1/48 Hasegawa VF-1 Strike Valkyrie WIP

[chaff.g]

Next I'll finish the heads. This kit includes options for both the S and A head variants of the VF-1. I'll include a modification that allows swapping the heads on the finished kit. Most of the work I did here is entirely superfluous -- the finished kit obscures almost all the detail beneath the brow of either head.

You can see that the interior of the S head is visibly empty behind the visor. Later I'll fill the void with some scratch-built detail.

To enable parts swapping the heads, I'll magnetize them with neodymium magnets. I began by drilling a hole for the magnet into the base of the neck and progressively used larger bits to widen the hole.

Eventually I had to hand turn the bits as they became too large for the drill. You can see that the circumference of the hole became untidy. The magnet is around 3mm wide.

I chose some option parts usually used for the monoeyes of Zeon Gundam kits to use as the S head's camera. The green jewel fits into the metal housing. It's just the right size for the S head's camera.

The S head in profile. You can see that there's plenty of room for detail behind the visor

To add a bit more detail to the brow of the S, I drilled a hole into the circular depression. I'll fill this later with a tiny length of fiber optic.

I built up a base for the camera using some plaplate (plastic styrene sheets). On the right, the camera mounted on the housing. It will fit snugly between the visor and back plate.

I finished detailing the base with some round option parts and tiny pieces cut from round and square plastic rod.

Test-fitting the detail inside the head.

To maximize the visibility of the detail behind the visor, I'll paint it chrome. The idea is to maximize the amount of light reflected.

I airbrushed a base layer of Alclad's glossy black primer. Over the top of the glossy black base, I used Alclad 2 chrome. You can see that the result looks very metallic.

[chaff.g]

Next, I airbrushed the visor transparent green with Mr Color 138 clear green.

I finished the visor by submerging it in Future to make it as shiny as possible.

While the coat of Future was curing, I painted the interior of the S head Mr Color 13 neutral gray. The purpose of this step is simply to ensure that if any of the interior of the head is visible through the visor, it is a neutral color.

I attached the detail and visor using CA glue.

The effect is pretty decent. Various features of the metallic detail are visible through the transparent visor.

Testing the finished visor inside the S head. The detail adds quite a bit upon scrutiny.

To continue with the S head, I'll need to surface it. That means removing the seam line that runs down the axis of the face. I masked up the visor to protect all the hard work so far. Masking tiny, curved parts like this requires lots of individual pieces of tape.

I used plastic cement to fuse together the halves of the head and also coated the exterior of the seam. For good measure, I also added a layer of Mr Surfacer 500 to ensure any depressions were filled.

While the S head cured, I started thinking about how to magnetize the aircraft hull where the head will attach. There's not a lot of material to work with.

I marked the midpoint between the two holes which are intended to receive the posts built into the base of the neck. I realized that without these posts (I cut them off of the S head), the heads would not be correctly oriented looking forward.

On the flip side of the fuselage is a post which fits into the fuselage's upper half. I was worried that drilling a hole into this surface large enough for the magnet I showed earlier (3mm) would damage this post. So I changed my mind and went with a smaller (1.5mm) magnet.

Test-fitting the A head. Because it retains the two posts, it is perfectly oriented.

I drilled a hole into the base of the post and fit the smaller magnet in. The smaller hole goes right through the middle of the post. Filling the post with CA glue both fused the magnet to the surface and reinforced the post.

Since I decided to go with a smaller magnet, I need to redo the hole in the base of the neck of the S head. That means filling the neck with a material that can be drilled into. For this purpose, I used Mori Mori, which is a two-part polyester putty often used by Japanese figure sculpters.

On the left, the S head's neck needs to be filled with putty so it can be re-drilled to receive a magnet hole sized like the A head on the right. I'll also reintroduce the two posts to ensure the S head has a proper orientation.

[chaff.g]

Mori Mori comes in two parts -- the greyish purple filler material and orange hardener. To use Mori Mori, you mix the two parts together. The material looks and feels like yellow mustard and smells comically bad.

To fill the neck, I just sort of gooped it in and scraped excess off with the included spatula.

I waited a few hours for the putty to cure and then sanded it smooth. For good measure, I filled the post on the fuselage with the leftovers.

To add the posts back, I drilled a hole and cut a couple lengths of styrene rod of the appropriate diameter.

To find the right spot to drill into the base of the S head's neck, I painted a small dot into the center of the magnet on the fuselage. I slotted the S head into place on the fuselage, and the paint left a mark where I need to introduce the hole for the sister magnet.

I was impressed with the Mori Mori's ability to retain very fine detail. This is a 1.5mm or so circle, and the edge of the hole is sharp. Another kind of putty would have just crumbled.

The magnet fits perfectly inside and the S head is perfectly oriented facing forward thanks to the guide posts.

Next I painted the A head's laser. I need to finish this before the rest of the head because the A head parts wrap around the laser. I began by preshading with acrylic Tamiya clear smoke. After preshading, I airbrushed a layer of Mr Color GX 1 cool white.

I hand brushed the joint with Citadel boltgun metal.

I airbrushed the middle part of the A head with Mr Color 13 neutral gray and then masked it up.

I inserted the laser and used plastic cement to fuse the halves.

[chyll2]

that is really great. I really like the details behind the visor

[chaff.g]

Next I detailed up the A head's visor. You can see that the transparent piece has molded detail. The idea will be to enhance this detail. To bring out the detail on the A visor, I used black Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color. It collected into the corners of the raised detail.

With the details enhanced, they're more visible when viewed from the exterior side. I cleaned up the details with Zippo lighter fluid and masked the exterior surface.

To make the details as visible as possible, I airbrushed the interior surface with Alclad 2 chrome and followed the chrome with a layer of Alclad glossy black primer. The glossy black will ensure the chrome layer is as shiny as possible. Because the glossy black paint is an enamel, I set the part aside for a couple of days to cure.

I preshaded both heads with acrylic Tamiya smoke and followed that with a layer of Mr Color GX 1 cool white.

For the recessed black details on the A head, I carefully masked them off and airbrushed Mr Color GX 2 black.

The details are nice and sharp after removing the mask. I also added the housing for the A head's visor, finished in Mr Color GX 2 black.

Since most of the S head's lasers are a metallic color, I masked off the white parts with sticky tack and sprayed a coat of Alclad 2 black primer. After curing, I followed this up with Alclad 2 steel.

Test fitting the A head.

I detailed panel lines with Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color - gray on white parts, black on metallic.

The kit comes with extensive decals, but does not include enough decals for both heads. Instead, I masked off an area for the red arrow marking on the A head and airbrushed Mr Color GX 3.

I think the result is pretty convincing.

Like many Studio Nue designs, the S head's visor is always depicted in line art surrounded with a thick black band. I masked off this area and hand brushed Citadel chaos black. After removing the mask, you can see this was a mistake -- I should have airbrushed it on.

I tried to clean up the black as best I could.

By this time, the enamel on the A head's visor had cured, so I removed the mask. The details stand out perfectly. After a coat of Mr Color 138 clear green, the A visor is finished.

Edited May 27, 2015 by chaff.g

[chaff.g]

All done! Here are some glamour shots. Remember, almost all of this detail will be completely invisible when the heads are attached to the aircraft!

[chyll2]

thanks for the mega update. So much work done on the head

[TMBounty_Hunter]

I love this thread. The more progress pictures the merrier! And the results are amazing too

[EXO]

Insanity... love it!

[william02]

Wow just... wow. love it!

[Xigfrid]

So much details !

[vsim]

Awesome, nice to read how you did it!

[Fatalist]

Loving the attention to detail you're putting into this as well as the long hours and the extra time to document your process. It's very informative and it's awesome seeing this come together. Great work! Please don't ever stop on these updates, they're fantastic!

[milhouse]

The camera/visor on the S made my jaw drop.... but the A, oh the A head.... so beautiful, so clean, so sharp! I love it!

[505thAirborne]

The attention to detail and painting skills are simply astounding!!

[ce25254]

I've discovered a new love for the VF-1A ! Great work.

[GMK]

I've discovered a new love for the VF-1A ! Great work.

Always loved the -1A head: this one is (DYRL?) perfect.

Wish there was a SDFM -1A head available.

[chaff.g]

Always loved the -1A head: this one is (DYRL?) perfect.

Wish there was a SDFM -1A head available.

The A head can be assembled without the sensor housing and a different sensor can be used instead:

I assume this is the SDFM A sensor.

[EXO]

I don't know how different the 1/48 version is but in the 1/72, you don't even get to see the sensor in fighter mode. I remember doing the same, but not to the same degree, detail to the A sensor and then when I put the head in, it was completely obscured. But since you have 2 heads it'd be nice to display the A or the S head next to the valk. Awesome stuff... can't wait to see it done.

[chaff.g]

This time I'll show how I attached the head covers to the underside of the fuselage.

Each head has a corresponding cover which it tucks into in fighter mode. Since the heads are removable, the covers need to be as well. I decided to magnetize them just like the heads.

I fashioned two pylons out of a short length of styrene rod and CA glued a magnet to one end. I placed them such that they would be hidden when the covers are attached.

The pylon was cut such that the end of the magnet is just flush with the aircraft.

Both pylons in place.

I put mating pylons on either side of the head covers.

Since the pylons on the covers were so short, I reinforced them with a little bit of Mori Mori polystyrene putty.

The cover fits perfectly. You can see how much of the head will be hidden by the cover when the aircraft is complete.

[GMK]

Isn't there a scene in either the SDFM or DRYL? Max vs. Milia slugfest when Max, in fighter mode, uses the head as a ventral turret to fire a few shots at her N-G?

Wonder if the model could be posed as such?

[chaff.g]

I think this is the sequence you mean:

Looking at the model, it seems like it could be done if the neck was extended somehow. Maybe if a riser was inserted between the hull and the base of the neck.

[MechTech]

Awesome detail work and engineering the magnets!-MT

[GMK]

I think this is the sequence you mean:

Looking at the model, it seems like it could be done if the neck was extended somehow. Maybe if a riser was inserted between the hull and the base of the neck.

That's the one! Thanks for finding it. It's a sidebar demonstration of Max's consummate flying skill - in the middle of the fight of his life, manoeuvring in-atmosphere, and he manages to use the head as a directional turret. And scores hits on the target!

Shame it was with a 'S' head.

[chaff.g]

An update some assorted metallic parts.

Before painting the body of the aircraft, I wanted to finish some of the small metallic bits such the vents, intakes, and exposed machinery. First, I primed the parts with Alclad 2 glossy black primer. Since this is an enamel, I left it to cure overnight before continuing.

I gave the insides of the vernier thrusters a coat of Alclad 2 copper.

I hand brushed the two pipes which extend to two of the smaller thrusters with assorted Citadel acrylic paints. Afterwards, the pipes were given a heavy wash of Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color black.

Before airbrushing the exterior of the vernier bells, I masked their copper interiors with balls of sticky tack.

I gave the exposed machinery on the main body of the aircraft a coat of Alclad 2 steel and magnesium.

I airbrushed the exterior of the vernier bells with Alclad 2 steel. To make the exteriors of the thruster bells shine, I airbrushed a coat of Mr Color GX 100 Super Clear III.

A shot of the finished thruster bells.

I attached the small bells to the FAST Packs with CA glue. I think the copper of the bells creates a nice contrast with the dark teal of the packs.

[Gabe Q]

That is some jaw dropping work!

I think the copper was an excellent choice. I can't wait to see it all come together.

[EXO]

I'm going to put copper on all my thrusters now!

Looking good!

[Mintox]

This is coming together really nice. The big boosters are my favourite part of this kit.

[Zinjo]

OK chaff your kit building skills are beginning to scare me!

WOW, nice work!!

[william02]

How do you plan to attach the super parts to then legs? magnets?

[chaff.g]

How do you plan to attach the super parts to then legs? magnets?

Probably just CA glue. Unfortunately, I received the magnets after I had finished work on the strike parts so it was too late to incorporate them into the build. If I had it to do over again, I'd definitely magnetize the packs for that little extra bit of flexibility. Though, I'm not too bummed about it because the aircraft looks odd without the strike parts attached -- the legs are not poseable and neither is the tail which is in a fixed folded down pose.

[spanner]

fantastic work!! those super strike parts look amazing!

[chaff.g]

Thanks for the comments everyone! This time I finally get some paint on the main aircraft.

Before continuing with the rest of the aircraft, I filled the gap between the upper and lower portions of the main fuselage with Mori Mori polyester putty and sanded it smooth.

To break up the white surface of the aircraft, I decided to go with a two-tone look. After priming all the surfaces with Tamiya Surface Primer (Gray), I masked off some of the areas that I wanted to appear slightly darker on the finished model. On top of this mask, I sprayed a coat of Tamiya Fine Surface Primer (White). The contrast between the two primers is stark now, but will become very subtle after layering over base coats of color.

Next, I airbrushed Mr Color GX 2 black across all the panel lines of the model. The shading will subtly emphasize the separation of the panels in the final finish. Closeups of the preshading follows.

I started airbrushing Mr Color GX 1 Cool White onto all surfaces. The part on the bottom of these images has been painted white and the preshading is barely noticeable. In person, the shading is more pronounced, but it is still very subtle.

A closeup of one of the intakes. The two-tone effect achieved by varying the shade of primer is clear in these photos.

The wings after painting. Because there is no convenient way to attach an alligator clip to these parts, I taped them to a patch of cardboard to hold while airbrushing. The color separation is visible in these photos.

The preshading came out quite nicely on the vertical stabilizers, but it will be covered by additional details later.

The white base coat is finished. I like the two-tone effect the two primers created, but it was tedious to match the shades of grey on the various parts. In the future, I think I will use a uniform coat of primer and simply mix the whites I want.

Next comes the red details. I masked off the red portions of the vertical stabilizers and the dome on the backpack and airbrushed Mr Color GX 3 Hermann Red. This is a pretty decent match for the reds found in the decals. To mask off the round dome on the backpack, I approximated a circle by forming a many-sided polygon surrounding the dome with many lengths of masking tape. Unfortunately, the polygon poorly approximated the circle. I'll strip the paint on this part and figure out a different way to mask this part later.

The tips of the vertical stabilizers came out nicely.

Next, I prepared a mask for the various black markings found across the surface of the aircraft. Hasegawa provides decals for many of these, but for such simple curves, it's must less hassle to simply mask and paint. It also yields a much better looking result than would decals. The blacks came out great as well. This thing is starting to look familiar :-)

[GMK]

That looks beautiful!

[mickyg]

Very, very nice. The weathering looks great at this stage!