David Hingtgen

You may already have these, but these are the CG renders of the VF-0D from Bandai's site back when Zero was airing. They never did put up Shin's though.

A321 sucks, period. Wing is too small and even Airbus knows it. It sold poorly because it is nowhere near as good as the 757. No range, no climb rate, no internal fuel capacity. Similar pax capacity, far lower capability. Simple fuselage/wing size mismatch. You'd have one heck of a short-range, no-loiter tanker if you made a KC-321.

It'll be easy to afford FansProject stuff this year, with how crappy the new official combiner line seems to be. (seriously---you'd think that limb-only TF's with no bot modes, would let Hasbro make BETTER-LOOKING limbs, not worse)

I automatically skip any episode in which Padme (or her twin the duchess) is featured in the preview. Same rule for Jar-Jar.

PM for links to every ep in HD with no commercials.

I just watched the stealth/Trench ep. Pretty good, likely much better than all the "duchess" ones I skipped.

How far can a 787's wings bend? THIS far: ::edit:: Apparently, they did not bend them 'till they broke. Which is unusual, I can't recall an airliner which didn't have its wings bent to destruction to find out the absolute limit. Though both the A330 and A380 had them snap BEFORE 150% was reached. For the 787 they only bent them until they hit 150% above design load, which is all that's required for certification. Now, it's unlikely they would have hit even 155% before breaking, but still---people like to see them snap! Like this: http://www.guzer.com/videos/boeing777_wing_test.php 777 got to 154%. Now, the 767 and 777 are both reported to have had the fuselage start twisting and rippling from the strain once you get around 150%. (in short, the wing-to-fuselage connection is stronger than the fuselage itself--I think)

Found a pic with GE engines and the big probe: http://aerofiles.com/grum-f14b.jpg (can't tell if they're F101 or F110's though---they're VERY similar) Edit---some good pics here, a few I've never seen before: http://www.afwing.com/intro/f14/story-4.htm One with HARMs and bombs (with a D-style chinpod though), and one with the vanes out. I would actually say this particular photo is probably the best to base the kit off of: http://www.afwing.com/images/f14/story/f14b110.jpg Note the chinpod. Also, just knowing what/why the F-14D is how it is, I would guess that while testing F110's in the mid-80's, 157986 did NOT have the bumps ahead of the glove vanes.

Yup. 157986 has one heck of a history. Basically, it has carried nearly every part of an A, B, and D, at one time or another---but rarely in a "correct" assortment. You really do need to find a couple of photos taken about the same time, and base your kit on that. As it is "right now" it's REALLY a mish-mash and I wouldn't recommend building it like that--however, that is what the vast majority of pics show, as it's on the Intrepid now so be wary of any really clear, good pics---they're probably recent! Also--don't build it TOO early. That'd require some very rare engines, like the F401 or F101. Actually, those may be the only engines which use the long nose probe. I'll have to check my books. You've got F110 engines, so that determines what you're going to build of course. I just have to see exactly how you should build it, as I don't think the kit instructions are right at all. Step 9--correct, but also shave off the bump that is molded on the underside of the glove---it's forward and outboard of where E21 goes. Does this kit have the bumps that are RIGHT in front of the glove vanes? If so, they need to go as well. (probably---that plane currently has them, but I bet it didn't in the 80's---another thing I have to check) Step 15--correct. Step 16---may have to use E18 instead of E19. Will have to check. Thought of what it's going to carry yet? This'll be your only chance to put a HARM on a Tomcat: http://www.tomcat521.com/tomcat/walkaround...grumman-14l.jpg

Do you plan to use those exact markings? Because that's the original, one-of-a-kind F-14B prototype, and it's an utter freak, physically, in nearly every way. Being one of the first F-14's ever built, it does have glove vanes. They might even still work. Checking the instructions at 1999.co.jp, I think they're wrong in at least a few spots---that one doesn't have the bumps under the gloves, shouldn't use the N1 gear door, and nose probe, gun vents, and chin pod will all be determined by what year you're modeling. (and even engines---as it sits now, it has TF30's---yet still retains GE-style nibs that don't fit well) They basically just gave you the instructions for a normal F-14B---which will work for every F-14B ever except that exact one. (Hasegawa always shows working glove vanes, no matter what variant/year the kit is for).

The VF-25 painting is VERY nice. (forgot to mention it earlier). Damned realistic, that's the difference between an "artist" and an "aviation artist" when it comes to making a valk look like it could actually be built---all the little things, like the gloves being so much thicker than the wings, the bulges for the rudder actuators, knuckles in the landing gear, etc.

Huh. Playing around a bit post-game, I just found a whole chunk of the world I missed. I don't think it was inaccessible previously, I just sort of "walked right by the entrance" the first time. "Paddra". (anything more would be a spoiler).

Interesting how much more tan the VF-27 kit is compared to the quite green VF-27 toy. (still can't see if they've added tailfin markings though)

So the heads are removable and they just swapped them, or is there actually remolding?

End of Ch 9 is when "everything is revealed". (well, as much as anything in XIII gets revealed). Same time that you get the "major boss fight" music. (which is the best music in the game IMHO, final boss music(s) aren't as good)

It seems that the Tornado version is not only pure white, but has much darker joints and intake covers than the first version. IMHO it has the best coloring so far.

Beat it. Ending was much more "don't know what's going on" than most FF's.

Since I don't have a VF-27 yet, I still don't know exactly what people mean when they describe how to avoid scratching the nose cone. Could someone take pics of those areas and point out what parts should be where, to get that extra bit of clearance between parts? Some people say it's the nose, some say the chest, some say the neckpiece. As for Alto's decals--I did get another replacement decal for the one part I really needed, hopefully I won't need a THIRD one! I'll let you know if I do, thanks so much for remembering though.

Thanks much for the info. Hmmn, "not QUITE so glossy" Future is possible. It's trying to actually make it satin or matte that causes issues. If straight Future is close, it may be possible to mix up a perfect match to the bare plastic. PS--did you Future the nose paint before any damage occurred? Has it held up? With how poor the adhesion seems to be, I fear that the Future will just "hold the paint together, as all the paint comes off in one big perfect piece". Have you identified any other trouble spots? You seem to have identical goals/methods as I do for protecting a VF-27, so I'm interesting in anything you've discovered. I'd rather not clear-coat the whole thing, as that'd just be a lot of unnecessary work and with how tight the clearances on a transforming toy are, I'd like to avoid thickening anywhere--but excessive spot-apps would look bad.

Future is absolutely magic stuff---well-known to most all modelers. But darn useful to VF-27 owners too! It's the best, easiest clearcoat there is. It is ULTRA glossy, and can fairly easily be applied-streak-free and brush-stroke-free---by hand with a brush! I usually see it at Target or Wal-Mart. I actually plan to mask and apply only to the painted areas of the nosecone at first---as it is VERY glossy, and if applied to the whole nosecone would make the nosecone notably more shiny than the rest of the valk. Future can be made more matte, but I've never gotten it to do so evenly/consistently. I'll experiment more with flattening future before my Grace arrives (got plent of time 'till then). If clearcoating the entire valk is necessary I'll probably go with a more "traditional" model paint. Can someone who owns Brera's compare how shiny the plastic and paint is? I'm pretty sure it's shinier than most any Yamato valk. Or really, how smooth is it? Yamato valks often have a subtle nubbly texture to the plastic, while say most Bandai/Hasbro stuff tends to be glass-smooth. I'd like to know what level of shine I've got to match so I can experiment.

Pictorial history of the Admiral Gorshkov to Vikramaditya conversion: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...l=1#post4821907 Not often you see an aircraft carrier on land surrounded by and covered with snow... (I'm sure that'll be in the next Ace Combat)

The B-1 was also originally designed strictly for nukes, both cruise missiles and dropped bombs. The B-1 was so "nuke-only" that there was no consideration in the design given to reloading it, as it was basically a suicide mission. Which caused big problems (and still do) when they adapted it to conventional bombing. Takes FOREVER to reload the thing. ('cuz they were never expected to come back).

They even have their own XB-70. There's not much they DON'T have a counterpart of.

When I get my Grace, I fully intend to open the box, apply Future to the nosecone, and let it sit for the rest of the day. Then probably apply a second coat. THEN take it out of the styrofoam and transform it for the first time.

We already have Agent ONE on this board. He provides all the M7 bashing we need.