1/72 Hasegawa Macross VF-1S Valkyrie

A review of my Hasegawa VF-1S Valkyrie kit build.

This is a kit that I started 7 or 8 years ago.  When I first started on this build, I had a number of Gundam kits and ancient Arii 1/100 VF-1S kit under my belt.  Thus, I was feeling somewhat confident in being able to take on a Hasegawa kit.  Initially, it went well.  I got up to a point where the forward fuselage, main body, and legs were put together.  But then I started painting some of the built up sub-assemblies and noticed areas that needed more filling and sanding. In addition, I messed up with the painting.  The attempt to strip the paint off did not go well and so I started a 2nd Hasegawa VF-1 kit. After building another forward fuselage and pair of legs again, I got tired and completely lost interest in completing the kit.  What was done was boxed up and put on the shelf with a promise to come back to it sometime in the future.

Then, last year,  Calibre Wings announced a diecast version of the VF-1 in 1/72 scale. With that in mind, I decided that I wanted to finish the Hasegawa kit so that I can put it next to the Calibre Wings model and compare them.  I pulled out that 2nd kit that I started and began work.  And now it is completed!

Now that it has been completed, I'd like to put forth some of my thoughts and comments.

Over the years, I've gained some skills in kit building but it's still not anywhere near what others can accomplish.  From my perspective, this kit is definitely NOT for the beginner.  I don't think this is a kit that you can put together and finish in a weekend or 2.  It's a demanding kit that requires a good amount of patience, thinking ahead, some tools, and steady hands.  If you don't look carefully and think out what pieces to put together/paint at what times, you can potentially find yourself in difficult situations where it is hard to make corrections or experience fragile pieces breaking off as you move along on the build.  There are also some microscopically tiny pieces that need to be glued on. A sneeze at the wrong time or dropping it onto the floor can become a long night of searching for the piece or needing to buy a 2nd copy of the kit.  😅

I painted the main body with Tamiya AS-16 USAF light gray.  Instead of using the supplied decals, the black on the tail and both colors on the ventral fins were painted. The black trim stripes on the rear engine section (ie. the legs) were also painted . It has been mentioned before but the lower legs are incorrectly positioned. They are situated slightly low in relation to the backpack tailfin section and have somewhat of a downward slope.

I have read a solution to this issue, but it was beyond my abilities (or rather I was too scared to try it). If I had used the decals for the black trim stripe, the downward slope would have been accentuated as seen in the instructions.  So instead, I adjusted the angle of the trim stripe by painting and made it look a bit more horizontal in hopes of tricking the eye a bit.

There was still a lot of decals to put on. While not the craziest amount ever, it's certainly the most of amount of decal work that I've ever done on a kit.  Thankfully, the quality of the decals is good (unlike some other kits I worked on in the past). The most difficult part was getting the yellow stripe on the back to conform over the speedbrake.  It just wasn't happening for me so I resorted to painting that area.

The one thing I did not use from the kit were the landing gear wheels.  The wheels included with the kit were so small, thin, and under-detailed that they looked ridiculous. I threw them out and swapped in aftermarket F/A-18 Hornet wheels.  I think they really improve the look of the undercarriage. 

That all said, the kit does build into a superb looking VF-1 Valkyrie.  The level of panel-line and rivet detail is amazing (something that perhaps only Hasegawa could do to a kit of a fictional aircraft).  And to be honest, I am just proud of finally completing this kit.

A few photos below.  Canopy looks a bit cloudy due to my poor buffing skills. The panel-line detail is a bit washed out due to lighting, me using a very light gray color for the panel-lining, and these photos being taken via my phone camera (Galaxy S8).

There is no pilot in the cockpit. Although I have a Hasegawa pilot all ready to be placed in, it doesn't fit. 😖

1/72 Calibre Wings Macross/Robotech VF-1S Valkyrie

My review of the Calibre Wings 1/72 scale Macross/Robotech VF-1S diecast model

Preliminary notes :

Super Dimension Fortress Macross was one of 3 Japanese anime series which constituted the English language and re-edited US broadcast series Robotech. One of the key defining features of the anime series was the transforming fighter jets seen in every episode. 

In the anime, this "VF-1S Valkyrie" fighter jet transforms into an alternate human-like robot mode. However this Calibre Wings model does not transform. If one wants a toy of this fighter that does transform, they may want to look at the products offered by Japanese toy makers Bandai, Yamato, or Arcadia.

Most prior toys of this jet included the gimmick of being able to transform to its alternative robot mode. This transformation gimmick often meant compromises to how it looked in jet mode. The advantage with Calibre's "jet mode only" model is that it allows for the aircraft to look more aircraft model like and realistic (as realistic as what may be possible for a imaginary jet that is). The only other choice for getting a 1/72 scale model of this anime jet that focuses on how it looks as an aircraft, is Hasegawa's 1/72 plastic model kit.

Initial impressions : 

The model is quite hefty. Almost everything is diecast metal. The only parts that are not metal seems to be the landing gears/covers, the pylons/missiles, and the foot thrusters. The gunpod on the centerline is a solid chunk of diecast metal.

The sculpt :

It looks to me that Calibre took a number of styling cues from the 1/72 Hasegawa kit. But it is definitely not a straight copy. There are differences and I feel that some areas of the Calibre model are better than the Hasegawa kit. For example, in comparison to the Hasegawa, the tailfin is slightly bigger in size. I've always felt that prior toys and kits of this jet had tailfins that were a tad too small and I am rather pleased that Calibre had improved this detail.

The finish (paint app, markings, etc.) :

The model has a gloss/semi-gloss-like finish. I prefer a flat finish but it's OK. The paint app quality is clean and crisp.

Based on photos seen on Calibre's Facebook page, I thought the panel-line wash was going to be way overdone with dark inking but once in hand, I see that it's quite different. The panel-lines have a light gray-ish inking to it and it's decently subtle.  The panel-lines molding is a bit thicker than Calibre's own F-14 Tomcat model, but within the norms of diecast aircraft models.

There's a fair amount of markings on the model. All the markings have been tampo printed so no worries about having to apply stickers or water-slide decals.

Moving parts :

Not many moving parts. Only the wings swing and the canopy opens.  That's it.  The wheels do not roll. The tow bar does not move. The speedbrake does not open. No moving flaps or ailerons.

Macross and Robotech fans who are used to toys with vast arrays of moving parts might find this disappointing. However, diecast aircraft collectors in general do not like such moving parts and I feel Calibre made the right call here.

Optional parts :

The model can be displayed with landing gears deployed or in in-flight mode. The model comes in the box with the landing gears attached. The landing gears can be removed and replaced with covers for in-flight mode display.

There is no stand included in the box. A stand for in-flight display will have to be purchased separately.

4 pylons with missiles are provided. This leads me to the one troublesome issue I found with this model. The attachment of the pylons is via a simple small round peg that goes into a hole in the wing. This wouldn't be a problem if the said peg went in without fuss. Unfortunately, the peg on the pylons are too tall and thick for the holes in the wing. Be prepared for some sanding and trimming of those pegs if you want them to go in and stay in. Maybe use a bit of glue too. To be fair, this is nothing unusual for diecast aircraft models. I can't tell how many times I've had to sand, trim, and use glue on various diecast aircraft models from Hobby Master, Corgi, etc.

The aforementioned gunpod fits in fine. Despite being a simple plug-in and the gunpod being a a heavy piece of metal, it stays firmly in. However, due to the weight you might find the barrel-end of the gunpod drop downwards a bit. A bit of Elmer’s white glue when you put in the gunpod will help keep it straight. Just apply the glue, flip the aircraft on it back, and let it dry overnight.

Don’t worry about using Elmer’s glue. In fact, for any bits and pieces of diecast models that won’t stay in (like missiles or pylons), it is recommended to use Elmer’s glue as it is super easy to use (just wipe away any excess with a wet Q-tip or tissue) and it won’t attack the paint. It’s also non-permanent, so if you need to remove the pieces, a light tug is all that's needed. 

Final thoughts : 

I understand that some folks don't care for imaginary jets, and I respect that viewpoint. But I'm a 80's kid and I grew up with this kind of stuff and still follow it to this day.  I never expected a diecast model company to ever do a Macross jet. Certainly not from one that is not based in Japan. Along comes Calibre and they make one in the scale I want and without the transformation gimmick I didn't want. This is exactly what I've wanted ever since I started collecting diecast aircraft models. This is pretty much a dream come true for me. 

There are some minor issues that I've commented about above, but there is nothing I could find terribly wrong.  Heck, I might even say that this model is in some ways, better than the Hasegawa. Calibre has hit a homerun with this model. Highly recommended for Macross fans and those who like ficticious sci-fi/anime jets.

And now for some photos :