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Chronocidal

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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."
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Chronocidal
    The Saturn V set is back on backorder, go grab it!
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Chronocidal
    Fortunately, I don't think that break would have any effect on anything but battroid mode. You could glue the leg onto the hip socket, and pretty much keep everything else working as intended.
  19. Chronocidal
    Still think the 19F and 19P are absolutely the most beautiful things to come out of Yamato. Grats on getting that F! The VF-1 squad looks really good as well, nice weathering/marking.
  20. Chronocidal

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Chronocidal replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    Guess it's just going to require entirely new parts to do the rotation and missiles then. Really no room in that shield to put the pivot, though you could make a different top panel to hold the pylons. Disappointing, but I suppose it's standard operating procedure for Bandai at this point, so I don't know why I was hopeful.
  21. Chronocidal
    Kind of a half post, but as a footnote to my last one, I noticed one of my stabs likes to pop out when rotated as well, and it might be the same one as yours David, since I flipped mine left for right. I get the feeling the rotation post on that stab isn't actually round. It fits nice and tight when level, but starts squeezing out when rotated. Given the obvious molding direction of the stabs, I'm thinking that post may just be oval shaped, so I might go at the edges of it with a file tonight and see if that helps the one that pops off.
  22. Chronocidal
    I think "niche within a niche within a niche" is a fairly accurate definition of the Lancer honestly. I mean, seriously, it's literally a box with guns barrels on one end, and a propeller-looking antenna that would have most kids thinking it's a helicopter, and promptly snap it off trying to spin it. People want it for the nostalgia alone, but it has absolutely zero marketable play value as a toy. I frankly think it's amazing that they even took the time and effort to make the kit of it. I don't think Arcadia is ever going to make anything cheap, bottom line. They know they're a collector-focused company, and make products for the people who have the money to blow on such things. I'm perfectly okay with this honestly, and I'll keep buying stuff they make if I like it. Macross is a hot property again with the recent series, and more and more companies are jumping on board, and filling the gaps in merchandising. Frankly speaking, I don't think Arcadia is big enough to compete with most of them, so I don't blame them for sticking to the high end collectors market, and hanging on for dear life to the few in-demand items they still have a license hold on. I mean, let's face it, all that stuff you want them to make may already be claimed by someone else with deeper pockets and larger production capability. We know how long Bandai loves to pre-plan, and I wouldn't bet against them already having licenses for everything from the Gnerl fighterpod to the Catseye waiting in the wings. ===================================================== That being said though, the pricing is a separate issue from the bootlegging. I've got zero issues with them making knock-offs of the exclusives that Bandai isn't interested in reissuing, or even making, in the case of Rod's super packs. That's their loss for being jerks to their customers. Maybe the bootlegs will give them a swift kick in the backside and make them realize how much demand there is for those items. Or maybe they won't care. Who knows at this point? But yeah. Knock-off VF-1s? No. Arcadia's still making them, and the costs aren't going to decrease any time soon, unless they overproduce again like Yamato. But I'd be astounded if they didn't learn from that the first time around, and will work to prevent it.
  23. Chronocidal
    Had the same thought on the finish, and I might leave the markings alone. They're too small to read at anything over a few inches, so they won't bother me on a shelf. Far as I'm seeing, they didn't glue the screw covers in, they're just friction fit. I was able to pop off most of the ones on the nose with ease. Should clarify actually, my nose cone is almost too tight, but the joint to fold down the entire forward fuselage behind the canopy is very loosely secured. I might coat the connecting surfaces to build them up, but they seem awfully small in general. For the stabs, I wonder how hard it would be to file the slot for them a bit deeper, without changing how they snap in. They sit a couple millimeters out from the fuselage.
  24. Chronocidal
    See, I would agree, except that it can damage the market. So far, Hollywood's struck out repeatedly on anime adaptations. They don't understand the material, they don't understand the audience, and when they try to adapt material they don't understand to an audience that the original material wasn't even targeted at, they fall on their face over and over again. How did GITS go? They tried to adapt a property that has a particular target audience and established fanbase by changing a bunch of things to appeal to a wider audience. In the process, they dumbed it down to the point where 1) the original fanbase wasn't all that interested, 2) it didn't draw in any new fans, and 3) it became a completely unremarkable money pit that will get relegated quickly to the $5 bargain bin at Wal-Mart. Hollywood's conclusion? "Oh, I guess anime doesn't sell well." What did they expect to happen? For all the market research they've done, they're trying to sell refrigerators to Eskimos, and still acting surprised that sales are tanking. Somewhere along the way, someone's got to realize that people don't want adaptations of stuff they love. They want original material that gives them more stuff to love.
  25. Chronocidal
    Eh, best case, at least the artists involved maybe got their names out into the marketplace, for better or for worse. Art-wise? The Rick and Lisa aren't terrible drawings. Not a particularly attractive style maybe, but not objectively bad, aside from some questionably creepy facial expressions Though, I don't know why I get the impression that the Lisa pose was taken from a Taylor Swift photo-shoot. The Minmay on the other hand just looks bad altogether. The face alone bugs me for the way her expression makes her look insane, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how her body is positioned under that dress. Maybe her pose is fine, but the dress is drawn wrong? I don't know, it just looks like she has insanely long arms, impossibly angled thighs, and no torso.
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