07.28.08

Yamato GNU YF-19 vs Kaiyodo Revoltech YF-19

Posted in Kaiyodo, Macross Plus, Oddball, VF/YF-19 Valkyrie, Yamato at 5:18 am by micronian

 

Showdown: The Battle for that Nook on your Shelf Has Begun!

Packaging & Extras: Revoltech
The Revoltech trounces Yamato’s effort here so handily that Yamato should feel embarrassed.  Both come with a gun and a few fixed posed hands, only the Revoltech features a stand, fast packs, and pin point barrier effects.  More extras mean more cool poses to attempt so Kaiyodo’s win here is more significant than it might be for other types of toys.

 

Charm & Collectability: Revoltech
Kaiyodo’s Revoltech series has an established audience with a fair amount of brand loyalty.  I would say the Yamato product is more charming in its stricter adherence to lineart which gives it a bit of an old school look but overall the Revoltech gets the edge here.

 

Sculpt, Detail,and Paint: Yamato
The Revoltech certainly isn’t a bad looking toy but it’s ultra stylized (something some people might enjoy more than others).  The Yamato certainly isn’t flawless but it is better.  If you have some nitpicks with it from my pictures I will tell you honestly that I like it more in my hands than I did before owning one (for whatever that is worth).  From the detail standpoint it is honestly pretty impressive that the Revoltech is nearly just as detailed as the Gnu but the Revoltech’s details are often either exaggerrated or muted whereas the Gnu’s are crisp.

 

Design: Yamato
I’m giving Yamato the win here because they designed customizability into this toy which is something they should be applauded for.  They also made a pretty well articulated figure without making big compromises in the overall look.  Kaiyodo took the other extreme gladly compromising on the end appearance to make a figure that could do nearly ever pose you could imagine.  In the world of articulated figures the Revoltech approach is definitely not a bad one but it seems that Yamato put more thought into their product.  The best proof of Yamato’s extra thought comes in the form of the knees (a floating knee cap?) and the shoulders (the flaps that cover the gap actually move on the Yamato whereas they’re molded in on the Revoltech).  To prove my point about the Yamato being a better toy to modify, check out the weathered Gnu below.

 

Durability & Build: Yamato
Yamato wins this category if for no other reason than their choice of materials.  The Gnu is not rubbery, it’s solid and feels sturdy.  The fit and finish of the Yamato is also clearly superior.  There is one wildcard here where only time will tell, it’s hard to say that Yamato’s joints will stand the test of time.  So far there isn’t any reason to believe they won’t but if this toy became floppy it would essentially ruin every use you could have for it.
 

Articulation: Revoltech
The Revoltech features more points of articulation and broader range of movement in the points the two share (with maybe a couple of exceptions).  The big kickers are that the Revoltech can rotate well at the waist and in the legs.  I’ll give Yamato credit for making this toy much more fun to play with than I expected but it still falls short of the Revoltech.  Note how the Revoltech below (left) looks more natural in the pose I tried to emulate with the Gnu.

 

Overall: Revoltech (with a caveat)
For me the winner here is the Revoltech for two major reasons.  The first reason is that the number one priority for me on a toy like this is its articulation score.  The Revoltech does not look so bad in comparison to the Yamato that I’m willing to overlook how much more fun the Revoltech is.  The second reason is the price.  The Revoltech will run you easily $10 less than the Gnu.  Here’s the thing though, if you’re a customizer of toys the Gnu is a lot of fun and extremely easy to work on and I’d definitely recommend it over the Revoltech for that purpose. To check out current pricing for these toys go here for the Gnu and go here for the Revoltech.

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