Toynami is producing Robotech toys in a variety of scales and sizes, but these articulated versions in the standard action figure scale are likely to be the most popular. You'll also notice that these come under the series title "Battlecry," and are based on the video game of the same name.

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"Robotech Battlecry VF-1S and VF-1J"

The figures are actually Veritech fighters, which (in the cartoon and game) transform from robot to jet at the drop of a hat. These figures don't transform, but are the robot versions of the Veritechs. The VF-1S, or Skull Leader, belongs to Roy Fokker, while the VF-1J belongs to Max Sterling. They are outfitted with Super Veritech booster armor, and come with a telescoping rifle and extra hands.

Packaging - ***
The card art is attractive and fairly eye-catching, with some nice graphics. The package will hold up to shelf wear, and has a sturdy bubble well attached to the backer card. I would have liked a little more background text, since I'm not a huge fan and don't know the characters as well as some folks do, but overall the packaging is good.

Sculpting - ***1/2
The sculpts match the source material well, and although there's not a ton of detail, what's here is done well. Like most Japanese robots, these are very angular, with lots of straight lines. When there are curves, they are very symmetrical, and play off the rest of the design.

There are a few details to the sculpt, such as VF-1S' skull and crossbones insignia, or the detail work on the hands, and these are well done with lots of attention clearly paid.

Paint - ***
The colors on all the Veritechs is pretty basic as well, with only a few colors, and those being used predominantly over large areas. The use of color in the design is well done though, and highlights and defines the figure nicely.

There's almost no slop as well, although the lines around his 'antenna' on top of his head and the posts were less defined than other areas. The larger areas of color are all consistent and smooth, with no bleed between any of the colors and the white.

Articulation - ***1/2
The company claims 18 points on these, but you might find more or less depending on just how you count articulation. There's plenty here though for just about any pose - neck, both 'antenna', ball jointed shoulders, cut biceps, elbows, wrists, waist, ball jointed hips, knees, ankles, and even both exhaust tubes on the rocket pack.

There are still a couple issues. The ball jointed hips don't have the range of motion you'd expect, and cut joints on the thighs would have really helped. But overall this is an extremely well articulated figure in the 7" scale. I was able to pose him in a ton of ways, and the arm articulation is particularly good.

Accessories - ***
The figures come with three extra hands, identical between them, and a telescoping rifle, also identical between them. That's a little light on the accessory side, but makes the most sense considering the license. There wasn't a whole lot more they could have added that would have made sense, and they did a nice job on the sculpts and paint ops for them.

Value - **1/2
The price is a bit of a killer on these - most on-line shops are selling them for around $12 each. I'm grading them at that price, and they lose some value points. A far more appropriate price point for something like this is $8-$10, and I think that if you swing by your local Media Play you'll find them in the ten buck range. You can add a half star at that price point.

Overall - ***
Toynami makes nice product, and if the price were just a tad lower on these they would have gotten another half star. The articulation is great, although the hips were a bit restricted. These are certainly a welcome addition to the collection for the big Robotech fans.

Where to Buy -
I've seen these at our local Media Play, although I wasn't paying as much attention at the time to the price as I should have been. On-line:

- Comics Infinity has them listed at $63 for the set of five. I've always gotten excellent service from them. Search for "robotech."

- Action Figure Express has them at $60 for the full set.

I'm always looking for leads on new retailers on-line, so if you have suggestions please let me know!