Graham

I'll admit that the BT toys look good in vehicle mode, but I still think that the bot modes looks a mess. If I was ever going to buy a TF toy, the only one I'd ever consider buying would be the 20th Anniversary Optimus, as not only is it well articulated, but it actually looks accurate and good in both modes. It's actually the only TF toy that I've seen that I think does look good in both modes. Plus it has none of that ugly neon plastic weapons that so many TF toys have. Graham

I've seen this thing in person at the recent HK Toy Fare........Trust me you don't want pictures Actually, it's not too bad. Transformer fans will probably like it, as the design principal, quality etc seems similar, but it can't compare to a Macross Variable Fighter. Graham

I'd have to completely disagree with you that civilians owning a gun for home protection or defence is practically useless. However, proper training, the correct mindset, a lot of practice, not to mention a good dolop of common sense and a cool head is recommended as well. I'm a big supporter of civilian gun ownership, but I do feel that mandatory training is a must and should be fairly comprehensive, as I've seen too many examples of extremely unsafe gun handling from untrained or poorly trained people. There are several good shooting schools, especially within the US that can teach the skills necessary to be victorious should you be unlucky enough to become involved in an armed confrontation. Gunsite and Thunder Ranch are two that spring to mind. Also, some of the shooting sports such as IDPA and IPSC, which has it's roots in combat shooting (although is now a bit too gamey for my tastes) are very good training for teaching you to shoot fast and acurately at multiple targets and moving targets at different ranges, while moving, shooting from behind cover etc. I'd even go as far to say that the average IPCS/IDPA competetor is a far better shooter than most cops, for the simple reason that they are firearms enthusiast and practice a heck of a lot more, whereas most cops are not really gun people and view a gun as a tool only. The only time many cops practice is at the mandatory quarterly qualifications, whereas a lot of IDPA/IPSC shooters may shoot several hundred to several thousand rounds a week. Shooting is a perishable skill and without constant practice, which most law enforcement personal do not have enough of, skills decline. I'm only a fair to good shooter (been shooting IPSC for about 10 years on and off), but at a Glock Instructors course which we hosted back in year 2000 for the local Anti-Terrorist team, I was able to shoot as well as or better than most of them with a handgun. Of course, they were much better than me with their MP5s though . Graham

The YF-21's two gunpods can be attached to the YF-21 in fighter mode either with or without the FAST packs fitted. Without FAST packs fitted, they are stored semi-recessed in the leg bay cover panels (belly plates) in fighter mode. This can be clearly seen in the line-art circled '94.5' in the middle right panel on page 88 of the Shoji Kawamori Macross Design Works book. Also, both the 1/144 scale Doyusha YF-21 toy and the 1/72 scale Hasegawa YF-21 model kit have the gunpods correctly semi-recessed into the belly plates. Interestingly, neither of the two TIAS Macross Plus books feature that particular piece of line-art, which has led some people to the incorrect assumptions that either the YF-21 fighter could only carry the gunpods when the FAST packs are attached or that without FAST packs fitted, the two gunpods are stored completely internally inside the belly plates (an assumption I wrongly held until fairly recently). In episode # 1 of the Macross Plus OVA, the YF-21 does not have the gunpods fitted, which is why Guld uses the wrist lasers to shoot down the drones. However, if you look closely at the YF-21 in episode # 2 during the aerial gunnery scene, you can see the gunpods semi-recessed into the YF-21's belly plates in fighter mode. As the line-art of the YF-21 fighter mode without FAST packs but with gunpods fitted was not published until the end of 2001 in Design Works, I'm thinking this is probably why Yamato's original YF-21 toy which came out in 2000 did not have gunpods, as Yamato may have only had access to or seen the more common line-art, which shows the non-FP YF-21 Fighter with no gunpods. Graham

Although I'm more of a Glock 21 fan (had 10,000rds through mine with no failures to feed or fire), I also love the Glock 20, although none of the gun dealers stock 10mm ammo here in HK, so on the rare occasions when I still do shoot, there's no way to shoot 10mm On one overseas trip I did once have a chance to shoot steel falling plates at 100m with a Glock 20. Fantastic gun and very flat shooting at that range. For hunting with the Glock 20, I'd recommend the factory optional 6" barrel, which should probably add a couple hundred fps velocity. And Glocks are NOT butt ugly. They are beautiful guns. Graham (Glock dealer & Glock armorer since 1996)

In the the S&W .500 Magnum, I far prefer the shorter barreled version. Should be much easier to carry when hiking or trekking and by all accounts it's a real blast to shoot (pun intended). Graham

Glad you and your wife are ok and your 1/48 collection was unharmed Just as others in this thread have said, you did take a big risk as the kid could well have been armed and you could have ended up shot or stabbed....not good. Luckily this time it had a happy ending. Personally, I'd recommended buying a quality home defence firearm and make sure you get the training how to use it and practice as well (very important). If you are unlucky enough to have another buglar, the safest plan is to barricade (lock) yourself and your wife in your bedroom, which should be fitted with a reinforced door and call the cops from there. Of course the bedroom should have it's own phone line. The firearm is basically for defending yourself only if the badguys are breaking down your bedroom door, not for going out to hunt them down with. It's never a good idea trying to confront buglars or home invaders and no personal property is worth risking your life over, not even a Low Vis 1/48 If your are uncomfortable with firearms in the home for whatever reason, invest in some OC Pepper Spray or a few strategically placed baseball bats around the house is probably better then nothing. Graham

That's a great idea for a stand, but personally, I think I'd be too scared to go drilling holes in my Hasegawas, especially after I paid so much to have them painted . Graham

I hope Yamato are not giving up on Macross, but to be honest, there doesn't seem to be many new products on the horizon and I'm pretty sure the YF-19FP and non-transforming Destroid Monster are now vapourware There is still so much stuff Yamato could do. Personally, I think that is this year is the 10th anniversery of Macross 7, it would be a good chance to release some high detailed, accurately proportioned, perfect transformation Mac 7 toys. I'd definitely buy multiples of the following toys if Yamato made them: - Macross 7 Toys, either 1/55, 1/60 or 1/48 scale (1/72 is too small) VF-22S Max Colors VF-22S Milia Colors VF-22S Gamlin colors (D7) VF-19Kai w/Sound Booster VF-19S w/FAST Packs VF-19F w/FAST Packs VF-19P (D7) VF-17S w/FAST Packs VF-17D with optional Radome VF-17S Milia colors VF-17TKai w/Sound Booster VF-11C w/Space FAST Packs VF-11C w/Atmospheric FAST Packs (from Nightmarish Invasion) VF-11C Full Armour VF-11D w/Sound Booster FAST Packs Fz109F Fz-109A I deliberately didn't include Mylene's VF-11MAXL Kai on the above list as there is only one version of it that Yamato could release, so they would probably loose money on the tooling. However, all the other toys; VF-11, VF-19, VF-17 & VF-22 have multiple versions which could be released, mostly just involving a head and color change and some minor resulpting, thus making it more likely that Yamato could recoup their costs and turn a profit. Of course a VF-11 and VF-22 toys should be all new resculpts and not based on the existing Macross Plus toys. Of course there is so much other Macross stuff that I'm convinced would sell if only Yamato made them with decent sculpts, such as Mac Plus resculpts, Mac Zero Perfect Transformation toys, M3 mecha to name but a few. Graham

I think both the 1/100 VB-6 Konig Monster and 1/100 VF-0S are presently scheduled for end of the year, although I wouldn't be surprised if that slips again to 1st quarter 2005 Graham

Unfortunately, I suspect that is probably true With no new Yamato Macross products slated for release until the end of the year, except the Max Q-Rau and CM's Milia figures, it looks like Macross toy fans are in for a boring 2nd half of 2004 Graham

So little, I'm surprised. I would have thought the Phalanx would have a huge magazine capacity, compared to when the Vulcan gun is installed in a fighter jet, given that there should be far less space restictions on a battleship compared with sticking the same gun in a fighter. If it's not classified, can you tell me what is the magazine capacity of the Phalanx and how many rounds on average are fired in a single burst? Graham

If you want something more sturdy, but which still looks great, I'd recommend buying a toy like the Yamato 1/48 VF-1 instead. Hasegawas are supposed to be traditional (fragile) model kits, not the half-toy half-models that the Bandai Gundam kits are. Although I'm not a model builder, I recently comissioned a pro-painter to build me 3 Hasegawa kits (VF-22S, VF-0S and SV-51 Nora), all built wheels up as if flight and I'm absolutely blown alway by them. I can't believe how big the SV-51 is, it's a monster. Graham

Er...what's RAM? I presume you are talking about some sort of launcher and not Radar Absorbent Material? And what's a NATO Launcher? Something for getting rid of those pesk NATO allies when they don't agree with US policy? Sort of like one of those cannons they use at the circus for shooting out the human cannon ball.......simply load in any NATO ally that is being troublesome and fire him overboard Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm not as up on ship defensive systems as I am on aircraft and smallarms. Graham

Heh, I bet the environmentalists get their panties in a twist about the DU rounds poisoning the little fishes Graham

Probably because claws make more effective weapons than hands for punching and grappling with Invid mecha. Graam

Spike died? As good an anime as Cowboy Bebop is, I guess it can't really have made a lasting impression on me, as I don't remember Spike dying at all, and the last time I watched the series and movie was only about a year ago Most surprising death is a tie between Kircheis and Yang in LoGH. I really didn't see either of them coming. Saddest death goes to another LoGH character, Walter Von Schenkopp. He was my favorite character in the series and I really wanted to see him live, but he buys it in a really stupid and avoidable way, i.e the moral of his death is always make sure your enemies are reallly dead and don't turn your back on them! Another sad death is the pilot in Nadesco, sorry can't remember his name (Gai?) who is killed early on in the series. Graham

Nanishi will know, but IIRC it's a chaff and flare launcher. Graham

Knight26, just curious, how many Phalanx guns does a US carrier have? Doesn't seem like many from the pics maybe 2? I sure miss the warships of WWII that were bristling with guns from every nuck and cranny. I would have thought that something as valuable as a carrier would have at least 6 to 8 Phalanx with interlocking fields of fire in case of a malfunctioning or damaged gun. I suppose like anything budget plays a part in the number and type of defensive systems as well. Also, are any US Navy ships using the 30mm Goalkeeper system? Seems to be a better alternative to Phalanx, with heavier, long range shells = better at knocking missiles/planes out of the air at longer range. I did read once that the Phalanx fires solid shells rather than HE, as a solid shell may actually swat a missile out of the air or divert it's course enough to miss the target, whereas a proximity detonating HE round may only damage the missile, but not actually stop the missile or remaining parts of the missile travelling forward on momentum and still reaching the target. Is this true? Graham

I'd also love to see a 1/48 VT-1 and also a VE-1, then I could finally put all my 1/60 toys into storage. However a long time ago Yamato indicated that they probably would not make 2-seat 1/48 toys. There is a lot of retooling that needs doing for the VT-1. Not only do you need to sculpt all new FAST packs, but the nose section, wings and head all need resculpting and new tooling which is very expensive. Graham

Well, it's still fairly easy to find the 1/48 Max & Milia VF-1J Super here in Hong Kong. The FAST Pack sets are also easy to find. I think I've seen some VF-1S Hikaru and VF-1J Hikau Super in a few shops as well, but all the other 1/48s are pretty much sold out. Graham

Given the cost of the average nuclear powered aircraft carrier, I'm sure the US Government & US Navy would rather take the heat about accidently turning a few civilians into shark food rather than losing one of their very expensive ships, not to mention all the sailors, airmen and aircraft aboard. Graham

Provided that it is indeed terrorist suicide bombers and not some poor slob who don't understand Engrish. Turning innocent folks into shark food always have reprucsussions. One would think that in this day and age, it's pretty much common sense that it's not good for ones health to approach too closely to an American warship unless you have clearance to do so. And anyway, there's such a thing as escalation of force: - Step # 1: If they're approaching slowly, hail them first. Step # 2: If hailing doesn't work fire a warning shot across the bows. Step # 3: If they're still coming, they're probably up to no good anyway and force is justified. Of course, if they are approaching at high speed on a rammming course, forget steps # 1 & 2 and go directly to step # 3 Graham

Ya know, this thread reminds me about the conversion between the US Aircraft Carrier and the Canadian authorities (actually an urban myth and untrue but still funny). Read below: - Purported transcript of a US naval ship with Canadian authorities off the coast of Newfoundland in October, 1995: Americans: "Please divert your course 15 degrees to the North to avoid a collision." Canadians: "Recommend you divert YOUR course 15 degrees to the South to avoid a collision." Americans: "This is the captain of a US Navy ship. I say again, divert YOUR course." Canadians: "No, I say again, you divert YOUR course." Americans: "THIS IS THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN, THE SECOND LARGEST SHIP IN THE UNITED STATES' ATLANTIC FLEET. WE ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THREE DESTROYERS, THREE CRUISERS AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT VESSELS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES NORTH. THAT'S ONE-FIVE DEGREES NORTH, OR COUNTER MEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THIS SHIP." Canadians: "This is a lighthouse. Your call." Graham

Why evil? I'd have thought that a stream of 20mm shells at 6,000 rounds per minute, would be a pretty effective way of stopping a small craft filled with terrorist suicide bombers who were intent on blowing up your aircraft carrier from getting too close. Graham