SV-51 Nora Type
Review by Atom
Right off the top, I want to point out the sheer size of this thing. I've seen the pictures and reviews on other sites and for some reason, the sheer size of this thing didn't come across, you see it's huge... seriously. In fighter mode its 14 inches long from the tip of the nose cone to the end of the feet thrusters. There's no missing this one on the shelf that's for sure.
And of course, the box is even bigger. If you've ever purchased a Yamato transforming toy you know what to expect, it's more of the same. A large cardboard box (measure's 15 x 14 x 6 inches so importing to the states can be expensive) with a lid that opens to reveal the contents packed neatly in clear vacuum-form trays.
Fighter mode is probably the strongest of the three modes of this variable fighter. Every part and piece locks into place.... well almost everything. On my piece, the right wing is a little loose in the hinge that holds the wing to the fuselage, so barrel rolls leave the right wing floppy. Not a deal really but take into consideration it's almost $200, for that price every single piece should be flawless.... with that said...
It comes with the full assortment of extra gun pods, missiles and boosters too fully deck out the fighter for long range combat. I prefer the sleeker look of the minimal armament in fighter mode myself but it's nice these pieces are included. Also included is a mini Nora figure which is gummy and soft
Gerwalk mode looks best when displayed on the provided stand than it does on the ground. The shoulders do not “lock in” in any way and just sort of hang there. It will hold any pose you throw at it but the arms are a bit finicky in this mode. The wings however will hold their pose I am glad to report, a concern of mine when I saw the first photos of this design.
You can telescope out the head to use as a “periscope” like seen in the OVA's and the provided stand does a great job holding a mid-flight mode.
Battroid mode is an impressive 13 inches tall and poses fairly well with or without the provided stand. My only real complaint in this mode is the legs don't really “lock” into place at the thighs and just sort of sit there. Tension is snug in this mode and holds the Battroid upright just fine but nothing clicks in place to let you know you have all the angels just right.
Like I mentioned earlier, it comes loaded with accessories.... gunpods, missiles, boosters, pilot figure and stand (with attachments for all three modes). The landing gear also folds out and detail is equally as impressive as the rest of the toy.
You can also store the extra magazine clip on the leg as well as the Battroid's gun, though I'm not sure this is an intended feature, but it works pretty well.
So before I wrap this up I have a confession. You see as much as I like this thing I can not recommend it based on the piece I got. Not for the asking price of almost $200. The mid-thigh part on the left leg separated during it's first transformation. A little dab of crazy glue and it's better, but for the asking price I should not have to re-glue anything. To be fair, it's not a common issue for this release but still a problem.
I really like this mecha design and enjoy the series, Macross Zero - but I am only recommending this to the most die-hard Macross fans and then only if your willing to take a chance you might get a bum one. All else will probably want to pass. It's 98% ABS plastic and fairly expensive for what it is, however it does stand out on the shelf, your mileage may vary.
Comments
20 comments postedIs it really fair to admit its not a widespread issue, yet recommend that people not buy it? I have one, and it's flawless, as is most of them. Any mass-produced figure is going to have an occasional dud. A better way to approach the issue would be to try to get a replacement, not to tell people not to buy it.
And since when is Battroid mode called "Bioroid?" Maybe I missed something, but every Macross series has mecha with Fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid modes.
I'm far from upset (you're the one with a broken toy, not me) but it's cool how you manage to flip your frustrations on someone else. In psychology, its known as projecting. Oh, and there is no apostrophe after "upset's".
c'mon, that's just ridiculous. are you REALLY that upset about this review? Atom isn't flipping expectations on anyone! His review is his honest opinion. And correcting people's spelling/grammar is very snarky and cheap.
Maybe you love this toy- share your thoughts as to why. Don't attack someone else's thoughts, it does nothing to further your argument, it just makes you look petty (which I know you're not!)
YOU may have gotten a perfect one, but there's TONS of people who had the SAME problems as Atom- take a look around the net.
maybe you have hundreds of dollars to blow on Macross toys, but not everyone does.
You are right. I actually just came back to edit my comment, but now it's too late. I have a habit of sticking my foot in my mouth and dealing with the consequences later. I wasn't trying to attack anyone's thoughts, I just was just disappointed that he got a bad one and that is the rep it now has on CDX. I don't spend a lot of time on Macross World, but of all the people who got them there, this was the first I have heard of the problem. Maybe i missed the other ones, its entirely possible. Still, that is no excuse for coming across as I did.
The grammar comment was funny at first, but was not meant to be taken seriously. Either way, there was no place for it here. I came back to edit it as I have the issue of put my foot in my mouth and think about the consequences later.
Atom, please accept my apology and disregard my immaturity. The LAST thing i want to do is start a flame war on CDX. I love this site, and while I don't always agree with your reviews, I should take it up with your privately and more politely, if at all. Please accept my apology, there is no good excuse for my comments.
...to say it in a review! That's *why* a review is useful to those who don't have the toy in person! And that's why Comments are useful in reviews like this- so different people with different experiences can share their thoughts.
I think you can see based on all of the reviews on the site, there's a tendancy to not recommend a modern era toy with problems if it costs over $100. It's not cool to spend a lot of money on something you might have to fix out of the box! If i want to use model glue on my toy, i'll buy a model.
You can see it across the board- a perfect example is the CM's Beta fighter set- while Josh says it's a cool set, it's not $300-level cool, so it's not recommended, and I think we all know how people were ready to make apologies for the set ahead of time for such a desired mech.
I've seen that with this piece it seems to be split 50/50 with good ones and bad ones, 100% expected from Yamato with such a complex design. It's definetly falls into the "hardcore macross" category, and if you're one of those, you're used to buying one or two to ensure a "100% perfect" example of a valkyrie toy.
I wasn't into Macross Zero, so it's a pass for me- but what a cool design! This is definetly one that will be tough to find in a few years.
With the original Ivanov version of the SV-51, there were some issues. Nothing as bad as the VF-0 being so floppy it couldn't hold a pose or the VF-0A having shoulders that disintegrated after two (or less!) transformations. But it did have wing joints installed on the opposite wing (as in two left joints instead of one of each) and some floppiness. All of those issues are indeed unacceptable for a $200 toy, and most Yamato fans have learned the hard way not to buy ANY first release of a Yamato product.
With that said, the Nora release was a significant improvement. There were no real widespread issues that I have seen, and it has garnered a good reputation for being a safe Yamato buy. That's why it is disappointing to see Atom get a dud. For the Nora release, it's not a widespread issue.
It is a shame, though, after how many Yamato valks, that with the recent release of the YF-21, only now is Yamato getting their first releases issue-free.
It will be interesting to say the least to see what Bandai can do with the Macross Frontier license.
I was thinking about picking up one of these, but not this color scheme. However it's so rare that I have $200 to spare that I really think I should go for something else. It'd be my first transforming Macross figure, too (I am a noob, yes) and I think I'd rather snag one of those Toynami 1/100's for now.
Oh, and by the way, I do not mind the female figure reviews at all. And it's not ONLY because I'm a huge pervert, either.
when you're ready to drop the big bucks, go for the 1/48 scale Yamato valks. They're huge, detailed, look great... I've had a couple over the years, and there was not a scratch, loose joint, or broken part.
The new perfect transformation 1/60-scale line looks great too, but i can't recommend those as i don't own one.
Again, both of these are pretty expensive, but then again, I'm not a fan of Toynami (it seems any robotech/macross toy they make has some QC problem of some type) but those 1/100 seem to be a nice start to the most addictive drug of all... Macross toys!
Thanks for the recommendation!
I have just a little bit of extra cash left after buying the Soul of Chogokin Spec XS-09 this morning. I only recently started to try and buy somewhat heavily into lines other than Transformers (you guessed it, I'm pretty young; just turned 17 today). If I decide not to do the wise thing and save what cash I have left, I may go just go for one of those 1/100s. That, or about a dozen other things I'm trying to decide between, ha. Mostly Evangelion and Transformers stuff.
More on topic...not being as informed about or as into Macross as I'd like to be, given more time (again, young noob here), some of the more expensive pieces like this one are immediately of questionable merit. Storage space is also becoming an issue, so until I clean up more around here, larger pieces are also just a tad bit worrisome. This is why the Toynami 1/100s seem perfect.
I'm with Gareth on the price crunch, Valkyries are beautiful in every shape or form, but the're just so expensive to get in the US except for Toynami's 1/100 offerings. Still, excellent review and a gorgous piece of work on the SV!
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Rob
The Gundam Model Guy
Something to note about the SV-51 that NOBODY ever does, and relates to a comment in your review where you say the shoulders do not lock in (and which I think can be completely blamed on Yamato's substandard instructions with regard to this section of the figure), is that the shoulders pivot inward and upward slightly so that the pads rest above the rest of the chest. It slims the shoulder area slightly and looks a fair bit better.
You have to pop the shoulder pauldron downward (pressing on the outer edge), then pivot the entire piece, which is on a (VERY stiff) hinge, upward. The end result will look like this:
(I'd take a picture of just the shoulders, but I'm at work and I have this one handy).
And for the record, my own Nora has a few problems, mainly in the area of the wings (one droops), so I wouldn't say it's flawless, but it's certainly better than the Yamato norm.
Hi Gareth Infinity,
I am not long on this site either. For Macross toys, I would highly recomend the 1/55 Bandai Valkyries. I got the VF-1S Super Valkyrie when I was 18 in the summer of 2003. The original 1/55 are great, actual toys. The Yamato 1/48 are excellent looking but more complex than the original, you might be better to wait for the new 1/60. Do not go for the original 1/60 series they are not great. I have owned a Toynami 1/55 MPC Valkyrie, it had a lot of quality control issues, the 1/100 look cool but it might be a waste of money. Bandai and Toynami are re-releasing the original 1/55.
I will certainly take all of this into consideration, thanks. Though I do admit there are some other things higher on my priorities list, which is very important to maintain with such limited cash flow as mine...
hi atom,u are totally right about it,i just got the new prefect transformation yamato 1/60 vf-1s roy focker,it really flawless,can't see any bad point of it,and i can really play with it without any worries.all parts are tight,transformation its a bit tight,but overall,prefect toy and collection.i really looking forward to see your review on this masterpiece.so that everyone will know the greatness of it.thanks.
Yamato has been claiming diecast contruction. Well screws and joints dont count!!
SOC makes macross look like crap in relation to diecast.
I have been awaiting a real diecast Valkyrie forever. If it came out it would probably be $600.00, since people are paying $200.00 for plastic.
Sure its nicely detailed, I think I paid about $40.00 for my RID plastic optimus prime.
Sorry about that it did have metal screws, thus diecast RID optimus prime.
For $200.00 buy a Godmars which you can kill someone by throwing it at their head.
Thanks atom for the review you made for the SV-51y(Nora) I just received mine yesterday, no kidding it's huge and I love it! Its a real beauty! I like handling it a my hands as I stand in awe, truly a work of art and engineering.
Thankfully every thing was alright out of the box, there we're no defects on my unit, I spent until midnight playing with it, my sympathies for the unit you received had a flimsy wing, as I've seen on your video review.
Thanks again!