VF-1A

Although this is a review for what is basically the same toy as Revoltech VF-1S I recently reviewed, I have added a couple of things to make it slightly more informative and show the slight differences between the two. How do I describe my relationship with a Valkyrie? Well like many, I started by watching Robotech. I always thought Valkyries were one of the best timeless robot designs ever to be realized. Many Valkyrie toy designs came and went, many ingenious feats of engineering came to fruition by many manufacturers. Some official, some not so official,  so the quality and execution varied greatly. Now it’s Kaiyodo’s turn to give us their version of the transforming Valkyrie, in this case the VF-1A,  while remaining faithful to their Revoltech line which uses their ever popular joints. I was a little skeptical as to how these figures would turn out since in my experience with Revoltech figures, they have been soft and “greasy”. Probably due to mold release which would eventually go away with play. Well to my surprise, it was a lot different than I expected. Included in the package:

• VF-1A in Fighter mode
• 10 Point Revochip
• Joints box
• Stand with joints
• Wrist tab hooks (2)
• Gun pod
• Head and cockpit shield
• Alternate hands and fists
• Paperwork

Lets get started, it comes packed in the new bigger style Revoltech Yamaguchi box with a paper belt. Its been designated Series No. 82. The Valkyrie comes packed in Fighter form ready to be transformed

FIGHTER Mode

This is how it looks right out of the box. Nice, clean elegant design.

Here’s a look at the bottom. Unfortunately It didn’t occur to me to try and fit the head at the time I took the picture.

Transformation into the alternate modes is very easy due to the fact that many owners of other Valkyries will be mostly going through the same motions as you would most other versions. Newcomers to this robot, may need to look over the instruction booklet. The figure feels very fiddly while all limbs and pieces are splayed out, but at no time did it feel brittle. I was not being overly careful while transforming so at the moment, I can say that the plastics are of good quality. Something that may annoy some is that parts (wings, the flap behind the head and the “backpack”) will fall off since most of the parts are held on with joints or have friction tabs. In no way is it as bad as the Toynami 1/100s that fall apart almost completely.  I don’t own a lot of Revoltech’s but this figure has the most joints I have come across, some are double joints which I am finding to be very loose on this figure, thankfully they can be squeezed from the side to tighten them up a bit. It almost seems that the “fiddliness” would cause some frustration during transformation, but everything falls right into places and tabs hold everything nice.

When you pull the arms down, you’ll notice there are tabs sticking out of the wrists. These are cleverly hidden by folding out the fist and folding them in. The kit comes with 2 little plastic hooks to help you pull the tabs back out. Be careful however, as pushing the tab too far in will cause it to get caught behind the wrist hinge and the little plastic hooks will be of no use getting them out.

GERWALK Mode

Here is my best attempt at a stable standing Gerwalk mode, however, more dynamic poses can be achieved with the included base. My only complaint up to this point is that the rear section of the fighter doesn’t come up and around very well which make it very noticeable in Gerwalk mode. There is nothing to secure it in place. The arms are very loose at the shoulders, requiring a step backwards in transformation to squeeze-tighten them. He is shown here with his standard fists.

BATTROID Mode

Here he is in a simple semi neutral pose. Right off the bat you’ll notice the hands are teeny. Not to fret as the included accessories come with bigger fists and open hands. Take a second to note that the joints are pretty well hidden. Aside from the thighs and knees, there is nothing to point out it’s Revoltech lineage. He stands at a fair 5.75″ tall (14.6cm)

Now lets have some fun with the poses. I didn’t find myself fighting with the joints during posing, they seemed to know exactly how I wanted them to move…which is more than I could say about my other Revoltechs which I have given the “gift of flight” from frustration. This may be due in part to the harder type plastics used. Here, I’ve outfitted him with the alternate fists and gun pod. Of course, being a Revoltech, a multitude of poses can be achieved. Some a lot cooler than I’m able to achieve myself without a stand. I’ve chosen not to use the stand to show its ability to pose on its own.

This has to be one of my favorite poses. He comes with an alternate hand to hold the Gun Pod barrel.

Ok, so he looks cool from the front, but what kind of horrid, joint riddled mess awaits out back? Well, take a peek shall we?… Its actually pretty clean. Kaiyodo has done a good job  of keeping the joints well hidden and not too obvious. Thank goodness for that.

Something I didn’t show you guys in the last review was all the included hands and fists. As you can plainly see, the standard hands are much smaller to be used for transformation into Fighter mode.

Here is the included clear stand with joints.

Perfect Transformation? Not 100% but darn close. If you leave the standard fists, all you really need to add/remove is the head (haven’t been successful with the head in place), swap cockpit pieces and add/remove Gun Pod holder. Tips: I’d like to touch again on the joints. Some may seem severely loose to the point where they are useless. I found that by pushing on the sides it tightens them up a bit.

When you pull the Valkyrie out for the first time, you may notice that from behind you can see the standard teeny fists which make for an eyesore (fig. 1), however, they DO fold into the forearm (fig. 2). Why it was packed with the fists out, instead of hidden is anyone’s guess.

The Good:

• The price, about 20 bucks
• Sharp paint apps
• Nice proportions
• Almost perfect transformation
• Poseability
• Joints are well hidden

The Bad:

• Fiddly at times if joints get loose, but quickly fixed
• Head needs to be removed/added for transformation
• Wings fall off easily when handling
• FAST pack would be nice… Future add-on?

The Ugly:

• None on this one.

In closing, I’d like to say overall I am quite happy with this release. Some diehards may find more to nitpick, but most will appreciate that a nice pose-able Valkyrie can be had for about 20 dollars. It seems like it can take a lot of abuse for those that really play with their toys, so that alone gets my thumbs up.