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

[Anasazi37]

In true Max Factory style, the release date and price are listed as TBD

 

[no3Ljm]

Make sense. Does that mean the next one we'll see is a 1/20 Battroid?

 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

I doubt we'll ever see a 1/20 Battroid. Only the lower arms could be potentially re-purposed out of the existing molds, and doing all the needed molds from scratch would be years and years given how long it took them to get anything onto the store shelves.

We'll 100% get the non-Super Valk because we've already seen all the parts for it, but anything beyond that is an unknown.

[hirohawa]

Incredible 

[Return To Kit Form]

18 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Well my prediction was certainly total horsesh*t.

Landing gear detail does look very nice though

 

 

Nope no it doesn't. Sure there is a bit of random piping to tart up the wheel well but look at those gear door attachment points! Hasegawa do that on their 1/72 scale kits. And that gear leg is plain as Jane. No aircraft modeler would put up with that lack of detail for the price they are asking. 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Still a significant improvement in level of detail from the base Gerwalk :P

And this was clearly never intended for aircraft modelers. If it was then you'd just get a blank, smooth surface and leave you to scribe and rivet everything yourself over the next 4 years of your life

[Return To Kit Form]

18 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Still a significant improvement in level of detail from the base Gerwalk :P

And this was clearly never intended for aircraft modelers. If it was then you'd just get a blank, smooth surface and leave you to scribe and rivet everything yourself over the next 4 years of your life

Haha Troll 

But really they have phoned this one in.

[tekering]

4 hours ago, Return To Kit Form said:

But really they have phoned this one in.

As long as it comes with proper waterslide decals this time around, I'll be satisfied...  

Speaking of which... @Anasazi37?

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Max Factory has only been making injection kits for less than 4 years. The quality of the Gerwalk is not any worse than the previous large injection kits they've done like the Pacific Rim kits. It's not "phoning it in" if they're not doing worse than their previous abilities. I really don't understand why anyone, ever expected this to have Hasegawa level of detail (especially if they followed this thread). Comparing one company that freshly jumped into injection kits vs all the other companies that have been at it for half a century or more isn't really valid.

 

[slide]

Just now, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Max Factory has only been making injection kits for less than 4 years. The quality of the Gerwalk is not any worse than the previous large injection kits they've done like the Pacific Rim kits. It's not "phoning it in" if they're not doing worse than their previous abilities. I really don't understand why anyone, ever expected this to have Hasegawa level of detail (especially if they followed this thread). Comparing one company that freshly jumped into injection kits vs all the other companies that have been at it for half a century or more isn't really valid.

 

I get where you're coming from, but being compared to one's competition is to be expected. [even though there is no real direct competition for this specific kit yet]

 

I've purchased a couple of MaxFactory's figures, and I'm quite satisfied. I don't have any of their kits yet, so I can't comment on a trend of improvement. 

It's an impressive kit for size and ambition [only in the game for ~4 years and they made THAT? for this niche little market?? Ballsy!], but compared to something like a Trumpeter 1/24 scale kit or any aircraft kit of similar size, it is a noticeable difference in both amount of detail, and accuracy; nitpicky things like the undercarriage Retraction-Piston is not mounted off-set as Max's is, but mounted down the centerline... you know, like almost every other tricycle-gear jet ever

 

... all that said I know that I still want  one  several... maybe someone will put out some super-detail sets for us aircraft modelers...

like a super-detailed cockpit! or Accurate Landing-gear/bays for those weirdos who build their birds with the gear down 

 

also: now that MaxFactory have thrown-down this gauntlet as-it-were, I'd love to see someone like Hase or even Trumpeter [since they do big kits already] to pick it up and have a go at it!

then we could do a more apples-to-apples comparison at least

Edited February 12, 2019 by slide

[TMBounty_Hunter]

I'm just curious how much and aftermarket super-detail set would cost. They often cost more than the base kit and in this case....ooooh boy that would hurt.

Usually more fiscally responsible and more fun to do things yourself

So about a month after first cutting into a sheet of styrene, I think I finally got to the point where I'm happy with the general shape of the TV seat. Now it just needs a detailing pass.

 

Now the blatantly obvious issue is that the seat only fits in the kit if you omit the arm rests. I thought about making the whole seat narrower and including the arm rest without cutting apart the cockpit tub but that just felt way too cramped. It's a really narrow cockpit tub! That might potentially hide the fact that there's no arm rests once the figure is in and the canopy closed, but there's a 90% chance that I'll spend the rest of the week widening the tub. No going back after the saw gets into that one...

[Chronocidal]

14 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

I'm just curious how much and aftermarket super-detail set would cost. They often cost more than the base kit and in this case....ooooh boy that would hurt.

Usually more fiscally responsible and more fun to do things yourself

So about a month after first cutting into a sheet of styrene, I think I finally got to the point where I'm happy with the general shape of the TV seat. Now it just needs a detailing pass.

 

Now the blatantly obvious issue is that the seat only fits in the kit if you omit the arm rests. I thought about making the whole seat narrower and including the arm rest without cutting apart the cockpit tub but that just felt way too cramped. It's a really narrow cockpit tub! That might potentially hide the fact that there's no arm rests once the figure is in and the canopy closed, but there's a 90% chance that I'll spend the rest of the week widening the tub. No going back after the saw gets into that one...

Considering that real ejection seats look just like that, I don't think anyone will blink an eye if you leave the sides of the seat off.  Most ejection seats that I've ever seen have nothing like an armrest, and are only thick enough to mount whatever seat-related controls might need to be placed there.

Edited February 13, 2019 by Chronocidal

[Anasazi37]

On 2/12/2019 at 6:11 AM, tekering said:

As long as it comes with proper waterslide decals this time around, I'll be satisfied...  

Speaking of which... @Anasazi37?

Still working on the last and largest sheet. Life stuff got in the way the past two weekends. Should be done this weekend. I’ll be shocked if decals are included with the next kit. On the bright side, I should be able to repurpose most or all of the designs from this kit. 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Any chance of a generic sheet of decals including more pilot names and UN Spacy logos and roundels?

[Anasazi37]

On 2/13/2019 at 7:24 PM, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Any chance of a generic sheet of decals including more pilot names and UN Spacy logos and roundels?

I can look at that after I finish up the original set. As I mentioned when I started this project, I don't have a lot of printing supplies left, so I will likely only do a limited run beyond what I need for my own kit--especially since a Fighter mode kit is coming at some point in the future. I'm looking at two primary options right now:

1. Full set, which includes everything you see on the sticker sheets. For the modeler who doesn't want to paint anything except the bare essentials.
2. All markings once you take away the big stuff like the black stripes for the legs, wings, and forward section; yellow and black stripes for the chest, tailfins, and leg fins; and the black circles for the FAST Pack. Anything sitting on top of those designs, like numbers, kite symbols, and skulls, would be provided. For the modeler who is skilled enough with painting to take care of everything else.

Update on the project: I'm about halfway done with the last and largest sheet. It's taking me twice as long as anticipated because I haven't been able to mirror many of the large designs, e.g., leg stripes. You should be able to draw one and use its reflection for the other side to save time, but the cut lines on the stickers aren't lining up well enough with that approach for me to feel confident that it will work, so I'm drawing every single one and matching the cut lines, just to be safe. It could be that the cut lines suck, I just don't know.  Creating additional pilot names besides Roy's will be...fun. They used some sort of custom font I haven't been able to track down, so I hand-drew each letter in Roy's name for now. If I can't find the font, I'll have to do that for a lot more letters to include all of the pilots that folks likely want. (I just found a decent substitute for the custom font, so we're set). I'm also having trouble reproducing the mustard yellow on the sticker sheet, which is used for all the big stuff like the chest stripes and leg fins. This is a known problem with additive printing methods, which includes both dry resin and laser. I can make the yellow areas pure yellow and they print fine, so that is an option, but it's a lot brighter, along the lines of what you see on the Bandai 1/55 VF-1S reissues:

 

Edited February 18, 2019 by Anasazi37

[hirohawa]

I’m down for a decal set when they are ready. 

 

Thanks 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

I would love a minimalist set of just the text and emblems. Large flat color areas are far easier to mask and paint than to try and wrestle a gigantic decal.

Although if your situation only allows for a limited run at the moment, is it possible to cram a few extra pilot names on there?

[tekering]

10 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

is it possible to cram a few extra pilot names on there?

All I need is "Hikaru Ichijo" and the numbers "011" (although all ten digits would probably be a good idea, and "Maximillian Jenius" might prove popular).  

[TMBounty_Hunter]

I need Max and Atrial needs Milia

I'm sure plenty of others want the wider cast available.

Edited February 18, 2019 by TMBounty_Hunter

[Mr Jones]

To be honest its the same for me -- all the large scale black / coloured markings will be masked and painted -- its all the detail decals that are important to me. I'm on the fence as to which pilot I'd be doing too but all the main decals on a waterslide would be great.

[spacemanoeuvres]

 

[Anasazi37]

The full set of decals is *finally* done! Lighting in the picture isn't the greatest, but if you zoom in you can see that absolutely everything is there--including all of the white stuff. I ended up combining designs across all of the original sheets (A, B, C) in order to fit as many onto the decal paper as possible. As I mentioned in my last post, I had to use pure yellow for the large designs to print nicely. There is enough room on the second sheet from the right to include some extra numbers and pilot names. I'm annoyed at how large the wing decals are. They are on a separate sheet at the moment because I'm looking to see if I can get some legal-sized decal paper from my old supplier. If so, I can fit several pairs on a single sheet, which would keep the overall cost down for the full set. I'm keeping track of everyone's requests, especially for a minimalist version.

[ChristopherB]

Great job Devin, it's nice to see you making decals again.  I've owned a lot of 1/55 & 1/72 customs that wouldn't have been possible without your expertise.  I would like to order a 1/20 decal set when they become available. 

[hirohawa]

Looks great I’m in for a set. 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Those look absolutely lovely!
Just need the big roundels for the Super packs for TV versions and the pilot names. Speaking of which, is there strong opinions for how those should be formatted? Max Factory used MAJ. ROY FOCKER, while Hasegawa uses PILOT R. FOCKER.

I've been looking over the Max Factory stuff and they seem to have omitted they typical "NO STEP" decals. Is that on the assumption that plenty of generic warning label decals like that are available? Anyone have good recommendations?

[Atrial]

I've been lurking, but I should speak up and confirm what TMBounty-Hunter said earlier: yes please for the same kind of mini-set that he is asking for.  Basically the same exact decals as his, except his pilot is Max and mine is Milia. If it all fits on one page, that great, we can cut it in half. We regularly meet up at club meetings.

I'm actually not sure what her rank is. Tho I only did a cursory search. What I did see is: "PL MILIA F. JENIUS"

 

[DarkArchon3000]

These look great! I'm interested in a set for Focker.  Thank you!

[Anasazi37]

On 2/25/2019 at 12:38 AM, ChristopherB said:

Great job Devin, it's nice to see you making decals again.  I've owned a lot of 1/55 & 1/72 customs that wouldn't have been possible without your expertise.  I would like to order a 1/20 decal set when they become available. 

Thanks, @ChristopherB! It's been fun to get back into this. I wish Plamax had done the right thing and included decals, even just a minimalist set for expert modelers, but I'm glad that I can help everyone out.

@TMBounty_Hunter and @Atrial: I'm leaning towards "Pilot" rather than rank for the optional pilot names, following the Hasegawa convention just to be safe, but if folks have strong opinions on that, please let me know. I can also create "NO STEP" markings for the wings. Thanks for catching that.

I'm continuing to keep track of who is interested in ordering and what custom stuff they want. If I have time this weekend, I'm going to start work on the minimalist set. I'm waiting to hear back from my old paper supplier about the legal size option, which would make my life much easier.

[GMK]

Excellent! Have you considered some plain black “UN SPACY” markings so that VF-1J & cannon fodder schemes can be modelled?

Very interested. 

[TMBounty_Hunter]

Fudge, I spent so long looking at the Hasegawa manual for Max/Milia of what text should be where that I completely missed the color of it. Now that you mention that Hikaru's J and Kakizaki's A need black UN SPACY marking I realize that red NO STEP and WARNING JET BLAST stuff would need to be white on Milia's color scheme.

I think I need a longer sit-down to figure out exactly what I need before asking for more and more additions to the "minimalist" set...

[Anasazi37]

11 hours ago, TMBounty_Hunter said:

Fudge, I spent so long looking at the Hasegawa manual for Max/Milia of what text should be where that I completely missed the color of it. Now that you mention that Hikaru's J and Kakizaki's A need black UN SPACY marking I realize that red NO STEP and WARNING JET BLAST stuff would need to be white on Milia's color scheme.

I think I need a longer sit-down to figure out exactly what I need before asking for more and more additions to the "minimalist" set...

This is actually pretty similar to how I got started with creating Macross decals 17(!) years ago. I put together a 1/55 set for folks making VF-1S Roy Strike customs (including me), then requests started coming in for sets that covered all of the other VF-1 variants, then Yamato came out with their 1/60 and 1/48 lines. By the end, I had something like 90 different sets available. I can pull from those sets to make sure that the existing 1/20 markings are the correct colors for the VF-1A Cannon Fodder (what @GMK just asked for) and VF-1J Max/Millia. (Most of the red stuff is either white or grey for Millia). There are some designs, primarily the number designations (e.g., Max is 202), which are different for those three valks on the TV show. First, they don't use the DYRL block-style numbers like you see on the sticker sheet. Second, they show up on the tailfins in addition to the leg fins, but not on the wing or the forward section on either side of the cockpit. See attached screen grab from my old v1 Yamato 1/60 Max/Millia set.

None of these requests are hard to accommodate, but I'm trying to avoid creating a lot of different sets to cover all TV and DYRL variants, or even just One Set to Rule Them All. I'm not sure what the right answer is yet, but if I can help you guys make the exact variant you want, I'd like to do so.

Edited March 3, 2019 by Anasazi37

[pafy6285]

There'll be a Free Shipping promo at N-Y (Mar. 7 9 AM - Mar 7 4 PM JST) so might be a good chance for those who want to get this kit (assuming N-Y doesn't adjust the price of this kit which is currently at 30200 yen)

[Sanity is Optional]

2 hours ago, pafy6285 said:

There'll be a Free Shipping promo at N-Y (Mar. 7 9 AM - Mar 7 4 PM JST) so might be a good chance for those who want to get this kit (assuming N-Y doesn't adjust the price of this kit which is currently at 30200 yen)

They didn't up it last time, so yeah saving $150+ on shipping is a great deal for anyone who wants it.

[TMBounty_Hunter]

The landing gear struts are definitely separate parts plugged in, but it's interesting to see that the landing gear bay doors are molded on as all one piece. Can also see the narrower forearms in the back

[electric indigo]

They probably could have released the kit two years earlier at half the price if they had skipped the engineering process of these molds...