Upgrading a classic: yet another custom Bandai/Matchbox 1/3000 SDF-1

[pengbuzz]

4 hours ago, tekering said:

Figures a prolific scratchbuilder like you'd be able to tell.  

I'll bet you could whittle a whole Zentradi armada out of a rotten 2x4. 😅

The aluminium rods allow for a little fine adjustment, but I decided not to articulate them further.  While it would make logical sense for them to be independently-targeted cannons, there's actually nothing in the anime (nor the animation model sheets) to indicate that they are... and furthermore, no existing toy with such a feature, either.  

And you know, sometimes unnecessary articulation can actually be an inconvenience:

It's not like I'd ever want to display those rail guns pointing in different directions anyway. 

Not really; I tried that with the Yamato and hurt my wrists.

[tekering]

It's taken much, much longer than expected, but everything's more-or-less ready for final assembly. 

Typically, I apply markings using custom decal sheets designed in Photoshop, but as I'm under the gun, past my self-imposed deadline, and ashamed it's taken this long already, I simply accomplished what I needed with 1mm masking tape.

I'm fairly pleased with the results, actually. 😊

[Gabe Q]

@tekering Beautiful work! I love the factory fresh, crisp and clean look of the paint. I'm very impressed by your attention to detail and perseverance to follow through and finish.

[Thom]

@tekering So your desk is the final stop on the assembly line? Cause that looks like fine, professional-level work right there!

[derex3592]

4 hours ago, Chunky001 said:

THIS!!!

[pengbuzz]

6 hours ago, tekering said:

It's taken much, much longer than expected, but everything's more-or-less ready for final assembly. 

Typically, I apply markings using custom decal sheets designed in Photoshop, but as I'm under the gun, past my self-imposed deadline, and ashamed it's taken this long already, I simply accomplished what I needed with 1mm masking tape.

I'm fairly pleased with the results, actually. 😊

WOW!!! Looking very sharp there, Tekkering!

Edited August 11, 2022 by pengbuzz

[nightmareB4macross]

On 8/11/2022 at 6:15 AM, tekering said:

It's taken much, much longer than expected, but everything's more-or-less ready for final assembly. 

Typically, I apply markings using custom decal sheets designed in Photoshop, but as I'm under the gun, past my self-imposed deadline, and ashamed it's taken this long already, I simply accomplished what I needed with 1mm masking tape.

I'm fairly pleased with the results, actually. 😊

That is going to such an epic finish.

You’re painting skills and upgraded parts are what this SDF-1 needs and wants.

So close, but yet so far.

[arbit]

Looking great! 😍

[tekering]

On 8/11/2022 at 10:48 PM, Gabe Q said:

I'm very impressed by your attention to detail and perseverance to follow through and finish.

I particularly appreciate this acknowledgment, Gabe.  Trying to restore cracked and broken pieces to pristine condition was tedious, repetitive work in-and-of-itself...

...and as each visible layer of primer, surfacer, putty and plastic demonstrates, perseverance was key.

Even more time and effort went into making my main gun extensions look as seamless as if they'd been designed and manufactured that way to begin with:

Many of you made the same modifications in much less time than it took me, but left telltale signs that I fastidiously eliminated.

Final assembly's completed now, and I have a couple more exciting mods to share... 😎

[Big s]

This is looking really great. Can’t wait to see it all

[derex3592]

@tekering Well worth the effort me thinks!  

[pengbuzz]

On 8/14/2022 at 10:42 AM, tekering said:

I particularly appreciate this acknowledgment, Gabe.  Trying to restore cracked and broken pieces to pristine condition was tedious, repetitive work in-and-of-itself...

...and as each visible layer of primer, surfacer, putty and plastic demonstrates, perseverance was key.

Even more time and effort went into making my main gun extensions look as seamless as if they'd been designed and manufactured that way to begin with:

Many of you made the same modifications in much less time than it took me, but left telltale signs that I fastidiously eliminated.

Final assembly's completed now, and I have a couple more exciting mods to share... 😎

Nah... I just carved new ones.

Seriously though: nice job! Looks very smooth and like one solid piece!

Edited August 15, 2022 by pengbuzz

[Thom]

@tekering that is an amazing bit of work! It looks factory fresh. Better even!

[arbit]

Awaiting the final reveal....

[tekering]

Here's cruiser mode:

I've mentioned my use of magnets to keep the cannon boom arms straight, but I came up with a simple mod to the ratchet joints to account for the weight of the "arms" and keep the support carriers properly aligned as well.

The ratchets were originally designed to position the joints at perfect ninety-degree angles, which would seem ideal for a battlefortress in space; however, in an Earth gravity environment, we all know how weight causes sagging in cruiser mode.  If I may borrow a photo from @jenius to illustrate:

Even a pristene-condition Matchbox specimen sags significantly in the bow, a little in the "shoulders," and quite profoundly past the "elbows," all of which I've managed to correct.

The joint housings align the ratchets with these tabs (painted white for the sake of this photo).

I realized I could cut my own notches into the ratchets, and thereby adjust the angle of the joint to account for the effects of gravity:

You can see how the ratchets now hold the shoulder joint at a canted angle, to correct for the sag caused by the weight of the arms.

Another niggling flaw that's bugged me for decades is finally fixed. 

[jenius]

Indeed. Lots of massive fixes implemented flawlessly. 

[nightmareB4macross]

23 hours ago, tekering said:

Here's cruiser mode:

I've mentioned my use of magnets to keep the cannon boom arms straight, but I came up with a simple mod to the ratchet joints to account for the weight of the "arms" and keep the support carriers properly aligned as well.

The ratchets were originally designed to position the joints at perfect ninety-degree angles, which would seem ideal for a battlefortress in space; however, in an Earth gravity environment, we all know how weight causes sagging in cruiser mode.  If I may borrow a photo from @jenius to illustrate:

Even a pristene-condition Matchbox specimen sags significantly in the bow, a little in the "shoulders," and quite profoundly past the "elbows," all of which I've managed to correct.

The joint housings align the ratchets with these tabs (painted white for the sake of this photo).

I realized I could cut my own notches into the ratchets, and thereby adjust the angle of the joint to account for the effects of gravity:

You can see how the ratchets now hold the shoulder joint at a canted angle, to correct for the sag caused by the weight of the arms.

Another niggling flaw that's bugged me for decades is finally fixed. 

She sure is a sight to behold! 
 

Perfection!

 

I am curious about the other custom touches you announced earlier. We’re those taken off the table or would those be added later down the line?

[tekering]

1 hour ago, nightmareB4macross said:

I am curious about the other custom touches you announced earlier.

Oh sure, the restoration process is just the first stage for me.  The pristine toy look is fine, but I want to add a great deal more surface detailing, replace all the surface battery guns, conceal all the screw holes, and treat the whole thing more like a model kit.  

I'm even considering a Macross Island diorama. 😇

I've already painted up a set of recessed engines:

LEDs are installed, but I haven't figured out how to integrate a switch.

I did, however, figure out a solution to a much bigger problem:

The conning tower now sits parallel to the shoulders in "Storm Attacker" mode. 😎

I'm MUCH more satisfied with the proportions now. 😁

[Mog]

Based on what I can see (and my limited knowledge), did you put some sort of slider mechanism in the chest assemblies (to raise the chest, arms, and main guns up ⬆️)?

Or some sort of flip out/fold in bar in each chest to reposition the chest between ship and attacker mode?

Edited August 17, 2022 by Mog

[nightmareB4macross]

Very cool mod on the feet thrusters. The originals are replaced with thruster bell nozzles?

Very cool.

[Thom]

The odyssey continues!

[no3Ljm]

That's awesome, @tekering!   

[tekering]

9 hours ago, Mog said:

did you put some sort of slider mechanism in the chest assemblies (to raise the chest, arms, and main guns up ⬆️)?

Nothing quite so elegant, I fear; as I say, I'm not much of an engineer, so transformation now requires a screwdriver. 😬

Most of you already know that each cannon boom is attached to one side of the chest, and that each "arm" is connected to the same subassembly.  This entire segment is connected to the diecast metal frame with only two screws, making it very easy to disassemble.

By removing some plastic from the bottom of each side of the chest, I made space for the diecast frame to fit much lower, allowing the subassembly to sit 16mm higher -- exactly the height required to align the top of the chest with the conning tower. 😇

This results in a taller, thinner profile that renders the overall proportions much more anime-accurate. 

However, the subassembly can't be screwed into the metal frame in this position, so instead I threaded 30mm wood screws (through the existing screw holes) and drilled mounting holes into the back to secure them to the main hull.

These screws will have to be removed for transformation back to cruiser mode, of course. 

[Thom]

You're making it work, that's what matters most.

[nightmareB4macross]

16 hours ago, tekering said:

Nothing quite so elegant, I fear; as I say, I'm not much of an engineer, so transformation now requires a screwdriver. 😬

Most of you already know that each cannon boom is attached to one side of the chest, and that each "arm" is connected to the same subassembly.  This entire segment is connected to the diecast metal frame with only two screws, making it very easy to disassemble.

By removing some plastic from the bottom of each side of the chest, I made space for the diecast frame to fit much lower, allowing the subassembly to sit 16mm higher -- exactly the height required to align the top of the chest with the conning tower. 😇

This results in a taller, thinner profile that renders the overall proportions much more anime-accurate. 

However, the subassembly can't be screwed into the metal frame in this position, so instead I threaded 30mm wood screws (through the existing screw holes) and drilled mounting holes into the back to secure them to the main hull.

These screws will have to be removed for transformation back to cruiser mode, of course. 

Interesting implementation. How much work is it to go through the transformation process and how durable is the is modification.

 

I am tempted to do another, but this time full on with extensive modifications.

[Mog]

^^More than your original modded Macross? 

[DewPoint]

For some reason I was thinking magnets to hold either position, but that could scratch up your pain job. I am also no engineer. I loved building models when I was young, but was never able to stick with it or go all the way with paint.

 

I'm just glad you all take the time to document your progress to share with the rest of us. I can't wait to see what it looks like once you are satisfied with it.

[MechTech]

GREAT mechanical modifications! That's also a nice-n-clean paint job too! She looks ready to start an intergalactic war all over again! - MT

[arbit]

@tekering Wow, the Matchbox has never looked so good! Fantastic work,

A couple questions:  I am worried about your wood screws eating away at the plastic over time. Maybe I misunderstand the mechanism, but could you possibly use a screw and nut with washer instead?  You could lodge the nut with epoxy (Add some pla plate to fully bury the nut).

Since you are planning to change up the guns, have you seen @Nyankodevice's SDF-1 guns on Thingiverse?  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5389365

 

[tekering]

Thanks again for all the feedback, guys.  🥰

I added some tiny red lights to the radar array:

1 hour ago, arbit said:

Since you are planning to change up the guns, have you seen @Nyankodevice's SDF-1 guns on Thingiverse?

Oh yes, I've been following his work with burning jealously.  His CAD modelling skills make me feel like a dinosaur, and without a resin 3D printer of my own, I'm practically extinct already. 🤕

19 hours ago, DewPoint said:

For some reason I was thinking magnets to hold either position, but that could scratch up your pain job.

That wouldn't be a problem, depending on how you implemented them.  Unfortunately, the diecast frame is really crappy metal, with no magnetic properties whatsoever.

In fact, it's so soft you can drill holes into it with a pin vice!

1 hour ago, arbit said:

Maybe I misunderstand the mechanism, but could you possibly use a screw and nut with washer instead?

Actually, I think I just came up with a better solution:

A couple of 2mm holes (strategically placed to avoid interfering with the internal mechanism) allows me to secure each subassembly directly to the frame instead. 😊

21 hours ago, nightmareB4macross said:

How much work is it to go through the transformation process and how durable is the is modification.

Transformation would now require removing a couple screws from the outside, separating the frames, repositioning them and tightening the screws on the inside, and then putting them back together again.  It's not an elegant or toyetic solution, but hey... at least Minmay's not gonna fall off a cliff. 😇

Durability requires clean holes that are the precise diameter to the screws you're using.  The parts won't attach securely if the holes are too wide, but you'll crack that infamous blue plastic if the holes aren't wide enough.  There's not much margin for error, so proceed with caution! 😬

[Mog]

Yeah, it was pretty easy to drill/manually screw into that diecast metal (left divot in the pic below):

I’m wondering if some sort of hinged system (with some magnets to lock in the positions) could work to make the mod less screwdriver dependent.  It’s tempting to try, but not sure I have the tools and ability to pull it off.

I guess someone could also extend that metal rod and remove one of the metal bars (to allow that part to slide up and down), but it’s crazy that the whole chest/main gun/shoulder section is held on by just two sets of screws and some metal parts.

[pengbuzz]

I had previously considered doing something with the chest on my version; I had to abandon those plans when I had blue plastic parts breaking just from handling them!

The blue plastic on these does not age well at all, and cannot handle much (if any) stress. I literally had to install a solid metal bolt through the shoulders and the booms, and fix them permanently into place via a hole I drilled into the metal frame in order to remove stress from the blue plastic chest boxes.

The white plastic, on the other hand, is a much better quality plastic and readily accepts modifications and handling. I found altering that to be far easier and much less risk of breakage,

Tekering: this is by no means intended to be a "ding" against your SDF-1! I like the clean look and details you've put into your work! I'm just concerned overall about the long-term on all of these that each of us own. Wondering if maybe someone in the future needs to start planning replacement parts for the blue portions! O.o

[tekering]

I only recently learned that Takatoku's original release had spelled Daedalus as "DAIDALOS" on the stickers, and actually came with Lancer II accessories...! 😮

 

One can imagine how quickly those would've gotten lost. 😅

I was nonetheless inspired to do something similar:

I thought Valkyries on the Prometheus deck would be far more appropriate (provided they were properly to scale). 😎

I kept them in a single color to maintain the toy aesthetic... and also because I'd have a great deal of trouble painting Valks that small anyway. 😬

On 8/20/2022 at 5:54 PM, pengbuzz said:

The blue plastic on these does not age well at all, and cannot handle much (if any) stress.

You're preaching to the choir, buddy. 😔

Everything's glued, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, surfacer, base coat and clear coat, and finally ready for final assembly...

...and then when you try and fit the parts back together, there's that horrifying sound of the plastic splitting and cracking, AGAIN. 🤕

I ended up using a lot of scrap styrene for internal reinforcement, wherever I could make space to do so. 

[DYRL VF-1S]

😮

Aw man. That hurts just looking at it. Sorry that happened

[pengbuzz]

3 hours ago, tekering said:

I only recently learned that Takatoku's original release had spelled Daedalus as "DAIDALOS" on the stickers, and actually came with Lancer II accessories...! 😮

 

One can imagine how quickly those would've gotten lost. 😅

I was nonetheless inspired to do something similar:

I thought Valkyries on the Prometheus deck would be far more appropriate (provided they were properly to scale). 😎

I kept them in a single color to maintain the toy aesthetic... and also because I'd have a great deal of trouble painting Valks that small anyway. 😬

You're preaching to the choir, buddy. 😔

Everything's glued, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, puttied, sanded smooth, painted with primer, surfacer, base coat and clear coat, and finally ready for final assembly...

...and then when you try and fit the parts back together, there's that horrifying sound of the plastic splitting and cracking, AGAIN. 🤕

I ended up using a lot of scrap styrene for internal reinforcement, wherever I could make space to do so. 

I recommend Devcon plastic Welder (actually, a 2 part epoxy like adhesive). I found it sealed the cracks and bonded securely to the blue plastic on mine, reinforcing it from within. It will also bond plastic to metal as well, and has a tensile strength of 3500 PSI, plus cures in 4 minutes and can bear weight within an hour.,