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She's missing one hand and a vanity table that goes behind the sign. The two Castle Creatures-The Vampire and The Frog are two of the hardest to find Aurora models.
10 - Kirishima.
Category: Model Kit.
Name: Kirishima.
Scale: Non.
Series: Mecha Collection.
Origin: Space Battleship Yamato 2199.
Brand: Bandai.
Material: Styrene plastic.
Release Date: Oct 2014.
Condition: Unassembled.
*Note: This is a Model Kit collected by my BB.
More in My Collection Corner.
Good Mecha design but it comes with sadly bad fragile plastic, way too easy to break apart.....automatically.... besides, the modeling quality just between Bandai LG and super minipla series level and almost double price of these, not suggest to buy it, so disappointed.... too bad :(
Flying at low altitude, Scandinavia-based JAS1A Valkyrie 15/24 banks off to the right and reveals its light blue undersides and its weapon load of a GU-11 gun pod, two Rbs20 anti-ship missiles and two 200mm rocket launchers.
Another historic classic, another "child" of the late 70ies: an anime interpretation of the famous 'Fields & Meadows' camouflage, characteristic for the Swedish Saab 37 'Viggen' jet plane family (and also used on other Swedish military vehicles, but the Viggen is/was the most prominent one).
This weirdo idea had been lurking in the back of my mind for a long time, and when a friend of mine uttered the idea of such a color variant for a Valkyrie, too, I decided to start a kind of competion - for comparison purposes, to see how an individual interpretation of this unique paradigm on a Valykrie from both of us would look like?
The kit is, as usual, a simple, vintage 1:100 scale VF-1A Valkyrie Fighter from ARII. Since the livery would be the "star" of the kit, only minor things were changed/enhanced. Usual added cockpit details include a HUD, a pilot figure, seat belts and an ejection seat trigger. Some typical Valkyrie antennae on the outside were added, too, and the rudders re-positioned off of the neutral position.
Additional external features are a IR pod under the nose, small bulges in tne air intake area which are supposed to contain guidance antennae for the air-to-ground missiles (see below), and two outriggers under the vertical fins which contain a (fictional) radar warning system and a chaff dispenser. Viggen would frequently carry such equipment in external pods, so why not be more effective and integrate them into the hull?
Now for the camouflage scheme... that one was tricky. The colors themselves are already a riddle. I guess that anyone who tries to match the original colors through photographs becomes crazy at some point, because light and weathering make them look VERY different from machine to machine, and even from picture to picture!
The Viggen's proportions hardly match a Valkyrie, but I tried my best to apply the 'Fields & Meadows' scheme on the upper surfaces. But transferring a scheme from a fixed double delta wing airplane onto a variable geometry wing fighter just leaves lots of room for interpretation... After extensive research (and experience with two 'Fields & Meadows' Viggens in 1/72 scale in the past) I finally settled for the small Valykrie on:
Light Green "322M" = Testors/Model Master 1734 (Green Zinc Chromate)
Dark Green "326M" = Humbrol 117 (Leaf Green, FS34102)
Black "093M" = Mix of Humbrol's 33 & 91 (Flat Black & Black Green) in 1:1 ratio
Earth "507M" = Testors/Model Master 2008 (Raw Sienna)
Grey undersides "058M" = Testors/Model Master 2086 (RLM76, Lichtblau)
The Zinc Chromate sounds crude and IS very bright, but on the 1/100 scale Valkyrie this extreme green is O.K., esp. with the later black ink wash which tones down everything a bit. At 1/72 scale I would have rather used Humbrol's 80 (Grass Green), which is a bit "milder" and comes IMHO very close to the real life color.
Humbrol 117 for the dark green tone is a compromise, and IMHO still a bit too dark. During pre-tests I found more authentic but even darker greens like Humbrol's 116 (FS 34079), 75 (Bronze Green) or 30 (Dark Green) to be too murky for the small kit. 117 is already considerably "brighter", and this contrast was simply necessary for a good overall impression of the camouflage scheme - the dark green was supposed to stand out against both the light green and the black fields. I should have used RAL6003, but the way it turned out is still acceptable.
Instead of pure black which 'Fields & Meadows' is supposed to contain, I went for a very dark green, which also yields a slightly bleached look. Some pictures of real Viggen also suggest that the "Black" is actually a greenish tone.
Testors' Raw Sienna from their figure color series is a very good match for the Viggen's light earth color patches. Another, more common but also very plausible alternative is Humbrol's 118 (US Tan, FS30219). Again, pictures of real Viggen suggest a wide variety of light brown shades due to fading and light influences! The Sienna is more yellowish, though, so I went for that tone.
Finally, RLM76 for the undersides was a surprise find! Originally, FS36375 (Humbrol 127) was my choice. But when I checked other paints in store I found Testors' RLM76 to be a tad lighter and with a stronger bluish hue - exactly the look I had been searching for for this kit, without need for mixing.
The radar nose became semi-gloss black and the wings' leading edges were painted in flatr aluminium Markings were consciously left simple, trying to emulate the stern original Viggen look as much as possible, with no flashy distractions. Consequently, there are just standard Macross roundels instead of Swedish insignia (which look, in red/white instead of blue/yellow, a bit disturbing?), a yellow squadron number at the cockpit (for SVF-15) and the red individual airplane number on the vertical fins' outsides. Only a falcon squadron empblem in red and yellow found its way onto the fins (it comes from an Israeli IAI Kfir from a Hasegawa kit), because the colors matched well with the overall look of the kit.
After basic painting, the kit received a light wash with black ink and some fine liner treatment. Then, decals and finally a coat of matte varnish was appllied. The end result looks cool, though, whatever one might quibble about authenticity!
Some extra effort went into the ordnance under this VF-1A's wings, though: the outer pylons hold a 4-missile launcher each (leftover from a fictional but neat ESCI Kamow Ka-34 'Hokum' kit), the inner pylons carry larger cruise missiles which were inspired by the characteristic Rb04E and more modern Rbs-15 anti-ship/surface missiles the AJ37 used to carry in its heydays.
These are actually modified Norwegian AGM-119C 'Penguin' missiles in 1/72 which I found in a Hasegawa F-16 weapon kit and never has a use for. I shortened the fuselage, changed the main fins into wing end plate types and added details like an underbelly air intake for a jet engine (like the more modern RBS-15 missile now carried by the Gripen) and an exhaust nozzle. Finally, these missiles were painted to look like a Rb04E in white, black and aluminium - they help a lot in order to create a "vintage AJ37 feel" to this Valkyrie.
Even when the finish is not perfect, it is amazing to see how well even such an exotic livery works on a Macross Valkyrie - it suits her well, as an hommage to one of the most famous (and attractive?) camouflage schemes ever applied to military verhicles.
#MaudlinModellers 1983 #MPC #StarWars #ROTJ #MillenniumFalcon build continued - Priming - 11 March 2018.
This is basically a pre painted model kit that I repainted using the CGI renders as reference. The model itself is one of the most accurate looking figures (or even statues for that matter) of the Bay-verse Optimus Prime, so adding a paint job just makes it look spot on. The truck parts were coated using an automotive clear coat, so it's super shiny.
Finally I added light up eyes, which really seal the deal and bring this guy to life!
The blades are removable by removing the forearm panels and he also features a interchangeable faceplate (regular mode with mouth and battle mode)
Just for the record, this model is almost the same size as ROTF leader class Prime and a little taller than MP-10.
From the basement on the "shelf of doom" back to the light and revived to be eventually completed: a kitbashing I did in the early 90ies, in the wake of watching the Patlabor 2 movie!
For those who don't remember: there is an opening sequence where a UN squad gets beaten up by a guerilla commando, probably in Cambodia (reflectiong real-world events at the time of the movie's production and release!). The "Hannibal" powered Armor whoch can be seen in the sequence is actually available as a kit from Kotobukiya (excellent piece!), but there's also a walking tank involved in the mess, and I found it very inspiring at that time, due to its realistic/serious design.
I just caught a glimpse of that tank when I saw the film actually at the movies during a festival in 1993, hence this model - or better a kit bashing - just breathes the spirit of its cinematic inspiration and bechmark, and it uses parts that were available at that time. If I were to build it again, it would probably look different. But I love the nostalgia and the fact that I started this so many years ago - and now I just got in the mood to work on it again, finishing the original idea and concept. ^^
This is, or was, an Abitate F35C 'Blizzard Gunner' from the Dougram TV series, originally produced by Takara in 1984 or so and distributed here in Germany by Revell in the later 80ies under their infamous "Robotech Defenders" label, as a set together with an 8-wheeled tank. The original kit was built with juvenile enthusiasm and much less skil, and without any clue where the mecha belonged to.
To be honest, the Blizzardgunner model is not that great. It is very clumsy and toylike - but functional and agile. Since its upper side was very blunt from the start and, through the course of time, incomplete (the gun was gone, the rocket launcher found its way onto the hand of a Dorvack PA which also has been waiting for finalization since 15+ years...), I decided to revive the Blizzardgunner's chassis and build something that looked like the light six-legged mecha tank that appears in Patlabor 2's initial war scenes, just from vague memory, because I did not have reference material or internet access at the time I created it.
That said, I transplanted a modern day (at that time) tank onto the four-legged chassis: an M1 Abrams from ESCI in 1:72. The original top of the Blizzardgunner was cut off, just wide enough to hold the M1's upper hull plate, including the turret ring. The parts actually went together surprisingly well, the M1's upper hull was only a little too narrow for the F35. The M1's front was too long, though, so the glacis plate had to be built from scratch, just in front of the driver's hatch. The result is a bit steep (from a ballistic point of view), but after the implantation stunt the resulting proportions were very good. The flat, broad turret also goes well with the lower hull, and reminds of the movie tank. Et voilà: the JGSDF's fictional 'Type 95 タラバガニ (Tarabagani, "King Crab")' was born.
It's a vehicle in it own right, though, and the what-if model has only slight resemblance to the movie tank: the paradigm has six legs with added wheels, the turret is smaller - I suppose it is a light reconnaissance tank. Today I'd use a different tank for transplantation, though, since the round F35 and the edgy M1 are very different in style. I suppose that I might have used a modern Russian tank like the T-72, or a Merkava from Israel.
After major bodywork was done the kit rested in the basement for years, catching dust, and now finally faces finalisation. I did not change much more about the kit. The only newer additions are "skirts" made from tissue paper and white glue which hide the rather ugly original joint covers at the legs, and since it was supposed to be a PKO vehicle, I would not add much external equipment or additional weapons. I also had a diorama built for it in the meantime (pics and comments still to come) for display.
Consequently, painting was quickly done: since I wanted an all-white UN PKO tank as seen in the film, the kit received an overall flat white coat from the rattle can. I checked real UN vehicles for reference, and they generally seem to be all-white, with very few markings. Anyway, I wanted to add at least some contrats, so I added a blue band at the turret (painted with Humbrol 48, Mediterranean Blue - a glossy paint, but the tone is very close to UN markings' blue and the tank would receive a matte varnish coat, anyway).
The joint covers were painted dark gray, with dry-brushed olive drab and some lighter brown and grey tones to emphasize the textures. With the bright basic color, weathering, dirt and dust would add much character to the tank, so it received a thorough treatment with a black ink wash first and "splashes" in various shades of grey, ochre, sienna and umbra with water-based acryllic paint.
Next, the UN markings were applied, they come from an aftermarket decal sheet for HO scale military vehicles.
Finally, dry painting with flat white, very light grey and silver was done, as well as some rubbing with grinded soft pencil mine. The tank now looks more beaten than a "real life" UN vehicle (at least more than any I have seen during research), but who knows where this Type 95 has been used? After a matte varnish coat, a driver and commander figure were added, and work was done!
All in all I am very happy with the result - even though I will admit that my model ha snot much to do with the movie tank, which was/is, for instance, 6-legged and much more compact (LOL!). But it is a personal interpretation, and it looks good! Esp. the PKO livery is something completely different to usual camouflage paintings, and a worthy tribute to a great mecha movie with more depth than "pure action": Patlabor 2!
20 - Gaideroru Class Space Battleship.
Category: Model Kit.
Name: Gaideroru Class Space Battleship.
Scale: Non.
Series: Mecha Collection.
Origin: Space Battleship Yamato 2199.
Brand: Bandai.
Material: Styrene plastic.
Release Date: Nov 2015.
Condition: Unassembled.
*Note: This is a Model Kit collected by my BB.
More in My Collection Corner.