MechTech

Nice work everyone! I'm not a Galcactica fan, but what I remember of the pilot, the colors look good on the Galactica Derex. VF-19, that photo of the Andromeda helped sell my son to buy one - along with the newer 1/500 Yamato. Guess what will be on my bench when they get shipped Time to dig out the old stash of LEDs! - MT

$15 isn't bad for a 1/72nd old school valk. It's no Hasegawa and looks more like the lineart/anime than a real model. These typically had "meaty claws" for hands, big feet, and other over exagerated features. But they're still cool if you ask me. If I recall correctly the nose will need some work too. - MT

Tamiya's paints are water and isopropyl alcohol based so you're safe. There are other chemicals in them, but in smaller quantities. Here's a thorough breakdown in a thread elsewhere: http://www.network54.com/Forum/112088/thread/1001854333/The+proverbial+Tamiya+acrylic+thinners+question! These are probably about as safe as you're gonna get next to tempura paints. In a nutshell, I use over the counter isopropyl alchohol to clean and thin mine. It dries faster though, so keep to their stuff or something slower curing. Have fun! A dehumidifier or food dehydrator will help when the humidity gets too high! - MT

Hey BigF, that would be cool if they are in the same scale. I used to have some of those myself, don't remember what happened to them. Let me know if any of it is in scale and we'll see what to hit first. - MT

Thanks guys, I was thinking of making them available. I thought they'd be right for a chess set too. Thanks for the compliments as well! The recasts should be cheap too! I just need to get them casted and then I'll let you guys know the cost. I'm hoping not a lot - for all our sakes - MT

I'm just catching up with this, but remember, nothing is too ambitious! Even if it takes you six years to complete! Looking great so far. I'm thinking of doing some 3D drawing myself like this. You're doing it right. It's great to be able to make your virtual parts and check their fit, versus my method of making it, screwing up, and making it again until it fits right Keep it up! - MT

Thanks guys, I appreicate it! Still looking for a good reccomendation of a caster. - MT

Thank you Kyekye! Yeah, finally some paint! With tommorrow's high around 32 degrees F, it aint happening anytime soon! Thank Rotorhead, no sweat. I thought it was an "inside joke." If it make you feek better, the Imai 1/5000 kit has knees That's funny. Happy New Year guys! - MT

Hey Kelsain, It does look like it (I was using one to help me remodel this as a 3D referance). It's actually 1/350th scale, or 40mm "tall". It was one of the lesser known 1/320 kits (the original is in one of the photos, though its actually 1/350th). Due to lack of space to display things, I'm moving to 1/350th scale. I can get every plane/tank/ship I want in this scale, but it's going to mean doing some scratch building to get some Macross stuff. I even have Mospeada stuff in this scale now! So here's the first work. I'm using macro lenses so EVERY single speck of dust or flaw you can't see with the human eye is getting picked up. All of the parts are in one of the photos, they just need to be copied and glued together. Some interesting points, the original hands looked more like claws, so I used 1/35th scale hands. The GU-11 has a 1/35th scale .45 pistol grip on it (also heavily modified). The hip missile "X" detail was pressed into them using a sharpened micro phillips screwdriver head on my drill press. A lot of the parts are "doubles" since the originals flew out of my tweezers into the carpet and forever lost The VF-1J head is shown next to the head of a pin for size comparison. The next step I think will be a Regult and Zentraedi figure. I want to get several copies of all these done in resin, that's why I'm looking for a good caster who can do SMALL items like this. That's it for now, I'll probably post the next figure up in this thread too. - MT

I've spent the last 6 days working on this poroject while waiting on the weather to improve for painting the Daedalus. Before I go on and post more pictures and info that will make it obvious, does anyone want to take a crack at what scale this is in or at least the height? On a side note, do any of you know of a good caster? I need to get several copies of this made and I know I'm going to have issues with air bubbles and time to do it in. Thanks everyone! - MT

Thank you guys for the compliments, I REALLY appreciate it! The whole SDF-1 I'm thinking would be TOOooooo huge in all reality; but it's fun to think about doing it. Rotorhead, should I ask why the emphasis on the knees? - MT

Awesome work everyone! The Galacticas are looking good too, even if all the detail won't show up. The LEDs are a nice touch on the J Cesar. Does anyone have a good source for micro LED's? I've found some cheap zipper pull flashlights that have them inside, but they're about $2.00 a pop. - MT

Hey Regult, you've probably got parts made out of ABS. The Tamiya cement MIGHT work on it, but you'll need a lot to to get it to work right. ABS needs a stronger solvent. That part is also under a lot of stress in the area it broke so it'll probably break again anyhow. If you do glue it, you should add some styrene to one side to reinforce it and do some touch up painting if needed. Then there's plan "B", a new part. Sorry about your breakage. - MT

Thanks guys! And I hope this new year finds more cool Macross stuff coming out, and more money available in our pockets to buy it with I've got to reactivate the notifications for this thread. Still waiting on warmer weather and I'm trying to find the right shade of paint for this thing. I'm looking for a rattle can due to the size of this job, but if an airbrush is the only option, well... How about an SDF-1 in 1/350th? It would be smaller. - MT

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! UPDATE 24 DECEMBER 2011 [X] - Construction [X] - Wiring [ / ] - Paint Thank you guys AGAIN for all your compliments and even threats of legal action I'm almost done! Since I'm on Christmas break I've had opportunity to get some painting done. Whatever you do, DON'T use Valspar paint for your models! I bought some at nearly $5.00 a can so I thought it'd be great - wrong answer! It spatters and runs badly! Plus the color turned out WAY darker than the cap, so I AM REPAINTING the blue you see here. It should be a grayish blue. The Rustoleum "Plastic" worked great, especially since I primed it first. That's what the red bottom of the hull is. The weather has only let me get done what you see so far. So what you see is what you get for now until the weather warms up a bit. Enjoy the photos and I think they're self explanitory. You'll see places where the paint beaded like water despite cleaning the surface. I believe it's the silicone oil I used on the joints since it's styrene safe. The closet you see in the end is where I store my models and the Daedalus will wait for slightly warmer weather. In the mean time I'm building scooters and ginger bread houses with my children Merry Christmas everyone again and as always, THANK YOU for your support! - MT

UPDATE 22 NOVEMBER 2011 [X] - Construction [X] - Wiring [ ] - Paint Thanks again guys for all of your compliments and inputs! As you see above, the wiring is done! I just need to fix the hatch opening drive. The clutch on it either needs tightening or replacing? It's on there so if someone (like my very young children at the time I built it) accidentally shoves it or pulls on it, it just slips. The problem is there is A LOT of pressure on it so it takes adjusting to get it just right. I didn't bother taking photos because there wasn't t really anything new or worth shooting. The cool part, everything now works from my controller to include the radar and bridge lights! I'm just SLIGHTLY stoked about that Hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday I can get some more work done AND completed! Thanks again guys. Take care and HAPPY THANKSGIVING everyone! - MT

These look awesome! Keep up the great work! I'm glad to see after all these years you've taken up the challenge to get these vehicles done. There's been several people who started and weren't able to carry through. - MT

I'm just now catching up with many of the threads. This is AWESOME WORK!!! I too wish I could have gotten in on this! At least I have your 1/350th sculpt of the Legios/TREAD I sure hope we get some WIP photos from those blessed to have gotten in on this! - MT

Thank you guys for your MASSIVE compliments, I REALLY appreciate it and you're very humbling . It's great to "see the light at the end of the tunnel" for this project now. I've got some wiring done already and a couple of items I've had to repair from years of wear while working on their assemblies (a few years already). On the photography: I actually photographed this across four bar stools AND a couple of boxes. This thing won't fit on my couch (full sized three seater) because of the couche's arm rests. I also did it near windows, but the clouds were holding out on me. When shooting, the camera didn't show the BAD warpage showing up in these photos. Oh well. I hope to post some more progress SOON! Thanks again guys! - MT

UPDATE 11 NOVEMBER 2011 - Pt 2 [X] - Construction [ ] - Wiring [ ] - Paint Thank God construction is over!!! Now it's on to a little bit of wiring to some connectors and then on to paint!!! :D Yes, I'm a little happy about it! Here's a bunch of photos randomly posted photos of the completed outside and inside minus paint. I'm sure you can figure out what's what. DISCLAIMER - DISCLAIMER - DISCLAIMER: This thing is SOOOoooo long, my camera lense is making it appear to bow in the photos showing the lengths. Maybe if I had a fancy SLR I could work around it. You'll just have to imagine everything is straight and right angled Note: the ceiling parts in the rear forward section are already masked. Can't wait to paint! That's it for this installment. I kept the photos small for space and since there was a lot of them. If anyone would like something posted in higher resolution, just let me know. Thanks for stopping by! - MT

UPDATE 11 NOVEMBER 2011 - Pt 1 Hey Everyone, My apologies for taking soooo long to post. I've been so busy building in my spare time (versus being on the computer) that I haven't made any posts for a while. For those of you that have been following this thread, hopefully today will make it up to you. Speaking of today, A GIANT Happy Veteran's Day to those who have served. Many don't understand the sacrifices our forefathers made for us to have the freedom to do simple things like building and posting on a web site. This thread is in two parts. The first is to show the building completed on the interior, the second is to show the COMPLETED construction of the ship! That's right, main cosntruction is FINALLY completed! On to the build... I numbered and am posting the photos to go with the text in order. Hopefully this works... 0. This shows the magnets and steel squares used to hold the sides closed when in "ship mode." Note the hinges and carbon fiber flat rod to reinforce the sides and keep them relatively stiffened and strenghtened. 1,2 &3. Here's the parts and assembly for the bracket thingies that go underneath the big boxlike thingy in the back (sorry if I'm using complex terminology). They look like they attach to the bottom, but I built them onto the top half for simplicity. 4. These are the scribed pieces that fit into the smaller elevator looking recesses on the upper portion of the hanger bays. 5. This is an internal wall and also shows the scribed part mentioned in photo 4 on the outside. 6. The funny looking wall thing going across this photo sits on the edge of the upper floor. The rear Monster backs against this when parked in the hanger bay. The yellow crane is pulled to the side and back forthe photo. The dangling wires are for the ceiling crane in the very top of the hanger bays. 7 - 8. Here I'm machining the stock to make the walls on the FAR right hand side in photo number 12. This makes it more durable and spacing is easier this way. 9. Here's the wall section shown in the FAR left of photo 12. All of these are according to the interior line drawings in 15a. 10. This photo shows me machining the stock to go into the interior of the "giant" doorway. After I bent this and glued it into place, it was obvious that glued segments would have broken off and not taken the bends you see here. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 15a. Buildup and photos of the doorway. If you look at the line art in 15a, you'll see what this is all about. Note the "anime magic" drawn here. It's IMPOSSIBLE for this section to be that narrow and fit the meca in. So I had to "stretch" things out a bit and make them look more realistic. 16. Look at the back ceiling of 15a and you'll recognize this. This ceiling has the most lights in it of any assembly yet! 17. This is it!!! The last major internal or external assembly I should build on this ship! You' see this in place in Pt 2 of this post. This sits in the very back and partially blocks your view inward of the portside when in "display mode" (sides opened up). That's it for Pt 1. Part two shows the COMPLETED construction BEFORE being painted. I still might make some small details to the outside like defensive weapons or small boats and other small details, but construction is over! - MT

UPDATE 26 AUGUST 2011 A HUGE THANK YOU guys for the compliments! I'm plugging away like crazy at my model now to get it done! Plus I just want to be done with ti after all these years!!! I figure I better post these before Irene hits us and we have no power or internet for a while First off I finished gluing the stringers to the side of the port side (the side that opens up). Next I had a blast (not really) cutting out all the openings in the side of the Daedlus. If I ever build this in 1/350th scale, I'm having the WHOLE side laser cut for a smoother finish and so I can just glue it together. Some of the smaller openings are suspected to let water in for diving, and a couple I'm sure are for equipment such as small boats and running gear. That comes later on... Next comes the three lower, rear hatches. these were made by using external pieces instead of scribing them in or cutting them out. Got the corner cutter from Michaels. When your wife/spouse wants to go to some craft store, go and shop for model stuff Plus it was easier to put these on the outside I already posted pictures of imprinted decking with simulated tie downs. These pieces were scraped down with a chisel to be made flat. What is the best and lightest way to support five feet of decking while looking cool when opened up? Egg and crate plastic grating! I went to Lowes, looked at the plastic flourescent light covers, and they were perfect! They're even white to match my other styrene. Yes, these are styrene and at around $11.00 for a 3' by 2' sheet, what a deal!!! They are light, but to keep the top weight down, I put them in a pattern to reduce weight. The forward sections had to be machined thinner in order for destroids to still walk on the top deck. And yes, it reduced the weight too. As you guys probably know, this is designed to be a fully functional R/C model AND a sort of display case. The best way to do it is to have the sides open and close. I got some nice small doll house hinges, slid them into the siding, and attached them with threaded in screws, or with melted down styrene tabs. Then the hinges were attached with melted styrene tabs with the outsides having counter sunk holes so the styrene melts right into it. Then the stubs were sanded smooth. Then I went to good ole Radio Shack and got 3/16" neodymium magnets and glued them into machined bits of laminated styrene. The sides then got pieces of steel carefully glued only where they would touch the magnets. It works great! The fron is done, the rear is next! I always try to pass on good information on building when I find it. The first today was the light grated panels mentioned earlier. The next is a glue. For thin glue I tried the non-toxic Micro Weld. I read some good reviews so I thought I'd try it too. I tried testors "blue label" stuff back in the early 80's and was VERY dissapoointed. It took days to dry and had a weak hold. I was really hoping this would not be the case with the Micro Weld. The Micro Weld works AWESOME!!! It works as good as some of the solvent based glues I've used, but it dries faster, holds better, and it doesn't have the side effects of solvents or long term health problems. Plus I hear it doens't fog window pieces (I have yet to try gluing clear pieces). Micro Weld makes AWESOME decal stuff, and this glue is NO exeption! And no, I don't own stock in Micro Weld That's it for now. Thanks again guys for your support, checking in and enjoy the photos! - MT

Thanks EXO, that's really awesome! The elevator movies give me a good idea as to how fast they should move for one of my next projects. Where/when did you go? - MT

UPDATE 31 JULY 2011 - TWO PARTS ***PART ONE*** GOOD NEWS! In this first part I have to say a GIANT "THANK YOU" for all of your guys support, compliments and encouragement. Especially those of you still checking in after all these years! Some of you have said "contact Hobby Japan or somebody." So I did! I e-mailed only two photos to Hobby Japan with a little text and got the following back the next day: "Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX, Following please find a message from Monthly Hobby JAPAN. ********************** Thank you very much for sending us photos of your Daedlus model. We have seen many miniatures featuring Macross, but never found such a big scale model in Japan. Your Daedlus impressed us greatly as powerful and very American. We look forward to completion and would love to see more photos. Please let us know when you complete it then we will put your model in our magazine. Sincerely, Editors of Monthly Hobby JAPAN" So thanks to you guys encouraging me, you might see my "baby" in a Hobby Japan article! ***PART TWO*** Back to the build. This weekend I thickened the rear half ceiling thickness to equal the front (especially since you will see it looking through the main hatch). After doing that I could begin making the fillings for the "holes" in the sides. In the photos you can see the cubby holes and the carbon fiber with 1/8" styrene square stock above and below it. Some of it I had to rip from 1/8 x 1/4" stock. Evidently the pilots get around in the ceiling out to the hatched ladders from the last post I did. This also gives me room for lights. The ceiling is now also glued down making any further changes impossible; so I'm committed to this plan now. The top flight deck is now holed with simulated tie downs and the simulated opening gear is glued down. Not as far as I wanted to get, but its progress! ***COMMENTS*** Peter and Ignacio, thanks! Looks like Macross World and us crazy builders in the West are going to get some good mention in Hobby Japan! Neptunesurvey - The mecha come next (after I finish the Garphishuu and a couple of other kits ) Vespaeda - thank you! If you haven't seen or have gotten the Gallery Models/MRC/Trumpeter 1/350th scale model of the LHD-1, you have to! It has EVERYTHING! It is THE BEST model kit (outside of Macross ) I have EVER seen (many reviews say the same thing)! The aircraft, weapons, landing dock and internal bays are accurate and faithfully reproduced. It has: USMC Assault Vehicles: •2 x M60A3 Patton Tanks •2 x M1A1 Abrams Tanks •2 x AAV-7A1 Amphibious Assault Vehicles •2 x MTVR Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement (Trucks) •2 x M1114 HMMWV or "Humvee" Up-Armored Armament Carriers •2 x M1097 HMMWV Heavys •2 x LAV-25s •2 x M198 Towed 155mm Howitzers Aircraft: •4 x MV-22 Osprey Tilt-Rotors •4 x CH-46E Sea Knight Helicopters •4 x CH-53E Sea Stallion Helicopters •2 x AH-1W Cobra Helicopter Gunships •2 x SH-60K Seahawk Helicopters Ship's Complement: •2 x LCU Landing Craft •2 x LCAC Landing Hovercraft •10 x Flight Deck Tractors •2 x Flight Deck "Tilly" Cranes Just chaage the decals to LHD-2 Thanks again guys for checking in and now I REALLY better hurry up and finish this thing! Take care guys - MT

UPDATE 23 JULY 2011 I don't know about 1/10th scale, all though I might be interested in one of EXO's figures. I bet my daughter would like a Min Mei too I didn't get as much done this weekend as I hoped to, but at least I got something done! More interior parts that were waiting to be glued in place; at least they're not sitting in a box laying around. An update, but first, one of the delays building the Daedlaus. I bought an Airfix 1/350 Illustrious to go with my growing ship collection. I once got to visit the real thing and she is a great ship so I thought the model would be cool, plus I like the aircraft in there. I was VERY disappointed with the fit and detail on the model. I thought after all these years Airfix would have changed, but I was wrong. My son happened to see the kit and thought it was REALLY cool. So I built it up for him and let him sand the seems (roughly because he didn't care and didn't want it painted). Plus, who molds a ship in light blue!? Anyhow, it has an interior and we thought it would be sad to glue the top deck on (which also doesn't fit well). So I got creative and borrowed an idea from my tackle box. The "Lusty" now has an opening deck that stays level so my son can play on the interior decks and the outer decks at the same time. Plus all of the small aircraft I've given him will fit inside for storage. It's his new "base" He didn't want a lot of the detail parts on it either which is good because they would have become vacuumed fodder after breaking off anyhow So now the one pilot's access ladder is built and in place. If you look on the interior ceiling, all of the hatches are there and this is the only open one. Since destroid pilots can't do the "Dukes of Hazard" thing and just jump in through the window, this is how they access them on the ship. I also completed gluing in the catwalks along the wall. They are made with N gauge fencing covered with stainless steel micro mesh. Then I cut thin metal piano wire to length and made guard rails with it. The rails then had copper wire wrapped around them for cables. Since they were gray, I paintem the rails white already so they don't look odd when I paint everything white inside. That's it for today. I'm hoping to now get the external stuff done! Thanks for checking in guys! - MT