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AcroRay

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Everything posted by AcroRay

  1. When I was touching up the sprue points on my classic Arii Metalize Spartan, I use a #2 pencil. It matched the dark metallic of the metalized kit very nicely, and has a metallic sheen to it. Just rub the graphite of the pencil against the sprue spot a couple times, it should grind into the texture of the plastic. Disguised those spots quite nicely for that particular series of kits. Since your kit is also a dark chrome, this may suit your needs. Not the best quality photo.. but if you look at the fronts of the lower legs, the forearms and just below the missile hatches on the shoulders, there should be ugly bare sprue cutoff points. They're not as noticeable with the pencil lead on them. You can see the texture, but they're not the color the kit was shot in (which was sandy brown, in this case...). Touching up yours with a black marker before the pencil lead might be helpful if the plastic color is lighter.
  2. I don't know if this is quite the spot for this particular third-party question... but has anyone used TFKingdom's Macross decal sets? I was thinking of getting some for the very toy-styled pieces I'm restoring - like Takatoku/Bandai 1/55 Valks, and Matchbox plastic Destroids. Edit - I decided to order some, so I ordered a sheet each of the UN Spacy name in white and in black, the sheet of UNS kites, and the sheet of white Jolly Rogers. I'll offer a review and comparison after they arrive!
  3. Short run? Wow, that sucks.
  4. There is a whole realm of techniques, materials and tools unique to papercraft. However, some careful research and buying a couple of inexpensive tools will help tremendously, and will help you with your other hobbies as well. For example, when working with papercraft or anything related to precision cutting of paper (or decals), I highly suggest adding and X-acto designer's ruler to your toolbox. They're available anyplace that has tools for 'scrapbooking'. (I happened across mine in the craft section of a WalMart.) Since the thick metal ruler has sharp, square edges rather than the rounded safety edges typical to most rulers, your cutting blade will keep in precise alignment. Also, to make your models look less like paper, I find it very helpful to swipe some colored pencil or marker along cut edges, to retouch away the white along the cut paper edge (unless that bit is supposed to be white).
  5. From the album: Other selected subjects...

    A couple of the bigger mecha that recently joined my collection...

    © AcroRay

  6. AcroRay

    Red Legioss

    From the album: Other selected subjects...

    Nice piece I picked up loose, but which needs a wing & back-cover...
  7. A nice option if you can't get the 1/3000 Takatoku toy... or your 1/3000 Takatoku toy is horribly yellowed.
  8. Beautiful work! You really brought out the best in these klunky and often rather inaccurate kits! (I really do love these kits, but they've got issues...)
  9. The plastic "Armored Space Suit" (Kamjin in Armor) by Imai is OK, and would benefit from some additional articulation. Although the ones John did were the best.
  10. Good gosh, both of those are BEAUTIFUL! I don't know which one floors me the most - that Kits Power piece, or how beautifully you painted the Arii kit!
  11. Look at that dainty little flipcam. Sure beats what I have to shoot with:
  12. In general, I'm primarily interested in subjects I can't get in mainstream formats - particularly ones largely ignored by the toy & plamo industry. John's Invid, the Zentraedi soldier figures (all but one of which I missed, unfortunately), Zentraedi battleships... Those are the ones I've enjoyed the most. Certainly John's renderings of the most popular topics are arguably the best models made of topics like the Destroids, Glaug & Regult with interior. But his less-mainstream subjects are my favorites.
  13. Beautiful! I'm so glad to have been able to get a slot in this kit run, John.
  14. So.... I guess that's a toy intended for the Zentraedi fan market?
  15. Good gosh, gang! Take some time to enjoy the Inbits before your attentions move onward!
  16. My actual most-recent Macross purchase: original Matchbox piece. Less than $5 shipped via eBay. It's in such nice shape and cost the seller twice what I paid just to ship it. I felt so bad the seller rooked themselves that I paypal'd the seller an extra $15 after it arrived. These Matchbox Nosjadeul-Ger toys are pretty nice deals if you can pick one up for under $20, as long as you appreciate that it's a toy and not a collector's model.
  17. AcroRay

    Matchbox Glaug

    From the album: My Macross Collection

    Unaltered version of earlier post, my annual first-snow-day toy photo: my Playmates edition of the Matchbox Robotech Glaug.

    © Ray "AcroRay" Miller

  18. AcroRay

    My Macross Collection

    Photos of the Macross stuff I've collected over the years....
  19. From the album: My Macross Collection

    "Botoru Battalion" Nosjadeul Ger, which is a color variation of the toy that Matchbox did to represent the Quaedluun Rau. But their other "Quadrano Battalion" colorway was the SDFM colorway for the male armors. Confusing, but it's a nice toy if you can pick it up for $20 or less. And by 'toy', I do mean 'toy': colorful, imaginative, sturdy, but not a collector model concerned with slavish attention to its source material. The box photos don't do the toy justice, unfortunately. I'd have probably bought one in the 80s if the prototype model didn't look so shabby and the box art (in this instance) look so rough & juvenile.

    © Ray "AcroRay" Miller

  20. "Disguise Kit" sunglasses! No one will know who she is! (At least, not Alto.)
  21. Special thanks to Graham for making my [second-]most recent MACROSS purchase the completion of a personal Grail quest.
  22. From the album: My Macross Collection

    A little Photoshop fun with my Playmates/Matchbox Glaug, after a snowy day...

    © Ray "AcroRay" Miller

  23. From the album: My Macross Collection

    A "Holy Grail" question finally achieved! GBP-1S set fitted up to a Bandai reissue VF-1J. Seems to fit fine.

    © Ray "AcroRay" Miller

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