Takatoku 1/6300 SDF Macross
After oggling dozens of 1/3000 Takatoku SDF-1 auctions in the last few months, and seeing them all end up higher than what I was willing to pay (really, 12k yen for a beaten up incomplete 1/3000 SDF-1 that makes my Strike Valk look pristine in comparison? Er, no.), I gave up, and bought an obviously unloved 1/6300 SDF-1 instead (for, oh irony, 3,000 yen). It might be one of this year’s better decisions.
However, when I got it, I felt somewhat disappointed because the box was…well…small. And plain, for a Takatoku box. No texture to the cardboard, and the back shows the line-up but lacks something the larger releases have.
Opening the box gives me a styrofoam tray, as usual with toys from that age. Then I take the toy out of its box, and realise how HEAVY this little sucker is. Pure diecast. And that it appears to have ball-jointed hips. And that there are more hinges than I expected. And there’s triggers on the cannons.
Now, to be clear, this guy doesn’t transform. However, it has loads of nice little features. The carriers have little metal wheels underneath so they can roll around:
Sadly, they only slide onto the SDF-1’s upper arms and cannot be launched.
The cannons can fold over the shoulders, and their tips are spring-loaded and can thus be fired. They are also sharp, so don’t aim at eyes:
Some of the turrets can be turned, but what makes this thing really shine is its hip articulation. It can take Macrossy poses:
The diecast actually gives it very good balance and keeps it planted, especially in combination with the articulated feet. Mmmhhh. Yessssss (/BeastWars Megatron).