PetarB

This looks to be the makings of an awesome build-up thread!

That's some great work. I always thought this might make a nice subject, nice to someone putting the effort in!

Here are some more pics of progress. Nothing totally 'finished' - I tend to work in stages, and things come together rather quickly towards the end. The male VF atmospheric pilot just roughed out at the moment, and is a bit too bulky - I will reduce his heroic physique slightly - but not to the anorexic proportions of the Hasegawa pilot. Also, I have not finished his lapel (collar) or put in the straps/belt harness that goes around him. He's progressing well though and should be finished this weekend. I appropriated the peaked 'visor' off the Hasegawa pilot, and modified it. I grabbed the waist and legs so I could be sure he'd fit in the Hasegawa seat, but these are both in the process of being modified as well. The rest of the helmet was challenging but fun. The one taking up a lot of time, but almost finished is Misa's flightsuit. The helmet in particular is quite a complex shape - it's the most difficult sculpt I've done at this size. But I can't wait to put her in a two-seater later on down the track. There will be a sitting and standing version. Thanks for looking!

This looks great. I thought the tail boom looked much bigger in previous pics, was probably just the lens and my eye!

Yes. It's not so good for this small stuff, and also you can't machine it or sand it properly, which are two processes I need to do. But knreadtite does have its advantages, just none in particular for my style of sculpting at this scale. Anyway, I should have some more photos up tomorrow.

Finally, mine is here! Just took a look. What a beautiful bunch of sprues... Be a while till I assemble it, but just looking at that pilot, he looks more like 1/90 scale or something. After the Macross SDF pilot project is finished, I will be taking a look at what I can do for this.

Great shots, thank you. Saved for reference. There may be some indication of that communicator on her wrist on the sculpt. Going to be tough though getting the buttons there...

You're absolutely right, but I'm waiting to get my VF-25 to assess the possibilities on that one. Come on HLJ!

Paid up, looking forwards to seeing this choppa when you ship them out. And waiting for the next update...

Well, its the end of the weekend here. I've got a TV-style Atmospheric pilot mostly done. Misa needs to be assembled. I will be doing a couple a week for the next 3-4 weeks, so we should end up with the following sets. 1 x Macross Male Set (2 x Atmospheric pilot, 2 x Space pilot, 2 x standing pilot figures). 1 x Macross Female Set (2 x Atmospheric pilot, 2 x Female Officer/Civilian Space pilot, 1 x Misa standing (uniform), x 1 x Misa standing (flightsuit) So that's a total of 7 individual sculpts. They will also come with a small decal sheet. Costs will probably be similar to other pilot sets at studiostarforge.com If these go well, I will do some Destroid pilots, but let's take one step at a time. I was thinking of doing some of these for myself anyway. For me, because of the scale, its very, very easy to screw these things up. They can take a long time, as I dont have the luxury of using Bondo or similar quick-setting putties, I have to sculpt, then wait until the next day for the epoxy clay-type material to properly set before I add detail, or machine it etc... it can be frustrating. Sometimes, I discard version before starting again. But ulitimately very rewarding as I do enjoy the process. Too tired to take pics now of progress I've just made, and I wont get a chance to until next weekend, but expect a nice juicy update then! Thanks to many of you who have been in contact with me about the possibility of these over the past couple of months, I hope to justify your interest!

Wow that helps a lot... I could have sworn there was a backpack on the Valkyrie pilot... maybe it was the space version. In anyway thanks for the pics, I'd forgotten what the destroid pilot looks like - I've saved them all for future reference.

The plan has always been to do at least one of each - atmospheric and space. I am looking forwards to seeing those scan, because I know the uniforms have backpacks of some description, I just can't find a decent shot. Meanwhile, here's Misa in development, with another pic to give you a sense of scale. Photography at this scale is always a challenge for me - I think I need a new camera.

Thanks for all the responses. I'm looking for some references for the back of the TV VF-1 Pilot uniform. If anyone has any illustrations or screencaps I'd be grateful.

I'm gauging interest and input for a 1/72 collection of Macross figures. Previously I've done Star-Wars only pilots, which seemed to be quite successful, and got an 8 out of 10 review on Starship Modeler (thanks OneZero!). I've learnt a lot more since then in terms of production, and I'm wrapping up a project which will be finally released shortly (more detail here for those interested) and am gearing up for something for the Xmas break. I've already started work on one Macross figure and am looking for what else people would want. One - or two - of the figures will definitely be a Macross TV male pilot, to fit the Hasegawa VF-1 valks, to replace the DYRL version. At this stage, there will be 5 individuals. I should have some pics in a few days of progress so far. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ EDIT: This project is finished, and ready to buy, if you're interested. The rest of this thread contains a work in progress, but if you just want to skip to the ordering, hit the images below. Head on over to Studio Starforge for details on ordering.

Looks like I'll be masking all those yellows - and possibly blacks - on mine. Come on HLJ, send it to me now!

This could be your main problem. What is the product? Optimally, you want RTV rubber. EDIT: oops just read the first post again. It's probably not the issue, but may still be...

Indeed! Now here's hoping for a fighter mode, at some stage. His gundam builds are pretty awesome as well, they don't look like toys!

Wow, you really knocked this one out of the park. Suddenly all the detailing makes it look like a real chopper. Amazing stuff! I think the rear boom looks a bit too long for my tastes, but that's a design issue. Anyway, thanks for the pics and looking forwards to grabbing one!

I actually really enjoyed the movie, despite the panning it received. But I have spent more time than most actually living and sailing on the ocean, so I may be biased!

The best tinted canopies I've seen by pro modellers were all airbrushed. It's always an issue though, so David, I think you're not alone in your struggles!

Not to derail the thread, if John doesn't have resculpted TV-style pilots, I have it on pretty good authority there will be another announcement before Christmas that will please you.

Here's a couple of thoughts. If you have any moisture at all involved anywhere, you will get issues with resin. It's possible that the moulds might still have moisture in them from your cleaning. Also, if your environment is too humid, you might get that bubbly problem with the resin. Here's a trick; prior to pouring resin, dust the moulds with talcum powder. This breaks the surface tension and ensures a better cast. You might still get bubbles throughout the resin, but you wont see them on the 'outside' skin of the resin, due to the talcum powder. Give it a go!

Reading this thread will be a cheat for me - I wont have to do all the 'research' you're doing for me WMCheng - but I'm locking down into fighter mode on mine. Every gap will be taken care of I hope. Building it in fighter mode might be a waste for some, but if it's all I'm really interested in, it's the only way to go. Thanks for taking the time to document your build.

My wife is a commercial specialty cake maker. She says food dyes available at the local grocery store are rubbish. You need a food colouring 'gel' which is apparently available from more specialty cake shops. They have a huge amount more pigment in them. Might be hard to find though....

Beautiful work, simply amazing!