Over at GA Graphic they’ve previewed the upcoming VF Hi-Metal VF-1J toy. The VF-1J, specifically Hikaru Ichijoe’s variant (which this toy is of), is actually quite an important design in the grand scheme of things. Simply due to the fact that it pretty much visually defined the original Macross and subsequently Robotech too. It’s very much an iconic piece of mecha design, if only for the fact that it marked a turning point on how transforming mecha were functionally portrayed.

This had a palpable outcome in terms of toy production as well, as the original Valkyrie toys were wonderfully tactile and beefy with it. Bandai, it seems, are keen to return to that; as the VF Hi-Metal range is technically a reboot of an older toyline. However, the recent Fire Valkyrie toy they released didn’t have much metal in the frame really and also featured a fair amount of parts swapping, this being disappointing when their competitors (like Yamato) have been doing such a brilliant job. Admittedly, Bandai are pricing this much less and are if anything trying to oust Kaiyodo’s Revoltech attempts. The boasted articulation does sound impressive though; a double joint for the elbow for wider articulation of the arm, pull-out mechanisms implemented for the pelvis joint allowing the legs to spread wider for more stable standing, an improved design for the ankle allowing the toy’s feet to be able to touch the surface better, a new the pelvis and ankle joint design to make difficult poses like kneeling possible and the knee joint can be turned horizontally to create lovely poses for the legs in GERWALK mode. Despite the size, the toy will also feature retractable hands too, which is pretty cool.

Naturally, the VF-1J has graced many a game over the years; with the two recent PSP games Macross Ace and Ultimate Frontier being notable. Though our favourite iteration is probably either in Another Century’s Episode 3, as that included the armored variant. In any case, this new VF-1J toy is released in June for 5775 yen and you can pre-order it here.