MOSPEADA INBIT KIT REVIVAL IV: EAGER?

[captain america]

Just as an FYI, I will be having a 1-day holiday sale on December 26th with anywhere from 10 to 30% savings. Prepare your piggy banks accordingly! 

[tekering]

[captain america]

I'm leaving this here. May the HBT be with you!

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/45250-moscato-hobby-models-boxing-day-sale/

 

Edited December 23, 2017 by captain america

[idontknow]

I received my kits and haven't had a chance to open it yet and just noticed this

[tekering]

13 minutes ago, idontknow said:

I received my kits and haven't had a chance to open it yet and just noticed this

If you've already received your kits, then your order was among those that made this revival possible to begin with.  Thanks for helping to make it happen; without our initial support, none of us would have these in-hand now.  Be proud of what you contributed toward, and enjoy having those Invid in your collection!  

[Convectuoso]

6 hours ago, idontknow said:

I received my kits and haven't had a chance to open it yet and just noticed this

Lucky you! I'm still waiting for mine to arrive 

[edstuff]

I got my pinky crab kit a while back. It's beautiful. I'm still deciding how I want to make it.

[RAXXX]

El 1/1/2018 a las 2:33 PM, Convectuoso dijo:

¡Eres afortunado! Todavía estoy esperando que llegue el mío 

¿tú ya lo tienes?

[Convectuoso]

2 hours ago, RAXXX said:

¿tú ya lo tienes?

Sí, ya lo recibí 

[tekering]

Here's a first, and only on Macrossworld.com: an objective comparison of two identically-scaled Invid resin kits, from two different companies on two different continents.

Having acquired an old "Hobby Base RETPPU" Eager resin kit for a surprisingly low price, I thought it would be interesting to compare this licensed Japanese kit with the work of our illustrious Captain America, the Moscato Hobby "Baby Crabb."

The licensed kit (left) came with instructions, and most of the pieces are connected together.  It's clearly going to require a lot more cleanup work than the Baby Crabb.

Also, note there's no space booster option parts, so while Space Baby is kickin' it in orbit, Eager is only capable of atmospheric flight.  

There's a substantial difference in proportions, as you can see; the Eager has a larger, flatter head than the Baby Crabb, yet Baby has much larger forearms and claws.

The legs are totally different, too.  Size and shape vary considerably, and the Eager parts are gonna need a lot more work before they can be painted.

Sculpted detail on the Eager feet is much smaller than on Baby Crabb!

One clear advantage the Eager has, however, is detail on the camera eye.  Baby Crabb is more accurate on the armor socket around the eye, but the eye itself is a featureless translucent blob.  Sorry Cap'n, but they've beaten you there.  

Also, the box art on the Eager is awesome, but doesn't accurately represent the contents of the kit; it doesn't include a 1:48 Borough Superior.  

[EmilianoAlfaro]

 

I'm finishing my Baby Crab, I'm really happy with the model and its proportions. I hope to finish it soon to accompany my Pinky Crab.

[derex3592]

AWESOME comparison!    

[Convectuoso]

So it was you, @tekering who won that on eBay. I was following it, but never decided to bid. 

[captain america]

Hey Ted. Wow great comparison with a classic (and Japanese) Inbit kit!

Just a few thoughts: the box looks exactly like the kit I had back in the late 80's, but the resin color and casting method are totally different. I remember mine being made of that very common 3-minute (Alumilite) resin and the parts were much cleaner. It might still be genuine, but I'm also wondering if maybe someone might have kept the original kit parts and replaced them with a home-made cast. In addition to the mono-eye, the Retppu kit has better under-foot detailing too, IMHO.

[tekering]

4 hours ago, captain america said:

the box looks exactly like the kit I had back in the late 80's, but the resin color and casting method are totally different. I remember mine being made of that very common 3-minute (Alumilite) resin and the parts were much cleaner.

Interesting.  If you had access to a resin kit like that, why did you go to the trouble of sculpting your own from scratch?  Were you unsatisfied with the accuracy of the Japanese kit?  Did you enjoy producing your own Invid models enough to make it worth the time and effort?  Were you hoping to make more money by providing a superior alternative for foreign collectors such as ourselves?

When I think of how many classic anime designs have never been accurately-reproduced as models or figures -- like the frequently requested Southern Cross mecha -- I hate to think of you wasting your considerable talents on something that had already been produced (albeit, without the space booster).

4 hours ago, captain america said:

It might still be genuine, but I'm also wondering if maybe someone might have kept the original kit parts and replaced them with a home-made cast.

I suppose somebody could've recasted the parts, and stuck them into the box the original parts came in... although given how little the kit seems to be worth on the secondary market nowadays, I doubt it would've been worth it.

[captain america]

9 hours ago, tekering said:

Interesting.  If you had access to a resin kit like that, why did you go to the trouble of sculpting your own from scratch?  Were you unsatisfied with the accuracy of the Japanese kit?  Did you enjoy producing your own Invid models enough to make it worth the time and effort?  Were you hoping to make more money by providing a superior alternative for foreign collectors such as ourselves?

When I think of how many classic anime designs have never been accurately-reproduced as models or figures -- like the frequently requested Southern Cross mecha -- I hate to think of you wasting your considerable talents on something that had already been produced (albeit, without the space booster).

I suppose somebody could've recasted the parts, and stuck them into the box the original parts came in... although given how little the kit seems to be worth on the secondary market nowadays, I doubt it would've been worth it.

I sold my Retppu kit back during one of my (many) kit purges over the years, so all I had left was a good memory of the kit. I had actually started scratchbuilding a Gurab in the early 90s, but my skills weren't quite up-to-par yet. Naturally, I'd want to make the full set if only to have design consistency throughout. That's part of the reason all my Crabs use the same mono-eye, too. I never bothered with the slit and triple-camera lens simply because small details like that don't cast well, and from watching the series, I had the impression that the "red" portion of the eye was a kind of lens/filter that was closed most of the time, but could open if needed, thereby revealing the triple-camera.

The Retppu kit might fetch less simply because it's an orphan. Short of financial limitations, most people (in my experience) will want at least two Crabs or the whole set, which they don't offer.

As for why many "classic" (or rather esoteric?) mecha aren't produced... Probably because they just aren't popular enough to justify the effort. Even Southern Cross hero mecha, by virtue of their transformation are more complex than regular figures, thus requiring more time & effort for something that a designer/manufacturer is likely to lose money on. I learned my lessons with the 1/32 Legioss + a couple of other projects and now if I tackle something, it's because I'm reasonably certain that it'll stay in the black.