Space Battleship Yamato

The interest was already there.

Indeed.

RE: weathering - They used to run Starblazers on a local VHF station when I was a kid, and I remember that the Yamato used to take quite a pounding. Don't quote me on this, but I think in one episode they used the Wave Motion Gun to shoot a hole through a star, and then flew the ship through the hole. Seems like that might cause some scorching.

I was actually working on my 1/700 Yamato today. I'm using thin strips of styrene to detail the inside of the WMG barrel. Too early to tell if it's going to be as awesome as I want it to be, but fingers are crossed.

Nebulas are nothing but dust and gas.No reason not to have a well weathered space BB.

ahhh... weathering,, would be in the eye of the beholder.... of the eye of the Nebula.. ? .. humm... personaly.. I like a dirty ,battle scarred space ship...

I agree, weathering for most spaceships.  The only excuse not to have it is if the ship's brand-new, has an owner who just leaves it in the spacedock instead of using it ( kinda like Cameron's dad and the car in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" ), or is in a military space force whose commanders treat the crew like expendable lemmings ( TIE fighters, anyone? ) so that they don't have much chance to get dirty before they get blown up.

Heck, even the shuttle shows surprising signs of wear when you see the pictures taken since they started scanning it for launch damage.

Cosmic J

Indeed.

RE: weathering - They used to run Starblazers on a local VHF station when I was a kid, and I remember that the Yamato used to take quite a pounding. Don't quote me on this, but I think in one episode they used the Wave Motion Gun to shoot a hole through a star, and then flew the ship through the hole. Seems like that might cause some scorching.

I was actually working on my 1/700 Yamato today. I'm using thin strips of styrene to detail the inside of the WMG barrel. Too early to tell if it's going to be as awesome as I want it to be, but fingers are crossed.

U tease, and I found you way over here.  Now you got me wanting to build mine, but just too many projects going.  But I would like to tell you about a base I got off of eBay.  I saw this and wanted for displaying a Ma.k Model (Luna Diver).  Now I bidded and won the base, paid the amount and waited.  A few days later upon coming home form work, I spied a large box on the porch.  I did not think anything about it and was shocked when I opened the box to see that this base I had won was a Monster.  Here are the dimensions.  275x200x40mm, height 300mm & max weight 1500g, the base weighs 370g.  This is a New G Functional Stand.  The functional part is the arm w/heavy spring loaded shock that locks the arm at the height you desire.  Even has a place for a photo of the subject mounted.  I was, what in the World was I going to mount, well maybe a PG Gundam,  could use to mount a 1/20 Luna Diver (Starship Modeler has one), Oh dang, I just had a brain storm, this is just perfect for mounting a 1/500 Yamato in a climbing vertical flight position.  And there you have it, so now I am very happy I got this.  Display bases for in-flight anything, are becoming difficult to come by.  I plain to build the 1/500 Yamato this Winter. 

As always, Cosmic J you know the word:   PHOTOS please.   

Okay.

I don't have much to show, cause I wanted to build this ship pretty much straight out of the box. Unfortunately, they are old molds and require some clean-up.

For the Wave Motion Gun barrel, the kit had this little cup that came in two pieces. It didn't fit the gun aperture correctly, and had almost no detail. You'll see what I mean when you get to it. It needed some work, because that gun is one of the most iconic parts of that ship.

So I assembled the cup and firmly glued it into the hull. Once it was good and dry, I drilled out the bottom of the barrel/cup, and used a round file to smooth it out and match the edges of the aperture. I then filled the resultant gaps w/ Aves Apoxie Sculpt, and wet sanded it smooth once dry.

After that, I glued lengths of 0.010 x 0.020 strip styrene into the barrel. I didn't use a jig or anything, I just eyeballed it. I glued the four cardinal points first - top, bottom, left and right - then I bisected those spaces, and the resulting spaces again, for a total of 16 strips all relatively equidistant. This was actually kind of difficult, because there's not much room to maneuver inside the hull. Once they were in place, I snipped them down on both ends and sanded them flush.

To cover the hole in the bottom of the barrel, I took a shallow M.S.G./Koto burner nozzle and dropped a Wave O-Bolt into it. The one in the image is the first one I made - I used too much liquid cement and that bubbled up around the edges of the bolt, so I made another w/ less glue and used that. I couldn't get the camera to focus down in the barrel, so I can't show you what it looks like finished.

The image here looks a little rough, but in reality it came out quite well. I painted it w/ Mr Surfacer 1000 to check if it was smooth, and polished it w/ an alcohol dipped q-tip. I'm quite pleased w/ the results. Not like anyone will notice the work once the model is done.

The bottoms of the turrets are hollow, so I'm using sheet cardstock to block them off. That's a work still in progress.

So that's where I am. Sorry not more pictures. As I said, this was (supposed to be) a quickie build so I didn't really document it.

 

Man CJ that is looking good  Cant wait to see it all done and ready for action

the Gunp, more please asked the grasshopper to the master.

CJ, man now you got me wanting to start mine and I have three other projects to complete before I will start anything else, @ least thats what I keep saying to myself.  I'll enjoys yours for as long as I can stand it.  You have done some great mods.

 

the Gunp

SLW 45

Man CJ that is looking good  Cant wait to see it all done and ready for action

Thank you brother. Kind of you to say.

Gunpla Master

CJ, man now you got me wanting to start mine and I have three other projects to complete before I will start anything else, @ least thats what I keep saying to myself.  I'll enjoys yours for as long as I can stand it.  You have done some great mods.

 

the Gunp

Thank you sir, and sorry to put the temptation on you.  Yeah, I'm pretty much working on 6 to 10 kits at any given time. That's one of the reasons it takes so long for me to get anything done.

 

 

How you can work on that many at one time just proves you the Master to all us grashoppers

SLW 45

How you can work on that many at one time just proves you the Master to all us grashoppers

LOL! I don't know about all that. I think it's more like evidence that I have modeler's ADD... 

Cosmic J

Thank you sir, and sorry to put the temptation on you.  Yeah, I'm pretty much working on 6 to 10 kits at any given time. That's one of the reasons it takes so long for me to get anything done.

 

 

 

I'm the same way.  The tricky part for me is keeping track of everything.  I do what work I can on one kit and get to a point that I have to wait for cement, putty, or paint to dry ( which sometimes means I can only really work on it for 15 or 20 minutes that day ), and switch over to another kit to chip away at, until I get to a similar point, then more as time allows.

What makes it tricky is when I get something new and can't resist the urge to dig in like a kid with a new toy, or when some issue comes up like a mistake I'm not sure how to fix or find out some new technique I had in mind and expected to be easy turns out to be less easy than expected.  Some WIP gets put aside, then further aside.  I recently moved and in the process realized I have waaaay too many kits in various stages of partial completeion, so have made these a priority. 

As for your Yamato, that added detail looks great!  I can't wait to see what other personal touches you add.

Kugai

I'm the same way.  The tricky part for me is keeping track of everything.  I do what work I can on one kit and get to a point that I have to wait for cement, putty, or paint to dry ( which sometimes means I can only really work on it for 15 or 20 minutes that day ), and switch over to another kit to chip away at, until I get to a similar point, then more as time allows.

What makes it tricky is when I get something new and can't resist the urge to dig in like a kid with a new toy, or when some issue comes up like a mistake I'm not sure how to fix or find out some new technique I had in mind and expected to be easy turns out to be less easy than expected.  Some WIP gets put aside, then further aside.  I recently moved and in the process realized I have waaaay too many kits in various stages of partial completeion, so have made these a priority. 

LOL! I could have written those very same words myself. One of the reasons I tend to join GBs here is to motivate me to stick w/ one model for longer.

As for your Yamato, that added detail looks great!  I can't wait to see what other personal touches you add.

Thank you sir, very kind.

Cosmic J

LOL! I could have written those very same words myself. One of the reasons I tend to join GBs here is to motivate me to stick w/ one model for longer.

Has there ever been a GB for that? I can see it now...

"Rules are, one year from GB startup, kits must have been started already, state as many as you want to commit to but no more than 2 new projects can be started until the committed GB subjects are done.  Other "need to finish what I started" builds are the exception to the last part."

I think I can already hear some of our Signifigant Others supporting the idea.

Kugai

Cosmic J:

LOL! I could have written those very same words myself. One of the reasons I tend to join GBs here is to motivate me to stick w/ one model for longer.

 

Has there ever been a GB for that? I can see it now...

"Rules are, one year from GB startup, kits must have been started already, state as many as you want to commit to but no more than 2 new projects can be started until the committed GB subjects are done.  Other "need to finish what I started" builds are the exception to the last part."

I think I can already hear some of our Signifigant Others supporting the idea.

Oh great, you mean I gotta finish some models lol, a good idea, I also would like to see someone start a Battleship Yamato GB, hint, hint CJ.  Kits already started are allowed, hint, hint CJ.

Gunpla Master

Oh great, you mean I gotta finish some models lol, a good idea, I also would like to see someone start a Battleship Yamato GB, hint, hint CJ.  Kits already started are allowed, hint, hint CJ.

 

A Yamato GB?  Just what I need, an excuse to add one of the EX kits to my "in-progress" lineup .  It would, however, be a cool way to have something done to celebrate the release of one or both of the new movies stateside ( if they are released here ).

Kugai

Gunpla Master:

Oh great, you mean I gotta finish some models lol, a good idea, I also would like to see someone start a Battleship Yamato GB, hint, hint CJ.  Kits already started are allowed, hint, hint CJ.

 

 

A Yamato GB?  Just what I need, an excuse to add one of the EX kits to my "in-progress" lineup .  It would, however, be a cool way to have something done to have something done to celebrate the release of one or both of the new movies stateside ( if they are released here ).

Well Kugai, looks like you got the ball in your court, so start the Yamato GB.  I know I would be interested in taking part and I am sure ole CJ might throw in a photo from time to time of that Yamato he is re-working into a Master Piece.     The Gunp 

mmm,, if your seriously going to have one,.I got one, and will join in...

p38jl

mmm,, if your seriously going to have one,.I got one, and will join in...

 

LOL! Well, I guess I'm in too.

I was going to post some "in-progess" shots of my 1/700 Andromeda, but now I'm gonna hang on to them for a bit... I gotta have something to post in the GB.

 

You guys are serious? 

Okay, rather than take up too much more space on the GB subject here, I'll put up a "recruiting" post in the SF section in about a month, and have the start date set for December ( to coincide with the movie release in Japan ).  This will also give me some time to finish the 2 Patlabor kits I was working on from the old Previously-Started Priority Stash ( pulled out while I was stalled on the Macross GB and the BattleMaster to keep up momentum ) as well as the Weekend Madness done before adding another project or 2.

Just one question: any links on putting together a GB badge?  I figure it would be a good thing to have ready for the recruiting post.

I'm in.. just pop back here to let us know.. or once you get a link to the new GB going, post a link here.

Just got back from the coast of NC for some R&R w/Blues, and what do I see, a GB for the Battleship Yamato, oh yea baby, count me in with a 1/500th build mounted in flight.

I nominate Cosmic J to do the GB Emblem for this if that's OK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kugai

You guys are serious? 

Okay, rather than take up too much more space on the GB subject here, I'll put up a "recruiting" post in the SF section in about a month, and have the start date set for December ( to coincide with the movie release in Japan ).  This will also give me some time to finish the 2 Patlabor kits I was working on from the old Previously-Started Priority Stash ( pulled out while I was stalled on the Macross GB and the BattleMaster to keep up momentum ) as well as the Weekend Madness done before adding another project or 2.

Just one question: any links on putting together a GB badge?  I figure it would be a good thing to have ready for the recruiting post.

I’m definitely in. Knowing there will be a GB lets me put my Yamato and Andromeda away for a bit - maybe order some detail parts while I’m at it. 

 

 

Gunpla Master

I nominate Cosmic J to do the GB Emblem for this if that's OK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Honestly, you should get someone who makes better badges than I do. Mine are like my models – competent, but not terribly eye-catching.

Plus, I’m not as familiar w/ the subject matter as others. I bet lots of guys here could find better screen shots or emblems than I ever could.

Okay, since the idea seems to be sticking, I'll go ahead and start things in the GB section here in a few days ( if no one has any objections to GM "volunteering" me to do so   ) with rules, dates, etc.  Maybe we'll end up getting a few more people signing up who don't usually come here to the SF section.

Since there's been some indication of kits having already been started ( and since we don't want to add to the "started" stashes ), I'm OK with leaving out the common "unstarted only" rule.

I'm guessing everyone who's expressed interest already has at least 1 kit from the Yamato series, but just in case anyone needs to order something I was thinking a start date just before or after Thanksgiving would be good.

Unless someone's building the $500+ radio-controlled, lights-and-sound super-kit, I doubt we'd really need a full year for this, but if we gave that time it would allow for some of us to have multiple entries for this GB as well as minimizing the odds of something not getting done by the end date ( especially those of us participating in other GBs ).  It just occurred to me that a year would also give time for new kits from the movies that are coming out in Japan that someone might want to add later.

The last thing I can think of right now that needs to be mentioned is the badge.  I have absolutely no idea how to set one up, but I do have a few ideas for designs.  I'd appreciate any help on this, whether it be pointing out any "how to's" on the subject or someone else more familiar with what's needed putting the badge together.

Any input/suggestions before the actual GB startup?

I'd just like for everyone to know that our company has designed and released new 1/350 scale kits that can be found here:

http://arveymodelproducts.com/AMP/AMP_listing.html

Also, the 1/350 scale Borodino kit is scheduled for November release, and we will be adding a 1/72 scale medical frigate hopefully in January.

 

Jon Warneke

Commander Models, Inc.

Kugai, sounds like you have it under control, all your ideas look sound and doable.  I wish I could help w/the GB badge, but I am not too good @ that, maybe someone else can jump and assist Kugai do this, what you computer savvy fellas out there say, give a hand.

I wish I did have the 1/350 scale Battleship Yamato, let one get by me on eBay f/$400.00 plus ship and I have regretted it ever since, the next cheapest w/ship for across the big pond was $800.00!!!!!

I agree, 1 year is a good time frame for any GB, allows more participation for new members as they join.

Thanks Kugai for taking this on, starting and keeping a GB going is a task to say the least.

the Gunp