{"id":397,"date":"2012-06-30T05:32:41","date_gmt":"2012-06-30T05:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2006\/09\/25\/bandai-165-vf-19-kai-and-blazer-including-kai-reissue\/"},"modified":"2014-07-11T05:50:59","modified_gmt":"2014-07-11T05:50:59","slug":"bandai-165-vf-19-kai-and-blazer-including-kai-reissue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=397","title":{"rendered":"Bandai 1\/65 VF-19 Toys"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Review(updated):\u00a0Now includes\u00a0metallic limited editions and reissues
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\"Bandai<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"Bandai<\/a><\/p>\n

Packaging & Extras (2\/5)<\/strong>
\nThe boxes these toys are delivered in are pretty standard featuring fairly sturdy construction with a window to see the goods inside and some decoration that never gets too gaudy.\u00a0 On the original releases, the inner Styrofoam tray is very sturdy and on my samples the Kai comes with a thin transparent piece of plastic to protect the box’s window while the Blazer comes with two additional styrofoam inserts to pin the toy back in the box and protect the box’s window that way.\u00a0 The toy comes with a gun (on sprue), some sparse decals (more abundant for the Blazer), and an instruction manual.\u00a0 Yes, the gun actually is on a sprue and requires 2 seconds of construction (simple clip together) but I think sprues in general denote a lack of class.\u00a0 The limited edition toys come in plain brown boxes (appear the smudges on my box above please) and don’t include stickers but do include a little card saying what number LE toy you purchased.\u00a0 Years later when Bandai reissued the fire valk they included an already assembled gun.\u00a0 Overall, this toy leaves a lot to be desired in the accessories department.\u00a0 The reissue is packaged in fighter mode which necessitates a bigger box but has better overall presentation… but still no extras worth noting.\u00a0 With the prevalence of bootlegging regarding this particular toy it’s important to examine the box closely.\u00a0 Look for Bandai’s name (the Bootleg shows a picture of the character from Mac7 who piloted the vehicle instead of the Bandai emblem in the lower right-hand corner), look for the BigWest sticker, compare the box you’re looking at to the picture provided above.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"Bandai<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charm & Collectibility (1\/5) Reissue, (1.5\/5) Original Kai, (2\/5) Blazer, (2.5\/5) Limited Edition Blazer
\n<\/strong>The charm of this toy has some major factors working against it.\u00a0 First, very few toy collectors seem to be huge fans of Macross7 and Mac7 toys do not benefit from cross-over appeal with Robotech fans.\u00a0 Second, the toy is very light and nearly metal free.\u00a0 Third, this toy is bootlegged with great regularity and in a quality not far removed from the official releases and the official release of the Kai has been reissued.\u00a0 Fourth, this toy is honestly not very good.\u00a0 Just about the only things this toy has going for it are its size and the fact it features perfect transformation.\u00a0 Still, with better representations out there\u00a0in the form of\u00a0Bandai’s recent 1\/100 Hi-Metal\u00a0Yamato’s 1\/60 Yamato VF-19Kai, 19S and 19F there’s not many people clamoring to purchase one of these.\u00a0 There is very little chance that these toys will ever find a niche in the collector’s market.\u00a0 The original Kai scores a little higher than the reissue purely because it’s a little harder to come by.\u00a0 Since the 19S was never reissued it scores a bit higher than that.\u00a0 The limited edition metallic toys ought to be the most collectable simply because they’re the hardest to come across and they are unique.<\/p>\n

\"Bandai<\/a>\"Bandai<\/a><\/p>\n

Sculpt, Detail, & Paint (5.5\/10)<\/strong>
\nThe proportions here are definitely a bit whacky.\u00a0 The head seems small, the legs seem large, and the sculpt over all just leaves a lot to be desired.\u00a0 The toy is cast almost entirely in colored plastic so paint isn’t a problem.\u00a0 The Reissue of the Kai (there has never been a reissue of the Blazer) does feature some of the markings originally included as decals painted on.\u00a0 The landing gears look absolutely horrible when in use and there are a few areas where the seams for transformation are just too obvious (around the cockpit region for example).\u00a0 Still, there’s no mistaking which valk this toy is supposed to be so it certainly accomplishes the job on some levels.\u00a0 I am not a fan of GERWALK mode on any VF\/YF-19 product, I think the design of the mode itself is a complete after-thought, this toy seems to prove my point.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Bandai<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"Bandai<\/a><\/p>\n

Design (6\/10)<\/strong>
\nThe transformation of the toy is quite simple yet sturdy.\u00a0 Yes, a few tricks could have allowed the overall look of the toy to have been improved but for what this toy is meant to be the design is practical and efficient.\u00a0 It does include built-in landing gears (ugly and not really functional) although the front landing gear can only be described as a “landing gear” in very liberal terms.\u00a0 The fists ought to have collapsed into the arms.\u00a0 Handling this toy will make you really appreciate the extra thought that went into Bandai’s Hi-Metal offering and Yamato’s 1\/60 VF-19 toys.\u00a0\u00a0 Yamato’s 1\/60 toy\u00a0features huge improvements like integrated shoulder speakers on the fire valkyrie, swappable face plates, properly integrated landing gears, mountable gun in fighter mode, and countless articulation and detail improvements.<\/p>\n