Takatoku 1/55 VF-1S (KO)

Let's get the elephant out of the way first: yes, this is (obviously) a KO of the Takatoku 1/55 VF-1S Valkyrie toy and not an original or a Bandai reissue.

Why did I go for a KO and not an original or reissue? Cost, really. Even reissues are a few hundred dollars and this KO cost me something like $20-$25 on Amazon, which I think is a fair price to experience this toy design for the first time.

While this is a KO of the 1/55 VF-1S, it is not a 1:1 KO as there are differences in deco, sculpting, and construction from a real one. Which is useful because it means you can't pass this off as an authentic figure. Like I said, I don't have any authentic 1/55 Valkyries, but if you just peruse through the photos on Scorched Earth Toy's review here, you can see the various changes to the deco and sculpt this KO company did.

But what's the construction difference, you may ask? There's no die-cast in this KO. It is all-plastic. I believe earlier KOs from the mid-2000s (by the same company, I believe) did retain the die-cast metal from the authentic figures, but not this one.

But enough about the differences between this KO and an authentic 1/55 chunky monkey, what's the quality like? Really damn good. The plastic quality isn't too far off from something like a Transformer (so it's absolutely not the super cheap KO-quality plastic), it retains all the articulation points of the real thing (including all the ratchet joints!), it transforms exactly the same. Hell, it even retains the spring-powered pop out landing gear for fighter mode. I wouldn't say this is one of the greatest and highest quality KOs ever made, but it's definitely in the tier of 'if you buy this to experience the 1/55 Takatoku design (like I did) because you don't wanna drop the money on a real one just yet, you're not gonna feel like you're getting a totally crap KO that'll probably break the first time you try to transform it'.

Also can we just appreciate how amazing and important the 1/55 VF-1 Valkyrie is as a toy? It wasn't the first transforming mecha toy but it was the first to do a perfect transformation without any requirement for partsforming and the articulation was just insane for 1982.

In an era where the expected articulation was 'ability to rotate arms forward at shoulder so kids can point the weapons forward', here comes in Takatoku giving kids a mecha toy that not only flawlessly transforms between three modes but when in battroid mode they can rotate the head around, swing the arms not only forward but out to the side at the shoulder, rotate the lower arm at the elbow, bend the elbow, move the legs forward and back thanks to the gerwalk joint, and bend the knees. Sure, it seems simple compared to nowadays but in the early 1980s? Actually insane levels of articulation.

Anyways, honestly love this KO and it really makes me wanna pick up an authentic 1/55 Valkyrie one day (maybe I'll grab that 45th anniversary version they announced a few months back?)