tundrayeti

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I will be traveling again this week. heading to Nashville but I will update the models while I'm there (tractor and water truck) It will give me something to do in my Hotel room besides watch Jersey Shore or House hunters. Anyway, I will be back home Thursday and hopefully this upcoming weekend start making molds.

Do you have a Hasegawa 1/72 VF-1 gudpod and place into this gudpod carrier?

"Variable Fighter Master File VF-1 Valkyrie" book from SoftBank Creative have a drawing of gudpod with gudpod carrier. May be it helps.

Ichijo

unfortunately I do not have a gunpod in this scale. I do have one from a vf-11, it may be okay for reference purposes. Keep in mind that the Resin will flex a bit so it will give a little. I took measurements from some of the other scales for gunpods and kind of averaged them out. Worse case scenario, you have to sand the clamps a bit.

Hello,

The boom truck may need to enlarge a bit. If compare with the picture when the 1/72 scale gound crew stand next to the master.

http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/boomlifttruck.htm

There are no official specification/length and size. May be a good looking size should be overweight, by comparing with nowsaday working vehicles. Scaling IMAI 1/100 Macross Factory may not produce good result.

Ichijo

Well here i have a picture of a 1/72 figure next to the master at about the same angle as the lineart picture. they look pretty close to me. if you look at most modern military vehicles (and I can speak from experience) have very cramped cockpits they are definitely not built for comfort. Although I used the Imai 1/100 scale boom truck for reference, i did bump up the size a bit. Lets get some more opinions on this since this was the most expensive part of the printing. I think it looks fine, but lets get some more opinions on this. Also keep in mind that there is a bit of sag due to the fact that the wheels are not glued on or attached to the posts.

I was going to day the same thing about the tractor. It looks a bit small for a seated 1/72 figure.

okay after looking at the lineart more closely and comparing to my computer model I see where the problem is. I have a 45 degree angle for the other side of the tractor and looking at the lineart it is definately not 45 degrees. The angle is less steep. So what I will do is measure the pilot and modify the tractor a little. This will lengthen the tractor a little and i can give that guy a little more room. Thanks for all your input guys once we get this just right, the models can be scaled for all the other scales desired without my having to "fix" them then. So let's iron out all the bugs now. Basically all I have to do for this is separate the front and the back and stretch the middle a bit. I will use the Power unit as a reference.

The front wheels on the tractor and the power unit are the same size (or at least that's now it looks to me).

Interest in one 1/72 set, pictures please ?

Pictures have been posted in the other thread linked above. Please check them out and add your comments.

Hello,

Appers the 1/72 pilot cannot sit inside the tractor.

Ichijo

Yes it is cramped in there, but the lineart can be deceiving. the proportions are correct. but even the modern day tractors the navy uses have very small cockpits. I could modify it a little. I will show some more photos since we are dealing with objects that cannot bend like they would in the real world. the cushions are rigid and so is the pilot. it looks like he could get in there with a little effort. i am considering some small modifications. I had this printed in 1/100 scale and it seemed okay. I could bump up the size a little. Thanks for the input Ichijo. Well guys keep the comments coming. everyone has to be happy with the final product.

Awesome. I might have to make it 3 sets. One question, does the boom truck come with a hook as well or just the basket? In one episode you can see a similiar truck with a crane lifting a damaged valkyrie fighter. I can always use a few cranes in 1/72.

I designed it with the basket only but i'm sure with some minor modifications a hook could be put on. the posts for the basket go all the way through so you could just leave the basket out and put a hook on some wire or line and run it that way. I will see if I can do something like that and order it with the resized water truck.

Wow man, they look great!! You overcome my expectations! Just tell me when I have to pay!

Thanks Cool8or.

I will leave a few days for comments and suggestions. in the meantime I will maybe do a wash on these to show more detail, do the sanding and primer work and then make the molds. I'll start taking money after the molds are made and tested. i will be taking another business trip this week so I wont have time to do much, so i will wait until Thursday for comments and suggestions. in the meantime i will order another water truck but i will be able to work on these in the meantime.

Okay everyone HERE THEY ARE!. the masters have arrived. I took the pictures with some 1/72 scale hasegawa figures for reference. I took one picture of each model as much assembled as possible and one with the parts laid out. For some reason the water truck was printed in 1/100 scale instead of 1/72 so I'm getting it redone but I'm posting the pictures of it anyway so everyone can get a look and make comments. Even though the detail is these looks really good I still have some sanding and priming to do so that the small imperfections will be smoothed out. For example the engine carrier/water tank isn't perfectly round. it's the interpenetration of a round object into the printing process. It has to break the curved surface down into tiny triangles or squares. So I will have to do a little sanding and priming, but they will look fine once that is done. the camera pics up more of these imperfections than the naked eye. I will be making some modifications to the forklift too it's a little wide. So please give me your opinions, I want everyone to be happy with these.

Thanks for your patience.

Boom Truck

tractor

engine carrier/water tank

water truck

AC/Power Truck

Forklift

Gudpod carrier

I saw the projected price tag for a set of 1/48 vehicles, and I would grab a set in a heart beat. Any chance of some of the other vehicles like the taxi and limo making it to 1/48 ?

Extremely possible. I have the most of the models done in 3D already, I will just have to do a couple more and of course any suggestions are welcome.

Well I got word that the masters are completed at the printers, and are on their way. It will still be the weekend before I can show anything since I will be in Texas Wed - Friday. But hopefully by Saturday I will have photos up.

okay guys quick update. The masters are almost done and should be here this week. Unfortunately, I have to travel to Texas on business, and I wont get them til Saturday anyway. Got all my mold making supplies in and ready to go. So molds on the 1/72 should be done over the weekend. Please keep those orders coming we are at about ten right now. I know some of you are waiting for the finished product photos so be patient should be in another week.

Interest in one 1/72 set, pictures please ?

check the thread linked above. masters are in production now should be here in a week. pictures will be posted on the other thread.

Thanks for the feedback! When I get back to civilization, 3D printing is something to consider. I hope all goes well with the casting! - MT

No Problem MechTech actually a lot of manufacturers are using this process so I'm sure I will get good results. Well I got an email from the printers that production has started so we should see the masters in about 10 days or less.

Okay everyone the models are off to the printers and should be here in about 2 weeks. in the meantime i will be submitting more 3d model work for the military and civilian vehicle sets. If there's something you would like to see put the lineart or artwork on this thread and I will try to make it a reality. Thanks for all the kind words and support.

Okay guys about 6 hours to go. I will be ordering these at 7pm my time. Just so that everyone knows, I have enough orders to cover the costs for the 1/72 scale so it will happen. Now lets see if we can get those 40 orders to make the other scales happen. By the way If you want multiple scales, I'm sure something can be worked out so that everything is shipped at once. I will get a price quote from the printers and if can cover that, Those interested in 1/72 and 1/48 may be able to get those as well. All this may take about 4-6 weeks to complete guys but as folks have said. These have been a long time coming so whats a couple more weeks.

Those look great man!!! The 3D prototyping process is really cool. Your artwork looks great finalized. If yo don't mind me asking, what do they charge for a protoype of the smaller vehicles in 1/100 size? I've thought of doing some 3D prototyping before, but way back then it was really expensive.

You know, now you REALLY have to come through! Guys have been waiting years to get these vehicles! Even the Imai ones were unaccurate for 1/100 scale. I wish you the best of success with your project! - MT

Thank MechTech! I really like this process. It enables everyone to give me their opinion without wasting materials. There are a LOT of things to consider when doing this. Most 3D printer have a 1mm wall tolerance so when you are dealing with details on a very small scale, it can be cumbersome. One more important note is that these models will be hollow and casted that way so that lights can be installed if you want. One more last note guys, I added the tow bar to the tractor seen in the Macross Perfect Memory book.

As far as price for prototyping goes For the three samples i had done in 1/100 scale I used the cheaper material. they cost me about $15-$20 bucks each to have printed. For the masters for this set, i will be using the more detailed and expensive ABS plastic. Your get more detail, but you can imagine at 1/72 scale the price will go up a bit. Figure about $40-50 each for the smaller vehicles and about 80 for the Boom truck.

I'd take a few of them in the 1/48 scale. If it didn't cost and arm and a leg!

Excited to see how these turn out!

Any idea on price?

The 1/72 scale set has a price tag of $100 dollars. The 1/48 scale will obviously be a little more expensive, but I'm sure it will be below $200 for the set. That includes 7 ground support vehicles. I'm looking to get 40 orders in the initial run of 1/72 scale. that will allow me to do the other scales simultaneously. I did a few samples in 1/100 scale pics are on the thread linked above

Hey everyone. I am currently working on ground vehicles in multiple scales for sale. The thread can be checked out here for previews and ordering. Someone on that thread suggested I post here as well so more members can see the work I'm doing so check it out and please PM me if your are interested. the three sets of vehicles will be ground support vehicles, military vehicles, and civilian vehicles. the scales they will be made in are 1/72, 1/60, 1/48, and 1/100 if there is enough intrest (well im doing them for me) so please check the topic out and give me your input.

I'd be interested in at least one set of 1/72 and probably a few vehicles in 1/48.

Might I suggest that once you have your samples ready and finalised a price you start a new thread in the for sale section. That way you might get a few more takers and if you are looking for volume sales to offset the costs it might be worthwhile contacting Starship Modeller to sell them as well.

Thanks for the advice Gunny I will definitely do that. As far as Starship Modeller goes, I have talked with them before, I know they are busy so I will wait and see. We have talked in person at Wonderfest and they were going to purchase some diorama stuff from me. So far the price for the 1/72 set is $100. I am already in the process of converting the models to other scales. I have 1/60 done, and I am in the middle of 1/48. The reason I need 40 initially is to be able to print the masters for these 2 scales. And that will fuel the masters for the next set of vehicles and so on...

Last model in the set is done. Here are the pics for the AC unit. I will send the whole set off to be printed late Sunday so you have till then to request changes or details to be added to the models.

The truck looks great. If you actually come through with these it'll be the end of a six year wait for everyone.

Is it safe to assume the truck will come in pieces for the lift part?

I have designed these models in parts to make them easier to print and to facilitate casting. Here are some examples of the models in pieces. I hope this will make things more clear. the forklift will be able to move as well as the boom. the doors on the boom truck are even a separate part so you can have them open if you like. So I have put a lot of thought into these so that the builder has more options. These will also have steering wheels, but due to the small size, I am having them printed in bulk since they are too small to cast.

May be for some vehicles you should consider make them with a cavity in the cockpit area, that way we could be able to recreate glasses with clear plastic sheets. This will have a far better look than a solid piece with painted windows.

Most of these vehicles are open cockpit, but if you notice the Boom truck is designed that way so you can use plastic sheeting to make your own windows. I'm going to try cutting out some windows in clear plastic on my CNC machine to see if they work. The civilian vehicles will be the same way. I can actually have certain parts printed in clear plastic so I'm going to experiment with that. I will also be using Wire to simulate all the connections for the power unit. They are also broken up into parts so the boom will move up and down and rotate. I will post a picture of the model in parts.

Well It's looking good so far. Thanks for all the support guys. Here is the final detail pics for the boom truck and the water truck, as well as the preliminary AC/Power unit. The models will print pretty much as they look in 3D. So let me know if these are okay and I'll Finish the details on the AC unit tomorrow and send them off Late Sunday to be printed. As for my 1/48 scale guys, I'm sure these will do well and even if I fall short, we can work something out. It may be a little more expensive, but I can have a set printed out for you guys. Okay guys you have till Sunday night for any objections before these get sent off. Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support.

Thanks Yeti, I'll take the complete set in 1/72, also I hope to see 1/48 versions in the near future.

Thanks Cool8or. That's the beauty of this process. All I have to do is scale the models and i can convert to any scale I want. If the 1/72's and the 1/60's do well I may do a run of 1/48's. I will also be getting ready for the next set which will be the military vehicles with the jeeps and the APC.