Valkyrie Driver

Not too hard, but it could complicate transformation, by making it more fiddly.

Thanks! I hope it arrives soon too. I've got the first semester under my belt, but that was 5 years ago. I still kinda remember my grammar, but my vocabulary and my writing skills are very rusty. I need to study up if I'm going to do well in the second semester. I have confidence I'll do well, languages come fairly easy to me.

All I was saying is that while yes gerwalk is traditionally the weakest mode of any valkyrie, and that the VF-19's is the weakest of all of them, this toy manages the strongest implementation of that mode than any other 19 toy. So the Strongest of the weakest. I was just amazed at what you could do with it. As my Yamato 1/60 YF-19 will fall to rubble if you look at it funny, and my Yamato VF-19F lacks the simple grace of the YF-19 design. That, and the VF-19 advance is a lot less scary to transform, that VF-19F gerwalk joint is so stiff that I'm always afraid I'll break it, the shoulders pose their own problems with that locking mechanism.

Well damn...

Maybe I just didn't get to go the places where you'd see it. Though I did know this girl in tech school, who was still hot as hell wearing cammies and BCG's.

You're right, I think I worded it a bit wonky. I should have specified, the idea being that these Mecha would be piloted by professional soldiers (highly trained and capable individuals) rather than an untrained civilian kid (like Amuro Ray, or some of the other gundam type pilots we've seen). Granted Macross doesn't suffer this too much (Basara isn't exactly a kid at 21, and Alto isn't exactly untrained), and it isn't unheard of for us to have 15 or 16 yr old kids fighting on the front lines (kids would lie about their ages to enlist during WW2). Anime seems to involve some kind of extenuating circumstances, that allow younger people to participate in military actions, to get around the fact that most Professional soldiers in developed nations are over 18 years of age. Not saying that's a bad thing, it certainly makes the protagonists more relateable to a wider audience. You may be right that the way I framed it might have been a bit off. I hope this clarifies what I was trying to say.

Wow. It's impressive that it can hold that much. So definitely a purchase to group with others so as to make shipping worth it. Or get the shipping free. I wouldn't want to pay twice what the toy cost in shipping alone.

We learned that the isocyanate paint was incredibly toxic, and difficult to apply. We have since learned that glossy finishes increase light and radar reflectivity, making them easier to spot. Before the glossy paint the aircraft were silver, or natural metal finish, which decreased corrosion resistance. We also learned that other paints would strip off as they heated up with multiple trips through the Mach barrier. The Faster you go the more heat you generate from air friction, the faster the pain wears off. The Glossy paint was a tougher finish. It was mostly applied to air defense fighters, that is, they weren't deployed overseas, so the need to be harder to see wasn't as pronounced. Also you kinda wanted to be seen, so that russian bomber would know you were there and ready to shoot him down. Now paint technologies are so much better we can make matte paints that are every bit as tough as the old isocyanate gloss paint. Now we can have our cake and eat it too...

How much did she set you back? Also, I'm really loving that ability to put a 2 ship on a single stand...

There were a ton of Static Displays at Lackland, There was the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale, and a bunch of randoms at Keesler. There was also the 101st Airborne Museum at Ft. Campbell that had a few good ones too. I've only seen two F-106's on static display, one at Selfridge ANGB's MIANG museum, and one at Camp Blanding.

I'm still super stoked about my VF-19Advance, and I'm still waiting on my VF-19 master file book. I want it to be the Spring semester so I can take Japanese... Hopefully this book will give me the incentive to study hard so that one day I'll be able to read it...

Alas, it does not. It's heavy on the transformation detail and gimmicks, but stingy on the others we'd like to see. The one good one you get is an opening leg bay with a missile, which is nice. The nice little 10 second cameo didn't give us a ton to go on for what those shoulder packs do, so T-Rex I guess just assumed they were missile packs like on the VF-25, while bandai, it would seem, figured they were something else. The bandai parts are two piece which is odd to me since the CGI model showed no such joint. They are also fairly small pieces, which don't allow for a lot of space to hide the mechanisms required for an arm or opening missile door.

I agree that Battroid is the strongest mode, fighter the second, and gerwalk third. I think though that in comparison to other attempts at the YF-19 styled toys, it has the strongest of all three modes (minus super parts). I would definitely take this over the Arcadia. Obviously because it's expensive and harder to get, but also because of how Bandai executed the transformation just looks so much better than the arcadia, which is very similar to the way my Yamato VF-19F transforms. I think Bandai nailed it. I'd still love to have an Arcadia, and an original Yamato 1/72 (v2 because of that damned tab a), just to have the progression in my collection, but this toy is a ton of fun. I really like where they put the leg swivel, it's at the top of the gerwalk joint, which lets you get some really nice poses, but a second swivel at the knee or mid thigh might have been a good inclusion as well, to really get some good aggressive poses. There is certainly room for improvement, but this seems to be the best execution to date.

Interesting Article. By the time I had come into Battletech, the Dougram, Crusher Joe, and Macross designs had been removed. Though the Warhammer IIC and Marauder IIC were still present in MechWarrior 2, my introduction to the franchise. My interest stemmed from there. Around the time I was in 2nd or third grade FASA had authorized a horrible TV show (horrible by my modern standards, having been "spoiled" by anime, watching it again was like trying to watch G1 transformers). It was enough to associate the name with the tabletop game, and the novel series, which I took to with gusto. Then the discovery of the link to macross, and now look at me. I bought my Tomahawk Destroid because of my love for the old Warhammer IIC from MechWarrior 2. That and I really like the Tomahawk destroid, and wished it had received more screen time. Oh well there's still Macross Delta...

Nope! TU-144! Sorry, I had to. At this point I'm just being an ass... My apologies.

They are now, but that's the intake and wing root of an F-106. Back in the 1960's through to the 1980's, we painted our Air Defense Fighters in this glossy isocyante based paint. The F-106 was grey, and I think most of them were a light grey. Dad's Air Defense Detachment painted their F-4's in the same color (giving the REGAF guys conniption). The low vis matte schemes started in the 1980's and became widespread when Strategic Air Command and Tactical Air Command merged to become Air Combat Command.

I agree, mostly. I really liked the stinger, the Unseen version much more so than the Reseen version. The other VF-1 based designs not so much, the VF-1A the way they adapted it, just seemed to fit. I can remember discussing Battletech with someone at my local hobby shop when I was much younger, and mentioning that it would be great if battletech had a mech that transformed into a fighter. I was pointed to the novel Freebirth (in which the LAM's play a significant role), and to the internet for more information (as I had come into battletech after the whole unseen thing). Of course I did a bit of research as to why I'd never seen them, and discovered the link to Macross (which I had already been introduced to through Macross 2). They way they adapted the Glaug into the Marauder also seemed to fit too. The regult based designs seemed a bit wonky. As long as our chosen works of fiction are appreciated in the proper context, it's never bad. Except Twilight, that's universally bad and should never be appreciated by anyone ever... except as the measuring stick of badness. Seriously, it's literally the only book I would burn, I wouldn't even condone burning Mein Kampf, that's how important I think books are (even ones with terrible content).

While I like Klan, her whole character design is a bit ridiculous. I mean, as a Red-Blooded, American, and most importantly, Man; I do like me some buxom beauties, but there comes a point where it's too much. Also the high heel space suit kind leaves me scratching my head. If they could just slim down Klan's bust she'd be perfect with a nice proportional hourglass figure. All in all though, very nice figure, and she should go nicely with the rest of you collection.

We also have one other thing to consider. No one really knows what the true capabilities of the F-35 are and are not, except the guys who are dealing with it every day. Any information we have regarding such in the public domain, is all hearsay or taken out of context, because we don't know the variables introduced in the test.

I actually kinda like the glossy finish on the VF-25's and VF-171's kinda reminds me of this:

I wish my VF-19Advance had those shoulder parts... I want opening missile bays...

I wouldn't really call the VF-19Advance's finish matte... It still has a pleasing shine to it, so maybe more of a satin finish really... To-ma-to, to-mah-to...

As I just moved into a smaller apartment, my space is very limited. My collection is limited to 6 on display right now. My current favorites, My VF-25F Renewal, VF-171EX, VF-1S Super/Strike, VF-19F, Tomahawk Destroid, and VF-19Advance. On my coffee table and end table.

Noyhauser, I will concede that you have some valid points, however, your entire argument is pushing the use of more advanced technology to win wars. Better technology is important to aid in minimizing friendly casualties and collateral damage, but it's not the ultimate solution. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan, we've been throwing technology at the problem since we started, and it's still not solved. My comment about the F-35 being designed by committee, was not meant as literal as you seemed to take it. I'm well aware of how the procurement process works, but that's not design. Was it a dig at the design, yes. It's not what was advertised, it's horribly over cost, and we're still discovering problems. It's suffering a very similar situation as the F-111. By the time all is said and done, no one will want it, because it no longer suits anyone's purposes. You pointed out that 2000lbs is about half of the internal capacity of the F-35's bays, which I believe. You also pointed out that a majority of A-10 sorties are carrying ~2000lbs or less of ordnance, which I also believe. This begs the question, can the F-35 carry the quantity of ordnance in it's internal bay, as the A-10 can carry on it's wings, at 2000lbs? Let's also talk about some of the characteristics that make the A-10 better at CAS. It's tough, It's combat survivability has been proven. They have returned to base missing wings, and looking like swiss cheese. Are low level SAMs and MANPADS a threat, you bet, but no aircraft is going to be entirely safe from a missile. You take evasive action, pop countermeasures, and hope for the best. It's simple, which means maintenance is easy and less manpower intensive (theoretically). Because of the simplicity there is less to go wrong, and it has a lot of redundancy built in, meaning it has good reliability. The gun, that 30mm cannon is the most powerful airborne gun system we have (outside the AC-130U's 105mm). True, the A-10 was designed to counter a threat that no longer exists (Russian Tanks pouring through the Fulda Gap), but it has proven itself a versatile and capable aircraft. There are more than political pressures keeping the A-10 in service, the Army want's that capability to stay around. Could the F-35 be a valuable addition to the inventory, yes. Will it replace the F-16, A-10, F/A-18, and AV-8B? The AV-8B, sure because the F-35B is the only thing in development that even attempts to replicate it's capabilities. The rest? No. It can't, nor should it. Stealth fighters completely replacing our current fleet of conventional aircraft, is not adding value to our forces. You cannot win a war with a handful stealth fighters and a bunch of drones. Airpower is a component to victory, a force multiplier. Wars are won by crushing your enemy's will and ability to fight. And sometimes that means inflicting lots of collateral damage. You have to make war too costly for your enemy to resist. We have all of this great technology, but do you know how many times I touched a GPS unit on a land navigation course? Once. I spent all of my time doing it the old fashioned way with a map and compass. Why? Because technology can, and will at the most inopportune time, fail. I'm not going to say that the F-35 is a bad aircraft, I'm sure it's a very good aircraft. I just don't believe that it's going to be all it was advertised. As such, replacing a very capable aircraft with something inferior at that task is not sound military thinking. Quote all the numbers you'd like, you can't apply economics and accounting to something that isn't economical. War is wasteful, and expensive, and horrifying. As for you comments about shows of force, that's as stupid as firing warning shots. I don't want to show the enemy how strong we are, I want the enemy to experience how strong we are. Speak softly and carry a big stick, the louder you proclaim your strength, the weaker you appear. A show of force is an empty gesture. I'm not going to lie, I'm not an expert on aircraft, or their capabilities. I'm not an expert on business, or on politics. I've never been to war, but I know how to fight, I know the theory behind it. I've read a lot on the subject, and I know human nature. I also know that certain techniques have changed, but that doesn't mean they need to stay that way. In regards to airborne FAC and the Textron Scorpion, the idea is, you have a manned aircraft, with fully aware pilots in the mix, doing the exact same thing a reaper is doing, only pilots can look in directions other than where the camera is pointed. They can make the JTACs and ROMADs aware of incoming threats that they can't see on their video uplink. It also gives another set of eyes, to assist in avoiding friendly fire, and making sure that ordnance goes where it's supposed to. The whole thing can go just as smoothly, and as fast, as a drone assisted strike, but the extra situational awareness in the mix can keep good guys from getting killed.

Yep. Because not all prostitutes wanted to be prostitutes. I still really can't understand your hate for BattleTech, sure there are some of the fans that can be obnoxious, but like I said, every fanbase, for anything is going to have those people. What it has become is much more than what it started as.