VF-1A Grunt

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.

Wow, thanks, looks like a great store from a quick look at their website. Not sure how I never heard about them.

One thing I haven't found on this forum (maybe my search fu is weak) is information about good sources in the U.S. for the paint and tools, especially Japanese brands, that a lot of members use to build their Macross models. As I get back into this hobby, I've been searching for U.S. dealers to buy my supplies from and thought I would share what I've found so far.

Obviously Amazon and eBay are good sources for many Japanese products, and I've bought a bunch of Hasegawa kits from both sites. Paint such as Tamiya and Mr. Color is another matter - you can get them from those sites, but I prefer dealers that have a large selection so I can get them all from one source. There's a hobby shop in Fairfax, VA called Hobby Works, which I believe is a local chain, and they offer general hobby products, including Japanese paints. However, they are out of stock of about 3/4 of their colors, so I went looking for another source online.

I found a shop called Red Frog Hobbies in New York that has a pretty good website with lots of paint and tool brands listed, including Tamiya, Mr. Color, Alclad, Testors, and Vallejo:

http://www.redfroghobbies.com/index.php

They have a decent number of tools, and some model kits, although not everything you might be looking for in one place. I ended up ordering 30 different Mr. Color paints and clear coats (33 bottles for $2.99 ea) and 2 bottles of Alclad ($7.59 ea), with $9.95 shipping down to DC. The prices were better than my local shop, the selection was much better, and I thought shipping was very reasonable. The Mr. Color paints arrived in 6 packs as shown in the attached photo - I'm guessing that's how they're shipped from Japan, and the store just repackaged my order in those boxes.

EDIT (Mar 2, 2016): I just received an order of more Mr. Color paints, including some Mr. Base White and Mark Setter, from HobbyWave in Blaine, Washington. Shipping time was a little slow (ordered on Feb 21 and received on Mar 2), but their prices were good ($2.99 per bottle and $12 flat shipping rate for 13 bottles). Here's their modeling supply page:

https://www.hobbywave.com/modeling_supplies

Some colors, like Mr. Color Tire Black, seem to be out of stock everywhere. I ended up ordering that one off eBay from some place in Hong Kong. Hopefully it's legit...

Just thought I'd share a couple U.S. sources for modeling supplies that I was satisfied with. I'll continue to add to this list in case the info is useful to others. Any other good recommendations out there?

Dave

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.

Haha, I was going to kitbash my 1D & gerwalk kits together. The addition of Hikaru & Minmay figs might just make me buy the new kit... Although I'm not sure if they mean resin pilot figures or bigger ones to display alongside it.

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.

From Hasegawa:

1/72 scale VF-1D Gerwalk, with 1 Hikaru and 2 Minmei resin figures.

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?

I'm located in Australia in one of the big cities. I wonder if our geographical proximity to Japan means shipping minor stuff over is less difficult. That said it is mostly Gundam stuff. Like 3 shelves Gundam and one stack of Macross stuff.

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!

Another question is I know Hasagawa kits don't really use color molding but fortunately I've read that the Hasagawa transfers are really comprehensive so that you don't need a heap.

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 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!

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.

You think you dont have the skills but you'd be surprised how easy it is once you try it and watch a vid or two on youtube about creating vector art.

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.

For all the oddball Hasegawa kits try Amazon. You can get pretty much all of them there.

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?

I think they treat the Master File books as fan works.

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.

Now, I know a regult is much taller than a battroid, wich is 12.7m tall, according to official data, however, hasegawa gives us a 17.5m tall battroid...

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