Sildani

It means "You and who else?!" translated figuratively. Pilot's a cocky bastiche...

My grandfather was a liason between the Air Force and North American during the design stages of the Valkyrie. It was his responsibility to tell NA what the AF wanted, and then to tell the AF what NA could accomplish. If any of you have questions about the aircraft that can't be answered with normal research, ask, and I'll see what he can tell me. A couple more reasons the XB-70 was cancelled: SAM (surface-to-air) missile tech advanced extremely quickly, so that cruising at Mach 3 at 70,000 feet wasn't sufficient defense. The titanium honeycomb skin construction was invented for the aircraft. It could only be produced in small pieces, and was hideously fragile and expensive. It was unsuitable for mass-production of large monocoque panels, so both XB-70s were hand-built of thousands of these small honeycomb panels. What's worse, after every flight, a few invariably were missing. The Valkyrie was just a hair ahead of its time, technologically, and obsolete strategically. Anyhow, great stuff, Nanashi!

Hmmm.... VF-1J Super: $170 (came with DYRL DVD) Enigma custom paint job: $300 1/48 Decal set with some customization: $45 Having the end-all, be-all VF-1 for the rest of my life: utterly priceless. Other stuff: Kenjutsu gi, hakama, and bokken: $170 Paul Chen Musashi Katana, for same: $527 Warhammer 40K, various Eldar (space elf) models: $900 TAG Heuer 2000 watch: $420, from eBay. Wanted one for years. Ouch. Time to slow down. But the nifty thing is, I'll get use out of all of it for years. So, no regrets.

Good to know. Thanks! And, yes, the 5000B is the version I'd like done. With FAST packs. In for a penny...

If I recall correctly, the 5000 is from a video game... perhaps VF-X-2. In my opinion, the Star Mirage is one of the most elegant Kawamori designs, and we'll probably never see a Yamato toy of it. Thus, a resin kit such as this is the only way I'll ever grab one, and that's why I voted for it.

While you're doing that, nudge 'em for a 1/48 YF-21. Please?

I myself am grateful for the info Graham provides and Quad provided. They enable me to make the best purchasing decisions possible with my limited money. That's why I saved like a fiend and got the 1/48 Super VF-1J. It has all the updated parts, all the fixes, and good QA, along with the Super armor. Most bang for the buck. Now that I know (kinda) that the 1/48 Macross Plus VF's aren't in the current pipeline(the valks I originally got into Yamato over), I can use the money I was saving for them and put it into a "Night Screamers" custom scheme for the 1J. This'll only be my second Yamato, first being the original VF-11B, which fell apart (damn hip..) Was turned off to Yamato after that, then I found this site, learned about the 1/48s, learned about the A model's problems, then learned about the fixes. All thanks to Graham's updates and reviews, none of which he has to do for us. I am appreciative. So, I figure if he has a bit of info that he can't tell us, but wants to tease us with, he's more than earned that right. Just makes me keep my eyes peeled.

I don't think it will fit into any display case. You could use it for the base of a glass-top coffee table, though.

I have, and they made me hunger for more info. I'm trying to decide between the Roses and Enigma Squadron for a custom 1/48 VF-1J Super, but there doesn't seen to be much out there for the Roses, besides those scans. Isn't there a complete paint scheme anywhere for the Blue Roses?

Ah, that's what I was wondering. Whether they were canonical or somebody's imagination. How'd they get so prevalent?

Hi all, I've searched Google and these forums for info on the Blue Roses aand Enigma squadrons, but have found next to nothing. Any idea where these came from, their squadron histories, service histories, what they did in the show, etc.? Why were these squdrons graced with custom stickers? Please, help. Thanks!

Thanks for the info, sir. The VF-5000B's have gotta come out sometime...

...and if it is, can you please tell me how you did it? Thanks!

Hopefully, Yamato has said there will be a VF-5000B toy. Right? Wwwmwww, was that the work of one person or a studio? Truly excellent work, Yamato should take notes. Wow.