YF-19

The YF-19 should need no introduction at this point. Hell, we’ve done 4 other reviews of this mecha, and the background of it is pretty much well covered at this point.

I’ve been clamoring for a nicely done version of this since the release of the first Yamato YF-19 in 2000. That one was a noble effort, but the company was very much in its infancy at that time.

Here we are NINE YEARS LATER, and Yamato has taken another stab at this iconic Valkyrie, this time in a larger, 1/60 scale.

I have to apologize up front, I can’t show you the box for this. I had left it out in our living room and my son tore it up. So – no box for you. But if you have handled one box you have handled them all. Window box, cover flap, plastic tray, etc.

The YF-19 comes packed with surprisingly few extra parts. In the package, aside from the ship itself, is the pilot, gun, two optional stand parts, and two extra fins. An instruction sheet and sticker sheet are also included. Not included with this set is a display stand, and optional fold booster and fast packs, which are sold separately.

Since the YF-19 comes packaged in fighter mode, we’ll start there.

In fighter mode the YF-19 measures in at about a foot long, which is impressive. The toy feels solid and has weight despite the lack of diecast.

The cockpit can open (in two sections) but you have to push down the black part in front to make room for the front window. This is not ideal, but it works. The small pilot figure of Isamu Dyson can fit in, but it’s a tight squeeze. The figure is quite rubbery so you should have no problems fitting it in.

Behind the cockpit are two fins that are hinged for the transformation process. These can bump out of place easily, so pay attention. There is a second set of fins included, so perhaps these are prone to breaking.

Further back, on either side are the engine intakes. In-package, the YF-19 has the intake covers on, so be sure to remove them for jet mode (I didn’t – unleash the hate mail!)

The only visible metal on the YF-19 is the landing gear. The front gear is located behind the cockpit and has the small metal flap in front (I think its for towing the jet) and rubber tires. Opening the three panels to extend the gear is a breeze. Not so for the rear gear. You need some kind of sharp object to pry open the doors, and then something to pry out the gear. The landing gear does not come out as far as it looks as it should, but the ship stays up so it must just be made that way.

To display the YF-19 with the Yamato Valkyrie Display Stand, you just clip on one of the attachments to the center fuselage part and attach it to the stand.

It’s worth mentioning that the first time I transformed this, I had held it by the chest area, and the whole rest of it detached and came crashing to the ground. The connection points where the chest meets the fuselage are just not strong enough to support the weight. Just make sure you keep a hand underneath the toy during transformation, and you should be all set. It’s a sucky lesson to learn.

The YF-19 has a surprisingly nice gerwalk mode, with the additions of swivel joints just above the knees. It looks good, but I am let down by the fact that the chest assembly just rests above the body. There’s nothing that it can clip into.

The YF-19 can also be displayed on the stand in Gerwalk mode.

Once again, refer to the video for transformation to Battroid mode.

Once fully transformed, the YF-19 is very impressive. Standing at about 13 inches tall, its the biggest valkyrie I own.

Articulation in this mode is equally impressive. The hips have a fantastic range of movement, and the legs have so much articulation that you can pull off a kneeling pose. What other Valkyrie can do that?

One nice feature is the removable head armor, revealing the inner mechanism to the machine.

There are a few problems in battroid mode though – The shoulder pads are a bit loose and look ill-fitting, and the main one there is the way the nosecone is supposed to lock into place.

See, underneath the nosecone, there is a panel with a tab that looks like it is supposed to lock into a hole, but there’s not enough of a peg on the tab for it to do so. This results in none of the top section really locking together.

And then there are the hands. As you can see in the video, I broke one of the hands during the transformation process. They just don’t fit well into the forearms, and taking them out is an exercise in frustration. I popped the outer cover off on mine but was able to superglue it back on. Each hand has spindly little fingers that look odd on this model. Each has pegs in the hands to hold the gun, but due to the nature of the weapon, it just doesn’t sit straight. The hand doesn’t grasp the handle tight enough, and the pegs really don’t do much.

Let’s see, what else can I complain about. Oh yeah, the hips don’t swing out at all, nor is there any kind of waist joint.

Yamato has announced repaints of this Valkyrie due out in 2009, let’s hope they addressed the few QC issues in these releases.

I also have the armor and fold booster set, I’ll tackle that in a future review.