First build ever… Imai 1/144 Queadlunn-Rau

[Papa Rat]

Still wrapping up my first Battroid VF-1A Max color-way and will post the final build soon-ish…but wanted to do a quick little show and tell. Today is my bday and my wonderful wife and kiddo got me a couple more kits for my backlog which is starting to form. Soooo grateful and excited. 

Edited June 21 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Still wrapping up my first bathroom VF-1A Max colorway and will post the final

build soon-ish…but wanted to do a quick little show and tell. Today is my bday and my wonderful wife and kiddo got me a couple more kits for my backlog which is starting to form. Soooo grateful and excited. 

Happy birthday. It’s great to see they know what to buy you. Those aren’t exactly the first choices someone that isn’t in the know would pick for anyone. Please post a lot of cool pictures of these since it’s very rare to see these built

[Papa Rat]

3 minutes ago, Big s said:

Happy birthday. It’s great to see they know what to buy you. Those aren’t exactly the first choices someone that isn’t in the know would pick for anyone. Please post a lot of cool pictures of these since it’s very rare to see these built

Will do. Sort of treating this thread like a journal as I start this hobby. I’ll post updates as I reach benchmarks. I’ll focus on Macross but am so excited about these FSS kits. 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

Will do. Sort of treating this thread like a journal as I start this hobby. I’ll post updates as I reach benchmarks. I’ll focus on Macross but am so excited about these FSS kits. 

Nice can’t wait to see them.

for me Macross is what got me into the hobby back in the 80’s, but I definitely enjoy kits from other franchises. 
just finished snapping a simple G-Line kit from Gundam. Surprised that there were absolutely no seams or polycaps on the basic kit or its armor. Does need a bit of paint to be totally accurate, but I haven’t decided if I care to be accurate with it. 
just something to take a break from sanding and seam filling work on other unfinished projects.

[Papa Rat]

So here’s my 4th build and it’s the Hasegawa VF-1A Super Battroid Valkyrie.

It was a fun one and it turned out OK I suppose. It was a nice way to learn more about seam removal and making misaligned elements work. I also had to scribe a bunch of panel lines which turned out rather bad. I need a lot of practice with technique. Lol.

I went with the decals for most of the color correcting which I feel was a mistake. It was the least enjoyable part of this experience for me. I would 100% mask and paint all those elements next time no question. I also think I should have panel lined a little darker. I used a light gray and would have preferred a dark gray one it was all done.

I have a couple other versions of this kit and am excited to revisit this again down the road and now have a better idea what I will be facing.

 

Edited June 23 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

4 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

So here’s my 4th build and it’s the Hasegawa VF-1A Super Battroid Valkyrie.

It was a fun one and it turned out OK I suppose. It was a nice way to learn more about seam removal and making misaligned elements work. I also had to scribe a bunch of panel lines which turned out rather bad. I need a lot of practice with technique. Lol.

I went with the decals for most of the color correcting which I feel was a mistake. It was the least enjoyable part of this experience for me. I would 100% mask and paint all those elements next time no question. I also think I should have panel lined a little darker. I used a light gray and would have preferred a dark gray one it was all done.

I have a couple other versions of this kit and am excited to revisit this again down the road and now have a better idea what I will be facing.

 

Macross models in general are usually a great step towards learning more advanced techniques. They usually need seam filling and waterslide decal work. I do think the same as far as color correcting decals. It’s usually easier to paint the parts.

[Papa Rat]

Next project is starting. By my kids request I opened up the 144 scale Batsh FSS Volks kit. Life is very busy right now so this is going to take awhile, but I’m very excited to dig in, I will do my best to document this build for articulation, seam issues and fit etc… right away I see there is some nice color separation and a straight build could be an option. I look forward to doing custom paint on this with some sort of clear/color shimmering on the black  armor parts. I’m excited to have fun with this one  

 

 

[Big s]

1 hour ago, Papa Rat said:

Next project is starting. By my kids request I opened up the 144 scale Batsh FSS Volks kit. Life is very busy right now so this is going to take awhile, but I’m very excited to dig in, I will do my best to document this build for articulation, seam issues and fit etc… right away I see there is some nice color separation and a straight build could be an option. I look forward to doing custom paint on this with some sort of clear/color shimmering on the black  armor parts. I’m excited to have fun with this one  

 

 

Can’t wait to see it all put together and hear your thoughts on the build 

[Papa Rat]

Making progress. It was prime day today and I can see I have a lot of work to do. There are plenty of mold lines and some minor nub marks to putty, smooth. All and all there hasn’t been any headaches with this kit. Doing the test build gave me insight in how many of the connection points are sort of loose but no major issues at all. I can’t wait to paint! (=

Going to be a bit of masking but no more than the Bang kit. Mostly inside the skirt armor and tiny details on ankle armor etc…

There is going to be a lot of gluing post paint. Basically all the armor pieces are going on post painting including the skirt armor plates and there are many. Any advice besides being super careful when it comes to gluing together painted parts?

Edited July 6 by Papa Rat

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

There is going to be a lot of gluing post paint. Basically all the armor pieces are going on post painting including the skirt armor plates and there are many. Any advice besides being super careful when it comes to gluing together panted parts?

Definitely be careful. I usually mask the peg and hole with a tacky putty like eraser putty so it ends up plastic on plastic. And I use a thin cement. As long as you don’t use too much the cement won’t run, just make sure to put a little on both surfaces and sometimes a toothpick helps for tiny spots 

[Papa Rat]

Thanks. Masking it out sounds like a great idea.  I was also thinking about using a toothpick. Don’t know what difference it would make, but do you have any thoughts on using super glue?

Edited June 30 by Papa Rat

[pengbuzz]

19 minutes ago, Papa Rat said:

Thanks. Masking it out sounds like a great idea.  I was also thinking about using a toothpick. Don’t know what difference it would make, but do you have any thoughts on using super glue?

Just don't use super glue near clear parts or stuff that will get wiggled from side to side a lot, and you should be fine.

[Casual.Plamo]

9 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Thanks. Masking it out sounds like a great idea.  I was also thinking about using a toothpick. Don’t know what difference it would make, but do you have any thoughts on using super glue?

Sometimes i use toothpick, sometimes i just put a drop straight out of the bottle.

I personally prefer the gel type because it gives me time to work with and easier application with a toothpick or applicator. The thin type has a risk of going everywhere I dont want it to go whenever i use them lol.... Gotta be careful when using em during assembly as they can sorta melt paints.

Just saw your work on the macross kits and the FSS kits. Always nice to see more people getting into this niche genre in an already niche hobby

You could check some of my work on my channel or my valk in my prev post here

Currently working on a hasegawa valkyrie VF-1s but busy with work so it's taking awhile.

[Papa Rat]

7 hours ago, Casual.Plamo said:

Sometimes i use toothpick, sometimes i just put a drop straight out of the bottle.

I personally prefer the gel type because it gives me time to work with and easier application with a toothpick or applicator. The thin type has a risk of going everywhere I dont want it to go whenever i use them lol.... Gotta be careful when using em during assembly as they can sorta melt paints.

Just saw your work on the macross kits and the FSS kits. Always nice to see more people getting into this niche genre in an already niche hobby

You could check some of my work on my channel or my valk in my prev post here

Currently working on a hasegawa valkyrie VF-1s but busy with work so it's taking awhile.

Thanks for the insight and link. I’ll check out your channel right away.

I am super late to this hobby but I’m already loving it. It’s such a great way to unwind from a busy work and family life. My moment of zen, my plastic therapist. lol 

[Big s]

5 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

I am super late to this hobby but I’m already loving it. It’s such a great way to unwind from a busy work and family life. My moment of zen, my plastic therapist. lol

Better late than never. And I totally agree, all the stress tends to go away with a great hobby. Sometimes it can be a bit stressful, but then you learn to turn that into a calming moment and it’s always super exciting to get the end result. It’s also the best time to get into the hobby, since unlike fourth years ago you can get advice from other builders or watch YouTube demonstrations for ideas

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, Big s said:

Better late than never. And I totally agree, all the stress tends to go away with a great hobby. Sometimes it can be a bit stressful, but then you learn to turn that into a calming moment and it’s always super exciting to get the end result. It’s also the best time to get into the hobby, since unlike fourth years ago you can get advice from other builders or watch YouTube demonstrations for ideas

Or have a nervous breakdown and enjoy weaving baskets at the local asylum...

 

[Papa Rat]

18 hours ago, Casual.Plamo said:

You could check some of my work on my channel or my valk in my prev post here

Checked out your channel today and got very inspired. Such amazing work. It was fun seeing the 1/100 Batsh build since I’m currently working on the 1/144 little brother and seeing the similarities and differences.

Interesting enough I’m seeing mold lines in the exact same areas of the larger scale, but since this is a simpler kit and less pieces I’m dealing with less seam lines and gaps. The main piece for the ankle armor is a single piece instead of two for example. 
 

I’m spending my evening masking out the skirt pieces and once my paint arrives I’ll get cracking on it. I’m also going for a gloss finish and possible candy color on the red bits which will be a first. I’m very excited! Oh and I’ll be doing the Mr crystal clear purple on it as well. Another first  
I’m not sure I will take it to the limit and sand to 10k and polish though. Can’t decide 🤔

I’ll update as things develope. 

[Casual.Plamo]

23 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

Checked out your channel today and got very inspired. Such amazing work. It was fun seeing the 1/100 Batsh build since I’m currently working on the 1/144 little brother and seeing the similarities and differences.

Interesting enough I’m seeing mold lines in the exact same areas of the larger scale, but since this is a simpler kit and less pieces I’m dealing with less seam lines and gaps. The main piece for the ankle armor is a single piece instead of two for example. 

 

Haha yeah, the 1/100 was released way before the 1/144 so I guess they probably miniaturized the mold and change/improve things a little here and there.

 

23 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

I’m spending my evening masking out the skirt pieces and once my paint arrives I’ll get cracking on it. I’m also going for a gloss finish and possible candy color on the red bits which will be a first. I’m very excited! Oh and I’ll be doing the Mr crystal clear purple on it as well. Another first  
I’m not sure I will take it to the limit and sand to 10k and polish though. Can’t decide 🤔

I’ll update as things develope. 

 

 

In hindsight, I think after 3-4 gloss(you can go to 5 prob but min is 3) you can probably just do a 2k, 4k, 6k, then move on to the compound polishing set. I kinda think I went overkill with it myself 😅

Good luck, will be looking out for your updates along the way~~

[Papa Rat]

Now I just need to find a supply of super clear gloss since I’m running low. Unfortunately certain MR color/hobby paints, top coats and especially self leveling thinner is hard to find right now. Finishing this kit may take a bit longer depending on supply chain issues. Once these items become available again I might as well grab some extras.

Edited July 3 by Papa Rat

[Papa Rat]

Waiting on paint to arrive so I’m starting another kit along side the Black Knight.

In the process of getting the test fit together and going to need a lot of tape. There are no snap fittings at all on this kit so far. Maybe I should use some tack to hold it together? Might be easiest way to get this standing. Anyway, the amount of details in this kit are awesome. Going to be a beauty (=

[nonner242]

Amazing job being your first build. I wish it was as easy for me...😆😭

Looks like you a born modeller!

[Papa Rat]

21 minutes ago, nonner242 said:

Amazing job being your first build. I wish it was as easy for me...😆😭

Looks like you a born modeller!

Thanks.

I have a lot to learn no doubt. The more opportunities I have to build the better and I’m having a blast so far! The end goal of completing a kit is great but the path there is what I’m most excited about. (=

I also have to say that seeing all the amazing work out in the community reminds me that I can also achieve some great results with adequate experience. 
 

[Papa Rat]

I’m loving the MR Crystal purple on these dark armor pieces. I went sort of light on this part.  Now it’s time for all the gloss layers before sanding/polishing. 

Edited July 8 by Papa Rat

[Papa Rat]

Kit number five in the books, 🫠 

I had plans to shine this all up,  but I got cold feet sanding back too far into it before polishing.

I have to say all and all this kit went well for the most part. I did run out of gloss top coat for my airbrush and had to do the final coat with a spray can. I kind of botched it. Whoops. My sloppy can control left areas of the surface uneven and there are a couple areas with a slight texture showing up. I need more practice no question.

Some attachments on this build are very, very delicate like the wrist and kneecap armor plates. They attach with a single tiny peg maybe .5mm or smaller… Not sure. Of course I had one of the kneecap pieces snap on me as I was trying to attach a leg. I will need to purchase some brass rod(s) and repair later. Never attempted that before. No big deal  

The most challenging part of this kit for me was the polycaps for the hip/leg attachments. It requires so much pressure to put a leg on I thought I was going to break it apart. It did cause the bond in the thigh pieces to separate which was annoying. I guess I hadn’t allowed the cement to cure completely or used too little? Not sure. I had to completely take the thigh apart and sand down the PC a little so the expansion wouldn’t separate the parts again. In doing so some glue squished out on the paint along the seam and that’s not ideal. It’s hidden by the skirt armor though. Lesson learned. Slow down and less is more sometimes. lol 
 

This was also my first attempt at candy color. I tried it on the red pieces and some orange on the shield emblem.. It was fun to do, but I think it looks sort of silly on this build. In hindsight I think I should have went with just a metallic deep red and not such a “in your face”  blast of color. 

Anyway, I had a ton of fun building this and would recommend it to anyone into FSS. Looks real nice next to the Bang build on my bench. 

Edited July 11 by Papa Rat
Spelling

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

The most challenging part of this kit for me was the polycaps for the hip/leg attachments. It requires so much pressure to put a leg on I thought I was going to break it apart. It did cause the bond in the thigh pieces to separate which was annoying. I guess I hadn’t allowed the cement to cure completely or used too little? Not sure. I had to completely take the thigh apart and sand down the PC a little so the expansion wouldn’t separate the parts again. In doing so some glue squished out on the paint along the seam and that’s not ideal. It’s hidden by the skirt armor though. Lesson learned. Slow down and less is more sometimes. lol 

I had a similar issue a few years back on a gundam kit. I used to use cs glue to do the bonding and seams. It was the lower arm section and had been smoothed and painted and weathered , basically completed. Then I went to pop in the hand into the wrist polycap and it just reopened the whole seam due to pressure. Had to redo the whole part. I then switched to extra thin cement and usually wait a couple days before popping pieces together just to be safe

[strikevalk]

my goodness, you are doing such awesome work!  from that first piece you did... wow.  The Max 1A super is superb also!

[Papa Rat]

7 hours ago, Big s said:

I had a similar issue a few years back on a gundam kit. I used to use cs glue to do the bonding and seams. It was the lower arm section and had been smoothed and painted and weathered , basically completed. Then I went to pop in the hand into the wrist polycap and it just reopened the whole seam due to pressure. Had to redo the whole part. I then switched to extra thin cement and usually wait a couple days before popping pieces together just to be safe

Yeah when you get the the end stage of putting the final pieces together it’s off to the races. I need to take a breath and like you said, give it another day or two so everything can properly cure. Haste makes waste. I mean haste makes you have to do a lot more work later. Hahaha. 

 

5 hours ago, strikevalk said:

my goodness, you are doing such awesome work!  from that first piece you did... wow.  The Max 1A super is superb also!

Thanks a bunch ✌️

I am excited to see the progress I make and hope to see improvements over this first year into the hobby. I have more FSS kits, a bunch of Macross, some old Gundam 1/100 Real Type and I also have some Armored Core 6 kits on preorder. It’s going to be a busy 24 into the beyond. (=

[Big s]

2 hours ago, Papa Rat said:

I am excited to see the progress I make and hope to see improvements over this first year into the hobby. I have more FSS kits, a bunch of Macross, some old Gundam 1/100 Real Type and I also have some Armored Core 6 kits on preorder. It’s going to be a busy 24 into the beyond. (=

Honestly, your first few weeks have been phenomenal. My first builds were nowhere near this level of quality. Heck, my first decade of builds didn’t look that good 

[Papa Rat]

36 minutes ago, Big s said:

Honestly, your first few weeks have been phenomenal. My first builds were nowhere near this level of quality. Heck, my first decade of builds didn’t look that good 

Well, thanks so much!

Now that kits are starting to come together, what the hell am I going to do with all of them. Hahaha

Time to get a display cabinet. 🤔

Edited July 11 by Papa Rat

[Casual.Plamo]

On 7/11/2024 at 9:25 AM, Papa Rat said:

Kit number five in the books, 🫠 

I had plans to shine this all up,  but I got cold feet sanding back too far into it before polishing.

I have to say all and all this kit went well for the most part. I did run out of gloss top coat for my airbrush and had to do the final coat with a spray can. I kind of botched it. Whoops. My sloppy can control left areas of the surface uneven and there are a couple areas with a slight texture showing up. I need more practice no question.

Some attachments on this build are very, very delicate like the wrist and kneecap armor plates. They attach with a single tiny peg maybe .5mm or smaller… Not sure. Of course I had one of the kneecap pieces snap on me as I was trying to attach a leg. I will need to purchase some brass rod(s) and repair later. Never attempted that before. No big deal  

The most challenging part of this kit for me was the polycaps for the hip/leg attachments. It requires so much pressure to put a leg on I thought I was going to break it apart. It did cause the bond in the thigh pieces to separate which was annoying. I guess I hadn’t allowed the cement to cure completely or used too little? Not sure. I had to completely take the thigh apart and sand down the PC a little so the expansion wouldn’t separate the parts again. In doing so some glue squished out on the paint along the seam and that’s not ideal. It’s hidden by the skirt armor though. Lesson learned. Slow down and less is more sometimes. lol 
 

This was also my first attempt at candy color. I tried it on the red pieces and some orange on the shield emblem.. It was fun to do, but I think it looks sort of silly on this build. In hindsight I think I should have went with just a metallic deep red and not such a “in your face”  blast of color. 

Anyway, I had a ton of fun building this and would recommend it to anyone into FSS. Looks real nice next to the Bang build on my bench. 

Good job!

Doing a pre-assembly especially with an FSS kit is really important. You’ll be able to prepare for the final assembly better.

Because when parts are painted, sometimes it’s challenging to put it together while avoiding damaging the paint job. Be it because parts are too thin but you need to put pressure for it to combine with another part or maybe it’s hard to get a good leverage on snapping a part, etc. By doing a pre assembly you can identify these things and prep beforehand.

Also you can plan your glueing process so you won’t damage the paint job accidentally with the glue.

Test fitting a part that will go inside another is also good.

Basically what I’m trying to say is with non bandai kits especially(because bandai kits are simple and easy in comparison) doing a pre assembly and planning your build is a good habit to do. At least from my experience 😅
 

Anyways, you did great and it’s a good experience for your next builds 😁

[Big s]

23 minutes ago, Casual.Plamo said:

Basically what I’m trying to say is with non bandai kits especially(because bandai kits are simple and easy in comparison) doing a pre assembly and planning your build is a good habit to do. At least from my experience 😅

Bandai kits will definitely over spoil a builder. I not long ago do the G-Line standard armor. Super tiny nubs and absolutely no seams to fill, the dang thing went together smooth like legos 

[Casual.Plamo]

10 hours ago, Big s said:

Bandai kits will definitely over spoil a builder. I not long ago do the G-Line standard armor. Super tiny nubs and absolutely no seams to fill, the dang thing went together smooth like legos 

haha yea, it's true. 

It's good that it brings more people into the hobby because it's so easy(and also cheaper than other kits) anyone can jump in and do it. But sometimes it sets the wrong expectations to model kit building.

A lot of people(most of them casual builders and usually new to kits) thinks that Bandai kits are the standard/norm and all other model kits that needs paint/glue/has seams or a little more expensive(because of IP cost and outsourced production, etc) are trash and should be avoided...😅

[Big s]

3 hours ago, Casual.Plamo said:

A lot of people(most of them casual builders and usually new to kits) thinks that Bandai kits are the standard/norm and all other model kits that needs paint/glue/has seams or a little more expensive(because of IP cost and outsourced production, etc) are trash and should be avoided...😅

I completely agree here. I’ve seen many comments in other places like YouTube reviews and instagram posts. They just can’t be bothered to put in a little bit of extra work and don’t realize that Bandai is an extreme exception.

it would be great if Bandai covered the mass amount of cool mecha franchises out there, but for a lot of them, a company like max factory or Hasegawa or Wave are the only ones putting out kits other than Gundam.

[Papa Rat]

22 hours ago, Casual.Plamo said:

Good job!

Doing a pre-assembly especially with an FSS kit is really important. You’ll be able to prepare for the final assembly better.

Because when parts are painted, sometimes it’s challenging to put it together while avoiding damaging the paint job. Be it because parts are too thin but you need to put pressure for it to combine with another part or maybe it’s hard to get a good leverage on snapping a part, etc. By doing a pre assembly you can identify these things and prep beforehand.

Also you can plan your glueing process so you won’t damage the paint job accidentally with the glue.

Test fitting a part that will go inside another is also good.

Basically what I’m trying to say is with non bandai kits especially(because bandai kits are simple and easy in comparison) doing a pre assembly and planning your build is a good habit to do. At least from my experience 😅
 

Anyways, you did great and it’s a good experience for your next builds 😁

Thanks for the advice. I can see immense value in pre-assembly and need to always make it part of my practice moving forward  

I’m also developing best practices when it comes to painting. I have had issue with debris getting on pieces while using the airbrush so now a simple inspection and blowing air across the piece before I introduce paint is helping me keep the paint job cleaner than before. My airbrush skills still look sloppy to me and my masking abilities are cringe, but I’m my worst critic. I know it’s going to take time and I’ll get there. No rush. 
 

I have put together one Bandai kit. I went with the entry grade RX-78. It was super cheap and a lot a fun. The part separation and snap fit blew me away. They are on some other level for sure. That being the case, I have to say, I really enjoy digging into these other kits that ask more of me and pose an exciting challenge. That’s the fun stuff for me in this moment. 
 

I will be sharing more FSS from Volks and soon Wave and of course more Macross love from Hasegawa. 
I’d like to get around 10 kits done in my first year. Hope the quality improves as I get more experience.  ✌️

Edited July 15 by Papa Rat
Spelling

[Papa Rat]

A-Toll all painted and gloss coated ready for panel lines, details and touch ups. I had quite a few tiny bits with paint leaks under raised masked areas on armor and shield. I’ll clean it up with some enamel and move along before the final top coat.

I can see lots of areas to pay closer attention to. There are a ton of small sink areas throughout the kit which somehow I was blind to during the priming phase. I also learned a valuable lesson on painting light colors over dark. I wish I had put down a couple layers of white under the yellow to help it pop a little more than the final result. Bear in mind it’s supposed to be a dull mustard color but it came out a bit darker than I was hoping for. 

 

 

Edited July 16 by Papa Rat