VF-1A Valkyrie

Yamato has been known to make some very fine, anime accurate collectibles over the last few years and in that time I have wanted a 1/48th scale Valkyrie from Macross. Thanks to a trade with Sanjeev I finally got my hands on one. Can you believe the hype or is it overrated? Read on to find out.

So the 1/48th scale Valkyries have been out for a few years and finally broke down and got my hands on one this summer.

This is the Max Genius (or Max Sterling for you Robotech fans) Macross: Do You Remember Love version of the VF-1A.

At 1/48th scale this guy is big. In Fighter mode from tip to tail it measures just over 12 inches long, in Battroid mode it stands just over 10 inches tall. The figure comes with some nice accessories. There is no denying its impressive scale on the self.

Included in the package are:

• 1 Removable seated pilot (this one is painted like Max of course)
• 1 Gunpod
• 4 Larger Missile pods
• 4 Smaller scale missile pods
• 2 Vent covers
• 1 Sticker sheet

The Valkyrie fully transforms between all three modes, Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid and looks great in all those modes. This toy doesn’t favor one mode over the other as far as proportions go. It looks great no matter which mode you choose to display it in.

The toy is almost all plastic, with the exceptions of the landing gear doors under the nose, shoulder joints, swing bar underneath for the legs. Those are all die cast.

But it is the transformation that ends up being the downside to this toy. You see being as accurate to the show and design as it is makes for a fairly complex transformation and when you’re about midway thru from Gerwalk to Battroid it becomes quite a floppy mess. If you are not careful you could easily break things off if you’re not aware of the whole toy the entire time you are transforming it. This has been the downside to having it, as much as I like it, I rarely feel the urge to pick it up and transform it, not like my old classic Bandai Valkyrie.

I have two other complaints for this toy. First the stickers are pretty shabby. Any sticker that goes over a curved piece on the toy has already started to roll off. Any sticker on a flat surface has stayed put. To be honest Yamato has addressed this issue with some of it’s newer Macross Zero Valkyries by printing most of the major details right on the toy. Second, my Valkyrie has loose knees in Battloid mode, it still poses fine but there is about half an inch of slack there. This doesn’t appear to be a common complaint for most and seems I just got the luck of the draw.

At $125 to $150 I shouldn’t be afraid to transform it and for that price I shouldn’t run the risk of getting a bum one (Loose knee joints). So this is a mixed bag to recommend to our readers.

If you are a HUGE Macross / Robotech fan I do feel you owe it to yourself to get at least one, it looks great on the shelf and really is the nicest “looking” Valkyrie made to date, it just fails the “toy” aspect in my opinion. If you want your stuff to be highly playable and “sturdy” this is a pass for anyone that is not enamored by the transforming jet.

If any of our readers know how to “fix” the loose knees (I can’t find how to un-attach the lower part of the lower leg. I can get the top screw out at the knee that is it.) Please feel free to drop a comment here or send me an email.

And for those that really want to go deep diving on the transformation on the toy be sure to check the videos below. These are only for the highly nerdy… you have been warned.