02.23.10

Yamato GNU YF-19 Upgrade Parts

Posted in Macross Plus, Oddball, VF/YF-19 Valkyrie, Yamato at 5:47 am by micronian

Observations & Critique: The last of the Mac+ Upgrades

I’ve mentioned before that all the upgrade parts come in the same box differentiated by a sticker. There are no upgrade parts made specifically for the VF-19A or VF-11B VF-X repaints. The YF-19 upgrade parts include leg shells, and abdomen, shoulders, and the various super parts. I’ve lamented the lack of a stand before but I will continue to do so here. It’s also sad that yamato didn’t do a bit more as far as extras go. Kaiyodo gave me a pin-point barrier punch piece, fast packs, and a stand for less than half what this toy + the upgrade parts cost at MSRP.

While these toys were decent and solid, and the upgraded toys are better, there’s just not a huge collector’s market for mecha action figures. It doesn’t seem like a lot were made so if you’re dying for the upgrade you might want to pull the trigger before the hunt becomes too difficult. Then again, this is Yamato, so there’s a good chance the toys will be reissued on some distant date with all the upgrades already built in.

The super parts definitely add to the intimidation factor of the YF-19. The parts look good but Yamato did have to add some holes to add places where the super parts could be inserted. Outside of the new abdoment, giving you holes for the super packs are really what these new parts are all about.

The problem with all the upgrade parts sets is how obvious all of the changes that were made seem. I can’t think of a single good reason why the original toy doesn’t have the changes that are found on the upgrade parts. It really just doesn’t make sense. Is the new abdomen an improvement? Without a doubt.

This was the only toy that gave me any hassle in terms of putting it together with the new parts. Everything fit, and fit fine, but I had to use enough pressure to push a part back together that a quick slip caused a tiny cut on my thumb where the plastic slid up my nail. Nothing was damaged besides my thumb; a testament to the quality of these toys.

The new abdomen allows the toy to hunch a bit and also to pose the legs further apart. One very common complaint on all of the original GNU toys was that there was no swivel anywhere in the leg and none of the new upgrade parts fixed that. Still, the toy can now adopt a much more aggressive A-stance which goes a long way.

I liked the original GNU toys but felt they were over-priced and I have that same feeling now. If you can get the toy with the improved parts for dirt cheap than I’m sure you’ll be very happy with what you’ve got. Some people have said that Bandai’s Hi-Metal VF-19K is over-priced at roughly $70 but considering it’s larger, transforms, and features metal for about $20-$30 more than what a GNU with the upgraded parts cost (at MSRP) I think the Hi-Metal is shaping up to be a better bang for your buck.  Another toy you might want to consider if you’re into these GNU products are Bandai’s Robot Spirits line (full reviews of those products are pending).

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