Kit Review

Straight build

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (1/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (2/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (3/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (4/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (5/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (6/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (7/8)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom (8/8)

Upper body and head

Legs

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Tornado Pack section (1/4)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Tornado Pack section (2/4)

Tornado Pack section

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Sniper rifle action poses. The back is so heavy that there aren't reall

Sniper rifle action poses.
The back is so heavy that there aren't really many poses you can pull off. ^^;

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - GERWALK mode. After taking the photos I realized I forgot to raise the

GERWALK mode.
After taking the photos I realized I forgot to raise the vertical stabilizers.. Please bear with me. ^^;

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - GERWALK mode with arms stowed and all additional weapon packs equipped

GERWALK mode with arms stowed and all additional weapon packs equipped

Fighter mode.

Underside

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Mounted on an Action Base (1/7)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Mounted on an Action Base (2/7)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Mounted on an Action Base (3/7)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Mounted on an Action Base (4/7)

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom - Mounted on an Action Base (5/7)

Mounted on an Action Base

Missile pod opened

Fighter mode with the additional weapon packs removed.

Together with the original VF-25G Michel Custom.

Together with the Tornado Valkyrie Alto Custom.

Both are absolutely packed with volume.

Fighter mode comparison.

The Tornado Valkyrie - Michel Custom from the Macross Frontier theatrical film has been released as a FamilyMart exclusive. Looking at the actual box art, manual, and overall package contents, it feels more like a standard retail release than a limited edition — my guess is that since the regular Tornado Valkyrie - Alto Custom didn't sell all that well, they just pushed a small run of this one out through FamilyMart instead..

In terms of kit composition, it's a typical Macross-style variation where the molded color from the existing Tornado Alto Custom has been changed to Michel Custom's blue color scheme, and the head parts have been swapped out for the Michel Custom's accordingly.

The biggest disappointment with the Tornado Alto Custom was that it didn't include any seals, and this Michel Custom is the same — only waterslide decals, no seals. T_T Personally, I think the lack of seals was a big reason the Tornado Alto Custom struggled in sales, and seeing the Michel Custom go the same route makes it feel like the purchase value drops sharply for the average builder. Since this is a transforming kit, applying waterslide decals properly really means you need to do a full topcoat and finishing job, which is quite a commitment.

In terms of kit composition it's identical to the existing Tornado Alto Custom, so the pros and cons are the same — the Tornado Pack looks fantastic with all that volume, but it's still way too heavy to make this an easy kit to handle. Fortunately, it does incorporate several reinforced support mechanisms compared to the early VF-25 kits, so the overall stability isn't too bad..

Anyway, unless you're a big fan of the blue Michel Custom color scheme or you just really have to have this voluminous limited-edition Macross kit.. it's hard to recommend if you're not already planning to paint, apply decals, and do a proper finishing job. ^^;

1/72 Tornado Messiah Valkyrie : Michael Custom

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.