DYRL VF-1 WIP

[claude grant]

2 copies of the next "Gold Book" please !

[JET7]

@danbrickell,

just dont sell the book to michael bay ok?

[danbickell]

For those of you who requested it...

The 1/24 VF-1S head is now available for purchase at my new Shapeways shop:

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/bickellbuilt

[GMK]

For those of you who requested it...

The 1/24 VF-1S head is now available for purchase at my new Shapeways shop:

http://www.shapeways.com/shops/bickellbuilt

Wow - thanks Dan. Any plans for an A head?

[danbickell]

Wow - thanks Dan. Any plans for an A head?

Of course! That will most likely be next on the list. If a few of the S heads sell, that should give me the funds to try the A head.

I've mostly been working on sub-d versions of the nose and cockpit parts, and much of that is ready to print, but those parts are going to be a lot more expensive than the heads. I don't imagine that I could likely sell enough heads to fund a whole nose section. We'll see...

[GMK]

Of course! That will most likely be next on the list. If a few of the S heads sell, that should give me the funds to try the A head.

I've mostly been working on sub-d versions of the nose and cockpit parts, and much of that is ready to print, but those parts are going to be a lot more expensive than the heads. I don't imagine that I could likely sell enough heads to fund a whole nose section. We'll see...

Looks like I need to start saving for the nose! Much better idea than my vacform one.

I may be able to help with the nose too.

[Zinjo]

For those of you who requested it...

The 1/24 VF-1S head is now available for purchase at my new Shapeways shop:

http://www.shapeways...ps/bickellbuilt

Sweet!

You know what I've always wanted to do was get 1/7 scale macross flight helmets to paint and display from the various series'.

I think that this process of modelling might be what I've been waiting for. I initially thought resin would do, but that can be such a messy process.

SDFM = 4 different paint styles

Mac II - 4 paint styles

Mac Plus = 2 Types

Mac 7 = 6 (maybe more) types

Mac F = 2 Types and about 4 paint styles

SDFM-1st = New type and I suspect the same paint styles as the OS.

Hmm, makes a person think....

[Kurisama]

Hey Dan - where is my J-Type head!?!!?

[Mommar]

He's doing DYRL Valks and there was no J-Type.

[Kurisama]

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

As a fellow 3D artist, Dan - I ask.. nay DEMAND you make a J-type.

*Makes magic spirit finger gestures at screen*

MAKE IT SO!

*Poot*

Edited September 11, 2012 by Kurisama

[Vi-RS]

He's doing DYRL Valks and there was no J-Type.

I'm pretty sure that I saw the Armored VF-1J appeared for 3 seconds in Dyrl.

[SchizophrenicMC]

He's doing DYRL Valks and there was no J-Type.

Our very own Mr March disagrees

In other news, Dan's VF-1 is Deculture. It is every bit of deculture ever. That there ever was or ever will be. Yakk.

Edited September 11, 2012 by SchizophrenicMC

[Mommar]

I guess Vi-RS has just made a lot more work for Dan.

[danbickell]

I totally want to do a J head! I've been working on a sub-d version of the A head recently, since that is already modeled and another head is the only thing I'm likely to be able to afford to print in the near future.

Of course, a DYRL J head would be kinda pointless without GBP armor (and DYRL GBP armor without the missile packs on the sides of the legs, and yellow-tipped missiles, of course!). Ugg... think about the thousands of $$$$ it would cost to print 1/24 GBP armor...

I just got the email notification last night for my first Shapeways sale last night. If there have been any other sales, I don't know about them yet because the Shapeways site has been getting revamped and the sales info is busted. I need to sell at least 2 more S heads before I would have funds to try another head. I'd have to sell a whole lot more before I could afford to tackle any of the bigger parts.

Somebody remind me to buy lottery tickets this week...

[Mommar]

Lottery tickets and more 3D models this week...

[EXO]

need update!!!

[danbickell]

Wish I had something new to update with!!!

My motivation took a dive when my unemployment ran out and I can no longer afford to move forward with printing any of this. I was hoping some Shapeways sales might be just enough to keep it going piece by piece, but that hasn't panned out. A few people have privately contacted me about helping out with some partial funding, but I don't feel particularly good about the idea. Hopefully I'll get some income sorted out in the near future, and get past that stress and get this moving again.

[Kurisama]

Sorry to hear that Dan - I'm in the same boat too, my contract runs out in a few weeks then its the unknown until feb next year - and even then, a maybe?

Sucks dude - I hope u get more sales or funding from somewhere!

Kickstarter?

[Mommar]

Wish I had something new to update with!!!

My motivation took a dive when my unemployment ran out and I can no longer afford to move forward with printing any of this. I was hoping some Shapeways sales might be just enough to keep it going piece by piece, but that hasn't panned out. A few people have privately contacted me about helping out with some partial funding, but I don't feel particularly good about the idea. Hopefully I'll get some income sorted out in the near future, and get past that stress and get this moving again.

Oh man, that's rough. I totally understand. I had a hard enough time continuing with any activities when I was still on unemployment, to say nothing of it running out. I hope things turn around soon. Keep at it bro.

[infosys_ms]

Hi there,

Great work! Love the engineering detail. I must say I'm jealous of your vernier thrusters.

check out mine.

http://maxharddrive.blogspot.com/

I have been working on it for 12 years and finally got around to finishing. Or close to finishing now that I see your work. I am going back to reference pics to add detail now I'll never finish.

Mine is based on the 1/55 toy, the cartoon, and a f-14. It does transform and every thing. I'll post that soon.

keep up the good work!!

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I need an update like a drugaddict needs his drugs.

[Big]

Wow, superb work!

Can't wait to see the whole valkyrie!

[AngelBird4]

Dan--

Got a question for you about resolving the back third of the fuselage, from the upward slant of the canopy frame on back.

I keep plugging away and creating new problems for myself, just been some time since I've subd modeled hard surfaces, but I can't quite go back to polys on this...

Edit is a more recent image of the mesh's trouble areas, if you have any time to give a pointer that'd be great. The smoothing I was hoping for, resolving that angle never really happened. Don't even get me started on the front sensor pod, that's been its own set of fun.

Also (and really most important), hoping the employment resolves itself right soon and that momentum and motivation return. This thread's been really inspiring, and plenty of just plain coolness.

Now turning your thread back over to you (I'll get off my duff and start my own when I think it's worthy)

Best,

/D

Edited November 25, 2012 by AngelBird4

[lochness]

This is a beautiful job Dan. Sorry to hear about the unemployment, I've been there too many times to count. For me it comes with just working in the VFX industry. Anyway, I hope you find something soon and keep working on this because it is really too good to let it waste away.

[danbickell]

Heh, way to get me to dig out the model and have a look at it!

That spot at the back of the canopy is a tricky area, and more geometry will certainly help smooth it out. However, the basic shape you start from wants to be smoother anyway, so you don't have so much of a kink in the shape there. I looks like you're trying to have the canopy frame nearly vertical there, rather than following the curve of the rest of the nose, and that's where the trouble is coming from. Here's your image with some of my own lines and arrows (in green):

And here are a couple of screen grabs of that area on my model (with the subdivisions off so as not to smooth over the problem with geometry):

You can see that there is a little kink in there, but it isn't nearly as severe. The cut-in panel lines can help it out as well, so I planned for the bend to line up with with those panel joints. The real key here is that the canopy frame is a continuation of the curves where it meets the fuselage. I like to model stuff like this starting as one surface (the canopy frame included), and then cut out the canopy frame from that smooth continuous surface once I'm happy with the shape.

Due to the problems with it as a 2d design being fleshed out in 3d, there is bound to be trouble areas like this, but you can use the separations between different parts (or even different panels on the same part) to contain any surface oddities. The majority of the bending is happening on my canopy frame, where it is contained to small areas, which happen to be dark).

The Hasegawa 1/48 kits actually come with 2 different canopies, and the way that they follow (or don't follow) the contours of the nose is the biggest difference. In both cases, they have simplified the design so that it is not quite like the detailed DYRL drawings, though.

As for that part at the front of the canopy, I just think you need to get rid of that notch altogether (it isn't on any of the original design versions).

[Azagoth]

Awesome work, Dan. Been following it for some time. Thanks for being an inspiration for me

[AngelBird4]

Dan, short version: thank you!

Not sure what I was thinking in keeping that rear frame piece close to vertical.

I'm following the :48 valkyrie mostly because I can grab the calipers and go to town as I need to, create some of my own drawings from it. I think 90%+ of my reference (which I have a lot of and I'm sure i'll cringe at some of my decisions when I look closely) is in storage right now; sucks but there it is. So I'm a bit too dependent on the kit and not on looking through the concept drawings and sorting out the design and intent v/what's easy for model engineering.

Thanks again for this, may not have a chance to revisit til year's end, but great to get your input and get the energy for this back up.

[GMK]

Just a bump Dan - this is too good for page 2.

[mechaninac]

And here I thought new content had been posted...

[Lestat]

After several years of absence, I run back into Macrossworld and find this. As a 3D animator, I can really appreciate the insane amount of time which has gone into this. Looks fantastic.

[Mommar]

Yeah, I thought there was a new update too. I really wanted to see this thing completed.

[the white drew carey]

In my search for 3D models to use as references, I have spent time perusing this thread, and not just looking at the pretty pictures. It is actually really cool to watch the history of this thing play out.

That head is too damn cool. Too bad my wife won't let me spend $100 on something like that... yet.

[erikos0311]

Great great stuff here!! Im thinking of creating a little piggy bank for the purchase of one of the VF-1S heads... ! Danbickell, ever think of using shapeways to do just the cockpit in a size that can fit and match the Toynami Hikaru 12 inch doll??

I would totally be in for one!! I have been playing around with the idea of scratch building one for my hikaru doll, but if you can get the full cockpit/seat/canopy made, that would totally rock!!!

my hats of to you sir on this work of art!!

[danbickell]

Great great stuff here!! Im thinking of creating a little piggy bank for the purchase of one of the VF-1S heads... ! Danbickell, ever think of using shapeways to do just the cockpit in a size that can fit and match the Toynami Hikaru 12 inch doll??

I would totally be in for one!! I have been playing around with the idea of scratch building one for my hikaru doll, but if you can get the full cockpit/seat/canopy made, that would totally rock!!!

my hats of to you sir on this work of art!!

Thanks!

Yeah, I often daydreamed about getting the cockpit printed in at least 1/12 scale. 1/6 would be crazy expensive though...

I've been employed for the past 7 months now, trying something a little different from game development. I'm modeling for a marketing firm, mostly military/aerospace products. I'm getting to work on some really exciting stuff, but can't talk much about it, of course. So, I'm making great money again, but have very little free time these days. It's always one or the other, it seems...

Been in the mood big-time to revisit the VF-1 model, but haven't had anything resembling a chance. Best I can do is visit the site here (in the office, held up on my work waiting for a programmer to do his thing).

I still have only had 1 sale of the VF-1S head to date, though it just got a nice review posted recently on Shapeways. Don't know if it was the same guy who purchased last year and just got around to it now, but there was never a 2nd sale that would correspond to the review.

I do have a 4-day weekend coming up. Maybe I will get a chance to dust off the model and move forward some.

Thanks for the continued interest, guys! I'm not dead (yet)...

[Valkyrie addict]

wait....how in the f*ck did I miss such awesome epicness going on here for 2 damn years!??????

ok, first of all.

- I'm very happy you are back on your feet, sounds like hard work but it's better than no work, congratulations! You will eventually have the time to revisit your VF-1 model and we'll all be here drooling.

- I'm trying right now to learn how to use 3DS Max and seeing what you are doing is just mindblowing and inspirational, you got real talent and if i can learn about 1/3rd of what you are capable, I'll be very pleased with myself.

- I did not know of your Shapeway 1/24 VF-1S head, I had heard mentions of it but I always assumed it was a scratch built, not a 3d model print, very impressive. I find odd that only 1 person has bought one. This dumb Yamato frenzy has let me dry, but I promise I will order one as soon as I can.

I still can't believe how incredible your stuff if, keep it up! ^_^