GU-11

Nice haul! And don't worry about getting "Yamato'ed" anymore; the company no longer exists. In the future, you might only get "Arcadia'ed"...which just doesn't seem to roll off the tongue as smoothly.

Good advice, Derex! When I first pulled the trigger, water from the last time I used the AB spurted onto the spoon. Had to spray a while before the gun metal started to spray out. I found that Fichtenfoo's method works best for me, especially for my compressor setup, which doesn't allow me to spray for longer than 30 minutes at a time. Basically, I did a few of passes, dried it with some air from the AB, and repeated. Saves time, and makes it easier to gauge the paint finish. Like you said, acrylics take a lot of coats to do, but since the waiting time between coats is just a few seconds (you can actually see the paint dry as you spray air on it), it's actually faster than spraying a heavy coat and waiting minutes between coats. I also found that a 5cm distance works best for getting decent coverage. BTW, are there any colors that don't respond well to thinning? I heard red and white are pretty finicky. Good advice! I don't have any scrapped model kits lying around, and the cheapskate in me refuses to buy a even a discounted kit for this purpose, so I use plastic spoons. I've got tons of them from ordering takeout meals.

Does anyone know how to get the belly plates to lay flat? I remember something about the die-cast hip joints, but I don't recall exactly what.

Congrats on your first Yamato Valk! Trust me, these things are addictive. I started out only wanting to buy the MacPlus Valks. That was two years ago, and now I've got a whole wall of shelves dedicated to Macross alone. Candy to the eyes and nourishing to the soul. The wallet, not so much.

...sort of. I know this probably doesn't deserve its own thread, but I don't know where else to post this. Sorry, mods. Anyways, I started up the compressor and tested some Tamiya gun metal acrylic paint on a plastic spoon. Looks really nice, surprisingly. TBH, I basically winged it all the way. I didn't really measure the paint to thinner ratio, but just did a rough 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner ratio, visually judging the texture to achieve a consistency of skim milk. I sprayed at a varying 2cm to 10cm distance, and simply did quick passes, helped the paint dry by blowing air from the AB. Repeated until I got a smooth, even and glossy finish. The first few coats were rather uneven, but as I added more and more coats to it, I achieved a very smooth and even finish. All in all, I basically broke most of the AB'ing rules, but still got some pretty good results. That said, it's generally believed that some colors are impossible to screw up, chief among them being gray and black. I guess I can add gun metal to the list. Tomorrow I'll try some gloss red on a spoon and see how it goes. If all goes well, I'll finally paint up that missing paint on MP-10's alt mode. I'll also test the gun metal's compatibility with an industrial clear coat spray as well as Tamiya's own semi-gloss. I'll also try hand brushing some Future Floor Polish. It was also raining when I was AB'ing just now, which is a miracle how well the finish turned out. I had already mixed a batch of paint when I started to hear thunder, but I went ahead anyway, since I was just testing the paint and AB.

Thanks for the info! Been looking forward to adding those flying kite logos onto the YF-19--the jet mode just looks so incomplete without it.

I guess that means I'd better start saving my pennies for that power converter and SWA-3 adapter.

I understand that the average Japanese isn't all that proficient in English, but couldn't they have just looked up the word in an English dictionary or something?

No way! Seriously? And I thought my cardboard spraybooth was ghetto. That'd be an option if I lived in Johor, which is a state located right at the southern tip of Malaysia. Less than an hour's drive from Singapore. Thing is, I live in the capital city, which would take an overnight trip on a train to get to Singapore, and who knows how many hours' drive. And if said base were closed to civilians, I'd be kicking myself all day. Honestly, the battery packs aren't so bad, considering all the trouble I'd have to go through to get the adapter or converter. The battery lasts about an hour, and I don't paint anything larger than an MG Gundam kit. Besides, the compressor can't take more than 30 minutes of continuous use anyway. Of course, an adapter would be hassle-free, without having to worry about how much power's left in the battery or leaving it unused for too long. Anyways, thanks for all the great help!

Sounds like plasma TVs have come a long way. I kept wondering why electronics companies are still churning out these plasmas even after the advent of LCD's and LED's. Plasma TV's do provide the best overall picture quality compared to LCD's, especially now since they've solved the burn-in problems.

@Chas: Thanks for the ideas! While there aren't shops like you mentioned that cater to immigrants, there is a place where the shops on both sides of a street sell electronic components. Didn't find anything there, though. The hotels and travel items shops are a good idea, though. I might as well looks there, too. The things I do for this hobby.... @grapetang: About the adapter you mentioned, is it "ready to use," as in I can just plug it straight into the compressor?

I generally prefer GERWALK and jet mode when they're on stands. Otherwise, they look better in battroid mode. Also, it depends on the Valk itself. IMO, VF-1's have the most beautiful GERWALK mode, so I tend to display them in that way. My YF-19's are almost always displayed in jet mode, while the YF-21 is either in battroid or jet mode. Nora's SV-51 stays almost entirely in jet mode. That said, I switch modes for all my Valks whenever I get bored of looking at the same mode all the time.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but wouldn't playing video games on a plasma screen be a bad idea? It's common knowledge that plasma screens have a nasty habit of "burning" images like TV station logos and life bars in games when the image stays there too long. Well, common knowledge way back when, TBH. Or have plasma TV's improved to the point where these things don't happen any more?

Many thanks for the info, guys! @ MT: The thing about living here is that skilled workers (painters, electricians, plumbers etc.) are so affordable that no one bothers to DIY, meaning tools for these things are scarce at best. I don't have a voltmeter, and I doubt I can find one locally either. @ grapetang: You're right. Getting a power converter would be a better idea than to go the laptop charger/diodes route. Having pre-ordered way too much stuff recently (story of my life), I don't think I can put aside any cash for a pricey power converter. I'll bookmark the site and hope there's still stock available when I can spare the money. @chas: I've been looking for one just like that, hoping to get one in a local store so I won't have to pay extra for shipping and import taxes. It's a shame HLJ or amiami doesn't sell any of these; shipping from Japan is much cheaper for me than the US. And adding to that, I'll still have to buy the SWA-3 adapter from HLJ. But if the ebay seller grapetang linked to sells out, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and get the power converter AND the SWA-3 adapter. TBH, I'm grateful for the fact that there's actually a power converter available, even if it costs quite a bit. Seriously, I can't thank you all enough for your help. I guess all that's left to do now is to wait until I've paid for all my pre-ordered stuff and pony up the cash for an AC adapter or a power converter. I just hope my wallet survives this; 25-40 USD, and then there's the cost of shipping from the US. On the bright side, at least I've still got my battery pack to fall back on until then.

Many thanks for the detailed explanation, Grapetang! Yeah, I've been looking everywhere for a power converter. I've been told these were sold in electronics stores, but so far I haven't seen one. I hope I won't have to buy one online--I'm not crazy about paying extra for shipping and stuff. I think I can directly plug an Acer laptop charger's connector straight into the compressor --it fit using my laptop's charger, at least, although the voltage is too high (9v)...and I still need it for my laptop. About the diodes, they look like components you'd solder to a electronic board. How do I use them on the connector? As much as I hate to admit it, I know next to nothing about electronics.

This! My YF-19 remains unadorned with its UN Spacy logo on the sides of the nose, because the stickers look too prominent. Speaking of stickers, would a coat of Future Floor Polish keep them from curling? I was thinking since the FFP hardens when it dries, it should help the sticker hold its shape even after a few years. *edited for typos.

Looks good, and like mikeszekeley, I don't have any attachment to Bluestreak or Prowl as toys. I will be getting Prowl, though, since he featured a lot in the 80's cartoon. That said, I really like the shoulder cannons on Bluestreak. We'll see how my wallet feels when the time comes.

Thanks, MT! I did think of using computer chargers, since the sockets look like they would fit, but I was a little anxious about it, since they weren't designed for compressors. But since you and grapetang recommend it, I guess it should work. One thing, though: Any specific requirement besides the obvious 7.2V voltage and plug type? Don't want to end up blowing up a brand new compressor. And yeah, online shopping is ridiculous when you factor in the shipping cost. But like you said, the cost is worth it if it's the right one and HLJ usually stocks quality stuff. Except in this case, I got screwed over by voltage differences.

Now that you mention it, the acid effects don't really make sense, but they do make the toy more unique, rather than just a straight up repaint. As for Soundwave, you've got a good point. Problem is, my local hobby store doesn't bring in Hasbro Masterpiece toys since they're TRU exclusives, and the local TRU's usually don't bring in any MP figure. In fact they rarely bring in ANY new TF's.

Bandai 1/60 VF-1's? I just hope we won't have to huddle in front of the computer the whole night just to score a Valk from now on.

LOL! I remember on some other forum where TF fans were arguing over whether MP-10 Optimus should have his Autobot symbol on one or both of his shoulders. As for Acidstorm, I just don't go for any Seeker outside of the official three. Would have been nice if they did something like the customized ones, with the melted acid effect and all--that would have persuaded me to buy one. Soundwave: not getting this one since I already have the Takara version.

On second thought, it's still not a definite "no" yet, right? Maybe they just haven't gotten around to putting up a new site...or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

So...it's really gone? No more Valks?

That looks almost exactly like the charger I've got, except for the brand and mine's 500mA instead of 400. I bought one from the Tamiya shop when I got the battery pack. The local Tamiya stores used to sell power adapters that you could plug straight into the compressor via the battery socket, but for some reason they stopped doing that several years ago.

Thanks, Kylwell, but the wattage in Malaysia (220) is different from Japan (100), so I'd need a power adapter to use it. And that's exactly what I've been looking for all this while. If it wasn't for this annoying wattage difference (and Tamiya's refusal to adjust the wattage of its spray booths and compressors for import), I wouldn't have had so much trouble getting a spray booth and compressor.