Mervin

I have the 1st gen VF-1A Hikaru and the Super 1J. Stuff I've noticed on the 1J : - loose neck joint, easier to turn - nosecone knobs(?) are there - loose air brake - posable hands are floppy - one of the hip joints are loose - pilot figure is rubbery and has a control stick Overall, the joints are not as tight(still tight though and can hold a pose) as my early release Hikaru 1A.

hey, I took apart my 1/48 1J and fooled around with the head. I took out the front piece and sticked some modelling clay. I sculpted it to look like a 1D head. Anyway, just sharing some fun

Yamato. It costs more, it's smaller, but it's way better.

Thanks all! ... on my way to start clicking on those 'add to cart' buttons

Hi, Has anyone ordered from HobbySearch (www.1999.co.jp/eng) before ? How's their reliability? I get most of my Japanese stuff from HLJ. But HLJ doesn't have the item I want and HobbySearch does. thanks, Mervin

Here's my K&M Armored Valk in pieces Ready for repainting.

Keep it up dude. For tightening the joints, coat the joints with nail polish. Here are my plans for mine : - replace the rubbery head laser with a metal rod - make the gunpod holder on the forearm smaller, make the space small enough just to fit the gun handle - repaint it

Anyone have pics of the Valks used by Max and Milia in the video arcade ? I remember seeing this in here somewhere, I couldn't find it anymore. TIA

Here are pics of all modes of the 1/48, it's in Japanese though. Follow the links below the page for additional pics. Also included are buildup pics. http://www.dsnw.ne.jp/~comet/model/legioss-finish.html

Thanks everyone. Solscud, I have to make recasts first before I can give out copies. Orguss, the strike cannons are 1/100 Strike Valk cannons. I cut out the barrels to make them shorter. They're not Rohby recasts. But, I think this is what he used for his recasts. Like on the left booster, the one with the mounted strike cannon also opens up to show the internal engine.

Thanks guys. I'll definitely recast the armor and offer them to anyone interested.

Having drooled on some of MWers JM customs I had to make my own. It's not done yet, I still need to add a few more details and paint it. And cast it for my other JMs. I used the pilot from my SD Ostrich, it was too big so I had to trim it down lots. Recasted booster, made out of plastic sheets, tubes, gundam, zoids and macross parts. I filled up the hollow part of the gunpod with putty. I will be attaching the shortened one under the fuselage. Last one, still a lot of work ...

I use the bottled mr surfacer 1000 on my airbrush and it works great. I thin it at 60:40 (primer:thinner) and sometimes at 50:50.

I second using a modelling saw. One method I used cutting thick plastic with a xacto knife was to heat the blade on a stove top then starting slicing away. Went through thick plastic in no time. When cutting with the hot blade dont stay in one area for more than a second otherwise it will melt a lot of plastic. I used this method on my LM Escaflowne kit which has solid plastic pieces.

hey Prons, Just to add, the Hasegawa models are more fragile than the Gundam models. Lots of small and thin parts that are prone to breakage or bound to get misplaced. And as previous posters have mentioned, Hasegawa kits are the REAL models, so there's a bit of a challenge. But don't let that discourage you they're fun models to work on, just take your time. M

How about scrubbing the pieces with detergent and water, this should really get that stubborn mold release off.

Hey WM, Jung, Are you guys from Toronto ??? May I tag along when you have gatherings? I want to inherit some of your skills btw, nice work Jung !

Didn't know this thread would spread like wildfire So cannonically, based on the lineart, the pilot would have their legs in the QRau's thighs ? But to make it feasible as a toy or model, the pilot's legs are inside the backpack. Am I right with this conclusion ? Mervin

Thanks Druna Skass ! It seems Milia's legs are stowed in the Rau's legs. Mervin

Sorry about reviving it I couldn't find a discussion in the forum about this. Could you point me to one ? I guess no reference pics are available out there. I will be working on my plastic 1/144 Rau with a full Millia pilot. Mervin

hey guys, Is the Rau's pilot in a sitting position in there ? Does anyone have any pics ? TIA, Mervin

Since this is resin it is strongly recommended to wash the JM first. Some residues might prevent the paint from sticking.

Man, that's one awesome looking JM recast! I can't wait for mine to arrive.

For the 1/72 transformable Valks, the posability is as good as the HG gundams. Except that the 1/72's dont have ball and socket joints, which limits the posability on the hips. The backpack in Battroid mode is floppy and doesn't stay on. Other than that it's pretty stable. Btw the VF-1J's head lasers aren't jointed, they need to be glued on. Either create joints for them or choose a permanent position for them. Not sure about the 1S head. The 1A head laser is jointed, so it moves backwards and forwards. There are a few movable parts that have plastic on plastic connections that could cause paint chips, - upper arm joints - the folding backpack and stabilizers(?). - the arm assembly sliders( that slides in and out during valk to battroid) It's a good kit altogether. Mervin

The guy who owns Pacific Hobby owns Advance Hobbies. All their models from Pacific Mall were moved to the other store. Yeah, they still bring in new stuff. The owner says he left due to expensive rent. He's still hunting for a new place.