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Hey anyone with a link to the Transformation Manual in PDF? Bandai often puts them up on their site but can't seem to find one for this.

Woohoo!!! Finally received my copy of the SV-262. Even though I peeled the plastic protection off really slowly and carefully, it took a tiny bit of that coppery gold colour with it (its going to be a hard match) - at least the big insignia is intact. Initial impressions out of the box is that its light a bit gappy - will try transformation to see if I can tighten it up a bit, but there seems to be a few loose panels around (ie, head "ears"). Amazingly complex paint/tampo print throughout - Arcadia has absolutely no excuse for its naked expensive toys! With shipping and brokerage, it came out to $350cdn - starting to really climb to the top end of my limit (Arcadia is no longer within my price range). Definitely did not have the solid feel of the VF-31. Beautiful colour scheme though. Thank goodness for Jenius' transformation guide, I would never attempt it without you - thanks again!

...I've made a lot of special modifications myself... Woohoo!!! I finally managed to get the two halves together. Spent a lot of time routing the various wires and fibre optics around to they do get caught in the big attachment pegs and then covered a tin foil dome on the inside of the saucer to keep the light reflecting around and minimize light leaks out (even though I did spray the interior black). Amazing set of PE parts - these landing gear baffles are a must even at this scale! I tried to drill some holes to allow some light to spill out of the landing gear wells to dimly light the gears from all the bounce form the tin foil dome. Just gotta add some of the landing gear hoses still... It's too bad that the photo doesn't show off all the little lights and controls through the gun port walls because the rear tunnel is so bright. You can hardly see all the work I did into that cockpit now I embedded a magnet to to activate a "reed" switch inside to turn on the red landing markers and ramp entry light when I put in the open landing ramp, when I take it out and replace it with the closed ramp, the red marker lights and entry ramp light goes out. That extra curved door at the end of the entrance tunnel really adds to it! Gotta work on that radar dish and a last pass at the weathering with some scraps and I can almost call it done! Not sure if I'll ever need to do my 1/72 Fine Molds kit...

Wow! How did I miss those?! Thanks, I just ordered them from NY (like their shipping, often goes through without the expensive customs & duties which my SV-262 is sitting in right now). Just curious, when did they go up for pre-order?

When do those drones come up for pre-order?

Back from March Break and a little more progress on my Millennium Falcon build Love those PE grills for the engines (although having done them, I recommend not sandwiching the lower ring as it brings them too thick and high, its nice to have the grills sink in a bit, but they are too delicate for me to take apart now after they are done) ... now the fun part!!! The weathering first pass... Love the molded details, this puts the Fine Molds 1/72 to shame. I've gotta next figure out how to cram all the electronics/lighting into the body, light seal it before I close it up. Oh, BTW - yes the decals suck!!! I was seduced by laziness and the fact that the decals fit so perfectly to the panels, but they really don't conform to all the raised details even when I used a ton of Mr. Softer and Mr. Setter and MicroSOL (and I think I'm pretty good with decals too). It was awful and a pain. But the worst part is that once they are on, I realize the dark grey is all wrong, too green and the red is too bright, but rust at all. I spent a lot of time doing a wash over them to darken them and take them down a few notched to better match with the reference, but I wished I had painted them instead of using the decals.

Woohoo!!! Got payment from HLJ, now I can ship it with my SV-252.

Haven't heard a peep from HLJ, was hoping to bundle it with the SV-252 for shipping. Amazon is saying that its out already? I hope HLJ changes its status soon.

Wow, bigger difference than I thought it would show up as - that's fantastic. Did you take apart the toy to get at the metal gears in its entirety or did you just paint them in place?

Beautiful flawless finish!!! Looks great, I didn't know China had the Eurofighter? What kit is that BTW? I love all the rivet details especially at 1/72 scale!

I don't know, but that's the current plan is using the decals - I was thinking it would be easier to scratch them up with an exacto. However if the decals suck, I may have to resort to painting them (but this was supposed to be the quick and fast model to get me back into modeling again - argh).

Thanks! Han is grey now (along with me) because this is the Force Awakens Falcon. I wish I can find my vision in one of the many boxes in the basement! Yes, I going to mostly use all the photo-etched, the gunwells are completely photoetched, definitely use the landing gear baskets, not sure about the landing gear doors though, they kind of look too thin even for this scale. I did the initial panel wash knowing that it was too dark/stark, because its on the bare plastic - its my "post shading". I finally mixed up a good shade of White (with a bit of tan and light grey) to approximate the AS-20 Tamiya Insignal White that everyone seems to agree on as the proper base colour. This toned down the stark panel shading, but the edges still pop a bit so they stand out a little more but more in keeping with the original ILM build. I also sprayed the greebles around the waist and all the openings with a light dusting of the hull colour, this lighten the original Alclad steel to more in keeping with the ILM build, but still have the depth of the original wash and steel colour behind some of the overlaying pipe. The Bandai stickers were used on the round engine exhaust as masks (yay! finally a use for Bandai Stickers!). I've gloss coated the entire thing with Future now in preparation for the decals, then a light post-shading with the airbrush and I get to go to town on the weathering and streaking!

Well, its not Macross related, but I'm trying to get back in the saddle again after a few years hiatus. I'm trying my hand at the beautifully rendered Bandai 1/144 Millennium Falcon. Man! I'm getting too old for these tiny things - my eyes, my eyes!!! Thank god I got some huge ass magnifying glass, I didn't remember it like this the last time I was doing Macross models. I'm also trying my hand a lighting this tiny model. It's pretty much straight out of the box except for the following mods; Cut the greebles trench on top of the cockpit access way to sink it Hollow out the A-Frame ties to the top greeble hatch Dremel out the blast marks and scarring Shapeways 3D cockpit nosecone and gunwell window frames Greenstrawberry Photoetched cockpit control panels and gunwell controls to allow for lighting Greenstrawberry Photoetched engine grills Customized lighting kit from Tydirium models The detail in this kit actually puts the Fine Molds 1/72 scale kit to shame!

Oooh, I love the long tail in between! Come on, lets give us some different pods in the toys as add-ons I hope.

Stunning!!! Can't believe that's the toy, looks like an amazing model. You should be very proud, congrats, what a stunning piece in your collection. Now you have the dilemma of bringing all your pieces up to this standard to not make it stand out You might want to paint the landing gears white now to make it fit into your gorgeous finish.

It is back from the dead!!! I am trying to get back into the game... although I'm just trying my hand at the Bandai Millennium Falcon right now, trying to shoe-horn a lighting system into the tiny model is proving difficult and trying to get more than times a week to work on it as well. Might post something on the workbench in a little bit. Always nice to hear there is still some interest in my work (although dated now - my looking back at that VF-2SS is kind of embarrassing)

That was an awesome trailer!!! Why does it have "Starblazers" in the Japanese logo right above 2022 - is it to be dubbed?

Thanks Noel!!! Was waiting on HLJ instead of Amazon, just pre-ordered it.

Your weathered VF-0S looks great! Yes, its amazing how bare the toy is straight out of the box for $400-500. I'd get one on sale maybe, but like you said, its a lot of work.

I know what you're saying, Roy's white, black and yellow scheme is my favourite of all of them too! But it would stand out in my personal collections as I have detailed every one of my toys. so this would stand out like a sore thumb (aside from the exorbitant price tag they are asking for - I always feel ripped off by Arcadia these days, not a nice feeling to have after being parted of $400-$500CAD dollars at a time). I don't mind spending lots of money if it makes me feel good in the end, but its been once too many that I have been disappointed and burned with Arcadia. BTW, its not the reactive armor, it looks fantastic and the price is ok too, its the VF-0S, and I wouldn't be able to just get one, one has to be in aircraft mode while the other wears this pretty armor - so 2 VF-0S is out of the question!

Never new about these Tamiya cotton swabs, gotta give those a try too! THANKS!!!

Yep just can't seem to bring myself to pay those kind of prices for such a bare toy. The fact is that I just don't have the time anymore that Arcadia releases demand of me to bring it up to a respectable display level to match the others in my collection. LOL Aint't that the truth!!! I wished I had a VF-0S to put this baby onto, but never managed to find one at a price I could swallow for what they manufacture. It's a beautiful scheme though.

That looks phenomenal!!! MJ, you did it again, I've gotta try that, it looks amazing. How it should have come from Bandai. Just Tamiya red clear after you took off the crappy Bandai stuff with the alcohol?

Hmm, seems in all these years of technological advancement in molding technology that Revell hasn't up their game from the 80's

That looks fantastic as always MJ!!! Glad you got around to it. I've got to light a fire under my butt to get a few things done too, but the idea of working on multiples do save some time. Everyone one of your toys have looked better and better, you should be proud of a real sense of accomplishment and progression. So have you graduated from the Future clear coat entirely to be replaced with that Vallejo Matte Varnish? Is it as durable as the Future?