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Chronocidal

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  1. Chronocidal
    Instead of correcting the color of the plastic and releasing a revised version at the same price as the original, they decided to just paint over the issue, call it a premium feature, and charge almost twice as much for adding lipstick to the pig. They're basically charging you extra to cover up their own mistake. The big question in my mind is whether this is still the original blue color, or whether they're both changing the plastic, and spraying over the whole thing to lighten it. I will honestly be very curious to see if it turns out these premium versions are a new factory run, or if they just added paint to the original leftover stock with all the hip issues.
  2. Chronocidal
    See, if I had known ahead of time how the market would go, I would have grabbed a couple more VF-11s and YF-21s, but I'm perfectly happy that I only ever grabbed one of the original YF-19s. ... EXCEPT.. I'm still sad we never got an official repaint of the Supernova schemes, and in hindsight, I wish the one original YF-19 I got had been the Doublenuts or BoP so it would be easier to customize. I still have more VF/YF-19s than any other valk next to the VF-1, but I'm still hoping we get a Bandai YF-21/VF-22 to match their YF-19.
  3. Chronocidal
    It's a constant debate, seriously. I kind of mentally keep a list of "Yeah, I can sell that one and not feel bad." The tricky part is betting on whether something will be available later, and accepting that you might need to pay more to get back what you once had. Certain subjects are just worth holding onto, because they only increase in value. In my case.. I actually consider several of the things I've collected as a sort of emergency fund? They're the high value items that I bought extras of, because I knew they would be worth having. If I get myself into a serious situation, and need money quickly, I have a few things I know I could sell off in a hurry.
  4. Chronocidal

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Chronocidal replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    I mean, I'd be thrilled to see a VF-22 done, but the other 262s are long overdue.
  5. Chronocidal
    Oh, it will absolutely take prep work, but it's very doable. I know at least one person doing the mod who posted pictures in one of the other forum sections here. All I'm saying is that if the DX missile sets aren't available at a reasonable price, the Hasegawa sets will be your next best bet, and readily available if you want to try it. The biggest thing (outside of actually building and painting them) is that you need to replace sections of the pylons with hand-made mounts compatible with the Bandai VF-1 hardpoints. I did buy the official missile sets, but I'm still considering making my own pylons, because Bandai made the weapon mounts so stubby that the missiles all collide with the wing flaps. Edit: In other news, my Max 1A arrived today, and looks good! Checked the shoulders, and no issues with those parts. Nosecone also definitely snaps shut better, since Bandai added a visible ridge on the tab to lock into place. Wing flaps feel a little looser than my Hikaru versions, but not bad. Generally looks really good. Now to wait for Hikaru and the strike packs I ordered, and see if they get here before Bandai finishes releasing VF-1s.
  6. Chronocidal

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Chronocidal replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    These are probably the initial wave of scalpers finding out that everyone who really wanted this ordered it from the site directly. If they drop to half price, I might grab another to customize, but I've got two already... and I forgot that I still need to ship my second one from Anime Export. I'm really just waiting to see what Bandai does next, because while they seem to keep popping out VF-1 and HMR releases, seems like it's been a really long time since we saw a normal Delta announcement.
  7. Chronocidal
    Honestly, just pick up the Hasegawa 1/48 sets. Unlike Bandai, Hasegawa loves reissuing things so people can keep buying them. Little bit of work to prep them, but even the unassembled kit is between $15 and $20 as I recall. Don't think you'll get much below that for 1/48, though Amazon has the 1/72 set for about $12. I'm seriously considering diving down the 3D printing rabbit hole though, and seeing about making some fancy adapter pylons and ordnance for my VF-1s and VF-31s. As much as I love that we've got ones available from Shapeways, the clean-up and prep-work with Shapeways prints is intense, and I feel like it'd be less work to make my own.
  8. Chronocidal
    I suppose that's more what I meant, a redo from the ground up like they did when they made the current large-scale X-Wing in the mid/late 90s. The A-Wing was always perfect because it's a literal replica of the filming prop, and the B-Wing's cockpit is a little oversized, but still looks good. The Y-Wing though is still from the same vintage as the old stubby X-Wing, and I think it's the only vehicle not to get any sort of major upgrade. The interceptor was done not too long ago as an Amazon exclusive, and I'm glad I grabbed one at not much higher than the normal fighter last year, because it's upwards of $200 now. Meanwhile, the fighter is hovering around $40 on Amazon as well, if you can't find one at Walmart.
  9. Chronocidal
    I'm not sure whether I would have preferred the lighter gray of the 2009 edition, but I was happy just to get this one. Never saw the clearance prices sadly, but rather have one at retail than not at all. The only real gripe I have is their insistence on retaining the stupid spring-loaded wing panels. They should have gutted that feature when they retooled the cockpit mold, because all it does now is leave the wings sloppy and prone to prematurely eject, because the mechanism was never meant for wings that heavy. I'm still waiting for a proper retool of the old Y-Wing mold so it doesn't look like misshapen/mis-scaled caricature, and a re-release of Vader's Tie and the bomber.
  10. Chronocidal
    This has been my experience too, but the only items I remember specifically cancelling was the original release of the Yamato VF-4. At the time the orders opened, HLJ was not expected to carry them since they were billed as some sort of exclusive release, and I put an order in for two. When HLJ opened up later, I was able to request a cancellation, and they didn't seem to mind, possibly in part because it was just before Christmas, and even at the first release, those were a massive chunk of change. Note, as mentioned, this only applies if you haven't paid. Once you've sent them the money, they'll only offer store credit in return. One question I would love to have answered is whether they will refund you directly if they are actually unable to fulfill an order, but I have not heard of this happening yet, so while they're stubborn, it also speaks to their reliability for getting you what you pay for... eventually.
  11. Chronocidal
    I love everything about that display. Basically runs literally top to bottom like a "best of" selection of my favorite aircraft and science fiction designs. B-70, Refit Enterprise, F-106, F-14, YF-19, and VF-1.. only thing missing for me would be an X-Wing. Which Enterprise version is that by the way? Looks a little like one of the diamond select ones, but it seems brighter white than the ones I have. Might just be the display lighting washing it out.
  12. Chronocidal
    The 1/48 Yammie chicken hands were pretty notoriously ugly and tiny though, it's not surprising you would want a better option. Personally, I'd much rather have DYRL-style mechanical hands than the TV-style Michelin Man gloves. The articulated hands on the DX aren't by any means bad, but they are a weird hybrid that doesn't quite match either style, so I generally just stick with the DYRL-style fixed-pose ones.
  13. Chronocidal
    I mean.. you gotta admit, we've never seen whether tribbles have a molting season. Could get pretty hairy.
  14. Chronocidal
    Yep, looks about right. They're not a bad stand, considering how difficult it is to find empty space on an F-14 to mount one, and Calibre's attention to detail with the working speed brake section is appreciated, but I don't think supporting the entire model by that plastic section is a good idea. Both good ideas, but not a good structural combination. What I wish someone would do is just make the entire afterburner section removable, and make a stand that plugs deeply into the fuselage with a replacement nozzle attached. I'm slightly torn on the KC VF-1, but have to agree, I'd rather grab one of those than the CW one, so long as they fix the hardpoint issues.
  15. Chronocidal
    I still wish they had bothered to give a nod to the temporal shenanigans she may have created by joyriding into the future. Would have been funny if they got back, and suddenly a bunch of Starfleet staff were replaced by different actors, and no one had ever heard of the person we'd previously seen there. I don't believe they meant for everyone on board the ships affected by that probe to die though, since I think I recall the lights coming back on for ships in orbit as it was leaving.
  16. Chronocidal
    The Hikaru F-14D I have did come with an alternate stand, which isn't bad, but it's specifically designed for an F-14. Really though, I've never used it. I believe it's a derivative of another die-cast aircraft company's design, and while it works fine in theory, I do not believe it's the best option for the Calibre F-14s. Here's a thumbnail from Jenius's site (I can't seem to find the full-sized picture for some reason), and it illustrates why I don't trust these stands. All of Calibre's press photography blatantly photoshops out the fact that these stands clip over the speed brake section of the plane. For most die-cast F-14s, that's all well and good, but Calibre's design uses an entirely plastic speed brake section that's glued in between the engines. Maybe I'm overly cautious about structural issues, but the idea of supporting a fairly hefty metal model entirely by a glued-on plastic section doesn't sit well with me. The one 1/72 Century Wings F-14 I have also uses a stand that supports the plane with hooks around the speed brake area, but that one has the entire mid-body made of metal, and even then, it supports the plane underneath the belly with another plastic arm.
  17. Chronocidal
    I always heard the story for the 1701-A was that they rechristened the Yorktown as the next Enterprise. Don't know the original source, but that was the flavor text on all the old AMT kit instructions. The early scenes from ST:V would seem to indicate it was fresh out of the same sort of heavy refit that the original ship went through before TMP.
  18. Chronocidal
    Inflation/economy-wise, it's even harder for folks who already have a substantial collection, because they remember when $115 would have bought a super/strike-packed Yamato 1/60. Prices have gone up substantially, but I feel like KC is fighting market saturation most of all. Honestly, coming from an aircraft collector perspective, the 1/72 scale is by far the biggest draw I would have to get one of these, but the little issues have kept me from biting. I might still grab one in the future, but I definitely want to wait for the little issues to get fixed, and pick up a complete super-packed version... someday.
  19. Chronocidal
    I'm actually going to be curious to see whether the color of the plastic was changed, or if it's literally just covered in that much paint. Too rich for me though, I've got other higher priority releases to look at.. like that new F/A-18 grip for my Warthog, or the new rudder pedals...
  20. Chronocidal
    I never really questioned the longevity of crew assignments in Trek, because at least in the initial years, the premise was that you were going to be in deep space for an extended period. It never really happened that way of course, because the ships were always being ordered back and forth to deal with this or that issue back on Earth, but a "five year mission" was a nice round number to start with. By the TNG era though, think of how many "civilians" were on board the ship. They did a decent job of de-emphasizing the military aspects of Starfleet, to the point where it made sense to stay with the same crew for a longer period of time. Given the negative aspects usually associated with military families moving all over the place, it doesn't surprise me that they tried to avoid that particular trope. I can also see it a bit as an outgrowth of the idea of longer life spans, and a slower pace of life in general. Command staff aside though, the rest of the crew did seem to rotate with fair regularity, just from casting changes over the course of the series. The senior officers just seemed to enjoy a lot of freedom to pick and choose where they wanted to go, to the point where it felt purposefully contrary to actual military practice.
  21. Chronocidal

    Hi-Metal R

    Chronocidal replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    An apple green VF-4 would make an interesting Acid Storm crossover, actually. My personal issue with the paint scheme is that it's just not very pleasing to the eye. They tried to mimic some specific elements of Roy's original paint scheme, but copied them in a way that isn't complementary to the design. The colors don't bug me, but the way the fuselage pin-striping just ends bluntly does, and the dual-level yellow cap on the tail just looks off to me. I love the black wing stripes, but wish they had continued them all the way inboard of the tails, rather than painting the entire intake section. Again, it's just me, but it just looks like they were so busy checking off boxes on the "looks like a Roy paintscheme" list that they didn't consider whether it actually looks good. Messer's VF-1 was the same way.. they hit all the design cues... on a fighter design that doesn't compliment any of them, and just looks awkward. Like, imagine buying car body art meant for a Camaro, and applying it to a Mustang. Maybe it's a cool design... but nothing fits.
  22. Chronocidal
    I'm actually somewhat comedically disappointed that they didn't work the chestplate into the dashboard somehow in vehicle mode. Still think it looks a bit too bulbous, but it is what it is. Seriously though.. it just looks good. I don't even buy transformers, and I want one for the aesthetic.
  23. Chronocidal
    Does look pretty solidly molded, and at least very close to being properly proportioned (albeit for a figure much smaller than 3.75" ). Sadly, $100 feels like the entry fee for any large scale vehicle at this point though. They drop off pretty quickly, because no one wants to pay that much, but once they hit clearance bins, the stock runs out fast. In the end, you wind up kicking yourself for balking at the retail price, when the only ones to be had are $300 on ebay. That legacy X-Wing mold just gets worse every single time I see it though. I bought the original Force FX electronic one, and even back then, I had to prop the wings open with a chunk of model sprue. It's just such a lousy mechanism design, made even worse by rubbery wings that only loosely snap in. The fender-bender nosecone is just the gasoline icing on that trashfire.
  24. Chronocidal
    So then the question becomes, is it any better than buying the old Yamato? I mean, I know the engineering and molding are probably technically superior, but it feels like the weaknesses may just be inherent to the design.
  25. Chronocidal

    Hi-Metal R

    Chronocidal replied to joppewo's topic in Toys

    They also fixed the chest stripes from their old 1/55 alignment, but that's purely a painted detail.
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