My 1/48 VF-1S Yamato with decals dressed...

[wm cheng]

Hey all,

I just couldn't wait - I'm so happy with the new waterslide decals I got from Anasazi37 - I would recommend them to all, your Valks are just naked without them!

I just recieved them last night, and spent the better part of 4 hours today applying them. Man does it ever make a difference! I masked and sprayed the rear tails gloss black to cover over the existing white skulls - Anasazi was kind enough to provide two complete white skulls, so in correcting the crooked skull problem, I decide to do both sides so they match. His skulls are excellent, very sharp and a bit more solid than the Yamato stencil. The decals are very thick - in fact a bit thick for my modelling taste, however, they are perfect for this toy - I think they will stand up to some handling. I used a lot of MicroSOL, in fact, the solvent doesn't seem to wrinkle up these decals as it does with most decals - however, if you futz with it enough, it will tend to remove/eat away at the protective coating that Anasazi put on - but don't worry, I would recommend clear-coating the entire thing to protect the decals further and tone down the shininess so that it all matches the finish of the toy. I intend to spray it all with ModelMaster Acryl semi-gloss - its a finish almost exactly like the bare plastic finish that Yamato has - a bit on the flatter side maybe. Anasazi included more decals than what I would consider cannon - I went by the Hasegawa decal placement sheets for both the Battriod and fighter mode. However not all stenciling was present, but all the major ones were there - enough to occupy me straight for 4+ hours! However, there were a few pieces that were a touch too big - I didn't end up using the "Danger air intake..." stencils and had to switch the backpack "Beware of Blast" stenciling with the legs which were more the correct size. I ended up using the larger ones on the insides of the rear of the legs. The yellow circular dot on the backpack is provided and fits - another omission corrected. I also ended using all the "no steps" provided for the wings throughout the plane. There are a few too many since the spacing of the forward slats on the wing and the lights doesn't really allow for the "no step" placement to match the Hasegawa kits - so the extras were used on the back, airbrake and boat-tail. I didn't like the fact that the "no step" provided for these areas were larger than the wings - I feel that these stenciling should all be the same sizes.

After the decals, I decided to clean up the black stripes around the plane. Not that there was significant overspray, there were just some soft edges and strips that didn't perfectly line up (I know really anal... ) I just took a ruler, with a black Gundam Marker and cleaned up / traced the edges of the stripes. When I clear coat the entire thing in semi-gloss, the common finish throughout will practically make the Gundam Marker invisible. I haven't decided to do any light post-shading on this toy yet - I'll decide after the clear-coat, then if I don't like it, I can still take it off without disturbing the decals and marker beneath.

[wm cheng]

Oh, did I mention that I did a light grey panel wash with artist oil paints on the toy before - thats why some of the panel details stand out.

Sorry to post before I was finished, but I just couldn't wait... I forgot how beautiful this bird was without the fast packs - its like discovering it all over again. Naturally, when are the fast pack decals going to be ready?

After the decals dried, I lightly cut them with an exacto knife following the panels - then applied more MicroSOL liberally (did I mention that MicroSOL didn't dessolve these decals - it just soften them like MicroSET) So I think these decals are pretty sturdy and foolproof as far as decals go! I do highly recommend MicroSOL, the decals have a bit of problems adhering to the bare plastic - but not so with the MicroSOL. Nothing beats the look of decals - they really look painted on - no matter how thick the decals are, they are nothing compared to the thinnest stickers (IMHO)

Hopefully I will post more pictures when I am actually finished, this is just a teaser. Oh, in this picture I would definitely recommend the black wash inside the yellow ankle discs on the legs, they really pop that out!

[KiraYamato]

Man, you really do make our 1/48 looks basic. Hope to see more pics... they are so beautiful. And of course, the fast pack. Want to see them in nice shoots. Thanks.

[Eternal_D]

holy stinkin crap that looks awesome. skills man...skills~

[Agent ONE]

WM,

Awesome!

[Radd]

Wow! These decals seem to be to Takatoy's stickers, what Takatoy's stickers are to the stock Yamato stickers! If waterslide decals didn't drive me insane even more than stickers I probably would have gone with these.

Hmm, I wonder if the Takatoys stickers will hold up to being cut along the panel lines as well as these decals? So afraid to try! But so much detail could be added!

[EXO]

Damn Master Cheng and his sexy detailing! <_>

EDIT: Damn me and my preschool spelling!!!

Edited September 25, 2003 by >EXO<

[vt102]

Man, you even make the toys look ultra detailed.

[Uxi]

Looks incredible. You need to do something about that pilot though. He doesn't do the valkyrie justice.

[Vermillion One]

Looks great. Can't wait to see it with the fast packs on.

[vf1_soulja]

Looks really sweet Master Cheng

If only if they left the Yamato factory that way...

[UN Spacy]

Once again wm cheng........you astonish us with your great works of art. B)

[Anubis]

Is there anything you can't do with these things? Awesome detail Master Cheng.

[Dat Pinche Haro!]

wow that does look amazing!

GREAT WORK MASTER CHENG! **bows down in praise**

BTW.....i still haven't got my decals from Anasazi37 <_<

ahh well, i'm sure he's still busy making them

[Sebastian]

VERY NICE!

I need to get a set of those decals!

[Toonz]

i

smell

wallpapers

.....

[Hurin]

Wow. . . sorta makes my attempt at stickering pale in comparison (though I still think Takatoys are the best option for those not talented/patient enough for water-slide).

Question though. . . you mention laying down glossy black on the tailfins (to hide the original skulls). Did you put down a gloss coat or anything else before putting on the rest (I'm especially interested in the UN SPACY on the legs).

Hope you can provide some info! Wonderful work man!

Thanks!

H

Edited September 26, 2003 by Hurin

[Anasazi37]

WOW!!!

Hopefully mine will look somewhat as good once I finish applying the decals. I haven't finished the FAST Pack sets yet, but seeing my work in action on your valk is quite inspirational.

For those of you still waiting for your decal and sticker sets to show up, the last batch is shipping out tomorrow and Saturday. I had a ton of orders (each sheet takes about an hour, and over 90 sheets were purchased), my paper supplier screwed up my order a few times, and I came down with what I think was West Nile Virus. All of that caused a few delays but I spent all of today finishing up orders, packaging them, etc. They should be arriving in your mailboxes very soon.

That is one beautiful valk, William.

[xMaDxPeNgUiNx]

Incredible work. All hail the true master!!!

[drifand]

Man, you make it look like it's worth $300! Great job on the decals and detailing!

[Just Gundam]

I like your panel wash.

[Hurin]

WOW!!!

Hopefully mine will look somewhat as good once I finish applying the decals. I haven't finished the FAST Pack sets yet, but seeing my work in action on your valk is quite inspirational.

For those of you still waiting for your decal and sticker sets to show up, the last batch is shipping out tomorrow and Saturday. I had a ton of orders (each sheet takes about an hour, and over 90 sheets were purchased), my paper supplier screwed up my order a few times, and I came down with what I think was West Nile Virus. All of that caused a few delays but I spent all of today finishing up orders, packaging them, etc. They should be arriving in your mailboxes very soon.

That is one beautiful valk, William.

Wow! Feel better man!

H

[BoBe-Patt]

That is freakin beautiful!!!! And finally somebody put on some stickers!!! How'd do the panel lines like that? Can ya let me knows? Or is it a big secret?

[vlenhoff]

That's one sexy beast!

Really nice! I did that with my Hikaru(stickers, no water decals), but I did not applied ALL the stickers just the basics, plus the panel detailing.

vic.

ahemm, I'll post pics as soon as I get home.

Edited September 26, 2003 by vlenhoff

[Hurin]

That is freakin beautiful!!!! And finally somebody put on some stickers!!! How'd do the panel lines like that? Can ya let me knows? Or is it a big secret?

Check out the models forum for hints on panel-lining.

[Swoosh]

OH, Yes! I know how the fix the crooked skull now!!

Thanks WM!!

[Axelay]

Jeez...!

Yamato should DEFINITELY hire you to do their show models.

[wm cheng]

Hey Hurin, I didn't put down anything else, just decaled onto the bare plastic where applicable. In hindsight I should of washed the entire toy before hand - but I was just too excited to wait any longer - I had to begin. The gloss black was applied to the tailfins since decals always adhere better to glossy surfaces - and it didn't matter since I was going to clear coat the entire thing in a semi-gloss to match the existing finish anyways.

A few people have been asking me about MicroSOL. MicroSOL is a decal solvent that can be applied with a brush. Generally it's really potent stuff and can desolve most decals - however these ones that Anasazi provides are extremely thick and much more resistant to MicroSOL than most model decals. So they are much easier to apply. I would soak the decals as usual in water maybe 20sec. Then brush on the MicroSOL onto the Valkyrie where the decal will sit, and then transfer the decal to the Valkyrie surface on top of the MicroSOL. I then brush on a liberal helping of MicroSOL onto top especially around the edges and let dry. I might press the decal down a bit once its semi-dry and won't slide around anymore. I usually brush on another liberal helping of MicroSOL once the thing is down and had a chance to dry again to further soften it and bring down the edges. A hint would be to get a really sharp new blade for your exacto knife when trimming the decal film - key is to get the blade to press down on the film when cutting, not lift the film when cutting - difficult on curved profiles. This will help the film to lay down on the toy better when its been transferred. Hope this helps.

The panel lines are just done the same way I do my models with an artist oil wash, I think there is an explaination half way down on page 2 of my older thread: http://www.macrossworld.com/cgi-bin/mwf/ik...t=ST;f=8;t=4555

I'll post some pics later when I get to the clear coat.

[Myersjessee]

Looks great WM!!!! Nice decals (as always) Devin!!!

[Omni Existence]

Y U M M Y ! ! !

By the way, just to clear things up, Anasazi, are your decals pre-cut or no?

Jut curious coz some of my fellow Flips from MacrossPH are curious about your decals.

Thanks!

[wingcommander]

Wish I had the patience to do that. Nice job.

ALEX

[pfunk]

Hey Hurin, I didn't put down anything else, just decaled onto the bare plastic where applicable. In hindsight I should of washed the entire toy before hand - but I was just too excited to wait any longer - I had to begin. The gloss black was applied to the tailfins since decals always adhere better to glossy surfaces - and it didn't matter since I was going to clear coat the entire thing in a semi-gloss to match the existing finish anyways.

A few people have been asking me about MicroSOL. MicroSOL is a decal solvent that can be applied with a brush. Generally it's really potent stuff and can desolve most decals - however these ones that Anasazi provides are extremely thick and much more resistant to MicroSOL than most model decals. So they are much easier to apply. I would soak the decals as usual in water maybe 20sec. Then brush on the MicroSOL onto the Valkyrie where the decal will sit, and then transfer the decal to the Valkyrie surface on top of the MicroSOL. I then brush on a liberal helping of MicroSOL onto top especially around the edges and let dry. I might press the decal down a bit once its semi-dry and won't slide around anymore. I usually brush on another liberal helping of MicroSOL once the thing is down and had a chance to dry again to further soften it and bring down the edges. A hint would be to get a really sharp new blade for your exacto knife when trimming the decal film - key is to get the blade to press down on the film when cutting, not lift the film when cutting - difficult on curved profiles. This will help the film to lay down on the toy better when its been transferred. Hope this helps.

The panel lines are just done the same way I do my models with an artist oil wash, I think there is an explaination half way down on page 2 of my older thread: http://www.macrossworld.com/cgi-bin/mwf/ik...t=ST;f=8;t=4555

I'll post some pics later when I get to the clear coat.

Hey cheng, I did a wash on the fastpacks and I ussed a diluted acryl paint from model master and it seemed to clean up pretty good after a couple minutes, my biggest problem is I had to work fast, because it would dry soo quickly, What type of under coat did you use before applying the oil based. i just ussed the acryl on the bare plastic and the parts I had to use thinner on (even painted parts) I ussed a testors std thinner diluted down and it didnt effect the prepainted parts (which was what I was worried about) Will the oil base effect the paint from yamato if you directly apply the wash without an under coat??

Tnks,

Pat

[wm cheng]

That's what I like about oils, is that they dry very slowly. I don't believe the low odour varsol affects the Yamato paint that much - but I didn't really leave it on too long, I left it about a hour. If I really rub it (like in the yellow sections) I get a bit of faded yellow on my cloth, but you can't see any paint removed from the toy - but thats if I really rub it a lot.

Boy I forgot how beautiful the fighter mode without the packs are - I think they are staying off until I get the decals for those too and when I touch up the pack nozzles.

Here's a shot in-flight mode with the semi-gloss clear coat finished to tie in all the gundam markers and decals as well as sealing them in so that the toy can be handled more roughly. I decided not to do the weathering/post shading on these Yamato toys - I figure they are toys after all, and I would like to play with them unlike my models. Besides it really looks anime now. I'll reserve the realism for my plastic models. I didn't want to worry that I might scratch some of the weathering or post-shading off.

You know, that diagonal seam doesn't bother me so much now, that the decals cover over the area - I did slice through the decals, so that when it splits, it won't rip the decal in unpredictable patterns.

[wm cheng]

You can see from the rear how well the new decal skull blends into the black fins now that they have been clear-coated. The missiles also have a wash, just the blackened tailcones on the missiles makes a huge difference.

I thickened the black stripe on the leg on the lower part. I neatened the upper edge, and added more black (with a Gundam Marker) to the bottom with a ruler to thicken the stripe. I thought it was painted too far up on the leg (IMHO). Again once the clear coat does its magic, the gumdam marker blends into the original Yamato paint finish. You can see that I also did the wash in the back of the backpack to pick out the vertical grill lines (but you can draw these in with a marker yourself).

[wm cheng]

See no more crooked skull...