Ivan

Yellowlightman, love your Macross Zero screen shots. Will you be adding more for the remaining episodes?

So I guess there isn't any fan of Canto pop or Taiwanese pop music here?

Are we going to get comic strips starring Agent One? And how about some action figures? But seriously, Agent One, your profile says you work in consulting. What type of consulting work do you do, if you don't mind me asking?

yes Toyko kid in Harvard Square Oh no... Tokyo Kid is known for their outrageous prices. I've spent the past 5 years living in Boston and have yet to find a hobby shop with decent prices in the area. Hence, I only buy toys online or when I return to Hong Kong. Oh well, now you know and should avoid them in the future. For online purchases, you can try Kevin@valkyrie-exchange.com, EBay, or HLJ. Hope this helps.

US $100 for a Bandai VF-1S? Where did you buy it in Boston? Tokyo Kid in Harvard Square?

Did Lucas fix the Rancor effect in the DVD version of ROTJ? Somehow it looks a lot better, but the DVD review website posted earlier doesn't say anything about it.

Check out Discovery's newest series, Pop Nation, which celebrates America's love affair with pop collectibles. http://media.dsc.discovery.com/fansites/po.../popnation.html Godzilla? Sith Lord? Too bad Graham lives in HK.

Latitude 22° 12' Longitude 113° 32' Macau

Keith, do you know which DVD set I can find the "Macross 7 Plus" omake shorts these days? I have all Mac 7 episodes except these. Thanks.

Is there any info on other Macross products in the two magazines? i.e. GBP armor, Hasegawa VF-11 mentioned in the Models section? BTW, what exactly is "the Dodo"?

Thanks for the response. I have the regular Hikaru VF-1J and am debating whether to get the Super version just for the fast packs. Do the stand-alone fast-packs go well with the VF-1J?

To those who own both the stand-alone 1/48 super and strike parts armor and the 1/48 Super VF-1J Hikaru: Is there any difference (color, sculpting, etc.) between the stand alone fast packs and the ones that come with the Hikaru VF-1J? I can't really tell from the pictures. If possible, please post a side-by-side comparison pic. Thanks.

I thought Gamlin became good friends with Basara towards the end of Mac 7. Still, he should be happy because his Vf-22 is on par if not superior to the Emerald Force's Vf-19 Blazer Valkyries. I'd be pretty pissed if a moron like Doka gets a better valk than me.

Is that VF-22 painted in black or dark blue? I can't really tell.

I agree with you guys. Stickers suck big time. They become discolored and peel off after a few years, especially in damp climate. I still haven't applied the stickers to my Bandai VF-19S for the above reasons, but the toy looks plain and incomplete without the yellow stripes. How did other MWers handle this? Did anyone try to paint the stripes themselves?

Actually, Sammo Hung (Martial Law) was the original choreographer of the movie, but halfway through the production, he and Chow had a difference of opinions and quit. Yuen Wo Ping (Matrix) eventually took over.

Hey Valk009, could you post the link to your friend's forum once it's set up? I would like to pay a visit some time and possibly help translate. Thanks. BTW, why doesn't Hasegawa have any license problem with Bandai? I thought Bandai owns license to all Mac 7 valks.

Did you package your stuff carefully? Frankly, I would be more concerned with the toys getting damaged/lost than with taxes.

This film first came out back in December in Asia and broke the all time Hong Kong box office record. Not sure if Columbia Pictures made any edits, but if you want to see it in its original version, go get the HK version DVD that's out now. On the surface, the movie may seem to be a crazy, slapstick comedy that parodies the Matrix, Spiderman, Bugs Bunny, and Dragon Ball, but at the heart of the film is a major homage to the 70's Hong Kong martial arts films and the realization of a child's dream. Hey, who doesn't want to become a super hero overnight? All of the major actors/actresses, from Landlord/Landlady to the Beast, in the film are real kung fu masters. In fact, the landlord and landlady were both classmates of Jackie Chan. It is quite unusual for Stephen Chow to take the back seat and let these real masters have the spotlight throughout the picture. Furthermore, the final fight scene between Chow and the Axe gang was an obvious tribute to Bruce Lee's "Fist of Fury". In this climatic battle, not only did Chow dress like Lee, he also employed the simple yet lethal fighting style that Lee invented. All the other fighting styles/attacks in the film were also based on famous Chinese novels. For example, the "Lion's Roar" and the "Toad's Stance" were taken directly from the "Condor Heroes" trilogy by Jin Yong. Even the soundwave attack had its root in the novel "The Six Fingered Zen Devil". Finally, it is interesting how the progression of the film from old school choreography in the beginning to the CGI heavy battles at the end symbolizes the transformation that martial arts films have undergone in the past few years. Start with one's childhood fantasy, pay your respect to those who inspired you, mix in with some CGI/comedy and top notch cinematography/editing, and you have a very entertaining film. Ivan

And your wife had no issue with you willing to spend that much money on a toy? Ya da man.

Thanks for the responses. How easy/difficult is it for someone with zero modeling experience to assemble the kit? Is there anything I should look out for?

Does anyone happen to own a Bandai 1/100 VF-19S model kit? How's the quality? Does it transform without parts removal? Also, please post pictures of the finished model if possible. Thanks.

Valkyries on steriods...

Graham, what artwork/picture did you provide the modeler to base the painting scheme on? If you don't mind, could you post it here. Thanks. Ivan

Why isn't Keith in this thread at all?