MΔ - VF-9

[Jasonc]

Aside from the dye strategy, which I will not do, I take a long time to prep these parts, but they come out smooth as a hi-res toy finish. Not pretty, and a lot of primer, but it's a process. It's why I didn't buy the whole kit either. It'll give me shorter goals. I do plan, once I get the canopy, to do this process, then gloss paint it, then then buff the hell out of it, then recast it in a crystal clear. I also have a liquid buffer that I can use after that, so I should be able to make a crystal clear canopy. This is what I did with the Paladin clear head top when I had to redesign it, and it was pretty clear.

Xigfrid, do you have a place to get rubber tires for this, or did you just paint yours? If there's a rubber tire to get for it, I'd love to get a set of them online.

[Sildani]

Process? What process?

[wmkjr]

Probably one of these: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/44923-m-the-ride-vf-1x-custom/?do=findComment&comment=1352388

[Xigfrid]

Yeah the result is amazing! 

@Jasonc sorry i thought I already have the link to buy the rubber, here it is : https://m.ebay.com/itm/New-Mini-Solar-Powered-Robot-Racing-Car-Vehicle-Educational-Gadget-Kids-Presents/232802492355?

these are the same tires I used for the X-9 so you can use them if you have spare rubbers

Edited September 1, 2018 by Xigfrid

[Xigfrid]

For the gerwalk lovers

[valhary]

I'm not a big fan of the gerwalk mode but this bird look so nice

[Mommar]

This Valk never had a Gerwalk that looked natural.  Should the boosters/stabulizers on the back be poking up like that?  I think they’re supposed to sit down against the body.

[slide]

Just now, Mommar said:

This Valk never had a Gerwalk that looked natural.  Should the boosters/stabulizers on the back be poking up like that?  I think they’re supposed to sit down against the body.

Looks like @Xigfrid Nailed it.

Edited September 2, 2018 by slide

[Mommar]

16 hours ago, slide said:

Looks like @Xigfrid Nailed it.

Such an odd design.

[Jasonc]

That pew pewer is pretty unique in the picture of the blue VF-9. While I'm not the biggest fan of the GERWALK mode, I love that it has attributes that make it stand out different from what we usually see, such as the swivel cockpit. Design wise, it does look like one of the most stable designs, with everything in the center and situated below the wings.

On 8/31/2018 at 10:12 PM, Sildani said:

Process? What process?

Yes, that's it. I don't remember how much I wrote of it, but it's a long process of fill and sand. There is a putty method, too, but that one requires a little more thought in execution. I usually dilute the putty and then rub it into the parts. You have to be careful to not fill in panel lines either, as those will quickly disappear if not careful. I usually just fill with paint using Model Master fine white primer, then the last coat or two with Tamiya grey primer so I can see and observe where I need a bit more paint, or where I need to fix things. It's costly though, too, but this project is worth it.

[Xigfrid]

I have had a slightly different process for mine:

1) I have assembled the whole valk, sanding the plastic directly a bit the rougher surfaces with a 6-steps nail buffer
2) Apply white primer layer in fighter / gerwalk mode wait 24H to dry

3) transform to battroid and apply another white primer layer, let dry 24h
4) quick sanding with dremel 60 grit disc (Low speed - light pressure on the tool)
5) same with dremel 240 grit disc (Low speed - light pressure on the tool)

6) thorough sanding with dremel 120 grit EZ472SA detail abrasive brush (Medium speed - standard pressure on the tool)

Most surfaces are almost good. I will next apply another prime layer, but ignoring steps 4) and 5) and use the brush used in step 6). And then go to paint.

Edited September 4, 2018 by Xigfrid

[valhary]

now just we need the gunpod

[Xigfrid]

57 minutes ago, valhary said:

now just we need the gunpod

Choose your favorite! 25, 0 or 1’s?

 

Edited September 4, 2018 by Xigfrid

[wmkjr]

Is there any official reference pics of that VF-9's gunpod in fighter mode?

[valhary]

I ignore if the 1/200 could be judge like "official" but has aileron I think should be right

[Xigfrid]

12 hours ago, wmkjr said:

Is there any official reference pics of that VF-9's gunpod in fighter mode?

In the game you can fire it in fighter mode, this is kind of official I think. Just like @valhary posted, the gunpod is located under the arms in fighter mode. I have already placed 2 magnets at this location that are meant to hold the gunpod. 

I have no excuse for not making it except that the gunpod is large and would add even more to the price. 

Edited September 5, 2018 by Xigfrid

[valhary]

[Chronocidal]

So I just realized how different the canard shape is from the early version.  Is that to fit better into place in battroid mode?

Also, you know the next step, right?  Retractable landing gear!  

[Xigfrid]

8 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

So I just realized how different the canard shape is from the early version.  Is that to fit better into place in battroid mode?

Also, you know the next step, right?  Retractable landing gear!  

Yes they are a bit different because of the new wings' folding shape. Now that you mention them, they can easily be straitened in a new version, or printed in SLA/DLP resin to obtain better surface details.

My next step is the Gunpod.

Landing gears ... hum that's quiet a challenge so I promise I will give it a try at my 30th sold VF-9 !

[M'Kyuun]

On ‎9‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 3:36 PM, Mommar said:

This Valk never had a Gerwalk that looked natural.  Should the boosters/stabulizers on the back be poking up like that?  I think they’re supposed to sit down against the body.

Contrary to most, I've never been a fan of GERWALK; however, of all the valks, I find the GERWALK of the VF-9 and the SV-51 both to be really interesting and lovely in their own ways, perhaps because they're both a bit unconventional. I wasn't aware until now that the VF-9's cockpit section could rotate in GERWALK-that's awesome;  it'd make for a good recon valk. 

Anyway, mad kudos to Xigfrid for producing a fully transformable model of one of Kawamori's more challenging designs. Other than Experten, who works at a smaller scale, you're only the second person I'm aware of to produce a fully transformable VF-9 (not sure about HalfEye), and it looks brilliant, so kudos well earned. She's a pretty little bird. Love how the legs collapse and create a smooth line from intake to exhaust- beautifully realized!

[derex3592]

Xigfrid is truly a talented individual, one of the best I've ever seen since I've been on MW.   While I didn't get this amazing aircraft, I do own his 1:60 Ghost X9, and it is amazing as well.  Acradia should hire this guy to design the rarer Macross aircraft and then produce them.  I can only imagine the result! 

 

 

[danth]

This is the coolest thing ever. 

[Xigfrid]

Hey guys, you will make me blush... btw I AMM glad you all like my models

[Mommar]

16 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Xigfrid is truly a talented individual, one of the best I've ever seen since I've been on MW.   While I didn't get this amazing aircraft, I do own his 1:60 Ghost X9, and it is amazing as well.  Acradia should hire this guy to design the rarer Macross aircraft and then produce them.  I can only imagine the result! 

 

 

At this point all Arcadia need to do is take his CAD drawings and make the proper molds for manufacture out of them.  Xigfrid did the entire design/engineering for the thing already.

[slide]

Just now, Mommar said:

At this point all Arcadia need to do is take his CAD drawings and make the proper molds for manufacture out of them.  Xigfrid did the entire design/engineering for the thing already.

And PAY him for ding their design work for them...

[Mommar]

19 hours ago, slide said:

And PAY him for ding their design work for them...

Obviously.  But it seems like they could get away with comissioning fans to donthe more obscure Valks.

[Jasonc]

2 hours ago, Mommar said:

Obviously.  But it seems like they could get away with comissioning fans to donthe more obscure Valks.

The problem, and I don't know if this has been resolved or if they even send these out for manufacturing, is that if they're done in China, what happens is that the original CAD is usually redone in their own specific CAD language, then it is manufactured. So any sort of design, if they still manufacture in China, is broken down and redone anyways. I wish they would do something like make unassembled kits still. It'd be cool to see some of the obscure designs. I still long for a VA-3 Invader.

[Sanity is Optional]

6 hours ago, Jasonc said:

The problem, and I don't know if this has been resolved or if they even send these out for manufacturing, is that if they're done in China, what happens is that the original CAD is usually redone in their own specific CAD language, then it is manufactured. So any sort of design, if they still manufacture in China, is broken down and redone anyways. I wish they would do something like make unassembled kits still. It'd be cool to see some of the obscure designs. I still long for a VA-3 Invader.

Converting CAD files is pretty easy (usually automated, with a few selections/options), and if it's being converted into CNC instructions, there's assist programs that reduce the workload.

Edited September 9, 2018 by Sanity is Optional

[Chronocidal]

On ‎9‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 9:41 PM, Sanity is Optional said:

Converting CAD files is pretty easy (usually automated, with a few selections/options), and if it's being converted into CNC instructions, there's assist programs that reduce the workload.

Converting files, maybe... building CAD/CAM designs for molds to reproduce parts that were designed to be 3D-printed could quite another thing.  You can make a lot of complex shapes in a single piece with a 3D printer, but they might need to be broken down into entirely different assemblies before you could successfully make injection molds for them.

Ideally, you could build the 3D printed parts with this in mind, but it also depends on how fancy of an injection molding process would be required.  The complex multi-directional molds that Bandai uses on its kits can make some incredibly detailed parts, but I don't know how many injection molding factories can do that kind of work.

[Sanity is Optional]

28 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

 Converting files, maybe... building CAD/CAM designs for molds to reproduce parts that were designed to be 3D-printed could quite another thing.  You can make a lot of complex shapes in a single piece with a 3D printer, but they might need to be broken down into entirely different assemblies before you could successfully make injection molds for them.

 Ideally, you could build the 3D printed parts with this in mind, but it also depends on how fancy of an injection molding process would be required.  The complex multi-directional molds that Bandai uses on its kits can make some incredibly detailed parts, but I don't know how many injection molding factories can do that kind of work.

Frankly, if you're designing something, you design it for whatever production method you intend to use. Injection molding, specific type of 3D printing, machining, stamping, etc...

T-Rex (the design house Arcadia hires), I'm positive, designs the parts and final products with injection molding and casting in mind, I doubt the production factory does anything more than handle scaling for material shrinkage, or maybe request some changes to gate placement.

The old caveat in my experience is that just about any design can be 3D printed, because there's so few limitations (aside from material available and individual process tolerances). However the converse is that something designed for 3D printing without considerations for any other manufacturing methods is likely to need a complete re-design to work with any other manufacturing method.

 

An example from the company I work at:

An engineer (me) gets a specification for an assembly.

The design is created, with each part having a specific manufacturing method defined by the design engineer.

The part files and annotated drawings are sent to a manufacturing house, which runs a basic conversion from the CAD file provided (usually STEP in my case) into the CNC language they use. The person overseeing this process tweaks it so that the end result matches the drawing provided, and to make sure the import doesn't screw up.

The parts are produced, and checked against the drawings to make sure they're in spec.

Parts are packaged and delivered.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Sanity is Optional

[Xigfrid]

Concerning this model, my main issue was to make a great design for battroid and fighter modes. I would say this is something like an artistic job. Then I made the simpler way to transform everything back and forth between the two modes, this is an kind of engineer job.

Surely during his process, I didn’t had second thoughts of using the full possibilities of SLS printing, but still you can make most of the parts in a single mold, and a few remaining parts will need to be exploded in two halves and be glued together during assembly.

After the first prototype, I had to make a deep Quality Check job because of wrong proportions and bad lock mechanisms. And then the second prototype which i think is a really great result. 

I am sure there is a lot of room for mechanical improvements but in terms of global design and articulations I am rather satisfied by it !

[Jasonc]

On 9/8/2018 at 9:41 PM, Sanity is Optional said:

Converting CAD files is pretty easy (usually automated, with a few selections/options), and if it's being converted into CNC instructions, there's assist programs that reduce the workload.

Except China uses one that isn't used by anyone else. I've had to work with a couple companies that got stuck with having to deal with this issue. It's some sort of proprietary program from what I understand, and isn't just a matter of converting. 

In any case, it's getting way off topic. I got some of the parts 9ver the weekend. First thing was buffing the canopy. Because the canopy comes foggy no matter what, I used a liquid buffer and a microfiber cloth to smooth it out, followed by clear coat. I'm going to recast it so that it'll be crystal clear. Thankfully, it is quite thick, so once it cures as a copy, it will be a good, solid piece, and look as clear as a toy manufactured part.

[Sanity is Optional]

Ah, thankfully I haven't dealt with Chinese manufacturing (yet).

That canopy looks great so far, I'm interested to see how the recasts look.

[Raptor One]

On 9/2/2018 at 4:34 AM, Xigfrid said:

For the gerwalk lovers

Giggity! Still one of my favourite gerwalk designs (and valk designs overall)

[Xigfrid]

That's looking promising Jasonc, I am also curious to see how it will look like once casted. Here is how my Shapeways canopy looks like, and I am receiving soon a 3D printed copy in clear resin that will be much easier to work with.

@Raptor One I wasn’t a fan of the VF-9’s Gerwalk but now that I have transformed it a few times, I surprisedly dig the gerwalk look. -except for the official awkward heel position, I prefer to the the heel in the standard feet position-

Edited September 11, 2018 by Xigfrid