Chas

Eureka Seven never seen it but I've been meaning to. Mostly cus my fav. Japanese band, Supercar, has some music in there somewhere. Any one know more about that?

so when i mod it which end should i put the vibrating motor in ?? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Hey John the blue line on the large one, I take it that's to be the parting line? Are you planning a single pour two -part mould?

Beautiful sculpt John! Is that Chavant (or however it`s spelled) modeling clay - the same stuff they used to use for automotive concept models (before computers)?

Resin will not bond with regular (styrene) model glue so CA is usually used (sometimes 2 part epoxy). Resin parts are solid which makes them heavier and so they will often require the insertion of wire supports at the joins (called pinning). Some resin kit manufacturers may use low-tech, or low quality mould release agents, so washing the parst throughly in a mild soap and warm water is usually required. Depending on the quality of the casting there may be tremendous amounts of FLASH (eccess resin that had leaked into the spaces between the different parts of the mould.) This could reqire anything from a hooby knife to a motor tool to remove. Nice score Thom! I'd love to have an SDF-1 in my colletion. I may have to add this to my want list now ( unless a styrene version is released by someone)

Very nice figures! I figured that once they were painted up the likenesses would 'click'. I like your take on the characters. There is a good resemblance and you have kept a distinct style. Kudos on these. It's good to see more fan made macross figures. Thanks for showing these off.

Ah, but then they wouldn't be able to release a seperate DYRL 1/48 varient kit and milk the molds some more.

Everyone is assuming that the show was made first. I suspect that it was in fact the other way around. I propse that these cheap toys came first. Initially meant as a modern day equivalent to the old-skool VF-1 boots we all came to love/hate. But then some mucky-muck thought "Hey why stop there? Why not rip off the entire show and call it an homage - then we can make lots more money and everything will be ligit!" [of course these thoughts would have been in chinese in said mucky-mucks head - I'm translating] That's why the toys were able to be released so quickly! And why the show sucks SOOOOOO MUCH - It's just a vehicle to sell bad bootleg toys - why pay writers? Have the president's secretary's kids write it!

I don't see any Picasso there - Gustave Klimt yes, but Picasso? Hontoni? Anyway Watched the first two eps. Not bad, still to early to say it's fabulous but it is not terrible. But Moe-less? I DON'T THINK SO!

+1 I think it is best to keep it simple. What do you want it for? If you're going to display it only - get a model. If you want to transform / play with it - get a toy. simple as that. How much does a DX go for anyway? get three models of each VF to display in each mode, would it realy be that much more expensive than one DX? (keeping in mind how much better the models look?) Same for the Hase. VF-1 kits (but you'd have to buy two fighter and two battriod kits + do some mods/scratch building if you wanted to have all three modes) vs. the Yammies. I build models because I like to 'build' them, once I'm finished and they go on the shlef there is a great deal of satisfaction and (sometimes) pride, but then it's on to the next build - 'cus that's what juices me. So, while I do share a little of LTSO sentiments for the 'TOY BOYS', really, it's up to you. Whichever you choose is fine, just make sure the choice will serve you. If you want a toy to transform and play with then get a toy and screw what anyone else says. Lastly I know that the Bandai's are 'transformable' and while it is technically true - it does (drastically sometimes) reduce the life of the model. So if you want to have it around for a while (and after all the work that goes into building a model most of us do) then I (like others) would warn against transforming it. That's my two scents.

Has Bandai ever made anything in 1/48 scale?

Both are looking good! Like Jardann said it's a lot of fun to see all of these classic kits being built of late. Now your next assignment, should you choose to accept it is to work out those seem lines! it looks like you've got some good skills with assembly, paint, and decals, so now would be a good time to take it up to the next level - putty and sand those seem lines. When you've gained confidence in doing that you will have all of the basic skills you'll need to tackle any kit. Seriously, though if the seem lines don't bother you then forget about working them out and ust keep having fun! That's what realy matters!

My guess is that they don't do it in-house. I think they probably out-source it to a commercial printing firm. Commercial decals are, I believe, produced through a screen printing process. Some companies (i.e. Hase.) may do it themselves, but I suspect that the majority probably out source it - probably to the same printing firm that produces their packaging. Try a google search for "commercial water-slide decal manufacture" and see what you get. If any of them do manufacture the decals in house they undoubtedly use a screen printing process as well. That's my guess anyway.

Yeah, see I don't have a problem with any of that. I mean we all do that right - buy kits that we know we're not going to build for a while, or kits we're not quite able to do justice to at the time of purchase so they sit there for a while. Sometimes we decide we're not gonna build 'em afterall so we pass 'em on. Totally fine with it. Again it's the folks who buy kits for the express purpose of reselling for profit - that's what get's my goat. And before anyone says it again - Yeah I know they can do whatever they want with it once they have purchased it, and that a lot of the time they get burned and have to sell at a loss - That's not the point. It's not about them making money or not, it's about the fact that they never wanted to build the damned kit in the first place - just leave it for someone who actually wants to build it! I guess in my ideal world people would just buy kits 'cus they want to build them not 'cus they could re-sell them later for more than they paid. Again it's just how I feel, and I have realized, since I started the thread that there are things I have not considered (i.e. Shawn's post and a lot of what VFTF1 posted) which have tepmered those feelings, and I rationally understand that there is nothing Wrong with it, but the feelings are still there. Continue if you will.

I agree. If scratch building is your eventual goal then I would start with glue kits, and skip the snap kits. As Jardann said, pay a visit to a local H.S. and look around for some cheap, simple kits of subjects that you like - maybe even ask the staff for some help. Also I would suggest looking into the different kinds of glues and picking up a container of each to get a feel for what each can do. Same goes for putties.

Well then, I guess I've been told. Upon reflection, I suppose my desdain comes from the fact that I like to build kits, and a fair number of the kits I like happen to be older kits, of which there are a limited number. I dunno I guess I'm just naive to get upset at the fact that many of those kits end up in the hands of people who have no intention or desire to ever build them and simply see them as an investment and a source of potential profit. I mean fundimentally, in the grand scheme of things, of course there is nothing - capital W - Wrong with that, but on the rare occasion that I do decide to sell a kit I like to see that it goes to someone who wants to actually build it. Someone who will get the enoyment out of it that I would. It's not really a case of me being pissed simply 'cus someone else got the thing I wanted, or someone else could afford to pay the high price that I couldn't, that's fine that doesn't burn me, if that person is going to build it. What burns me is if they got it and the thought of actually buliding it completely ruled out and all they see is just a source of potential profit. You see, I think what it comes down to is that for me, the value of the kit is in the pleasure I get from the act of building it and against that it becomes easy for me to invalidate the possible pleasure someone gets from turning a profit from speculating. I just see that as such a loss. Against the pleasure I get from building a kit the possible pleasure someone else could get from speculating with that kit just pales. That I guess is because I'm just not built that way. I suppose fundimentally I'm not a Capitalist. Part of it also is that speculating has very little to do with the actual kit, it could be anything really, the kit is simply a means to an end. Whereas the pleasure I get from building is all about the specific kit being built. Anyway that's just how I see it. Continue if you will. Oh and KOG - no My initial post was not directed at people who have large collections of unbuilt kits. It was directed at those individuals who buy kits for the express purpose of not building them, but only as a source of potential profit. Hence the trem speculators.

Well I never even thought of that . . . I guess I can understand it though, but you mean even after retirement they have NO intention of EVER building them? ( while my brain understands the words my heart cannot understand the feeling.) Huh! Oh well learn somethin' new I guess. So let's make the appropo changes. Firstly, appologies to those kit collectors who do not speculate (hadn't considered you in the ontology of the universe) Secondly, everyone please disregard the ref. to Kit-collectors and read only as kit speculators. Thank you. Continue please.

So some of you may already be aware of my desdain for the kit collectors out there, those bottom feeding, hobby kit speculators who never build anything and serve only to drive the price of older kits through the roof; you know the ones who pay exorbitant prices for older kits only to hold on to them and re-sell 'em for even more later on. Well, while I have not sold many kits (don't have too big of a stash) I have passed a couple on and I was always concerned that the kit was going to someone who had every intension of someday (if not right away) building it. Well I finally found away to do it, now you have to realise - I don't look to make a killing on the sales, I just want a fair price (if I recoup the cost great, if I get a little less, well Meh whaddya gonna do?). Anyway So this is my idea. Advertise the kit without the box! then when a buyer expresses interest I tell them the kit comes with the box (no change in price). So what do you folks think? Is this a concern you have had when selling kits? Do you care who buys it, or is getting as much $$ as you can more important? Do you have any schemes of your own to defeat the kit collectors?

Sorry but I just have to correct this --- Nothing personal. Actually Buddy Holly (and the Crickets) is pretty much straight Rock 'n Roll, where Bebop ( or just plain bop) is a form of jazz music that originated in the late 30's early 40's. It came out of the Swing era, but it's way different; much more fractured and nervous sounding - mainly due to its increased tempo, complex melodies, and just plain F'd-up phrasing. Think Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker Rather than Buddy Holly.

yeah I've been looking at the Kotobukiya frame but there are a few areas that I'm not to jazzed about - namely that gundam-esque knee protrusion, plus the general angular shapes of the upper and lower legs. The feet also seem to be rather intrusive/ limiting for the possible shapes that could cover them. I'm hoping that other releases in this series (it will be a series no?) will have different design elements AND that the various designs will be interchangeable within the series. Here's hoping. Let me know what you think of the Kotobukiya frame - is that knee protrusion integral to the function of the joint, or can it bee omitted?

So I've been thinking about the Yamato GN-U series and how cool it would be if they sold the frame seperately. I would love to have a few of these to play around with. You know. . . maybe modify some Hase. Battriod kits for them, or scratch some Destroid exteriors. . . Hell maybe even a little Macross. ust dreaming, I know, but still how cool it could be.

Very cool, but 2030 seems sooooo far away!

Well not a General Macross Calender but the 2010 MacrossF is available (with pics) Here Don't know if that's what you wanted, but there you have it.

Yes! Idiocracy is prophacy the future it portrays will come to pass! -- "OOWW! MY Balls!"

Thanks to that Cadbury Commercial and those kids with the EYEBROWS! I'm listening to Freestyle's Don't Stop the Rock over and over again on youtube! C'mon, admit it you KNOW you'd sing along if you knew the lyrics! Well now you do! "Freestyle's kickin' in the house tonight. Mooove your body from left to right. To all you freaks, don't stop the rock that's freestyle speakin' and you know I'm right" Now make those eyebrows dance BOYYYYEEEEEEE!