electric indigo Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Here are a few items I'm working on. even more Galactica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ce25254 Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 Finished GMK Gojira. West Kenji vinyl kit. He might possibly benefit from a little drybrushed highlight, but I'm moving on for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I was looking at your photos earlier today and thought, "it's time to get back on the Daedalus". Everything looks great guys! My children saw "Gojira" and thought it was cool. They love those old flicks; we gotta get the more modern DVDs; 2000 onward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 (edited) OOOPS - Double posted Everything looks great guys! I was inspired to get back to the Daedalus now that I got time again. My children loved the "Gojira" job. We watch the old flicks all the time. We just gotta update to the 2000 onward movies. Ron, do you have a shelf or soemthing with the flightdeck painted on it? It's a nice touch. Edited March 11, 2008 by MechTech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jadefalconguard Posted March 10, 2008 Share Posted March 10, 2008 I've been toying with an Armor Cast Atlas from Battletech. A simple OOB model with some minor alterations on the armlasers and adding an Anti Missile System on the torso. I'm having alot of fun on painting and weathering this kit : The best part for me is the lovin' expression on the face Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big F Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 I've been toying with an Armor Cast Atlas from Battletech. A simple OOB model with some minor alterations on the armlasers and adding an Anti Missile System on the torso. I'm having alot of fun on painting and weathering this kit : The best part for me is the lovin' expression on the face I always loved that Mech Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nausica Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Nausica: With the yamato, check my customising thread for some tips, especially involving the canopy. Other than that, you need to use a dremel / rotary grinder on a few joints to get clearance for the paintwork. I've transformed mine maybe half a dozen times now and have minimal wear - mostly from my long fingernails. Remember to use a good clear coat (future!) to seal paintwork and decals, and again after weathering, then a flat coat and it'll be remarkably durable. I'd strongly advise against hand painting - use an airbrush, the plastic is fairly textured and will look odd if your paint finish isn't even. nice job on those winter! ok i went ahead and copyed it all to hard drive, easy accesible that way.... i can tell before hand that this will take me a long time doing.... but then again ill have something to do:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterdyne Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Oh, there's also some step-by-step photos in the photo album at http://www.scifimodels.org.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron5864 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Here are a couple of shots of the 1/72 Defender Destroid that I am currently putting together. It is more than half way to being finished. More photos later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterryno Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Here are a couple of shots of the 1/72 Defender Destroid that I am currently putting together. It is more than half way to being finished. More photos later.... That's lookin good there mate. I give the Destroids some mad love...even though I never really talk about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterryno Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 WOW!!! I just looked back to where I remember leaving off on this thread and sooooooo much work has been started and/or completed. To EVERYONE that has posted their work.....GREAT JOB!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 These two are 1/100 Arii kits. I'm pleased with how they turned out. The pictures are a little ordinary - I took them in a rush the other night using incandescent light and sans tripod. I'll take a few more on the weekend in the sunlight. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ce25254 Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 These two are 1/100 Arii kits. I'm pleased with how they turned out. Wow, those Arii kits are much nicer looking than the Bandai ones. Maybe it's partly because they are non-transformable. Great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jardann Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Great work Cowie! The custom decals on the 1D are very nice and the 1A looks ready for action. How did you get the canopies to be so clear? I've found that my 1/100 kits have thick canopies that cause a lot of distortion or are badly scratched or flawed. The fighter mode kits are the best of the 1/100 scale line. The only problem I can really say about them is that the heads don't look quite right, but once built they are pretty much out of the way. Oh, and they don't come with pilot figures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Those look great! I always did like those sculpts - even with the thick details. I bet you used Future on the canopies. Tell those guys standing around on the block to get back to work! - MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neptunesurvey Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Excellent job on the 1/100 kits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nausica Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Oh, there's also some step-by-step photos in the photo album at http://www.scifimodels.org.uk/ too bad that the great decals u have are not available anylonger really nice touch with the lights in the Armored Valkyrie's legs xD would never have thought that up my self hehe.... Q: is there any great decal service out there.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Thanks guys for the kind words, your posts are very encouraging. The kits were a lot of fun to build. Once I take better photos this weekend, I'll pop up another post with the changes I made to the kits that might help out the next guy building the same ones. jardann: Thanks mate. The instructions had directions for about half the decals on each sheet, so it was kinda freehand using an F-14 reference book for a few pointers. There were lots left over! The nose art is an albatross, from a 1/72 P-38 I think. It was a step back from shark's teeth - I was trying to highlight the difference between a training jet and an operational one. MT: The canopies had future on the inside only. When I've previously dipped in Future, I've always ended up with dust (or some other blemish) in the surface. I also make 1/24 cars, so on the outside I used micromesh then Tamiya polish. Future isn't easy to come by in Australia - regardless of what swanny says, the 'equivalents' aren't. And I have to agree with you on the thick details and panel lines. They are a little deep but they also seemed to help capture the anime feel. The gerwalk in the background is the Bandai 1/100 variable you can see in my avatar. The guys standing around are some 1/100 figures from evilBay. They're meant to be a bunch of observers (there's a few military generals, dudes in suits, etc.), Manhattan Project style, and they are going next to a 1/100 F-14 I'm currently building as a Macross Zero jet. The dio theme is a live firing of a VF-0 micro-missile using the F-14 as a test bed, and the goverment guys are making sure they're getting their money's worth. [sorry about the long explanation.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Oh yeah, the tyres on the main gear look wonky - my fault for not dry fitting first. The main gear looks like Arii meant it to be straight like an F-15 but it just didn't look right to me, so I splayed it like an F-18. I prob should correct the tyres but decided to learn the lesson and move on... Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron5864 Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Finished!!!! It is an 1/72 Imai Destroid Defender kit. I added some small lens behind light covers to give it an extra detailed finish. Without it, the space behind the light cover is just a black hole. Next up, the 1/72 Destroid Spartan will be my next project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miriya Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Finished!!!! It is an 1/72 Imai Destroid Defender kit. I added some small lens behind light covers to give it an extra detailed finish. Without it, the space behind the light cover is just a black hole. Next up, the 1/72 Destroid Spartan will be my next project. WOW!!!! That looks incredible! What kit is that? Who made it? Also, what diorama is that? Did you make it from scratch or is it a kit and if so where could I get one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 Amazing work on the Imai kit! For me, the weathering is just perfect. And I love the use of figures - it really enhances the scale and makes it look like mecha and not some scale-less toy. Can't wait for more! Great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 16, 2008 Share Posted March 16, 2008 (edited) Arii 1/100 VF-1A and VF-1D Highly recommended kits The Good Part fit is very good. Only one or two injector pin marks. The landing gear is reasonable for the scale. Assembly is very simple. I bought them because I read they were the best proportioned of the 1/100 fighters. They look good to me! Plenty of decals. The masking is reasonably complex. The Bad The panel lines are fairly strong. That said, I rescribed most of them to emphasise parts involved in transformation. Cockpit detail is non-existant and pilots are not included. Canopy is quite thick. Vertical stabs don't have placement pins - so alignment is just via MkI eyeball. The instructions were lousy but most of us discard them anyway. Decal instructions only placed around half; the rest was just whatever looked ok. I still have lots left over. Extras I added a few VHF/TACAN antennas to the dorsal spine and a few ECM/ESM bumps onto the vertical stabs. The nose cannon (I think that's what they are) were drilled out, same goes for cannons (or whatever) next to the intakes. Pilots to both aircraft, in nifty DYRL uniforms and electrical tape for seat harnesses. Brake lines to undecarriage, made from fuse wire. 1A Added a pitot tube. It's half a staple super glued in. Next time, I'd spend more time blending it into the fuselage. 1D Dropped slats and flaps. This was fun. Happy enough for a first time but next go I'd like to make it a little neater. Thanks to: Valkyrie for supplying pilots Berttt for also sending a conscript Grayson72 for the 1A colours maxwinamp for the 1D colours ...and best of all, I can update my avatar. Sweet. Edited March 16, 2008 by cowie165 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron5864 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 WOW!!!! That looks incredible! What kit is that? Who made it? Also, what diorama is that? Did you make it from scratch or is it a kit and if so where could I get one? The kit is by Imai, a company that is no longer in business since the 1980s. Arii bought Imai and then Arii when out of business too. So Bandai bought Arii and is now making some of the original Imai models. I built the set from scratch during the last Christmas vacation. I might built another one but with more details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miriya Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 The kit is by Imai, a company that is no longer in business since the 1980s. Arii bought Imai and then Arii when out of business too. So Bandai bought Arii and is now making some of the original Imai models. I built the set from scratch during the last Christmas vacation. I might built another one but with more details. Wow! I really like the set. I just bought some styrene bits and pieces online (should arrive next week) and am going to take a shot at something but I am really impressed with your work. What did you use for the railings on the stair platform and what did you use for the piping? Also, would you consider doing a commission diorama set? If so PM me and we can talk. In any case. Great work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grayson72 Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Wow the Defender looks awesome, I wanna know more about the background set and see more pics of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MechTech Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Awesome work everybody. I stayed off line this weekend and look what I missed! The defender and background look great! Nice touch of "reality." - MT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron5864 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Here are a couple more views of the maintenance bay set. The material like handrails, decks, truss, steel beams, pipes and so on were from a local hobby store at their model railroad section. Most are made of styrene. They have lots of items at the HO scale(1:87) for model trains. Most of these items can be used for sets built close to this scale, like the 1/72 Macross models. This set is about 24" deep x 30" wide x 20" high. It's a bit large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miriya Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 (edited) OMFG!!!!! That diorama just got 1000 times cooler! I am in love! You Rock man!!! EDIT: Oh, By the way, can we get one more shot pulled back all the way so that we can see where the diorama ends? Edited March 18, 2008 by miriya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nausica Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Arii 1/100 VF-1A and VF-1D Highly recommended kits The Good Part fit is very good. Only one or two injector pin marks. The landing gear is reasonable for the scale. Assembly is very simple. I bought them because I read they were the best proportioned of the 1/100 fighters. They look good to me! Plenty of decals. The masking is reasonably complex. The Bad The panel lines are fairly strong. That said, I rescribed most of them to emphasise parts involved in transformation. Cockpit detail is non-existant and pilots are not included. Canopy is quite thick. Vertical stabs don't have placement pins - so alignment is just via MkI eyeball. The instructions were lousy but most of us discard them anyway. Decal instructions only placed around half; the rest was just whatever looked ok. I still have lots left over. Extras I added a few VHF/TACAN antennas to the dorsal spine and a few ECM/ESM bumps onto the vertical stabs. The nose cannon (I think that's what they are) were drilled out, same goes for cannons (or whatever) next to the intakes. Pilots to both aircraft, in nifty DYRL uniforms and electrical tape for seat harnesses. Brake lines to undecarriage, made from fuse wire. 1A Added a pitot tube. It's half a staple super glued in. Next time, I'd spend more time blending it into the fuselage. 1D Dropped slats and flaps. This was fun. Happy enough for a first time but next go I'd like to make it a little neater. Thanks to: Valkyrie for supplying pilots Berttt for also sending a conscript Grayson72 for the 1A colours maxwinamp for the 1D colours ...and best of all, I can update my avatar. Sweet. WOW they look nice for the size! i love the paint job on the Factory 1A one of my favored paint scemes good job! now i have to get those too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nausica Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 is it only the Bandai kits that looks like they are too thick like hmm "chunky" i think the word is? or have they ever made a good looking transformable/non transformable kit? just wondering thats all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Hi all, Here's my first real model in a few months now... DML's amazing 1/35 Tiger II w/ Porsche turret and injection-molded zimmerit. The kit is a marvel of modern engineering, requiring practically no filling or sanding or anything to fit gorgeously together. It also comes with the wonderful Magic Tracks which are friction-fit indy links, making them far easier to assemble and work with, along with a slew of PE Brass parts and a turned metal barrel, and metal tow-cables. I didn't do nearly my usual gamut of research before this kit, but I did check a few pics from Tigers in Combat I for reference. The Tiger IIs were notoriously unreliable, and the crews often left the tow cables in the shackles for the inevitable breakdown and tow, so I left one hooked up and one stored. I replaced the few grab-handles w/ wire ones, and added the wire for the headlight, and that's about all the work I did. I am going to add a commander figure and a really detailed MG34 to the cupola mount, but I haven't got those yet. The color in the photos isn't great due to my sub-par at college setup and not having my good camera here... I'll probably re-shoot this at home in May. Paint is a spray basecoat of Testors desert yellow lightened with a brush-coat of Valeijo Desert Khaki. The camo is from the DML instructions for a tank in the 503 and painted with GW acrylics, but my translation isn't 100% correct (not too concerned, and the instructions lacked a top view anyway). I experimented a little with filters on this build, using some yellow and white oil paints to soften the colors of the camo a bit. Decals went down wonderfully w/ some Polly Softener on the zimm, and I was really pleased. Weathering is my usual oil washes and such, but I worked really hard to go a little more subtle than usual, and make the tank look dusty and dirty rather than slathered in mud and muck using dry pigments, and I've gotta say I like how it turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetarB Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 (edited) What a Tiger! edit: Just saw Cowie's and Ron's work as well. Really, they should be seperate threads - fantastic work all round! Edited March 24, 2008 by PetarB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWR MKII Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 Been working on this as time allows. The new trumpeter E-100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowie165 Posted March 25, 2008 Share Posted March 25, 2008 (edited) @PetarB: Thanks Petar. Your comments are great encouragement, moreso because of the quality of kits coming off your bench @Promethuem5: Awesome Tiger Ben. The zimmerit looks great, and so do the cables down the side. Are you using Dullcote for your final spray? @HWR: I gotta ask: how did you create the mud splashes on the guards? (ref: the close up pic of the tracks). Nice effect there. Mark Edited March 25, 2008 by cowie165 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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