1/60 Yamato VF-1S V2 Roy Focker (Reissue) out in Japan
 

I got good news in the email today. my Reissue 1/60 Yamato VF-1S V2 Roy Focker w/ Super & Strike parts is in stock in Japan

They ship EMS, so I am crossing my fingers for a Christmas delivery :D

I held off on the first release of this guy, mostly from the bad reviews I heard about shoulders promblems, hopefully these issues have been addressed, but I'm optimistic, and I plan to be very careful with it.

They are sold out now, but here is the link: 1/60 VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, Roy Focker Custom (Completed) Yamato Macross Do You Remember Love?

Hope yours is problem free man, the hairline crack on mine disappoints me, because I can feel it, and know that eventually, the hinge may snap, on account of a cheap, incorrectly inserted pin.

Got a package yesterday :D

I did a lot of research before I handled this guy, checking out the pictures and reading a lot of stuff on Macross World Forums (A lot of those posts by our own Shin Densetsu, about the pin in the shoulder hinge-thanks ;))

I did not break mine, as I was very slow and careful. but I can tell you the hinge looks to be the same as the first release, based on the pictures.

I could actually see a tiny bit of flexing on the plastic that holds that pin, I am overly careful with it because of this, it seems it could pop right out if you are not careful. Pretty disappointing on such an expensive toy.

The shoulder joints are very tight overall, not helping the issue.

That said, I do love him still, this is my first 1/60. I have not applied the labels to him, but I love the labels that do come with him, a few color options for the logo on the Boosters (Red, blue, green, and black Skull logos, or the red Macross logo as an option as well.)

I want to do some more pics soon, but here is a few for now: (I seem to have lost my jet mode pics)

And, yes, I see I managed to forget to click his feet in... ah, well

Box:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...FockerMISB.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ockerMISB2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7..._RoyFocker.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...kerGerwalk.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...rBatteriod.jpg

Group shot:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...Collection.jpg

Hey man, can you take a close up shot of the shoulder area/hinges, both with flash, and without? Can you also take shots that focus on the shoulder area with the bicep showing>?

Yup, can do, but it will have to wait a bit, I need to clear out the setup, as it is full of Fockers at the moment.

I can take pics of it with the hinge up and down, not sure what you mean about the bicep angle, point me to a pic and I will take care of it.

Thanks again for your advice on this piece, Shin, I really do appreciate it :)

Hmmm....the bicep you can leave out, the most important thing would be the shoulder hinges, hinges that the shoulder ball joints are molded too. I wonder if they are the same tint(off white/light grey) as the ABS parts such as the wings or lower forearms. If it is POM it will most likely be bright white. Also, can you tell me which way the pins are facing in the shoulder hinges? Some members, such as myself, have the pins with the burr/rough side facing opposite directions, some have them facing down.

They are the same color. The pins, when in position in batteriod mode, both pins have the burr side down.

These pics did not come out so great, but I hope you see what you need.

Let me know if you need anything else, I will be happy to help :)

Unfortunately folks, the hinges on the latest releases are not fixed, no material changes, nothing. Fortunately a friend from the Philippines has suggested a fix that may work. Lube up the hinge to get the metal pin out, then sand down the burred edge of the metal pin. Reinsert the pin, and everything should work fine. Not sure how much you are supposed to sand off. He put his through hell afterwards and manhandled it, and witnessed no breakages yet.

Boo. I can see where that fix would work, but something like that is too extensive for me. I'll just keep waiting for a proper fix from Yamato, and if that never happens I'll just be content with the 1/48 and wait for Bandai to make a real toy of the VF-1. :)

All these years later and I still enjoy the 1/55. Get to it Toynami/Tamashii! Every time I picture it I keep hearing the Duralast commercial.

No doubt. Every time I go back and play with the 1/55 it's like reuniting with an old friend. :D

I for one love the reissues. So freaking beautiful. Tampo printed details and paint all over the place, gloss finish; that's high quality folks. Rugged durability, the most sturdy VF-1 toy ever created, landing gear that still hurt your fingers after 20+ years. Ah yes, nostalgia never felt so good. The commercials from back in the day are awesome too.

While I can actually do that now, not so long ago I might have never considered it, however, that said, I still think that now I know very well the weakness, I just go easy on them.

Yamatos' products, IMO seem too fragile.

Yes!

Amen, bro!

The reissue 1/55s are awesome!