Five Star Stories Reboot

[Aye Aye]

Just trying to bring this thing back to see if others have completed/bought or were interested in the 1/100 Volks IMS line for FSS. I just finally picked up the massive L.E.D. Mirage V3 Napalm MH. Looking forward to tackling this thing. The sad thing is, outside of Japan there is like no interest in this series or the outstanding mecha designs. I have always admired them, but was not about to drop the serious dough on the resin kits. Wish there were a few build WIPs out there on this kit. Did notice that IM eventually will be getting a K.O.G., which is great news as well, though I have not heard anything resembling a release date of the kit.

Also wondering, now that the manga actually has resumed if there is some active fan translations out there.

[Big s]

I have started working on the frame for the bang and love the detail. When I was at the anime expo they had the whole line at the volks booth built on display, the even had the two 1/144 scale kits and even those look fantastic.

[electric indigo]

I have the 1/100 IMS Vatshu, and while the tooling wasn't 100% at the time (some flash and quite large pouring channels at delicate edges), the sculpt is excellent.

[captain america]

They've really come a long way with the plastic FSS kits, to the point that I consider the plastic versions to be superior in many respects compared to their resin counterparts. The fact that a lot of the Vatshu's armor plates are separate adds an element of detail and realism that the molded-all-in-1-piece resin parts just couldn't convey.

[Aye Aye]

I have started working on the frame for the bang and love the detail. When I was at the anime expo they had the whole line at the volks booth built on display, the even had the two 1/144 scale kits and even those look fantastic.

Nice. I recently sent over an email to Volks asking on when the release of the IMS 1/100 K.O.G. would arrive, received the expected reply: "no release date...check our FB page for the announcement." Considering that the lead up time for the LED Mirage V3 was significant, I wonder if, based on what they have learned, if the K.O.G. Is nearing completion now, or maybe another year away..,.hmm. Do have say the molds, the details, are quite nice, especially the inner frame - WOW! Edited August 2, 2016 by Aye Aye

[Aye Aye]

I have the 1/100 IMS Vatshu, and while the tooling wasn't 100% at the time (some flash and quite large pouring channels at delicate edges), the sculpt is excellent.

Good to know on some of what to expect on the LED. Os that your current progress on your Vatshu? How is the alignment as well as the amount of gluing to expect? Also planning on painting it or straight build?

They've really come a long way with the plastic FSS kits, to the point that I consider the plastic versions to be superior in many respects compared to their resin counterparts. The fact that a lot of the Vatshu's armor plates are separate adds an element of detail and realism that the molded-all-in-1-piece resin parts just couldn't convey.

I agree completely. The level of detail is quite nice on these kits. I wish there was a bit more articulation though, kind of bringing a bit of gunpla into FSS.

[electric indigo]

I will definitely paint the Vatshu, but the kit is not near the top of my stash atm. Part fit is quite good, but not on Bandai's shake-n-bake level. You will have to clean a lot of molding seams and pouring gates on the parts if you want the polished look of a Mortar Headd.

Since the Vatshu was one of the earlier releases, Volks might have improved the quality in the meantime.

[Big s]

The bang has some of those issues also, but I do hear that they improved greatly on the releases starting from the led mirage inferno napalm. The small scale kits look great as well and I think it was pointed out earlier on this thread that the small vatshu kit has an improved look and their votoms plastic kits all look great.

The terror mirage will probably be my next fss kit, although I am very curious about the 1/144 kits but haven't heard from any owners or seen a review.

[Aye Aye]

I will definitely paint the Vatshu, but the kit is not near the top of my stash atm. Part fit is quite good, but not on Bandai's shake-n-bake level. You will have to clean a lot of molding seams and pouring gates on the parts if you want the polished look of a Mortar Headd.

Since the Vatshu was one of the earlier releases, Volks might have improved the quality in the meantime.

Tell me about it: the stash. Ugh. I am right now in that mode where I literally want to do like 5 kits at once, which in essence means you're sitting around thinking about modeling and not doing much. MG Sinanju is what I have going right now.

The bang has some of those issues also, but I do hear that they improved greatly on the releases starting from the led mirage inferno napalm. The small scale kits look great as well and I think it was pointed out earlier on this thread that the small vatshu kit has an improved look and their votoms plastic kits all look great.

The terror mirage will probably be my next fss kit, although I am very curious about the 1/144 kits but haven't heard from any owners or seen a review.

That's the thing I find frustrating about the FSS kits, the lack of sweet completed builds to give you an idea of the details, or inspiration on the paint scheme, etc. I would take it there is probably plenty of nice builds and thorough review on .jp sites, but pretty sparse on English sites. When I get going on the LED I will be posting the crap out of it. Though I think maybe it might be worth snagging one of the 1/144 IMS' and take a peek at what they're all about.

[Aye Aye]

Ok a couple weeks back I received the MAMOUTH L.E.D. Mirage V3 Napalm IMS kit. Man this thing is a beast. I am currently painting another Sinanju for myself right now, so after that will need to wait and see if I want to tackle this massive thing. I do have a question if anyone knows...I read on one of the forums regarding the ability to polish up the translucent outer armor of so it has more transparency, similar to the reason kits. Not sure if that is fact or fiction, but curious if anyone around has heard of this being possible. There is not a whole lot of painted builds to view (searchable from English sites that is).

[captain america]

The armor of the resin LED Mirage kit was cast in clear resin: it looked translucent because it had a slightly rough (satin) surface finish. Therefore, all one had to do was polish the surface and/or add a cleat-coat to make it clear again. The IMS kit is actually molded from milky white plastic, so no amount of polishing will increase its transparency.

Also, be cautious when working with the translucent IMS parts, especially when separating them from the sprue: avoid twisting or cutting with pliers too close to the part, or it will leave an opaque white blemish. You may also want to look into using CA or white wood glue on the parts, as regular styrene cement can cause the plastic to turn yellow.

[Big s]

The ca may cloud the parts more. I think a gloss coat or future dip will help with some minor blemishes, but it will still be clear white. Try experimenting on a piece of sprue before doing it on that big expensive kit.

[captain america]

The ca may cloud the parts more.

In a highly humid environment that's possible. Adequate ventilation will allow the cyanide to escape without depositing on the part, and you can also use tape to cover unglued surfaces as a precaution. I only recommend the CA glue for parts like the heels and the fanny anchor on the LED's butt because those parts are load-bearing. All the others pretty much mount on the frame, and that can be done with wood glue.

It's possible that some cements like Tamiya extra-thin will yellow the plastic less, but it takes up to a year for discoloration to take effect so it depends on how lucky you're feeling.

[electric indigo]

A word of warning: I have a bottle of old wood glue and that turns yellow as well...

[captain america]

A word of warning: I have a bottle of old wood glue and that turns yellow as well...

The glue may yellow ever-so-slightly over time, but does not affect or yellow the styrene like cement because it's not a solvent. The translucent armor mounted to the frame is glued from behind with a tiny amount of glue, so shouldn't show. The other advantage is that if you change your mind or want to remove the armor, the glue can be removed with your fingernails, leaving the plastic unblemished.

[Darth Mingus]

wrong thread

Edited July 1, 2019 by Darth Mingus

[captain america]

New video unboxing of the Knight of Gold IMS kit from Volks. Unlike the LED Mirage, it looks like they're offering the "lite" version first (ceremonial val balah). Presumably the buster launcher version will come later.

 

 

[no3Ljm]

51 minutes ago, captain america said:

New video unboxing of the Knight of Gold IMS kit from Volks. Unlike the LED Mirage, it looks like they're offering the "lite" version first (ceremonial val balah). Presumably the buster launcher version will come later.

 

 

That’s cool. How usually big is a 1/100 scale of FFS kit against traditional 1/100 gunplas?

 

[captain america]

17 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

That’s cool. How usually big is a 1/100 scale of FFS kit against traditional 1/100 gunplas?

 

Depends on the Mortar Headd, and the time at which the kits were made. Older kits (late 80's) were much smaller. In the case of this Knight of Gold, the kit is about 27-28cm to the top of the head.

[no3Ljm]

2 hours ago, captain america said:

Depends on the Mortar Headd, and the time at which the kits were made. Older kits (late 80's) were much smaller. In the case of this Knight of Gold, the kit is about 27-28cm to the top of the head.

Thanks Cap! 

[no3Ljm]

On 10/25/2020 at 2:30 PM, captain america said:

Depends on the Mortar Headd, and the time at which the kits were made. Older kits (late 80's) were much smaller. In the case of this Knight of Gold, the kit is about 27-28cm to the top of the head.

So I browsed some 1/100 resin kit and old IMS released kits online and noticed that at 1/100 these are huge mechas compared to a standard 1/100 RX-78. I'm really not that into kits lately but I do like the designs of Wolke Schätze and Junchoon (First Sally Type) since they resemble Nagano's L-Gaim MkII and L-Gaim respectively. So the way that Volks releases IMS 1/100 and 1/144 scale kits sporadically, in the hopes that they will cover all of FSS designs, I will wait for those two.

 

[Darth Mingus]

On 10/25/2020 at 4:16 PM, captain america said:

New video unboxing of the Knight of Gold IMS kit from Volks. Unlike the LED Mirage, it looks like they're offering the "lite" version first (ceremonial val balah). Presumably the buster launcher version will come later.

 

 

Thanks for posting.  I hope this kit is widely available.  I have the LED Mirage (without the Napalm pack) and I was looking forward to this one.  The announcement of this kit came out of nowhere.  My only concern about this kit, which the video did not answer, is the sever orange peel effect that was present on the Bang Doll.  I think they have refined their injection molding process, but it would be a lot of work to make this kit look good if there are surface imperfections.

11 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

So the way that Volks releases IMS 1/100 and 1/144 scale kits sporadically, in the hopes that they will cover all of FSS designs, I will wait for those two.

You have a long wait.  The KOG is probably the most popular design and they waited until now to release it.

[captain america]

12 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

So I browsed some 1/100 resin kit and old IMS released kits online and noticed that at 1/100 these are huge mechas compared to a standard 1/100 RX-78. I'm really not that into kits lately but I do like the designs of Wolke Schätze and Junchoon (First Sally Type) since they resemble Nagano's L-Gaim MkII and L-Gaim respectively. So the way that Volks releases IMS 1/100 and 1/144 scale kits sporadically, in the hopes that they will cover all of FSS designs, I will wait for those two.

 

The Junchoon First Sally Type design dates back to the late 80's and is no longer "fashionable." Nagano loves to retcon his own designs, and Junchoon has been replaced with the Engage. Your chances of ever seeing the former in plastic are essentially nil.

As for rough surface texture on the Volks IMS kits, the Bang and Vatshu were the worst, but they were also the first of the series. The LED and Terror which I have are both nice & smooth, and I think it's fair to presume that the new kits will be at the same level, and perhaps a smidge better.

One thing I'll want to confirm is the alleged softness of the detail, which the video's author points out as being inferior to the resin kit. I suspect that his impression may simply come from the translucency of the kit's plastic. The IMS LED is every bit as good as its resin counterpart.

[no3Ljm]

3 hours ago, Darth Mingus said:

You have a long wait.  The KOG is probably the most popular design and they waited until now to release it.

3 hours ago, captain america said:

The Junchoon First Sally Type design dates back to the late 80's and is no longer "fashionable." Nagano loves to retcon his own designs, and Junchoon has been replaced with the Engage. Your chances of ever seeing the former in plastic are essentially nil.

As for rough surface texture on the Volks IMS kits, the Bang and Vatshu were the worst, but they were also the first of the series. The LED and Terror which I have are both nice & smooth, and I think it's fair to presume that the new kits will be at the same level, and perhaps a smidge better.

One thing I'll want to confirm is the alleged softness of the detail, which the video's author points out as being inferior to the resin kit. I suspect that his impression may simply come from the translucency of the kit's plastic. The IMS LED is every bit as good as its resin counterpart.

Thanks guys for the feedback. I really appreciate it since I didn't own any FSS kits. And the only knowledge I have of those prior is that they are all resin kits which I'm honestly admit that I'm not a big fan to begin with. I always want something that moves somehow and not just a static pose esp for a mecha. 

I really don't mind the long wait if ever. FSS is really not a priority for me nor completing what's available at this point. But knowing that Nagano did it somehow 'design-connected' to his Heavy Metal L-Gaim series (Mk I & II), I like to give it a try for those two that I mentioned.  

 

[captain america]

Trust me, if you get a Mortar Headd kit, you'll want it t be static. They have so many frilly, fiddly parts on them and were designed seemingly without a care for the laws of physics or gravity. The Volks IMS series has superb detail, but they're old-school type kits that require actual building/painting skills; they aren't Master Grade Kinder Egg toys masquerading as model kits. 

I found some older pics of MH builds to provide a size comparison.

[no3Ljm]

1 hour ago, captain america said:

Trust me, if you get a Mortar Headd kit, you'll want it t be static. They have so many frilly, fiddly parts on them and were designed seemingly without a care for the laws of physics or gravity. The Volks IMS series has superb detail, but they're old-school type kits that require actual building/painting skills; they aren't Master Grade Kinder Egg toys masquerading as model kits. 

I found some older pics of MH builds to provide a size comparison.

Thanks Cap for sharing these. I appreciate the FSS more.

Looking the one with Sazabi, those FSS are the 1/100 scale, right? They're big. And the chrome looking one, it looks awesome.  

And based from the looks of this design, I agree that it should be static pose. Hoping somehow to have it pose aside from just standing would be nice. Like I said, I'm not familiar with this kits, but it really would be nice if it's articulated in a way that if I were to leave it in one fix pose, hopefully the pose I want is doable and it's not limited to just standing.

By the way, last question. Are you or anyone familiar with the Kaiyodo FSS figure releases? And if so, how big they are compared to any?

Thank you once again. 

 

[captain america]

14 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

 

By the way, last question. Are you or anyone familiar with the Kaiyodo FSS figure releases? And if so, how big they are compared to any?

 

 

FSS figures or Mortar Headds? Kaiyodo have produced a shitload of them over the last 33 years.

[no3Ljm]

14 minutes ago, captain america said:

FSS figures or Mortar Headds? Kaiyodo have produced a shitload of them over the last 33 years.

Mortar Headds.

[Darth Mingus]

Those were released in the 1999 and they are tiny, maybe 5 inches tall, max.  There were three released, the knight of gold above, the empress flame, and the Led Mirage.  They are supposed to be 1/144 scale, but they feel smaller than that.  The are "poseable", but don't expect anything other than basic moving or arms and legs (think Kenner Star Wars action figures from the 80s, maybe less articulation).  These designs are so intricate there really is not a lot of room for joints on these things.

The images below are from Mandarake, so you can still find these available ont he secondary market.  I personally don't own these, but I do have the limited edition unpainted versions.

Wave produced a series of kits in the past that used basic polycaps for limited articulation.  Those were OK, but think 1980s style gunpla.  Lots of paint, seamline removal and glue to make them look ... interesting.  FSS fandom is a pain filled pursuit, especially if you grew up in the 80s when you would occasionally get the Hobby Japan Mooks that filled your head with these awesome looking model kits, only to find they were unavailable back then, and astronomical now.

Volks did release poseable resin kits (part of the MMS series) but those are long out of print.  The HSGK series is still available, however, they are really expensive.

I went through my collection of links for FSS and the majority of them are now dead (thanks Yahoo Japan!)...  The best resource for FSS information is the Gundam Eclipse forum where it went from a mega thread to a whole section on the site.  http://gundameclipse.net/the-five-star-stories-area-f47/

 

 

[no3Ljm]

7 minutes ago, Darth Mingus said:

Those were released in the 1999 and they are tiny, maybe 5 inches tall, max.  There were three released, the knight of gold above, the empress flame, and the Led Mirage.  They are supposed to be 1/144 scale, but they feel smaller than that.  The are "poseable", but don't expect anything other than basic moving or arms and legs (think Kenner Star Wars action figures from the 80s, maybe less articulation).  These designs are so intricate there really is not a lot of room for joints on these things.

The images below are from Mandarake, so you can still find these available ont he secondary market.  I personally don't own these, but I do have the limited edition unpainted versions.

Wave produced a series of kits in the past that used basic polycaps for limited articulation.  Those were OK, but think 1980s style gunpla.  Lots of paint, seamline removal and glue to make them look ... interesting.  FSS fandom is a pain filled pursuit, especially if you grew up in the 80s when you would occasionally get the Hobby Japan Mooks that filled your head with these awesome looking model kits, only to find they were unavailable back then, and astronomical now.

Volks did release poseable resin kits (part of the MMS series) but those are long out of print.  The HSGK series is still available, however, they are really expensive.

I went through my collection of links for FSS and the majority of them are now dead (thanks Yahoo Japan!)...  The best resource for FSS information is the Gundam Eclipse forum where it went from a mega thread to a whole section on the site.  http://gundameclipse.net/the-five-star-stories-area-f47/

 

 

Thanks @Darth Mingus! So these figures can be like a desktop display. And at that size (5+/- inches) I think that's good enough to display it beside my RD L-Gaims. But then, the two Mortar Headds that I kind of like is not included in this line. But then KOG and the Mirage looks amazing as well.

Thank you for the link. I really appreciate it. I'll think about this Volks kit and see if I should try to buy a released one and see if it's my cup of tea.

Thank you again guys for sharing all this insightful comments! 

 

[captain america]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Thanks @Darth Mingus! So these figures can be like a desktop display. And at that size (5+/- inches) I think that's good enough to display it beside my RD L-Gaims. But then, the two Mortar Headds that I kind of like is not included in this line. But then KOG and the Mirage looks amazing as well.

The down side to those figures, other than being small and not particularly posable is the price. I don't think you'll find one (other than used) for less than $120. Five Star Stories doesn't cater to the casual fan.

[no3Ljm]

2 minutes ago, captain america said:

The down side to those figures, other than being small and not particularly posable is the price. I don't think you'll find one (other than used) for less than $120. Five Star Stories doesn't cater to the casual fan.

Hey Cap. I was just browsing Mandarake and it looks like there were a bunches of used Mirage for Y6000/7000. However, KOG is not available anymore. eBay has it in $100+ range. I'm still really on the fence on these Kaiyodo figures since Mirage and KOG weren't my priorities. I might wait for Volks to release it even though it will be awhile but atleast it's the ones that I really want. But if I can't wait, then I might bite and see that Mirage and if it looks great displayed along with the RD L-Gaim Mk I & II that I have.

 

[electric indigo]

Not the First Sally Type, but there's a beautiful brand new GK of the Late Junchoon around:

http://ourtreasure.co.jp/製品一覧/ジュノーン/

Just drool over the pics and don't look at the price...

[captain america]

That looks an awful lot like Ikushima's Junchoon 2989 with the addition of a Peidoll spire.

[electric indigo]

It's a new sculpt, the WSC proportions are quite different: