BANDAI SPIRITS, through its TAMASHII NATIONS division, has announced the DX超合金 VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie TOPGUN: Maverick Ver., a crossover between Macross Frontier and Top Gun: Maverick. It’s scheduled for September 2026 at 26,400 yen including tax (appx. $170). Two fighter-jet franchises, one airframe.
The DX超合金 (DX Chogokin) VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie TOPGUN: Maverick Ver. is a figure that transforms between three modes, made by BANDAI SPIRITS under TAMASHII NATIONS. It is scheduled for release in September 2026. The price is 26,400 yen with tax (appx. $170).
The Helmet Stripe Is the Whole Pitch
The detail I keep coming back to sits on the BATTROID head. TAMASHII NATIONS painted red and white lines across it to echo Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s flight helmet. That’s clever. In Macross, the Valkyrie’s robot head is where the pilot’s personality usually lives, so putting Maverick’s helmet there quietly turns the mech into a portrait of the man flying it.
Super Hornet Paint on an Alto Saotome Frame
This release reworks the earlier Alto Saotome VF-25 with new paint and fresh markings. You get the blue-black vertical tails and cockpit surround borrowed from the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in the film. The canopy is clear blue, so the cockpit interior stays visible. Mostly, it’s flat panel color and crisp tampo.
There’s no gradient trickery here, and I think that’s right. Navy jets aren’t weathered showpieces in that movie; they’re clean, gray, and ready. Restraint suits Maverick.
Three Modes, Heavy Bones
The VF-25 runs through FIGHTER, GERWALK and BATTROID modes with full transformation. Most of the internal frame is diecast, which means tight joints and real weight in the hand. Accessories include swappable hands, the GUN POD and a combat knife. It stands about 250mm (appx. 9.8 in) tall.
How It Stacks Up
The benchmark for Valkyrie engineering is still Arcadia’s 1/60 Kanzen Henkei line, which favors sharper sculpt proportions over diecast heft. Bandai’s DX Chogokin answers with metal and a sturdier play feel. The tradeoff is real. I’d still pick this one for a collab, because the special stand printed with both franchise logos makes it a display piece first.
The Collector’s Survival Guide: How to Justify This
The Collector Math: Maverick wrecked the Navy’s hypersonic Darkstar at the start of the movie. I’m getting a fighter, a GERWALK and a BATTROID for about $170, roughly $57 a plane, and I’ve crashed none of them. By Navy standards, I’m the responsible one.
How to tell your wife: Babe, this is the exact same VF-25 frame Bandai already made for Alto; only the paint is new. Maverick himself says it’s not the plane, it’s the pilot. So technically, I didn’t buy a plane.
How to tell your parents: You always taught me to look for a two-for-one deal. This is Macross and Top Gun in one jet, one box, one price, on a stand with both logos printed on it. Mom, you’d have clipped this coupon.
How to tell your kids: That red and white head is painted like Maverick’s helmet, so only pilots with a callsign may touch it. In Top Gun you never pick your own; you earn it by keeping your room clean for a month. Until then, your callsign is Bob.
Putting Maverick’s helmet on a Valkyrie’s face is the smartest bit of crossover thinking Bandai has done in a while, and it’s the reason this repaint feels written rather than merely painted. If you already own Alto’s VF-25, this isn’t a duplicate; it’s the same frame finally given a second pilot worth meeting.
🟢 Product Specifications 🟢
- ✅ Product: DX超合金 VF-25 メサイアバルキリー トップガン マーヴェリックVer. (VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie TOPGUN: Maverick Ver.)
- ✅ Manufacturer: BANDAI SPIRITS / TAMASHII NATIONS
- ✅ IP: Macross Frontier x Top Gun: Maverick
- ✅ Price: 26,400 yen tax included (appx. $170)
- ✅ Release: September 2026
- ✅ Height: approx. 25 cm (appx. 9.8 in)
- ✅ Materials: ABS, diecast, PVC, painted finished product
- ✅ Modes: FIGHTER, GERWALK, BATTROID
- ✅ Accessories: swappable hands, GUN POD, combat knife, dual-logo display stand
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