The quality of Japanese Fenders is not in question at all. I agree with Uwe, even on their aircraft. They were decent - on the level of the Stuka. It is just that the Victory was so far afield of what one would expect or want from Gibson that it clearly ventured into a design vibe more in line with the Katana. Oddly enough, that was influenced by the Flying V, so it is all screwy.
But that was the vibe by design, and that is all found at Jules' site with his Victory interview.
I tend to like my DiMarzio's black, as I think all Model Ones were until Billy Sheehan had white ones for his Yamaha. But in the 70s you wanted that Canadian margarine dye-pack colored pickup to let the world know that you had a supahdiztorshin pickup like all the big rock guys. Now, that has gone the way of the leisure suit. I still like the old Model One for what it doesn't do - rip up old Gibsons. I wish it could have done more.