Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[coronadlux]

Awesome Lathe. It's going to get you going in the right direction for your custom work.

[Jefuemon]

Washing time

[505thAirborne]

Starting to get some where with my Tomcat.

[MechTech]

Thanks guys, the lathe is a blessing and worth the ten year wait!

I'm gonna have to get some of that wash Jefuemon, that's coming along great.

With the Tomcats gone the way of the Dodo, I'm glad to see you're building one 505th - and with a Macross Zero twist! Looking great so far! Which pilots are those? - MT

[505thAirborne]

Hey MT, yeah its always sad to know our girl got retired ahead of time. A Macross twist indeed and as for the pilots I got really really lucky. Probably the one seller I would recommend off Ebay "Daedalus Attack"

emailed me and said he had 1/48 scale brass Macross pilots from the Club-M kit. They're probably a recast (Sorry I used the evil word) but their detail when painted, especially the helmets are really good. However

getting them to fit properly in the cockpit is requiring some surgery on the control panels.

Edited March 23, 2013 by 505thAirborne

[Benson13]

Ebay's Daedalus Attack is Valk009 here on the forums right?

[MechTech]

Thanks 505th! That's cool to know. - MT

[505thAirborne]

Ebay's Daedalus Attack is Valk009 here on the forums right?

Hmmm, not sure he might be. A while ago he told me he might have more of these pilots so when I saw them this time around... yoink, Buy it now!

[PetarB]

Hey MechTec, congrats on the lathe. I have a Sieg baby lathe. I really should have gone all out and purchased a Sherline, they're a great product. I've turned lots of 1/72 items on it, in brass and aluminium. Very fun, but easy to stuff up a bit of work at this scale! The only problem with buying a lathe is that as soon as you do, you realise all the other accessories you'll want to purchase or make, like a ball cutter, taper, etc...

[MechTech]

_{Thanks Petar! I ALMOST got the SIEG baby lathe. Then I read about the issues people had. The price was tempting though. I got the Micro Mark Micro (not Mini) mill which I'm sure is also a SIEG and you can tell the differnce in construction. The mill is looser (but solid) in the middle of the Y direction, but very tight on either end showing how much off the tapers are. The Sherline is smooth as butter and I can't believe something can turn that true on a machine! The actions are smooth as butter. All the accesories were the other reason. I got their rotary table which is the best in its size and price range. It too is rock solid (and seven pounds - 14 kilos). I can't look at their accesories catalog without mentally drooling. The machine finsish is very profesional too. The good news, I have a lathe and mill now so I can make some of my own tooling. I already built a micro fly cutter for the mill with the mill. The historical part, the machine originates in Australlia mate! - MT}

[505thAirborne]

I have a long way to go, but heres the beginning of my VT-1/VF-1D inspired Macross Tomcat.

[MechTech]

That looks cool 505th! My eight year old officially approves The pilots came out great. The "back seat driver" seems to be saying, "I'm going to punch you if you don't cut that crap out!" - or - "I wish I had a beer!" - MT

[sbantonelli]

Huh, I never realized the VF-1's were based on the Tomcat. Thanks for illuminating me and great job.

[Kelsain]

Is that a 1/48 tomcat aside a 1/60 VT-1? Or are those both 1/72? I know the VF-1 is little, but that's crazy if they're the same scale!

[505thAirborne]

Thanks everyone, thats a 1/48 scale Tommy next to a 1/60 VT-1.

@MT Your son has excellent taste, then again he takes after dear old Dad with a 6ft Daedalus in the house, if I had a tiny Pacifico or Blue Moon beer bottle I would put in the RIO's hand.

[505thAirborne]

Time to stop test fitting and start gluing her together, plus putty and touch up.

Metal Landing gear, resin tires & resin Drop tanks as well are also being prepped.

Edited March 26, 2013 by 505thAirborne

[Myersjessee]

Tomcat looks amazing!

[Chronocidal]

Might be a really stupid question, because I think it only can go on one direction.. but.. do you have the nosecone on upside-down? It just looks droopy for some reason, could be a side effect of the tape over the joint.

[505thAirborne]

I thought it was upside down too at one point, sadly its a "quality" Monogram kit and that nosecone is off a bit (Bad mold). The next time I make a F-14 kit I'm spending the extra $$$ and getting a Hasegawa kit. I tried to straighten it out a little bit so its not as droopy.

[Chronocidal]

Yeah, thought I recognized the mold. I've built a couple of those over the years, don't remember the nose being that off before though.

I made it a mission to pick up at least one of every 1/48 F-14 mold out there for comparison, and they all have their ups and downs. Hasegawa gets definite points for their cockpit details, but in terms of mold quality and ease of assembly, I'd actually have to say the old Fujimi kits are even better. Don't recall if they had engraved details, and don't think the cockpit was anything fancy, but that was absolutely the most clean and simple fuselage assembly I'd ever seen on an F-14. Could have glued the whole thing in one sitting, and barely have to sand anything.

I really should dig those out and work on them, but I just don't have room to display them in my current place. I usually wind up finishing sub-assemblies and cockpits, and chucking the kits back in the box for later.

Edited March 27, 2013 by Chronocidal

[MechTech]

Go Monogram (or better yet, don't ) That's coming along nicely 505th! I don't get out of the modelling threads much, but I was just reading back in the "when did you first discover Macross thread (or something like that) and noticed you mentioned Pony Toy Go Round (LA) back in the 80's. I loved that place man! I mentioned it in my comments, but do you remember them having a 1/200 Monster kit finished and painted with a parot like face on it? I wish I had a photo because I loved that paint job! Not to mention all the other awesome anime kits in there! It was worth almost getting killed when we drove into the BAD part of LA! We drove through what looked like the set of a holocaust movie - and my engine was dying on me too! Yeah, I was praying hard! - MT

[505thAirborne]

Thanks MT, I'll post more pictures in the morning, I think I'm pretty much finished with the outer body of the plane. Still parts to finish and then of course decals & clear coat. Pony Toy Go Round was at least a 4-5 times a year visit for me, good excuse for some great food, the museums & shopping (Cute girls down there too ) I do remember that 1/200 Monster (If anyone has a pic of it, post it), I used to drool over that thing, the stuffed animal section used to drive my cousin crazy, she'd go nuts for the huge Totoro's. We played it smart at just parked in the Yohan parking garage, it was pricey but at least you felt a bit safer. One of the posters I bought down there years & years ago was by artist Ken-ichi Sonoda "Fuse Box" man I'd love to have that one again. All those Macross, Mobile Suit & PATLABOR kits stacked high, truly a sight!

Sounds like you came through skid-row before getting to Little Tokyo, pretty dodgy in that area.

[Benson13]

Thanks MT, I'll post more pictures in the morning, I think I'm pretty much finished with the outer body of the plane. Still parts to finish and then of course decals & clear coat. Pony Toy Go Round was at least a 4-5 times a year visit for me, good excuse for some great food, the museums & shopping (Cute girls down there too ) I do remember that 1/200 Monster (If anyone has a pic of it, post it), I used to drool over that thing, the stuffed animal section used to drive my cousin crazy, she'd go nuts for the huge Totoro's. We played it smart at just parked in the Yohan parking garage, it was pricey but at least you felt a bit safer. One of the posters I bought down there years & years ago was by artist Ken-ichi Sonoda "Fuse Box" man I'd love to have that one again. All those Macross, Mobile Suit & PATLABOR kits stacked high, truly a sight!

Sounds like you came through skid-row before getting to Little Tokyo, pretty dodgy in that area.

Nice brain bucket collection behind the Tomcat 505.

[coronadlux]

That orange looks great on the cat. growing up I would repaint the die cast tomcats in "Robotech" colors with my sister's nail polish. Yea, I'm still as poor as I was then. haha

[505thAirborne]

I got lucky finding an Orange that almost matches my VT-1/VF-1D, just slightly brighter but that beige is a spot on match (Thank you EXO)

As for the Steel Pots in the background, those are soon to be painted orders for my customers. Pathfinder, 506th, MP's and Medics.

[MechTech]

I forgot about the stuffed animals! My children would love them now though! Yaohan was cool too. They built one near my old house which was awesome too. A couple of miles to get a anime model fix - and some good Udon! Not many cute girls while I was there - probably date/time of day. But that place was a money magnet for me! I hope someone has the Monster photo! - MT

[Jefuemon]

Soon to be kicking it Old School, with a couple of new school modifications.

[Noyhauser]

Time for show and tell.

1/72 Fujimi F/A-18Ds from Hawks in OIF:

And an 1/72 Academy F-8E Sundowners. I was going to give it its missile rails... but I just like the sleek look too much.

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

[505thAirborne]

Crusader, Crusader, Crusader!!!

[electric indigo]

The Crusader is a nice rocket. I hope the yellow strips around the canopy windows were provided as decals.

[Valkyrie addict]

Awesome kits! great weathering on all.

Haven't seen an A-7 crusader in a long time, almost forgot they existed.

Been working on this for the last few days. Excuse the poor lighting.

Edited April 3, 2013 by Valkyrie addict

[Noyhauser]

Thanks guys

The Crusader is a nice rocket. I hope the yellow strips around the canopy windows were provided as decals.

About 70% of them. They didn't go on right so I had to do some hand painting. I actually really like doing that sort of stuff, especially for special lettering.

[Model-Junkie]

Awesome kits! great weathering on all.

Haven't seen an A-7 crusader in a long time, almost forgot they existed.

Been working on this for the last few days. Excuse the poor lighting.

That would be the A-7 Corsair II & F-8 Crusader

Is that a Hasegawa VF-1 Fighter kit & Battroid kit combined? Looking good so far. I've been thinking about bashing those two kits together to make a Gerwalk. I assume is not a simple addition or switching of parts?

[Valkyrie addict]

LOL, sorry, even forgotten the right name for the A-7, thanks for the correction.

It's a Yamato VF-1A assembly kit, and it's a pain in the ass.

[Noyhauser]

That would be the A-7 Corsair II & F-8 Crusader

Is that a Hasegawa VF-1 Fighter kit & Battroid kit combined? Looking good so far. I've been thinking about bashing those two kits together to make a Gerwalk. I assume is not a simple addition or switching of parts?

People have done it in the past...Berttt made one and someone did a Minmay guard I can't seem to find. it does require some fabrication of parts, but it did not seem to be an overly complex modification.