Bandai DX Chogokin VF-25F Super Messiah Valkyrie Alto Type was originally released on January 2009. Later, two add-on packs were released that’s available in the Bandai’s Tamashii shop in Japan only. One for the Super Pack and the other for the SMS display base. I didn’t get a chance to get it back at the beginning of 2009. Qhen I looked around at the prices later, they were high and so I gave up. Now as Macross Frontier movie is scheduled to be released, the VF-25F is released together with Super Pack as well as the SMS display base all in one single package. The paint color was slightly different to match the movie release, all the rest are otherwise the same as the original release. Best of all, I don’t have to pay extra for deputy service or fight in lines to get the add-on packs. It arrived before end of 2009 and it was sitting on my filing cabinet for a long time. Now finally I took some photo of it.
Bandai DX Chogokin VF-25F Super Messiah Valkyrie Saotome Alto Custom (バンダイ DX超合金 VF-25F スーパーメサイアバルキリー 早乙女アルト機). Released on November 2009 with a MSRP of ¥16,800.
Here’s the box shot. It was a very nice box with colorful prints of the valkyrie in different forms.
VF-25F in the fighter jet mode. Looks just like one of those twin engine F-14 tomcats. You can see that the fighter jet has landing gears and they are actually retractable. The cockpit cover can be opened and closed.
The SMS display base has a few parts that allows you to use the base for all possible forms of the valkyrie. Below, it’s holding it up in fighter jet mode.
First transformation is to transform into the gerwalk mode. The gerwalk mode, it can stand on its feet, but it’s better displayed with the SMS display base for more dynamic poses.
Second transformation is to transform into the battroid form. In gerwalk mode the front of the plane is still pretty much in the fighter jet mode. In the battroid form, it is fully transformed into the robot form.
It came with a few different hands and came with both the laser canon as well as the combat knife. The laser canon has a holder to mount it under the belly when it is in the fighter jet mode.
Unfortunately, because all the need for transformation, the robot not very pose-able. Most of the joints in the legs are there to support the gerwalk and battroid transformation and not for posing in the battroid form. After a lot of bending and balancing I was table to get it down to a kneeling pose from a standing pose. Even then it was a bit ugly. However, as long as you don’t want it to bend the legs too much, the battroid poses just fine and looks great on the display stand. After all it is difficult enough to keep the fighter jet mode looking authentic yet maintain the two form of transformations.
Now back to the fighter jet mode but this time with Super Pack installed. The Super Pack is a bit different color than the previously released version, the color is lighter to match the Macross Frontier movie.
The Super Pack looks really impressive form the behind with all those jet nozzles giving the VF-25F a healthy speed boost.
And here it is with Super Pack and on the display stand. Very nice looking.
Now transformed into the gerwalk mode.
Gerwalk mode with Super Pack looks very impressive. You can also see all those additional armour panels that the Super Pack added.
And now battroid mode with Super Pack. VF-25F does not have the jettison its Super Packs when transforming. It can maintain the Super Pack in both gerwalk and battroid form.
With Super Pack, there are also extra missile pods on the shoulder of the battroid.
Finally on the display stand with the Super Pack.
And here’s the best 2D illustration I can find for the VF-25F Super Messiah Valkyrie in the gerwalk mode.
Very nice chogokin. I just wish they are not so expensive…. ^^