Attack mode:
The SDF-1 stands at nearly 17 inches. It looks so impressive, with the giant Macross cannons that can obliterate anything in their path. The attack mode is what this toy is all about. The articulation is good for a toy like this. I mean, you won't be doing the splits at any point, since it is a flying fortress after all. In the anime, it actually barely moves beyond rotating the cannons down and moving an arm or two. But here, there is articulation in the shoulders, elbows, the platforms can rotate 360 degrees, the legs have articulation at the hips, and of course the cannons come down and they lock in place with the touch of a well disguised button on each cannon.
Again, the detail is ridiculous. The back is probably the most impressive view of the toy. Also, there is plenty of diecast. The diecast is mostly in the major support joints, as it should be, since I feel diecast tends to limit articulation most of the time, but as support joints, it really works well.
You can tilt the stand so it leans forwards or backwards, however you like to pose the SDF-1. Personally, this is my favorite pose. Slightly forward, cannons at the ready, about to kick some Zentradi ass.
Pros: Everything. This is a beast of a toy, and just a magnificent display piece. This is the centerpiece to my entire Macross collection. My holy grail. Words can't really do justice as to how amazing this toy is. I believe the photos speak for themselves. Anime accurate is an understatement. It's fun to play with, fun to look at. Also, I cannot stress enough that this is a toy. It has the structural integrity and durability to be played with.
Cons: Nothing. But if I had to nitpick, which I will, it's the following. 1) Color. It's kind of a boring color, but that is how it pretty much looked like in the movie. 2) Price. I purchased mine at HLJ, which had it on for 27,880 yen - roughly $360 cdn. Regular MSRP is 32,800 yen. 3) It comes with a bunch of plastic pieces on sprues that you have to cut off and then attach to various spots on the toy. These are mostly to cover up exposed screws. While I appreaciate that no screws will be showing, I'd rather they did this at the factory. I know they did it to cut down on costs, but I would rather pay an extra $5 or $10 to have that done for me. It took me nearly 2.5 hours to put every piece in place. I'm not a model builder, so that was annoying. Some you could just push in, others it was better to glue on. It was a project.
Yes, you are paying a boatload of money for one toy, but what a toy it is. And that's the best part: it's durable. It's a toy. The weakest points are obviously the head, the prongs at the very front of the cannon (which can go in and out depending on which mode you have it in), and the shoulder bits. But so long as you are handling those areas with care so as to not stress the plastic, you will be fine. It's inevitable there will be weak points, since this is as anime accurate as you're ever gonna get.
If you are a Macross fan, and love the original TV show and movie, you need to own one of these. You will not be disappointed. It's sold out most places, but you can still find some on ebay and a few online stores like HLJ. There is another, cheaper version of this toy, but it is unpainted and not completed. It is for model builders only, and you have to put the whole thing together. It is distinguishable by the addition of broken cannon parts, which if you saw the movie, at one point they get damaged. That set also comes with glow in the dark stickers. So unless you like putting together models, avoid that one. Buy the completed, painted model.
With the 30th anniversary coming up, there are more on order, and I wouldn't be surprised if they come out with a TV version should this movie version sell well enough. Although the TV version would need all new tooling for the platforms, so I don't know if they'll just come out with a straight repaint or not.
Normaly I don't give a "score" since I think this is all subjective. Either you like it and want to buy it, or you don't. Simple as that. But if I were to give it one out of 10, it would be a 9.5 / 10. the -.5 deduction due to having to glue some small pieces on and the gigantic price tag that could turn people off. But really, it's worth it. Dollar for plastic, this is well worth the money.
Epic. That is what this SDF-1 is. Just epic. This is the most impressive piece of engineering yet by Yamato. I still consider the best being the perfect transformation VF-1, but that's only because there are more moving parts, the transformation is more complicated, yet it still pulls off the anime look. But this is definitely the most impressive. Epic, my friends. Epic.
