Less than Super Ostrich

Well.... I've been painting the base coat and I was really unhappy with the "off white" color scheme I had picked out. After further consideration "off white" or "egg shell" should be left to the Pottery Barn squadron of UN Spacy (only the old folks on the board will think that joke is funny). I went back to the original flat white paint scheme... unexciting, but I like it better. Perhaps I will spice up the details with some color, but as you can see below, the base remains white. I used Tamiya paints and Mr. Surfacer primer (should use primer on resin from what I hear).

good question... i think I had screwed up so much on the first go around, that I would start over. I'm not nearly as good as wm cheng as the build ups are concerned. I should probably do a step-by-step, but I only think of grabbin' the digital camera every once in awhile.

OK... this technique for masking the canopy may not be new, but I really don't see it that much here or on Starshipmodeler.com. I use Blue Tac (the stuff you hang posters up with). As you can see, one of my daughters toys found its way into the picture as well.

I hate to say it, but even if the guy delivers on the other orders, I won't buy from him. I'd rather pay double once he makes his, so I know I'll get it. Of course, I'm sure there is a cultural reason why he is behaving so badly (in a business sense). I know my Far Eastern counterparts in business definitely do things MUCH differently than I would. This is mainly due to the cultural difference between Japan and U.S. business practices... or so I am told.

Starting mine again after a long respite, but here is Valkyrie's recast of the VF-4. As you can see, I haven't gotten very far yet.

Ok... now here is my little spray booth technique. I bought a lump of clay that never dries. I stick some popsicle sticks in it with a little clay at the end of each one. This hold my pieces while I spray them. As shown below, I'm doing the thrusters/feet.

here's the pic

Ok... here's a side view. Still not getting very good focus on the camera. Perhaps you can see the wet canopy glue in the gap on this one.

Well sports fans, I have been on a major modeling respite. With the new child and my basement getting redone, I haven't been able to get anywhere with my VF-4 since early this past summer. I have just got the new spray booth hooked up and my new workspace built, so I'm ready to go. Now the only thing I'm missing is free time. The new baby is starting to sleep more, so I thought I would try to get some more progress on my modeling. First off, for those of you who were not following this project. Our friendly neighborhood Valkyrie recast a VF-4 resin kit with pretty darn good detail. I have assembled, broken, and assembled, and broken, and assembled it several times, and I think I've finally gotten it where I like it. As you can see below, I have finished the cockpit and applied the vacuum-formed canopy. I had some gaps between the canopy and the fuselage, so I used some clear canopy glue (as you may be able to see, it has not dried clear yet).

Sounds good... my bad. I thought that was really old news. I thought that project was dead and gone.

Hey Mods... its time to get rid of the "What happened to John Moscato's Legioss project?, Legioss model." thread that is pinned in the Model forum. kinda silly to have it hanging there in my opinion.

1) Apply the basecoat (remember to wash the model to get rid of the basecoat) 2) Apply the Gloss clear coat (use gloss to make the decals go on easier) 3) Apply the decals 4) Apply another gloss coat to seal in the decals 5) Now comes the wash (make a mixture of 1 part artists oils to 5 parts low odor mineral spirits). Dot the mixture into a major panel line and let the cappilary action take the mixture down the panel line. Touch up where needed. 6) Wait an hour for the wash to dry. 7) Take a rag with a little bit of low odor mineral spirits to clean up the dab marks left by the Step 5. Do whatever other weathering you want to do and seal it up with the final coat of either gloss, semi gloss, or flat seal. Did I miss anything?

Grayson... what if we give you some cash to hold on to as collateral? Perhaps even give you some $$ for the trouble too (from the proceeds of the sale). Just an idea. I know Valkyrie pretty well, so I'd provide the collateral if necessary. He did a great job with his VF-4, IMHO.

No... its not cannon fodder VF-1A. It was a super battroid, but I'm not sure which version of VF. It may have even been a strike battroid.

C'mon Grayson, C'mon!

Alclad is a good substitute.

On the question of primer... for the Hasegawas, I would just wash it with light soap (to get the mold release off), and then paint it without primer. For a resin kit, I would DEFINITELY use primer... most of the resin I have dealt with (not many, mind you) do not adhere real well to the acrylic paints. Primer really helps it stick.

I remember seeing a hobby magazine with a picture of a VF-1 Battroid (I can't remember if it had fast packs or not). The battroid was beige (almost a desert camouflage scheme), and looked very nice. I am interesting in replicating the paint scheme on my next Hasegawa. I looked on Macrossworld's magazine section, but could not find it. Thanks much for your help, LTSO

You may be right! I've actually never used Bondo for a large project like it sounds this guy has.

I like my PolyScale clear coat. I hate PolyScale paints, but the clear coats are pretty nice, IMHO

wow... rough ... you are not kidding! Paper mache will be hugely difficult to get smooth, but I would think layers is your best bet. Using the old Mori Mori putty will be way too expensive given the surface area you are likely going to need to cover. You could potentially start with Bondo (get a large thing from an auto supply store)... and then sand it to as close to smooth as you can. Then you use some Mori Mori or Milliput for the smaller gaps... and then some Mr. Surfacer for the rest. Get a lot of sand paper!

Perhaps I can enter the Desert Camo Super Ostrich!

Rob... I like the avatar... is that you? Not what I pictured at all. I was thinking more Gorilla than Chimp.

Call me crazy, but I love resin kits... while more difficult to construct, they are much more substantial. The solid pieces make the final product seem more like a work of art. I actually think the heavier weight makes it easier to manipulate. The big problem (as mentioned previously) is that the smaller pieces can be very brittle depending on the type of resin used. Often times the landing gear needs to be crafted in metal to hold up the weight of the aircraft. My 2 cents, Brian

Onezero makes an appearance!!!! Welcome John... Good to see you. I will get you that VF-1 Battroid Review sometime next week. That way we'll shut these guys up. Seriously guys... send some Macross stuff to Onezero and he will gladly use the content (within reason).