Lynx7725

Crazy, those are all recent transformers releases?

Keith, you must be really out of it.. those aren't new; fairly recent yes, but Binaltech/ Alternator has been out what, a year already?

Looks less painful to me.

...

Of course, the artist exempted her from having to strap her knees to her butt...

Yeah well, every time she has to land in Wave rider mode would mean she has to bounce on her.. uhm..

Hmm, maybe not so bad.

(Thinking of Valk Girl in GERWALK mode... )

The forum titles are, as you note, tied to post count. They are also automatic -- once you exceed a certain post count, you will automatically get the appropriate title.

Who decides the titles, my guess is Shawn or one of the mods. It's clean fun, sort of, and really doesn't mean anything either positive or negative IMO.

However, certain long-time members do get special titles bestowed upon them by the mods, normally due to posts of monumental stup... well, just something highly characteristic of the member. Of course, Shawn, Graham and the mods do have rights to change their titles -- just check out Graham's current title.

As it stands, I got a sneaking suspicion that your title would soon turn to "Paper Holder for Diarrehtic Zentraedi"...

I was thinking, 'From Akira to Zeta (Gundam)'...

Truth to be told, what's wrong with the current forum title? The topics inside there are pretty diverse and the forum title reflects that. I don't really see a real reason for the change.

Because then you have Akira (anime) and Zeta (anime), with nothing to show that the forum also includes Western Sci Fi, which is why I chose Zardoz to represent 'Z', as it is a Western Sci Fi movie, albeit a somewhat obscure one .

Point. You had to scrap the bottom of the barrel to find that one, didn't you?

Actually someone else suggested a good name indirectly... The Kitchen Sink.

Though that's probably not the greatest title either, since it'll be interpreted as Off-Topic...

Edit: If you want to change it, why not call it "From Akira to Star Wars"

Wouldn't it be better to go with an 'A-Z' theme to encompass all of Anime and Sci Fi. Thus I suggest: -

'From Akira to Zardoz'

Graham

I was thinking, 'From Akira to Zeta (Gundam)'...

Truth to be told, what's wrong with the current forum title? The topics inside there are pretty diverse and the forum title reflects that. I don't really see a real reason for the change.

Hmmm.. Very nice.

One observation though, from the way the fresh damage is grouped, it seems that this particular valk got hit at 3 separate times. The upper fuselage (in Fighter) damage (both before and after the split torso) seems to be from one cluster, but the impact holes and burrs suggests two different source of fire. That your intention?

I didn't notice the non-matching forearms.. I guess one got blown off and had to be replaced totally.

Hmm. No pilot's name, not ever the overused "Warmaker"..

It's a great piece of work, but to be honest it's not something I would pick up as my first 1/48. Maybe Godzilla.

They only sell FAST packs as part of the Super/ Strike/ 2-Seaters package.

Still, it is a good effort and, if you overlook these items, it hangs quite well together. As this is on land (apparently), I would prefer to see the GBP instead, but that's a bit hard at the moment.

Why do you assume they're are on the ground? Just Curious.

Mainly to do with the light source. The diffused glow effect appears atmospheric, and the dusty tinge to the light makes it more likely IMO to be on the ground than in space (where, due to the lack of atmosphere, light tends not to be so diffused and a lot sharper).

Of course, the curtain in the first shot has to be ignored...

While it is a good effort, a lot of the scene is not logical, especially to anyone who has any experience in military stores..

First, missiles are never stored that way.. I can believe for the smaller missiles (because they are in squarish containers) but for the RMS, missiles accidentally rolling around is a major concern, so nobody but the nuttiest techs are ever going to store it that way.. it *is* a reflex warhead, my friend!

Second, no tech is EVER going to mount FPs without putting the covers on. It's easier to put the covers on while it's on the ground, and *then* hoist the whole thing into place. The only time I can think of to remove the FP cover is to reload the missiles -- if you are going to tinker with the engine seriously, you'll unload the whole FP to work on it in the shop.

The 55mm vs. 155mm rounds is a bit too obvious to mention.. and truth be told, the "refuelling" is a bit of a joke -- no pump, how is he going to get all the fluids up so high?

Still, it is a good effort and, if you overlook these items, it hangs quite well together. As this is on land (apparently), I would prefer to see the GBP instead, but that's a bit hard at the moment.

hey, how'd you get yours not to sag?

Hmm, can't really say as I know what would cause one of these to "sag." I take it yours has the chest piece touching the ground with the landing gears down? I'm guessing if that's your case you have a problem involved in the condensing of one of the parts. Also, the way the upper fins attach to the main body causes a mild amount of pressure that is pulling the nose upward. Occasionally you need to apply pressure downward to the tip of the nose to fix this. When I took mine out for the requested photo i had to do this once or twice. Also, make sure the rear landing gears are placed on the surface before the front one. If everything is sucked back into its proper place your fighter mode should look pretty similar to that.

Not to mention, you can tweak the hips a bit to make the center sag less noticable. I'm not a big fan of transforming my Alpha now -- it's taken up residence protecting Rei.. nice couple, that -- but if demand is there I'll take pics.

BTW, a cool (and unfortunately pretty useless) thing about the front gear is that there's actually a joint that allows the wheel to go up and down as though on suspension. In jenius' pic, it's actually fully extended.. the gear can actually go down a bit more.

Of course, you don't want it to, because that means the chest is now scraping the ground even more....

The manga version of Patlabor was published about the same time the first direct to video episode was released (1988). It was first published in Shonen Sunday Monthly Magazine, then compiled into graphic novels. The manga ran from 1988 to 1994 with a total of 22 volumes being published. A latter print run compiled the manga into larger B6 editions with a total of 11 volumes. Both editions are now out of print.

In 1998, US company Viz began releasing the Patlabor manga in English. UnfortunatelyTakeo Kumagami joins the SV2 after 12 single issues (2 graphic novels), the company decided that it was no longer profitable to publish it any further.

So, it appears that unless you read Japanese, you won't get much of the Manga.

Actually not so true. I'm not sure of the page size, but I have a 28-volumne (IIRC) Patlabour manga, translated into Chinese. It's hard to get nowadays but I believe still possible -- if you can read Chinese, if you can find a chinese manga store in your area.

My Scott has a gap at one of the forearms. This gap is actually caused by poor construction of the forearm, not because everything hasn't made it all the way back into place. [...] I believe that part of the trick my be in pushing the kneecaps back into position. I can't swear but it certainly can't hurt.

I had a similar issue on my Red Alpha's arm, I think it's an assembly issue but haven't really had the desire, time or patience to take the arm apart.. it's way down on my list of things to do.

As for the kneecaps, it's not just the knees.. the hips have to be angled correctly, the knees (at the slot-and-hole) must be adjusted correctly and upper legs pushed into the lower legs at the correct length on both legs simultaneously (tougher than it sounds). Overall, it's a hassle only the anal-retentive would bother with on a regular basis.

Hmm. I think the Shadow Alpha has just became my favourite Alpha. Two reasons:

• No shoulder pod to lose
  
• Can throw the Destablizer ammo clip into the same compartment to prevent loss
  

Heh.

Actually I was able to get a very close fit between upper and lower arms on my Red Alpha, but it's quite complicated -- every collapsable part between torso and feet has to be totally collapsed (difficult in itself -- I ended up OILING the torso extension joint).

AND the hips have to be positioned perfectly (the feet are not supposed to touch and must be positioned correctly). AND the whole Alpha must be in a specific arc along the long axis to achieve this.

But yeah, it can be done.

Hey, post pics of your Alex custom. It's my favorite MSIA and I have a small army of them, one of which I customed up.

The term "Custom" is probably too strong for what I did. I just did heavy panel-lining on the MSiA and modded the armour so that Alex can wear it properly (chestplate tends to drop off -- fixed that) and use the weapons properly (hacked the forearm armour so that the arm can bring up the rifle properly).

ASTA LA VISTA, BABY.

Opus if I may ask. What model minigun is that?

I've been looking for one that good for a while now.

That's from Takara Cool Girl series, the PAS trooper. It's still available, IIRC, from HLJ.

It's a cool-looking weapon, but too darn big. My PAS Trooper is now with a MG39.

We're not really supposeto talk about it from the toy companies stand point, even though I just did in my last post.  But if they did both versions, as a customer which version would you choose?

(Also where the heck is my Max figure for my empty Max Qrau? )

Actually I thought to write about this but didn't want to derail the thread (so I was merely waiting for opportunity.. )

What kind of customers are you targeting? For Macross, it's almost certainly collectors -- Macross as a series hasn't really been aimed at the young audience. Gundam, however...

The GFF line definitely goes for the collectors, but the MSiA is debatable.. I would actually say it's more targeted towards children, and it's built (and budgeted) that way. As a part-time Gundam fan, I appreciate both. MSiA allows me to build up units relatively cheaply (and nets me some weird designs too), and I have no hesitation customizing MSiA (looks fondly at my MSiA Alex).

GFF gives me quality over playability. I like them as display, but of the 4 I purchased.. I kinda regret 3. (The Titans Mk II is the best and has a fond place in my collection.)

So it's not so clear cut, because even as a collector I had slightly different priorities. In the case of the 1/48 VF-1, I'm really holding out for improvements on the backpack AND a CF; I'll get one or two, but that's it. Meanwhile, my 3 1/60 suffices for me play and display needs.

Truth to be told, the 1/60 are really deluxe items already.. compared to value such as Banprestos. Banprestos ARE really value for money. A 1/60 blows a banpresto out of the water like a 1/48 blows the 1/60 out of the water.

As for the Max.. would you be annoyed if I said you could to get a Millia set, add/ subtract the necessary biological parts, and repaint the figure to get your Max figure for your empty Max Q-Rau?

Part II.

Of course planes don't just move in and out like normal traffic. While waiting for the appropriate shot, I got a handful of other airlines:

Garuda -- still the same:

Korean -- also still the same:

Bangladesh -- I got a better close up if anyone wants:

A couple of SIAs.. a Megatop and a Jubliee. The Jubliee was the one used in the comparison above:

Finally, a cute little plane came in:

Bangkok, seems to be a Boeing 717 (that's written on the engine), but I've never seen something this small by Boeing before. Anyone?

That's it folks.. sorry for the OT, if anyone wants better resolutions PM me.

Okay, this is DEFINITELY OT, but I don't really want to start a separate thread on this and I know DH checks this thread out, so I decided to commit the lesser sin..

Anyway, a friend of mine went overseas and I popped by my airport to send him off. I got up to the viewing gallery and took some shots of the airliners parked there.. thought DH might like to see some, given his interest.

First up is Tiger Airways, a local low budget airline. Not sure what class this is...

.. but it doesn't compare well with a full-fledged airliner. A minnow in fact.

The two planes are more or less at the same distance, so you can see the size difference.

Next is a newly arrived Australian Airlines (subsidy of Qantas). Thought the livery was pretty cute. The first pic, you can see the front gear in action turning the big beast...

and in the second you see the full livery of the airline:

There was another Australian Airways flight departing when this was coming in, and I caught the pilot testing his control surfaces:

He then proceeded to taxi out, and a nice tail shot of the plane:

And the big mama of the lot, a BA Boeing 747.. big. Don't quite remember BA tails being like this though:

Yes, this is a composite photo.. the plane was too big for my telephoto to get the whole thing in one shot.

It eventually taxied out (under low light conditions) and the best shot I had was this:

It captures nicely those green guide lights on the ground (which was significant in the SIA crash in Taiwan a few years back), but I was rather puzzled by the "fog" that seems to be emitting from the port inboard engine.. not too sure what it is.

Part II coming up (IB can't handle too many images in one post).

Hold it guys, this ain't really talking about scale here -- that's what EXO's other thread is for.

We are really discussing whether a toy company -- not just toynami -- should go for quality product at higher prices or quantity product at mass-market prices.

A classic example (and going slightly OT) is the comparison between GFF and MSiA.

Hmmm.. *backs away from Kensei*

Truth to be told, I think Yamato made a mistake with the Q-Rau.. First it's a little pricey, but that's still okay.. It's that a lot of us were clamouring/ waiting for the CF-Rau, and we weren't interested in the character Raus (of which Max's appeared for maybe, 5 sec total in DYRL?)

Had they sold a CF-Rau at say, 10% to 20% off, and then packaged a Millia-Rau (with the figures!) at full MRSP, I guarantee you we'll be all over it in terms of value.

Heck, I've always wanted to pick up an enemy mecha to pose with my 1/60s.. just not a specific character's enemy mecha. I think it's just a marketing error on Yamato's part.

But back to the point -- is the Q-rau, in your opinion, a value or a deluxe? For me, when I had a look at it, it didn't strike me as quite having enough features to be called a deluxe, and the price band definitely ruled it out as a value.

Now, as for Kensei...

I think at the end of it, you still want something big enough to play with but small enough to display.. (a 1/35 Tomahawk would be cool but it would take up way too much space). Not quite the same a space constraint, but somewhat limited.. I think you're the type of collector who like size AND mass -- plenty of sizable mecha should keep you relatively happy.

From what Kensei says, I don't think we really draw the line between value and deluxe.. to be honest, I think we are kinda spoilt, we get a lot of goodies for relatively low cost. Nowadays, the lines of deluxe and value is getting closer and closer all the time.

Hmm, I think it really involves more factors than you mention.

There's always the legacy issue.. one, what are the other scales that the collector has. For Kensei and Godzilla, it's almost a forgone conclusion that they want everything in 1/48 (including the SDF-1.... ). But for the others, they most likely picked up a few 1/60 (I personally have 3), and for myself I would rather have the in-scale Destroids. As a display that makes more sense.

The other is whether the collector has more money or shelf space.. using your example, if they can turn out a Monster in 1/144 with good quality/ details and at a reasonable enough price, I would buy a whole squadron! 1/144 is really good for a packed shelf.

Then there's the prestiage issue. The 1/48 is generally acknowledged as the "must-have" Valk. For me, I would eventually get one, at most 2 1/48s.. but that's because they are high quality products and I would want one as a display piece. But I do intend to maintain my current 1/60s.

So can't really just say people will pony up cash relentlessly.. a lot depends on their situation. The 1/48, I think it's just fortunately to be big enough for details, small enough for display and cheap enough to be affordable. It's a good mix.

1/60. Remember that the Valks are smaller than Destroids, so a 1/48 Destroid will honestly take up too much space.

Destroids are smaller than valks. The valks maybe skinnier but not when they have FPs on, they sould be as bulky.

Opps my mistake -- forgot how the comparison chart goes.

Still, a 1/48 Destroid would likely function more as a cool display piece rather than a toy..

1/60. Remember that the Valks are smaller than Destroids, so a 1/48 Destroid will honestly take up too much space.

We are already choking at the thought of a 1/60 Monster; can you imagine a 1/48 Monster... and the garage space you need to devote to that? (can't even use it as a coffee table..)

In addition, as Chowser says, it's more in line with existing toys (at 1/60 and 1/55) that you can have meaningful displays.

But I do like the idea of a Deluxe version, as Dri suggests. Something more expensive but still affordable, with the level of detail (and lethality! ) that fans want from specific models.

But what else is there?

White, for starters. Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, CF Brown (my favourite), Green...

Then there is the all dark blue version, which someone (I know who but can't remember the forum name offhand) made a 1/55 custom of. It is significantly different from the Max baby-blue version.

Then there is the low-vis colours, both enigma and the 1/48 schemes..

Then there's the Minmay guard (PINK! PURPLE!)...

Haven't seen an all black design, but I think there should be a VX-6 scheme (complete with bunny rabbit) floating somewhere around -- very distinctive.

Also, I haven't seen is a Valk in WWII woodland splinter camo, the type typically applied on Spitfires, or the definitive chrome 'Stang scheme.

Brr, scratch that chrome 'Stang idea. Unless skillfully done, it would suck on a Valk.

Hmm.. would be interesting to see a Valk in Meltran purple.