There’s something inherent in being a fan that compels one to want to experience the shows you love in various forms. Watching anime is the start, but the community abounds with different ways that people delve deeper into the experience of anime and the community surrounding it. Blogging, making AMVs, cosplaying, and drawing are just a few forms that fans use to further their experience. Having recently watched and retroblogged the original SDF Macross and the ‘Macross: Do You Remember Love?’ movie, I’ve been itching to get a hold of a Valkyrie model kit and build it, both to have and to get a better understanding of the fighter and the mechanical design philosophy of the franchise. So I ordered and received a ‘VF-1S Valkyrie Super Figher’ kit a few days ago, the VF-1S with FAST Pack being my favorite mechanical design from the original AD 2009-2010 time period. Over the last three days I’ve built and painted the Valkyrie, as well as building and painting a set of same-scale ground crew and a stand/background made to look like the hangar deck of the Macross.
Day Zero: Getting inspiration
While I waited for the model kit to arrive from the store on Amazon that I bought it at I went through all the screenshots I took while retroblogging Macross and DYRL to get an idea of what I wanted to do with the model. One of the things that I loved about Macross was its attention it paid to the background features of (space)naval aviation. This included the use of elevators, specialized AWACS craft, and there were plenty of scenes on the hangar deck and bases on Earth where Valkyries were being serviced and repaired. So right after I ordered the kit I also ordered a Hasegawa 1/72 scale USAF ground crew and equipment set with the intention of setting up a hangar deck or flightline scene. As far as a Google search would tell me, there was no US Navy equipment/crew set, but the USAF one would do nicely.
The series featured several scenes where Valkyries were undergoing repairs and arming, as did DYRL even given the time constraints of a movie.
Day One: Valkyrie assembly and painting, part 1
Models as they arrived.
After listening to Animetal’s cover of the series OP several times to get in the mood (thanks to Sakura at Calamitous Intent for making me aware of this 1 minute 38 seconds of awesome), I opened the boxes and got out my painting supplies. First day I set out to do all my large area painting with spray paint for the black and white areas and my airbrush for the blue ones. However, the airbrush at first had the wrong sized hose for the propellant can. And after buying an adapter I still had tons of problems getting it to work, even though it’s nicer and has more features than the old airbrush I bought in Akiba (and I couldn’t find a can or adapter that would fit the Japanese brush here in my corner of the US.) So the blue was on hold for the day, but the rest went off without a hitch. I then started the small, hand painted stuff, which I’m a lot more used to having painted a fair amount of wargaming miniatures. The cockpit of the VF-1S was a lot of fun, there were plenty of details to paint. I even tried painting Misa on the central MFD as she would look when communicating with the pilot, though this was more of a suggestion of Misa because I’m not some insane micro-portrait painter (my camera unfortunately couldn’t get a clear image of the small cockpit details though.) Put together everything but the FAST Pack sections that day and painted the ground crew.
This image was used for inspiration for the cockpit details, though with more Misa (center MFD panel) and no Minmay.
Day Two: I have to paint what?!
Second day I still couldn’t get the airbrush to work right, so I went on to details and decals on what I had already put base colors on. And it was at this point that I realized the model kits back in the 1980′s were only for the dedicated. As I got to the engines and thrusters, I realized that some of the instructions were not making sense. And I noticed on the sprue that there were gerwalk-mode parts AND heads for different Valkyrie models (VF-1A and VF-1J) as well as others that didn’t belong. The model kit was from 1985, and I guess they wanted to cut costs by making a kit that could build any Valkyrie type, with or without FAST Pack, with series or movie decals, in fighter or gerwalk mode. And then I got to the decals. In all of the instructions there were only two places marked for decals. Guess you just have to look at the picture to figure out where the rest go. Then I got to the decals themselves: there were no decals for big, important things like the stripes on the wings! I HAD TO HAND-PAINT LONG, STRAIGHT LINES. WITH A BRUSH. I’ll admit to being a bit spoiled by the few models I have done before, more modern Gundam and real life aircraft models with every decal or sticker you need and then some, but what the hell was this? So I taped off straight lines on the wings, did my best to hope that they were of even width on each side and where they should be, beseeched sacred Misa to guide my hand, and painted them on with a broad paintbrush. I was relieved to see that they turned out alright, but wow was that nervewracking. The whole model could have looked terrible if they didn’t turn out right. The model builder of the 1980′s must have been, as men who live outside a polis, “either a beast or a god.”
Painting the wing stripes using scotch tape to mask off the edges.
End results of day two. Fire extinguisher and ground crew didn’t require blue paint so I did them by hand. Went with Millia-green hair for the female ground crew member, since post-war the UN forces surely included some miclonized Zentradi.
Day Three: FAST Pack, ground equipment, and staging.
Having given up on the airbrush until I can ask a more experienced friend of mine for help, I went out and bought blue spraypaint for the FAST Pack and conformal fuel/coolant tanks. Since the maintenance equipment in the series was also blue, I used the same color as a base for those as well. For whatever reason the blue paint took forever to dry, much longer than the white, black, and gray ones. After it dried I finished assembling, detailing, and applying decals to it: the VF-1S was done! Moving on to the ground equipment, for the time being I just assembled the M32C-10 Air Conditioner and M32-A-60A Generator Set, though I’ll move on to the others later. Assembling them was a bit shaky though, the way they’re designed to fit together is not very precise. With the models ready, they needed a home. So I went over to Construction Junction, a building materials recycling place that sells used and surplus materials to look for a tile to form the base and a piece of wood to serve as the background. Along the way I also picked out a couple interesting looking pieces of metal and wire to try and make the scene look more like the inside of the Macross. Found a perfectly colored and textured tile (the texture looked like what I’ve seen in pictures of carrier flight decks and sounded like it had a similar finish to the epoxy surface described by the DoD here) and a piece of unfinished wood of the appropriate size. Total cost: $1.45. Spraypainted the background panel, used two pieces of metal to both better secure it to the tile and to look like more ‘ship interior’, and then painted on a line and an ’03′ berth number on the tile. When all this was done, it was just a matter of positioning the models and taking pictures. Needless to say I was really excited to have my first Macross model, and pretty happy about how it turned out. There’s still some gaps on the FAST Pack boosters and nosecone of the VF-1S, but otherwise I’m quite happy with it. Next project: something from Frontier, perhaps Mikhail or Luca’s VF-25.
The tile and wood background with assorted metal and wire bits. Two more metal wires would be added later.
The finished setup. Went with yellow for most of the crew as per the series and orange-brown for the operator’s clothing (for variety), as per DYRL.
VF-1A being serviced, image for comparison.
Left side of the scene, one crewman at the generator, the miclonized Zentradi checking the front landing gear.
Topdown view.
Groundcrew member attaching hose from the air conditioning unit. I really like the hoses that came with the groundcrew kit.
Operator directing the pilot (Hikaru).
Wings extended, and I have on crewmember working on the U-shaped bend in the metal strip that I painted and put decals on to make it look like something functional.
Staged rear view of the VF-1S.
The scene’s home, right next to my mecha and sci-fi manga on one of my bookshelves. Had to put it in a central place in my apartment, hehe.
The Valkyrie now has a prime location in my nerdiest of bookshelves. Full resolution of all images is here.
20 Comments
Go with Ozma’s VF-25S: he is superior, and his Armored kit looks cool in all three modes.
Good job pilot! I myself have zero skills.
Awesome, awesome. (oh hey it’s Lost War Chronicles)
Sweet! There could be improvements, but it looks good, nonetheless.
Congratulations! Masking looks great, the line looks nice. I hope to find another kit in the works soon.
On your next kit, you might want to sand down the seams a little bit and possibly fill it with some putty if there’d be some gaps. Some people use SGT (Superglue and talc mixture) to fill the gaps before sanding down then paint.
Looks really nice. Great job! Thanks for sharing the build.
Absolutely lovely, and much more organized than my own shelf-of-things.
http://img704.imageshack.us/img704/8967/77631407.jpg
random pic 4 you
Impressive ! such thing is way beyond my ability, which is close to zero.
So many GM’s but only one Zaku? Shame on you
Looks great! If you ever feel the itch to do more from the original series (or from Zero, or from Plus (when you get to it)), you should check out the newer models from Hasegawa (you can see them at hlj.com). They’re much more finely detailed than the old Bandai offerings, and look stunning.
@ Haesslich
If I liked Ozma I might consider his kit, but I really didn’t like the guy that much. To me anyway he seemed like he crossed the line from grizzled veteran to grumpy old man, and from tough-love senpai to kind of a jerk. I also didn’t appreciate SMS running off when they were going to be put under NUNS control, even though they did return in time. As for the models I mentioned, I might like to get Mikhail’s VF-25 and then Klan Klan’s Qaeadaluun Rae (when the model comes out) to have my ill-fated OTP in mecha form. Or Luca’s VF-25 since I think it looks particularly sweet in battroid mode.
@ Ghostlightning
Thanks, though this is just the start and I have some things to improve on.
@ Schneider
Thanks. Oh yeah, Lost War Chronicles. It was fun for it’s short run, but it’s one of those things that puzzles me about US manga sometimes. Why get the rights to a manga that’s just a prequel to a game that never came out here, when the company could have published something more substantial like Char’s Deleted Affair, Gundam: The Origin, or any number of other Gundam manga? They did the same thing with the one volume Blue Destiny manga.
@ KaeBoo
The superglue-talc and sanding methods are a good idea, thanks! I tried using my knife to slice off the extra plastic at the places where two pieces joined, but it didn’t get rid of all of it and I didn’t want to cut too deeply. Next time I’ll try both the things you suggested before applying the base colors.
@ Dorian Cornelius Jasper
Thank you
The shelf is the newest one in my apartment, I have two others full of mostly books, but I thought the shelf that was mostly manga was the most suitable place for the models. Getting that bookshelf made me a lot happier than it ought to have, but I desperately needed more room for my books.
@ rpd
LOL. What manga is that from?
@ Der Langrisser
Thanks, though I’m just starting out with models this involved. The Gundam ones on top of the shelf are the only ones I’ve done before, and they weren’t nearly so complicated to assemble. The newer HG Gundam ones aren’t bad if you wanted something easy to start off with.
@ Soulstrider
I only have that Zaku because they didn’t make an Extended Mobile Suits in Action GM! Heh, I actually have a pretty neat metal/plastic weapons set for that Zaku II including my favorite, the Magella Top cannon that was used in 08th MS Team. Despite my loyalty to the Federation, sometime I would like to make a Zeon mobile suit team similar to the GM modified, GM Command, and MP Guncannon team that’s painted in gray and black. Maybe two Zaku IIs and a Zaku Sniper or something.
@ Yot-chan
Thanks, I’m pretty happy with it but looking forward to improving with future models. I’ll have to take a look at the Hasegawa ones next time. I think I want to get a Frontier one next, but I’m liking the VF-0 quite a bit and I’m sure Plus and 7 have some cool stuff too.
@Otaku: I see you use the same paints that I have, which I got for painting my Warhammer figures.
Well, if it’s a choice between leaving or getting killed off in ‘training accidents’ or by being thrown into impossible odds without support (suicide by superior officer)…
Wow, very sick. Btw, I like your choice of initial D manga hahah. Sad I could recognize that just by the colors, and not by reading it.
get yourself one of those flush cutters that looks something like the one in this link.
doesn’t have to be the expensive ones. Michael’s might have them or maybe Target, somewhere at the hardware section. That thing comes very handy for cutting sprues off its tree and the cut becomes pretty clean, there’s less filling and sanding.
it’s an emotional manga about coming of age, building relationships and taking responsibility.
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The story revolves around a male high school student playing the sex game alone everyday on the girls toilet.
That’s one sweet looking Model Kit. I try to build some Kit’s in the past but i suck at it, so congratulations on that awsome looking Project.
Have to say, the VF-1S looks totally bad ass with the Fast Pack.
@ Ryouichi
Yeah, I started out playing miniatures with Warhammer fantasy battle (Wood Elves) and bought the colors for a paint scheme I saw online and liked. Eventually I switched to playing Warmachine (Protectorate of Menoth) but I still like the Games Workshop paints better than the ones Privateer Press makes.
@ Haesslich
They didn’t exactly have great commanders, but they could have just refused to take their orders but hang around the edge of the fleet so they’d be there if needed, or arrested the crappy commander guy (I forget his name). If you’re going to disobey orders you may as well get creative so you can stick around and protect the fleet.
@ Fizz
Thanks. I have thirty some volumes of Initial D in English, though I had to contain my rage every time I saw the way they changed the names in it. Tokyo Pop’s thinking that ‘all car fans are the same so let’s take a Fast and the Furious approach’ with Initial D ranks among my top RAEG inducing issues in anime/manga. Though I love the series too much to not read it, and eventually they halfway made it up to the readers by not giving stupid English nicknames to the characters that were introduced after the first 12 or so volumes.
@ Kaeboo
I was using a pair of toenail clippers to cut off the little bits of plastic left by the sprues, and that worked pretty well. The main area I was having trouble with excess plastic was in place like where the two halves of the nosecome and boosters come together. But I”m thinking the sanding will help with that a lot, plus some of that talc-glue stuff to smooth over and gaps.
@ rpd
Ah, Onani Master Kurosawa. I’ve never read it, but I’ve heard so much about it.
@ KB_SBI
Thanks, I absolutely love the FAST Pack too, especially in fighter mode. To make the Valkyrie look more badass I’m thinking about getting the VF-1 weapons pack and mounting some missiles under the wings, though if I did that I would have to decide on the wings being extended since I’m sure the hardpoints don’t swivel. Unless I got a very tiny drill bit, made a hold to attach them, and rigged up a peg that’s thick enough to stay attached but thin enough that it could be swiveled. But that might be just a bit involved, heh.
Um… they were ‘nationalized’ per the contract that showed up in Episode 6, which indicated that they were directly under the command of the fleet (which in other words was the Frontier president), and could not withdraw either as individuals or as a unit. So they would be UNABLE to refuse orders legally – and if they’d not left and refused orders, they’d either have been shot as traitors (given that Leon tried to murder Grace and had loyal troops on hand, this does not appear to be a far-fetched possibility) or else they’d have been arrested and then imprisoned (before ‘being killed while attempting to escape’).
Or else they’d have been ordered to get themselves killed, and any attempt to run would’ve been met with Reaction warheads. Even PPB’s aren’t immune to reaction warheads. There was no way to stick around with the fleet without risking attack by the units which were loyal to the President, and at least by leaving they WERE able to help Frontier when it was needed (as they hadn’t taken serious damage/been destroyed by Leon’s orders).
Feel free to ask Crusader about Sections 892 (failure to obey an order/regulation) and 899 (misbehavior before an enemy, which includes ‘willfully fails to do his utmost to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy any enemy troops, combatants, vessels, aircraft, or any other thing, which it is his duty so to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy’)of the UCMJ. Given the wording of the contract Mikhail quoted, it looks like certain types of charges still exist, especially in light of Captain Wilder’s statement just before everyone left. By departing and giving the option of staying to any SMS member who felt an obligation to President Leon, they avoided involving those members (Alto, Klan Klein) from getting implicated in charges as outlined in Section 894 (mutiny, sedition).
Either way, they were screwed the moment they decided not to obey Leon’s orders, even if he was guilty of treason, as he was legally empowered to give orders unless deposed by whatever political or judicial mechanism remained in the Frontier government or by the highers-up on Earth, and that was impossible without evidence which Leon had surpressed and which could not be presented to a court so that the mechanisms to impeach a sitting President could be started. Until that evidence came to light after Quarter’s return could they legally disobey ‘orders’ given by the President – ditto the NUNS who were until that point forced to obey by virtue of military law.
I share some of your sentiments though I have to admit I would have given Ozma more credit if he had taken a small team to investigate rather than take a formidable warship off the battleline. Since Leon was second rate regardless of the comparisons to Grace, it was probable that he only knew that Ozma and Cathy were on to him and not those around them. Given how Luca and Alto-hime were not sent on a suicide mission on their own and how Klan wasn’t harassed by his thugs taking Macross Quarter off the line seems like a less than stellar idea in hindsight. It’s not like Leon had the charisma to be President for Life even Perry balked at taking his orders, and trust me when I say that when riled up enlisted folks will obey the letter but not the spirit of the orders they are given. Even if he has full authority as President he can’t over step his bounds and execute people on a whim there is little indication that a military tribunal would have executed people for failure to obey direct orders given the situation though that would depend on the scale of the fuck up. Of course I am assuming that Perry had some spine in him in light of how he sneered at Leon when he took control and how quick he was to pull out the small arms within seconds of seeing evidence. After all Perry could have waited to see if the charges were legitimate or not. That or he just trusted Cathy.
By the way you getting those Space Puppies ready yet? I read your book…I do not like what I see, but I trust you do…
Two issues with that train of thought:
1) Leon had private troops at his disposal, willing to kill a legally-elected standing president in order to raise him to the position of El Presidente. He had enough of them to order Grace’s killing extra-judicially. Given how he discovered that Cathy and Ozma had found out what’d happened, or had strong suspicions, and how they’d likely have spread the information among SMS once this was done, Leon had very good reasons to destroy SMS in suicidal missions, or at least to kill the leaders. Just taking a small team would not have guaranteed even a successful escape, much less survival of the investigating team – they would need a spacecraft larger than a shuttle just to go anywhere important, and SMS had the Quarter, period. Without the Quarter, the small team would have had little chance of escaping the Frontier fleet, much less going anywhere useful and then being able to come back to blow the lid off the conspiracy.
2) Given that SMS all had the information at this point, or so Leon would have to suppose, anyone from SMS who had stayed behind DESPITE knowing he’d had President Howard Glass murdered was supposedly loyal, or at least hated the Vajra enough, to be trusted with troops. This is how Alto and Luca (especially with the latter being very anti-Vajra following Nanase’s wounding) were allowed not only to survive, but to lead Leon’s forces… especially since they were among the best Leon had left, outside of Diamond Force.
Beyond that, without definitive proof, the military could NOT have deposed Leon legally, without proof of great malfeasance or high treason, which would not only let the guys with the guns pull them on Leon without getting sent out an airlock sans spacesuit, but would hold up in court so they could get rid of him for good, versus being shot for mutiny during time of war.
Given they apparently had only Quarter, and that they were all marked for death if they disobeyed orders (as they may have), Wilder did the only thing he could – he left the choice to his crew’s consciences and left with the one long-range ship they had, keeping the two people who knew first-hand about the conspiracy onboard, and allowing those who were unable to reconcile their duty with their sense of honor to stay behind and fight on for the fleet. This kept his ranks free of possible moles, as well as leaving Frontier with more than just good wishes and futile hopes to protect them.