Even when I was young, I knew I was different from other little boys. Whenever I'd see the frilly beauty of just-for-ladies designs on television, in shows or in movies, a thrill'd run up and down my spine like a lightning bolt. I used to hide it from my friends, but you know, there's something to be said for the peace of mind you gain from accepting these unquestionable urges deep inside yourself. What was that? No, not PANTIES, you sick little -- didn't you ever watch Macross? I'm talking about POWER ARMOR.

Remember it? In the Macross series, the bad guys were confined to spindly little two-legged "battle pods," while their female counterparts had these slick exoskeletal suits. Quadoran Rau, to be specific. Or Q. Rau, as we had to call 'em, shortened like the common name of an intestinal bacterium or something. Anyway -- if you're wondering where I'm going with this, just hang on -- I'd always wanted a Q. Rau toy ever since seeing the show as a kid. It's a spectacular, classic design, and at least as deserving of toy-portrayal as anything else that actually got made (I mean, I love the Macross Vending Machine as much as the next guy, but. . . )

And now I finally have one! Sort of. The Yamato Toys Fully Transforming YF-21 Valkyrie, I mean. Love it or hate it, the similarities between the YF-21 and the good ol' Q. Rau are obvious and undeniable when they're standing side-by-side. (That's a Bandai plastic model in the photos, by the way.) Creator Shoji Kawamori managed to infuse this particular Valk with a feminine charm that, quite frankly, I wouldn't have thought possible had I not seen the animated series/film that the toy is based on. And the Yamato YF-21 toy manages to capture that essence perfectly. It's quite possibly one of the most complicated, detailed, and well-executed toys I've ever seen; I couldn't have really hoped for anything better. Everything from the cockpit (which not only opens, but features translucent windows and a painted pilot's seat), to the detailed panel lines, to the movable "vectrelles" (thanks, Darren!) mounted on the engine units are here, just as you remember 'em from the anime. But what really gets me more than anything else is the balance.

The YF-21 has an odd, top-heavy design in "battroid" mode, and I'd heard that previous incarnations -- namely, the expensive, fully-transforming resin kit made by Studio Half-Eye -- had a tendency to topple over at the drop of a feather. However, Yamato had the insight to limit the diecast to the leg units, weighting the lower half and firmly anchoring the YF-21 to the ground. Some may complain at the perceived reduction in metal content between the YF-19 and the YF-21, but there are some cases where more is definitely NOT better, and this is one of them.

I don't know if it's due to improved engineering or simply the differences in design between the two Yamato Valkyries, but there were also a lot fewer "heart attack" moments in the transformation of the YF-21 as compared to its predecessor. As you may recall, reports of cracked pieces, accidental mis-transformation, and utter frustration were legion with the YF-19. I don't anticipate much of that sort of thing with the YF-21. And once again, the reduced amount of diecast helps the situation: there's no grinding of metal-upon-metal to complete the transition from aircraft to robot and back again, thank God.

Problems? Shortcomings? Yep, they're still here. Although the YF-21 is "firmly anchored to the ground" in battroid mode, that only holds true if it's standing in a fairly rigid, straight-and-narrow pose. Attempt anything really dynamic, and that pesky center of gravity rears its ugly little head, throwing the robot to the ground like a tossed Sumo wrestler. The head and face are totally immobile: the YF-21 effectively has tunnel vision. And although the robot has a pair of built-in wrist cannons (ala the Q. Rau), it doesn't come with a gun pod. Nor does it have a hole in the hand to hold one even if it did. And it's definitely fragile. It's not like you could go and hammer nails with the old-school Takatoku Valkyries all day or anything, but there generally wasn't any feeling of imminent danger when transitioning between plane and robot. Not so with the YF-21.

Which brings us in for a landing with a final point. Many people seem to love the original Valkyries for their economy of design, their dual use of components throughout the transformation (i.e., legs become engines, backpack becomes tail fins, stomach becomes aircraft nose, etc., etc.) As wonderful as the YF-21 is, however, one thing that it definitely ISN'T is simple; the transformation is utterly unlike that of any previous Valkyrie. Rather than "transforming," per se, the thing basically jacks in half, tucks the arms and legs into internal compartments, and covers the whole shebang with a smooth plate. With the exception of the nose-cone, there really isn't a whole lot of "carry-over" between the two modes. Viewed from the side, the Fighter basically looks like a bunch of arms and legs sandwiched between a pair of aerodynamic sheets. Personally, this doesn't bother me a whit, but as they say, your mileage may vary. (Although it's probably a safe bet that you've already made up your mind about the design, as it's been around for close to five years now.)

(Oh, and before I forget: I apologize in advance for the crappiness of these pics; circumastances forced me to rush through the photo shoot. I'll be posting additional, clearer shots in the very near future.)