Vifam7

I'd not heard of that, and my first TomyTec kit is on its way from HLJ. Does normal cement just not work, not work well, or what? (because I tend to avoid CA when possible, especially on painted areas) I use it for reinforcing or gap-filling, not "primary method of adhesion".

From my experience , normal model kit cement didn't work that well. Possibly due to that fact that almost every single piece is pre-painted. Instead of melting the plastic for adhesion, I might have been just melting the paint - which has the potential of ruining the paint job.

Also, some of the pieces don't have guide pins or are microscopically small ( like the pitot tubes) so it's generally better to get those pieces stuck on immediately IMO.

Link to decent CA glue vifam?

I use the Loctite Super Glue Ultra Liquid Control which you can find at your local Home Depot.

http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/4/2/sg_ul_cntrl/overview/Loctite-Super-Glue-ULTRA-Liquid-Control.htm

I just put a drop or 2 on a plate then use a toothpick to apply.

So I just got a Tomy Tech Su-37 from HLJ. I will say that these are gorgeous little kits.....BUT.......I was wrong in my assumptions as to what these are. What they are, are straight up model kits. I was thinking you would be able to swap gear from extended and retracted, or swap out engine nozzles ect....but you can't. These are not Plamo's, my Su-37 requires glue to assemble, so you need to pick how you want to build your model. Unless their Macross kits are different, then the Gerwalk kit is a rip-off because they are making you buy 2 kits to make one, but you won't be able to disassemble the kit after it is made....so it's a waste. All done so THEY don't have to package a 3rd box with just Gerwalk parts.

Chris

This was pretty much expected. Gerwalk is the least popular mode so they followed what Wave did with their 1/100 scale kits.

Personally I don't find it to be that big a deal. While i can understand the annoyance of having to buy two kits just to get gerwalk mode, the need to be able to swap modes in his scale is not something necessary or wanted IMHO.

I haven't built the Su-37 yet but I have built the F-15, F-4, Mitsubishi F-2, and Messerschmitt Me109 from the Tomytec line. The Mitsu F-2 is a small fighter in the VF-1 class so yeah, it's pretty small. Though not a small as the Me109!

Just to warn folks, don't think of these Tomytec kits building up like Gunpla. Things are not always going to snap together like Gunpla. The kits do require a bit of glue and hobby knife work. Personally, I recommend using CA glue instead of regular model kit glue for these kits.

Well I preordered all the yamatos I bought. So full price with no discount for me!!! And like Mommar said the lowest price cuts were $110 for the standalone VF-1A's.

I got my Hikari 1A for $75 shipped at HLJ. Back in 2009 IIRC. What a steal that was.

If Arcadia were to just tampo print this release like Bandai does, I think there'd be more enthusiasm and less moaning about the price.

The issue with the Bandai models is not so much the difficulty but rather the amount of work needed to get it done. Since it's a transforming kit, there's a lot of pieces to put together - and that means lots of time needed to get it done. Also, due to the need to put together all the joints and internal parts, the buildup doesn't allow for easy painting (a big negative with modelers who like to paint).

That said, the kits are already pre-colored, so if you're just going to snap it together, put on the decals, and call it done, then there won't be much problems.

because that crap is expensive, and we're no gonna be sticking it on grunt planes.

It would make more sense to stick it in every grunt plane and bring down the costs using economies of scale.

More pics

Better pics of the Tomtec VF-31 seen here: http://ameblo.jp/digitamin/entry-12149549657.html

Fighter mode looks awesome!

Sent payment for 2 sets of the blue-striped version.

The poor clearance of the gear covers and angled back legs remind me a bit of line art for the YF-19 undercarriage. Looks to me like the base design is Kawamori but typical under detailed-ness of Bandai kit landing gears. DX version will likely look better.

I would think its much easier to implement in pure fighter mode, since hasegawa fighters do not transform. Just a matter of plugging in landing gears, so the proportions should be sleeker.

Also hoping that Hasegawa provides bigger wheels. It's my personal nitpick when it comes to Valkyrie landing gears.

Hi guys,

I'm selling my Yamato VFC Series 1 and Series 2 figures. 26 figures total. 6 of them are still in their boxes unopened. 4 are still in their plastic baggies unopened. And the remaining are loose. I am selling all 26 as a set. I will not part it out.

All are in good condition.

Price: $30 SOLD

Also for sale -

Bandai HCM Pro Jegan (MISB)

Price: $20

Bandai HCM Pro Re-GZ (MISB)

Price: $20

Bandai HCM Pro RX-93 Nu Gundam (has been on display but still in very good condition)

Price: $25

Shipping will be $10 flat fee to anywhere in the US whether you buy one item or several. Sorry, I will not ship outside US (except Canada).

Please PM me if interested.

Payment by Paypal only please.

4th one is Ryu Knight

6th one is Idol Tenshi Youkoso Yoko

7th one is from Jushin Liger

8th one is Saint Tail

Honestly though - I think simply having a warm, smiling, "human" superman would have gone a long way - he can still be darker, he can still be doubt-ridden and complicated, but it seems like Snyder is trying to turn Superman and Lex Luthor into Batman and Joker. I don't think it's a spoiler to say that this superman poses and broods when he rescues someone (and we don't even see him do that enough) whereas Christopher Reeve's version comforted and cheered the people he rescued - it felt like he did it because he enjoyed it and because he cared, not because it was a burden.

I'd have to agree with the above. And personally I find this MoS/BvS version of Superman as rather unlikeable. Which is sad because I should be rooting hard for Superman.

The maintenance costs for the A-10 are far lower than any other aircraft we are currently using. As a matter of fact the B-1 has a higher operational cost than the F-22, this is according to the latest findings by the DOD. Also the A-10 is far more reliable than the other platforms they break far less and can be maintained in far more austere environments than the fast movers. I know from experience working with B-1 maintenance crews and talking to them that in order to fly 1 mission they have to have 3 ready on hand, 2 primaries and 1 spare since the turn time on them is counted in hours. The B-1 has evolved to fill a niche. Without it they would have been retired also. But to condemn an aircraft that performs its mission to the letter because it is low tech is not smart when you fighting a low tech war, which is what we are fighting now. The USAF mismanaged budgets and personnel cuts/moves are the primary drivers in this debate in Washington. Again I watched the AF cut bodies without regards to future needs of the force. It is an inherent belief within the active AF maintenance fields that the flying mission has taken a back seat to the nonner mission (non sortie producers) which ironically is to support the flying mission. Somewhere along the way in the past 20 yrs the vision of the AF has turned from fly and fight to type, file and be a personal trainer. The AF is now trying to cover its collective ass by stealing man power from other airframes for the F-35.

The die is already cast. You can't go back and cancel the F-35. The F-35 is going into service whether we like it or not and will be asked to perform all roles including CAS. How well it will do.. well, we shall see (For now, anything written or said by Pierre Sprey, "defense experts", and journalists should be taken with a grain of salt IMHO) . But I do believe that the A-10 could have a place&role in the AF inventory. However, in this era of tight budgets (which isn't likely to improve), the AF is going to cut somewhere and we know it's not going to be the F-35. And of all the platforms to drop, the A-10 seems like the most logical choice?

Col Kay must be rolling in his grave right now after how hard he fought to have the USAF keep the CAS role.

Thing is, most Hog pilots I know would jump over to army in a heart beat if they received the planes. Maybe the Army should take back the role and fixed wing CAS. Lord knows that the F-35 will never be able to do the job with any kind of success.

That's silly. The F-35 could probably do CAS just fine. Probably better than the A-10 (due to its sensor suite). F-16s, Strike Eagles, Hornets, and Harriers also do CAS you know. Heck, even the B-1 has done CAS. The A-10 is not the only fixed wing CAS asset out there.

I don't think the Frontier kits were even bad exactly, they looked just fine if you put enough work into them... the amount of work required was the biggest roadblock though.

Having built the Bandai VF-27 and VF-1 kits, this I agree. Lots of work required and a few areas of frustration. But I still had fun building them.

I'll buy at least one VF-31J and one VF-31A (if it happens). Both will likely be custom paint jobs.

I'm not in Japan but seeing as the international sellers depleted stocks pretty quick I don't think there's too much of a concern that this thing didn't sell well. It kind of shows you how crazy the Hi-Metal market is that a few weeks after release the fact they can still be found in stores make people worry that it's not selling well enough.

Well, if it's not selling well and there's lots of unsold stock, perhaps we'd be seeing a restock at HLJ very soon with the "one per customer" limit lifted?

Talking of the B-52, apparently Dale Brown was right...

http://www.defensetech.org/2016/03/11/pentagon-arsenal-plane-may-take-the-form-of-a-modified-b-52/

grigolosi, having taken several long-distance flights I can sympathize with the fighter pilots needing something to pass the time; its bad enough in an airliner with all its passenger "comforts", what its like in an F-16 I can't imagine...

At least the F-16 is a fast jet and has a semi-reclined seat. Must be utter hell for A-10 pilots in their uber-slow jets to go across the pond (ie. cross the Atlantic). A-10s cruise significantly slower than the average widebody...

It is fairly famous (especially when internet "discussions" turn to the subject of Close Air Support), I think it even turned up in an episode of "Airwolf" once.

Not sure if it was on Airwolf but it was definitely in the third Iron Eagle movie as a fictional Messerschmitt jet.

United Airlines is moving up the retirement of their 747s.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/03/08/united-buys-more-737s-plans-retire-747s/81472534/

While it's an understandable move, I just hate that 747s are becoming history in much of the world's passenger airliner fleets.

1/20 is popular in Japan. I thought the same thing too at first, and then said, "oh yeah, forgot." Same thing with 1/60th scale. We're victims of different cultures Then again, the different cultures are bringing us some GREAT models! - MT

I've never heard of 1/20 being a popular scale. What's in 1/20 scale? Perhaps you're confusing it with 1/24 scale?

Personally, I think it should be 1/18 scale to fit in with some of the pre-built aircraft model stuff out there or 1/12 scale to fit in with their own figma action figures line.

Did anyone order the Amazon exclusive? The only negative reviews I'm reading (with the help of Google Chrome translate) is saying that the limited slip cover is pretty lousy and not worth the extra cost...

Anyone in the know have any thoughts on this?

I purchased the Amazon exclusives of DYRL and Macross Plus. Objectively speaking, I too would say that the slipcases are rather lame. But I kinda like them for the simple look.

Front side:

Backside:

I suspect this will be an association that will allow all the stake holders to make products from other members' licenses and the profits will be collectively distributed. It would be an insulator against one company assuming all the risk to produce items for niche markets and collectors.

I highly doubt that the profits will be collectively distributed. No company would ever agree to such a term.

I believe this is a licensing strategy by Big West in which they spread out the license so that each company can get a piece of the pie but don't have to pay expensive licensing fees since what they can make is carefully defined.

One answer to the USMC infatuation with placing STOVL's on the amphib carriers is directly related to USMC aviation doctrine. If you ask any Marine pilot what their purpose is and they will tell you "support the ground pounder Marines". The entire purpose of Marine aviation is to support their ground operations. With their deployable forces stationed on the Amphib carriers they see the best option as having their MAW/MAG support right there with them.

The problems I see with that (in relation to STOVL aircraft) is the following -

1. The amphib carrier typically only carries like 6 F-35Bs. 20 at most if the helos are eliminated. Better than nothing but really, that isn't much to work with IMHO (particularly knowing that fixed wing air ops on an amphib is nowhere near that of an actual carrier).

2. In any amphib operation, I would assume a supercarrier and its aircraft (that are far more capable) will also be involved in supporting the troops. So why the need for a handful of jump jets on an amphib?

3. Any major operation is going to be an all-out joint operations warfare. Meaning... Marine Corps troops on the ground isn't restricted to getting air support from just Marine aviation. So again, why need a handful of jump jets? Just so a few Marine jets are real nearby on an amphib? I don't know, I'm no expert, but the whole idea of jump jets seems like a complete waste of money to me.