sharky

I dunno, I'm a mechanical engineer and it seems like it would be possible to do it and not be crazy expensive. When I say crazy expensive I mean something that would be over $500. As you scale things up you can redesign components to be strong with internal ribbing and reinforcement designed into the injection molded parts. So, you maintain a minimal wall thickness to be sturdy yet they may not have to be so heavy. You may still need some metal for critical joints that will be key supports, but I'm thinking that you would have really no metal anywhere else. Perhaps you lose some articulation in the legs in order to ensure a sturdy design. My point before is that most Japanese companies would be out to make it super detailed and articulated which would make it heavy and expensive. What I am proposing would be more like a Matchbox toy, but with a decent sculpt and in proportion. Essentially, a decent sculpt, but not a crazy amount of articulation, metal, and gimmicks as we have seen in toys like the Yamatos. You may have a point as there are a ton of details I am probably overlooking. At the very least, a non-transforming toy would definitely be possible. I think once, you have a series of action figures, you're going to need something for them to do. You mean they're just going to sit around with no vehicles? C'mon, part of the fun of action figures is to put them in vehicles and such.

So, which version of the Clone Wars movie did everyone get? There doesn't seem to be so many versions as when Iron Man came out. Target version with the red clone trooper cover and a 96 page graphic novel. (this is the one I picked up) The Best Buy steel book version (looks cool as well) Blu-ray version with red clone trooper cover Single disc version I have made several toy purchases, but I haven't had time to post pics and or mini-reviews. I'll try to get to them in the future. My recent acquisitions: Tie fighter (toys r us exclusive with large solar panels and pilot figure) Hoth speeder bike action pack General Grievous starfighter Darth Vader's Tie Advanced A bunch of new figures A bunch of the small Titanium vehicles Larger Titanium republic gunship I'll be looking to get Anakin's modified Jedi Starfighter. (the youtube reviews are coming back positive on this vehicle)

I think a better phrase would be to say something is "to expensive for me". And I think that is what most people mean when they simply say something is "to expensive". As you said, the market will decide what is simply to expensive. What is curious about some people's logic(not necessarily yours) is that it only takes one person to buy something that will justify it as not to expensive, but the same logic cannot apply when one person does not want to buy something. Something being to expensive or not is always relative to the person buying and relative to the person selling. What do I care if others can or cannot afford something. I would only care if I was the one selling.

I've recently been getting into Star Wars toys. The new line of figures are really well made with lots of articulation and very good sculpts IMO. I started to wonder why no one has come out with a new line of Macross action figures. It's been so long since the really horrible action figures of the past. You know the ones that were also branded Robotech and were released through Matchbox and HG. I think the only thing that comes close are the CMs type of figures, but these are by no means "action" figures. I really wish someone would create a series of Macross action figures made in the same way as the new Star Wars figures. As long as I am dreaming, it would be cool if they made a large Valkyrie for the 3 3/4 scale figures (aka 1:18 scale). The problem I see is that most Japanese toy companies would make a 1:18 scale valk ridiculously expense with tons of detail, gimmicks, and metal. I think that a transformable valkryie may be easier to make in 1:18 because the parts would be bigger and you could probably get away with more plastic components that used to be metal before due to the size to strength ratio. The bigger and thicker a part could be, the easier it would be to design a sturdy plastic component. Heck I would even settle for a non-transforming valk. If it was non-transforming I don't see why it couldn't be in the $100 price range. I see a lot of cool 1:18 military toy airplanes, jets, and helicopters that are less then $100. The figures could easily be made for a $7 price point as well. What do you guys think? I'm I being unrealistic, and would a series of toys like this have a strong fan support.

K-mart has this Sony Blu-ray player going for $179 on Black Friday. Black Friday Listing http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/kmart-th...-friday-ad.html K-mart's current listing (so you know which model it is) http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_0...xKeepCash&= Correction: This deal will be available on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday Nov. 27th.

Yeah, the church scene seemed a bit reaching in that Cromartie was a terrible shot and they were able to take him down with what seemed like not much firepower. I am subscribing to the theory that maybe Cameron hit Cromartie directly in the eye sensor where perhaps he is weak. This was able to stun him enough so that they had an opportunity to remove his chip. One thing to consider is that we have seen in previous episodes that a Terminator can function without it's head. We also know that these types of Terminators have redundant systems. So, maybe Cromartie will rise again although he won't have the AI of his chip to think and be fully effective. Oh yeah, I think Hikuro has the right idea in that the T-1000 (aka Catherine Weaver, aka Garbage Chick) will be able to use Cromartie for whatever she is planning. I think the FBI agent will tip her off about Cromartie being buried.

The military tried to shut down Skynet and that's why it went on the offensive. It perceived humans as a threat and was intelligent enough to understand the concept of self and wanted to save itself from being killed.

Are you talking about the Macross Maximum Box, the 9 disc set? Cool! I might have to get it now.

C'mon guys, pay attention. This stuff was already posted and discussed just a few pages back on this thread. http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=&a...st&p=654038 Are we already running out of new YouTube links to post?

Yeah, it's cool. I already posted this a while back in the YouTube thread http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?s=&a...st&p=654446

I was expecting more from a movie which was at the time the most expensive movie ever made. The brainiacs spent all their money building elaborate sets and literally hauling them out in the middle of the ocean to film. The could have made the same movie for far less IMO, and no one would have cared.

All aspects of Ranka's phone.

I think you may be looking for the Star Wars Original Trilogy Collection #06 Luke Skywalker Jedi Knight. These come on an old school original looking cards. http://www.rebelscum.com/OTC06lukejedi.asp This is considered a basic figure from the OTC line. I think what you really want are the Vintage Original Trilogy Collection or the Vintage The Saga Collection which are completely new sculpts with a ton of articulation. These come with an extra clear plastic case that protected the entire card packaging. I don't believe they have a Jedi Knight Luke in this style yet. Here is an example of the the Han Solo figure: Packaging http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/...nsoloclamfr.jpg Articulation http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/...ated%20Smuggler These are some figures in this collection. I'm not sure if there are any more than this. (Click on a figure to get more detail photos) http://www.rebelscum.com/OTCvintage.asp http://www.rebelscum.com/TSCvintage.asp http://www.rebelscum.com/TACvintage.asp Here is a good example of all the different Bespin Luke figures that have come out. http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/...0Day%20|%20VTSC There was even a special mail in figure of Georg Lucas in Stormtrooper disguise. http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=h...oper%20Disguise Also, be on the look out for various figures in the newest The Legacy Collection series that you will see in stores right now. These are the newer packaging that are mostly white with a large clone trooper helmet in the background. Many of these figures have the same kind of articulation as I described above. For example, the Darth Vader with removable helmet is an excellent figure and arguably the best Darth Vader figure to date. http://www.rebelscum.com/TLC08Vader.asp Check out this YouTube review

The Gunbuster is a cool SOC IMO. Keep an eye on ebay. They seem to come in waves. I got mine at the end of September for $189US which is just about the regular price on HLJ. Plus it was from a US seller so shipping was only $18. I think with this shipping I made out better than getting it on HLJ. It was even with a Buy It Now so there was no auction hassles or bidding war.

Thanks man. I have the original R2 DVD, so I shouldn't have a problem getting it to work.

Xeros First, thanks so much for your work on this. It is really appreciated by all I'm sure. Forgive my ignorance, but how do I go about using this patch? I see that it's an executable file. Do I just rip the DVD on my hard drive, run the patch, and burn it back onto a DVD? I remember doing the previous DRYL Perfect Subtitles using DVD Lab Pro and a project file created by Hurin. Is there a procedure one should follow to use your patch? Thanks

The new Clone Wars series is really renewing my interest in Star Wars. My 5 year old daughter likes it as well. The new toys that have been coming out are pretty good. I really do hope that they will release Wedge's X-wing. IMO the best things they have been doing are with the figures. Actually, I am so glad I wasn't into the figures much until just recently. The new sculpts and articulation are really good now. With so many different figures out there I really have to pick and choose my most favorites; otherwise, it can really get out of hand with the budget. Funny little story. I was at one of my local Targets and saw the newer Darth Vader's Tie Advanced. I could tell it has been there a while. I was thinking about it, but passed it up for some reason. The next day I had a change of heart and I went back to buy it on my lunch break. Literally, about 1 minute later another guy comes rushing into the aisle. He noticed the Tie Advanced under my arm. He did something like an "awe, man!" under his breath glanced around the shelves a bit and walked off. Those of us that frequent the Walmarts, Targets, and TRUs, can always tell immediately when a store hasn't really been hit by any collectors based on the selection of figures and vehicles. This particular Target had some figures that I have never seen at any other stores in my area.

So, Wedge's X-wing will be released sometime in the future. That's great news. I suppose I will wait for that release rather than buying an older one off of ebay. I recently got the newest Tie Fighter today at TRU. I will post some pics of it sometime soon. I like the larger solar panels on it, and it includes a new pilot figure.

Ditto on not caring so much about sounds and lights. Although it is a nice thing to add. I don't personally have the FX X-wing, but from the reviews I've seen on youtube it is pretty cool. I didn't feel it was necessary to have the no-removable pilot and R2. I thought the whole head turning gimmick was a bit much, and I would have preferred removable figures instead. What I found disappointing is that they put all this effort into making it more authentic with the detailing and better proportions, but then they added in a silly missile firing gimmick that shoots out of the very bottom. Why didn't they make the proton torpedo shoot out of the side ports like in the movie? It would have been better to simply not have any firing missiles and/or put a light effect in the proper torpedo ports on the nose. I wouldn't mind getting the Dagobah X-wing which is based on the FX X-wing, but with no lights and sounds. These have room for a removable pilot and R2 unit. The funny things is I remember passing it up at TRU because of the swamp moss on it. I didn't realize at the time that it was completely removable and simply were rubber pieces that sat on top. I've been kicking myself ever since.

I'm checking out the Black Friday ads for Sears. Sony Blu-ray player will be $179. Sylvania 42" 1080p HDTV going for $699 There are other deals, but these seemed to be the most ridiculous. http://www.blackfriday.info/sales/sears-black-friday-ad.html

I know what you mean. I keep trying to tell myself that I will only focus on Macross toys. But, then I saw this A-wing and had to have it. Now I'm thinking about the TRU tie fighter. I also have my eye on the B-wing, but I may try to get the Power of the Jedi version off of ebay since it's painted in the ROTJ scheme. I even bought the new Ten Numb figure already which is of the same quality as my new A-wing pilot figure. The Evolutions 3-pack that it came in has an X-wing pilot and a Snowspeeder pilot. I wonder if these vehicles will get released again in the future? I just like that I can go down to my local Wal-mart, Target, TRU, and pick up these items as opposed to ordering something Macross from a website and paying through the nose for international shipping. The hunt is kind of fun as well.

Here are some pics of the new A-wing toy. Improvements from past releases are Painted cockpit detail (they were stickers in past releases) Painted markings on nose(2 white rings) (they were stickers in past releases) Clear reinforcing plastic is gone from the engine nacelles Much better weathering finish Painted laser canons Not sure if the yellow painted exhaust is new or not. New pilot figure The gimmicks for the A-wing Canopy can be raised or lowered by sliding the switch(hump on the very top) forward to open and back to close. Landing gear can be raised or lowered by sliding a little peg on the bottom forward or back. Side canons can be unlocked by popping them outward a bit then rotated 360 degrees. Pilot figure The latest figures are simply awesome and blow away any previous ones that have come out a few years ago. I can't imagine that they will get much better than this in the future. Ton's of articulation on the figure. It does not come with a weapon unfortunately. I few minor misses The landing gear seems sturdy when tugged by hand as there is some spring tension. However, it tends to be a bit weak in that if you bump it from the front they will want to fold back up. The canopy will want to come down about halfway if bumped as well. The pilot figure cannot really grasp the control sticks while seated in the A-wing. I think it's due to the fact that the pilot's grip is molded a bit too small for the control sticks, so it's hard to get him to grasp the sticks. I was reluctant to really put a lot of force on it because I didn't want to warp or bend the control sticks too much, nor did I want to deform his hands so much either. Also, the control sticks are placed too high for the figure to grasp them in a natural looking position. A couple of oddities The paint scheme seems to be reversed from past releases. If you notice the red on the vehicle is not symmetric. There is a badge of red on the front nose, and a couple of darker grey patches on one side. This seemed to be on the other side in the past. As in past releases there is a panel that seems to have been designed as a battery compartment. However, this toy never had any electronic gimmicks even from the first release. Overall, a nice toy with an excellent paint job on both the vehicle and the pilot figure. This is the best A-wing by far compared to any previous releases. I would recommend this to anyone who never had the chance to get any of the original trilogy toys. Heck even if you did get the original toys this one looks so much nicer with all the improvements to the appearance and the pilot figure. Since it's one of the smaller starfighters it doesn't look oddly out of scale or out of proportion as with some of the other toys designed for the figures.

Just a little tip for those of you that get your Chronicles via HMV. I tried to pre-order 5 issues and requested to ship when the order was complete. Well, they ended up shipping me 4 issues and did not wait for issue No. 8 to come out on the 30th. When I inquired they replied by stating their policies. Quote from HMV: The maximum length of time that items can be reserved for is 1 month from the order date. For those customers who, for any reason, have items reserved for longer than 1 month we may occasionally arrange to dispatch items to the customer. In such instances we will bear the cost of shipping the products to the customer. Please note that overseas customer will be charged a shipping fee for each shipment and the shipping fee will be revised according the weight of your order. So, it seems their policy to hold items for only 1 month conflicts sometimes with their policy to ship a complete order. From what I've experienced it seems to be their discretion as far as holding items for longer than 1 month. I guess anything past 2 months is pushing it, and they decided to ship me my 4 issues even though the order was technically not complete. It looks like it is too late to cancel issue 8 as it will be shipped all by itself on the 30th, and I will be charged the shipping cost for the one item. I guess I learned the hard way not to pre-order more than 4 issues at a time.

The new A-wing is good IMO. The cockpit is better detailed over the past versions and the pilot figure is very cool. I like the new sculpt for the figure. Love the helmet and paint job overall. Simply a very nice looking vehicle. I like the included pilots that come with them. I am tempted to create panels to cover over the landing gear when retracted. This way I can hang it from the ceiling as if in flight. Definitely have my eye on the TRU exclusive tie fighter with weathered white paint and large solar panels, and the B-wing. I have mixed feelings about the B-wing in that I would have preferred the ROTJ paint scheme. The new Dagger squadron color scheme is alright, but I would have hoped that the cannons and guns were molded in a dark grey or some sort of gunmetal color. I do love the pilot figure it comes with. The pilots are big plus in my book. I need to wait another week to keep my budget in check. I will post pics a little later.

I was browsing Toys R Us and came across a lego-type of set called War of the Planets. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3140310 From what I was able to search on the web, there was an old Italian sci-fi movie titled "War of the Planets" that came out in 1977 but I am hard pressed to find any actual images of the ships used. I just find it interesting because these ships look like the type of things I would build on my own as a kid.