Observations & Critique: With comparisons to Arcadia and Bandai’s later offerings
This post is an odd amalgamation of three accessories (fold booster, YF-19 FAST packs, YF-21 FAST packs) but it’s the best fit for how Yamato released these products. There were THREE ways a person could acquire FAST packs for the YF-19. In June 2007, Yamato released the YF-19 Fold Booster & FAST pack gift-set that included the YF-19 toy, as well as:
A) Detailed removable pilot figure
B) Gun (with removable magazine gimmick)
C) Replacement ABS front canards (because the POM plastic canards on the toy are hard for customizers to paint)
D) 2x Display stand adaptors for Yamato Launch Arm Display Stand (1 GERWALK, 1 Battroid)
and added a second tray including:
1) Lang Neumann (was it Yang?) co-pilot figure
2) Fast packs (four parts, 2x leg cover, 2x shoulder cover)
3) Fold drive (lights-up)
4) 2x attachment parts for fold drive
5) Fold drive cradle
6) Cover for second seat (to convert it back to the standard edition one seater)
and behind the tray there was a packet including:
7) Instructions and a one page insert correcting the instruction for how to attach the booster to the included cradle (the picture in the instructions erroneously has the base of the cradle spun around so front is back)
8) Stickers
All that additional content was easily fit into the giant standard size box Yamato used (37 x 36.2 x14) and topped off with a flip-top lid that allowed you to effortless view the contents. Not included were the required three LR44 type batteries you’ll need for the fold booster.
What if you purchased the first release but really wanted all those extras that came in the gift-set? To solve that problem, Yamato released a standalone option bundle specific to the YF-19 in the same month they made the gift-set available. This accessory set came in the same sized packaging Yamato used for their Votoms accessory sets (28 x 27.2 x 10 cm) and also features a nice flip-top lid. Inside are all the accessories included in the second tray from the gift-set (items 1-8 in the list above). Batteries not included.
There were TWO ways to acquire FAST packs for the 1/60 scale YF-21. The first way was to purchase Yamato’s initial release of the toy in 2008. Yamato started out of the gates with a gift-set that included the toy, stickers, instructions, and:
A) Removable Pilot figure
B) 2x guns (with collapsing gimmicks)
C) 2x attachment pieces for fold booster (fold booster sold separately)
D) 2x display stand adapters (1 for fighter & GERWALK, a second for battroid)
E) Display stand (Base, arm, support arm, connector, and cap)
AND
1) FAST Packs (consisting of 2x bay covers & 2x arm attachments)
In late 2007, Yamato released a 25th Anniversary YF-19. In 2009, Yamato released their Bird of Prey and Double Nuts paint schemes of the YF-19. Also in 2009, Yamato released three VF-22S toys (Gamlin, Max, & Miria), all of which were compatible with the Fold Booster accessory. In 2010, Yamato reissued both the YF-19 and the YF-21 without their FAST packs. With potential demand for both YF-21 and YF-19 FAST Packs in the market, Yamato made the unorthodox decision to pack both together with a Fold Booster in a combined accessory kit. These parts come packaged in a box similar in size to the VF-1 Fast Packs (36 x 30 x 10 cm) but without a flip-top lid. This option set includes everything from the YF-19 accessory set and added:
9) FAST packs for the YF-21 consisting of two bays covers and two arm parts
There was never a ‘weathering version’ of these parts released. What if you purchased both a YF-21 and a YF-19 and wanted them both to have Fold Drives? What if you only wanted a fold booster to go with your VF-22 toy? You were going to have leftover FAST packs.
To be clear, the YF-21 FAST Packs work with all YF-21 toys. The YF-21 FAST packs do NOT work with VF-22 toys. The VF-22 is largely a YF-21 with integrated FAST packs but without the brainwave control system. The YF-19 FAST packs work with ANY Yamato 1/60 YF-19 toy. The fold booster works with ANY Yamato 1/60 YF-19, YF-21, or VF-22 toy. These accessories initially sold poorly and received markdowns before selling out though the fold booster was generally well received.
YAMATO YF-21 FAST PACKS
Yamato’s interpretation of the FAST pack adheres closely to the line art. The only glaring deficiency are the overlooked diamond-shaped missile ports on the exterior side of the bay panels. The bay plates are nicely detailed with three of the four trapezoids painted black. The arm pods are nicely proportioned, two-toned, feature the panel lines from the line art, and sync up perfectly with the trailing edge of the wing in fighter mode. In contrast, Bandai did far poorer on their later DX offering. Bandai applied no paint to the DX FAST packs. While Bandai added some armor plate detail to the back of the gauntlet, they rendered the whole thing in a dark gray that diminishes the visual impact. The skirt armors are the wrong shape and lack the detail at the front of the gun pod that was clearly shown in the anime.
When considering the design attribute of FAST pack accessories, the first consideration is how well the parts attach to the toy and Yamato deserves credit there. These parts attach without leaving a trace but it takes a while master the method of connecting them properly. Once the bay or arm parts are attached, they will not accidentally pop off like Yamato’s 1/72 scale toy would; you can leave them on right through transformation. I had only one issue with the FAST packs. In fighter mode, the FAST packs need to be flush against the belly of the plane to look good but they have a tendency to sag down at front creating a gap. It seems like the fast packs pinch the belly panel the tiniest amount so the front peg on the belly panel (that tucks into the intake) doesn’t fit as securely allowing the panel to slide down a few millimeters.
The second design element of importance for a FAST pack accessory is that it doesn’t limit the enjoyment of the underlying toy. Yamato succeeds in having the Super YF-21 be just as fun to handle as the naked toy. The FAST packs do not inhibit any of the toy’s articulation nor do they incapacitate any gimmicks. The FAST packs incorporate gun mounts and the toy can sit on its landing gear with guns mounted to the FAST packs and still has decent ground clearance. The small opening in the center of the belly plates allows the fighter mode adapter to pass through for continued use of the display stand included with the first release or Arcadia’s Simple Display Stand which was sold separately.
The final design element of importance are the features of the FAST packs themselves and Yamato didn’t have a lot to work with. In theory, each FAST pack part is a micro-missile launcher. As mentioned above, Yamato didn’t include the missile ports on the legs, let alone an opening gimmick that showed off micro missiles. The exterior of the arm part is a solid piece of plastic. I’m not sure where the port is supposed to be for firing the micro missiles and maybe Yamato couldn’t figure it out either. A perfect accessory would have had some gimmick to replicate missile firing.
While I have never experienced it, nor have I even seen complaints about it online, the way the arm pods attach to the vertical stabilizer gives me concerns about long-term durability (he said 16 years later). They attach firmly and require some effort to pop back off. As mentioned above, I experienced an issue in fighter mode where the front of my bay doors refuse to stay completely seated when the FAST packs are installed. This kind of odd fit issue is exactly the sort of thing that can lead to breakages as a toy owner fights with the toy to try to resolve the odd fit problem. If you’re experiencing this also, try positioning the toy at an angle that obscures the gap rather than struggling to overcome it.
Though Yamato did a great job capturing the look of the line art, the YF-21 FAST packs are conformal with minimal visual impact which means that most owners aren’t going to miss them if they don’t have them. They were the perfect accessory to bundle with the toy and a silly extra to be sold separately. This is reinforced by their lack of gimmicks. Though my fit issue in fighter mode is unfortunate, it may be unique to me and the toy otherwise performed very well with the parts installed. If you really want FAST packs and you bought the reissue toy that didn’t include them, hopefully you also want the Fold Booster because buying the whole accessory kits just for the FAST packs would burn.
YAMATO YF-19 FAST PACKS
While Yamato had experience with the FAST packs for their 1/72 scale YF-21 and VF-11 toys, this was their first attempt at FAST packs for a YF-19 and it shows. The primary shortcoming is the absence of the back of the legs parts. Fortunately, those parts are insubstantial and reside in an area with limited exposure in any mode. Likely to reduce the impact of omitting the back of leg parts, Yamato added a gray accent to the back of the YF-19 leg. The line art shifts the proportion of the shoulder-mounted FAST packs, growing in size for fighter mode. Absent anime magic, it’s no surprise that every toy so far has had shoulder parts that look a little large in battroid. The proportions of the legs also shift from bulbous to sleek when going from battroid to fighter, so neither Yamato’s YF-19 toy nor the FAST packs have the desired roundness in battroid. Of the three manufacturers who have given us FAST packs (Yamato, Arcadia, Bandai), Arcadia has done the best job capturing the roundness of the lower leg armors. Yamato painted the FAST packs black accents as well as giving us silver thrust nozzles in the leg parts. Arcadia dropped the silver nozzles and only added some very small red warning text when they stepped up to the Premium Finish version. Bandai, on the other hand, went hog-wild with painted on details for their armor parts, including black accents, warning text in multiple shades, white accents, and gray thrust nozzles. While Arcadia and Yamato both rendered their parts in gray, the base color for Bandai was a dark blue/gray.
My first criteria for accessory part analysis remains the firmness of the attachment to the underlying toy. While Yamato deserves points for daring, the use of magnets to connect the outer leg armors fails this critical handling test. Magnets, on their own, are insufficient to securely fasten an accessory located in a region where someone may grasp the toy. This issue is reduced in fighter mode where the wing should tab into the parts but the poor fit and execution of those tabs does not eliminate the issue entirely. Bandai and Arcadia drew from this experience, attaching the outside leg armor more securely with pegs and slots. While Yamato was the first to implement it, their sensible tabbing mechanism for the shoulder armors was replicated by both Arcadia and Bandai; though Bandai adds a bulky and ugly clamp that makes the shoulder part look more substantial. Both Yamato and Arcadia use a slider to raise the shoulder armor in GERWALK and Battroid mode while Bandai used an internal pivot. Both methods work well, I think Bandai’s is a tiny bit more elegant, and both can be seen in action in my included video review. While Yamato ignored the back of the leg armors, Arcadia and Bandia took very different approaches to connect these small parts: Arcadia slides the part over the existing pegs that connect the leg to the shoulder while Bandai pegs the piece into a slot on the back of the leg. On my first release Arcadia YF-19, this back of leg part does not fit firmly and is easily knocked free during handling. All companies designed the underlying toys to work with FAST pack accessories so the parts will work even on toys that do not come bundled with them.
Do the YF-19 Super Parts reduce the enjoyment of the underlying toy in anyway? If you ignore the potential to dislodge the leg armors (as noted above), these parts will not reduce your fun in any way. Articulation and gimmicks of the toy are unaffected by the inclusion of the FAST Packs. Bandai and Arcadia faced greater challenges in this arena with their toys that had far more articulation and additional accessories. Both of these toys added the missile inside the outer side of the leg (a feature the Yamato does not have). Arcadia’s leg armor covers this missile and renders the feature inert as the leg armors peg into the area surrounding the door that conceals it. This is a particularly grievous oversight on Arcadia’s part since a memorable scene in Macross Plus has Isamu using the missiles while trailing Guld in the Super YF-19. Bandai had the sense to have their part peg into the door itself, so in theory the missile feature still works. You will likely pop the part off, open the door for the missile, and then have to reapply the armor since the door is very stiff and recesses into the leg.
Like the YF-21 Super Parts, the YF-19 Parts don’t add any gimmicks of their own. The FAST packs should be a combination of micro missile launchers and conformal fuel tanks (not sure if the missiles are just in the legs or if a few are in the shoulders also). On VF-1 toys, we’ve gotten accustomed to leg parts that feature internal mechanics and an external shell that conceals them but you’ll get nothing like that here, just a solid part for the shoulders, outside leg, and back of leg. The one exception to this is the DX toy, which included a proposed Super Part that didn’t make it onto Isamu’s fateful flight to Earth, the arm cannon. Bandai went over-the-top in their design and implementation of the cannon in a way that could also convert and be stowed in fighter mode. Neither Yamato nor Arcadia even attempted a basic version of the arm cannon.
Though not strictly part of the FAST packs, Yamato and Arcadia ship their YF-19 toys as single-seaters that can be converted to two seats by removing the cover and adding the seat. The FAST packs include this second seat and a Yang figure. Bandai includes Yang with all releases and their YF-19 toy is always a two-seater.
As these parts are basic in their implementation by all manufacturers, none of them lead to durability concerns. My only word of warning has to do with having the parts in fighter mode. All of these YF-19 toys are complicated and adding the accessory can make converting back to fighter mode more difficult. Also complicating things may be your perception of what the right leg position is for having the FAST packs installed in fighter mode. While much of the Super YF-19 art I’ve found depicts the legs straight (with no engagement at the GERWALK joint), all manufacturers instead decided that the GERWALK joint should be employed (like the Super VF-1).
These FAST packs are minimal in design and lack featurers so it’s hard to imagine they cost Yamato much to produce which makes it more frustrating they weren’t standard equipment. If you’re a diehard fan, I hope you also like fold boosters. Unfortunately, the fold booster eventually became desirable which thus drove up the cost of the FAST packs.
FOLD BOOSTER FOR YAMATO YF-19, YF-21, VF-22, & ARCADIA YF-19
The Yamato 1/60 scale YF-19 and YF-21 are both about a centimeter larger in fighter mode than Bandai’s DX toys, so it makes sense that Yamato’s fold drive is also larger than Bandai’s (approximately 20 cm vs 19 cm). Yamato fold drive is a matte green with black accents and clear plastic that reveals dark gray internal mechanism. Other than the black accents, there is no paint to speak of and only very small panel accent details molded in the plastic. The clear parts with mechanical details below are nice but the toy suffers from large swaths of matte green plastic that would have benefitted from some sort of accent detail. Bandai’s significant improvements included yellow and white text and accents, a subtle but nice blue tint to the clear parts, and numerous additional molded mechanical details throughout.
To attach a fold drive to any compatible Yamato toy, you’ll need to locate the fold drive attachment parts that comes with the toys, attach the connector parts to the slots under the drive, then position the drive onto the toy. The connector parts pinch onto the fold booster very firmly ensuring that you will have no problems with the fold booster separating; it’s almost impossible to accidentally separate the fold booster from the connectors. Yamato included a gray rack for the fold booster (inspired by the Macross Plus cover of This is Animation) but it only elevates the fold booster for those times you want to display it next to your toys.
Years later, when Bandai had their opportunity to improve on what Yamato had done, they gave us small plugs to conceal the ports where the connectors attach to the bottom of the booster. I HATE small, easily lost parts. I would have preferred the ports to have been concealed by sliding doors. Fortunately, since the plugs are gratuitous, losing them will not cause significant heartache. Bandai did not uses the pinching method Yamato did to attach the booster to its connectors, opting instead for pegs that fit into slots. To improve the fitment, the front peg is shaped like an “H” while the back is shaped like an “M”. The end result is not as firm as the Yamato conector but it’s still firm enough to eliminate concern.
How well the fold drive attaches to a toy is a function of the fold drive connectors. The rear Yamato YF-19 connector is a “C” that slides over the back of the shield, the front connector rests next to the head cavity and the surface of the YF-19 which helps to prevent the booster from being knocked off, but is a soft connection. Overall, the toy can be handled and swooshed around but if it’s turned upside it, it will likely dangle by the shield connection point, and an inadvertent bump to the fold booster could lead to disaster. The fold booster connectors included with Yamato YF-19 accessory bundles work on any Yamato 1/60 scale YF-19 version.
Arcadia included fold booster connectors with their 1/60 scale YF-19 that are compatible with the Yamato fold booster but are a different shade of green. The rear connector is a smaller “C” with a looser fit than the Yamato adapter (looseness of fit is a HUGE problem for Arcadia’s first issue of their YF-19). Arcadia improved the adapter that connects near the head to have ‘C’ clips that grab on either side of the head. I was able to swoosh my toy around and flip it upside down without the fold drive popping off (though the wings became horribly dislodged and an intake cover fell off).
Bandai’s back connector for the Fold Booster on their DX toy works similarly to the Yamato and Arcadia, sliding on over the shield. The front connector uses two pegs that fit into slots that are also on the shield and hold the booster firmly in position.
The connectors for the fold drive are also included with every Yamato YF-21 and VF-22 toy. These connectors are rendered in the primary hue of the underlying toy which looks a little peculiar, it feels like all connectors should have been a mechanical gray or the same green as the fold drive like they are for the YF-19. Covers on the back plate of the toy are removed to reveal two slots that the connectors peg into. There are also two slots on the engine housings that receive the rear connector. When everything is brought together, it’s probably the sturdiest fold booster connection but an inadvertent bump upward could cause the front connector to dislodge. As mentioned earlier, I hate small, removable parts, so I wish Yamato had simply put small slots in the back of their YF-21/VF-22 toys rather than concealing the front slots under removable covers.
I was shocked when Bandai released their DX toy and rather than solving the need for removable panels, they double-downed on it by adding removable covers for the back connectors as well. If you want to use the fold booster with your DX toy, you’ll have 4 YF-21 panels and 2 Fold booster panels to store, all of which are very small and easily lost. While Yamato made their fold booster connectors for the YF-21 and VF-22 toys match the hue of the vehicle, Bandai went with black.
Fold boosters are only intended to be used with fighter mode; the connection mechanisms are not compatible with other modes. You could use the fold booster in a VTOL mode if that struck your fancy. You can also choose to use the fold booster with or without Super Parts.
The big gimmick to the fold booster is its light-up functionality. The fold booster requires 3 LR44 batteries. To access the battery compartment, slide off the back of the booster and remove the black screw at the far end. The switch to engage the light effect is located just ahead of the forward connection point, in the center of the bottom of the booster. Unfortunately, if the booster is connected to a toy, this switch can be difficult to access. It feels like it would have been very easy to put an on/off button someone more accessible. The lights have multiple colors and strobe in increasing cadence to give the fold effect. The lights are sufficiently bright and make for a cool light show. Bandai did not include any light effects in their fold booster.
The fold booster with its light-up effects are the star of the FAST pack accessory bundles (and the reason those bundles were so expensive). It’s a shame that Yamato didn’t include the FAST Packs with the underlying toys and make the fold booster on its own a sold-separately accessory. While the light-up effect is a lot of fun, it’s hard to imagine people will use it often.