#2 DONE +++ Macross 1:100 VF-1JS Super Valkyrie (fighter mode), "200" of SVF-124

[Dizzyfugu]

But then only a few. IIRC, I have seen sets with VF-1s in 1:144 (even built a Gerwalk and a Battroid), but these must be rare. Most IP kits were 1:100 or 1:72?

[nighthunter]

Actually, they ranged from 1/72-1/200 for the VF-1's and Glaugs, and, of course, smaller for the ships.

[Dizzyfugu]

More progress! Another impression from the FAST boosters, a side-by-side view of a roughly sanded specimen next to an original booster with the dry putty on the seams. With the putty residue you can tell how uneven the surface actually is!

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The underwing boosters. These are more challenging, because they will receive a blunt nose (sculpted from 2C putty) and need mods on the flanks, because both are actually starboard side boosters (they are asymmetrical, with vernier nozzles on the "outer" flanks".

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


And, after an evening's work, here's the booster quartet with the separate nozzles (the underwing nozzles come from the crappy 1:72 Nakotne MiG-29 I converted into a single engine aircraft some months ago, just reversed):

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Believe it or not, at this stage the VF-1 is actually ready for painting! 


Another parallel building site: the ordnance. The outer pair of pylons is to receive some weapons that are typical for orbital/space use, and this here is to become two pairs of scratched, heavy RMS-1 missiles. The basis is a NATO 1.000lb bomb, with a modified nose and a tube cover over the fins - I did something similar for former Super Valkyrie builds. Not exactly like the real thing, but satisfactory.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Dizzyfugu]

Since the livery is pretty simple, there's actually not much to show at this stage. The VF-1 receives a simple but unique lunar camouflage, with light grey upper side (Revell 75, which has a slightly brown hue) and flat black undersides. The only contrast additions are a medium grey anti-glare panel in front and behind the cockpit (later concealed under the folded fins' pack), and "rally stripes" on the wings' upper surface.

Here's  view at the cockpit...

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


...and then here's finally an overview of all the main components - sans FAST boosters, though. These will become uniform dark grey.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A black ink wash for the panel lines and some panel shading' up next. 

[nighthunter]

She looks good!

[Dizzyfugu]

More painting progress: black ink wash, some panel shading, and final touches to the cockpit, e .g. the bigger dashboard (or: one that deserves this designation):

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[nighthunter]

Eager to see it finished!

[Dizzyfugu]

Soon... 

I'm curious, too, because there's no chance to fit all the parts together while still working on the kit.

[Dizzyfugu]

After a day of silence, here's an overview of all the bits and pieces:

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


From here, the assembly starts, as well as decal application and finishing touhes. Cockpit and central fuselage of "200" first...

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


...followed by the legs...

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


...and the folded arms element between them - the slot where the hand gun will go is good to see. The head is already in place, too. The black underside really looks unusual on a VF-1.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


More to come soon... 

[Dizzyfugu]

For a personal touch, some nose art. Rumor has it that traditionally all aircraft of SVF-124 would carry some personal decoration, and the "shields" on the dorsal boosters, where normally U.N. Spacy roundels - but also squadron emblems - are presented, lends itself, since there's only little fuselage space around the cockpit for a decent presentation.

The artwork is a combination: the basis is a silver roundel (from an aftermarket sheet with decals for Canadian reserve unit P-51s), and on top of that the, err, lady with a gun and the typo was placed - from a Peddinghaus decal sheet, actually for Allied WWII tanks in 1:72. Sad thing is that the artwork has not been primed with white, so it's a bit translucent. Weird thing is, though, that the typo ("Your a$$ next, Jerry!") IS in opaque white. But probably the production process only featured a single printer run. Could have been better, but I'll leave it that way - looks good, fits well, and matches the VF-1's theme.

Besides, the all-grey FAST boosters received some thin red and white trim, all done with decal stripes.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Beyond that, assembly work creeps on. Now the legs have been mounted, too, the thing starts to look like an aircraft. A wobbly affair, since the legs are only attached to the fuselage right behind the air intakes, and the arms pack has to fit into the arrangement, too. But it looks good so far, better than expected:

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Dizzyfugu]

In the meantime... change or ordnance plans. The scratched RMS-1 orbital missiles did not turn out as crisp as hoped for, so I deleted them. :-(

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Anyway, I found a good alternative in a source book, and a quadruplet of slim LGBs now is converted into Kinetic Impact Units, with some boosters at the rear. Looks pretty weird, but IMHO better than the so-so RMS-1s.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

...and finally:

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Otherwise, progress is good, I expect the Valkyrie to be finished this evening. 

[Dizzyfugu]

Final assembly steps. After the folded fin pack has been added behind the cockpit, the dorsal FAST boosters ahev to be mounted. Somehow, somewhere, because they do traditionally do not fit onto the kit (neither Gerwalk nor Battroid) at all.

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Best benchmark is the rim between the two fin pack halves, into which a very narrow ridge on the FAST packs' inner sides can be inserted. The area for glue is minimal, though, and the consoles under the FAST packs do not match any suface shape of the kit at all... So, mounting the parts is a shaky business, enamel tins help to keep the huge parts in place while the little glue dot that holds them dries:

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


After some hours of drying and praying (including a black chicken, offered to Styrene, the Muse of Scratchbuilders!), they hold in place and the second pair can be added under the wings. Now things start to look massive and "mecha-like". Zentraedis, beware! 

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS Super Valkyrie; "200" of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' Fighter Squadron; Lunar 'Apollo' Base, 2012 (ARII kit conversion) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Almost done, only the pylons with the KIPs are missing. 

[Dizzyfugu]

It was a long session yesterday evening (lots of pics, and some serious editing for the flight scenes"), but now "MA 200" (official title would be "1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012") has been finished and serves dutyfully from "Apollo" Lunar Base, which was partly available for the photo shooting session  :


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The VF-1 was developed by Stonewell/Bellcom/Shinnakasu for the U.N. Spacy by using alien Overtechnology obtained from the SDF-1 Macross alien spaceship. Its production was preceded by an aerodynamic proving version of its airframe, the VF-X. Unlike all later VF vehicles, the VF-X was strictly a jet aircraft, built to demonstrate that a jet fighter with the features necessary to convert to Battroid mode was aerodynamically feasible. After the VF-X's testing was finished, an advanced concept atmospheric-only prototype, the VF-0 Phoenix, was flight-tested from 2005 to 2007 and briefly served as an active-duty fighter from 2007 to the VF-1's rollout in late 2008, while the bugs were being worked out of the full-up VF-1 prototype (VF-X-1).


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The space-capable VF-1's combat debut was on February 7, 2009, during the Battle of South Ataria Island - the first battle of Space War I - and remained the mainstay fighter of the U.N. Spacy for the entire conflict. Introduced in 2008, the VF-1 would be out of frontline service just five years later, though.

The VF-1 proved to be an extremely capable craft, successfully combating a variety of Zentraedi mecha even in most sorties which saw UN Spacy forces significantly outnumbered. The versatility of the Valkyrie design enabled the variable fighter to act as both large-scale infantry and as air/space superiority fighter. The signature skills of U.N. Spacy ace pilot Maximilian Jenius exemplified the effectiveness of the variable systems as he near-constantly transformed the Valkyrie in battle to seize advantages of each mode as combat conditions changed from moment to moment.


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The basic VF-1 was deployed in four minor variants (designated A, D, J, and S) and its success was increased by continued development of various enhancements including the GBP-1S "Armored" Valkyrie, FAST Pack "Super" Valkyrie and the additional RÖ-X2 heavy cannon pack weapon system for the VF-1S for additional firepower.
The FAST Pack system was designed to enhance the VF-1 Valkyrie variable fighter, and the initial V1.0 came in the form of conformal pallets that could be attached to the fighter's leg flanks for additional fuel – primarily for Long Range Interdiction tasks in atmospheric environment. Later FAST Packs were designed  for space operations.


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The following FAST Pack 2.0 system featured two 120.000 kg class P&W+EF-2001 booster thrusters (mounted on the dorsal section of the VF-1) and two CTB-04 conformal propellant/coolant tanks (mounted on the leg/engines), since the VF-1's internal tanks could not carry enough propellant to achieve a stable orbit from Earth bases and needed the help of a booster pack to reach Low Earth Orbit. Anyway, the FAST Pack 2.0 wasn't adapted for atmospheric use, due to its impact on a Valkyrie's aerodynamics and its weight; as such, it needed to be discarded before atmospheric entry.

Included in the FAST Pack boosters and conformal tanks were six high-maneuverability vernier thrusters and two low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles in two dorsal-mounted NP-BP-01, as well as ten more high-maneuverability vernier thrusters and two low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles in the two leg/engine-mounted NP-FB-01 systems.



1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Granting the VF-1 a significantly increased weapons payload as well as greater fuel and thrust, Shinnakasu Heavy Industry's FAST Pack system 2.0 was in every way a major success in space combat. The first VF-1 equipped with FAST Packs was deployed in January 2010 for an interception mission.
Following first operational deployment and its effectiveness, the FAST Pack system was embraced enthusiastically by the U.N. Spacy and found wide use. By February 2010, there were already over 300+ so-called "Super Valkyries" stationed onboard the SDF-1 Macross alone.

The FAST Pack went through constant further development, including upgraded versions for late production and updated VF-1s (V3.0 and V4.0). Another addition to the early V2.0 variant of 2010 was the so-called "S-FAST Pack". The S-FAST pack was originally developed at the Apollo lunar base, for the locally based VF-1 interceptor squadrons that were tasked with the defense of this important production and habitat site on the Moon, but it also found its way to other orbital stations and carriers.


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Officially designated FAST Pack V2.1, the S-FAST Pack consisted of the standard pair of dorsal rocket boosters plus the pallets with additional maneuvering jets, sensors and weapons. The S-FAST pack added another pair of P&W+EF-2001 boosters under the inner wings, having the duty to give to fighter the power necessary to exit easily from the gravity of moons or little planets without atmosphere, and improve acceleration during combat situations. Range was also further extended, together with additional life support systems for prolonged deep space operations, or the case of emergency.

In order to accept the S-FAST pack and exploit its potential, the VF-1's wings and inner wing attachment points had to be strengthened due to the additional load and propulsion. The use of the S-FAST pack also precluded the fighter from transforming into Battroid or Gerwalk mode – the underwing packs had to be jettisoned beforehand. The other standard FAST Pack 2.0 elements could still be carried, though.



1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The modfied Valkyries capable of accepting the S-FAST Pack received an additional "S" to their type designation – more than 100 VF-1s were converted or built in this deep space configuration until late 2011. Initial deployment of the S-FAST Pack was conducted through SVF-24 "Moon Shadows" in early 2010, a unit that was quickly disbanded, though, but re-formed as SVF-124 "Moon Shooters", tasked with the defense of the lunar Apollo Base and several special missions.

After the end of Space War I, the VF-1 continued to be manufactured both in the Sol system and throughout the UNG space colonies. Although the VF-1 would eventually be replaced as the primary Variable Fighter of the U.N. Spacy by the more capable, but also much bigger, VF-4 Lightning III in 2020, a long service record and continued production after the war proved the lasting worth of the design.


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The VF-1 was without doubt the most recognizable variable fighter of Space War I and was seen as a vibrant symbol of the U.N. Spacy even into the first year of the New Era 0001 in 2013. At the end of 2015 the final rollout of the VF-1 was celebrated at a special ceremony, commemorating this most famous of variable fighters. The VF-1 Valkryie was built from 2006 to 2013 with a total production of 5,459 VF-1 variable fighters with several variants (VF-1A = 5,093, VF-1D = 85, VF-1J = 49, VF-1S = 30, VF-1G = 12, VE-1 = 122, VT-1 = 68).

However, the fighter remained active in many second line units and continued to show its worthiness years later, e. g. through Milia Jenius who would use her old VF-1 fighter in defense of the colonization fleet - 35 years after the type's service introduction!


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr




General characteristics:
All-environment variable fighter and tactical combat Battroid,
used by U.N. Spacy, U.N. Navy, U.N. Space Air Force

Accommodation:
Pilot only in Marty & Beck Mk-7 zero/zero ejection seat

Dimensions:
Fighter Mode:
  Length 14.23 meters
  Wingspan 14.78 meters (at 20° minimum sweep)
  Height 3.84 meters

Battroid Mode:
  Height 12.68 meters
  Width 7.3 meters
  Length 4.0 meters
Empty weight: 13.25 metric tons;
Standard T-O mass: 18.5 metric tons;
MTOW: 37.0 metric tons

Power Plant:
    2x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry/P&W/Roice FF-2001 thermonuclear reaction turbine engines, output 650 MW each, rated at 11,500 kg in standard or in overboost (225.63 kN x 2)
4 x Shinnakasu Heavy Industry NBS-1 high-thrust vernier thrusters (1 x counter reverse vernier thruster nozzle mounted on the side of each leg nacelle/air intake, 1 x wing thruster roll control system on each wingtip);
18 x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters beneath multipurpose hook/handles

The S-FAST Pack added 4x P&W+EF-2001 booster thrusters with 120.000 kg each, plus a total of 28x P&W LHP04 low-thrust vernier thrusters

Performance:
Battroid Mode: maximum walking speed 160 km/h
Fighter Mode: at 10,000 m Mach 2.71; at 30,000+ m Mach 3.87
g limit: in space +7
Thrust-to-weight ratio: empty 3.47; standard T-O 2.49; maximum T-O 1.24

Design Features:
3-mode variable transformation; variable geometry wing; vertical take-off and landing; control-configurable vehicle; single-axis thrust vectoring; three "magic hand" manipulators for maintenance use; retractable canopy shield for Battroid mode and atmospheric reentry; option of GBP-1S system, atmospheric-escape booster, or FAST Pack system

Transformation:
Standard time from Fighter to Battroid (automated): under 5 sec.
Min. time from Fighter to Battroid (manual): 0.9 sec.

Armament:
2x internal Mauler RÖV-20 anti-aircraft laser cannon, firing 6,000 pulses per minute
1x Howard GU-11 55 mm three-barrel Gatling gun pod with 200 RPG, fired at 1,200 rds/min

4x underwing hard points for a wide variety of ordnance, including
12x AMM-1 hybrid guided multipurpose missiles (3/point), or
12x MK-82 LDGB conventional bombs (3/point), or
6x RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles (2/outboard point, 1/inboard point), or
4x UUM-7 micro-missile pods (1/point) each carrying 15 x Bifors HMM-01 micro-missiles,
or a combination of above load-outs

The optional Shinnakasu Heavy Industry S-FAST Pack 2.1 augmentative space weapon system added:
6x micro-missiles in two NP-AR-01 micro-missile launcher pods (mounted rear-ward under center ventral section in Fighter mode or on lower arm sections in GERWALK/Battroid mode)
4x12 micro missiles in four HMMP-02 micro-missile launchers, one inside each booster pod



..., finally, the "naked" kit as built:


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1JS 'Super Valkyrie'; aircraft 'MA 200', personal mount of Flight Leader Lt. Com. Catherine Hojo of the U.N. Spacy SVF-124 'Moon Shooters' fighter squadron; 'Apollo' Lunar Base, early 2012 (ARII kit conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Pretty edic!

[zenrat]

Excellent work Dizz 

[Steel Penguin]

smashing job dizz