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Chronocidal

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  1. Chronocidal
    Hmm, that might be pushing it a bit with the Skylab set then, though it does make a relatively stand alone model, even if it is compatible with the Saturn V set. It's clearly based on the construction methods of the Saturn V though, so I wonder how likely it would be to get approved, even with the required supporters. Either way though, I intend to get the parts to make that Skylab stage, and build it up myself. I wonder if the 50th anniversary would be enough momentum to get a full-blown mini-fig-ish scale CSM/LEM set approved..
  2. Chronocidal
    The IB was just a side note on the developer's notes for the Skylab set. They're not really suggesting it as a separate submission, but they said once they can test build it, they'll make the instructions available. It's mostly just a replacement display base for the upper stage of the Saturn V, so you have somewhere to put it if you mount the Skylab payload on the larger rocket.
  3. Chronocidal
    Been browsing around the Ideas website, and there are several current proposals that would either go along with, or expand the Saturn V, including a 3-in-1 Skylab kit that can be replace the upper stage of the released set, a NASA Crawler platform, and in-scale Mercury and Gemini rockets. https://ideas.lego.com/projects/7d001367-12e0-473e-aee5-e6af83e4e6a6 I don't know how likely the smaller rockets are to get support, since they're really simple, but the development comments on the Skylab looks like it would make a really fun little build, around 400 parts. The development blog shows a full test build mounted on the Saturn V kit, as well as potential design for a Saturn IB booster stage to mount the Apollo 11 upper stage on, and give you an Apollo 7 launch configuration.
  4. Chronocidal
    At the end of the day, the fault really lies in the animators for deciding that all their main character valks deserve paint schemes that make a Thunderbirds scheme look simple by comparison. I really appreciated the simpler markings on the VF-25s, and I honestly can't even imagine doing the full paint scheme on any of the 31s, except for the A model, since it's just an overall gray with a generic realistic camo pattern. As ugly as I think the panel lined stickers are for the Bandai kits, I might wind up using some of them anyway, just to get one of the kits to look completed. Agreed on Bandai's kit technology though. Other companies are starting to catch up, but their molding is a quantum leap above even most other Japanese manufacturers. The only other place I've seen such tight tolerancing and complex molding capability is in Lego bricks. And honestly, Bandai's kits tend to feel like building a Lego set, especially the non-mecha ones, like their Star Wars kits. They're exquisitely detailed little puzzles that lock together into insanely accurate film miniatures.
  5. Chronocidal
    Pics came off of a Bricklink profile, so it's possible they made digital plans and a parts list, but it's an open enough structure you could probably reverse engineer it.
  6. Chronocidal
    So I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened, but I'm scared at what the cost might be to build a similar display. This thing is making me wish they would make a correctly proportioned shuttle in the same scale.
  7. Chronocidal
    I like the thinner fins as well, so I might go with angled plates (and make some tiles with the lettering even), but the original Ideas submission actually used a more complicated fairing structure, and 4x1 tails mounted on centering plates, so the finished kit is a much simpler solution. I'm still waiting on shipping for my sets, but I'll play around a bit more with fin ideas in the meantime. Another option would be the 3x2 base biplane tails, which are closer in overall shape, but have a rounded tip. These would have the right rear overhang distance, and mount the same way as the stock fins, but they might not looks as good, and might even be a bit too large. Those destroids are awesome, looks like they have really nice posability and size. As silly as a lot of the recent product lines have been, they have produced an abundance of useful elements for mech joints.
  8. Chronocidal
    Not sure if the fin markings were permanent, they may have been assembly guides that got painted over. That was just the best close-up of the fins I found. Edit: Just watched one of the pad videos from Apollo 11, looks like the lettering stayed on, and the fins were actually silver, either painted or bare metal, and looked like they matched the lower ring on the engine fairings. So, gray fins with letters are the way to go.
  9. Chronocidal
    There might not be any purpose-built tails that are better, but I think any shape besides the ones they used would be an improvement. Here's the Lego version.. But here's the real thing. I have half a mind to just wedge a few of these between the studs, and rework the sloped shapes making up the engine fairings. Fins made from those will need to be made thicker to extend the plates to cover the correct area, but the leading edge sweep is much more accurate, and the trailing edge can be straight out. The alternative to mounting plates that way would be using some tall sloped bricks, like the ones on the UCS Imperial Shuttle's wings, but those will need more of a rebuild of the fairings to center them... which now that I think about it, doesn't sound like a bad idea. Edit: Fiddling in the digital designer, I think this combo using a brick fin and a hidden click-hinge to position it just works better. Won't know if this construction would work yet, but it should fit within the space of the existing parts that I can recognize.
  10. Chronocidal
    I bought two almost specifically to do the same, though what it turned into was keeping one pristine in jet mode, and transforming the second every so often since it came with some missing tampo on the underside. The transformation does get slightly easier with practice, but while going from fighter to battroid is a little bit of a struggle, going in the reverse direction is probably the single most difficult transformation I have ever experienced. It's a beautiful design though, and one of the most unique designs in Macross, and right up there with the VF-4 in the "Wait, this thing transforms?" category. Most valks tend to have at least arms visible on the underside, or at least a few obvious cues that the engines turn into legs. With this one, you don't even realize what you're looking at until it twists and folds out like some kind of mecha origami.
  11. Chronocidal
    Is it bad that I'm already plotting how to replace the fins on the Saturn V with ones that are the accurate shape? Also, I need to get my digital designer updated I think, and see if it's gotten any better with regard to moving parts. My unfinished 1/32 VF-19 design is still languishing on my hard drive, and I'm getting a serious itch to design a large scale Cosmo Zero.
  12. Chronocidal
    That doesn't bode well for the other versions... and I actually like the normal Draken better. I'll still get at least two of each mold, and one of each in white if they make both (possibly more of the Ba model if we get white ones of those), but I hope they didn't overcomplicate the toy to the point of bad sales.
  13. Chronocidal
    Eh.. if anything, for me I think TFA got back to what mostly made the OT good: the character interaction. The story, designs, and other things I wasn't too impressed by, but much like the rebooted Star Trek, the characters were good fun to watch, in spite of the problems. I don't even think the stories in the prequels were any worse, but most of the characters involved made them almost unwatchable. If they can get the actors to make passable impressions of the originals, and have fun with each other, I think the movie has a chance at being entertaining in its own right. Frankly though, I've given up on any semblance of working continuity in the SW universe, similar to Trek. Nothing really makes a lick of sense anymore, but as long as the movies stay individually entertaining, I'll keep watching them. My favorite stories have all been relegated to non-canon status anyway.
  14. Chronocidal
    That's actually a really good parts count for that price, but it's still a big purchase. Far as Ninjago goes, I'm getting a steadily increasing feeling that Lego is trying to make its own "Samurai Pizza Cats."
  15. Chronocidal
    If you want the full package with the ghost booster, the original Yamato is the only way to go. The later releases were pretty darn solid too, and while I did pick up one of the Arcadias as well, I'm not letting go of the originals. So the Saturn V is probably the highest demand I've ever seen for a Lego set (Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP!! was pretty easy to get by comparison). Normally, their online shop will let you place orders for things that are out of stock, and they'll ship once they become available, but this one hit a hard "unavailable" in a matter of days. I missed the initial window, and had to camp the shop site for a few days before they went back on sale, and even then the order window only lasted about 6 hours. People have found them in the wild at certain retailers and Lego locations, but if you don't have something like that nearby, I recommend putting those Macross pre-order F5 mashing skills to use, and keeping the product page up. The trick with the parts count is pretty awesome. Kind of reminds me of the pictures of the fake Deadpool Lego sets that got circulated around the time the movie came out. I'm still disappointed these weren't real.
  16. Chronocidal
    If they go and pull the entire Trek library off Netflix now, they'll be nuking themselves in the foot by pissing off what's left of the fanbase, and probably would destroy any slim chance this series would have of succeeding in any way. Unless they actually think people would be so desperate for streaming Trek that they'd subscribe to their service just for that, and then would pray that Discovery gets pulled along in the backwash, and actually get exposure. I'd think anyone that interested would already have everything on bluray.
  17. Chronocidal
    See, now you have me wishing they got Mel Brooks involved, and were making the series a musical. I would have actually paid for that.
  18. Chronocidal
    The knight emblem is on there, it's just further back than Messer's reaper logo, and stuck smack dab in the middle of the weapons pod hinge. Personally, I think all of the giant logos have been goofy, including Ozma's. Would much rather see emblems on the tails.
  19. Chronocidal
    It is a good point. I think if HG even had any possible inkling of a legal precedent that would allow them to cry foul at people buying Macross merchandise on the second-hand market, they would have been attempting to sue Ebay for all they're worth years ago. Longer discussion on this spoilered, so as not to clog up the thread anymore. As far as BW breaking international law and stealing from HG? Good. I hope they keep stealing from them until HG evaporates in a poof of inconsequence. Anyway though, we're getting way off the bootlegging issue, and it's morphing into another Big West vs HG discussion. I'm seriously waiting to see if any of the bootleg Macross merchandise will be worth the trouble of acquiring it. If it can fill a market gap that official sources aren't interested in filling, then great, but I'm not holding my breath.
  20. Chronocidal
    Depends on the situation, I think. You can order sets listed as "Backordered," and it'll just delay the purchase and shipping, but the Saturn V didn't even last 12 hours, and it's already listed as out of stock, with the only available option being "Add to Wishlist." Glad I checked that last night before bed, and got an order in. Guess if there's one benefit to Bandai's pre-order shenanigans, it's trained me well to keep pages on a constant refresh cycle.
  21. Chronocidal
    The Saturn V set is back on backorder, go grab it!
  22. Chronocidal
    I still need a reissue VF-25G to get the freakin crotch plate that Bandai forgot, and refused to replace. Right now, my Michael is borrowing the crotch from my YF-25, since it's the only one that matches.
  23. Chronocidal
    Gotcha, I might have to see about getting some printed prototypes to play with in a bit. Anything like this I do probably wouldn't even be for the profit, I just like cool transforming stuff.
  24. Chronocidal
    Mostly, I'm curious how the design process for these goes, and whether you can just design something, and then send it off to one of the 3rd party companies to make. Obviously, I'd need a working prototype first, but do those companies just take submitted designs as projects, or usually do everything in-house? I know this is probably a loaded question, and I'm probably going to have to do a lot of fact finding and browsing over at tfw2005's forums to get a better idea.
  25. Chronocidal
    So, I'm curious, does anyone know what the process would be to actually get started on actually producing one of these types of projects? I might have to start sending bits and pieces to Shapeways for a prototype, because this is actually looking pretty promising the further along I get.
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