David Hingtgen

It's always Kos-Mos V4, the fugly version. V1 is best, followed by V3. I'd buy V2 as well. But there's already been a zillion V4 figures/statues etc, we don't need more. We need a V1 figure, and a V2/V3 anything (other than gashapon).

Is there an achievement for getting every upgrade in the game or something? I'm failing to see the point/effort.

Yup, that's the spot it breaks. I pre-emptively strengthened mine there by drilling a hole through the tab and inserting an old steel drill bit to hopefully reinforce that spot.

No, this plastic is among the worst I've ever dealt with. It repels the paint like few others I've encountered. Anyways, I matched the hue, but as for the intensity and metallicness---not without spending more on new paints than I did for the toy. (I'd need like a ruby red metallic to start with if I want to match every aspect--and it's not worth it for how small the areas are) I'll post pics when I'm done, but don't expect anything "Radicons-worthy".

The collector's edition disc was vastly inferior to the old one. No themes for the 360, no gamer pics, no "the making of" really. Just every trailer packed onto the disc.

I'm still trying to mix up a paint match for the main dark pink color. I've got most of the face painted, I just need a few more details--but matching the factory color has been very difficult.

Wow, this is the most necromanced thread ever. Check the top page. There's multi-year gaps between posts.

Acrylics+toothpicks are the only way I ever get crisp lines nowadays.

The Dominion's kind of all "defeated and retreated". Same as Cardassia, but without the Federation reconstruction help.

I seriously considered going with the USS O'Connor...

That's why I'm waiting before ordering---I don't want a set of feet/hands/shoulders that completely clashes with my Energon set. And they very well may release a recolored set later, that matches the Energon version. (also, we don't even know the main colors for Blast-Off and Swindle yet---totally G1, totally realistic, or somewhere between?) Personally I want a match to G1---that'd actually match the Energon set quite well, as Barricade has a lot of warm silvery plastic, which is close to the head/feet/hand color for G1 Bruticus. Energon Barricade and ROTF Onslaught seem to both have large amounts of "warm silvery grey", though in different areas. Neither quite matches the dull silver of G1 Bruticus, but it's close, so I think the smart thing would be to make the main color of the new accessory parts in "slightly brownish silver" as it should match parts of both versions as well as a G1 homage.

That'll probably be the next main expansion.

Mica is inherently sparkly, it's the main thing used to make metallic paints metallic.

Bigger engines tend to be quieter, simply due to increased bypass ratio. Cold air is quiet air. Slow air is quiet air. Bypass air is cold and slow compared to what goes through the turbine. The more bypass air, the colder and slower the overall exhaust. Note that afterburners are very loud, becuase they speed up the air and increase its heat beyond what's already coming out. Know what's REALLY loud? Air heated to an extremely high temp, being displaced very rapidly---AKA thunder, caused by lightning. The noise of moving air is HEAVILY influenced by its heat and velocity. (as both impart energy, and more energy makes more noise) As for thicker walls/fuselage---not really. All airliners are extremely similar in that regard. The Convair jets are an exception, they had notable thicker skins, and were quieter inside as a result. (good thing too, as they were loud even by early jet standards). It also made them very hard to scrap, the first couple were scrapped at a loss, as the machines simply couldn't chew through them, despite many a 707 and DC-8 being scrapped easily by the same machines. Insulation is added weight, so there's really only enough to help keep the fuselage the right temp (heating and air conditioning costs fuel, so it's worth a bit of weight to save a lot of environmental system use). Noise insulation is more an after-effect, rather than reason for it.

The concepts were SO fugly. It's amazing to realize that what we got in the end was actually the most "tame", least-garish of all the paint schemes proposed. You know, I think I've seen some concept art of Ray's VF-17 too, but never Mylene's. Has there ever been concept art/proposals for Mylene's? Or was "pink VF-11 with boobs" the first idea and they went it it?

Isn't there a 6-month limit on quoting someone?

Because "head-on" is considered the most important aspect for stealth. If you're not stealthy from the front, you're not stealthy. Rear-aspect is next, then sides. As for airliner noise--cabin noise isn't regulated, exterior noise is. Some of the planes that are quietest inside, are noisiest outside. And vice-versa.

Heck no. For level 50-59 vs level 49, you'll start at level 3 instead of level 2, and maybe get 500 more eezo. Getting to level 60 from 49 is impossible, you'd have to play twice more. Now, if you want to play through just to "refresh" the story in your mind and delve deeply into the dialogue and sidequests to enrich the ME 2 experience, then I highly recommend that. But do not do a quick, plot-essential-only runthrough.

New pics of figures---Shep includes a helmet to cover his sucky face sculpt. http://www.figures.com/forums/news/9836-ma...res-update.html Wave 2 better have Samara, and Morinth. Also, since nearly every alternate outfit is merely a color change, every character has a quick and easy repaint for a future wave. Though Miranda may actually need a sculpt change, unless they cheap out and make her deafult outfit "smooth", or somehow print the hexagon pattern. And Mordin's is so subtle it'd be kind of a waste to make (same for Thane).

With how the -19 fits together, how could you possibly change the legs, shoulders, head, and shield and not have to change everything else to make the transformation still work? It SHOULD have everything changed simply to look right, and only changing the most obvious of things means the unchanged parts no longer fit---so you have to change them anyways. A YF-19/Kai hybrid would look even further from the lineart than the YF-19 does. And in the face of Bandai's hi-metal version, it'd be hideous by comparison.

Nied already covered the PAK-FA, (don't forget that while it has aligned edges, they seem to have chosen about a dozen different edges to align to when viewed from above as opposed to the YF-23's 4 or so) but as for 747-800 engines: (I call it the -800, even if no one else does) "Noise" isn't much of a concern to the airlines when they're paying double what they used to for fuel. So long as it's quiet enough to meet the next legal limit, they're happy. The 787 engine is basically a generation newer than the A380 engine. The A380 engine is the last of the previous gen, the 787 engine is the first of the new. Here's a pic showing the new wing and engines decently:

Well, not everyone saved a copy of your "VF-19 variants guide" all those years ago. (and everyone knows I have a critical eye)

Slightly OT, but since the Centaur-class is in the game: Who knew there was a worse kitbash than even the Curry and Yeager class? The Elkins! Yes, it's an Intrepid saucer with Constitution/Miranda nacelles---and the fuselage of an F-14. They even left in the RIO's armrest/consoles. (the F-14 fuselage is facing backwards, but the RIO's 'pit and the spine behind the canopy is quite obvious) www.trekmania.net/the_fleet/utopia/variants/DS9_uss_elkins_top.jpg ::edit:: Darn it, unlinkable, you have to cut-n-paste. PS--some say it's looks more like Elnino, and I agree---despite that "El Nino" is two words.

Tali plays poker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqIxhhhsV40...feature=related

I think nobody will understand how different the -19s really are until they can hold Isamu's in one hand, and Basara's in the other... The YF-22 vs F-22A is probably the best comparison. Everything similar, nothing the same.