grapetang

I like Kylwell's find the best. You could always get an expensive voltage converter. If you go the laptop power supply route: get one with at least 4A(amps) or 4.5A, preferrably higher. make sure it supports your country's power settings; just about all of them do. check the output polarity before you connect; the center pin is typically red/positive(+) but not always. mate the output to a plug like the one on the battery pack (get or scavenge) so you can disconnect; or find a connector that mates to the power supply. You can also cut the output plug off (UNPLUG first!!!) and solder directly to the wires. check & double-check the polarity!!! everything I said earlier still applies, including the disclaimers. If you were local, it would be straight-forward to measure the actual power requirements of the compressor. Ack. Good luck!

Are the specs printed on the input to the compressor? The battery specs on the one Chas pointed to say: 7.2v, 20min w/ 1400mAh or 30min w/ 1700mAh. That comes out to 4.2A and 3.4A continuous current while the compressor is running. In addition to what everyone else said, those 7.2v 3.5A (or higher) adapters seem pretty difficult to find else I'm looking in the wrong places too. 6v adapters may work but 9v 3.5A (or higher) adapters are much easier to find, particularly for laptop chargers. Like this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/9V-4A-AC-Adapter-Power-Supply-for-VeriFone-Au-7992n-CPS10936-3F-R-/200887965995 If you decide to go for this, please confirm that the output is DC, not AC! You would have to take the output and drop the voltage down through 2x power diodes (making it about 7.2v), and then mate that to the battery plug on the compressor. Some warnings: use a higher current rating if possible; 3.5A will work but 4.5A would be much better. use power/rectifier diodes capable of average current > 3.5A, like this: http://www.diodes.com/products/catalog/detail.php?item-id=3332 the output voltage will be 7.8v or higher when you first power on the adapter (w/the diodes) and will drop to 7.3v or 7.2v under load. check and double-check the polarity on the compressor before you connect; key it if you can. standard disclaimers apply. It seems like a bit of work but it should do. Or you can just stick w/ the batteries & chargers. Good luck! ps - Do not connect the battery charger directly to the compressor. Edit: to check adapter for DC output, not AC.

I haven't used it but it looks interesting. A few of the HLJ pages actually listed the instructions: Hologram Finish: http://www.hlj.com/product/HSGTF14 Same for the Gold Mirror Finish: http://www.hlj.com/product/HSGTF5 Good luck, have fun, & post your results!

300th post after 8.5+ yrs! Congrats on the baby/babies! As EXO suggested, Figmas are good & Revoltechs work too. You can use them as a base or for the joints, or just buy the joints separately (ball or Revoltech). While the original Q-Rau Milia figure works, the CMS Milia set looks infinitely better. Your call whether to chop them up or to use the Figmas/Revoltechs bases. Post pics! ps - If one were to do Klan or the Pixies, this Muv Luv Alternative Figma is pretty much dead-on:

Nice! Add a cucumber and you have Britai's ship in-scale!

Great drawing! I love the details & the coloring (shading & blending). I'm also a fan of Zeta & its variants. My only minor, minor suggestion is to make the highlights consistent. Most of the shading suggests that the main light source is upper front & right. I'm not entirely sure but the highlights on the cockpit cover, shield, & neck cover appear to come from directly in front (where the viewer is). The light grey/white sections could use highlights too. Very, VERY minor. I always look forward to your mecha pieces. Great work as usual! It makes me want to get out my pencils and practice... Do the French spell "control" with an "e"' at the end?

Wow! Nice work!

Fun kits! They were also some of my first Macross items too (in addition to the Revell 1/72 Changers). I left mine undecaled (sp?) for years before putting them on; it made a huge difference in addition to the paint. Have fun! http://www.macrosswo...ndpost&p=523731

Wow! That is truly amazing!!! Great use of materials & nice custom paint scheme too!

Does anyone have recommendations for PayPal's yen conversion? I have HLJ's "PayPal Billing Agreement" and conversion options for the credit card are 1) PayPal's conversion or 2) the credit card's. I don't know about the going rates that each use but PayPal charges a 2.5% fee and MasterCard charges 3%. PayPal's fee is cheaper but their rate could be worse. A third alternative would be to use my linked bank account but I don't know what their rates & fees are. Anyone have recommendations? Thanks. [ Edit ]: After calling around, it looks like the following: 2.5% PayPal fee to convert international rates 3% MasterCard (it varies by card & account type) 3% bank checking account I'll try PayPal's conversion for now, funded by the credit card. Hope their exchange rate is fair compared to market rates.

Excellent work - love the weathering & the custom figures. The swap-able arm is a great touch! Wish I had a chance to see it in person. Excellent pics too (lighting, background, focal point/field of depth). Congrats!

I love these updates & comps! This last one is simple yet striking. Nice work as always!

EXO: Congrats again! Great writeup on the front page. Kicker: Ouch!!! I know scheduling & availability are issues but my only major suggestion is to hold future conventions on SATURDAY which will be much easier for us out-of-town folk. Thanks again to KiriK & all for putting on the con!

Nice!!! HLJ lists the other S.H.MonsterArts around 15.5cm and 6500Y. It would be fun if they made hammerheads in-scale and sold them in 2-packs. How tall are the various VF-25's & VF-171's?

Wish I could've stayed longer but I had fun for the brief time I was there. There were great displays along with a neat venue! Big thanks to KiriK, bigkid24, Bobe-Patt, EXO, Maiden Japan, staff, volunteers, & sponsors for organizing, plus xstoys & Concept Cube for hosting, and Mari for performing. It was nice seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones! Would've been nice to meet more of you. Congrats to EXO and Operator7G for the repeat wins, to Kicker for the poster, and to the super-talented Henry Liao on the live art win! Looking forward to the next one!

I love your custom schemes, decals, & paint job! Great job!

Yay! Looks like I can make it, even if briefly! Questions: Is there a rough time schedule of the events? Do I need to register my family if they're coming along? The registration form does not proceed if the MW screen name is blank. Re: vendors: I agree w/ JasonC - as long as there's room for everyone. Personally, I'd prefer more mecha-oriented merchandise (kits, toys, artbooks). Looking forward to seeing/meeting everyone!

Wow! That's a great looking poster! I like the layout & all the layered details. Great job!

Very cool! Thanks for the info & details!

Nice! Milia's filled in a little and the lipstick touch is just too funny. Great details & great work!

Pretty neat! Cool custom insignia too!

Very cool! I prefer #2 as well. #1 reminds me too much of Frontier. Some feedback: the white "U.N. SPACY" on the leg, while scaled properly, looks a little off as it touches the top & bottom of the black stripe. You can keep it as-is, or if you agree, I don't know how one would change it. Perhaps: make the font smaller/shorter so there's black framing the top & bottom make the black stripe taller to encompass the text, like the classic VF-1 give the letters that 3D look (like on ships & aircraft carriers) but this wouldn't match any known paint scheme I don't know. It looks awesome, regardless!!! What're you going to use for making the decals?

Nice! Reminds me of those figure stands. Any way to anchor or weigh down the base in case an earthquake hits?

Looking good! Are you using lacquers or enamels? Any problems sticking to the Q-Rau or the Shapeways parts? I snooze, I lose. Glad you got one! Ha! Just rub it in... Nice squad there! ooo...