Skull-1

Glad to see the 1/55 getting some love! Now time to step up to the next level of taking them completely apart, modifying parts, and putting them back together again. MUHUHUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!!

Oh that's funny!

I've found a few swing bar sets that are really stiff which helps in multiple ways. For example, most nose art is found on the left side of the nose. So if the swing bars are fairly stiff you can fill in the notch on the left side of the nose and toss the swing bar lock from the left intake. The one on the right remains and locks into place transferring to the left one which has no lock due to friction. The problem I am having is how to make looser swingbars tight. Maybe it is rust that is the cause, I don't know, but my efforts to recreate this effect are failing miserably. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks, bud. Glad you like it. I really think it looks cool in Gerwalk holding the gunpod like that. So Yammie-like. The thigh mod is wicked simple man. Seriously. It is beyond easy. Check out my sig for the link and just follow the steps bro.

Thanks, man. I'm sorry I am not using a better camera for these. Too lazy to break out the Sony so I am using my Blackberry. When it is finished I will take better pics of it. The left intake is not painted because it is just a place holder. I'm waiting for the paint to dry on a pair of modified intakes and will use those on the final assembly. There are other things I still have to fix. But it is finally coming together after all this time.

Just addressing the notion they can "run on anything." Not really. Kerosene, Jet-Alphabet, Biofuel, etc. But even a little water will kill you depending on the motor and where the water gets introduced. "I'll be glad when they invent a ship that can fly on rice." - Jim Gordon (John Wayne) in "THE FLYING TIGERS" (1942)

They don't run on it. That's a specific application and has to be carefully controlled. Put water in the fuel tank and forget it. Falcons are known to have fuel floats freeze and all sorts of bad stuff happen when you have water in the tanks. Game over. One of my buds had a dual flameout at altitude because of water. He almost crashed. Made the runway by a miracle dead stick at night.

Jet engines run on *MONEY*. Nothing else. And not on water for sure... Bad juju.

Doesn't look too bad. Decals, weathering, some minor tweaks to go.... But this is the overview of what it will look like. Wicked.

Thanks for the advice. I truly appreciate it. I tried magnets from Hobby Lobby--not strong enough. Tried some from Home Depot, too. Same problem. Very annoying. I just wish I could finish my toys better (as in top coat). They look gorgeous but my top coats (unless they are gloss) wreck the things. I can paint so well, too. I should probably just leave them without a top coat. I still can't find a non-yellowing dull. Gonna' post some pics shortly of my VT-1.

Thank you both. Good advice LoneWolf. They're really that strong, eh? Grapetang, thanks for the kind words. I'm SLOWLY getting it going again. Have just come up with a mod for the intake blister that gives more poseability without the drawbacks of the previous "solution" to the issue. Should be in another thread somewhere. Thanks for the link!! I will try to throw together a Christmas Picture of "The Family" here soon.

No luck so far. Are there any magnets out there that are thin but powerful? I think this kind of a mod would be great because you could use the armor on multiple Valks. Just imbed the magnets in every one you build. It also adds some weight to the lower leg which helps the center of gravity. I guess in the end I only have about four or five sets of armor to go around any way...other than the stuff from the reissues.

Gorgeous. Very nice. Only question I have is on the black paint on the legs. Is that a decal or paint? I know the Jetfire decals there were kinda' tough to clone...

I'm trying to figure out how to get the boosters to attach to either the backpack or the dorsal plate on the 1/55 using magnets. The main problem is that, in order for a magnet to be strong enough to hold it has to be pretty thick. I can't shave it down enough to fit inside the tail pack or dorsal plate. I've tried to grind them down but they are ceramic and all they do is get hot. Any suggetions folks? It would be great to be rid of the silly backpack clip. The legs are easier to work with. Should be able to pull that off.

I remember everyone got all in my face when the forum for Toys was split and the "Building / Customizing" section was made. I recall being admonished not to post customs in "Toys" but now I see it happening again. Why have the Building/Customizing section if people are going to post their customs over in Toys and not be moved where they belong? Just wondering. I think the Building/Customizing forum would benefit from pushing the custom threads over into it.

I'm with you. And making a 1/55 more anime-like is quite a fun challenge. While I will never approach the Jung/ChrisB/Rosario/KidKorrupt/Fulcy/etc. level, I still enjoy doing them. With a tapered swing bar, swivel thighs, and modified intake blisters the toy takes on a whole new appearance. Then throw in all the other mods and wow.

I just updated my Gerwalk Arm Position mod. Works better than the one I did before. http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=34237 I want to know more about the Super Armor "Magnet Mod" (I like the way that sounds).

I came up with a better way to do this... http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=34237

Well you can't cut the blister off and reattach it or you will weaken it too much. The JB Weld reinforces the thight pivot so you can shave down the blister. I see no other way to do it an maintain the strength of the part. I like the way it poses with the gun pod held under the fuselage in Gerwalk mode. Pretty cool. (Don't forget to vote in the poll.) I don't have a panel line scriber so I haven't added the lines back in. Not sure if I should or not. I don't know if they are really all that important. Hmmm......

I should try to pose it and see if it will hold the other way. It might. I think it is more like the Yamato. Not sure if it is like the animation. Thanks for the kind word. I didn't engrave the blister vents. I didn't think they were needed. I could always do that I guess....

So you do like it then? Ah, thanks. I think it works better. Yes, you've graduated to much more sophisticated stuff. LOL (Am watching your other thread but haven't commented.) I'm just a fan of the 1/55. Plus I have about fifty of them to work on. Gonna' keep me busy for awhile. LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looks like the mod makes a big difference and is worth doing. It allows more Yamato-like posing of the Gerwalk / Guardian, especially holding the gunpod under the fuselage. The stock Bandai won't allow that pose. Compare the pics in the first post to the following. (I haven't replaced the shoulder blocks on the gray one ("Harriska") yet. It still has a tapered version that I tried out. That doesn't work as it ruins the look of the toy in Battroid / Battloid Mode.)

Here's the mod. I filled it with JB Weld and sanded as shown with a Dremel. Enjoy.