Nightmare and Draken III Variable Fighters

These Mecha Colle kits are kind of amazing - they are tiny, very cheap (these were about $6 each), and incredibly detailed for their size. While I have not watched the latest Macross Delta anime, I was a huge fan of the design series Macross the Ride which put the variable fighters in a Reno Air Race type scenario with appropriately colorful finishes. I decided to apply that aesthetic to these two Macross Mecha Colle kits!

I painted the Nightmare in the standard colors as seen in Frontier, and the Draken III in a flashy race scheme - I figure the Nightmare is flying chase for the Draken III.

The Nightmare was painted with Tamiya colors, and the Draken III was painted with Alclad II colors, starting with a metallic base and clear color over top.

While small, these kits seem to have very screen-accurate details, all panel lines and engraved detail seem accounted for and the parts separation is also quite nice.

There seems to be a bewildering array of subjects in the Mecha Colle kits - Star Wars (eh), Yamato 2202 (hmm), Kamen Rider bikes (nice), Dragon Ball vehicles (wow), and Ultraman support mecha (gotta try one!). For about $6 - I really enjoyed it as a small manageable one-week build that you can just spend 20 minutes an evening on when things get a little too busy for "serious business" modeling.