Yamato 1/48 VF-1S To Be Rereleased
 

Wonder if they will reissue the fast packs as well?

I hope man, I have yet to buy any!

how much do you think these'll go for when they get reissued?

Listed at 14,800 yen, so about $155+shipping.

These things are so bloody expensive. But it's one of those things where I've always wanted one. In order to buy it though, I would be blowing a month or two of toy budget. Damn. Eventually I will have one though. It'll be a celebratory present to myself for passing all my courses...

You think they'll sell these on BBTS? or only through the japanese distis like amiami, etc.?

It is expensive but since these will be in new, significantly smaller boxes, shipping should not be as bad as before. The main complaint for 1/48's and Yamato releases from a few years back was the size of the boxes.

I do think it is worth picking up at least 1, since the 1/48 VF-1 is a revolutionary VF-1 toy. The V2 1/60 VF-1 is a better toy in many respects but it draws much influence from the 1/48.

I think BBTS will get them, they've sold them before, in fact, BBTS is the store I got my 1st 1/48 from.

I've preordered mine through ami-ami - looks like they have a semi-deal going on - ~12000 yen. Wonder how much shipping will be. If bbts comes out with it (emailed them to see if they know anything about future preorders), then i'd prolly switch. This'll be my first 1/48th. Shin - any recommendations on 1/48 vs 1/60?

Hey man 12000 sounds GREAT, shipping I guess might be 4,000 yen or less(hopefully the latter since this box is significantly smaller than before). BBTS will most likely have it for $160 or so before shipping since they have to import it from Japan, and take into account the fees associated with it, whereas Amiami is in Japan.

As for 1/48 VS V2 1/60; the 1/48 has a more user friendly transformation whereas the V2 1/60 has a few more steps and adds a bit more complexity. Transformation is VERY similar since the V2 1/60 transformation is based directly on the 1/48's. The 1/48 is very very easy to transform, it's similar to Alternator Sideswipe in relative ease; in fact, your are most likely to break a Transformers Alternator than a 1/48 VF-1.

The V2 1/60 feels more compact and secure in all 3 modes, however getting there is a tad bit more complex. In fact, the V2 1/60 feels more toyetic when handling, feels more solid. BOTH are very durable toys, except for 2 areas; the BP8 tab on the 1/48, and the shoulder hinges on some of the V2 1/60 VF-1's.

With the Bp8, that's the backpack piece on the 1/48. DO NOT push it past the stopper when transforming to gerwalk/battroid modes. Doing so will snap it off. It looks like it's supposed to go past the stopper, but it isn't.

With the V2 1/60, some of the releases have knurled metal pins in the shoulder hinges. Rather than say which releases to avoid, I will list which releases are safe:

• VF-1S Low Viz
• VF-1A MP
• VF-1J MP
• VF-1A Max(TV/DYRL?)
• VF-1A Kakizaki(TV/DYRL?)
• VE-1 ELINT SEEKER
• VF-1S Strike Valkyries Anniversary Editions with Penlights(Roy/Hikaru)
• VF-1J Super Valkyries(Max/Milia only so far)
• VF-1S Unpaint Version

The aforementioned listed valks have smooth pins in the shoulder hinges which so far has no reported breakages.

The V2 1/60 is more articulated, with double hinged elbows and good range of motion all around. Also, it is more proportionate to the cartoon, it has decently sized hands, whereas the 1/48 has skinny hands. In fact, the retractable hands on both are the SAME SIZE! The TV hands on the 1/48 VF-1J's and TV VF-1A's are bigger BUT made out of PVC which feels somewhat fragile at the posts. On the V2 1/60 the TV style hands are hard plastic, with no worries from me about breakage.

Overall the 1/48 has more detail and is the biggest transforming VF-1 toy on the market. While the V2 1/60 surpasses it in many ways, it owes much of it to the 1/48. When it's all said and done, the 1/48 is the more groundbreaking of the 2, since the V2 1/60 builds off of it. The 1/48 has moving flaps and removable random to show the radar. The V2 1/60 lacks these but for me, I can live without them. I do prefer the improved stability and more solid feel of the V2 1/60 VF-1. The articulation definitely does make a difference; the V2 1/60 lends itself to more dynamic poses.

Ultimately the best combination would have been the more user friendly transformation of the 1/48 coupled with the articulation and solidity of the V2 1/60. One thing of notice is that the V2 1/60 has MUCH improved stickers and that the need for them is diminished greatly; nearly all of the details are printed/painted on already. Will the 1/48 follow suit? Who knows.

What you will see as better will depend on preference. A big difference I noticed is that the joints on the V2 1/60 feel much less prone to looseness over time; 1 1/48 I have has become significantly loose over time.

Hey Shin,
Do you know if this was fixed on the v2 1/60 VF-1J Hikaru Version? All the images I see of it looks like it's pretty much identical to the VF-1J MP.

There are a handful of reports on fixed shoulders for the VF-1J Hikaru. The upcoming GPB set reissue and standalone reissue should be fixed, so your best bet is to opt for one of those.