captain america

I can appreciate that there may be different helmet designs, but to be honest, I can't explain the hierarchy (if any) or how and why certain styles of battle armor are seen in some instances and not others. To that end, I wouldn't rule out sculpting a new (heavy) space suit, but despite its small size, the original zentradi soldier took a surprisingly long time to make, and so I'll have to weigh that if/when the Gnerl project kicks-in to determine how significantly it will impact the price of the kit.

Based on all the art I've seen, it looks like an opaque hatch cover, similar to the Glaug; the visuals being provided by the sensor eye at the front of the craft. Consoles could be molded clear in the interest of lighting though.

However large the structure, I feel that in order to maintain the spirit of Zentradi machinery and the artists who penned the original style sheets, the cockpit and associated details should reflect the simplistic, semi-organic look of other Zentradi mecha, so if anything, it'll probably have an interior similar to the Regult. With regards to clear parts, I suppose that it remains a possibility, depending on how the parts need to be broken down. Since this will be a fairly large and expensive model, it'll likely be limited to just 30 kits, so I'll see if I can implement some interesting goodies. That won't be until March though.

Based on what I could find, the Gnerl is supposedly about 28m in lenth, which is about 38cm long in 1/72. Quite huge.

Are you sure about that? My understanding is that the reason Kamjin wears that armor is because he's a high-ranking officer; has nothing to do with fighting in space, because Regults fight in space as well. Pilot poseability: in order to do that with a figure as opposed to a mecha, you have to put toy-like joints on it, which goes against my philosophy. The pilot for the gnerl will have to be more reclined anyway, as the seating position is different than the trashcan-like comfort of the Regult.

What about a Gnerl with cockpit & bastard pilot?

Really? I coulda swore I did 'em all. Lessee... -PHARANX. Check. -TOMAHAWK. Check. -DEFENDARR. Check. -SPALTAN. Check. Nope, that's it, unless you mean the Monster, but Mike's got that one tied-up pretty well.

...Similarities to the Gundam kits circa 1982, maybe. If you're expecting a MG-type model, you're in for a world of hurt. This model is actually an Imai tool from 25 years ago, and unlike the current Bandai offerings, actually requires modelling skill to complete, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're a novice builder. Honestly though, with a little elbow grease, it's a great little kit that'll stand its own against most other Valkyrie models. The camera lens is clear styrene, and needs a clear green overcoat... Much as the rest of the model requires painting and finishing; the photos in the instructions you posted are a fairly accurate representation of the kit, when built and painted as directed.

That would only work if you had a leg cast all in one piece, with a one-piece continuous rod that followed the full length of the leg and anchors sturdily into the torso. The leg design on Cain makes that highly impractical. Further, the high center of gravity of the design will put even more stress on the legs. Resin cast parts are fine for certain designs and objects of a certain size, but when you start moving into something like this, you discover that the build/construction techniques that work for a 7"-8" model don't apply too well on something almost triple the size.

It certainly looks like gumby's got a fantastic head-start on that project, and I think that he's got a pretty good handle on it. Is this something that will be offered commercially at some point? My only concern would be in the full use of resin and the possibility of bending or sagging over time, particularly because of the size and mass of the upper torso compared to the legs.That's why I had contemplated having some metal legs at the very least. Yes, I still have the plans. They would likely need to be updated though; there was only limited visual reference available at the time.

The order window is now closed.

I don't recall if I was ever expressly asked to make a Cain model, but if it were financially justifiable, I'd jump on the project in a second. I had even drawn-up some plans a few years ago to make one in 1/6 scale. An actual metal model would likely cost a small mint, but a resin kit would have been manageable... I think.

That main pic you posted is of the filming miniature. One of several that were made. The pics of the model from "Monsters in Motion" is actually a rehash of the old Argonauts kit, which was nothing short of f*cking horrible. I know, because I had it; the original made a lot of bootleg kits look good by comparison.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that your models are now *FINALLY* shipping as of today! Some of you will likely getting your kits in the next few days onward. Also, I am putting out a final call for the Destoroido Spaltan, as production is going into its twilight phase. As such, I will keep the order window open until midnight eastern time on the 8th (Friday.) For anything else, you know where to reach me

Wow, I didn't think this thread still existed

Hi everyone. First off, I'd like to present my sincerest apologies for the shipping delay of the Spaltans, as the decals still haven't arrived. That having been said, all orders placed have been cast, and there are still a few spots open, should anyone want a model. Anyhoo,you'll be happy to know that the instructions are done, and I've included them below for your downloading pleasure.

Hi guys. I thought I'd chime-in here, since I may be directly implicated in the project. Firstly, I'd like to thank 1st Border for posting all those pics. Where I am having some difficulty is in attempting to really grasp the transformation sequence, which I have never seen explained properly, and this is why I had asked Jorwar to see if there might be some "previously unpublished" lineart or diagrams that covers the transformation. Essentially, as things stand now, the existing visual reference, I feel, still isn't quite sufficient to go to a proper sculpt. I'm hoping that this may change in the time to come.

Hi everyone. I wanted to give everyone a progress report: as things stand right now, I have the first 30 castings done, and am merely waiting on the decals in order to start shipping; hopefully I won't have to wait too much longer for those. Also, I've begun on a second set of molds, which should be done by Friday. So much insanity, so little time.

Hmm, maybe not. There's a sensor/gun turret on the chin that could easily serve as a main camera when the gun cluster is in use... Maybe

Update: I will be redoing the molds in the next week, so there will be a slight delay in production as a result. Also, I've taken some pics of the Spaltan with the club... Still no fingers though; I prefer to leave those off until after the instructions are done, but rest assured that they fit perfectly, and will wrap nicely over the club handle. Pics:

Quick update: casting is going quite well, and the first 30 models should be cast by early next week. I also did some mocking-up of the Spartan and took some quick photos. Looks way better than I'd anticipated it would.

Hey Geert, that looks kickass; looks like the decals were a good fit too!

Effective immediately, the Destoroido Spaltan price now shifts to $140.00. Those of you who have already sent payment and those of you who have messaged me noticing me of incoming payment are A-OK. Either way, if there is a problem, please rest assured that I will notify you privately; no news is good news, as they say. If it helps anyone, considering the amount of plastic and labor involved, and the sheer detail of the kit, they should have been $140 from the get-go, so the people who purchase the 31st model onward aren't so much getting a bum rap as those first 30 are taking me to the cleaners

D'oh! Make that 5 kits...

Excellent post Valkyrie13! I could elaborate at length on those matters and pick apart any 'Notice of Cease and Desist' to demonstrate the sheer baselessness of the demands therein. There are also some things I've discovered that even lawyers will not tell their clients, and that's a whole mess in and of itself, but since this isn't quite the place for it, I will leave it to the discretion of those interested to persue these matters on their own time. Back on topic, there are seven models left in the original batch at $115.00.