Upscaling a classic: yet another massive 3D-printed SDF-1

[tekering]

Hey guys, I thought I'd take a break from all my 3D-printing to show you what I've been up to this year:

Based mostly on Vertex Nebula's 3D modelling (and Inspired by the work of many others here), I've spent the last month or so putting together this 1:1400 battlefortress in preparation for a "Robotech 40th Anniversary" display in the fall.

I've done a substantial amount of "digital kitbashing" to achieve the detail required of a model at this scale, since nothing I've found online is anywhere near accurate enough.  Consider the prow, for example:

This would be adequate for a gaming miniature, perhaps, but certainly not for the size of the model I'm building.  

Here's my modified version:

Even more lacking was the conning tower detail. 🤨

I instead spent about a week putting this together:

Unfortunately, this is about all I could manage before the software started crashing on me.  A 3D model with over 200 individual elements is apparently too much data for my 12 year-old Mac Pro to handle. 🤕

All the interior detail you see (and the missile launcher) was graciously provided by @Nyankodevice. 

I was quite pleased with how well it managed to print at this scale.

One area that didn't require any digital enhancement was the Macross City interior detail.  I'm pretty pleased with this as it is...

I have no idea how long all this is gonna take to paint, however! 😓

As always, constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. 🤗

[pengbuzz]

Does it transform? O.O

[derex3592]

Absolutely incredible @tekering!  Can not WAIT to see it painted up and on display!  All your hard work and dedication to the hobby and material is evident here! 

[Thom]

Dude, that is phenomenal! Love the added detail you gave to it. Will you be adding Destroids and Monsters to the decks?

Edited July 6 by Thom

[Valkyrie]

Vertex Nebula does incredible work!  I've printed all of his SDF-1 models at 150%, but I haven't had the time to finish any of them yet.

[tekering]

On 7/6/2025 at 10:13 PM, pengbuzz said:

Does it transform? O.O

No, "Storm Attacker Mode" is a completely separate model, with its own set of challenges... 😅

On 7/6/2025 at 11:25 PM, Thom said:

Will you be adding Destroids and Monsters to the decks?

Way ahead of you there. 😉

Chunky mechs like the Destroids are the easy part, and the only elements I've painted so far...

Valkyries, on the other hand, will prove much more difficult to paint at this scale. 😓

On 7/7/2025 at 5:26 AM, Valkyrie said:

Vertex Nebula does incredible work!

Sometimes, yeah... but there's a strange inconsistency to his Macross models.  The Prometheus is far more detailed than any other elements of the SDF-1 itself, and the "robot mode" parts aren't nearly as proportionally-accurate as his "cruiser mode" kit is.  I suspect different sections were modeled by different individuals, actually. 🤔

 

[Mog]

That is all.  

I’m scared to ask how many hours you’ve already put into this.

[tekering]

On 7/9/2025 at 1:32 AM, Mog said:

I’m scared to ask how many hours you’ve already put into this.

Only about five weeks, so far... 🤔

...but long enough to have completely destroyed my fingertips, wet-sanding all these big parts...! 😭

After another week of printing, I should be ready to begin the months of painting required to achieve the level of detail demanded by a model of this scale.

[nightmareB4macross]

What an amazing project.

I’m envious. 

[tekering]

At 86cm tall, "Storm Attacker" mode maintains a consistent 1:1400 scale. 

[Bolt]

That looks so awesome! Great work from the master

[Thom]

The angle showing the light right between the firing arms is a great shot. Looks like it's about to blast Dolza!

[MechTech]

@tekering That looks BEAUTIFUL!!! It will look awesome with paint! Even with all those collector's items, now we know which series you are the BIGGEST fan of!🤣 - MT

[tekering]

I decided to rework the main engines.  These just don't look right:

Since 99% of the time all that's visible in the show are the elongated rectangles, they needed to be a lot more prominent...

Once the thrusters themselves are painted a flat black, I think it'll look a lot more anime-accurate.

[tekering]

I found an old metal rod strong enough to handle the weight of this behemoth, so I'm considering whether to display "Storm Attacker" in flight... 🤔

I like being able to see the engines:

Of course, I'd have to wire them up with lights if they're visible. ☺️

It'll require a big wooden base for support, considering the weight...

At least 5kg, in fact. 😰

[Thom]

Great display idea @tekering! Going to look incredible! (already does...)

[MaxSterlingWallace]

After reading through your entire thread here I agree with you that Michael Ryan could have taken some extra time to detail it out some more but he is open to making improvements. He did try to make it different enough that he avoided legal issues.  He was selling the prints in 1/3000 scale and I also upsized mine to twice that size. The part I felt needed the most improvement was that conning tower. I replaced the entire bridge with an alternate bridge design. He is frequently on Macross Fan Central on facebook but I subscribe to his Patreon as well. He just released that model recently so I am sure he would be open to making those changes. He also on his Patreon asks for inputs as he is designing each month as his goal is to release one model for download each month. I emailed you back about the destroids but not sure it got through. You are definitely making me want to acquire a resin 3d printer as mine can only go so small in detail.