TINY SESSION YF-19
Fantastic Toy Chronicle: https://www.facebook.com/ki0079.robot.workshops
Approximately ten years ago, the INFINITE series released the VF-25. After acquiring it back then, I found the design quite enjoyable. Although it couldn't fully transform, the unit was charming, and that was good enough. Fast forward to today, while TINY SESSION has released several units, it's the YF-19 that finally compelled me to make a purchase. There's no denying it, MACROSS PLUS is simply outstanding; any release of the YF-19 or YF-21 makes me want to get one. Since this is my first time experiencing this series, I will provide a more detailed analysis.
First, let's look at FIGHTER MODE ▽
△ The fighter mode looks quite stylish, and the proportions feel good. It's perfectly reasonable that there's no pilot figure inside the cockpit. Everything that should be there, is there. The landing gear can be deployed.
△ The wings cannot be adjusted, which is understandable given its size. As for the gun, it can be securely attached to the slot underneath the fuselage, so there's no need to worry about it falling off.
Next, let's look at GERWALK MODE ▽
△ In comparison, while GERWALK mode has some advantages, there are still many areas that could be improved.
△ First, for the advantages, the reverse-jointed legs perform well, and it can even achieve a slight "splayed-leg" stance. However, because the nose section is too long, the front half is very heavy, making it difficult for it to stand solely on its two legs.
△ The arms have good articulation, allowing for a variety of hand poses.
△ The main focus of the entire toy is likely on BATTROID MODE (with clearly the least attention given to GERWALK MODE). Although it's not a complete transformation, requiring the head and back parts to be swapped, and the transformation design for the body parts is somewhat simplified, this doesn't detract from the overall excellent playability.
△ First, looking at the head, the articulation is fine, but the forward range of motion for the head's gun barrels is insufficient, which is a bit of a shame.
△ The arm articulation is ideal, allowing for two-handed gun-wielding poses.
△ Furthermore, the leg articulation is also ideal, enabling single-knee kneeling poses, which looks good.
△ Benefiting from high articulation, many actions such as "punching" can be achieved.
△ Additionally, there are two classic scenes I've always wanted to recreate. The first is when Isamu first test-piloted the unit, swinging around in the air in BATTROID MODE.
△ The other is the flying kick. If it were a DX Chogokin, it would probably be much harder to pose naturally, wouldn't it?
△ Overall, this small aircraft is incredibly fun, especially with the included "Mao" figure.
Moreover, the unit feels very solid, with no issues of parts coming loose.
However, there are still some areas that could be improved:
1. The stand is fine for general display, but for photography, it's a bit "short" and difficult to adjust angles.
2. Regarding the hands, the size difference between the clenched fist and the open palm is too significant. While I understand the purpose of the open palm, the disparity is quite large.
3. The attachment points for GERWALK MODE are not very secure, giving it a somewhat loose feeling.
Overall, the most enjoyable mode is definitely BATTROID MODE. If there's an opportunity to incorporate die-cast joints in the future, this toy would be even more interesting.