VF Girls

[maximilian_jenius]

I made it.

I made with a PVC pipe, then I add news paper and glue to make it bigger.

then I apply plastic resin and model kit paint

[polidread]

hey there, Max! nice work on the gun!

I was wondering when you two would eventually get here...welcome to Macrossworld!

and a little update from me... shoulders and arms placed on my sister.

[Miria_Farina]

wow nice work.

a little tip: for the uper arms you could attach some cross bands like an "X" in the front and ins the back. that because you will put an back and front plate (like back and front chest valk) and the "X" will not appear.

when we finish the GBP will send pictures

[miriya]

This is such an awesome thread! In 1999 I wanted to make a valk costume but was too lazy and poor. These are turning out really nice!

[Wolfman]

When's the next Valkgirl come out?

[polidread]

im working on a Valkgirl costume (actually 3 of them)

but im sure they'll be done by June.

[Smiley424]

Nice, can't wait to see how that turns out.

[polidread]

hi, some weekend updates after a workweek of heavy office work...

im actually releasing some stress building this thing! XD

does MWorld's modelkit makers have the same sentiments? id like to hear some feedback regarding my scratchbuild here

and apologies for the messy workstation !

started working on the torso after wheedling and overplanning how it would fit my model...

i decided to make the armor modular so the costume parts can be stored away easier when it's done.

so i made some interlocking slats out of sliced foam rubber, reinforced with cintra white board

to avoid warping coz foam rubber is soft, i used cintraboard platforms where the joints will meet

front view

45degree sideview

[miriya]

That is looking really bad ass! Great job!

[polidread]

aha, another weekend update, it has front and rear parts already...

without camera flash to show the basic shape chunks

with camera flash to show what details i made on it

[miriya]

WOW!!! Great work! Really beautiful!

[polidread]

another weekend update!

the prolonged planning and construction of Alpha One's shapes has oversaturated me for a while

so ive decided to begin work on Omega One instead just to keep myself from losing my sanity

i only made the upper half of the nosecone because it has to rest flat (or almost flat) on the cosplayer's chest and stomach

so a rounded bottom's not going to work on this project

here ive installed the canopy. i guess working too long on Alpha One has bottled up my excitement on working with Omega One because ive made so much headway in just a single sitting

but what am i going to use for the cockpit dome ?

oh, a big gashapon! It contained a gundam i recieved as a gift from a buddy who

spent a year in Japan on scholarship a few years ago. im glad i decided to keep the capsule.

Fits real well, it's as if i planned it.

i actually didnt ! ~ using the capsule plan only came to me a few hours after ive built the cockpit,

i wouldve been screwed big time if it didnt fit!

im tired. maybe i'll resume work tomorrow.

because of a government holiday i'll be enjoying a 3-day weekend

and im sure gonna enjoy working on this for the the next two days...

papercraft planning on the backpack...

***********

as an afterthought Because the dome's clear i'm gonna need a pilot to fit in there ...

get out of there, Basara!

Edited April 5, 2008 by polidread

[miriya]

Rock and Roll! Great work!

[polidread]

thanks aplenty for keeping your eyes on this project, Miriya!!! XD

a photo just for you

YF 21's nosecone juxtaposed on YF19's upper torso

i figured they should be about the same general size (coz my cosplay girls are about the same size too...)

[miriya]

Thanks! This is going to look so cool when it is painted and put on your girls. It already looks cool in this WIP stage.

[misterryno]

WOW!!! This is turning out most amazingly!!! GREAT JOB!!!

[badboy00z]

That's badass.

[EXO]

OMG... it would be so nice to have this at the MWCON '08!!!

[polidread]

i know, right? T___T

but it would be a little too crazy to fly all this stuff half a world away

(honestly ive been trying to avoid reading the MWCon threads coz id be too envious coz im just stuck here while Minmay sings for you and the barbecues and beer and kit displays )

Edited April 6, 2008 by polidread

[Chronocidal]

Well.. here's an idea.. I'd guess you probably haven't saved the scraps from the existing parts, but as you build the rest, keep a copy of the patterns used to cut out the parts (if you haven't already). That way someone here might be able to duplicate the designs. Someone might even be able to make a 3d model pattern to distribute. If all the parts are basically made out of flat pieces of foam, it shouldn't be hard to make a simple computer model of it..

Of course, that also means we could attach the pieces to computerized girls, and the CG valk girl revolution would begin.

[EXO]

i know, right? T___T

but it would be a little too crazy to fly all this stuff half a world away

(honestly ive been trying to avoid reading the MWCon threads coz id be too envious coz im just stuck here while Minmay sings for you and the barbecues and beer and kit displays )

You guys must attend...

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

One of us.

[eugimon]

holy crap, those suits look amazing! It's going to put that one vf-1s guy to shame... SHAME!!!

[polidread]

Well.. here's an idea.. I'd guess you probably haven't saved the scraps from the existing parts, but as you build the rest, keep a copy of the patterns used to cut out the parts (if you haven't already). That way someone here might be able to duplicate the designs. Someone might even be able to make a 3d model pattern to distribute. If all the parts are basically made out of flat pieces of foam, it shouldn't be hard to make a simple computer model of it..

Of course, that also means we could attach the pieces to computerized girls, and the CG valk girl revolution would begin.

i have been looking for papercraft/origami patterns for the VFs so my designing process can go easier

but i havent made much success in that department

so instead i've been making original shapes up as i go along.

so this folding pattern is an original, and im sure this isnt the final shape i'll be using either

coz my imagination keeps insisting i revise my existing plans ( i dunno if that made any sense to you )

thanks for the encouragement and support, Macross World!

Edited April 7, 2008 by polidread

[polidread]

i told you im gonna make good progress with this 3 day weekend...

but im not sure, i could have made more only if today wasnt so humid!

the heat really sapped the energy from me.

Anyway, i started on AlphaOne's feet

Hazel's really got small feet! (each one's just 8.5 by 3.5 inches wide)

i went outside and made a pile of styrofoam mess with a hacksaw

only to be reminded later by my mom that we owned an electric styrofoam cutter. ABSENTMINDED!!!

so anyway, i was able to use the styrocutter to make the subtle curves on the side and bottom of the heels

im going to cover it up with foam sheets when i get back to it.

I then went on to make Omega One's back end

it's going to be a big backpack, so i chose to use styroboards for it.

thin styrofoam sheets sandwiched between thick paper - lightweight and sturdy enough for my needs.

i made score lines on one side of the styro to become fold guides-

the folds make the styro tougher and structurally more sound.

here, i estimated the space (OmegaOne cosplayer) Ria's going to occupy when she wears the torso

that's it for now. im not even done cleaning up my mess at the living room!

Edited April 7, 2008 by polidread

[misterryno]

Oh my oh my.....KEEP IT UP! This looks fantastic.

[chillyche]

as an afterthought Because the dome's clear i'm gonna need a pilot to fit in there ...

get out of there, Basara!

That cracked me up.

[polidread]

Wasn't able to make much this week

with some trouble giving the hand a good range of movement.

i want it to be able to grip things (like the VF machinegun or at least a humanoid figurine)

anybody got an idea how to make this a better puppet hand?

[Chronocidal]

For making the hands, you may want to start from a different perspective. I don't think you've really done anything that can't be fixed, but I'd suggest keeping the finger segments disconnected, or at least not with foam. It might also get tricky to size the way you're doing it; the girls may not be able to grip anything if their hands aren't big enough, and those fingers look pretty thick.

I think what might work better as a base is just starting with a pair of ordinary gloves. Find a good size that'll fit the models' hands, then build the blocky shapes directly onto the gloves. That'll keep the fingers flexible between the segments, and help to make sure size isn't a problem.

Btw, I'm guessing these are for the YF-19.. I don't know for sure how you plan to do the YF-21's hands, or if you're going with the joystick controlled arms idea. The YF-21's hands are more rounded than blocky if I remember, you may want to just use some bulky-ish gloves for those.

[badboy00z]

I was thinking of the glove idea as well. Also maybe use thinner material for it too.

[polidread]

the YF19's just going to have gloves over her hand, she's easier.

That robot hand ive shown is for the YF21, which is going to be cosplayed exactly like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Pol...ghtningGirl.jpg

and this http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Pol...rmvogelgirl.jpg

so i have no problem with it being larger than the girl's hands - my problem is making it move well enough to grip things.

[Chronocidal]

Ok, awesome. I guess my question then is, are those hands actually going to work with input from some sort of hand control? If so, I can't wait to see more of how you do that.

[polidread]

yup, just like how Alto manipulates the battroid hands to pick up Ranka in MacFrontier's 2nd episode~

and it's actually damn coincidental how my VFGirl (VF4 & YF21) drawings and MacF's pilot controls

have a strong resemblance with each other. XD

Edited April 16, 2008 by polidread

[Darrtallion]

yup, just like how Alto manipulates the battroid hands to pick up Ranka in MacFrontier's 2nd episode~

and it's actually damn coincidental how my VFGirl (VF4 & YF21) drawings and MacF's pilot controls

have a strong resemblance with each other. XD

lmao ohh that is just so so funny.

But on to another thing. Do you remember the Claw grabbers? The extended claw arm with the pistol Grip Trigger? example Claw Arm Example

I think this type of design might be able to be created to create a system switch out the trigger to button and use a cable string in through the fingers to pull on hinge bars. I will see if I can create a diagram on how to make something like that But I think I can easily design something that would work. So maybe you can still have a trigger arm type setup.

[polidread]

Exactly what i had in mind, Dartallion! XD

i was planning to make a toyshop visit this week just to look for those.

What you have as an example are the animal heads,

but ive also seen a robot hand model of those grabbers.

so i hope i can find both and make an actual comparison.

im also looking forward to your design, thanks for the input !

EDIT!

i was able to get these. a rubbish picker and a fun biter

looking at the handles and the trigger mechanisms have given me some solid ideas.

Edited April 16, 2008 by polidread

[Chronocidal]

You know, if you really put a lot of design into it, you could probably get every finger to move independently. I remember seeing toys that do that as well, mostly around halloween. They'd have a ring for each finger (usually one for ring/pinky together), and a handle to grip. The thumb was always a fixed pose.

I looked over a couple halloween sites (they usually appear in stores around then), but couldn't find the one I'm thinking of. The trick was though that this design had the fingers directly in-line with the pull-rings.. this might be too different a design to pull that off.