Interlude...

I've been waiting for two months for the package to arrive. Lost all hope and ordered a second one at a different place. Finally got it on second try, so hopefully will post update on the project in a few days.

P.S. Damn you, Russian Post!

Lower leg.

 Finished the lower leg. Well, sort of. My Japan package has not arrive yet so I don't have a clue about the two missile pads on the outer side of the leg or what's beneath them. Will sort it out once the mail arrives. Meanwhile, here are a few renders of my progress:

 My poly count rose drastically over the past few days, so I will post renders instead of snapshots from now on. Nothing special about the looks for now. I set up some basic scene, basic lights, basic mats.... Well... Basic everything. :) Will leave it like that for now.

Moving forward...

Finished the ankle part today. Things are shaping out pretty cool.

 There are still a few parts missing on top of it but I will finish them later or probably will not bother, as they will not be seen in the finished model.

First steps...

Sooo... Spent some time modeling engine nozzle/feet. It took me some time to figure the optimal work flow and even though modeling went faster by the end, I have a feeling that it's going to be a very long project, considering my shifting mood, and real life stuff like job and family. Nevertheless I intend to finish it... Eventually. Here are a few screenshots of what I did so far:

 

 Not much but it's a start. And it allows to see what level of detail I intend to go with. Speaking of "not much", it's time to make some coffee and continue.

In the beginning...

 This is my first post as I start working on one of my latest personal projects.

 As long as I remember myself I was always fascinated with Transformers and everything related to transforming robots, mecha and stuff like that. The concept that ordinary looking things can reorganize geometry to become something else keeps me excited to these days. One of my favorite shows was Macross famous for its mecha-transfoming jets - Valkyries. Recently I ordered one of the toys form Japan. It's the latest Valkyrie in Macross series, the 1/60 scaled YF-29. This one:

This is what I will try to model in 3D. I'm not sure how long it will take me to finish it. There are few complications I face. First - I don't have orthographic references so it will be a constant struggle scaling parts so they fit together and look good overall. Second - the level of detail that I want to achieve might be a little too much for me. I'm far from professional 3D Artists. The good news is that I did a previous VF-25 model couple of years ago. It was a low poly model but I can use it as proportion reference as most of the parts and transformations are identical in both VF-25 and YF-29. Bad thing is I can't use my previous model because the model grid there is a mess and I'm best to start from scratch.

 Anyways, I hope my new toy arrives soon. :) Meanwhile I already started working on some of the familiar parts. Will share the results a bit later.