Anasazi37

Why not bump the cost of each sticker or decal sheet up a couple of bucks? With the amount of orders you get, that would probably help a lot and I don't think anyone would complain about helping you out. I thought about that, but I don't want to do it unless I have no other choice. If I do increase the prices, it won't be a big increase. Maybe a buck or two. I am trying to keep my prices down as much as possible so everyone can afford the sets. We already spend enough of our hard-earned money on toys, models, etc. The last thing I want to do is put my work beyond the reach of fellow collectors

I am going to hold off on taking orders for this set (and any others) until I get my ALPS printer back from the manufacturer.

I personally don't like the Hasegawa production version, but a certain MW member is commissioning me to make a 1/48 set in the near future. I'm not sure if he will want it to be widely available or not. I'll have to ask....

You could say that.... A lot of MW members order stickers and decals and the work load was bound to wear out the printer at some point. It's costing me $400 to get it fixed, but it's worth it if I can keep helping Macross fans. I'm still figuring out how I will cover the cost of repairs, though....

I'll get some demo/prototype pictures posted once I get my printer back from the ALPS repair facility. I'll print out a set of stickers and slap'em on my 1/48 VF-1S. Should be in about a week. I haven't finished my own Minmay Guard customs just yet. Those are also waiting until my ALPS printer returns....

Don't know yet. A ballpark guesstimate would be $35. The 1/48 set takes up a lot of paper, ink, clearcoat, etc....

I have some time to kill before I get my ALPS printer back from the repair facility, so I am taking the opportunity to finish up the design work on several sets--among them 1/48 Blue Roses (all three variants), 1/48 Enigma, 1/60 Elint and Ostrich, 1/55 Minmay Guard, and 1/48 Minmay Guard. The Blue Roses, Enigma, and 1/48 MG sets are done and the Elint, Ostrich, and 1/55 MG sets are almost done. Just wanted to share some sample pics of the 1/48 MG set. This wasn't quite as difficult to design as the 1/60 set, but it still took quite some time. The original 1/72 model: And here's the 1/48 set (basic decals will come later):

You can dissolve super glue using something called Z7 Debonder. I use it all the time. It's available at most hobby stores and probably hardware stores, too. I'm sure they aren't the only company making the stuff, though....

Kotobukiya nozzles work best for 1/55s. As others have pointed out, HLJ stocks a ton of them in different shapes and sizes.

Here you go:

The Hasegawa Weapons Set application guide shows their exact locations. I'll try to get a scan posted later today.

I share your frustration. I had to completely redo those designs for my 1/48 sticker and decal sets. Royal pain in the @ss. Bad move on Yamato's part, especially since the yellow "tabs" are disproportionately small compared to the rest of the armor....

Here you go.... (and Graham does have a point about the sailor suit--but I still like the valk)

I'll be taking orders again in a few weeks. I sell my sets fairly often, just not continuously. It's better for my sanity.

wm cheng indeed used the waterslide decals that I make. It brings tear to my eye to see something that beautiful....*sniff*....If I can make my strike look even half as good as his I'll be happy. To answer your questions, combined arms: Yamato "Stock" Stickers - Pro: Easy to apply (peel 'n stick). Con: Tend to fall off after a few years (due to the finish on their valks). Custom Stickers - Pro: Only slightly less easy to apply (cut, peel, stick). The adhesive on these is a lot stronger and won't peel off nearly so easily. The design work and overall quality on these also tends to be much better. Both Takatoys and I make sets for most valks. Con: They're still stickers, which means that no matter how thin they are they will still stand out a little against the surface of the valk. Custom Decals - Pro: The designs look painted on and you can't generally tell where the decal ends and the valk begins. For detail nuts (like me and many others here at MW), this is the way to go. If the decals are properly sealed with a good clearcoat, they will last indefinitely. Con: Application is a time cosuming process and you should have at least basic modeling skills.

The Angel Birds valk would not be very hard for Yamato to do. All they would need to do is change the paint job on a white VF-1A. My 1/60 AB custom, which used a Max 1A as a base, wasn't terribly difficult (once I finished the decals): Changing paint jobs and selling variants of the same valk is nothing new to Yamato (they are masters at it), but I agree with many here who think that it's too much of a "niche market" valk that relies greatly on personal taste (many don't like the color scheme). Not that I wouldn't do backflips if Yamato released one (especially since Hasegawa already has), but I'm not holding my breath....

Check out this thread.

And here's a pic of the custom with the rest of my Yamato collection. I'm building a better display case right now, especially since I have 1/60 Minmay Guard and Blue Roses Strike customs on the way....

Yeah, my girlfriend would just love that. <_< I actually have a Tanmen 1/72 Fanracer kit....

Tempting. Very tempting. I could make a diorama with the whole squadron in formation (and Hikaru's Fanracer flying up through the middle of them).

The color I used isn't purple, it's blue. The exact same blue Hasegawa used for their kit, actually (I scanned in the decal sheet and replicated it). The lighting in the pictures don't do it justice, nor does the picture of the decal sheet--the blue on the custom is pretty darn close to the "light" blue in the fist picture you posted. I believe that picture is from the box art for the Hasegawa kit. The blue of the decals also matches Tamiya's Flat Blue, which is definitely not purple.... Thanks for posting those pics.

I was wondering if someone was going to notice that mistake. I fixed it shortly after taking the pics in battroid mode. If you look at the pics in fighter mode the feet are oriented properly.

A bitch and a half, to be precise. Those were a HUGE headache to create. The only solution that seemed to work was to mask the hip intake section in several stages, remove the pieces of tape, slap 'em on a sheet of paper, scan them in, trace their outlines in Illustrator, then render the designs.... BTW, this is the same process I use for the Minmay Guard sets--very time consuming. Of course, they don't fit precisely right (does anything ever?) because there are so many variable surfaces, but the blue of the decals matches Tamiya's Flat Blue perfectly so I was able to dab a little paint here and there to fill in the micro-gaps.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. The Angel Birds valk definitely doesn't get enough attention from toy companies. Some customizers (Jung, for example) have made 1/55 versions of this valk but they're aren't many out there. I was actually surprised when Hasegawa decided to make a 1/72 version, but I'm glad they did. I don't think this custom would look nearly as nice if the Hasegawa decals and designs weren't available. Truth be told, if trueblueeyes hadn't commissioned me to make these decals I wouldn't have done them--especially so that you didn't have to use paint. It was quite the challenge, but a lot of fun, too. It really tested the limits of my abilities. The 1/60 Minmay Guard stickers/decals are pretty much done and will be available for purchase in about a month. I'm still tweaking the 1/55 and 1/48 versions. I'm planning on making two 1/60 Minmay Guard customs: one to keep, one to sell. Those won't be done for at least a month or two. Right now I'm waiting for the two valks-to-be-customized to arrive....

Okay, here are some pics of this custom in fighter mode: