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1/2500 SDF-1 Macross


Justiciar

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Hi All,

I'm a little burned out on making Star Trek kits and want to go back to my first love. I'm considering making a 1/2500 SDF-1 Macross in resin. It would be cruiser mode, non-transformable. Assuming 1200m, that scales to 48cm long, or just under 19" long. It would also be quite detailed (scale destroids in pop-ups, frex).

I'm not looking for any commitments yet (because I'm really not known around here), just realistic expressions of interest. It'll likely push $250-$300, so please don't say "Yes" if you not serious about following through. Hope that didn't come out harsh.

Here's my blog: http://scifiskunkwerks.blogspot.com/ and my photobucket page: http://s66.photobucket.com/albums/h256/justiciar/ for examples of stuff I've done.

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It'll be mostly TV version. The basic hull shape will be TV version, but I'll grab detailing info from whatever sources I can find, maybe throw in a little artistic impression here and there. If you dig through my Photobucket page you'll see my Destroids, which I think would be representative of what I mean. Just little tweaks here and there.

I'm also considering doing it with the ARMD platforms rather than Prometheus and Daedalus. That's not hard and fast. I just have a hard time putting my best effort on things that I don't like (like the Prom & Daed). If I do, think of it as how it would appear had things gone as the UNSPACY had planned. Or not. YMMV.

If there are any particular features you'd like to see, now is the time to say it. I'm also looking for reference material. I've seen all the stuff at Mr. March's site, but I don't have any of the books. The absence of input just means you'll have to live with what I think looks good ;-)

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It'll be mostly TV version. The basic hull shape will be TV version, but I'll grab detailing info from whatever sources I can find, maybe throw in a little artistic impression here and there. If you dig through my Photobucket page you'll see my Destroids, which I think would be representative of what I mean. Just little tweaks here and there.

I'm also considering doing it with the ARMD platforms rather than Prometheus and Daedalus. That's not hard and fast. I just have a hard time putting my best effort on things that I don't like (like the Prom & Daed). If I do, think of it as how it would appear had things gone as the UNSPACY had planned. Or not. YMMV.

If there are any particular features you'd like to see, now is the time to say it. I'm also looking for reference material. I've seen all the stuff at Mr. March's site, but I don't have any of the books. The absence of input just means you'll have to live with what I think looks good ;-)

what? TV version but the ARMD platforms?? I don`t know about Star Trek fans but I think you have to be clear about what version you`re doing here as fans here are pretty hardcore.

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Which is why we're talking about it before I actually proceed with anything. :) (Star Trek fans can be pretty hardcore as well)

The SDF-1, regardless of film or TV version, is just that: It's the SDF-1 and nothing more. In both versions the ship was meant to dock with the ARMD platforms, yes? (and actually did in DYRL?) My personal preference would be to do it as it was intended, but that's just me. That's why I'm asking for feedback.

An added bonus is that I already have an ARMD mesh that I can use. It's a film ARMD. I don't have Prometheus and Daedalus meshes and generating them would cost me. I don't want to do that for obviously reasons, but again, I'm perfectly willing to go that route if that's what the masses desire.

OTOH, we could also do this as just the SDF-1 and keep Prometheus, Daedalus and ARMD models as separate kits. That would make the SDF-1 itself cheaper. Or we could go with an uber-kit that has all of the above, though that would make it cost more. Plenty of time to hammer out the kinks.

I guess my general thought on the subject is that it's not uncommon to see garage kits with some liberties taken, making them stylized, etc. But it's completely OK if others don't agree. There's nothing binding here. Like I said, right now we're talking about it to figure out if it's viable and how we want it. It'll be crystal clear what's in the kit once we start talking about real money.

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I'd definitely be interested in a TV version. If you go the ARMD route then you can count me out. The DRYL version has been done to death. About time the "real" version was shown some love.

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Either version is fine for me. just no mix max or cross-over type! The sheer size of if will make it stunning, no matter if it i sthe nostalig TV type or the more spacey DYRL type!

Count me in!

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You'd lose me with a hybrid version too I'm afraid. Yes, the 'real' version (TV) was meant to dock with ARMD platforms, but it never did, making such a spectacle a "what-if" only, as seen in the in-universe "war movie" version, DYRL. (NOBODY mention the newer series showing the DYRL version please! Big West can't have it both ways, nyar.) :)

Fact is, the DYRL has been done to death, it's, seriously, as ugly as sin, and there's new large-scale DYRL product on the way anyway.

By god it's nice to see that modelmakers take the opposite line to the consensus on the Yamato...go us!! :D

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I loved the 1/5000 cruiser model and I'm bummed it's no longer in production. Something twice that size would be awesome. I think the TV version would be great and you've got to put the Daedalus and Prometheus on it (not that I'm biased or anything ^_^ ).

I have lots of Daedalus material if you need it. An open hatch option would make a cool pose on it for a Daedalus attack (if built in the stormer version).

I think DYRL is getting enough love for the SDF-1. That's my two cents. - MT

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What's with everyone saying the DYRL version has been overdone? By my count, there's only been three. The two Yellow Sub resin kits, and the Wave toy. This isn't exactly a VF-1 we're talking about here :p

Granted, the TV version hasn't had a whole lot more, but the Imai 1/3000 SDF-1 cruiser is an excellent kit.

I'll definitely agree not to make it a mix n' match hybrid though. TV SDF-1 + DYRL ARMD = bad. If it was a TV ARMD, that'd be less bad. But it'd still just leave me scratchbuilding my own Daedalus and Promethius.

So if you're going to do this thing, awesome. Just don't half-ass it by using whatever meshes you have lying around.

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Just don't half-ass it by using whatever meshes you have lying around.

I take a little bit of offense at that. I don't do anything in modeling "half-ass." I love the TV SDF-1 and don't like the DYRL? version. I prefer the DYRL? ARMD over the TV ARMD and was already working towards it at customer request. I don't particularly care for Daedalus and Prometheus, but I'm happy to make them if that's what people want. High quality CGI meshes take time and/or money to develop and aren't found just "lying around." I tend to go towards what I would like because a consensus is so infrequently reached and I thought that this might interest you guys. So I asked and it turns out that I'm wrong. That's cool and I'm happy to change my plans because it seems like there might actually be a consensus here, but let's not act like I'm trying to pull a fast one, violate anyone's childhood, looking for a quick buck, taking the easy way out or whatever else.

@MechTech -- I'd love that Prometheus and Daedalus material. The more reference material the better. I'll PM my email addy to you. Thanks.

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What's with everyone saying the DYRL version has been overdone? By my count, there's only been three. The two Yellow Sub resin kits, and the Wave toy. This isn't exactly a VF-1 we're talking about here :p

Granted, the TV version hasn't had a whole lot more, but the Imai 1/3000 SDF-1 cruiser is an excellent kit.

I thought the Imai kit was 1/5000 so as far as larger scale kits are concerned there are none that I am aware of for the TV version so the DYRL variant is leading 2-0.

Justiciar, I hope my response didn't seem to harsh but as I already have both Yellow Sub DYRL kits I really would like to see a TV version. I feel the TV version has more character than the DYRL version.

In the end it's up to you as it is a labour of love so don't go making something you don't like and as I'm a sucker for big resin kits I'll probably buy one no matter what it is ^_^

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I know a few tricks when rapid-prototyping to help minimize costs. My initial guesstimate is that the prototype will be ~$1500 to grow. Just for the SDF-1. Not counting work on the mesh. But I'm hoping to do it for less. A talented modeler, which I am not, could scratch build one for a fraction of the cost, excluding the time investiture. It's going to cost, one way or another. That's also why I'm not going to do it unless there's serious interest. It's also why we're going to hammer out exactly what's going to be done before we proceed. At the moment, I'm hearing TV SDF-1, Prometheus and Daedalus. That's cool.

If there's enough interest (at least 25, though that changes as production costs are refined and sales price adjusted accordingly), then we'll make it work. If not, perhaps at a later time.

thegunny -- I never make something I can't get behind. If my heart's not in it then I know I wouldn't do a good job, so I'll simply pass. Conversely, whatever I do make will be good (the biggest complaint I've ever had was that a female key had collapsed during molding and I didn't realize it, meaning it required about a minute of scraping on the part with an X-acto to clean out).

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What's with everyone saying the DYRL version has been overdone? By my count, there's only been three. The two Yellow Sub resin kits, and the Wave toy.

Four - there's a large-scale Yamato toy upcoming. But really ANY amount of attention paid to that mess is too much. ;p

Granted, the TV version hasn't had a whole lot more, but the Imai 1/3000 SDF-1 cruiser is an excellent kit.

Oh, man, come on! It's 1/5000 - it's tiny! It's a tolerable kit, it's a placeholder for something better.

So if you're going to do this thing, awesome. Just don't half-ass it by using whatever meshes you have lying around.

Justiciar had every right to feel a little affronted by that. That said, there are some quite ordinary SDF-1 meshes around so I understand where your concern comes from. You just could have put it a bit better.

Ahiachris, no idea of your circumstances, but this thing would have about the same footprint as your PC keyboard. How CAN that be too big? For me, it's considerably too small. I'd like 1/1200, but I'll take what I can get...

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My bad. The Imai kit is indeed 1/5000. I guess I was thinking of the toy. But the fact remains, even if you count the upcoming Yamato, there has been more toys/models of the TV design than DYRL. So whether you like it or not, don't say it's been overdone :p

And of course I didn't mean any offense. But it should go without saying that a TV SDF-1 and a DYRL ARMD just aren't meant to go together. That's all I'm saying.

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I picked up a bunch of the Trek 2500 kits you had at wonderfest and think they are great. I'd love to say I'm onboard and commit to add another name to your list, but right now all I can say is that I'm interested, but the timeframe would be a big decision maker for me, I'm tied up in several other expensive (for me) kits for the next few months so, before August, I know I couldn't swing the dough. September or later I should have enough fun money again to splurge on another sweet kit :)

I'd also vote to stick with the TV version as there is a company talking about doing a large scale DYRL version.

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I remember you, Ghadrack. I'm glad you're enjoying your Trek kits. Thanks.

This will be a multi-month project, so you'll have plenty of time to save.

Sorry, Valkyrie. I need to remember to not speak when I'm having a bad day.

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I remember you, Ghadrack. I'm glad you're enjoying your Trek kits. Thanks.

This will be a multi-month project, so you'll have plenty of time to save.

Sorry, Valkyrie. I need to remember to not speak when I'm having a bad day.

They are cool, I've got them all ready for paint, I've got so much stuff primed right now that It may be a while before I get to work on them further but when i do I'll shoot some pics over to you to post if you like what I come up with.

Good luck with the interest thread. Any chance you are gonna make those Micro Destroids available for purchase?

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Although i won't be getting one i would love to see this finished! :D It will be fantastic!

I'd prefer a non transformable 1/5000, just like she is shown pre-launch, without the dae and prem, but those would be certain options/add-ons! :D

Edited by ruskiiVFaussie
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Ahiachris, no idea of your circumstances, but this thing would have about the same footprint as your PC keyboard. How CAN that be too big? For me, it's considerably too small. I'd like 1/1200, but I'll take what I can get...

For my situation of living in HK its very crampy to display a keyboard sized capital ship. I always tends to stick with a series of the same scale. If I get the SDF-1 then I'll get the other ships of the same scale. I'd already bought the Zentradi capital ship by Scale Solutions so I'll stick to that scale for a SDF-1.

That's why I don't build 1/100 Gundam kit's. I only stay with the 1/144 ones. As for Macross I have all the 1/144 garage kits and just started to buy the 1/72 ones. And as for some of you may not know, I'm scratch built a number of 1/72 TV version vehicles. Those who are interested can browse the thread of "1/72 Centipede Truck". I may have to start a new thread for the other vehicles. I am now tackling with the 1/72 APC.

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We're still not at a definite "Go for launch," but we're getting there. Everyone remember Jay-Lew's awesome SDF-1? Well, Jason and I have come to an agreement and that's what I'll be using as the basis for this build.

I didn't want to say anything until we'd worked things out, and now we have. So this is a bit of a milestone here. His thread garnered quite a following and many kudos, which led me to believe that using it as the basis would be a good idea. Now is the time to express your opinion, good or bad. If you want to see his vision come to life, say so. If it's a deal-breaker, say so. Just understand that it's this or nothing. I don't mean to be difficult on that, it's just that it was his mesh that made me want to do this and I don't have the resources or inclination to build one up from scratch. Hopefully you'll agree that his version is fantastic and deserves the full resin treatment.

More of Jason's excellent work can be found here.

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We're still not at a definite "Go for launch," but we're getting there. Everyone remember Jay-Lew's awesome SDF-1? Well, Jason and I have come to an agreement and that's what I'll be using as the basis for this build.

I didn't want to say anything until we'd worked things out, and now we have. So this is a bit of a milestone here. His thread garnered quite a following and many kudos, which led me to believe that using it as the basis would be a good idea. Now is the time to express your opinion, good or bad. If you want to see his vision come to life, say so. If it's a deal-breaker, say so. Just understand that it's this or nothing. I don't mean to be difficult on that, it's just that it was his mesh that made me want to do this and I don't have the resources or inclination to build one up from scratch. Hopefully you'll agree that his version is fantastic and deserves the full resin treatment.

More of Jason's excellent work can be found here.

I remember that thread. I'm still in for one.

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Hopefully you'll agree that his version is fantastic and deserves the full resin treatment.

Hell yeah!

I will see how it all goes I may have to build some more storage :)

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We're still not at a definite "Go for launch," but we're getting there. Everyone remember Jay-Lew's awesome SDF-1? Well, Jason and I have come to an agreement and that's what I'll be using as the basis for this build.

I didn't want to say anything until we'd worked things out, and now we have. So this is a bit of a milestone here. His thread garnered quite a following and many kudos, which led me to believe that using it as the basis would be a good idea. Now is the time to express your opinion, good or bad. If you want to see his vision come to life, say so. If it's a deal-breaker, say so. Just understand that it's this or nothing. I don't mean to be difficult on that, it's just that it was his mesh that made me want to do this and I don't have the resources or inclination to build one up from scratch. Hopefully you'll agree that his version is fantastic and deserves the full resin treatment.

More of Jason's excellent work can be found here.

That's an excellent starting point... sorry I can't commit to anything right now but I'm hoping that this project is successful otherwise.

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