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If it gets too close after the clear coat at the end, you could alter the clear coat too - so the darker parts gets a semi-gloss and the lighter parts gets a flat matte - its amazing what the clear coat finish can do to alter the colour beneath them. Take a look at my Yukikaze Mave thread, those greens were done with varying shades of clear-coat finish. The glossier finishes tend to darken (makes the finish look wet) the colour and the flatter matte finishes tend to lighten the colour beneath. Looking good!

That's a pretty tiny hinge for that massive wing section on that VF-27 - hasn't Bandai learnt anything?! Frugly landing gears again!!! Shape looks good, but can't credit Bandai for the design.

Wow!, they look great! I'm definitely in for a few sets, depending on price. Keep us up to date, definitely interested.

Hey anyone thought of the Glaug Officer when they saw that mech? I think the designers sure did. Nicely done!

Sorry to hear about your lacquer run-in - I trust that you read my post to your question on my VF-25 thread. Mixing paints is tricky business. I cheat a lot (because I'm lazy) but I decal over semi-gloss finish only on white models, as you can see most of my Valkyries have been white or very light in colour. Its very hard to see the "silvering" on the edges of decal film against a light colour. However, since you guys are applying decals onto a fairly dark surface, I would DEFINITELY do a very smooth gloss coat on prior to decalling. I always do a gloss ModelMaster Acryl clear-coat on anything that is darker than very light grey. Dark rough surfaces are the worst at showing the decal film - called silvering. I've tried using future as suggested by many modellers, but I find it quite thick and can obscure fine engraved details (not a problem here with Bandai) but when spraying the flat/matte clear-coat on afterwards, one must do so in very light even coats to start off - a heavy wet coat will "reticulate" on the surface of the future. In fact, always spray light even coats, its always better to spray lots of light even coats than one heavy wet one. So definitely do a smooth gloss coat before decalling this dark blue puppy! Additionally, the ModelMaster Acryl clear-coats I use have specific airbrush thinner and a dried paint solvent for them which I highly recommend using instead of experimenting with alternatives. These are the clears I use: http://www.testors.com/category/136694/Clears http://www.testors.com/category/137115/Thinners http://www.testors.com/category/137118/Cleaners

I hear ya loud and clear! I can't even think about doing the rest of the squad... ;-(

Sorry to hear about that Mickyg, I think the automotive gloss coat was too "hot" and may have ate your dullcote a bit. You have to be very careful when mixing paint types. Acrylics are usually water based paints and are the most gentle to the plastic, as such, it merely sits on top and is the most fragile and can be easily scraped off. Isopropo (sp.) alchohol is usually a good thinner/solvent for acrylics. Then comes enamels, these are solvent based and you use emamel solvents to thin or clean them. Lastly are lacquers, these are the most "hot" (meaning they are the most reactive and have a tendency to eat away or slightly melt the surface that they are sprayed on - because they "etch" into the underlying surface, they are the most durable - impossible to get off without sanding, but thats whats great about them, they can be sanded down to feather an edge for seam removal, thats why primers are usually lacquers). There are lacquer thinners/solvents out there, but most will probably eat away at the plastic styrene as well. Automotive lacquers are by far the worst of the bunch by several magnitudes since they have to endure the harsh environment and resist fading in the sun and cracking in the cold - they are made to not be removeable. You have to be very careful when mixing paint types. I never use automotive paints on models - just too harsh. Just try to stick to hobby paints, there are so many different types, there really is no need to go outside for any colour unless its some special effect you're trying to achieve. Once you have an understanding of the reactive qualities of the paint types you can purposely mix them to achieve layers that "seal" each other in and protect each other. I usually use Tamiya Acrylics, they are the most mild and are completely inert, they do not react to the plastic at all. I like them because they don't smell and are easy to clean up - but they are fragile and scrapes off easily. I then usually seal them in with the Model Master Acryl clear-coats. Again, they are acrylics (hence "Acryl") not the lacquer line, but these arcylics are just different enough that the Tamiya solvent or Windex (which I use as a cheap solvent due to the ammonia content) doesn't seem to affect the MM Acryl clear-coats. So I use it as a stop-barrier to seal in steps of painting that I like - so I can experiment with other layers on top and if I don't like it or it doesn't turn out as expected, I just strip it down using the solvent/windex to the last layer of clear-coat with all the previous layers of paint beneath the clear coat intact. The artist oil wash uses again a different solvent (low-odour varsol) so it wipes away easily without affecting the underlying clear-coat. I only use lacquers for priming so I can sand it or Aclad metalizers since there is nothing else like it. So what to do now. See if you can find a solvent for that automotive paint you used, then try it out on a piece of sprue to make sure it won't eat the plastic. If a solvent exists that will remove the automotive paint you used BUT not eat the plastic then you're laughing - chalk it up to a learning experience. Believe you me, I've had all sorts of funny paint mixtures effects in my build experience. Definitely do not add more paint! p.s. Generally always leave a flat/matte clear-coat till the very end, flat finishes are microscopically bumpy, when you clear-coat over it will a gloss coat, it needs to be fairly thick to fill in all the bumps to make something glossy (its the smoothness of the coating that reflects the light) - I usually try for a semi-gloss first since it resist fingerprints, then go glossy for the decals, the flat for the final finish if that's the desired sheen. Always try to use the right solvents for the right paints and try to stick to modelling paints. I tried experimenting in the past with alternatives, it just isn't worth it in the end - think about how many hours of effort you put into the model, you don't want to ruin it trying to save a few bucks. (some stuff doesn't ruin your work till a few months or years down the road!) I'm a firm believer in the right tool for the right job!

I hope for that price that the decals are spot colours instead of the crappy screened stuff that Bandai is shovelling out to us as decals (the VF-25 ones is like we printed it ourselves on a colour copier!) ;-(

I actually didn't apply it over any base coat (although they recommend it). The undersurface needs to be smooth, the more glass-like, the better the metal effect in the end. I often take shortcuts like not doing any basecoat if the plastic is smooth and I hadn't sanded the part - but unfortunately the plastic swirl did telegraph though, so I will undercoat it next time. The gloss black is only really needed with the bright polished aluminum or chrome - the other darker colours you can get away with just a good smooth undercoat, but never on a flat/matte surface since flat/matte is actually microscopically bumpy. Nope I don't know of a way to paint all the missile tips red easily, I was hoping someone would come up with a better way than painting each one. Maybe dipping? I don't know, any tips would be appreciated!

Damn! too late to read about this, its "discontinued" on the HLJ site. Anywhere else I can order/buy this from now? Thanks.

Nice reference Nick! Notice he also "toed-in" the vertical stabilizers/rudders too (like F-18s) - not really liking the bright metallic orange legs though.

Good progress Nickster! A little tip, the outboard moveable surfaces on wings usually are ailerons (which are used to help in banking and rolling the aircraft to aid in turning) and the inboard moveable surfaces on the wings are the flaps (used to increase lift during times of low airspeed over the wingfoil - take off and landings). When an aircraft (real) is at rest, usually only the flaps may droop (unless they are tied to the ailerons in which case both will droop at the same angle, depending on the aircraft) - the ailerons only really move during flight. I don't mean to nick-pick but I thought it might be educational for future reference. I still think moving the control surfaces are a great idea and do add a lot to the static quality of a lot of models. Just keep in mind that to add realism to sci-fi/anime models, its always nice to ground them in real world references. Please don't take these comments the wrong way, just thought it might be nice to know next time. I hope you don't take it the wrong way, I love your thread!

WoW!! That looks fantastic, great darker tone finish, kudos!

Wow! Where can I order this? HLJ?

Can anyone clear this up? I heard that Microsoft entered into a exclusive agreement with Ace Combat so they had AC6 only for the X-Box for a set number of months till the contract expires. Then I also heard that Microsoft bought up the Bandai Namco department that developed AC6 with the intention of developing more games like it, but due to the recession, it had to close down a bunch of its assests including their Flight Simulator arm (this is where it gets even more sketchy and "rumoury") Now I heard that includes closing down the development team of AC effectively stopping any future development of the franchise. Please tell me this isn't so and that its just a stupid rumour? Does anyone have any "REAL" news that AC7 is coming for the PS3?

WoW! Fantastic... I'm subscribed... hooked line and sinker... You scratch builders always amaze me with what you can do from absolutely nothing... cheers to you!

I don't think so, I think the marker was just to indicate where the panel detail was (to re-scribe afterwards) and show up if there's still any seam left in the glued pieces that require further sanding. Kind of like using primer to see how you dealt with the seams (but easier).

Hey start a build-up thread... I'd love to see more of the work! What about doing the missile bay open - opportunity for scratch building! Will the canopy still fit after making all the cockpit gak taller? It looks kinda squished already.

YES! YES! - I second that! any news on that? Is there the possibility or is it just a pipe dream?

YEAH! definite plus 1 Maybe Hasegawa will go the removeable panel route? to show some internals...

I triple that! you are fast!! That's great. Never knew about the marker technique... must try that soon. I HATE SEAMS! and need all the help I can get too. Can you elaborate a bit on this technique - especially the last part after sanding, you run the marker again over the "supposed" smooth seam - what does that do? Do you sand again? If there were still a seam, how does it show up? I thought the market nib and ink would be too thick and big to run into any fine hairline seam that might remain? Thanks, looking good! p.s. I never found any mold release agents on Hasegawa kits (maybe I'm just lazy to wash) but what did it look/react like?

Hey David, I don't know why you're fiddling with Future when there are "real" clear coats made for models. I've always found out the hard way when trying to scrimp and save for finishing materials that its just not worth it especially when it can damage your models or ruin your hard work sometimes even months down the line after your finish. Really, how much is your hard labour worth? Just use the real stuff, I've never had a problem with ModelMaster Acryl Clear-Coats and I'm sure a lot of these other ones suggested here like Mr.Color are just as good (which I want to try someday). Don't mess with making Future flat, you're fighting an uphill battle. Use future to clean up canopies or make a glass-like smooth surface to decal on - and that's about it! Actually I've thought about using a rattle-can topcoat to protect the next VF-25 I make, they are usually "hotter" lacquers - lacquers have a tendency to "bite" into the plastic and are usually much more durable than acrylics (probably why it says not to use it over decals). Plus you don't have to constantly clean the airbrush and I believe rattle-cans provide a much heavier/thicker coat than airbrush (I just don't have the patience to layer 5 or 10 coats!). Yes, if you want to paint it and do it properly, it WILL take forever, its just not a friendly kit for that, the assembly process requires you to paint the same colours in many different steps and have outrageous masking - argh! Not enjoyable, believe you me, but the end results are probably worth the effort though.

I hope your right Noyhauser! I only wished I shared your optimism. While the internet is great to get rare and hard to find stuff, I still find this stuff to be getting rarer and harder to find all the time. I just joined the local IPMS chapter here in the city and its populated by a lot of seniors, I'm by far the youngest, but I'm almost 40! (in 12 days!! - argh!!!). I haven't seen anyone younger in the stores except to accompany their grandparents hobby in a long time. I really like 1/72 scale - mostly due to my lack of space to display them, so I always look around for 1/72 scale aftermarket stuff - believe you me, its really hard to find stuff (unlike 1/48 scale) and getting harder all the time! ;-( There is a definite greying of the hobby, but I don't see the next generation picking it up. I find a really hard time to carve our any time for my hobby being a parent now (and I really, really love it!). There's just no time in today's busy hectic schedule for the casual hobbist (no more 9-5 jobs with mom staying at home anymore). I am afraid, we are the tiny aging minority here. As Excillon said; "...bitter that you're a practitioner of a dying art" is what I feel like sometimes, however I wouldn't go so far as not evolving and sitting there whining about it. We're not bashing Bandai - don't get me wrong, I'm building their VF-25 right now (maybe not enjoying it!) but still building the best I could. But its really designed for the snip and snap crowd, it does look great for the amount of effort you put into it (better than any Hasegawa kit could un-painted) but I'm after a little more (and it fights you if you want that extra bit of effort). It could be a generational gap here too. Tranditional model making just doesn't have the immediate gratification that newer paintless snap together Bandai kits offer. In fact, model making lacks that immediate gratification that our society as a whole now demands, patience is a dying quality, just look at the current economic crisis which can be summed up by people going into incredible debts for instant gratification. No I digress (or ramble on as my "age" suggest ;-) hehe... I'd be curious about a poll that correlated Bandai supporters versus Hasegawa supporters and their relative ages. Back to the 1/48 Hasegawa YF-19, I'd love to see it first, I just don't have the room to display them properly, but its just too tempting (especially once we get pictures - however I am surprised they chose this subject as the first one in the series, I personally think their 1/72 scale version is one of the weakest in their series). As I get older, I only have a limited space in the house to display the models, as they are displayed like art with appropriate space around them - to jumble them together makes them like toys and cheapens the respect they deserve.

I did a oil wash on the hands too, to separate the fingers and details more from the white fingertip caps. I think painting the hands was a really important part that makes the overall Battroid mode much better, its one of those small effort things that make a big contribution in the end (I love those items, little work... big bang! - lazy me coming out ) The metallic Alclad gives a nice glint in between the joints (more robot/machine like) and the dark/black oil wash defines the features and gives definition to the joints. Luckily the semi-gloss clear-coat did wonders to tone down the "toyish" quality of the purple gunpod - it lightened the overall tone and soften the sheen. Its still a little too purple, a little more blue and grey will be in the books for the others (but I like it enough to not fiddle with it further - that's the hardest call that comes from experience I find in model making, knowing when to make the call to STOP fiddling... at some point it just makes it worst, without having to totally re-strip and re-paint - since there are flaws in everything I do, if I didn't know when to quit, I'd never finish any models!!) Anyways, I'm pretty happy with it, its just got the silver basecoat under the red & green lenses left and it's done! I do love the sheen and depth I get from doing the metallic undercoat, its got an almost iridescent quality that's hard to capture on film (I wish my car had that!). Woohoo. It almost wants me to do Luca's blue like this (but I'm not that crazy, if it wasn't transformable I might consider it, but the rubbing and scraping would be prohibitive). I hope I get the Ozma Armoured soon - I'm iching to get started on that as my next build (mostly left in Battroid mode, but I will still build it transformable, maybe without the magnet modifications to speed things up). Those new HJ scans are inspirational! I just wished they weathered it a bit. It doesn't seem that the Japanese like the metallic joints, they grey all those parts out - I personally feel that you can't really do a real metallic or chrome in anime, so they chose grey, but the metallic parts really add that glint I love from machinery (I guess its just me). Hey how about a joint/group build on MacrossWorld, we can all post our progress together?

Argh!! now thanks to you... I DO TOO!!!