A comprehensive review of Arcadia’s brand new Valkyrie, the VF-0D
Release Date: February 2015
MSRP: 36,800 yen
Manufacturer: Arcadia
Scale: 1/60
- Sharp details
- Excellent paint apps and finish
- Tons of moving panels and hatches
- Diecast reinforced joints
- Nice balance in robot mode
- Alt mode has next to no robot kibble.
- Transformation can be difficult for first timers
- Paint easily scratched
- No stand included
- No extra hands included
- Low quality decals
- Limited range of motion in hips
- instructions are all but useless
Knowing what I know now, would I buy it again? Yes.
When I saw that Arcadia was releasing a new VF model in the VF-0D I thought it was the perfect opportunity to pick up a VF without having to pay an aftermarket premium for one of the older VF’s that were plagued with QC issues (this VF is a completely new mold). For anyone not familiar with the line, Arcadia Valkyries are very similar to the Bandai Chogokin line of Valkyries. They showcase a high level of detail and often incorporate diecast parts. The VF-0D is 1/60 scale, measuring just under 11 inches tall in robot mode and over a foot long in fighter mode.
Aircraft mode on the VF-0D is simply fantastic. If you are a fan of fighters, there is a lot here for you to like. Arcadia did an excellent job hiding all the robot parts in jet mode. There is nothing to give away the fact that a giant robot is hiding somewhere inside of that sexy blue fighter jet. And the blue really is fantastic a shade, much deeper in person with a satin finish that I wish Bandai would adopt with its Chogokin line of Valkyries. All of the paint apps are nice and tight and what few tampos it comes with are tasteful and compliment the toy well.
Arcadia definitely did not skimp on the detail here and with an MSRP of around 30,000¥ (about $250) I would expect not. There are a TON of hatches and panels that open, or move. The cockpit can open and sports a tampo printed display panel as well as a fully painted, removable pilot and copilot figure. All of the landing gear hatches open and contain diecast working landing gear with rubber ties. Two missiles and two missile pods are included and they attach to the wings very securely. The majority of the wings and fins feature at least one moving part and several sport two points of articulation. The VF-0D also features diecast throughout most of it in areas that reinforce joints such as the elbows and knees in robot mode, even the gun sports a touch of diecast as well.
Like other Valkyries before it, the VF-0D can be displayed in Gerwalk mode, which is sort of an intermediate mode between jet and robot (think jet with arms and legs).
Robot mode obviously takes second place to jet mode, but that is to be expected as in the Macross universe, the Valkyries are always very much depicted as Jets first and foremost that happen to have a robot mode. Even so the robot mode is very impressive, it has all the articulation that one would expect from a high caliber collectible. The arms have an impressive five points of articulation just between the shoulder and elbow. This allows for a dynamic range of motion.
The only place the articulation really suffers in robot mode is in the hips where the legs cannot be posed very far apart, even with the pull out hip gimmick. This is an issue that plagues every valkyrie I own, so it wasn’t entirely unexpected. The ankles feature a forward and backward tilt, but no side to side swivel. Neither of these two things are a huge deal, but it can make getting the robot mode into dynamic action poses a little tricky.
The robot mode accessories are pretty much just the gun. I would have loved for Arcadia to have included some static pose hands such as the ones Bandai includes with all its Valkyries. The articulated hands, while very adept at holding the rifle, look very awkward by themselves. With no gun, the robot mode hands look as if they suffer from a severe case of arthritis. The stickers are a carry over from the days when Arcadia was known as Yamato and are kind of a joke. You notice I call them stickers and not decals and that’s because realistically, they are only one step above the stickers that come with GI-Joe vehicles. I’ve never seen a Valkyrie look good with the stickers applied. The other accessory that is sorely missed is a stand. Parts are included to attach the Valkyrie to an Arcadia display stand, but it would have been nice if the stand was included, perhaps Bandai just has me spoiled. The stand in the pictures is a 6 inch Flight Pose stand which I personally prefer over both Bandai and Arcadias stands.
My biggest complaint with the VF-0D is the same complaint that I have with all of my Valkyries. The transformation can be a grueling process of gritted teeth, clenched butt cheeks, and frayed nerves. Granted, I’ve never actually broken a Valkyrie while transforming it, but so many of the moving parts are either thin, have tight clearances, or require what seems like so much excessive force to move that I always feel as though i’m a heartbeat away from snapping something. All of this is compounded by the less than comprehensive instructions that are printed in black and white, and feel like they are missing more than a few steps. On top of that, the paint is somewhat easy to scratch, which makes the transformation sequence all the more nerve wracking. That said, once it is in its desired mode, it is rock solid with everything pegging together nice and tightly. In fact the VF-0D feels more solid in all three modes than any of my other Valkyries. If there is a silver lining to the transformation sequence, it is that several of the smaller wings and antennas can be removed prior to transformation. I highly recommend watching some youtube videos of the transformation sequence before attempting it.
Issues aside, what you’re left with is a beautiful transforming jet that looks fantastic in all three modes. I personally feel that the VF-0D could have benefited from a few extra accessories, namely a stand, but all in all, it’s an excellent addition to any Valkyrie collectors collection.
