1/60 VF-5000 3D Printing

[valhary]

i have to repair my mini makerbot but once done i offer you if help with the project

[Sildani]

Wow, some great progress! Keep going please!

[Tage]

Hey guys!

Been away at a wedding and a pitch for work - there was a 21 hour work day at one point!

Anyway so mainly been working on what i've done previously and making sure things work mechanically mainly. So doesn't visually look too much different, but there's been a lot of work on it.

Also been working on the backpack section:

Here's a full under side to show how it's all working:

You can see the space i'll have to fill in with the legs. :-)

So next i just have to edit the back to fit into the backpack section a tiny tiny bit and then 'just' do the arms and legs.

Also figured a way out i can make the wider ankles and cuffs an option for the 'G' version rather than doing a whole new leg and arm part. So essentially this is the 'B' version but with options to make it a 'G' version. I hope anyway.

One slightly annoying thing i've noticed that i'm going to have to fix later – it seems the nose is pointing up juuuuust a touch:

It should be an easy enough fix, but guhhh. :-S

Thanks for the support both on here and via PM too!

We'll get there in the end! :-)

[cool8or]

You have all my attention Tage!!

(Hoping a 1/72 printing option)

[NZEOD]

You have all my attention Tage!!

(Hoping a 1/72 printing option)

same here

[Sildani]

1/60 scale here! Good work sir!

[NZEOD]

Cool8or... i REALLY need your help too... please PM me.

Edited August 10, 2016 by NZEOD

[Professor Dire]

Too awesome!

[Mr March]

This is an incredible project! I'm very excited to see you complete this. I admire your effort and ambition. The amount of work you're doing here is staggering and worth the utmost praise. Bravo!

[Tage]

Thanks for the support again, really chugging along with this project now.

Just a quick one this week, probably about half way through all the leg parts:

[valhary]

I can't wait to see them integrated into the rest of the fuselage

[Sildani]

Me, either!

[Jasonc]

Loving it so far.

[David Hingtgen]

Can the canopy be raised/bulged more, or will it affect transformation/clearance? As it is, it looks a bit flat/recessed, like a VF-171's.

[Tage]

Cool thanks guys! Just working on the feet now then a little bit of work on the lower leg part/ankle.

Can the canopy be raised/bulged more, or will it affect transformation/clearance? As it is, it looks a bit flat/recessed, like a VF-171's.

Yeah i was thinking the same thing. I think i was going to have to end up changing it at some point as i've still got to do the rather difficult task of making the pilot, and also the cockpit display unit. So i think adding those in will force the canopy to bulge up. It will affect the clearance of the chest shield, but i know for now it'll actually be fine as long as i don't go overboard on the bulge. I was originally worried about just how bulbous the canopy that came with the S.H.E. kit was/is. So i think i've over compensated currently, as yeah, it does look a little too 'sleek'. It's on my rather extensive 'to-do' list haha. Cheers fellas.

[Xigfrid]

Hi Tage!

Concerning the pilot, I haven't found yet a good material to print small details and being solid (FUD from shapeways would be too fragile). You probably can print a 1:60 pilot using a Resin 3D printer (DLP or SLA) with a special resin for strong and mechanical parts, if you got one around!

Otherwise, I would suggest that you source some 1:72 plastic pilots from model kits and custom shape the helmet with from green stuff or else. Bandai's pilots tends to be even smaller than 1:72 pilots!

[Tage]

Ah cool thanks Xigfrid! Yeah good idea on the model kits' pilots. I do have a few of those about as this project is causing a bit of a backlog of kits i have ready to get started on haha.

And actually there is a couple high street 3D printing places around my work that have a few different printers in them that probably could do the Resin printing actually.

I'll add that to my 'to-research' list haha.

[Sildani]

Do me (and possibly others) a favor when you make the pilot: please make a female pilot as well. Many thanks!

[Metal Man]

You're the hero we need and deserve

Amazing work!

[Tage]

Soooo, this week have i have almost 'done' the legs. Just have to sort out a couple internal moving things, then make it fit the rest of the frame nice and snuggly.

But as you can see, it's starting to take shape. Looking at these screen shots, i've probably just placed the legs a little bit too far forward, so he looks a little 'stubby' for now. I got too excited to see what it would look like all together haha. Anyway, you get the idea.

Oh! Speaking of female pilots. I think the main character that used this Valk in Macross Dynamite 7 was a lady anyway, so i really should model the pilot from her.

cheers guys :-)

[505thAirborne]

This project just keeps getting better & better, fantastic job so far!!

[Sildani]

No kidding! This is great!

[valhary]

I suppose you referring to Liza Hoyly

[Tage]

Yeah! That's the one. Thanks! Great reference! Looks like i'll have to do a pilot with and without Catsnake option. :-)

[valhary]

another option for a male pilot

[Tage]

ah even better! Thanks!

Where on earth is that from actually? some animation book?

Edited September 7, 2016 by Tage

[valhary]

macross chronicles no. 33

I used to have some of this magazines unfortunatly I lost all in a robbery a long time ago

so I cant remember if another number has more information maybe other members may help

[Tage]

Ah cool. Thanks. And sorry to hear that! I was broken into once a while ago too. They were interrupted from my flatmate trying to get in the house, but they did start off in my room. My PS3 was half unplugged! But pretty much all of my girlfriend's jewellery went among easy to grab laptops and other stuff... the oddest one was they grabbed my old ripped jean shorts... very odd. Anyway, we'd moved out when they tried coming back 2 weeks later!

[valhary]

oh man thats sucks but if we see the bright side are only material things that can be replaced

[arbit]

Great progress. Looks like you will see it through. Best of luck.

[Tage]

oh man thats sucks but if we see the bright side are only material things that can be replaced

Yeah luckily we were insured and all that.

Thanks arbit - it's been a steep learning curve but i do hope it gets in my timeline of a year. If it goes over, it goes over, but i think my girlfriend is getting sick of my ever growing boxes of backlog kits i need to get through too haha. Too many projects on the go!

[Sildani]

Hey, Tage, how are you doing?

[Tage]

Hey Mate, yeah sorry for total lack of updates. A mix of having a lot of work on and discovering The Witcher 3 (great game) has slowed me down a bit haha. I'm about a 1/3 way through the arm part now though. So should be able to show something off soon (ish)

:-)

[spanner]

this is me watching the progress of this!

[valhary]

I have already fixed my mini makerbot if you want test it some pieces in 3d impression