03.01.10

Yamato 1/60 (V2.1) Low Vis VF-1S Focker

Posted in 1/60, Macross/Robotech TMS, VF-1, VT, VE Valkyrie, Yamato at 4:34 am by micronian

Observations & Critique: Nothin’ says Low Visibility like bright yellow accents

Yamato has gotten much better with the size of their packaging over the years. While some may feel the package decorating is questionable it’s certainly tolerable (and I prefer under-stated to gaudy). The lack of a flip-top lid is only mildly regrettable. If you’re let down by the fact this isn’t a full review, I would almost certainly score this toy the same as the VF-1D V2. Continuing the LV tradition, Yamato gave this 1/60 version a uniquely colored gun and missiles. I would have liked it if the pilot had been the LV style from the 1/48s also but obviously that’s no big deal.  This toy also comes with a special set of low vis stickers as shown below.

There have been two previous LV VF-1 toys, the 1/48 LV1 and LV2. The LV1 is a beautiful true LowVis scheme featuring light blue, gray, and a light weathering. The LV2 is a camo scheme inspired by a real life Japanese paint scheme. Neither of the original LV toys was instantly popular and only the LV1 has since become a true collector’s item and that probably owes something to the fact that it’s labeled as “limited.”  I would guess Yamato made this a Focker LV to hedge the lack of interest in non-canon paint schemes against Focker’s popularity.

My sample had far more of the “dish-soap” affect on the canopy than any of my previous VF-1 toys.  The color is not the same as either the TV or DYRL fast packs but it is close enough where I felt it looked great (pictured with DYRL parts).  There is slightly more tampo painted detail on this toy then there was on the first edition Focker as seen in the red square now painted on the toy’s legs.  As per the previous V2 releases, detail and sculpt are superb with the one exception of the toy’s head being in the wrong location.

The only change in the design worth noting here was actually implemented on the VT-1 toy that was released in early September.  Since I haven’t gotten that review up yet I’ve taken some comparison pictures of the new leg connecting mechanism here.  The mechanism is much easier to use and holds just as well as before.

The new leg connecting mechanism will eliminate one of the potential problem spots in transformation that may have led to some breaks in the past.  The paint on the tailfins is still going to prove fragile due to the way it presses up against the little radar bumps.  Of course, the big question is going to be whether or not the shoulders can actually handle the pressure of transformation and even play.  Rumor has it that those issues should be a thing of the past with the new bur-free pins Yamato installs but only time will tell.  Dark colors do show stress marks better than light colors so if people start having shoulder problems we should all hear about it pretty quick.

UPDATE – Here’s a list of all the Yamato V2 releases and their shoulder issues (from my Hikaru GBP review)

1) Focker VF-1S with Super Parts (V2) – Worst shoulders ever, avoid
2) Focker VF-1S stand alone (V2) – bad shoulders
3) VF-1A Hikaru with Super Parts (V2) – bad shoulders
4) VF-1A Hikaru stand alone (V2) – bad shoulders
5) VF-1J Hikaru with Super Parts (V2) – Potentially bad shoulders (far less frequency than the first four releases.. allegedly Yamato urged the factories to be more careful at this point… hell of a fix.
6) VF-1J Hikaru stand alone (V2) – potentially bad shoulders
7) VF-1S Hikaru with Super Parts (V2) – potentially bad shoulders
8′) VF-1D Trainer (V2) – I haven’t heard of a single broken one… rumor is that this release has smaller shoulder pins but I can’t substantiate that
9) VF-1S Max (V2) – Rumored to be safe (if you have any insight, please leave a comment)
10) VF-1A Max TV (V2) – Rumored to be safe
11) VF-1A Max DYRL (V2) – Rumored to be safe
12) VF-1A Hayao TV (V2) – Rumored to be safe
13) VF-1A Hayao DYRL (V2) – Rumored to be safe
14) VF-1J Cannon Fodder (V2) – Rumored to be safe
15) VF-1A Cannon Fodder (V2) – Rumored to be safe
16) VT-1 SuperOstrich (V2.1) – potentially bad shoulders (!)
17) VF-1S LowVis (V2.1) – Rumored to be safe
18) VE-1 Elintseeker (V2.1) – Rumored to be safe (review pending)
19) VF-1D Virgin Road (V2.1?) – Rumored to be safe (Let me know if you own one if it’s a V2 or V2.1)
20) VF-1J Miria (V2.1?) – Rumored to be safe but has some delicate paint
21) VF-1J Max (V2.1?) – Rumored to be safe but has some delicate paint
22) VF-1S Focker Anniversary (V2) – Rumored to be safe (review pending)
23) VF-1S Hikaru Anniversary (V2) – Rumored to be safe
24) VF-1J Hikaru with GBP (V2) – Reissue of stand alone with potentially bad shoulders

There’s no change in articulation here, which is still fantastic with or without super parts, so I’ll move right into the summary.  This toy is fantastic.  If you love the paint scheme then you should get this toy.  If non-canon schemes don’t do it for you there really aren’t enough upgrades here to warrant a purchase.  For my part, I think the LV1 is still the best in the low visibility ball game.  Update – I’m updating all my V2 posts now to include what we know about the shoulders at  present (March 1, 2010).  I would hate for someone to rush out and buy one of these based on my glowing review only to have the shoulders be cracked in the box.

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