M'Kyuun

I just found out this program at the LEGO website. I was so stoked because I never knew this existed. Lol. Now you can create your own models with LEGO on your computer, upload it to the website and actually buy your own model. How cool is that? Lol. LEGO Factory

Actually, I believe the program was developed in 2005, and the current version is a far superior upgrade. The limited parts pallette is really the only drawback, and the interface between parts, i.e. positioning parts on the model, can be frustrating. One needs to manipulate the model a great deal at times to look for the "sweet spot", but it is still much better than the previous version.

I created a model and bought it. The parts came in a single bag with an inventory list. The program also lets you choose among a series of background graphics to decorate the front of the box. The box has a plastic window so that the graphic shows through. It's a nice feature, and it's cool to receive a LEGO set that you've designed. The instructions do not come with the model; they are created automatically by the program, and can be printed out, or just viewed step by step or as a movie online.

Where did you get that G1 was targeted at 10-14 year olds? Which age group do you think they were selling the toys to? By comparison, Beast Wars had a more mature tone and heavier issues, with a considerable dash of slapstick and lowbrow 'adolescent humour. One hallmark of Transformers cartoons (except for Beast Machines) is to never take itself too seriously.

You give G1 far too much credit.

I don't give all G1 credit. In fact, after the first season, I found it unwatchable, as the plots, dialog, and interactions among the characters became simpler to appeal to younger audiences. However, the bulk of the original 16 episodes from the first season were arguably more mature. The writing was more appreaciable to a 10-14 yr age group, while I'm sure Hasbro was targeting the 5yr and up demographic to peddle toys. I was thirteen, and I still remember its impression when compared to other shows airing at the time. I agree that Beast Wars was more mature and pretty well written, Rhinox's farting ep notwithstanding . I don't mind a little lowbrow humor. Hell, I'm a military acft maintainer...we define crudeness. However, I think Bay and his writers were looking for ways to appeal to the teenage audience, and, IMHO, they handled it clumsily. I was hoping for more maturity, and from the serious tone implied by the trailers, I had hopes of a darker, edgier movie. I committed the sin of having expectations, and thus the movie was disappointing. Like many here, however, the toys have captured my interest far more than the various animations. This movie was a good thing in terms of impacting the sophistication and look of the toys, as well as showcasing ILM's incredible talents. It's not the best Transformers media out there, but it is entertaining. I'll know what to expect next time around. On that note, I'm curious how the new animated show is going to be. Personally, I'd love to see a Transformers show written like JLA and the recent Superman/Doomsday movie, produced by the WB. Good stuff.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed that Frenzy's head was quite large to become a cell phone. Good point on his head's aesthetic being completely non-compatible with a cell, either. I can't see how any of the T-formers in this movie could come together so seamlessly in vehicle form. They should be spiderwebbed with fine seamlines, for all the fragmenting that occurs during transformation. The anime magic is pretty apparent throughout.

Overall, I thought the movie was so-so. I liked the attack on SOCCENT at the beginning, the serious tone. I wish the focus had been more on the conflict and personalities among the robots and less on the kids. Sector 7 was just plain cliche' and, well, dumb. Megatron wakes up speaking English...why would he? He hasn't had access to the Web, and more importantly, why would he deign to speak our language? The long rocky relationship between Megs and Starscream, an odd mix of animosity and respect, was supposed to be conveyed by a single exclamation by Megatron concerning Starscream's apparent failure "once again". And, neither Bonecrusher nor Devastator(Brawl) even had so much as one word of dialog. They existed only to provide a target for final battles. Sadly, this wasn't the movie I was hoping for. It was cheesy, the humor was groanworthy, and it did not live up to its title in execution.

OK, I 've always had a soft spot for the G1 3-part pilot's story. It provided enough background to explain their exodus from Cybertron and their ages-old conflict, told the story through Spike's eyes without his character becoming the focus, and better developed a large number of T-formers' characters in less time than Bay's movie. Too, Spike was already an adult working on an oil rig with his father, thus eliminating cheesy adolescent shenanigans. IMHO, the pilot, although targeted at 10-14 year-olds in the mid-80s, had a more mature tone overall. I hope the second movie focuses on the robots, finds a darker more serious tone, eschews the adolescent humor(like robots pissing on people), relegates the kids to background filler, omits Sector 7 altogether, and...well, I know none of this going to happen but I can hope.

My collection of Yamato figures is still very small (YF-19, Konig Monster, Garland), but I really want the SV-51, it looks absolutely fabulous.

Hi Dr. Z, and welcome to Macrossworld. I highly recommend the SV-51, either version. Yamato did an incredible job on it. My Ivanov version is the centerpiece of my Yamato collection (12, for now ). It looks great in all three modes, and it's the first transforming enemy mech fom Macross, which makes it unique. If you decide to get one, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

-M'Kyuun

I find it a bit interesting, if not a little odd, that many posters here have been collecting transforming toys for a long time, and yet are hesitant to transform their newest Yamatos. I finally got to take my SV-51 out of its box last night, and I transformed it successfully first time without resorting to instructions, as is my habit with all my transforming toys, Yamato or otherwise. I have a knack for it, as well as an obsessive, undying love for well-designed transforming mecha. Fortunately, I have an awesome wife who not only endures their ubiquitous presence throughout our ever shrinking apartment, but also helps add to their numbers. Lucky me!

Anyway, the Ivanov SV-51 is a fairly sturdy toy, except for the link that connects the lower fuselage(leg mount) to the ventral cockpit area in Battroid-it pops out annoyingly easily. The shoulder mount is a bit tricky, but after a little fidgeting, I got it placed correctly. My only gripe is that the wing mounted weapon pods don't stay on well at all on mine. There's no satisfying "click" like my 1/48's. One or two of them don't stay on at all. Not sure how to fix it just yet. But, I just love the look of this thing! It's tall, gangly, dark, and menacing. It dominates my Yamato shelf, dwarfing even the YF-19. It has become my favorite Yamato toy thus far. However, as much as I like, and am looking forward to the YF-21, I'm looking even more forward to the eventual VF-11 in 1/60 scale. (Come on, we all know it's coming ) IMHO, it's one of Kawamori-san's finest designs. And, along with some other folks here, I'd love to see the VF-4 get the same treatment. It's just a unique design with a cool aesthetic.

I got a little carried away there, but I just wanted to pass on some encouragement to anyone who's hesitant to transform their toys. After all, they are just that, and with a little patience and care, anyone should be able to do it without fear of breakage. For me, a transforming toy left in it's box unmolested is downright unthinkable...I'm at the mercy of my inner child more often than not the older I become. It's a pleasant irony, and it keeps me young.

-M'Kyuun

Seems funny that there are so many "Pirates of the Carribbean" and "Spiderman 3" toys produced, which warm the pegs for eternity, but Transformers, for which one would expect Hasbro to anticipate enormous demands, are continuously hard to find at all retailers. I live in Spokane and have had my wife, cool chick that she is, searching for me, since I've been out of country since June. I've given her a list, and she occasionally sojourns to some of the various dept stores around the area, including Toys-R-Us, to no avail. She hasn't even found Wreckage for me, besides BB '08, Arcee deluxe, Payload, Longarm, etc. They should recall the POTC and Spiderman toys, melt em down, and commence to restocking what really sells. And to make matters worse, I figured I'd get the ones I want online, but almost every site selling at or slightly above MSRP says "not available online", and I don't feel like paying the overinflated prices for them on others. I.e., I will not pay $20 for a toy that is contemporarily retailing in stores for $10. It's bu**sh*t; and the miserable f*cks who fleece other collectors, after buying up an entire store's stock, can take those toys and cram them so far up their collective asses that they puke ABS plastic. All i want is a few toys...just toys!, but these bastards suck the joy out of such an enjoyable hobby, as well as screwing the many kids for whom they were really intended. I despise greediness, esp. when it sullies those hobbies which elicit my enthusiasm and joy so completely. There are, undoubtably, a few among you who sympathize, and to those who see fit to rob others of the opportunity to own these toys at their stated MSRP, I offer no apology and wish nothing less than the most virulent strain of syphilis upon your persons. My humble opinion.

-M'Kyuun

So far, I have Ratchet, Ironhide, Robovision Prime (Target exclusive), Blackout, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Jazz, and Swindle. Out of these, Jazz is the biggest disappointment.

His alt mode looks decent, although there was a scratch in the right brake light paint on mine, and the glittery blue paint used on the headlights/running lights looks cheesy. The windshield and side windows are all transparent dark blue, with seat and steering wheel details molded into the plate that sits flush with the bottom of the windows. The back of the car has round indents under the brake lights, which I assume are the turn signals on the real car. These are not painted on mine. There's also some kibble hanging off the bottom behind the rear wheels, which are molded in black and intended to look like the wheel with a mechanical support in robot mode.

The sniper weapon is pretty large for this figure, and the barrel telescopes out at two points , making it approx 5" long, and about 2 3/4" when collapsed. It clips to the spoiler in alt mode, and attaches to a mount on either forearm(under fender pieces)

Robot mode: The head attaches to the only ball joint on this figure. The visor is blue lightpiping. It attaches to the main chest piece containing the automorph feature. Automorph is activated when the car roof section rotates flush with the robot's back pushing the head up into position and extending the grille about a millimeter. The rear deck of the car swings up to rest against the car roof and the spoiler swivels back and lies against the windshield. The legs, which form the aft section of the car, are beefy, as the knees extend out of the thighs. Some attention was paid to give the knees a movie look; viewed from the front, the lower half forms a "u",and the top half is simply a clevice that sits between with a screw forming the hinge. There is a little clearance between the knee clevice and the "u" portion allowing one to see through the knee. The lower leg can rotate 360 degrees below the knee. The feet rotate down slightly past level, so the toes can point down at a slight angle. The heel just rotates 180 degrees out of the foot. The black wheel detail pieces I mentioned as kibble attach to the feet and swivel at the ankle. The hips swivel out and rotate forward and back. The car doors are attached to the thighs; they do not move, and tend to restrict knee rotation. The lower legs are bulky, with large knee guards and a fair amount of detail on the sides. The arms attach to the chestpiece by a link hinged at the chestpiece and at the shoulder. It moves up and down laterally at both points. The upper arm is joined to the link by a pin that attaches the front wheel and arm assembly, allowing the arm to rotate fore and aft. A portion of the fender that sits behind the front wheelwell folds up and over to rest against the tire in robot mode. The elbow is simply another two-point hinge link which attaches to the upper fender, and has so little clearance that the arm stays bent at a nearly 90 degree angle all the time. The hood panels are attached by another link and just rotate under the fender to form the forearm. The hand nub is hinged under the hood panel and just rotates 180 degrees into place. From the side, it looks like a half a hood dangling beneath a fender...terrible. The hood to fender link does have two indents to try and snug the hood panel closer to the bottom of the fender, but it still looks bad, and you can see right through his forearm. Overall the arms are not very poseable, and it seems like little thought was put into designing them with more current standards of articulation in mind, especially for one of the main characters. Swindle is a game fig, and his design is amazing overall, his too-short neck being the only drawback.

This is my first-ever toy review, and I hope it's understandable with a lack of pics(don't own a camera). On a scale 1-10, I give it a 5 for the nice alt mode and for details on the robot. Articulation and crappy design elements, as well as a too-big-to-hide weapon kill it for me. Worst movie toy I own so far. Hope this helps.

Cheers- M'Kyuun

TFW2005 still has a working link

Hasbro certainly has never been shy about peddling repaints. TF and SW both see the repaint treatment over and over. Thundercracker should have been a sure bet. It's odd that they took the time and expenditure to produce only one of the "conehead" seekers without following through with the remaining two. Thrust was on my wish list(love the VTOL wings). Funny, I didn't like the Classics seeker design much until I finally broke down and bought Starscream. The plane still looks ungainly with the bulky undercarriage, but the bot form captures the look nicely. And, he has knees!

If a Macross live-action movie was made, could it be shown in America without HG's interference?

While it would be neat to see Kawamori-san's designs in all their CG glory, I think the story would suffer due to the pacing necessary to keep it within time constraints. If a Macross movie is being considered, I'd actually favor a new story(devoid of environmental subtext and uber-angsty kids), with new transforming mecha by SK, produced as a trilogy to allow a decent story to draw out without the vast amount of editing required to keep it within the 2-2.5 hr format. Just throw in some cameos of the older variable fighters, including flasbacks to show them in action.

I'd like a scene where the characters are driving by an airplane graveyard at dusk; the place is full of retired assorted VF's in various states of repair, having been cannibalized and left to the elements for years. The last vestiges of sunlight reflect dully off a lone VF-22 standing guard at the perimeter, casting a long forlorn shadow.

I can dream.

Just cruised over to TFW2005 and caught the link to the newest teaser showing Bumblebee and Starscream transforming, and followed by reading the transfans' excessively over-enthusiastic exclamations of jaw-dropping joy. Bay has certainly found his audience, given the deluge of saliva on the TFW boards. I really do hope it is a decent movie, simple plot and over-indulgent explosions notwithstanding. Just to see these huge things moving about and transforming realistically after 20+ years of waiting is worth my $7. I've dropped any silly, myopic G-1 era nostalgic comparisons, and respect it as a stand alone interpretation. I still wish they'd used a more Binaltech design aesthetic, but cest' la vie. Ironically, though the production team was steering towards a more realistic approach, the various vehicular panels and paraphernalia bend irregularly, fragment, or just completely re-shape on the robots; likewise, the vehicle forms would certainly exhibit a criss-crossing of minute lines where they fragment. Again, I like the Binaltechs b/c the designers tried to use existing panel lines/ part separations to hide the transformation as much as possible. Yep, it'd be pretty cool to live in a CGI world where anything is possible.

After seeing the pics and the various vids, I still can't bring myself to liking the Decepticon robot designs, save the CH-53 PAVELOW helicopter( Blackout?) Most of them are squat with short legs and large upper bodies, as well as insectile-inspired heads. I assume this was intentional, that the audience be consistently reminded that these are the evil non-conformist aliens in the bunch. The Autobots seem much more anthropomorphic in their proportions, because they're good. Reminds me of Toy Soldiers: the movie was poop, but contrastedly, I liked that the un-human characters were the good guys, and the more human looking soldiers were bad; but I digress. Finally, my greatest lamentation still is that Megatron, IMHO, is unrecognizable as a Transformer, let alone as Megatron. Alas, I hope his eventual Earth vehicle mode gives his robot form a more Transformer-ish look. I've heard he becomes a stealth bomber. F-117(it's a bomber, not a fighter, regardless of the mission designator): cool, and still within scale; B-2: he'd either be colossal, or in scale with a really impressive wingspan. I was actually hoping the V-22 would receive the Transformer treatment. Guess I'll wait and see.

I voted Yamato as well. They are the best bet at this time, having proven themselves dedicated and capable of producing very accurate, well-designed, highly-articulated transformable Macross toys.

That said, my second choice for a liscensee would be Takara-Tomy, as they have a history of producing well-designed transformable mecha, at a much more affordable cost point. I'd be interested to see what they could do. As someone mentioned earlier, a Macross line in the same vein as the Transformer Classics or something more technical, like BinalTechs/Alternators, would be welcome on my shelf.

Competition wouldn't be a bad thing, as it generally stablizes prices and gives rise to better QC.

As for yamato's QC, I've read about the problems some members have experienced with various releases. To date, I've not had a single QC problem as far as breakages on either my YF-19 or my VF-0S. My 19 did have the off center gunpod and canted LG. Small, albeit annoying, issues, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, the only breakage I have had on a Yamato release thus far was my original VF-11's leg broke off at the hip. A well placed screw fixed it, and my VF-11 is still in excellent condition.

Something about the satellite smells...illegal. I've worked with McDonnell-Douglas hardware, and the plate looks genuine, albeit a bit clean for an item over twenty years old. I would definitely have to question where a private citizen could procure a piece of equipment like this, as I would suspect it still retains a classification of "Secret" or higher. To my knowledge, not even obsolete electronic and avionics equipment from retired aircraft are sold to private sector; the former Soviet Union, the Chinese, and various other countries with the will, the money, and the science could potentially obtain this item easily and determine its function.

Conversely, despite the redneck surroundings in the pics, it would be ironic if the CIA was behind this, trolling for spies and terrorists.

I may be in the minority here but i honestly believe that Jessica Alba didn't belong in the movie. Being the huge comic book geek that i am, and being the film maker i am i pay close attention to whose cast in movies depicting my favorite heroes. Granted i was never much of a Fantastic Four fan but i believe that she was only in the movie to pull in people to the theater. She wasn't a good Sue Storm, they could ahve gotten a better one, she is just one of the most well known young actresses in hollywood. Much like Hallie Berry in X-men, bad casting, I still to this day believe Angela Basset though much older is the perfect Storm. Just watch any movie she's in. Anyway back to my poiint. The reason the first one failed was because of the writing. The plot was too weak and the dialog terrible. I hope they can improve on that. And as i did with hallie berry i will just have to tolerate looking at Jessica Alba. Sure she is gorgeous but she isnt the most believable actress

I concur completely. I also thought Angela Basset should have played Storm, and would have favored someone older to play Sue Storm. Unfortunately, Hollywood favors the actors and actresses who are the flavor of the moment more often than not, regardless of what they can or can't bring to their characters. I wish the first F4 film had portrayed Dr. Doom's story and character per the comics. He is an iconic villain, and one I was looking forward to seeing on the big screen. As it is however, I hold no high hopes for a more accurate depiction given the writing team for the first film will most likely be involved for the second to preserve the continuity.

I can't understand why filmakers believe a new spin is required for every licensed animated property they decide to film with live-action. I understand some changes need to be made for the sake of believabilty/ realism; however, the story itself is what created the fanbase and thus propelled it to become the iconic, money-making property that makes it worthy of being given the film treatment. Yet, the trend continues. I fear Transformers shall inherit the legacy. It's a shame that special effects have, generally, eclipsed the writing efforts put into this genre. Sigh.

My only gripe about this movie is that it was originally plugged as being rooted in G1. The only three things it has in common with the original show are 1. some characters transform from vehicles to robots, 2. trademarked names, and 3. the Prime character is a "Mack" truck, but not the cabover design most of us relate to.

I was excited about this movie when I first heard of its pending production. My excitement waned when Spielberg was set to produce, as I loathe movies targeted at prepubescents. Having seen some of the alleged production shots and read various forums, I'm saddened at the direction this movie is headed. My nostalgia is strong for G1, and a live-action retelling of the original story would have been great for us old-timers and newbies alike, which is what I expected based on early comments from the producers. Had they just said in the beginning that they were re-inventing the franchise for a new generation, I would have been fine with the changes.

With lowered expectations at the forefront, I'll still stand in line waiting for it. Hopefully, the special effects will make up for the child-targeted script and neo-violent war-mongering amongst the mechanical cast.

I take it you are referring to the custom one-off Hasegawa conversion that appeared in the July 2002 issue of Hobby Japan magazine? (For those of you who don't know, the scans are in the MW magazine section).

While that custom has a sleek fighter mode, which seems to be extremely accurate to the lineart, it gets that by sacrificing battroid mode proportions and having a lanky looking battroid. The battroids torso especially is too long. Not too impressed with the face sculpt either, but that's nit-picking.

Yep, it's lanky, but I still love the way it looks. Considering it's an extreme kitbash of a fighter model cum perfect-variable battroid, I get emotional every time I see it. The biggest nitpick I have with it is the overlong under-panel the nosecone sits on in battroid. If they could have cut it down to agree with the edges of the chest piece, it would have looked much better. I never looked too hard at the face, so I'll take your word.

I definitely concede your point that this is the sleekest YF-19 design ever produced in a toy. However, I still prefer the Hasegawa model for their depiction of the fighter. A matter of opinion. Consulting my Macross Design Works, the fuselage containing the nose gear bay should only extend to slightly below the mid-point of the inside leading edge of the intake. The fuselage should arch mildly under the cockpit, and the nose should be slightly longer. The chines should curve inboard, giving a slight hourglass appearance when viewed from above. These are the characteristics I'd like to see. Looking at my MDW, Kawamori-san leaves somewhat to be desired in the area of consistency, esp when viewing different angles of the YF-19. Things have a tendency to shift slightly to provide a pleasing aesthetic, regardless of mode. And, like most fans, I'm nit-picky. It's only b/c I care. Still, his are some of my favorite mecha designs. His love of aircraft and remarkable ability to design a transformable sequence within the parameters of that design are manifest, and still unparalleled.

I have my opinion, Graham, but you have far more experience and expertise concerning Macross Valks. I'll gladly take your word that what we're getting is going to amaze us. <<shovels in a heaping helping of humble pie>>

Oh, and I mistakenly referred to the YF-19 as "Excalibur" in my previous post. It bore the code name "Alpha 1" in M+, if memory serves.

I usually hold my comments and enjoy all of yours, but as it's the YF-19 that started my love of Macross, I'm really hoping that this is as well done as the 1/48 VF-1 and the VF-0, both of which are incredible feats of engineering in a transformable toy. Upon first seeing the lineart, I cringed at the fat underbelly, short nose, lack of curves and sleekness. To me, the YF-19 is all about sleekness. She's a fine lady, and should be afforded her rightful curves and profile. To my eyes, the new improved design seems to share the 1/72's forward section with a redesigned aft body. Although it suffers some inconsistencies with the lineart, I had very much hoped that if Yamato had ever decided to produce a new YF-19, they'd base it on Hasegawa's modified, nearly perfect-variable model( the one with YF-19 paint scheme and non-removeable, retracting LG). Even the LS YF-19 is curvier and sleeker in fighter. Yamato has proven themselves capable of staying very true to the fighters' designs, while striking a very agreeable balance between battroid aesthetics and articulation. However, I know they have to start with something and progress to a final model, so I look at my VF-0 and hope for the same treatment for our long-awaited Excalibur.

As an afterthought, though it's a little detracting, I'm willing to accept a more prominant uni-boob to achieve a prettier fighter. Both LS and Hasegawa designs featured a rather prominant mammary, but I see it as an acceptable shortfall to the battroid, and I generally favor B-mode over the F and G modes. My $.02

Yamato owns me, or my paycheck rather. Hoping the drool doesn't short out my laptop as I write this. Does anyone know if anyone's still taking preorders...I missed the HLJ boat.

it is a shame that alot of the high bidders seem to be 1 or 0 feedbacks, seems like they are going to waste everyones time  if you ask me. somehow i think the high bidder will not come through in the end. it is a shame because it is for charity and there heart is in the right place. hopefully someone reliable will be the winner. i wonder if the kit is glued? can you imagine if it tipped over and shattered on the floor into a million pieces

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The model was designed and mostly constructed by a guy named Erik Varzegi as the promotional centerpiece of the Lego company's Episode III exhibit. I forget which convention. The model is glued and is suspended on a metal bar that runs nearly the entire length of the model. No special custom pieces were made...it is all stock Lego parts one can find in the various sets. Obviously, not every Lego set has the same parts, and the Lego company has greatly expanded its pallette to somewhere between 4-6 thousand parts. Most parts are designed with multiple uses in mind, and there are many talented builders out there who have used parts brilliantly in ways one would not expect. For example, the exhaust nozzles on the UCS X-Wing Fighter set were made from flower vase pieces designed for one of the girl based themes. On a personal note, to the winner, I laud his altruism, and hope it extends to both the poor to whom his money shall inevitably go, and also to the Lego community who I think would very much enjoy seeing the ship make its rounds to the many Lego conventions held around the world. If the guy can afford 20k for a Lego model, I believe traveling and shipping expenses would seem a paltry sum.

Since Lego now has a design program that allows you to custom order the set you want to build, maybe someday we will be able to purchase only the pieces needed to build these, rather than buying a hundred sets for a few parts in each. I'm not sure how fast they are adding parts to the database though.

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It's called Lego Factory, a free downloadable program. I've tried it, but there are still many limitations; however, it is still relatively new, and improvements are being made all the time. The beauty of it is that one can create whatever he wants, within the parameters of the parts pallette, colors, and part-to-part fit properties. Once these are expanded, I think it will be one of their best marketing tools; after all, who wouldn't like to design their own stuff and have the parts for that custom set sent directly to them. It's a great way to get some of the more rare parts that are expensive to purchase on Bricklink, an international online Lego marketplace. Too, the better designs, if approved by the company, will be made into actual sets. I believe 8 have already found their way onto toy shelves, albeit in combined form.

As far as Lego not fueling imagination, and the possibility of their running out of ideas, I disagree. The mecha theme is a new one, and one that has only been tried before in the Life on Mars sets, which I liked. I think there are still alot of themes left to explore: an oil drilling platform would make an interesting set, although the political implications may be cause for refrain. Such a shame that politics can even affect toys. Grrrr And as was mentioned, the Creator theme was designed with the consumer's imagination as the primary driver for building, although a main model, and subsequent secondary models are also featured. And if one desires, plain old buckets of Lego blocks with no main model are still available. IMHO, it is still the best of all toys, as with a bit of money and applied imagination, it can be any toy one desires.

I hope to illustrate this soon with a little project I'm working on. Til then, check out Brickshelf.com. Too, Google Lego Mecha Hall of Fame(LMHoF) sometime. You may be surprised.

As did I. Lego has come along way since the 80's. After acquiring the Star Wars license in 1999, the company has revolutionized the way it creates models, as well as introducing poseability and motion into them. They have lightened their non-violence stance as is evidenced in the Alpha Team, Dino Attack, Knight's Kingdom, Vikings, and even Bionicle. Even during the early 90's, the Pirates and Imperial sets featured cannons and cutlasses. I don't think the Lego Group will be producing any United Nations sets any time soon.

Caught the pics thread from awhile back, but haven't heard anything new, and I'm pretty excited to lay my hands on Yamato's latest valk. I love my 1/48s, and I'm looking forward to the refinements in the basic design, as I understand it is very similar to the VF-1, longer cockpit and heatshield configuration notwithstanding.

You can't place 100% of the responsibility on the parents.  That is ridiculous.  Sure parent's should be ones keeping on top of things and police their own children but not all parents are created equally and retailers should bear some of the responsibility.

I do blame them, I worked in retail, if the parents cannot open their eyes to a child's problem, then it is their fault. If parents cannot be mature and responsible enough to take care of their child, why did they have kids in the first place?

I gotta admit for those that do have a problem with children not based by environment, but within the child mentally or psychologically (not caused by the entertainment industry or parental behavior), I can't blame them for that.

The way I see it is that we have the ESRB and most retailers DO NOT repsect it.  I have seen this first hand, so they should be fined for not follwoing the ESRB.  The ESRB is not a governing body nor does it have any pull but does serve a need that parent's can use as a guide.

um retailers respect the ESRB, however, we do not police customers, it breaks their ammendment right to privacy. We just warn them.

Unfortunately,  mmany parents still think that games are still Pacman and Mario titles and have no idea of the amount of violence and sex, that many games have.  I still play games because I like them and how the industry has matured the field.  yet, I also play them and keep up to date to see what my kids want to play and decide if it's suitable for them or not.

Times have changed, and I see the parents do buy these games and understand the difference, because most of them are my age or older. Parents are informed enough to know what titles are being bought and do ask questions.

Regardless, we need all the help we can get, especially in liberal states like California, New York, etc.... which are not family friendly.  If kids want to play games, they will....by any means necessary, so road blocks like this new law, can only help.  Hell, they should add to the law and include penalties for parent's who buy their kids inappropriate games and call it the "I'm a $tupid or non-caring parent law".

One of the many reason for that is because they are playing into the parents fear. You need a way to control the kids actions and the government has found a way by releasing the responsibility of morality away from the parents and imposed it on a law. (I gotta read 1984 again.... 1+1=3)

Yes, kids will play the games any means necessary, the only way to break most of these is to ensure to take away their source of entertainment, be there when they are playing games, play the games with them, reduce the amount of time being played, question their taste in games, and ask if they understand the difference between reality and fantasy.

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IMHO, I think the kids and even adults who act out violence harbor the tendency, and will carry out violent deeds with or without the influence of games. Violence is inherent in our psychology, esp in males. History, regardless of age or society teaches us that. I see games as a stress reliever, an escape, where one can vicariously act out without doing actual harm to anyone. I think this is the case for most people who play violent games...the game fills the "need", for lack of a better term. The people that take these actions into the real world and visit their fantasies on others will or would have done so regardless. Ultimately, we've seen various media blamed for the violent or just stupid (ala "Jackass" series and movie) actions of some people. The blame rests on the individual. The only exception I see in this is if the violent person has a mental illness or retardation sufficient to limit his moral judgment. Should parents let kids play games of this nature? Probably not, but every kid is different and the parents should understand their child's maturity, personality, and social influences, and make the call. There are a lot of good kids playing violent games who have never committed any violent act. It's unfair to punish the many for the sins of the few...which is one of the things that irks me to no end about the military, but that's another discussion. In the end, I think retailers should respect and follow the laws already in place, parents should do what they can to at least know what their kids are up to( it IS difficult these days..I'm not a parent myself, but I work with alot of them, and my sister has a kid and a stepson, who plays violent games and is a great kid), and society should stop coddling those who do carry out violent crimes and punish them with greater, more character building punishments...turning big rocks into little rocks worked well for a lot of years. My final thought is that if everyone who played violent games, watched violent movies, or listened to violent music acted these things out, we'd have an international epidemic of uncontrollable violence...but I think basically most of us just want a nice quiet killing spree letting the photons and pixels fall where they may.

the only thing that makes the VF-1 more advanced is its compact size.

looks wise the VF-0 was DEFINITLY designed in 2003 or whenever Kawamori-san drew it because it looks like an upgraded VF-1 to me, not the other way around. basically what M'Kyuun is saying.

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Definitely, some may contest to the belief that the vf-0 is a prototype platform of new technologies that the vf-1 might implement in their production but will never be introduced because of cost factor which in a realistic standpoint is possible. This happens all the time from x-planes to futuristic car prototypes.

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Way to cover for timeline inconsistencies! I agree wholeheartedly...companies cut corners all the time due to design, material, and manufacturing costs. Applied to the VF-0 and VF-1, Mr. Kawamori most likely designed the Zero as a larger, bumpier fighter so as to emphasize the more streamlined, compact design of the VF-1. It makes sense. What I do like on the VF-0 over the Vf-1 is the chining, contemporary angled panels, and the head design. Both are great designs, and deserve shelf space.