F-ZeroOne

It happens a few times in VOTOMS - theres another episode like that somewhat further in. I can only guess that they were either having production problems, or there was some sort of holiday in Japan at those times. A couple of the flashback episodes do show events that were skipped over earlier, such as Chiricos almighty punch-up with the Uoodoo City police when he tries to acquire a Scopedog at the Battling Arena.

Richard "The Hamster" Hammond also recently survived ploughing a furrow into the English countryside. With his head. At 300 miles an hour. Ah, Top Gear. Don't ever leave us.

I've watched Project A-Ko dozens of times and it still makes me laugh. Theres so many little in-jokes in there I still occasionally see something I didn't spot before.

Ah, okay - thanks for the correction.

Cats Eye was actually created by the same person as City Hunter (which you probably know). One of the reasons I like it is for Hitomis love interest Toshi, who as detectives go - well, thats just say hes not Batman. Votoms is really impressing me. I think the main factor is - aisdes from the gritty setting - Chirico, who has a stare that can laminate you to the wall, and unlike just about every other mecha pilot lead out there, is a professional.

At the moment - aided by a supply of, er, "acquired" anime from a friend - I'm on something of a retro kick. I've just had a rather heavy dose of Tomino shows, especially Ideon, and am currently making my way through VOTOMs (which is awesome). They're all shows that probably a lot of recent anime fans may well find unbearably tedious, so I can see where you're coming from. Even if you don't like Gunbuster, you heretic. I've also enjoyed a few obscure things myself - Cats Eye being a particular favourite of mine. Graham, Angels Egg was an experiemental Mamoru Oshii work. Its possible you might have seen it by accident, as parts of it ended up being used in a live-action Western science fiction film for reasons which must remain a mystery... Robot Carnival gets very good critical reviews, but AFAIK has never had a Western release despite having some real heavy hitters behind some of the sequences.

The Russians had this problem with a gatling-type gun they developed for the MiG-27. It was so powerful that bits would literally fall off the aeroplane when it was fired; one report even mentions the entire instrument panel breaking loose!

Well, at least not if the designers try and get too clever - remember the 25mm, twin-barrel Advanced Technology Gun for the ATF programme? Or the 25mm cannon for the Sea Harrier FRS.2?

One of the factors in deciding to keep training and support for the Typhoons gun in RAF service was recent experience with gun-less Harriers on operations. Guns might be rather less important than they used to be, but they do still give an option that a gun-less fighter doesn't have.

I know what you mean. You get so used to having the entire collective knowledge of humanity at your fingertips that when you can't actually find something its like the web slaps you in the face. Try finding information on "TechnoVoyager" toys for example...

Though to be fair to Graham, he does dress up as a girl along with Mr. Wong to escape from Tokyo.

Is that B-Kos dub actress (from the original VHS dub) as the teacher?!

No. 1/72. And, yes, ouch.

Sorry, I forget how many aircraft nuts - I mean, experts there are around here. It cost 4,700 yen, which is about three times the cost of the uncompleted version. And you thought that Yamato liked to hold its customers upside down until the money falls out...

...or, as its better known, "the plane from Porco Rosso". I've been waiting forever for someone to bring out a pre-assembled, pre-painted version of this, and Japanese model makers Finemolds have finally obliged. This thing is essentially a plastic model kit with the details already applied and requiring a small amount of self-assembly. It certainly betrays its kit origins as it feels as fragile as matchsticks; pretty much the first thing I did with it is snap one of the landing float attachments by applying not very much pressure at all (thankfully corrected with a bit of glue). The box is a minor work of art in itself, with a velcro flap so that you can admire the contents and a lovely design which evokes the true spirit of Miyazakis work. Experts will note that this is the original version of the aircraft, before the plane was rebuilt following events in Porco Rosso. I prefer the sleeker engine design of this one, but difficult decisions abound - the other version, after all, comes with a minature Fio as well...

And a species called the Nausicaans and two little mini-robot/computer things named after (IIRC) something from the Dirty Pair, and...

The shoulder swap is a very nice touch - no more "but if I apply these stickers, the head won't match the body!".

I've been sitting on the fence on this one. Its not exactly cheap, but Patlabor is one of those series where I have absolutely no willpower. Drifands pictures just sold it to me. Think he'd better apply for a percentage off CM Corps... Incidentally, there a set of Patlabor trading figures coming out in March from the same company. The line-up includes a command car.

Jack Thompson wailing.

Don't tell anyone, but we've got a couple of Spitfires waiting in the wings for the F-22 boys.

Thats because union rules dictate certain phases of the Moon allow the workers to have an additional tea break per day, except on the first Sunday after Lent, unless Lent falls on St. Swithins day, in which case the tea break may be taken on the first Friday afternoon following a Bank Holiday (unless Boxing Day falls on a Friday)...

Well, at least you read some of it!

Hopefully non-spoilerific review: Saw Hot Fuzz today. When you're eight and British, you want nothing more than to be a policeman. You cannot imagine anything cooler than wailing down British high streets in a jam sandwich [1], in hot prusuit of a criminal in a stripey jumper carrying a bag marked "SWAG". Then you grow up a bit, and start watching US action movies. And then you want to be an American ex-cop, gunning down suspects with European accents in high-rise buildings whilst uttering an unending stream of witty and suitably ironic one-liners. Then you grow up a bit more, and discover John Woo. And then you want to be SuperAsianCop, jumping sideways along church pews, firing twin Desert Eagles at rates of fire far exceeding their ammunition capacity, and following each individual bullet all the way through Mr. Generic American Villains eyeballs. You no longer dream of playing cops and robbers. Hot Fuzz, however, may just make you want to run down your road yelling "NeeNAHNeeNAHNeeNAH!" again. The first half of the film is pretty much what the team behind Spaced do best - fast cuts, seeding fuses for punchlines that will go off later, side-swipes at being British, and some quite amazing outbreaks of gore. Then things take a swerve at an impossible angle. Its difficult to state more without spoiling things, but lets just say that the casting of Edward Woodward was probably no accident. At this point, it has to be said, the film throws all attempts at believability right out the window. But thats all right, because you'll be grinning too much to care. Plenty of star turns here - Pegg makes a suitably intense all-action copper, Nick Frost is, well Nick Frost and gets most of the best lines, Bill Bailey does nothing at all yet steals every scene hes in, and Timothy Dalton puts in a performance of such wonderfully pantomine proportions that one can almost forgive him for Flash Gordon. And whoever plays the Village Country Doctor - I think that must be his name; he doesn't just look the part, he *is* the part. And best supporting actor goes to a Somerfield supermarket. Hot Fuzz. Watch it. Its the Law. [1] Reference to a colour scheme for UK Police cars used a few years back; basically an orange stripe running down the length of a white background - the "jam" in the "sandwich".

Consider it mild revenge for all those British villains in big-budget action movies. Couple of corrections: Big F, Meh CD was quoting a comparison I tried to make between Lethal Weapon and the Waltons. Also, the film is actually set in Gloucestershire, not Somerset. I think I heard "Somerset" mentioned in an interview with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, and took that as where the film was set. Still, they are all part of the UK known darkly as the "Westcountry"...

Thread back from the dead - just thought that those of you who liked Shaun of the Dead would want to know that Simon Peggs/Edgar Wrights/Nick Frosts new film, Hot Fuzz hit British cinemas this week. You can see trailers on YouTube; its basically a parody of Hollywood buddy cop/action movies but set in the UK county of Somerset. I'm not really sure I can convey just why this idea is funny on the celluar level to us UK residents, but the closest I think I can get is to imagine Lethal Weapon set in the home town of The Waltons...