FIGHTER MODE:
Good look overall. Been looking at it in this mode for the longest time. EVER. Took me the whole latter half of 2009 to get this kit done. Whew! But don't get the wrong impression. It's not a difficult kit to build as long as you follow the instructions carefully and be mindful of the orientation of the parts. It's just that I was swamped with work left and right until the holidays. It's decently sturdy for display purposes only. The only problem is that the legs don't lock on to anything so they tend to sag when placed on top of the display base. (A problem addressed in the Armored VF-25s and VF-27 kits, I hear. Haven't checked out my Armored Ozma yet, so I can't verify myself.) Thankfully, the layers of flat clear paint on the hip joints helped a little, but it also made the legs a bit TOO sturdy. Attaching the wing boosters on and off is also a bit difficult at first, but I got used to the technique after a few tries. (You will be doing it a lot during the transformation process)
Compared to the 25G, the shield on the 25F locks on to the fighter mode better. It won't fall off even if you shake it. It might be attributed to the layers of clear paint I sprayed on the whole kit.
Things to look out for:
- The hip piece that locks on to the side of the intakes still doesn't do anything other than cover the exposed interior mechanism on the sides of the fighter. I guess it was supposed to be a covering AND a means to lock the legs up in fighter mode, but it does a bad job of both. I hope the newer kits don't have this problem.
- The fuselage portion where the large boosters attach is very fragile and you should take care in working the boosters in.
GERWALK MODE:
There are 2 modes to this: the one with the arms tucked in, and the one with the arms stretched out. Let's tackle both.
First, with the arms tucked in, the gerwalk mode is sturdier (you can also have the rifle sticking out in the underbelly - cool!) The legs have a good range of motion except you can't get a wide stance in this mode. Transformation is easy - just pull down the legs in the chicken stance and stretch out the ankle portion to open up the feet. Done.
Now, with the arms outstretched, you need to take out the boosters (see? told ya) and the 2 missile racks sitting on top of the main body. You also pull out the shield at the back and the locking hands keeping the 2 arms together and the shield in place. You also "unlock" the hips (like it was locked in the first place?) and pull out the hips and legs outwards (giving it slightly more wider stances). Now you swing out the arms out to the side and in front. place the shield on to the arm and give it the hands that you want (you can choose between open hands or closed fists, or a combination of both... no, there is no nose-picking hand! haha!). Put back the boosters and the missile racks in its respective places. Voila! Done!
In this mode, it loses some of its sturdiness and it really feels relatively fragile. DX fans probably don't have this sinking feeling of breaking their gerwalk mode VF-25s. Many have complained that the Super packs' weight tend to pull down the wing and rear portion of the gerwalk. I don't have this problem. Again, the clear coats saved me a lot of tears and the swivel of the main body and wings is rock-solid.
Regardless of the slightly less "stability" on the gerwalk, I still like to see this kit in this mode. It has made the Macross mecha unique IMHO.
Things to look out for:
-although the wing and back portion is solid in my kit, the front fuselage and cockpit tend to slide down and open up a bit
-attaching the missile racks in its place is a bit difficult since the legs are outstretched and the underbelly has opened up a bit, hence, you have less places to press on. Take extra care. On the other hand, if you don't attach them properly, they will fall out of place a lot.
BATTROID MODE:
This is my favorite mode!... but not without problems.
First, I screwed up the groin portion. The front plate is supposed to "pop" out once transformed in this mode. But too much clear coat layers kinda stuck it in the "non-popped" out form. It didn't help that I super glued the whole groin assembly because the front plate kept coming off while transforming the kit. Now I can't remedy the problem. I haven't tried pulling it out with a precision tool yet. Maybe soon.
My next gripe would have to be knee articulation. A 15 to 20-degree knee movement just isn't a lot, yes? The lower leg lost its range of motion thanks to the additional leg booster behind it. The plain vanilla VF-25 doesn't have this problem. I'm glad I didn't buy separate super packs for all my kits. Whew!
I won't go into detail with the transformation process because it's a bit complex. To say simply, it is like a fish fillet in mid transformation, and just as fragile. I can't wait to finish the gripping hands and pose it with the rifle. Overall, this is how I plan to display it. (Now, if only our house was bigger and I can buy that display case...)
Things to look out for:
-transformation needs very careful hands and a lot of patience. Tip in transforming the cockpit area and front fuselage: when tucking it behind the chest plate, it is better to just remove the chest piece first, then secure it again after the cockpit and fuselage is securely tucked in.
-the knees! the knees! I'm kinda anxious how the Armored VF-25s work the knees.
-the bent wing assembly with the boosters don't lock its position, so it tends to swing a bit while moving the battroid
-don't forget to open the landing gear doors before flipping down the nosecone. Confident in my memory of its transformation scheme, I decided not to pay close attention to the transformation instructions and I forgot about the said doors. I tried in frustration to tuck in the fuselage behind the chest piece to no avail. That's when I decided to look at the manual again and saw my folly.
I end this entry with notes to myself (and to others who wish to buy and build the kit):
- Clear coat is good for tightening some joints, but be careful where you spray it. Don't spray too much on the ball joints of the neck (spinning my battroid's head was like working a revoltech joint. haha!), the swivel joint that turns the arms around, the hip joints, and the mechanism that pulls or tucks in the ankles. Do spray a good amount on the swivel that holds the wing assembly though. But not too much. ^_-
- I don't use Tamiya clear coats because it costs an arm and a leg. I only use Bosny Flat Clear Acrylic Epoxy on this kit. (I used the shiny clear version on my 25G) Make sure the paint is completely dry between coats. It makes for a tougher protective layer. Flat clear coat (mentioned above) helps hide some minor discoloration caused by sanding and cutting.
- Next time I paint the clear portion of the cockpit canopy, I will paint underneath it and do the panel lining of the canopy on the outer portion. I ruined the canopy of this kit because the black on the panel lines ran on the clear colored portions.
- transformation really wears down some of the decals especially around the edges, but I shall call this... weathering effects. hahaha!!!
- I will duplicate the process of painting the missiles I used on this kit on the Armored VF-25S that I have. It works!!! :)
My next project: The 1/72 RVF-25 and the Ghosts. YAY!
*For more pics, just browse my photobucket account with the Finished Super VF-25F album. Thanks for reading.
