Arcadia YF-19 coming in 2014

[no3Ljm]

2 minutes ago, Sandman said:

So I was transforming my yf-19 the other day and this little triangle piece fell out from somewhere. I can’t figure out where it’s from. I hoping someone here knows.

Check the arms. Maybe it's the screw cover just popped out.

 

[Sandman]

3 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Check the arms. Maybe it's the screw cover just popped out.

 

That was it. Can't believe i missed it. Thanks so much.

[no3Ljm]

43 minutes ago, Sandman said:

That was it. Can't believe i missed it. Thanks so much.

You're welcome! 

 

[treatment]

Seems Future polish really helps on the ankles...

 

Can stand properly now without toppling itself anymore.

Do hope Mr,K really improved the ankles on the upcoming reissue...

 

[Phangry]

On 6/28/2021 at 2:52 AM, treatment said:

Do hope Mr,K really improved the ankles on the upcoming reissue...

 

Yeah, I do, too. I really like how the Arcadia looks, but if the ankles aren't changed I'm not really interested. Hoping that I can still get one for not too ridiculous a price if the initial reviews of the toy are favorable...

[sqidd]

-Does the standard finish getting released soon come with the ordinance? I'm not seeing it in the official pics here: Hobby Search Link

-It does come with the Fast Packs correct?

-Is the only Fold Booster option the Yamato?

Thanks!

[no3Ljm]

45 minutes ago, sqidd said:

-Does the standard finish getting released soon come with the ordinance? I'm not seeing it in the official pics here: Hobby Search Link

-It does come with the Fast Packs correct?

-Is the only Fold Booster option the Yamato?

Thanks!

If you check the image flyer in the Hobby Search link, it does include all of it from the original 2014 release.

We have a thread for the reissue and the Premium Finish release here:

 

And yes, Yamato’s Fold Booster is compatible by using the attachment that comes with the Arcadia release.

 

Edited August 11, 2021 by no3Ljm

[Chronocidal]

Resurrecting this thread for the purposes of updating the status of those replacement wing brackets, and their availability from different laser cutting services.

The original vendor I used for my metal brackets was Sculpteo.com.  As I'm finding out apparently they've shut down their marketplace service as well?  So I'm not sure you can even get the POM brackets I made there anymore.  They had discontinued their metal cutting service long ago, and you can apparently still order the POM version, but now the shop is showing me a minimum order price of $50, at which point those just are not worth it.

So, I'm not sure what the best option is.  I've seen a few places recommending two sites for ordering custom laser-cut orders:

1. SendCutSend (https://app.sendcutsend.com/)
2. OshCut (https://app.oshcut.com/)

These two seem to have slightly different approaches, but both seem to have solid reviews on quality.  SendCutSend seems to be the preferred choice for very small one-off orders of unique parts, and while they have a minimum order price, it's not terrible (or no worse than Sculpteo was, anyhow).

For a quick rundown, I uploaded the drawings and setup orders for a set of two brackets from both sites.

SendCutSend has a very low per-part price ($2.13 for a single copy, and it decreases from there the more you order), but they bump up the order to an oddly specific minimum of $37.21.  They do offer free standard shipping, and add normal sales tax, so for California, this came out to a total of $40.65, for up to 34 individual parts.  That's how many I was able to add to the order before the minimum price was overcome.  If you have a bunch of YF-19s to fix, this is absolutely the best way to go, provided the quality is good.

OshCut's process is fairly similar, with a higher base part price ($6.20 for one, $4.41 for a pair, and decreasing from that point), a flat $15 setup fee, no minimum order, but also no free shipping.  You would think that would give you a better price overall, but the cheapest shipping they offer is USPS Priority for $15.71, which feels completely ridiculous for literally a few of ounces of metal you could mail in an envelope with stamps.  After tax, this one actually comes out about a dollar more, at $41.61.

In the end, it's kind of a wash between the two.  You may get better prices from shipping or tax options in other areas, but at the end of the day, a single pair is going to cost about $20 per piece.

Considering how many I can get from SendCutSend for $40, it might make sense to just place a bulk order there to test the quality, and then offer to send them to anyone who wants some at the cost to ship, which should be pretty miniscule.  I'm going to be paying the $40 to get a sample either way, so might as well get my money's worth out of the first order, and pass that on to anyone else who wants these.

The other thing I will do is link the design files for the two sizes of brackets I made.  That'll provide the maximum flexibility for anyone who might have another favorite service closer to them, or if you happen to have access to the machinery to cut these yourself.  

Hopefully the links will work correctly, and not trigger any weird filename warnings.  The format is a very ancient standard of AutoCad file for vector drawings, and has been accepted by all of the assorted cutting service sites I tried.

==============================================================================================================

Here is the file for the version that leaves wiggle room for the wing to better align the pylons directly forward:

YF-19 Bracket Loose.dxf

Note, the wiggle room shouldn't be sloppy, it just depends on the wing hinge being tightened, and the part tolerances fitting the pivot shaft in the wing.

Here is the version that was shifted slightly to snug the wings up against the legs, giving the weapons a permanent very slight outward angle.

YF-19 Bracket Tight.dxf

I tested this copy again today, and could barely see any angle, but I'd rather keep both options available.

==============================================================================================================

Please note, both of these files are designed to exact size, with no margin for material loss during cutting, so they're intended to use with metal.  They may not work with other materials.  When I had my POM copies cut, I had to add a margin for how much plastic would be burned away.

Also, because I forgot to mention it earlier: these need to be cut from material 2 mm thick, or as close as possible.

If anyone has any other recommendations for services, I'm happy to hear more suggestions.  The two I listed here were just the main pair I saw called out in hobbyist forums over the course of searching this evening.

Edit:

As an addendum... I re-mounted a pair of the "Tight" brackets to test.. and I seriously can't see any outward angle anymore.  Maybe my original impression was an optical illusion?  The legs being angled towards the back does make them seem angled outward to the front in comparison.

I'm thinking maybe the reason I kept the looser ones mounted was that having the wings held so tightly in place tended to pop open the leading edge of the wing gloves.  Doing this mod requires popping any glue there (it wasn't very much), so while they stay together well enough without, pressure from the wing being pushed into them can cause them to leave a gap. 

Obviously you can re-glue them if you like, but I've left mine open and haven't replaced the screw covers so I have a copy to experiment on.  It's starting to show too, because there are a couple places on the wing gloves and legs where the black striping is fading from how much I've handled the parts.  There's a reason I call this one my "beater copy."  

Edited October 17 by Chronocidal

[Chronocidal]

Updating this with a few more detailed options, specifically for the SendCutSend site.

I didn't really break down the options for what materials are available, or what settings are needed, so here are the options I think would give the best results.

First off, the parts should always be measured in millimeters, and loading the drawings should give you the following overall dimensions:

The thickness of the parts should be as close to 2 mm as possible, without going any thicker.  The original parts from Sculpteo were cut from 2 mm stock, but depending on the material options from SendCutSend, you might not get that exact number.

After looking through the options, there are really only three with thicknesses close enough that I'm going to call them viable:

1. Stainless Steel (304 Series)

This one is probably the first to try.  A little less thickness might not hurt, and the material will be the most sturdy.

2. Aluminum (5052 H32)

3. Aluminum (6061 T6)

I do not have the material knowledge to really know what the differences between these two aluminum options are, or whether either would be different enough from the stainless steel to make them more or less suitable.  The prices are all close enough to really be negligible in the long run.

In fact, the most effective option?  Since the site has a minimum order of about $40 USD, you may as well just order as many variants as you might want to try.  I was able to order over 30 individual parts before I went above the minimum price.

I would expect all parts to need some application of a metal file to smooth out rough edges.  In that sense, aluminum might be easier to work with.  You will also want to clean out the insides of the loops to make sure they do not rough-up the plastic parts when inserted, especially the pivot point for the wing.  You want it to rotate smoothly so it doesn't grind up the plastic shaft.

Once I actually place an order, I'll probably do another replacement from scratch on one of my stock YF-19s, and document the process carefully.

If anyone does order these, please post your experience here for reference, since I might not have time to actually get a test set ordered for a while.

 

Edited October 22 by Chronocidal

[Uxi]

Watching the Blu-ray makes me want to add either an Arcadia PF or Bandai.  I really wish Arcadia would revise for ratcheted ankles and wings (3 positions: battroid, standard fighter and high speed) as well as integrate the neck cover into the chest plate. Collapsing leg fillers and integrated intake covers would be nice, too. 

[Chronocidal]

The Bandai one is much easier to come by, provided you don't care about having the extra weapons and fast packs.  I'll be curious to see when Bandai gets around to making a separate weapons pack so people with the YF-21 can get the fold booster.

You're right about the ankles and wings on the Arcadia though, and I wish they would make an update to fix them.  The wings I've fixed myself, but the ankles have always been pretty bad. 

The neck cover is a tricky one though, since you would have to have it collapse somewhere not already taken up by the nosecone in battroid mode.  Bandai's method of attaching it to the arm shield mostly works, but you're still left having to use a separate neck cover for gerwalk... which for as much as people seem to completely ignore the YF-19's gerwalk mode, wasn't a terrible idea.

[Uxi]

The neck cover should be able to work like the VF-1 v2 or VF-11 heat shield or in that space.  Could be thin and maybe even a bit softer, if not rubbery in that, if not carve out a small notch for it.