Lolicon

Why is the word "display" in quotations? Are we talking about a metaphorical display? Do people who talk about such models do more than display them? Is it a euphemism that I'm unaware of? I thought this thread was about the upcoming 1/48 VF-25? This thread was interesting until it degenerated into gunpla talk and how awesome/lame Bandai is for their snap-fit models. I'm cool with Bandai releasing a transforming 1/48 so long as it's not a pain to assemble. It's not like I'm some hardcore pro-modeler; I don't mind the snap-fit or poseability. But a model that's a pain to assemble is a pain to assemble, snap-fit or glued. The 1/72 has a number of stupid things about it, the most annoying being the crappy decals that are the wrong size and shape. That's unacceptable for a static or transforming model.

You guys typed up all the same complaints I had with the 1/72 problems caused by the compromises made by including the transformation much more eloquently than I could have. And I'm hardly a pro modeler.

Sure. It's a pretty clunky method, admittedly. I just dissolved a small amount of Tamiya purple in a container of Future, stirred it as best I could, then just dipped the canopy and then drained off the excess with a paper towel. I don't have an exact mix % as I just added purple until I got the color I wanted. (I saved the mix.) As has been pointed out before, Tamiya acrylic tends to clump up in Future, but I was able to stir it enough to get an evenly mixed purple water and I just let the remaining purple sediment settle to the bottom before dipping. Of course I tested it on some clear pieces of sprue first. I've seen some people here have tried purple ink and have had good results. I might experiment with that on my next VF-25 and see if that works out better for me than the acrylic method.

She looks incredible! I wish mine looked half as good! A few notes- I agree that modeling seems to be a dying art. All the hobby shops in my area shut down in the past few years (does anyone have hobbies anymore??) and I live in Houston, which is a big city. Astounding. I mentioned in in my previous postings that many of the decals are the wrong size and shape, but no one listens. Yeah, these decals suck pretty hard. I had many of the same problems you had. Decal 17 actually wrinkled up in the middle for no explicable reason, then ripped when I attempted to straighten it out, forcing me to have to line up two broken halves. Decal 52 was another particularly bad decal though I was able to fix it by inking in the white gap around the edges using my Sakura micron pen. The head decal I managed to get correct the first time... until due to a blunder on my part, I accidentally pushed the red part out of its socket in the black part, fraying the edges of the white stripes. The white stripes stupidly sit on the gap between the red and black parts. I got a replacement decal sheet and fixed it (and glued those two parts together!). For my second Alto head (building two Altos for different modes), I painted the red parts, glued it to the black section, then carefully trimmed just the white stripes from the decal and applied them separately. I prefer this method because it's easier than dealing with the whole decal, which has a tendency to wrinkle and is kind of annoying to line up correctly, and it eliminates the ugly mismatched section directly underneath the sensor which the decal does not cover. I've attached a pic. The shoulder hexagon decals were some of the worst decals I've ever dealt with. I actually used my hobby knife to put a few small partial incisions on the corners of the hexagons, and it really helped in getting it to fit properly. I'm glad I'm not the only one who painted the edges of the shoulder hexagons. Also painted the tailfins because those decals are just plain awful. Also had some issues with decals that have fully dried getting lifted up when I brushed Future on a part. I've since moved to the Gunze Sangyo clearcoat spray, so this is no longer an issue. The decals don't react to Mr Mark Softer very well either. Using my finest brush I'll apply a coat of Softer, which will then promptly bead up and you'll have to sit there and keep brushing it around until it finally affects the decal. Better to just avoid using it at all, if you can help it. I look forward to seeing the completed work!

Wow! I hope there Bandai made some changes to allow you to mount both the gunpod and sniper rifle in fighter mode. Is that another Sheryl decal set, this time specially for Armor Pack?? I want!

Ooohhh I wanna see! The tailfin decals are pretty awful and are completely the wrong size. I'm going to go back and paint the red sections instead. Is it still snowing where you're at? It's already May.

Are you talking about the stripe that goes on the rear ankle guard? Because my friend did the same thing and cut them. They're actually the correct length. You just have to make sure to wrap them all the way around, including the "step" at the edges. Attached a pic of mine. Don't worry though, there will be plenty of other decals that are incorrectly sized.

I've been unhappy with the quality of the paint job on my Alto pilot figure for some time now, and since I was planning on building two VF-25Fs anyway (one fighter and one battroid), I decided to break out the second pilot and paint him. I've never painted miniatures nor anything this tiny before. I enjoyed and loathed the challenge, and by some miracle, I actually ended up with a decent-looking pilot. Please forgive the quality of the pic as it's the middle of the night and I didn't want to break out the tripod.

What a beauty! Please tell us you're not actually going to be transforming it! The thought of such a beautiful finish being scratched up is heartbreaking.

Sounds like some MWers need a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I'll take a courageous want-and-see attitude before plunking down $200. Sure, I've fixed problems like the YF-19's crooked gunpod before, but for $200 I shouldn't have to fix anything.

Originally, I started off using the diluted paint method posted awhile back. Basically, you take Tamiya clear and mix in a little bit of regular Tamiya purple to make purple water (very heavily diluted purple). Then dip the canopy in and use a paper towel to soak up the excess. It does give a good result, but being as clumsy as I am, I was kinda slow at soaking up all the excess to ensure an even finish. The mix starts drying and quickly starts becoming sticky, making it hard to soak up any more. So I made another mixture but this time I used Future instead of Tamiya clear. I'm well aware (obviously) that Tamiya acrylic has a tendency to clump up when mixed with Future. Well, I pressed on anyway and spent a few minutes stirring until it was as dissolved as possible. I just let it sit for a minute and any remaining clumps settled to the bottom. Then I dipped the canopy in (taking care not to scrape the bottom), soaked up the excess, and voila! Purple tinted canopy. The watery nature of Future made it easy to soak up the excess and get the even finish I wanted. It took me a few attempts to get the right amount of purple, but luckily Future can be washed off easily with water before it dries. Also had the added benefit of simultaneously sealing in the purple tint. I recommend the first method for a decently skilled modeler, and the second for clumsy fools like me.

You're a better skilled and more patient modeler than I. I really like the metallic paint and weathering effects. I think I may do that for the rest of the SMS crew... if I can ever finish Alto's... I've learned a bit from it so far and hopefully I can use this experience to make the later ones look better. Here's my amateurish effort so far. Currently working in the left leg... then after that, just the wings! And backside... and hands... and upper tailfins... So many decals are the wrong size/shape. Amazing considering the engineering that went into this model. WTH Bandai?? Also wanted to note that the underside of the black stripe alongside the canopy is also black. It's painted wrong on the instruction book model (same with the model on the SMS stand package). I've stopped using that thing for reference.

DOH! I noticed (right after topcoating the right leg) that the model is missing some details on the shins just above and below the landing gear doors. Those sections are supposed to be dark grey. They are on the box art and the CG model but, like the "mouth" area, it's incorrectly painted on the sample model in the instruction booklet. I've circled the areas on the attached image. There are no decals for it; it'll have to be painted. Sigh gotta go back and paint it in, then reseal that part again. EDIT: Also wanted to add that the border of the shoulder hexagons appear solid black on the CG model. So I painted them. I like the way it looks, and it also helps hide the imperfections from what I consider to be one of the most awful decals to apply on this kit.

I dunno, I think all in all, Alto did a better job of of not trashing his bird than Hikaru. Let's take a look at the heavily damaged/lost Valkyries (doing this off the top of my head, so correct me if I'm wrong or miss something): Hikaru Loses a VF-1D in episode 2. Might have been salvaged after South Ataria was folded, but counts as lost since it was abandoned. Gets his VF-1J trashed in his one-on-one with Kamjin. Loses a VF-1J in a brawl with Britai. Gets shot down during a Daedalus Attack while chasing Miria. (Losing a Valkyrie to friendly fire! Boo!) Loses another Valkyrie while hallucinating. Almost gets Roy's VF-1S destroyed in the last battle of the war. Alto Loses a VF-25F in episode 7. Loses another in the final episode. I think that was it for Alto. Can't remember any other instances where his Messiah was destroyed or crippled. Kinda veering off topic here...

You have to spend a few minutes mixing it really well, and then let the purple sediment settle to the bottom before dipping the canopy. I don't scrape the bottom of my mixing container when I dunk the canopy. I assure you there are no "purple blobs" on my canopy, even up close. Tamiya clear mixes better, but it also dries a lot faster and becomes sticky fairly quickly, leaving less room for error. It works though, if you're not as clumsy as I am and can drain off the excess before it starts getting tacky.

Did anyone who purchased a VF-25 from Rainbow Ten during the previous Deculture Campaign receive Sheryl decals? I prefer not to order from HLJ if I can help it.

Thanks for the welome guys. For the canopy I tried various mixes of clear blue and red paint and had terrible results. The best and simplest method was actually listed in the previous thread. I added a small amount of Tamiya purple acrylic and heavily diluted it in Future. I just dipped the entire canopy in and then used a paper towel to soak up the excess. I didn't measure the exact amounts, but the mixture is pretty thin, like 95/5 of Future to purple, or maybe even more diluted than that. Opaque purple water is what it looked like. If you screw up, or it's not the right tint, you can just rinse it off in water before the Future dries. For the visor I just kept adding Tamiya clear to Tamiya clear green until it was light enough. David is right; Tamiya clear green by itself is way too dark. I've attached a pic of an early mix. Straight Tamiya green is even darker; it's practically black when attached to the rest of the head. I made a scan of my 1/48 Yamato VF-1J sticker sheet and trimmed the display to fit into the VF-25. Stupid Bandai not including an instrument panel decal. Now I have to finish touching up the white pinstripes on the head.

Hi guys, I've been lurking on the MW forums for a couple of years now, but I never posted anything because I didn't feel I had anything worthwhile to contribute but thanks to you nutcases I'm trying to build a VF-25F myself. I originally started this kit as a quick project I could finish in a weekend or three (which is why Alto looks kinda jacked; I wasn't too concerned about accuracy). Now it's turned into this obsession where I'm trying to make it as anime accurate as I can with my limited modeling skills. Anyway, thought I'd share what progress I've made so far. Went through like a dozen formulations of transparent green paint before I finally got the shade I wanted. Don't even get me started on canopy tinting screwups...