The first Macross Frontier movie is out in Japan, released 11/21/09! Bandai is making the toys. No Yamato’s yet, unfortunately. Today, we’re going to have a look at the 1/60-scale DX Chogokin VF-25F Super Messiah Valkyrie Alto Custom!
CollectionDX and Wizartar have some great reviews on the 1/60 DX Chogokin line of Bandai Macross Frontier toys. This one has the color scheme from the movie, Macross Frontier: The False Songstress. In my opinion, the toy looks great! However, it does have some flaws. First, it’s not as “tight” as the Yamato valkyries. By “not tight”, I mean, the plastic pieces don’t quite fit as nicely as the pieces on the Yamato. The plastic pieces hinges tend to be loose, especially the plastic pieces that allow you to fold the small fin on the leg into the calf. The laser antenna on the head are also made of a soft plastic, and on my toy, one of the antenna is crooked (bends in an arc).
One difference between the VF-25F and the Yamato 1/60 valkyries is that the Alto pilot figure is not removable, whereas in all the Yamato valkyries, the pilot is removable.
Close-up of Alto pilot figure
The armor and boosters really make the valkyrie in fighter mode look great from the rear:
How does the VF-25F compare with a 1/60 Yamato valkyrie? Well, the VF-25F is longer and wider:
VF-25F Alto compared with a VF-1J Hikaru
Also notice that the VF-25F’s gunpod is longer and skinnier than the VF-1J’s. In addition, the VF-25F’s gunpod is made of a softer plastic. The Yamato gunpod definitely feels more solid.
I really wonder how much effort Yamato put into making the second-generation 1/60 valkyries “tight”. Everything fits together close and tight on a Yamato–the landing gear doors, the legs, the arms, and the missiles. Shake a 1/60 Yamato valkyrie, and you won’t hear anything rattling, except if you have the gunpod mounted to the arm(s). Shake the VF-25F, and you’ll hear something rattling.
An Eye for Things 