1:48 Hasegawa VF-1

[joscasle]

If you've never built a model before, I wouldn't recommend a Hasegawa "jet" kit be your first. While generally the fit, detail & fidelity are second to none, they can be "fiddly".....their 1/48 F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18C Hornet come to mind. After looking through my copy of the YF-19, I would put it in the same category as the Hornet in size and complexity.

If you're new at this, my recommendation is to start off with a Tamiya 1/48 kit first like their F4U Corsair: it's fairly cheap, is considered one of the easiest 1/48 kits to build and look good, and has a simple color scheme of all-over Gloss Sea Blue including the wheel wells! Once you have that under your belt, if you want to try a jet, check out a Hasegawa F-16 (it's also fairly cheap if you can find an older boxing, is an easy build and has a fairly simple camouflage scheme of three grays) or jump into the VF-1 or YF-19 kits. And remember: this hobby is fun!

Hi!

I agree with you about Hasegawa kits specially the 1/48 Tomcats, they are complex, a lot of pieces and have tricky sections, some times specially the first time you build one you can be a little frustrated, you will need patience and I think a little of skill too. One thing I not agree with you is about the size of the YF-19, looking at mine, the fuselage is almost the same size of the Tomcats, and you need to add the "legs" and the exhausts, son I think is the same size of the Tomcat or even bigger About the complexity, agree with you is on pair with the Hornet.

[CoryHolmes]

And remember: this hobby is fun!

*glues fingers together* Dammit! *pulls fingers apart* Ow!

*skips a step in the instructions* Dammit! *pries assemblies apart* Grr!

*spends hours sanding seams* Damm-zzzzzz *sands too much off and re-puttys* Dammit!

*airbrushes on fingers* Dammit! *scrubs clean* Grr.

*posts completed pictures on MW* Woo-hoo! *is shamed next to WM Cheng's masterpieces* Dammit!

Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun...

[wm cheng]

*glues fingers together* Dammit! *pulls fingers apart* Ow!

*skips a step in the instructions* Dammit! *pries assemblies apart* Grr!

*spends hours sanding seams* Damm-zzzzzz *sands too much off and re-puttys* Dammit!

*airbrushes on fingers* Dammit! *scrubs clean* Grr.

*posts completed pictures on MW* Woo-hoo! *is shamed next to WM Cheng's masterpieces* Dammit!

Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun. Hobby is fun...

LOL! haha... even after all these years, I still go through all the above steps on every model. I only hope to inspire...

Please by all means we need more to enter into this dying hobby... its extremely rewarding. However, please don't start with the Hasegawa F-14, its one of the all-time most difficult kits (over-engineered in both 1/48 and 1/72 scales). I bet the parts breakdown will be similar to the 1/72 scale Hasegawa VF-1 - I'd start with that first to practice, they aren't too expensive and are a good deal of fun, plus with all the great decals, you could end up with a pretty decent model with minimal painting - just spray white and decal!

[cobywan]

There are SO many books on building and painting model aircraft that you shouldn't have to go through the pain us self-trained builders had to. But you learn more from mistakes than you would think.

[derex3592]

There are SO many books on building and painting model aircraft that you shouldn't have to go through the pain us self-trained builders had to. But you learn more from mistakes than you would think.

I personally cant wait to get back into modeling, I have been out for some years now, but in my new place, I can dedicate an entire extra bedroom to modeling! I was doing it back before the days of the Internet! Three is SO much information out there now, it is going to very nice to have it all right at my fingertips!! I hope I still enjoy it as much as i used to. It was relaxing, (although sometimes frustrating)!! I'm gonna do a couple of practice builds first, before I try the 1:48 VF-1, now...where did I pack my airbrush??????

Edited October 23, 2009 by derex3592

[Vifam7]

I'm actually working on a Hasgawa 1/72 VF-1 right now. This is my first attempt at building a Hasegawa kit. I'm still quite the newbie at building kits. The going is slow but so far I haven't made any bad mistakes (I think). I found out Tamiya Extra Thin Cement is perfect for Hasegawa kits.

The real difficulty will be when it comes to the painting stage. Since I don't have an airbrush (nor intend to get one), it'll be spraycan painting or brush painting. I haven't decided which to go for yet.

One day I'll finish it. It'll be a shameful build compared to those done by the maestros here at MW, but at least I'll finally have 1/72 Valk with perfect fighter mode shape.

Dunno if I'll get this 1/48 kit. I prefer not to get into anything bigger than 1/72. But it might be interesting to build one someday just to put it next to my one lone Yamato 1/48.

Edited October 23, 2009 by Vifam7

[vf-11ihp]

CAD designing may be accurate in designing a accurate model but what happen to the good old days like the old star wars movies.

From the new cgi perspective . The newest stuff doesn't look realistic like the first star wars. They used real models designed with the artists hand without the help of cad. Cad just allows you to design stuff faster and accurate but sometimes the porportions may look right on the computer but doesn't look right in real life model in front of your eyes.

I think the ultimate details is far more superior in 1/48 scale due that it was sculpted and designed in a way by molded clay.

No kidding. Those old 1/48 kits were beautiful in their own right, but still had some minor flaws IMO. I'm not saying Hasegawa's are 100% perfect, but with CAD designing these days the "accuracy" is getting better and better.

I had so much fun building the 1/72 kits, and I can't wait for the 1/48's. I just hope they release every option they've done so far and more.

To add to the comment above, I'm also hoping that they don't release the kit as a single variant (IE: VF-1A only). I'm really hoping that they release the kits with all the head types (A,J,S).

And as a side note: I can't wait to see what everyone builds. Especially Captain and WM Cheng.

[CrusherJ]

Thanks Hiryu, aquilon, joscasle and everyone for the response and the encouragement to enter the world of model building! I'll look up that corsair model and maybe get it and a 1/72 VF-1 to start out with. I guess the biggest thing I'm concerned with as far as models go is painting. Any suggestions on what a complete newbie should start out with? I'll check out that glue you mentioned Vifam7, thanks again guys!!

[wm cheng]

Get the Tamiya rattle cans (spray cans) they go on pretty smooth, all you need is white - the decals do everything else! Try the Acylic or the white primer is actually pretty amazing too, it goes on so smooth and its sandable too. You could get a can of "steel" to do the gunpod and feet.

[Vifam7]

Thanks Hiryu, aquilon, joscasle and everyone for the response and the encouragement to enter the world of model building! I'll look up that corsair model and maybe get it and a 1/72 VF-1 to start out with. I guess the biggest thing I'm concerned with as far as models go is painting. Any suggestions on what a complete newbie should start out with? I'll check out that glue you mentioned Vifam7, thanks again guys!!

As a newbie myself, I suggest starting with Tamiya spraycans, brushes, and some bottles of enamel paint.

[aquilon]

I guess the biggest thing I'm concerned with as far as models go is painting. Any suggestions on what a complete newbie should start out with?

That's the beauty of the Tamiya Corsair: the F4U-1D kit is overall Gloss Sea Blue (available in a Tamiya spray can I believe). The only other paints you'll need, at a minimum (get the little bottles and brush paint these), is dark green for the interior and flat black ( I use "German Gray" which is a very dark gray) for the tires. And remember this hobby is fun!

Edited October 23, 2009 by aquilon

[CrusherJ]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'm gonna order the corsair and 1/72 VF-1 from hlj, though the corsair is out of stock so I'll have to wait till they get it in. In the mean time, I'll read over your step by step guides wm cheng to get a better idea of what to do (and all that I'll need) before the kits get here. This is pretty exciting! I've always been scared to get models cause I was afraid they wouldn't turn out well and I'd waste money, but I'm finally ready to go for it and see what happens!

[mechaninac]

I know I may catch some flak for this, but.... meh! I'm too VF-1'ed out to care about another Valkyrie. Kudos to Hasegawa for making it, and to all those who are excited about it; as for me, call me when they get around to doing the VF-11, VF-4, and VF-2SS in 1/48.

[Vifam7]

Thanks for the tips guys! I'm gonna order the corsair and 1/72 VF-1 from hlj, though the corsair is out of stock so I'll have to wait till they get it in. In the mean time, I'll read over your step by step guides wm cheng to get a better idea of what to do (and all that I'll need) before the kits get here. This is pretty exciting! I've always been scared to get models cause I was afraid they wouldn't turn out well and I'd waste money, but I'm finally ready to go for it and see what happens!

If this is your first ever try at kit building, you might want to build several cheap kits before you switch over to building that Hasegawa VF-1.

When I mean cheap kits, I'm talking about those that cost $15 or less. Trust me, you'll want/need to practice before tackling the Hasegawa VF-1 (which may be easy for a Hasegawa but still quite a kit for a newbie).

[Berttt]

Go but a hasegawa F-16 kit in 1/72 scale. Should be sheap and ded easy to assemble. Get you hands dirty with that and do some googling - it where I steal all my best ideas

Edited October 24, 2009 by Berttt

[HWR MKII]

YES! Finally a 1/48 that I can get excited about. This might actually break me out of my strict 1/72 scale policy... now where to find the room for this. I too only wished that it had more removable access/fuselage panels and a wing with all the slats, fowler flaps and spoilers detailed and separated. This might be my exception. ;-)

A 1/48 VF-1 is not much bigger than an F-16 actually. It is smaller than a F-15 or F-14. Finding space for it shouldnt be an issue. Its not a big jet even compared to the 19.

[CrusherJ]

Hey guys, I got a 1/72 corsair kit to get my feet wet and I'm SOOOO glad I did (thanks for the tip Vifam7)! I'll probably get one more cheap model before trying out a hasagawa kit. Anyway, I've got a few noob questions:

What's a good way to paint landing gear? It's really small and I have a brush for painting fine details, but wondering what methods you guys use.

When people say they've applied a "clear coat" to a model what does that do for its appearance? I've just been reading that a bit in the model forums and wondering if I need to do that.

What do you use to mark the panel lines? Is that what a "gundam marker" is for?

Thanks for the help guys!

[Vifam7]

Hey guys, I got a 1/72 corsair kit to get my feet wet and I'm SOOOO glad I did (thanks for the tip Vifam7)! I'll probably get one more cheap model before trying out a hasagawa kit. Anyway, I've got a few noob questions:

What's a good way to paint landing gear? It's really small and I have a brush for painting fine details, but wondering what methods you guys use.

When people say they've applied a "clear coat" to a model what does that do for its appearance? I've just been reading that a bit in the model forums and wondering if I need to do that.

What do you use to mark the panel lines? Is that what a "gundam marker" is for?

Thanks for the help guys!

You might want to move your questions to the building and customizing section. Despite being a newbie myself I'll try to help you.

[Chronocidal]

Hey guys, I got a 1/72 corsair kit to get my feet wet and I'm SOOOO glad I did (thanks for the tip Vifam7)! I'll probably get one more cheap model before trying out a hasagawa kit. Anyway, I've got a few noob questions:

What's a good way to paint landing gear? It's really small and I have a brush for painting fine details, but wondering what methods you guys use.

When people say they've applied a "clear coat" to a model what does that do for its appearance? I've just been reading that a bit in the model forums and wondering if I need to do that.

What do you use to mark the panel lines? Is that what a "gundam marker" is for?

Thanks for the help guys!

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.

[CoryHolmes]

Along those lines, decal questions. They're still pretty much "soak in water until pliable, then slide off onto plastic", right? How much soak time do Hasagawa decals need before bcoming pliable?

And one question that's been really bugging me: Dee-cal or deh-cal?

[cksh]

Along those lines, decal questions. They're still pretty much "soak in water until pliable, then slide off onto plastic", right? How much soak time do Hasagawa decals need before bcoming pliable?

And one question that's been really bugging me: Dee-cal or deh-cal?

Yes, still soak in water. The warmer the water the faster they come off the backing. If the water is cold it could take a couple minutes. If the water is warm it could be 30 seconds. And you have to take into account the size of decal as well.

[HWR MKII]

in the case of tamiya and hasegawa decals you want to use almost HOT water. It helps the decal stretch and conform more. Once its in place and you have got it on good let it set for a bit and take a paper towel dabbed in scalding hot water and press it on the decal. this will get it down more. Then apply your setting solutions,

[SchizophrenicMC]

Along those lines, decal questions. They're still pretty much "soak in water until pliable, then slide off onto plastic", right? How much soak time do Hasagawa decals need before bcoming pliable?

And one question that's been really bugging me: Dee-cal or deh-cal?

Dee-cal.

Also Cksh is right. It shouldn't take a lot of time.

[CrusherJ]

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.

Ok thanks! I've got another question about acrylic paints. I bought tamiya acrylic paint and it's very watery. It works fine for flat surfaces, but for things like the landing gear, propeller and other small, rounded parts it's hard to get it to stay because it's so watery and dripping off. Is it supposed to be this way or is there something I'm doing (or not) that's causing it? I'm storing them in my garage which gets pretty cold now, does that make a difference?

[Vifam7]

Post moved to appropriate section

Edited November 3, 2009 by Vifam7

[Chronocidal]

Ok thanks! I've got another question about acrylic paints. I bought tamiya acrylic paint and it's very watery. It works fine for flat surfaces, but for things like the landing gear, propeller and other small, rounded parts it's hard to get it to stay because it's so watery and dripping off. Is it supposed to be this way or is there something I'm doing (or not) that's causing it? I'm storing them in my garage which gets pretty cold now, does that make a difference?

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.

[PetarB]

Dee-cal.

I disagree: depends where you live.

Anyway... I'm going to knock up some Macross figure studies in 1/48 scale over the weekend. When I have something to show, I'll start a thread!

Edited November 6, 2009 by PetarB

[BlueMax]

I disagree: depends where you live.

Anyway... I'm going to knock up some Macross figure studies in 1/48 scale over the weekend. When I have something to show, I'll start a thread!

I believe there is also quite a bit of demand for 1/60 scale figures. Would really be nice if you are willing to make them

[CF18]

Hobby Japan Jan 2010

[gwfalcon]

Hobby Japan Jan 2010

Thx 4 sharing the pix.

Just notice the nose is SO SO SO Long...

Hope the head is complete (it is too frustrated when I opened the box of Hase 1/72 1D kit and saw the 3/4 1D head)

Edited November 26, 2009 by gwfalcon

[Ignacio Ocamica]

This is going to be so fun to build!!!

Thanks for the bigger scan.

[cool8or]

Nothing special yet, I'll stay waiting...

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Nothing special yet, I'll stay waiting...

The 1/48 hasn't touched your heart yet Ruben??

You are among the modelers I'm waiting to see all the love, attention and details that can be put on this 1/48!!!

[Ranger565]

Its nice but as of looking at those unfinished pics in the mag. Its missing some Serious Detail in a 1/48 scale kit. IT needs LOTS of work. More work then the Tommy.

[Parker Midwinter]

Its nice but as of looking at those unfinished pics in the mag. Its missing some Serious Detail in a 1/48 scale kit. IT needs LOTS of work. More work then the Tommy.

yea, it looks that way, but the 1/48th YF-19 didn't look too hot in the early pics either... i just hope someone comes out with a super-detailing set for this one