tekering

Why stop there? I'd follow DorobouHige's example, and install fiber-optic lighting.

It's true, social distancing is pretty much limited to retired people here. One of my new students began her nursing school classes today -- yes, even medical schools are conducting classes -- and I continue to teach both adults and kids that show no concern for infection whatsoever.

A lot of the research and prep. work applies equally to both, as they both require modifications and painting (and I intend to paint them concurrently)... ...but I suppose I've gotten a little sidetracked.

The leader-class Revenge of the Fallen Starscream retailed for more than $15, but what you're seeing is literally a ten year-old toy with some new accessories. I was shocked when TakaraTomy repainted a Hasbro toy and called it MPM-1, and I'm even more shocked to see them release the same toy -- again -- a DECADE later, and call it MPM-10! The Movie Masterpiece line is like a colossal joke to the Japanese.

I have absolutely every Alien, Predator and RoboCop figure NECA produced... ...except for all that non-canon video game, comic, and Kenner-homage junk you've got in that cabinet.

So far, the results have been extremely discouraging. This is NOT a viable method for painting a capitol ship. It just looks impossibly dirty. I'm calling this experiment a colossal failure.

Hasegawa designed and produced kits for the DYRL Macross in both modes -- at great expense, no doubt -- and then simply retooled them for the TV series SDF-1 kits, remolding as few parts as possible. The resulting inaccuracies were likely a cost-saving measure (rather than due to ignorance or laziness). Having mixed and matched parts from both TV kits to get a more satisfying cruiser mode, I'm now going to use it to test out a new painting technique. Rather than separating the parts into sub-assemblies and airbrushing each color, as I normally would, I've decided to paint the entire surface by hand. I'm thinking a dry-brush technique might result in a lot more subtle variations in color and surface texture, and all those tiny imperfections might give the impression of a much larger surface than a smooth, consistent finish might. I'm not used to working at such a tiny scale, after all... I've started with a flat black base coat, applied in stages using a small paintbrush. This should greatly reduce the amount of panel-lining required after the primary colors are added (using the same approach). If I'm satisfied with the results, I'll use the same technique to paint the Matchbox toy.

It's a dumb kids movie, with a nonsensical time-travel plot (and writers that obviously don't understand what a "time paradox" is), but the production values are surprisingly high -- by Japanese standards -- and the performances have a kind of charming sincerity most Hollywood genre junk doesn't. Unfortunately, the mundane modern-day setting only hurts the story... ...and the effects get worse as the film progresses. The designs are deliberately '70s throwbacks... ...for better or worse. Mercifully, it's only 80 min. long. More Power Rangers than Pacific Rim, I'd say. And of course, the ubiquitous "young girl with psychic powers" trope.

Colors, proportions, sculpts, character representation, accuracy... the CMs are superior to the Megahouse figures in almost every respect. Like I said, almost every respect.

Honestly, I question the validity of this entire article. Not only do they make bold statements about Japanese policy without quoting a single Japanese source, the writer can't even use English properly! It literally says "Japan’s decision to help company’s source elsewhere" Do you know the plural form of "company?" I do. It's "companies."

It's a custom I kitbashed years ago. There's a red LED and three button-cell batteries inside.

The forearms are particularly egregious, and inexcusable at that scale... not to mention the legs are not adequately articulated for Armo-Diver mode.

Well, scale is relative to how you display it... I'm sure it works great with some of the recent 3D-printed Zentraedi warship models I've seen. But of course, with unlimited resources, I'd build an SDF-1 in the backyard which towered over my house if I could... Say, 1:150 scale?

Right! So why didn't they land the ship like that when they returned to Earth? Oh, I disagree. The main body's too thin... the cannon booms are much too thin... the Daedalus is way too thin... and the Prometheus is just stupidly thin. Sadly, it's the most accurate toy we have.

Fascinating! I've never even considered that. However, I always wondered why the SDF-1 didn't make planetfall in cruiser mode... What would that have looked like? Something like this, I suppose.

The head and flip-up helmet gimmick was. Otherwise, not so bad. But "Mania King" remains the gold standard for that scale.

I'm cautiously optimistic about Sentinel's Legioss; it'll be superior to any other Legioss, sure, but that still doesn't make it a great toy. Amazon still says it's shipping at the end of June, but I'm highly dubious...

That's precisely why I stopped doing custom Star Wars figures... eventually, a proper figure would supersede my earlier work, and I never knew what to do with my customs. So, since I was so impressed with Hasegawa's Prometheus, I've taken the time to do a rough assembly on the rest of the "cruiser mode" model... ...and it's, like, this bizarre hybrid design, more DYRL than SDFM. Since the cannon booms on their "Storm Attacker" model were more accurate to the TV design, I tried switching them out... ...which I suppose is an improvement...? I was hoping it would be useful reference for mods to the Matchbox toy, but it turns out to need just as much modification itself! Miyatake's TV design just can't catch a break.

I wouldn't worry about the price. At $90 apiece, they'll be lucky to sell half their production run... and deep discounts will likely follow. Well, they're using the Mospeada logo, so it should be Stig and Ray... but of course, they're also using the "Cyclone" nomenclature, so it ought to be Scott and Rand... I just wish they wouldn't make up bullshit markings like the "22" on Ray's armor.

I don't understand these controls... Which mode is "valk mode?" Three! That is great news.

That's because the UN Spacy has the requisite resources. Like the US military, the Galactic Empire, or the United Federation of Planets, they have access to repair facilities, the means to replace damaged parts, and personnel to do the required maintenance work. Light wear (like in Hidetaka's illustrations) is all you'd typically expect to see. Conversely, if you're depicting a rag-tag group of guerrilla insurgents, Somali pirates, or an under-funded Rebel Alliance, their equipment should appear heavily weathered and poorly-maintained, because they don't have the necessary money and resources. They don't have capitol ships like a Star Destroyer or an SDF-1 to rely on. Amateur modelers typically overdue weathering simply because they can, they think it looks cool, or they want to distinguish their models from their toys (that would otherwise look identical). As they gain experience, they begin to understand how much weathering should be applied, where weathering is appropriate, and where it isn't. It's a three-stage learning curve, see: Learning how to apply weathering to a model -- oil stains, scratches, scorch marks, dents, dust and dirt, rust, chipping, etc. Learning where to apply weathering -- exposed surfaces, exhaust vents, cannon muzzles, understanding where damage would likely occur (and where it wouldn't) Learning why to apply weathering -- appreciating the circumstances under which the equipment is used, access to necessary resources, and the age of the equipment I'd say Roberto is firmly in the second stage.

Just to clarify, scale in Transformers is based on consistent depictions of relative character heights IN ROBOT MODE. While many of the Autobots are scaled close to their alt. mode sizes, Decepticon alt. modes very wildly. The Masterpiece seekers were designed as 1:72 F-15s, actually... and the Autobot cars are mostly 1:32 scale. That's why we scale based on robot modes.

These parts?

Not at all, man. Now's the best time to be throwing around ideas and suggestions about how to fix this toy, and what better place to do it? Please share your mods with us here. Well, since most of the leg is hollow, I figured I could rig a sliding mechanism so the extension could retract into the base of the leg: I can make space for a couple of extra centimeters in there. I've just got to figure out how to engineer the legs so they hold their extended position, and support the weight of the toy when standing up...

That's terrific detail for that scale, @pengbuzz. Thanks for your input. I've decided to favor "attack" mode because it's closer to Miyatake's animation model than "cruiser" mode on the Takatoku/Bandai/Matchbox toy (and I see many of the same inaccuracies present on your Revell model).