VF-1A Grunt

I was always one of those who thought that Battroids and the giant aliens were supposed to be the same size, so a Battroid should be able to fit inside a Regult, for example. However, as I go through a lot of reading to catch up on what I've missed about Macross technical data over the past couple decades, I'm becoming convinced that the Zentran / Meltran should be a couple meters shorter than a Battroid. You've probably read this already, but I thought this Technical Manual article is a great piece on the subject: http://www.macross2.net/m3/macrosstechman/tech-zentradiheight.html I still think the Regult and Glaug models do tend to be undersized though. I'd have to take another look at DYRL since reading the article to see how the animation depicts the relative size of the QR and Battroid.

Thanks for the rundown, I'll give it a shot. I can obviously pull the letter dimensions off the models, so that does seem doable. I'm waiting for the second VF-1 Master File volume, then I'll see if I can scan some of the schemes at higher resolution to use for tracing. I've already ordered most of the limited edition ones from Amazon. I'm more curious about the standard kits - the VF-1 fighter, Gerwalk, and Battroid, plus their Super variants - and whether those are still in production. I.e., do I need to stock up on them because the supply is finite, or does Hasegawa continue to produce them? Thanks, that's helpful to know. I'm guessing that Hasegawa came up with those limited edition schemes on their models, and then the Master Files included them.One nice thing about the Hasegawa squadron schemes is that they each seem to include a full color and low visibility scheme in the decals, so you can turn a plain kit into one of these with the second set of decals (although you need the control panel decal from the second kit). Thanks for the replies!

That's a real bummer that he took some people's money after being a seemingly straight shooter and forum member for several years. Minor in the grand scheme of things, but it's also unfortunate that his Macross pilot sets are no long available too. I would have loved to have a few of those. I want to model a few VF-1s with the early flight suit (as it's described in the Master File), and female pilots would add some great variety too.

I noticed your comment earlier, but I didn't check til now. The models specs say it is 17.5cm tall, which would come out to a 12.6m tall Battroid in 1/72 scale - actually a little short of the 12.68m listed in the Mecha Manual. If it was a 1/100 scale model, then it would be 17.5m tall.

Sorry, I totally missed the question - reading it quickly, I thought it was a statement (no "?"). 330mm at 1/60 would be 19.8m tall, or 23.76m at 1/72 (if my rusty math is correct). The Mecha Manual says the QR is either 16.75m tall (SDFM) or 17.11m (DYRL), so the model is tall anyway, but it would be almost 50% taller than the manual states if you use the 1/60 toy in a 1/72 scale scene. Looking at it another way, 19.8m at 1/72 would be 275mm, so the model is 55mm taller than it should be at 1/72. For comparison, a Hasegawa Battroid is 176mm tall, so the QR will be twice as tall. I personally think it will look a little too large. If it was a 1/60 Glaug or Regult, I think it might be ok, because I feel like models of those two seem to be a little undersized (see the current Tru Scale Regult discussion). That gets into the whole discussion of scale as represented in the animation and the manuals, but just based on the comparative size to the Battroid, I think it will look too big. Hope that helps.

Over in the Toys forum, there's a discussion from a couple years ago entitled, "Top 5 most wanted VF-1 paint Scheme!" I thought about adding to that one, but I figured these were more general questions related to the series and the technical background behind it. I'm particularly interested in the various VF-1 squadron paint schemes depicted in the Master File books, many of which were included in this post from that old discussion: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=40509&p=1095706 Some of the paint schemes replicate ones from the SDFM series, including Roy, Hikaru, Max, Milia, and Kakizaki's personal aircraft, Alaska Base, and the Angel Birds. I'm curious what the origin is of the other schemes. Were they developed with "official" approval, or are they essentially fan works? Are any of the squadrons referenced in Macross literature? I unfortunately can't read (or speak much) Japanese, so I don't know all the background info included in the captions. Were the additional schemes that Hasegawa offered in their model lines (5 Grand, Sonic Birds, Black Aces, Low Visibility) created by them, or are they "official" schemes that Hasegawa produced with permission? I'm not sure when the last time was that Hasegawa released a new VF-1 model, but it would be great to see them produce some more of these schemes, especially the Alaska Base and Cavaliers, since those were featured in SDFM. I hope they're not done with SDFM / DYRL models. On a side note, are Hasegawa's Macross models regular catalog items (other than the limited run schemes, of course)? I.e. do they continue to produce them, or were they limited production? Is anyone here willing to produce custom decals based on some of the Master File schemes? Some of them are pretty interesting, and I'd love to model a few of them, but I don't have the skills to design decal artwork myself. A few of the schemes could probably be done if the large base code letters on the tails were available (I've been looking through USAF and USN decals trying to find some that match). There may not be any real answers to these questions, but I like the idea of all these schemes adding more history and variety to the U.N. forces portrayed in the series. Sorry for all the questions in one post, but I've been staring at all these interesting squadron schemes since I got my first Master File book and was hoping some folks here might have more insight into them. Thanks! Dave

Is that a source you can share? If you need to get yours first, I totally understand, but I'd love to see some buildings like that. However, I think I'd enjoy building some of my own too - just don't want to have to build all of them!

I have a grand vision for eventually modeling a 1/72 city scene from the SDFM Episodes 1-2 battle, with a Tomahawk (possibly damaged) calling in two CF VF-1As to target a Regult that he's spotted down the street. The Battroids would be building or two behind the Tomahawk, who is watching the Regult at the next intersection. Aside from this needing to be a larger scene (maybe 5-6 feet long), modeling all the structures would be a challenge. I think nearly all the 1/72 buildings that are commercially made are World War II era, so it would mean scratchbuilding. To get the look of the modern city as depicted in SDFM (which is now in the past for us, ironically) would mean a lot of concrete slab structures, which could be done with sheet styrene covered with flat concrete-color paint. A parking garage could be a good-sized example. The big challenge is that I would want to model at least one or two structures "rubbled" as if they had been hit by explosives or the enemy bombardment of the city. I'd love to have one of the Battroids crouched behind a huge pile of rubble and peering over the top. That would involve pouring and then smashing a lot of plaster into believable-looking chunks of concrete, with protruding rebar, etc. Maybe some cars smashed underneath too. This could actually probably serve as a large display case for mecha that I could periodically switch out or rearrange. With the amount of work involved, it would need up being my one and only diorama anyway!

I would love to see a Hasegawa VF-4 model. I'll be honest, I don't really care for some of the later VFs, but the VF-4 is a really sleek-looking fighter. I have a feeling the VF-4's brief appearance in Flashback is the reason for its lack of popularity among model manufacturers. Were the other modes even animated anywhere, or only the fighter?

I'm really, REALLY, late to this discussion, but since it was bumped back up... If the VF-1 Master File can be considered "official," it contains the following diagram showing how the dimensions and shape of the kite are determined. Sorry for the poor quality cellphone photo - I don't have access to a scanner and wanted to share the image. This subject seems to come up periodically, so maybe it will be useful. Hopefully the tattoo turned out ok!

Personally, I look at this from a practical, economic standpoint. Transforming mecha like the Valkyries would be expensive to manufacturer and complicated to operate, requiring longer and more extensive training (just like a fighter aircraft vs. a tank). Destroids are mobile ground combat vehicles, but they're not as complex and would be easier to train an operator to handle. The Valkyries and their crews are the elite of the U.N. Spacy who perform long range, critical missions, while the Destroids are the foot soldiers who can seize or hold ground, provide security and close-in defense, etc. While you could use Valkyries to secure the perimeter of a base, it would be a waste of those assets when a cheaper Destroids can provide the same security and free up the Valkyries to perform more complex missions. If you compare it to today's military vehicles, yes, you could use a tank to guard the perimeter of a base, but why tie up an expensive asset like that when a Humvee or MRAP with a machinegun can do the same job?

Funny you mentioned the VF-1D Low Vis - I just got a second Hasegawa VF-1D from an Amazon seller in California for a good price ($20 + shipping), but the decal sheet has brown smudges all over it like it got wet or dirty. I received a VF-1A Low Vis Kit the same day, and fortunately most of these kits have a second set of decals (two variations), so the VF-1D may end up as a low vis! Are you thinking something along the lines of the ones in the first VF-1 Master File?

In my opinion, the Super Defender conversion would fix the biggest issue that I have with the Bandai model, which is the overly "fat" twin gun barrels. However, I think the Wave model is a must for the standard Defended (X), so I'm not sure how the two different brands would look side by side. I have both but haven't build and compared them yet. You might be able to find some .020" stainless steel tubing to use for the 35mm gun barrels. Should be a cool project!

One follow-up question for you: how does your Spartan compared to the Wave Destroids in terms of size? I'm curious as to whether the two manufacturers got the scale approximately the same so they look "correct" when viewed together. I just finished reading through an old discussion about Yamato's 1/60 Destroids and the frustration about them not producing the Spartan in that line (or the Phalanx, for that matter). I hadn't thought about the fact that the Tomahawk, Defender, and Phalanx all share the same lower half, which saves on model tooling. That makes me think that it's unlikely Wave will produce the Spartan, for the same reason that Yamato didn't (all new tooling needed for a model of questionable popularity). I think I better consider following your lead if I want to have a Spartan in my collection.

Chaff, this is really a fantastic build and tutorial, thanks for sharing it! I've collected a fair number of the 1/72 kits and plan to start building then soon, but I'm on the verge of ordering a 1/48 VF-1A/J and etched parts after reading your thread. The detail on this model really seems to stand out in 1/48. I hadn't see the Hasegawa saw set for panel lines before either and plan to order one soon. I just received an order of those tiny rare earth magnets in the mail too. I was curious if the same technique could be made to work on the 1/72 weapons racks. I'd like to even try building a few racks to carry JDAMs. I'm considering some sort of dual seater VF-1 like an F-15E... Thanks again for posting this!

I think I have an Imai Tomahawk, Defender, and Spartan stashed somewhere - maybe at my parents' house from when I moved out years ago. I considered selling them (once I find them), but I may end up building them for practice before I work on the Wave kits. The Spartan is probably the best-looking, in my opinion. The guns (arms) on both the Tomahawk and Defender are really chunky looking, among other things, which is why I never built them. The kits were pretty disappointing when compared to the artwork on the boxes.

Your Tomahawk model is fantastic and will be an inspiration for my future project! As much as I love Valkyries, the Tomahawk is arguably my favorite mecha (possibly because I'm a tanker in real life). I actually just bought a second kit from HLJ to add to the collection (along with a Phalanx) - possible as a backup if I make a mess of the first one, but also cause I want to have more than one of my favorite.

I really need to watch the real SDFM. I've only seen a few episodes in Japanese and then watched the poor Robotech adaptation in its entirety. Is there a good place to buy the complete set without paying $150+ like some of the offers on Amazon?

I just recently rediscovered Macross while visiting Japan with my family. I used to visit family in Tokyo during the summers when I was a kid, but I hadn't been back in 20 years. Here's what rekindled my interest while I was wandering through the awesome hobby shops in Akihabara - purchased at Yellow Submarine: Since I returned from the trip, I've added a few more things from Amazon! About 10 years ago, when Hasegawa released all their awesome models, I fortunately picked up a few off eBay (before they were available through Amazon) before I was distracted by other things, so I already had a start to the collection, plus a few of the old Bandai transformable 1/72 kits: This forum is a bad influence though - I already have another VF-1D, VF-1A, VF-1A Sonicbirds, and VF-1A Low Visibility coming from Amazon, plus about 6 items in the HLJ warehouse! My modeling skills are really rusty though, so I'm probably going to be slow starting off, but I wanted to get these kits while they were still available.

Incredible! When they finally get around to making the live-action Macross movie, they're going to need to rent your model for filming the battle scenes. Can't wait to see it completed!

That really looks fantastic, but I can tell it was a lot of work. Reminds me to keep hoping that Wave will add the Spartan to their other three awesome 1/72 Destroid kits. It really doesn't seem to get a lot of love.

Fantastic modeling! I think the weathering looks great. I wish I had rediscovered Macross in time to get one of those kits. Someone commented in another thread about the "anime magic" and the way the relative scale of various mecha seems to change throughout the series, especially the Regult. Note the scale in this line art, which I know everyone is familiar with, but I just came across it again recently:http://macross2.net/m3/sizecharts/sizechart-1.gif I personally think is off, compared to how they appear in the animation, but hey, it's "official."

I'm late to this discussion since I only joined recently but have thought about this topic a bit. I prefer the TV schemes in a lot of ways, but I agree that the movie schemes are more realistic from the standpoint of military uniformity. I think the TV schemes are more "classic mecha," being fully-repainted in the case of Max and Milia's aircraft, but the small patches of color on the movie Valkyries are more practical, while maintaining their squadron theme. I also agree with the earlier post about the Max and Hayao Kakizaki VF-1As' personalized paint schemes in the series being a little unrealistic, given that they were brand new pilots, but I understand the practical need to identify the characters during the battle scenes. On a side note, I'm fascinated by all the squadron-specific paint schemes in the Master File books, having just bought my first two. I hope to recreate several of them using Hasegawa 1/72 fighters. I'm in the military in real life, so I've always liked the basic soldiers in the series, the "cannon fodder" brown VF-1As (hence my name and avatar). I plan to build several of those, but I'm curious about them in light of the squadron concepts presented in the Master Files. I guess the idea is that the VF-1As are mass-produced in the brown and white paint scheme and then repainted into specific schemes by the operational squadrons. However, the Master Files would seem to imply that there wouldn't be any brown VF-1As left on the SDF or the Prometheus (except for the squadrons that are variations on the brown scheme), which obviously isn't the case. I'm probably overthinking this... Can anyone tell me the back story behind the Sonic Birds, anniversary, and the low visibility schemes that Hasegawa offered on their fighter model? Were those first created by Hasegawa and then included in the Master Files, or the other way around? I know the Angel Birds appeared in the TV series, but I don't recall any of the others. I would love to see decals produced for the other squadrons in the books. I know Hasegawa offered some extra decal sets, but from the photos I found online, it doesn't look like they correspond to other squadrons included in the Master Files.

Looks fantastic! There are definitely a lot of variations in the relative size of the mecha in the line art and animation, but I think your version does a better job of capturing how large the Regult should be compared to the VF-1. Although the interiors on previous models are really interesting, I'll gladly sacrifice that feature for a more affordable, true-to-scale model like this one. Please count me in for a couple.