Graham

Do not touch Gundam! Step away from the Gundam! In Gundam lies the path to damnation. Stick with Macross Graham

First of all, it's not a Stealth Bomber. According to the official Macross Compendium, the correct designation of the VF-17 Nightmare is; "UN Spacy special operations variable fighter and heavy battroid". In the Macross 7 TV series, the VF-17's of Dimaond force are actually used more as interceptors than in any other role. IMO, the Banadi VF-17S (original or reissue) and VF-17D (original) toys are definitely worth getting. On the positive side: - They are probably the most durable and rugged variable toys Macross toys ever made by any company, despite being all plastic, with no metal parts except screws. You would have to work really hard to break one of these. Proportions in Battroid mode are good. Arm articulation is good. The toy has a lot of panel lines, more so than Bandai's VF-19 toys made at the same time. In fact, the VF-17 toys have all the panel lines shown in Kawamori-sans 'detail-up' lineart. Transformation is quick and simple (30 seconds or less). It got that mean "don't mess with me look". It's Gamlin's ride. Gamlin is a special forces pilot from Macross 7 and my favorite character in the TV series. On the negative side: - In Fighter mode, it's too chunky when viewed from the side, but looks great when viewed from above. The knees do no bend backwards, so the toy cannot be put into a kneeling pose, although it is possible to modify the knee joints so that the toy can kneel. Hip articulation is limited, so the toy cannot do a spread leg pose. The landing gear is terrible, basically just little fold-down tabs of plastic, with minimal detail. Hands are non-articulated. While no doubt if they choose to Yamato could make a much better VF-17 variable toy, but I can't see it happening. Personally, I love the Bandai toy and have about 10 of them. Graham

Looks better than Ghost Rider and X-Men 3. Graham

The July 2006 Dengeki Hobby magazine scans (just added to the main site), have a great 2 page photo spread on the Wave 1/100 VF-0S Battroid kit. Graham

The July 2006 Hobby Japan magazine scans (just added to the main site), have a great 4 page photo spread on the Hasegawa 1/72 VF-0S Battroid kit. Graham

The July 2006 Hobby Japan magazine scans (just added to the main site), have a great 4 page photo spread on the Hasegawa 1/72 VF-0S Battroid kit. Graham

Guys, Here's the 3 page article from the new July 2006 issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine. Not sure if the weathered finish is custom or going to be standard on the production toy. My guess is it's a custom just for this article. Garland Page 1 Garland Page 2 Garland Page 3 I've also added these pics to the Garland Page in the MW toy section. Graham

What's the name of the plane that looks like a YF-19 with fold booster that you have to fight in mission 18? He never hits me with his punny laser or psychedelic missiles (whatever, they are supposed to be), but boy is it difficult to shoot him down within the time limit. Graham

Don't you mean VF-0A variants? Graham

Actually, I'm really looking forward to a VF-0A CF. I love the head design and the color scheme. One thing I've been trying to find out from Yamato, is whether a VF-0A CF will have Skulls on the tail fins, or the bunny head emblems like on Tenjin's Hasegawa VF-0A CF model box art and decal sheet. Graham

Actually, I really don't know which it will be, but I can find out. Graham

Guys, The new July 2006 issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine and Hobby Japan magazine shows CAD lineart drawings of the upcoming Yamato 1/60 VF-0A head. From the information given, it looks like we can expect to see the VF-0A released in August. Not sure if the articles mention whether the toy will be the Cannon Fodder (brownish-grey) version or Shin's (blue & white) version, but I'm betting on the Cannon Fodder coming first. Enjoy. Click on pics to enlarge Graham

There's a great 3 page article on the Yamato Garland in the new July issue of Dengeki Hobby magazine. I'l get it scanned in tomorrow for you all to see. Graham

I've never really paid much attention to Toynami 1/55 FPs before. I didn't know that their leg FPs had removeable covers like the Yamato 1/48 FPs. So which came first, Toynami 1/55 FPs or Yamato 1/48FPs? Graham

Avoid the 1/60 GBP like the plague. IMO, it's the most disappointing addition to the 1/60 line that Yamato made. As others have mentioned, the front groin armor falls off if you even look at it wrong and the legs constantly fall off, as adding the armor means the hip joint pegs cannot fit deep enough to stay in. Plus the missiles are non-removeable, the sculpt is lacking detail, the proportions are a bit off and the Valk with armor has balance issues. If you want a good GBP, buy the excellent Yamato 1/48 version, or if you are a 1/55 fan track down the old Takatoku version on ebay, anything but the Yamato 1/60 version. As much as I love Yamato toys in general and am a big admirer of their efforts in bringing us a wide range of quality Macross toys, there are two products of theirs I cannot stand, the 1/60 GBP and the 1/72 YF-21FP. Graham

Not to burst your bubble, but this is only about the three hundred and fifty first time that somebody has posted a thread on these Lego valkyries. Graham

Actually, you have got the order wrong. The factory finishes the production run and then the toys are shipped out from the factory and from there make their way to the retail stores, usually through a chain of wholesalers and distributors to the retail stores where they are bought by you, the customer. So by the time the toy is 'released', it's technically already out of production, or at least that producton run is over. Yamato production runs are not that high quantity. Remember, these are high-end collectors grade figures, with a limited customer base, not cheap mass-market toys that you get with a Happy Meal that are produced in the millions. So basically, the toys are not kept in continuous production and as I mentioned above, by the time the toy hits the store shelves, the factory has already moved on and is producing something else. Whether Yamato reissues toys, i.e. asks the factory to create another production run, basically depends on whether the toy sold well and whether they get enough orders for a second production run. As to whether you should buy a 1/48 GBP or 1/60 VF-0S, that really depends on which one you like best. The GBP initially sold out very fast, but most shops (at least the ones where I live) do have stock again. The VF-0S sold out very quickly, but a second batch is supposed to be on the way next month. Graham

But playing as a Knight is a wussy way, I mean no downing damaged enemy that are bugging out and no blowing up all the yellow targets. Graham

Skull CG looks bad in those pics, very bad. Graham

Altitude effect on speed would be interesting, as would the effect of weapons load on speed and handling. Graham

The only real QC issue I had on the 3 Alphas I own was an extremley warped neck piece on the Shadow. Graham

A few things I'd like to see in the next Ace Combat game:- 1) More realistic speeds. In AC5, I had the A-10 up to 800kts (or whatever the unit of speed measurement is). Just a tad unrealistic me thinks. 2) For those real-world planes which use helmet mounted sights and can make off-boresight missile shots, I'd like to see this ability added. In game terms this could work by allowing you to lock on to an enemy plane that is anywhere on screen (rather than just in the HUD as at present) with your basic missiles, as long as it is in range. 3) Add a mission builder. I've been saying this for years. Having the ability to create your own missions, by choosing terrain, number and type of enemy, time limit etc would greatly increase the long-term playability of the game. 4) Slightly increase the range of weapons, especially the basic missiles and guns. They are too short ranged IMO. 5) Add the ability to create your own unique color scheme for your planes. 6) Most planes have a sufficient number of hardpoints that they should be able to carry 2 different types of special weapons. Although, the quantity of each should be less than if only 1 type of special weapon is carried. 7) I'd like to see planes with chaff, flares and perhaps towed decoys (for those real world planes that have them). Of course the number of these counter-measures should be finite. On the fence about having fuel. IIRC, didn't AC1 have fuel? Graham

Warning, if this thread degenerates into discussing whether Routh or Reeves has the bigger bulge, then it's definitely getting locked. Graham

Even though I love the Ace Combat games, I usually only play through them once and then perhaps repeat a few specific missions that I enjoyed. I have little interest in unlocking every plane, especially the fictional ones. As long as I get the Typhoon, Tornado, A-10 and Gripen I'm happy! Neither do I have any interest in winning every medal or getting an S grade on every mission. I'm just not that hard core a player I guess Still, I'm enjoying AC0 so much, I may just play through it twice. Graham

Yeah, I have AC5 saved on the same memory stick. Typhoon should realistically be more capable than the F-16C and 99% of other real planes as well, with the exception of the F-22. Looking forward to getting to fly the Gripen in AC0 as well as I liked it in AC5. I generally prefer to play Euro planes rather than US (or Russian) planes, with the exception of the A-10 or occasionally the F-22. Graham