Neo-Revoltech VF-1A Valkyrie Review and Mini-Gallery

First off, the Fighter mode. Very nicely done. Not Yamato accurate, but it will definitely make you smile the first time you hold it in your hands. The toy is painted all over, which is a nice touch, making it look less cheap. I love the clarity of the various markings on it. There's some panel lines too, but not all over. Half-wondering if I should fine-line mine.

The fighter isn't exactly seamless too look at, but the toy is actually tightly connected, thanks to some strategically placed pegs and holes to keep the limbs and parts together.

What I don't like is how the wings are attached; only a simple short, straight peg and a small hole keep the wings on. They fall off if I even THINK of adjusting them (exaggeration, yes, but nonetheless frustrating). I wish Yamaguchi had thought of a better way of keeping the wings on. (I think a little plastic surgery is in order...)

Switching to gerwalk is easy enough, with a little practice. Pop the pegs out from the legs, arms, and the stabilizer/baackpack, swing the limbs out to where they should, and Viola! A half-transformed toy to show off for clueless corporate execs to turn into an official mode! I still dig it though, don't get me wrong.

The shoulders of the gerwalk can be moved to either just in front of the wings or underneath them, and they have plenty of movement for whatever poses a gerwalk is capable of.. In both cases, the wings still fall off... Bugger. The legs can swing forward and back, as well as side to side.

Battloid mode is a bit trickier; it involves some parts removal (namely the cockpit and the head, the latter a requirement only for the VF-1A), and plenty of shifting parts and locks. If you've ever transformed a Valkyrie before, add around 3-5 steps to that.

This mode pretty tight too (except for, yup, the wings). The shoulders have free articulation for the most part. The hips have some side to side motion, and the battloid can step forward and back. Even kneel a bit.

ZERO waist and chest movement though, as the mold emphasized keeping the overall figure together rather than being capable of the dynamic poses the previous Revoltech Valkyries have. That doesn't mean you can't get any out of this toy however. And you can shake this toy around and it won't flop apart like the old Valkyrie toys (i.e. Yamato's old YF-19).

This figure mostly uses the 6 mm double and single revolver joints, and these tend to be loose because of their design. My solution is to carefully push the axle out, and and stick a neatly folded piece of paper in the axle's hole. If thick enough, this will make it push out a bit more inside the joint, while making sure it doesn't wear the grooves out as well.

As you can see, it stands slightly taller than the old Valkyries, and sadly, the parts aren't interchangeable.

The toy comes with a parts box, 6 extra hands, a clear stand, two extra joints for the stand (one 10 mm and one double 8 mm), and two hooks for you to fish out the pegs from the wrists.

So in a nutshell, I would say this a ok buy. Even with the annoying wing design and the 6 mm revolver joints being loose, it's still an "affordable" small-scale transforming Valkyrie in the market (compared to, say, the VF-100's). Durable enough to be thrown around (if you are ever compelled to do so, you evil, evil person), with little wear after many transformations. Just bear with the fact that you won't be seeing a super or strike pack for it any time soon.