mechaninac

How about telescoping aluminum tubes similar to automotive shock absorbers? Great looking stuff so far...and ambitious. Keep it up.

Well, first, you might want to start shopping elsewhere for your Valks. Second, you seem to be forgetting the fact that the 1/48 is considerably larger than the 1/60 and they have to pay for those molds somehow. I'm talking about original prices... i know they can be found cheaper. If the 1/48 is larger but with no diecast shouldn't those things "cancel each other out" a little?? I think yamato is making us pay for the detail ... not for materials used. ~Tico Larger and greater content of plastic parts, regardless of amount of detail, equals bigger steel molds or more of them (not to mention all the added cooling lines, gating, ejectors, cams, et al), with increased cycle times that monopolize molding machines longer with a lower output of parts, and don't forget the larger boxes that also increase storage and shipping costs. All this adds up to higher per unit production costs and a longer amortization curve to pay for everything, and I'm sure Yamato gave itself an higher profit margin on the 1/48s compared to the 1/60s and 1/72s so that the decision to make the larger valks looks good on their financial statements. Of course, I could be wrong and the higher price is just a conspiracy to suck every last penny out of our bank accounts.

Agreed. I think everyone is just getting way too stressed over what is clearly stated (at Twin Moons anyway) to be "prototype pictures"; besides, it makes absolutely no sense to have an opening cockpit with removable pilot with an opaque canopy. Everyone should just chill out a bit and wait for pictures of the production toy. What I've seen so far, canopy excluded, looks really good...almost Yamato like; my only nitpick of the toy has nothing to do with its execution at all, but with the MSRP of $79.99...what the f**k is Toynamy thinking charging that much for something so small (1/55), even if it is limited to a 15k unit production run?

A note from one of those bastards...HLJ has them back in stock, and I would assume that Rainbow Ten does too. Now get off your a$$ and get one!

The most popular, I think, would have to be Roy's VF-1S; after all, it has the most screen time. The best, design wise, IMHO, would have to be the VF-2SS from Macross II. Honorable mentions should be given to VF-11, YF-19, and the fanboy favorite...VF-4.

Since everyone else has covered all or most of the SDF Macross and DYRL items that we'd all like to see made in 1/60 scale, I'd like to suggest something that would really be "pie in the sky" stuff: How about Macross II mecha...ALL OF THEM. I'd love to see the VF-2SS and VF-2J (even the SNN Valkyrie would be cool), as well as the Destroids and enemy units. I know this is a NON-VALK wish-list, but M2 had some great designs that deserve some attention. Breetai's Flagship? ...in 1/60 scale? ...Perchance, do you own an entire city block?

Actually, the photo above makes the Forces of Valor Tornado look half decent. You really have to see the Tornado and F-14 in person to fully appreciate how awful they are. But I agree their Apache, Blackhawk and some of their tanks look pretty good. Graham As I've stated before, I never saw their fighters in person. But here is my question to anyone who has: Painting, panel lining and markings asside, how acceptable, or not, is the sculpt on the F-14? Would it make a decent candidate for repainting/customization given a reasonable price, say around $20.00, after all, it features an opening cockpit, working landing gears, movable wings, and removable ordenance? (forget the Tornado, it's execution looks very poor indeed from the picture).

Forces of Valor toys recently started selling here in HK, so I've had a chance to examine them and I think if anything, David is being too charitable about the quality of their products. IMO, the panel lines on their 1/72 scale F-14 and Tornado suck bigtime. Basically a half blind retarded drunken chimpanzee with parkinsons disease could do a better job of panel lining. The panel lines on the Forces of Valor toys are ultra thick and way too dark. Most of them are not even straight, they wobble all over the place and there are lots of overruns, where the panel liner slipped and didn't clean up. The only Forces of Valor products that look half decent IMO are the 1/48 Apache and Blackhawk. PS, anybody wanting a good Tornado should buy the Corgi Aviation Archive version. Graham (still waiting for a 1/72 Corgi Eurofighter Typhoon) I never saw the Forces of Valor F-14 or Tornado in person. My only experience with this line of diecast toys is their Blackhawk, and while the panel lines are a bit thick, they're not bad in 1/48 scale since the helicopter is painted in what appears to be the correct color/tone, so everything blends okay, and I couldn't find any faults with the design, fit, features, or accuracy given the price of the toy (Please note that I am not a military aircraft connoisseur, so I wouldn't pick up on minutia...all I know is that it actually looks pretty good). The Apache is another matter since the color chosen is way too light, which causes the paneling to be that much more noticeable. I will readily admit that on a 1/72 scale airplane, judging from the pictures I've seen, their panel lines are way beyond thick...they're downright brutish. As for the Armor series...I've examined them in person at a local Franklin Mint store and was thoroughly unimpressed with every single one of their fighter craft models; I did find their helicopters quite nice, specially the UH-1 Huey, and the AH-64 with the rotor-mounted sensor dome was good too, and accurately painted (dark olive drab). My biggest turn-off is that their stuff is so damn expensive and featureless (I know they're display pieces and not toys, but still...). Also, I once almost bought one of those Tomcats sold at Wal-Mart stores, but balked at how cheap they look, even at about $18.00. However, I may yet give them another look just in case the example I saw was just a particularly bad one. Just my two cents worth of ranting incoherence.

A little off topic, but there is another manufacturer of highly detailed diecast military vehicles that has some pretty awesome looking stuff out there under the name "Forces of Valor". I bought their 1:48 UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter and it is absolutely beautiful, and at about +/- $35.00 it's a real bargain. They also offer a 1:48 AH-64A Apache...gotta get this one next. And if you don't mind a smaller scale (1/72), perfect for display with M+, they also offer aircraft toys:

How about plumbing tape? The stuff is very thin so layering for best results will not be a problem, it is self-sticking so it won't work itself loose, and it is slippery against other surfaces so it shouldn't cause any binding.

I've heard it said somewhere that ALPS printers are the best since they print all colors, including white. However, I don't think they're manufactured anymore, though I'm sure you could still find a used one on ebay or other auctions sites. Laser printers may be an alternative, albeit a pricey one. Anyone more knowledgeable in this field please correct me if I'm just shoveling BS.

I noticed that on my 1J also, after reading your post; though on mine the "defect" is not nicking into the visor. I think the problem is due to the fact that that is where Yamato decided to put the sprue to part gate...dumb choice. You'd think they'd pick an area that could be easily concealed…nothing spoils the look of a well designed product more than a poorly chosen gate or push pins locations. If you’re lucky enough to have a protruding pimple you can easily sand it down and buff the edge to make the thing disappear.

Hoo Hoo! My brand new VF-1J w/FP just arrived, and in time for Christmas no less. This thing is awesome to look at. The head sculpt is near perfect, the pilot is much better than the DYRL ones, and the extra hands should be a must on every Valk. (attention recasters: get cracking, I need a few more sets or these apendages; BTW, they should be cast in a similar soft material to Yamato's, and in color...asking a lot, I know ) Truth be told, however, even as impressive as the 1J is, I still think that the Low Vis wins top honors for sheer beauty and realism IMO.

Ditto. I'd be up to buying about 4 of the TV style pilots and a couple of DYRL cockpit stuffers...original or recasts. Is anyone doing recasts of any of them at the moment?

Is that a model or a Franklin Mint Armour series diecast? Looks beautiful.

The only modifications I've made to my 2 (3rd one on the way...1J FP) 1/48s are to buff down (I wouldn't realy call it sanding) the mold seam lines on the bottom surfaces of the two jet intakes with a flexfile buffing pad, drill the head laser cannons of my 1As, knock off those nasty little tabs on the front landing gear doors on my Max, and, of course, panel line the Max 1A with a grey Gundam fine point felt tip pen. I still have to apply Takatoys' stickers to these beuties. Anything else is just too scary to try on a toy that costs over $120.00 big ones.

Yes! I was leaning towards skipping the 1/60 GBP if it only came bundled with a VF-1J. Now that is looks like Yamato will be releasing the armor separalely as well, I'll definately get at least one for my 1J.

I know what you mean. I got screwed out of $15.00 once, but this particular seller is legit; same guy from whom I purchased my low vis, and that arrived fast, pristine, and relatively cheap. The lesson is: review the seller'd feedback, and if you've delt with a particular one in the past with no problems, then, chances are, you shouldn't have any issues in the future. Besides, I don't think there are many, if any, used FV-1J FP out there.

One can only hope. And for $80.00 MSRP, each, it'd better be.

Superb!

No kidding? I never noticed it. Which one was it, the Orgroid?

Those are my sentiments exactly. The VF-11 just begs for the Hasegawa treatment, and a mass produced injection molded kit would be a few orders of magnitude cheaper than a resisn one. Come on Hasegawa...hop to it!

$182.00 shipped on ebay for a 1J FP. Damn these things are pricey!...but I had to have it. I can't wait for it to arrive...Myyy Precioussss.

I guess it's time for a small update on what I've been up to. Bellow is the current status of my Ishforn model. On a related note, I'm begining to wonder if I should keep posting my Orguss stuff (I plan on doing all mecha for which I can get decent references. I'm leaving the Emaan stuff for last...too many curves) on this thread or if I should start a new Orguss CG thread on the "Fan Works" section. What do you guys think?

It's an original sculpt based off Imai's 1/48 Legioss kit, but in a smaller 1/55 scale to go with their VF-1s MPC (Major Piece of Crap) toys. From all the pictures I've seen, it looks pretty good, and seems to have several improvements over the plastic model. However, since QC is Toynami's Achiles's heel, the final product may not be anywhere near as sturdy as the old Gakken 1/35 scale toy. And the MSRP is just absurd.