The GBP is a heavy armor set for the VF-1 Valkyrie from the original SDF:Macross. It’s used by Hikaru in his VF-1J in the anime, and grants the pilot a massive boost in protection and firepower at the cost of variability, altho it can be quick-ejected if needed.
Yamato is the premier maker of modern Macross toys. The 1/48 scale VF-1 was a marvel of toy design, able to achieve perfect variability without the ugly swing bar of the venerable Bandai/Takatoku 1/55 VF-1. The 1/48 VF-1 has been superseded by the new 1/60 VF-1 ver2, to coincide with the common 1/60 scale of all new Yamato releases. The VF-1J was my first 1/48, specifically in anticipation of a GBP set. When the GBP finally did come out, I purchased custom water slide decals for it and the VF-1J and did my first real toy custom, complete with panel lines, weathering, and the decals. I’ve learned alot since this custom, but it still holds up okay since the toy is so awesome.
The YF-19 is one of the two experimental Variable Fighters from Macross Plus, entered in competition with the YF-21 for the right to be the new standard VF. The YF-19 is piloted by Isamu Dyson, a hotheaded and reckless test pilot.
Hasegawa makes some of the finest molded aircraft models on the market… I found the 19 to be almost too finely molded. This kit sat half assembled for ages in my stash before I finally mustered myself and finished it around the same time I did the PG GP-01FB. I did the base with a premade wooden base that I varnished, and made the Mac+ marking from a glossy printed image. I found that Hase’s decals react poorly to decal setting solutions, and had to repair alot of the black markings with paint. I assembled the kit as the two-seat version from the end of the anime, and weathered it accordingly, if a bit heavy. The only problem is that when I applied the canopy is crazed over a bit… the moral of the story is to never use superglue to apply clear plastic parts.
The King Tiger/Tiger II was a late-war development, and just about the scariest thing an Allied tanker could run into. The Tiger I was big and strong, but the Tiger II was monstrous, which became more of a hindrance than a benefit. Early vehicles featured a curved turret designed by Porsche, which was superseded by the Henschel production turret because the Porsche turret featured a weak spot in the armor around the complex curves of the commander’s position. Because of when they were introduced, Porsche turreted Tiger IIs were almost always covered in Zimmerit anti-magnetic paste coating.
Last year DML began releasing Injection Plastic kits with Zimmerit coatings already applied on the sprues… before this a modeler would either have to sculpt his own coating from putty, carve the coating in with a heating tool, or buy an aftermarket Zimm set, either in resin or etched metal… all to mixed results. The new Zimm-applied DML kits allow even novice modelers to build German WWII subjects from the Zimm period with ease. My King Tiger represents a vehicle from the 503. I painted the base color with a rattle can, and then hand brushed all the camo with thinned acrylics. Weathering and details were done with oil paints and weathering pigments. DML provides most of their kits now with comprehensive etch sheet and a turned metal gun barrel, so the only thing I added was the stowage from Verlinden’s resin sets.
The Sdkfz. 234/2 was was one in a line of 8-rad recon armored fighting vehicles used by the Germans in WWII. They featured independent steering and both front and rear driving stations for speedy getaways.
Dragon Limited Models made a fantastic line of 234s in 1/35 (standard military scale). The 234/2 is named the ‘Puma’, and features an enclosed turret with a light cannon. The DML kit features a modest interior that is missing some features (such as ammunition storage racks and the battery) because there was no record of the ‘real’ interior of the vehicle. I added the battery based on conjecture and photos of the rest of the 234 series, but the ammo storage is pretty much a mystery. The kit does feature both the front and rear driving positions, which are pretty neat. I also added some gear to the interior to give it a ‘lived in’ feel.
The Gundam MkII is one of the two lead machines in Zeta Gundam. This is the version 2 Master Grade kit, which has a full interior skeleton/frame and is incredibly articulated. I finished this kit a few years ago, when it came out. I added a slightly modified paint scheme with some extra color trim, and used Bandai’s waterslide decal sheet to spruce up the machine. This was an early attempt at a more subtle amount of battle damage and weathering on my larger scale mecha models. I think the effect here works much better than the harsher techniques used on my GP-01FB. The MkII is a jack of all trades mobile suit, able to function as a ground combat machine as well as in space. Most of Z Gundam takes place in space, so I did not do any dirty and rust on this mecha.
This is Bandai’s Perfect Grade Gundam GP-01FB, from the series Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memories. Perfect Grade kits from Bandai are (for Gundam at least) 1/60 scale, which makes them around a foot tall, and feature the most detailed representation of the mecha. PG kits include complete internal skeletons, with all of the armor assembled around the frame, providing an extremely posable and detailed model to work with. This model is from a few years ago now, but I’m still quite pleased with how it came out. It won Best of Show at a local hobby shop competition, and is now on display there.
The GP-01FB is the space-optimized upgrade of the GP-01 testbed prototype Unit 1. Because it is a space mecha, I did not add any dirt or rust to the weathering. I did all marks from small debris impacts, which I imagine would happen often as the Unit 1 FB is zipping around in space blowing stuff up.
This is a squad of Blood Angels Assault Marines I finished not too long ago for my Warhammer 40k army. For those of you that might not know much about Warhammer 40k, Space Marines are genetically engineered super soldiers, and the Blood Angels are some of the fiercest fighters among them. I try to aim for a more realistic battle-hardened look to my minis, and these guys were the first group to receive some new ideas I’d gotten from my work on larger scale models. These are plastic models, except for the Sergeant, who is metal, and all of them have some GreenStuff putty details added, mostly from press-molds of details I made from other models.
Prometheus Rising Studios 