captain america

Hi all. A quick update: I've poured the first mold, with the rest to be done by week's end. I've made a few (tiny) improvements to the kit in a few places too... Just to improve fit. Re: head sold separately. The kit molds were broken-down based on the color of the parts. In such, to mold just head parts, I would still end up having to mold everything else, because parts are interconnected via sprues. In short, the 1D conversion will be available as a whole kit only, I'm afraid.

18-20 pcs

Actually... The head tucks-in to about this point (see below.) Indeed, the shoulders protrude as a result of the hinges, and the head comes in just below the arms, so while the 1D head doesn't tuck-in quite as well as the others, it also doesn't protrude in an unsightly way... Necessary compromises.

The head/neck joint revised. The head now sits in about the same position as the 1J.

The head in fighter mode. I'm tweaking the neck to help it tuck-in a little bit more.

The head with its new pivot.

The backpack hinge is now done, and rotates effortlessly into the fuselage in fighter mode.

No 2 sculpt have the same proportions: the hasegawa model below has minimized the trapezoid panels yet further. I simply opted for something in the "middle-ground".

Hi Guys. Thanks for the feedback. This kind of critiquing is actually very beneficial to me, and is being put to good use. Blade antennas: will only be added before molding; they would have broken off too easily otherwise. Head mount: I agree totally, so I completely re-worked the head mount. The head now sits more central in battroid mode, about the same in fighter mode, and no more drilling required. Stay tuned for pics tonight.

Hi Knight26. For the most part, the conversion will be a straight-out swap, with a few little exceptions: 4 holes will have to be drilled to accomodate the new neck-pivoting mechanism, but these will be clearly marked AND pre-indented so as to be almost fool-proof. There are also 2 areas that will need MINOR filing; very easy, straight stuff. Beyond that, the conversion kit is designed to be VERY user-friendly.

The heatshield is removeable. The backpack locking mechanism is what I'm referring to: it's a small, plow-shaped part that pivots out from the hatch where the head goes trough during transformation. It locks the backpack in place to keep it from flopping about. This part may also have to be removeable. For all the 1/48 VF-1's brilliance, its only real drawback is that the design doesn't lend itself terribly well to modification; particularly in the mid-fuselage area where the cockpit/heatshield intersect. These shortcomings can be overcome, but only by significantly-modifying a lot of the surrounding components... Probably why Yamato never released a 2-seater.

To all those of you on the reserve list, I will post an update in this thread next week to instruct you on how to make payments; the molds should be underway by then, and I'll give proper shipping information (time/cost), as well as doing up the instructions.

Here are the masters for the 1/48 VF-1D conversion set. The only part I have to mock-up tomorrow is the arm that holds the backpack in place during battroid mode. This will either be removeable or pivoting, depending on whether there's enough clearance inside the Valk for it to pivot. I was contemplating something double-hinged, but that just wouldn't be strong enough.

Great flurking shnit! Soft resin is one thing, but that nozzle is just a nightmare! Will, PM me with your address; I'll send you another nozzle.

Really? Awesome. Be sure to hit the Gold Coast for a swim, it's heating up now. Hey Capt., what's you latest opinion on the heatshield condition? No other way for it to be non-removable? 331924[/snapback] Hi Kensei. Thus far, the heat shield is leaning more toward being removeable. It is PROBABLY possible to make it transform with the heatshield in place, though it would require machining some sliding rails for the inside of the chest armor. The big problem with this is that it starts to make the conversion more complicated; particularly for those who are not so mechanically-enclined, and due to the limitations of even the high-impact resin, the parts would be so delicate that they would be prone to breakeage with even gentle handling.

Nope, no credit cards. Paypal, int'l money orders or Western Union only.

Hi Knight26. Based on the diagram below, the cut-out for the chest is just about proportionate to the same amount of extra covering that is added at the neck/chest armor. The lengthening of the cockpit also needs to be proportionate to that equation, or the transformation will malfunction. You can see this for yourself on the 1/60 VF-1D.

Heatshield placement.

more

More

Canopy...

Sept 23rd update. Things have begun to take shape: the cockpit, canopy and heatshield have all been fleshed-out, with only some minor shape refinement being needed. The D head will be done last, and things will most probably look a lot more finalized in next week's update.

I'll post progress pics this weekend; nothing to see at the moment except a 1J cadavre in pieces

Hi all. I just wanted everyone to know that Andy's VF-1J has officially gone into the operating room as of this morning. Pneumatic "death" was recorded at 10:34am local time, when the fuel pump was officially turned-off Now the hack-job begins.

The patterns on that SU-27 are absolutely phenomenal! Crazy-long project too ( as can be clearly seen by the growth of his son over those 2 years.) Perhaps it's just me, but I was a tad disappointed when I saw him start making the returns on the master to mold/make an R/C model out of it. Had he simply continued to detail the whole aircraft as intricately as the outside, he could have produced a masterful one-of-a-kind, picture-perfect SU-27 model that would be the highlight in any of the finest aviation museums in the world.