Knight26

IF you don't work here or have official business don't even try to just saunter onto base to try and take some pretty pictures. Your best bet would be to get someone who works on base (which is probably most of cal city) to get you in and out, but if you are caught someplace you are not suppossed to be, especially with a camera, some very nice gentlemen in BDUs with M-16s will give you a very nice introduction to the tarmac.

Actually the colonel and I plan to moon the cameras through the windows of a C-17, lol

i know, i know they are going to Eglin or Tyndall. they definatly wouldnt go to that Edwards place. 419710[/snapback] I guess I should tell the colonel and the general that they are full of it then huh?

I just found out something interesting, apparently they are not done filming on USAF bases yet because Holloman doesn't have any C-17s, F-22s, or V-22s, hmmm wonder where they could be going, and wonder whose squadron might very well be involved?

I never cease to be amazed by the wonderful work you put into that kit Rob Doctor (I am assuming that it is your from ARC right?). It looks like you even did some additional work on the cockpit, care to show some pictures there, and of your wonderful undercarriage work?

Nice catch DH on the muzzles, someone at TAKA must have been working on the cheap and decided just to mirror those two molds. I'll bet most of the parts end up being that way.

I really like it in those pics, and yes the one on the right is definitely mistransformed

aargh can't see photobucket at work, someone post some pics

Nied, I think the biggest problem that the Navy had with the F-110 was that is was developed for the Air Force, yes there is still that interservice rivalry. Whereas the F-404/414 on the other hand has always been a navy project. As for the naming system, I agree that the preson a ship is named after should already be dead, it is after all an honorarium. But personnally I have no problem with the Reagan or the Kennedy being named so soon after the president was dead. As for naming them after old naval battles, or legacy carriers a lot of those names are now going to the LHAs and LHDs (the helo/harrier carriers) though some are also named after islands, go figure.

Yes the F-110 is large diameter is about 1 foot larger and I believe it is about two feet longer as well IIRC.

Wait there is a Halo movie trailer out, where link man, link.

Hollywood has always been good at making actors look taller or shorter depending on the character requirements. It's all tricks of perspective and takes a fair amount of camera skill to really work well.

No the F-414 is the same physical size as the F-404 it just has 30% more thrust to account for the 30% greater mass of the Super Bug. It will be quite a long time before anything the F-404/414 engine size class will be able to generate as much thrust as an F-414.

In regards to the Super Bug, my biggest issue with its design is the F-414 engine, they really should have gone with a larger engine like the F-110. But I know that they did not because there was a chance that the F-414 might not materialize so the F-404 would have been used, and the navy does not appear to like the F-110 too much. Really it is sad because the large engine would have made the aircraft that much more powerful and weight gain would not have been that significant, but hey that is just my two cents. As for the naming of ships. Carriers are named after Presidents, Naval Heroes, and Legacy Ships. Reagan was president, and like his politics or not he did a great deal for the military and most military leadership still loves him. Bush senior, as stated was a Naval pilot in WW2 and in some circles is considered a naval hero because of his actions after he got shot down. Vinson, while a politician, is considered a naval hero because of the work he did as head of the house armed services commitee, and in the process created the structure of the armed forces as we now know it. Stennis, while also a politician is considered the father of the modern navy, and again he was the head of the house armed services commitee. So should carriers be named after such politicians, maybe, maybe not, but they did a lot to help the navy, but the Navy picked the names and they think that they are appropriate. As for naming a sub after Carter, love him or hate him, he is the best ex-president we've ever had, and he was a submariner, so naming a sub after him is appropriate, and IIRC he was asked and agreed that a sub was more appropriate for his name. Will we ever see a USS Ford, a USS Nixon, or USS Clinton, or USS Bush Jr, probably not though Nixon does probably deserve to have a ship named after him. As for naming ships after famous battles, what do you think most of the destroyers are named after? There is a comprehensive rule book on how ships are named and the Navy, with its long traditions, sticks to that strongly. Also, there are whispers in the fleet, ok more then whispers, that the CVN(X)-78 will be the *insert drumroll* The ENTERPRISE. Yes the Big E will get yet another carrier. The reason being is that the current Big-E is scheduled for Decomm in 2013-2014 and the new BiG-E is scheduled for commissioning in 2014, and in the whole history of the navy there has never not been an Enterprise.

My wife is still hotter.

That is a really bad scan, makes the red look almost pink.

While Lightening II seems to be the official moniker I think it will likely go the way of the ThunderBolt II and Fighting Falcon, and the crews will adopt a more appropriate nickname for it.

I agree that Ligthning II is not a good name for the F-35, personnally I was more inclined to go with Fury II, or maybe even Fury Hawk. Since Fury would have been in honor of the original FJ-1 fury which was really just an F-86 modified for carrier ops and was the first jet used by all fixed wing aircraft flying services.

Don't get me started on the BD-5 I restored one in college as a project, what POS.

Graham the comparison page is great, thanks for doing it. Though looking at it does bring up a couple of niggling issues, small stuff and I do not mean to nitpick. I only say this to add constructive criticism and becuase we all know that to an extent you have Yamato's ear. At this point the only issues I see with the overall design are these: 1) The gunpod does seem to be too short, small fix really at this point, it just needs to be lengthened more then anything that I can see. 2) The legs are a little short and stocky. I realize this is probably to make it look better in all three modes and in to incorporate whatever magic they will need to get the arms low so it is livable. Overall though it looks 100x better then original and the changes do make sense in order to make it perfect variable. I love the YF-19 but I do see that a lot of anime magic went into its design, and probably the YF-21's as well, though to a lesser degree. Also as you said these are preliminary CAD drawings and I am sure a lot tweaking is left to go, I personnally can't wait.

All aircraft have some teething problems, some are small, some are major. When it comes to the F-22 though, well we are starting to the see the final results of stealth design. In particular maintenance on the F-22 will be a nightmare due to there being far too few maintenance access panels, and the far too crowded landing gear and weapons bays. Wonder what I mean, well look in your standard landing gear well, it is relatively clean and uncluttered, look in an F-22 landing gear well and it is crammed full of valves, fill ports, sumps, gauges, etc... That was all done to minimize the number of opennings on the exterior of the aircraft to increase stealth, but then look how low it sits to the ground, oh yeah the maintainers just love it.

I would say the macross itself or the VF-0D, I love the 0D.

oh ok I remember now, but I don't remember it being that "incredible" a distance

What scene are you talking about, I only remember JJ's son in three scenes. 1) he picks up MJ from the theatre. 2) him and MJ in the apartment sending out invites and making out. 3) Him getting left at the alter.

Graham I would be carefeul with such comments, it might make people think you have handled a prototype, in which case people will start flocking to your door. LOL