John Moscato November 2013

8/13/2019 John Moscato November 2013

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Macross World Forum InterviewSaturday, November 2, 2013



The John Moscato online interview will be presented bothas a forum interview with questions / comments / picturesposted here on the Macross World forum and as a livepodcast on the Macrosshare Radio Mixlr account.

Initially, I will be posting 28 interview questions on theforum from a recent email interview with John. Oneinterview question / answer will be posted every 3-5minutes, so that you can share comments, pictures andpose questions to John about his modeling projectsduring the interview. Every 15 minutes, a new segment ofthe ongoing live interview will be posted through the"Macrosshare Radio" Mixlr account. I will be postingweblinks to the interview segments on the forum as the

podcasts become available. The live audio interviewpodcast will be presented as 3-4 parts of 10 minuteseach. Next week, I will present a final edition of the JohnMoscato audio interview podcast.

For this afternoon, John will answer as many questionsas he can before he heads out for a Halloween party.

There will also be made available on bittorrentthe "Moscato Model Retrospective Collection"!

It will include a a large collection of completed modelpictures contributed by the many talented model buildersfrom the Macross World forum as well as ModelProduction Diairies in PDF format that show John'smodel work in progress.

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For many years, John Moscato has hand-crafted manyMospeada and Macross models that can be seen in themodels section on the Macross World forum. The idea forconducting this interview started out by creating a model

production diary for John's model version of the 1/32scale Genesis Climber MOSPEADA Legioss mecha. Butthen I saw that John had made many more modelprogress threads on the forum and that I could puttogether a few more model production diaries. I hadalready collected quite a few of completed Macrossmodels pictures including models made by John for myMacross picture collection. So, I started putting togethera whole package of the completed model pictures andmodel production diaries into a cool collection for sharing.

I just wanted learn a little more about John's modelingwork,the completed Legioss project and how he hasacquired his mad modeling skills. And then I justmentioned to John that we could do an interview. Hesaid 'okay'. So, the project just kept getting bigger.

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Thanks to Acroray, Cool8or, Derex3592, GundamHead,Mslz22, Myersjessee, Neptunesurvey, PetarB, SeanBrannin, Shinagami, Thegunny, Varitechs, andWMCheng for sharing their completed Moscato models!

A special thank you to robokochan,administrator of thedefunct Samurai Monkey modeling website, who wasgenerous to share a lot of John's model build-up pictures,but I was not able to access the sql forum back up of the



Samurai Monkey forum to recover more of John's modelbuild-ups.

And thanks to Jess, a friend of John Moscato, who was

the technical support for finding the Skype recordersoftware for the audio interview.

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You are invited to join in on the interview thread on theMacross World forum!

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic

=40177

Macrosshare Radio

Click on "Macrosshare Radio" to listen to the livebroadcast.

Macrosshare Radio is currently offline.

******************************************

Macrosshare Radio Presents:

An Interview with John Moscato, Model Maker Podcast Series

Click on "An Interview.....Series" to go listen to all threeparts of the Moscato Interview podcasts.

Part One 15 minutes

Part Two 20 minutes

Part Three 22 minutes

Part Four

Available in 3 weeks, once we have some listenerparticipation and some perspective on all the things Johnhas talked about so far.

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Moscato Model Retrospective Collection

Alternate 01

Available Now!

John Moscato Model Production Diaries now available onScribd !

(pdf)

English literal transcripts of the John Moscato audiointerview parts 1 to 3 are now available on Scribd!

Part 01

Part 02

Part 03

http://mixlr.com/macrosshare/embed


http://mixlr.com/macrosshare/showreel/




http://thepiratebay.sx/torrent/9148286


http://zoink.it/torrent/6D0D084D4220E71B209C984CA37ED30A8BF8FF91.torrent


http://www.scribd.com/collections/4388667/John-Moscato-Model-Production-Diaries





http://www.scribd.com/doc/207030840/Macrosshare-Radio-Podcast-Episode-001-John-Moscato-Interview-Part-01-of-03



















1/350 Earth ReCapture Force Garfish from Genesis Climber MOSPEADA



Hello fellow Macross Worlders:

We will start off the interview on the forum with one of thequestions / answers from a previous email interview with John

Moscato!

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1.

boinger:

What brought you to the Macross World forum?

John Moscato / Captain America:

As it turns out, happy accident!

I was looking around for Mospeada-related material circa2001 and Macross World was one of the search results. Iactually didn't know about the forums until later, but I thought

that the section on vintage models was really great and brought back many fond memories.

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The first part of the live interview will be broadcasting shortly,once I can upload a bunch of John's model progress pictures on

my 'Photobucket' account.



1/72 UN Spacy Atmospheric Booster with Launch Rail attached to a

Hasegawa VF-1S Valkyrie from SDF Macross

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2.

boinger:

Are Mospeada and Macross your favourite anime and why?


Favorite is a bit of a relative term for me. Let's say that they are

two Anime series which are very close to my heart. I grew-upwatching 'Robotech' and instantly developed an affection for

those two chapters. They seemed to speak to me in ways I

couldn't explain adequately. Later on as I discovered theorigins of these two distinct series, I developed an even greater

appreciation for them and their essence.

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1/72 UN Spacy Destroid Spartan from SDF Macross

If you would like to post any comments / questions for John orshare related pictures, then you can post in this thread and John

would be happy to answer back.

Thanks for listening!

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3.

boinger:

Does being a Canadian make you a different kind of Macross

fan?


I really don't know, since my perspective is the only one I

have. I imagine that people from different cultures embraceanime in their own way.

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1/72 Zentradi Reguld from SDF Macross



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4.

boinger:

What was it like growing up as an anime fan?


I was actually exposed to Anime at a fairly tender age (5 or 6)

because a host of different Anime series had been translated

into French (most notably Harlock and Grendizer) and were broadcast on local T.V. To be honest, it's like a fish that has

never been out of water: that environment is all it knows andcan't conceive of anything beyond that. I suppose that this

parallels my case.

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1/72 Zentradi Glaug from SDF Macross

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5.

boinger:

Was model making your favorite hobby while growing up?


It was a close second: as soon as I was barely old enough to

hold a pencil I started drawing, much to the amazement of myfamily. Apparently I had a natural gift for it, but I would say

that modeling was also very prominent, even if it didn't

manifest into a more tangible skill until much later.

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1/72 Armo-Figher Legioss and Armo-Bomber Tread from Genesis Climber MOSPEADA



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6.

boinger:

Do you prefer models over toys?


It really depends on how you define each of those words. In

the strictest sense, they each respond to different needs and

desires.

They also stimulate different parts of the brain, and so I enjoy

them equally for different reasons.

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1/8 Scale 1998 Target Reynard Honda



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7.

boinger:

Did your family or friends have an influence in your choice totake up this hobby?


As it turns out, they did!

Do you know how I got started in model-building? When I was

about 5, I had my tonsils amputated and naturally, I had to stayhome to rest and recuperate. My parents went out to get me

something that would help me pass the time, and they came back with a brand new MPC Darth Vader Tie Fighter model kit

(a decision they probably rue to this day, ha ha ha!!!) It was

awesome! I had no clue how to put that sucker together, so Itried Elmer's glue. No good. So my dad went out and picked up

both a tube of Testor's model glue (the orange/white tube) anda bottle of gloss black enamel paint. When I tried to paint the

Darth Vader figure, most of the contents of the paint bottle

ended up on the floor... To this day, there are still traces of that

paint in my old bedroom. Aaaah, the memories!

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1/72 Atmospheric Booster from SDF Macross



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8.

boinger:

Do you have a role model or somebody that inspires you tomake models?


Not really. When I started out, I was on my own. My early

goals were pretty simple: I just wanted my models to look asgood as they did in the pictures on the box panel, and at the

time that was already a major hurdle. Then when I started

airbrushing my horizons broadened, as did my ambitions.Experimenting with 'Milliput' putty, I was able to re-shape

parts to my liking and that took me to another level. By thetime I started finding magazines like 'Hobby Japan' and 'Model

Graphix', my skills were already pretty much on par with what

I saw in magazines, so no one truly inspired me, but I did findnew and great ideas in seeing other peoples' projects.

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1/72 UN Spacy Destroid Tomahawk from SDF Macross



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9.

boinger:

How long have you been making your own models?


Models as in scratch-building, or building professionally?

For the latter, I actually got my big break in January of 1995

when one of my college professors (who had his own specialeffects company) hired me to work on a low-budget film called

Screamers starring Peter Weller. I was tasked with bothdesigning and building the helmets for the main characters,

which I did. Talk about being thrown into the deep end of the

pool!...

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1/72 UN Spacy Destroid Phalanx from SDF Macross

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10.

boinger:

What do you recall about your earlier model works? Most

proud of? Least proud of?


That I sucked! *laughs* I don't think that there's anything I've

done that I'm not proud of in some way. Every model or projecthas challenged me in some aspect or another, however subtle. I

can tell you however that my most frustrating creative period

was when I was working for Wow Wee toys (late 1995 tosummer 1997.) I was very creative during that period but due

to the nature of the business, I had to abandon lots of projectsseemingly at the drop of a hat to start on new projects.

I'm someone who likes to see things through, so you might

imagine how that really frustrated me.

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1/72 UN Spacy Destroid Defender from SDF Macross

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11.

boinger:

Would you consider your model productions an expression of

who you are at that point in life?


Every project I undertake, every illustration, every logo and

every modeling project is, in no certain terms, a statement of

who I am and who I choose to be at that point in time.

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1/72 UN Spacy Commanchero from SDF Macross



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12.

boinger:

Have you done any original model productions?


-That's an ambiguous question. I'll try to break it down

comprehensively.

-I've worked on product modeling/pattern-making projects

based on my own ideas.

-I've created some material for things in the Anime/mecha

realm. The mecha designs for Heavy Gear and JovianChronicles were all done by me.

-I've also created some material for anime/mecha designs

purely for myself that I'd started sculpting, but were never

released for consumption.

There's something that I may yet develop as either models or

toys of my own design, but the pieces of the puzzle haven't

fallen into place yet.

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1/72 UN Spacy Cat's Eye Recon Plane from SDF Macross



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13.

boinger:

What motivates you to take on projects, finish a project or

abandon a project?


For a commercial project, firstly, it has to be something that

innately interests me for me to even consider taking it on. Ihave to like what I'm doing, otherwise I simply have no

motivation to do it. It's very rare that I will abandon a project in

the strictest sense, unless the client desires it or simply choosesnot to continue funding it. More often than not, projects simply

change shape and are transformed more than they areabandoned. Personal projects are different. Sometimes they're

put on the "back-burner" because of time, other commitments,

or sometimes I just don't feel that the timing is right or I have acreative blockage (which is essentially the same thing!)

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1/72 UN Spacy Booster Launch Vehicle from SDF Macross



1/48 VF-1D Conversion Kit from SDF Macross



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15.

boinger:

Do you get something out of sharing your productions on the

MW forum?


Absolutely! I'd like to think that I share my passion with other,

like-minded people. There's almost always an exchange ofideas, and the hope that what I do will somehow inspire

someone else to embrace their own talent. So many people

have written to me over the years to thank me simply forworking on a particular project, and if only for that I am

eternally grateful.

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Arii 1/20000 Zentradi Quiltra-Queleual from SDF Macross



1/2500 Zentradi Salan from SDF Macross

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17.

boinger:

Which part of the process do you enjoy / find least satisfyingfor model production?


Everything is satisfying, though some parts come with moretension than others.

For example, I tend to be more tense when pouring a large

mold because of the complexities involved, or when pouring alarge cast because I know what can go wrong.

That having been said, despite the tension and sometimesfrayed nerves, when it succeeds, it's that much more rewarding

personally.

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1/72 Zentradi Soldiers from SDF Macross

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18.

boinger:

How do you get through the rough times in the middle of production?


I wouldn't say rough, I think that messy is the operative word

in most cases as far as I'm concerned.

There are days when I don't see time go by, and then suddenly

realize that it's 2am and I'm covered in dust and gooey putty...

But then I take my shower and all is right with the world!

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1/72 Zentradi Kamjin from SDF Macross

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19.

boinger:

What is the most difficult / easy part of model-making?


There's nothing universally difficult or easy, it's a case by case basis.

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Imai 1/72 Zentradi Nousjadeul-Ger from SDF Macross

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20.

boinger:

What do you think of this new-fangled 3D model printing, suchas Shapeways?


It's a very interesting technology, I must admit! I'm really anold-school kind of guy, preferring to build by hand, but there

are times when the fancy gizmos really come in handy! In fact,I was working on this one project late last year and realized

that hand-sculpting just wasn't going to cut it, so I had tocompletely start over!

Thankfully, a fellow Macross World member was instrumental

in helping me bring my creation to life virtually. In this particular case, 3D printing brought a level of precision and

consistency that simply couldn't be achieved by hand. I look at

it as a tool: it has its strengths and weaknesses just like anyother tool. It's also a tool that is evolving in capability, so what

it might do poorly today, it may do very well in a few years.

Fundamentally, the end result depends more on the user'sability to exploit its strengths.

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1/72 Zentradi Gnerl from SDF Macross



1/18 Tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell



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22.

boinger:

Have you looked into movie production design like W.M.

Cheng?


See question 9. I might be willing to re-visit working on films,

but there are some conditions that would need to be met first.

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1/5000 Earth ReCapture Force Ikazuchi Carrier from Genesis Climber MOSPEADA



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23.

boinger:

What are your thoughts on CGI modeling and model craft inthe movies?


Just like 3D printing, I see it as merely another tool, neither

good nor bad.

CGI had allowed certain films to be brought to life that wouldotherwise have sucked camel nuts had they relied purely on

conventional stop-motion, props and guys in rubber suits! Ithink it has really given the film industry new wings in terms of

creative potential and as a result, has given us many fantastic

films and T.V. series. I wouldn't say that it has completelyovershadowed the use of models though. Just look at the most

recent Star Wars trilogy and how many ships and robots wereactually physical models.

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1/32 Armo-Fighter Legioss AFC-01H from Genesis Climber MOSPEDA

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24.

boinger:

Are there school courses you took to be skilled in model

production?


None whatsoever.

Everything that I know in my craft, be it sculpting, machining,mold-making, casting, composite laminating... Everything that

I can do, I taught myself how to do via my own trials anderrors.

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1/32 Armo-Fighter Legioss AFC-01H from Genesis Climber MOSPEDA



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25.

boinger:

Would you consider model-making a good business to getinto?


There are too many variables to adequately answer that

question.

I would offer this, however: if model-making is something youtruly enjoy, something that inspires you, something that makes

you feel alive and when you do it, time just flies-by at warpspeed, then I would certainly look into how you could earn a

living from it.

Do you know that "technically" I retired back in 1997?

Let me explain...

Do you remember when you were a kid back in grade school,and on Friday afternoon the teacher would instruct you to putyour books away and pull out the colored construction paper,

glue, glitter sprinkles and Styrofoam balls so that you could doarts & crafts? Well that's what I do five days a week, but with

fancier supplies, and I get PAID to do it, bro!!

Sorry, that ghetto comment just slipped-out!

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Non-Scale Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse

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26.

boinger:

Didn't you have a website call "Renaissance Models"?


Renaissance Art Models.

That was well over a decade ago...

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1/24 Raptor from Battlestar Galactica 2004



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27.

boinger:

How were you a participant in the Samurai Monkey website

and forum?


I was a kind of "guest of honor" on Samurai Monkey. I didn't

actually run or work on the site. In fact, if there's anyone tothank for all the Macross models I've built over the years, it

would be Rob: he's the guy that got me started!

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1/5000 Quiltra-Quelamitz from SDF Macross



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28.

boinger:

What kind of work / projects / commissions have you done orcurrently do?


I do a variety of things at the moment, but most of them

involve modeling in some way.

Right now I'm working on designing some medical devices/training devices, and trying to work the bugs out of my luxury

watch project.

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Non-Scale Walt Disney's The Lion King

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29. Bonus Question:

boinger:

What makes a good model great?


I just can't deal with these amateurish questions! *Rolls hiseyes and storms-off in an artistic hissy-fit*

...

...

I kid! I kid!

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And that's all for now for the John Moscato Interview!

You can post your questions / comments / suggestions in the

Macross World forum thread.

Thank you very much to all the guys who have helped to getthis interview working!

And considering my current interview skills, I can onlyimprove from here on.

John Moscato November 2013

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Transcript of John Moscato November 2013