Sunday, March 21, 2010

Review - Macross Frontier kit VF-25G Messiah Valkyrie Michel Blanc Custom

As promised, here are the pictures taken from the VF-25G Messiah Valkyrie Michel Blanc Custom. The kit is supposed to be at a MG level, but there are some downfalls to mention.
Overall design is excellent, colorschemes are good and...amongst the three modes, the fighter mode is by far the best pose.
There are 3 m
odes for the macross frontier kits. The first is the Fighter mode. In contradiction to the Gundam Franchise, the Fighter/ jet mode is the primary mode for these models. It declares why the Battroid Mode is less attractive in comparison to the Gundam-designs.
Of course there is
a 'robot'mode called Battroid mode. This is for battle-scenes which do not require to much velocity and becomes handy is space-scenes.
At last, there is
a gerwalk mode. This is n intermediate form between Battroid and Fighter mode.
As if a Fi
ghter has a pair of legs and arms. in the series it became useful in narrow spaces were no velocity could be generated.

Back to the building proces. the internal parts of the inner skeleton are tiny and delicate. But a pain in the ass to built.
As the skeleton became ready, it was a little bit loose as a whole. Transforming to Battroid mode or Gerwalk mode is a mission apart.
Because
all the parts have not much of a margin left, the whole kit is a little unstable if the parts do not fit correctly. During transformation it will give loads of frustration. I've been messing for two hours to get this photoshoot done! Thats why it took so long for a review. I wasn't looking forward for an afternoon like this.

The additional action base 01 S.M.S. version is very good and a nessecity to pose the Valkyrie properly.
As I'm a huge fan of ther series and MF models, the kits are somewhat dissapointing. That means: The thought was very good and the meaning also, but the execution did not met the idea. The majors flaws in my opinion:
- Knee-cover are loose.
- Decals,
tons of it to cover wrong colors!
- Some parts which are supposed to be white, were blue!
- Parts fit too tight!
- Transforming means frustraton.
- Sniper Rifle is a bit loose. By all this, the kit will be showed as a fighter, not because it's th
e best pose, but also most stable form. The limbs are not as posebale like a MG Gundam model, so in Battroid form it looks a little stiff, like the Valkyrie is stored in a hangar.
Here are the rest of the pics.

In conclusion: I still have Ozma's and Alto's Super and Armored Messiah's and I will build the
m in the distant future, but the original idea to collect them all is not anymore. It's quite hard to built them and show properly like I have in mind.
But the awesome design makes the hesitation thumbling toward building them.


Are you planning to built more MF kits?

All pictures are taken with: Sony DSC-P8, Digital Compact.