Macross-Plus

Pretty late to the party, But i finally got a chance to watch it last night. The F short was animated BEAUTIFULLY and i think the story was more coherent than the Delta movie. I still liked Zettai live, but i think it was lacking something, though i can't place what. Maybe it was the small amount of fighting? I also like Ranka's new design, I think the longer hair looks really nice. There were also many parts of Zettai that I found were strong too, and I liked that they went back to Freya's hometown and explained where her parents were during all of this. Though, I wish there was more time for Yami_Q_ray to develop, I thought that it could have been a really strong villian if it was given more time/development. I'm typing this out pretty quick so i'll probably flesh out my thoughts later. Overall though it was a good watch. 

Is there any concept art for DYRL/SDFM (the original)? I'd love to see the characters and ships before they were given the green light to be in the show. 

4 hours ago, wmkjr said:

Get your fill in before it goes. June 28 1500 Japan time it shuts down. 

 

Why is it shutting down?? I know it's an older game, but i'd think the fanbase (in japan, at least) would be enough to keep it running. 

On 4/23/2022 at 4:55 AM, no3Ljm said:

Full Macross 7 Concert - BASARA EXPLOSION 2022 available in YouTube. 🤘🏼

 

Not anymore, it seems. 

The kit came in today! Bigger than expected, even though I knew how big it would be.  Though, the box was damaged for the kit itself, and a few parts broke off the risers during transit. The main part I think I'm upset about is the scuffs on a lot of the bigger parts due to poor packaging from the seller. Luckily, they're not deep and a coat of primer should hide them (I hope) I also remembered to buy almost everything. But somehow I FORGOT GLUE. I really don't know how that happened either, But I'll see if i can get some soon (It all depends if i have anywhere to go, as I'd like to get glue in-person if possible)

The kit has a nice sculpt, but I wasn't ready for those SUPER tiny parts. I thought the 1/20 Minmay I built was tiny, but some parts on this blow it away. I'll have to make a new workspace so I won't lose them as I build. I also like the extra decals for some parts too, but that's pretty standard (I hope?) I'll start working on it after I get my big project done, as I don't want to burn-out and be unable to build this. Once again, thanks to everyone for the help!

38 minutes ago, Podtastic said:

I'd buy a decent Ishtar for sure.

Yep! There's her one garage kit, and her CM's.. is crusty at best. Maybe a Hibiki figure to go along with would be cool too. 

I'd like to have some Macross 2 stuff, some official figures would be nice.. Also, Maybe just more older Macross stuff in general. Call me crazy, but a figure of Minmay that's a decent scale and looks nice (That wouldn't cost an arm and a leg) as there's only the old figures and the arcadia ones (Cm's look nice, but are either crazy expensive or small). I'd also kill for some new transformable valkyrie kits as well, as the ones i've seen of older series are rare and old ( brittle joints are my worst fear, I think). It'd also be nice to have the old Macross soundtracks on streaming services alongside the new ones too. maybe a translations of the various Macross books as well? Kinda doubting that last one. More U.S. Movie screenings would be what I hope they do the most, as I couldn't make the Plus screening.  

Call me crazy, But i think i like how the neon tron-esque .. ship.. plane thing looks. I'm saying ship because of how big it appears in the trailer, But I can't watch the movie yet. I bet it'd be HELL to paint though, as all of those light neon lines and all the black makes for masking tape galore. It looks neat IMO, I've never seen anything quite like it. 

34 minutes ago, erewhon1872 said:

First time I've ever posted anything so it was odds on I'd make a hash of it! Thanks again 👍

Thanks for ALL of that! That was actually exactly what I was looking for, especially the putty and primer details. And with the canopy, I wonder how i'd be able to get the teal tint on the window, as I don't know of any clear/transparent drying paints I could use. I have some Testors paints and acrylics, and I plan on using chalk pastels to make the inset lines and such on the sculpt stand out. I don't think i'd change the seat, as i'd like to keep it as faithful as possible to the anime, But i like that you CAN change the seat if you wanted to put a small model in the cockpit. I also have Mr. White Tamiya putty, and it works pretty well. If there's something i'd want to fix, all i'd have to do is get a blade and chisel it off, as it tends to be flaky when not inset. And thanks for the measurements, that's a BIG kit for my standards! Might have to set a bit of shelf space for it, haha. 

8 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

No worries; the workshop is precisely the right place to ask!

So, point by point here:

1) Research the version and specific craft you're building BEFORE you start! I can't stress this enough, as there are several variants to any craft, and there are specific differences to them at points in time. Also, not every kit is accurate, and some kits have their own "take" on a specific version. Macross World is a great resource for researching valkyries, for example, as is the Macross Mecha Guide.

2) Any scale is merely a fraction expressed of the actual size of the item in real life. 1/2 scale would be (for example) one half of true size, and so forth. That said, when painting these kits, the smaller the size, the lighter the same shade you will have to paint on the final finish (smaller kits don't catch as much light and the same color will look darker as opposed to a larger one).

3) Save cockpit canopies for last, as these can get glue. scratch marks on them if attached too early. If you have to, mask them off to protect them.

4) For base coats, I recommend Rustoleum Painter's Touch (NOT the regular Rustoleum; that will eat the plastic!) grey, black or white primer (depending upon the subject). if you have it available where you live. Use spray paints for the base coat, unless you're going for a metallic finish (primers

5) Fillers/ putties: there are a lot to chose from, from polyester ones, to even super glue gel and baking soda. Use care if you fill a seam enar a panel line, as it can flake off. chip if you need to re-scribe the line after filling.

6) Decals: you're going to want a decal solvent (helps the decal settle and conform) to help make decals look "painted-on", but use care with them. Some can actually dissolve the decal if used too much. Micro-Sol is one that I usually use and is mostly safe. ALSO: check your decals before you use them! Some older kits have decals that can actually "shatter" from age: test older decals by cutting out and soaking an option decal you won't need; if it shatters, apply clear coat to the entire sheet, then let dry and cut the decals out separately.

I'll see if I can think of some more stuff as I go; hope this helps start you off!!

Thanks for that first tip, i had no idea there were so many variants of just 1 plane! Luckily, though, I'm pretty simple and like the basic versions most of the time. It strikes me as odd that there's no one kit alike, but i guess it does make sense. The Mecha guide is pretty extensive as well, so thanks for that also! 

I didn't know that about smaller kits. That also makes sense, though, but If you hand't told me that i would have had no idea! And with the cockpits,those are usually transparent, right? I'd save them for last as-is, as messing up paint on transparent surfaces never goes too well for me. For a base coat, would Tamiya Light Grey work? I've been meaning to get some for a while. 

I use Mr.Tamiya White Putty, and you can't find too much about it (Unless I looked in all the wrong places..) But it works pretty well. I 3D printed a Sharon Apple model, and there's practically no gaps in it now. It does get brittle, though, but luckily it dries fast and is easy to remove if need be.  And i wish i knew about decal solvent before i built my first model, haha. I am VERY careful when dusting it off now. 

1 minute ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

From the Macross wiki, I get a length of 18.62m and a wingspan of 14.87m for the YF-19.

Converted, to feet, I get 61.09 ft length, 48.79 ft wingspan. Then just divide by scale of choice.

I get 0.85 ft length, 0.68 ft wingspan for a 1/72 YF-19.

1.27 ft length and 1.02 ft wingspan for 1/48.

That should give a rough approximation. I believe later fighters like VF-25 and VF-31 are bigger?

Yep, that's the confusing part for me. I am REALLY bad at math, so i refer to user photos when i can for size. It seems like a bigger model to me, but i know they get HUGE as well. ( That 1/20 VF set i saw in box once was huge. and that was JUST the box!!) I'm sure that over time i'll learn the sizes by heart, though. Glad to know that the math is easy, and not long division or something. And yeah, I'd say that they'd be bigger, but maybe not. It still surprises me when i see a tiny pilot in a "tiny" model like that..

1 hour ago, Bolt said:

Well. Here's the link for such things. Go over all of it. And then ask any questions you may have. BTW , Hasegawa is a fine choice !

 

1 hour ago, no3Ljm said:

Welcome!

I'm not a big model kit builder than most of the gurus here. But I can help out sharing links from the Forum that probably can help you out regarding your inquiry.

First of all, the section where you posted this is a section for Model Kits and Resin Announcements. Basically, what kits announced, when it's coming out, what company, etc. should be posted in this section of the Forum.

As for tips and tricks and such, that can be found in the The Workshop! section of the forum. There you will find member's post on their builds and progress. There's also a pinned thread that you can use or threads that you can just ask questions away. 

 

What's on your Workbench:

 

Beginner's Model Building Basics:

 

Some Scratch Building/Model Modification:

 

Just browsing the Workshop section is plenty enough of getting resources, ideas, advices, and feedbacks as well.  

Anyways, enjoy and looking forward to see your builds.  

 

Thank you both for those threads! I probably wouldn't have found those. Most of the things i already know how to do are there, So i'm glad it's not too different than character kits. Only thing i'm worried about now is brittle plastic and missing pieces, haha. 

45 minutes ago, KOG Water Dragon said:

The principle of scale is the same in all kinds of models. Character, aircraft, or otherwise. 1/1 is full size. 1/2 is half size. The bigger the number at the end, the smaller the model in relation to what it represents. When you do figures representing people (or people sized characters), scales like 1/8 or 1/6 or maybe even 1/4 are common. Aircraft (including Macross ones) are MUCH larger than people, so the models have to be done in a smaller scale in order to keep the model size reasonable. Aircraft model common scales can run from 1/144 to 1/32 or even 1/24. 1/144 is on the smaller end, 1/72 is bigger, 1/48 is bigger still, 1/32 can be quite big, and 1/24 is usually pretty darn big for aircraft. You can't do 1/6 for aircraft, naturally. Too big to be practical for most people.

In terms of Macross, a lot of the kits will be 1/72. Bandai's Macross stuff is mostly 1/72. Hasegawa's main Macross series is 1/72, and they make a few 1/48 as well. Wave makes some 1/100 Macross kits. There are other brands out there but I'm not going to mention it all. You said you were interested in a YF-19 kit from Hasegawa. They offer that one in both 1/72 and 1/48. The 1/72 is the smaller one, the 1/48 is the big one.

Yeah, i do get how scales work, but what i wonder is how large a 1/72 VF would be. Maybe around 8 inches? 6? i'm not too sure, is all. I'm looking at the 1/72 kit, as something too big wouldn't fit on my limited shelf space. It reminds me of the "nose collection" in where the tiny 1/20 PLAMAX characters looked just right in comparison. Makes me think how big a SDF-1  would have to be to fit the 1/20 figs in it, LOL. It's fun to imagine a city-block sized model of it, to be honest. 

I'm not sure if this is the right place to put this, but i'd like to start building plane model kits. I've built character kits before, But i'm not sure how that would differ from a plane model. I'd like to buy a YF-19 kit (hasegawa), but scales and such of these planes confuse me a bit, as i'm used to 1/6 scales, not 1/42 or 1/72 scale. I'd like to know some tips and tricks as well, and any must-haves that I wouldn't have normally ( Such as certain types of seam putty or different paints, base coat paint, etc). And if anyone has any questions on character kits, I'll try to answer them, haha. 

Once you get into the game, and you get past the opening/ first boot story thing that goes on for at least 10 minutes, the game is pretty straightforward ( especially if you have played other rhythm games) The only thing i'm confused by is the red/green/blue tickets that (can?) be used for the gatcha pulls.. also, getting variable fighters is pretty hard, but I may be doing something wrong. Luckily there's a pretty decent wiki which can help out too. 

On 3/14/2022 at 10:52 PM, jvmacross said:

Yes, the Seika Note Macross Pencil Sharpener Collection was a nice little set released several years ago....here are a few pics

....not in the pics is one of the 2 chase figures...the Strike VF-1S Focker Gerwalk.......did not have it at the time I took the pics when I first bought them years ago....I think someone here was able to sell me one at some point, but I remember not being able to assemble the entire set initially after purchasing two brand new cases....

 

That's SO cool! It's neat to see how detailed they are, I expected a way worse paint job. It's also cool to see the boxes the sharpeners came in, And i'd assume that the box would be sold at stores with the sharpeners as little blind boxes. It's also neat to see that there's different bases too, the Macross logo for characters ( and maybe hidden characters as well?) and a more mechanical base for ships/Planes and such. It's also worth noting that the bases on the box are the same as the Gundam sharpeners, but they're different in the released product. Thanks for sharing those photos by the way, finding nice close up photos of these is pretty hard. 

I don't own this, but I thought it was cool (And nobody else has mentioned it) But this Minmay pencil sharpener! I thought it looked so neat, But I've never seen it for sale. This link is the page for an ad looking for it... It makes me wonder if there's other Macross pencil sharpeners out there. Maybe the SDF-1 in a suuuper small scale? LOL 

edit: Found a photo with all of the sharpeners that were released! I was right, there IS  a super tiny SDF-1!!

AFAIK it's ABS that yellows over time. You can use the peroxide treatment, but it can become streaky if you do it wrong. it's also finicky because of paint, since paint and peroxide don't like to mix. I think I've seen treatments with using JUST UV light, but I can't remember if they poured peroxide into the bin first. If you want to use cream, though, use hair bleach and mask off all of the painted parts, and move the cream around so that it won't streak. Leave it in the sun or in UV light so that the reaction will work. The yellowing may come back over time, but hey, it's nice to have a decent looking model for a while, right? (A good place to research this is in the retro PC/Console community) 

All of these cels are so cool! I'm not too knowledgeable on these kinds of things, though. That brings up my question, what's up with the "vinegar smelling cel" thing and why must cels be quarantined if they have this?