wm cheng

Great work so far! I'm glad you're still sticking to it (I'm so slow now that its pretty much at a standstill until I can find some time!). A tip for getting the decals to conform is that I usually get a wet paper towel and fold it a few times so there's some thickness to it and I press it over the decal down onto the fuselage so the "cushiness" of the towel and finger presses/stretches the decal into the panel lines. Once that's in there, I often dab some MicroSOL on it to let it conform even more (although it didn't work with this type of decal that Bandai is using - it works for everything else though). Lastly, when its mostly dry, I slice it with a ultra sharp exacto knife so that it separates on either side of the panel line (gives a nice painted on effect) and dab it again with MicroSOL. Keep going!

WOW! Fantastic work... I can't believe you did that in a week (I must be the world's slowest builder! ;-) (if I ever get back into modelling!) That looks so good, thanks for sharing. I might have to break down and break out of my 1/72 scale world...

Anybody know anything about this? WORKS―the ART of HIDETAKA TENJIN (DENGEKI HOBBY BOOKS) http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/404868521X/ref=...283952_pe_ar_d2

Great work! Ah! Finally a launch vehicle, I've been dying to see one of these beauties built up. Keep it up. ;-)

Did you guys see this; http://culttvman.com/main/?p=4803 I wish they would re-do the original Galactica (the Monogram is just too simple and the Timeslip too expensive!) Anyone know of the Moebius Viper in a store in Toronto (without all the shipping and duties)?

I'd be interested in the flaps, slats AND spoilers. You should looking into how a real-world fowler flap works for reference, I made some mistakes making my 1/72 up (ah, I was young and naive ;-) But I'd be interested in the spoilers too (like the resin kit) and probably pockets in the wing for the spoilers and slats (you'd probably want to cast the wing with the spoiler pockets too since the slats would need recesses for the extension rails too)

Hey Newca! Suggestions I'd love to see in your 1/72 VF-1 offering... -punched through vernier thrusters (so all we have to do is drill out the plastic and glue one of these on to get the cross-bar) -spoilers for the wings, maybe include slats and fowler flaps assembly

Thanks for all the Kudos guys! I go away for March Break for a week and all this happens... ;-) I actually don't even have a kit yet?! I'm resisting a little (although its really hard though...) I'm a 1/72 scale guy - it already takes me long enough to finish something in 1/72 scale, and I can justify a lot of shortcuts and lack of detail to the small scale I'm building in. "ah, its good enough for 72nd scale!" I keep saying to myself. If I go 1/48 (assuming I have the space to display them... which I don't), I'd be there obsessing over every nut on the strips that secure the hydraulic lines to the landing gears - not healthy for my mental health. Plus now with the family, I have so little time to build. I'm sure I'll break down eventually, probably when they release a DYRL VF-1S and when the VF-1S with the packs are released (maybe when both Hasegawa and Newca releases their PE kits). I've always wanted to detail one up like the 1/48 resin with all the flaps/spoilers/slats (definitely spoilers please!) and exposed fuselage panels - but I've always been critical of the overall shape of the resin kit, now it looks like its my chance if the Captn' decides to do some detail parts (please!). Although, my next 1/72 VF-1 will hopefully incorporate some of the refinements in the 1/48 offering, specifically I love how they corrected the rear leg/engine alignment (the original 72 scale had a wierd downward drop to the rear that I didn't realize till I was finish building it) plus the tailfin boat plane sits lower and more flush with the leg/engine pieces which I'd like to replicate in the 1/72 scale versions (I still have a few of those kits sittin' in boxes in my basement!). I might also try drilling out the vernier thrusters and placing a cross-bar over them - maybe Jasmine/Newca could include the vernier with cross-bar in their next PE-offering?

Exactly my sentiments! All the work I spent trying to protect the paint-job and magnets to hold it together... I've only transformed my model twice since I built it!! It will always be in the fighter mode. Its unfortunate that there are no other alternatives, so I caved/brokedown and got the whole set, but after building the first one, I'm not too keen on the others - Bandai seems to make it more like a chore to build for me. They are great at making snap-fits and there aren't many seams to fill. BUT, to do anymore to their models (ie; like paint...) really makes the build un-enjoyable. Bandai just doesn't care about a modeller's steps and process... but they never cater to that crowd (except maybe their EX line) and they are really, really good at the Gunplay level of building. So... if you like snapping it together and zooming it around (transformation is fragile) and don't mind stickers, then this is the kit for you. If you are anal, count revits and keep thinking of ways to make water slide decals look painted on, then think twice. ;-)

Yes! welcome to the New World. May I inject some sober thought though, please... please use a real mask and have adequate ventilation. I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH - especially with lacquer metalizer paints. An airbrush "atomizes" the paint into such small particles that its easily inhaled and breathed more deeply into the lungs than just fumes from drying paint (which is also bad). This is especially bad when lacquers and metal particles are ingested. Any exposed soft tissues including eyes should be protected (as eyes also "breathes"). I use a 3M full mask with organic solvent filters (these mask have filter packs that must be changed every so often depending on your use). I want to get a full ventilation outside someday (fume hood) - but thats expensive. If at all possible, do it outside and don't expose other family members to it. When I was young (high school), my best friend and I airbrushed into the wee hours - there was often a visible cloud hanging over our workbenches which would linger for hours. My parents kept complaining that it stunk up the whole house. Well, we were teenagers so nothing could harm us! He's dead now, died at the age of 35 of lung cancer and he never smoked a day in his life. It has completely changed my outlook on life. It may not have been the hobby, but I can't believe that it didn't make the situation worst. So please enjoy the new delight, but PLEASE, PLEASE, everyone please practice safe airbrushing. (OK, I'm off my soapbox now...)

Try PS3 Media Server... its great, you can even turn on/off the subtitles from the PS3 XMB

Unfortunately not... the decals are "screened" too... argh! Hate Bandai!!

Yay! this will satisfy my ichy fingers for a while. Keep it up, it's looking good so far. A little note, it looks like the rear hydraulic arm thing to the front nose gear is in backwards in one of your photos - you might want to do a dry fit into the front wheel well to make sure.

How about a blue Kevin Spacy - haha!! Sorry to come to this party late, but are we talking about this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONkh786EbSg ?

WoW! Absolutely fantastic again... I loved your VF-25 PE parts. Will you be giving the 1/48 VF-1 the same treatment? Love the canopy latches and cockpit sill details! How about flowler flaps and spoilers for the VF-1 as well as various access panel hatches like the the 1/48 scale resin? Retractable pilot's ladder too please. Feel to PM for ideas! ;-) Keep up the great work!

It's nice... but I kinda expected a bit more (considering its 1/48! - they did a pretty amazing job on the 1/72 already) - considering other than size and the exposed leg/engine, its just a scaled up 1/72. At this size, its begging for a resin landing gear well, PE parts including electrical and hydraulic plumbing, canopy latch sills, rails, intake trunks, other opened access panels, airbrake with opened slats, gun pod cart & ammo, retracting crew ladder and of course a full set of fowler flaps, spoilers and edge slats (are you listening Captn!) - everything needed to bring it up to the resin kit.

Thanks! just more ammo for painting & masking... argh!!

Yeah! thought the same thing... ;-(

I think the one on the top is like the old 80's models (2 part mold) where the canopy cross-section doesn't come back on itself like a bubble. Where the lower one comes back on itself so its more bubble-like with an undercut (3 part mold - hence the requirement of the seam, which curiously isn't shown) - this was a Hasegawa invention to make the canopy more realistic like actual fighter jets AFAIK.

WoW! The surface details are pretty amazing... although the cockpit side consoles are movie version, the TV version doesn't have any controls whatsoever, its just an armrest (although this is much more convincing though!).

Is it this one Graham? http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/switch-language...;language=en_JP Sorry I couldn't make out the japanese and it didn't have a picture of the book - just wanted to make sure before I pre-ordered.

Damn! That does look sweet - why another scale... 1/48 - I don't want to break my 1/72 scale collection!!!

Please post if anyone sees a more english friendly link (ie: HLJ or Amazon.jp) that is carrying the pre-order for the new VF-19 book?

Panasonic Plasmas are great, I can't believe how cheap they are now, the prices are really coming down. I'd worry about placement though. I don't get why everyone wants to put them above the fireplace - not an ideal location, the heat and soot particles coming from the opening isn't friendly to any electronics. I don't recommend ever putting any flatscreen above any fireplace, unless its a sealed gas unit that doesn't generate any heat. You should be concerned about where the windows are though, you mention a good amount of natural sun light, make sure the windows are not behind you, you might want to stick a mirror or piece of glass where you intend to have the screen and sit in your intended seating position to check for reflections and glare. They can be quite distracting. The Plasma in your link doesn't indicate any sort of anti-glare coating, so I would assume its just a straight piece of glass, just like the newer Mac screens - either you love them or hate them! If you only watch at night, then great, if you intend to watch in the daytime, then be wary of the windows relative to your seating position and screen location - especially with Plasma. At 15-20ft away, you could get by with a larger screen ;-) - from you Valk collection, I don't think $$$ is a problem for ya ;-) You won't regret it! Look though Monoprice.com - get your mount and cables there, don't let Best Buy talk you into their rip off prices, get a mount that can swing out so that you can make all your connections with the TV still mounted to the wall - don't cheap out for the non-adjustable mounts, its so much hassle to take the TV down everytime you want to access the back panel for connections (also the adjustments can also mitigate any off-axis glare - within reason).

How big were you thinking of going? Where will the TV be (in terms of ambient light and windows)? How far away will you sit from the TV? What is your primary source of viewing material? These are all factors that will affect the which platform, size, location and placement. If size is a factor (and don't tell me it ain't - hehe) nothing beats front projection. It's by far the bestvalue price per inch and most closely approximates a "real" home theatre experience. I have a 100" electric screen (retractable into the ceiling - essential if you have kids! to keep fingerprints off of it) with a Panasonic PT-AE2000 1080p projector - with the lights out (and properly calibrated) its an amazing theatre experience sitting 12ft away, it fills your peripheral vision. In fact, its sharper than going to the theatre! My primary source is feature films and I have a dedicated basement home theatre that I can control the ambient light to total darkness - so this solution fits me. However the other drawback is projectors need their bulbs replaced every 5-10years (depending on your usage), and it could be as much as $500 to replace the bulb - but its a DIY job with most projectors now. There are mainly 3 technologies with projectors nowadays; LCD, LCOS and DLP. Each has its pros and cons - but I won't go into that on this quick summary. Next down the line is Plasma - IMHO, still the better picture due to darker black levels, thereby giving you more "real-world" contrast. This dark level and contrast will only really be appreciated with feature films, if sports is your thing, then it doesn't matter as much because the fields are always brightly lit, so motion is more your concern. Pioneer Kuros used to be the king of all displays, but they've stopped making them (I think its too expensive to manufacture and they were making enough of a profit on them since they couldn't charge that much more than LCDs) - you can still find them new in boxes at the better stores. Panasonic is now the default king of Plasmas. Don't compare the contrast ratio numbers, each manufacturer measures them differently, and LCDs measures them differently than Plasmas - so forget the numbers and go and look at the screen yourself. Plasmas give a better picture quality, but usually have a glass front that isn't great with reflections, so you need to located them away from bright windows. But you don't need a darkened room to view them like projectors. Lastly are LCDs - greatly improved over the last few years, so much so that some of the more expensive ones rival the Plasmas (plasmas are a much older technology and there hasn't been as much innovations since). Definitely look for local dimming LED backlights (for better black levels), they are the new standard to come in the next few years. Anything over 50" should definitely be 1080p while anything under won't really see a difference between 720p and 1080p. If sports is your thing, look into higher refresh rates to eliminate tearing and studder. LCDs are sharper per pixel than plasmas and have a square shape (not necessarily a good thing), as a result, older standard definition sources tend to have noticeable artifacting and pixelization (more detail requires better source material) - so look for sets that have good post processing to smooth these images out. The best thing about LCDs are the screens are usually fairly matte and attenuate reflections well, so they have more flexibility on placement relative to windows - although this matte screen is bad for kiddie fingerprints and its quite fragile and prone to scratching if you're not careful. Just my own personal 2 cents, but definitely go to a decent home theatre store to look at them yourself. Even if you don't buy from them, look at the displays when they are properly calibrated, not at a Big Box Retailer where they are pumped to full brightness and contrast, but accurate colours be damned! Look at the displays with your intended source material and see how each set handles the various sources. There's still a lot of SD material out there, so how it handles standard definition is important, most sets handle 1080p material well since its the native resolution of the set and there's no/little processing involved. A good set should last you 10-20years, so I think its worth the investment. GOOD LUCK! p.s. - Oh, don't get scammed into buying expensive HDMI cables, its the biggest crock out there ($100 Monster cables are rediculous) - it used to be the case with analogue cables that you need high quality ones (I've spend $300 on a uni-directional oxygen-free heavy gauge triple shielded RCA cable once!) but with digital HDMI, a decent one shouldn't cost you more than $10 from Monoprice. Digital means you either get the signal or not? If you get it, there's not quality difference - just a lot of marketing hype! Just make sure to get the HDMI version that your TV supports - it indicates the bandwidth capacity of the cable much like ethernet CAT 6 or 5e for gigabit.