Skyfire...almost! Update!

[ServO]

Ok...we've all seen the Robotech/Macross Jetfire re-do, and I gotta tell ya, they all look great...and then there are those ultimate Skyfires out there...you know..the ones that weigh like 6lbs and look EXACTLY like he did in the cartoon...also excellent...but I thought that it would be fun to cross the two together...a Jetfire body with Skyfire accessories...you know?

So my plan is to scratch build a G1 skyfire jetpack that will attatch to the back of a Masterpiece Robotech figure, and then detail the Robotech figure to match Skyfire...

Take a look at what I have so far and tell me if I should just stop right now...

 

 

In this pic you can plainly see that I still have to finish building the "cockpit" area of the jetpack, to say nothing about raised panel lines, antennae, big honkin jet engines, filling, sanding, painting, blah blah blah...this pic helps define general shape on the figure.

 

 

This is a frontal view lacking the aforementioned kibble and detail...as I mentioned this is very much a WIP...

 

This is a perspective shot with classics Prime, and the actual Masterpiece Robotech figure that I will be re-heading and re-painting...Please excuse the Decepticon repro lable...I am a dork.

 

This is a collection of kibble that I hope to be adding to the figure at some point...I am also going to scratch build/kitbash him a proper weapon to help add to the figure...Cliffjumper is there to help because he is a gun nut.

 

I just wanted to add this picture because I really like it...it helps me see the skyfire in there somewhere...and it also makes me feel really comfortable with the scale...

 

So that's about where I'm at with this...

 

Here's what's stopping me:

A properly scaled G1'esque Skyfire head...I'm leaning towards the classics Jetfire noggin, but it seems too small. Until I find the proper head I'm going to leave the figure alone so that I can use him as a model (Oooh la la!) for the jet pack. I'm thinking that re-painting this guy is going to be the easy part.

I would appreciate any ideas there...

 

Here's what's slowing me down:

Not a whole lot really...I'm trying to perfect a system to help the wings swing backward so that it can be displayed in flight mode, but I might just fix them in place for this particular build and then build another one that will actually work...The wings came from the cheapest 1/72 scale F-14 they had at the closest hobbyshop, and the long boxes that the wings protrude from that are atteched to the main body of the jetpack came from a 1/48 F-14 kit I had laying around...everything else was cut from styrene sheet. I built it first on paper, and then I used the paper templates to cut the pieces from tag board...I assembled the tag board "mock up", and then after alot of measuring and angle fixing, I used the tag board as templates for the styrene...then all I had to do was glue!!!

 

Anyhow, I would totally appreciate any feedback, positive or otherwise...I just had to show someone other than my girlfriend...I think she's getting sick of hearing about it.

 

 

Thanks for looking!

[Wikkid]

That'll be an awsome build when finished. Fits in perfectly with the classics line. Some d00d at botcon built one like this way back when and I haven't seen another since. (But, I don't get out much)

 

Are you gonna ditch the original wings? Got any pics with the backpack in jet mode?

[ServO]

For now, I'm going to leave the original wings in place until I can get the wings on the jetpack to swing properly...they're kind of heavy (in relation to the rest of the materials used), and I don't want them to look like they're just hanging there...that's why I don't have any alt pics yet...but, I am 90% certain that I am going to build another jetpack after this one is finished with swing wings, articulated flaps, and moveable vertical stabalizers...I'm also thinking of putting the jet nozzles on ball joints...in a way, this current project is sort of a "proof of concept" model for me.

Before I get that far however, I need to work out the cockpit layout, and solve the issue of replacing the head...I have found that Skyfire's head has become the focus of my normally dormant OCD.

[FREEFALLL666]

I dont know you could keep the Dcon logo and call it WhiteDeath...

[Decepticon rhinox]

The mold stays too different from the cartoon model to be called skyfire.

But this may somehow become a very nice bash.

[Transtopias Rodimus Prime]

Sweet! Hurry up and finish already!

[Wheeljack-S70]

Sweet! Hurry up and finish already!

 

yep, I'm with this guy.

looking forward to see this progress.

keep us posted!

[ServO]

OK!

 

I've made some progress over the past couple of days...he's getting close to what I had pictured in my head. I still have alot of details to clean up, but I took some fun pics tonight and wanted to show y'all whats been going on with this project.

Please excuse any really crappy pics, as my camera is garbage.

 

I ended up using Classics Jetfire's head...A while back I bought a 4 pack of these little TF's from Target. They were all miniature versions of Megatron, Prime, Soundwave, and Jetfire and they were on clearance!!! Well luck would have it that the ball joints on the miniature Jetfire's legs were the perfect size for Classics Jetfire's melon. Can you kill one Jetfire to create another?

I added a little blue paint to the forehead/crown area.

 

 

You can see here how badly this figure's hands had yellowed over the last couple of years...that was one of the things that made it easier on me deciding to permanantly alter this semi-expensive fig. I look at this pic and all I see are details that have to be cleaned up.

 

 

Something about bright shiny robots...I can't stop looking...BAD FLASH BAD!!!

 

 

 

Just for fun...

 

 

I'm going to spend some more time on him, and clean him up so he doesn't look like he just got rolled...I was thinking perhaps some extra weaponry tucked in there somewhere, some more details on the body (although I'm finding that Skyfire was pretty plain), and I just don't feel it would be complete without an antenna somewhere...

The next pics I post will include alt pics so I can show you the cool lookin engines I built for him...I am still not comfortable with that upper cockpit area either so I haven't glued anything in place...

 

Thanks for looking!

[len_d69]

Only thing that seems of is the head. Looks a tad small. But I'm really liking the back pack. Good job :clap

[ServO]

Only thing that seems of is the head. Looks a tad small. But I'm really liking the back pack. Good job :clap

 

LOL you got that right...but I got impatient, and then rationalized that a smaller head will make the rest of him look a little bigger...I thought that his height put him more to scale with the classics line, and all of thier heads were pretty much right on, so I went with it...it wouldn't be difficult to swap it out again if I find something a little more appropriate.

 

Thanks for the feedback!