Chronocidal

Actually.. in terms of transformation, it's probably better that they didn't paint the metal. I know many people have done customs already, and they would probably know better than I would.. My thought is that if they really did pre-paint the metal parts, especially the chest plate, it could get rather nasty to keep the plane (or is it a model now?) transforming without problems. The tolerances on this design are so tight, I doubt things would work correctly with too many coats of paint. Yes, this is a disadvantage to people who want to decorate a white valk. But if you're not going to leave anything white, those extra layers of paint could have been a problem for customizers. Also, for the cockpit canopy.. I could care less about the coating, but there's also a good reason to leave the frame unpainted. Real aircraft often have different colors on the insides of their canopy frames, matching with the interior colors, while the exteriors match the exterior of the aircraft. With the canopy left entirely clear, you can do a base coat for the canopy frame interior, then do the outer coat over it, and have different colors inside and out. It's much easier than actually painting the frame on the smooth inside of the canopy glass. That's really no excuse for things like landing gear (which we haven't seen, and might be painted after all), but leaving the paint application entirely up to the owner has its advantages. They wanted to leave everything up to the owner, so what they've done is offer maximum flexibility, even if it does look a bit incomplete. Personally, I might be tempted to get at least one of these, maybe a few. I've always wanted to just do up a few VF-1s in pure late '70s navy markings (US insignia and all, just as a what-if), and while decals might get tricky on transforming ones, I'd rather do them on complete valks than hasegawa kits (don't really have the patience to build so many when I just want to decorate them ). Really, forget this whole "angel birds" mashup, I wanna see VF-1s in actual Blue Angels and Thunderbirds markings.

Ok, um.. holy crap? It seriously looks like they went and reanimated the show... Is this game such a high budget project that they'd do that? Or is there something else going on here, and this is only a glimpse of it? I know it's unrealistic.. but if these clips turn out to be tidbits of some kind of SDFM series revival... *dreams*

I was seriously tempted to get Gamlin this morning, and I coulda.. but I want M&M VF-22s more, and if I get a third I want a YF-21. I could probably afford them all, but I have other things to think about too.. like.. rent... and food.. you know. I just wish I could count on a sale like this for the M&Ms.. And I REALLY wish this sale applied to the Mac0 stuff, they still have the VF-0S in stock, but I don't want to pay that much for it.

Top no... Improve upon?

As much as I love a company as big as Bandai taking a swing at marketing Macross, I've got mixed thoughts. My only personal experience with any Frontier merchandise to this point has been one 1/72 model, and it's barely been started, so I have very little feedback on it (except... bandai screwed up the Michael version color scheme, and you have to paint it, regardless of what they say.. they just flat out forgot most of the white parts on his VF-25G. Not a huge issue, but still irritating). It's a beautiful kit though, and I have no problem making a model to get a nice display piece... I barely transform my Yammies as it is. I seriously hope they don't scrap that 1/48 VF-25 kit we saw a teaser for, I'll buy 10... maybe. The DX's? Gah. I'm a stickler for details, and what Bandai did with these is inexcusable to me. It's not really the shape, or the accuracy of the design that gets to me (although they could use work)... it's the lazyness factor. There is no excuse for the corners they cut. Sloppy imprecise molding, cheapo paint, short-bus landing gear, lousy joint design (seriously? no knee pivot??).. eh, it's all been said before. But it kills my interest in them pretty completely. I'm actually more interested in the VF100s line than the DX, but Bandai can't seem to decide what those are. I'd rather have more model kits than partsformers. The Hi-Metals may turn out better, but at that size/weight, there's really no reason for metal, and you could produce much cheaper and more detailed toys if you went with more plastic. More metal means more paint chipping from transforming.

Maybe this is more what you were thinking?

Actually, I'm a bit relieved Less pressure to buy them before Christmas, when I'll probably blow a bundle on presents for family.

I do want to get at least one VF-1D, but I'll get the trainer first. This'll look just like my Max 1J on the shelf (since they'll probably be displayed in fighter mode), so I'd rather have more unique valks. I may go completist one day, but for now I'm just picking up the iconic TV designs.

I'd have to go with a wig for just about anyone who isn't bald... my hair is pretty much gone at age 25. College worked it out of me. The one advantage it does give is that I have no qualms about cutting my hair incredibly short, and could use a wig with no complications. That, or I could do a pretty simple captain Picard costume.

Assuming you have the funds for it, go for it. I'm already planning on getting a VF-1D next month, and a VF-11C later... I'll get the M&Ms first I think. I'd love to wait for sales on them, but I dunno if these'll last that long. And I'm still debating getting a YF-19/YF-21 pair. I still really don't care for the YF-19 that much, but at the same time, I seriously doubt they'll redo it again, so this might be as good as it gets. I'll probably just have to scratch build one in 1/48 at some point.

Check the bottom right corner, decals 59 and 60 look good to me. They just didn't get stuck near the other pilot names.

I dunno, give a guy the right hair, and you could probably do it somehow.. might need a bit of makeup too though. Given how simple Alto's uniform is, I'm tempted to try it, provided I can find a wig that'll work well.

As much as I do kind of miss having a YF-21, I'm glad I held out on buying one. Makes it easier to justify buying two VF-22s. I love the original 21, but I still don't care for the YF-19 enough to get one, and I know I'd want a complete Mac+ set if I started. Now with the the Mac7 stuff, I can get the VF-22s and VF-11C and not feel the need to get a YF-19 to complete the set. I really can't wait for these... but I'm torn. I want to wait until around after Christmas, and get them both at once, but at the same time, I don't want to risk them running out. I've already spent enough in the past few weeks, so I probably should hold off a while anyway. Buying 7 valks in a little over a month has been a bit much, even if most of them were on clearance. Think the last VF-1 I'm getting is the classic Hikaru/Minmay VF-1D, then I'll be done with those, and move to the other series. The nice thing is, I managed to grab two SV-51s at good discounts, so I've got a pair of stands to use with the M&M VF-22s when I get them.

My guess would be that those decals were meant more like a display logo, something you'd see on a plaque for a display stand. You could probably apply them to the legs or tails somehow, but the animation was so bad in that episode you'd never see those markings anyway. You may want to check official lineart for the design, if any exists.. it may give clues as to whether those markings are actually official or not. They may have been based on doodles in the margins for the original lineart.

Overdrive seems like they had a bit of a backup in their notifications... I didn't get my notice that my M&Ms had been shipped until they were already past customs in San Francisco, and on the way here.

You know.. it's probably stupid, and beside the point.. but I'd actually love to see the "before" version of that, just to see how she looked with the armor on. That giant Sheryl wallpaper (the album cover one) is epic. I'm gonna put that on my lappy tonight. *sigh* All this art makes me wish someone would re-animate SDFM from scratch. I'd love to see it done with the same production quality as MacF, and with VF-1 animations based on those pachinko commercials. I don't care what the commercials are actually for, seeing how awesome they look gave me serious chills. Btw, is that MacF manga cover just a joke, or something related to what's in that issue?

Mmmm.... M&Ms...... </homervoice> Glad I had a break during my work day to check my mail, I was able to pick em up after lunch. Ok.. This is going to sound incredibly wrong, but I know of no other way to put this.. Milia is freaking tight. I mean seriously. I'm gonna have to be careful moving her about, or her parts might snap (yes, I know this is sounding dirtier with every word). Her tail section is so tight, I'm afraid something might break off... ok, I think you get my drift. Really though, I'm startled by how stiff some joints are.. her wings barely move, the tails take a serious effort to fold, and the tail section is scary in how hard it is to fold up. It's better than being too loose I suppose, but loose joints are easier to tweak. Seriously, I have no real complaints with either, but I think I got a pair of the funniest Yamato glitches yet. Nothing's broken, things are just kind of funny. 1: When I went to pull out Max's right landing gear, the tire popped off and flew across the room. Turns out the shaft wasn't widened quite enough to keep it on well. There's still a lip to hold it, so long as I don't pull on the tire, it's fine. 2: Milia somehow got a Super Double Plus Mega Ultraviolent canopy. It's like it got run through the coating machine a few extra times or something, and I can hardly see through it. It's giving me that kind of effect you get from mirrored sunglasses. No worries there, it'll probably peel off just like all the others are starting to. The one thing that kinda worries me is how utterly paranoid Yamato was with the packaging this time.. I mean, they covered ALL the paint. Wing sleeves, a sheet to cover the chest plate, even a plastic sleeve over the front landing gear to keep from scratching the doors up on the inside. Those backplate tabs.. I dunno if there's really anything we can do about those. They're a high-wear area on the VF-1, and only thing we can really do is keep touching those up if they get scratched. It might be worth trying to spray these with a clear coat to protect them, but the part tolerances are so tight, I'd be afraid it'd make things not fit quite right.

Well that was unexpected... I place my M&M order monday, and just got an update today with Overdrive apologizing for a delay .. it hit customs this morning, and left at 1pm.. might be here by tomorrow

Are you mixing your paints before using them? I usually spend a good minute stirring my paints with an unbent paper clip before I brush them on, and that's with enamels. Acrylics might take even more to mix well, and even then, some will be thinner than others.

I dont think that's the kit, the two look almost identical in size. Besides, there'd be no reason to make a kit in all different colored plastic, it's all the same material. Meh, whoever took those pics transformed that thing horribly. It does look good but I'm worried about the potential flop factor on this one. Soooo many potentially sloppy joints, and even these shots can't seem to align ANY of the wing surfaces. The whole thing looks out of alignment, I hope it's just from the mistransformation. The limp nozzles on the back of the wing boosters don't bode well either.

Doing everything by hand can be tricky, but there are ways. Lots of people like to spraypaint everything, but I've never cared for the messy setup when I can just brush some small details. For landing gear, assuming you can assemble them before putting them on the model, you probably should paint them, and attach them after everything else is done. For hand painting tires, I usually assemble them (if needed) and stick them on the end of a toothpick to paint. Finish one side, let it dry, then flip it over. Struts are probably best painted while still attached to the parts sprue, at least partially. If it's too late for that, you could possible attach the tires (once they're dry) and use them as a gripping point, but you risk painting the tires. It's much easier if you paint the struts while on the tree, and then touch up the attach points later. Clear coats have two main effects I think.. one, they protect the decals and seal them once they're on, and two, they give the aircraft the right amount of shine if you do it right. Someone with more experience could give you more details, but decals also stick better to gloss paint, so people who paint using flat colors (many military paint colors only come in flat) will sometimes spray a clear gloss coat to make the decals stick better, then spray another coat over them to seal them in, THEN spray an overall dull coat to make the plane look right. For your first kit, especially something like a Corsair, I'd think you could ignore panel lining, and save that for later. It's not something you see much on regular military aircraft models, and when you do, it's mostly just a hint of shading, not a solid panel line. Weathering can take a lot of practice, and I wouldn't recommend it for a first model. You can always come back later if you want to do it though.

I'd love to get a ton of these and repaint them all fancy... I guess maybe if I get one a month... after all the M&M stuff has blown over, and I have all the other valks I want. I'd love if they offered this with a full set of heads. I seriously want some of these in standard squadron markings. Barring a huge collection of these tho... I'd love to get a hold of several of the decal sets. They'd make good backups in case any tail markings get worn off by fast packs.

I'm guessing you got the Motion Picture version (or -A model).. that's probably the worst offering in that series really. Lousy construction, stupid use of die-cast, and the perpetually out of line nacelles. Others from that series were much better. I'd recommend the Reliant, it's one of the better ones (nearly all metal too). I've also heard good things about the BoP.

Personally, I'm counting on the VF-22, since it's got a specially made M7 Milia. Just got the "processing" message for my set, they should be on the way soon.

Ok, so I basically need a new pair of shoulders for two DYRL 1/60s (really doesn't matter which specific valk I get them for, they all match), and a new head for my Hikaru 1J.. Anyone have the part numbers on these? Btw, do I need to put all these parts on separate requests? I'm guessing I cant send them all at once, but can I even send multiple requests back to back?