10.06.08
Yamato 1/60 YF-21
Review: So pretty it’ll make you wanna pop an eyeball out at high g’s
Packaging & Extras: (5/5)
This toy comes in that huge 1/48 box you’ve come to abhor but this time it’s 100% packed full of goodness! No, you won’t be cheated like you were when you purchased Yamato’s first edition YF-19. This bad boy comes with a clear stand (and connectors), connectors to the fold drive (not included), and super parts! All those extras are in addition to the dual guns and pilot. It’s pretty much everything you could want.
Charm & Collectability: (3.5/5)
I don’t hear many people exclaim “the YF-21 is my favorite!” so I can’t give this a score better than average here. It is, by far, the best transforming representation of the YF-21 to date. There are two points that will hurt this toy’s long term collectibility: 1) It’s MSRP made it about $200-$220 to have shipped to the US when it was first released and 2) no diecast. You might think the “no diecast” thing is to the betterment of the toy, and I would agree with you, but there’s no questioning that some hardcore toy collectors just want to see diecast in everything.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (9/10)
There have been two legitimate complaints leveled at this toy so far. The first complaint is that the toy’s legs are too thin. I think you’ll be hard pressed to agree with that complaint when actually handling the toy but it’s clear in the pictures that they are on the thin side… but the resulting fighter mode is so aggressive I think it’s a very well thought out compromise. The second complaint is that the feet are showing in fighter mode (pictured below). While that complaint sounds damning at first glance, the feet do not PROTRUDE at all in fighter mode, they’re juts visible from the rear of the toy and act to close the gap (it actually looks very clean and very well done). The guns on other representations of this vehicle are often blue on non-super parts versions and gray on super parts versions, since Yamato gave us both they compromised with a dark gray color that looks excellent in both configurations. Panel lines are clean and often are formed by either screw covers or trap doors (like the ones to fasten the fold drive’s anchor’s). The paint was clean and the clear plastic parts used for lights make the final presentation a sight to behold.
Design: (9/10)
Since I mentioned the feet and how Yamato used them to plug the back of fighter mode in the sculpt section I was very tempted to give this toy a perfect score here. However, transforming this toy can be so frustrating that I felt it was worth shaving a point off. Most people have a hard time getting the feet back into their bays, a situation that was apparently so prevalent that Yamato included a flier detailing exactly how the legs should look in fighter (pictured below). Needless-to-say, there’s a steep learning curve and more than a little bit of patience is required. This is also true of the super parts that cover the leg bays. The way those super parts attach without leaving any trace is completely admirable but it takes a lot of effort to get them connected as they should be. Once those leg armors are attached they will not accidentally plop off on you like the 1/72’s would, you can leave them on right through transformations. The extras like delimiter mode and a seat that reclines so Guld can look out from the cockpit in battroid mode are pure icing on the cake.
Durability & Build: (8.5/10)
This is easily Yamato’s least complained about first edition toy that I’ve encountered. There are a couple issues with glued on parts not staying glued on but that seems to be the worst of it. For example, the actual head within the cowl is simply glued to a grey prong on either side of that and I’ve seen YF-21s where the head has popped off (easily fixed by a spot of glue on either side). There are also little trap doors that have popped off in transformation which is most likely caused by the binding of the glue being broken as parts are stressed (have I mentioned that transformation is very hard? I felt fortunate that no parts popped off on me). The tail fins attached to the arm can pop off which can be all sorts of dangerous… if this happens to you then you are transforming the toy wrong and you should look carefully at the provided instructions. The one clear problem is that the paint is prone to chipping (and hence why Yamato wrapped so much of the toy in thin plastic seals for shipping. Once you take the plastic seal off the leg and then squeeze the legs back into their bays there’s a good possibility you’ll also shave some paint from the area just above the feet.
Articulation: (9/10)
This toy is a bit top heavy with very thin legs but it still manages to do EXTREMELY well here. There’s a waist pivot joint and the whole cowl that sheaths the head moves. Grab both guns and prepare for John Woo style mayhem!
Total Score: (44/50)
In the Macross universe it was the YF-19 that won the competition but in the Yamato toy universe the YF-21 is the hands-down winner. In fact, the score here puts this toy in the same league as my other highest scoring toys on the site. If you’re a fan of the design you should save your pennies and buy this toy.
Zeronith said,
March 26, 2010 at 2:12 pm
I’ll add one more count to someone who would exclaim “YF-21 is my favorite!” I like the design. It’s my first veryvery pricey toy. I like the YF-21 so much it made me cross the bridge to buying something so expensive. But till date, i have not regretted a cent of it.
Great review.