{"id":16937,"date":"2023-10-08T20:24:19","date_gmt":"2023-10-08T20:24:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=16937"},"modified":"2023-10-29T06:53:25","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T06:53:25","slug":"accessories-for-bandai-1-60-dx-vf-31ax-toys-super-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=16937","title":{"rendered":"Accessories for Bandai 1\/60 DX VF-31AX Toys: Super Parts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Observations & Critique: Not (entirely) Your Siegfried\u2019s Super Parts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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As a Tamashii exclusive item, these Super Parts come in a brown shipper box. Inside, you\u2019ll find a retail ready, full-color box (24.6 x 18.8 x 6 cm). The retail box houses two plastic trays filled with the following:
1) Super Parts
2) A fighter mode adapter (wider than the standard fighter mode adapter that comes with the toys)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3) Black & white instructions printed on matte paper
The adapter makes perfect sense to include. It doesn\u2019t make sense that it was also included in the launch edition stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Released in May 2022 for 8,000\u00a5 (add 10% tax since it was only available to the domestic market through the Tamashii website). You may be wondering if these parts would work on a Siegfried toy and the answer is \u201cmostly\u201d. The boosters are significantly larger than the boosters that come with Siegfried super parts and would need to be mounted to the hard points under the wing. The chest armor from the AX works on Siegfried toys but not vice versa because it has grooves in it for the larger AX canards. The leg, crotch, and forearm armors are perfectly interchangeable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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These parts are very similar to the Siegfried Super Parts but better. Even on the parts that look to be the same mold, the paint applications have been enhanced, sometimes significantly. Look at the back of the leg armor which is now littered with painted on details. The chest and even the hip armors also have more paint applications but they\u2019re more subtle. There\u2019s also a very slight shape change to the chest armor, we\u2019ll be talking about more in a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The hip and front of the leg armors look the same to me but the side of the leg armor has a slightly different shape and the forearm armor has shrunk down considerably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The boosters are the biggest difference. The theme of the AX is \u201cmake things bigger\u201d and that carries over here. The boosters are huge and have extra fins and again, better paint apps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No matter the mode, the parts add significant bulk to the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There have been three VF-31AX releases but only one set of Super Parts. The fit of the Super Parts are universal so you can put Hayate’s parts on a different variant. Here are my criteria for well-designed accessories and how the 31AX Super Parts fare:
1) Do the parts attach securely? Many do, but the armor on the side of the legs could be improved. The armor on top of the hip did better than expected. If you\u2019re having issues, give it a bit of a massage to try to seat it firmly.
2) Does the toy retain all its fun gimmicks with the parts attached? Yes, with one exception. The parts do not interfere with the cockpit, landing gear, or mission pack in any mode. If you use the included fighter mode adapter, the display also will function the same. The only item that is impaired are the back of the calf missile bays which become inaccessible when the calf armor is installed.
3) Does the toy retain perfect transformation with the parts on? For this variant, yes, though a 31AX toy with a different head may make it so you have to remove the chest plate between modes to expose or hide the head. Transformation is also MUCH easier if you remove the forearm armors. It\u2019s very likely you will accidentally knock off some of the leg armor during transformation.
4) Does the toy maintain its articulation with the accessory attached? For the most part, yes. There will be a fair amount of weight over the back of the toy. You flare the wings out wider when the big boosters are attached which helps draw the center of gravity closer, but you will still want to pick very secure or front leaning poses to prevent your toy from spilling to the ground. Using a display stand is highly recommended. The back of the calf armor is also a little taller than the back of the calf missile bays which slightly hinders the backward the knee bend but you\u2019ll still be able to get at least 90 degrees.
5) Does the accessory add any of its own fun elements or gimmicks? Yes, these parts have the same chest missiles that we saw on the VF-31 super parts, articulated thruster nozzles on many of the parts, and the big boosters pivot on the wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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