modelglue

I've got the same '72 syndrome' you do, must be the air around here. I won't be building anything bigger than a B-25 due to the lack of suitable display space. My Ikea cabinet just won't handle all the veefs and larger planes I have kicking around like the Dakota and Blackbird (nevermind the B-52). I've got a couple (3 actually) Academy Zero kits hanging around, but first I have to finish my Fujimi Gekko. What a chore. modelglue

That's a pretty C-47 there Noyhauser! What scale is it? I've got a 1/72 Italeri on the shelf waiting for love. Going to have D-Day stripes though... modelglue

Thank you Sirs! I'm working on resolving the panel line issue - that is - how to do them. If you have any suggestions I am more than happy to hear them. modelglue

Hello MW, In case any of you were watching this build, I have some progress to report: I have decal work done and pictures to show you. One caveat though; I am using a 40" LED tv as my monitor at the moment due to a sudden necessary change in hardware... therefore it is very hard for me to audit my photography for quality. If the images are crap, I apologize. I wanted to use as much common iconography as possible to bridge the gap between the Macross World and Captain Harlock. I used only decals supplied with the kit, luckily there were some that I think did the trick. Nothing major here except an alternate view. Detailing with washes turned out to be difficult and not all that convincing. I usually have pretty decent luck with said process, but I think I applied too much of the Tamiya flat red to get the coverage I needed. Lesson learned I guess. I'll have to resort to pencil lining in lieu of promodeller wash this time around. If anyone has any different ideas about what I can try then please don't be shy! modelglue

Hey Now, Noyhauser that is one fine model. It was recently on my list of "to get" but was superceded by the Minicraft Martin Mariner that came out. I'm still saving up for that one. The tumbler and viper also look great gents, and while i'm not a big fan of the design I think the 'new' batmobile has that realism missing from the previous fun versions. modelglue

Very cool, I think I found a few new things to rock to while hobbying, after looking at your twitter feed. Congrats again on a slick build and great detailing. modelglue

Great to see this, especially after all that suspense! Great job on all of it, and great soundtrack! modelglue

I love this thread, for the sole reason of that it makes me feel like I'm getting work done on my models vicariously through you all. But in reality, I am finding that we all sorta kinda work at a pace that is reconciled by each other's paces... modelglue

....and WHAT a boy!!! "That's the catapult hook" Looks like a nice model but I'll have to stick to the two unbuilt Bandai -25 kits of the Prophecy and the Luca I have waiting downstairs.

So what you are saying is: Go buy another and do it up WW2 gloss sea blue style? Sounds good!... stay tuned. modelglue

Might try this with my Bandai 2'n'1's.

Whoooooo *whistles in appreciation*. Thanks for sharing that. The launch base is amazing. My knowledge of all the schemes is limited but there are certainly a few I will try and emulate on upcoming builds. modelglue

Gives 'low-viz' a whole new meaning?

Hello MW! Hopefully nobody minds if I just start up this thread to capture my progress as I delve into the scifi genre a little more and give my newly acquired Macross models some love. I started the Hasegawa Spacewolf model in 1/72 back on the 'What lying on your workbench...' thread and figured I would give it a home of it's own. The Hasegawa kit, for those interested, practically falls together. It was a headache free, simple build that would see little weathering or preshading as I intended to display it in a cross over scheme as a Macross realm prototype. Purists may hate it, and Harlock fans may shake their fists... but I just had to do it. I mean, come on! - the decal sheet sports skull squadron markings! Here's some pics of my build so far. I meant to keep this build light and easy, but I still needed to resolve how to arm it with a large calibre gatling gun as promised in the other thread. I resorted to casting the barrel end of the riptide kit from Games Workshop/Citadel and it fit really nicely on the sawed off intake trunk. I chose the red/black scheme as a bastardization (I've come this far right?) of the orange test schemes we see in history. I figured the white decals will really make for a striking contrast once they're applied. I shaved all the elongated aerodynamic bits off the wing tips and rudders. That aspect of the kit was cool and all, but didn't appeal to me. The burner can and gatling gun received a light gun metal finish and eventually the whole model will have a panel line wash with promodeler product. The cockpit area will remain black, with no fanfare or extra detailing via paints. At this scale it's a bonus to have knobby things included but once that canopy is installed you can forget seeing it from inside my display case. I chose this tamiya yellow green for my interior coatings, like the WW2 chromate used in that period. I felt it was fitting as so much of this aircraft feels inspired by the planes of the age. I did the landing gear in the same color and then washed the items and bays with citadel's badab black wash thinned with plain old water. It settles nicely and is a worry free detail aid. Under wing hard points are intended for big, clumsy looking drop tanks. I intend to attach some Macross goodies once they arrive in the mail and I've had a chance to duplicate them. Enjoy... C+C welcome. modelglue

Brace yourselves, I just finished watching Macross (all series) as far as I could to bring myself up to speed. I watched PLUS awhile back so it was fun to rewatch that after watching the original series. I skipped through most of DYRL. I gave 7 a chance, but lost interest after seeing the same spirita sucking scene again and again after 4-5 episodes. Long story short there I skimmed through the follow on movies and went on to really enjoy Zero and Frontier.\ I gave Mospeada and Starblazers a go; but I think I missed the window on those, as they didn't do it for me. Now it's just time to sit back and wait for the EVA re-dos. I'll take a look into some others mentioned here, glad this thread exists. modelglue

Go get it out of the trash and put it in a shoe box for a time when you have more patience. I put things away all the time when it's just not going right. I think I have about one model out of every ten that goes smoothly... but there is always something however minor that just doesn't work. Its that 'life is a balance' thing people keep talking about...I think. But seriously, try it again another day. Might have just been humid. modelglue

I'm liking this idea and the one you pointed out in that dark blue metallic looking scheme. I'm also liking the 7th one in if you counted from top left to bottom right. I'm still shaking my head over that deal you got, congratulations. modelglue

Hey VA, Did you by chance pay with your Visa or other credit card? I know it may not be a favorable solution, but you could just charge your purchase back to HLJ if you don't get the service you require, and simply shop somewhere else for your gundam markers. It seems to me that the seller/shipper should be taking care of all requisite forms, as you are paying for the shipment after all. Not to sound unfriendly, I really enjoy HLJ's service but it sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me to keep juggling responsibility. modelglue

Great job on that GN-X. I wish I could achieve that silky smooth flatness. You use a Tamiya rattle can flat/matte but decanted? modelglue

No Sir, this is a complete kit. I would still love to get my hands on the conversion set you are talking about. modelglue

Noyhauser: Cool '18's! Gotta love Academy. Is that a newer version of the Hasegawa Hornet kit? I've got one older kit on standby with the triple color camo diamond back scheme aftermarket decals. Here ya go: The casting is not what I am used to, call it naivete but I was expecting something different I guess. No offense intended to the artist/casting specialist intended. Here is most of the kit, I didn't unpack all of the little baggie. It comes with two heads, and two shins. I'm sure there is more to it than that but I haven't looked to hard yet. I am going to spend a significant amount of time reworking most of this kit, and I will probably recast it for myself with improvements incorporated. I plan on doing it as the YF-21 in case you are wondering, and will wait until I have the Hasegawa kit on hand before I do any major re-scribing. modelglue

Will do Jefuemon, and thanks for the advice regarding the vinyl. I'll have to wait for a moment when I can set up the kitchen table for a photo shoot of the resin. modelglue

Well Gents, I have to thank Jefuemon for directing me to Rinkya after asking him about sourcing japan only/hard to get model kits. I sat in awe drooling over the subject matter here, and was so frustrated by the North American eBay prices.... I know this isn't technically my work bench, but it's a bench of sorts. These will be gracing my work area soon enough and I hope to show you how I do along the way. Don't ask what it cost to ship it or where I had to hide the evidence... (see my sig) modelglue

That's a great blend of blues, I think you nailed it with the top left row of samples. That's my personal take on it, though light differences and your camera could be affecting what I am seeing. It's a scaled color, so you have a bit of leeway. The scale effect is used for painting smaller scale models. You would add grey or white into your paint color to tone it down to represent that aircraft at a distance. Other, more intense colors tend to make your model look like a toy as opposed to a representation of the real thing... only scaled down to 1/72. It's not a rule per se, but it is generally recognized as a helpful technique for adding realism to your display case/shelf. I find it helps create more depth with varied panel shading, weathering, and panel line washing. I hear you on the Tamiya lids, once they get crusty then you are going to have to get out the channel locks. I tend to use testors pipettes to dispense paint into my airbrush, and still inevitably get some on the threaded glass rim. Careful use of window cleaner and paper towel should help to clear that away. Here's hoping your blister subsides. modelglue

Maybe this will help, pardon my advice if you already have thought through this option: Citadel (Games Workshop) has a color in their previous range called 'Ice Blue' which has a new name now, so you'd have to consult a chart to find it's new moniker. I think this color mixed with grey to dull it down would be a good compromise for your JSDF sky blue dilemma. After googling the plane I see exactly what you mean. modelglue