![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/anymoon.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/Yamato-VF-1-Gnu-5.jpg?ssl=1\" "\\"Yamato")
<\/a><\/p>\nReview: No Super Parts?\u00a0 Seriously?
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Packaging & Extras:<\/strong> (3\/5) <\/p>\n Charm & Collectability:<\/strong> (2\/5) <\/p>\n Sculpt, Detail, & Paint:<\/strong> (8.5\/10) <\/p>\n Design:<\/strong> (8.5\/10)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBefore we get too far into this review, I would like to point out that I only purchased a Focker VF-1S toy. Pictures in this post of the other variants have been lifted from other websites. Yamato decided to move the Macross GnU toys out of the basic box that the Macross Plus toys came in and into a blistercard.\u00a0 I HATE blistercards and I don\u2019t think any toy that costs more than $20 ought to be packaged this way.\u00a0 As you\u2019ve undoubtedly surmised, Yamato didn\u2019t package this toy with super or strike parts which is a huge shame since Yamato DID show off a Super VF-1S GnU at trade shows.\u00a0 Was the plan to release upgrade parts down the road like they did for the Macross Plus toys? \u00a0If it was, it certainly didn’t work out that way. Here’s what you got besides the battroid mode toy:
\n1) Pair of TV hands (open left hand, gun holding right). The toy comes with TV style fists installed.
\n2) \u00a02x Pair of DYRL hands (fists and open left hand, gun holding right)
\n3) Gun
\n4) Display stand (Base, arm, and adapter)
\nPackaging pictures of most variants below are from Hobby Search.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThese toys landed with a thud with many toy stores not bothering to carry them, likely due to the lackluster sales of the Macross Plus line of GnuDou toys that preceded them. The only thing driving collectability these days is there relative scarcity but the only people looking are hardcore completists. The TV-1A Hayao Kakizaki was a Yamato website exclusive and will be a little harder to come by than the others but it’s Kakizaki so not many people will be looking in the first place. If you\u2019ve seen pictures of an Alaska Base or a Stealth variant those are just custom jobs that Yamato used to demonstrate how customizable the GnU line is. There were really three things that killed the VF-1 GnuDou line before it had a chance. First, they were late to the party. Kaiyodo’s Revoltech had been doing highly articulated non-transformable VF-1 battroids for a year before Yamato’s attempt landed. Second, Yamato had botched the Macross Plus releases of the GnuDou, offering improvements which they sold separately with super parts in a move that angered most early adopters. Seemingly hinting that they were going to repeat those same shenanigans, Yamato showed Super VF-1 GnuDou toys at festivals (see picture below) but sold the toy without the super parts. Third, the price point was too high. Yamato’s 1\/60 V2 VF-1 transformable toy has really good articulation, is an amazing transformable toy, and retailed for the cost of three GnuDou toys (or two if the V2 was on sale). Here’s a complete list of all Yamato Macross releases under the “Gnu Dou” banner:
\nYF-19, 3,000YEN, June 2008
\nVF-11B,3,000YEN, June 2008
\nYF-21, 3,000 YEN, June 2008
\nVF-19A Excalibur, 3,000YEN, December 2008,
\nVF-11B Thunderbolt, 3,000YEN, December 2008
\nSuper parts for YF-19, 2,000YEN, May 2009
\nSuper parts for VF-11B, 1,800YEN, May 2009
\nSuper parts for YF-21, 2,000YEN, May 2009
\nVF-1J Hikaru Custom, 3,980YEN, June 2009
\nVF-1A Max TV Custom, 3,980YEN, June 2009
\nVF-1A Mass Production, 3,980YEN, August 2009
\nVF-1S Focker TV Custom, 3,980YEN, September 2009
\nVF-1A Kakizaki TV, 4,179 YEN (includes Tax), July 2009, Yamato web exclusive
\nYF-19 Special Color, 3,143YEN, September 2010
\nVF-11B Special Color, 3,143YEN, September 2010
\nYF-21 Special Color, 3,143YEN, September 2010
\nThe below picture of the Super GnuDou was lifted from the GnuDou thread on MacrossWorld.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThe only real negatives for this toy are the obvious joints (no where near as bad as the Revoltech) and the heat shield which is attached to the upper chest and bulges out. It\u2019s a fairly small toy at about 13cm (almost perfectly 1\/100 scale) so don\u2019t expect much in the way of fine detail like you would see on the Yamato V2 1\/60 toys. Yamato promotional pictures below were also taken from Hobby Search except the web exclusive Kakizaki promotional pictures which were lifted from a thread in MacrossWorld:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
\nThis toy can do almost all the things you would hope it would be able to do.\u00a0 What can\u2019t it do?\u00a0 It can\u2019t attach fast packs\u2026 but those were never released.\u00a0 It can\u2019t attach missiles to its wings\u2026 although no missiles were provided anyway.\u00a0 Yamato continues to tout the ease in which these toys can be disassembled and reassembled to try to sell these toys to the custom community and from what I understand, they really do fit that bill quite nicely.<\/p>\n