newbie's VF-0S attempt

[MinoRem]

So this is my second hasewaga model and this required lots of material and tools which wasn't used to or had any so I spent a decent amount on some paints, thinners and putty. This model took about a week to build. Overall I had lots of fun putting it together and watching it come together so here are some of the pic of the finished product.

As someone who's new at these kind of models I found out a few things:

I still suck at line panel wash, some of them have been cleaned too much so it's not visible even though it should

removing seam line is lots of effort with sanding most the time I wasn't sure whether it was removed

and lastly, don't be afraid to experiment. I finished with the grey that they suggested but I really think white would of suited much more (also painting is very hard)

Since I have the material I think I want to try another model.

Any pointers people want to make on any mistakes that was done that I didn't notice or ways I can improve?

Oh yeah I didn't buy all the paints that was required so he's missing some colors, I didn't want to invest too much money on a new paint just for a little detail.

[coronadlux]

Really good for a 2nd build. One point of advice, when it comes to weathering and panel lines, less is more sometimes. Although this one looks like it has seem some serious, and constant, action.

[Kelsain]

Nice, looks like D.D. just put him through the wringer!

Are you planning to paint the visor?

[modelglue]

Looks good! I agree with Corona's point about the weathering, but that can be hard to get 'right' sometimes and takes a lot of experience to know when to stop.

Don't sweat it though, you did a pretty bang-up job!

[Valkyrie addict]

good job!! my 2nd attempt was horrendous

Need a bit more work with your seam lines. it looks like you use a too low grit or sanded too much loosing some panel line detail. Hasegawa kits plastic are a bit soft so I use 400 and 600 grit for seam lines after filling with putty. Sometimes loosing panel lines details is inevitable, if they are straight, use some masking tape, an xacto knife and carefully rescribe the line to match.

What's your next project?

[MinoRem]

For the visor and small painting details such as the fins on the leg and the red light on the head I probably won't do until I require those kind of colored paints for future project.

I wanted him to be messy but I guess I over did it, the main reason for that is cos I kept wiping the actual parts I wanted to keep as you can see from the left leg.

I used 400 grit sandpaper and I never knew when to stop. Sometimes it seemed alright but in the end it wasn't good enough and I'll take your tip on re scribing the line (needed that badly).

As for a new project I had my eyes on a VF-0S valkyrie but the last time I checked it wasn't there anymore. The place I buy some models don't stock much on macross models. I'm leaning towards more VF-0/1 because they're my favourite model in the macross universe but I would like to find a VF-25 messiah to build. Any suggestions?

[coronadlux]

Have you tried online ordering of the vf-0? Many hobby shops around here do not stock a good selection of macross stuff. Gundam yes, macross no. You can also try the for sale forum here. You might be able to score a good deal.

[MinoRem]

I'll have a look, right now I have my eyes on 1/48 vf super valkyrie that's coming out this month and maybe the 1/72 VF-25F/S messiah that was released last month. Thanks for your tips and everyone for the praise (I love praises)

[coronadlux]

flip through some real life photos on google, or other search engines, for inspiration of how aircrafts actually weather. It's a good resource to imitate. Or, just look at some of the builds in this forum. There are a lot of guys with exceptional work.