When I was a kid, a friend of mine gave an original Max blue VF-1 transforming Valkyrie toy which for the time was a fantastic rendition of the mechs. So I went on a shopping spree recently and ended up getting several of the 1/60 Macross Frontier DX Chogokin toys from Bandai. I was not interested in paying full price for these since prices for some have gotten pretty ridiculous, and I was not, in any way, interested in getting any of the version 1 kits. For anyone that doesn't know, Bandai's first version of the VF-25 toys were horrible in so many ways and were only good at staying in fighter mode. If anyone is interested in getting any of these toys, do NOT get the version one toys, even though they are much cheaper than the Renewal versions. I scored some previously owned but mint condition kits at reasonable prices, and even got a new one that normally runs close to $300 for under $200 thanks to a last second sniping bid. While these aren't the hunks of metal you could kills someone with that the old figure was, these are great examples of doing transforming toys right.
VF-25A - Probably the cheapest -25 kit you can get new. Looks like a if the F-14 tomcat was built as a modern fighter today instead of 1970. This is the tan, mass produced version using the Renewal design. It looks good is all modes. What's impressive is that the design and transformation process is near exact to the tv show. I also ended up getting the Tornado armor pack for this meant for Alto's fighter for a low price. While this makes the kit pretty bulky, it looks really cool, especially in fighter and gerwalk modes.
YF-29 Isamu Version - This is the cheapest YF-29 version right now, supposed to be a custom version for Isamu from Macross Plus and used in the Macross 30 PS3 game. It’s uses the -25 as the base but you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking, has forward swept wings ala VF-19. Makes a good looking fighter. the gerwalk mode is so-so, the battroid mode looks pretty good. I guess it isn’t considered a limited edition kit so it doesn’t cost $300 plus.
YF-30 - This is the kit I snagged at a dirt low price. Probably based on a Russian T-50. This is a completely new kit design that doesn’t use parts from the other Valkyries. It is much more posable than previous kits, and has a movable waist joint that can be used in both gerwalk and battroid mode. The rear part of the fighter’s hull is a large missile pod that is usable in gerwalk and battroid mode. It’s is definitely unique looking compared to other kits.
VF-171 Nightmare Plus EX with Super pack - I haven’t received this yet
So far, I really like these figures. Some of the final transformation locking everything into place are sometimes a little floppy, but it's not a problem when they're on a stand in a pose. For those that are interested in a less expensive option, Bandai also does a line of 1/72 model kits that can transform too, but require a lot of pieces to lock things into place. Dalong has them reviewed on his website.