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Chronocidal

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  1. Chronocidal
    Honestly, I don't think I've ever payed that much attention to the private warehouse shipping difference if I combine big items. I generally order a bunch of large items at the same time, so any benefit can kind of disappear. What I do find useful is the ability to throw small items into boxes with a big item. Like if I'm ordering a large model, it doesn't add much to the shipping if I throw a few modeling supplies into the same box. Being able to hold back larger items to see if there's anything small I want to throw in usually is worthwhile. Mostly, I just appreciate the private warehouse as a way to make it so I don't have to drive across town to pick up packages so often. I figure I'm saving gas, so I'm good.
  2. Chronocidal
    If you go by this pic, he apparently either just used the EX gear over his existing suit, or he planned on not having to eject (which technically fits his attitude anyway). On the other hand, he also seems to have the ability to phase directly through solid matter, since his arm is resting on the edge of the cockpit while the canopy is still closed.
  3. Chronocidal
    I'll be very interested to see how well this thing pans out, but as long as it's just playing PC games, I don't think I see a reason to get another box to play them on. I've never liked playing on a TV just because you have to sit so close to the screen before you can read things. I discussed this controller with a few friends recently, and pretty much everyone agreed, that was the most "WTF?" idea ever... particularly the "weighted trackball" bit. Because, you know, there are so many incredible gaming trackballs available on the market. I've tried gaming with a trackball before. It was almost as useless as gaming with a laptop trackpad. I think the last (if not only) time I actually saw a trackball purposed for gaming, it was on a Centipede/Missile Command arcade cabinet.
  4. Chronocidal
    Actually, you know... before I forget. There are a lot of ways to even make stored valks take up less space. In the case of the Yamato VF-1s, if you take them out of their boxes and do a bit of minimal disassembly, you can probably pack 3-4 of them in a shoebox. You can fit even more if you unscrew some simple assemblies like the back plate and shoulder mounts. The way I would pack a VF-1, I'd remove the cockpit section, fold up the tails/backpack, close the wings fully, and possibly remove the legs if they unsnap from the hip bar without too much force. I know when I did a quick move once, I packed my 1/60 YF-19, YF-21, a VF-1S, and a VF-1D in a shoebox. The YF-19 I took almost entirely apart (detached legs, and disconnected the sliding section holding on the torso), and the YF-21 I just folded the wings underneath, and tucked the tails in.
  5. Chronocidal
    I've got a small closet in my office where all my macross boxes go, and technically it's not completely full yet, but I do have to play tetris with the arrangements every once in a while. My issue is that I have no room to actually display my valks, so I keep most of them in the boxes, and rotate out a few every once in a while. If you can actually empty the boxes, there are ways to simplify the packaging for similar valks, namely, fold/collapse the boxes down, and then stack the plastic tray halves together. If I did that with all my VF-1 boxes/trays, it would save a ton of space. Sadly, since Bandai uses styrofoam, that's not really an option for the Frontier valks.
  6. Chronocidal
    That is a weird decision, but it makes me think it's just an oversight. I suppose in my case it might not matter, since I just plan to pose this one in battroid, but it still is annoying that they're just leaving it off.
  7. Chronocidal
    Darn, I actually liked the neutral gray. Would be easy to paint it anyway though, so no biggie. I did wind up going and ordering one of these at HLJ last week, I got the urge to pick up one more DYRL Roy to pose in an alternate mode, and I want at least one of those stands to use.
  8. Chronocidal
    Yeah, don't ever use FedEx from NY. They're over twice as much as HLJ for the exact same item.
  9. Chronocidal
    Ahhh, I love 2048*2048! That's the size I used to work in on all my flight sim mods. They usually got chopped down a bit to run better, but that size allows a ton of detail.
  10. Chronocidal
    Actually, I'm not sure shipping things together from NY changes the price at all, unless they send you a rebate after the fact.
  11. Chronocidal
    Oh, so funny discovery... you know how people have been discussing putting tape over the nose tip to keep the point from getting the paint scratched off when going to battroid? I think the VF-25A actually has the panel on top of the nose molded in color. If anyone's scraped any paint off it themselves, I guess not, but I scratched at the underside of the tip with a hobby knife, and either the paint is really thick, or that entire upper panel is molded in that dark green. Given the instrument panel is green too, I'm thinking it might all be molded in that color.
  12. Chronocidal
    I still wonder if the intro is going to contain the old 20th century fox bit, or if they're going to work up something new and disney themed. I mean.. I just hope they don't replace it with the latest 3D disney CGI intro they have.. that would look too weird. Now.. if they pull some bit of fanfare from the existing music, and do a spot-lit flyover of the castle, it could work well. I just wonder if they'd bother to get that creative with it.
  13. Chronocidal
    Well, now I feel slightly silly for buying two sets of the Luca packs so my CF can have one. Not entirely silly though, because it leaves me with a spare set of ghosts to customize.
  14. Chronocidal
    Honestly, I'll get this just for the fighter mode, but the way this thing transforms into battroid just looks wonky. I played around in the hangar trying to figure it out, and it's a lot like the SV-51, but with a really strange waist system going on. That, and the giant box-o-Itano on it's back has never looked anything like a good idea. I'd love to replace that box with something that looks streamlined in fighter, because the blunt back end of it just looks weird.
  15. Chronocidal
    So, while I'm glad to hear there may be repaints... honestly, I think I really only want the supernova prototype schemes. Maybe a low-vis version if they make it, or possibly a ravens one, but I think only the supernovas (orange and blue together please) would be a must-have for me.
  16. Chronocidal
    On the other hand, if you compare most Yamato/Arcadia releases with Bandai ones in general.. you can kind of see where that money went. For all the assorted problems Yamato designs have had in the past, I still consider their engineering and attention to detail (not to mention customer service) to be a few quantum leaps ahead of Bandai in every respect. For all the improvements that've gone into Bandai's renewals, they still can't figure out how to make something that's actually enjoyable to tranform, or can support its own weight over time. And try as they might, Bandai still can't seem to bridge that conceptual gap between "robot that turns into an airplane" and "aircraft that can turn into a robot."
  17. Chronocidal
    It also helps a ton if you use something to stiffen up the joints. I coated all of my wing hinges on my SV-51s with a tiny bit of super glue, then worked them back and forth to keep them moving. People have also used clear nail polish, which is generally probably a less visible solution, since it doesn't cloud the plastic like superglue sometimes does.
  18. Chronocidal
    I think part of what's helping the VF-25 releases is just pure experience on the part of the assembly lines. They've done so many releases of the mold, by now they know how to build them well inside and out. Same can't be said for the 171s, or my VF-27.. my CF-171 came with two left-side landing gear door hinges (fortunately not a big enough mistake to keep them from working), and my VF-27 came with the shoulders installed upside down and backwards to where the thing couldn't actually achieve any transformation. Had to remove a bunch of spring pins and reassemble it correctly before it would even sit in fighter mode.
  19. Chronocidal
    So, is it just me, or is Bandai's overall VF-25 quality getting better with each release? I mean.. the wings keep getting flatter as they go. Also, the fit and finish on this one is just overall superior to my first issue Alto. And... I seriously cannot shake this feeling.. I might not risk a 1/60, but the more I look at this thing, I keep thinking it looks like the VF-25: Vietnam Edition. If the bottoms of the wings, nose, and arms were white, it would look like a perfect start for a 1960s tactical camo pattern. With one of my kits, either the Hasegawa or maybe a Bandai (1/100, or 1/72, I have a few of each), I might seriously do that. Really.. Now that I look at it, the nose is practically begging to be painted black, and have a classic shark mouth added.
  20. Chronocidal
    Because clearly, Bandai's take on it is "Why would anyone ever need spare parts?" I'll be honest.. I'm hoping one of their releases has such a catastrophic failure that the public disgrace forces them to start selling spare parts on the open market. They need a slap upside the head. I don't know if it's any easier to order replacement parts from within Japan, but not allowing retailers to replace defective parts is the worst kind of customer disservice I know of.
  21. Chronocidal
    Looks awesome indeed! If there's one thing I definitely appreciate about the re-hashed version... they actually took the time to print the tail markings straight. My earlier version definitely has the tail codes at completely screwy angles.
  22. Chronocidal
    Given my experiences with the VF-25 kits, I may just paint everything before putting it together. Not like there's a ton of seams left after assembly anyway. Not sure I want to attempt a metallic finish or not though.. I actually haven't airbrushed anything in like.. probably 15 years.
  23. Chronocidal
    You know.. you mentioned "gearing" in one of the joints, and I don't know if you meant that literally, but for models this size, some inner mechanisms to help hold poses could have some real potential. I did the same thing with a Lego 1/18 VF-1 I started once (never got to finish, the legs were just not possible with the parts I had). The arms were entirely full of gears to position them, and while cranking little knobs to pose something isn't the fastest process, it definitely works.
  24. Chronocidal
    Ahh, those were the days.. I grew up building those kits with my dad. He'd cut loose a few parts, and let me rubber band them together to zoom around, while he actually worked on another kit. Just got in two of the Yamato 2199 kits, the Falcon and Zero, so I might start slapping those together soon. Question for those who have built them: If I actually snap the entire kits together, how hard are they to take back apart to paint later on? I love building stuff just to have something to look at (and fly around the room), but I tend to put off painting/decals.
  25. Chronocidal
    That's kinda why I convinced myself to get two.. I can give the dark ones to Alto and Luca.
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