see so much flash on this kit but considering that these Macross kits out produced even the landmark Gundam 0079 from three years earlier shows the popularity of these kits and I am sure that the molds were run down. Some parts clean up are necessary for the parts to fit correctly, especially the rear facing cannons array on the top of the Regult.

Great care is needed when building up the upper leg area. Very much if you accidently drop even one tiny drop of glue in the wrong area forget it, it’s over. Make sure all the seams are filled properly before gluing those upper leg parts together. But if you take your time you should have no problem. I have read that the upper legs were redesigned in Arii’s later Regult kits, but as I do not own any of these later kits, I cannot comment on how they were redesigned.

Also the designers of these kits were more focused on playability of the kit after it is finished. They designed it so moveable joint parts are permanently joined together and cannot be taken apart. Since this kit was for display only I opted to leave those parts off for ease of painting at a later stage. Keep in mind this does not affect the pose ability of the kit after one is finished with the kit.

The six-gun cannons present a few problems, the major one being that two larger cannons are a bit awkward and thick for the scale, as the cannon barrel holes should be filed down to look more scaled. If you have the skill, new cannons could be lathed out of aluminum for a better look. The heels were also open so I boxed them so they can look solid. You might want to box in the toes as well which was something I was planning to do but I thought I did not have the right resources. It was not until I was nearly finished when I realized I did have the right book with the proper info. I will build up these details on the next Regult I build.

The body is three parts, the front, back and the bottom cap. I purposely left the bottom cap off until final assembly so I can put all the cannon parts in after I was through painting and decaling. My biggest complaint is how the jet nozzles are designed to be assembled together. Instead of having a bottom and top half the parts are split down the middle leaving a near impossible seam to fill. Filling the deep seam not only destroys the detail around it, but also destroys the shape of the nozzle in general and demands a lot of reshaping for the part to look right.

Painting this kit is where one needs to deliver, as all the painting details are no joke and quite intricate. This is not like your current Systeminjection multi-color sprue Bandai kit, this kit is molded in one color, off white and every detail needs to be masked and painted. I painted the kit with Tamiya and other than the light blue, which needed to be mixed, all the other colors were straight out of the bottle. Honestly, give yourself about a week to paint this little monster as there are so many small details involved and they just don’t paint themselves!

I sprayed a Testor’s gloss coat and applied the decals. I accidently dropped the entire sheet into water bowl so I had a limited time to quickly apply all the decals. Of what I can see the decals went on well but typical of the Arii decals, the instructions only tell you where to about six of the 25 decals provided. Thankfully Macross World saved me again and I was able to use their resources to place the other decals on the kit.

After a spraying a Testor’s flat coat, I applied a mix of black and burnt sienna oil paints for the weathering and finished it off with a silver color pencil to represent chips in the paint.

My other main issue with this kit is the scale. Since we here at CollectionDX already discussed scaling issues with some of the Macross vehicles here, there is no need to open a sore wound. But I am going to say its too small especially if you compare it to Imai’s 1/100 scale of Captain Kamujin Zentradi Armored Space suit, which I feel, is scaled correctly. I know the pilot has a snug fit in the Regult but there is no way the Kamujin kit would fit inside this Regult kit or fit through the hatch in the back. Also viewing the kit from the back, the Regult body looks squashed especially compared to Revoltech’s Regult.

Besides the jet nozzles parts and some scaling issues this kit builds up into an impressive model kit and stands out from the self amongst my other Macross toys and models. The best part about this kit is that it is one of the few representations of the Regult in any form and accordingly it is great to have an item few people have in their collections to display. The pose ability of the kit is quite good, with upper leg and waist pivot and bendable knees and toes and positional jet nozzles.

Again I suggest this kit to moderate to advanced builders due to the paint masking and upper leg fragility but if you take your time with the finish and parts you will be rewarded with a beautiful representation of a classic Macross vehicle.

©2009 Article and pictures Leonardo Flores and CollectionDX.

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.

I am sure this was a memorable purchase for many at San Diego Comic Con 2009.

When Toynami set out to create a more affordable Macross toy, the results were mostly satisfactory. Their 1/100 line for better or worse is readily available at almost any comic book store for the low introductory price of $15.99. They were marketed as Macross toys with nary a hint of the Robotech logo in sight. This particular example is the first time this toy has been marked as a Robotech toy. This exclusive "Stealth" Veritech also comes with the Strike/Super pack accessory, which is a little confusing since the Strike pack was never part of Robotech. The color scheme is also unique although it feels a little bit like a combination of the Stealth and Anniversary colors used by Yamato and Hasegawa Macross products.

The toy looks alright in fighter mode. The intakes do not lock into the upper fuselage nor does the backpack lock into the legs so it can be a little fiddly. The toy comes with four missile packs of each type and the extra set adds three large missiles. The gunpod attaches via its own special part that replaces the gunpod's handle and plugs into holes on the bottom of the stowed arms.

The landing gear is a simple plug-in affair with the holes being hidden under folding panels.

Gerwalk mode is also fairly standard. The toys comes with two fists, one gun holding hand, and two styles of open palm. For this mode, the toy's extensive stand set is attached by simply plugging a ball joint into a hole on the underside.

Battroid mode is arguable this toy's best mode. It features good articulation and several features like the ability to attach the gunpod to its arm. I'm afraid this sample has some excess plastic around the right shoulder.

The Strike pack fits well to the figure. Nothing feels like its going to fall off.

Strike Battroid looks good as well.

Battroid mode comes with its own stand attachment piece which plugs in under the backpack. There is also a stand extension piece to give the figure a little more altitude.

The only real problem with this figure is that there are a lot of small parts to keep track of. Be sure to buy a little storage bin.

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 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.

Are you sick of Macross toys? Korea isn't!

So it's the mid-90's and because of Macross Plus and Macross 7, Macross is popular again. You are a sleazy Korean bootleg toy maker. How do you make some scratch? That's right. You rip off Takatoku's classic rendition of the 1/55 scale VF-1J Valkyrie toy from the original Macross!

Like Takatoku and the companies that followed them, you want to get the most of your toy molds, so you crank out some color variations. The Hikaru style is obviously first. You always start with the protagonist's robot. And then Max and Miria in blue and red are the next place to go. And then... well, you're basically out of VF-1J color variations from the show unless you want to go brown, but no one ever buys the brown one.

So what do you do? You make an olive green one. And what do you do after that?

You make a hideous clown robot.

Honestly, this color scheme looks like someone ate a Bomb Pop and then threw it up all over this hapless robot. Some huge Macross nerds have observed that it sort of resembles the Angel Birds demonstration Valkyries from the first episode of Macross. I tell these people they watch too many cartoons. The inside and outside of the vertical stabilizers don't match and it looks like the robot just shoved both fists into some mud.

While it's kind of nice that this toy does include a small amount of metal (the wheels, the swing bars on the shoulders and hips), the legs are entirely plastic and that's a bummer.

Also a bummer is the incredibly poor quality workmanship. None of the parts fit together well, the robot is pigeon-toed, and the head wobbles around on the spring in the neck. I actually had to open the thing and reassemble the head properly. While this is the same size as the original Takatoku toy, no, you can't swap parts between it and the original because the tolerances are all off and everything either shaped slightly wrong or ever so slightly bigger or smaller.

I think one of my favorite things about this toy is that the legs were clearly painted in blue and then they just painted right over it and you can clearly see the blue beneath it. Classy.

My mom got me this for Christmas when I was 15 or 16 from a local comic book shop. I don't know where the comic book shop got them, but they were selling them right alongside legitimate Bandai Macross 7 toys. A few months later all the Bandai ones were gone replaced by those sleazy Macross knock-offs. Ah, the world of illegitimate toy making.

There is a happy ending to this story though! A customizer on the internet wanted this particular crappy variation of the Valkyrie for some project he was working on and the money I got selling this to him I used to buy a Bandai VF-1S Super Valkyrie 1990 reissue. It was missing the armor and had a shoulder break I was able to fix using my stash of spare Valkyrie parts. Essentially I traded this piece of crap for a way better Valkyrie toy!

So remember kids, if you want a Valkyrie, get a different one.

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.

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