ChristopherB

Less than Super Ostrich, It's cool of you to also recommend Anasazi37, and I completely agree with your sentiments, but let's be honest here, there is no competition, because I personally do not know of anyone else here at MW or elsewhere that could make the decals for this kit, and do half as good of a job as he will. I know you weren't implying that anyone else should be considered, and you were just lending your support. Et al, Valkyrie will recast the kit, so that matter is settled. Congratulations to him by the way. Devin will make the decals for the VB-6, and if someone wants to get their decals from another source they are welcome to, but I know that the majority of people will want his decals included with their kit. If you would prefer another person make the decals for your specific kit, feel free to contract with them and pay their fees. Devin, Thank you for agreeing to take on this project. I officially volunteer my VB-6 recast for you to use when you make the decals. I'll have Ken (Valkyrie) mail it straight to you. Of course you'll need to get it as soon as possible so you can finish the decals to be included with the other kits that are sold. Best wishes to everyone. Sincerely, Christopher

Damn, I not trying to flame bait or anything like that because ARAFAT209 has never done anything to me personally, and if he had, I still wouldn't do that, but I was honestly really excited when I read the topic of his thread. I was like, "Holy Sh*t, I'm going to get to see someone show us their project to scratch build my favorite valkyrie, the Super Ostrich!" My mind conjured up images of someone sculpting the armor from clay, or making it from styrene and so forth, but all you've done is take a set of standard recast armor essentially identical to the original Bandai armor, and stick it on what looks to be a beat-up Jetfire. I'm familiar with Rob's excellent recast work, and that armor looks very similar, but that is for you to clarify. Since you didn't mention a scale in your title I also thought you were going to scratch build a VT-1 with bubble canopy, (2) seat cockpit and so forth, but I suppose that was asking a bit much. Well, if you decide to continue and prove the armor is indeed your own Bandai recast, I'll look forward to seeing your custom 1/55 Super Ostrich as compared to an original scratch build. Until then..., Christopher

amen brother My Brothers and Sisters, I've been to the moutain top, and I've seen the evil that is "Tanmen." And the Lord shall cast him down amongst rabid Robotech fans, and the Lord shall spread his resin kits like a plaque of locusts across the lands of Macross fans everywhere! Can I get a, Hallelujah?!?

Valkyrie, Well, we could ask Devin to provide the original decals, plus different option ones based upon what people want. I'm not sure what the quality is like with regard to the decals originally supplied with the kit, and with regard to that, I'm referring to the quality of the decal paper, thickness, how well they adhere, whether they'll work on light colored parts, etc..., and also the quality of the original images themselves. IHP's forte did not appear to be casting so much, all though the detail looks great, and I know the owners kit might have been the last of the batch, plus the kit is a complicated one, so I'm not knocking IHP, because the designs are awesome, but the same may hold true for the original decals. Whereas Devin specializes in decals, so the potential is awesome for us to get decals that do this kit justice. Devin, if interested in assisting can make various improvements with regard to the details I mentioned, and provide optional marking decals that enhance the appearance, and other decals such as nose art, and so forth for people that want to make a "custom" VB-6. You are correct in that he will need to have a recast of the kit to even make precise improvements to the original decals (verify that they fit properly and so forth), and he will need the recast to make the other non-original detail and custom decals. When my 1/48 Club M Blue Roses custom was in progress, part of the (1) year project was mailing the entire resin kit to Devin. He was then able to physically examine the parts, take measurements and verify the fit of decals. Decals have to be made so as to not interfere with the movement of various parts, fit in with panel lines and so on. I am by no means an expert, but this all makes sense based upon past experience. Devin can of course provide specifics and clarify omissions/errors I made. It's great that you have a source for the boxes. One less piece in the puzzle to consider. Later (trying to refrain from Sincerely), Christopher

I understand what you mean Carl, a lock only stops honest people, and the same goes for box art. It's too bad we even have to worry about that. I paid for (3) of Blackaces 1/48 Club M Recasts, and I believe the box art and box size was almost identical in size to the original, but I'm not positive. I can't recall anyone trying to pass off one of his recasts as an original Club M, but it is feasible. Especially since his kit featured white metal parts, photo-etched parts, decals and the parts were nicely casted. Whichever way it goes, I'll be happy. Devin is definitely the way to go for decals. He and I are good friends, so I'll PM him and offer to cover the commission. I know he already has a Minmei Guard commission to do, and a few custom projects, but we are not under a time crunch right now. Well, Carl potentially has the original/copy clean up mold method covered, Valkyrie has offered to handle the recast, Fulcy has volunteered to locate the screws, Melissa has offered to potentially cover the expense, plus she also mentioned the CD-Rom instructions, and then she offered a prize for whoever has the winning box design. I will cover the decal commission costs and provide a prize for the contest as well. All we need is someone who has access to some really nice boxes where the front/top cover can be folded open to reveal the contents, and of course someone will have to print the box art in color and glue it to the box. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello, I definitely agree with the boycott, and I was really close to joining into the large order Jesse started. I have an even better idea: We should "edit" the Tanmen kits that people here at MW were fortunate enough to receive before he flaked out, and send them as part of a care package to all of the American/Japanese Soldiers serving in Iraq, and are Macross/Robotech fans. That way they'll have a kit to build when they're not on duty. He should really get a kick out of that. It's hard to believe that the same guy who made the most detailed valkyrie ever (Club M 1/48 Ultimate Strike Valkyrie), has no sense of honor. Sincerely, Christopher

Carl, Yeah, you're right about the English, thanks for the advice. I did send a separate e-mail in Japanese, and included a picture. Basically, I said in Japanese, "Hello, I am interested in the VB-6 Koenig Monster (IHP) resin kit. Sincerely, Christopher." Here is a copy, hopefully the translation is not all screwed up, and I hope I relayed the basic premise. With my luck, I probably told him that I'm interested in purchasing his wife or something like that. "Osero, Koubai 1/100 VB-6 Koenig Monster (IHP) yani kitto. Kingen, Christopher" As I mentioned, someone else is welcome to send a longer more detailed inquiry, but if a short e-mail is not answered, will a longer one be? Might be worth a shot. I'll be happy with a recast, and I'll send any original info. I get to you Carl. Besides, I doubt I could even afford to buy an original. Sincerely, Christopher

Carl, Great idea for custom boxart, and a custom decal set wouldn't be a bad idea either. I've been planning the same thing as discussed in the 1/48 VF-1AG thread, from about ( months back. Sell the kit as a package deal, to include a nice box, box artwork, assembly instructions, decals and so forth. It's the only way to go, and it increases the intrinisc and sentimental value as well, plus distinquishes it from the original release. I sent an e-mail in both English and very basic Japanese to "Liquid Stone" immediately after the contact information and have not received any reply yet. I also sent a separate e-mail with a picture of their display and the VB-6, just to make sure they knew what I was talking about. It was very basic, short, polite and to the point. I'll post if I get a response, but a more detailed e-mail with better Japanese can be attempted, but if they don't respond to a simple one, perhaps a longer one won't make a difference. Yes, I am also hoping that the D-Stance is next kit to turn up, and I would love to have the fastpacks as well. Sometimes being too brief can be confusing, but I do know that I completely agree with you about the casting method. Melissa, A contest is a great idea, and I'll be happy to include a nice prize as well for the winner if that is the route we go with it. Fulcy is a great resource for the screws, and I appreciate him offering to help. Thank you also for covering the cost of the screws. If we decide to go with custom decals for the kit, I'll cover the custom decal commission expense. Let me know how that sounds, and I would like Devin to make them if he is interested. Besides just posting, I want to help make this project something special. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello Rob,, How are you doing? Any news or updates regarding your Stampede Valkyrie project? I can't remember what scale you were going to make it in. Normally you go with 1/55, but that is of course because the Yamato's were not an issue at the time. Sincerely, Christopher

Forgot to mention, but someone mentioned Fulcy doing a step by step pictoral so we can follow along. While that would be cool and I wouldn't mind seeing it myself, the last thing we need to do is create more work or do anything to that could slow the project down.

Kaolian, Good to hear from you! Last night I was looking at the line art copies you sent me a while back, and you did a great job. Thanks again, and I hope your 1/48 Max is doing well. Last I heard you needed a new caliper or something like that so you could finish revising your initial line art since you now have an actual 1/48 to reference. How is that going? Fulcy, I apologize and feel like a complete ass. (No, please don't feel the need to rub it in and verify my sentiments.) This thread has been up (2) days now, and I should have been the first to post, especially since I commissioned it, but I've been so caught up with the VB-6 topic that I failed to post until now. Of course, I could be a smart ass and say that I was so shocked you posted a real bonafide update that I had a heart attack and just got released from the hospital. All right, enough kidding around. What can I say, but "Wow!" What you've done so far looks sweet, and I cannot wait to see the finished product. I know it will be absolutely amazing. I'll be looking forward to the next update, and hopefully we won't have to wait too long... Sincerely, Christopher

Mike, Yet another awesome custom my friend!!! The decals look great, and paint job is flawless. Long live the Bandai/Takatoku/Matsushiro 1/55 valkyrie. Sincerely, Christopher

Valkyrie, Thank you for answering my previous question about whether someone signs on to pay the initial costs. I completely understand, and I'll be glad to help out as well if you get the project. Sincerely, Christopher

Carl, It's not a matter of confusion, but it's just that I succinctly stated in one short sentence what took you several paragraphs. Both your option #2 and #3 involve either the original Monster, or the original cast made from the original Monster being cleaned up and then sold. Hence my, "original" clean-up method. It's the same process I used when you lent me your 1/100 VF-1AG around ( months ago, and it is the best way to go, based upon the condition of the original. The end result is of course less work for the customer because the finished product is of higher quality. It is definitely the best way to go, and worth the added expense. Well, Gene is on-board to help with the costs, so that is another route open to us as well if Carl decides not to cover the expenses. He is just waiting on Valkyrie to explain the cost difference between someone sponsoring the mold making portion of the project. Sincerely, Christopher

"Carl has been gracious enough to cover the mold costs if the preferred original clean-up method is used." Carl, Sorry about that, I got rid of the extra word, and it should be right now. Either way of you, it is cool of you to offer. Valkyrie, I was wondering about whether you had the pressure and vacuum casting setup, and appreciate you letting us know. That will definitely make a big difference, prevention air bubbles and also getting a high level of detail from the molds. I have a question for you. If Carl will not cover the mold costs because the owner will not allow his original to be cleaned up, I presume that the cost will have to be passed on to each customer, unless you already anticipated that contigency. If not, please let us know how much you anticipate the price per item to go up. We can always hit up Uncle Money Bags, my good friend Gene, and if he agrees, then perhaps he could be enticed with access to the first possible recast, which is what Carl would get if he were to finance the cost. Something to think about. Sincerely, Christopher

Damn, Double Post.

Hello Angel's Fury, No, I'm not worthy with regard to that decision. Actually, it is up to the owner of the kit first and foremost to decide who gets to recast his kit, but I'm sure Melissa will have some input, and Carl has been gracious enough to cover the mold costs if the preferred original clean-up method is used. Carl, You can at least spell "Homer's" name right. Poor guy gets no love. Or maybe Homor Simpson is his gay brother from San Francisco. Not that Valkyrie needs our charity or anything like that, but he has done a good job in the past, he is out of work and the money probably couldn't hurt, plus he has plenty of time on his hands to dedicate to the project, and he's shown that he is capable/talented enough to handle this kind of task. How much time can the other person you know Carl dedicate to this project, keeping in mind that you mentioned his other resin kit aspirations? Sincerely, Christopher

Angel's Fury, Thank you for being proactive, and being cool enough to help out. Only (1) person will cast the VB-6, and either the same person or another will do the other kits. The person(s) has/have not been determined yet, and it will not be a matter of different people casting different individualy parts, so the list will be very short. Only (1) person per kit at a time, unless they take on (2) kits. Even if they do, they would most likely work on each kit separately. Hope that helps. The kit valkyrie did looks great. Only saw a small mold seam line on one part, and no surface pitting, air bubbles evident. He is definitely talented, and I look forward to seeing the other kit. Sincerely, Christopher

Carl, Awesome pictures of the VB-6, thank you for posting them. You make a good point about the recast, and I suppose the final decision will be up to the owner of the VB-6. I'm sure it will be a combination of who it feels comfortable with, as well as an idea as to who will do the best job. The comparison pictures you are posting will definitely go along way towards showing the differences, and as you said the amount of recasts made prior to the one you received can potentially have an influence. It's cool that you are taking the time to show the comparison pictures. Your opinion will definitely carry some weight. Valkyrie, First of all, I'm sorry to hear your are unemployed. Best wishes to you in whatever you choose to do. I also appreciate you offering to take on this project, and even though the decision is not mine, I've heard nothing but good things about your recasts. It's cool to see the pictures of the parts, and I always hate to get my hopes up. I'll wait to dance a jig until the VB-6 is safely in the hands of the recaster. It's great to get your hopes up, but it sucks to be let down. The VB-6 parts have a lot of detail, and the all of the flash makes it look like the pieces are molded in plastic rather than resin. The clean up of the copy casting will be a good bit of work, but definitely worth the time. I don't see any air bubbles in the parts, so that is good, and as long as adding die will not affect not make the resin more brittle, it might be a good idea to go that route. It's nice to be discussing the actual project again. Sincerely, Christopher

>EXO<, Great picture, and reminder why we are posting in this thread. It might be premature, but it might be cool to talk about our ideas with regard to how we plan to paint our VB-6. For example, you could choose to go with the standard paint job similar to the Monster shown in DYRL, and if I remember correctly, was primarily olive green. But since the VB-6 is also a plane/valkyrie(?), and has (3) modes, it would be cool to come up with something unique. After all, we don't want to have a bunch of custom VB-6's that look almost identical. How about a Low Viz. or Enigma paint scheme? This what I'm planning, but not cut in stone: Paint it in aircraft silver, similar to what was used on the B-17's and P-51's towards the end of WWII in Europe. The Allies had air superiority, so camouflage was not an issue. Certain portions, such as in front of the canopy and the top of engine nacelles on B-17's were painted olive drap to cut down on sun glare. Well, I don't think something like the VB-6 would need to worry about hiding, but this scheme would also be realistic as less paint would be required. This baby is big, bold and can kick a lot of ass. Next, I plan to commission Devin to make me some really cool noseart, in the same tradition as the B-17's and B-24's. Instead of a blond/redhead, it will be Minmei or Misa in a cool seductive pose superimposed over the Macross kite emblem, or maybe a specially designed "monster" for my VB-6 Konieg Monster. Then again, my wife is a redhead, so I might go with that... So basically, metallic aircraft silver with olive drab trim, light weathering, detailing, and badass noseart. Well, let me know what you guys think, and feel free to post yours. A Blue Roses, or a Roy/Max/Hikaru theme perhaps? Sincerely, Christopher

tom64ss and Gene, I couldn't have said it better, if I had said it myself. Thank you for understanding my intentions. I've been hoping since Page ( when I first posted that this thread would not turn into a debate, but as usual the road to hell is littered with good intentions. When "Gundamhead" signs up for a kit, we'll know if all of Carl's explanatory posts served to change his mind, but regardless it was informative. Shawn was impressed with my Blue Roses Club M 1/48 VF-1S Strike bootleg/recast when he saw it at the MW Convention 2003, and as Carl mentioned, he might of even bought a kit for himself from Blackaces. Sincerely, Christopher

LocoMacross, Anarchy symbol for your avatar. Pretty cool. Grayson72, I'll definitely have the kit(s) built, or do it myself depending upon how much time I have and if my skills improve. I can understand/sympathize with a collector that wants to keep an original kit, especially a rare one, in the best condition possible. If all of the rare kits are built, we will no longer have the original to share with others, and that includes the box and art, decals and so forth. Not only that, but because of the people that have not built their kits, we have the opportunity to recast them. If I had the money, I would purchase all of the rare Macross resin kits that are no longer produced, have them recasted to share with other fans, and put the kits in a Macross Museum to so that others can experience them the way they looked when they were first created. Not only that, but you can more easily appreciate the work that went into a project when you can see the finished product and all of the pieces that had to be sanded, primered, painted and decaled to make it into what it is. Save the rare originals and share them, build the recasts and the widely available kits. Sincerely, Christopher

Gundamhead has a valid opinion. He has stated it nicely and I believe that is to be encouraged. I've sure this thread will continue as before should he choose to stay and I hope he does. I'm about to state my feelings on the subject and would love to hear what he has to say. Carl Carl, I understand your point, and if you read my post, which I presume you did not based upon your reply, I never once said his two reiterations of the same arguement were not valid. Looking back, I can't locate a post that said his posts were not valid, quite the opposite actually, because like mine they make a point to recognize his point of view. Likewise, I do not agree that just because someones posts "nicely" as you put it, they should be encouraged or rewarded. I was under the impression that we should post responsible/respectful replies, which is what you, I and the majority of others strive to do with all of our posts. Does everyone post appropriately all the time, no, and I do appreciate that he followed proper MW decorum, and so I responded in kind, but not because I felt the need to encourage him. Furthermore, no one asked him to leave the thread, if he of course wishes to stay on topic. You don't have to agree or even plan to buy one of these kits to participate, but disagreeing does not imply some special privilege to derail the thread. As has been said thousands of times, it helps if we do our part to keep a thread on topic. Last time I checked, the title of this thread is not "Why do I think it is wrong to buy copies of recasted resin kits, even though I myself am quilty of buying bootlegs." I merely suggested that he use an alternate method to start a moral debate. Like I said, his post is relevant to this thread, but it does nothing to further the inherent purpose of the thread as created, and all though it adds to the length, it does nothing to serve the purpose of the thread. As a matter of fact, his opinion is anathema to the goals of the thread. Lastly, I do not feel the need to justify my reasons for buying a recast. The reasons are self-evident, as I'm sure his are for taking the moral high ground, while at the same time taking part in the sin, at least in the past. I do appreciate your well substantiated post as well as your reasoning, and you did so very well. Although I doubt it will happen, hopefully people will realize that you are either on one side of the fence or the other. All of the nice replies and counter replies in the world will do nothing to change someone's mind, no matter how much you repeat them or slightly change the semantics. Looking forward to the pictures, and the end of this senseless debate... Sincerely, Christopher

Gundamhead, You are entitled to your opinion and I understand your point. This thread is for people interested in the VB-6 Koenig Monster and so forth, the thread was not created so you can post your opinion as to whether something is correct or not. You've made your point in this thread, so please either PM/IM/e-mail or start your own thread where you and others can debate the topic of recasts. Feel free to contact me via PM, and we can talk about the morality of pornography, alcohol, bootleg toys, gay marriage/civil unions, and anything else you feel compelled to take a stand on, even though you've also engage in the activity. Also known as, "Pot calling the kettle black." No one is saying you do not have a right to post your opinion, which you have already done twice, but how much more can you reiterate the same exact sentiment without it becoming redundant. Melissa and Valkyrie have both presented our side of the topic very eloquently, so please do your part to refrain from beating a dead horse, rather than ruin this exciting thread. I've been around a while, and like others, nothing is worse than seeing a positive thread which sometimes seem rare, turned into a debate. Obviously, your post relates to this thread, but inherently it is different, and if your want to start a crusade, please take it elsewhere on this forum, or let sleeping dogs lay. Lets leave it at that, and hopefully you'll take my advice so this thread can continue as before. Sincerely, Christopher

Angel's Fury, Thanks for starting a list, even though another a separate thread might be started once more information is posted. By the way, you might want to look through the thread a little bit more closely to identify any people you might have missed. Right off the bat, you are forgetting Melissa (Trueblueeyes) the person that started the thread, and me Christopher. I'm not sure where you got the names on your list from, but it seems weird to leave off Melissa and myself after we've posted in this thread quite a few times. I'm sure it was just an oversight though, or perhaps you thought we got a kick out of typing messages when we are bored. A review of our previous posts will show that we are interested in all (3) kits you listed, as well as others. Keep in mind, Melissa has already started a list, and the order in which people get their kit will have to be finalized as well. I hope everyone had a great weekend, the weekly grind starts tomorrow. Sincerely, Christopher