Retracting Head Ter Ter

The official Trumpeter website doesn't have any news on this. But I'd bet one should be in the works (huge sucker it'll be too, a 1/32 Flanker/J-11) since its their domestic country's premier fighter.

They have been strangely absent on the Flanker/J-11 kits, which is wierd considering its their country's best fighter. I'm hoping its because they are taking the time to do a proper and accurate kit.

Which sites stated it will be released? I'd like to take a look.

Hey, the Russians call it a Platypus too! I thought it was a western nickname only.

2a. Add in pilot skill/training. I wonder how many Russian pilots can execute those Flanker stunts.

2b. Add in what happens before the merge, with AWACS playing a large factor.

Taken in isolation, the effectiveness of the Cobra or other amazing maneuvers in WVR ACM is an interesting topic (though I'm unaware of an experienced US military pilot having anything good to say about it--stick-in-the-mud-ism? sour grapes?). In context though, I doubt it looms large.

2a. No idea. I really don't know how hard it is to execute the Cobra and all the other fancy slides. I remember when I was playing the old Flanker sim, the damn cobra move was hotkeyed to a keyboard button.

2a+ I wonder if any Chinese or Indian pilot has pulled off a Cobra. Any film evidence?

Anyway, I don't think the Cobra or the fancy low speed slides would do much in a missile fight (BVR or WBR). It probably only works if both sides are going gun to gun. A low speed gunfight between a Harrier and a Su-35 should be interesting...

1. Why not use helmet mounted sights and missiles with off-boresight IR seekers? No need to turn the plane when you can just turn your head.

2. While you're dumping energy and focusing on one bad guy, what's his wingman up to?

1. Not sure if turning the plane slighty towards the target would help the energy of the missile (i.e. missile doesn't have to waste too much fuel twisting backwards).

2. Probably exchanging harsh stares with the Flanker's wingman.

remembered glory of the Republic. Once secure in office he declared himself Emperor, shutting himself away from the populace. Soon he was controlled by the very assistants and boot-lickers he had appointed to high office, and the cries of the people for justice did not reach his ears.

That doesn't quite gel with the image of the Emporer as protrayed in the first 3 movies.

Darth Vader was more afraid of the Emporer then a boot-licker and anybody else below Vader was also scared as hell of Vader (except for Tarkin). Both the Emperor and Vader seemed liked people who hated bootlickers and took no nonsense from fawning subordinates. Certaintly not the type of leaders who are controlled by their assistants and entourage.

The intros are neat... they definitely feel like Star Wars, which I guess makes sense because they are pretty much Lucas' outlines and writings...

I don't like the Expanded Universe, novels and such, though. The hired gun novelists that write this stuff tend to make it feel very "not-Star Wars" to me.

I mean, the novel's title - Shatterpoint says enough to keep me away. That sounds like any generic fiction book - definitely doesn't feel like any kind of Star Wars that I want to be into.

Mace Windu was a happy Jedi... until he reached... the Shatterpoint!

The older and more jaded I get, the more I just want to lock myself in a room with the original version of Empire Strikes Back and pretend that none of this stuff exists.

I know EXACTLY what you mean. Stupid EU with the Suncrushers and force inhibiting lizards and what not feels more like Star Trek. Heck, even the happy ewoks parts in ROTJ doesn't quite gel with the gritty ESB or NH.

I never bothered with the EU books after the Thrawn novels. The Suncrusher SUCKS.

I would think that in a conventional war, the Flankers would be protecting the bombers from the carrier battle groups as well as the above mentioned fighters from Japan, Alaska, Hawaii. Will be quite suicidal to run all the way into US coastal waters IMHO, so the bombers should be launching from miles away.

They'll probably hit Okinawa before they hit the continental US.

edit: Blackjacks? Don't they only have like less then 10 of em operational?

Tell me about hot casings. I had the imprint of a 5.56mm cartridge on my right arm for about 4-6 years before the thing faded off.

The guy on my right was left-handed so he was using the cartridge deflector plate. All nice and well except that one got deflected _my_ way!

Eh? I dont recall Roy and Max using the GBP. When was this?

15.  It's a Flanker.  It can recover energy like *that*.  Most powerful engines in service tend to let you do that.  Same reason F-16's pull 9G all day long--bleeds energy in an instant, but they've got so much power they don't really care.

Wouldn't 9G's kill a human pilot? Guld Bowman could do it

9Gs can be endured by trained pilots but at 9Gs, the pilot is mainly just riding it out. He isn't going to be able to twist his head around and punch all those fancy buttons on his dashboard during the 9Gs.

Another reason why HOTAS is a good idea.

Nice, but I'd take a P-51B (or C) over a D any day of the week.

There's just something cool about razorback Mustangs...

Felix

I prefer the Fw-190 D series myself.

There are actually 2 coloured versions of it.

I saw a lot of them selling in HK when I was there a few weeks ago. HKD750 or about US$100.

? Get a turbojet. But expect to take forever to takeoff and climb there and slow acceleration once you're there).

Sorry I don't get that bit. A turbojet at high alt would still have slow acceleration?

Oh, and I see you are still sore about the YF-23.

Hey David, do you have figures or could you point out any site where they show how the output of the different jet engines vary with altitude?

I keep seeing the power/height charts for the piston fighters but never any for the jets.

I saw a lot of votes for the Sulaco on the fave cap ship thread.

You guys might be interested to know that Aoshima is releasing a 1/2400 kit of the Sulaco very soon. About 2500 yen retail or 25 usd.

The CG Protoss Carriers and Terran Battlecruisers from Starcraft were pretty cool. I loved the opening Brood War CG movie.

Different sci-fi world. Maybe beam sabres were not possible in the Macross universe even with OT or they dont work as well.

When I saw it, I thought it was the real Yamato toy, but repainted with a really glossy paint job.

A pic is worth 1,000 words.

what the heck is that called????

i've thought about this ship but couldn't remember what it really looked like(other than the big ass gun in the front) or what it was called? i must've been 4-5 years old when i saw this cartoon.....what the heck is this ship called???

Ummmm dude thats the yamato...

But when he watched it, it was probably called the Argo.

You have to think of volume. The average football stadium can fit 50,000 people. Even with leaving enough space for all the systems, each "leg" section still has enough space to fit about 4 stadiums.

One question that I've always had is where the extra 10 meters in length come from. Every Macross book that I own only seems to mention that the SDF-1 is an even 1200 meters.

Well, people can't live comfortably in a football stadium for months though.

Seriously, if you stack em up in houses on multi levels sure, you could pack 50,000 people into a 1km long ship.

But thats only if you pack the living quarters like multylayered sardine cans. In the TV show, we have hospitals, open parks, concert stadiums, movie studios and even a freakin valkyrie patrolled military base all stuffed in?!?!? Watch the Max vs Miria fight inside the ship, the houses weren't layered on top of each other.

i can't believe people are arguing over physics and space, who gives a crap? 

none of anything thats on TV makes any sense....ITS CALLED A STORY CREATED BY SOMEONES IMAGINATION.  therefore, there is no way to justify your arguments here or ever.    please stop as its sad AND annoying.  go talk to gene rodenberry or george lucas or something cause no one here gives a crap about what is, what isn't, what could be, or what shouldn't be, its completely retarded to argue about a fictional story with fictional guidelines.

The Centauri have artificial gravity; in at least one episode Star Fury pilots are given a briefing on Centauri tactics and thats specfically mentioned. I'm not absolutely certain, but I believe the vessels of the "Hyperion" class [1] don't have gravity, as I think we always see the crew strapped down in them. I don't think its ever stated for definite that the Narn have artificial gravity, but as we usually see them strapped down the assumption would be no.

And Haterist... I think this is relatively mild, comparatively speaking. I used to hang out on a UK B5 newsgroup, and long, heavily involved, complicated discussions on physics was pretty much another way of saying "hello" on that...

Heh... In Star Trek, every conceivable system on the Enterprise has failed one time to another, lights go wonky, bridge consoles explode, replicators fail, holodecks go berserk, transpotters go off line, sub-space anomalies cause everyother thing to go nuts... BUT THE ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY GENERATOR WORKS WITH 100% RELIABILITY even if full power to the ship is lost! Heck it even works on derelict wrecks floating about in space!

Has there ever been an episode of Trek which showed zero-G inside a ship?

I like the Harpy. I think it would still look nice even if the two carrots from the front were removed and the nose remained shaped like an A-Wing. In fact, it would look a lot better IMHO if the carrots were replaced with more linear looking twin booms. It looks too lumpy IMHO.

Okay, last comment before I go home for the evening...

It occurs to me (and I'm surely not the first, in fact I'm probably repeating something I read) that the actual US strategy against the "Grey Threat" is wherever possible (i.e., known friendlies considering purchase of Rafale/Typhoon/Su) to crowd out the competition with sweet deals on current American fighter models and promises of future F-35's. Thus driving up the unit cost of the alternatives and if possible, killing the Western European fighter industry.

Remember the LAVI...

(edited for spelling)

They doing that to the EF2000 and the Rafale now in Singapore. The F-15E is probably going to win the deal.

1/64?? Thats a weird scale.

Over here I never seen them, only seen the Corgi WW2 bombers. Those are stupidly priced (over $100 usd).

I don't collect TFs, and am thinking if I should get the MP Convoy or the Binaltechs (either the Impreza or the Viper). They look far different from any TF before. Like comparing Yamato 1/48 to Bandai sculpts for Macross.

Are these MPC and Binaltechs playable? I mean, can I transform em often and not worry about having em break or chip? Is the transformation an hour long process like on the Yammies?