Vifam7

Forgot where I saw it, bu the USAF is grounding A-10's due to reports of stress fractures on the wings.

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That's too bad. Also, didn't they have a similar problem with F-15's a few months ago?

The entire air force is getting old fast due to high usage.

Earlier this year, there was a news report about how the USAF is now a "geriatric air force".

Great build and equally good review.

Now if I can only get off my ass and actually start building my kit... but first I have to finish my VF-1 that's still in mid-build stage...

What kind of wash did you use?

FYI, the Naval F-16 carried Sparrows on the main gear doors.

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well, that's.... different.

Karl

But not as weird as those Brits who put Sidewinder missiles (Jaguar) or fuel tanks (Lightning) on top of the wings.

I can understand having a dozen or so kits, maybe... some kits sell out fast.

But how come most of you buy 2+ of the same kit?

Do you REALLY think you're going to have to time to build each one more than once, or do you just enjoy staring at those boxes in your storage spaces?

Even if I had all the money in the world, I still couldn't see myself buying more than 1 of each model, unless it was one of my favorites and I needed an extra one to practice on.

Some of us buy a 2nd copy of the same kit as an insurance policy for when we screw up.

Ah, but like the VF-1 the VF-25 has a lot of color schemes that can be produced to milk the mold. Not as many as with the VF-1, but still a fair amount: Alto, Ozma, Michel, Lucca, Cannon Fodder, M-zero stand in, Sheryl scheme (All that VF), Ranka scheme (All that VF), and 25th Anniversary (All that VF). Being much larger of a company, I think the cost of materials would be negligible for Bandai concerning the size of the VF-25.

Unlikely Bandai would make DX VF-25s past Lucca. Maybe a cannon fodder if you're lucky. Bandai doesn't seem to exploit a franchise with chogoukins like they do with model kits. Not even Gundam.

I can see that making for an interesting engagement actually - the Spit was designed with the dogfight in mind, whereas the Lightning was.....not so much for the turning. A bit of a mismatch actually, and the sort of extreme case likely to give odd results.

I remember reading somewhere that the Top Gun training program also included some DACT involving F4U Corsairs.

Btw the Lightning was a very agile jet fighter.

The thing is though, I'm not sure whether there has been any real work done on the baseline stuff for navalising a Typhoon - like undercarriage loading, corrosion resistance issues. It may well be that it would be a case of having to start from scratch, and it is anyones guess if we are going to be able to afford that in the near future. With the Rafale or the S'Hornet all of that work is already done. On the other hand the tabloid press would be jumping up and down screaming if we bought a French aircraft.... which almost makes me want it to happen just for the hilarity of watching the reaction.....

Supposedly a study was done to see if navalizing a Typhoon was do-able. What jet aircraft that was designed as a land based aircraft ever converted for carrier use? I can only think of one - the British Hawk - which became the T-45 Goshawk.

fair enough but have you realised that you will not be able to put the gun pod in fighter mode with the gears down with michel ?

Assuming that the landing gears will be exactly as the prototypes show it as. And assuming that Michel's Valk will have the same gears. Who knows. Maybe the gears will be the right length when finalized. Or maybe the gunpod will be craftily made to fit underneath. Or maybe when Bandai gets to Michel's 25, they realize they have to go back to the drawing boards.

Awacs, if I were you, I'd wait for the DX Michel version to come out since that one is confirmed as coming with fast packs. Not to mention, if there are any defects to the first DX Alto, those issues may be solved by the time Bandai gets to Michel's 25.

As for the gundam markers themselves is there a good place to get them or any generic thin tipped marker since I don't have one anymore? I can probably find it by searching but I figure someone here would know a good place.

Try gundamstoreandmore.com for Gundam markers. I suggest getting the "Sumiire Gray Paint Marker #21". It's acrylic based and comes out easy with water if you make a boo boo.

What do you guys think of the whole F-35 controversy? http://www.military.com/news/article/criti...l=1186032320397

This was latest article criticising the F-35.

Ok, I have a few translation requests:

1. http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=58627 2nd row, the 2 right-most blocks. Seems to be something about dealing with foil stickers on the pelvis---that would be VERY helpful, as those will be required regardless of whether you choose water or clear stickers for the rest of the valk.

It says that you should paint those gaps not covered by the stickers.

2. http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=...st&id=58625 The entire botom row. Something about reducing the appearance of sprue scars. But I have no idea what the 2nd pic is showing.

It says that you could reduce the appearance of sprue scars by using Gundam marker (of a similiar color to the plastic).

So do you really think that Bandai underestimated the demand for this kit or did places like HLJ and Rainbowten under order? I find it hard to believe that the kit is out of production like the HLJ site says less than a week after it hit the shelves.

Steve

It's not out of production. It just means that the initial stocks that were shipped from Bandai's factory have all sold out at the retailers. Another shipment is likely to hit the retailers in due time.

Any popular model kit can quickly go out of stock.

Wow lots of arguments in here.

hehe I don't get it:

how come so many people celebrate the classic chunky munky vf-1 for being so cool due to it being so strong....but

when the vf-25 tries to be like a chunky munky (sturdy toy) it gets bashed so much? You guys have double standards.

The old Takatoku toy is a product of its time so it gets a bit of leeway. The DX toy is a product of today so naturally expectations are sky high. Ie. we want perfect sculpt and sturdiness and low price!

Ofcourse easier said than done.

Theoretically Kawamori could take Macross II re-edit it, retcon the details like the timeline and then re-insert it as part of the official Macross chronology. Call it MACROSS II ~ A NEW TRANSLATION BY S. KAWAMORI.

I guess they learned their lesson now, seeing as Hasegawa was profiting quite well from Macross kits Bandai probably thought, "Hey we're being left behind, time to catch up!" Now that I think about it, their reissues of the other Macross kits might be a way to "test the waters" so to speak. But I digress...

Ofcourse one has to realize that the Mac2 and Mac7 kits were designed before even the first HGUC or MG Gunpla. Hasegawa has nothing to do with Bandai having to catch up or learning a lesson. Perhaps the success of the Hase kits may have convinced Bandai to sponsor another Macross anime but that's pure conjecture.

They release those old kits more as a nostalgia gift to a contingent of old school fans who actually want them. Kinda like how they re-release the ancient early 80s Gundam models even though HGUC and MG kits are readily available.

And I do hope they make re-hashes of the past VF kits. Perfect transformation VF-1 kit, anyone?

It could happen. It all depends on how well the Frontier Valk kits sell and whether Kawamori wants to continue the Macross franchise on the heels of Frontier.

That little pic of the parts to swap -

the pieces on the left side - for fighter mode

the 2 pieces in the middle - for gerwalk mode

the pieces on the right side - for battroid mode

I think some of the parts are duplicated on the right and left sides.

That model kit makes me wish I didn't stink at building models, otherwise I would snap that up insted of the toy.

Why not give it a try? Bandai kits are snap fit so they are much easier to put together and they come pre-colored. It's not like you have to glue, putty, sand, and paint like most other plastic kits.

Snap it together, put the stickers on, and you're done. Only tool you'd need would be a sprue cutter and maybe a hobby knife.

It'll still look pretty decent.

hiya, im interested in getting this model kit, but was wondering if its hard to put together? is it snap fit? how does it look without paint? anyone have a pic of it just built and decals applied? =]

For goodness sake, just go back a few pages on this thread and read! Your questions have been answered many times already with plenty of links and pics to help you.

Maybe there ought to be a sticky FAQ for this kit.

Looks like the kit is selling out in many places. This is a very good sign.

If these kits sell well, Bandai will have more reasons to release more versions and perhaps fund another anime series.

Let me add that the shoulder connection points look really fragile looking and doesn't look like its part of the upper torso at all. Kinda bad design there.

Fragility shouldn't be an issue if that part will be made of metal as hinted so far.

If anyone's wondering here's someone's build with absolutely no painting, no panel lining, and no stickers/decal put on. http://usjma.net/c-board/c-board.cgi?cmd=o...=322;id=entame2

Lots of good photos.

Looks like it'll mainly be made of ABS plastic. It says - painted ABS model.

They better figure out a way to insert landing gears!

No landing gears = no buy for me.

Can anyone translate the text underneath the Super Pack image?

Basically it says that the Super Packs are in development. but the big banner says "to be sold separately".

However, in the second scan that Graham gave us, the text says Luca and Michelle's versions will come with the super packs included.

The prototype in the HJ article contains the transformation system.

Gundam marker paint as in the big chisel tip markers?

Yes.

Does it work well for the panel-lining pens?

Yes.

Gundam marker eraser pen? That's a new one to me. Does it live up to its name and it works awesomely, or is just like alcohol in a pen?

Pretty much thinner in a pen. Works fantastically on Gundam marker paint. I think the thinner in it is formulated specifically for Gundam marker paint.