09.29.09
Bandai 1/100 Armored VF-25
Review: Are you looking for something that will elevate your blood pressure?
Packaging & Extras: (4/5)
The original 1/100 VF-25 Alto toy came entombed in clear tape. This armored toy has a far more reasonable amount of tape but otherwise the idea and execution behind the packaging is the same. From the outside things look great but the inside leaves a lot to be desired. This toy comes with the expected guns (one for each mode), various fixed pose hands, knife, and now there’s a very basic stand included. Reflex missiles? No.
Charm & Collectability: (3/5)
The armored Alto is proving to be a better seller than the poor selling original VF-25 release despite the increased price. There’s no doubt the transforming GBP-style armor in Frontier was very popular. I don’t know if Alto has proven to be more popular than Ozma (and apparently Bandai has not decided either since Ozma got the first DX release with armor) but I have been surprised that no word of a Ozma 1/100 with heavy armor release has been announced. The score stays slightly below average, parts-forming without metal doesn’t really drive the kids crazy.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (8.5/10)
For the scale I continue to be impressed with Bandai’s effort. There’s room for improvement here, just like there was on the original 1/100 release. Many fans continue to be upset with Bandai for the poor leg/hip placement. Beyond that though there’s a lot to like visually. Check out the comparison shot below against the DX Ozma toy. Do NOT be confused by the picture below, the armor DOES NOT come off of the VF-25 Armored edition, that is a comparison to the original VF-25 toy.
Design: (4/10)
This isn’t a toy… or at least I don’t think it should be considered one. I would consider this to be more of a model that can be assembled in any of the three modes. The additional bits end up being more kibble that can fall off and frustrate which is what drives this score even lower than the original release. My experience with this toy was borderline miserable at times. The head lasers kept popping out of their holes in fighter mode, the shoulder armor would pop off (when not in battroid), the canopy armor would pop off, it was all a constant struggle. At first I thought the big shoulder guns were another item that constantly popped off but it turns out those can be pressed in with incredible force to a point where they pop into place and then are fairly resilient. The missile bays require swapping parts to open and close.
Durability & Build: (7/10)
As far as small scale toys go this one is clearly made out of superior materials. The parts (except for the really thin ones) feel solid and the paint, for the most part, is applied well. I’ve read lots of complaints from others about poorly applied paint so definitely eyeball the one you buy through the box’s window before making your purchase. I’ve reduced the score here a hair from the previous version because the fit of the parts didn’t seem as good. Undoubtedly part of my problem keeping this toy together had to come from holes that were too big or too small to fit the peg of the piece being attached. The one highlight in this toy were the feet which were now tighter and made GERWALK mode much more functional.
Articulation: (7.5/10)
This toy is scoring less than the original release because of rampant stability issues. It may still be very poseable but you’re not going to be able to enjoy that without a stand… and you’re going to need a better stand than the one the toy comes with. The big thrusters are on ball joints which is fun for fighter mode but trust me when I tell you you’re probably not going to play with this toy. You will find a good pose or prop it up in fighter mode and then you’ll probably leave it alone. The legs and waist are extremely loose so if you’re hoping for airborne battroid poses you’re probably going to want to find some ways of stiffening those joints up to make this toy look like anything more than a rag doll.
Total Score: (34/50)
This toy comes in a point lower than the original toy landing it squarely in the “slightly below average” category. The thing to note here is the high score in the toy’s appearance. If you’re looking for a nice display piece then this may still do very well for you. If you’re looking for a toy with a fun factor than steer far away from this offering. Bandai seems to be listening to the criticism with their next offering which appears to have very minimal parts-forming and may actually inject some much needed fun back into the line. Look for Basara’s VF-19Kai from Macross7 early next year.
Jediwalker said,
October 4, 2009 at 1:29 am
I actually like this one more than the DX Armored Ozma. At least the parts don’t fall off when you transform it. And Gerwalk mode works here.
As for the head antenna in fighter mode, I left it off to make it less frustrating. One thing I felt they could have done better was to allow the legs to bend into Gerwalk without having to swap the joint. After a few swappings, it gets kind of loose.
Can’t wait to hear what you think of the DX Ozma!