Thursday 4 February 2010

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech Triple Transformation VF-1S Roy Focker custom

From what I can gather, Macross is a very expensive hobby. Looking at the Yamato range of Macross figures (which from what I can tell are the really good ones) you'd be looking to spend £40 and up plus shipping just for one figure. There are smaller ones available, but then the question is raised whether they're transformable or not. Thankfully revoltech have finally gone and made their own transforming valkyries from both Super Dimension Fortress Macross and Do You Remember Love? at an affordable rate (I paid just over £25 for one), have minimal partsforming AND in scale with most of my other robot/mecha figures. But are they any good? Time to find out...

The obvious place to start would be the jet mode, which the figure is packaged in. Despite seeming small once you're holding it, there's nothing really I can fault with it. A jet is a jet, and this is a perfect representation of Roy's signature transformation. Gerwalk mode is much the same, although I'd recommend swapping out the smaller hands fixed to the figure for the more dynamic posed ones so it can be posed holding the gunpod. To top it off, battroid mode is also great, boasting far better proportions that Revoltech's original non-transforming versions.

With 3 great modes, you'd think this was the perfect figure wouldn't you? Well, I'm sorry to say that it isn't. The problem isn't the 3 modes themselves, its getting between them. The transformation is the fiddliest thing I've ever seen in my life, and I buy alot of Transformers. The ROTF guys have nothing on this baby. Parts will fall off, especially the wings which are merely held on by a clip and drop off if you just TOUCH them. Another point of contention on my figure (not sure if this is a problem on the whole though) was putting the head on, which is separate from the main figure in the package. The hole was far too small for me to place it on the main body, making it a huge struggle which felt like I was going to break the figure on several occasions. The VF-1S REALLY doesn't feel like its meant to be played with, so if you were looking for an afforable DURABLE Macross figure this really isn't for you. However if you're more of a collector like me and are just looking for something to pose and display, you can get the transformation over once and then not have to look back for a while. For those interested in the transformation (I coudn't be bothered to take pictures during that much frustration), check it out here.

I've been waiting for this figure for a long time, and I REALLY wanted to give it 5 out of 5, but the issues with the transformation and the wings stand out far too much to make that rating a reality. What I will say is though is that the figure LOOKS badass and I don't regret having ordered the VF-1A Hikaru Ichijo (will probably get the VF-1J Hikaru, Max and Milia customs when they're released too). Its the transforming that I'm really not looking forward to...


PS. Part b of this review will be up once I receive the VF-1A, but it will mostly be images as the figure is more or less the same as the VF-1S, albeit with a different head and colourscheme.

1 comment:

Laura Emily Dunn said...

Awesome figure Alex! Glad it arrived in one piece!