09.02.07

Yamato 1/100 Konig Monster

Posted in 1/100, Macross/Robotech TMS, Yamato at 6:10 pm by micronian

 

Review: A Monster that Won’t Fit Under Your Bed

 

Packaging & Extras: (3/5)
The box has the same, somewhat large, dimensions that Yamato uses for its 1/48 products.  The flip-up display panel is present, the art and decoration are fair, but there’s really nothing here that would be considered an extra.  There aren’t tiny little pilots present, no additional weaponry, just an instruction manual and stickers.

 

Charm & Collectability: (2/5)
This toy is from the VF-X2 game, it has not appeared in any animation before but it does resemble the original Destroid Monster (MACII) from Macross.  The Konig is a much smaller, transformable, version of its older brother.  Without the charm of being in the original animation, and lacking the diecast of vintage toys, there just doesn’t seem to be much demand for this toy at all.  It has seen at least one re-issue so the supply is there if you’re looking for one.

 

Sculpt, Detail, and Paint: (7/10)
Yamato didn’t bother doing much tampo-printing on this toy and some of the large surfaces look a bit plain.  Most of the toy’s color comes from the molded plastic but the little paint applied appears to be well done.  The large cannons are detailed nicely but it seems like some real simple weathering would have gone a long way but instead the barrels are left naked.  The rocket launchers of the arms are just black indents rather than tubes which is fine but again, it’d be nice to see Yamato go the extra mile.  Most the lineart I’ve seen for this vehicle is pretty stylized and I just don’t think this is better than an average attempt to emulate it.

 

Design: (7/10)
It’s amazing that this toy can transform into all three modes and I really mean it.  I downloaded a helpful how-to transform guide for my first time through the process and I was very glad I did.  There’s nothing intuitive about this transformation.  With such a complicated and remarkable transformation it’s no surprise that not much effort was left for gratuitous details like a functioning cockpit or landing gears.  I’m tempted to score this lower but I am so impressed by the fact the transformation even works I’ll leave it at a 7.  If you’re struggling getting the toy back into shuttle mode, you’ll know you’re done when you look at it from the side and there aren’t any huge gaps allowing you to see through to the other side (although there might be a couple really tiny openings).  There’s another issue here that could be considered either a design or a build issue, I’ll handle it in the build section although it probably more belongs here.  Some of the joints on this toy just aren’t stiff enough to support the toy’s weight.

 

Durability & Build: (6/10)
The number one complaint about the Konig comes from stress marking.  A few of the areas that are absolutely essential to transformation are comprised of plastic so thin that a strong enough light will shine right through it.  The good news is that a stress mark doesn’t leave you with a broken toy, the bad news is that a stress mark can be pretty obvious and, in some cases, can be a precursor to eventual breakage.  Another problem comes from the heft of the toy’s limbs as alluded to above.  The limbs are too heavy for the joints to support the arms for most poses, some times any poses, and usually straight out of the box!  Another area the lack of stiff-ness will really show itself is during the transformation; when this thing is all opened-up for transformation it can seem like a big wet noodle.  Of course, to make things more fun, while managing this monstrosity through transformation you’ll find the large cannons popping off if handled at any point.  The cannons easily plug right back in but you might have to track them down if they roll under something.

 

Articulation: (5/10)
If you do remember the original monster, all it really does is aim its giant arm rocket launchers and lean slightly to position its artillery.  This new transformable version is capable of not much more… which is sad considering it has a battroid mode.  The amazingly complicated legs actually need to be propped in “Monster” mode to stay erect and Battroid mode may as well just be a balancing act if you’re going to try to do anything dynamic.  It’s kind of fun to pose this toy with 1/100 Valkyries (such as Toynami’s or Takatoku’s) but you’ll definitely have more fun with the valks then you will with this lumbering hulk.  Heck, the head of the battroid doesn’t even twist and the toy costs more than $100.

 

Total Score: (30/50)
This toy receives a below average score and I think that’s right.  My hat is off to Yamato for taking a stab at such a beast of a toy.  Honestly though, who wouldn’t have rathered Yamato make something else from the animation rather than this odd-scale and obscure vehicle?  It’s my understanding that part of the reason Yamato opted for this product was because it existed in some form as a resin kit (if someone wants to leave a comment with a link to the resin kit that’d be AWESOME) much like the inspiration for Yamatos first toys from the Macross Plus line.  Regardless of the reasons and the guts it took to make this thing, I just can’t recommend it.  The shuttle mode is just short of hideous, the battroid mode is nothing but awkward, and the “Monster” mode is just something cool looking for the background of a display case… certainly nothing that would actually get played with.  If you’re a huge destroid fan then this is your only modern option and I reckon you’d appreciate everything here more than I did, for the rest of us, I think you’d be better served getting the WHAM SDF-1 or a Yamato 1/48 Valkyrie.  Also, color me crazy, but I kinda think they Shuttle mode looks better flipped upside down like a drop-ship, see the pic below:

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