{"id":16676,"date":"2023-04-16T16:56:05","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T16:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=16676"},"modified":"2023-04-16T16:56:05","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T16:56:05","slug":"bandai-tiny-session-vf-25-toys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=16676","title":{"rendered":"Bandai Tiny Session VF-25 Toys"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The First of the Tiny Sessions Line<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Packaging & Extras: (3.5\/5)<\/strong>
This toy comes in colorful packaging that captures the chibi essence of the offering. The box is efficient at 19CM tall, 4.5CM deep, 13.5CM wide. Inside you\u2019ll find a plastic tray that includes the VF-25 toy as well as:
1) Heroine figure
2) Pair of hands (L&R open, so you can place the heroine in an open hand)
3) Gun
4) Head
Behind the tray you\u2019ll find plastic baggies that contain:
5) Stickers
6) Display stand consisting of a base, an arm, and a connector
7) 2x heroine figure connectors, one to the base of the display stand and another for the cockpit
And behind it all you\u2019ll find<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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8) Black and white instructions on standard printer paper
I didn\u2019t like that the baggy was sealed so you have to cut it open and then you\u2019ll need to supply your own zipping plastic bag going forward to make sure you don\u2019t lose anything. What isn\u2019t included? The DX toys include a dagger and several more sets of fixed posed hands, which would have been fun. The SD infinity toy came with a gun firing effect. Super parts would have really set the whole thing over-the-top. Why can\u2019t we have chibi figures of the pilots too?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The VF-25G toy is much the same with two exceptions. As expected, Michael doesn\u2019t come with the standard VF-25 gun, instead coming with his sniper rifle. You\u2019ll also get:
9) 2x pairs of speaker pods for the wings
These speaker pods allow you to recreate the scene where Ranka soothed a raging platoon of Zentraedi with her singing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Charm & Collectability: (3\/5)<\/strong>
Super-deformed toys are incredibly charming but the world at large prefers metal content and perfect transformation, neither of which are present here. These toys weigh a diminutive 32 grams (300 grams less than a DX VF-25 toy) and are 11cm long in fighter mode from the tip of the shield to the top of the nosecone and 10 cm tall to the top of the head in battroid. Scale is generally not important when talking about super deformed toys but if you\u2019re curious, it works out to about 1\/170 in fighter and 1\/156 in battroid. The heroine figures stand 3 cm tall. The VF-25 toys hit shelves in November 2022 for 4,500\u00a5 before tax. Next up is the VF-31 toy with Messer, Hayate, and Arad landing in April 2023, Chuck\u2019s and Mirage will hit shelves in June 23. More releases have been teased with Basara\u2019s VF-19, Hikaru\u2019s DYRL VF-1S, and Alto\u2019s Super YF-29 having made appearances at toy shows. Info graphic above includes release date and MSRP. Visit the official website at https:\/\/tamashiiweb.com\/item_brand\/tiny-session\/?wovn=en<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: (6\/10)<\/strong>
This section is much more subjective when it comes to super deformed toys. I am very pleased with the quality of the paint applications but it\u2019s a shame the SMS markings were relegated to stickers. How does it stack up against the SD Infinity toy? Positives include a matte sheen and crisper lines with more molded details than the SD Infinity. Otherwise, the toy feels like an attempt to make a cheaper version of the same thing. The new character figures are, of course, utterly adorable and very well done. Sheryl’s outfit has plenty of small details that have been captured with paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unique transformation mechanisms that accommodate the smaller size mean the toy resembles the vehicle in each mode, but liberties are taken to get there. Fighter mode is my favorite with my only gripe being the cockpit. I wish they had made the canopy much less translucent so it wasn\u2019t so obvious the cockpit was just a detail-less cavity. The SD Infinity toy had a more bulbous cockpit which better caught the \u2018egg plane\u2019 vibe. The fists stick out from under the shield but that\u2019s minor (and can be removed if it bothers you). I wish Bandai had used a darker gray for the feet, hands, and internal swing mechanisms as the light gray feels out of place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GERWALK mode is my least favorite mode. The toy cheats by disconnecting the intakes at the hip. While it\u2019s passable, I\u2019m not a fan. The gun does not extend and open like it does on the SD Infinity toy. It looks like it\u2019s somewhat extended already which provides the spot for the display stand to attach and makes a decent compromise between its two configurations. GERWALK is also the first mode where you\u2019ll notice the fins on the legs don\u2019t fold backward, but it\u2019s a minor detail and easily forgiven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Battroid is adorable. The big concession to the smaller size (ignoring the parts-forming head) is what happens to the cockpit. The proper VF-25 transformation tucks the cockpit along the spine which is then shielded by the back plate. This toy leaves the cockpit upside down below the crotch. Since it\u2019s not right in front of you, it\u2019s easy to overlook. The VF-25 is usually depicted with a jutting forward pelvis but the pelvis on this toy is angled back significantly. It\u2019s too bad the inner piece of the pelvis isn\u2019t a separate part so that it could have stopped rotating at the proper position while the rest of the housing went further back like it does on the SD Infinity. The toy also ditches the hip kibble seen on the line art and more deluxe toys. Gone are the little green diamond on the VF-25F head, the black cheek accents, and the gray mandible border. The lack of painted accents continues throughout. There are no SMS logos or \u201c007\u201d badging anywhere on the Tiny Session toy. Paint applications are completely omitted from the gun, hands, and feet. The chest loses black stripes and gray verniers. The shield loses the red accent stripe. The hips and lower parts of the legs lose black striped accents. The wings and stabilizers are a bit more rounded\/thick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Design: (5\/10)<\/strong>
This is the section that gives toys credit for things like integrated landing gear, opening cockpits with removable pilots, removable intake fan covers, integrated landing gear and perfect transformation\u2026 and this toy has none of those things. I would have appreciated some plug in landing gear\u2026 even if they plugged into the display stand and the toy just sat on them. The gun attaches via a peg which allows it to be left on the forearm for a familiar look the VF-1 used to sport frequently but not seen often on newer valks.
It\u2019s a parts-former\u2026 and not the kind where all the parts that come off are reattached later, but the kind that requires you to go grab your box of parts so your battroid mode can have a head. That is a bummer, but it\u2019s still cool that such a simple, small, and affordable toy looks convincing in all modes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The included display has two pivots points (Left\/right & up\/down). The arm of the display stand is very short which inhibits GERWALK mode fun (but you can revert the adapter back to the fighter position to get things higher up). The adapter doesn\u2019t seat firmly in any mode, popping out during the lightest of handling. It feels like putting a couple holes in the toy to receive the peg from the display stand arm would have been a simpler and better solution than an adapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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