Commander McBride

Hmm, been years since I've been to an MWCON... Or, for that matter, since I was active around here, but what the hell, I think I'll try to make it down. Maybe I'll wear my SMS uniform... looks pretty much like normal clothes anyway.

Keep an eye out for me over the weekend, I'll be Michel from Frontier. There's a gathering somewhere or other of Frontier cosplayers at 5 on Friday, by the way...

Hey, long time no see, everybody. Does anybody, by chance, have a vector or anything of the patches on the SMS jackets? I'm working on some Frontier costumes, and my plan is to do the patches in illustrator and print them as fabric transfers, then put those on white fabric and use those as patches. I have the left chest patch taken care of, and I'm working on the left shoulder patch from the somewhat poor reference images I have. However, they're not great, and I can't find any good references at all for the right shoulder. Is there even a patch there? I'm thinking it's a skull/crossbones patch, but I can't find a shot where it's visible anywhere.

Been years since I made it to an MWcon... how's the new venue? Hopefully I'll make it out this year. I'm working on a Basara costume for AX (Using Dynamite7's 10th as an excuse...), maybe I'll show up with it and annoy you guys with Totsugeki Love Heart...

I guess mine is more atypical than I thought it was. Found out about MW at Anime Expo... I want to say '01, at the Macross/Kawamori panel. Pretty sure somebody told me about it while we were all lined up. I have the vaguest recollection of telling somebody at that panel that I already knew about MW, though... so maybe I found it some other way. I got into Macross through the early anime club/fansub community, not through RT, so I know it wasn't any of those forums... maybe I found a link somehow.

I'm in agreement that we can't base our opinions on previous Bandai releases. Remember, since M7, all we've had were relatively small OVA series, which were mostly marketed to enthusiasts. Frontier is a full-blown, mainstream TV series, and, if Bandai gets the license, we can bet that they'll be putting a much larger effort behind their toys. Look how far the Gundam line has come in the past decade, it's proven that Bandai can certainly do Macross justice. I'm personally really hoping that Bandai does pick it up, and puts their resources into making good stuff. They've really shown that they can make nice stuff at an affordable price point. While I like Yamato's products, they're not within a range for me to own more than one or two of any given series, as the $200+ that they're asking hits the point where the money would be better spent on my real hobby. (My cars) If Bandai can produce MG-quality kits of the Macross stuff, I'll be elated. HCM-Pro style products would be great, too, allowing a good number of toys to be displayed in limited space.

Haha, hadn't even realized that the close-ups weren't press/advertising photos. (Which I figured would've been prepro samples.) Disappointing, then. I don't recall the paint being that amateur-seeming on any previous Yamato I've owned, even the 1/72s...

You misunderstand. I wasn't asking for more action, I just think that the action we DID see was a little underwhelming, compared to how amazing the VF-0's entrance was. The episode was better than I expected, to be sure... but there was just something lacking in what we saw of the VFs, there wasn't that "jaw-dropping" factor. As I say, though, I'm sure they're saving that for later episodes, I just think that, with a full TV series, an amazing mecha sequence in the first episode would've done wonders in terms of "hooking" the general audience. As for issues... I don't necessarily disagree with the messages shown in recent Kawamori works, I just think that he and his writing staff have ended up putting a little too much emphasis on the "message", rather than on the entertainment/storytelling value of the series. It's not just the real-world messages, either, I just find that, especially with Zero, he threw a little too much at the viewers. It's great for fans like us, who enjoy rewatching series to decipher the complex stuff, but off-putting to the casual audience, which is especially important with Frontier, considering it's a broadcast TV series, in an age when few of the target generation have had much exposure to Macross.

Well, I couldn't use the term I really wanted to... Pretty much, I find that Kawamori's recent work sacrifices having a good story and likable characters, ending up instead with a work that just ends up being far too preachy, convoluted, and, well, just screws with the viewer's mind. What I'm saying is that I hope he/they'll concentrate more on making something that is enjoyable to watch and concludes well, rather than degenerating into a bunch of incoherent ecobabble.

It's not the amount of action. I mean more that the movements of the Valkyries, and the way they fight and transform, doesn't seem as absolutely stunning as the VF-0's first appearance in MZero, for example, was. I suspect that they're trying to de-emphasize the VFs in this series, though, and make it more character-focused, which IMO isn't a bad thing at all. I really hope it doesn't go too deep into the philosophical stuff, and they just concentrate on a good, solid, story.

Troll, maybe? I voted for pants, but I'll admit that there was an ever-so-small amount of disappointment in this episode. While the Valk designs were awesome, they way they seem in action isn't particularly impressive. I'm sure they're saving that for later, though.

I'm currently celebrating, because I just got my insurance bill. Sounds odd, but my WRX's insurance just went from almost 400 a month, to 188 a month. Finally avoided tickets for long enough to get the discount, and my birthday being in august helped. Maybe my car clicking over five model years old helped, too. Long time no see, everybody, by the way...

I'm liking the classic "John Player Special" F1 vibe these give off. I'm not liking the horrendous paint quality, and I really hope the pics aren't indicative of the final product.

Been a while since I showed up here... Few thoughts;

BUST THE KEYHOLE, BRO!!! You run VegasDrift events? Do you know Matt with the "Panda" blacktop 86, or Case, who had an FC and a Mazdaspeed Miata?

Chances are I'll end up with a 20v, anyway. It's an old car, so it's easy to get "smog hookups". I'm still not sure if I want to keep working on it, though, there's not a lot of potential. I sorta want to do a 240Z... but that'd have to come way down the line, anyway... By the way... I've got to say, that Dino "concept" up the page is one of the worst examples of design I've ever seen, and whoever came up with it should be banned from ever designing a car again. Every aspect of the design, from the "super-deformed" proportions, to the front end that looks like a shark with Down's Syndrome, and, especially, the horrible 24" wheels and two-foot-long brake calipers, is a shining example of how NOT to design a car. The day Ferrari, or anyone else, puts a joke like that into production will be the day I tear up my driver's license and buy a bicycle.

Well, it's been quite a while since I swung by MW. Kept running into A7 for a while, and then forgetting the fact that he'd been yelling at me to come post again! So, figured I'd see what was up with MW's car guys. If I remember right, I'd just gotten my WRX as of the last time I posted. Might as well show you guys what's up with it... So, back in June '05, it was pretty much stock. Here it is now. The biggest thing I've done with it was the suspension. Gone are the crap springs and stock shocks that were on it when I picked it up. Now, it's equipped with K-Sport's Kontrol Pro Damper system. Great setup, and I've got almost 30,000mi on them. Mine may well have been the first set in the US, oddly enough, as they came off the first importer's demo car! Aside from that, I've got a few various things. The A'PEXi N1 ExTi Titanium catback went on in April. Picked it up at a great price when A'PEXi did their "garage sale" event. ECU is lightly retuned for it, and I'm probably making 10-15HP out of the deal, but the big improvement is reduced lag, improved response, and, of course, a massive improvement in the car's sound. Other than that, I've got 17x7.5 Rota Tarmac wheels, with 245/45/17 Bridgestone Fuzion ZRis, a Kartboy Short Shifter, SS Brake lines, an STi knockoff rear strut bar, and an A'PEXi I-Moni unit and mechanical boost gauge. However, the WRX is really moving into a "daily driver" role, thanks to my more recent addition to the stable. She's an '87 Toyota MR2, N/A. She WAS powered by an AE92 Hi-Compression "redtop" 4A-GE 16v motor, but it blew, so I'm figuring out what to replace it with.. The 5spd transmission is also the improved model from the AE92. Aside from that stuff, all I've got is a classic HKS Sport exhaust, an HKS Hi-Flow cat, and an HKS filter on a ghetto-fab intake. She's sitting on 15x6.5 Konig Helium wheels, with Falken Ziex tires. The basic specifications, however, didn't stop me from getting out on Willow Springs Raceway, and competing in a Time Attack event. Didn't place high, but obliterated the closest specced car to mine. Anyway, this probably isn't the end, either. I'm currently thinking about picking up a friend's 240SX, this time a 5spd dual-cam fastback, for cheap, and building a new drift car...

I've seen the movie, it's not bad. I can't divulge any specific info, due to confidentiality agreements and such. (I'm not even supposed to have seen it.) Good performance from Smith, though, and well directed and shot.

Yes, but it's easier to bring back in at the end of the corner. Don't forget that drift car setup is much less about the ability to get the car sideways than it is about making the car easy to control at high angle. Drift cars are setup for quite a bit more grip than you'd expect, because the higher the threshold of traction loss, the more sideways the car can be in a slide and still come out of it well.

Why the monster sidewalls? If you're running 15"s, I'd recommend the Falken Azenis Sports in something like 245/60/15 (not sure if they still make that size or now), or, if you want to go really hardcore, Toyo RA-1s. (For grip driving.) Excellent cheaper choice is Hankook RS-II. If you want to keep it American, the Goodrich T/As are very well-regarded, too. Look around at reviews and stats on Tire Rack.

Things haven't been too bad. Car's been out of comission for almost a month, though, tires are so dead I can't drive it more than a few miles, and no money for new ones. Being out of work doesn't help, either. At least tires are "wear items", though, and nothing serious is wrong. (knock on wood)

I tend to agree, partially. However, Tarzan was in Unlimited, where almost all the drivers were professionals, at least to some degree. Most amateurs were in Street or Modified. However, I'll be running the December event, and possibly with an Unlimited class Mitsubishi Starion! I'll just have to go out there and kick Yamada's ass.

Hey guys, how long has it been since I posted on here? Anyway, did anyone go to the Redline Time Attack at California Speedway this past weekend? I was there, shot over a thousand pics! Some of the better ones (about 10% of the total) are up on my public photobucket. Feel free to check them out. http://photobucket.com/albums/f82/WRBWRXMAX/ Redline time attack > california speedway. The RRR FD won its class, Unlimited RWD. Second place was the pink fd with the crazy widebody. Unlimited AWD, and overall win, was the XS R32 GT-R, driven by Tarzan Yamada. The white and orange WORKS Evo won Modified AWD.

If the new GTR is a Skyline by that virtue, then so is the 350Z, M45, FX45, among others.

Hmm, I may have to go around looking for good deals, actually. I'm dying for a little LCD HDTV for my room, maybe I'll find one at a decent price.