mitch

Okay, cool, I was just getting a bit antsy since it's getting into late april now and I've not heard anything back from OD yet. I just need to 'chill me boots' as they say back home. One more quick thing, did someone say that you could use hot water to pinch the thigh intakes a bit to give them more grip? I couldn't find anything when I checked back over the last thread, but I could've sworn someone said that using hot water to soften the plastic and cold water to set it worked with no negative side-effects. If not and i'm just going nuts from the heat here in LA recently I'll give it a go on the mis-painted set when the replacement intake covers come in and let everyone know. I just don't want to try it and the paint just disintegrates or something...

I just want to go on record and say that I hope that the VF-25S Full Armor has a sturdy back hinge. I have my 25S with the Super Pack on and the other day I was having trouble with it sagging when in Gerwalk mode. My concern is that the added weight of the armor boosters will mean that you won't be able to pose it without the stand. By the way, has anyone heard anything about when Bandai will be sending out the replacement hip/intake covers for the 25S? Over drive hasn't gotten back to me yet, probably due to the server problems they've been having since they have generally been really good with replies.

1) I don't think the nut-plate is supposed to be attached for Fighter and Gerwalk. It sucks, but like the hip-guns it's just another part-swap solution that Bandai opted for. 2) I don't know if the calf armor can be swapped over (never tried to personally), but it is a bit of a tight fit. Even without the armor attachments the wings never sit completely flush and level. I've got to say that I am disappointed with the '25. I still really like it, it's just that Bandai have done the same thing as they always do with Valkyries - a lot of little details that could have easily been taken care of were overlooked, like the calf armor interfering with the knee movement. Has anyone else had problems with a loose socket on the right trigger hand? My 25S won't hold it's gunpod straight. I don't want to put glue on the ball because the other hands fit fine, and I'm hesitant to put anything in the socket of the hand because I'm not 100% sure if the softer plastic would react to different substances.

Extremely cool!!! It always boggled my mind how Bandai could overlook something so simple as to allow the knees to bend in Battroid, they always seem to overlook one or two tiny details that would not take a lot of time, effort or expense to do that would greatly improve the final product. The 'A' stance is awesome, I would really like to know how you did it. Come to think of it, the VF-25 seems to me to be the first Bandai valk that doesn't lend itself to customization, since so many parts and screws are glued and sealed. Damn shame...

Sorry that it’s been so long since I updated last, I haven’t had a lot of time to work on this much, but I have finished the clean-up on the hands, which means that I’ve just got to work on the wrists and forearms and the build will be done. Here are some shots of a finished foot. They were primed with Testors and painted with Krylon, and after the same sealing as other finished pieces I ran a small amount of superglue around the base of the foot with a Q-tip to help prevent chipping: I’ve also been making a block that will be housed inside the forearm: The vertical tab that runs down the block’s centre serves a dual purpose; it secures the block, and also fills the slit along the bottom of the forearm that usually accommodates the slide-tab. For some reason I seem to remember there being horizontal lines in the recesses in the wrist while the Battroid is in Fighter Mode, but I’ve been through a few of the art books and DYRL, but everything I can find (with the exception of about 6 frames of the Super Ostrich) has the recesses as black, which saves me a bit of time. If anyone can point to some reference that does show ‘shutters’ in the wrist cavity then I’ll go with that. If not, then I was mistaken and I’ll just paint the blank fascias. I’m afraid that’s it for this time. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to post again since I got laid off the other day, and right now I’ve got to worry about finding another job. Whatever happens I will get this custom finished, and I’ll post pictures as soon as it is. Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest up to this point, I look forward to showing you all the finished article in the future.

Aside from that, I’ve started getting the second thigh pivot joint together and managed to get the head and neck painted: I used Krylon Fusion White, Green and Red Testors enamel, and decided to go with a Gundam brand pen for the panel lining. For sealing, I used a 50/50 mix of Testors Dull Cote and Gloss Cote to get a more satin finish when shot through an airbrush. The visor and forehead light were given a finishing coat of Tamiya Gloss. The ‘arrows’ on either side of the head were decals taken from the sheet supplied with the 1/55 reissues from a few years ago. I painted the base of the neck where it meets the shoulders, but not the neck itself, as paint would be scratched off as soon as I retracted it for the first time. Just in case anyone’s curious, The Missile pods were painted with Testors Spray Enamel Flat Grey Primer and White enamel paint, The Cockpit was the same primer, red and chrome enamel, a black acrylic-based ink (the brand is called ‘Golden’ I think), and the seat was a mix of yellow and blue ink from Gundam Markers brushed on. The Pilot was based in Krylon Fusion, and various acrylics and enamels. The sealing on all of these were the same as the head. Thanks for your interest, till next time…

Hey everyone. I’ve had a lot of overtime at work recently so I’ve not been able to get too much done on this, but I’ve cleaned up a couple of the hands and prepared them for painting. The trigger hand had to be sanded out so that it’ll grip the standard 1/55 Gunpod snugly:

I wasn't too fussed about the 'Origin' re-releases. Apart from a few very minor things like the stickers on the dicast landing gear and (finally) getting a heat-shield for the 1J, I couldn't see any difference to the re-releases from a few years ago. If Toynami had followed through with the new retractible heads that they were showing off at SDCC last year then I'd have been all over them, but since they seem to have bottled out on that I just decided to make a custom that does that. Of course, if they actually re-released the rarer valks (ie. Hikaru Strike 1S, GBP armor, Elint and Ostrich), then I'm sure they'd sell like gangbusters (I'd buy the hell out of them personally). Would it be a case of rights to the figure design or not being able to locate the original molds? I wouldn't want to think it was just down to ineptitude.

WOW! Gorgeous work mate, the Angel Bird came out really nice! I love the way you have it displayed, it really brings it to life. I think my personal fave is the Minmay Guard, the scheme is a classic, but they require so much work that when they come out looking that good it really testifies to the care and patience that goes into it.

Just pre-ordered the armored 25S, but I have to say my patience is starting to wear thin with Bandai. On one hand I'm happy that they are following through with the Fast Packs, Sound Boosters, Missiles, etc unlike their M7 line back in the day (I'm sure the random holes all over the 19's were supposed to be for supplemental accessories that never materialized - anyone able to confirm or deny that hypothesis?), but I was not expecting to have to re-buy the S and F re-releases (my cautious optimism has been dashed), it just seems to point to poor planning and development. I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever see a DX of the 171EX... I really hope that the 25S's neck issues are addressed with the re-release if they're going to be changing it up, at least that would be something posative for the valk itself rather than just extra holes. Given all the hoops one has to jump through to get all these things here in the US already, I'm not impressed with the added hassle and financial bite this entails. I mean, it's not like there is a global recession going on or anything... Oh, and the 25 DX is totally the 'new chunky'. Or at least as close as we'll get with a newer, sleeker valk. Of course, I doubt we'll see it re-released every 10 years or so like the old 1/55 which to me still has appeal today. I suppose you could say that it is an homage to the 1/55 like how Frontier is an homage to the best aspects of the previous Macross stories.

Looks awesome! I'm going to have to get some Tamiya masking tape! Can't wait to see the finished article.

Here is one of the feet I mentioned last time: Both have now been finished and are ready to paint. I’ll be doing that when all the modifications have been finished. Once I have the 1S together and finished I’ll then assemble and paint the Strike Pack and it’ll be done. I’ve also finished one of the thighs since I was able to post last time: I engineered the thigh pivot using 2 strips of 2mm thick styrene glued together to create 4mm plugs that sit inside the thigh that I hollowed out using a Dremel. I was originally thinking of using a short length of styrene tube to make the core peg of the pivot, but I realized that the heat generated by the friction of the pivot turning would weaken, distort or snap the tube. Luckily I found some copper tube that was the same diameter as the styrene so I used that. I drilled the plugs and got them to line up, then glued the peg into the top plug using some 5min epoxy, and glued that into the top of the thigh. Using that I was able to position the plug in the bottom section of the thigh so that they lined up, and then glued that in. I ran into a problem when I found out that what had initially been a snug fit of the plug had loosened, probably from the afore mentioned friction of the peg twisting in the plug that had occurred while I was testing and fitting it. To try to correct this I ran a very thin layer of zap-a-gap super glue around the inside of the lower plug using a Q-tip, and filled the open space inside the lower thigh section with some Milliput putty. Keeping the peg wet and pushing it into the plug made a closer fit that created a greater surface area for the peg to be in contact with and help make a more secure fitting. After the second thigh is done I just need to do the hands. I chased up the tip that big F posted about some recast hands from Dyno, and these look great. The hand that holds the Gunpod needs to be filed out slightly for the grip to fit, but that shouldn’t be too much hassle. I was hoping that the hands would be the right size to allow for them to retract inside the fore arms, and they do (with the obvious exception of the open hand), except they would have to sit at an angle. Instead, what I’m planning on doing is creating a fixed ‘block’ in the forearm that looks from the outside like the ‘shutters’ that seal the hands in in Fighter mode, and make a socket for the hands to fit onto. Finally, I have managed to get hold of some adhesive white vinyl sheet that I want to use to cover the landing gear tabs on the shins, which I believe is similar to what the latest 1/55 reissues have to hide the die cast areas. Here’s hoping that the adhesive is strong enough to stick.

I can't speak for the V2 1/60's as I don't have any (yet), but the last time I was at F&S I saw the new Hikaru 1A there. As for your son, I'd recommend the Bandai 1/55's to anyone. What they may lack in line-accuracy they more than make up with in sturdiness and just sheer fun. I know you can find the reissues at F&S for a reasonable price. If you can find the VF-25's there now they are also a tough wearing toy generally, although my heart goes out to the few people on these boards who have experienced some broken shoulder screws and one poor chap also had a broken hip bar, but these seem to be rare cases (so far). The DX's are a bit steeper in price but they are still a load of fun. Happy hunting!

Holy crap! This thing is huge! And it's the DYRL version! I think this may get my vote for the ultimate Macross collectible. If I moved house (and I'd have to, to find somewhere to put it!) I'd have to put a kid's booster seat in my car and drive it around with it sitting in the back just for sh*ts and giggles Of course, I'd need to buy a car in the first place and with the price-tag on that thing I don't think my budget could handle both. Maybe if I resign myself to eating ramen for the next year and started selling my organs... Stunning piece of work, but with the economy and my wallet in the state they are in right now I have no idea how I could afford it. I'll get the Macross Quarter and be satisfied with that.

The Quarter looks stunning! I'll definately have to move some stuff around to accomodate it, but if it's as sturdy as most other Bandai issues then I'm definately in as long as the price is reasonable. Of course, when comparing it in price to Yamato's SDF-1 a lot of stuff does look a bit cheaper in comparison.

My 25S came through from BBTS, and after transforming it a few times I have to say that I’m really happy with it. The shoulder ball-joints and secondary pivots in the elbow and knees are a bit tight, but thankfully no problems with snapping screws. I would have liked the neck to have been a little longer, but I’m impressed at the build quality and engineering that went into it, regardless to the deviation to the line-art (as a fan of the old 1/55's that doesn't bother me). Can’t wait for the 25F to be reissued and for the super-packs to come in!

Not a lot to show for it this week I’m afraid. Work has been really busy and I was procrastinating for a while about doing the thigh mod, but now I have a fairly good idea how I’m going to attack this and should just need a set of small clamps to hold it closed while the glue sets (For those of you who have never taken a 1/55 apart before, the ratchet joints housed in the thigh are set on springs). Here are some pictures of a completed missile pod. I’ve tested it out and it sits snugly under the wing. At the weekend I was able to find some time to start the thigh mod. I started using Skull-1’s thread as a foundation, but instead of using pens for a friction joint I am custom making them to ensure I get a tight, solid join and to theoretically make it easier for me to position them inside the thighs. I’ve also started on the feet. I used an epoxy putty called miliput to fill them and have been sanding them to taper slightly towards the outside face and create the raised plate above the ‘toe’. Once that’s done I’ll scribe the line around the base of the feet and they’ll be ready for painting. I’ll have photos next time. Just for documentation’s sake, here’s a shot of the missile clip that didn’t work out. Like I said before, a lot of trial and error...

Only the 25S is currently available at HLJ (and in limited quantities at that). If you want a 25F you're looking at about $190 on average through the secondary market. The numbers say, for better or for worse, that the DX has done well. The fact that they are reissuing it just a few months after the initial release illustrates that. I would bet that the only changes we see, if any, are small fixes (like maybe the torsion on the screws), I would be very suprised if there are any major changes which would cost a lot more to fix through production (like neck length unfortunately). If and when there are more significant changes to the design in the film, then I suspect they will probably release that as a separate variant later. Also, the number of broken shoulder screw cases that I've read about I can count on one hand, where as the number of whole forums dedicated to defective Yamatos is still way in the majority.

I agree, I'm constantly amazed by what people can make out of lego. I grew up with it and think it is a wonderful toy for any child (or adult for that matter!). I passed on both the megablok Gundam kits and the TF Convoy set because I'm very wary of lego impersonators and was concerned that the quality would not mach my expectations. Just because they could make megablok VF-25 kits (however unlikely that may be) doesn't mean they should. Bionicles not only have applications to lego-builders, but I have also heard of their ball-joints being used for custom model building and maquette work.

Nope, this thread is still going strong. Part of the reason I'm posting my progress is to keep me motivated because I want to have something to show every week. Unfortunately, I don't have regular 'net access at the moment (most of my spare cash is going on this and is in my DX VF-25 fund), and last week I had the set-back of the missile-pod clips and the waiting time for paint to dry and H2O2 to do it's magic. Sorry for the delay, I promise I will keep posting until this piece is done. My VF-19S that I was working on this time last year took months to finish because aside from filling holes, adding vents and attempting to custom build a new gunpod (which failed horribly) I was removing each individual piece from the figure, spraying them with Krylon Fusion paint, waiting the recommended 7 days for each piece to dry, masking, spraying, waiting again, panel-lining, re-assembling, applying decals and sealing. Hell, I'm getting tired just remembering all that! Basically, the reason I'm doing this is kind of a tribute to various things - to DYRL, one of the most stunning animated films I have ever seen, to the various artists who created and contributed to the rich and wonderful world of the Macross mythology, to the other customizers out there who inspired me to do this, and to the 1/55 Valkyrie figure itself. It is a masterpiece of design, engineering and 4-dimensional planning that over 20 years after it's inception is still being reproduced almost exactly as it was all that time ago. I may be adding to it, but it is really only small aesthetic things. I would say that every single valk made by bandai could have been improved with maybe one or two tiny changes that would have made a drastic improvement on each figure - knees that bend on the VF-17, die-cast hip joints on the VF-19 that would allow for them to slide up to sit higher on the torso and maybe have a degree of motion, and all of them (except the '17 of course) could use thigh swivels. There are obviously other things that could be changed on them (and I'm still waiting on my VF-25 figures before I pass judgment on them... come on BBTS!!!), but I see good things in all of them IMHO. So anyway, it may sometimes take a little longer than I would like to post my progress, but it will get finished, and if anyone has any questions I will gladly answer them, and any suggestions are always welcome. Thank you.

WOW! That is awesome, great job! Come to think of it, Mr Kawamori used lego to design the VF-25, and Gundam, another bandai property, has had a build-it-yourself block kit (not lego, I know, megablocks I think...the poor mans lego), I wouldn't think it would be completely impossible to see something like this in the shops. Probably not lego unfortunately, but anyway, it's good to see people out there making some awesome lego pieces. Keep it up!

Hey everyone, sorry I haven’t posted for a while. A lot of this project has been trial-and-error for me and the hands, head, missile pods and thigh pivots have needed a lot of planning and forethought before I tackle them. Over the last two weeks I’ve devised how the missile pods will be attached to the wings. I was initially planning on using the clip off of a pen-lid (a type of Bic pen that you can get in the UK) because of it’s aerodynamic shape, but after trying to connect it to the spacer that sits on the top of the ‘pod, I found that it is made of a type of plastic that repels pretty much everything, so I switched to using some scratch-built clips made of copper wire (to prevent snapping over time) coated with rubber insulating sheaths used in electrical wiring. This not only prevents scratching the wing’s paint and slipping, but when heated they shrink to fit the bent copper clip. The next time I post I’ll have pictures of the finished, painted ‘launcher. I also found out that the old Strike Pack forearm clips do not fit the Bandai re-issues (they apparently also started gluing near the nose of the valk). The angles on the forearm were slightly altered and don’t sit flush with the inner gradient of the attachment. So rather than start attacking the clip I just used a set of older arms and cleaned them up (see below) and will use them. I’ve finished painting my pilot and cockpit. I added a new display screen with the mirrors at the top as seen in DYRL’s cockpit variation. I removed the yellowing on some of the parts I’m using off of an old valk. If no one has heard about the technique that I read about on the forums here titled 'fountain of youth', then I have to tell you it really works! Step 1 – Take the plastic parts that you want to remove the ageing on and remove all screws and metal components. You can also wipe them down with alcohol to clean them if you want. Step 2 – Put the parts in a clean glass jar, preferably with a lid, and pour in some Hydrogen Peroxide (I used the 3% stuff you can get from any pharmacy or supermarket). Use enough H2O2 to completely immerse the plastic. Step 3 – loosely screw on the lid (allowing the oxygen released by the H202 to escape and prevent the build up of pressure), and place it somewhere where it can get a lot of sunlight, like a south-facing window. Step 4 – wait for about 4 (sunny) days and the H202 will bleach the plastic back to it’s original luster! It doesn’t even affect paint or tempo printing, it just cleans them! Remove the pieces carefully and rinse thoroughly with cold water to remove any residual H2O2. IMPORTANT: Hydrogen Peroxide in any concentration should be handled with care. You should really read the thread before you start. Take care when using H2O2, do not get it in your eyes, and wear gloves. Now that I’ve got clean parts to work with I’m going to have a go at the thigh modification I’ve read about...

Here is where the Missile Pods are at. Next week I should have some pictures of it with the clip attachment if it all goes well. As for the hands, I’ve hit another snag. The hands from a TF Altinator a bit small and would have made holding the Gunpod either difficult or impossible. I may just end up using the hands from the standard 1/55, but putting in a pivot so that they can at least rotate.

Here is the (almost) finished head. The collapsing neck I devised out seems to be working well so far, but I may tweak the sliding mechanism slightly with some light sanding. Since taking these pictures I’ve filled the gap between the Visor and the Faceplate as well as the small holes at the base of the chin that were created when I trimmed the jaw. I’m thinking of scribing a line on the neck to represent the layered under-jaw plating. That aside, this is how the finished article will look. Like I said last time, if anyone is interested I will post a diagram to show how I went about doing this mod.

Here are the pictures of the head. So far I’ve cut the visor out, rounded the face, cut the ‘jowls’ under the chin, extended the brow, and tightened and lightly drilled the lasers. Aside from needing to replace the visor, I’ve been thinking of ways to do the extending neck, and I think I have it figured out. I’m looking for some styrene tubing that is the same diameter as the ‘neck’, so I can extend the central column and run it into the head to add stability. If it works and if anyone is interested I’ll do a diagram to show exactly what it is I did. This is the casing of the missile pods I am working on. Since these were taken I have added the front and rear panels with the missile warheads and exhausts attached. I had to cut a lot of styrene but I used it as an opportunity to get some new tools and materials that I can use later on. I got the ‘Flexible Pipe’ that I mentioned a few posts back and looked into using them for fingers, but I’ve decided against using it on this project since they don’t have enough bend to make a decent fist or hold the Gunpod, but if anyone wants to buy one and a half packs of Small (3mm) Flexible Pipe then drop me a PM. Instead, I’m going to try and use some hands off of a Transformers Altinator, as they have movable fingers, are about the same size as the original hands, and can firmly grip the gun handle.