{"id":2274,"date":"2012-04-24T00:08:22","date_gmt":"2012-04-24T00:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2008\/07\/14\/yamato-gnu-series-001-yf-19\/"},"modified":"2014-07-11T06:00:40","modified_gmt":"2014-07-11T06:00:40","slug":"yamato-gnu-series-001-yf-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=2274","title":{"rendered":"Yamato GnU Dou Macross Plus Toys (YF-19, VF-11B, YF-21 and Upgrade Kits)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mega Review:\u00a0 Now includes all Mac+ toys and accessory kits in one spot
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Packaging & Extras<\/strong> (2\/5)
\nThese individual releases come packaged in unique boxes with large windows that prominently display the toy in a clear plastic window.\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot left to be desired when the toys are removed from their boxes.\u00a0 The box’s size and the price imply the toy comes with some extras which sets up the proud new owner for immediate let down.\u00a0\u00a0 Each release comes with three optional hands and a gun.\u00a0 The YF-21 does not come with two guns, just the one.\u00a0 The gun included with the VF-11B is comically large.\u00a0 The upgrade parts were either sold separately from the individual YF-19, YF-21, or VF-11B or in a “giftset” that simply included both the corresponding toy and its upgrade parts in their separate boxes shrink-wrapped and sold together as one item.\u00a0 The boxes for the upgrade parts are not unique, a sticker was slapped on the front of each box to indicate what release it belonged to (for those that couldn’t be bothered peering through the window and seeing the color of the plastic inside).\u00a0\u00a0 The upgrade parts should have been included with the original release and the fact they weren’t is, in my estimation, a big part of why this reason failed.\u00a0 Yamato went up head-to-head with Kaiyodo’s Revoltech line with a very similarly themed toy but shorted their customers on articulation, accessories, and a stand.\u00a0 Yamato did offer a stand but it was sold separately.<\/p>\n

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Charm & Collectability<\/strong> (2\/5)
\nYamato made a solid name for themselves with some truly impressive transforming Macross merchandise but this was a bold move to infringe upon Kaiyodo\u2019s established territory just as Kaiyodo nearly simultaneously released their own YF-19 and YF-21 toys.\u00a0 Yamato included a VF-11B toy and then added a VF-19A and\u00a0 VF-11B in the VF-X video game paint schemes which may have added some appeal for some collectors.\u00a0 Yamato also later released a line of GnU Dou VF-1 toys which went head to head with the Revoltech VF-1 toys.\u00a0 Revoltech upped the ante by selling a Regult toy.\u00a0 Sadly, Yamato never made the foray into enemy mecha.\u00a0 There never appeared to be a clear cut victor in the GnU Dou vs Revoltech war with the market seemingly being split between the two to neither company’s pleasure.\u00a0 Yamato used the GnU Dou series of toys as guinea pigs for what would later be known as their “weathering editions” selling slightly airbrushed versions as “special decoration” limited editions.\u00a0 Here’s a list of Yamato’s Macross Plus (and VF-X) themed releases, release dates, and MSRPs:
\nYF-19, June 2008, 3,150Yen
\nYF-21, June 2008, 3,150Yen
\nVF-11B, June 2008, 3,150Yen
\nVF-19A VF-X, December 2008, 3,000Yen
\nVF-11B VF-X, December 2008, 3,000Yen
\nYF-19 Upgrade & Super Parts, May 2009, 2,000Yen
\nYF-21 Upgrade & Super Parts, May 2009, 2,000Yen
\nVF-11B Upgrade & Super Parts, May 2009, 1,800Yen
\nYF-19 Giftset, May 2009, 4,500Yen
\nYF-21 Giftset, May 2009, 4,500Yen
\nVF-11B Giftset, May 2009, 4,300Yen
\nYF-19 Limited, September 2010, 3,143Yen
\nYF-21 Limited, September 2010, 3,143Yen
\nVF-11B Limited, September 2010, 3,100Yen
\nYF-19 Limited Upgrade Parts, September 2010, 2,381Yen
\nYF-21 Limited Upgrade Parts, September 2010, 2,381Yen
\nVF-11B Limited Upgrade Parts, September 2010, 2,300Yen<\/p>\n

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Sculpt, Detail, and Paint<\/strong> (8.5\/10)
\nThe molded ABS plastic of the Yamato figures immediately set themselves apart from Kaiyodo’s Revoltech line.\u00a0 Yamato also focused on a more true to the line art approach than the very stylized look of the Revoltech figures.\u00a0 Yamato’s joint system is also far less obtrusive further enhancing the ability of their toys to better represent the animation.\u00a0 For those looking for only the most accurate representation of the vehicles than the Yamato toys are the definitive winners.\u00a0 There is some painted on detail (including an excess UN Spacy kite on the YF-19 toy’s wings and the wrong color UN Spacy Kites on the VF-11B) but overall the toy does look somewhat plain.\u00a0\u00a0 Being slightly larger than the Revoltech I had hoped to see a greater disparity in the level of detail work between the two toys but to Kaiyodo’s credit the Revoltech shows very similar attention to finer bits.\u00a0 The upgrade parts do a very good job of enhancing the base GnU toys while providing connecting points for the super parts while minimizing the\u00a0 negative impact of the anchor points.\u00a0 The YF-21 upgrade parts improve upon the look of the base toy by correcting a paint error on the chest of the base toy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Design<\/strong> (7.5\/10)
\nYamato touts their GNU line as being toys built on an internal skeletal frame and they have some cool advertisements showing off this frame. By making toys in this manner, the thinking goes, Yamato opens up their toys to customizers who can pop them apart with a little effort and then reassemble them on the skeleton. Initial feedback to this has been largely positive (although it\u2019s clear that the internal skeleton gimmick has several compromises to accommodate the odd shapes of Valkyrie Battroids).\u00a0 There are lots of ball joints including the shield on the YF-19 toys.\u00a0 There are some pictures below of a heavily weathered YF-19 GnU toy struggling against a YF-21 GnU toy.\u00a0 This level of customization would have been far more difficult to do with a Revoltech toy.\u00a0 As nice as the “upgrade” parts that were sold separately are they also serve as a clear indication that Yamato didn’t get things right the first time.\u00a0 Many of the upgrade parts include incredibly simple changes to the base toy that help increase articulation with what would have been no greater expense in the production of the toys.\u00a0 The upgrade parts further indicate a lack of forethought on Yamato’s part in how simple the super parts and their connection mechanisms are.\u00a0\u00a0 It seems far-fetched that Yamato ever believed they could have sold the different super parts separately since there’s so little to them so why weren’t these toys intended to accommodate and include the super parts right from the beginning?\u00a0 This will forever be a mystery and I think it’s a large part of why these toys weren’t able to gain more traction against the cheaper but seemingly better thought-out Revoltech toys.<\/p>\n

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Durability & Build<\/strong> (8\/10)
\nInitially these toys feel very solid and well built. Yamato\u2019s opting for ABS over PVC plastic means the toy feels solid and not at all rubbery like the Kaiyodo Revoltech toys. Every joint felt responsive and I didn\u2019t feel at any point that I was on the verge of something snapping.\u00a0\u00a0 After having owned these toys for quite some time most joints are still nice and stiff.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the nifty design which allows these toys to be easily disassembled for customization purposes (and for upgrading the toys for those people who buy the upgrade parts) also makes these toys prone to having parts fall off.\u00a0 It’s usually a quick matter to snap the parts back into place but it can be a little frustrating and disconcerting.\u00a0 I also had some paint scratching issues with my YF-21 toy where the yellow paint on the chest met the shoulder.\u00a0 .
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