VFB-9H Beta Fighter Rand Masterpiece Vol. 1
Today I will be reviewing Toynami’s highly anticipated, long-awaited, Robotech Next Generation Beta Fighter. I assure you that it has been worth the long wait.
To start off with the box is the now familiar Toynami book style “forever mint” Masterpiece packaging. The packaging is beautiful as you would expect and it will look fantastic displayed with other Masterpiece collectibles.
OK, enough about the box! On to the good stuff. After removing the Beta from is packaging you are rewarded with a quality, hefty chunk of ratcheting die-cast metal and plastic goodness. When I say hefty, I mean HEFTY! 24 ounces worth of heft. You read correctly, 2 lbs. of chogokin goodness for you to behold. Oh, did I forget to mention that this thing is large? Standing a full 9.5 inches in Battloid mode and a wingspan of just over 16.5 inches in fighter mode.
The next six photos give you a quick walk around the Beta in Battloid mode. Notice the detail all the way around. Also note that the figure has some pretty nice articulation for such a large and heavy toy. All joints have a nice click or ratcheting sound. Ah, the sound every Gokin collector loves to hear…
Boo-Yah! Check out the opening missile bays. This Beta is armed to the teeth! Yup, that’s 10 chest mounted missiles. Great for trashing Invid Shock Troopers.
You can open up the Beta’s cockpit to view the nicely detailed removable miniature Rand figure seated at the controls. You can also see the production number on the lower half of the cockpit beneath the pilot’s chair.
Close up of the Beta’s detailed, articulated hand and the swiveling head with missile pods located behind it. The plastic quality of the hand is stellar compared to the brittle hands on the Alpha Fighter.
The next 3 photos show you the Beta in Guardian mode. This particular mode has a certain funky coolness to it. I’ve always liked the Guardian/Odd looking Ostrich mode of most of the Robotech Veritechs.
The last 8 photo’s show you the Beta in Fighter mode. I gotta say that I feel this toy looks great in all modes, including fighter. Check out the chrome die-cast landing gear and the hip bar for holding the Alpha sturdily in place. Not shown in photos is the included hip bar for holding the Alpha in Battloid mode. I apologize for this, I did not have an Alpha for the photo shoot. However, we did include it in the above video.
In conclusion, Toynami has truly arrived at being a premium chogokin manufacturer. If you are a fan of Robotech or Mospeada you have to go out and get one of these awesome collector’s pieces. Kudos Toynami!