Yamato 1/60 YF-21 & VF-22S Toys

Mega Review:  Includes all 1/60 YF-21 and VF-22S toys

Packaging & Extras: (5/5) YF-21 with Super Parts, -2 for reissue and 22S toys
The original release of the YF-21 toy comes in that huge box (37 x 36.2 x 14 cm) that Yamato used for their 1/48 VF-1 toys and 1/60 YF-19.  Unlike the YF-19, where it felt like much of the space of the huge box was wasted, this box is packed full of goodness. The top plastic tray contains the toy and:
1) Removable Pilot figure
2) 2x guns (with collapsing gimmicks)
3) 2x attachment pieces for fold booster (fold booster sold separately)
4) 2x display stand adapters (1 for fighter & GERWALK, a second for battroid)
Below that tray, a second tray includes:
5) Super Parts (consisting of 2x bay covers & 2x arm attachments)
6) Display stand (Base, arm, support arm, connector, and cap)
And behind everything you’ll find:

7) Stickers
8) Insert that shows exaclty how everything needs to be positioned because the toy can be a real challenge to get back into fighter mode

9) Instructions

Yamato later shifted their strategy with a ‘budget’ reissue of the YF-21. This toy came in a simplified box with new art and no flip-top lid. The interior tray is plain white instead of the box matching tray that came with the original release. This release also lacks the second tray that included the FAST packs and display stand that were included with the original release. Yamato instead created an accessory bundle so those could be purchased separately.

Yamato (thankfully) used a smaller box (30 x 36.2 x 10 cm) for their Macross7 VF-22S releases. These boxes don’t have flip-top lids. Contents are the same as the reissue so you don’t get the display stand or the FAST packs (which are integrated in the VF-22’s design).

Charm & Collectability: (4/5)
I initially gave this section a 3.5 score as demand for these toys was a slow burn. They have several things going for them. The mecha, particularly the YF-21, is prominently featured in the animation and has heroic moments. While mostly plastic, the toys weigh a heft 400 grams. At 34.3 cm long in fighter mode and 26.5 cm tall in battroid, the toys conform to 1/60 scale which has become the most collectable scale in the Macross universe. Until the Bandai DX release, it was, by far, the best transforming representation of the YF-21 to date and the VF-22S toys are still the only transformable VF-22 toys. There was a feeling at the time of the original YF-21’s release that the steep MSRP would scare off buyers and that may have been the case though they seem cheap 15 years later. In August 2010 Yamato sold the YF-21 super parts bundled with the YF-19 super parts and fold drive for 5,800¥.  I was a bit sad to see Yamato released repaints of their YF-19 toys in quasi-canon schemes (Double Nuts and Bird of Prey) but we never saw other repaints of the YF-21 in its other possible Super Nova competition schemes.

Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (8.5/10)
The guns on other representations of this vehicle are often blue without super parts and gray with them.  Since Yamato included super parts on the first YF-21 release they compromised with a dark gray color that looks excellent in both configurations. The pilot figure, like those included with the YF-19 toys, is a little chunky but otherwise nicely detailed and painted. The pilot seat has a touch of paint but the cockpit lacks any other painted embelishments.

Check out the line art comparisons of fighter mode and be blown away by how well Yamato nailed it. Reviewers were unhappy that the bottom of the feet are visible from the back of fighter mode but it is something you will notice the first time you handle the toy and then quickly dismiss as being a minor issue. The angle of the feet in fighter make things look very clean from the rear. In an ideal world, there wouldn’t be a gap between the body and lower panels when viewing the silouette, but again, the issue is minor. Other minor nits in this mode include a protruding hinge on the bottom of the toy at the wing and the gaps around the vertical stabilizers. Yamato didn’t skimp on the details either featuring painted turbine detail, tampo printed markings, and clear plastic parts where appropriate.

Drop the arms and legs off the toy and the toy goes into delimiter mode. It would have been nice if Yamato had included a add-on parts to better replicate the mode, such as rounded parts behind the intakes and cavity fillers/engine parts for ther rear. Bandai’s DX YF-21 comes with a complete replacement for the bottom of the toy but the end result is far too chunky to be a faithful recreation of this mode.

Yamato had to keep the legs narrow to achieve the sleek fighter profile which is a detriment to GERWALK and battroid modes. Instead of looking like a swooping hawk, the Yamato looks more like a heron. The YF-21 enjoyed a lot of animation magic in the show and you’ll need to rely on finding just the right poses to make GERWALK look its best, but this can be tricky given how much weight needs to balance on those two small stilts and the top of the stilts is a rotation point. The display stand will be your friend (assuming you bought the first release or one of the sold separately stands).

Considering the proportion shifting the YF-21 does in the show, I’m very impressed with how well this toy replicates fighter mode while still being passable in battroid. Battroid mode has some weaknesses: the intake area is too chunky, the legs are too thin, the hips are a bit low (less noticeable because the line art has the hips unnaturally high) and the backpack of the plane is much too large. Interestingly, if you move the hips back to their fighter mode position (they’re on a swing bar), the toy appears to more accurately resemble the line art; but there’s no lock for the swing bar in this position. I’m guessing Yamato didn’t leave the hips in that position in battroid because it’s tight against the backpack limiting articulation. In the animation, the backpack seemingly shrinks to 50% of its fighter mode proportions, so it’s understandable that toy makers struggle with engineering a solution. There’s no cover for the pilot in battroid mode but the canopy is mostly painted so it’s a minor nit.

While the core of he YF-21 remains on the VF-22, there were several changes to the line art that Yamato captured. The belly plates under fighter mode have been reshaped to emulate the VF-22’s internally stored gunpods. The cockpit canopy is also reworked to include a larger transparent area so the VF-22 could be piloted more like a traditional vehicle instead of relying on the YF-21’s direct brain connection… which proved problematic. Unfortunately, the larger transparent area makes the pilot awkwardly prominent in battroid mode. Battroid mode also receives a new face. The Max and Miria versions are rendered in a pastel color that feels like it fits Macross7 but might not be to the taste of everyone.

Design: (9/10) YF-21 toys, (7.5/10) VF-22S toys
There’s a lot to like about these toys:
1) Opening canopy with removable pilot figure
2) Removable intake covers that reveal intake fan detail

3) Integrated landing gear – though only the front landing gear locks into position
4) Guns that convert from fighter mode use to hand-held. There’s also a peg hole in the grip that corresponds to a peg in the hand for more secure holding of the gun.
5) Ability to stow the guns in fighter mode with ground clearance when sitting on the landing gear.

6) Ability to stow the guns on the FAST packs in fighter mode with ground clearance.
7) Firm attachment of the FAST packs. It’s not perfect but since the FAST Packs were also sold separately and not included in all releases, see my separate article specific to the FAST Packs for more in depth analysis.
8) Perfect transformation: Transforming this toy can be so frustrating that I felt it was worth shaving a point off (see my HD video guides for a how to!). Though difficult, transformation is well thought out. There are pegs that lock the bay doors in position in GERWALK and I really loved nose-shortening gimmick as the toy goes from GERWALK to battroid.
9) Shifting pilot seat gimmick – the pilot seat reclines so the pilot can face forward in battroid mode.

10) Delimiter mode – the limbs are removable

11) Concealed anchor points for the fold drive – though the method leaves you with two tiny plastic plugs you’ll need to take extra care not to lose.

So what don’t I like about the Yamato 1/60 scale YF-21?
A) The rear landing gear don’t lock in place which can be very frustrating when handling
B) Transformation is hard. Even when I feel the toy is transformed perfectly, there can be panels that seem just a tiny bit off. Most people have a hard time getting the feet back into their bays, a situation that was so prevalent that Yamato included a flier detailing exactly how the legs should look in fighter. You will see pictures of these toys in fighter mode with misaligned leg bays from owners who have their toys slightly mistransformed. There’s a steep learning curve and more than a little bit of patience is required. 
C) I had some fit issues with the FAST packs, see my separate FAST pack accessory for more details.
D) After some handling, the toy becomes a floppy mess. Battroid mode was always a balancing game but once things get loose, the toy loses its fun factor. The stand is recommended for both battroid and GERWALK modes.

The original YF-21 comes with a basic display stand made of colorless but opaque plastic. Two arms connect to the base allowing you adjust the height. The connection point can be positioned forward or back allowing corresponding angling of the toy. The top of the connection point is round allowing you to angle the toy in any direction. The fighter mode adapter requires opening the bay doors and attaching internally. This is a little clunky but it minimizes the visual impact of connection points while simultaneously allowing the display stand to connect to something more solid. In GERWALK mode, you’ll need to go backward a step (sliding the backpack into fighter position) to free up the space the adapter connects to. Caution must be used when the stand is in a taller configuration as the weight of the toy can push the larger arm off the base causing the stand collapse. Press the larger arm firmly into position to reduce the risk of collapse. When Arcadia introduced their basic display stand years later, they increased the grip of the larger arm around the rod in the base to make it less likely the arm would get bumped backward and collapse. Be careful with the side peg that attaches the large arm to connection point! Mine fell off and was lost and now my display stand is much more precarious.

The VF-22S toys get a lower score for two reasons:
A)The 22 has a clearer canopy so it really needed some sort of a heat shield to make the pilot less obvious in battroid mode. Even a removable heat shield piece would have gone a long way here. Yamato could have easily solved the issue by including a piece that snapped- in on the inside of the canopy in battroid mode.
B) The 22 pilot figures are smaller than the YF-21 pilot figure so they don’t stay firmly in the seat like Guld does. They are easily jostled while posing the battroid toy leaving the pilot in awkward positions that you can easily see since there’s no heat shield. This can lead to a frustrating game of picking the toy up, fixing the pilot, putting the toy down, and watching the pilot fall forward again. 
C) The VF-22S toys also are unable to store their guns in fighter mode. The in-show idea is that the VF-22S stores its guns internally but Yamato couldn’t figure out a way to make that work so they just skipped storing the guns in fighter mode entirely. That might not seem like a big deal because you wouldn’t be able to see the guns in fighter mode but it means you’ll have to go hunting for the guns when you do decide to transform the toy so your battroid doesn’t look like a pacifist. 

Durability & Build: (8/10)
Yamato bucked their trend of faulty first releases by putting out a stellar Super YF-21 toy. There are a couple issues with glued on parts not staying glued on but that seems to be the worst of it. For example, the actual head within the cowl is simply glued to a grey prong on either side and my head popped off (easily fixed by a spot of glue on either side). There are little trap doors that have popped off in transformation which is most likely caused by the binding of the glue being broken as parts are stressed. The tail fins attached to the arm can pop off which can be all sorts of dangerous… if this happens to you then you are transforming the toy wrong and you should look carefully at the provided instructions. The one clear problem is that the paint is prone to chipping (and hence why Yamato wrapped so much of the toy in thin plastic seals for shipping. Once you take the plastic seal off the leg and then squeeze the legs back into their bays there’s a good possibility you’ll also shave some paint from the area just above the feet. Later VF-22S toys saw some other complaints, usually in the form missing knee cap parts. My Gamlin VF-22S came with stress marks on either side of the front nose hinge in fighter mode. Over time the joint the bay doors are attached to gets weak which can really hamper the fun of battroid mode.

Articulation: (8/10)
This toy is top heavy with very thin legs but it still manages to do well here. The head can look left or right and there’s limited range to look upward. The shoulders can rotate around but are limited by the large wing behind them. There’s a joint beneath the shoulder cover that allows the arm to extend away from the body. Just above the 90 degree elbow there’s a twist point. The hands can rotate at the wrist, have a functioning wrist joint, and connect to a joint that acts like a second wrist. The trigger finger and thumb articulate individually from the other three fingers which act as one unit. There’s a waist pivot joint but it’s tucked between the nosecone and the back plate so you won’t get much mileage from it. Ball joints at the hip ensure both rotation, twist, and front/back motion but the big backpack will again limit you. When the GERWALK mode is employed, a rotation point becomes available above the knee which offers 90 degrees of motion backward. The feet have ratched forward/back motion and the ability to angle in and out. Grab both guns and prepare for John Woo style mayhem!  Use the bay doors to cheat and give yourself four support points (2x legs, 2x bay doors) in various kneeling action shots.

Total Score: (42.5/50) YF-21 with Super Parts, (40.5/50) YF-21 reissue
Originally I wrote: “In the Macross universe it was the YF-19 that won the competition but in the Yamato toy universe, the YF-21 is the hands-down winner.  In fact, the score here puts this toy in the same league as my other highest scoring toys on the site.  If you’re a fan of the design, you should save your pennies and buy this toy. ” Now that the Bandai DX toy is out there, does it still ring true? The DX toy has joints throughout that are superior to the Yamato, sometimes with ratchets, that drastically improve handling. Unfortunately, the DX toy is a further departure from the line art than the Yamato and even throws out many canon elements of transformation. If playing with the toy in GERWALK and battroid modes is the most crucial factor to you, the DX toy has a huge advantage. If line art and perfect transformation are more important to you, and you don’t mind using the display stand, then you shouldn’t feel the need to run out and purchase the newest rendition. I wish Arcadia could make a V2, evolving this toy with better joints and including extra parts to improve delimiter. Giving us two sets of legs: a perfect transformation set and a much thicker anime-style set, would put it over the top. Had Bandai done that and just tried to make the backpack smaller, they would have had a huge hit on their hands.

Total Score: (38.5/50) VF-22S toys
The VF-22S toys have fewer accessories than the original YF-21 toy and they suffer from some unique design flaws making them an overall worse selection than the original YF-21.  Both the heat shield issue and the failure to stow the guns seem like obstacles that should have easily been overcome. I’m not the only one who liked the YF-21 better than Yamato’s VF-22 offerings; the VF-22 toys sold poorly and were available at steep discounts (until Yamato’s collapse and the passing of many years made them collector’s items). Now that Yamato is gone, is there any hope Arcadia will revisit Macross Plus some day? It seems unlikely, but after the bizarre choices of Bandai’s DX YF-21, I’m hoping they will!

October 6, 2008 – Yamato 1/60 Super YF-21 Review
November 24, 2009 – Yamato 1/60 VF-22S Review
December 14, 2011 – Consolidated previous reviews into one review, added video review
April 23, 2013 – Added HD video transformation guides, group photos, increased resolution
August 2024 – Updated to current format. Added content related related to DX YF-21