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VFTF1

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  1. VFTF1

    Queadluun-Rau

    VFTF1 replied to koushiro's topic in Toys

    You're a lucky guy My girlfriend SOMETIMES buys me mecha, has been known to watch an episode or two of anime with me, and generally doesn't give me trouble over my hobby - but she's not an enthusiast either - so - lucky lucky guy Are you serious about this? Did Yamato fix up the Miriya for the reissues? I ask because I also have the Mirya Quid Rau - and while it is nice, standing is not something it does so well - it has somewhat floppy legs at the hips and will fall over and has trouble holding its' poses... Maybe they tightened it up - or mine is a dud? Pete
  2. VFTF1
    Yeah, but I don't paint my Gundams So I'd like a green Zaku Pete
  3. VFTF1
    That's what my girlfriend tells me all the time. But then again, she's not exactly easy to please either. It takes a massive amount of effort to put a smile on her face - which lasts about 5 minutes - and then it's back to "you suck! You're a worthless man! Do something to prove your manliness" and ... it's back to the drawing board So - I guess her demanding style has rubbed off on me?... Very very insightful. I guess it's hard for me as a "westerner" to fully appreciate the specific commentary/references to Japanese history and culture made in any anime - since I don't know enough about them. Also, I have a distinctly(?) western habit of always looking for the universal themes in a work... I always behave this way with any new movie or show (the exception to this rule was Toppa Tengen Gurren Lagann, which completely blew me away from start to finish). I always resist watching anything new, and always try to find the "best things" to watch and just keep watching them over and over. Of course this is kind of silly, because if I don't risk watching something new, I'll never get the chance to find how good it is. Still - that's just my habit, I guess. Only once I've grumbled past my initial reservations and endured to I start seeing merit in something. I did notice how the Zeon soldiers are shown giving food to women and children, while the Federation soldiers are undisciplined and calous towards Amoro when he comes back to his mom's house. And I would agree that it seems Tomino is saying that there is no such thing as "good government" - although I wonder whether he means this in a total way (aka - that there is also no such thing as good governing of the individual by his own self - aka - that there are simply no good people, that goodness is impossible, that - as the narrator keeps repeating "who will survive?" is the only thing that counts - not so much in the sens of it being the highest moral good or value, but in the sense that there are no moral goods or values, but merely survival?).... As for Zeon... Well - here's what bothers me: First of all, it's a Principality. The narrator says they are trying to establish a dictatorship on Earth, but we really haven't seen how the Federation is governed in contradistinction to Zeon. And from what we've seen of Zeon, it seems not really to be a fascist society - "sieg zeon" and the rallies not withstanding. By this, I mean only that if anything, it is more of a monarchy, with a King and an aristocracy. Also, just as fascism (in Germany) had a legitamite root to its' popular support - namely the unfair treatment of Germans in Versailles and their treatment in the post-WWI period - which was then used and twisted to establish a nightmarish regime, I get the impression that Zeons might have some legitamite reasons for wanting to be independent from Earth - or at the very least - the narrator at the beginning says the war started because Zeon wanted and declared Independence. In any event, the people at that rally who were screaming "sieg Zeon" - contrary to what some might think - were not doing so without a reason, I would wager. And insofar as they might have been manipulated, intimidated, propagandized etc etc into this collective frenzy - their initial support for Zeon Independence MUST have had SOME KIND of legitamite foundation (by which I mean some kind of passion, feeling, emotion that was caused by some sense of being unjustly treated or harmed). Now - here's the key question: Did the war start because the Federation responded to Zeon's declaration of Independence by launching a war for unity? or Did the war start because, after declaring Independence, Zeon launched an attack on Earth and the Federation Sides in order to "establish dictatorship?" The narrative suggests either of these scenarios is plausible. Now, if the Federation launched the war against Zeon, which merely declared Independence - then this is dubious. Unless, say, the people of Zeon were compelled against their will to live under a dictatorship or something of this sort - but we haven't seen much internal resistance on the Zeon side... But.. hm ... yeah - finding any side that is "good" in all of this is pretty much just as impossible as definitively finding a side that is "good" in the real world... What is most striking in Gundam - to Tomino's credit - is the juxtaposition of situations where Zeon or Federation soldiers are shown helping someone, being nice to someone, giving aid to people, or reminiscing about their families in one scene - and then, suddenly, are battling one another in another. It's as if Tomino was saying: see, look how we're all the same, yet we just don't see it - we only see different uniforms... Pete
  4. VFTF1
    Oooh now that sounds interesting Can't wait till I get to the next episode Pete
  5. VFTF1
    This is a brilliant point. YAMATO! JUST STOP MAKING YOUR STUPID 1/60 VF-1s and your ugly 1/48s!! How can you even continue making your trash when you have the beauty that is the 1/100 Toynami MACROSS VF-1!! Somebody - please - send some of those things to those lamos at Yamato! Does Graham know what he's been missing?! I feel like such a twerp! I hereby announce: FOR TRADE: 4 1/48S (Stealth + low Viz v.2, + 1J Hikaru + 1S Roy + Stealth Super and Strike parts) + 3 1/50 v.2s (2 1Ss and 1 1A) + 2 SV-51s (Nora and Ivanov), two Zeros (Shin/Roy), Ghost and extra rockets etc etc IN EXCHANGE FOR: 1/100 Macross Toynami collection! Oh please! Please! Won't anyone trade with me? Boo hoo Boo ho ho hoo I can't stand my POS Yamatos anymore with their anime accurate moulds and their stupid sleak designs! I can't stand it how when you put a Valkyrie on its' stand it DOESN'T fall off under the weight of gravity! I also can't stand how the heads on my VF-1s don't spontaneously rip off! And what's with those ugly anime accurate fists! Please - I'm begging you! Take these ugly things from me and send me the brilliant 1/100 line! And a Beta fighter! pleeeeaaaaase ! Pete [ps: as if anyone were actually to take the above seriously - but still: Please be advised that the above is all sarcasm]
  6. VFTF1
    Gubaba: Don't worry - I haven't read the spoiler - thanks for the heads up F-ZeroOne - no need to apologize. Our friendly neighborhood Gubaba warned me in advance, and besides - if anything I am at fault for asking the question (hard to blame you for seeing a question and therefore trying to answer it) Yes, and I nearly fell over laughing when the narrator said that Amaro felt the scent of a woman for the first time when seeing her - since, IMO, she is not hot at all. Sure, she has lipstick and eye-liner and red hair - which I guess is a step up from being 90 and wearing the same clothes all the time or being Frau Bau (my God...I'm too harsh on that poor girl).. but still. The only girl I found attractive was the mother with the baby boy who wanted to go to St. Anges... she had a kind and gentle face and a nice body and good hair and I liked her spiritedness. This is a good point - but it probably has something to do with the fact that during WWII, America was attacked and half the world was overrun by a dictator, while during Vietnam a small country was made a victim of super powers vying for control in an ideological controntation that could only be resolved peacefully (as it ultimately was) and there was absolutely no need for warfare. Also - you could flip the analogy around and say that the WWII generation was passive - like the populations of the majority of warring countries - blindly following their governments, sacrificing their creature comforts and sending their children to die (something all sides did almost blindly) - while the Vietnam generation actually cared enough about the soldiers who were dying to try to do something to stop the war. The Macross civilians are a mix of both of these views, I think. Remember the reaction of the Zendradi spies when they see Kaifun going on television to lecture the reporters about how senseless the war is and how they shouldn't be chasing tabloid fodder but focus on ending the senseless war. One of the Zendradi says later that one of the reasons they wanted to stay on the Macross was because some of the people there "even were against fighting altogether." This is really what makes Macross so wonderfuly successful: it has such a rich diversity of views presented in its' characters. Gundam, thus far, has a bit of a different dynamic. Although - while sometimes helpful - such real world analogies have their limits. In the case of both WWII and Vietnam, we're still dealing with Earth-bound populations warring over various things. Gundam and Macross make Earth...very small... In this sense, I understand the Gundam civilians. Although I have now reached the part where the Zeon are shown having their little fascist rally, I'm still not very convinced of their "evil" and can understand Amoro's doubts, given how the federation treats White Base. I've seen a couple of episodes of that and yeah - it was shocking. Pete
  7. VFTF1
    That sounds awesome Is it a green Zaku? And is it out or scheduled to come out? After finishing my Dynamese HG, I've now embarked on building the MG Force Impulse. I have thus far built the Core Fighter/Splendor - which is pretty cool. I like the colors - they are rich, and the runners say "ABS" - so I take it this is all ABS plastic which...uh...is good? In any event - I read that it's supposedly a very stable Gundam that can keep its' poses. So far I'm two for two on MGs. The Wing Zero custom and Crossbone Gundam are great for play value, but Turn A and especially Unicorn less so. Is this because they are older kits that are still in production today? Turn A needs a v.2 - he is one of my favorite Gundams but the MG is a tad lacking... Unicorn is a nightmare... Pete
  8. VFTF1
    I'll just make you feel better by adding that you can't have a 1/60 v.2 1D and Max and then a bunch of out of scale 1/48s with them, or old time 1/60 v.1s. They just wouldn't look right. You'll just have to get every single VF-1 in the v.2 1/60 line Pete
  9. VFTF1
    Thanks for the review Jenius. I still have some time to think about these two. It's a hard choice. If they were one quarter of the price, I'd pick them up. But for the asking price - I want something with greater anime accuracy. I'm accustomed to paying high prices for Bandai's Soul of Chogokin, for Yamato Macross and for similar goods because they really take extra care to be anime accurate. These just don't. I would be far more positive about them if they were priced in the 50 USD range. Pete
  10. VFTF1
    I initially was watching dubs - and they might have even called it White Base, but because Char kept calling it "The Trojan" - I thought of horses (guess I should have thought of condoms). And thanks to pointing this out Lecturing teaches me things so lecture away I'm now passed the episode that ends with digging a grave for Garma's fiance. Great uplifting anime this is Pete
  11. VFTF1
    Well I wrote "even if he did" pilot it earlier - not that he did. I generally never got the impression that he did - rather - as I think I wrote - I got the impression that he got in the Gunman the first time and, under the emotional desire to protect his village, managed to work it. This is not far fetched. Remember that Simon - with the same emotions - managed to get Gurren to work in episode 1 also. Piloting Gunmen isn't really a hard thing to do - unless you're a manic-depressive. I guess I can see how someone might think the Priest is not Rossiu's dad - and I suppose for the sake of argumentation, I can even imagine that he is Rossiu's gay lover. But I can also imagine that I'm married to Yoko, who, after the last episode, stepped out of the TV screen - like the little girl from the Ring - only instead of horribly killing me, she told me that she decided on a new dream reality with me and we'll live happily ever after. That doesn't make it so (unfortunately) Pete
  12. VFTF1
    Or instant HATE if they screw her up. Thinking about all of the BAD Minmey statues out there - I suddenly had a terrible thought: namely - we finally get our Misa...and she looks really really bad Pete
  13. VFTF1
    I think his "location" says Turkey. Pete
  14. VFTF1
    Despite my utterly poor modeling skills, I am happy to report that this is one area where I have no problems. Wobble-free hands and patience help me do this just fine with no additional tools. I have plenty of display space - although I could stand to buy some new shelves or something... but yeah... I probably will continue with the 00 kits - particularly since I like the enemy mecha in 00... Pete
  15. VFTF1
    Yes. I must, however, try to be fair to the old folks on the White Horse, as I think I've been too harsh on them. I realized that given their age, it is understandable they want to touch down on earth "immediately" and don't care whether it's in Zeon territory or any other. Old people tend to actually be more hot tempered about getting what they want "right now" because they are old. They are aware of the fact that death could be right around the corner - and not from war or battle, but from nature; which you can't combat. So - I guess it's understandable... Anyways - back to the women for a moment... One of the most depressing scenes was at the banquet in the mansion that Garma and Charr attended... The three ..um...ladies...oogling over Garma had to be like 90 years old each... and in fact, besides Icelenia, I didn't spot a single young girl in the room - at least not of note. Sadly, this is also a sad legacy of war - people don't have the resources to take care of their looks, the fashion industry is dead... creature comforts are all sacrificed in favor of mass war production and war fighting... Again - this is why I prefer Macross; where civilians are not passive grumpy fodder, but actually make the difference... oh well - in any event - thus far I would say that Gundam is a depressing show. Maybe Tomino's made shows that are far more depressing - but Gundam is certainly sad... even the theme song is a sad reflection "shoot, shoot shoot!" - it's as if Tomino were punishing us for our interest: "you like giant fighting robots - then you have to get used to non stop ruinous war that whipes out everything and everybody. Enjoy." And one final thing: I don't understand why Charr manipulated Garma into death. Did Charr think that with Garma gone, he would rise in rank or something? I don't understand. Garma didn't exactly seem to be making an effort to hinder Charr - overall, Garma was actually quite helpful. Did Charr do it out of sadistic pleasure? That would be wierd - since doing in Garma entailed actually saving Gundam and the White Horse on more than one occassion. I don't really understand his motives here... Pete
  16. VFTF1
    Well - what can I say... Finally - someone with crazier interpretations than my own I guess I'll have to go back and re-watch that episode - what was it...episode 3 or 4? But honestly, I always was under the impression that it was his dad. I never got the impression that the Priest had ridden the Gunman - more like he stepped into it and did what was needed - and given that we are talking about super robots that work off of emotions - this is possible. But even if he did ride the Gunman earlier, this doesn't really contradict his being Rossiu's dad... As for their relationship being creepy - well - yes - if you rule out the father/son relationship, then all that remains is rapist/rape victim or top/bottom or something of that sort... But - wouldn't this "creepy" relationship only indicate the more plausible explanation (that their closeness was the result of father/son ties rather than being the result of bizzaro S&M?) Pete
  17. VFTF1
    No it's not for real. Sleep easy or read Lonewolf's post explaining and elaborating. This whole thread was a big to-do about nothing. Pete
  18. VFTF1
    Sweet. Yotsuba has an extra double-Revoltech joint that serves no real purpose (well - it sort of does come in handy for when you want her to be extra bendy)... But - yeah - I'm sure a joint will be found to use... Although - I don't know why I'm excited about this. I NEVER mod ANY of my figures. I like to have them "as is" since all of my adventures in modding (long time ago - dark past) have ended in tragedy (the greatest tragedy being when I used an acid-based paint thinner to try to get the paint off of my laser rod Prime and ended up litterly watching as the stuff ATE through him :0 Pete
  19. VFTF1
    I just hope we get v.2 1/60 angel birds. I'd buy them Pete
  20. VFTF1
    Tell that to my MG Unicorn Gundam. Playing with him is like playing with a woman when she has PMS... Pete
  21. VFTF1
    Well - I ended up building 00 Dynamese - mainly out of a sense of duty (aka - since I already had Exia and Virtue built then...).... Now - out of duty - I will probably build Kyros next; even though I don't much like him - but whatever... Also put the transparent red stickers on my Unicorn Gundam. Dag. I have SUCH a love/hate relationship with Unicorn Gundam. I really would have prefered if they'd simply not designed it to transform to psycho mode and just made it durable and able to stay together. As is, Unicorn just falls apart every which way - this is largely due to the fact that he is made to come apart real easily in order to fascilitate the transformation of a bazillion little panels in a way that doesn't have you tearing the model apart in mid air... Still - he is SUCH a pain in the butt! But SO beautiful at the same time... I keep having to remind myself that not all Mastergrade Gundams are so fragile as Unicorn... now I have a new dilema: Continue building High Grade 00 ...or go and build an MG kit? I'm leaning towards High Grades - they are quicker, more playable - and in a sense it would be nice since I pretty much have all of the 00 kits at hand... so I could have a nice rounded out 00 collection... Pete
  22. VFTF1
    Well - now I suddenly have a totally different compehension of Gundam, and of Tomino. All of the episodes I had watched up to now were Sunrise Dubs; then - all of a sudden - things switched to subs of the original Japanese (which I prefer). In the Sunrise Dubs, I realized now - I couldn't warm to Amoro because his dub (combined with his hair-do) made me think of...Daniel from Transformers the Movie/Season 3. Yeah - I just couldn't shake the feeling that that was little Daniel there... Now, with the original Japanese voice, that feeling is gone. Frau Beau still has a ludicrous name, but she's grown a pair of tits suddenly and keeps winking at Zeons and being all womanly to Amoro. Albeit - I'm not surprised Amoro only "felt the scent of a woman for the first time" when Matilda showed up, since - as I have noted prior - Frau Beau and Stela (?) just don't cut it... But neither does Matilda. Leave it to Garma to apparently be the only one in the Gundam universe with a beautiful girlfriend/wife. Just looking at Garma's girlfriend/wife (I assume that is his girlfriend/wife and not his sister?) makes me want to root for the Zeons. I've noticed that they don't have women soldiers, that their women stay home and dress in beautiful clothing rather than putting on pants and going to war, AND that their pilots are hell bent on sending food and supplies to single mothers with small children. Meanwhile, the Federation won't EVEN officially help their OWN soldiers - DESPITE the fact that White Horse has Gundam aboard. As the show goes on, I've got to admit I'm growing fonder of Zeon. And while I think the people on the White Horse are a noble lot; the Federation as such seems like something I'd understand Zeon wanting to declare independence from. Anyways - War is Wasteland was a watershed episode, in a way, because Frau Beau noticed that she needed to be a woman to Amoro and at least was jealous, Amaro noticed that women exist, and Tomino at least didn't KILL the mother and child (I honestly expected them to perish, given Tomino's record) - but just was content to shatter their dreams, leave their home town a waste land)... In any event - it is an interesting little drama that's been set up. Also - this is something which is hard for me to comment on, because I'm really really bad at technical stuff - but I really like just how much of the minute-by-minute plot of the series is dictated by "reality." That is - by the limits that reality places on people - even people who fly giant robots. I like how every minute there's some either ammo running out, gravity screwing with balance, how there's strategy, how there are those Minowsky particles (what are those?) and how there's really a lot of thought put into the workings of these Gundams and the various machines. I guess what I'm saying is pretty banal, since that's the whole essence of the real robot franchise - but still - as someone brought up on Super robots, for whom the realest it got was Macross (which, let's face it, is also very unreal insofar as it has oodles of gorgeous singing girls who all fall in love with guys like me [minus the variable fighter;)] - Gundam is really more down to Earth and the plot is made more interesting by the attention to detail. Pete
  23. VFTF1

    yamato's next move

    VFTF1 replied to arrow's topic in Toys

    Since we're all blindly shouting out our desires, I'll add my voice to the choir: Misa Hayese doll! Like the Minmey doll you did - only make it Misa - and not in flight suit - but in her cute outfit(s) from SDFMTV when she was at the movies or doing the dishes! I'd get it. Pete
  24. VFTF1
    I never liked mini-skirts. Prefer more traditional knee length/a bit above the knee skirts. As for the speed with which Yamato is issuing these VF-1S - it just kind of makes me wonder...what's next? I mean - at this rate, they'll have done all of the basic characters and ...then what? Specialy paint schemes? I really really hope Yamato uses its' license to the full potential and also releases dioramas and other fun things to complement the VF-1s. Pete
  25. VFTF1
    Yeah, I also talked to myself about this and I'm happy to report that I decided to give me a raise As for TV Max - truth be told, the mold looks almost TOO GOOD for this color scheme, which just looks...kind of wrong on this design. If anything, it just goes to underscore how that kind of color combo could work on the TV designs but not so much on the DYRL designs... Although maybe what he's missing is a Zendradi coat... I should be more excited - but this is my authentic first impression... Pete
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