Macross One Year Project - Mar Apr 2014

The Macross OYP ground to a halt in March and April, with the only really new items being either free gifts, or items that had been bought ages ago that finally got through administrative auction and proxy service red tape and arrived on my doorstep. All that means this will be a short update with only one real new addition.

Bandai VF-1J reissue - Hikaru Ichijo

VF-1J Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - REISSUE

Auction - £56.09 (<- All prices include shipping + fees)

Purchased Feb 2014 - received Mar 17th 2014

Surely I don't need to go on about the virtues of the original VF-1J deco or mould after the two vintage ones I've already discussed in previous installments of this series do I? This is actually my second 2001/2 reissue Hikaru, as the first one ended up being discoloured across the whole body and I gave that away (still see it every day, will share the story one day). Something a lack of experience on my behalf meant I didn't spot in the admittedly poor auction pictures.

Without yellowing, with tampos, exquisite

Photogenic bugger, for sure

Well, now, that's something. No yellowing or ageing evident, pristine tampos adding much detail to the base unused figure, joints and quality to die for. The result is that an iconic toy of the 1980s is given a new lease of life. I understand the gravity, appeal and significance of the vintage figure (of which I have 2), I helped write the book on that significance in the Transformers world compared to reissues, but there's no doubting which I would spend longer looking at. 

This was the first of the reissues, so there is no removable canopy and no clip-on heat shield replacement included as with the 2008 re-reissue "Origin Of Valkyrie" edition I am still trying to find, . It is also very available, but because of the popularity of Hikaru and the VF-1J, because the vintage editions yellow so easily, it's not easy to get these cheap. 

Another Takatoku VF-1S Battroid Hikaru - massively discoloured. Not a variant.

VF-1S Battroid Valkyrie - Takatoku - VINTAGE

Private (The Spacebridge) - £FREE 

Purchased Apr 2014 - received Apr 8th 2014

This little adventure was documented here. I thought it might be a packaging variant, but it should have been more obvious to me that it was just massive discolouration on both toy and box, it was just the fact that it was a blue box (instead of green) equally discoloured on all sides and even on inner flaps, that convinced me to have a closer look.

Blue (discoloured) vs green (normal)

Browned!

There can be no regret though, this was a welcome and much appreciated gift from a friend and this VF-1S will kindly donate its front landing gear clip to repair the nicer vintage one you see next to it above. Might be a fun candidate for hydrogen peroxide whitening treatment too!

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Takatoku - VINTAGE
VF-1J Space Fighter (Hikaru Ichijo) - Matsushiro UK - VINTAGE

VF-1S Battroid Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Max Jenius) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Miriya Jenius) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1A Battroid Valkyrie (Mass prod.) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1S Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1S Armored Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Takatoku - VINTAGE

GBP-1S Armor - Takatoku - VINTAGE

VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - VINTAGE

VF-1A Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - VINTAGE

VE-1 Elint Seeker - Bandai - VINTAGE

VT-1 Super Ostrich - Bandai - VINTAGE

VF-1S Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - 1990s REISSUE

VF-1S Battroid Valkyrie (Roy Focker) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Max Jenius) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Miriya Jenius) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1A Battroid Valkyrie (Max Jenius) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1A Battroid Valkyrie (Mass prod.) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1S Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - 2000s REISSUE

VF-1J Battroid Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - Origin of Valkyrie REISSUE

VF-1S Battroid Valkyrie (Roy Focker) - Bandai - Origin of Valkyrie REISSUE

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Max Jenius) - Bandai - Origin of Valkyrie REISSUE

VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Hikaru Ichijo) - Bandai - Origin of Valkyrie REISSUE

Hergoss VF-1S Bootleg (Skyfire colours)

Joon's VF-1J Bootleg (Skyfire colours)

Joon's VF-1J Bootleg (Green)

Transformers G1 Jetfire - Matsushiro 

Reissue Macross 1/55 display April 2014

All the best
Maz