Macross One Year Project - November 2014

Wow, so much for the One Year Project, eh? It's taken damn near most of 2014 to add another Macross figure to my collection. But what a figure! There are pros and cons to this purchase, things that make me happy and others that let me down, but considering it reads like the epitome of First World Problems Annual 2014, I think I'll focus on the figure instead of the drama. You can blame Transformers Animated, Human Alliance, 3rd Party, Masterpiece and TF Prime/Beast Hunters for the delay in additions to the Valkyrie fleet. In the meantime, they've lost absolutely none of their magic to me.

Takatoku VF-1S Super vintage - Hikaru Ichijo

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

Trade - £150 value (<- £135 refunded = £15.00 total incl. shipping and fees)

Traded Nov 22nd 2014 - received Nov 28th 2014

What a gem, what a coup, what a landmark moment in any person's toy collecting. The original 1/55 Takatoku Toys VF-1S Super Valkyrie from 1983 has been a legendary piece for years. Even Transformers collectors respect what is essentially the first pre-TF Jetfire. I almost need to clean myself after such crude injustice to this figure, but for those who don't know the history, it's a way in. This set was the first time any Macross Valkyrie was sold with the clip-on fast pack armour. It's not the first VF-1S, there was a single pack version and of course the Armoured GBP-1S set too.

Even though this is no longer considered an expensive figure by former pre-reissue Macross standards, it's still steeped in prestige and wonder. Despite the VF-1S Strike Valkyrie being considered by most the more fitting figure to consider as Jetfire's immediate ancestor, the VF-1S Super Valkyrie is packaged in a way that should be most familiar to Transformers collectors. That beautiful styro layout in jet mode and the gorgeous box artwork of Hikaru and his Valkyrie mean that no amount of yellowing can take the shine off this thing.

Picture kids being able to snap fast pack armour on for the first time

The figure should not be bone white like the reissue Bandai Super Valkyrie, but a sort of off-white - distinguishing it from the preceding grey VF-1S battroid Valkyries. However, this specimen is actually yellowed like so many vintage Macross Valkyries are, there is even a brown spot near the canopy. One of the rear landing gear springs is gone too so it's a little bit of a struggle to get it to support its own weight in jet mode. Unlike the reissue, there are no tampographed details, just painted and stickered, all of the water slide decals are still unused on the sheets. The canopy is not removable - and obviously there's no skull motif squadron leader heat shield. Quite astounding how with a Transformer, the wear to the main figure would make this figure substandard to me, and would immediately be moved on, and yet this is such a treasure that it doesn't affect its presence in that fashion. Amazing considering the figure is yellowed all over and that's an enormous part of its display strength.

Peeling shoulder decal - it doesn't matter!

Is there a better transforming robot figure in the history of creation than this sculpt? I own so many of this mould now in all the varieties I could get my mitts on, and yet a new 1/55 Macross arrival never ever fails to impress or outshine anything else that accompanies it through the door. That's appeal, timeless, un-ending and inexplicable appeal. The light grey armour is pretty mint with no stress marks or damage, but the handgun sits pretty loosely in the gun hand. Not unusual for this release. One of the factory applied shoulder decals is on the peel and you can't exactly say the other decals are carefully factory applied, but that's the difference between vintage and reissue. 

While I obviously am not going to complete the project in one year - with the expensive and difficult pieces like VF-1J Max, Elintseeker and Super Ostrich outstanding - no self-respecting Macross collection would be worth its salt without a vintage VF-1S Super Valkyrie. I can't even imagine how breathtaking a perfect specimen could be. So here's to the Macross Two Year Project.... 

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 

All the best
Maz