captain america

I don't know if I'd necessarily call it an ordeal; that implies pain/suffering, which this was not, just very, very long. To give you an idea, I can generally pour all the molds for one average 1/72 model, say a Spartan or Regult, all in one shot. Basically, 1 kit = 1 pouring session. With the Graug, there were so many molds that it took 4 separate casting (pouring/pressurizing) sessions with both a 5 gallon & 2 gallong pressure tank just to make one kit. It might not make sense now, but once you have the actual model in hand and you lay out all the parts, it'll make sense... I hope

I heard that it was supposed to be released this month, so hopefully they'll have something to show in the next couple of weeks. I have to say, I think that the Q-Rea's proportions are really a let-down though. Between the two, I actually think the 26 year-old Imai kit looks better(though that was the TV verson.)

Mini-update. -Am holding three non-deposit Graugs for MW members Ultimateone, Evil bones, and Hodiod01. -1 Graug still unclaimed... For now. Molds are going into the dumpster tonight, cos I'm finally done and so are the molds!! I will be shipping all currently-paid orders on Monday-Wednesday, and by Friday of next week, the destructions should be posted for download. The latter will be a welcome, theraputic change of pace for me.

In reality, all of the VF designs are like that: they look good on screen, but they don't translate well (and by "well" I mean practical) into three dimensions. Blame the Hory froating Headd

Thanks guys. So in essence, much like his line drawings, his sense of storytelling is ambiguous, inconsistent and nonsensical. Got it

Yes, a lot of parts, but only the polymer parts need baking, which are all conveniently packaged in their own separate bag, save for the lower hull. Mind you, you can also bake the clear parts for half that time if they're still a bit soft. Why acrylic? Because it bonds better to the resin than brass would. Just me being anal and such Don't forget to post some pics if you can; it's always nice to see pics from unbiased third parties. P.S: did you get the metal screws in your kit?

I have a question. I apologize in advance if it's been discussed previously; I went through roughly 10 pages of the thread and saw nothing about it. All of the "sequel" Macross series seem to be derivatives of DYRL more than the TV series; I'm basing myself off of, among other things, the fact that the Q-Rea in Flontier is much closer in design to the film Q-Rau than that of the TV series, as are the Queadluun suits in Mac 7. Further, the few flashback sequences we see in EP1 of Frontier are of the film and not the TV series. Has the TV series somehow been orphaned from the official timeline in favor of the movie, or am I missing something altogether?

See? See? I'm not the only one who struggles with line art inconsistency! By the way Chris, your vehicles are looking good; I encourage you to keep it up!

Honestly, I really don't know if there's some sort of "grace period" in which to cook the parts; the instructions seem to suggest doing it about an hour or two after removing the part from the mold, but I've been known to cook mine something like 2 months afterwards with no issues. You'd actually be better off cooking the parts before working on them: it makes the plastic easier to sand/dremel. I've found that you can still use the boiling water technique to soften/reshape parts even after you've cooked them too; it's really a great material all around.

Ok, 17 Graugs shipped as of Yesterday. At least one of you should have it by today. There might be a slight delay in shipping the remaining 13 due to my having to get more gift boxes... I ran out Alas, I will try to find another source that can hopefully supply me with these quickly; the PaperMart option just ain't doing it for me anymore. I will also begin the destructions next Monday, but for now, I will post the 1st page, since it contains important info, as well as the parts manifest.

Preferably, yes. Depending on what you're molding and how big it is, and what kind of flaws you're willing to live with, you may be able to get away without it. Speaking purely from experience, molding/casting is something that doesn't lend itself to being done half-heartedly, and I feel that having the right tools is critical to getting it right. It might sound like a daunting task to degas the rubber, pressurize the resin, etc. But once you actually go and do it, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

What would've been ideal is if they had molded the missile launch housing separate, just a perforated plate molded in dark grey, and then mold the missiles all clustered together on a single back plate on a white sprue, then the modeler could combine them to have a more realistic loking missile set and container. Also much easier to paint. But hey, I'm not in charge at Bandai... Perhaps they will use a similar method if they end up making a perfect grade.

It's something to do with the formulation that Smooth-On uses for their silicone; I think they go cheap with certain additives. From my experience, the Bluestar rubber is more stable over the life of the mold, less likely to tear or chunk, and maintains better dimensional stability. Essentially, rather than degrade progressively like the Smooth-On stuff, the Bluestar mold remains almost perfect right up until the end, and fails more suddenly once you exceed the mold's threshold. The result? The 1st casting and the last casting are almost identical. Mold life will also vary greatly depending on the complexity of the part being molded, the quality of mold release, and even the resin: those 3 minute pot life resins are the absolute WORST for your molds, and degrade them much faster than the stuff I currently use.

OMG I'm in PM hell! Ok, after some reshuffling and minor alterations, as of right now, I have the following MWers (aside from the depositees) on hold for one Graug each: -Valkyrie 13 -Ultimateone -Jardann -hodiod01 -Vermillion One -Evil Bones -Neova -Darrin G Assuming everything is set, that will close-out the run for the Graug. If for any reason someone wants to bail, make changes, etc. Please PM me. Oh, and I did a tally of all the parts... 122 total. No wonder it's taking me so long

Check your local Yell-O-Pages for artist suppliers... Or you can contact Smooth-On directly and they can point you to the closest local distributor. Oh, and I don't use Smooth-On silicones for my molds, it's junk. Go with Bluestar instead.

I won't presume to speak for anyone else, but theoretically, you could create masks for the missiles by punching the appropriate diameter hole through some masking tape and spray the desired color (say, white.) In the case of a two-toned tip, I would use the same hole puncher(belt strap punchers are awesome!) and use that to punch little red circles from a solid red decal sheet and apply those to the tips. It's a bit of a long PITA, but the results will be crisp and uniform... Just an opinion.

Consider it done!

The bird was in Mad Max??

Yes. I can literally wrap-up the full thirty by week's end, so folks have the all-clear to send payment.

**Sniff-sniff** I smell mothballs... Normally, BanDai likes to release new "glimpses" of a given project in little monthly spurts and this time, they've gone 2 months without releasing anything at all for this puppy. I'm worried.

...And his blessing as well Technically, these aren't "recasts" (a kit made from a kit) but rather a reissue, made directly from the masters.

I do, but it's in deep in my showcase and hard to access, so a side-by-side pic will have to wait. Oh, and it's official: I can now guarantee thirty kits, and the currently paid orders will all be shipped by Tuesday.

Oh, and just to make it official... The Graug WILL be free-standing. What's even more shocking is that I was able to get it to hold WITHOUT GLUING!! Mind you, I did add a bit of CA to the tabs to increase the friction with the corresponding grooves, but this is essentially a dry-fit. Gravity prevented me from positioning the arms/cannons out straight, but I would totally be able to do so with glue. The model is pretty darn solid too; more so than I was expecting it to be. If anything, I can tell you this: the Graug is a big-time attention getter, whether it's just meant for your own private showcase or a modelling competition, its size WILL turn heads! Also, the fact that I made it as big as I did and that it looms over the Regults... It just screams "I'm the leader!"

Actually, the new price is still very reasonable. When I had made the run initially, I had slightly underestimated the sheer number of parts and labor involved.

I'll advise on Monday. I've already poured the repair mold, and everything should be fine. Still, I like to play it safe.