# Bandai YAMATO in 1/500 scale.



## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*My YAMATO in 1/500 scale.*

Hi gang!







With the new live action film coming in Dec 2010 I thought I would dig out my 1/500 Bandai ARGO / YAMATO. I'm going kinda nuts with this one but loving it! It will have real 'micro' fine custom stained and cut wood decks, photo tech parts and railings etc. Here are three images showing what I have done do far. 








Here are some of the interior parts for the upper main bridge and the lower 'science' and observation bridge. Top center is the light sheet that has not yet been trimmed to size and the clear blue screen that it covers...this is the view screen that is just above the crews stations on the 'main' bridge. The item just right of that is the main bridge window section that I filed out...I thermo formed a clear section for this. The clear dome like thing to the left of it is the dome I thermo-formed for the captains dome, this too was another part on the model that was solid plastic. The two parts lower center are the L & R walls to for the 'science' room below the main bridge. they are lit by light sheet. the item far right is the same room's ceiling light with its photo etch cover for a crisp look. The item to the far left is the front cover and will get a 'frame' and a clear part as well. 








Captain Avitar's quarters. It looks very rough at this stage still. There is a tiny amber led in the top center of the back wall. It was filed down square to be much smaller so to fit through the plastic then a frame of some sort will go around it soon to 'dress it up' , the light opening is just less than 1mm. The widest part of this housing after the white plastic bottom floor is cut flush will be 8mm wide. 








This is the main bridge so far. Avitar's command station and elevator track is there, the radar dome in the center on the floor which is a 20 mil optic rounded with a little bit of heat. The other crew stations are being worked on right now. As most of you know this kit did not come with any sort of interior at all. I filed out the solid window's and there will be plenty of mini led's, optics and light sheet stuffed in this project. The observation just behind and between the two main bridges is in the works as well as the two 'lounge' relaxation centers on both sides of the ship will have windows and interiors. The hanger will have interior detail and lights with an open bay door.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Looks good so far I'm thinking about getting a 1/1000 scale to go with the refit


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Thanks! 

I just saw a pic of the refit tonight...its wild looking. 

I'm looking forward to the new film....looks great!


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## SDF-3 (Mar 15, 2010)

Love Yamtato subjects, great looking so far. Though one thing, stained wood decks in space? Don't think it would work, and the show never seemed to have that. Just curious, not a knock.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*Thanks!* 

Yup your right Wood decks in space...not unless it was treated with Mark McGovern's anti fire, child, cat, mini asteroid proof all weather anti freezing gel :tongue:

In some scenes of the original series you can see that the two sections with traditional deck lines are lighter in color.....and I have seen images of pro built large scale 'museum' quality Yamato's in Japan with the wood decks....so for just the look I'm going for it the model kit has the lines in place ( tho over scaled like crazy ).....plus with the photo etch railings it will be a nice touch...who knows maybe its not wood at all but just made to look that way?


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## SDF-3 (Mar 15, 2010)

Ah, corrected I stand. Look forward to your progress


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

me too....I have till Sept to get her done for a local Sci-Fi contest....should be no problems.


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## SDF-3 (Mar 15, 2010)

Well that'a a way off you'll do fine.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

If anyone owns a copy of the first season SOUNDTRACK and could burn a copy for me I will send the disc, box and return postage.

75.00 to 150.00 for one is kinda pricey for tunes.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Comet Empire Or Iscandar Soundtrack Just to let you know It's in japanese


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Are those the 'vocal' song collection cd's? Those are the ones I'm not interested in.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

the only vocals I can remember are the opening themes the rest is instrumental. The song collection cd is not the actual first season soundtrack


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

SWEET! Private message sent.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

I can send you a zip file of the track send me your email addy


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

That's weird I sent you a private PM last night with all that....I'll send it as a e-mail to you instead....check to see if your settings are go to receive PM's and e-mails from fellow members here.

A zip file.....silly me....I'm so far in the dark ages.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

More progress!  The Gamalon's won't stand a chance!

The floor to Avitar's quarters has been cut down and sanded in shape around the base. The same for the ceiling piece of the main bridge. 

I also had to make my own alignment notch system for the two bridge sections ....there were only two factory pins, they were undersized and had too much play.

A detail piece on his back wall that I used earlier was replaced by some micro thin super fine wood grain and lines were drawn on it to simulate shelving.

This is a parts fit and light test for tonight and the lights seem much brighter in the pics as they are in real life and Avitar's cabin lamp seems larger. At this point I'm just excited about the progress.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Hey Fluke Looks good but still haven't got anything from you yet and all my settings check out Weird...


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Ow wow! Just realized there is a top section missing in the newest pics...the antenna housing between Avitar's quarters and the main bridge.

Maybe its my settings? Here it is ...now you guys I don't want any junk mail, spam, fan mail or silly love letters ok :tongue:

[email protected]


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Drat Files are too big to send go here it has all the soundtracks you have to register but it's worth it http://forums.ffshrine.org/showthread.php?t=55715 This Is where I got them from


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

*Thank you!!* :thumbsup:


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

More done...cuz ...and sing along with me! "It's my B-day I can build if I want to ...build if I want to!!"

The tower is glued together...all main bridge floors, walls and ceilings are finished! Getting there.

Of course there will some minor seem filling etc...I planned for the final fit very straight and even by adding my own alignment and registration system....this tower that is only 2" tall had only two very loose pin / holes.

Thanks for looking!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

That's looking very nice! the 1/500 Yamato is a beast, isn't it?

Something to think about however. The Third Bridge is WAY off model, overscale and pretty poor. You would be better off scratching a whole new one. It's a carryover from the non-scale forced perspective 'Image' model. You may also need to revise the secondary engines as they are supposed to be two distinct 'thrust tunnels' and not the oviod block most of the kits supply for ease of manufacture. 

If you haven't been checking out Starblazer.com you're really missing out. Just saying.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Hi Steve :wave:

Whats going on there at that site......I thought I have checked them all out....hmmmmm.

Do you mean the one below the 'main' bridge as the 3rd bridge or Avitar's?

The 1/500 scale Bandai Yamato is 22-1/2 inches in length....the 1/350th is the BIG bling bling beast and I think they sacrificed some details and shapes to make it so interesting....but then again the Yamato herself has gone through some changes over the years as well... different adventures, releases, some fan films, the other film releases.

The 1980 Bandai 1st release 1/500 scale Yamato kit is very close to the Quest to Iscantar ship...and just like most toon subjects IT TOO seems to change slightly from scene to scene, week to week etc which gives me some creative license room for mods, smarter and better looks. 

I'm having loads of fun with this project! I just finish the rear WOOD deck....looks good....pics tonight.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Sorry, sorry, I forget not everybody has been into the Yamato since the late '70s. 

Third Bridge is the funky shape hanging under the hull at the mid section. In the first series there's one time (while on Pluto) the ship rolls over and they use it to con from. Most of the rest of the time it exists to be blown or fall off. Old joke. 

the 1/350 kit is indeed a monster. It's also, regretfully, rather inaccurate to the ship as seen in the series and movies. It takes most of its design cues from the revision of the ship done for the Playstation games in Japan, where they make it look more like a submarine and change the all important contours of the upper forward hull.

Saying that, it's an amazing engineering effort. The mechanics of all the working features are simply astonishing. 

Yeah, it's true, there's quite a bit of 'wobble' (or off-model if you prefer) to the ship in the different series. Mostly in the first, they get fairly locked down by the second series. But the problem, discussed by the chief director, is the ship isn't really designed to look a specific way but rather they 'cheat', there's the 3/4 bow-on shot, there's the 3/4 aft 'tracking away' shot, and once in a while a side view. ANY model kit ends up a compromise.

I look forward to seeing how it all turns out! but look up some pics of that third bridge, you'll see it really needs to be re-worked. Trust me!


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Cool Steve,

I'll take a gander but I have this rule about most of my builds...If I spend too much time re-working everything to my liking....it will be one to two years before its completed. In this case I'm building to what I want to see and I'm willing to over look details that 95% of all viewers at the show's and contests would never notice in the 1st place. 

For me scale building is much more of an 'artists' approach and less rivet counting....tho there is a time and a place for anything when doing what we all do. That's the beauty of it all...to each our own and we all have unique results.

To me- rivet counting makes a lot more sense to 'real' subjects like military, historic, ships, trains etc but Sci-Fi and Fantasy?? especially when no real scale models were never used in the first place be it toon or CGI?....hmmmmmm.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

No nono, I dig. I have a 1/700 scale Yamato I started...ohhhh...10 years ago that's still waiting on me finishing the secondary engines modification. A move and lack of decent workspace and ability to use some needed tools put my kitbuilding in stasis. My recent aircraft building was something mandated and...MAN I miss my 'build table' and paint booth and all that. 

But you go to the core issue of SF kit building. Is it wrong to treat a fantasy subject with the same nitpicky attention as a real world subject? A large kit like the 1/500 Yamato deserves a little more care I think.  I mean, you're going to all the trouble of putting down a wood deck and insane tiny interiors!

Like this! Let's see if I can figure out the attachment thing...

I do wish you success!


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

Still need the soundtrack Fluke or r those two tracks I sent ya gonna do ya


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Sorry dude.....I never could open those two tracks....high speed but old Compaq tower running non lagit XP etc. YUCK!

I know I still need to get a disc out to ya....one disc should have enough space on it right?

Thanks!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Symphonic Suite Yamato (the essential Yamato soundtrack) is 12 tracks and about 449 megs, so a single CD does the job. 

The complete Yamato music catalog is about 25.7 Gig. That doesn't include the audio dramas.

Just FYI.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Thanks Steve! 

Here is the rear wood finish so far. I used MIDWEST wood strips .0205 X .0312 X 11" in length.....separated two packages into four groups and stained them in slightly different tones then cut them into 35mm lengths and put them into separate bags cut from the packages they came from. 

I made a new thinner deck piece outlined from the kits deck part and started in the center working my way out....laying down opposite pieced of wood ...like they would have randomly done it in the real world. Realizing now that the tones I used were a bit too in contrast from each other for this scale I sanded them down a tad and gave it a flat clear coat. 

They are still an few inches out of scale but it sure beats the 5 foot wide planks Bandai had in place LOL! 

Now I need to see how the lower hanger elevator / opening will fit in. 

Steve any diagrams or info you want to post here or send to me would be greatly appreciated.


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## idman (Apr 11, 2004)

fluke said:


> Sorry dude.....I never could open those two tracks....high speed but old Compaq tower running non lagit XP etc. YUCK!
> 
> I know I still need to get a disc out to ya....one disc should have enough space on it right?
> 
> Thanks!


one disk will fit the entire quest to isacandar soundtrack. Just finished watching the episodes on youtube.


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

They really do stand up pretty well for the age. I guess sections of the music was added here cuz they thought some of the 'original' scores were too boring?


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

fluke said:


> Thanks Steve!
> 
> Here is the rear wood finish so far. I used MIDWEST wood strips .0205 X .0312 X 11" in length.....separated two packages into four groups and stained them in slightly different tones then cut them into 35mm lengths and put them into separate bags cut from the packages they came from.
> 
> ...


Looking very nice! I have a couple illos that may be of help but I fear it WOULD turn this into a 2 year project. 

I am curious about the comment about 'edited' music in Star Blazers. There is an instance where they stripped out a Japanese song and replaced with English (the big 'farewell to Earth' scene when they crossed the galaxy boundary) but everything in Star Blazers is 100% original Yamato. Even the funky 'disco' versions in the second season.

Now, most notable in the first series, there ARE some odd sounding jumps and skips caused by the editing to minimize violence to make the show acceptable to American TV broadcast standards circa 1979, but that's not as harmful as what happened to, say, Battle of the Planets.


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## Vindi (Mar 20, 2009)

Hey Fluke any update on this ambitious build?


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Howdy! :wave: I have been busy with things...new job, finding an Apartment...GETTING an Apartment yadda yadda.

Did the front Deck and rebuilt the forward steel deck. Have some pics but working on a new Homestead site so pics can be seen easier with no hassle, banners or ads...its worth the 6.99 a month.....with MAJOR options of backgrounds and effects. 

I keep looking at the trailer .....man I can not wait!


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

I tried to upload new *YAMATO* pics only to find several things:

1. I upgraded my comp from windows 95 to service pack 3...just kidding...well I did move to pack 3...that's good!.....I lost my cameras program and can not find my disc...that's bad.

2. Even if I did ...one of my rats chewed threw the camera cord ( guess what I had for dinner! ) :tongue:

3. My digi camera company does not have a driver download available right now. I move to my new Apartment this Weekend so I will get a new cord, rat and hope to find my disc.

Here is my new site....Homestead wanted verify my debt card even for a 30 day trial and I don't get paid til Friday so its a free site...but I love this page option! 

Tell me what you think....other than I have strange pets or need help 

http://troysmodels.webs.com/


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Coming along very nicely! 

Man, I've gotten so damn sensitive about this sort of thing, so I apologize in advance if I seem like an ass for bringing it up, but you may want to re-do the main bridge windows, if you still have that part loose and not glued onto the tower.

The main bridge has FIVE windows- the part is incorrectly molded with 4. Look at ANY picture of the bridge looking out and you'll see 5 windows. 

Now, seeing your amazing skill and ability to work with little tiny bits of plastic, it should be a very easy fix. Just cut out the existing 'supports' from the part and make new ones from thin sheet, spacing to create 5 openings. Contour to match the outside edges of the part.

Just a thought


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Ouch! Dude I hate you! ...too late but its a detail that I am willing to over look ( like a few other problems with this kit ) but it is anime plamo after all and 1 out of 25 people at local shows here would never notice that kind of detail anyways......even at Wonderfest I doubt that would stop it from placing.

*STEVE QUESTIONS:*

*1.* Do you have this same kit lying around or built? 

*2.* I have been told that Wildstar's Star Fighter actually surfaces from the center of the back deck.....is that true? and if so what are those two recessed areas on the sides of the ship? I pictured it kinda like the old WWII carriers. Its not too late for me to makes any mods in that area.

*3.* The crew's observation / lounge bubbles on the sides - The kits part seem too short and fat compared to images and screen grabs...whats 
your take on this?

Thanks!


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

fluke said:


> Ouch! Dude I hate you! ...too late but its a detail that I am willing to over look ( like a few other problems with this kit ) but it is anime plamo after all and 1 out of 25 people at local shows here would never notice that kind of detail anyways......even at Wonderfest I doubt that would stop it from placing.
> 
> *STEVE QUESTIONS:*
> 
> ...



1. Do I have this kit? No, sorry, I do not. Many's the time I could have bought it back in the day but I kept getting hung up on the problems that need to be corrected, and I just don't have the comfort level in my skills to tackle them. 

2. Upper fighter bay and the thruway to the catapult: Well, I'm afraid this is one of those areas where 'looks cool' overruled realism in the design. The folks who did the work put a LOT of thought and care and love, but nobody ever got out a ruler and a calculator...

There is supposed to be an upper hanger deck, this is where the small craft and interceptor style fighters (Wildstar's plane) are supposed to be stored. There's a tube that runs from the hanger and has a split- one running straight out the side of the ship, the other cuts inside some to run aft to the catapult elevator. I'm (hopefully) attaching drawings to show you. In the TV series Yamato III there is a center hatch added between the catapults which is used to launch Wave Motion Energy depth charges.

also there should be drawings of the lower hanger attached.

3. The observation blisters. yeah, those are off on the kit, you'd be wise to scratch new ones. Those, like the underside Third Bridge and the dorsal attachment are carry-over parts from the non-scale 'Image' model.

I've included a drawing of the blister. Note how wildly out of scale it has to be. 

(man, that upper limit on file size is a killer! I think I've got them all to the right size, hopefully not too small for you to be able to use!)


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

Thanks Steve! Those are very helpful. :thumbsup:

It seems that sections of the blister room floors are glass....but what about the thickness of the lower section? I guess its like a sky light in some homes huh?


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

fluke said:


> Thanks Steve! Those are very helpful. :thumbsup:
> 
> It seems that sections of the blister room floors are glass....but what about the thickness of the lower section? I guess its like a sky light in some homes huh?


You're very welcome, I'm glad you can make sense out of them! I was worried they might not 'link' in terms of being able to tell front from back and such. I've been messing with this stuff so long it's easy to forget they can look like just scratches and scribbles to some!

Yes, some of the floor sections are meant to be glass to look 'down' into space (and see a huge chunk of hull I expect!). There's no model sheets for what's filling that lower space but it would be easy to speculate it might be partitioned off into smaller rooms and used for the exercise room and solarium shown in the show. I assume the blisters are like hotel function space and can be re-configured as needed.

again, be aware of the scaling problem. If that space were as large as the people inside would indicate, that blister would be something like 5x the space of the main bridge.

aarrggh!


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

LOL! Yes indeed...but that pretty much goes with almost all prop / studio filming models.

So from the look of the one image it seems that Wildstar's fighter is elevated up and enters the catapult area from the forward part of the recessed section and what then.....moved forward on an a belt then to be lifted again to meet up with the catapult? Does that I'm building this as the 1st season ship...I don't remember the Iscandar episodes showing just how his fighter meets up with the catapult. I could be wrong. 

If so then I would have to make my recessed ares a bit deeper....cuz I want to show the fighter inside on its way out with amber optic caution strobs flashing. 

I really apreaciate your help! 

Troy.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

Well, the problem is, there just isn't enough room in the ship for the way it's designed.

I'll try and fumble my way thru this. The upper hanger is supposed to lie in the space from under the smokestack to just before the aft secondary gun turret. The launch tube travels aft and splits at that 'notch' you see which is kinda sorta between the two aft turrets. That row of..argh...inset slats? between that notch and the catapult should be inset more into the hull creating a slight 'shelf' back (forward?) to the notch.

That line of 'slats' is the outside of the launch tube leading to the catapult. There is a sliding hatch over the catapult lift.

The fighter would taxi from the upper hanger down along the launch tube to the catapult elevator, where it would be raised and locked to the catapult. Somehow. Logically there SHOULD be some form of cradle because there's no rational way for the catapult to be wide enough to hold the fighter on its landing gear and just laying the belly of the fighter on the rail and shooting it off is just silly. 

(yes, I know, that big lower fin on the fighter. They *did* plan for that, it retracts. Which mean, yes, the whole design with what seems to be an emulation of the F-104 Starfighter, being a large engine, a cockpit and guns is not what it seems.  )

I dunno if I'm helping now or making things more confusing!


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## fluke (Feb 27, 2001)

OMG! My head! OUCH! LOL :tongue:

It does make sense. I will muddle my way through it somehow.

Thanks for yer help!


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