DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
MW (Macross World) is proud to announce custom parts for your 1/55 scale Valkyries!
It all started out when Graham sent in some pictures of some resin toy heads. These heads were done by a Macross Fan in Hong Kong and had a very limited release. After many emails from MW fans requesting information on how to get a set (you can't anymore), we decided to do something about it! Our goal was to take the original heads, fix the imperfections, and make them available American fans here. So its been a 6 month wait-we are not perfect!
We are initially offering 3 heads(with head lasers)- the VF-1D, VF-1S, VF-1A, a VF-1D Conversion kit, and 2 versions of Canopy covers. All parts are made out of urethane and made to fit with no modifications to your valkyrie(other than minor disassembly). All parts are molded in white, so prep and paint work is required. Chris is going to make a quick prep guide any day now.
BTW, Macross World (Graham and I) are not making any money on this venture at all. All money(what little there is) will be going to Chris. He has invested around $400 in material and countless hours in prep work, so he's looking to break even and maybe get a free lunch out of the whole deal. I tried to convince him to add a 5000% markup so he could retire off of this project, but he declined. He said maybe on the Armor pieces, and then I heard an evil laugh.... ; )
Visit Chris's Web Page here!
Here are some casting shots from Chris
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Head
Lasers
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Canopy
Covers
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Heads
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Heads
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| The
final molds! (click to see larger picture) |
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| Original HK parts |
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HK
on left, Chris on right
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Chris
on left, HK on right
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HK
parts
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VF-1D
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Chris
on left, HK on right
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HK
parts
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VF-1A
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Chris
on left, HK on right
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HK
parts
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PROJECT HISTORY
02-27-00 Parts just arrived from Graham in Hong Kong! I am forwarding them to Chris tommorrow.
03-19-00 Chris has the parts. Here is a summary of our most recent conversation:
"One of the first things I did was take some molders putty and fix the imperfections (ie air bubbles and cracks) in the original heads from Graham. The last couple days I have been making practice molds off the heads looking for the ideal casting material consistency. One of the test castings I did resulted in air bubbles in the exact same place as the originals! I am going to use a thinner mixture than that, so we will not have those problems arise."
"I am very impressed with the quality of the original molds. The heads look very nice. The VF-1S head is going to be the easiest to do. I can do this head for $10 each copy. You would need to use original head lasers off your Taka/Ban/Jetfire. "
"The VF-1D is going to be the most fun. I am going to make the panel lines on the head a little more pronounced so the will be visible after painting. I will be making 2 additional parts for the VF-1D package. The first item will be custom head lasers. They are offset to the rear of the half dome on the head. Of course the will be of a size that still allow transformation. The second piece will be a Heat Shield. The heat shield on the VF-1D is unique, with a center horizontal dividing line. To sum it up the VF-1D package will come with the head, 2 lasers, a heatshield, and the 2 seat cockpit seat unit. The amount of work and material for this package would result in a $30-$35 price. Obvisously the material for the Heat shield will be flexible polyurethane like the original heat shields were. BTW we can mold these items in a specific color if interest was there."
"Once the heads are done, I am very interested in getting some missle packs cast. Not necessarily the original clip-on missles, but not to say those won't be done too. Seeing the missles available on the Club-M Ultimate Strike Valkyrie(the missles are directly underneath the box) got me going on this. I would want to make the Box missles and the large Nuclear versions. Let me get the heads done first and we will do some other fun projects like this!"--Chris
Graham recently brought up an idea of making Canopy covers for the upcoming Toycom VF-11 Thunderbolt (it would really need one). There are 2 options we can think of without having the toy to work with. You would either have an entirely new cockpit you would screw in (ie like the old taka valks) to simulate the cover, or you would have a thin cover you placed over the original glass. The con against having a cockpit cover placed over the canopy glass is due to the way the VF-11 toys look like right now. The cover would have to be very,very thin to not detract from the appearance of the battroid.
04/15/00 We are getting more and more requests for the head, it is wonderful. I talked to Chris last weekend and he said he has completed the VF-1D head (inculding head-lasers). He is going to make a couple more copies so he can get a group mold going (you can do 3-5 at a time!). Once he gets the group molds done we are ready! He noticed the original VF-1D head was slightly off center, so he repaired it. You will not be disappointed with the quality of these parts. I asked him when he thinks we will be ready and he said very soon. Don't forget he's been doing this entire project during his spare time on the weekends.
One VF-1D head has made it to a Macross fan prior to our official release. Ken is making a Custom 1/55 VF-1D Conversion entry for the upcoming Anime Central Model contest on May 12th-14th. Chris sent him off a head so he can complete his project in time. Ken sent me some pictures of his VF-1D so far and I have to say I'm very impressed!
Thanks to everyone! Oh, before I forget. Chris said he WILL produce the VF-1A head afterall. It will be easy to use the existing mold and that way those of you who requested the VF-1A will not have to wait until summer for the DYRL version. Finally - if you have specific questions about the heads please send them to Shawn, Graham or Chris @macrossworld.com. We will reply to you. Please send your orders only (i.e. I am interested in 2 VF-1A heads) to the taka@macrossworld.com address. When I get some time together I'll make an official pre-order page to eliminate any problems.
04/25/00 Great news. I talked to Chris tonight and he finalized the prices for the parts. All heads will now come with lasers and will be $15. The VF-1D Conversion package was reduced to $30. Canopy covers will be available for $7 each. Chris also expressed interest in a VF-1J head, improved of course! When he sends me some final production parts I will post them here for viewing! He is very happy with the quality of the parts.
05/16/00 Talked to Chris last night. He is going to send me some samples in the next couple days so I can post them here for viewing. I will be creating an official order page and getting courtesy notices out to those who have shown interest. Chris and I are just as anxious to get the heads out the door as you are. Thanks for all your patience!
btw the picture of the VF-1D at the top of the page was just sent in by Ken. It made an appearance at Anime Central last weekend for competition but the model contest was cancelled this year. It was an early prototype that Chris had created. I think it turned out great!
05/30/00 I received a full set of heads from Chris on Saturday-I have to say they are incredible! He sent me a VF-1S with head lasers, a VF-1D with head lasers/2 seat cockpit/ and heat shield, a VF-1A with head laser and a standard heat shield. Let me take some pictures and I'll get them up for you.
06/02/00 Here are some pictures of some almost final prototypes Chris sent me. The only prep work I did was to snip some casting excess off the parts. The VF-1D and VF-1S are finalized. The VF-1A is undergoing a lens fix. Each part is cast white. Sanding and painting is necessary for all parts obviously. Head exchange is very simple(If I can do it anyone can) and does not harm the valkyrie. You secure the head with the same screw the orignal head used. Final process for mounting the head lasers on the VF-1S & VF-1D is still up in the air. Chris is considering pre-drilling each head to accept a small rod that will hold the lasers on each side. I'll let you know more when I find out.
I have everyone's email address who expressed their interest and emailed the Taka@macrossworld.com address. I still need to make a little form so we can keep the orders organized.
06/03/00Added some pictures of the molds Chris created!
07/25/00 Wow-been a long time since an update here. Chris is done with the final molds and is going to start mass casting the heads now. He said give him 1-2 weeks to get enough done for all who have shown interest(and that is quite a few of you!). I'll let everyone know when and where to send payment for these custom parts Chris has done. Yippee! Its been a long wait but we are finally there. : )
08/02/00 Chris has been casting heads for a couple days now. He said things are going great-they haved turned out really well. He told me I'd better get in gear and make a "How to Change the heads" instruction sheet-as I have around 1 week until he has enough in stock for the pre-orders. Alright alright! I'm on it!