01.17.08

Yamato 1/60 VF-0A Shin Kudo Ghost Set

Posted in 1/60, Macross ZERO, VF-0 Zero, Yamato at 5:10 am by micronian

 

Review: Why be with a hero when you can be with a Zero?

 

Packaging & Extras: (5/5)
Yamato didn’t do quite as good a job here as they did with the YF-19 and Fold gift-set as far as fitting everything in a normal sized box (if you own a super 1/48 VF-1 release the box is about the same size). Still, you get essentially two toys in one. Sure, one of those toys is the lackluster Ghost but hey, at least it has the option to be its own beast unlike the super parts that come with a VF-1. All of the many accoutrements of previous releases (Ghost and VF-0) are present here ranging from a huge host of weaponry to attachment pieces to a nifty pilot figure and Launch Arm connectors. That’s a ton of accessories leaving you with just about every option you could hope for.

 

Charm & Collectability: (3.5/5)
I’m really becoming quite disenchanted with Yamato. This is now their third stab at the VF-0 line and yet another failure. How many people have told them now that they’re creating garbage for shoulders and how limited has their response been? This is absolutely not a problem that can be over-looked, practically every Zero toy shows some element of shoulder damage from stressing to full on cracks and Yamato has put out three different releases without a response? Here we finally have the main character of the show, what may very well be the most desired release yet, but all this toy really is is a slightly altered version of the VF-0A Unknown Soldier release (a 1.5 edition if you will). None of the very many flaws were addressed, all you’ll get here is a quick repaint and additional attachments (Ghost and weapons). Sure, that’s going to drive the charm of this toy but in no way should that make you rush out to buy it. WAIT!!! Be patient, Yamato has stated (not sure how much I trust this) that the newest VF-0S (released after Shin) is a true 2nd Edition with improved parts. That means you should wait for a true 2nd edition Shin and let this one languish on shelves.

 

Sculpt, Detail, and Paint: (9/10)
This toy has a bit more tampo printing than the Unknown Soldier VF-0A and some very slightly different hues and trim. There is certainly no striking visual difference between the Unknown Soldier and Shin. You may have noticed that the anti-glare is missing from the front of Shin’s VF-0A, apparently this is correct. What is not correct is the lack of an intake over the Ghost’s wing. Everything here seems pretty on par with previous releases although it does seem I’ve heard more grousing about flaws in the paint job with this version of the Zero than previous attempts. Note the score, this is a great toy visually, but there’s nothing to add here that hasn’t been said in previous reviews.

 

Design: (8.5/10)
Nothing on the main toy has changed from the Unknown Soldier review so it’s what I’ve labeled a 1.5 edition. The first edition didn’t feature locking feet or a rubber ring at the eblow to help the toy keep poses and the overall toy was very loose and sloppy. Beyond that there are still a lot of cool features here but there’s also room for improvement… usually witnessed by the shoddy quality of the final product.

 

Durability & Build: (4.5/10)
I must have missed the memo that stated Toynami had taken over quality assurance at Yamato’s plants. The old complaint used to be that Toynami would release a shoddy product and then ignore all the customer feedback to lump more and more of the same flawed product on customers. Yamato always received praise for their willingness to change based on the flaws the customers found. At some point Yamato must have gotten a bit too proud and is now refusing to see the flaws being pointed out to them. For this reason we have yet another VF-0 release that I enjoy, I think is beautiful, and don’t recommend anyone buy and I wouldn’t buy it for anyone as a gift. It just doesn’t make sense, the toy has shoulder problems and everyone knows it. Why buy a toy you’re afraid to pose?  I had agreed to sell this toy before it even arrived with me and I was actually afraid to do my photoshoot for fear of it breaking on me from my experience with the other Zero toys.  Parts of the toy still feel sloppy like the feet (you may remember the pic in my Unknown Soldier review where I demonstrated just how loose that toy’s feet were in fighter mode, this toy is only marginally better), the flaps that conceal the head also feel extremely loose, and the overall sturdiness is still no where near the 1/48 VF-1 level.

 

Articulation: (9/10)
I will give props where props are due and this toy is still a ton of fun to pose… even with the Ghost attached! I was honestly quite surpised by how little the Ghost hindered the VF-0 and all the cool posing that could be done. Don’t be afraid that you’re going to be stuck in fighter mode with this toy (although with all the shoulder problems these toys have that might not be a bad idea).

 

Total Score: (39.5/50)
This is definitley the highest score I’ve ever given to a toy I don’t advise people purchasing. Perhaps I don’t place enough value in my standard scoring system on Build & Durability because that score alone should be drawing the overall total down a lot more than it does. Ever since the release of the first VF-0S toy I’ve been bemoaning how much potential this toy has that it’s not living up to and I’m sad to still be doing that. The only hope is that the new VF-0S Second Editions finally turn the corner and hold together. Well, I guess if you’re going to hope that you should also hope it isn’t much longer before we see a Shin reissue with the 2nd Edition improvements to durability.

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