Hello everyone! Today I'm bringing you a special treat. Something I thought I'd never get ahold of. The fully transformable Revoltech Valkyrie.
So unlike other Revoltech figures I've reviewed, this one is fully transformable. Seeing this is from Macross, the transforming gimmick would be a major plus. According to the Revoltech website, this figure came out in October of 2015. Or at least it was announced. So it was a few years old, and honestly, I haven't heard much of transforming Revoltech figures since. Even taking a quick look on the Revoltech website I didn't see anything about transforming ones. Or maybe I'm just not up to date with Revoltech. But I'm getting off topic, we are talking about the figure so let's dive into it!
Box
Starting off with the box, we get the larger version of the Revoltech Box, which we have seen before on the Revoltech Unit 02.
On the back, we have an overview of what the figure can do. A nice transition between all the modes. An overview of the accessories that it comes with and an advertisement for other Revoltech figures.
So let's open this box up!
Here we have everything it comes with.
One thing off the bat and this is how it came so not sure what was going on here, but all the manipulators were not in the spots they were supposed to be.
It looks like all the parts were stored in the orange parts container. Thankfully all the parts are accounted for, so no harm was done.
Next, we have the 10th-anniversary coin that comes with certain Revoltech figures.
Fighter Mode
The figure by default is in its fighter mode, so that is what we will take a look at first.
There is some minor assembly, mostly just plugging in the head into the body, the stand. Which is necessary for the flight mode. As well as the attachment of the gunpod. We'll go more into the gunpod later on.
Here are some shots of the flight mode.
Fighter Articulation
There is a bit of articulation for this mode as well. Excluding the articulation that comes with the transformation, the wings on the side and the tail wings are able to move.
However, that is not with issue. The wings on the side have the tendency of falling off. This is an issue that persists in all the modes.
Outside of the wings, this mode is the most sturdy out of the three modes.
Moving on to the next mode the Gerwalk mode.
Gerwalk Mode
The Gerwalk mode is a very simple transformation. Basically, just un-peg the legs from the back and bend them down. Unfold the feet and done. Gerwalk mode.
Just like the fighter mode, the Gerwalk mode can go in the air thanks to the stand.
However, this is not all the Gerwalk mode can do. Nor is this the real Gerwalk mode. The true Gerwalk mode has its arms come out. The transformation is pretty simple until we get to the hands.
Let's start off with the tail fins. The two tail fins fold up.
Then the entire section folds up onto the back, or top of the Valkyrie.
Then we focus on the gunpod. Separate the arms to pop out the gunpod.
So, lets take a look at the gunpod while we have it separated from the unit. The first thing that kind of bugs me about the gunpod is that the U.N Spacy logo is upside down. At first, I thought it was an error, but the box art itself has it upside down to. The reason is so it can look right side up on the fighter mode.
The gunpod itself is a bit of a parts former. Basically, you are going to have to swap out parts to convert it to the gun mode. It splits into three parts. The barrel, the adapter and the back end.
Replace the adapter part with the trigger part.
Then reassemble.
I have another issue with the gun, the trigger is non-existent, instead, we are given this white peg that just slides into the fist. While strange, I guess it is easier to manage it that way, but remembering the other Revoltech non-transforming Valkyrie, they come with trigger fingers and a gun with a trigger, so not sure what they were thinking.
*Inster picture of Trigger hand*
Next, we want to look at these two accessories, while not part of the Valkyrie, these tools are to help pull and push things around that are too small for our hands. (I put them on the lens cap so they can stand out, they are so small and thin they can easily get lost.)
Keep these in mind as we go back to the figure. After removing the gunpod, you want to fold out the tiny hands inside the arms.
Continue to pull the wrist down until you have a wide enough gap to put the white peg inside.
You may want to use the tool to push the peg in the arm so it can close back up properly, but not all the way, or else you will have a difficult time getting it back out.
After that is done, close the wrist back up.
Next, we fold the arms out to the side. Which is pretty easy thanks to the Revoltech style joints.
After folding the arms to the side we then just have to fold the shoulder up so the arm points down.
After that just make sure you turn the hand around so it can be in the right position.
Err...so...these are some tiny hands.
As it turns out, these hands are just meant for the transformation, like a folded up detail if anything.
This is where we get the handful of hands. *Note that the left closed fist and right open hand are not pictured for they will be on the figure for the rest of the review*
So this is where things start to have issues. Revoltech hands, for the most part, have always been an issue for me. Mostly on the old Convoy/Ultra Magnus figure. Pulling the hands off and putting them on was somewhat difficult and this figure is no exception. But it is not impossible. The hands are able to come off and you are greeted with a peg.
Putting the hand on was very difficult for me. But this is something that I'm used to when it comes to Revoltechs. But I kind of goofed up on this figure. The peg that connects the arm to the back of the fighter mode, well I kind of got it stuck inside the arm.
I tried using the tool to get it out but it keeps getting stuck thanks to the wrist.
I'll be honest, I was almost ready to give up on this figure just because of this. But that was when I figured out I can remove the peg that holds the wrist in. I personally used a tooth pick, but if you have another small rod-like tool to use to do this then go right ahead.
This let me pull the peg back out and made it way easier to swap the hands of the figure.
Swapping hands was honestly one heck of a figure, honestly, I don't like the idea of having to take it apart like this to change the hands. Considering that the peg got stuck while I was trying to remove it properly it seems that this is a good alternative. But after that is all said and done we now have the hand plugged into the figure.
But once the hands are plugged in, we have the full Gerwalk mode.
And the gunpod fits into the closed fist thanks to a hole for the peg.
Gerwalk Articulation
So let's talk about articulation in the Gerwalk mode. Or in other words, some issues.
Starting off with the arms, the arms can move with an elbow bend.
The arm can also move up like so...but while it can hold this post on the right arm, the left arm, due to holding the gunpod can't hold it.
Without the gunpod, the arm can hold up.
Battroid Mode
So unlike other Revoltech figures I've reviewed, this one is fully transformable. Seeing this is from Macross, the transforming gimmick would be a major plus. According to the Revoltech website, this figure came out in October of 2015. Or at least it was announced. So it was a few years old, and honestly, I haven't heard much of transforming Revoltech figures since. Even taking a quick look on the Revoltech website I didn't see anything about transforming ones. Or maybe I'm just not up to date with Revoltech. But I'm getting off topic, we are talking about the figure so let's dive into it!
Box
Starting off with the box, we get the larger version of the Revoltech Box, which we have seen before on the Revoltech Unit 02.
On the back, we have an overview of what the figure can do. A nice transition between all the modes. An overview of the accessories that it comes with and an advertisement for other Revoltech figures.
So let's open this box up!
Here we have everything it comes with.
One thing off the bat and this is how it came so not sure what was going on here, but all the manipulators were not in the spots they were supposed to be.
It looks like all the parts were stored in the orange parts container. Thankfully all the parts are accounted for, so no harm was done.
Next, we have the 10th-anniversary coin that comes with certain Revoltech figures.
Fighter Mode
The figure by default is in its fighter mode, so that is what we will take a look at first.
There is some minor assembly, mostly just plugging in the head into the body, the stand. Which is necessary for the flight mode. As well as the attachment of the gunpod. We'll go more into the gunpod later on.
Here are some shots of the flight mode.
Fighter Articulation
There is a bit of articulation for this mode as well. Excluding the articulation that comes with the transformation, the wings on the side and the tail wings are able to move.
However, that is not with issue. The wings on the side have the tendency of falling off. This is an issue that persists in all the modes.
Outside of the wings, this mode is the most sturdy out of the three modes.
Moving on to the next mode the Gerwalk mode.
Gerwalk Mode
The Gerwalk mode is a very simple transformation. Basically, just un-peg the legs from the back and bend them down. Unfold the feet and done. Gerwalk mode.
Just like the fighter mode, the Gerwalk mode can go in the air thanks to the stand.
However, this is not all the Gerwalk mode can do. Nor is this the real Gerwalk mode. The true Gerwalk mode has its arms come out. The transformation is pretty simple until we get to the hands.
Let's start off with the tail fins. The two tail fins fold up.
Then the entire section folds up onto the back, or top of the Valkyrie.
Then we focus on the gunpod. Separate the arms to pop out the gunpod.
So, lets take a look at the gunpod while we have it separated from the unit. The first thing that kind of bugs me about the gunpod is that the U.N Spacy logo is upside down. At first, I thought it was an error, but the box art itself has it upside down to. The reason is so it can look right side up on the fighter mode.
The gunpod itself is a bit of a parts former. Basically, you are going to have to swap out parts to convert it to the gun mode. It splits into three parts. The barrel, the adapter and the back end.
Replace the adapter part with the trigger part.
Then reassemble.
I have another issue with the gun, the trigger is non-existent, instead, we are given this white peg that just slides into the fist. While strange, I guess it is easier to manage it that way, but remembering the other Revoltech non-transforming Valkyrie, they come with trigger fingers and a gun with a trigger, so not sure what they were thinking.
*Inster picture of Trigger hand*
Next, we want to look at these two accessories, while not part of the Valkyrie, these tools are to help pull and push things around that are too small for our hands. (I put them on the lens cap so they can stand out, they are so small and thin they can easily get lost.)
Keep these in mind as we go back to the figure. After removing the gunpod, you want to fold out the tiny hands inside the arms.
Continue to pull the wrist down until you have a wide enough gap to put the white peg inside.
You may want to use the tool to push the peg in the arm so it can close back up properly, but not all the way, or else you will have a difficult time getting it back out.
After that is done, close the wrist back up.
Next, we fold the arms out to the side. Which is pretty easy thanks to the Revoltech style joints.
After folding the arms to the side we then just have to fold the shoulder up so the arm points down.
After that just make sure you turn the hand around so it can be in the right position.
Err...so...these are some tiny hands.
As it turns out, these hands are just meant for the transformation, like a folded up detail if anything.
This is where we get the handful of hands. *Note that the left closed fist and right open hand are not pictured for they will be on the figure for the rest of the review*
So this is where things start to have issues. Revoltech hands, for the most part, have always been an issue for me. Mostly on the old Convoy/Ultra Magnus figure. Pulling the hands off and putting them on was somewhat difficult and this figure is no exception. But it is not impossible. The hands are able to come off and you are greeted with a peg.
Putting the hand on was very difficult for me. But this is something that I'm used to when it comes to Revoltechs. But I kind of goofed up on this figure. The peg that connects the arm to the back of the fighter mode, well I kind of got it stuck inside the arm.
I tried using the tool to get it out but it keeps getting stuck thanks to the wrist.
I'll be honest, I was almost ready to give up on this figure just because of this. But that was when I figured out I can remove the peg that holds the wrist in. I personally used a tooth pick, but if you have another small rod-like tool to use to do this then go right ahead.
This let me pull the peg back out and made it way easier to swap the hands of the figure.
Swapping hands was honestly one heck of a figure, honestly, I don't like the idea of having to take it apart like this to change the hands. Considering that the peg got stuck while I was trying to remove it properly it seems that this is a good alternative. But after that is all said and done we now have the hand plugged into the figure.
But once the hands are plugged in, we have the full Gerwalk mode.
And the gunpod fits into the closed fist thanks to a hole for the peg.
Gerwalk Articulation
So let's talk about articulation in the Gerwalk mode. Or in other words, some issues.
Starting off with the arms, the arms can move with an elbow bend.
The arm can also move up like so...but while it can hold this post on the right arm, the left arm, due to holding the gunpod can't hold it.
The arms can rotate around.
The hand can rotate around.
And you can extend the arm out.
Now we are on to the transformation from Gerwalk mode to Battroid mode. And boy is it a transformation.
So first we start by pulling the waist down from the body, separating it from all pegs that hold it in except for the Revoltech joint.
Open the hatch on the underside of the nosecone.
Then with that hatch down, you plug the waste into the nosecone.
Make sure the hatch goes in the slot in the waste.
Here is a side view.
Next, we open this hatch here, be careful for it will pop off easily. As well start pushing down the entire part as a whole. Two tabs will pop out from the now chest of the figure.
So note that I had to remove the head for this part. The head is supposed to make its way into this hole and come out as so.
Playing around with the figure off and on after filming, I can transforming without taking the head off. So it is doable. But if you have to take the head off don't worry about it, it can go back on easily.
Before you line up pegs on the back and make the figure solid, there is some minor part swapping.
First, undo the upper chest plate.
Then remove the canopy.
Then plug in the batroid cover.
Plug the upper chest back in, but lower it and make sure you plug it into the plug on the cover.
After making sure pegs on the back line up and lock-in.
We are good to go!
A quick 360 view.
Battroid Articulation
So now let us get on with the articulation. This is where things start to take a downturn. First starting off with the arms. For the most part, the articulation with the arms is the same as the gerwalk mode. The arms can move up as so.
As well, it can rotate around.
The elbow can bend this far.
The wrist can move up and down as so.
And the hand itself can rotate around.
The arm with the gunpod can't really move around properly because of the gunpod's weight, however, if you remove the weapon the arm's articulation works just fine.
The head can look up.
Look down.
Left and right.
The guns on the head can move up and down.
Moving on to the legs.
Ignoring the ball joint used to convert to gerwalk mode. The leg can extend this far out.
Bend at the knee as so.
And the feet can close as so.
Another bit of articulation, tho not intended (I think) is the back. The back panel can move around.
And the wings can still fold out and fold in as needed. But they will still fall out if not careful.
And before I forget, the figure can mount on the stand!
We can also do some weapon storage, just convert the gunpod back to its fighter mode and mount it on the arm.
Accessories
So, we kind of did go into all the accessories through the course of this review. Save for a few things. One of which is a storage container that can hold all the hands and removable/swappable parts.
And then we have the anniversary coin.
Size Comparison
So let's compare it to its non-transforming Revoltech counterpart. The non-transforming VF-1S definitely shorter than the transforming version. However, I can't help but think the proportions are better on the non-transforming on. But I can't really fault it there because
Notable Issues
So this figure is no way perfect. The first issue I'd like to point out is that after swapping the trigger in and out of the gunpod, the back half of the barrel has become loose. This, so far, has only been when converting it back to its stand by or storage mode.
Other issues are with the gunpod and the arms. The arms aren't strong enough to hold up the gunpod, let alone have any dramatic poses because of its weight. In other words, the joints are weak.
The next issue is with the pegs in general. They don't hold properly, parts will start popping out here and there. It just gets annoying to keep popping them in.
Then finally, the biggest issue of them all. The hands! The hands are just difficult to swap around and after getting the parts stuck I nearly gave up on this figure. But finding a workaround made it work, I shouldn't have had to do this.
Fixing the issues!?
So, I refused to give up on this figure. As someone who does gunpla, I try to fix up and make my figures hold up the way I believe they should. So I took a stab at this one.
Fist separate out all the loose parts that you can. If you can't remove some parts then don't worry, just do what you can.
Then get some clear paint and paint around the pegs.
I opened up a few of the Revoltech ratchet joints and tightened them up with the clear paint.
And it seems to have worked!
While it didn't fix the issues entirely, it did make it so that the figure can hold up the gun, it makes moving the arms around a bit easier. The body over all holds together much better and the wings don't fall off as often.
Conclusion
So, this figure leans more to the bad side. But I'm not sure if I can really blame the figure for this. It is a transforming Revoltech figure. Not sure if Revoltech produced any other fully transforming figures, but if this is the first figure then I can understand the flaws. But I can't forgive the difficulty I've had with the hands.
I also don't know why the figure's arms are so loose.
And the pegs don't always hold in, especially when you start to transform it.
And the proportions, it shocking out of the box, but considering it is a nearly fully transforming figure with hardly any parts swapping, and it seems to be the first transforming figure. I can't fault it.
We do have some positives. initially, I wanted to say this figure was crap and the transformation was a pain to do, but after giving it some time I've come to discover the transformation is pretty streamlined. And I'me actually enjoying playing around with it in the Battroid mode. The fighter mode is pretty solid, and the only mode I have a complaint about is the gerwalk mode. It just seems pretty darn loose, but that is one mode out of the three. But that is one of the modes that I like the most, so it kind of sucks to see that is the worse of the three.
Overall, my final verdict about it, unless you are able to time-travel and go to the past to buy it on its initial run, I will have to give it a pass. Mostly due to the price it is now. If you take a look on amazon or ebay for this figure, you'll be pushing 50 to 100 dollars depending on the vender. For that much, you are better off buying one of Bandai's Hi-Metal figures or finding another transformable valkyrie. That is not to say this is the worse transforming figure, nor the most unstable. The initial price according to CollectionDX was 2,286 yen or about 20 USD today (without factoring inflation). Or you can do what I did and get it for a good price at the Toy Dojo!
I talked about them in the previous review. The store Toy Dojo, a local anime and figure store that has a really great selection from Macross/Robotech figures to Transformers and other various figures. If you are into anything anime themed like Gundam, Dragon Ball and more I would check them out.
If you aren't local to the area then check them out online at https://www.toydojo.com/
So overall, this figure is alright, it has some major issues, but if you're a hard core collector pick one up, but honestly unless you can get it for its original price, it isn't worth it. But until next time, this has been Zeroconvoy.
Then with that hatch down, you plug the waste into the nosecone.
Make sure the hatch goes in the slot in the waste.
Next, we open this hatch here, be careful for it will pop off easily. As well start pushing down the entire part as a whole. Two tabs will pop out from the now chest of the figure.
Before you line up pegs on the back and make the figure solid, there is some minor part swapping.
First, undo the upper chest plate.
Then remove the canopy.
Then plug in the batroid cover.
Plug the upper chest back in, but lower it and make sure you plug it into the plug on the cover.
After making sure pegs on the back line up and lock-in.
We are good to go!
A quick 360 view.
So now let us get on with the articulation. This is where things start to take a downturn. First starting off with the arms. For the most part, the articulation with the arms is the same as the gerwalk mode. The arms can move up as so.
As well, it can rotate around.
The elbow can bend this far.
The wrist can move up and down as so.
And the hand itself can rotate around.
The arm with the gunpod can't really move around properly because of the gunpod's weight, however, if you remove the weapon the arm's articulation works just fine.
The head can look up.
The guns on the head can move up and down.
Moving on to the legs.
Ignoring the ball joint used to convert to gerwalk mode. The leg can extend this far out.
And the feet can close as so.
Another bit of articulation, tho not intended (I think) is the back. The back panel can move around.
And the wings can still fold out and fold in as needed. But they will still fall out if not careful.
And before I forget, the figure can mount on the stand!
We can also do some weapon storage, just convert the gunpod back to its fighter mode and mount it on the arm.
Accessories
So, we kind of did go into all the accessories through the course of this review. Save for a few things. One of which is a storage container that can hold all the hands and removable/swappable parts.
And then we have the anniversary coin.
Size Comparison
So let's compare it to its non-transforming Revoltech counterpart. The non-transforming VF-1S definitely shorter than the transforming version. However, I can't help but think the proportions are better on the non-transforming on. But I can't really fault it there because
Notable Issues
So this figure is no way perfect. The first issue I'd like to point out is that after swapping the trigger in and out of the gunpod, the back half of the barrel has become loose. This, so far, has only been when converting it back to its stand by or storage mode.
Other issues are with the gunpod and the arms. The arms aren't strong enough to hold up the gunpod, let alone have any dramatic poses because of its weight. In other words, the joints are weak.
The next issue is with the pegs in general. They don't hold properly, parts will start popping out here and there. It just gets annoying to keep popping them in.
Then finally, the biggest issue of them all. The hands! The hands are just difficult to swap around and after getting the parts stuck I nearly gave up on this figure. But finding a workaround made it work, I shouldn't have had to do this.
Fixing the issues!?
So, I refused to give up on this figure. As someone who does gunpla, I try to fix up and make my figures hold up the way I believe they should. So I took a stab at this one.
Fist separate out all the loose parts that you can. If you can't remove some parts then don't worry, just do what you can.
Then get some clear paint and paint around the pegs.
And it seems to have worked!
While it didn't fix the issues entirely, it did make it so that the figure can hold up the gun, it makes moving the arms around a bit easier. The body over all holds together much better and the wings don't fall off as often.
Conclusion
So, this figure leans more to the bad side. But I'm not sure if I can really blame the figure for this. It is a transforming Revoltech figure. Not sure if Revoltech produced any other fully transforming figures, but if this is the first figure then I can understand the flaws. But I can't forgive the difficulty I've had with the hands.
I also don't know why the figure's arms are so loose.
And the pegs don't always hold in, especially when you start to transform it.
And the proportions, it shocking out of the box, but considering it is a nearly fully transforming figure with hardly any parts swapping, and it seems to be the first transforming figure. I can't fault it.
We do have some positives. initially, I wanted to say this figure was crap and the transformation was a pain to do, but after giving it some time I've come to discover the transformation is pretty streamlined. And I'me actually enjoying playing around with it in the Battroid mode. The fighter mode is pretty solid, and the only mode I have a complaint about is the gerwalk mode. It just seems pretty darn loose, but that is one mode out of the three. But that is one of the modes that I like the most, so it kind of sucks to see that is the worse of the three.
Overall, my final verdict about it, unless you are able to time-travel and go to the past to buy it on its initial run, I will have to give it a pass. Mostly due to the price it is now. If you take a look on amazon or ebay for this figure, you'll be pushing 50 to 100 dollars depending on the vender. For that much, you are better off buying one of Bandai's Hi-Metal figures or finding another transformable valkyrie. That is not to say this is the worse transforming figure, nor the most unstable. The initial price according to CollectionDX was 2,286 yen or about 20 USD today (without factoring inflation). Or you can do what I did and get it for a good price at the Toy Dojo!
I talked about them in the previous review. The store Toy Dojo, a local anime and figure store that has a really great selection from Macross/Robotech figures to Transformers and other various figures. If you are into anything anime themed like Gundam, Dragon Ball and more I would check them out.
If you aren't local to the area then check them out online at https://www.toydojo.com/
So overall, this figure is alright, it has some major issues, but if you're a hard core collector pick one up, but honestly unless you can get it for its original price, it isn't worth it. But until next time, this has been Zeroconvoy.
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