LePoseur

On to the super O. Much better here. Better feeling of togetherness, a nice solid fighter all around, although the hook cover for the boosters still likes to pop off. The only kinda bad thing I have to say about Super O is that mine will stay in fighter mode all the time...

Last shot, this time from the back. This gives you a better ieda of how they attached the boosters. The antennas sticking off them and the grey piece coving the hook love to fall off if touched.

Didn't know if the disc should be up or back... It can't go all the way up, and if you put it back you need something to support the valk... guess that's way we only see it in space.

Quick mini gallery before I clean up. First up, the Elint... Now I should say, although I've thought it is kinda cool due to shear gadget factor, I've never been a big Elint fan, I mean, I'd take a normal VF over it anyday. That being said, I was kind of excited to get this one as it is my first one (although I'd gladly trade it for a Bandai )

But which one is your Valk, Mr. Jackson? It's the one that says "Bad Mother-Focker" on it.

and now, just because I know you're wondering... at least I was... Here's the Low-Viz with Roy's on. Not bad, but I'm gonna wait to see what happens. Of course, looks like I already have to buy another set for Hikaru's 1S.... curse you Yamato!

Max showing what a badass he is. With four armor packs you have more cannons than you'll know what to do with.

And here's Roy. One thing I do wish would have been done though... I wish they would have gone with the colored disks for the skulls instead of stickers. For one, Tampo printing is just cool, and then I could make a tougun set without worrying if Hikaru's 1J is really gonna come with the TV armor.

Hikaru's 1A with the covers off. The mini missiles all come out, but only the first four are individual. the rest are molded in sets of two, which is fine by me.

Ok, mini gallery with the best I can do for light, then I have to clean this place up. First up, a family shot Hikaru's 1S is taking the place of Kakizaki's 1A as I haven't got around to painting it green yet.

Nope, not HK, Toyko. So I guess a lot of people on the boards from HK and Japan should have them by now. Hopefully someone with better light and some camera skills can fill in the considerable holes I'm leaving. Here's another blurry photo.

Barrel rolls with the boosters is no problem at all. The main reason for this is you flip up the hook to hold the backpack in fighter mode as well.

And Minmei... Cute, but at 1/60 and stuffed in a small cockpit, don't expect too much OK?

One more on the tail differences

Hi guys, sorry, typed a big thing about the tails being different from the regual VF1's but like an idiot hit the preview post and then back button and lost it. Short version: Backpacks are different. Not only the stem, but the size of the vertical stabs and of course the degree (about 45) at which these packs are mounted. Any conversions will be work... not impossible, but work. sorry about the pics, I never said I was a cameraman. In a side note, while none of the above really bothers me, the fact that the stem the dish sits on is hinged at both ends kinda disapoints me. The dish rides up too high for me, and I wish I could lower it a bit, but with the system as it is now, it's really at the only height it can sit at without being tilted. **Note** I was wrong about the bump in the folding section, is should go perpendicular to the body, it's just that with the bulge on the pack I didn't want to force it and end up cracking it. It takes a lot of presure though and makes a nasty crack when it pops into place. *scary*

Hehe, and yes, it was a lot like Christmas.

A bit further back. Homebrew 1S Hikaru and double loaded 1A Max showing off.

OK, FAST packs are here. The four I ordered and my Elint and Super-O all came today... making it a little like X-mas. Also good thing that the GF was not here, as I think I'd have been skun alive. The stuff just looks expensive. FAST packs are cool, cool, cool. Sticker sheet could use some work, as is par with Yamato, but it does include the tougun symbol and Kakizaki's skull. It also has, for the hardcore, little Tako Pie and Bud stickers to go on the mini- missiles. Had a laugh when I saw that. The boosters are heavy! I guess that's why Yamato included the new back piece. The hook from before sometimes just isn't enough. I think it's cool though, as it covers that unsightly hole behind the head as well. Sorry for the short review and especially for the bad pictures. (Does it show I have a problem when I spend all my money on toys and still haven't bought a living room lamp since I moved into this place about 12 months ago?) Anyhow, have to play and maybe in the morning I'll take pictures again.

Short answer: Yes, it is.

While it is easy to get a "holier than thou" attitude with this topic so easily, I found it's really, really hard to find someone who is "bootleg-free" these days (I know I'm not) - be it DVDs, mp3s, computer software, including unregistered shareware. On the filp side of this, I've also had the experience at my company of having our work/data stolen, and it's not very fun. In fact, dealing with some of the little thieves by email was a bit of an enlightenment, as they had convinced themselves they had done nothing wrong. I guess what I wanted to say was, everyone draws their own moral line about how much is ok, but just remember that all of it is still stealing.

Manga's getting sold? Man, can only hope that someone with a working brain gets to run the show this time. And yeah, where the hell is my Gunbuster DVDs? Already bought the R2's out of frustration, but could always go for a R1 version.

Pretty much what most people have mentioned. One extra point, and I really don't know why this wasn't done in the first place: I want the palms of the hands to have a peg that the hole of the gunpod can attach to. I'm tired of my Valks being unable to hold their weapons. So much so that I never display them with them unless they are just slung on the arm. Eazy fix = happy LePoseur Of course, this feature must also be included on the awesome swappable DYRL hands that Yamato can only not make if they are rationally impaired or flat out sadistic bastaches.

Hehe, the odd flip side to North America's freezing theaters is Tokyo's roasting ones. Many new-style theaters have sprung up outside the monopoly zones in the citys that are immune to this, but watching a summer blockbuster in Tokyo can be a lession in pain and endurance. First there is the size of the old theathers, easily seating 1,500 people (counting the balcony) then there is the general lack of AC to counter all of these peoples' body heat and the heat outside. Top all of that off with seats that were designed with at the "Pack 'em In" school of sadistic furniture design and a gaijin size body, and you'd be lucky if you ever want to see a movie again. Watching Episode I under these conditions was double tourture! Sweaty forearms sticking to wooden armrests are no fun.

Yeah, it is a factor. The PS version was able to sidestep this (a bit) by having flashback episodes to the original series, which I might add was really cool, as the improvements to the series by that time really made it nice to see the old boys again. I am a bit torn about which old control system I like better though. Between the PS releases I like Zeta for having more of a feeling of what I think it'd be like to pilot a mecha, but CCA's slightly arcade-tweaked contol made for a fun "beer & Pretzels" vs. game.

As long as they had, say 45 min to one hour breaks between films and showed no advertisements before any of the films (or at least the second two) I think it'd be great. Of course I'm still bitter about Japan getting each move a full three months after just about EVERY OTHER COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, but that could just be me. Not to mention DVD's on Oct. 10th and then Dec. something.... *bah!* Harry Potter on the other hand is almost the same fricken day... *boils in disgust* Oh well... enjoy it guys, I wish I could be there.