captain america

...What's my decision? I'm lost

Blah. Easier & faster just to sculpt a new one from scratch.

Hi Rich. I plan to keep the Regult model available for as long as possible. From the get-go, I was quite sure that people might want more than 1 kit, if only because there are easily 3-4 variations that can be done with it. Also, I think that good availability would also kerb a great deal of recasting: my logic is that people might not be so tempted by a bootleg if the better-quality originals are still readily-available.

Hi Cobywan. Yes you're right, that's much more sensible... I really need to cut down on all those putty fumes!!

Hi Rich. Most of the "pod" parts are hollow, including the side thrusters to alleviate the weight on the ball-joints. Should they still be a tad loose, you can try this: take the "ball" part, and scuff it VERY lightly with a file, and then add a THIN layer of CA glue (one drop is more than enough) onto the ball and let it harden. When it's dry, scuff it once again very lightly, and then snap it into the cup. Voila: instant high-tension ball-joint.

Hi Guys. For all of you who want a Regult model, please follow these instructions: click on my screen name and send me an e-mail through Macrossworld. In the e-mail, please include the following info: -your MW name -your real name -your full shipping address -quantity of kits desired Kit price : $125.00 I will then e-mail you back with payment instructions and the shipping total based on where you live. Shipping for north-american residents is $15 per. Europe & asia $26.00 per model. From that point, i will only e-mail you if something is wrong, or if I feel it will take more than 1 week to process your order. Otherwise, failing to hear from me means that your order is being cast and is on its way to you. Important: some people love the idea of clear parts, while some find the clear resin a bit soft & troublesome to work with. Therefore, if you prefer a kit with all opaque (regular) resin parts, you need only mention it in your e-mail to me, and I will produce it for you. If you have any further questions, you can simply include them in your e-mail to me.

I'm always taking orders I'll be starting a thread specifically to deal with downpayments/payment instructions over the weekend. Basically, about half the funds down now to pay for molding, and half upon completion of the castings. There's also a special little feature I'm working on for this model that hasn't been done before... But that's a surprise

Rear hatch view. A lot of the levers and some panels were left out for the pic because I can't tack them into place without damaging them, but trust me, it'll look great when completed.

Masters are pretty much done; only a few little panels & switches left to do for the cockpit. Now comes the fun part: taking deposits I will start a new thread with all the info this weekend. For now, enjoy a couple of teasers.

Hi Sithlord. I don't see why not. If demand is there, so am I. Granted, I think that the orders placed thus far have pretty much gone as high as they'll go. There might be a few more repeat orders from people wanting to produce different variants, but I'd be very surprised if total orders went beyond 70.

Hi Ghadrack. Chances of a Tactical Scout are very, very good; most probably in the form of a very elaborate update set, since the entire head/cockpit area will have to be different. As for the height of the kit, I believe that I gave it out with the March 31st update... Round abouts 34cm if I recall.

Hi Will. From the outset, the sensor eye, and the little red "christmas bulbs" will be cast in clear resin. I was originally also going to cast the left-hand side of the pod in clear, but I guess I can do the front panel clear as well. Rear hatch: you'll be able to position it open or closed, but it won't pivot outright... The complex geometry of the hatch outline prohibits simple opening, demanding a more complex push-out, push-up system which would be way too annoying/small/fragile to cast. Therefore, it will be static

Hi Nightmare. A pilot won't be included with the pod itself, but I want to offer a 2 figure zentradi soldier set later. One figure standing, and one in the seated position that will fit inside the pod.

Cockpit view fron the front. I've made the front main blast-plate removeable, so as to allow the modeller to better show-off the innards of the cockpit.

Cockpit view from the rear main hatch. Sorry for the poor exposure.

Week 3 progress update. The hardest and most elaborate part of the sculpt is done: the hollowing-out of the cockpit pod. This will without a doubt be the most complex model kit pattern I've built to date, but all the effort has been worth it. From this point on, I'll have a week of mostly detail work to do; particularly in the cockpit to try to make it as "cluttered" as it appears in the anime style sheets. Long story short, the kit patterns should be ready by April 15th, so get your wallets ready!

thats a common speculation. that he intentionaly made it toylike so it could be mass produced at 1/10 the price by Yamato. Never gonna happen. Yamato already have a transformable YF-19 1/72 sku that's been out for a few years, and the market for it has probably waned by now. Why on EARTH would they invest a small fortune in all-new tooling for something that they already have? They haven't even seen fit to re-issue their EXISTING YF-19 (with or without FAST packs, I might add) so he's kidding himself if he thinks that Yamato will renew the MAC + liscence and dish-out 100 grand + to market/re-tool/repackage a so-so-selling toy in an orphan scale, just because he made a few "improvements."

It doesn't look nearly so bad to me, I actually thing that the chunky proportions serve it very well. Like all Bandai kits from the early-mid 90s (pre-useful GRADE), the kit's easy to assemble, but lacks in refinement, so to get it looking its best, you'd have to roll-up your sleeves and tinker with it. To be perfectly blunt, I'd rather hack-up one of these little Bandai buggers into a YF-19 that would actually look decent, than sink a G-note onto that Liquid Stone aberration of complete fugliness.

Meh. Call me a spoil-sport, but he engineered that thing to look too much like a toy. A toy that you can still easily obtain in larger scale and sturdier for 1/10th the price, mind you.

Superheroes don't need CPR Rest assured, the VF-1D conversion is next right after the Regult. Capn's word of honor.

Detail looks surprisingly sloppy for a kit of that scale... The arms look rather iffy as well.

Hi Sithlord. Judging by the preorders for just the pod itself, I think that a combo standing and seated Zentradi soldier would be a natural addendum kit.... Not to mention the missile carrier variations and tactical scout later on.

If you have all the proper paperwork, and if the gun type isn't restricted, you can get a gun purchased in the US and bring it into Kanada. You probably won't be allowed to bring it over personally though. This is possible for the time being. Once the UN neo-nazi law comes into effect next year, if the firearm doesn't have the UN serial number, it will probably be confiscated by Kanada customs.

Hi Chrono. I'd hardly call that a sharp ridge... The main pod has to go from a flat area onto which the side thruster mates, to another circular flat surface where the ring-plate for the cannon goes. 2 different flat planes very close to each other at different angles, so you will have a bit more of a pinch in that area, but it's definitely not sharp. You could smooth that area out, so long as you'd be willing to warp the cannon's ring plate to mate to the rounder surface, which I felt would look far more awkward to the eye.

Hi Chrono. I'm not quite sure what you're refering to in terms of the "sharp ridge" on the body near the side thruster. As for the toe, it actually appears a tad shorter than it will because the gasket is not in place. Thickness-wise, I kept it just a bit smaller than the fairing on the lower leg so as to allow for proper mobility and poseability. The lower leg does have an organic taper to it though; you can see it in the front & side view (on the SM site.)