pengbuzz

Well, a while back, I obtained the Bandai VF-1s kit, and built it... Worst. Mistake. Ever. The thing was a royal pain to assemble, parts broke or didn't stay on (and I've had more than 30 years experience building models!), and ultimately, I gave up on the blasted piece of garbage. And I thought that would be the end of my aspirations for a VF-1S transformable kit in 1/72... Until recently. I finally got my hands on a 1/72 Imai VF-1S. As I was building it, I remembered all the things I didn't like about the kit and decided to do the brave thing: use what I know of the Yamato/ Arcadia VF-1's (used to own the 1/48th VF-1S a few years back): Here you can still see the old backpack hinge system, but I used styrene card to accurize the ailerons. I also took the opportunity to do some panel line work on the dorsal surfaces: (yeah, still in progress here) Also reworked the intakes on the legs a bit; gotta see about redoing the plates on the intake covers (or maybe scratching up new ones that pull out): I also saw some blank areas on the "backpack" that could use some detail: I then saw the huge "block" of styrene that composed the upper chest and shoulder region on Battroid mode; I felt the need to do some cutting and detailing: (Yes, the thrusters are in the wrong way, but I'm redoing all the detailing). But the more I thought about it, the less I liked the exposed hinges on the tail. To that end, I decided to rework them and eliminate the issue: A better view: At this point, I admit to getting carried away: I looked at the top vents on the chestplate, and decided to rework those as well: Then the ultimate insanity hit me... TWO cockpits?! TWO? This is 2016, I think it's time for ONE: As we speak, I'm working on a swing-bar mechanism like Yamato has on theirs, and working out details like a flip-joint for the head, ad possibly their version of how the chestplate moves down into position. All of that said: suggestions are welcome on this build, as I still need to dress the work up once it's solidly set in place. I always wanted to rework one of these, but never had the courage until now. Stay tuned...

Now THAT'S a tub!!! Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds...

I really like what you're doing with all of this! It's really great to see you bringing the characters of Macross to life.