David Hingtgen

So Unicron is basically the same engineering as the original Leader Movie Jetfire?  (I actually did try to separate the two, and if not for one pin/part on the upper spine that was IMPOSSIBLE to remove, I could have had a separate robot, and SR-71 toys...)   

Tuning in. 

I can't figure out what 32 is either.  They're certainly slime-light-esque in shape and design, but the color is so off, and valks generally don't have them at all.   They're light green when on, and beige-sand when off (NOT bright yellow, like every Hasegawa kit ever would have you believe).   Never dark green.   

Kawamori is an F-15 fan, and the current hotness is the F-15EX, the upgraded F-15E (though really more like a replacement for the D?).   So VF-31AX for upgraded VF-31A?   And we could call it Stormbreaker...

1 hour ago, Anasazi37 said:

Using @Lolicon's list, the close-up shots of the PF that were posted by @tekering, and some eyeballing of my own, these look to be the parts of the sticker sheet that I have to worry about (on the right):

That's not too bad. I'll fix the KEEP CREAN text and add SDF-01B and SDF-018 for the upper stabilizers

"KEEP CLEAN" is possible but rare, "KEEP CLEAR" is much more common. Depends on how far off you believe it is from the original...

Oh, I love the 3000.   Very neat backpack/wing/fin integration.   

I think a sheet of black and red dry-transfers of generic aircraft stencil markings could get you about 90% of the way from 'regular' to 'premium' markings in a few mins...

If it somehow gets Roid's coloring though, it would look amazing as a new Elvis-valk...

Hmmmn---it's actually not as big a change as I thought, to the wings.   The trailing edge and tip are the same as the -31A, it's only the dogtooth that was extended forward.   

:edit:  Could the canopy be hinged at the front now, YF-19 style?   It seems to taper a lot.  Or maybe a 'cyber canopy' like the VF-27 or Sv-262?  

I like the original -31A better.  Will have to see what paint it gets, and if -31A gets a rerelease....

Looks like it practically has gunpods on the arms now.  

That LONG barrel under the belly looks to also be VF-27-inspired.  (seems mounted further back that the -27 does, possibly even behind the exhausts?)

Sure it wasn't SDF-Z?  

31 minutes ago, tekering said:

It's got pedigree, though.  SDF-018 has appeared on most toy and model representations of the VF-4, 'cause it was there on the very first: the Musashiya garage kit...

 

...and rumor has it Kawamori himself did the box art. 

I'm far from an expert, but that sure does look like his art to me...

Anasazi---you can put me down for a set of VF-4 decals once you've got them done.  I don't even have a VF-4 yet (plan to wait for a sale), but I want a set anyways, just to be ready.     

Nobody's posted yet that HLJ is offering surface shipping now for the US?  Says it takes 1-3 months, but I can wait. (been 11 months already I think?)  I shipped everything I had the moment I got their email announcing it.   $40 instead of $110 for DHL/FedEx.   

On 2/14/2021 at 7:27 PM, Lolicon said:

Ended up using a mechanical pencil for most of it. 

Thanks, that was my guess.  Did you seal it at all, or is there a risk of smudges etc?

On 2/13/2021 at 11:33 AM, Lolicon said:

Thanks! It took a couple of hours as I ended up doing much of it by hand because the lines are fine and shallow so as to be almost non-existent. I'll compare it to Arcadia's factory version when the PF arrives.

So did you do a wash in the end?  (you said it was too shallow for a "simple wash"----and I know just how shallow Arcadia panel lines can be)  Inking/pens?  Or mechanical pencil?   

I think I will snag one, so-----cheapest place to get one shipped to the US?  Looks like Hobby Search has a lower base price than HLJ, but I've never shipped anything large at all from there, and certainly not during "COVID restrictions".    Suggestions?     My HLJ warehouse pile is still "too expensive to ship regardless, until COVID is over", so I don't really intend to add to it.   I'd probably ship this alone from there, if it came to that.   

::edit::  Or, I may just bite the bullet and ship EVERYTHING, if I order from HLJ.   Anyone have recent experience with say, 2 large kits (like, very large MG's)----currently HLJ wants $109 DHL vs $112 Fedex to ship my current warehouse pile, due purely to bulk it seems.  Would adding a VF-4 bump it up to insane $200 shipping levels, or would it make little difference at this point?   (I do notice that either kit alone is $60 to ship, regardless of which one, and both together are $109---but I can add all the other little kits and goodies at that point, and it still stays at $109)   

17 minutes ago, danth said:

I just realized one thing I don't like about this figure. That chest and torso look like they could come from a sofubi toy. Soft and squishy, very rounded, and no sharp detail. Almost like those old shampoo bottles they would make in the 80's in the shape of your favorite characters (not sure if they still make them).

It's almost like they were going for the S3/Movie aesthetic, on an 84/85 character.  HotRod and Kup and Springer and Galvatron are "rounded" like that, but not the seekers.   

So is that Max one, molded about 50/50 blue/white, and "only the bits that need it" are painted?  

I'm thinking about maybe snagging the regular edition.   My last new valk was the 31C.     

I'm seeing very few differences between PF and regular---asides from panel-lines, like slightly different rescue warnings on the nose, and by the main gear doors?  I'm thinking I can just panel-line it myself, and have it be 99% of the way towards being the PF edition.   Am I missing something, or is it really just "panel lines, and like 2 small tampo prints"?  
 

I couldn't find good fighter-mode pics to compare, GERWALK seems to be the only ones where they took same pics same angle, for regular and PF.   

I must admit, the same worry came to my mind, not long after watching WW84.  (I had HUGE hopes for that movie).   

7 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Unrelated to either of these 2 films....HBO Max has all (?) of the Studio Ghibli Films and have been catching up on them....none I have watched so far are better than the ones I had previously seen, which were Nausicaa, Laputa, and Howl's Moving Castle.........had never seen My Neighbor Totoro before, but I found it slow and boring....and I can barely get myself to continue watching Princess Mononoke.....if I did not have the HBO Max free trial I would probably just give up on the rest....may end up doing that and watch the Lovecraft Country instead...

I'm using my "trial" month to catch up on Ghibli too.   I'd recommend Spirited Away, you didn't mention having seen that one yet, and it's one of, if not THE best IMHO.   But I'd rank 2 and 3 as Laputa and Howl's, so even considering the overall quality of the group, you'll be hard-pressed to find ones better than what you've already seen.   

Aviation enthusiast rants:

#1. 

#2. 

I like the theory that was actually 

plan.   The original EU lives!

I plan to wait for either a black J-20 (Skywarp!) or see how the Flanker turns out---I suspect that they might only do PLAAF schemes, and not any "proper" Russian Su-33 schemes.   Some Su-33's have awesome aquatic camo I'd love to have.   But I feel that might be "admitting" it's a copy, and against the super-strong "Look at what China can do, totally independently, utterly unique designs unlike anything anyone else has!" vibe they seem to be going for.       

And of course---it's wrong in so many ways, but I'd buy it in a second: