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sketchley

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Everything posted by sketchley

  1. sketchley
    Agreed. It's especially desirable as the current arrangement isn't very easy for editing hot links or removing pictures in quoted posts.
  2. sketchley
    Good luck! Some advice: - try and assemble it in the pose you're ultimately going to display it in. These things are not meant to be repeatedly transformed. - if you're going to panel line it (especially with a solution applied via paintbrush), best to put it on before you put the stickers/decals on. It's rare, but sometimes you do need glue. I haven't built one of the MD 1/72 kits yet, but with Bandai's VF-1, you needed to glue the little greebles on the outside of the upper legs (specifically: the thrust reversers). I also found that the way the feet on that kit were composed, they had a tendency to disassemble themselves when stood on, so glue was used there, too. So, depending on the mode you choose to display it in, and how much you handle it, you may want to consider a few strategically placed drops of glue on the weaker looking joints... err seams.
  3. sketchley
    Personally, I'm against it. Just because CG has enabled it, it doesn't mean we (they) have to do it. For example: Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight. Initially I was disappointed that Holmes wasn't reprising the role, but I got over it - especially as Gyllenhaal was extremely effective at projecting the complex emotions needed for the character in the second movie. Aside from the uncanny valley effect, I think the main reasons I'm against it are the performance itself (it's done by committee when done in CG) and the interaction of the other actors in the shot (compare the prequel series to TFA and RO - sets composed of blue screens vs. realia).
  4. sketchley
    If you look closely, some appeared in background scenes in SDFM - specifically on the Zentraadi side. The one in the following link (with low grade screen caps) is described in Macross Perfect Memory as an 'Automatic Resupply Craft' (自動補給機): http://ptn.home.xs4all.nl/AircraftAux/zen_Tanker.html Why would they need such a vehicle? Refuel the Rigaado (Regult) Battle Pods when they're flying in space (the aforementioned range of 2.8 times the circumference of the Earth per pound of fuel is for flight within an atmosphere, using air to create thrust, right? What do they use as the mass thrown out the rear of the engine in outer space to provide thrust?)
  5. sketchley
    Here's my review of TFA that might shed some light on were that disappointment comes from for some people: http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/RvwMovie.php#StarWars7 The film isn't all bad, and I really like some sequences in it. Alas, it has all the good and bad traits of a JJ film...
  6. sketchley
    That's the sticky point - how much time passes between Rogue One and ANH? Some people have said 10 minutes. But, realistically, even if Vader dropped everything he was doing on the Rebel flagship, raced back to his shuttle, flew back to his ship, and left in pursuit immediately upon landing, could he still have tracked down Leia and caught up with her in only 10 minutes? Its a stretch. Back to the Death Star - how much time passes between the start of that movie and the destruction of the Death Star? ANH isn't clear about that, either. Going back to the point I was making in my earlier post: I'm of the opinion that the Death Star's actions in ANH are a part of its shake down cruise. Maybe the lack of a full crew complement is also part of why the Rebel's were so successful, too? Anyhow, I agree that the real reason is Tarkin. Lazy bum is your interpretation, mine is that he's thinking politically, and setting others up to take the fall if things go South.
  7. sketchley
    Well, he does have an anti-planet weapon (not an anti-ship or anti-fighter one), that was just completed. So I doubt that it is fully staffed and armed, or has a full complement of TIE Fighter defenders, as it has yet to undergo a shakedown cruise to work out the bugs. And I think we all can agree that he wants to deliver it undamaged to the Emperor. Also, by leaving it to Vader, he can avoid responsibility if the Rebels get away with the plans (which they do), while still being in a position to claim the success (I was overseeing the battle). He's a very slippery character, good at covering all his bases.
  8. sketchley
    This was the second time I tried that (using sticker borders on the underside). The first time was with the VF-171, and only with the white triangle lights (?) on the leading edges of the wings. I'm almost tempted to get the upcoming release of the Sv-262 that has stickers for two more variants - in that one, we're guaranteed to get enough stickers to even cover the bottom!
  9. sketchley
    The full name for it is "Bandai Star Wars Vehicle Model 006: Millennium Falcon". It was released in Dec. 2016. http://bandai-hobby.net/sw/jp/products/vm.html http://www.gunjap.net/site/?p=317461
  10. sketchley
    Just finished "#09 Sv-262Ba Draken III". In short: I like its shorter nose and less greebly wings more than that on the squadron leader's Draken. #1 top: the greeny-blue plastic Bandai used is much more conducive to a black wash than the dark blue they used on the squad leader's Draken. Even then, I was a bit disappointed at how much eventually got covered by the stickers. #2 side: I really like the side profile if this one. It almost looks like a real aircraft. #3 rear: apologies for the bad photo resolution. Nevertheless, excellent detail level in the rear. The only problem I've had with the kit is the small piece that you remove from the bottom of the gun to plug in the stand doesn't fit snuggly in the storage plug on the rear of the stand. Something to watch out for (note: hasn't been a problem for me with the squad leader's Draken). #4 bottom: the lack of stickers for the bottom of the Mecha Colle kits is frustrating. However, I found a partial solution by snipping out some of the usable border sections on the sticker sheet and adding them strategically to the bottom. It's not much, but improves the bottom considerably (to be honest, I like the more subtler lines I created than the big colour swathes on the top, but that's just me). #5 top comparison: although the gold on blue is a more dynamic colour arrangement, I prefer the wings on the Sv-262Ba. I also found the stickers to be much less frustrating (dare I say easier?) to affix. The only part that was tricky on the Sv-262Ba was the dorsal spine, between the cockpit and tail - the sticker is way too thin... #6 side comparison: the shorter nose on the Sv-262Ba is more apparent in this picture. Visually, I find the proportions on the dorsal spine are clearer on the Sv-262Ba than the squad leader's one - the gold sticker doesn't help from this perspective! #7 family photo: that's a custom paint job on the VF-171's canopy. Looking forward to the Super Pack equipped VF-31 (no, not planning to triple (quintuple?) dip on the VF-31S, 31C, or 31F).
  11. sketchley
    Finished the "#07 SDF/C-108 Macross Elysion Fortress Mode" kit a while back. In short: great kit, with a highly level of detail. Wish they released more Macross capital ships in this series. #1 Top: weathering really makes the detail pop. I was going to try a new technique of adding pencil graphite on the gun barrels, but the weathering makes them stand out just fine. The detail on the stickers for the flight decks is really outstanding. #2 side: painted both the engines and the undersides of the prow. I was surprising by how much the spot painting improved the overall look of the kit. #3 Bottom: also painted the upper legs. Was planning to do a bit more in the underside, but figured the amount of time spent masking for adding what amounts to a few drops of paint wasn't worth it - most people don't look at this side anyways... #4 rear quarter:
  12. sketchley
    Just finished the "Bandai Vehicle Model 006: Millennium Falcon". First things first: I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer amount of detail on it.. #1 top: the kit comes with a LOT of small stickers. However, the weathering solution I used really brought out the detail on the 6 round fans on the back. No point covering up that awesome detail with the plain grey discs on the sticker sheet! Speaking of stickers - I was pleased that they left clear spots in some of them for the detail below to show through. Top tip: apply weathering before affixing the stickers; especially if you're not going to use a decal softener and clear coat before weathering it! #2 side: impressive how they reproduced the proportions in Joe Johnston's original sketches. The kit is much 'shorter' than I expected (nod to the OT film crew for filming it in dynamic positions). #3: I didn't weather the maw before assembling. I've had to leave it as-is, as I didn't want to make a mess of the kit while applying the weathering (some of the weathering solution was already dripping out the bottom after applying it to the top!), and Q-tips don't work in that size of a gap... #4 Bottom: again - impressive detail levels. The only difficulty in assembly is the sticker location instructions - simply put, dot matrix printing doesn't give a fine enough resolution for the size of the example they were forced to use. The positioning of the red stickers on the thrust deflector plates at the rear were particularly difficult. #5 rear: I didn't apply the weathering solution on the engine nozzles - just used the excess on the Q-tips used to clean it up on the other sections to give it a light dusting - even then, the gap is very narrow (like the front maw), and I couldn't get the effect I was striving for. If you're planning on painting your kit, make sure to do this section and the open maw at the front before assembly! #6 Family photo: the kit is quite large for a Mecha Colle/Vehicle Model. Here it is next to the Star Destroyer from the same model series, and a Lego Minifigure for size. Conclusion: this is a great kit for both beginners and experts. ALL the instructions are in both English and Japanese. It is also a great display piece that doesn't eat up a lot of real estate on your display shelf. The kit truly gives you a lot for what you pay (less than the price of a Big Mac set in Japan)!
  13. sketchley
    There's nothing in the Official Setting materials that I've come across that have indicated the Battroid size - and despite how cool the Mecha Colle series are, they don't have any stats or write-ups, unlike they're large 1/72 (etc.) cousins. The only hint to the height I have is that the VF-171 has a 'smarter' form in Battroid than the VF-17. Given the Japanese penchant for not including a subject in their sentences, that could be just as applicable to the height as it is to the more logically relevant leaner body proportions - in the sense that in addition to reducing the bulk, the limbs/torso/whatever are subtly elongated. Thus, a height increase (but still in the ball park of the height in Seto's post. [if memory serves, the source for that is Macross Chronicle]
  14. sketchley
    I think it would be more constructive to make a post in the bug thread that Shawn created after moving. Specifically - this topic is the first one I've come across after the move where the pictures are appearing as links Eg: the picts in this topic, both before and after the move are appearing: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?/topic/35120-whats-lying-on-your-workbench-mk-iv/&page=130 Cheers.
  15. sketchley
    Hmm... I'm the opposite - in that I think Rogue One is better than The Force Awakens. Namely because RO dared to do something new, and TFA is essentially a rehash of the OT (or ANH, to be more precise). Did RO work? I thought it did. Others don't. But that's still alright in my book, because they tried to take things in new directions and look at other traditional elements from new perspectives. Now the one thing that I dislike about both RO and TFA is that they've gone and ruined the prequel trilogy! Those films are nigh unwatchable now. I guess what I'm trying to say is I really like what they're doing in these new films with characterization and letting the actors flex their acting muscles. Edit: although it wasn't directly shown or stated, I think a bunch of the Imperial forces made it off the planet. Why else would they only shoot off the top radar antenna in their attack? Stop the transmissions, and giving those on the ground a chance to escape. The higher-ups would definitely have access to shuttle craft, TIE Strikers and so on. Perks of rank, I guess.
  16. sketchley
    Saw it yesterday with my son, and all I can say is: wow. It's been a while since a movie has kept me guessing on how things are going to end up. I 'primed' myself for RO by watching SW 2 and 3 over the preceding weeks (and NOT watching #4). So, the movie *may* have been subjectively greater because of that. Though, that highlighted one of the things that this movie got right: unlike the spic-and-span cleanliness of the PT, this one is as grungy, if not more so, than the OT. Anyhow, I was blown away by some of the on-location shots. E.g. Vader's palace over the lava flows, the shuttle coming in to land at the beginning over the sand and grass flats. I don't think we've ever had a SW movie before where the location shooting upstaged the visual effects! The only complaint I have is the first appearance of Tarkin. I wish it was in a shot that wasn't as dialogue/plot heavy, for as soon as he appeared, it shot my right out of the movie with thoughts of "how did they do that?" and then spending some time being distracted by observing the CG... I think that his appearance in the film was a good case for getting an actor who looked similar to play the role (like they did in SW 3), and not CG it (there's too much of an uncanny doll effect going on with the CG, IMHO).
  17. sketchley
    Struggled with that one, too. Both mobile and desktop are affected. The workaround I got was (for desktop. Not sure if mobile differs): 1. Click 'unread comments' (upper right) 2. Under the "Unread Comments Header": select the filters that you want from the horizontal option bar (to select the unread posts, click on: Read Status > Unread Item Links take me to the first unread comment) 3. Click 'Save as new stream' (it appears under far right of the option bar after modifying the filters), and save it with some catchy name. Selecting your newly created filter isn't as easy anymore: On the upper right of any page (Browse / Activity / Leaderboard): Activity > My Activity Streams > [your catchy name] Hope it works for you, too!
  18. sketchley
    Speculation: They might be trying to maximize the licences they do have, while the IP is still in the public consciousness (for Japanese anime fans, that's generally a lot shorter than what us English speaking fans are used to - and SDFM being the exception to the rule).
  19. sketchley
    Found a site with some picts of the book's contents: http://www.1999.co.jp/10413132
  20. sketchley
    This. He also did the helicopters in the Patlabor movies (and I think the F-15 Kai that show up in the 2nd one, too). As well as the 'Road Runner' Patlabor. GitS 'copters by Kawamori-san: http://www.serenadawn.com/GITS-Vehicles_clip_image001.gif http://www.serenadawn.com/GITS-Vehicles_clip_image007.gif
  21. sketchley
    I think it's the former - movie exec's these days tend to go for the low-risk, moderate-return business model, and putting more Aliens into it would make it more of a bankable film in this season of sequels... A better film? That remains to be seen. *cough* AVP2 *cough*. Edit: clarified spelling
  22. sketchley
    Yeah, it was a bridge too far at the time of its production, even for an SF show.
  23. sketchley
    Erm... wasn't Prometheus about faith? Something related to, but distinct from religion.
  24. sketchley
    It may help to use the straight Hepburn romanization of the name: Gigiru. Or an aspirated version if that's not your cup of tea: Gihgihruh. Agreed about Gigiru being the true star of the show.
  25. sketchley
    Agreed. After some deep navel gazing I've figured out why it's not working for me - it's the lack of Asian (or Japanese & HK) design aesthetic. It's like the creators of the cityscapes in the film took the most outstanding aspects of certain Asian cities, and excessively embellished them, while ignoring the design aesthetics of Feng Shui and so on (very true in the HK inspired scenes - which are pretty much ALL of the city scenes, as Mamoru Oshii based his film on that, and this film is based on that film...)... That aesthetic also applies to one of the central themes of the manga/first movie - losing your individuality in a mass production information society. Which one could interpret as an examination of the conflict between honne and tatemae in a sci-fi setting. But yeah... there's just something not right about the Buddhist monks in the trailer. No. Most of the time, she's wearing some type of skin tight bodysuit covered in, for lack of a better word, a flack jacket.
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