Macross Models 3D colelction

[PointBlankSniper]

New shield definitely looks the part now.

Take your time on this, no rush, no pressure. I'm sure the few of us here understand it's your little pastime project and aren't concerned with the speed of updates

Have fun on your trip 😁

[guyxxed]

Hey, all, finally back in the US and puttering around on this once more.  I did some boring cleaning up of bad geometry and recalculating normals, but the more interesting thing (to me, anyway) is that I've started prototyping head ideas.  These are just quick concepts I'm throwing together from bits and pieces to see if anything promising emerges.  Standard 25A on the bottom for reference, with the 31A just above.  First idea was just to squash the 25 head to be less of a football shape and add some armor, next above that is something loosely based on one of the Halo Spartan helmets to follow on the "heavy brow" concept, and the last one on top (which I'm kind of liking so far) is derived from the Nousjadeul-Ger head to take things in a more Zentradi direction.  I'll probably keep bashing some more concepts like these together for awhile and haven't settled on a solid direction yet, so feedback, suggestions, ideas all welcome,

[PointBlankSniper]

Welcome back!

NGL, I'm not into cyclops buggo looks, so I'm no judge of these, especially the side profiles. The Kairos head would be what I would lean towards for being the farthest from that style lol. But I think the front profiles with trooper helmet vibes is worth exploring. The idea of it reminds me of the YF-30's head

[guyxxed]

I get what you mean, and I was tempted to just use the 31A head and be done, but wanted to at least give it a try.  I like the Zentradi based head because it's different and a bit mean looking, but it's definitely not a design I would buy a toy of.  😉 We'll see, I still have a few other ideas to try out, but I'm trying to steer away from visors and other "hero" designs since, as Seto pointed out above, no CF A model has ever used that.  More to come hopefully soon.

[TG Remix]

Considering that by the time of the 5th Generation Variable Fighters, most of them are derivatives from the YF-24 which are intended for their local government or to sell to other governments. I don't imagine the Zentradi head being on the "stock" VF-24A, but a for a VF-24 for Zentradi pilots like what the VA-14 was to the VF-14 I'm all on board with! It'd probably be the only way you would get me to buy a VF-24/25 toy of lol

 

As for my personal pick, I do agree the VF-31 head is the best one as a reference, but from the YF-24 diagram it seems like it's head wouldn't be too far from the VF-25's. Though comparing it to the G types, which is the same as the A type, the head of the Evolution is noticeably less wide, so the Halo inspired one seems to be on the right track.

 

 

[Seto Kaiba]

15 hours ago, guyxxed said:

[...] but I'm trying to steer away from visors and other "hero" designs since, as Seto pointed out above, no CF A model has ever used that.  More to come hopefully soon.

Pedanticness train pulling into the station!

I didn't say that no CF model has had "visor"-type optics... I said:

On 10/12/2025 at 9:25 PM, Seto Kaiba said:

"Visor" type optics tend to be more of a "hero" option.

While most CF variants tend to have "monoeye face" with a single large polarized cover over a multitude of optics and other sensors, there are a few out there that go against the grain.

The VF-4A has a visor-type monitor turret, as does the VF-5000B Star Mirage, and the VF-14A Vampire.  The VF-171 Nightmare Plus is also a visor type, as does the Sv-262Ba.

... if not for the VF-5000B's presence on that list, I would say all of the exceptions are General Galaxy's fault.😆

(Well, the Macross II Valkyries all go in on visor types too... since they've largely gotten rid of the A-type head in that timeline as of the 2070s or so.)

[guyxxed]

Appreciate the feedback, all!  And, I agree with the observations that the 24 head seems to be narrower.  It seems the helmet design is getting the most votes, and after trying a few more things I think I'm in agreement.  The Zentradi head is a bit too bug-like for a Valk, but when I combine it with the helmet, I think I tick all the boxes.  The helmet gives me the heavier/armor look I had in mind, the NJ eye gives it some distinction from the 25 and 31, and the combo still (mostly) fits the profile seen in the art.  I'm stitching things together now and working on propotions, and I still need to add the sensor bubbles to the top, but I think this looks like a winner (at least for now).  Added bonus:  it's both a cyclops AND a visor, since it has the Zentradi squint!  😉  

[guyxxed]

Minor update.  Still working on colors and proportions, but here's the completed new head in place.  I like the overall feel of it (though that black eyeball needs to change), but think it might be missing something, or is maybe too helmet-like.  Will continue to refine as I get the rest of the battroid together and see how it looks as a whole.  Bit by bit...

Edited November 17 by guyxxed

[guyxxed]

A quick update today after a few tweaks and remappings.  A bit further along on the head and all the body parts swapped out for something like the intended battroid mode.  Plenty more to do, but getting close!  Feedback and ideas welcome!

[PointBlankSniper]

Think it might be that the ears and cap are too detached from each other, both by shape and paint job. It makes the top actually look like a seperate helmet from some angles.

The camera looks a like a swollen eye and is kind of uncanny imo. Thats just my taste I guess.

Since it's vaguely conceptually similar to what you have, here's the new samus helmet that just dropped a few days ago. Maybe it will be some inspiration for angles and layering of components, idk lol

[guyxxed]

So, all I have to do is paint everything bright red and we're good to go!  😉 

It's a good point about the colors and the top looking separate.  I like the feature of the black stripe around the edge, but as soon as I saw it in place I knew it was probably going to have to go.  That space behind the eye and under the brim (the temples?) needs something as well to help tie the two spaces together.  Don't know if I can just add colors or stripes there or if it will need an actual feature, but it's too blank right now.  I'm also less than enthused by the front view, and want to find a way to give that profile some more shape, but it may also just be the stripe working agianst the flow again.  The shape looks okay from the side and 3/4 views (in my opinion), so we'll see.  It will be funny if in the end, I just give up and slap the 31A head on it.  😄 

Appreciate the feedback!

[PointBlankSniper]

Was too lazy too look it up earlier, but these Zelda creatures were what the eye was reminding me of lol

 

Anyway. For the top, you've got that crew cut FAST helmet look. Will probably take some additional geometry to move away from that silhouette.

[guyxxed]

A few more tweaks to proportion and some recoloring/shading, and I think I'm done with this head.  Don't know if it's great, but it at least hits what I was after and isn't the 25 head.  😉  I will probably revisit with some other design ideas I have, but for now moving on to other parts of the model.  Will hopefully be able to wrap it up this week.

[PointBlankSniper]

It might not be to my tastes, but it certainly looks like a plausible in universe head design.

A week sounds real fast, although I'm not sure whats left

[guyxxed]

I'm with you.  While this more or less matches what I had in mind, it's not super exciting to look at, but it's good enough for now I think.  Like I said, once I complete the rest of the model, I'll probably revisit and see if I can come with anything better.  Or, who knows, maybe someone else will come up with something in the meanwhile. 😁

[guyxxed]

19 hours ago, PointBlankSniper said:

A week sounds real fast, although I'm not sure whats left

As it turns out, not that much.  😉  The rifle is a place holder (stolen from another mecha game) until I can find or make something better, but I think it fits for now.  And, as is only fitting for a formal "ending" to a project, I splashed a new coat of paint on the thing to make it look more like a Macross plane.  I think the bright colors actually help it pull together some, but your mileage may vary.  I'll update the files in the link I posted before to make at least the base model available.  Hope others can have fun and find some use for it!

 

Edited November 20 by guyxxed

[PointBlankSniper]

Looks pretty good painted up.

The calf though 😭

[guyxxed]

I suspected that the white contrast would help the head come together, but I didn't expect how much the rest of the plane would clean up with the brighter colors.  A lot of the Macross 30 textures are dark and muddy with a lot of weathering effects, so the grey job I grabbed from there was contending with that, but still...  Maybe I'll come back and do a "clean" grey version at some point, but for now I think I'm on to super parts (maybe, there's another project I'd like to tackle that may come first since it should be fairly quick).

Not sure what you mean about the calf.  Not one of the parts I edited at all, so I suspect you just don't like the 25 shape in that regard?  Unless I'm missing something.

[PointBlankSniper]

The 24's upper calf is entirely a different design, along with the shape of the dorsal cutout that it fits into. Wasn't expecting you to skip changing it altogether.

Also been noticing the second spine hump after where the real one is supposed to end. Dunno if it's leftover shading in the 25's texture, or leftover geometry from the shield changes, or intentional design on your part. The old panel lines make all of that very hard to tell apart.

That's why I thought there was a lot of work left in converting the model to the 24

Edited Saturday at 12:24 AM by PointBlankSniper

[guyxxed]

Well, how about that?  I honestly never noticed the different calf.  Well, add it to the list for future improvements. And ,yeah, the "hump" is just leftover shading, that area by the shield is flat on the model, but the texture still includes some form following features.  What can I say, I'm lazy. 😉

[PointBlankSniper]

Hope you eventually have time to come around to the textures too then.  What you did for the wings look too sharp and make the original textures look murky in contrast 😂

I just found a few nitpicks around the canopy and chest area too, but I'll leave you alone for now lol

[guyxxed]

I appreciate it, otherwise I might cry. 😉  It's definitely not a perfect model, I tend to go fast and loose to get results quickly and prevent myself from getting frustrated or bored with a project.  "Good enough" but don't look too close at the edges.  I'm sure I'll keep working at it to keep cleaning it up and moving it closer to "right", but the calves will have to wait for the moment.  

I'll also remind folks that the model (the updated one as shown above, both fighter and battroid) is available at the link below for anyone to pick up and put their own spin on.  I'd love to see other people's takes on it. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1MEqAULkJDzBoGyFBrgRHBX7C7_ZVdfcg?usp=sharing

[guyxxed]

Very minor update, I kitbashed the gunpods of the 11, 11d, and 25 to get something that looks more "Macross appropriate" than the Gundam thing I had it holding before.

[PointBlankSniper]

I've actually been thinking gunpod is actually the one thing most likely recycled on the 24 lol. Given that on YF-19 it was virtually the only thing copied to the VF-19F/S, and then same with 21 to 22, 17 to 171, and even between totally different valks from 29 to 30. So it's entirely reasonable that it has the same one as the 25, if not then splurged on so hard that 25G's sniper was standard issue lol.

That said, more different and new designs are always cool. Especially if the 24 is supposed to be that much higher spec than the monkeyed export derivatives.

[guyxxed]

It's a fair point, especially since the gunpods are made by different companies than the planes, so it would make sense that fleets would buy "off the shelf" weapons to equip their mechs with.  New stuff is more fun, though. 😁  

[PointBlankSniper]

Here's another crazy idea.

What if it was the 25G rifle, with the two rows of quadpod grapple spike things stripped out, since grunts won't be sniping. That's where the sane part ends.

The crazy part is to make up for it's original 4 sided structure being removed, by turning it into a quad barrel gatling instead, with the same sniper barrels lol. Then cover it up with an appropriately magnified version of the 25's standard gunpod's transformable shroud. Maybe shorten barrels for convenience or wieldiness if that is an issue. Sniper accuracy isn't needed anymore anyway.

With an abomination like this, we can pretend both types of the 25's gunpods took a little something from this overkill cannon, while representing NUNS' exorbitant tech and budget. Hopefully the landing gears still reach the floor 🤪

[guyxxed]

I feel like I need to get you a copy of Blender so you can play with these crazy ideas yourself!  😉 

I like the idea of a badass heavy gun for the 24 (which is why the 11 gunpod was the one that came to mind first), and also appreciate having a lineage from that to the  25 armaments.  I'll look to come back to it in a bit and play with some new ideas.  I also just stumbled into a copy of Kawamori's Valkyrie Designer Notes and saw his development sketches for the 25, which include a pile of rejected head ideas that now make me want to go back and try again on those, too.  

In the meanwhile, I threw pieces of the 25 and 31 super packs onto the plane to see what ideas it might spark,  This mix feels like the direction I want to go, though I might add in some of the armored parts as well.  Also struck me that rather than edit the 25 parts to fit the extended back and shortened shield, this might be an opportunity to give the 24 a full size shield that extends the buckler and makes the super pack actually useful in a defensive sense.  We'll see as I play with it more.

[PointBlankSniper]

At some point in my life, I did have blender installed, as well as many other creative software. I just couldn't find the motivation to figure out the UI and controls to use the most basic tools I wanted for simple tasks. The walls of tutorials that sent me off on sidequests to explore elaborate functions I didn't need were a big dissuasion for me. Not knowing what I need to know, to jump to learning exactly what I want to use is just too frustrating to me. Eventually, I might finally get to it. Seeing your work here is tempting lol

Anyway, the AX booster position + 25 body pieces look great, even without custom bits. The wings at that angle give very strong VF-0D vibes.

Cannibalizing some dorsal space for wholly different shaped add on shield is also a great idea. You just need to cook up a way for it to slide or tilt to clear the dorsal cutout during transformation. Don't forget you can also stretch into the unlimited empty tail space like the AX's thermometer lol. Even a full sized tower shield, larger than the VF-11's armor part, is fair game if you can figure out the transformation clearance

Also, gonna yoink those face sketches and study them lol. Not surprising, but still interesting to see that the the sides and back are an afterthought in his brainstorming process.

Small request. Could you also slap the 25's booster on, without removing what you've got on it. Just for me to visualize some of the brain hurting ideas I had before. 😁

Edited 13 hours ago by PointBlankSniper

[guyxxed]

Not sure if this is what you mean, but let me know if this gives you what you're looking for.

I hear you on the learning curve, it took me a good while to get over the initial hurdle of figuring out where things were and how they worked.  Blender is an amazing piece of software, especially because it's free, but it is NOT intuitive at all, and the insistance on keeping most functions in shortcut keys rather than context menus doesn't help.  That said, once you get the basics, it really does blossom out pretty quickly.  And believe me, for all my fiddling around, I only know the basics!  😉  Two things really helped me get some momentum with it: first was that I stopped chasing the latest version and just stuck with one of the stable ones (in my case, I use 2.83, which is ridiculously out of date now, but it's stable and was around forever so there are tons of version specific guides and tutorials out there), and second was that I finally got smart and picked a very simple project to do my learning on so that when I finally figured out what I was doing and realized that everything I'd done was crap, starting over again was actually fun and quick and not a giant frustration.  On the subject of tutorials, you're absolutely right:  there are a million hour long videos out there by well meaning people who have no idea how to convey simple instructions.  By far, the best one I've found is Royal Skies on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@TheRoyalSkies/videos  He specializes in 3-5 minute videos that focus on one task so that you don't have to watch someone build an elephant just to learn how to bevel an edge.  Most of his stuff is on animation, but he has modeling videos, too.  If you get serious about trying again, let me know and I can put together a set of links to good beginner tutorials that helped me.

The Designer Note book is actually pretty amazing and a great insight into the man's process.  Here's a page of 31 head designs, and I'm still digesting the pages of concepts he came up with for the 25.  A lot of fascinating ideas in there that are a million miles from where he ended up, even though you can clearly see the seeds from an early stage.  Fun stuff!

[PointBlankSniper]

I definitely have TheRoyalSkies subscribed for years, just in case the day came that I wanted to to dabble in 3D again. Glad to know it's the right place to look when I want to start.

Seeing these design notes with so many heads packed together, his head design tendencies, or his brain worms so to speak, have become very clear lol

There's always an eye level downward slanting horizontal ridge and a nose to chin vertical ridge. They form a T intersect where it is the farthest outward point, and all other shapes tend to taper towards it. There is also a cheek to lip level horizontal downward concave if there is a lower face, resulting in a distinct chin. Then there's the three general optics styles with some hybrids, that everybody is probably aware of. The bulb with a distinct circular lense inside, the thin line visor, and the polygon panels patterns. With the formulaic rules laid out, it almost sounds simple to design heads like he does lol.

As for the super parts on the 24, yes that is what I wanted. Now I can determine that significant shrinking and proportion changes are required before my idea has a chance of looking decent and functioning. I wouldn't say it looks awful as is, but it can be summed up as an indistinct rack of pointed bricks. It does very loosely look like an inverted version of the 29's super wing layout, albeit very bloated 🙃. The idea needs more cooking and optimizations, back into the mind oven it goes.