Gundamhead

You may want to check out this part of the site for some answers. It gives you a great idea on what to expect from most Macross kits. http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/models.htm Without getting into the resin models, Theres a few original Valkyries in plastic that are fairly common. Imai's or Bandai's 1/72 Valkyries offer a pretty decent varaible model. With some work these can be made to look very good. It's biggest flaw is its noses shape. But makes the transformation into all 3 forms pretty decnt looking. About 1500 yen on HLJ. Hasagawa's 1/72 Valkyrie fighter is a very nice looking fighter, but when it gets converted into a variable kit it looks anorexic in Gerwalk or Battroid. It has nice fine panel lines. About 2000 yen on HLJ. Hasagawas 1/72 Battroid is Ok but still seems too skinny overall with stubby wings. It also has nice fine panel lines. About 2500 yen on HLJ. You mention the Valkyries on Macross Plus Valkyries Bandai made a few Macross 7 kits that could be converted, but it would be a lot of work for a small pricey kit. There are a few fully transformable resin ones though. Again pretty pricey though.

I fixed my original post.

Sorry Fernadofaria, I haven't looked at those pics in quite a long time. I stand very corrected and should've lloked again before I posted.

The 1/72 Resin, to me never came close to getting the proportions or detail right. Just big. http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...estroid+monster I made mine as close to the line art in Perfect Memory as I could in 1/100. IMHO it's by far the most accurate proportionally. Aso a resin kit. http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/zaku2ace/...rc=ph%26.view=t Yellow Subs is nice, but it is already very modified from the original Monster design. A resin kit. http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models.../ys_monster.jpg The AMA customized Monster is the Arii in 1/160. I always felt it was nicely done, just too over modified. http://www.geocities.com/amaclub/emgallery.html The 1/160 Monster by Arii is the biggest injection kit, but not very accurate. http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models...i/ar310-18b.jpg The smaller 1/200 Imai is a little more accurate proportionaly, but needs more detail. http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models...1224-8h-ins.jpg I recomend using the line art in Perfect Memory to help you with the details. All of the models above have their pluses and minuses.

You're gonna have to do major modifications. The 1/72 armored Battroid is way off. But it does have some basic parts to begin with.

1. It's a like a debate, ya gotta have protaganist and antagonist. I haven't resorted to sarcasm. Yet. 2. They were rushing to get the couple wed before the next battle, not to it. I don't think they'd let somebody else in Max's colors at the same time he flew. Just wouldn't feel right. But it is possible. 3. That's my arguement. Even if they only painted the 1D in fighter, it would still take a lot longer than the nose only. 4. Do you honestly believe that pilots don't wax their planes like car buffs? All the pilots I know have. I would. Max and Kakizake were shown once in coveralls doing something to their Valkyries so it's pretty safe to say Max would've noticed and cared if the paint was botched.

Actually, you are right about the length of each section being 12", just not the height. If you get the Revell or Imai big factory models (Huge boxes) you wind up with a 8.5" tall, 24" (2 12" sections) length of factory, 1/100 people, vehicles, 1/100 Armored Valkyrie Battroid, and a 1/100 Tomahawk. It is big! The last Revell Factory I saw went for about $165 or so on Ebay. The original Imai was around $200. Every now and then you may see the 3rd section with only 1 factory section (12", half the people, and half the vehicles for around) $100. There's pics of the original kits in the model section of this site on the main page.

But some of us really like the technical stuff too. It's fun trying to figure little bits a pieces of a show like Macross. It helps with researching details for models. There's a ton of information surrounding it trying to make it more believable instead of 50' aliens attack Earth and giant robots defeat them. If any of the tech stuff interests you, I suggest you get a copy of the book 'Macross Perfect Memory'. It is the Macross bible. It has info on just about everything in the TV series. Of course it's all in Japanese though. B)

That's their actual size that i measured from my kits.

The little 1/170 factory pictured here is only 4.75" tall by 2.75" wide. Builds into a tiny, but decent little factory diorama. The 4 factory kits could be combined to make a longer section of factory like the one shown. The old Revell Robotech kit is a repacked Imai 1/100 Macross Factory. It was 8.5" tall by 12" wide and came with 2 sections, vehicles and 1/100 figures, a 1/100 Armored VF Battroid and a 1/100 Tomahawk. There was also a third section made that contained only the factory, vehicles, and figures.

Such hostility. I said it makes more sense to remove a VF-1D's nose section, paint it, and slide it on Max's VF-1J than to paint a entire Valkyrie, then repaint it again. Yes, that's what I said I felt they should have done. Why? Because Roy removed a VF-1D's nose section in mere minutes. It was also completely compatible with a gunpods mount suggesting serious compatability between Valkyries. The Studios own line art for Max's VF-1D is different. It never transforms or has a need to for a ceremonial flight so it is plausible given the rush to get the couple wed before the next attack. Painting a Valkyrie wouldn't be simple. First you'd need to paint a base color for the fighter. Let it dry. Tranform it to the Gerwalk. Finish the base color spots that got missed. Transform it to Battroid and finish the rest of the missed base color. Let it dry. Add the custom color. Let it dry. Transform it. to the Gerwalk. Paint the custom color. let it dry. Finally transform it back to fighter and finish the custom color. Let it dry. Then you'd need to stencil all the markings and warnings back on. So strictly for a paint dry time we're at a extremely conservative 21 hours at 3 hours drying time. None of that time includes masking, primer, or actual painting. Realistically the prep time is always longer than the paint time. Say 12 hours prep time, about 2 hours to mask between each variation. 33 hours, and that's being very conservitive with a crew around the clock on the project during combat. Four plus shifts. Let's just say I was right. Say 5 minutes to remove a VF-1D's nose. Say 2 hours to re-install given the extremely compatibility and a hour of flight check. The nose would need 3 hours for the base, 3 for the custom and 3 for stencils. The prep work would be much less cause the scheme there is easy. So say 2 hours for prep. 14 hours 5 min. less than Two shifts during combat.

But the VF-1D Max flies for his wedding is different than the standard VF-1D in the line art. He also never changes to Gerwalk or Battroid. It's pretty fair to say Max favors Battroid, so why'd he stay in fighter? If it was his VF-1J modified with a 1D nose, then he couldn't transform.

I understand, but Max's VF-1D is different in the line art. And my thinking was that the 1D nose section would be perfectly compatible with Max's 1J Valkyrie as long as it never had to change to Battroid. It was after all just for a 10 minute flight.

The show implies that the wending happened very fast. The cermony, would be a bit difficult to plan. The cake would be really tough. The military honor gaurd a cinch. The laser show easy. But the paint would need a lot of prep time and time to dry. I never said retrofitting anything, just sliding a VF-1Ds nose on Max's plane makes more sense than repainting an entire Valkyrie.

But Kawamoris's line art is still not a standard VF-1D. Seeing the Blowspeariors blades would've been cool too.

Geez... I said it should have been a 1-J. I'm not arguing that it isn't a 1D, just that it's not a normal 1D. Every picture and line art of the VF-1D has those 4 patches and the straight fold line except Max's. Hasagawas represent the movie version VFs, not the series version VFs. They're also the most sleek looking, but not necassarilly the most acurate. If a Hasagawa VF Fighter is converted into a Gerwalk or Battroid they look anorexic. Every model and line art of the VF prior to Hasagawa is totally interchangeable. Like I stated earlier they'd have to be to stay flying and fighting as easily as possible. Ease would be intergchangeabl parts and technology. Not one aircraft that gets a total repaint is done quickly in reality. They all take a fair amount of time. It would be far more believable from a merely paint job POV in the series, that they painted a 1D nose sections latter half blue and the nose cone white, than they painted the entire Valyrie, customized it and stenciled the warnings back. And that's assuming the paint they use dries quickly. Max's scheme is pretty complex, a couple of days tops for a nose or well over a week for a entire Valkyrie? Keep in mind that Max and Millia get hitched very quickly. The nose never gets ripped off, they open a few access panels on the chest and slide it off. Took Roy what, less than 5 minutes during combat? And simply stuck it where the gunpod would go. That implies a massive level of interchangeabilty. ISO 2000 to the extreme. Hasagawas version implies a different airframe for VF-1Ds only. It also always irked me too that everybody considers the VF-1D a trainer only. That's kinda part of my arguement.All VFs would be interchangeable with crew and parts in order to realistically keep up with deaths, damage, and maintanence. We were only told the story of 5 pilots, Max, Millia, Roy, Hikaru, and Kakizaki. Who got Max's 1A, who got Hikaru's 1J etc. That stuff never got mentioned but it's a fair assumption to say other pilots took them, or they got recycled to other operatianal VFs as parts. Supplies on the SDF were always at a premium.

No way is scenario 2 realistic, and let me try to explain why. Of course the technology is interchangeable. They all share the same airframe. They were expecting a war with a alien race, I'm sure they decided everything would be as easy to swap parts for maintanence demands to keep them flying as long and as easily as possible. Fighting 50' aliens would be rough on equipment. The Valkyries and Destroids are based around the compatible/interchangeable design idea. I'm sure if they designed the nose section to be 'rescued' and slung in place of a gunpod that making a two seater compatible with a one seater would be no big deal. The control linkage would be attached at the airframe. The trainer controls would be slaved to the pilots controls in the two seater nose section, not the airframe. Time was also a serious factor and repainting a whole Valkyrie would require huge amounts of prep time. They would have to disassemble a large portion of it just for paint. Prep and paint an entire Valkyrie or a small section of a nose that can be removed in a matter of minutes. It would be the fastest way to prepare it for his wedding. I'm sure they wanted to have it before the next attack came and possibly killed either Max or Millia. The SDF was losing lotsa people at the time to constant attacks. That would've ruined the opportunity to show the aliens humans were good and offered peace, and life with a hot babe, a alien alternative to a alien race that was bred for war and separated by sex. The crew would have simply added the painted 2 seater nose to his aircraft. It would not need to change to battroid, but could handle Fighter and Gerwalk perfectly fine. More than enough compatiblity/capability for the ship's ace and 1 time occasion. I know about TIA being a VF-1D. The animation and lineart though is not a standard 1D chest though. It does flow straight across. But it clearly and prominently does have the standard chest stripe and none of the 4 triangular patches on it. So it isn't a normal 1D chest.

It's in the animation and Studio Nue's official line art pictures. So it ain't accidental. My complaint is simply it should be a Vf-1J head.

B)

Yes it states VF-1D in the picture and in the caption. (Macross This is Animation) I'm not argueing that. But the chest is not a VF-1D chest. It is clearly a A-J-S chest so it's not really entirely a VF-1D. It's gotta be Max's VF-1J with a 1D head and nose. Even Hasagawa's kit shows the standard chest, and not the 1D's chest. My point was it is Max's Valkyrie for his wedding. Which scenario makes more sense: 1. The mechanics painted a two seater nose blue and stuck it on. or... 2. The SDF crew painted an entire VF-1D for Max's wedding. Then repainted it after. My gripe is why change the head too? When Roy saved Hikaru and Minmay, he didn't have to take the head, just the nose. Which is why I still say it should have been a VF-1J two seater. Kawamori and Studio Nue are not perfect either. In Kawamoris own Design Works there is a VF-1A fighter under the VF-1J caption. They screw up just like every body else.

No burst bubble. I've seen the picture, it's tiny. Save for the triangle in the center of the head, it could be a 1J. It's lasers are even centered like a 1J. However, it still is not a VF-1D. It is a VF-1D head and nose on Max's VF-1J. The VF-1D has a different chest. My little theory is still the most reasonable explanation. The only thing I can't figure is why they'd need to change the head. Surely a 1J would handle the same computer functions as a trainer. Especially if it's gonna be flown by the ships ace.

To this day, I still say it should be a VF-1J 2 seater. It only operated in fighter mode for a ceremony. Much easier for the SDF crew to paint a nose section for Max's Valkyrie than an entire Valkyrie. It simply makes better sense. The animation I assure you will yeild nothing definate other than it has 2 lasers on it's head in fighter. Just my rant.

Here's mine. http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/zaku2ace/...rc=ph%26.view=t

Jeez bash the IP kits. However, resin is more hazardous and warps easier. They're both excellent mediums and have strengths and weaknesses. It all depends on what you're looking for in a kit.

So no interest ina upgrade kit for Arii's 1/100 Spartan eh? Oh well gave it a shot. B)