Grand Admiral

I don't have the typical "collector" mentality. I like to have one of each individual type of valk (VF-1, YF-19, YF-21, etc.) but I'm pretty unlikely to buy straight up repaints. Sometimes if I like the repaint more, I'll sell the model I have and buy the repaint with the proceeds. Part of this is because I have too many hobbies to really focus on only one. The VE-1 appeals to me because it's different from all the others, and the grey paint scheme with the radome and electronic gear has the quasi-realistic military look that I think is missing from valks that are in bright colors.

That would be a little closer to the later TF Gestalts like the Aerialbots and others. Those all utilized one larger central TF with 4 smaller guys for the limbs. Although they all still had extra kibble that needed to be added.

There are several, but I like the Fibblesnork Lego Guide for its layout and timelines.

Like I said... I'm willing to forgive some kibble, or even a thicker fuselage. It doesn't look to me like a transformer, it looks like an SR-71 toy with a robot toy hiding under it.

It doesn't really have much to do with hand-washing. My collection dates back to 1978, and I have very few yellowed pieces. I certainly wasn't careful about hand-washing as a kid. The bricks aren't dirty, they have actually changed color because of a chemical reaction in the ABS. It's most likely UV exposure, as discussed in this thread: http://news.lugnet.com/general/?n=30675 My collection was stored in our basement rec room when I was a kid. I didn't play with my lego stuff outside for fear of lost pieces. Today, it's stored in my own basement rec room I am careful not to allow it to get direct sunlight. MOCs that travel to displays or conventions always go in a box or a plastic storage bin with a lid. Because of all this, I also don't keep any of my toys or collectibles near windows that receive direct sunlight.

I do love transforming jet toys, but one of my big peeves is gobs of robot parts hanging out the bottom of the jet. I'm willing to forgive a little bit of that, but this looks pretty ridiculous.

Yeah, the comic storyline is sort of "eh". I don't really recommend it.

I made a Lego version. (Pictured in my friend Ryan's hangar bay diorama)

The Countdown comic establishes that the mining ship was upgraded at a secret, high-tech Romulan military outpost shortly after the destruction of Romulus. Apparently the tech is partially based on Borg technology.

Seeing a Rob Liefeld cover makes me laugh because I think of this: http://progressiveboink.com/archive/robliefeld.html

I posted this in the Photoshop/Photography thread but I'll whore it over here too. Click for high-res.

I thought the fact that he was blatantly smug was hilarious and very much Kirk-like.

I don't disagree with you on that. The Galaxy class design was such a departure from the previous Starfleet aesthetic that it's difficult to make it fit with the others. My photoshop hack was just a quick idea that I had. I think to really make the Galaxy class look more related to the rest of the "family" you'd have to redesign the entire secondary hull area. I feel that the Sovereign class looks more related to the previous designs because it doesn't have as many sweeping curves.

There was a DS9 episode where they travelled back to the "Trouble with Tribbles" episode of TOS. In the background of some scenes, you can see men wearing the short skirt uniforms too. It was their concession to political correctness, I suppose.

I wasn't holding my breath that you and Myk would like it. But maybe some of the other guys who think the Galaxy class looks awkward might find it interesting. Edit: Gave the Ambassador class a refit as well.

You know, I never hated the Galaxy class. But I think you hit on just what bugs me about the design: The short nacelles that are too far below the "water line" of the Primary hull. So I cooked up this "Refit" this morning. I raised the nacelles and lengthened the pylons, and swept them rearward to give more similarity to the other Enterprise designs. I like it! Edit: Gave the Ambassador class a refit too.

Why is it that when anyone complains about the look of the Bayformers someone always comes back with the "G1 fanboy" fallacy? I own many different Transformers from G1 up to and including recent Animated TFs. I have embraced many different looks and styles and themes over the last 25 years. I also own GoBots, GoDaikins, Gundams, and Macross mecha. I like all sorts of robots and mecha from all sorts of series, covering a broad range of aesthetics and designs. What I don't like are designs that have bug heads and lack a cohesive shape. If you like them, that's fine, but that doesn't mean everyone else is automatically a G1 purist with "Nostalgia Glasses". Save that argument for someone who is actually comparing them to G1.

There's some fun trivia about the film on IMDB. I don't recommend reading it if you want to remain 100% spoiler-free. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796366/trivia

Being a hard core fan and trivia fanatic, yeah I wouldn't think you'd enjoy it.

The TNG style all-glass control surfaces are very pretty for onscreen showy scenes, but you need a balance of actual tactile buttons. Have you tried playing a game on an iPhone? It's pretty, but doesn't compare to an actual dedicated game controller. In a similar sense, you would want some actual buttons and joysticks for controlling certain things on a ship. The new movie actually does a pretty nice job of having some touchscreens mixed with levers and joysticks. And TNG had their own pajamas, so I don't think you're making much of a point there. At least they got some duty jackets later on. The other series have design and aesthetics, but they don't put form over function quite as far as TNG did. I think the 1701-A has a nice blend of screens and tactile buttons. And actual uniforms, not pajamas. http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/File:Const...it_bridge_2.jpg I think we can just chalk this up to liking what you grew up with.

Is the FP edition really that rare? I don't know, I'm asking.

Constitution class. And although I love TNG, the Galaxy class is IMO the least realistic looking of all the Enterprise designs. The warp nacelle pylons make no sense at all.

Oh yes.

Saw it this evening. Super fun, really enjoyed it.

Protip: When using bezier curves, use as few points as possible. Try to place the points at the apexes and ends of curves.