spindrift

5 minutes ago, Lord_Of_Tetris said:

Heh. Wow, has it been over a year since I posted my work-in-progress photos of the VF-31 kit? I actually checked this thread thinking there was news or some new photos of someone's finished kit, I read your quoted post, then I thought to myself, "Hey, whoa, this guy's model kit skill is pretty darn GOOD!" Then I recognized my own tables and realized it was my own post. :P

In the year (wow, time flies) since I posted that, I've finished that kit and built another 1/72 VF-31, this time the Messer custom. I wanted to collect the whole cast, and doing it with the model kits is a ton cheaper than getting the whole cast by way of the DX Chogokin toys.

I still think the 1/72 Bandai VF-31 kit is an underappreciated gem. In every mode and every angle, it looks exactly like the mecha/jet it's supposed to look like. It requires very little part removal or swapping to transform. Building it isn't overly difficult, it just takes a lot of patience because of the many small parts. Compared to EVERY Zeta or ZZ Gundam model kit I've ever built, the VF-31 kit is more durable, has a more-enjoyable transformation, and is generally just better.

But the stickers. Those stickers, man. Probably 80% of the entire surface area of the jet is stickers. A nightmare.

In response to your question: I don't recommend building it first and then stickering. I did it by stickering each piece as I went along. If you tried putting the stickers on a completed model, you'd need to basically perform surgery as you try to very-precisely apply a sticker to a piece you can't really access anymore. 

Oh, and I just ordered a 1/72 SV-262 model kit. I don't really intend to transform it, and (based on the photos) the robot mode isn't that stellar. I have two DX Chogokin SV-262, and transforming it is a nightmare. I'm keeping one Chogokin SV-262 in fighter mode, one of them in robot mode, and I'm keeping the model kit in Gerwalk mode. Transforming the DX SV-262 is literally so hard, I haven't even figured out how to put it into Gerwalk mode, and I give up. I'll just keep the model kit as a Gerwalk and call it a job well done.

Great story- yes I think it looks outstanding UNBUILT in the box- I bought a couple so I am going to da a quick n dirty fast build first and apply all the decalls later- just to see how the kit works so my next one will be fully painted and all- I WILL post pics of the first build with decals applied last to let everyone see how it turned out- I am fearless when it comes to builidng!

bump with new kit

What about some enemy stuff- Pods and such? Now THAT would be awesome...

Tamiya won't touch this license- not their kind of thing. However maybe  the 1/32 licence for plastic kits is available....

Thanks buddy !

Price cut

On 6/15/2017 at 1:02 AM, Lord_Of_Tetris said:

Aaaaaaaaaaah what have I done. I ordered a Dx Chogokin VF-31 (Messer's colors) despite firmly swearing I wouldn't buy one until HLJ gets them back in stock. All in all, I paid ~$250, which I know isn't a bad price, but it's the most money I've ever spent on one figure.

Heh. You know, the intent really was to use the 1/72 model kit as a cheaper alternative to the Dx Chogokin. Ah well. As I wait 3 weeks for my VF-31 to arrive, I'll hype myself up with the model kit.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalmost done. 

 

VERY impressive model kit. All this is the result of the provided stickers, a Gundam marker for panel lines, and very small amounts of paint (for example, I painted the intakes gunmetal gray)

 

Model not 100% finished yet. Still need to build the forearm-mounted guns.

 

Looks good from every angle

 

Painted the landing gear black. Would probably look better if I painted the struts gray or white, but I didn't have the patience. :/

 

Here it is with the Dx Chogokin 1/60 SV-262. You know, I know these are in 2 different scales, but they look pretty darn good together. I don't even mind that the SV-262 is bigger than the VF-31, as I'm totally fine with the bad guy's jet being bigger, beefier, and meaner-looking than the good guy's jet. And, I grew up watching a cartoon where a police car transforms into a robot the same height as another robot who transforms into an F-15 jet. Scale isn't all that important to me.

 

Darn good looking model kit, even with my meager skills. Oh, and you can see that I colored the little Hayate figure using Sharpies.

 

 

After I'm done with the build, I'll finish putting on the stickers. I don't have a pre-set plan for which stickers I'll put on, but I know it won't be all of them. I don't necessarily need to see a hundred "no step" markings, plus, the kit has so many stickers already I'd rather not make such an elegant design look too busy...or like papercraft.

You did a great job- I am going to try this to simplify the decals- assemble the whole kit FIRST then start applying the decals all over it- I know some areas have to be opened/exposed first to apply more decals but could it work?

New mint in box kit.

$35 plus shipping in US only

New here- I can't post in the FS section...reason?

I'd like to see them do a 1/32 big scale Valkyrie from the original series.....make that a Super Valk!

Have one reserved at HLJ- how big is this compared to Prime 1's statue- that one is a stunner at many times the cost of this!

Just now, spindrift said:

 

Thanks- it looks abit on the simple side but gotta admit it's pretty unusual subject- I have one in my Private Warehouse at HLJ

28 minutes ago, Sanity is Optional said:

It's got a lot of stickers.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

What kind of decal markings are included?