pengbuzz

Thank you for the pic Mazinger; now let me see if I can help you.: There is a two-part epoxy-like adhesive called Plastic Welder, made by Devcon. I've used it to literally make parts for my projects. Ace Hardware has a version of it that's two dollars cheaper, but is the same exact stuff. If you can put something made of soft plastic (polypropylene or polyethelyne) in the middle to serve as a non-stick form, you can smear the plastic welder around it and it will cure to shape. Then, just remove the soft plastic part and shape the outer surface with a needle file or rotary tool (Dremel). The inner cartridge from a stick ballpoint pen would work (the cheap bic kind), as plastic welder cannot really adhere to soft plastic. This stuff is VERY strong: I have projects from 10 years ago and the material is still as good as ever! It's also sandable and paintable, so you can smooth it out and make it look like it was never damaged. Why not give it a try and see if it works for you. Last I checked, the Ace version is $4.99

Yeah...kind of a "leaf-eating" experience; I can relate, Gerli.

Yeah, I made that mistake once; I actually took the stuff back to the store!

Agreed; I'm very tempted to attempt this in masking tape.

I see blue tape on the backpack for Jetfire; is that holding a broken piece on? If possible, could you get a closer pic on the damage on the Jetfire?

Well, I wanted to get in on this, so here goes... You'll love this... (actually, you'll probably want to kill me)... And here it is:

Thanks; these calllouts help! I wouldn't want to be the Zentran ship on the business end of this lady when you finish her!

Oh wow! It's the Macross "Quarter Class"!

Thanks for posting the pic of the paint scheme; that has actually helped me out (and will continue to do so!) with my VF-1S project! Meantime, I really looking forward to seeing your VF-1D in paint with the missiles. Makes me wonder if UN SPACY would sometimes use a modified VF-1D in SPace War 1, with the pilot worrying about the flying and the co-pilot doing all the missile and radar work. Just a thought...

Okay, some pics for everyone... The inglorious start of a battlepod: And some progress: The marker on the surface is just to mark out where parts will go and whatnot. Don't worry: it's not going to look like crap for too much longer; I'll have a topic posted for this shortly.

Right now, scratch building a Regult Battlepod while waiting for parts on my VF-1 to dry. Pics to come...

Nice job! Really like the takeoff with a full load of "Hit them hard" ordnance!

Yeah, one day I'd like to try my hand at that.

O.o lol seriously, I'll have to remember this trick.

Ah, good one Mintox! I hadn't thought of the ground crew! Carrier crew figs would be sweet as well.

You've got a point. I just think this fig is a bit small; kinda like "Mini-Roy" or something. (Now, THERE'S a pic I should do up sometime ) Meantime, I JUST found out why all my sodas keep disappearing whenever I have a modeling session... :| "

After seeing how small the pilot is on my vf-1, I'd be interested as well. I'd love to put a pilot in the cockpit of my current project who doesn't look like they recruited an EWOK.

Okay, I'm not sure I like the this new version of the robot, but I'm really digging what I've seen so far with the preview. (yes, I changed this post from the original "do not like" version lol )

Small update (without pics): Removed the chestplate to reinforce it after it looked like the original break may give way. Also, the leg/nacelle attachment points in fighter mode are too close together. Right now, reworking that and making some adjustments. I opened up the chest intake vents a bit as they looked a little too small; I may remove them and install the ones from the Bandai version; we'll see... Another thing I'm looking at right now: I was reading the review of the Hasegawa VF-1 fighter model on CollectionDX, and came across this comment: - http://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/2001/hasegawa_valkyrie_vf1ajs_model_kit_172 Re-examining the cockpit on mine, I can see why he said that. Comparing the pilot to other 1/72 scale figs I have, Roy is tiny!!! I'm seriously considering finding a different 1/72 pilot figure (I don't have the Bandai one anymore) and converting that into Roy. I don't want the pilot lost in the cockpit; I may sand the sides down a bit and redo the nose somewhat. I'm also seeing if perhaps I can alleviate the "stepped look" of where the chestplate meets the cockpit/nose section. It's supposed to look smooth and it isn't here (I know that gets on people's nerves). On another note: over 550 views on MW here for this topic! Thanks to everyone who's reading this! Stay tuned...

Hey UN_MARINE; any progress to speak of on this? *pengbuzz gets notepad ready*

I see HG as having been on "life support" for years now, with a death-grip on the rights as their last gasp. They really need to stop existing already, jmo.

UPDATE: Okay, the tails are in. And.... They just need a little cosmetic "sprucing up"; aside from that, they're set a little more apart now, and look better. As for function: They lay down pretty flat now, and the ailerons aren't flopping around like they were. Not to mention, the joint is smaller and they just look a LOT better. The tails also don't bump into one another during transform: the now miss each other and move quite smoothly. I also too the opportunity to address one more (albeit minor) issue: The extension at the end of the pack in fighter mode was also bugging me. Checking the blueprints and whatnot of the VF-1S, it was too small and too short. So while I was there, I removed the old one, took the "points" off of it, filed a bit of the ends off of them for gluing and glued them to a new piece of plastic. Then, the whole thing was plastic-welded into place; it looks good and smooths the tail/ backpack out. This project is really coming along now, and the valkyrie is staring to look the way it should; just working at this point on cosmetic issues and final fit and whatnot. Most of the transform issues have been worked out, and it's no longer a floppy overall mess. Stay tuned...

I have to agree with Joe here (BTW: welcome Joe!) This is one kick-butt project, MechTech! I'm re-reading this whole thread!

UPDATE: I got the locking mechanism done to keep the Battroid from flopping apart in the torso. That said, the longer I looked at the tail fin assembly and those huge, awful hinges, it bothered me increasingly. Finally, I could take no more: Using a pair of flat-closing hinges from the Bandai version, I cut away the offending joints and plastic-welded these in. Another view: When I attach the ailerons to these, I'll trim the stubs here down a little, then remove a corresponding piece in the fins. Once plastic-welded in and sanded smooth, the join should be pretty much seamless, and the fins should be able to fold flat. Being a little further apart should also help with proportions, as well as the fins continually hitting each on during transform. Here they are in the closed position: This should keep them as flat to the "amidships" of the backpack as possible, and avoid further problems. (Wondering how much of the original model will be left at this rate!) This also gives me the opportunity to get in there before i glue anything in, and scribe the rest of the tail/ backpack panel lines in there and "snazz it up" a little more". Stay tuned everyone...

Actually, I check in on this thread almost daily.