Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Cosmo Reverse Ver. [WIP - Hangar Bay & Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters]

 For the longest time, roughly about 19 months to be exact, the Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Cosmo Reverse Version project had laid dormant due to an oxymoronic reason of a miniature painting taking a dislike to painting small things. If a miniature or scale model kit hits 1/1000 scale or lower, and it's real world size falls roughly within one-to-three-times that of an average-sized human being, there is a high chance that I'll hate painting it. Unfortunately, this was the case for the 1/1000 scale Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters that comprised part of the battleship's hangar bay.  

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (Cosmo Reverse Ver.) work-in-progress: Hangar bay & docked fighters

Hangar bay with the docked space fighters displayed next to the chamber it's supposed to slot into

 So essentially the halt in progress for the Space Battleship Yamato project all boiled down to my reluctance to paint these tiny space fighters. For a miniature painter to have a peeve about painting extremely small things is atypical to say the least. But if you consider the scales commonly available in this hobby range widely from 1/6 to 1/1000, then you have a myriad of sizes for a miniature painter to develop a preference or dislike for. Moreover the subject matter being miniaturized matters e.g. a battleship in 1/1000 scale is easier to paint than a human figure in a similar scale.     

Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters at 1/1000 scale was a pain to paint

At 1/1000 scale, the space fighters were smaller than a paperclip and a five sen coin

Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Hangar Bay parts were painted prior to assembly

 While I felt uneasy in having to assemble painted parts due to the fear I would chip the paint, my fears were unfounded. I believe the clear gloss top coat I had applied on the painted-but-yet-to-be-assembled Hangar Bay parts prior to panel-lining them played a part in protecting the paint from being chipped. That and the fact that lacquer paints are fairly strong and resistant to rough handling, the paint on the Hangar Bays parts thankfully did not chip during the assemble process.  

Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters comprised a version lifted from the floor, and one fused into the floor

Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters prior to being attached onto the Hangar Bay framework

Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters after being attached onto the Hangar Bay framework

Roof structure of the Hangar Bay has yet to be attached at this stage of the build

 There are two ways to install a fully built Hangar Bay with all the Cosmo Falcon Space Fighters docked inside it. One way is to insert the whole structure into a hollow chamber located within the rear of the Space Battleship Yamato. Another is to place the said structure onto a mini-display stand next to the battleship (see first two photos above). As things stand for now, it's likely I'll opt for the latter because I want to show the innards of the battleship i.e. the wave motion engine.   

Roof structure after being attached onto the Hangar Bay framework with the docked fighters

Hangar Bay's roof structure was painted in a light neutral grey scheme ...

... which helps to distinguishes it from the darker blue grey scheme of the hull plates

Side of the Hangar Bay that will be hidden from view when placed on the display stand

To avoid a monotone color scheme on the Hangar Bay ...

... both outer ends were painted in a metallic orange and silver combo ...

... while the inner framework was painted in an ivory-like color

Isometric view of the Hangar Bay in the orientation it will be in, on the display stand

 To give you a better view of the fighters as well as interior, a series of photos with the Hangar Bay flipped upside down onto its roof is displayed below. And because not all the fighters will be in a viewer's line of sight once the Hangar Bay is placed onto the mini-display stand, I tried where possible to place fighters that weren't so well painted in such hidden-from-view areas e.g. on the battleship-facing side, bottom-facing side, and the space deep inside the hangar bay. 

Hangar Bay flipped on its back to display how it looks like from underneath

Fighters that are noticeably less well painted were all ...

... strategically placed in areas of the Hangar Bay that will be ...

... hidden from view once the Hangar Bay is placed on the display stand

When zoomed in with a dedicated macro lens, details on the space fighters looses some sharpness   

Tubular metallic orange pillar at the center of the Hangar Bay can be seen from this isometric view

At such a small scale, there is a trade-off between the paint job quality of space fighters ...

... and the time one is willing to spent in order to get a high level of detail and accuracy

 Overcoming this obstacle of having to paint 1/1000 scale space fighters is an extremely big deal for me. Going forward, I don't foresee any obstacle that's going to be as obstructive as the fighter were. While not plain sailing from now on, the Space Battleship Yamayo 2199 Cosmo Reverse Version project (yes I know, it's a real mouthful just to say) should progress smoothly towards completion in the coming weeks. The same is expected for my other two active projects namely the Girl's Rider figurine and Star Wars Speeder Bike model kit. It's shaping up to be the best first quarter I've had for the hobby in years. And on that note, I bid you au revoir. Stay safe, and be well.