ChristopherB

I appreciate that, it's nice to feel welcome. I'm not sure what motivated you, but I finally decided it was time to chose a scale and stick with it. I think it's cool to be able to display all of your stuff, and be able to compare different sizes between items due to the fact that they are all scaled the same. Not only that, but there is so much available in 1/72, that you can spend a lot of money, and stay busy for a long time collecting all of the different models and toys. Of course that doesn't mean completely ignoring special items that the IHP 1/100 VB-6 recast, or the Yamato version. Do I get a membership card or something like that? Just PM me the details about our secret handshake and meeting location and I'll be there. By the way, I know you have a ton of 1/72 stuff , and I would love to see the list sometime.

Jesse, Thank you very much for your post. You mentioned something I hadn't really considered, and what you said makes a lot of sense. I think we tend to lose perspective sometimes and get really anal about certain details, but all that serves to do is take the fun out of the hobby. I've decided, the DYRL four will have matching missiles, unrealistic or not. Sincerely, Christopher

KingNor, I spoke to "AchtungMacross" about the same thing you inquired about. It's true that he built the first couple of Hasegawa Macross Valkyries without knowing they could transform. If you think about it though, it isn't that weird, because a VF-1S Strike looks similar to a F-14 with extra armor/weapons on it. When I showed him a picture of a custom 1/48 Yamato, he commented that the builder didn't fill in the seams. Which means I had to explain that the Yamato is a toy not a model, and should be able to change modes. Now he's seen DYRL and checked out quite a few links I provided, plus he's now an official member of MW. Just like any "newbie" there is still a lot to learn. Sincerely, Christopher

Cool, I've decided to focus primarily on 1/72 scale, so this is great news.

Hello, Here's my quandry and perhaps your's as well: I'm not sure if there is an official "anime accurate/cannon" answer to this question, or if it just boils down to personal preference, but please post what you think. Question: Should the color used on the tip of the RMS nuclear missiles correspond to the DYRL color that applies to each specific pilot? For example: Roy: yellow trim equals yellow RMS missile tips Hikaru: red trim equals red RMS missile tips Max: blue trim equals blue RMS missile tips Hayao: green trim equals green RMS missile tips On one hand, can you picture crew members taking the time to specially paint a set of missiles for each pilot? These missiles are not meant to be pretty and compliment the valkyries color scheme. I'm mean were not talking color coordination ala "Queer Eye for the Straight DYRL Pilot" here. Or, "I'm sorry Roy, you used all of your missiles kicking ass so we're all out, would you mind using some of Hayao's since he's dead?" I've seen Hasegawa kit builders make the RMS tip colors match, and I've seen the missle tips red and yellow in official places, so which is it? While it may not be practical in real life it does kinda look cool. Official screen grabs and/or drawings welcome. Let the discussion begin... Sincerely, Christopher

Stamen0083, Thank you, I now see what you are referring to. In all honesty though, that seam doesn't bother me, because it is minimal, and wouldn't be easy to eliminate. It's one thing to fill and sand a seam on a flat or slightly curved surface, but we are talking about the joint between what is essentially two circles. After putting putty although around, you would then have to try and sand it down flush, which would have the potential of sanding off some of the curve, unless you could devise a way to sand 360 degrees at one time. Please don't take this personally, because we are friends, and I'm saying this to flippant. Just some constructive criticism. I'm not saying that you only post negative comments, and I'm not saying your comments may not be welcome, but I would respect your comments picking out flaws in other people's work a lot more, if you yourself had posted pictures of one of your completed Macross kits. No, you don't have to show pictures of your own kits to comment. That's not what I'm getting at, because I have never posted pictures of my model kits, but I have built plenty of them. I don't know if you even build Hasegawa Macross kits, because my search revealed that you posted a thread seeking someone to build a kit for your friend. I presume that you did not want to build it yourself for some reason. No one said you had to lie or sugarcoat stuff, because being honest is important. I'm just saying, that comments like this: "Man, zooming in close really shows off all the flaws in a model." seems a little rude. Giving advice like this: "That seam needs some attention in your next model." would be better received if you are equally as willing to post your models and subject yourself to potential criticism. It would also show that perhaps you are familiar with the subject being discussed, as opposed to someone that is enamored with commenting on what you perceive to be flaws. Sincerely, Christopher PS: Just to be fair, you are impressed with the type of camera he owns.

Thank you very much for your perspective, and the scans. The VB-6 looks great, all it needs is the chest gun as you mentioned.

Stamen0083, I'm not sure what you are referring to. Which seam? If you take a look at the first pictures he posted, and then the single picture of just the boosters, you can see that an big difference between the stock plastic and the photoetched part that takes it's place. I'm specifically referring to the hatch that goes on the top of the fastpack with the missile pod tip. The original plastic part looks out of place and is much too thick, as compared to the thin photoetched part, which blends in much better. Sincerely, Christopher

Thanks for posting the picture Graham. Yet another kit to add to the list of Hasegawa releases.

Yeah, this link was posted before since we upgraded to this forum. I think it was a few months ago, but I never get tired of looking at their custom valkyries, and there are some new ones. Since we're not supposed to take up bandwidth by posting all of the pictures from the site, here is a link to my favorite. The Green/Gray Digital Camouflage VE-1 Elintseeker: Elintseeker and Hasegawa Display Stand

Wow, the fastpacks in the recent picture you posted look great. Really big difference, and I definitely like the way you did the nozzles.

Damn, that is nice, especially now that you posted the pictures, which really show off the detail. I like how you went for the "End of DYRL" look. The paint chips replicated via the discriminate damage to the decals as well as the weathering looks great. According to his auction, he uses an airbrush to paint with, and most likely some dry brushing as needed. I would never know that it is only the second Macross valkyrie you built.

Welcome to Macross World! I hope to see you around, and I'm sure others would like to see detailed pictures of your Macross valkyries. The Luftwaffe and Macross valkyries make a very nice combination.

Greg, My best wishes to you and your daughter. I'll never forget that you sold me my first custom valkyrie, back in 2001, and that's what got me hooked. One day at a time. Sincerely, Christopher

John, I completely agree with you, and I really appreciate the way you stepped in to help. Thank you very much! Yeah, I always had the impression that Japan was a place where the code of honor rang supreme, but in this day and age, no country is immune from shady people. The time of the Samurai is long gone. Sincerely, Christopher

Jung, You're like a fine wine. You get better with age. Not that I'm implying your old or anything like that, but you always seem to outdo your last accomplishment. Sincerely, Christopher

The stands are nice, but costly here in the US. I think they look the best when used with the 1/48, because it appears as though they were meant for each other. Well, except for the gunpod of course. PS: Graham, your son is very cute. He's definitely styling with his little ankle bracelet.

Hello, If anyone can track down the magazine, I would love to get one also. Please let me know. Sincerely, Christopher

Yep, still looks the same. Definitely going to pass, unless they aren't showing us the actual release yet.

Yeah, I know what you mean, but then he isn't selling it at a "Pro-Built" price either. If the guy wanted to, I think he has the skills to do an honest-to-goodness balls to the wall full on build. He's putting a reasonable amount of time and effort into each kit, and has found a good medium between keeping the price reasonable versus spending an excessive amount of time on each kit. It's obviously a lot more time consuming to do a "pro-build," and I would concur that the Strike kit rates as above average. The majority of customers are going to be happy with what they get. The ones that want something more are going to pay for it, and I'm sure he can accomodate them. We tend to be a little more discriminating because of some of the talent we've been exposed to here on MW. After seeing what "WM Cheng" and "Jung" can do, it's hard not to have a jaded eye when looking at other's work. I only mentioned (2) talented people here on MW, and I know there are several others.

nyacumo28, I'll make you a deal. If you finish your project using your current bootleg as the testbed, I'll personally send you either a nice Jetfire or a Bandai reissue. Once you have the mechanisms perfected, you can then apply them to a nice 1/55 valkyrie with no damage, and you'll be able to paint it and make it look great. I'll send it via the method I described, and you'll get to own a valkyrie without paying a ton of money. After your finished, you can then post the pictures and show off your work. Don't think of it as charity or anything like that. I mean, what kind of Macross fan would I be if I let a fellow brother bust his ass trying to fix up a bootleg that should be buried with full military honors. That thing is so sad, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Sincerely, Christopher

You did a really good job! It must have been a lot of work to re-root the hair.

There goes my day, Jesse is disappointed in me, whatever shall I do? My apologies, and I shall refrain from conjecture from this point forward. It is kind of weird how Hasegawa completely bypassed the VF-11. Kind of like it didn't even exist. Why is it they can give us (5) variations of the VF-1A, but not one VF-11?

The VF-1's as well as the other models he has listed look like they are very well done. In my opinion, for the amount of work involved and considering how well the Strike came out, I think the "Buy it Now" price is more than justified. I love the B17, and the builder did a great job, but then his pictures aren't that great either, so it's hard to throw stones. I wouldn't mind getting a BF109 or a FW190 from the guy on eBay at some point.

Kiss ass!