1/72 F203 Dragon II Kit Proposal --Moscato Hobby

[Thom]

That is looking incredible! 

[sbantonelli]

You have a great knack for interpreting anime and turning it into reality.  Thank you for all of the incredible kits over the years.   

[captain america]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:57 PM, sbantonelli said:

You have a great knack for interpreting anime and turning it into reality.  Thank you for all of the incredible kits over the years.   

Thank you, you're most welcome. Truly I have been humbled over the years by the faith people have had to fund my projects, sight unseen, believing that they would meet expectations. I can't express how much I appreciate everyone who has helped to make projects like these a reality, because the truth is, I couldn't have done it without your help.

Here are some final pics before I commit the masters to mold-prep. Please excuse the floppy gear bay doors, which are held with Tamiya tape: once I add the hinges, the only way to build the doors closed will be to trim those hinges off, just like your average Hasegawa kit. Some very fine detail parts are going to be extremely challenging to mold, so please pray that everything goes smoothly! One pleasant surprise is that the Dragunn doesn't do a wheelie on its tailpipes, even with all the weight shifted aft. The main struts will have brass inserts for added strength, and a few small details were omitted from the pics to avoid losing or damaging them, like the teeny-tiny control stick and the door for the refuelling probe. The canopy will be clear, of course, and the casting for those is already underway.

[Big s]

Looks really nice 

[Thom]

Looks like some good detail in the 'pit.

[captain america]

Captain's Log: Monday, July 18th, 2022.

Molding is going well! The bulk of the masters have now been molded, but because everything is either slow or delayed these days, I'm waiting on the materials I need to finish the remainder of the molds, so the frustration continues. As such, I'll use this time to try to mold as many of the very delicate parts as I can and get those out of the way.

 

[ChristopherB]

Great job John, it's awesome to see all of your progress!  I see some white lines possibly putty &/or sanding on the two large rear tires.  Although I cannot see the back of them, the rear section of the front two tires seem to have flaws.  Both smaller wheels have circular indentations and the rims of one has flash along the edge.  I'm guessing you took these pictures just to show some progress and you didn't yet finish all the QA.  I know how important it is to have the masters perfect so the flaws aren't reproduced in the mold and then recast parts.

I really like your comments about how much you appreciate all of your customers.  I really take a lot of pride in owning many of your kits, maybe 20+ and they're some of my favorites in my collection.  So, we feel the same about you and it's fortunate for us that you have the skill, time and interest in Macross to make these kits for us.  I sincerely hope that you and I can work together in the near future to make my 20 year dream of a certain armored valkyrie come to fruition. 

Not to diminish your achievements, but a project unlike many of your Macross kits that have had several releases in various scales & companies.  It would be refreshing and challenging for you to make a Macross item that hasn't been done in more than 30+ years and by a single Japanese person in their house.  Not only that, without taking the same shortcuts like Hasegawa did with their recent GBP-1 release.  Based upon my knowledge of your former projects taken from list we worked on together, I don't think you've ever attempted a Macross kit as ambitious as my proposal.  Thanks in advance my friend!

[ChristopherB]

"Pic 42: the burner cans are also done, though these still feature a seam. I’m debating whether it’s best to leave these smooth and let the builder fill them, or try to mask the seam with ribbing of some sort. As much as I would have preferred a seamless unit, the complex shaping of the part made this impossible."

As beautiful as your Dragon II is, that gap/seam always bothered me a bit, and I know you mentioned not having a choice.  Plus I'm not too sure how visible it will be to begin with especially with the nozzles there.  Likewise it can be filled with putty and so forth.  But looking at the most recent pictures you posted of the final version, there's only one that really shows that area from the right angle although it's hard to see thanks to the dark gray primer and lighting.

The gap is still quite large in this picture, but that's mostly because the upper/lower sections haven't been glued/compressed together.  As such, I was wondering what's your feedback on how good/bad the seam will be in the production version.  Did you decide whether to leave the seam smooth or camouflage the seam with ribbing?

Edited July 19, 2022 by ChristopherB
Picture

[Thom]

'...the frustration continues...' Not from this end! 

I've never waited for a kit like this to be first created and then made, and so maybe I lack 'customer experience,' but I am amazed by how fast it's going together.

Keep up the good work!

[Jasonc]

I can't wait to get my kit of this. It looks great.

[captain america]

On 7/19/2022 at 2:56 AM, ChristopherB said:

"Pic 42: the burner cans are also done, though these still feature a seam. I’m debating whether it’s best to leave these smooth and let the builder fill them, or try to mask the seam with ribbing of some sort. As much as I would have preferred a seamless unit, the complex shaping of the part made this impossible."

As beautiful as your Dragon II is, that gap/seam always bothered me a bit, and I know you mentioned not having a choice.  Plus I'm not too sure how visible it will be to begin with especially with the nozzles there.  Likewise it can be filled with putty and so forth.  But looking at the most recent pictures you posted of the final version, there's only one that really shows that area from the right angle although it's hard to see thanks to the dark gray primer and lighting.

The gap is still quite large in this picture, but that's mostly because the upper/lower sections haven't been glued/compressed together.  As such, I was wondering what's your feedback on how good/bad the seam will be in the production version.  Did you decide whether to leave the seam smooth or camouflage the seam with ribbing?

I went with smooth, simply because if I add detail to the burner can, it will only make it harder to fill that seam afterward. The way I designed it, you can putty & sand the burner, and then drop the flame ring in at the end so that it doesn't get damaged. Because of the zozzle design, the cans are quite well shrouded from most viewing angles. The ejector pin mark on the nose wheels is my bad: I should've filled them, but I forgot. 

More good news is that the landing gear struts all came out beautiful The main gears probably didn't need a metal insert, but I added one anyway just to be safe. At some point, we may need a 2-seat attack variant of this thing. 

[captain america]

Captain's Log: Tuedsay, July 26th. 1/72 F-203B Dragunn resin kit scratchbuild update.

Supply shortages are a frustrating matter! I just received my mold material yestarday, so I'll be able to complete the remaining molds... Now waiting on my resin shipment. Thankfully, I should be able to get through most of the production run with the resin I have on hand. All the tiny parts which were a concern for me have been casting very well. The clear canopies are underway as well, and looking extremely good right out of the mold. I'm also working on the markings for the fighter, which I may simply offer as free artwork that you can download & print yourself. It will also include a color & markings placement guide. 

[Thom]

(Checks dictionary for more amaze-balls-like words...) Dude, that is looking phenomenal! Loving the dragon on the tail as well.

[captain america]

Hi guys. Just wanted to check-in and say that my silence of late has not been in vain. I'm currently at mid-point in the production run and things are going beautifully! I should be done with the bulk of the casting by the end of next week, and will dedicate myself to the decal artwork and then the kits will ship. If someone could suggest a way to host the decal files for people to download, I'd really appreciate it. They're really simple, 2 colors only (grey + black) for the low-viz scheme.

[sbantonelli]

I can't wait!

[Thom]

Wow, look at that squadron! Almost ready to fly!

[captain america]

Decal placement guide and decal layout finalized. 

f203 dragunn decals artwork.ai f203 dragunn decals artwork.cdr

[Thom]

Awesome work. This is looking so good!

[captain america]

Kits are being packed-up and should start shipping on Monday. 

Jose Jauregui: please PM me!

[Thom]

Man, so effin cool!

[captain america]

This is what's in the box. It's not shown, but I'm also including a small piece of metalized acetate to make the HUD from.

[Gabe Q]

Maybe it's too soon to mention this but, now we need to have a bad guy to fight against our new Dragunn!

[TER-OR]

Looking forward to this!

[Thom]

Same here! Any word on order of shipping?

[captain america]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

Same here! Any word on order of shipping?

All the kits went out in two batches: one on Friday, the other earlier today. Once it's in the hands of UPS, there's a myriad of factors that influence transit time. 

[Thom]

34 minutes ago, captain america said:

All the kits went out in two batches: one on Friday, the other earlier today. Once it's in the hands of UPS, there's a myriad of factors that influence transit time. 

Awesome news! I shall be awaiting anxiously!

[Thom]

Showed up in the mail today. Thank you, good sir, it looks great!

Thom

[captain america]

Instructions are done! 

[captain america]

[captain america]

[Chronocidal]

Hopefully something easy to edit, but I believe you might have your control stick in backwards in the cockpit.  

Looking absolutely awesome though, love all the small details and options you've included.

Edited August 25, 2022 by Chronocidal

[Thom]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

Hopefully something easy to edit, but I believe you might have your control stick in backwards in the cockpit.  

Looking absolutely awesome though, love all the small details and options you've included.

Just push forward to go up! Worked in ID4.

And seconding the absolute awesomeness! Looks like she'll build into one mean bird.

[captain america]

15 hours ago, Thom said:

And seconding the absolute awesomeness! Looks like she'll build into one mean bird.

Extremely mean and dangerous! Sometimes the best projects are the throw-away designs the original art team didn't mangle. So this is me throwing my hat into the ring with an offer for a second run, this time with decals and commensurate price bump. Please forgive the rickety build, it's barely holding together with hot glue.

[Milo]

Yes! I would like one as well. Sign me up!

[captain america]

Tick-tock. I'll leave the pre-order window open until the end of the day on September 12th. Hopefully I'll get the needed tally of 12 kits by then, and if not, I'll go to another project.