Quagga

Thanks for the advice modelglue! I've since procured some cheap models on which to practise before attacking my battroids with the Dremel. I've been trawling the internet and I haven't found too many shops with either the Wave or Hasegawa battroid in stock. I hope that this is simply due to the holiday buying frenzy and not a permanent situation As far as my own battroids are concerned, I hope to finish building both over the coming weeks and to conclude my comparison (you know, from a Gundam perspective ). After the completing the initial dry build, I plan to shift gears and take things quite a bit slower: I first need to learn some new skills and invest in equipment in order to do them justice. As you might gather, I'm back to being hooked on model-building, following a twenty year break spanning ages 16 to 36. Is this an early sign of an oncoming mid-life crisis?

Since the painting set-up, i.e. airbrush + compressor + some sort of a home-brewed booth, is by far the biggest modelling investment, I'm going to follow this bit of advice. THANKS I'm a bit late, but happy new years Macross World!

Would the Revell 39199 set with compressor @ €100 be OK to start with? For example: http://www.modelbouwbloemendaal.nl/index.php?item=revell-39199-basic-set-with-compressor&action=article&group_id=10000536&aid=48260〈=en Or would I be better off with something like a Iwata Neo and a second-hand compressor? My LHS has the Revell and provides good support...

Live and learn! OK, last question before I try and do something productive on my last work day of 2014: Can anyone point me in the direction of a tutorial on space weathering? I'm also looking for (and not finding) reference pics of damaged mechs... Valkyries would be awesome, but anything would do. I'm in the process of re-watching the Western adaptation of Macross ( ) and I'm looking out for scenes where damage occur. The obvious scene would be the first episode where the arm holding Minmay is shot off, but I'd prefer my model to be sporting all its limbs... I've watched international scale modeller's series on model airplanes (see youtube) and Steezy's Gundam weathering video (also on YT) and I'm working through WM Cheng's excellent step-by-step guides. I'd like to go for a well-worn and dirty look, possibly adding some scrapes and/or battle damage if I'm feeling brave.

Sounds good! What do you guys use for extraction? I plan to paint in room already fitted with an air outlet for the tumble-drier. There is a second pipe that is currently blanked off. I imagine myself spraying towards a ventilator blowing into the outlet, while wearing some sort of gas mask... @chyll2 Please explain for the benefit of this n00b

Ah, thanks for the tip! I've checked out your link and it looks very interesting. I did not see any reference to the chemical base of the wash though... Sticking with the beginners' thread terminology: how "hot" or "cold" is this wash? I have a colleague, who is an experienced modeller, and he advised me to try "Vallejo Air" paints, which are apparently "polyurethane / water based". If I understood your post (in the beginners thread) correctly this is would be a relatively "cool" paint...

Hi Jefuemon! I appreciate you (and other experienced modellers) chiming in Your example looks nice and dirty! If you don't mind me asking: how did you get that finish? I've been reading up in the Beginner's Model Building Construction BASICS thread and my guess is that you've used some kind of a "wash" to pick out the panel lines..? I've been pondering how I should finish my models: I'm a bit hesitant in investing wads of cash into an airbrush, compressor and extractor setup, though it certainly seems like the best option. I'm keeping an eye on my local second-hand market though.

Hi Guys! Tonight it was the turn of the Hasegawa´s nose / waist. In contrast to the Wave battroid, who's hip joints are molded as part of the "fuselage", Hasegawa saw fit to use a separate part, one that felt pleasingly hefty. All the bits felt and looked good and went together precisely, without any need for sanding besides the nubs. Sadly I got too enthusiastic with the Stanley knife and damaged the nose Looks better in real life, but I don't know how good it will look once painted... I've resigned myself to second round of sanding (and a first of filling) The work of a n00b. Looks good from far, but far from good. It is amazing how precisely these little bits of plastic fit together. Treat the little tabs on the hip joint cover (B6) with care! We're getting there...! As it turned out, the little polycapped plastic bits I was concerned about, are not much more than guides. I guess they were supposed to hold the waist / nose firmly to the torso, but mine aren't doing much. It feels as if the lower body might drop off at any moment! Perhaps I should give the waist a firmer push, it certainly looks as if something should go "click", but I don't dare to apply much force. I'll take another look tomorrow The size difference is considerable, not to mention design and level of detail Hasegawa's detailing is awesome. Very shallow, but pin sharp. Any coat of paint will have to be very thin... It also appears to be as fragile as its reputation suggests. I've never heard anyone criticize a model aircraft for lack of durability: I guess you need to apply the same criteria when judging the Hasegawa. That Wave can't compete with Hasegawa on level of detail is certainly understandable, given the scale difference. Wave make up for it by having deeper panel lines, which gives their battroid more of a anime look IMO. The Wave feels totally different, closer to the Gundam than the Hasegawa in fact. I also expect the 1/100 Valkyrie to end up very close in size to a 1/144 Gundam (with a 1/100 Gundam almost 50% taller). To someone who doesn't know any better, this would look better in a mixed display. I must be close to half-way through assembling the (basic) models and judging by my original criteria, the Wave is ahead.

And we´re back to Wave! I briefly considered assembling the legs first, but a look at all the little parts was enough to convince me to stick with the announced program. Doesn't look very hard, but I'm slightly wary after last night Snip snip snip and we're ready to go! Nubs are often placed out of sight This positioning makes cleaning them up much quicker and easier This looks pretty sturdy, certainly if you consider the size of the model One of the polycaps proved imperfectly cast and required some careful trimming to fit This tip I got from a Gundam book. The book was in Japanese but I thought I saw a picture suggesting you support a polycap from inside when called for Close-up the fit isn't perfect, but it looks and feels pretty darned decent The waist assembled If anything is getting filler... Or perhaps not as it turns out this isn't really visible when assembled Please learn from my mistakes and don't bend your battroid too far over backwards: it gets stuck Why didn't they just center the pin? Just as well I'm not planning any poses with the waist rotated 90 degrees Ladies and Gentleman: GERWALK mode!

Thanks MickyG! For me half the fun is in sharing the experience. I can only encourage you regarding the Hasegawa: it is a lovely bit of kit and great value too.

I've been looking forward to tackling the Hasegawa all day! Bolstered by the smooth ride so far, I expected more of the same. The 1/72 had other plans though: assembling the torso proved rather tricky. To be fair, it cost nothing more than some careful sanding and I am left chuffed with the results, if slightly worried about durability... Can't say I wasn't warned, but this was my first personal encounter with the famously fragile nature of this model. OK, this doesn't look too hard Goodness me, what are those supposed to be? Time to grab the tweezers... Not something that you are likely to come across in a Gundam: Little bits of ill-fitting (though admittedly fantastically detailed) plastic veneer Note to future Hasegawa Battroid builders: Respect the fragile bridge! A bit of judicious sanding and voila! Since this piece isn't structural, I took the easy way and mainly sanded the male connectors Hasegawa trusts ME to remove this nub?!? I'm going to have to be extra careful... This nub is perilously close to some fine surface detail... Care is called for! Just look at that surface detailing, perfectly spanning pieces B9 (white chest bit) and E1 (red) fit precisely and brought some much-needed stiffness to the party The shoulder-tops are some of my favourite bits, of this particular kit and of VF-1 Battroids in general I'm worried about the connection with the nose of the plane / waist of the Battroid. As far as I can tell, that is where the little plasticy bits in the poly-caps come into play (see photos 2, 3 and 4 in this post). I fully expect them to break as soon as I attempt to pose this guy. Please someone, tell me I'm wrong Despite my misgivings, this is a lovely sight Next time I aim to complete enough waist to attach the legs.

Thanks man. Your advice was part of the reason I tried the Wave

From I what found on Google, Kakizaki's scheme looks very similar to how TwoBad finished his Hasegawa VF-1A (see Hobbyfanatics and PhotoBucket). Posted by electric indigo in my original thread, I was impressed enough to ask permission to repost. This level of build is obviously far beyond my abilities, but it is nice know that it can be done (and out of the box too). This thing looks great Just look at those panel lines and the teensy "Don't step" stickers... WOW And here we have electric indigo's fabled "dusting technique" blending in the decal. Check out the transition between the brown and creme: I suspect that this is the work of a highly experienced modeller. While TwoBad's work is inspirational, check out JET7's build to see how good a straight-forward build can look. Anyway, tonight I've assembled some of the Wave's torso, just enough to connect the arms. It was quick and painless and I can report that I am very pleased with the results Assembling the "Body" as described in step 2, leaves you with a loose-fitting collection of bits. I despaired at the thought of a wobbly Valkyrie Not solid at all To make life easier I'd suggest to rather stick the polycaps (PC23 and PC24) into A2 (the chest plate featuring jet intakes) before assembly. With front (A2) and top (A8) plates fitted, the torso is rock solid Of all the possible shoulder joints in the world, Wave chose a wee little plastic rod with balls on the ends This is starting to look like a robot..! The little rods fit firmly into both arm and shoulder sockets and yield good articulation Brotherly love. Wave impressed me with a combination of a good solid feel and decent articulation The Gundam has amazing casting and clever design. It feels as if more effort went into it... Not to knock the models, being Valkyries they push all the right buttons for me, but Bandai did a great job ensuring that I end up with a perfect end-product. Wave and Hasegawa left more responsibility with me. Time will tell whether that was a smart move... Next time it is back to the Hasegawa!

Hey mickyg Thanks for commenting! I'll try to keep up standards I'm looking forward to the torsos (torsi?) which contain some lovely detailed parts. Then there is also the matter of choosing paint schemes... My current plan is to build the Wave in Rick Hunter Ichijyo Hikaru's red/white (not that I have much of a choice if you go by the decal sheet) but without Strike Parts (or perhaps I can make the upgrades removable?) Senpai Hasegawa I'm planning to finish in Roy Focker's colours. Unless I go for the brown Cannon Fodder VF-1A finish, which Hasegawa also has covered... Another option would be to go for two identical VF-1S... I'd like to hear some suggestions and/or opinions on the matter!