03.09.10

Yamato 1/60(V2.1) VE-1 ElintSeeker

Posted in 1/60, Macross/Robotech TMS, VF-1, VT, VE Valkyrie, Yamato at 5:28 am by micronian

Review: I’ve lost the beeps, the sweeps, and the creeps!

Packaging & Extras: (4.5/5)
The packaging is a bit large but the super parts for the Elintseeker are pretty cumbersome so the box size seems sensible (nothing at all like the outrageous packaging of the V1 toy). This is another Yamato toy that seemingly comes packaged with a box in mind that would allow potential customers to flip the lid and see the contents but this box has no such flip-top lid. Don’t expect this toy to come with weaponry but it does come with DYRL-styled fixed-pose hands (including one that looks like it could be used for holding a gun) and hard points on the wings if you want to attach some left over weaponry you have from other toys.

Charm & Collectability: (4/5)
The VE-1 design has always been highly sought after by a few people and largely over-looked by the majority of Macross fandom as a kind of ugly duckling cat’s eye half-breed. There was no hero VE-1, heck, it only managed a couple seconds of air time and has no TV cousin that got any air time at all. There’s no question that the VE-1 is very visually different in a universe of repaints and head swaps so the charm factor is high. Like Yamato’s V2 VT-1 SuperOstrich, this toy is a bit pricey but can be had for much less than the original Bandai release and this version is unquestionably superior. Provided shoulders don’t start snapping off of these toys (as some have for the VT-1) then this toy might become quite the collectible.

Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (9/10)
I was tempted to give this toy an even higher score here but the original line art I could find had some pretty signifcant differences (see my comparisons). I’m not sure how plausible the line art is and this toy is gorgeous. The level of tampo is staggering. The leg fast packs feature the removeable armor and the detail unique to the electronic warfare nature of the VE-1. All of the sensors represent significant improvements over the V1 1/60 toy (and world’s better than the simplified Bandai toy). The only little downer I could find was that the backpack of the VE-1 looks a little silly in GERWALK mode if you’re showing off your toys without the radar dome.

Design: (9.5/10)
I’m giving this toy an even higher score than the VT-1 and other V2 toys because of the thought that went into super parts. Please take a look at my review of other V2 toys to get a feel for what makes the V2 such a solid design to begin with. So what makes the super parts unique? First, as you can see in my battroid comparison below, the V1 1/60 VE-1 by Yamato and the Bandai VE-1 feature a left arm super pack which magically flips its orientation when going from fighter to battroid mode (I took the part off and put it back on for the V1 1/60, I did not do this for the Bandai) but with the V2 Yamato actually put this part on a swivel so it can swing around without needing to be removed. Next, the little antennae that protrude from the backpack boosters fit solidly into the toy and don’t frequently pop out like the V1 toy’s do. Third, the radar dome actually telescopes. The lack of a telescoping radar dish on the 1/55 and V1 1/60 meant that the dome was always far above the vehicle in all modes to accomodate battroid mode. With the V2 you can have this dome tucked tightly in fighter and GERWALK modes and then simply extend it when going to battroid mode. Other big pluses for this toy were also seen on Yamato’s VT-1 release. This toy features the tailfin locks (which I did not bother using in this review, see the VT-1 review to get more detail) and the improved crotch/hip bar mechanism (shown in more detail in the V2 1/60 VF-1S Low Vis review). I’m still not 100% happy where the heads of these toys end up in battroid mode (although it’s less of an issue on the two-seater vehicles) and the only design tweak I would have liked to have seen would be something that filled in the gap in the backpack of the naked GERWALK although that’s the tiniest of quibbles.

Durability & Build: (9/10)
Every time I say “it looks like we’re done worrying about the shoulders on the V2 toys” it seems like there’s a sudden rash of broken V2 shoulders out there. Rumor has it that the VE-1 features more solid shoulders than most previous releases so I’m going to go off that rumor for now since I haven’t had the toy very long. As a general rule, everyone should use precaution when handling any V2 toy’s shoulder area. These toys feel wonderfully constructed and if it weren’t for all those snapped shoulder reports this thing would be king. If the shoulders truly are fixed then you can have fun handling this toy a great deal with very little concern of anything being broken. Since the tailfin locks don’t seem necessary I wouldn’t bother using them… they look like they may cause some stress in a couple areas. Since I just upgraded all previous V2 reviews with the list of what toys seem to have good shoulders and which ones you should be nervous about, I’ll include that list here.
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
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

Articulation: (9/10)
You’re really going to want to make sure you have some sort of display stand for this toy if you’re planning on showing it off in fighter mode. Displaying this toy with its landing gears out just ruins the effect of those tremendous sensor arrays. I didn’t even once open the landing gear doors on this toy in the course of this review.

Total Score: (45/50)
Beautiful, fun to pose, and allegedly pretty sturdy, this is a great toy to own… if the design appeals to you. If you think the thing looks silly or ugly you can pass on it and just hope this level of tampo printing carries forward to future V2 1/60 products. I have my hopes that Yamato will use the lessons on all their V2 toys to date, and all the problems they’ve had, to give us a V2.5 with improved shoulders and tons of tampo painted detail.

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