VF-1S (Hikaru Ichijo)

So when I say in these reviews if you don’t like this color scheme, wait and I’m sure Yamato will do one you like I wasn’t kidding. Yamato has announced no less than 6 more paint styles due before the month of May is over and I am sure they’re not done. So while I am happy it looks like my fanboy dream of building an army of Valkyries is coming true, coming up with clever things to say about the same toy with a different paint scheme is getting difficult.

This is Hikaru Ichijo’s VF-1S at it appears at the end of the film version of Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Yamato packs a ton of accessories into the box. Included with the transformable fighter are Super and Strike armor parts, 6 x RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles, 4 x 12 x AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles (clustered in 3’s), 4 x UUM-7 micro-missile pods, 1 x Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod, a pair of “anime” hands, 2 x stand clips (to attach to aftermarket stands), 1 x escape pod clip (this allows you to attach another Valkyrie nosecone to the arm of the Battleoid or Gerwalk mode), 1 x Hikaru Ichijo Pilot.

Yamato took all they learned engineering the older and larger 1/48th scale and applied it to the 1/60 scale while improving the fit and finish along the way. These newer Valkyries are not only super sharp looking with all of their painted detail but way fun to handle. You’ll be picking it up and flying it around without even realizing you’re doing it. They’re that good.

The 1/60 2.0 Valkyrie looks perfect in all three modes. Traditionally manufacturers had to cheat or short change one mode to get the other two to look correct. Well, welcome to the 21st Century, Yamato finally mastered the design and manufacturing process in this slightly smaller yet far more manageable scale.

Not only does it look flawless it’s built tough and fun to play with. That’s right there is no need to fear transforming your Valkyrie because it was built to play with. Everything is tight (but not too much so) and straightforward to transform. The piece is tight and playable in all three modes and doesn’t disappoint.

Of course, the supplied Super and Strike armor parts are included with the set I picked up. Yamato does sell the Super Strike parts separately for those on a budget but for about 20.00 more you can get it all bundled together.

Perfect transformation without parts swapping, tight fit and finish, solid and stable in all three modes. Yeah, the line, in general, is a real winner. If you’re a Macross fan you NEED one of these in your collection. Save your pennies and get a paint scheme you like you won’t be disappointed.

I just hope Yamato has enough sense to break up releasing Valkyries and starts slipping some Zentran mecha into the mix. While getting the upcoming Ben and Max TV style schemes is high on my priority list I will hit burn out quickly if they don’t mix it up.