Review: Includes standard and deluxe releases
Packaging & Extras: (2.5/5)
Both variants of these toys come in boxes with large plastic window displays showing the goods within. The toy itself is nestled in Styrofoam. A miniature package of line art samples is included. The back of the standard release’s box shows three destroids and a VF-1 in what’s probably a an advertisement for Takatoku’s Collector’s Series of other miniature metal Macross toys. The metal miniature Collector’s Series included the destroids (later repackaged and repainted by Matchbox), a VF-1S Focker, a VF-1J Hikaru, and a Mac II Monster. The Monster and this SDF-1 are obviously in a different scale than the destroids and VF-1. Since the deluxe version of the toy comes with a larger VF-1 than the Collector’s series it seems like this SDF-1 bridges a gap between the Collector’s Series and Takatoku’s intermediate offerings.
Charm & Collectability: (3.5/5)
Being small and not transformable there isn’t a hot market for these toys even if they do have a healthy quantity of metal. The deluxe version would seem to be the more sought after toy since it has a better paint job and comes bundled with a deluxe version of a fairly terrible VF-1 toy. Macross fandom has moved on from the little knick-knack toys Takatoku used to saturate the market so there aren’t many people seeking these out.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (4.5/10) +0.5 for Deluxe
This toy is tiny and made largely of metal… expecting much in the way of detail would be asking too much. The deluxe version of the toy scores a tiny bit higher since it comes with pre-applied stickers that dress it up a bit. Given the size this toy is a fair representation of the SDF-1. I was impressed with the paint job for the era, it was especially nice to see that Takatoku didn’t just paint the aircraft carriers all one color.
Design: (2/10)
What you see is what you get, there are no frills here. There were no clever methods used to make this toy more exciting. It does not transform. The aircraft carriers can not rotate. The gun booms can not be lowered. The shoulder guns can not be angled. This toy does just enough to not be considered a statue and nothing more.
Durability & Build: (8/10)
For the most part this toy is a solid hunk of a toy. Unfortunately the gun booms are attached via a little peg that doesn’t do a good enough job securing the booms in place which allows them to fall off during handling. As you might expect with any toy from this era that features this much paint there’s always a chance for obvious paint flaws.
Articulation: (2/10)
Two points of articulation, the shoulders and the hips. That’s all you get.
Total Score: (22.5/50) + 0.5 for Deluxe
Obviously there isn’t much to this toy so it should only appeal to a very limited spectrum of Macross fans. Completists, this one’s for you!
Nice review, good pictures, and a lot of exhaustive detail for something so simple! I got one of these via YahooJP auctions for $5 a couple of years ago, and it was a fun little piece of chogokin from a past age. It reminded me of the small, diecast Shogun Warrior toys of the 70s. And it is surprisingly heavy. The box has some gorgeous graphics on it, too. Probably more elaborate than the contents.