Aztek

Hey All, Thought I would start a thread to post progress pics and create a space to archive feedback and suggestions from those in the hobby. Backstory: Long before 3D printing was a widely accessible thing I had been working on a ultra detailed, mechanically functional, variable VF-1S. There are a bunch of posts in the Fan Works section of the model and archived on the "old forums". Some old screenshots I'll post a few for reference since this project uses that mesh but modified and updated with my understanding of the 3D printing process and how the VF-1 transforms. The original version of the model was based on the Hasegawa 1/72 fighter kit from the early/mid 2000s. It had the best line art and detail at the time. However, when in battroid form the scale and dimensions for the legs, arms and head just looked off. I started messing with my own take on dimensions working with mocked up fighter, battroid and gerwalk modes. I settled largely on what is in the Fan Works forums and only minimally mess with the proportions any more. Now that I have gotten in to the 3D printing hobby and have a Prusa Mk3S FDM printer and a Elegoo Mars SLA printer I've dusted off the old files and started working on modifying the mesh and creating STLs for the model. When thinking about scale I knew 1/72 and 1/60 would be too small. 1/48 ... maybe but I have the toys already. 1/32 seemed appealing until I saw the 1/20 Plamax kits that are out now. At 1/20 we can get the details in the cockpit, landing gear bays, panels with incredible detail. The resin SLA printer is AMAZING at detail work and I'm looking forward to finishing those meshes (landing gear , landing gear bay details, cockpit, radome, head, hands, vernier thrusters, joint gears, etc). 1/20 also allows for more gimmicks like hinge design and maybe even onboard lighting one day The first draft prints are of the arms to get a sense for scale and hep me with joint and articulation challenges. I had a bit of the factory PLA that came with the printer. The seams/alignment pins and fit all seem pretty good. The underside of the inside of the forearms is stringy/bridged and sags a bit. Need to figure out how to build better supports in the voids. The great thing about 3D printing this is even though it takes time (and fails) we can keep refining the model. There are renders of fighter and battroid below. No morphing on either, rendered in orthographic view. The joints on arms and legs are floating as well as a bunch of other locations as I still have to engineer how it all comes together piece by piece, then design how it will split and joining after printing. It took almost 2 days for me to work out and draw how to work the arm articulation. Going forward I'm continuing to use the Hasegawa lineart for panel lines/markings etc. Also using the Yamato 1/48 and Bandai DX 1/48 toys as reference for joints and mechanical movement. I REALLY like the Bandai 1/48 leg articulation. In a break from the norm and because 1/20 gives you lots of space for strength, I'm using the swing legs mechanism from the Bandai 1/72 kit. I look forward to your tips and any feedback or lessons learned you may have!

Does anyone have a 3d DYRL they are willing to share? I'm still working on my 1/20 VF-1S and at some point will need a pilot for it. I haven't found any geometries for free or purchase on thingiverse and similar sites.

I just opened the one I purchased last night AMAZING toy. My plan is to use my legacy 3DS Max files and convert them to STLs for 3D printing. Recently rescaled my model to 1/20 but it’s largely based on the Hasegawa 1/72 lineart and my mods for articulation. Super happy with the purchase of the Bandai 1/48. I can upload the materials that came with it but I think it’s been uploaded before and without any good lineart. Might be stuck with taking reference photos of the actual toy. Also, sorry about the confusion. I meant VF-1X, x being a variable, not the revision. The VF-1J and VF-1S are the two released so far. Still looking for better lineart for them! Thank you!

Does anyone have a high res version of the reference images/CAD drawings of the Bandai DX 1/48 VF-1? I found these in the forums and online but am looking for a higher res version to use in modifying my mesh.

Does anyone have a high res scan of any line art for the DX 1/48? Found this in the first few pages of this thread but need higher res for reference images.

Both examples are awesome! I like KeiKei's version but like the lights on DorobouHige's as well. Where is a link to his build or page?

Hey all! Has anyone seen a conversion from the standard version to Arcadia Premium Finish done? I got a decent deal on the Yamato original and am kicking around the idea of converting myself to include the panel-lines, weathering and glow in the dark highlights.

EXACTLY what I needed. Thanks!

MW Teammates! Does anyone have good line art scans or a link to hosted scans of the SDF-1 DYRL version? I’m working on a 3D version with an intent to convert to STL for 3D printing. Straight on shots help get the proportions and details right. Ideally they are orthographic views like from a model kit or straight on photos of the 1/3000 Arcadia toy.

Thanks guys, good idea w/ the poser/jumpsuit combo for the hard stuff. I found some decent lineart for the pilot helmet/gear ... I'm gonna give it a shot

Here's the nose almost finished up, just need to add virtual "decals" once I get access back to my Elint Hasegawa model. I have the base textures for the rest of the body that I can tweak to make Elint friendly I worked on the cockpit a bit adding the handles and building up the main and rear pilot consoles. Before I do any more texturing I need to work on a pilot. It will be my first character model ... only worked on VF-1's Unless anyone has a pilot they are willing to trade for a booster mesh! DG, the second render is of the vernier nozzle and joint.

DG, I haven't had time to tweak this lately but on my next update I'll put the render in. The doors slide/rotate aft into the nose. The pivot point is near the center of the nose cone. I'm not sure how you animated your heatshield to come out from underneath your chest cavity to cover the cockpit glass ... but I used the same mechanics to animate the door on the blister. When rotated back it leaves an opening similar to the socket/opening on the Yamato 1/60 version 1 valks.

DG/Mommar, The texture is from the black band aft. I'm going to work on the area fwd of the black "nose" band soon. The vernier has its own texture I'm just trying to get the UVW coords set back up. Even though it looks smooth it is 3 pieces ... the leg joint door, vernier housing and lens. I also have some weathering for the orange section

Had to relearn texturing this weekend ... and Photoshop. Got the nose section going though.

Is this available for download anywhere yet? In PDF or some other format? Other artwork books are on many sites I just haven't found this one yet ...

Copy that ... since there is very little out there in the form of official lineart for the Elint I'm trying to stick to what I can recreate from known macross mechanics. Having armor swivel on a flat surface 180 degrees doesn't exist anywhere else I know of? Seeing the lineart of the extending "elbow" joint of the antenna and actually rotating it in 3D and seeing how it aligns perfectly seems more true to the intent of the design. The joint, by design in the lineart and Hasegawa representation, is offset and features a swivel on the elbow and antenna head. This seems much more realistic than the swivel on a flat surface. I think Yamato may have made the swivel to help w/ toy production limitations. If there is canon support for the swivel I'd like to see it! I'm not that inflexible and enjoy finding new references.

Spent some time re-rigging the model after collapsing it to basic objects to help w/ the complete rework. Still some detail work to do and import. Heat shield is off my VF-1S so the there's clipping and I have shoulder joints to try figure out again. These are things I didn't notice until xforming this bad boy

@mickyg Since you ask I never got too wrappd up on the intake fans since they would be turned by the turbine shaft (attached to the core) anyway. I figured there was some heavy duty u-joints/couplings that connected the fan assembly to the core in the legs/nacelles. At least in my mind thats how I see it. Not sure if the engines are "air breathers" anyways. My biggest mechanical hurdle has always been the legs attaching to the nose and proper shoulder/joint rotation and engagement. "Cover panels" to cap of gaps I think are just a matter of preference and easy to mock up. The xform mechanics are the pain in my opinion. Good discussion though. @DG 242K w/out boosters ... thats crazy close.

312K w/out my hands and landing gear mesh

DG, this Elint started off as a way to knock the cobwebs off my skills I'm going to save the major overhaul for the VF-1S Strike. I might import the mesh if it comes out good on this project, but we'll see. My only major complaint w/ either variant is the dead space between the intakes/behind the head and the narrowness of the arms. The Elint masks that space w/ all the equipment she has. When I get the Strike back up we can do some ortho views in standard poses to see the differences. I like that the Strike armor disguises the anorexia that plagues a naked Hasegawa based VF-1 Anyone have scans of the 1/48 Hasegawa assembly manual?

Using Max, never tried any other software. Here's the near final mesh. I just need to fix up gaps and some global scaling (arms look too skinny in battroid). I'll post some poses soon and get to work on texturing this weekend!

Ha, soon DG ... I got the armature done for the dish, reshaped the tail fins for the ELINT/Ostrich configuration, reworked the chest and back since the Elint doesnt have the "notch" where the neck/head is on reg battroids. When doing the chest I mocked up the head and it was tiny! Resized it away from Hasegawa 1/72 proportions to Yamato 1/60ish. Not alot of immediately apparant updates but the mesh is coming along. Just have arm armor left to model then I'll clean it up and post some poses in diff modes while I work on texturing.

Hey Dat! Good to see you around here too. The kind words are what keeps this going Attached are two new renders, same scene but one w/ the cockpit open. Remodeled the whole nose section (had to adjust gear well, make room for two seats, new canopy, new gear doors w/ bump in it for gear that doesn't swing all the way up). Modeled the head and finished the antenna so it can be "stored" on ground. I think the worst part is over

I have the Yamato Elint and Hasegawa model but can't recall (they are packed away) if it swivels or not. All my lineart shows the pivot at the upper most segment near the fuselage and a "sliding joint" in the arm of the antenna. http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/hasegawa/haseve1/Has_VE1_Extra.jpg ... for reference from the Hasegawa kit.

Thanks for the ref pics ... I forgot about that old lineart. I am still uncovering years old line drawings I've had stashed. The modeling is coming back way quicker than I thought and somehow I am more efficient now? Not sure what happened there ... Thanks for posting your updates .... it got me kickstarted to get back in the game