dur

I guess this isn't so relevant anymore, but if you have problems with HLJ in the future, try using your phone or tablet to access the sight.  The mobile site generally works better, at least for me (maybe due to reduced traffic?  Hope this announcement doesn't screw us all over ) 

BNIB '31A sold

+1 for @mog_kupo especially for helping with the customs issue! 

One 31A sold

Arcadia it is: my bad.  I love 'em, just can't justify 3 of each anymore :/

Hi all, I bought a house and boy was it expensive!  

To make ends meet, I must sadly part with some of my valks.   Pics available tomorrow (I'm at work).  FOr buying multiple items, deduct $20 off.

Lightly Used VF-31A: transformed once according to Jenius's video and then transformed back to fighter, mainly so that the gap it came with out of the box could be shortened.  Displayed for a day before going back in the box. $SOLD

NOTE: I found a minor cosmetic defect on the right wing (uneven satin finish) and also some very small dings on the front sharps of the canards.  I'm not sure they show up in the pictures, but I wanted to cut the price in good faith.

BNIB VF-31A from Nippon Yassan: $SOLD

Used, smokey VF-0A: bought from Mandarake, was in a smoker's house apparently and initially came with a bent pitot tube which I am swapping out for a fresh one from my other -0A.  Can't tell it's smokey unless you do lines off your valks.  Will include 2 x shapeways hip parts just in case, but I don't think this has ever been trasnformed and right now the legs are attached. : $295

Prices are F&F (I have feedback on SSL) or you add 3.5%. 

Free shipping to CONUS by cheapest means available to me- other locations/other shipping, we can work it out and you pay the difference.

Looking for someone who knows where to buy these online (or if you have some that have a good amount left that you dont want anymore!)

Maybe, just maybe, if Bandai decides to make the plastic of the cantilevered parts of the armor super-light (like their figuarts plastic) I could see how it wouldn't necessarily put too much strain on the fig, though the extra stands present on the display make me think otherwise.  I was going to buy Arad just to get something to put armor on, but yeah, definitely reconsidering at this point, leaning towards "skip."  If they come out with Kairos armor, I'd probably buy a set just to have, even if I try it once and then put it back in the box, for completist sake.

There's still another delta movie coming, right?  Maybe we'll see a tornado-like equivalent of more "moderate" armor?  I really like the FP armor outside of the boosters- I think that's the one thing that doesn't really integrate well with the design.  I was hoping they'd have the boosters out on the wing tips, like the tornado pack, as it would then have much more of a spacecraft look rather than "airplane plus stuff" look.

Given how cheap 25G tornado packs are.... maybe it's time to 3d print me an adapter

Frankly, from how much this hobby costs?  If the valk doesn't explode when handling, consider me sold on just about anything.

The Arcadia VF-0's, for all their color and paint woes, and even hip woes, are otherwise very durable!  (it sounds like I'm saying my car is reliable except for all the parts that break , haha)

I do wish the Arcadia VF-0A had followed Yamato's paint scheme, but I'll take an intact color incorrect valk over an explody color correct one.

A little out of date, but reporting great transactions with @blackconvoy_D01 and @Corrinald

Boy, I thought I lucked out: head laser intact, tail fins perfect.  And then... I transformed it to discover this:

Literally no pressure on the hand at all, out of the box it was snapped off like that. 

[Please forgive my nasty looking nails: I was transforming the yf-19 while waiting for my low-viz VF-1 custom to dry from painting ]

Thankfully, I had my trusty no. 76 drill bit and K&S engineering brass rod nearby to repin it and it's good as new now, but just adding this for record keeping sake.  This one can't be blamed on shipment- I don't know how it happened!

Hi, I'm looking for anything and everything that you don't want for the sole purpose of experimenting with dying.  It doesn't even matter if the valk has been half set on fire, as long as the rest of hte plastic is ok .

I'm doing this for researching how to use dispersion dye to get different colors for valks: if you'd like to donate parts to the cause (for example, spare hands that have the same color/plastic as the main body) I'd appreciate it!

In particular, lighter colors are more helpful: whites, beiges, tans, etc.

For those with the movie 31-F: what is it about the draken adapters such that you need to switch them out for battroid mode?  Is it that the fighter mode prevents the wings from folding?  Just curious if a perfect transformation 3D printed part is possible or completely out of the picture.

I'm very tempted to snatch one up right now- poor messer is getting dumped all over YJA at pretty low prices...

@xigfrid, did you 3D print your own 1/60 AMRAAM's and AIM-9's, or are those from a kit or something?  I just got in my Starscream (i.e. F-15 standin) and corgi f-14 and am looking for some ordinance.  I was thinking of trying to 3D print some AIM-54's as well, cause what's an F-14 without it's AIM-54's :)?

Also, for that carrier base, are you using 1/72?  1/60 is exactly 20% off from both 1/72 and 1/48 in either direction, so I'm not sure which one tends to look better.  IMHO the DX macross valks look 1/72-ish while the Arcadia VF-0 series really looks like 1/48 with a 1/60 pilot stuck in a cockpit that's way too large.

I guess for everyone's information, I'm going to try and order some of the "1/72" fighters from aliexpress that are a little oversized (I believe several of the Russian and Chinese fighters are actually 1/68) to see how they fit together.  

Howdy folks, my backup YF-19 is sitting in my HLJ private warehouse and I can ship it direct to you via your choice of shipping.  I'd REALLY prefer, though, is to trade for a VF-31 + super packs (preference in this order: C, F, J)- I'm more than happy to negotiate and strike a deal, otherwise selling at $300 + shipping to cover the cost of me hunting down my own VF-31 set at scalper prices.  If you have just valk or just supers, let's negotiate.

EDIT: I am more than willing to add some cash on my end as I know that VF-31/supers are hot commodities!  Especially dat C

While that's what I'm primarily looking to move, I also have some other wares in my treasure chest (pair of Arcadia VF-0A's, custom low-viz hi-metal R vf-1 strike, Yamato VF-4G, pair of VF-31A's, full set VF-25S renewal) that I might be persuaded to let go of, but am otherwise happy to keep.

Dang, that makes me salivate for the dedicated 31A FP's.  Kinda wish I hadn't sold my messer FP's now.

From the photos, it doesn't look like the window frosting is any different: was that already improved for the first 31F release? (Is only the 31J the only one that needs to run the defroster?)

I was trying to avoid this valk since I prefer the 31A... gettin' thirsty though...

Amazing display!  Thanks for the tips on the 1/60 things!  Out of curiosity, do diaclone pilots fit in the cockpit of any VF's  ?  PS Thanks for the tip on the Tomcat- going to buy it and "fix" it (repaint, re-decal.  Hopefully with some scaled up markings).

Forgive me if my search-fu is off, but I thought an updated thread would be beneficial anyways.  For those of you who like your valks interacting with other things, what else is in 1/60 scale?

I've bought myself a masterpiece starscream just to use as an F-15 for my macross zero era toys to blow up (just wish there was also an f-14...).  I was even thinking about getting some 1/60 gundams to fight, but I can't really locate anything else in this odd scale.

I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen so I went ahead and transformed to gerwalk and back 2 or 3 times.  It seems to be holding up (though I developed another crack right next to the leg-to-fuselage connector on the back of the leg).  I have nearly FILLED the intake pieces with CA (going around the gerwalk joint of course)- I think that might be why it's ok right now as it's like a brick with a candy shell instead of a hollow part.

Thanks for the replies: I guess I'm thankful that I got lucky this time!  I also tried the hip extension gimmick and it still works (I know that's kind of a taunt with a VF-0A, but count me lucky).

Next step: design and 3D print a perfect transformation adapter for the drakens!  

2 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

If your plastic is already compromised, you're pretty boned. You're not getting that material strength back.

You could glue the affected pieces back together and resin cast them?

Well, crap.  I guess I've got nothing to lose by trying to anneal the plastic in the oven then!  If it goes really south, I'll leave it as a static fighter mode model- I guess that's why I got three of these things anyways

1 hour ago, no3Ljm said:

This is more like a suggestion for the Super/Strike Parts color.

Some of the Yamato 1/48 VF-1 Low Vis owners they paired it with the available Stealth Colored Super/Strike Parts. It does look nice, I might say. I found this photos when I googled it.

However, I'm not suggesting for you to do the same.  Seeing that yours is lighter, I was thinking maybe you use the Stealth Colored Super Parts as a reference. Make the booster parts a little bit darker, and make the Strike Cannon the same shade of the grey you used on your VF-1. Same goes for the missile rack of the Supers. (Think of the Super Parts of Max's VF-1J from the HMR figure. But this time the blue portions are dark shade of grey.) Also, if it's not too much to ask, maybe you can lighten the shade of your grey on the nosecone just in case you don't want it to go white for it.  

 

And then, I saw this post only to realize I was suggesting something that you posted 2 years ago. Didn't saw the date on your posts above. So you can probably ignore my suggestion. Hahaha.  

This one looks great in grey. Love it.  

 

I've actually got the super parts painted already in dark ghost gray (to compliment the light ghost gray fighter), I just didn't try mounting them yet.  After I clean up the paint fading (hopefully some time this week?) I'll do a quick photo shoot- got to transform it too to make sure the paint and decals survive!

And yes, I'm definitely going to tint the nose cone lighter to represent a fighter that's been using its radar in combat  (or at least on CAP) .  I suppose it's not too late to change the super part booms/strike cannon, but I'm kind of losing steam on this build and will probably leave them dark ghost.

So other than tweaking the "fade" and doing a final sanding of all surfaces in 1000 grit (just to give it that uniform surface look), and maybe a teeny tiny bit of lining/weathering, I'm going to call this one done.  I've got a VF-25A and VF-0A on the  workbench that need some love!

All that being said, once I finish it, I am probably going to sell it: this is my last hi-metal R that I didn't want to sell incomplete, and I want to stick to 1/60.

Can't believe I started this over 2 years ago- life gets in the way!  I'm nearing the final stages now.  In hindsight, the duracoat is great for the joint areas, but painting with acrylic is just so much easier (I picked a similar shade so that if it scratches, the duracoat underneath is a very similar color).  I'm touching up the fast packs and a few funny paint areas: almost done.  You can see that my fading is uneven on some of the decals: that's WIP (I dilute my base color with clear coat so I can spray it translucent- going for a very faded look on everything).  You can also see that I messed up the modex number slant since I worked on it at 3 am: going to replace those.

Well, as I said, I sanded and repainted the component, so it looks like a painted brick... I could take pictures if something explodes again, and if it doesn't, I guess I don't have to worry about it.  It looked like mp03 starscream after trying to transform it, if that helps... (cracked abs plastic around a hinge)