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I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT!!! This has got to be my most sought after item! ever!! THANK YOU, thank you Jesse & Gundam Head. I was wondering what you did with your WF kit (I was jealous when you said you got one - but then I saw it, and re-considered) This is fantastic - I can't wait, its so exciting. I would like to make two requests, can the actual head that attaches to the Valk's packs somehow allow us to incorporate rare earth magnets to allow the Valk model to be detachable after construction - I'd hate to have to glue the Valk into the arm. Secondly, in the line art, the articulated arm section before the yellow and black caution hatched joint mechanism has three very distinct panels that stick out, but the WF model has them as recessed areas like truss webbing - I'd prefer to see them as three panels that stick out with rounded sides (more like the lineart). Again, thank you so much for all your efforts and keep us updated. And Jesse, if you need anything at all from me, or if there is anything I can do to help - just ask.

Hi all, I'm currently home sick - nasty cough - trying to do some work at home though. Haven't found the time to work on this kit yet - with all this Christmas stuff going on. Hopefully I might get a few hours in during the Christmas break. Although, everytime I walk past the work bench, its calling out to me. Sorry to hear about the pits Mule, yes excessive putty can damage your kit, I haven't ran across this problem in years. I mostly ran across this a long time ago, when I tried to sculpt something out of the putty, but as long as you try to keep the layer of putty thin, and allow it to dry before adding another layer, it shouldn't be a problem. Sometimes, when you leave the putty in the tube a while, a whitish ooze separates from the grey putty - this is exactly like styrene cement - this is the putty's solvent, and this is the stuff that will attack your plastic if its not properly vented and allowed to dry. If it separates, try to mix it back into the grey putty. I've also found that if the putty is too dry, you can use liquid cement and that will "thin" out the putty as well - almost to the consistency of Mr. Surfacer. But treat it like solvent cement, don't apply too thick a coat, or it will eat away at the plastic before it can properly cure. I applied a liberal amount of putty to certain parts of the valk, but they are relatively thin layers, just spread over a larger area - and I haven't had any "melting" problems yet (knock on wood... )

Hey all, I hope this isn't off-topic, but what about a flight sim thats simple, more arcade like - with plenty of eye candy. Any suggestions? Something like Ace Combat 5 but for the PC?

Ahh, the generation gap Boy I feel old...

Oh, what problems? I've had mine for over 20yrs, and its still fine, all original parts, except a needle and head - which is 8 yrs old (I wanted the fine tip, the airbrush comes with a medium tip) I spray laquers and metalizers all the time through it - what type of problem? However, I am looking at getting a double action (also syphon) one soon - I think I've "graduated" up to one of these - and I will be looking at IWATA (better quality) or Badger (easier to get parts/accessories around here)

HEY I just realized your choice in names - GOOD CHOICE!

Wow!! How lucky to have gotten that particular kit! Congratulations! We've been looking for this kit too, but haven't gotten it yet - but it sure is fun trying!! We wish you all the best on your little bundle of Valkyrie breaker - err... I mean joy! I guess it will be time to move all your toys & models up a few levels in the next year or so eh?

Sorry everybody - this thread is definitely on the back-burner for a while. I just got a job (thank God!) so it will be a day here and there maybe on the weekends. If anyone else wants to start a thread of their build - I would be most interested (hint, hint... Jesse)

I definitely agree with that - you should fully disassemble the brush - as paint can build up around the trigger and behind the nozzle around the tefelon washer area.

Stay away from the Hasegawa kits with swing wings!! They are the old molds with raised panel lines (like the Macross Zero F-14) Horrible! Unfortunately, the newer molds all have fixed position wings (there is an option to have the forward slats extended and rear flaps extended - then you can't swing the wings in anyways) However, if you chose to retract all the moveable components of the wing - you can make them poseable in two positions (fully over-sweeped - carrier stow mode and fully extended) after your finished - but they cannot swing perse. The kit I showed is one of these - excellent engraved details - all the tiny access panels and revits - but very lightly engraved - lighter than the VF-1. From what I've heard, the Fujimi have fewer engraved details, just the main panels and moveable surfaces - but its a much simpler kit. The Hasegawa kit is an exact duplicate of their 1/48 scale version but scaled down - so there are close to 300 parts for a 1/72 kit (which makes for some pretty small pieces). My kit which I posted earlier does include a fairly extensive set of photoetched parts including canopy frames, mirrors, canopy latch lugs, and all the control consoles. But from what I've heard its not a beginners kit.

Tamiya offers a 1/72 F-14?? I didn't know - how is it? Any details pics, links or info?

Wow!! GunnerX they look like masterpieces to me! Fantastic work - great photography too - they realy look great. Love the subtle weathering. The only suggestion I can give is that if your camera allows the aperature to be adjusted, set it to a smaller aperature (higher F-stop) it will give you a greater depth of field, so both the front of the plane and back would be in focus. Why don't you post step-by-step theads? I'd be insterested. I have an F-14 too that I want to build someday (but I still can't even get through my current VF-1 for the Booster and Launch Rail - got work! yah! ) Maybe you could post a build up thread of it first so I can follow along. Which F-14 kit did you get in the end? Keep up the great work.

Welcome to the boards - its so good to see fellow modeller's work. They look fantastic - keep up the great works. Very nice additional detailing. And keep posting - but please get a better camera - the pictures don't do your work justice.

errr, ok... this isn't going to distract John from more pressing matters is it? (ie: launch vehicle?)

I don't mind the dissappearing nose cone trick - especially if it will make the GBP model more proportionally accurate (since it will displayed that way most often). However, is it me? or does anyone else think the chest sticks too far forward, as well as the shoulder missle launchers being a bit too high and big. (Just being picky) The feet look tiny coming out the bottom of the armoured legs!

Fantastic work Grayson!! Wow, nice photos too... I'm envious you're starting to work through your collection. Man! what are you doing, you were my excuse to my wife; "see, he just collects also - we don't have time to actually build!?" Keep up the great work - and keep posting. Thanks.

Ahh.. great work!! ooh, those are the only 4 figures I want - too bad no-one is willing to part with them for a resonable price.

What a great thread - crappy or not - I love seeing all these models out there! Please the last thing I want to do is discourage anyone from this great hobby - lets all keep building!! Speaking of which, my VF-1+Booster has just been sittin for the past few days - must get back to it soon... but I love seeing these threads. Keep it up!

You said it!!! PERFECT but a bit too pricy for now...

Welcome to the boards!! Excellent model - fantastic weathering! Keep up the great work and keep posting your gems! Don't forget to share your ideas & tips.

The other side of the doors.

Hey LTSO, how thick is the pro-weld, I am already using the Tamiya liquid cement - which I think is great, but I want a thicker gel like glue that doesn't evapourate so quickly as liquid cement. This will be Hikaru's VF-1S (actually Roy's Skull Leader, but he died, so Hikaru took it over) at least that's what I believe is the proper timeframe when they take Max & Miria's baby up to Britai? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I think it will be Skull 001 with the yellow & black markings but with Hikaru's name in the pilots stencil on the canopy. I think I will do the boosters in shades of grey/blue kind of like the fast packs but lighter. This pictures shows the modifications required to make the Hasegawa kit with the gears up. Notice I used some sheet styrene to bind together the gear doors (the edges of the gear doors just aren't enough area for the glue to get a proper bond). Additionally, I added stripes to the inside of the gear wells to act as a shelf to support the gear doors when laid in. Luckily the gear doors, when glued together is just a hair larger than the opening, when the glue dries, I will sand down the edges to get a perfect fit.

I've started to paint the seat and pilot as I require the cockpit to be fully completed and sealed in before I start sanding away at the fuselage (otherwise all the wet sanding particles will get inside and ruin the detail of the cockpit. The interior and seat is painted Tamiya dark grey, while the seat cushion is dark green and the head rest is tan (from the Perfect Memory marker sketch) and the pilot I've chosen to leave the white the plastic as the finished color, and added the black under the helmut and shoulder pads (the decals do not cover these) and neutral grey for the backpack and front suit controls. Once dried, I will paint silver in the visor, followed by a clear coat of Tamiya transparent green - it gives the visor a bit of shine when it catches the light and more depth looking at it than just the black decal strip. The pilot still needs a dark oil wash, with some details such as the black stripes picked out with a fine tipped gundam marker. Oops, you can see I forgot to eliminate the seam running up the inside of the leg - I did elminate the seam everywhere else with a x-actor knife, lightly scraping along the seam.

Getting back to my fuselage - you will notice that I use the testors orange tube cement on major seams - and I apply liberally so that the "melted" plastic/glue mixture actually oozes through when you press the pieces together. This ensures that you get a good bond, and that if there are any little cracks in the seam - its filled in with this glue/plastic ooze. This is one of my ways to reduce the seams to fill afterwards. Often, this is enough for me to let dry, shave down with an x-actor knive the excess - sand, and apply a bead of Mr. Surfacer 500 to the seam, let dry and sand again - and with luck, that should be enough work to completely eliminate the seam. I will have to let this dry before I can do anything else.

This is probably the most sanding you have to do on this kit. This piece is fairly finished now, I will add some fences inside one I determine that my wing sweep angles are with the booster attached.