David Hingtgen

I'm still not sure if EA counts views to a character page or the profile, so here's my profile page too: http://social.bioware.com/profile/6720 Anyways---combat in DA is a chore to me. EVERY fight is tough. Most encounters take multiple attempts. IMHO it's just flat-out due to enemy numbers. No matter how buff my tanks are, they cannot withstand 4-6 dudes pounding on them, while the mages are setting them on fire, without my personal help---and my PC is usually burning, frozen, AND stunned, since nearly every encounter is an ambush and you're surrounded by mages who will toss out EVERY status effect spell there is right at the beginning. I can't tell you how many times I have died before I could even do a single move, due to just being SWARMED by enemies/effects right at the beginning. Apparently once you hit level 12 everything changes due to certain moves opening up, but right now, I'm struggling a lot. And I don't *think* I suck---having played KOTOR, Jade Empire, and Mass Effect multiple times each I think I know Bioware's ways. Plus having played console RPGs since FF1 and DW1 through FF12 and Oblivion. But most encounters go like this: Die very quickly the first 3 or 4 attempts, then win easily the 4th or 5th try-----doing basically the exact same thing every time. The winning battle usually involves me figuring out which way to run like hell at the very beginning to try to dodge SOME of the mega-mage-assault, so I'm only burned, instead of frozen and burning and stunned. Healing is a major issue---healing spells are uncommon and I don't really want Wynne in my party. But if you give a character a tactic to drink potions at 25% health, they'll just guzzle a dozen in a battle. Plus, you can't drink potions when you're stunned and frozen and burning, and characters seem unable to use items on other characters. SO many times I've watched 3/4 of the party just sit there and die, because they're stunned and burning, and the mages/archers etc just keep stunning them. PS---yes, reviving sucks due to view. There was one boss fight I never could revive someone, as I couldn't find their body to aim the spell! In short---I love the story and world, but really don't like the battle system.

QC and the molds are not materials. LEGO's main asset are the molds and their QC. Also, I've never seen a "normal" toy with mold tolerances anywhere near LEGO, and I'd assume they don't typically have molds of the same class. Certainly not any Yamato has. (yes, that's a knock on Yamato---their molds are rough, and always have been)

Going slight back on-topic, AFAIK, for most any kit/toy, cost of materials is one of the smallest factors. Changing materials might lower the price by a small percentage, but there's nothing you could use to chop 20% off or something.

Now see if I had a Challenger, I would so get those wheels and possibly the hood pins.

Played WAY too much Dragon Age today. Did the entire Tower of Magi. Also, Bioware's social site is still WAY behind. Strangely, it records achievements almost immediately, but it's still showing inital equip for appearance, has stats from 15 hours ago, and equipment from 10 hours ago. (game-play hours, not real hours) I was hoping that today's update might show my current armor (which rocks) but it still shows "lost it 2 hours into the game" basic leather. ::edit:: Updated most stats, but still shows everything from the beginning. ::edit 2:: Oh, it seems the website only updates for those who get visits to their profile. Which is like counter-circular logic, as I don't "show" it to anyone because it hasn't updated ever and still just has the base level one equipment/appearance. Ah well, if anyone wants to help, go check out my character's page: http://social.bioware.com/playerprofile.ph...;nid=2298482811 (no, I don't go updating it or anything---it's automatically generated simply by playing when your 360's online---but I would like to show my character to a person or two, without trying to photograph an LCD TV)

I thought Alternators didn't sell well due to the HUGE gap between the early releases, and the fact that after the first couple---they all seemed the same. There were really only 2 or 3 basic designs, just different body panels. Plus the frankly frustrating transformations---so many parts that Z-folded in just 2 or 3mm, with hinges so tight you couldn't imagine they were supposed to move, combined with parts that LOOKED hinged that weren't, or parts that moved that weren't supposed to due to loose tolerances. It really didn't help that Hasbro simplified the instructions, which was most evident and "really made it harder than necessary" with Smokescreen/Bluestreak. I've compared the US and JP instructions---the JP ones have more steps---and they help! Hasbro actually eliminates a few, and they often are "little" ones that show exactly where that little 3mm Z-fold goes and what it does. Hasbro just says "move the arm over here" while the Takara ones show "unlatch this, fold that over there, THEN there's room to move the arm over there, if it's rotated 180 degrees first, then again afterwards".

Nope. Different feet, different arms, different upper legs, different shield, and different wingroots. And a different upper torso (it looks similar, but needs to be heavily resculpted to accomodate the different shoulders/shield). And I'm just talking about shape differences that'd need new sculpts. Nearly every other piece (the few reusables like nosecone and crotch plate) would need re-tooling, as the verniers and sensors etc are all different. PS---don't forget new tailfins.

If the white is the same as the 1/48, Pollyscale's "Reefer White" was the closest match I found.

And still not a single anything for Grace.

Yeah----my -21 won't have the back plate that flush no matter what---even with the legs and belly plates entirely removed from the plane. I can't even force/hold it in place that well-aligned.

If anyone has a spare decal for the head of Alto's, I could use it.

I'll add in that if you like the banter among your party members from ME or KOTOR, you'll *love* it in DA. And if you're a Farscape (or Stargate) fan, Claudia Black voices a main character.

Yeah, but won't a double-sized screen make a lot of games look quite pixely?

I think that's the point---it's like the YF-21, in that the canopy is a formality, and all info is delivered on screens and to the helmet from external sensors---thus the need for a cyborg pilot to interface with it.

I (and usually Graham) feel the need to mention this every time a VF-19F/S/Kai is brought up: It can't be made from a YF-19/VF-19A. Nearly every part is different. It would take just as much time and money as making a valk from scratch. The nosecones are the same, and the landing gear, but that's about it.

Whoops, I'm just too used to typing 1:72 when talking about planes and pilots. We desperately need a *1/60* pilot Milia figure. I'm aware of those resin pilots, but 1:72 vs 1:60 is enough that they'd look "off".

Hikaru flew two valks--VF-1, and VF-4. Variants don't count.

You can order parts straight from HLJ. Will have to order the entire sprue, but I'm sure even with shipping it'll still be a lot cheaper than a whole 'nother kit.

Also, if 90% of them are "saved" in the first place---their lose their "rare value". Good example is the first Darth Maul figure---everyone figured he'd be desired/valuable later, and bought a few to store away. Well, now he's actually about the least-valuable figure of the line---because everyone already has their own mint example! The only people interested in buying one--already have one! Same happens to cars nowadays---all the rich people who want those cars--already bought one new and kept it mint. They'll never be rare and hard to find in good condition, if every single one is saved in mint condition to start with.

But it's better because it's *Gamlin*. Kind of like a Roy Focker version of anything would be superior to the original.

I still think Gamlick Kick! is possibly the best move in all of anime. Certainly all of Macross.

I've never had paint THAT thin that it'd actually flow around to the underside of a round part, unless it was totally unstirred. Are you STIRRING the paint? Shaking does nothing for acrylics--you can shake all day, and it'll still be 90% unmixed, even if the color looks right. I'd suspect the cold garage at least partly---cold makes many things separate to the point that it takes MUCH more effort for them to mix again---they don't really mix, they just suspend themselves in much smaller particles, so they LOOK mixed, but aren't really.

I like the look better than most M:F fan-art. Now do some Grace stuff! (seriously, do you take requests/commissions?)

Jack Skellington is the neatest IMHO. New Asuka--is that from the "new" Eva series? Don't recognize it at all. Batman--neat, hope they expand the line beyond just the current movies. Fraulein Harley/Ivy/Batgirl would rock... Lack of human Macross figs----yeah. Zentradi in armor would be especially good---I need a Millia fig.

Sigh. You know, that really doesn't strike me as a leader-class toy. Not compared to the new Prime, or even 2007 Brawl. That's just a really big deluxe, complexity-wise. If that. Kinda like ROTF Jetfire.