Kit Review

Straight build

As you can see, this kit only includes the weapons pack.

The micro missile pod and beam cannon pack that mount on the back.

The skull stickers come with both red for the standard unit and black for Roy Focker's unit.

The detail is pretty good.

The beam cannon section can rotate about 90 degrees.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The conformal tank parts that attach to the legs, and the conformal tank + micro missile laun

The conformal tank parts that attach to the legs, and the conformal tank + micro missile launcher that mounts on the forearm.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The arm conformal tanks attach by first hooking them over the forearm as shown, then plugging

The arm conformal tanks attach by first hooking them over the forearm as shown, then plugging them in at the top of the hand to lock them in place.
The hold is fairly solid.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The leg parts just get positioned and clipped on simply enough, but the hold is a bit weak an

The leg parts just get positioned and clipped on simply enough..
The hold is a bit weak and they tend to fall off pretty easily.

Four micro missile pods for wing mounting are included.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The anti-air/anti-ground missiles come as four sets of three, plus four individual pieces in

The anti-air/anti-ground missiles come as four sets of three, plus four individual pieces in a launched configuration.

Six RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction warheads are included.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Various joint parts are included so you can mount the large anti-ship reaction warheads eithe

Various joint parts are included so you can mount the large anti-ship reaction warheads either two at a time or one at a time.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The weapons pack really needs to be laid out together with the main body to get the full effe

The weapons pack really needs to be laid out together with the main body to get the full effect.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - First, the fighter mode with everything attached. (1/4)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - First, the fighter mode with everything attached. (2/4)

First, the fighter mode with everything attached.

With the weapons pack added, it looks seriously hefty~.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The backpack weapons pack plugs into the empty slot next to the vertical stabilizer hinge — i

The backpack weapons pack plugs into the empty slot next to the vertical stabilizer hinge..
It doesn't feel super secure, though.
That said, it holds together well enough in fighter mode and GERWALK mode..

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The hole at the back of the leg that connects to the pin on the body is replaced by the hole

The hole at the back of the leg that connects to the pin on the body
is replaced by the hole on the VF-1 Strike Parts Set, and thankfully the hold feels a bit stronger as a result.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Bottom view. You can transform it with the arm conformal tanks still attached, and just like

Bottom view.
You can transform it with the arm conformal tanks still attached,
and just like the standard unit, even with the VF-1 Strike Parts Set on, the fighter mode looks really clean and well put-together.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - You can swap out two of the middle parts on the VF-1's wings for the weapon-mounting parts, t

You can swap out two of the middle parts on the VF-1's wings for the weapon-mounting parts,
then attach the weapons.

With the anti-air/anti-ground missiles attached.

With the micro missiles attached.

With the large anti-ship reaction warheads attached.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The large anti-ship reaction warheads can also be mounted in the alternate configuration show

The large anti-ship reaction warheads can also be mounted in the alternate configuration shown above.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with micro missiles loaded. (1/6)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with micro missiles loaded. (2/6)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with micro missiles loaded. (3/6)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with micro missiles loaded. (4/6)

Flight pose with micro missiles loaded.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with anti-air/anti-ground missiles loaded. (1/4)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with anti-air/anti-ground missiles loaded. (2/4)

Flight pose with anti-air/anti-ground missiles loaded.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Flight pose with large anti-ship reaction warheads attached. (1/3)

Flight pose with large anti-ship reaction warheads attached.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - GERWALK mode. The hold is acceptable up through GERWALK mode. (1/4)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - GERWALK mode. The hold is acceptable up through GERWALK mode. (2/4)

GERWALK mode.
The hold is acceptable up through GERWALK mode.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Strike Valkyrie in GERWALK mode on a stand. (1/4)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Strike Valkyrie in GERWALK mode on a stand. (2/4)

Strike Valkyrie in GERWALK mode on a stand.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The problematic Strike Valkyrie — Battroid mode.. A flimsy base kit combined with flimsy conn

The problematic Strike Valkyrie — Battroid mode..
A flimsy base kit combined with flimsy connection strength adds up to one big mess. T_T
The hold is so bad that just getting it to stand still for a photo felt like it took about an hour.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The backpack connection that managed to hold up in fighter/GERWALK mode becomes extremely uns

The backpack connection that managed to hold up in fighter/GERWALK mode
becomes extremely unstable in Battroid mode where it has to stand upright.
Feels like a gust of wind would knock it right off.. T_T

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - The forearm parts are fine, but the leg parts don't hold very well, and it gets even worse in

The forearm parts are fine, but the leg parts don't hold very well,
and it gets even worse in Battroid mode.

The beam cannon can rotate 90 degrees to point forward.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Action pose — hard-won. (1/5)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Action pose — hard-won. (2/5)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Action pose — hard-won. (3/5)

Action pose — hard-won.

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set - Wings spread, displayed in the air. At this point, Battroid mode is just too nerve-wracking t

Wings spread, displayed in the air.
At this point, Battroid mode is just too nerve-wracking to get any more action poses out of..

Straight build

The VF-1 Strike Parts Set was released alongside Bandai's 1/72 VF-1 Valkyrie renewal. It's a kit that includes all the various weapons that attach to the body as per the design specs, plus the offensive weapons that mount under the wings.

First off, the quality of the weapons set itself is pretty impressive. The detail is refined, the seals are plentiful, and above all there's just so much stuff that it's almost overwhelming to look at. The micro missile pods, anti-air/anti-ground missiles, and large anti-ship reaction warheads are all provided in sufficient quantities to load up four or more sets each. On top of that, the conformal tanks for the arms and legs, plus the micro missile pod/beam cannon pack for the back, all look great too.

The problem is the connection strengththough..

As covered in the earlier review, this new 1/72 VF-1 is a kit where the stability varies wildly between modes — it's completely unbalanced. Fighter mode has decent proportions and acceptable hold (though it's definitely not a tight, snug fit by any means), GERWALK is a little shaky but manageable, but Battroid mode is just crushing in terms of body and hip joint stability.

And those same issues carry right over when you add the VF-1 Strike Parts Set — in fact, the Battroid stability problems get even worse. The big backpack that barely held on through fighter and GERWALK mode feels like it'll fall off at the slightest breeze in Battroid. The leg conformal tanks that were already prone to falling off get even worse in Battroid mode. And on top of all that, you've still got the VF-1 body's signature warping and hip joint popping issues, so just trying to get the whole thing to stand there without doing anything takes a serious amount of effort. It's an endless loop of falling over, parts dropping off, collapsing, and coming apart.

So while the weapons pack itself is high quality, the fact that it becomes a serious nightmare to keep everything attached in Battroid mode is a massive frustration point.. When it's set up in Battroid mode, you don't just knock it over by touching it — it literally falls apart like dominoes. -_- (What is this, some kind of Jenga?)

In the end, I had no choice but to use double-sided tape, regular tape, and a touch of glue in a few spots (kept out of sight as much as possible) just to get through the Battroid review. In particular, the hip joint popping gets significantly worse with the added weight, so that part at least is going to need some forced intervention.

Bottom line — Strike fighter mode looks pretty great, GERWALK is passable, but Battroid mode with the VF-1 Strike Parts Set is something you should either give up on entirely or go in ready to glue things together. This weapons option kit just confirms it once again — this VF-1 is a fighter or GERWALK kit, full stop. :-)

1/72 VF-1 Strike Parts Set | 2013.6 | ¥2,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.