MechTech

The SDF looks nice and clean! Great job! I've got to find all the parts for mine and build it, someday. - MT

It looks like this model suffers from the same problem I'm having building the Daedalus in some areas, "anime magic." The gear is so large it would take up the whole nose if it folded inward (pilot and cockpit optional)! I can see the hands being removable, many kits have aftermarket parts followings to improve appearance. The gear and other potential parts being removeable would be a drag. It's still prototyped though... - MT

For those in the US, Micro Mark has some great stuff: http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?M...ment&ID=104 Just click on the category you need in the red box. I've made several sheets before in ink and toner. My advice: Ink: allow the sheets to dry thoroughly! Then use a good spray on fixative coating AFTER they have dried. Do not use a spray enamel (clear coat) to cut corners with. Your ink will run! Make a few light coats of the fixative. Toner: less likely to smear. One warning, sometimes the heat from the printer fuser makes the decal plastic brittle. Coat it with the fixative and then coat with clear decal making coating. Good for ressurecting old decal sheets that go brittle too. Make up some test area too and experiment. Thicknesses may vary and how much setting solution you need if used on bumpy surfaces. In the end, it WELL WORTH IT! Except for not being able to print white, it awesome! - MT

I wish I could be there, maybe next time! Maybe business will bring me in the area next time around! Enjoy guys and it will be great to see some pics! - MT

The vipers look great (though I don't watch the show). The destroids look great all together and in better lighting Neptunesurvey. - MT

Looks great! The colors remind me of the eighties! - MT

UPDATE - MINOR - 18 JULY 2008 First off, thank you to everyone for your support. I'd really love to be working on several other SMALLER projects. The more stuff comes together though, it's worth the wait. B-52 Gunner - I actually pretested the hull with extra weight on top (6v 12 Amp motorcycle battery) - front hull specifically. The whole thing sits high in the water. My only concern are the big sides acting like sails. Only one way to know... So far the whole front section hanger deck weighs over a pound with the the actuators included. Not bad for something that's about two and a half feet long and a foot wide. Neptunesurvey - I recently received the parts to make the controller out of - As soon as the front end is done this will be the next project! When - Lord only knows! Big F - The kits most common in 1/200th are the Nichimimo kits, one of the Arii 1/170 gerwalks, and the Arii Armored valks have perfect sized fast packs for the Nichimo kits. If your still interested, just PM me. Donations are always welcome! Ranger 565 has a couple of Tomahawks he's working on for me. I'm hoping that's going to be enough too. Here's some pictures of the modified drive and showing it mounted. I like how it takes almost no room. Will it be strong enough when the door's covered? We'll see! I've got the top and angles skinned so far. back to work... - MT

I was wondering about that too. I'm glad to see you back at work on it. We have too many fabulous started and unfinished models around here. - MT

UPDATE 10 JULY 2008 With the ramp (and Sports Den - http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?show...&start=940) out of the way, it's back to work on the Daedalus! Here's the progress pictures on the main ramp. [attach ment=55579:Bow_Hatch_Side.JPG] Screw drive actuator from an old floppy drive - great mechanical safety on it. The angles are made from 1/8" fiberglass sheet, similar to high strength circuit boards. Made an indestructible "Clod Buster" chassis from it once (carbon fiber was just coming of age). That's it for now. - MT

Looks great! Don't forget a few drops of blood on the seat - MT

"Focus Danielson - wax on - wax- off." We need a model sensei column it sounds like ! What I do is keep one model out to work on, and put the other kits in plastic boxes (protects and easy to move stuff around in). I've been working on the Daedalus for like two years now. Tell me I'm not bored - please!? I used to work on so many kits at once that it burned me out on model building for a while. That's what helps me to keep at one kit at a time - I don't want to get in that rut. I've got like a hundred Macross kits (most tiny 1/200), but I just focus on the one. After two years I'll occasionally work on something minor, but back to work. You guys help too! Like WM Chang said, "he vicariously lives out his hobby through us." "Virtual glue and paint!" - MT

Have to turn down the brightness on my monitor - the Alclad is blinding Looks great. - MT

That's cool. I dig the his and hers custom upholstery jobs - MT

Looks great! It looks like a soviet aircraft painter and a custom car painter got together. - MT

Looks like everyone's been busy! - MT

I've been SOOoooo busy lately with A LOT on my workbench and floor. Thought I'd post some pictures. Our building has a recreation area. It used to have gross green trimmed walls and a lot of broken stuff. After some paint, electricians, and working on several decorations at home, this is what I designed and put together: This was made from a Cyron light bar set and laser engraved acrylic, it changes colors. My wife helped out a great deal too! She's the bomb! Now everyone in the building has a cool place to hang out, and I can get back to work on the Daedalus (that's why the lack of posts lately). Back to work... - MT

I'm REALLY picky about what I buy. I am very happy with the set. The detail and markings are first class, especially for something this small. Perfect example is the YF-19's gun. They even put the cooling slots into it. The VA-3 does have odd colors on it, but then again, it is an odd design and part of the whole Macross 7 thing a lot of people don't get. - MT

That's cool! Paper is a pain on curves. - MT

DIO - Look online. You can have items printed online fairly cheap. Fine Scale Modeler did an article on it a while back. You just have to clean up the lines with a light sand. Check it out and ask for quotes. Cobywon - You're livin' my dream. I've been saving for a 3D engraver! Someday... I can do some awesome stuff with laser engravers (when I have access), but there's much more capability with a 3D unit! Big-F - Yep it's sad that there's less need for such awesome artistry! I know the US mint still uses handmade patterns - all done in metal (even harder to work with). - MT

The airbrush looks ok for a basic unit. It will probably be noisy and pulse the air stream since there's no tank on it. Remember, you get what you pay for (I paid for something that could wake the dead - -but it works)! - MT

That's a cramped cockpit design anyhow - not for the claustrophobic! Looks good! - MT

Looks great! Just don't use Babelfish to translate your sentence, or it be looking mighty weird to read and or do stuffs with - MT

I didn't know the Zentraedi had air fresheners (I'm sure they need them though) Awesome work and awesome over-all execution as usual! If only I had the funds AND the room! - MT

The molds get stressed out a lot too. I visited a friend who worked with injection molding equipment. They close the mold, inject and then cool with water running through the mold like water through an engine block. It would take a long time otherwise. Then they open it up when it reaches the right temp and the ejection pins pop out the product. Warped parts come from rushed cooling times. The whole process can be stressful on the molds. Cracks are bound to happen eventually. I wonder if that's what happened to some of our old beloved Imai/Arii kits? - MT

In case anyone is still thinking it over, these are awesome looking for something so small! All the markings are printed and the wash picks out the many panel lines and other details. The windshields are clear and fit well. The sculpt is great too overall. There's only a few details I'm wondering about, but I'm picky. I'm ordering another set when my budget allows. - MT