Graham

In one of the hobby mags several months ago, it was announced that the pilot's seat would rotate in the cockpit, just like in the anime, so that the pilot would be sitting in the correct position in Battroid mode. IIRC, I think Renato translated the article. It's probably mentioned in this thread somewhere if you want to read back through all 20+ pages. Graham

Yes, but it's a custom sticker, not the standard Yamato one. Graham

The two things I'm most curious about now are: - 1) Is the pitot tube on the underside of the nose removable or does it somehow retract into the nose cone. If so, how does it retract? 2) How does the rotating seat mechanism work, as there doesn't seem to be that much free space in the cockpit? Graham

It was already announced months ago that the leg FAST packs will attach by magnets. I don't think the lower legs will be die-cast. From my previous contact with Yamato, I know that since making the 1/48, they dislike using die-cast in transforming toys. I suspect that the lower legs will be ABS plastic and will have a small magnet glued inside. Graham

Oh, I wouldn't be so sure. They never bother doing Tampo printing on these hand painted prototypes shown in the magazines. They will sometimes just use decals for these, usually taken from model kits where the size is compatible. Once the tooling is done, and the test shots start getting made, then I bet we'll start seeing some pics that show tampo printed heatshields. Graham

Bear in mind that the photos are most likely still not the finished product. I would bet good money that the seams on the legs will be tightened up by the time of release. Graham

Back from my holiday. As it seems no one has posted them yet, here's the scans of the 1/60 VF-0S from last month's issues of Dengeki Hobby and Hobby Japan magazines. December Dengeki Hobby. Click to enlarge: - December Hobby Japan. Click to enlarge: - Some good shots here of the pilot figure and also the inside of the leg FAST pack, showing the magnet attachment. Graham

What magazine is that scan from? From the page layout, it looks like 'Figure Oh'. If yes, what issue number is it please? I'll try to pick it up on my return to HK and post a larger scan. Graham

Don't go there, it's a painful experience. I could probably have put my kid through college twice, bought a Ferrari and be living in a huge mansion by now if not for my Macross obsession Graham

IMO Toynami set themselves up for a fall right from the get go, by calling their toy a 'Masterpiece'. If they had followed the 'truth in advertising' concept and instead named it something like "Substandard, Unoriginal, Crappy Knockoff Series", then we would probably all not be as critical of the toy as we are now . Graham

Nice recolor of the 1/60 armor. It's just a pity that the 1/60 armor has so many problems. Graham

New Hobby magazines come out on October 25th. However, I will be overseas from October 20th to November 12th, so won't get them until I return. Perhaps somebody else in HK (Noel, Neova or Valk009) will be able to buy them and scan them. Otherwise, you need to wait until I return. Graham

The 1/60 VF-0S is actually larger than the 1/48 VF-1. 1/48 VF-1 Length: 30.5 cm (Fighter mode) 1/60 VF-0S Length: 33 cm (Fighter mode) Graham

Err...Shawn lives in the US, he has never been to Hong Kong. I've been living in Hong Kong since 1987. Sorry, can't help with your question. I don't speak Cantonese, so don't watch the local channels. PM Valk009, he might know. Graham

The Hikauru VF-1J was listed for a while and photos may even have been shown in some of the hobby mags, but it never made it into production. Graham

Only 4 GFF I want: - 1) V Gundam with Dash parts and spare Hexa head. 2) V2 Gundam with Assault & Buster parts. 3) Grey Z-Plus C1. 4) RX-79G with full weapons options. Given that transforming GFF are usually too fragile and fiddly, I would prefer that the V and V2 not combine/transform. Graham

Well the HAIM-95 is not that big judging by the photo on this page. But The pod on the VF-0A's wing is pretty huge. IMO it certainly looks large enough to hold more than 4 of the HAIM-95 missiles. And don't forget that 4 missiles is just Nanashino's guess, not an official figure from Kawamori or Big West. Graham

Now if only somebody would bomb Transformers and GI Joe as well. Oh and Barny. Barny definitely needs his ass fragging. Graham

Good work as usual. The HAIM-95A Mobile Missile/Launcher Pod entry is especially interesting as the top picture shows what is presumably the launch hatch (I'd been wondering about that). I would hazard a guess that the capacity of the pod is greater than 4 missiles though (perhaps 6 is my guess). When triple missile pylons are alreday available for the medium range AIM-200A missiles, it doesn't seem to make sense to have such a large and bulky pod to only house 4 missiles. Graham

The bast#rd wasn't included in mine Graham 334438[/snapback] did you get the clear hair minmay instead? 334701[/snapback] Nope, no chase figures in my box at all, just two sets of the normal figs Graham

Who cares about 12" action figures. We want Viper MK.II & MK.VII toys damn it! Graham

Just looked at the pics and have to say those toys look increadibly lame. Even at the height of my Star Wars fandom as a kid in the late 70s through early 80s when I wanted every Star Wars toy, I would never have considered buying those monstrosities. The concept is just too silly. Graham

The only parts you will need to remove if you so choose are the engine intake covers, just like on the 1/48 VF-1. Apart from that the 1/60 VF-0S will have perfect transformation just like the 1/48. Actually, the 1/60 transformation should in theory be simpler, as the heatshield and hands do not retract (which IS anime accurate). Graham

The size of the 1/60 VF-0S has been given as 33cm, although it is not clear if this is the fighter mode length or the battroid height. Either way, it is bigger than a 1/48 VF-1. Graham

I don't think that NATO was worried so much about the quality of Soviet tanks, but rather the quantity. I'll have to go re-readup on the subject, but IIRC back in the 80's the Warsaw Pact forces outnumbered NATO forces by a significant margin. Graham