The VF-1S Skull Leader is notorious for being the most badass of the Valkyrie fighters. Just as badass is its original pilot, Roy Fokker who died leaving the plane to his stepbrother Hikaru (Rick) who took the reigns of the Skull Squadron. This particular version of that suh-weet fighter is from the Macross movie "Do you remember love?", the Strike Valkyrie is itself a modified version of the normal booster covered Valkyrie. What basically sets it apart from a Super Valkyrie is the booster on the right side, where you'd normally see a booster identical to the one on the left on a Super VF-1S, the Strike Valkyrie has a big honkin' dual barreled laser cannon. This sucker was the shiznit during the heart pounding finale of the movie, Hikaru busts his was into the Zentraedei Dictator's base and unleashes the entirety of his arsenal on the tentacled freak. To make an excrutiatingly long story short, the VF-1S w/ Strike Valkyrie Optional Armor is the kickassest thing since buttered toast! WOOT! But is it right for you? Hmmm... Well, read on!
Why it sucks: At $90 and up in the USA, this thing is a pain in the arse to buy. It's also semi-limited so it's a situation of Grab-as-grab-can, so those who can't frickin' AFFORD nor wish to buy such an absurdly expensive toy will be left out in the cold. Besides that, the thing is actually kind of fragile. This is not a toy made for durability and it is recommended that you actually read the bloody instructions rather than trying to do it yourself. In jet mode, you'll note the landing gear wheels do not roll and are themselves EXTREMELY fragile!!! And once you get through all the wacky steps necessary to make the Battroid mode, you'll note that the shoulders are boxed in so that if you move the arms too far upward, they'll pop the shoulder clip formed by either arm and that side of the torso will go flimsy 'til you snap it back on. If my description isn't vivid enough, let touch on just what this would mean... With the most poseable set of legs in Macross history, the Yamato Valkyries are works of art... but when the arms come into play it's a very different story. Because of the extremely limited range of movement the Valkyrie's otherwise stupidly HUGE range of poses is dropped. Not it's not like each arm independently is incapable of movement, far from it actually. There's joint at the shoulder allowing movement up and down from the side, a twisting joint at the bicep, an elbow joint and one at the wrist (with optional hands as well). But what pisses in my vinegar is that they intentionally put a rotating joint at where the shoulder connects to the body so that it would otherwise be able move its arms back and forth, but the chest and back portions box it in preventing movement. ARGH!!!! While the rotating shoulder joint is usable in Gerwalk mode, the joint is completely useless in Battroid mode. And on a final note... The head is a little mor rounded than I'd like and it's rather short next to Bandai's and Toynami's figures. And would it be SO hard to mold the skull onto the heat shield?!?!
Why it rules: I get all tingly just THINKING about this figure... It's like a Mecha Fantasy come true. The only thing better would be a Super Scale Veritech of the VF-1S (But that's $3,000!!! GAH!!!! Hello $100 Japanese imports!).
I've never seen detail this good, especially this accurate on a Valkyrie. This is a masterpiece. From the lights along the bottom, to the space outfitted Hikaru Ichijo, to the cut away detail you can show on the boosters, this thing is beautiful. In any mode the VF-1S is absolutely incredible, but the place it REALLY shines is in Battroid mode! Seeing the cannon flipped up, head laser trained and optional firing hands in place makes for a wonderous sight. And considering the die-cast metal parts actually serve as weights to keep the thing upright, you can only fathom the amount of thought and genius that went into crafting this figure. Considering the armor is completely removable, it's awesome to know that you've got the option of the space armored, harbinger of death or the classic skull leader at your disposal.
Compared to the other figures on the market, this thing has no gimmick to depend on and touts a level of magnificence on a par with the Evangelion figures by Kaiyodo. Compared to Bandai, there's a HUGE amount of detail and realism involved. Next to the Toynami Masterpiece series, it's like comparing scribble art by a 3 year old with a melted crayon with the Mona Lisa, the Yamato Strike Valkyrie may not have a light up visor, but it puts the Toynami veritech in its place, though I must admit the Toynami figure has the best packaging I've ever seen.
Overall: For the scrutinzing Macross/Robotech collector, there's simply no better buy you can make. It's more of a display piece, but it's one hell of a display piece!!! The price tag is quite intimidating, but it's worth every penny if you're an adamant collector or if you just want one thing to sate your craving for Macross/Robotech related goodness, this is a wise choice. For each of its shortcomings, the Strike Valkyrie has a more than ample amount of pros to sway anyone away from its cons. If you're a big Fokker fan, worshipper of the VF-1S (like myself) or just a sick puppy in need of transforming robots, this is a highly recommended figure. I asked for this as a Christmas gift (in fact, it's ALL I asked for) and shockingly enough I received it! Yay!