Graham

The book is supposed to be out in Japan today, so if any of our Japan based members like Howard, Renato, Rob or Min pick it up today, please let us have your comments. Graham

Hmm.......the stripes on the recently released Konami Viper are a very dark red. Graham

The kit ones were selling in TRU here in HK. I've never seen the preassembled ones for sale here. Actually I'm not sure I would even call thems 'kits' as they are extremely simple to put together, consisting of just the upper and lower halves, canopy, landing gear and about 4 screws IIRC. Graham

Done, but please be more careful in future. Graham

Very nice VF-0D. I'm having a VF-0D commissioned at the moment, but built with landing gear up and painted in the normal grey color scheme rather than Shin's blue. Graham

The few times the Vipers fire missiles in the new show, they seem to be fired from internal bays, but it's difficult to be sure. At least I don't recall seeing any mounted on the wings. Seems that guns are used far more often than missiles by the Viper pilots. Perhaps missiles are in short supply, but plenty of gun ammo was picked up from Ragnar station? I'm still considering whether to pick up the BSG PS2 game. Most reviews say that the early stages are too tough & frustrating. I personally hate games that start off tough as I do get frustrated easily and have broken more than a few controllers after throwing them at the wall I'd like to hear some comments on the game from those that have played it. Graham

Another book-to-movie dumbed down for the lowest common denominator....sigh Graham

Just wondering does anybody know how many missiles a Viper MK II carries? And where are the missiles stored? I'm guessing they must be carried internally and launched somewhere from the bottom of the craft. Currently just watched 'The Hand of God' episode of the new series. Excellent episode. Graham

Thanks for the pics. I've already ordered one. Hopefully it will arrive by next week. Hmmm....the stripes look more orange than red. Is that the case or is it just the lighting messing with the colors? Graham

I think one of the biggest discrepancies is from episode 5, when Shin jetisons all the weapons and FAST packs from his VF-0A, so that APHOS/Sara will no longer consider him as a Kadun of war. Then seconds later we see the FAST packs back on the legs of the VF-0A again. Graham

Please do not insult Armored Core like that. Graham

PANIC NOW! A friend pointed me to this link which has a short review (no spoilers) of the movie. And a long review (with spoilers). It doesn't just sound bad, it sounds absolutely terrible. To quote the reviewers concluding paragraph: - "Hitchhiker's is not so bad that it's good. It's just miserably, depressingly bad. It misses the point by a light year. Is it a good movie? No. Is it a good version of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy? Definitely not. It is ill-conceived, badly written, poorly directed and worst of all staggeringly unfunny. It is a travesty of a film. I mourn for it, I really do". Poor Douglas Adams must be spinning in his grave like a rotisserie chicken. Graham

Although it is not variable, there is also the Gokigen Seimetsu VF-22 Battroid mode conversion kit for use with Hasegawa's VF-22 model. You can see photos of it in Noel's Winter Wonder Fest 2005 report. I think ChristopherB has 2 of these conversion kits (lucky devil). Graham

OK, locking this thread as we already have a main Yukikaze thread. Graham

Last rumour I heard was that the delay with episode 5 was due to Lt. Rei Fukai & Major James Bukhar finally declaring their love for each other and had decided to stop fighting the JAM and move to San Francisco to get married. Presently Gonzo/Bandai are frantically looking for 2 replacement characters to star in the final episode. Graham

Yeah, I agree. Stuff that already exists in 1/48 should be removed from the poll. Graham

I'm surprised the VF-4 is getting so much love. While I know it's a fan favorite, I thought it would get beaten out by the YF-19 (as usually happens). But then again there is already a 1/48 resin kit of the Fighter mode YF-19 from Club-M, which has been recast several times. Graham

Fantastic work. Looking forward to seeing it in battroid mode. Very interested to see the D-type heatshield. Maybe this will be the proverbial boot up the ass that Yamato needs in order to get working on some 2-seater 1/48 versions of their own. Graham

You can order it from either Hobby Link Japan or amazon.co.jp. Note, you have to sign up to use amazon.co.jp, you cannot use your regular amazon.com account. However, they have an page in English for signing up, so it's not difficult. I've ordered many times from them and they ship far quicker than HLJ. Graham

Actually, I've always thought that Macross drew at least some of it's inspiration from the Battle of Britain, in that you have a handful of fighters defending against overwhelming odds. Graham

Give it time, I'm sure they'll come. I'd really love a Viper MK II & MK VII toy, as I'm in love with the new series. Graham

Give it time, I'm sure they'll come. I'd really love a Viper MK II & MK VII toy, as I'm in love with the new series. Graham

Congratulations to Egan for 10 years of the Macross Compendium. The Compendium has really been (and still is) an invaluable resource for us Macross fans. Graham

I just noticed that Tenjin has an English translation of the page on his site about his upcoming Valkyries book due for release this Thursday (April 14). Tenjin must obviously be aware that there is a significant English speaking fan base for his work and Macross. Graham

Nobody's mentioned Dr. Evil from the Austin Powers movies. Graham