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1/72 VF-1A/S Valkyrie (Ichijo Hikaru) review – Part 2

1/72 VF-1A/S Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) Available From HobbyLink Japan Hlj.com

Here’s a look at some of the parts, and all 3 modes now that it’s all put together.

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Here’s the tools I used.  Glue is needed in a couple places on the body, and for the figures.

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I put on the most noticeable water slides for the pictures, and figured I’d put the rest on after and then topcoat.  But doing the transformation took a bit of a toll on some of them as you’ll see.

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Empty plates are always fun, because they lead to fun layouts like these.

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Very well done in terms of plate planning.  One leg = one half of the plate.

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The legs bend well enough when they’re not connected.  The way this hips split at the top is intriguing.

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Lots of connectors, 2 extra fixed position hands, and Lynn Minmay is somewhat recognizable in 1/72 scale.  You can choose what angle to glue her left arm on.

Fighter Mode

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With just a few water slides on, and a fair bit of time spent on lining, the overall effect is very pleasing.  The proportions look fantastic, and it would look good on any shelf next to models of real fighter planes I think.

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With the tail section swung forward.

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Gerwalk Mode

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Looks as it should, with some weight issues that can be overcome with patience.

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Is there anyone out there that would consider buying three kits to show off this mode in addition to the other two?

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Battroid Mode

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With the lining, water slides, and shiny stickers on, he’s looking very good in terms of anime accuracy, while still keeping the proportions modern.

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A height comparison with my Crossbone X0, due to their shared love of the skull and crossbones.

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When it’s in Battroid mode though, don’t expect any stability.  The shoulder connectors that keep the chest in place fall out easily.

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The hips will collapse fairly often out from the nosecone, but surprisingly do a decent job of staying in place when it’s standing in place on the ground.

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Be careful before you topcoat!

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Swap the heads off for the VF-1A if you want it to look less humanoid, and more like a security camera.

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The hands fold in neatly to the forearms, but overall feel skinny as expected.  They move relatively well, but do catch in a few places when you try to position them.

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Will going aerial help with the loose seeming hips?  The connector won’t fill you with confidence when you attach it.

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And the loose hips don’t lie.  Going aerial doesn’t increase the posability, it just makes them dangle like wet noodles.

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The hands do a poor job of keeping the fingers in place, and holding the weapon, but the colors work well.

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Two hand poses work, and help keep the Gunpod up.

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Though the legs are a bit awkward on the ground, they still work, and maintain a pose while the weight of the body pushes down and keeps them relatively stable.

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Ah, space fighter planes are always fun!

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The salute hand is a nice touch.

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Pro 1: A lot of effort went into getting things right, from the package to the manual and seals.
Pro 2: When lined and with seals added, looks great, thanks to the perfect proportions.
Pro 3: The fighter mode looks fantastic, and may just have stolen the show from the Battroid for me.

Con 1:  You have to like lining and lots of decals to bring out his best look.
Con 2:  The transformation is tricky, and will be frustrating.
Con 3: Very flimsy when in Battroid mode.

Overall: Due to the fun build and overall great looks in all three modes, if you’re a fan of Macross I think this will please you greatly to put on your shelf.

 

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Finally, he will fall down, but you’ll pick him up again, because he looks so good!  But eventually will it end up back in the awesome fighter mode?

Thanks for reading everyone!

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17 Comments

  1. very great rrobbert for your first picture review..
    soo much better than me.. *sniff sniff ((T.T; )

    Reply
  2. Awesome mate. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll keep your review in mind when I’m building this one.

    Reply
  3. For gerwalk mode, I believe the model should have both its arms rotated out. What was shown in the review was not correct as the arms did not get released when you transformed it into Gerwalk mode. 🙂

    would be nice to see the model with the features correctly presented

    Reply
    • I think you’re also supposed to push the wings up after swinging them down for battroid mode…

      Reply
      • That is, you’re supposed to slide the wings up into the back (so they don’t hang down as far behind the knees) after swinging them down…

        Also you didn’t extend the gunpod in Battroid mode, and the joints in the upper arms aren’t quite pushed together completely, resulting in that gap right above the elbow joint.

        Reply
  4. Thanks for the comprehensive review. I’ve got the kit on order so we’ll see how it goes when I put it together. I’m most keen on gerwalk mode, but it appears to look great in all modes.

    Reply
  5. Would I buy three Bandai valkyries just to display one in each mode? Probably not. Bandai’s Valk is kind of expensive… Wave and Hasegawa both sell fighter and battroid Valk kits which are cheaper (and better-looking) than the Bandai, and they can be combined to make gerwalk (OOB with Wave – more of a kitbash with Hasegawa) I could build all three modes with Hasegawa for 8800 yen, or with Wave for 9600 yen. With Bandai it’s 13500 yen if I want to build all three modes…
    There is a benefit to Bandai’s model that offsets the disadvantages and the price difference – it transforms. If I were building three modes for display and planning not to transform them, that advantage would be wasted.

    Reply
  6. I like the looks of everything except that 1S head. It’s just too big for this body. A slightly smaller head plus a neck would make a huge difference in the battroid mode. As it is, I’ll stay with my Yamato 1/60 VF-1.

    Reply
  7. Looks like I’m sticking with my Hasegawa kits and Yamato Perfect Trance figures for my Macross fix. The loose limbs issue is unacceptable.

    And seriously, rrobbert, we get it: you don’t like GERWALK mode.

    Reply
  8. I like the fighter and gerwalk modes. The Batteroid mode, wow, so retro yet its a modern kit.

    Great review Rrobbert! 🙂

    Reply
  9. The battroid flimsiness looks like a huge disappointment. It brings back bad memories of Master Grade Zeta Gundam 1.0. Initially I was thinking of skipping it because the arms looked too skinny but later pictures had me fooled that it was just a bad pose. Now it looks like the arms were the least of the problems. Unfortunately I already have one shipping from hlj.com.

    Reply
  10. Wow. I thought the Battroid was the only flimsy thing. I have built Gunpla for 20+ years. Up until now I had always thought the Zeta 1.0 was the worst kit I had ever built in regards to failed execution from the start but this one trumps it in spades. The build of the torso is absolute hell. The wings kept popping out. Then the nosecone popped off and I can’t get it to stay back in. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE WORST KIT I HAVE EVERY ATTEMPTED TO BUILD!!! Avoid it at all costs.

    Reply
  11. Hi like your preview ao much.The lining on the figures looks awesome and realistic. May i know how you did that? Wat kind of tools and color you are using or just solely black lining pen?

    Reply
  12. Reviving this thread to say that I admire how you always do such a great job with your kits, rrobbert184 (2 Rs, 2 Bs)! You, Syd, and Ryan are awesome gunpla ambassadors!

    Hmm… For a minute, I thought that you were the voice of da Vinci on Nobunaga the fool!

    Reply
  13. My take on the VF-0S
    Some say nothing beats a classic (not me)
    http://evilmodelkits.blogspot.mx/2015/03/172-vf-1s-by-bandai.html

    Reply
  14. whats the height of the figure in battroid mode?

    Reply

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