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Model Kit Collection Show It Off!!!


ChristopherB

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17 hours ago, ChristopherB said:

Great eyes TheLoneWolf spotting that kit at the bottom, it's one of my favorites.  Yes, to my knowledge Experten is the only company to release the VF-1AR/JR/SR.  I'm so happy that they did, because I love the design.  Fortunately, I was able to get (2) kits as well as some others. 

Thanks for the photos! I have a soft spot for the character and mecha designs from the Macross II universe and it's great to see detailed photos of the only Macross 2036 kit out there. If only Experten could hold their own against that quilt! :p

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You old timers will remember Ron from G.T.C. (Galactic Trade Commision)?

(this old link from 15 years ago http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/imai/gtc_main.htm  )

Super nice guy, we would talk, not kidding, for hours about the kits...his line was alwas busy (sorry!)
Walking down his catalog line by line saying what was in stock and what was gone...and updating your personal copy of the catalog by hand!

Hi filled in so many gaps in the collection for me, and sent me these box ends as a surprise gift!! They are some of my most treasured Macross model items!!
Oh the good old days...

 

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20 hours ago, Shawn said:

You old timers will remember Ron from G.T.C. (Galactic Trade Commision)?

(this old link from 15 years ago http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/imai/gtc_main.htm  )

Super nice guy, we would talk, not kidding, for hours about the kits...his line was alwas busy (sorry!)
Walking down his catalog line by line saying what was in stock and what was gone...and updating your personal copy of the catalog by hand!

Hi filled in so many gaps in the collection for me, and sent me these box ends as a surprise gift!! They are some of my most treasured Macross model items!!
Oh the good old days...

 

20190323_165302.jpg

20190323_165312.jpg

Shame he's not in business anymore...

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For the most part I have a pretty vanilla collection of Macross model kits, but there are some exceptions. Thought I'd share them with you.

First up is my Mike Salzo Monster. It's so big that I keep it in its own storage tub. I took one of the feet out so you can appreciate its size. Pictured with it are my John Moscato Atmospheric Booster and Launch Vehicle. Next are my Club M recasts (Queadluun-Rau, Ultimate Strike, YF-19), my Yamato Fan Racer, and my two Tanmen kits (Cat's Eye and Fan Racer). Then there's my collection of 1/72 variable kits, which started it all for me, and it includes the rare Imai VF-1J Hikaru. Last, but not least, my 1/20 Plamax kits.

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3 hours ago, Kicker773 said:

:wub: miss your decals man

It means a lot to me that the MW community appreciates my work--thank you. I still print the occasional set for special projects, but it's getting harder and harder to find the ink I need and I'm now down to my very last printer. Once it dies, it will be the end of an era....

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That's cool Shawn! I remember Ron at GTC. He also helped fill in the gap for many kits I couldn't get elsewhere. Yes - Ahhh, the good ole' days! Of course it's awesome being able to find stuff online now. Not to mention seeing other people's builds. I used to have to go to Little Tokyo in LA to see other kits or modelers of anime. - MT

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2 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

It means a lot to me that the MW community appreciates my work--thank you. I still print the occasional set for special projects, but it's getting harder and harder to find the ink I need and I'm now down to my very last printer. Once it dies, it will be the end of an era....

Let me guess: ALPS printer?

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6 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

Let me guess: ALPS printer?

Yep. MD-5000. The last "main" one I had died a few months ago, causing me to break out my backup. And I've resorted to getting cartridges direct from Japan. Sometimes I can find a good deal. The few US sellers remaining on eBay have really jacked up the prices and at least one of them imports and repackages Japanese cartridges without telling you. After that happened to me, I decided to cut out the middleman.

1 hour ago, Grayson72 said:

I can print in white with my laser printer now if anyone needs decals.

White toner cartridges, where you substitute them for black cartridges, are a decent option if you're looking for white-only markings. You can sometimes get away with printing color on top of them by running the decal paper through again, but the alignment between the layers is a real problem for small designs. It even happens with the $6000 OKI printers you see advertised as specifically being able to print white. They aren't set up for "two pass" printing, where it holds onto the sheet after the white pass, sucks it back in, and then applies the color pass. That printer costs *a lot* more, on the order of $25,000. I've never seen an actual price, but people who have them say they cost as much as a decent car.

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2 hours ago, Anasazi37 said:

Yep. MD-5000. The last "main" one I had died a few months ago, causing me to break out my backup. And I've resorted to getting cartridges direct from Japan. Sometimes I can find a good deal. The few US sellers remaining on eBay have really jacked up the prices and at least one of them imports and repackages Japanese cartridges without telling you. After that happened to me, I decided to cut out the middleman.

White toner cartridges, where you substitute them for black cartridges, are a decent option if you're looking for white-only markings. You can sometimes get away with printing color on top of them by running the decal paper through again, but the alignment between the layers is a real problem for small designs. It even happens with the $6000 OKI printers you see advertised as specifically being able to print white. They aren't set up for "two pass" printing, where it holds onto the sheet after the white pass, sucks it back in, and then applies the color pass. That printer costs *a lot* more, on the order of $25,000. I've never seen an actual price, but people who have them say they cost as much as a decent car.

Yeah; MD apparently stand for "Micro Dry"; even with the discontinuation of MD, they still don't have anything that can really print in white and other non-standard colors  (aside from the aforementioned laser printer cart- substitution being able to do it in white). I wonder how big a market there is for being able to print non-standard colors?

Anyways, looking into seeing what goes wrong with ALPS MD printers and how to fix them. I know a couple of folks who had one apiece and those died on them too.

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5 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said:

I wonder if you could use silk-screening to make decals?

Yes. That's how many of the commercial operations do it (or something very similar) and why they require a minimum order size (Microscale's minimum is 250 sheets) or an extra payment (not small) to cover design and setup costs. Screen printing is complicated. Before there was on-demand t-shirt printing available online, that industry worked the same way.

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Hi everyone, just so you all know, everyone including myself has contributed to this Macross collection list in the hopes that this would be a list that would be freely offered to all here at Macrossworld and the rest of the Macross community. However I received this message from ChristopherB intending to recoup his time and effort. While this is fine I think he should have been up front about his intentions in the first place prior to soliciting pictures and input from our community here, then they could choose to participate knowing the ultimate end goal. This is his response when I asked him when he was going to post the list here on Macrossworld.


“Now you know if I post the list to the MW Model Section, (5) people if I'm lucky will even say thank you.  Now I'm not doing this for accolades, but I want it to be seen by as many people as possible and appreciated.  When someone like John Moscato spends let's say 50 hours making a resin kit, he can sell each one for $200+.

This MCML is (15) years of saving website links, pictures of kits, research and more than 1,500 hand typed entries full of details, with links and we're working on adding pictures for each.  Plus hundreds of emails sent to people like you, Shawn, Carl, John and twenty five other people.  Creating threads/posts for people to submit pictures and lists, etc.

That means every kit in my collection as well as others has to be carefully photographed in high resolution to include box art, contents, decals, etc.  Then edited and saved to a folder for organization.

I've invested (10) times 50 hours at the least, plus I've paid out of pocket for assistance with research and typing.  Now I didn't start this for monetary gain, but time is money and knowledge has value.  The MCML also something that will need regular updates as we continue to see releases from Bandai, Hasegawa, etc.

With that said there are several ways to go forward.  I could offer permanent access to the spreadsheet for a one time fee/donation.  I could sell the list to a Macross website where it could be included hosted thereby enhancing their resources and attracting Macross model kit collectors.  Finally another option would be to approach a publishing company and have something made up with it organized in alphabetical order and accompanying pictures of the kits and them completed versions.  Imagine something like the Hobby Japan MOOK Model Mechanics Collection.“

 

Edited by Grayson72
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Right.. it's a huge effort. And quite a contribution to the MW community. And i also very much appreciate everyone whose contributed. Many of you know who you are. You've all been an inspiration and a great resource. What ever the true agenda or motives, this has been an awesome thread. I agree, if there was an intention for some level of compensation, it could have been put on the table at any point. So all members can freely choose to get involved. Or not.  I've certainly added my bit to this thread. And i will always be looking for more Macross deculture. Here at MW and abroad. 

Cheers

Bolt

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My take on this would be that anyone is allowed to ask for some compensation in return for hard work (and true, needed to be thought out from the start because a dream can eventually become a heavy chore), this is just like when asking someone to build a model professionally for you. With this said I wasn’t aware this project’s might have some monetary goal at any level. Most of us as fans put our personal time and love for the Anime and merchandise without expecting anything in return but probably just some recognition.

I would suggest to wrap this compendium and move it to an adjacent web page with a small entry fee for perusing the data or maybe adding a Fund-Me link that would help the people involved?

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I personally think this is an ambituous project, which requires a lot of time and effort to complete. Once it's done, it'll be a valuable piece of information for any collector of Macross kits. That being said, I think most of us who contributed in different ways mostly did it just to see if it was possible to achieve, and to find out about models we didn't even know existed. If @ChristopherB wants to make some money out of it, it's up to him. After all, it was his idea and he's the one putting more effort into it. And it's not like he's going to make thousands of dollars with this, and it may not even be enough to compensate all the time he's put into this.

If someone here contributed to this thread, but does not want his pictures or info to be part of the MCML, he has all the right to tell Christopher to not use it in his list, and that's it. This shouldn't be more complicated than that, IMHO.

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Like @Convectuoso mentioned above, I was also one of those who wondered whether a project of this magnitude can really be done. So when I was approached a little over 2 months ago to help this project, I was happy to pitch in. While I have put in considerable work to the project on my free time, I don't think I have done nearly enough as @ChristopherB has put in to this project in terms of all the time and effort spent on all the info, images and links related to any and all Macross kits ever released. He basically spearheaded the effort to its formation; the project wouldn't even kick off if he didn't start these threads.

I think it's fair if anyone will raise any concerns about the usage of any info or images from their own collection. That said, I also feel like this could have been settled in private between the individuals involved. We're all adults here after all, I hope...

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On 7/1/2020 at 1:18 AM, Grayson72 said:

With that said there are several ways to go forward.  I could offer permanent access to the spreadsheet for a one time fee/donation.  I could sell the list to a Macross website where it could be included hosted thereby enhancing their resources and attracting Macross model kit collectors.  Finally another option would be to approach a publishing company and have something made up with it organized in alphabetical order and accompanying pictures of the kits and them completed versions.  Imagine something like the Hobby Japan MOOK Model Mechanics Collection.“

 

this seems pretty fair of an option to me

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Greetings to all,

We come to the MW forums as a respite from life, so I've refrained from posting for a while.  When I first realized Chad took my personal message and posted it directly to the forums, I was rightly indignant due to his betrayal of my trust.  My first inclination was to post immediately, but I thought it better to allow other people to share their feelings.  I'm glad that I did, as they have been well reasoned.

While brainstorming some ideas, I thought who better to ask for feedback than Chad.  He's someone I've known close to twenty years, and always seemed like an intelligent, rational person.  Unfortunately he failed to even have the courtesy of addressing me directly by answering my questions or making a single suggestion.  

Sadly this gives the impression that he has absolutely nothing of value to add to the conversation.  Plus we learned in grade school that sharing personal messages is bad manners.  He failed to understand that I always planned to provide the basic typed version of the MCML Project for completely free.  As many of you know, I did just that in the past when I completed the following:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/10945-macross-172-scale-complete-list/

Also Chad gives the impression he only helped, because he expected something in return.  I've posted a thousand pictures, answered a thousand questions, and been involved in more projects than most.  Since I officially joined in 2001, I've never expected or asked for anything in return.  I paid full price for every single kit despite doing a ton of work.

We've both had our say Chad, so I would ask that you send me any personal reply via MW messenger.  Which is precisely what should have happened in the first place.  To be clear I appreciate your recent assistance with pictures after I initiated contact.

What's been on my mind is a way to make my MCML Project even better, interactive, and full of pictures.  A means to share it with as many people as possible by partnering with a website such as Macross World by having the Model Section updated.  Another idea was to publish it, or via a dedicated website.

Furthermore, I would like to clear up some confusion about this thread.  There is an actual Macross Complete Model List Project post where I will be sharing updates, etc.  I'll provide the link at the end.  The Model Kit Collection Show It Off!!! thread was created as a mirror of the Toy Section version.   After all, why should those toy guys get to have all the fun?  :yahoo:  haha  Posting here was a means to show off what we own and build camaraderie.  Not a single picture in this thread has been used for the MCML Project.

Let's continue to enjoy by sharing our kits and collection here, irrespective of the MCML.  I appreciate and respect everyone who has posted here, and I'm excited to share some awesome kits with you very soon.  I would invite everyone who has comments, suggestions and feedback about the MCML to post here:

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/46147-macross-model-complete-list-all-scales/

I remain your humble friend, feel free to contact me anytime!  :hi:

Edited by ChristopherB
Semantics
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I would like to share with you my ongoing or recently completed projects.  I'm lucky to have friends all over the world who are Macross fans and experienced model builders.   Here they are please let me know your thoughts:

1.) Chicago, USA Studio Half Eye 1/100 VF-4G variable (just finished) & Tanmen SD YF-19 (in progress):

SHE 1-100 VF-4G Project Completed (4).jpeg

 

Tanmen Kit Collection (5).jpeg

2.) Ontario, Canada IHP 1/100 VF-2SS Blue Gazers variable (just finished) & Experten VF-171 Nightmare variable (in progress): 

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Experten 1-100 VF-171 Nightmare Variable Project (1).jpeg

3.) Paris, France 1/60 Drone (finished) & 1/60 Vajra Heavy Soldier (in progress): 

Xigfrid 1-60 Drones 3D Printed (1).jpeg

Xigfrid 1-60 Vajra Heavy Soldier 3D Printed (1).jpeg

4.) Santiago, Chile 1/72 Hasegawa VF-1D (in progress) & B-Club 1/100 Gigamesh (in progress): 

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B Club 1-100 Gigamesh.jpeg

5.) Philippines 1/100 Bandai/Arii VF-1's, Bandai 1/100 VF-2SS, and 1/72 Bandai VF-1's, VF-25's all variable (in progress):

1-100 Kits and 1-72 Repair Projects (1).jpeg

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Bandai 1-72 VF-25G Custom (1).jpg

 

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Unfortunately some Club M 1/72 kits arrived with paint damage due to the storage that occurred as a result of COVID-19, so they have to be touched up.  We'll be doing a DYRL Skull Squadron build similar to this one, so I'll need another 1/72 VF-1A/S:

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Edited by ChristopherB
Adding Projects
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Thank you to everyone who posted after Chad for your support and comments (Bolt/007-vf1/valkyriepilot).  Shawn. I really appreciate the pictures of your rare kits.  Devin I've always loved your decals, being one of your biggest fans/customer.  You have an impressive/expensive collection, glad you shared it with us.  :hi:

Likewise Convectuoso's MCML message was great, and you truly have an inspiring collection of 1/100 kits.  :shok:  The build and quality of the details is spot on, they are to be treasured!  Was just watching Macross 7, and it made me sad to see the VF-11D "Jamming Bird" valkyries destroyed by the possessed Gamlin.  I'm glad you like the VF-22.   :good:

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Thanks, @ChristopherB

Other projects that haven't been delivered yet:

1/100 DYRL N-GER.

It was a fixed pose kit, so I asked for some joints to be added

IMG_20200719_090213.jpg.510861512527521819be94ac855f0ab4.jpg

1/100 Reactive Armor VF-0S

I asked Al Espina to design a Reactive Armor that could fit my Wave VF-0S kit.

IMG_20200719_030646.jpg.805ed55fa1772fdd75240376aface5e3.jpg

1/100 VF-0D

I also asked him to design the necessary parts to convert a VF-0S into a VF-0D. It's still in progress:

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SHE Variable YF-21:

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Edited by Convectuoso
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Thanks for sharing your collections guys! It's great to some of the kits I've never had a chance to see before. And thank you Christopher B, for compiling the kits list. There are so many! No, the toys guys should not have all the fun! I say that as an avid 40 year model builder of over 40 years! Thanks again! - MT 

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