Chas

Nope I'm def. out. Those flipped out knee caps in Gerwalk are a sure fire NO-Go for me. To any that do pick it up I hope you enjoy it.

Here's some of my stuff. Most of it is pretty old. Sorry if some of the images are kinda small, they're from my sketchbook thread over at conceptart.org - didn't wanna rescan 'em. They're all graphite and/or graphite and charcoal on either illustration board or sketchbook paper. Some are finished, most are not.

We had this conversation before, or one very similar to it when the Bandai VF-25's came out. There has never been a fully transformable (non parts-forming), inejction moulded kit of the VF-1. That has only existed in the toy end of the spectrum. Due to their nature, toys do not have, and cannot have the, fine details and precise fit possible with a finished model. Given that Bandai attempts to fuse these two dichotomous elements together there are bound to be comparisons to both sides; and given that what they are attempting is neither of these and both of them, at the same time, the comparisons work and don't work at the same time. They are fair and unfair at the same time. Bandai has set themselves apart from both toys and models: they have essentially created a hybrid, or chimera. I am not saying that one cannot, or should not compare them to, say Yamatos or Hasegawas. I am simply pointing out that any direct comparison will be inherently flawed due to the differing nature of objects being produced, and perhaps this needs to be taken into account when making the comparisons. For myself I think a more interesting question, and possibly more fruitful, for us as individuals is to ask Why would I want a transforming model? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this strange new beast? What do I plan to do with it when finished? What is possible with this that is not possible. or too difficult with either of the existing options? When the VF-25 kit was released I went through this process of questioning and came to the conclusion that it was simply not something I was at all interested in. With this offering from Bandai I am very close to the same conclusion, the only thing that has me considering it is the possibility of modeling the VF-1 in mid-transformation, in transitional positions. That is something that appeals to me that I see this kit possibly making much easier than any previous or existing kit. So I am still on the fence and will have to wait until the final release to decide.

Nice Job! looks great in the traditional colours too! Personally I would extend the feet to avoid having the bottom of the leg in contact with the ground, but that's just personal taste - still looks outstanding!

"Begin the legs by assembling parts U9+U11 and U12+U8 from the fighter kit" intakes and the 'accordion piece' are from the fighter kit. The rest of the leg is from the Battroid kit. EDIT: I've edited the instructions to make that section a little bit clearer - you were right it was a little confusing- poor word choice on my part.

Ha, ha! TOOT! TOOT! Thanks Benson. My intention in making that thread was so that folks could follow the steps and end up with a Gerwalk. I tried to make it as complete as possible so that there were no surprises. The one thing I did not mention in that thread was to add some weights ( I used the lead balls from some buck-shot shells in the feet, nose and front end of the fast packs - I chose those locations because of the pose I wanted the model in)

Not to toot my own horn, but here is a step by step walk through of how I did mine. http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=20983

left over sprue is also useful in a couple of different ways: 1) I use it as a source for solid styrene rods - comes in handy very often! (I mod a lot of kits!) 2) It can also be used to make your own styrene filler/putty. Just leave it in a close container of Ambroid or Tennax. Granted both of these a slightly more 'advanced' uses, but I thought it was worth mentioning here.

Already been mentioned, and seconded, but I gotta say again all of OZU's oeuvre and definitely Tampopo. you've already mentioned Kurosawa, but aside from the standard (Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, Rashomon etc) Dersu Uzala (デルス·ウザーラ), and Dreams (夢) are both must sees.

well I hope everything works out for you! Glad I could help.

Ok this is probably my last attempt here. If ordering from Japan is easier and all round better for you have you looked HERE there may be something available through RAKUTEN and they do have an international shipping service. I think THIS ONE should suffice.

Just had a thought: isn't there a pretty robust US military (naval) presence in Singapore? I'll betchya that the families of the service men probably use some of those power converters/transformers. Now I don't know how/if Singaporean nationals would be able to access stores on base, but that might be worth a try. Just trying to think outside the spray booth here.

Well I know that over here (Canada) there are stores (in 'ethnic centres' - like 'little India' in Toronto) that specialize in electronis that work with 220 power. The reason is many immigrants will buy stuff to send home to family. These stores also have may types of power converters ( step -up and step-down) that folks buy when they are travelling. So maybe there is something like that where you are in Malaysia? I'd also have a look at stores that specialize in travel equipment ( luggage etc. ) When I moved to Korea for a year in 2006 I found a few power converters in shops like that. If all else fails maybe there's a shop at, or near an airport that might have one. Think about who might need one ( international travellers) and where a good location to find that kind of person would be. Chances are if there are people who would need it someone is going to be there to sell it to them. You just gotta figure out where they are! Why not check around (or in) big Hotels. Hell talk to a concierge or two they ALWAYS know where to get anything! Good Luck.

Couldn't you just get a 'Step-Up' converter like THIS ONE and use it with the Tamiya adapter Kylwell linked to/

Dude why not just look up the phone number of the shop and call them? I'm sure someone there would be able to help with the question about charge time. Is THIS the kind of set up your compressor has? Could you find niether an adaptor nor the specific battery pack for it? where did you buy the compressor from? Are yo suggesting having the battery pack in the charger and connected to the compressor while having the charger plugged into the wall - like in a typical laptop set-up? Something tells me that is not a good idea. The charger and batteries were not meant to be used that way. You'd probably be looking at a lot of heat build up at the very least.

?éQS Edit: Sorry that was my 1 yr. old Sophie. Some how she managed to actually make a post. Geez! kids these days - can't stay away from the computer.

Lots of EVA iphone 5 covers ( and various other Anime related iphone stuff) over at http://www.jlist.com/category/155 try emailing them and asking if there is any Macross related stuff for cellphones.

There is some really great work here! And some equally great photography. My pics are not nearly as sharp, but I haven't seen any posts on the site of buildups of the Wave 1:100 Valks. so I took a few shots of mine. Just preliminary assembly so far (with a 6 year old and an 11 month old modeling time is rare and brief so these will probably take a couple of years to finish. ) They are really nice little kits. Lots of detail for the size and I love the proportions and the sculpt. Definitely worth picking up if you fancy smaller scales. better shots of the detail http://imageshack.us/g/1/9997472/

Totally hear that! Why transformation in a model kit is not a plus for me is because I build kits to B-U-I-L-D them. The joy is in the building. After that, when I admire it on the shelf, its my handi-work I'm admiring. (Plus the cool pose I've put it in!) \ I just don't see any benefit in being able to take it down , transform it and put it back on the shelf. In fact its better if they don't transform for all the reasons already stated, but also because that means I get to build it in all modes. More building equals more fun!!!

erikos0311 - nice to see someone else take on the Hase. gerwalk conversion. NICE WORK too!So you chose to leave the Knee joint flexible - just don't flip from fighter to Gerwalk to often, cus when its standing there is a fair bit of weight and tension on that joint and you do not want your Gerwalk doing the splits! derex - What voltage are you putting through that LED strip? (asking cus I've got some for an Ertl refit I'm supposed to be building, and haven't figured out my lighting plans as yet.)

Nice find! and congrats on the win. Do you know how big it is when fully assembled? And as far as lighting I don't know how one would go about lighting a resin kit if the pieces are solid ( as they appear to be). The engines may be doable, but windows, bridge etc. well if that's what you want to light good luck with that.

A.D. 2012 So Long!

Hey Grayson, MAgazine section of the main site - Hobby Japan: May '97

Been to Udisco a few times myself and I think an hour is quick. The place is essentialy a Hobby wharehose think Ikea, but with models - there are two floors! haven't been over to the RC side so can't comment on that, but man oh man the plastic kits in that place Phew! wares me out just thinking bout it! Not a whole lot of SF mind you, but deffinately worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.