03.14.08
Yamato 1/72 VF-11B Thunderbolt (First Edition)
Review(updated): It’s got a friggin’ bayonet!
Packaging & Extras (3/5)
The Mac Plus packaging is the precursor to Yamato’s 1/60 line of toys and it shows. The boxes are large and flimsy with giant windows showing the product within. The VF-11B comes with two vacuum-formed heat-shields to cover the cockpit in battloid mode. Oddly enough, the heat-shields are still on the plastic they were vacuum-formed on and must be cut to be freed. This is made even more odd in that the toy is shipped in Battroid mode so you would think it would come attached. Why not just attach it? You’ll noticed I haven’t used the heatshield in any of my pictures… that’s how much I care for Yamato’s approach here. They did make up for it in some degree through the gun that is included. The gun has an expanding stock and a bayonet that swings forward which are both very nice touches and an extra hand is provided so that the gun can actually be held. Finally the toy comes with some lackluster decals and instructions detailing how to complete the transformation and an advertisement of some sort. A pilot figure would have been nice considering the cockpit seems designed to accomodate one.
Charm & Collectibality (2/5)
This toy has a few things going against it that keeps its score low in this category. First, the Fast Pack version that was released later included upgrades which make it a superior toy and makes that version more collectable. Second, Yamato is currently in the process of releasing everything in 1/60 scale (VF-1, QRau, VF-0, YF-19) and so it seems an upgraded version of this toy is inevitable. That said, the 1/60 line will likely be devoid of diecast metal so there will always be collectors looking for these 1/72 versions. Competition in the VF-11 market is scarce but even so, rumors about just how amazingly fragile this toy is will always keep most collectors far from it. Not only is a Yamato 1/60 version likely but Yamato’s releasing a G’NU Battroid toy and there seems to be a good possibility Kaiyodo will follow suit in their Revoltech line.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint (7/10)
There are a few issues but overall this toy looks good. I’ll start with the most obvious issues. First, fighter mode has a large hinge at the base of the wing that is necessary for transformation but looks pretty bad outside of Battroid mode. Second, the tail fins aren’t nearly large enough- I don’t really know how this could have been overcome since they collapse into the leg but they’re definitely too short. In fact, the fighter mode looks very nice but almost appears to have been pancaked a bit. None of the Mac+ Valks look particularly good in GERWALK mode but I think the VF-11 pulls it off the best, as does this toy. For a toy of this scale there’s plenty of detail and the paint is well applied and looks great. In fighter mode the rear landing gears are a bit weak and could definitely have used some improvement. Battroid mode also suffers from two large extensions atop the shoulders which are necessary for transformation. Also, as you can see in the pic above, Yamato didn’t exactly make this toy 1/72 scale, if they did it’d be much smaller than a 1/60 VF-1.
Design (7.5/10)
You know what I find pretty sad? This toy seems to have a transformation even more complicated than the VF-1 but Yamato managed to create a perfectly variable transformer for the VF-11 and couldn’t do the same for the 1/60 VF-1 that followed (although they’ve rectified that in their forthcoming 1/60 VF-1 2.0). There are some neat tricks employed here to get the arms to swing out from the center of the toy. The transformation doesn’t seem overly complicated but it’s certainly not simple either. As mentioned in the sculpt section, the landing gears are pretty funky.
Durability & Build (3/10)
Unfortunately this first release had a very big issue. Yamato used thin plastic rods to connect the hips to the vehicle’s waist. It’s believed that the problem goes further than just the rods used being plastic. Apparently there may have been a bit of sloppiness when it came to the manufacture causing the plastic rods to also be glued on one side. The result being, that as soon as pressure was applied to the rod, the rod wouldn’t move or rotate at all like it was supposed to and snap. Whatever the exact cause, the fact remains that the hips are fragile and MANY reached their destination already broken within the toy’s packaging. As you can imagine, this irked many of the early converts and it’s highly recommended by most collectors that a first edition VF-11B be left in the box so that it can’t be damaged. Yamato also had problems with primering their Mac+ line so if you do decide to take it out you should be very cautious with the painted parts and trying to keep them from chipping. There are a few other bits and pieces throughout the toy that look like potential danger areas so it’s highly recommended that this toy always be handled with care.
Articulation (7/10)
This toy is actually surprisingly good at being posed but it does have a few large shortcomings. First, the feet are a bit stubborn, if they could be moved more it would allow for better posing. Second, there’s no swivel point in the legs around the knee area. If both those points of articulation were added the GERWALK mode on this toy would have been much improved and battroid mode would have had plenty more options. Finally, a swivel point at the waist would have really put this toy over the top. As you can see in my pic, even without those points of articulation this thing is still a joy to pose.
Total Score (29.5/50)
Overall this is a decent toy with terribly subpar durability. Fortunately Yamato is a toy company that listens to fan feedback and the fans definitely spoke out loudly when it came to this toy. As such, the Fast Pack version was released and it is highly recommended that, if you want a VF-11B toy, you track down that fast pack version instead.
NOTE: This review has been updated for content and photos, content has been brought up to current day, additional pictures were added and existing ones were improved.
Original Post Date: July 22, 2006
