Max Factory 1/20(!) VF-1S/A Hikaru

[tekering]

Well, screw it.  This backpack is just all kinds of wrong.  

I'm just gonna scratchbuild a better one instead.

If Max Factory ever gets around to doing a battroid kit, I sure hope they ditch that backpack and start over!

49 minutes ago, GMK said:

May just use the Macross Master File methodology and build a block that crosses over between the Block 5 (SDFM) & Block x (DYYL?). 

"Build a block?"

[GMK]

Boo on the backpack. 

The Master File incorporates the USN/USAF methodology of grouping series production into “blocks” within a variant. In the real world, this practice goes back to WW2. An example could be the F-16C, it could be further distinguished as a Block 30, or Block 32, or Block 40 etc. The specific characteristics of aircraft by block differ. 

The Master File books on the VF-1 rationalised the differences between SDFM & DYRL VF-1 by saying that the SDFM were early block aircraft (Block 5 rings a bell), and the DRYL VF-1 incorporated differences (instrument panel, controls, seat) as they belonged to a later production block. I’m considering building a VF-1 and ascribing it to a later-than-SDFM production Block, but not quite at DRYL standards, if that makes sense?

[no3Ljm]

On 11/27/2018 at 5:05 PM, tekering said:

Something like this?  

Yes. But without the nosecone.

 

[arbit]

22 hours ago, tekering said:

 

OMG! It's huge. That's the money shot.

[Mazinger]

1 hour ago, arbit said:

OMG! It's huge. That's the money shot.

Now imagine a Legioss with a gimmick to pull a Mospeada out of at that scale!

Really, molding quirks aside, this is impressive. Not something I'd be capable of doing justice with paint, so I eagerly await all the progress pics you valiant souls post for it. 

[mslz22]

21 hours ago, mslz22 said:

A and HLJ took my payment but will not let me move it from PW to cart to pay the ship

 

I know this may be a weird ?,  but has anyone in the US gotten a shipping notice at all?  I ordered one of these from HLJ and one from NYasan and HLJ won't let me pay for shipping and NY has been in prep to ship for like a week.   I paid shipping at NYasan

Is there a problem with the box size to US?

[Mr Jones]

11 minutes ago, mslz22 said:

 

I know this may be a weird ?,  but has anyone in the US gotten a shipping notice at all?  I ordered one of these from HLJ and one from NYasan and HLJ won't let me pay for shipping and NY has been in prep to ship for like a week.   I paid shipping at NYasan

Is there a problem with the box size to US?

HLJ finally got back to me ( on the support site ) with shipping options, in this case to Canada. We'll see when they actually charge me now -- as an FYI to the Canadian folks here here were the options presented :

EMS: 15,500 yen
FedEx: 8,103 yen
DHL: 9,293 yen

 

Personally avoiding EMS since its more expensive and also probably won't make it through our postal strike until May 2019 at this point :P

[Darth Mingus]

Unfortunately, the other two options will guarantee CBSA attention as well as a $20 convenience fee.  With CP, there is always a chance you can get through with paying duties, although on a box this size and weight, I doubt it.

Quote

Well, screw it.  This backpack is just all kinds of wrong.  

I'm just gonna scratchbuild a better one instead.

Wasn't this kit designed for strike parts?  how does it look with the strike parts installed?  Some of the detailing looks like it is missing because the strike parts would hide them anyways.

[Sanity is Optional]

54 minutes ago, mslz22 said:

I know this may be a weird ?,  but has anyone in the US gotten a shipping notice at all?  I ordered one of these from HLJ and one from NYasan and HLJ won't let me pay for shipping and NY has been in prep to ship for like a week.   I paid shipping at NYasan

 Is there a problem with the box size to US?

Mine shipped from CDJ via EMS (for 17,800 yen, ouch) and is arriving today.

Looks like I should have asked about shipping it FedEx or DHL...

[no3Ljm]

52 minutes ago, Darth Mingus said:

Wasn't this kit designed for strike parts?  how does it look with the strike parts installed?  Some of the detailing looks like it is missing because the strike parts would hide them anyways.

Granted that it was designed with Super/Strike parts but they still included the parts for a vanilla Gerwalk. Besides the Super/Strike parts only covers the side of the backpack, leaving the top part expose not looking or lacking the details we see in the lineart or any other iterations of the Gerwalk. At this scale, they should’ve put or followed more what’s already in the design. I think that is more what's Tekering's referring to.

 

Edited November 30, 2018 by no3Ljm

[Chronocidal]

19 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Those look way too much like NACA ducts to be a molding mistake, they're facing the correct way for Valk mode too, but why they would be on the fins I have no idea.

Probably taking inspiration from the F-14.  It had those same ducts on its lower strakes.

[no3Ljm]

Probably they were inspired by a Countach.

[Mr Jones]

Question for those who have the kit already - are there logical locations where one might set up the kit to be broken down ( like wings / legs / arms / super parts removal ) ? Because of its size I'm wondering if a bit of extra work being done to make it more portable might not be a bad idea and am considering how to get that done without having yet seen the kit in hand.

 

 

[milhouse]

I received my vf-1 today. Very excited! Opened it up, and looked at the runners, and quickly put it in storage before my wife could see it, hahahahaha. Just kidding, I don't have a wife... I had to hide it from my girlfriend... just kidding, she walked in the house as I was trying to hide it....

I dunno why, but it seems more glorious than when I saw it at Yellow Submarine in Akihabara, my GF agreed as well... perhaps cos it is mine, and not just something to gawk at. Hopefully I can work on it during my Xmas break (a perk of being a teacher I suppose)

[Sanity is Optional]

Got home just in time to catch the mailman...who didn't have it. Turns out they have a separate person to deliver priority stuff, and they showed up at 10am when nobody was around to sign. Grumble.

[Nyankodevice]

21 hours ago, mslz22 said:

 

I know this may be a weird ?,  but has anyone in the US gotten a shipping notice at all?  I ordered one of these from HLJ and one from NYasan and HLJ won't let me pay for shipping and NY has been in prep to ship for like a week.   I paid shipping at NYasan

Is there a problem with the box size to US?

same for me and i live in Denmark..

probably the guy who research the shipping prices to certain countries, took the week off, or something i dont know 

[tekering]

Well, it's still not ideal, but I think the backpack looks a damn sight better now...

21 hours ago, Mr Jones said:

are there logical locations where one might set up the kit to be broken down ( like wings / legs / arms / super parts removal ) ?

Absolutely.  The arms, legs, wings and FAST packs can be securely attached (and reattached) without any glue required.  

The nosecone might need a little reinforcement, though, if you want it removable as well... but it could be done with only minimal effort.  

[arbit]

On 11/29/2018 at 7:52 PM, tekering said:

 

Having properly mounted the legs by sliding them into the locking mechanism underneath, I'm left with an unsightly gap that doesn't look right...

I really don't get this. Was this gap apparent with Max's build?

[kajnrig]

4 hours ago, tekering said:

Well, it's still not ideal, but I think the backpack looks a damn sight better now...

Just wanted to confirm, were the backpack tri-thrusters just improperly assembled in your original pic? That seems like an absurd thing for the engineers to get wrong.

[leeorzeal]

I'm new here but I gotta chime in and say this is a must have. Such a great model with a load of potential. Congrats to everyone who has got one so far.

[tekering]

3 hours ago, kajnrig said:

Just wanted to confirm, were the backpack tri-thrusters just improperly assembled in your original pic? That seems like an absurd thing for the engineers to get wrong.

It's absurd, yes.

The mounting plate can only be mounted one way, and the thrusters end up sticking out like the boosters on the space shuttle.

My solution required cutting the back half off each thruster, gluing them to each other, and ditching that ridiculous mounting plate altogether.

I'll have to scratch-build some kind of nozzle assembly that looks like they're actually attached to something.  

[TMBounty_Hunter]

So what's everyone's plan for painting? Spraycans? Endless airbrushing? Mini sprayguns? HVLP guns?

[nightmareB4macross]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

It's absurd, yes.

The mounting plate can only be mounted one way, and the thrusters end up sticking out like the boosters on the space shuttle.

My solution required cutting the back half off each thruster, gluing them to each other, and ditching that ridiculous mounting plate altogether.

I'll have to scratch-build some kind of nozzle assembly that looks like they're actually attached to something.  

Good catch on positioning the thrusters correctly. The instructions show one on top and two on the bottom in GERWALK mode. Also you might just be able to trim the original thruster plate as long as you set it in the correct orientation first then trim to fit.

nice job on the antenna. You build is looking really good.

[tekering]

13 hours ago, arbit said:

I really don't get this. Was this gap apparent with Max's build?

Sure, the gap's visible on both the display models...

...and so are the absurd thrusters bulging out of the backpack.  

6 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

So what's everyone's plan for painting? Spraycans? Endless airbrushing? Mini sprayguns? HVLP guns?

Rattlecans for me.

[GMK]

Well, mine has landed in Australia. Should arrive this week. 

[GMK]

@tekering what are your thoughts on how Hasegawa tackled their Gerwalk’s backpack? (https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/m/image/10289602) Thinking of using it as a template. 

Btw, apart from the nozzles & antenna, did you do anything else to the backpack to improve the look?

[Return To Kit Form]

On 11/29/2018 at 1:51 PM, tekering said:

Sprues A, B, Q and R would be required (which unfortunately includes the largest parts of the fuselage).  ¥14800 plus shipping.

I think from a space and price point tgat is much more acceptable. What's the process to order selective sprues?

Good work on the kit so far too Ted, those pictures are fantastic as well, your photographic skills are top notch!

 

Cheers,

Brett

[Return To Kit Form]

Damn double post.

Cheers,

Brett

Edited December 3, 2018 by Return To Kit Form

[Return To Kit Form]

Erk! How to you delete posts!

 

Cheers,

Brett

Edited December 3, 2018 by Return To Kit Form

[GMK]

Thought I’d collate line art of the backpack for reference purposes. 

 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

For those that have theirs already, what's the outside diameter of the gunpod and roughly how long is it?

[007-vf1]

Every one seems to forget that when hasegawa came out with their 1/72 fighter valks they had the inherited flat “backpacks”. Theirs didn’t get rounded until the battroids came out. Same issue with their 1/48 valks.

i am thinking they did this purposely to be use again pieces on the future fighter mode..

Today I just got the message to pay the extra shipping from NY. To Virginia. $160 kill-my-freaking-monthly-allowance extra bucks..!  Who knows how long they will take to ship it..

Edited December 3, 2018 by 007-vf1

[Major Focker]

On 12/1/2018 at 9:25 AM, milhouse said:

i like the box. hope they also make a plastic foldable container/crate  down the line.

NY also asked me for extra shipping. total 7300 yen shipped to Manila.

it's been shipped but i probably won't see it until 2019. postal services grind to a crawl during December. 

 

[Mr Jones]

Seems like HLJ may get mine out the door today/tomorrow -- they took payment for my shipping so now just looking for notification on shipment itself. Avoided postal service since it was more expensive and also unlikely to arrive until June at this point with the way Canada Post has been on strike and backing up international reception.

[Nyankodevice]

On 12/1/2018 at 3:01 PM, Nyankodevice said:

same for me and i live in Denmark..

probably the guy who research the shipping prices to certain countries, took the week off, or something i dont know 

i found out why, for Hlj atleast..

the automated system that figures out quotes on freight, can not handle it, if the box gets too big or heavy.

so those that have bought it on hlj needs to write customer service to get they're quotes.