Checkmate

Yup, I'm sending my copy. Not scans. Like Shaorin, I too prefer an original manual if available. : )

My kit is a one seater, but you'll figure it out. That's a good find for $1. I have a couple of after market decals but couldn't find myself spending another $60-90 for a two seater. I'll PM you when I get home.

not exactly like it but similar if you just need instructions for assembling it. F/A-18E

Beautiful!

I couldn't believe the $30 price when I saw this on Amazon. $30 for a 1:48 Hasegawa! I'm so used to the $60-90 range.

I ruined some of the decals like the star insignia and the numbers. if you notice, the 201 marking should be 200. I haven't installed the two 'spikes' near the nose and also the wheel covers. It all started so well until I applied my acrylic wash. It did not come off! I should have applied a second coat of future and should noy have added that extra few drops of black acrylic paint. Panel re scribing: I got a little to eager to re scribe and made some deep panel lines. You know that feeling when you make mistakes and the enthusiasm that you had from the start just evaporated? P.S. How do you glue to surfaces that has paint on it already? I used super glue which sometimes worked but it's jusy a mess. I agree! Anime52k8, can you post your paint/ color recipe? I love the paint job!

Noyhauser: Wow! It's like you have a Super Hornet production line there! I just completed...well almost completed a F/A-18E 1: 48 "Top Hatters" Hasegawa kit. It's my second attempt. I got burned out after making a couple of mistakes. It all started with the intakes!

I used to do this but the thinner melted the plastic cap. Hot water is the best IMO but it sometimes removes the bottle label also. What really worked for me is cleaning the bottle lip with thinner before re-capping.

I didn't know about this mecha until you posted it. Made some google search and fell in love with the design! Yey! More Macross on the workbench! Looking forward to seeing your finished Valkyries!

What is it?

WOW! It has been years since I got excited with Macross related toy news.

My credit card got charged. : )

Ditto!

Head lasers that are independently movable? NICE!

Alclad black is ENAMEL? LOL! I've been mixing it with Mr. Color White all this time! ...that's why after a few seconds it kinda separates from the white in my airbrush cup.

Derex, That Valkyrie looks awesome!!! This has inspired me to paint my next 1/ 48 with this scheme. :)

I've never built a 1/72 VF, so didn't know about droopy legs. I did encounter droopy FEET in this kit. You'll notice it on the 4th photo.

Engine detail: I used Alcald (I forgot the exact paint) and highlighted it with Armour glass. Angle: Yes, they can be straightened. I have another thread in the models section asking for translation help. I'm not finished yet with my scans though.

I'll do that. Thanks, Noy!

Thank you! I had a blast building this kit, so expect a couple more of BF's from me. I'm just waiting for mu order from HLJ to arrive.

I left it on overnight. Maybe the Yamato panel lines grooves are too shallow?

Hmmm, I might try this on my next kit. I oil washed my Yamato VF-1S which was airbrushed with Future. It might be my oil paint or the ratio but the panel lines wre not consistent. Gaps showed on the panel lines. It's like somebody was sending Morse code. LOL. Acrylic wash: I have had more success with this in the past. Use this over a non-acrylic surface. Mix black acrylic paint with water and a drop of liquid soap. The soap prevents the acrylic paint from sticking too much to the surface. BTW, prep the surface first with any clear coat aside from acrylic.

I finished watching it already. As promised, here are pictures of my recently purchased ANimeigo SDF DVD set. It's used though.

Thank you! First time posting my work in the models section. Long-time lurker. ha ha.

Hi! finally finished this kit. whew! build time: 1 month. Paint: Gunze laquer paint. Brown- 1:1 woodland brown and flesh. But, I ended up experimenting with the ratio. The 1:1 ratio was too "fleshy" so i added a little more brown to the mix. Tamiya Paint marker silver then covered with Tamiya clear red/ blue for the lights. Black trim was masked because I suck at decals! LOL! White: The kit called out for Pure white, but IMO it's too clean for this bird. So i used the grey recommended for Hikaru's VF-1J and added a little pure white to it. Photo-etch: I used the Hasegawa PE made for this kit. Some parts like the small fins by the nose cone are too fragile, I recommend applying it LAST. Verniers: Airbrushed it black then I plugged it with white tack. Worked perfectly! Canopy: First time to use Bare-Metal foil for masking. I did 4 attempts and eventually was happy how it turned out. I just needed some getting used to cutting the foil. JUST a little pressure to score the foil, otherwise it would tear the foil. The residue sticky residue after removing the foil was easily removed using WD-40.BTW, I dipped the canopy in Future first. Pilot: It's not Kakizaki but since there is no decal for my name I used his. : ) Why the CF scheme? My very first macross toy was a Takatoku CF. I think it was a Korean knock-off too. Reference: Jefuemon provided me a scan of a CF and also Mecha manual site. Why 1:48? It's big! easier to build with my failing eye sight. Ha Ha!