Some background:
The VF-1 was developed by Stonewell/Bellcom/Shinnakasu for the U.N. Spacy by using alien Overtechnology obtained from the SDF-1 Macross alien spaceship. Its production was preceded by an aerodynamic proving version of its airframe, the VF-X. Unlike all later VF vehicles, the VF-X was strictly a jet aircraft, built to demonstrate that a jet fighter with the features necessary to convert to Battroid mode was aerodynamically feasible. After the VF-X's testing was finished, an advanced concept atmospheric-only prototype, the VF-0 Phoenix, was flight-tested from 2005 to 2007 and briefly served as an active-duty fighter from 2007 to the VF-1's rollout in late 2008, while the bugs were being worked out of the full-up VF-1 prototype (VF-X-1).
The space-capable VF-1's combat debut was on February 7, 2009, during the Battle of South Ataria Island - the first battle of Space War I - and remained the mainstay fighter of the U.N. Spacy for the entire conflict. Introduced in 2008, the VF-1 would be out of frontline service just five years later, though.
The VF-1 proved to be an extremely capable craft, successfully combating a variety of Zentraedi mecha even in most sorties which saw UN Spacy forces significantly outnumbered. The versatility of the Valkyrie design enabled the variable fighter to act as both large-scale infantry and as air/space superiority fighter. The basic VF-1 was built and deployed in four minor variants (designated A, J, and S single-seater and the D two-seater/trainer) and its success was increased by continued development of various enhancements including the GBP-1S (Ground-combat protector weapon system) "Armored" Valkyrie exoskeleton, developed and built by Shinnakasu.
The GBP-1S was bolted to a VF-1 Battroid like a medieval plate armor and prevented the Valkyrie’s transformation, but it could be quickly jettisoned. It consisted of a space metal frame structure, plated with SWAG energy conversion armor and reactive armor. The system included a pair of boosters, similar in design to those used in the “Super Valkyrie” package but armored like the rest of the exoskeleton and somewhat smaller because they were not intended for prolonged travel in space, just for maneuvering. The boosters and other veneers offered “four times the mobility” of the Destroid Spartan in a zero-G environment.
Armament was greatly enhanced through protected launch bays for short-range HE micro missiles and armor-piercing projectiles which were integrated into shoulders, chest, lower arms and legs, plus hand grenades. The exoskeleton prevented, however, the VF-1’s carriage of underwing stores and the Valkyrie’s standard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod had to remain handheld.
Originally commissioned only for special operations and primarily intended to be only used by the commanders’ VF-1S single-seat fighters, the GBP-1S nonetheless saw first operational deployment in space for a routine patrol in October 2009. Then Second Lieutenant Hikaru Ichijyo launched from CVS-101 Prometheus in a GBP-1S equipped VF-1J Valkyrie, on a deep space reconnaissance mission to determine possible Zentraedi incursion. Very little useful information on performance was gained from the deployment of the GBP-1S during Hikaru's mission, though, mostly due to poor tactical maneuvering. Although flight records do indicate the GBP-1S functioned as designed, both offensively and defensively, the effectiveness of the unit was left in question. Some U.N. Spacy analysts critical of the October 2009 deployment suggested that the poorly conceived near-simultaneous launch of the full GBP-1S ordnance had allowed the enemy to intercept a few initial missiles, resulting in the sequential, premature detonation of most the following munitions before they were able to impact. These same analysts also noted the successful defensive performance of the GBP-1S, resulting in the initial counter of several direct hits from enemy fire before the system was ejected from Lt. Ichijo's VF-1J. Despite the less than ideal initial deployment of the GBP-1S, the system was not abandoned and employed during several special missions (e.g. operation “Bullseye”) further designs continued to find use in successive variable fighters, most notably the Protect Armor system found on the VF-11 Thunderbolt, VF-11C Thunderbolt Protect Armor.
After the end of Space War I, the VF-1 continued to be manufactured both in the Sol system and throughout the UNG space colonies. Although the VF-1 would be replaced in 2020 as the primary Variable Fighter of the U.N. Spacy by the more capable, but also much bigger, VF-4 Lightning III, a long service record and continued production after the war proved the lasting worth of the design.
During its career the versatile VF-1 underwent constant upgrade programs. For instance, about a third of all VF-1 Valkyries were upgraded with Infrared Search and Track (IRST) systems from 2016 on, placed in a streamlined fairing in front of the cockpit. This system allowed for long-range search and track modes, freeing the pilot from the need to give away his position with active radar emissions, and it could be used for target illumination and guiding precision weapons. Many Valkyries also received improved radar warning systems, with receivers, depending on the systems, mounted on the wingtips, on the fins and/or on the LERXs. Improved ECR measures were also mounted on some machines, typically in conformal fairings on the flanks of the legs/engine pods. Specialized reconnaissance and ECM sub-versions were developed from existing airframes, too.
The VF-1 was without doubt the most recognizable variable fighter of Space War I and was seen as a vibrant symbol of the U.N. Spacy even into the first year of the New Era 0001 in 2013. At the end of 2015 the final rollout of the VF-1 was celebrated at a special ceremony, commemorating this most famous of variable fighters. The VF-1 Valkryie was built with a total production of 5,459 VF-1 variable fighters with several variants (VF-1A = 5,093, VF-1D = 85, VF-1J = 49, VF-1S = 30, VF-1G = 12, VE-1 = 122, VT-1 = 68). However, beyond this original production several “re-built” variants existed, too, and remained active in many second line units and continued to show the design’s worthiness years later, e. g. through Milia Jenius who would use her old VF-1 fighter in defense of the colonization fleet, 35 years after the type's service introduction!
General characteristics:
All-environment variable fighter and tactical combat Battroid, used by U.N. Spacy, U.N. Navy, U.N. Space Air Force. 3-mode variable transformation; variable geometry wing; vertical take-off and landing; control-configurable vehicle; single-axis thrust vectoring; three "magic hand" manipulators for maintenance use; retractable canopy shield for Battroid mode and atmospheric reentry; option of GBP-1S system, atmospheric-escape booster, or FAST Pack system
Accommodation:
Single pilot in Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat
Dimensions:
Height: 14.1m
Width: 9.8 meters
Length: 4.8 meters
VF-1 in Battroid mode (w/o GBP-1S):
Height: 12.68 meters
Width: 7.3 meters
Length 4.0 meters
VF-1 in Fighter mode (w/o GBP-1S):
Length 14.23 meters
Wingspan 14.78 meters (at 20° minimum sweep)
Height 3.84 meters
Empty weight: 13.25 metric tons (VF-1S only)
Take-off mass: 18.5 metric tons (VF-1S only) plus
16.2 metric tons for the fully equipped GBP-1S exoskeleton
MTOW: 37.1 metric tons standard operational mass with GBP-1S
Power Plant:
2x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001D thermonuclear reaction turbine engines,
output 650 MW each, rated at 11,500 kg in standard or in overboost (225.63 kN x 2);
2 x P&W+EF-2001 assistance booster thrusters with 120,000 kg (1,177.2 kN) output each
10 x low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles
Performance:
Battroid Mode: maximum walking speed 160 km/h
Fighter Mode: Mach 2.71at 10,000 m
Mach 3.87at 30,000+ m
g limit: in space +7
Thrust-to-weight ratio (w/o GBP-1S): empty 3.47; standard TOW 2.49; maximum TOW 1.24
Transformation:
Limited to Battroid mode only, unless GBP-1S system is ejected;
Standard time from Fighter to Battroid (automated): under 5 sec.
Min. time from Fighter to Battroid (manual): 0.9 sec.
Armament:
4x Mauler RÖV-20 anti-aircraft laser cannon in the "head" unit, firing 6,000 pulses per minute
56x 28-cm-diameter Erlikon GH-32 Grenade Crusher high maneuverability micro-missiles
- 22 mounted in two shoulder launchers
- 10 mounted in two chest launchers
- 16 mounted in four side leg launchers
- 8 mounted in four rear leg launchers
18x Erlikon GA-100 Crusher high-speed armor-penetrating projectiles,
mounted in a pair of lower arm triple launchers
6x Ramington H-22T large hand grenades (mounted externally on upper legs)
1x hand-held Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod with 200 RPG, fired at 1,200 RPM
The kit and its assembly:
After a long while I found enough mojo (again) to tackle a mecha build, and it’s an “authentic” one. To be specific, it’s a 1st generation IMAI 1:100 kit of Roy Fokker’s famous “Skull One” VF-1S in a GBP-1S exoskeleton, becoming an “Armored Valkyrie”. While this is a recent re-issue of that kit from the early Eighties (the molds were created in 1982), it retains the classic weaknesses of early mecha model kits: there are no vinyl caps that support a smooth yet dampened flexibility of the many joints, and the whole body is constructed in a Matryoshka-esque fashion, so that single assemblies like arms, legs, head and torso cannot be built separately and finally put together into the figure, but rather require a step-by-step building- and-completion process because of the joints’ mindless construction. Another weak point: despite many joints and posture possibilities the model remains quite “static” and mannequin-like. That’s O.K. for display, but the model hardly conveys any agility or dynamics.
The kit itself is nice, though, because the fit is quite good (for its age) and there are more joints than on the contemporary ARII kits of the standard VF-1, even though some of them are useless (see below).
From the start I planned to build the kit as the OOB Roy Fokker VF-1S, but with some improvements.
For instance, I replaced the right fist (the kit’s only option for both hands) with an open hand of appropriate size from a Dorvack PAM-74 kit. The other was retained OOB but received an adapted GU-11 gun pod – the handheld weapon is typical for VF-1s, but unfortunately not included in the IMAI kit, so that I used as leftover pod from an Arii VF-1 Battroid.
Additionally, both hands received adapters scratched from styrene tube material so that they could be mounted in different, more natural positions; OOB the two fists come with ring joints that theoretically allow them to rotate, but they are set so deep into the lower arms that this actually is impossible. As a side benefit of the new adapters, they made painting and later assembly easier.
Beyond the hands the lower arms offered even more room for improvements: OOB, the triple GA-100 missile heads that protrude above the hands are single bare pieces; I replaced them with cut-off warheads from 1:100 AMM-1 missiles (left over from Arii 1:100 VF-1 Fighters), glued onto a thin base plate. Simple, but it improves the model’s overall look a lot.
The upper arms received totally new shoulder joints, again made from styrene tubes, to allow their separate assembly and painting. Matching adapters had to be inserted into the torso, and the head was mounted on a similar new joint, too – with all the stuff hidden inside the upper body looked as if an endoskeleton had been implanted!
On the shoulder missile compartments’ rear end, the open “grid” of the exhausts, the horizontal bars received “masks” made from thin styrene profiles to hide seams and misalignments. Again, a small modification, but it improves the overall look a lot.
Further down the body, modifications continued. The hip was upgraded to change the legs’ geometry into a more dynamic “3D stance”. This was achieved with a styrene tube filled with steel wire to bend and fix the leg joints’ axles backwards – a stunt that was, compared with the normal VF-1 Battroids from Arii, quite easy to realize. Again, matching jackets in the upper legs replaced the original simple pegs, and the legs remained detachable for separate assembly and painting. The resulting gaps between upper legs and pelvis were filled with pieces of paper tissue drenched in PVAC glue, creating dummies of flexible covers.
While the lower torso of the kit featured a joint to allow the upper body to rotate, I replaced it with a new vertical styrene tube construction, too, again allowing the body sections to be built and painted separately with better accessibility.
While there are many other hidden missile compartments all over the body I did not open them, to leave the hull rather “uncluttered”.
The armored assistance boosters on the back, flanking the folded wings, are correct in shape and detail, but appear a bit small for the bulky armor. As a remedy I “stretched” them a few millimeters with styrene sheet inserts, and I added details inside of the exhaust openings that hide ugly seams which are hard to PSR away in this confined location.
Painting and markings:
Authentic, with the VF-1S’ visible parts painted in white (actually a very light grey, I used RAL 7035/Revell 374 as basis) with black and yellow trim to represent Roy Fokker’s Skull One, and the exoskeleton’s surfaces painted in a dark blue which was supposed to be neither too greenish (e.g. FS 35042) nor too reddish (like Humbrol’s 104 Oxford Blue). After long consideration I settled upon Tamiya X-3 “Royal Blue”, IMHO a good compromise – even though it turned out darker on the model than initially expected, and I panel-shaded it later with RAL 5013 (Revell 350, Lufthansa Blau) and Humbrol 25. The red contrast areas on chest and lower arms were painted with Humbrol 19.
Thanks to the modified joints the kit was much easier to paint and weather, which was done with a light black ink washing to emphasize recesses and panel lines and with dry-brushing to highlight edges and add plasticity.
From the OOB sheet were most stencils taken, but I added some more from other VF-1 sheets. The original veneer thruster decals were replaced with smaller alternatives (taken from an ARII Destroid Phalanx and upgraded with small white bars to make them stand out more on the hull’s dark blue background), and I procured “Kite” insignia from ARII VF-1 Fighters, esp. for the folded wings on the “backpack”. Unfortunately, the OOB decal sheet lacks the nice “nose art” on the inner left leg, so that I improvised a similar motif from the scrap box, combining single white stars from a TL Modellbau sheet, the white “Shirley June” tagline from a WWII F4U Corsair and a portrait that belongs to a Czech Su-25. It’s bigger than what the box art shows and different in colors, but it still looks good on the exoskeleton, adding an individual touch. ^^
Finally, the model’s still separate sections were sealed with matt acrylic varnish, and the Armored Valkyrie was put together.
Well, the IMAI kit lingered a long time in The Stash™, after I had been lucky enough to get my hands on a specimen for a reasonable price. Building it with all the improvements took a while and some effort – and the worst thing is that almost none of them are visible, at least at first sight. Pretty subtle. But it’s a nice addition to my 1:100 Macross model collection, a properly built Armored Valkyrie had been missing, even though I had built (and later re-built again) one as a wreck as part of my Armored Factory diorama and its modernization many years ago. This technically upgraded VF-1S model is MUCH better now, in any respect, despite the model’s age (after all, the molds were created in the early Eighties)!
What’s also interesting is the comparison with the slightly later 1:100 VF-1 kit from Arii, which is more slender and taller than the IMAI kit, which appears quite stocky in direct comparison – supported by the massive exoskeleton, though.
