{"id":225,"date":"2011-05-04T21:20:37","date_gmt":"2011-05-04T21:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2006\/07\/03\/takatokumatchbox-mini-sdf-1-16300\/"},"modified":"2014-11-12T05:30:32","modified_gmt":"2014-11-12T05:30:32","slug":"takatokumatchbox-mini-sdf-1-16300","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=225","title":{"rendered":"Takatoku\/Matchbox Mini SDF-1 1\/6300"},"content":{"rendered":"

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REVIEW (updated):\u00a0Not to be confused with its bigger brothers\u00a0
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Packaging & Extras (3.5\/5)TT, (3\/5)MB<\/strong>
\nThere are LOTS of differences between the original Takatoku Toys mini SDF-1 and the Matchbox version that eventually found its way to American shores under the Robotech name.\u00a0 The box is an excellent place to start.\u00a0 Takatoku’s box is the usual quality treatment with textured cardboard, a styrofoam tray, and also a styrofoam blanket to keep the goods sheathed (I love that blanket).\u00a0 Matchbox comes in a box that closely resembles the box for the larger 1\/3000 SDF-1 which has caused many an eBayer to accidentally spend way too much money on this product because they weren’t aware which one they were bidding on.\u00a0 Otherwise, the inside of the box is the same except no styrofoam blanket is included.\u00a0 Neither version of the toy comes with any extras.\u00a0 Loose guns and antennae are included but are pretty necessary for the toy to resemble the SDF-1 it is supposed to be.<\/p>\n

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Charm & Collectibility (3\/5)TT, (2\/5)MB
\n<\/strong>As you might expect, the Japanese original is always going to have a higher degree of charm & collectibility just because it’s harder to find, has more features, and comes with more detail in the form of pre-applied stickers.\u00a0 This toy also benefits from the fact that the original is clearly a superior product.\u00a0 Truthfully, there really isn’t much demand\u00a0for either of these products and they can usually be found pretty cheaply.\u00a0 SDF-1 fans have it tough, the larger 1\/3000 toys have a lot of draw to them and can go for quite a bit of money, these smaller ones are pretty universally shunned.\u00a0 These toys do have some metal to them but they do not transform which severely limits their appeal.\u00a0 Unfortunately, while Yamato has filled the need for a premium modern DYRL version of the SDF-1, and WAVE filled the need for a smaller and cheaper version, no one has come to the table with a modern TV SDF-1 or a more modestly priced transformable modern toy.\u00a0\u00a0If you have any confusion\u00a0as to which version of this toy you\u00a0own on a shelf in your room, the manufacturer stamp is located on the back of the legs as pictured below.<\/p>\n

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Sculpt, Detail, & Paint (6\/10)TT, (5\/10)MB<\/strong>
\nThere’s a lot more paintwork that went into the original Takatoku toy and it looks loads better because of that.\u00a0 Even with that said, neither one of these toys look like great versions of the SDF-1 but at a scale so small that’s pretty much an impossible task anyway.\u00a0 As you can see in the picture above, the original Takatoku is gray instead of white and features more blue paint as well.\u00a0 The shoulder guns and antennae on the pictured Takatoku are dark gray but they were also available in black.\u00a0 The decals do do a lot to dress up both versions of the toy.\u00a0\u00a0 So while the detail and paint leave quite a bit to be desired it’s clear from the line art comparison below that Takatoku did a pretty good job emulating the art with this toy… obviously not including transformation mechanisms made this easier to do.<\/p>\n

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Design (4.5\/10)TT, (4\/10)MB
\n<\/strong>The only real difference in the design between the two is that the original Takatoku version comes with spring-loaded launching booms.\u00a0 These booms are just about the only exciting aspect of the toy so you can draw your own conclusion as to what that means for the Matchbox version.\u00a0 There really is almost nothing to this toy which is pretty sad when you consider other SDF-1 toys were made that did more in similar sizes.\u00a0 The Prometheus and Daedalus are removable but this is one of the more annoying features of the toy as the two carriers constantly want to fall off.\u00a0 The carriers also feature wheels so, once off, you can roll them, but who would ever want to play with two tiny aircraft carriers?\u00a0 It’s not like they spent much time off of the SDF-1 in the show and they’re NEVER shown off the SDF-1 once it has transformed into storm-attacker mode.
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Durability & Build (7\/10)<\/strong>
\nThese toys themselves are sturdy enough but they’re small and have lots of parts that can be easily lost and have a tendency to pop off pretty easily.\u00a0 Obviously the little carriers are the biggest problem as far as falling off the toy is concerned.\u00a0 I had one carrier that was missing a set of wheels likely because it fell off the toy and the wheels came free when the carrier struck the ground.\u00a0 The little rubber guns and antennae all fit pretty snugly but lord forbid you ever manage to knock one off because finding it could be a ridiculous challenge.<\/p>\n