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Yes sir. Did I forget to mention?

Loving this work on a Bandai 1/72!

I have hip-hop Minmay and Ballerina Minmay if you want (which reminds me, I need to do that one). Yes, grumble, grumble, I would like to learn how to put the Big Arrow and other details. But when I am learning new stuff, I like to get some quick wins. I'm at the tip of the ice berg. 3D Printing is insane. I'm using Elegoo Mars 2 regular version. I didn't know what I was getting into, so I got the cheapest and best reviewed I could find. Elegoo also has great customer service. I'm sold. But I recommend the Mars 2 Pro version for the exhaust (it's important for clearing out the air and humidity, which causes the FEP sheet to stick to the LCD). They also have a new Mars version coming out, so if reviews are good, you might want to consider that.) There is a learning curve, but it's doable. PM me for the details.

Minmay Project Cont'd... Green Pokka-Dot Dress version. This is probably the last Minmay, unless I find some cool files to play with. I'm not interested enough in the available Crossover stuff to go through the trouble. And this one was a test to see if it was possible to fix and print from strange files . There is an artist at DeviantArt making Leiji Matsumoto mesh xps files. Not sure what they are meant for, but this opens up a lot of possibilities, because there are very few classic anime 3D files out there. It was a lot of work to fix the file, but well worth it.

Grumble, grumble, yes I need to do better than those Harry Potter glasses I ripped. Maybe I can pull and stretch them. Here is a different type. This 3D printing stuff is a serious addiction. The possibilities are endless, even without experience. This guy did a Zeta Cockpit for the first time designing anything. I need to learn how to do this with Z-Brush. I'm really struggling with Blender.

Dang MT, you're putting on a clinic! Lathing and forming skills are getting better and cleaner. Now where have I seen that before? Good little drill when you don't want the power of a Dremel. But the torque can be weak, if it stops and wont start, I plug it into the power cord for it to reset itself. I also use a Dremel white cotton sanding tip to clean model parts. But very gently. Oh no, tell me you're not going to add all that PE. You're going to need really small fingers for those. Good luck!

Get well soon bro.

This is where I am with M&M. Comments? Of course we are not going to be perfect, but a nudge here or there can make a difference. (The necks aren't joined to the body yet, so don't worry about that.)

I always wanted 1/3000 valks for my SDF-1. A whole fleet on the way!

Your painting is GREAT at that scale. Come out a bit with the camera so we can get a fuller look of the two at a better scale. Hmmm... I don't know. They all wear the same uniform and the same helmet, right? So if you paint them differently, that could work. I can't design anything from scratch, but I can do some things. What changes would need to be made to the base Hikaru sculpt? Let me know and I will work on it. Max - He would be just like Hikaru, right? Maybe I could thin the body, but keep the head the same, or slightly thinner. And add aviator glasses. Milia - She would be more delicate, thinner and shorter than Max I guess. And then there's the bossom issue... (Now googling "How to extrude body parts" )

These are separate objects for printing the platform for my flight deck. It's just a mock up for now. But some elements could be joined for printing.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the nice comments. Since you're not bored yet, this is what I'm up to.

Sorry to tell you, no intelligent life detected down here. If I can do it, anyone can (any hobbyest, I mean).

Looking good. It would be cool if you share your photos as you progress in the future. And explain your set up such as lighting and direct lighting with each photo, so we can figure out which makes the best photos. I'm also trying to get better photos. I got tripods, Neewer camera lights, and a background cloth. But it's so frustrating. My last dark room "photo shoot" was a disaster, no matter how low I set the tripod lighting, or how far away, they would saturate my image. Then I gave up in defeat till further notice.

Cool stuff. Starts as a mop bucket, and ends as a work of art!

Thanks. Yes this is a resin printer. Doubt there will be any print lines. I printed at the highest resolution .01mm. Its very tiny.

The Hikaru pilot figure printed very easily. No problems at all. Seated next to Bandai 1/72 for comparison. PM me if you want the file. But please do not distribute or monetize (we do not yet have permission for using the body).

I did some more work on the Hikaru Pilot. I think it's good to go. I'm planning to post the STL, once I do a test print. So you guys can print at home or at a local printer for your valks.

That's what I thought. I knew the camera was picking up the pre-shading. So generally we can add more base coat than we realize over the pre-shading, and it will still show through at different lighting angles.

Peter, Always nice to see more Yamato. I was raised on it. My first anime. I've zoomed in on your images to enjoy the details. Your build is flawless. Everything looks good. My 1/1000 cannot stand up to such close photography But I have a question: In some images, the hull panel pre-shading looks dark, like tiger stripes. In other images the pre-shading looks light in tone. So my question is, how do the ships look in real life? I know lighting and photography changes colors and shadows a lot.

Minmay Project continued... I'm also working on a Hikaru Pilot figure. You could call this a kitbash, since I can't design anything, I've combined an aviator body, with an anime head, and a Macross helmet!

Minmay project continues. Two more outfits to go.

Hi, Thanks! Yes, curing the resin outside in the sun is one approach, or a UV light indoors. I have a hand nail UV machine. Just can't expose the machine or fresh resin to the sunlight to UV. (I just finished training all my family to not open the drapes if the machine is on!) Regarding longevity, I really don't know too much, I think it's not a major issue with new good quality resin. But you shouldn't over-cure the resin to begin with. My little figures are done in 3 minutes. And then I plan to gloss with UV-protection.

Here is a new Minmay at 3.5cm 1/48 scale. I am in total shock at the detail. I used the same steps as the first one, but took the risk of not thickening her up at all. The fringe of her dress is under 0.1mm, and I didn't know if the print would be possible.

I always wondered what kind of paint people use when customizing their valks, and what are the steps for clear coating to avoid scratching during transformation? I would scare me to death to touch my gokins.