Entry Level kit?

[AndrewDrexler]

Hey all, I have been lurking for a bit but have a question. I am new to Macross modeling and the sheer amount of kits is staggering so I need some advice. I am fairly decently experienced in model assembly, painting, weathering, etc as I have been building GW models for the better part of the last 25 years. What would be a good entry level kit to start modeling the VF-1 (either super or not) in fighter mode? Scale should be smallish and there is no need to jump into a 10,000 piece masterpiece level kit out of the gate. Just a small project to get my feet wet and gives the subject a whirl.

[Bri]

I've also done plenty of GW and some conventional modeling before taking on Macross. Warhammer is heroic 28mm which translates 1:65 (roughly)

Hasegawa and Wave have some nice 1:72 and 1:100 fighter version VF-1 kits which are fun to built.

For example

http://www.hlj.com/product/HSG17/Sci

http://www.hlj.com/product/HSG19/Sci

and wave 1:100

http://www.hlj.com/product/WAVMC-55/Sci

about half the price of a Rhino, so not too bad to experiment with.

Edited May 22, 2013 by Bri

[Benson13]

Then you can jump into the big leagues with 1/60 Yamato VF-1 kits or any of the 1/48 kits.

[AndrewDrexler]

Bri:

Nice kits, I am digging that 1\100 Wave kit for its size, price, and the fact it comes with a pilot\stand. The decals look a bit dodgy, but nothing insurmountable.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction, that kit looks like it hits the sweet spot for cost\size\complexity.

Benson13:

Not sure when I will take the plunge for those, I have a whole mess of models in 1\285 showing up in December that I want to get to before delving into the bigger stuff.

Edited May 22, 2013 by AndrewDrexler

[Noyhauser]

I'd actually suggest something different. Bandai has re-released some imai or arii kits from back in the day at extremely reasonable prices: 1/100 versions for 800 yen and 1/72 at 1200ish. None of them are bad models by any means... they just require some TLC. I think with a bit of basic scratching and painting (something I suspect you're probably good at) you should be able to put together something awesome. And at that price you can do two 1/100s at the same price as a wave. OR get one of each. Its what a lot of us recommend as a beginner kit before the hasegawa ones.

[AndrewDrexler]

 

I'd actually suggest something different. Bandai has re-released some imai or arii kits from back in the day at extremely reasonable prices: 1/100 versions for 800 yen and 1/72 at 1200ish. None of them are bad models by any means... they just require some TLC. I think with a bit of basic scratching and painting (something I suspect you're probably good at) you should be able to put together something awesome. And at that price you can do two 1/100s at the same price as a wave. OR get one of each. Its what a lot of us recommend as a beginner kit before the hasegawa ones.

 

One of those kits will probaly be my second build (did not want to get into the transforming variations yet). I ordered the 1\100 wave kit earlier since it looked like exactly what I was looking for. That VF-2 looks right up my alley....

[jardann]

I've got to agree with Noyhauser. the old Imai or Arii 1/100 fighter mode kits are actually nice little kits and can usually be found for very cheap prices. Not much in the cockpit, but they build up quite nicely. the 1/100 battroids and gerwalks take a bit more care to look good, but they are quite simple too. The 1/100 destroids are quite nice as well, but do have some seams that take some attention.

I'm sure you won't go wrong with the Wave 1/100 kits either. I haven't built one, but they do look snazzy in the pics I've seen.

Be sure to post some pics of your finished project. We all love to see built up models!

[AndrewDrexler]

 

I've got to agree with Noyhauser. the old Imai or Arii 1/100 fighter mode kits are actually nice little kits and can usually be found for very cheap prices. Not much in the cockpit, but they build up quite nicely. the 1/100 battroids and gerwalks take a bit more care to look good, but they are quite simple too. The 1/100 destroids are quite nice as well, but do have some seams that take some attention.

I'm sure you won't go wrong with the Wave 1/100 kits either. I haven't built one, but they do look snazzy in the pics I've seen.

Be sure to post some pics of your finished project. We all love to see built up models!

 

I will start a build thread once the kit gets here. I have been researching color and decal placement etc so it should be a nice straight forward build. I did not realize that the kit would be so small even at 1\100 scale though.

[jardann]

Yeah, the Valkyrie is a small aircraft to begin with and 1/100 is much smaller than 1/72. I had a whole collection of 1/100 scale kits including the huge Robotech factory for a long time. In the old days, 1/100 scale was the way to go to get the largest variety of Macross subjects. Some of the old kits in that scale are really bad though and I never got around to building too many.

Then Hasegawa redefined Macross models with their 1/72 line and I jumped on that bandwagon. Much better scale fidelity all around and its easy to modify accessories from modern jet model kits to be used along with the Hasegawas. Then we have had a bunch of garage kit makers on these forums and in a few other places start making wonderful resin kits of nearly any Macross subject you could desire and I haven't looked back. Now I have a whole collection of 1/72 scale Macross kits, and a much thinner wallet, but I still haven't gotten around to building them!

[SebastianP]

Choosing between 1/100 and 1/72 is a matter of figuring out what you're most interested in. If you want to compare Macross to other anime subjects, 1/100 is pretty much the way to go since it's one of the standard scales for Gundam models. It is very oddball for anything else, though, as pretty much only Japanese toy manufacturers (as opposed to model companies) use that scale. It also isn't universal - Kotobukiya, who makes the Super Robot Wars and Armored Core model lines, avoid 1/100 scale and offer their kits in 1/144 and 1/72.

If you want to compare them to other aircraft or even other space fighters, 1/72 is the better bet. The selection of real-world aircraft available in 1/72 is larger than any other scale, and in recent years, several popular scifi designs have been kitted in 1/72, such as the fighters from Star Wars, Yamato 2199, and - if you're willing to try resin - the BSG Viper or the Yukikaze fighters.

For myself, I'm a 1/72 guy - I like being able to compare the VFs to modern jets like the Raptor or Super Hornet, and having the option of building dioramas with modern vehicles in the same scale...

[Graham]

Question for the original poster, what is a GW model? Gundam Wing?

Graham

[gwfalcon]

Question for the original poster, what is a GW model? Gundam Wing?

Graham

My model (I am GWfalcon)??

in my opinion, the bandai or IMAI 1/72 models are what you want. They are cheap and easy to find in ebay or HLJ. Enjoy your building!

[SebastianP]

GW should be referring to Games Workshop, i.e. Warhammer etc. Their plastic models, the ones I've tried at least, are a completely different animal from what we're used to as regular model builders, since they're designed for gaming rather than display. The pieces are thick, fit comparatively poorly, and have exaggerated detail due to being hand-sculpted as originals, but the plastic they use is awesome and carries detail nearly as well as Hasegawa's while being less brittle.

Coincidentally, warhammer 40k models are very roughly 1/72 scale (+/-5 or so, depending on the modell), and they appear to have been making an effort to *stick* to that scale in recent years, since going mainly plastic rather than metal...

[AndrewDrexler]

 

Question for the original poster, what is a GW model? Gundam Wing?

Graham

 

GW is Games Workshop. They are a miniatures\gaming company that puts out Warhammer 40k (among others). Sebastian is correct in that they are bulkier and are designed to be played with as opposed to display pieces. It is not unheard of to drop a GW model from a height of several feet to the floor and have it come out (relatively) unscathed.

As to them being a completely different beast, that really depends on the painter. Some people will slop and go with their paint jobs, while others will take their time and add weathering, battle damage, etc. In recent years there has been a big push to incorporate the techniques of scale modelers into the 40k subject matter. Admittedly it is used more for tanks and AFVs than aircraft, but that is changing.

[SebastianP]

What I was referring to by being a different beast is that many of the things you need to be careful with during assembly are different. Japanese (and nowadays Korean and Chinese as well) scale models use hard styrene that's comparatively brittle; have very sharply molded pieces with very tight tolerances that will, if you're really careful, let you get away with no putty or even sanding; and tend to have realistically thin landing gear and sharp edges where neccessary. It's very seldom you actually need to modify the plastic for better fit or a sharper look, nor do you need to pin stuff because the pieces can only be glued in one way and have locator tabs to help hold them in place.

A GW model (my experience is so far only a couple of Monstrous Creatures, specifically the plastic Wraithlord and Carnifex, plus the same-generation metal Hive Tyrant) will need pinning of the joints even out of the box unless you want the arms and legs to fall off; pretty much *needs* green stuff or epoxy glue to make some of the parts stick together even on plastic kits because the gaps are so extreme; and if model airplane panel lines sometimes need a bit of help to become more visible, you'll need to give a GW vehicle some help making the panel lines more subtle, if anything, because they're big enough to fly an X-wing and a flight of TIE fighters through. You won't need to worry much about pieces breaking because you were squeezing too hard, though, nor is the plastic as crazy sensitive to cement spills etc. And GW kits don't come with decal sheets with 200+ decals, like some modern jet kits do...

It's completely true that a good painter can make a GW model look awesome, but they'll always look better from a few more feet further than a good "pure" scale model.

(I should acknowledge that while I'm pretty good at assembling models, I'm nowhere near as good at painting them, and most of my recent airplane kits are sitting around witing for me to get around to finishing the paint job and decals. For some reason, I tend to run out of steam once the model is assembled...)

[AndrewDrexler]

 

What I was referring to by being a different beast is that many of the things you need to be careful with during assembly are different. Japanese (and nowadays Korean and Chinese as well) scale models use hard styrene that's comparatively brittle; have very sharply molded pieces with very tight tolerances that will, if you're really careful, let you get away with no putty or even sanding; and tend to have realistically thin landing gear and sharp edges where neccessary. It's very seldom you actually need to modify the plastic for better fit or a sharper look, nor do you need to pin stuff because the pieces can only be glued in one way and have locator tabs to help hold them in place.

Ahh.. And now I understand what you mean by a different beast lol. For some reason I was thinking solely about painting, assembly never even entered my mind. I am still waiting on my Wave kit from HLJ, so when I am off work tomorrow I will concentrate on my 1:1 mustang painting project hehe.

[Bri]

A GW model (my experience is so far only a couple of Monstrous Creatures, specifically the plastic Wraithlord and Carnifex, plus the same-generation metal Hive Tyrant) will need pinning of the joints even out of the box unless you want the arms and legs to fall off; pretty much *needs* green stuff or epoxy glue to make some of the parts stick together even on plastic kits because the gaps are so extreme; and if model airplane panel lines sometimes need a bit of help to become more visible, you'll need to give a GW vehicle some help making the panel lines more subtle, if anything, because they're big enough to fly an X-wing and a flight of TIE fighters through. You won't need to worry much about pieces breaking because you were squeezing too hard, though, nor is the plastic as crazy sensitive to cement spills etc. And GW kits don't come with decal sheets with 200+ decals, like some modern jet kits do...

It's completely true that a good painter can make a GW model look awesome, but they'll always look better from a few more feet further than a good "pure" scale model.

Built quality of 40k has improved quite a bit since 4rth edition, but it is certainly true that the engineering is still significantly behind those of some Asian modelkit manufactures. Personally I tend to appreciate building a well fitting kit every once in a while given the usual tidying up involved with Games workshop miniatures or Gunpla.

[AndrewDrexler]

And, my kit FINALLY arrived from HLJ Saturday afternoon (was not able to open it until last night). It looks pretty straight forward as far as assembly goes. I will definitely be ordering (or printing if my printer is up to it) some custom decals though. I will start a build thread later this week after I have made some progress on it. I just cant express how TINY this kit is.. Even in 1\100 I expected it to be an inch or 4 longer..

Edited June 10, 2013 by AndrewDrexler