Hasegawa 1/72 VF-31J 'Siegfried'

Following the establishment of the New United Nations Government, new and better airframes were commissioned as concerns grew over the growing independence of long distance emmigrant fleets and distant colony worlds. The VF-31A Kairos was first developed by S.M.S.' Ouroboros Branch in cooperation with several other companies including Surya Aerospace and the LAI Corporation, and based on the high performance prototype YF-30 Chronos. Research and design were provided by S.M.S. recruit Aisha Blanchette.

The VF-31A was then used as a base by Chaos Valkyrie Works to specialize in Vár Syndrome suppression through the use of song by the tactical music unit Walküre. The VF-31 Siegfried units were outfitted with an Inertia Store Converter and EG-01M/MP EX-Gear system. The ISC used a larger Fold Quartz crystal, enabling the use of the Fold Wave System similar to the YF-30 Chronos. The temporarily improved the fighter's output by resonating with its built-in quartz while amplifying and relaying the fold wave emitted from the singing voice of Walküre to its immediate surrounding.

In order for the fighter to correspond well to this system, the airframe structure, engine, were strengthened. In addition, various equipment relating to anti-Vár activities were added. Due to the large number of missions taking place within planetary gravity, the main wing is a forward-swept design so it can provide excellent mobility in atmosphere. The outer wing section is folded downward when landing or in moments of rapid acceleration.

Most of the 118 parts are molded in white plastic, save for the clear bits (thank you, Mr Obvious). Detailing is superb as you'd expect from Hasegawa. For those of you who have been paying attention over the last several years, Hasegawa has been moving away from doing aircraft and they haven't actually released any new aircraft in a while. That is not the case with sci-fi or other types of kits where we see new items on a fairly regular basis.

This kit was released in 2017 on the 35th anniversary of the Macross anime series and depicts the vehicle of the protagonist. This and a few other kits were done in conjunction with the Macross Delta series. The Macross series is still hugely popular in Japan and portions of the original series were incorporated into the Robotech banner, a series in which some US readers may be familiar.

Anyway, this model is the flight mode version though a gerwalker variant is available with some looking. It is a fairly complex build with a lot of parts that will need to be painted and/or decaled as the build goes along. Hasegawa provides decals for all the tricky exterior schemes, but some of the areas will need to be painted, such as the black section you see in the box art.

There are two different seats provided for the cockpit. The pilot's seat is the more complex of the two with the rear seat being a standard looking seat designed for a passenger. A figure of Hayate and one of the Walküre members is included. Not much in the way of moving bits, though the exhaust nozzles are articulated. The only other option is to have the canopy open or closed. The kit could be built with the gear up, but not only will some surgery need to be done, but no display stand is included.

Instructions are well done and entirely in Japanese so you'll need a paint guide unless you have the Gunze paint numbers memorized. Several colors will need to be mixed. The large decal sheet is well done and previous experience with these decals showed them to be fairly thin and somewhat unforgiving to major movement.

Unlike the nearly snap nature of Bandai sci-fi kits, Hasegawa's offerings build like standard models. They are not for beginners as some of the construction sections have fairly small and complex parts. A lot of pre-painting will be needed to provide a nice looking model, but rest assured that one's efforts will be rewarded.

https://macross.fandom.com/wiki/VF-31J_Siegfried

April 2023

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