captain america

About 25cm high, and 28cm wide. Weight is and will be unknown until a full kit is cast.

Yes, I'd say give it a good month, maybe 2.

Hi everyone. I was looking to gauge interest in the idea of a 1/72 Zentradi Gnerl fighter pod. For those that don't know what the "Gnerl" is, look to the very first episode of SDF: Macross. They're the green flying craft that the Zentradi send down in their initial assault. Anyhoo, based on the research I've done, this would be quite a sizeable model in 1/72: about 38cm long from the tip of the gun to the rear tail fins. My aim would be to incorporate the following features: -A canopy that may be posed open or closed -Fully detailed cockpit; perhaps even with consoles molded in clear to facilitate illumination, should some modelers wish to add that little extra. -Landing gear that may be built eitherin extended or retracted configuration. -A seated pilot figure would be included. In so much as there is no conclusive evidence to determine which type of body armor the pilot wears, I will retain the armor variant I already have, and eventually, will offer the high-ranking officer's armor as a separate figure at a later point. Projected kit price: 300 canadian dollars + shipping. Also, I intend this model to be limited to 30 castings, and as such, I would ask that only those people who are certain they want a kit to "opt in." My intent is to proceed with the same manner as I usually do: photo updates on a weekly basis, but since this is a relatively pricy kit, I'll also be taking deposits once most of the masters are done. I figure the deposit will be $100 or so. Anyhoo, if anyone's interested, you know the drill.

Hola Cool8or. I have to say, I'm rather impressed; beautifully built models. I'm starting to become jealous for lack of time to build-up/paint my own models. Ah, who knows; maybe I'll tackle a Catseye at some point, it's a truly attractive aircraft, and I'm quite certain that I could do the design more justice than Tanmen.

An Omega thread? Awesome, here's mine: On second thought: oops. Wrong kind of "Omega" thread.

In the la-la land of licensing, product "quality" and fanbase preference mean jack sh*t. He who makes the "better" product does not necessarily earn the licensor mo' money. It's all about making money, and making deals to make even mo' money. Bandai likely just made a more interesting offer. Been there, done that, pulled the long knives out of my back after the fact, etc.

The kits will likely be non-transformable, simple and no frills, true to Bandai's previously-demonstrated lack of commitment to any non-Gundam anime.

Roto-casting is hit-or-miss unless you have thousands of dollars in equipment to offer consistent castings. Misses add up over time, and whatever one thinks one can save is usually negated by the cost of defective castings and accumulated frustration and anguish. If you have soft shapes with no or little sharp edges or undercutting,it's great. If not, it's an exercise in frustration <--I speak from first hand experience. "Hey Captain, how much cheaper would the kit be if you left the cockpit and pilot out of the deal and just made the thing one whole piece?" That would actually increase the price many fold, and I'll explain why: most people buy my stuff because I'd like to think that they enjoy the time and effort I put into the models I offer. I tend to like to make stuff in such a way that hasn't usually been done by anyone else before, and I'm reasonably certain that most everyone will echo that statement. Now, if I go and make a 1/72 Gnerl model that's essentially 3 massive blocks of resin,no cockpit, no landing gear, no pilot, no frills, I think it's safe to say that what would normally have been a customer base of 30, will shrink to a customer base of 2 or 3, and those 2 or 3 customers are going to have to shoulder the r&d costs for the project, in stead of 30 people. Thusly, a $300 kit turns into a $3000 kit.

Based on the sheer size of the structure, even with partially/strategically hollowed parts, I can still see 6-700ml easy going into each kit. I'd advise everyone to expect a $300-ish price tag, especially with a pilot.

I can appreciate that there may be different helmet designs, but to be honest, I can't explain the hierarchy (if any) or how and why certain styles of battle armor are seen in some instances and not others. To that end, I wouldn't rule out sculpting a new (heavy) space suit, but despite its small size, the original zentradi soldier took a surprisingly long time to make, and so I'll have to weigh that if/when the Gnerl project kicks-in to determine how significantly it will impact the price of the kit.

Based on all the art I've seen, it looks like an opaque hatch cover, similar to the Glaug; the visuals being provided by the sensor eye at the front of the craft. Consoles could be molded clear in the interest of lighting though.

However large the structure, I feel that in order to maintain the spirit of Zentradi machinery and the artists who penned the original style sheets, the cockpit and associated details should reflect the simplistic, semi-organic look of other Zentradi mecha, so if anything, it'll probably have an interior similar to the Regult. With regards to clear parts, I suppose that it remains a possibility, depending on how the parts need to be broken down. Since this will be a fairly large and expensive model, it'll likely be limited to just 30 kits, so I'll see if I can implement some interesting goodies. That won't be until March though.

Based on what I could find, the Gnerl is supposedly about 28m in lenth, which is about 38cm long in 1/72. Quite huge.

Are you sure about that? My understanding is that the reason Kamjin wears that armor is because he's a high-ranking officer; has nothing to do with fighting in space, because Regults fight in space as well. Pilot poseability: in order to do that with a figure as opposed to a mecha, you have to put toy-like joints on it, which goes against my philosophy. The pilot for the gnerl will have to be more reclined anyway, as the seating position is different than the trashcan-like comfort of the Regult.

What about a Gnerl with cockpit & bastard pilot?

Really? I coulda swore I did 'em all. Lessee... -PHARANX. Check. -TOMAHAWK. Check. -DEFENDARR. Check. -SPALTAN. Check. Nope, that's it, unless you mean the Monster, but Mike's got that one tied-up pretty well.

...Similarities to the Gundam kits circa 1982, maybe. If you're expecting a MG-type model, you're in for a world of hurt. This model is actually an Imai tool from 25 years ago, and unlike the current Bandai offerings, actually requires modelling skill to complete, so I wouldn't recommend it if you're a novice builder. Honestly though, with a little elbow grease, it's a great little kit that'll stand its own against most other Valkyrie models. The camera lens is clear styrene, and needs a clear green overcoat... Much as the rest of the model requires painting and finishing; the photos in the instructions you posted are a fairly accurate representation of the kit, when built and painted as directed.

That would only work if you had a leg cast all in one piece, with a one-piece continuous rod that followed the full length of the leg and anchors sturdily into the torso. The leg design on Cain makes that highly impractical. Further, the high center of gravity of the design will put even more stress on the legs. Resin cast parts are fine for certain designs and objects of a certain size, but when you start moving into something like this, you discover that the build/construction techniques that work for a 7"-8" model don't apply too well on something almost triple the size.

It certainly looks like gumby's got a fantastic head-start on that project, and I think that he's got a pretty good handle on it. Is this something that will be offered commercially at some point? My only concern would be in the full use of resin and the possibility of bending or sagging over time, particularly because of the size and mass of the upper torso compared to the legs.That's why I had contemplated having some metal legs at the very least. Yes, I still have the plans. They would likely need to be updated though; there was only limited visual reference available at the time.

The order window is now closed.

I don't recall if I was ever expressly asked to make a Cain model, but if it were financially justifiable, I'd jump on the project in a second. I had even drawn-up some plans a few years ago to make one in 1/6 scale. An actual metal model would likely cost a small mint, but a resin kit would have been manageable... I think.

That main pic you posted is of the filming miniature. One of several that were made. The pics of the model from "Monsters in Motion" is actually a rehash of the old Argonauts kit, which was nothing short of f*cking horrible. I know, because I had it; the original made a lot of bootleg kits look good by comparison.

Hi everyone. Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up that your models are now *FINALLY* shipping as of today! Some of you will likely getting your kits in the next few days onward. Also, I am putting out a final call for the Destoroido Spaltan, as production is going into its twilight phase. As such, I will keep the order window open until midnight eastern time on the 8th (Friday.) For anything else, you know where to reach me

Wow, I didn't think this thread still existed

Hi everyone. First off, I'd like to present my sincerest apologies for the shipping delay of the Spaltans, as the decals still haven't arrived. That having been said, all orders placed have been cast, and there are still a few spots open, should anyone want a model. Anyhoo,you'll be happy to know that the instructions are done, and I've included them below for your downloading pleasure.