DX Chogokin Super VF-27

[MacrossJunkie]

i'm getting mine this week, i'm going to try that if it's floppy.

excited to see the photos you're going to take of this thing... are you going to weather it?

Here you go.

It's late and I only had the time to take these pics. I'll take more of the other modes tomorrow probably.

Edit: Well crap... looks like I forgot to do the hip guns. Argh... I guess I'll have to redo all these pics again before I do the other modes. What a pain in the behind.

Edit 2: Removed some pics. Re-shot pics plus more in my next post.

(Click for full res versions)

Edited September 9, 2013 by MacrossJunkie

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Here you go.

It's late and I only had the time to take these pics. I'll take more of the other modes tomorrow probably.

Holy....That's awesome weathering...

did you find the right color paint apps for the stripes on the hip guns that you were trying to match?

edit: oh now i see the stripes on the hip guns on the replacement pictures can't wait for the pictures of fighter mode to see the how nice the stripes match...

Edited September 9, 2013 by davidwhangchoi

[Scream Man]

Does anyone else have a bear of a time getting everything to line up in fighter with the leg packs on? i was trying forever last night, and it took a long time, and it still doesnt look quite right. The hip guns kept being in the wrong psoitions, or the legs where the wings holes are...It was a pain in the ass!

[MacrossJunkie]

Holy....That's awesome weathering...

did you find the right color paint apps for the stripes on the hip guns that you were trying to match?

edit: oh now i see the stripes on the hip guns on the replacement pictures can't wait for the pictures of fighter mode to see the how nice the stripes match...

I haven't put up the replacement pictures yet. Those are still the original ones.

Does anyone else have a bear of a time getting everything to line up in fighter with the leg packs on? i was trying forever last night, and it took a long time, and it still doesnt look quite right. The hip guns kept being in the wrong psoitions, or the legs where the wings holes are...It was a pain in the ass!

I have the very same issues. I can't get it to fit together properly in fighter mode with the super packs on. Even when I get it together, it's still loose and threatens to come apart. Not unlike fighter mode for the version 1 VF-25S with full armor. Something was always coming undone on that thing.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I haven't put up the replacement pictures yet. Those are still the original ones.

opps!, sorry it was late, i thought you were referring to the missing stripes paint on the hip guns when you mentioned you forgot to do the hip guns.

Edited September 9, 2013 by davidwhangchoi

[Saburo]

Here you go.

It's late and I only had the time to take these pics. I'll take more of the other modes tomorrow probably.

Edit: Well crap... looks like I forgot to do the hip guns. Argh... I guess I'll have to redo all these pics again before I do the other modes. What a pain in the behind.

(Click for full res versions)

Awesome job on the weathering, I am looking forward to see the redo pictures!

[Reïvaj]

Great job as usual, MacrossJunkie!!!

[wm cheng]

Fantastic subtle work as usual MacrossJunkie! Why didn't you do the lighter "dry-brushing" highlight effect this time around? Too much?

[Mommar]

Your pics plus weathering almost make me want a Vf-27 MacrossJunkie, and I don't even like the 27.

[xrentonx]

Seriously, you make even the most mediocre Bandai releases look good!

[MacrossJunkie]

Thanks guys, glad you like it.

Fantastic subtle work as usual MacrossJunkie! Why didn't you do the lighter "dry-brushing" highlight effect this time around? Too much?

Yeah, I was afraid it would look a little overdone and just didn't feel like it fit to me personally.

Here's my re-shot pics and other modes.

Edited September 9, 2013 by MacrossJunkie

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Best VF-27 out there!!!!! Amazing weathering.

[wm cheng]

Wow! Bravo, it looks great MJ.

Did you add that zig-zag line on the engine nacelles and the oblong hexagons on the wings with a white paint marker? If so what did you use?

On some of the full-sized close up shots, it looked like there was some "dusting" of some white particulate in the clear coat, was that the Tamiya base not mixing into the Future?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

The brownish stripes definitely blend nicely in fighter mode. i could barely tell the difference until i zoomed on the close ups.

Edited September 9, 2013 by davidwhangchoi

[MacrossJunkie]

Wow! Bravo, it looks great MJ.

Did you add that zig-zag line on the engine nacelles and the oblong hexagons on the wings with a white paint marker? If so what did you use?

On some of the full-sized close up shots, it looked like there was some "dusting" of some white particulate in the clear coat, was that the Tamiya base not mixing into the Future?

I used a white gundam paint marker for the hexagons and the zig-zags on the nacelles. For the stripe, after hours of experimentation, I finally used Tamiya's hull red as my base which got me about 80% of the way there. I mixed in some purple which got it to about 95%. I quit trying after that because I could only clean it off so many times before it started taking its toll. It was hard to get the shade right because the mixture looks different in the bottle, which looks lighter when you spray it on, which looks darker when it dries. I fail at color matching.

For the second green lens in the nose, I used a chrome silver as the base, then painted a couple layers of clear green, then several layers of future.

The white dusting is me not paying attention and putting in too much flat base into the mix. You'll probably want to mix it so it's more of a satin finish to avoid that yourself. It's not so bad when it's not magnified so much like it is in my pics where every little flaw is brought out Also, some of it is actual dust from the white light tent. I have to keep dusting in between pics because that thing showers the subject with white dust constantly. I have to dust dust dust... quick take a pic!... dust some more. Actually, if you're mostly talking about the individual white specs, that really is just dust. If you're talking about the overall frosting, that was too much flat base.

Edited September 9, 2013 by MacrossJunkie

[wm cheng]

It looks FANTASTIC MJ and I love the overall effect - perfect subtle balance of realism without going overboard! He is the advanced technology, so he should be "charred" as much as the. other CFs!!!

Which Gundam marker? Is it ink or paint - do you have the number? Thanks for pointing that out on the hip guns, you did a great job at matching - what colour illustration references did you use?

Lastly, is there anyway to make a Future Clear-coat completely matte/flat without that "frosting" effect? I always like to do my fast packs in a totally matte/flat like a tank - I like how it contrasts against the semi-gloss brighter colours of the plane.

[MacrossJunkie]

It looks FANTASTIC MJ and I love the overall effect - perfect subtle balance of realism without going overboard! He is the advanced technology, so he should be "charred" as much as the. other CFs!!!

Which Gundam marker? Is it ink or paint - do you have the number? Thanks for pointing that out on the hip guns, you did a great job at matching - what colour illustration references did you use?

Lastly, is there anyway to make a Future Clear-coat completely matte/flat without that "frosting" effect? I always like to do my fast packs in a totally matte/flat like a tank - I like how it contrasts against the semi-gloss brighter colours of the plane.

It was the GM11 paint marker. I mostly used the pics on MMM site and also pausing payback from episodes of MF and from the blu-ray of the 2nd movie.

I made my VF-171EX super pack pretty dead flat. If this is an acceptable level of flatness without frosting, in your opinion, then the answer is yes. If not... then the answer no.

The trick is putting in just enough so it's not semi-gloss, but not so much that it becomes a white frosting. Mixing in tamiya's thinner should also help break down the flat base. I would say to do as I say and not as I did and make a batch and spray on a test piece of plastic before using on your valk to make sure it's just the right level of flatness. Layering it on also helps.

I rushed things to try to get it finished over a weekend and didn't really take the time to measure things out. I just used a pipette and went squirt squirt into a bottle and eyeballed it and said, eh... good 'nuff. In the end, it still looks fine when not under the magnifying glass and tons of light.

One other word of caution. I noticed that there is some grease probably still in the joints. I saw some weird spots on mine near joint areas the where the nacelles and outer wings fold. Fortunately I kept the wings straight while I was spraying them so it didn't affect the clear coats. It must have leaked and spread out over the wing joints when I had them folded for battroid mode. I was able to wipe it right off with a wet paper towel so all was good, but you may want to watch for that while spraying yours, lest it affect the adhesion.

Edit:

I just wiped down additional grease spots I found and just wiped the whole thing down with a wet paper towel. It seems to have smoothed out the feel of the valk. I took a couple more pics sans booster.

You be the judge if it is improved after the wipe down.

Edited September 10, 2013 by MacrossJunkie

[arrow]

amazing weathering on the 27 and 171

[Saburo]

MJ that is amazing work you have done there!

[Loop]

As always the photos are spectacular. I love your customs and I think the 27 turned out great.

[Valkyrie addict]

BAD ASS weathering!

[OzmaLee74]

Really awesome pics MacrossJunkie! I'm assuming you're using a DSLR. What settings are you using if you don't mind me asking?

[MacrossJunkie]

Really awesome pics MacrossJunkie! I'm assuming you're using a DSLR. What settings are you using if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks. Yes, I used a Nikon D7000 to take the pics. The settings are different between each picture, but I kept it to ISO 100 to minimize noise. If you go to my gallery in my sig and check the full details on the pic, you can see the exact settings used, or alternatively if you're using Windows Vista or 7, you can download any picture you're curious about and check the file properties as it will show the EXIF data.

[Saburo]

Thanks. Yes, I used a Nikon D7000 to take the pics. The settings are different between each picture, but I kept it to ISO 100 to minimize noise. If you go to my gallery in my sig and check the full details on the pic, you can see the exact settings used, or alternatively if you're using Windows Vista or 7, you can download any picture you're curious about and check the file properties as it will show the EXIF data.

If you don't mind me asking, what are you using as your light source?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

The trick is putting in just enough so it's not semi-gloss, but not so much that it becomes a white frosting. Mixing in tamiya's thinner should also help break down the flat base. I would say to do as I say and not as I did and make a batch and spray on a test piece of plastic before using on your valk to make sure it's just the right level of flatness. Layering it on also helps.

Future.. Klear (is that the floor polish?) does Mr. Hobby Topcoat flat work well as a clear coat or MM Gloss Acryl for the vf-27

[zzgundam010]

Available at AmiAmi again.

[MacrossJunkie]

If you don't mind me asking, what are you using as your light source?

I use three desk/wall lamps with 75-100w equivalent 5500k fluorescent bulbs. Two to the sides and one on top.

Future.. Klear (is that the floor polish?) does Mr. Hobby Topcoat flat work well as a clear coat or MM Gloss Acryl for the vf-27[/size]

Yes, Future is sold as a floor polish, but it's actually an acrylic coating rather than a polish. The Mr. Hobby stuff should work alright based on what I've read, but I've no personal experience with using it. Model Master/Testor's clear coats are garbage based on my own personal experiences with them.

I plan on giving the Vallejo Matte Varnish a try sometime in the near future to see how that works out compared to Future + Tamiya's flat base. I have some of it already, but I'm doing more research on what is better to mix it with (Future vs Vallejo's own thinner vs distilled water).

[wm cheng]

I've used the Model Master Acryl clear coats for my models, so I tried on these toys too. They are fine for Yamato toys (since the plastic has a bit more "tooth") but due to the glossiness of the Bandai plastics, its just too slick for them to adhere well and is too delicate and gets easily scratched off - especially the matte/flat coatings.

I'm going to try MJ's Future method on my next Bandai toys - but the trick is to give them a soapy wash first as there is often a lot of oil/grease in the joints when it comes out of the box. I'm just hesitant because you have to mix a Tamiya flat base in each time which adds a level of uncertainty each time you spray on the clear coat.

How do you get such a perfect black background? Velvet? I love your photos!

[Mizicke5273]

Available at AmiAmi again.

Wow, I was able to still snag one at this time of the day! Nice!

[skull_leader001]

i got 1 thank111s

[zzgundam010]

Wow, I was able to still snag one at this time of the day! Nice!

Words on the street is that there is plenty stock in the retail stores in Japan where they are selling for a discount. Maybe some of the stock in making its way to online retailers as well.

[Mizicke5273]

Well, glad I didn't pick this up from NY then.

[Duymon]

If anyone still needs a Vf-27, THey are available for 21350 yen (only 1350 markup) at Plamoya (255 shipped via ems to USA)

http://plamoya.com/en/dx-chogokin-macross-frontier-vf27-lucifer-super-parts-set-p-81173.html?cPath=25

Edited September 10, 2013 by Duymon

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I've used the Model Master Acryl clear coats for my models, so I tried on these toys too. They are fine for Yamato toys (since the plastic has a bit more "tooth") but due to the glossiness of the Bandai plastics, its just too slick for them to adhere well and is too delicate and gets easily scratched off - especially the matte/flat coatings.

I'm going to try MJ's Future method on my next Bandai toys - but the trick is to give them a soapy wash first as there is often a lot of oil/grease in the joints when it comes out of the box. I'm just hesitant because you have to mix a Tamiya flat base in each time which adds a level of uncertainty each time you spray on the clear coat.

How do you get such a perfect black background? Velvet? I love your photos!

hey wm cheng you going post pics of your weathering too?

[mechaninac]

If anyone still needs a Vf-27, THey are available for 21350 yen (only 1350 markup) at Plamoya (255 shipped via ems to USA)

http://plamoya.com/en/dx-chogokin-macross-frontier-vf27-lucifer-super-parts-set-p-81173.html?cPath=25

Why bother, AmiAmi still has available stock at 6% off (18,800 JPY + Shipping ~ $187.26 + $20.00-25.00 SAL) as of this post.

VF-171 CF, RVF-25, and now the VF-27... all readily available well after release at or bellow MSRP. Now, where is the VF-25S re-release announcement Bandai?

Edit: If it weren't for the fact I've already spent far too much this year, with a bunch more stuff I have on preorder due out before the end of the year, I'd be tempted to get a second one from AmiAmi.

Edited September 10, 2013 by mechaninac