Graham

Unfortunately, Burger King, Wendys & Jack in the Box closed down years ago, forced out by McDonalds For western fast food, we have McDonalds, KFC, a few Hardies and Pizza Hut. For burgers though, I generally prefer slightly more upscale places like TGIF, Hard Rock Cafe, Ruby Tuesday or Dan Ryans. Graham

I hope they have something edible. I am a picky eater. I do hear there is a micky d's over there. I guess I will suffer. But the toys...Ah yes the toys ALEX Lot's and lot's of McDonalds here. We probably have a greater density of McDonalds than any other city in the world. I think HK has something like 200 McDonalds branches. Wherever you are in HK, you are never more than 5-10 minutes walk away from a McDonalds! Graham

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Hmmmmmmmmmm, any Red Robins or IHOP in HK? No robins here, just lots of sparrows, pigeons and the occasional hawk. I have no idea what an IHOP is!? Graham

AFAIK, the VF-1S Hikaru is scheduled for late October and the VF-1J Hikaru for late November or early December. However, release dates are like weather reports and should be taken with a grain of salt. Graham

Ewww! ....Nooooo Sorry...But am I the only one who doesn't like Escaflowne? Melissa I'm not saying that's what I want. It's not. Although I enjoyed Escaflowne, I'm not really interested in seeing a sequel. But it is a posibility Sunrise and Kawamori will make one. Of couse, I want a new Macross TV series and just for the record, I'd like it set in the 2020-2035 period. Graham

About 30cm (12") tall with Super packs and 34cm (13.5") with the Strike Cannon. I had to adjust the shelves in my display cabinet to fit them. Graham

Yuk....if that's what you guys are going to eat, count me out. I hate sea food Graham

Err....areaseven, didn't you already post this review in the old forums. People can find it archived there. Graham

Despite living in HK for 16 years, having a Cantonese wife and spending thousands of HK$ on Cantonese lessons, I only speak very basic 'Survival Cantonese'. In fact languages have never been my strong point, and I only use my Cantonese when absolutely necessary. Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Graham

Don't worry, I'm a burger, steak and pizza kinda guy. I'm not into exotic food at all. In fact despite living in HK, I don't really like Chinese food much and the only time I eat it is when I have to visit my wife's parents. And the weather in January should be around 12 to 20 degrees Celsius (That's 53.6 to 68 Fahrenheit for you Yanks). Humidity should be low in January as well. Graham

The average Triad member doesn't dress in a suit, well accept perhaps in John Woo movies! Mostly, they are uneducated, semi-illiterate scum, who wear dirty or torn vests or T-shirts and jeans and often have dyed hair, heavy suntans, several tatoos and a cigarette hanging from their mouths. Also, incapable of speaking a sentence without every second word being a swear word. Should all be lined up against a wall and shot IMO! Graham

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the new series was a sequel to Escafowne! Graham

And just what's wrong with sitting around eating and drinking beer? I think in January, you should still be able to find the VF-1S Hikaru, VF-1J Hikaru and perhaps the Q-rau and Escaflowne toy as well. Also, I'm sure there will be lots of older stuff. Graham

That's really difficult for me to predict as I don't know the size of the production run or whether Yamato will do another production run. However, as it's only early September now and January is still a long way away, if I had to give my best guess, I'd tend towards a worst-case scenario and say by the time of the Shopathon they might be very difficult to find. Hope I'm wrong, but just to be safe I'd get a few extra sets now if I were you. Graham

The 1/48's ankle, knee and hip joints are strong enough to support the weight of the FPs. However, in Battroid mode it is very back-heavy, so a bit of care and common sense needs to be taken when posing the toy. Graham

Go for it, you won't regret it. The FPs are a first class product. I always thought the 1/48 VF-1 by itself is beautiful. Also, the FPs by themselves are beautiful. But when you combine the two together, you end up with something where the whole is oh, so much greater than the sum of the parts. A FAST Pack equipped 1/48 Valk is stunning, really a work of art and all the photos to date just don't do it justice. Graham

Actually, I also like the light weight of the naked 1/48, it does make it more playable IMO. If anything, I think the toy becomes too heavy with the FPs attached. While the FPs are lovely. The most accurate and detailed rendition to date, they do turn the toy into more of a display peice beacuse of the weight. Still I'm really happy with them and can't stop staring at my FP equipped Valks. Graham

Oh yes, you will definitely feel some substance. I recomend you start working out with some weights at the gym in preparation For those of you who were dissapointed by the light weight of the 1/48 VF-1, you will be pleasantly surprised by just how heavy the Valk becomes with FPs attached. Graham

Personally, I'm not fussed about the lack of a cockpit view in the new Macross game. While I don't mind having the option of a cockpit view for pure flying games, I definitely prefer a chase view for giant robot games. Whenever I play a robot game with a cockpit view, I get no feeling of actually piloting a giant robot. This is especially true with Macross games, where a cockpit view gives you little feeling of the difference between the three modes (F/B/G). On the other hand, when I can actually see my mecha (ala VF-X2, Armored Core series etc), it gives me more of a feeling of being in control of a giant robot. I'd much prefer the designers put in a two-player split screen vs mode and also a survival mode. Just my 0.2 cents. Graham

The only diecast content on the FPs is the twin pegs that plug into the holes on the side of the VF-1's backpack. However the FPs are made from a very solid and weighty plastic. IIRC, the Valk with FPs attached is close to double the weight of a naked Valk. I don't recall the exact weight, but I'll weigh them tonight when I get home, unless someone else does it first. Graham

Only the Destroid Monster is confirmed in 1/60 scale for 2004 relaese. No other Destroids are confirmed at this time. For enemy mecha only the 1/60 scale Q-Rau in Millia, Max and standard colors is confirmed for late 2003, early 2004 release. No other enemy mecha are confirmed at this time. Graham

The armor attaches very firmly and will not fall off. In fighter mode, the Valk locks together very solidly, except perhaps for the arms, which could do with a better method of locking together, but this applies to the naked VF-1 as well IMO, not just with the FPs attached. In fighter mode you do have to exercise a little bit of care when you pick up the toy with the FPs attached as it is extremely heavy. If you were to pick it up just by one leg or by the backpack and it slipped and fell, you might risk damage to the Valk, as the weight of the FPs is extreme. When I pick it up in fighter mode, I usually hold it so that my palm is under the Valk and my thumb and fingers are gently applying sideways pressure to the leg FPs. This keeps the arms from unlocking and dropping and means the Valk is safe from being accidently dropped. Graham

Yes you can make the payload from the begining of DYRL. Here's a couple of pics I previously posted in one of the other 1/48 FP threads. Graham

Running out on the street with a replica (but real looking) M16, that kid's lucky his neighbours didn't call a SWAT team down on his ass. Although airsoft can be fun it it does often lead to somewhat irresponsible and reckless behavior among people who have not recieved proper training in the SAFE use of firearms. Graham

Hear, hear! Well said that man. Couldn't have said it better myself. Graham