05.16.09

Yamato 1/60 VF-11B

Posted in 1/60, Macross Plus, VF-11 Valkyrie, Yamato at 5:11 pm by micronian

 

Review: Now featuring the escape pod used ad nauseum in Mac7!

Packaging & Extras: (4.5/5)
As you can see in the picture above, Yamato has started listening to customers and decreasing the vast expanse of their boxes. The down side of doing this is that it’s now clear to consumers that they’re paying a lot more money for not a whole lot of toy. I found the art on the box kinda goofy but the flip top lid is there and the stickers (it’s a tiny sticker sheet) and instructions are included behind the tray in the now typical Yamato fashion. As far as extras go you get a gunpod with flip-out bayonet that can be partially disassembled to reveal inner detail, a pilot (a trimmed down pilot in comparison to the Isamu that came packaged with the YF-19 as shown below), connectors for Yamato’s stands, and super parts. This all might have come together to be a perfect score but at this price range there really needed to be a stand or something along those lines.

 

Charm & Collectability: (3.5/5)
The VF-11B isn’t a hero valk even if Isamu was shown using one to make mince meat out of Zentraedi in one of the versions of Mac Plus. It has a few somewhat memorable scenes in Mac Plus but the real stars were the YF-19 and the YF-21 and it’s likely the toy sells will reflect this. Since the toy is brand new I’ll leave it with an average score. Every review I’ve seen so far has been largely positive so there’s a chance this might become a hot ticket item. In the meantime you can have fun taking pilots from your other toys and putting them in the VF-11B (you could imagine a world where Roy survived to make it to the next Valk but it’s a tight fit).

 

 

Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (8.5/10)
This is a pretty valk but it looks a bit bland through a combination of limited panel lining and a dreary paint scheme. Yamato did apply fine details to the sculpt in a number of places including behind the green see-through eye piece and the plates that conceal the holes near the neck. The 11B is the first Mac+ valk Yamato has released to include the rainbow effect on the canopy. Some have complained that the tail fins aren’t long enough, a common complaint amongst VF-11 toys since anime magic was required to make them more sizeable in the show, but Yamato clearly did what they could to make the fins fairly large. My biggest complaint in this region comes from the lack of painted on detail. The giant swabs of dull gray from this paint scheme could have really been spruced up with a few painted on emblems/labels. While the fastpacks are clear improvements over the 1/72’s fastpacks (comparison above) they’re also absolutely nothing in comparison to the VF-1 fastpacks and are honestly a bit of a let down.  You can check out the now standard foot and intake detail above in pic 2.

 

Design: (8.5/10)
There are some really cool features to this toy but there are a couple drawbacks that kept it from knocking the proverbial ball out of the park. On the cool side you do get an integrated heatshield that encompasses a cockpit that can be removed from the toy as an escape pod (primarily scene in Mac7). You also get little plates that fold out to cover holes that might have otherwise been distracting. In pursuit of anime accuracy (and nothing else) there are two bumps that slide up next to the battroid’s head. As mentioned previously, the rear fins also have a little shimmy to them which allows them to extend out further than one would expect given the size and thickness of the calf they are housed by. GERWALK mode features two tabs that slide out to cover a gap as well as locking the wing roots in their proper position (although I still found one occasionally drooping a bit lower than the other). The fastpack implementation is exceedingly well done with magnets and a tab locking the leg pieces firmly into position and the back attachment points being cleverly concealed. The rear landing gears are definitely too small (as seen below) and very difficult to extend. I suggest peeling the tire off (you will probably do this in any effort to take the landing gear out) and then just loop the tire around the post and pull it outward.

 

Durability & Build: (8/10)
Yamato has fooled me once before so I’m very reluctant to score this toy so high here. The first edition VF-1S 1/60 toy received a similar score only to have both of its shoulders break a while later. So, you have been warned, take this score with a grain of salt as its being given to a company that seems to get a sadistic pleasure from producing toys that look phenomenal, feature excellent design choices, but lose entire limbs for no good reason. At the moment my toy has performed very well, feels remarkably solid, and doesn’t have enough paint on it to have me too concerned about chipping or scratches. I was able to fumble my way through the first couple transformations without once feeling frightened that I was on the verge of breaking anything. I haven’t read a single report of anyone getting their magnets applied in the opposite direction or incorrect hinges being used in some locations as has happened on previous releases. There have only been two common complaints from what I have seen. First, there have been numerous complaints that the cockpit ejection pod is loose within cockpit region which lets it rattle around a bit and makes it hard to position properly. Second, there have been some complaints of improper fit where the shoulders come together in the back of fighter mode. Similarly, there have been some people grumbling that the shield doesn’t fit in tightly enough to the arm. All of those complaints have been minor with most users stating they figured out ways to resolve their own issues. For my part, I think the emblem on my heatshield was painted the tiniest hair off center but I’ve convinced myself it’s an optical illusion, chime in below if you have the same feeling about yours.

 

Articulation: (8/10)
The arm and shoulder articulation leave a lot to be desired here. The elbows don’t offer a very good range of movement (less than the 1/72??) at all and that will really hamper your ability to reach some poses. The neck is also a bit of a let down in that it’s essentially non-existant which keeps the head from looking down very well (although making a VF-11 look down will quickly make you realize how much the VF-11 battroid looks like the build of a person with a giant foreign object strapped to their chest). The leg articulation is impressive but you don’t get a waist pivot to help you take better advantage of it.

 

Total Score: (41/50)
The YF-21 remains my favorite of the Mac+ toys Yamato has produced but the VF-11 has slid in front of the first edition of the YF-19. Unfortunately,the VF-11 suffers a bit more from a cost/benefit standpoint in that it’s really not much larger than the 1/60 VF-1 toy that runs about HALF the cost (and received a higher score). In my battroid comparison pictures I left the VF-11’s legs extended from the leg well to give it a bit more height but if you like the solid feeling of having them recessed the size advantage of the VF-11 is reduced by a bit less than a centimeter. This is easily the best VF-11 toy ever and if you’re a fan of the VF-11 you should do yourself a favor and head over to Overdrive and purchase one. At the moment this is a pretty easy toy for me to recommend and I’ll be sure to revisit this review if any news comes out about potential flaws.

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