Yamato Toys SDF-1 from Macross-Do You Remember Love

According to this post, there was an exclusive showroom for Yamato Toys Club members during the 2009 Chara Hobby last weekend.



They posted a teaser of a new product of theirs in the post and said that despite it being put on display, photograph's weren't allowed to be taken.

Cheap Release Agent for Silicone Rubber Molds

While studying resin casting I was told that no release agent will be needed when making Silicone Rubber molds. Release agents are used to create a thin layer between mold and master(usually fluid) so that it will make it easier to remove the master from the mold once it has hardened.

Most of the time however I've noticed that with tight or small spaces of the master, the Silicone Rubber has a tendency to stick to it. It could be a case of just incorrect mixing with the hardener and Silicone Rubber, but the best way to ensure this from not happening is to use a release agent.

Making Lancer II SF-3A Top Wing out of Polymer Clay

One of the problems I faced when making the top wing of the 1/60 Lancer II SF-3A scratch build project was the lack of scratch building materials in my region. I had wanted to use styrene sheets but because the local hardware stores didn't carry it (there is no hobby shop in my place) I ended up using Polymer Clay.

Yamato 1/48 VF-1J Hikaru Ichijo with Weathered paint scheme

I thought Yamato Toys had already stopped producing the 1/48 line of VF-1S given the redesign and success of the 1/60 series, then they come out with this.

Lancer II SF-3A Main Cannon

Haven't posted in a while with regards to the 1/60 Lancer II SF-3A scratchbuild that I'm working on. Anywhoo, I've decided to outsource some of the parts, specifically the main cannon to a machine shop. This is because I didn't have the equipment to make a tapered pole and the ridges of the Main Cannon.

It was initially hard, looking for a machine shop that could make the part, given the small dimensions. I realized that being in an agricultural region means that there are only few shops that have the equipment to make that kind of detail in a piece of steel.

Bandai 1/72 VF-27 Lucifer available by November 2009

Update 12/20/2009: Translated english instruction manual of the vf-27 can be found here.

Update 11/20/2009: HWJapan upped the ante by selling it at 3,849 yen.

Update 11/12/2009: It's a lot cheaper at Amiami's site, about 4000+ yen. You can pre-order at Amiami because they started selling overseas already.

Update: (11/06/2009)Box shot art cover posted above.

Update: (10/08/2009) New photos of the VF-27 from the 49th All Japan Model Show as well as other Macross Frontier Movie new products.

Update: (10/02/2009) Whoa, is this a 1/60 DX Chogokin VF-27 Lucifer that we're seeing at the Tamashii Autumn 2009 show?

Update: Some shops have the VF-27 up for pre-order already! selling for Y5,225 if you pre-order, but its SRP is Y5500.

Just saw this at the HobbyStock blog on their coverage of Kyara Chara Hobby 2009.

Yamato 1/60 Macross VF-1 GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie Set

Yamato Toys just posted on their site today the VF-1 Armored Valkyrie set for the 1/60 scale series of Perfect Transform Macross Toys. The Armored Valkyrie is designated as GBP-1S. The set is scheduled to go on sale by December of 2009 for about 7,140 円 after tax. The kit will only include the armored pack set and not the Valkyrie, you have to buy that separately. Check out HLJ or Over Drive Inc for Valkyrie's on sale, I know that I saw Hikaru Ichijo's VF-1J marked down at Over-Drive once, might be still there.

New Home for Starcraftwars.com

Decided to switch this toy and mecha site to a new domain.

All that's changed is the domain and the site layout. Other than that we're still going to write about Mecha, Anime, Toys and Models.

With regards to the layout, I have to confess that I was inspired by Hikaru Ichijo's VF-1S color scheme in DYRL.

G.I. Joe Toy Collection and how to fix broken figures

Update: A more detailed post with pictures on how to fix broken rubber bands in GI Joe figures can be found here.



In the coming weeks I'll start posting my G.I. Joe - Real American Hero figure Collection. Have to take some time to do some repair of the figures first.

Due to the age of the figures the rubber band that is used to hold the legs, hips and torso together had deteriorated. My figures are usually stored in a box away from sunlight, why they deteriorated I don't know, could be because of some built up moisture.

Revoltech’s Getter 2 from Shin! Getter Robot

After reviewing Revoltech's Getter 1 and Getter 3, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that there is going to be a review of Getter 2 in this site.



Getter Robo was created by Go Nagai in the 70's during the Giant Robot manga craze that swept Japan. The Getter Robo franchise tells the story of a hidden dinosaur kingdom under the earth emerging to take over the world.

Slashdot Starcraft2 Lead Designer Interview

At the recent Blizcon convention, Slashdot was able to get some interview time with Starcraft 2's Lead Designer, Dustin Browder. The all important question on the fate of LAN play being disallowed in Starcraft 2 was answered by this statement:

Revoltech's Getter 3 from Shin! Getter Robot

I wrote before in my review of Revoltech's Getter 1 figure, that I had only a sparse memory of the Getter series as a child, but once I had reached a stage of maturity I had a chance to reconnect once more with Go Nagai's Getter Franchise by means of the Starvenger series of Jim Terry, which "Americanized" Getter Robo G.

Revoltech OVA Getter 1 Figure

As a child of the 80's I grew up watching Getter Robot. Of course I don't remember a darn thing anymore about it, only a snippet of an episode. But the image of Go Nagai's creation of planes merging to form 3 different Getter robots have never left my mind.

I remember having a very tall, cheap, hollow, bootleg, plastic toy of Getter 1 that I carried around with me all the time, even when I had to take a bath I remembered bringing it with me. Maybe it was tall because of my perspective as a child, so I'd assume that in reality it could have been somewhere around 8 ~ 12 inches in height.

Yamato 1/60 VF-1S Valkyrie Hikaru Ichijo DYRL

Update: Translated manual of this toy could be found here.

Finally got time to make my review of the toy I ordered from Over Drive Inc. When I bought the VF-1S, it was on sale so I got a good price for it. Check out my review of Over Drive Inc here, but basically I had no problems with ordering toys from them and will be more than happy to conduct business with them again.

I chose the VF-1S because I already had two other VF-1S's in my Macross Toy Collection and wanted to add another on to it. Weird, right?

The VF-1S I bought is just your basic VF-1S without the Strike and Super Parts Armor. It comes in the DYRL color scheme of Red, Black and White used by Hikaru Ichijo in the Macross Movie: "The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?" The VF-1S Valkyrie can be easily differentiated from other VF-1 Variants by the 4 Mauler Laser cannon configuration at its head. VF-1S are usually flown by squadron leaders of an air-wing.

Review of Hobby Link Japan

Finally had the time to write my review of Hobby Link Japan. An export company started by American Scott Hards in 1995 to cater to Japanese toy aficionados and hobbyists. They’ve been around for quite a long time and first impression of their online shop is that its convenient because its in English and because they carry a lot of inventory that could help save you some serious money in shipping charges.

A few months back I had ordered during Hobby Link Japan’s sale a Yamato 1/60 Super & Strike pack and some Revoltech Getter toys. Items were requested to be sent by SAL. You have an option to have your items shipped by SAL but in the case of very huge or expensive items, it has to be sent by trackable EMS. If your shipping is by SAL be prepared to wait, mine took more than a month to get to me since I live in SE Asia and I tell you the mail is so slow, you’d think we’re still using steam ships. For payment, you have the option to pay by credit card, paypal or money order.

Casting Resin

This is a shot outside of a batch of casted resin in silicone rubber molds that I am working on for the scratch build 1/60 SF-3A Lancer II project. Why is this outside and baking under the sun? well I'm hitting a problem with my resin casting because it seems that the resin sometimes doesn't want to totally dry inside the mold.

How to Make Model Car Kits and Figures

It's nice that Hobby Link Japan recently put up a video section in their site and started posting videos relevant to the modelling culture. Just recently they went on a tour of Model Factory Hiro in Japan that makes model car kits out of resin, metal and rubber.



To make a model they first make a master. If the master is of simple design with only minimum detail, it is hand made with scratch building materials (styrene sheets and tubes I am assuming). For more complex designs with intricate detailing, they make the design in CAD then print it out afterwards in a 3D printer.

Broke the mold

Things have been moving slow lately around here because I accidentally broke the mold of the 1/60 Lancer SF-3A project. Yep, a wrong flick of the wrist had me taking off more of the main fuselage with the file I was using. This could not be remedied anymore by the plaster of paris patching technique I so love to use....

Back to the carving board for me.... blehhhh

1/60 DX Bandai VF-25S Ozma Lee Armored Messiah

Bandai will release the DX Chogokin Armored VF-25S Messiah of Ozma Lee in 1/60 scale this August 2009. It is basically a VF-25 equipped with armored packs with the colors and trimmings of the SMS Skull Squadron Leader. The color trimmings of Ozma Lee are Yellow and Gray. The VF-25S Messiah appears in the Macross Frontier series of the Macross Franchise. Judging from the images, the toy doesn't seem to have any nuclear missiles included in the kit. The 1/72 model kit of Ozma Lee's VF-25S Armored Messiah comes with the nuclear missiles, this kit also comes from Bandai.

Its retailing right now for 17,100 at Hobby Search and 18,000 at Hobby Link Japan, 13,192 yen at amiami.

As part of the toy's gimmicks, the missile hatches and cannon turrets in the armored parts are movable as well as the armored parts found in the landing gear hatches. This mecha can boast that Macross Frontier Creator and Mecha Designer, Shoji Kawamori, took special interest during the production stage to ensure that the toy followed closely his design for the VF.

1/60 Yamato Toys VE-1 Elint Seeker

The thing I can say about this toy is that for the shortest amount of air time in the Macross-Do You Remember Love movie, it sure is getting one of the most amount of fan noise for a production build. Yamato didn't fall short however in my expectation of the VE-1 Elint Seeker as looking from the specs you will notice that its totally different from the regular 1/60 VF-1 from Yamato. Scheduled to be released on September 2009, the 1/60 version of the VE-1 will retail for around Y17,640. The Elint Seeker will also come with its own special set of Super Parts.




Most obvious difference lies in the fact that the VE-1 Elint Seeker is a two seater variant. Fans will be delighted with getting two pilot figures instead of just one. Then there is the bulbous radome that sits like one of those large racing hats worn by ladies watching horse races. And like a purse worn by the said ladies, it has a camera and communications antenna on its arms. Because of all this surveillance and communications gear, sadly the VE-1 does not come with any weapons. Also because of this, the Back pack boosters are also different because of the lack of micro missiles.

Yamato Toys 1/60 VF-1J Max and Milia Edition with Super Packs

Scheduled for release this October 2009 is the 1/60 scale rendition of Ace Pilots and Husband and Wife tandem,Max and Milia Jenius' VF-1J's. Both come with super packs and are painted in their respective colors. Max's comes in the blue color while Milia sports red.