VF-1A Grunt

That looks fantastic! I really like the look of the D, I think because it reminds me of the 2-seat F-14. I really like how this scheme looks on the D. I hope I can start working on one here shortly. The scheme I want to do will be similar in color, but a different pattern. A side question for you all - did Hasegawa come up with the idea for the vertical stabilizers to hinge in the middle as they fold down? I think it makes sense to create a compact folded arrangement, but it looks like the official design shows them folding flat on each other like most models: http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/vf-1a-valkyrie/vf-1-transformation1.gif It really doesn't make a difference in the end, but I noticed the horizontal hinge lines on this model's tail that are nicely highlighted.

I would say it would be a lot more difficult than just slightly modifying the mounting slot on the original thigh piece to correct the droop.

They look like the Regult kill markings that come in the decal set with the Studio Forge pilots (which I believe you have en route to you!): http://www.starshipmodeler.com/mecha/jl_macross_pilots_1514.jpg

Uh... wow! The weathering / panel lining and decals look incredible! You're obviously getting close to final assembly! Your pterosaur head is awesome too!

That looks excellent! I wasn't sure what to think of the white gun pod when I saw it in the Hasegawa low viz kit instructions, but I like how yours looks. Can't wait to see it finished!

That's definitely cool to see. When I was in Japan last fall, it was like Macross was an afterthought in all the hobby shops I visited in Akihabara. An handful of kits buried on a shelf among the piles of Gundam models.

Aha! That makes sense and makes me hopeful that the Wave price will be a little more reasonable.

The VF-1 Master File SDF Squadrons book shows several planes from the Angel Birds squadron being recovered after the fold to Pluto and then shows some of them armed flying in formation with the SDFM in space. Kind of a cool idea that they would become combat aircraft once the war kicked off. Some day, I'd like to model one fully equipped with fast packs and missiles for the final battle.

I'm real excited to see this model finally coming in plastic kit form. The price is pretty high, which means I'll probably buy only one or two, rather than four or five if they were at Hasegawa prices. I'm almost more excited to see the Master File book though, because I feel like this VF hasn't gotten a lot of attention, so I'm really curious to see what they come up with in terms of squadron schemes and variants.

Agreed, but it would great to have some more with the center joystick / left hand throttle position from the TV cockpit. However, I would also like a pilot with one arm reaching out to touch the console in front of him. Maybe right hand on joystick and left hand pushing a button on the console. Both for single pilots and for the rear guy in a two-seater. Thanks, EXO!

Up to this point, I haven't really been interested in the post-SDFM / DYRL mecha. I think I just prefer the more traditional style aircraft from the original series. But for the VF-4, I will make an exception! Glad to here Wave is doing it - that means it'll be a bit more expensive, but it'll be done well. Great news!

From what I can tell, it looks like you should be fine with those standard production artwork boxes as long as they have the gold sticker (which I can see on all three of those kits). I still wish I could get a copy of that Model Graphix issue! http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=43652

Just make sure you seal them with something like Microscale liquid decal film after applying them to the decal seat. I confess I haven't had the need to try it myself yet but know a number of modelers whose have done it.

Thanks, M-J!

Mintox, the instructions refer to the #5 aircraft as the "Lead Solo" (I think that's what it says - don't have my kits handy) and depicts the number as inverted in the instructions and decal sheet: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/10183098 I'm guessing that's a tradition in some aerial demonstration teams. Neat idea.

That other thread refers to the special edition decals as "rub on," which I assume refers to dry transfers. I'll have to look at my kit again, but I didn't think they looked any different from the regular decals. Dry transfers usually come on a translucent sheet to help with placement, and they don't usually work well with irregular surfaces like an aircraft model. I hope that's not what they are, or I would want to transfer them to decal film before using.

Thanks for the feedback on the decals - that's good to know. I may use the trick of xeroxing the decal sheet to cut patterns for masking. By the way, I liked how you picked #5 with the inverted tail number! I hadn't noticed that in the instructions until now.

I bought one of the clear VF-1s just for the special decal set and plan to just paint the model itself like any other. Maybe the Cavaliers scheme to make sure the dark paint covers the blue clear plastic. What kind of frustration should I expect? Is the clear plastic a slightly different formula (brittle)? Thanks!

Well, just got the notice from CD Japan that the VF-1D kit is "out of print" and unobtainable. Back to the drawing board...

Looks great! I have a couple of these planned, and I was just thinking about asking about this scheme yesterday. How did it work out using all the included decals for the large areas like around the intakes? I was wondering if it would be better to paint some of those sections (since Hasegawa provides the matching paint colors in their instructions), but I was concerned that the color and finish might not match between decals and paint. I want to model the squadron's VF-1D, and I'm sure I'll need to use paint for that project, since the kit's decals won't match the longer D nose section.

I'd personally like to have 1/72 SDFM pilots since they aren't available separately from Hasegawa, whereas the DYRL pilots come with the weapons set. I like the mix that Studio Forge offered with the helmets both sealed for space flight and open for atmospheric, if I remember correctly, and also both male and female pilots. Ideally, I'd like to have pilots and ground crew members with helmets off for an Earth-based setting, as well as the space flight deck crews from the Prometheus scenes. As NZEOD said, crew checking under / around aircraft would be awesome (like the Hasegawa ground crew sets) and pilots checking aircraft / weapons and climbing into cockpit. I would then suggest offering the same thing for DYRL, but primarily space based, so closed helmets for pilots and ground crew. Maybe less of a need for ground crew climbing around aircraft, because you might be able to use the same ones for both SDFM and DYRL with the assumption that they're doing it inside a sealed hanger in DYRL without helmets (don't think that was portrayed in the movie). I would suggest 8-10 of each type of figure per set. E.g. maybe six male and two female pilots in a set, then a similar set of pilots on the ground without helmets, and a set of 10 ground crew members. Thanks for entertaining the suggestions!

I figured that the sensors on the VT-1 would make sense from a standpoint of recording telemetry and other performance data while pilots were in training so they could provide feedback after each flight. If they were participating in mock dogfights or other exercises with multiple VTs, the additional equipment could track their relative positions, simulated attacks, etc, without the need for external monitoring systems (like when they were training in space away from a base or mothership. While I thought it was strange at first that the aircraft is totally unarmed, in comparison to the VF-1D, our U.S. training aircraft are similarly unarmed, and when pilots graduate to the point that they begin using real weapons, they can just train on standard aircraft. The VT would allow them to train using onboard simulated weapons (built into the aircraft's computers) and then move on to a VF-1A to begin using real weapons. What never made sense to me though is that Hikaru would take out an unarmed aircraft (he would know full well that the VT is unarmed, even if he forgot in the heat of the moment and just reacted as portrayed in the movie) into space, alone, when they have been in conflict for months with a hostile alien force. It made for good drama, but didn't make any sense from a practical standpoint. On a side note reference gray training aircraft, I really like the VF-1 variations included in the Master Files SDF-1 Squadrons book starting on page 88. I hope to eventually model the SVF-37 VF-1D shown on page 89. It appears to be in a light gray / medium gray version of the training color scheme, which I figured I would do using the gray colors from the Hasegawa low viz VF-1A kit. The caption essentially says that some VF-1Ds were assigned in a recon role after the Mars battle, an this particular aircraft was lost during the final battle against the Zentradi main fleet (if I remember correctly). Of course, the VF-1D was armed, so it would be easier to repurpose it as a combat aircraft.

If you're taking requests for future projects, it would be awesome to have a VF-1 pilot configured to be climbing a ladder into the aircraft. Maybe with the legs in a climbing stance but the arms separate so they could be positioned for the specific ladder the modeler is using. Or if someone wanted to add the built-in ladder in the lower right image in the line art: http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/vf-1a-valkyrie/vf-1-fighter-machinery.gif Just a suggestion - I know you can't just whip up every variation that people might want.

Count me in on the first batch of pilots, of both styles! Are the Rabbit flight suits at all similar to Misa's SDFM suit? It looks like the helmets may be similar, but not the suits (having trouble finding Rabbit suit images online), kind of like the Valkyrie helmets in the two versions.

This is a fantastic model of a really cool aircraft. Whenever I look at the kit on my shelf, I kind of move past it because I have a hard time imagining how I would display it and keep all those bits that stick out from breaking off. It always struck me as a model that needs to hang from the ceiling or something to do it justice. Do the line art, Master Files, or any other books explain what the bulges are on the wing tips? I recall someone mentioning that they are sensors, but I've wondered what might be needed on a trainer and ELINT bird that wasn't desirable on a standard Valkyrie.