Hasegawa 1/48 YF-19 Excalibur 'Alpha One' (Macross Plus)

silverwindblade · March 21, 2024, 07:23:53 AM

Luck is One of my Skills

Never content with building just one thing at a time, I have also had this semi-started for ages, and this year seemed like a good time to actually get on with building the rest of it.

Macross Plus is an anime that has a particular personal importance to me, and it still remains my firm favourite anime if anyone asks me what my favourite is. And no small part of that is due to the gorgeously animated and designed variable fighters that show up in the series, as designed by master mechanical designer and aviation enthusiast Shoji Kawamori.

The YF-19 is one of two prototype 'next generation' variable fighters in the OAV (original animation video) series, in a project that is very heavily inspired by the ATF program that was also going on during the 90s when the anime was made.

Out of the two craft, the sleek, agile, YF-19 with it's forward-swept wings always caught my attention more than the menacing, darkly-coloured YF-22 Sturmvogel 'Omega 1', even with its' fancy thought-controls and active aeroelastic flight surfaces.

I have in mind to build an 'in service' version of the YF-19 - making it a 'VF-19' - with some underwing weapons and an alternate colour scheme to the tan/buff colour of the prototype. Originally I did have in mind a special scheme used by an ace pilot, but on hindsight, that's far too garish, and I want to do something a bit more down to Earth (pun intended) and 'tactical'. Although, not black, and not just 'boring gray' all over, especially since that's already been done.
What, I am still not sure. Euro 1 or green/brown/SEA camo doesn't seem fitting either.
I am open to suggestions and ideas, though something very modern looking with interesting colours is favoured, and that won't be too dark to show the contours and detail of the plane.

Unfortunately, at this scale, the Variable part of the variable fighter sadly isn't implemented, so it's stuck in fighter mode. But on the upside, I'm going to use a spare set of F-16 pylons I have from... somewhere, to hang some modern AAMs under the wings. I'll probably modify them a bit too to make them look a bit less recognisable. I have some really nice AIM-54's that might do the job as aerospace superiority missiles.

This kit was one of my holy grails for a long time, and I was thrilled to get my grubby little claws on it.
I really, really wish Hasegawa would release more Macross models in this scale. I'd love to have a YF-22 to accompany it, not to mention a lot of the other designs from the same setting. A 1/48th VF-4 Lightning would be a dream come true.

I didn't start documenting the build until after starting it, but I figured building in subassemblies due to the way the kit goes together would be easiest, for painting as well as building. So, the leg/engine nacelle units were first, along with the foot/engine exhausts, which have moving petals for the thrust vectoring/feet.
The fit is mostly quite good, though the connection surface for the exhaust/foot is very narrow, and it doesn't seem to want to glue well.
There are removable covers for the engine/missile bays, and were I a more industrious fellow, I could probably build a detail of one of the covers/hatches open with missiles on the mounting points. But I'm not going to try that, for fear of messing it up. I will leave the outside ones removable, but the ones that face 'in' toward the centreline of the plane will be glued into place.

In parallel, I also painted the cockpit interior - it's deliberately pretty empty, as most of the instruments are virtual, and the interior of the cockpit has a fully panoramic display that uses external sensors to project an almost 360 degree view of the planes' surroundings, including the ability to lock onto and track targets at every angle, in conjunction with the pilots' helmet displays.
The rear seat is optional, which is true to the anime, as in the 4th episode the protagonist has a co-pilot (reluctantly!) but otherwise it's a single-seat aircraft. I chose to depict the single-seat version with the rear canopy, as an emergency 'shutter' cover is also depicted - again, accurate to the anime.
Once that and the seat were painted and detailed, I clam-shelled them between the upper and lower halves and then glued them together. There was a bit of fiddling to get them to stick, and I'm going to have to do a bit of remedial sanding to remove spillover glue and clumsy glue fingerprints.

I'm enjoying it a lot so far. The build isn't the most straightforward, and the subject is very niche. But my own excitement and enthusiasm are more-than making up for any downsides, and I'm thrilled to have an example of the YF-19 in my collection that's at the same scale as my other model aeroplanes. I wish there were more sci-fi aircraft that followed the same scales, and were available readily in plastic injection form.

Dizzyfugu · March 21, 2024, 07:57:08 AM

Ah, Macross PLUS...

I must add that the soundtrack (by Yoko Kanno, it was her first major anime work) is haunting, too, esp. the test flight scenes of Isamu in the YF-19 that are accompanied by "Bees & Honey" - classic ballet!

Reminds me that I have a Hasegawa 1:72 YF-19* in The Stash™ somewhere, too, and so far lacked mojo to tackle it because I did and do not want the prototype scheme on it, too.

For inspiration, that's what someone did to a 1:60 toy: https://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/32537-yamato-160-yf-19-custom-paint/

Another highly recommended Inspiration/source: the "Variable Fighter Master File: VF-19" book. Japanese only, but with lots of detail darwings, CG artwork and some profile drawings. Here's one on offer (but the price is ridiculous, it should go for a tenth of that): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/311812278011

*It's funny, because it should be called YVF-19?

silverwindblade · March 21, 2024, 09:29:56 AM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 21, 2024, 07:57:08 AMsnip

Yoko Kanno's music for... well, anything is always amazing, but Macross Plus is definitely one of her best works. The music synchronises so well with the action on screen. I had the CD soundtracks for ages, and played them so much I think I wore them out.

I have looked through the VF-19 Master file through... methods, and while I found the wealth of information fascinating and it made me wish I could read Japanese, I didn't find much inspiration in the colour schemes.
I'll have to have another look though and see if I can find one I like, and maybe do a variation on it of some kind. Or use it as a starting point!

kerick · March 21, 2024, 01:50:32 PM

This sounds very interesting! Keep the photos coming. Off the top of my head is was thinking about how this would look in modern day Japanese markings?

silverwindblade · March 22, 2024, 02:04:35 AM

Quote from: kerick on March 21, 2024, 01:50:32 PMThis sounds very interesting! Keep the photos coming. Off the top of my head is was thinking about how this would look in modern day Japanese markings?

I did strongly consider that as a scheme, and it would look brilliant... but the modernished sci-fi Phantom I'm doing (also on this very forum!) is going to be pretty close to those colours already - otherwise that'd be a perfect choice.

silverwindblade · March 22, 2024, 02:11:12 AM

In the Navy

I've been a little inspired this morning after having A Thought, and I might go for something inspired by the Royal Navy dark blue/dark sea grey over white/cream scheme. But keep the black off of the 'normal' VF/YF-19 scheme, as seen on the box art, and also the red - although, darken the red a shade or two to more of a wine-red colour.
Keep the UN Spacy markings - as I want it to still be 'in universe' - and all of the warning and other markings, but add some tail markings and insignia from my spare decals box.
Not a stretch to imagine that after the UN armed forces were established in the setting, various units kept their legacy markings and insignia to keep the heritage and the pride in their history going as national units and forces were folded into the global (and later, interstellar) forces.

Old Wombat · March 22, 2024, 02:27:52 AM

Another scheme you might want to look at is not an aircraft scheme but, rather, the WW2 British Caunter scheme used in North Africa.

Dizzyfugu · March 22, 2024, 05:16:31 AM

Quote from: silverwindblade on March 22, 2024, 02:11:12 AMIn the Navy

I've been a little inspired this morning after having A Thought, and I might go for something inspired by the Royal Navy dark blue/dark sea grey over white/cream scheme. But keep the black off of the 'normal' VF/YF-19 scheme, as seen on the box art, and also the red - although, darken the red a shade or two to more of a wine-red colour.
Keep the UN Spacy markings - as I want it to still be 'in universe' - and all of the warning and other markings, but add some tail markings and insignia from my spare decals box.
Not a stretch to imagine that after the UN armed forces were established in the setting, various units kept their legacy markings and insignia to keep the heritage and the pride in their history going as national units and forces were folded into the global (and later, interstellar) forces.

There's a semi-official RN VF-1 in a Macross source book in such a livery. Many moons ago I built a model of it, and your thought is IMHO not unplausible.

Macross +++ 1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1J "Valkyrie FRS.2" of the SVF-9 (former Royal Navy NAS 899), based on board of ARMD-15 "Cougar", 2008 (modified Arii kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

silverwindblade · March 22, 2024, 06:11:34 PM

Quote from: Dizzyfugu on March 22, 2024, 05:16:31 AM
Quote from: silverwindblade on March 22, 2024, 02:11:12 AMIn the Navy

I've been a little inspired this morning after having A Thought, and I might go for something inspired by the Royal Navy dark blue/dark sea grey over white/cream scheme. But keep the black off of the 'normal' VF/YF-19 scheme, as seen on the box art, and also the red - although, darken the red a shade or two to more of a wine-red colour.
Keep the UN Spacy markings - as I want it to still be 'in universe' - and all of the warning and other markings, but add some tail markings and insignia from my spare decals box.
Not a stretch to imagine that after the UN armed forces were established in the setting, various units kept their legacy markings and insignia to keep the heritage and the pride in their history going as national units and forces were folded into the global (and later, interstellar) forces.

There's a semi-official RN VF-1 in a Macross source book in such a livery. Many moons ago I built a model of it, and your thought is IMHO not unplausible.

Macross +++ 1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1J "Valkyrie FRS.2" of the SVF-9 (former Royal Navy NAS 899), based on board of ARMD-15 "Cougar", 2008 (modified Arii kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Macross +++ 1:100 Stonewell/Bellcom VF-1J "Valkyrie FRS.2" of the SVF-9 (former Royal Navy NAS 899), based on board of ARMD-15 "Cougar", 2008 (modified Arii kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

I knew I'd seen that scheme on a Variable Fighter of some kind, and it was probably a combination of that official artwork and your lovely model that I had in mind.
I think a VF-19 would look stunning in the same scheme.
What colours did you use for your model?

Dizzyfugu · March 23, 2024, 02:05:49 AM

Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 162) and Lichtgrau (RAL 7035, Humbrol 196), IIRC.

silverwindblade · April 04, 2024, 03:46:12 PM

Monochrome Warrior

I've moved on a fair bit with this since my last update, and it seems - touch wood - to be going fairly well.

I've stuck all the sub-assemblies together in anticipation of moving onto a full undercoat and the painting stage. The canopies have yet to be attached - mainly because the throttle needs to be painted, since I somehow missed it out, along with a little transparent part that goes on the back of the pilot's seat. The glue for the seat and console is also drying.

I had some issues with the painting of the insides of the intakes. The white has gone on very patchy, and I'm currently not sure what to do; I may get some airbrush white and repaint them as much as possible, as it looks pretty horrible on a close examination.
I changed my mind about leaving the 'leg' bays open, as the covers don't stay on at all, so glueing them in place was a shame, due to the detail molded in, but seemed more prudent.
The wings are designed to be able to be removed so that they can be attached back in for the 'high speed mode' that is part of the design, but not seen in the anime, only in supplemental materials. Since I'm planning to put weapons on the wings anyway, and also because it makes the wings very... floppy at the root, I'm going to forego this feature and just glue them into place and add some plasticard shims at the root to create a stronger joint between the main body and wings.
I'm also painting the gunpod separately, since it's a nicely detailed piece of the kit, and I'd like to give it a proper detail, better than I could manage if it was stuck into place, as the instructions suggest. That'll require a little bit of modification on my part, but nothing insurmountable or difficult.

I have chopped and changed some parts about to create some suitable missiles - you might see them in the photo. Mainly this has consisted of clipping fins off of various missiles and attaching them to other ones. The results are pretty good, although they do look very... soviet, unintentionally. Not sure what to do to change that!

EDIT: Oh, and the Space Marine is completely unrelated. I collect 40k and have a space marines army, but he was an extra miniature. I wanted to see what Israeli armour brown looked like on a Space Marine, so he's in the middle of being painted as a one-off.