VF-1A Grunt

I just got a copy of the Master Files VF Modeling Manual (which is fantastic!) and was looking over the in progress modeling article about the Hikaru TV VF-1J. Not being able to read Japanese, I was wondering what the reasoning is behind the step where the author appears to be shortening the nose of the Hasegawa fighter kit. Is this to make it look more like the animation with the slightly blunted nose? I noticed that, by comparison, the low visibility VF-1 shown earlier in the book does appear to have a pretty pointed nose, which I'd never really noticed before. I think it's more realistic, but maybe doesn't quite capture the look of the animation. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Thanks!

Thanks, I've been wondering how Hasegawa (and other manufacturers) handle these types of models. Do they produce a batch of them and then re-run them later if there's enough demand for them?

I totally agree. I was thinking about it after listening to the podcast yesterday (great way to pass the time on a 2.5 hour flight!). It would be really difficult to tell the SDFM story in two hours to a U.S. audience that may not be familiar with the original TV series. It would basically have to end up like DYRL with a lot of narration in the beginning to explain the back story. Really interesting to hear about this treatment though as another small part of the history of this series.

I was looking for online photos of the Angel Birds demonstration team from SDFM and noticed this reference in the Macross Wiki summary of Episode 1: http://macross.wikia.com/wiki/Boobytrap It describes the Angel Birds as being led by Max Jenius and references this photo: I have never thought that was intended to be Max - just another guy who happens to wear glass. It's always been my understanding that he was a new pilot when he was assigned to Hikaru's squadron, and certainly not experienced enough to be leading the demonstration team. Is this info in the Wiki legitimate, i.e. is it backed up by any other Macross literature? Thanks!

Update from the HLJ product listing:"This is the aircraft piloted by Hikaru Ichijo that saved Lynn Minmay. The cover art is by Hidetaka Tenjin; the kit includes plastic parts to connect the backpack to the Gerwalk, and resin figures of Hikaru and Minmay seated, plus a standing Minmay in her China dress! Decals are included for the Integrated Space Army unit VT-102."

Very few, if any, armored vehicles are actually airtight (maybe the Fox and other NBC detection vehicles). The Abrams tank, for example, uses positive pressure inside the crew compartment to continuously force air out of all the cracks and crevices to prevent anything "bad" from getting inside. The NBC system pulls in outside air and purifies it to create that positive pressure. That wouldn't work so well in space! I'm guessing you know all of this, but I thought I'd mention it for the rest of the group.

Gatsu, it's certainly an interesting option if you already have 7 of the Bandai kits from before the Hasegawa models were released like I do. I just dug them out of my old closet and have been wondering what I should do with them. I think I may build one for practice, but this is an option I hadn't really considered. I recently tried to order a few more of the Hasegawa VF-1A/J/S kits from HLJ, which were listed as "Backordered," and I just noticed a couple days ago that their status has changed to "Discontinued." I was hoping Hasegawa would keep them as a regular production model.

Jefuemon, thanks for the translation! That's exciting news. Here's hoping for a VF-4. I was hoping that Hasegawa would get around to adding it to their line, but I think Wave will do a great job too (just might be more expensive). Now, if only Wave would produce that 1/72 Spartan...

Thanks for the link. I did a bit of searching but didn't find that one (I still haven't gotten the hang of the search engine here). Looks like a lot of work but still doable. Grayson did a great job - it looks much better than the original Arii kit. I found the finished model thread: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=14522 I'll have to read through his WIP again to see if I want to tackle that project.

Has anyone attempted (or considered) kitbashing a GBP-1S armored Valkyrie by combining an older armor kit with the newer Hasegawa VF-1 Battroid model? I have one of these older Arii 1/72 kits: http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/arii/ar326-52-box.jpg It's kind of disturbing to open up the box and see how crude the model is compared to today's offerings. The hands and head especially look like they were blown up from an old 1/144 scale toy; at a minimum, replacing those with leftover Hasegawa parts would be an improvement. I've been thinking that it might be possible to hollow out the Arii armor components and apply them to a Hasegawa Battroid, although the backpack / thrusters would probably need to be scratchbuilt, since the original parts look very small compared to the line art. Some parts, like the Hasegawa chest, probably wouldn't fit into the armor, but the wings and back would definitely need to be used to upgrade from the Arii parts. I've always thought there was some "anime magic" going on with the armored Valkyrie, especially around the... er... "crotch." From comparing drawings (and especially the actual animation), it just looks like the nose of the fighter would be too long to fit inside the armor, and the hips (intakes) look like they are spread out wider than they should be. That makes me think it would be challenging to fit the more scale Hasegawa Battroid model inside the armor without heavily modifying it. It would probably be easier to use the individual leg and arm assemblies independently of the actual Battroid body and develop a way to attach everything together, maybe to the original armored body. In the end though, I'm not sure I'd be satisfied with the appearance of the Arii armor even after a lot of work. I've never really been interested in the Yamato toys, but this is one instance where I'm jealous of the toy version. It would be great to see a new, high-quality scale model of this interesting mecha. Dave

Great to see more of your awesome work on this project! I just had the thought that it would be cool if Dragon or someone produced 1/700 models of the Daedalus and Prometheus (I'm sure that's been mentioned here before).

They're not on the workbench yet, but as part of my rediscovery of Macross, I went into my old closet while visiting my mother this weekend and found this stash of old kits that I probably haven't touched in 15 years - including several still in the shrink wrap: I was particularly excited to find this resin kit from Wonder Fest that was discussed here a while back. I probably paid too much for it on eBay years ago, but I'm glad I have an example - I think it will make a great display piece for my home office eventually: All those older kits look pretty dated compared to current Hasegawa models, but since my modeling skills are pretty rusty, I'll probably start off with some of these to get the hang of things again before tackling my favorite Valkyrie kits.

Since I've never seen it rotate in any animation, I've always thought it was supposed to be some sort of phased array style of radar that could be used for both scanning and targeting. While it doesn't look like typical phased arrays in use today, which are usually octagonal panels or similar flat shapes, a phased array would allow it to search a wide area with low power beams and then use a higher power mode for determining range, speed, and trajectory for the guns. The shape does look like a conventional rotating sweep radar, but I just attributed it to more advanced technology that behaves like a phased array.

Based on the artwork shown in the ad, and the note about two Minmay figures, I bet it will include Hikaru and Minmay "pilot" figures for the cockpit as well as a Minmay figure that can be placed in the Gerwalk's left hand.

Great news, thanks for the update! Glad to see them offering more SDFM models, and the figures to go with them are a neat bonus.A 1/20 VF-1 is going to be impressive! Does that also say something about a 1/72 VF from Wave?

Now that you mention it, I should admit that my local hobby shop (a small chain called Hobby Works) actually has a whole section of Gundam, as well as BSG, Star Wars, Star Trek, and some other stuff, plus Tamiya and some Mr. Color paints. They just don't have any Macross models!

Hayt, as I understand it, the Vermillion name was used in the SDF Macross TV series, but I'm not sure if it was actually part of the dialogue or in only in books or other references (I haven't seen the original Japanese TV episodes, only the Robotech version). It's mentioned as the "Vermillion Platoon" of Skull Squadron in the Master Files SDF Macross VF-1 Squadrons book, consisting of Hikaru, Max, and Hayao Kakizaki's aircraft. Hasegawa produced the TV version VF-1A/J model and the movie version VF-1A/S in 1/48. The main difference is the cockpit. The TV version has a different display console and joystick arrangement from the movie, and the movie canopy bulges out more at the sides (more rounded). The pilots are also different, with the movie version having the large shoulder pads with yellow stripes. Where is your hobby shop located, if you don't mind me asking? I was in Japan in October, and it was hard to find Macross models even over there. I live outside of Washington DC, and there are no good sci-fi hobby shops that I've found around here yet.

Mr March, thanks for the feedback on the Master Files. I just got my copy of the SDF-1 Macross VF-1 Squadrons Master File today. It's a fantastic collection of images and drawings - I only wish I could read Japanese (I may have to ask my poor mother to translate a few hits of it next time we visit). I really like the amount of thought and imagination that went into the squadron schemes and the VF-1 variations. I especially like the reconnaissance VF-1As and the armed VF-1Ds, which look like some sort of strike configuration (if I could read the captions) like I mentioned in NZEOD's other thread. This has been said before, but the images of the spider bugs recovering the drifting Valkyries after the Pluto fold are really great and fill in a missing (if minor) part of the story. The images of the three Vermillion Platoon fighters with their added Skull markings are interesting too, I may have missed this in the series, or they added it just for this book, but I never caught on to the idea that Hikaru's team was supposed to be part of Skull Squadron. All the images of the fighters in atmospheric flight, including carrying gravity bombs and other ordnance, are really fantastic, and just the kind of thing that I hope to model eventually. On a modeling note, I recently received my Hasegawa Sonic Birds and low visibility fighter kits from Amazon (had to immediately order another low viz!). The two sets of decals they include - one high and one low(er) viz scheme - offer great possibilities for either modeling a second fighter or even building a Battroid in one of those schemes. A Sonic Birds Battroid would look pretty interesting with the black area around the cockpit in the center of the Battroid chest. One minor complaint about this Master File volume is that, as I mentioned above, it's unclear how the brown CF VF-1As fit into this squadron concept. There are several squadron paint schemes that incorporate the basic colors with added tail markings, but there's really only one photo at the beginning of the book that appears to show several CF fighters (and an Angel Bird) in formation with the SDF in space. Maybe it's addressed in the text, but I'd love to know how they fit into this concept. As I mentioned previously, I'm probably just overthinking what is really just an effort to come up with interesting paint schemes and compile them in this awesome book. Can't wait to get VF-1 Volume 2!

Just to clarify this a bit (maybe you know this already), Hasegawa does mold the parts in a single base color that generally matches the paint scheme for that model. For example, the basic VF-1 kits for the "heroes" seem to be all molded in white, while the VF-1D is a cream color (you could theoretically just paint the orange parts), and the low visibility and Sonic Birds kits are a light gray, if I recall correctly. I would still want to paint them, but you could just add some limited color and the decals if that's what you wanted to do.Personally, for a single display model, I would recommend the 1/48 Hasegawa VF-1A/J kit based on the amount of detail it shows off. I know that doesn't help with your desire for a Gerwalk, but I think the size would be more what you're looking for. I've only collected 1/72 kits to date, and the photos I see here of 1/48 models are pushing me in that direction.

I had no idea those were missiles until I read it here a few weeks ago, precisely because of the way they're always depicted (same color as the fuselage). To be honest, I think the artwork doesn't do a good job of portraying them either, because they appear more as organic bulges on the skin of the aircraft than ordnance. If they are truly meant to be irregular and sort of fish-shaped (for lack of a better term), they would be difficult to manufacture, and I don't think their shape would be a huge benefit compared to the difficulty in mass-producing them. I'm guessing they're intended to be stealthy, but I think they could still achieve that effect with RAM in a more easily-manufactured cylinder shape. Those are fantastic-looking models though. I'd still love to have a mass-production (e.g. Hasegawa) model. I'd have to do one in CF brown!

That's an interesting idea. You could say that the VF-1Ds were re-purposed for that mission after the introduction of the VT-1.

I heard back from Jasmine just a few hours after I emailed them. He basically said that he will let me know if he produces them again in the future. I'd strongly recommend that all of you email him to express your interest in these sets and try to encourage them to produce them again. The email link is on the left side of their home page: http://www.jasmodel.com/Top_E.htm

I may be too late, but I hope this idea isn't completely dead in the water. I just came across information about these PE kits while searching online for other detail parts. These look like fantastic details that I would hate to see disappear from the market. I'd commit to purchasing the following kits: 2 X 248002 VF-1A/J Valkyrie 1 X 248003 VF-1S/A Valkyrie 3 X 248004 PE Intake cover parts for 1/48 VF-1 6 X 272003 VF-1 Cockpit 6 X 272004 VF-1 Intake and Nozzle I'd definitely come back in the future for additional kits if they would put them into production again. Any recent word from Jasmine? I'm going to send them a note to add my name to the list of potential customers.

Thanks for the feedback. I've been planning to buy one of the 1/48 VF-1A/J kits as a centerpiece display model - I do love the detail of the larger scale, so I want to have an example, but as mickyg stated, 1/72 is my primary scale because of the options available (the many Hasegawa paint scheme variations), all the other models (e.g. Destroids), and to maximize space. I have some diorama ideas that would just be too large in 1/48. I had no idea that they offered two different cockpits in 1/48. I knew about the two different canopies that were included but didn't realize that extended to the cockpit details also. I may buy the 1/48 kit sooner rather than later to have as an example to follow in 1/72. Thanks!

As I mentioned in my initial intro post, I'm fascinated by the vast amount of technical info associated with the Macross series and hope to replicate some of the interesting features of the mecha as I get back into modeling again. I like the way the VF-1 Master File and the Mecha Manual describe the SDFM cockpit as an earlier version and the DYRL cockpit as a later (Block 6) improved variant. I'd like to replicate both versions in model form to show this production variation in my models - maybe display them in a side-by-side flight line diorama eventually. As I'm sure all of you know, the Hasegawa model comes with the later style DYRL cockpit as shown here in the Mecha Manual: http://www.macross2.net/m3/macrossdyrl/vf-1a-fastpack/vf-1-dyrl-cockpit2.gif I'd like to modify the Hasegawa model to "backdate" it to the earlier SDFM cockpit shown here: http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/vf-1a-valkyrie/vf-1-tv-cockpitexterior2.gif I don't plan to go totally crazy, but I'd like to change the main console and the joysticks, and then add the throttle on the left and the HUD. The VF-1D in particular seems like it should have the SDFM style cockpit, since it's supposed to represent an early variant, before it was replaced by the VT-1. I found a few listings for a PE kit from Dreammodels that appears to be designed to do this exact console modification, but I wanted to ask the group here about it before I order a few of them. The only source I've seen seems to be several eBay sellers in China. Is this a legitimate manufacturer, and not a copy of another brand's product? It looks like Dreammodel makes a number of PE kits for various aircraft models. Has anyone else attempted this type of kitbash? I plan to dig out one of my old Bandai kits to see how they did their version. I can probably build the throttle and other small details with bits of styrene, as long as a I can use the Dreammodel kit to change the console. When I eventually make some progress on this, I'll post some photos. Thanks!