captain america

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If you want a proper size comparison of Zentraedi mecha, look at the resin models I've made over the years. They were all designed to accomodate a proper Zentraedi soldier while remaining faithful to the visuals of the line-art. So far, every other manufacturer has failed in that respect.

Be my guest!

Captain’s Log: Thursday, June 2, 2020 It has begun! Before I get into the actual construction process, I’d like to take you through the design process for the Dragunn, or more specifically, how I tweaked this otherwise throw-away design to give it a better sense of realism. Pic 01 shows the plan and side views that I’ll be proceeding from. You may not be able to tell, but the plan view I drafted is overlaid on a technical drawing that a customer sent me: a scan from a Macross aircraft book, the name of which escapes me. What’s interesting is that I had already begun my own drawings, and despite merely eyeballing the line-art, the two drawings were surprisingly close. I intentionally made the wingspan a bit wider and relaxed the wing sweep slightly, figuring this would offer better low speed handling (needed for carrier landings), as well as move the CG slightly forward. The wings are reclined almost abnormally in the « official » drawing, which would create balance issues with the model having too much weight aft of the main gear. The two designs are identical in length, though I made the exhaust nozzles a bit shorter, which looks more like the line-art to my eyes. I don’t know if there was an actual sto-wing feature on the original, but I added one, so that will be a build option. In addition to the three hard-points on each outer wing, I added a double launch rail for short range missiles closer inboard on the wing, as well as a hard point beneath each engine nacelle. In all, the Dragunn can carry 12 missiles, which is the same as the VF-1 payload: two triple-missle pylons on each wing. The fighter would also be able to carry a centerline drop tank if needed. I gave the Dragunn generous flaps to compensate for the lack of horizontal tailplanes, and these will give you the option to pose them in-flight, or drooped when parked. Moving on to the vertical tails, I decided to make these all-flying control surfaces: this was nessary to keep the V-tails from extending too high (hangar clearance issues) and also gives the Dragunn YF-23 style airbraking, making the need for a dedicated airbrake structure obsolete. In pic 02, we have a cut-away of the intake pathway to the engine. Since this aircraft would have been designed in the 80s or early 90s, it would have likely attempted to integrate some low-observable features, so I designed the intake path F-22 style so as to obscure the compressor face and reduce the overall RCS. What’s interesting about this design is that it still allows for movable ramps to manage airflow. In fact, I will design the plane with auxiliary intake doors on the upper fuselage, Mig 29-style. It would have been easier to create a straight intake to the compressor face, but where’s the fun in that? But enough about details, let’s get on with the build. Pic 03: technical drawings are printed, tools and building materials are gathered. You’ll notice the box for an Academy F-18C under the plots: this will serve as a donor kit for certain parts to make the build more efficient. Pic 04: plots are carefully cut and put aside. Sometimes I scribble extra info on these, depending on the nature of the part. pic 05: the first order of business is to take some rough modelling board cuts and true them up with the mill. I’m using a face cutter tool for this operation to save time. Pic 06: here I’ve glued a few pieces of modelling board together to make a larger part from which the upper fuselage will be made. I then trim the excess on the band saw. Pic 07: while I can make perfectly parallel blocks on the mill, sometimes I resort to the drill press and grinding stone, just because it offers a slightly finer finish. Pic 08: now that I’ve got some usable modelling board blanks, I can affix the templates and proceed to trim them on the band saw. Pic 09: back to the mill. The part you see here will become the ventral intake trunks. I made both pieces from one block to better control the symmetrical profile. Pic 10: I have a lot of scrap pieces left over from other projects. Since no one part was adequate for my needs, I simply combined some parts and bonded them with putty to create something useful. pic 11: here we see the forward fuselage being created. After just 15 minutes of machining, my table was completely covered in shavings and dust—and these aren’t particularly large parts! Pic 12: now we’re getting somewhere! Most of the basic fuselage shapes are blocked out, and while this is the tedious part of the build, this is also where the model’s accuracy and geometry are set, so I take the time to make sure it’s done right. Next week, we get into the fun stuff, so stay tuned!

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MW member Valkyrie, please check your PMs.

That's pricisely what I was thinking for the landing gear, since I know how frustrating it is to fiddle with little closed gear bay doors. It'll be as plug-&-play as I can make it for sturdiness' sake.

Captain’s log: Monday, May 23rd. I start taking payments for the 1/72 F-203B Dragunn today, please read the instructions carefully before you send in your payments. FOR THE FIRST 30 KITS ONLY Kit price only: $195 CAD (One) Kit W/shipping: $234 CAD* (Two) kits W/shipping: $457 CAD* *Prices apply to Canadian and US destinations only. For overseas customers, you may place your order with Return2KitForm. **Please note that the kit price jumps to $210 CAD + shipping for the second run.** Payment instructions Paypal: please use the Friends & Family option when sending payents via Paypal from now on. I’ve been offering kits for almost 18 years: if I had wanted to defraud people, I would have done it by now! Please just put « DRAGUNN » in the message, nothing else. I will know the quantity of kit(s) in your order from the amount you send. Also, please make sure that your full name, shipping address AND phone number are displayed in your Paypal info, otherwise send it to me via PM. Bitcoin: I accept payment via this method as well. I will calculate the amount to send in BTC when you’re ready to make payment, and it should be about $10 cheaper overall compared to Paypal. For this method of payment, also PM me. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the technical drawing for the kit has already begun, and barring any unforeseen events, I will start fabrication on Friday the 27th of May. Aaaand we’re off!

I was actually looking at the YF-21 main gear struts as being ideal. I'm officially putting out a call for anyone who has these pieces they'd be willing to part with, please PM me.

In a sense, it's precisely with these types of subjects that I can do some of my best work. With the Buster (Legioss) and the Kaa-T'Sai (Cat's eye) I pretty much threw everything out except the general shape, and made a whole new vehicle that's much more consistent with how aircraft actually work. I also tweaked the shape of the Dragunn a bit today: wingspan has been increased a tad, and the nose was altered to look more like that of the VF-1.

Captain’s preliminary renderings: May 19, 2022. I’ve begun laying down some Dragunn diagrams, trying to make sense of what I see in the line-art. For one, while it’s an interesting overall shape, the details weren’t terribly well thought-out: the 3 missiles on each wing are mounted where the wing chord itself is drastically reduced, and no apparent pylons are used, which would interfere with the motion of the flaps. Also, 6 missiles seems a bit inadequate for a modern fighter, so I’ll look into adding at least an additional hard point inboard of the sto-wing mechanism. Also, it looks like they « kinda copied » the look of the F/A-18’s main gear, but decided to hinge them into the wing root… F%$#&*(@#(&?!!!! Seriously, do these « designers » even know how to think critically?? It’s fine. It’s fine. We’re all fine here, thank you. How are you? On the up side, I may be able to give this thing some unusually good airbreaking capability, and that (mostly) flat upper fuselage is an ideal surface for fine panel lines and access hatches. If the drafting goes well, I may be able to start construction next week, so stay tuned!

Looks like this project will be going ahead--woo-hoo!! More information to come next week, so stay tuned.

Keep it up, guys! I think this has the potential to be a really great project, and I have some interesting ideas on how to flesh-out some of that 4th Gen+ tech.

Hey everyone. I was contemplating my next build project, and I’d like to propose for your consideration, the production of a 1/72 F203 Dragon II kit. That I’m aware of, the only other time this kit was offered was by Tanmen, many, many years ago, and if you look at his Cat’s Eye rendition next to mine, I think it’s safe to say that mine was an improvement. As such, I’d like to create a modernized version, with the following details: -arresting hook (for carrier operations) -starboard side mid air refuelling probe -separate wing flaps -optional open or closed air brake -clear canopy, either vac-formed, or clear cast -clean configuration or optional landing gear deployed Projected price for the first 30: $195 Canadian dollars + shipping I’d need at least 30 orders to make this happen, so who wants in?

Theoretically. I have to see that there is sufficient demand for a subject to justify the tooling: show me that there are enough paying customers and I'm on it.

Aaaand that's a wrap. Maybe someday I'll try again.

One week to go.

Spartas is projected for 2023. I'm loathe to initiate more than one SC project per year, just because the market is so small and easy to overtax. If I can get the necessary minimum orders, I'll make it.

Hi Anthony. You may want to look into some thinner gauge of lexan for the canopies, as what you're using right now seems a bit too thick. The texture you see in the clear parts could have a few causes, but off the top of my head: -make sure your buck is not shiny and smooth: contrary to popular opinion, a lightly sanded surface is better when thermoforming. -ensure that both the plastic sheet and the buck are clean and free of any contaminants -avoid overheating the lexan sheet; that will cause microbubbles to form and ruin the clarity of the part -store the plastic sheet in a warm, dry place until it's ready to use. Moisture on the plastic from a humid environment (garage, etc.) can also lead to that lightly gritty look in vac-formed parts.

Update! BIO LLOYD II kits are shipping now!

Miriya was only for the original pre-order in 2019, and will never be re-issued. In the same way, the travel pod will only be available with this issue.

I actually think a lot of the Southern Cross mecha designs are nice. Most of them are an engineering nightmare, mostly due to the under-developed line-art, but still aesthetically pleasing. Except for the Logan, which I have unceremoniously dubbed the chode fighter. For obvious reasons.

If and when I can confidently secure the ten required orders. I'll leave the opportunity window open until the 25th.

Hey guys! Was looking to gauge interest for a potential re-issue of the 1/72 Quincy Rowe kit. This time around I'd include the Miclone capsule that the three stooges were brought aboard the Macross in by Milia. Looking at @ $500 Canadian + shipping. I'd need at least 10 orders to make this happen. Who's in?

Which is ironic, because they "borrowed" a lot of design elements from my kits, and yet managed to do... That.