Graham

Season 2 is showing on HK TV at the moment. We should be on the last couple of episodes. Not sure when they will show season 3, probably early next year sometime. Oh yeah, and that Kim really is a trouble magnet Graham

Banprestos! Pah....we don't want no stinkin' Banprestos Graham

Well, with FAST Packs fitted you carry more missiles (I think) and also fire more missiles per salvo. You may also be faster, but as there is no speed gauge (grrrr ) it's difficult to judge. Oh, and the Strike cannon is awesome. Although it's limited to only 29 shots (IIRC), it does a lot of damage and takes out Regults with a single shot. Can't remember if it can destroy a Q-Rau with a single shot or not. Graham

A quick comment on Takatoys FAST Pack stickers. I fitted a FAST Pack to my new 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru last night and wanted to apply Takatoys FAST Pack stickers. However, I noticed on Takatoys sticker sheet that the big circular red skull sticker that goes on the side of the booster is marked with a '011', which is OK for Hikaru's DYRL VF-1A, but incorrect for Hikaru's DYRL VF-1S, which should be marked '001'. So in the end I had to use the standard Yamato sticker I hope Takatoys can modify the FP sticker sheet to include a DYRL Hikaru VF-1S sticker. Graham

Well, I can't 100% confirm it until I actually have one in my hands. However, I am prepared to say I am 99.99% sure that the reissue VF-1S Focker and VF-1A Hikaru will have all the improvements. And what makes you so sure we are at the end of the VF-1 line eh? Graham

I thought T3 was a mediocre effort, not good, not really bad, just sort of passable. It's certainly not a movie I would go to see more than once at the theatre (unlike T1 & T2) and I wouldn't buy it on DVD either. IMO, it would probably would have been much better if James Cameron had directed it and also if Linda Hamilton had stared. Mind you, if Cameron had directed it, given his obssession with all things oceanic, he probably would have had freediving Terminators battling it out on the sunken hull of the Titanic Graham

Yes, it was . . . . . . . The VF-1S, I'm talking about of course! Graham

Basically no, the VF-1 FAST packs manufactured by Takatoku, Bandai, Yamato and Toynami will not fit on the the VF toys from other series, i.e. the Yamato Macross Plus toys or the Bandai Macross 7 toys, at least not without some serious modification. There are 4 types of VF-1 FAST Pack manufactured in the following scales: - Takatoku/Bandai 1/55. Toynami 1/55 Yamato 1/60. Yamato 1/48. The Macross Plus toys were manufactured in 1/72 scale, except for the VF-11B, which is a slightly larger scale. The Macross 7 toys were made in 1/65 scale. As you can see, the scales of the VF-1 FAST packs is different. However, it is not just an issue of differing scales, but also each VF is significantly different in shape and design that even if they were all the same scale, the FAST packs would not be compatible. I think the common misconception that FAST packs from one type of VF are compatible with other types of VF is an erroneous assumption made by Dave Dietrich's Macross Mecha Designs web site, which is not noted for it's accuracy. Graham

Any pics of that?? Heh, heh.....you wish Graham

I compared old and new pilots last night and I can confirm that the pilot figure that comes with the 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru is a completely new sculpt and much better looking IMO. I gotta say that this is now officially my favorite 1/48. I love this Valk. The canopies on the two I picked up were fine, not too loose and not too tight either...."just right" as Goldilocks would say However, on one of them, the air brake was very loose. Sorry, didn't take any pics last night. Spent some quality time with my wife instead Graham

I've got the first of the guide books already, the one published by Softbank Publishing and released on October 24th. It's small (A5 size) and only 80 pages long. I don't think it gives away any secrets. It just basically explains the controls and has descriptions of the first few stages only for the TV and DYRL missions. It doesn't even cover the later stages. I get the feeling it was sorta rushed. And no, I am not scanning 80 pages! I'll scan the cover and maybe one or two internal pages for the MW book section when I get round to it. Hopefully, the other guide book by Kadokawa Shoten which comes out on November 21st will be better. Graham

Ah, I've got one of those Sony SCPH-1110 Analog double Joysticks buried in a closet somewhere. Can't remember how much I paid for it when I bought it back in 1997. They are long out of prooduction and just about impossible to find now. I bought mine to play the original Macross Digital Mission VFX game for the Playstation. Can't remember how well the double stick handled, but can't have been too good as I ended up going back to the original control pad. BTW, does anybody know can you safely use original Playstation controllers (the grey ones) in the PS2? Graham

How about some pics, especially of the Regults. Not so interested in the transforming VF-1 toys as the proportions are terrible IMO. Also, how tall are the regults? Graham

Here's the YF-19, YF-21 VF-0S & SV-51 pics originally from page 19 of this thread. Graham

Can't, I'm still at the office for the next 4 hours and no digital camera here. Graham

Ya know, I'm betting that within 6 months to a year, Bandai will release a second Macross game by Sega-AM2. I'm thinking that it will be a combined Macross Plus & Macross Zero game. We already know that Sega-AM2 have the models done for the YF-19, YF-21, VF-0S and SV-51. Why a combined game? Well, Macross Plus doesn't really have much scope for more than a few missions (remember the old Playstraion MPGE game), so it sorta makes sense to put the two OVAs together on one game. Hopefully, it will also have a two-player versus mode as well. Graham

OK, I just got my 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru. haven't transformed it yet, but I can confirm the following points: - 1) It comes with the improved 'Max' type nose cone and flaps. 2) It has the improved 'easy open' front landing gear doors, first seen on the Low Vis. 3) The pilot is made of the same rubber type material as the Low Vis Pilot. 4) Not sure if the pilot sculpt has been improved or not, as I don't have an older 1/48 with me at the moment to ccompare with. However, to my eyes it looks a bit better. 5) the seat head rest is the new curved design as seen in photos of the upcoming 1/48 VF-1J. Graham

Well, I just noticed that the Macross Compendium has now removed all mention of the hidden VF-0S, SV-51, YF-19 & YF-21 from the description of the Macross PS2 game. Previously, they were mentioned. So I guess this means, they are definitely not in the game Graham

Here in Hong Kong the price varies from theatre to theatre. Cheapest would be HK$40 (US$5.13) for a weekday matinee show. Normal price for a weekend or evening show at most theatres is HK$60 (US$7.69). The most expensive and hi-class theatre here charges HK$70 (US$8.97) for an evening or weekend show. Graham

AFAIK, this will be more of an arcade type action/shooter, rather than a proper sim. It's just a pity it's not coming to the PS2 as the only reason I would buy an X box is if they made a new Macross game for it. I'm not putting down the Xbox, rather new Macross games are the only reason for me to buy another console. Graham

Getting my 1/48 VF-1S Hikaru today, can't wait. I'm really excited about this toy. The DYRL VF-1S Hikaru has always been my all time favorite VF-1 varient. Graham

Interesting theory. Let's see how well it applies to Mac 7. Basara = Long Spiky hair = lives. Kinryu = bald (heck, can't get shorter hair than that) = dies. Graham

do they look the same? i thought the yamato version looks more like burning stone than fire..... Does it?.....Oh...OK. Just in the small pic I saw of the box front it looked like flame. I haven't seen it close up yet and won't be getting mine until tomorrow probably. Graham

And of course the other benefit of OTM hairspray which I forgot to mention is that it gives hair a one-way translucency. This means that pilots can clearly see through the hair hanging over their eyes as if it wasn't there. However, people looking at the character, just see normal hair. Graham, master of OTM

Guys, the reason why Hikauru's big hair never get's squashed flat by his flight helmet is simple. Overtechnology hair spray. OTM hairspray allows you to wear a helmet or hat all day and never get 'hat hair'. As soon as you remove the helmet, the OTM hairspray, with patented 'nano-tech memory' feature automatically returns your hair to its original style and shape. Surely you don't think that Valks and Destroids were the only new technology they got from the ASS-1 do you? As for the short hair we see the characters sporting in Macross Zero, well that's also easy to explain. Macross Zero takes place in 2008, so obviously OTM hairspray wasn't invented or approved for military service until 2009. Graham