OK, I'm a complete novice when it comes to doing any custom. So I figure to get started, I would have to choose a relatively easy project. Hence I figure converting a Bandai 1/55 VF-1S figure to G1 Jetfire should be easy enough. I'm sure most everyone knows that they are based on the same mold with minor modifications to meet the US safety standards of the time. So I decided to bid on a 1990 reissue on eBay and these were the original photos from the auction The photos seemed to look good so I went for it. After I got it, I noticed some moderate yellowing that wasn't very apparent on the auction photos. Not only that, it seems that something was spilled on it at some point, my guess some cola of sorts. So it looks like I have an extra step, so I completely disassembled the figure and washed it in warm soapy water with a toothbrush. Afterwards I soaked all the painted parts in 99% alcohol for a day and used a toothbrush to remove the original paint applications. Next step was to try to use the Retr0Bright process to de-yellow the plastic. I first started with a 3% hydrogen peroxide and a spoon of oxyclean and put it out in the sun for an afternoon. The results weren't as good as I hoped so I mixed a stronger solution at 17.5% and had to use some UV lamps as the sun had gone down. After a day exposure the solution became inert and I got satisfactory results about 95% improvement. Here's a before and after image to compare. One other thing I didn't know at the time was that the mold for the 1990 reissue was modified to simplify the landing gear operation. Gone is the tab that activated the spring loaded mechanism as well they also removed the cover for the gap as well. Not a big deal unless you want to use the GBP-1S armor kit. The head is also a different mold as well Next came the armor kit. That wasn't so bad except the boosters, I couldn't separate them because they were glued in the middle. I had to break the peg to get it open and it ended up warping them a bit. I did find a way to mask the paint apps I wanted to keep with blue putty Next up completed paint and ReproLabels applied
It's a fantastic design that holds up even after nearly 30 years. There have been minor modifications to the mold as I've mentioned about the landing gear, but subsequent re-issues went back to the original design. They have modified the cockpit shield in the more recent re-issues from what I've seen. Anyways, here are the remaining photos of the project. Here are comparison photos with and without the cockpit shield. Back side Top front view. As you might imagine, the most amount of work was masking of the nosecone and chest shield. All the contours made it difficult to get right, but I think it turned out OK. For future reference, when using masking tape over panel lines, I need to score the lines on the tape with a finger nail to close the gap, as you can see some paint flowed into those lines under the tape Top rear view Side view without armor View with landing gear retracted and engaged Side view with armor Rear view with armor Top view with armor, and yes the boosters don't close up well after I pried them apart... Front with armor Left side with armor. I didn't mask the arm well enough when painting and some over spray ended up inside which made the fist mechanism stick. I couldn't clean it well enough so I ended up using some plastic safe lubricant for model trains so the fists slide well. I also used the same lubricant on the ratcheting joints as well. Rear view with armor Right side with armor These are the accessories that came with it. The bonus are the missiles and cockpit shield which G1 Jetfire never came with
looks great man...you did a beautiful job on the paint... JF was always my fave G1 toy and i can't wait till that 3rd party version comes out of the toon JF...
Looks great. I wouldn't know that it wasn't stock if it wasn't for the shape of the visor. Now I wish I had a missile and canopy shield for my vintage Jetfire. Incidentally, I've never seen the gun clip used to affix the gun in place like that with the armor in place. Is that an actual feature I wasn't aware of an improvised use for the clip? Either way, would it also work on my G1 Jetfire? I have to try it now.
This came out nice!I love the Robotech stuff.I had a small scale one of these I did as my first model in white and blue in my early teens.I'll have to give one of these a shot down the road.
Thus far it still looks pretty white As I was researching the Macross link to Jetfire I've looked at many official photos of Valkyries one of which featured the clip holding the gun to the arm. I liked the look and decided to use it for the shot The other thing I've noticed is many if Jetfire's stickers were directly from the Valkyrie. The main thing i've seen on eBay is that most people didn't have much consistency on how to apply them. I've decided to place them as they would appear on a Valkyrie and I think it works well As for is it cheaper? It's not bad especially re-issues of the Valkyrie are easy to find in new condition, not to mention the extra accessories. A G1 Jetfire is pretty hard to find complete and in good condition at a reasonable price Overall I'm pretty happy with the results of the project. I would definitely recommend it
I know this is an old post but I was hoping someone could help me out. I cant find a good guide anywhere on how to re-assemble G1 Jetfire. I got one all in pieces and Im not sure how to start so I was hoping there was a thread buried in here somewhere someone could point me towords. Thanks!
