tekering

No, wait! It's nothing a little forced perspective can't fix...! Oh, is that Robotech-specific nomenclature?

Well, the Spartan is definitely off. According to Perfect Memory, Spartans and Tomahawks are both about 11.3 meters to the top of the shoulders, as this line art indicates: The HMR Spartan stands 14.3cm to the top of the shoulders, which is a good three centimetres bigger than it should be. Note if we apply the same baseline to the HMR line, the Valkyries and Battlepods are consistent... ...but the vintage Imai Tomahawk's definitely too small, and the HMR Spartan's clearly too large.

Confirmed first-hand. If you get the missile effect pieces into the right position, the armor covers will hold them in place. "Missile Effect Set for Super Valkyrie," yeah. If Yamato released a Phalanx, I don't know about it... but here it is with the vintage 1:100 Phalanx and Tomahawk model kits, as well as Yamato's 1:60 Tomahawk and Defender: I'm surprised the HMR Spartan's so disproportionally large, actually. A Spartan shouldn't be bigger than a Valkyrie Battloid...! Don't let that stop you. There are Amazon.jp listings for 50% off as well...

And they're a perfect fit for the 1:100 Missile Phalanx...!

Not unless they fix that color scheme. The Tomahawk's supposed to be military tan, not lilac grey! Previous toys and model kits have gotten it right: ...so what's Bandai's problem?

Oh, if only we knew someone with experience customizing HMR, and a spare Regult or two...

Ah, but that's just a static soft-vinyl figure, not a Hi-Metal R articulated toy. Same scale, but substantially different products. sh9000 is suggesting something like this: Easily done, really, but I don't see the point. It's an inconsistent and unflattering color. The canonicity of the color scheme is somewhat controversial, too, since they appear so infrequently in the film, and only in low-lit environs...

Actually, that's the aforementioned White Base Catapult Deck... It's a simple set of sturdy plastic walls with Gundam-specific accessories I didn't use. However, if you add your own Macross-specific accessories... ...it looks as much like the SDF-1 as it does the White Base.

I bought another one of my own, once I discovered the VF-1Js actually appeared in the show: ...and, since sh9000 made it look so good (and it's unlikely Bandai will ever get around to it), I figured I'd make my own. Keep up the inspiring work, guys!

I would certainly make use of them, sir! I can send you this kit in exchange, if you like... I only bought it for the decal sheet.

If you repaint the red bits, it certainly will... a darker, more maroon color would match that awesome reference pic. I appreciate the encouragement. HM-R toys are just so photogenic!

Whoah! Overkill! X-Plus Large Monster Series BioGoji, actually... Monster vs. monster.

Well, actually... 120 x 180cm. More-or-less, yeah. Most of the individual kits are designed for N-gauge train sets, which are 1:150 scale. I originally started getting them to complement my HG Gunpla... I wasn't expecting Hi-Metal R toys to work as well as they do, actually. 'Fraid not. The smallest Patlabor stuff I have is 1:60 scale.

I've been working on the city diorama since November... ...but it's far from complete. Streetlights, foliage, traffic lights, signage, people... Lots of detail to be added yet. And then, of course, I've got to begin distressing the buildings... Adding rubble and debris... Smashed buildings, broken glass... It's all still too clean and colorful...! To be continued...

Oh, are we posting random M&M pics now? 'Cause I also prefer them without the FAST packs.

So, while I assembled that old Glaug model kit just for comparison purposes, I actually bought it specifically for the waterslide decal sheet... Your feedback and comments on my GBP amor have encouraged me to upgrade my HMR Glaug in a similar fashion, since it was just too plain and toyetic to suit me. After a little panel-lining and a few decals, I'm much happier with it now.

That's good to know, thanks. I had the same idea, but wasn't sure it would work... Scale can be a funny thing with Bandai.

Oh, I got that beat: The 1:144 scale White Base Catapult Deck will be perfect for an HMR Daedalus hangar diorama! Of course, as a Web-exclusive no longer in production, it goes for at least $150 on the secondary market now...

Oh, it's a jumbled mess of Kotobukiya chain base parts, Bandai's "Armored Factory" walls, and a whole lot of WAVE's H-Hangar sets. I've got a lot of work ahead of me, incorporating 1:100 scale workers, guards and transport vehicles, Destroid bays...

On the contrary, I used the waterslide decals that came with Bandai's "Armored Factory" [sic] model kit. They're a perfect fit for the Hi-Metal R GBP. Bandai and ARII have produced numerous other 1:100 scale kits with appropriately-sized decals:

All this rampant customization has inspired me to do some work of my own: I felt the Hi-Metal R GBP amor was a little too plain and lacking in detail, compared to my Arcadia, Yamato, and even Takatoku versions... ...so I added additional markings and insignia, using animation model sheet line art as a guide. I especially wanted to replace Bandai's sloppy-looking "1" on the chest with something cleaner and more professional. What do you think?

Looks just right to me! 4320 yen, originally... However, current secondary market prices are equal to that of Hikaru's VF-1J.

I'm definitely gonna have to get a couple of missile effect sets, if I'm gonna take more pictures like this:

Not expecting Bandai to release those variants, or simply not willing to wait?