Valkyrie Driver

I second this emotion. Joyously... Hey, I know Basara is no Neil Fallon, Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, Ozzy Osborne, Ronny James Dio, or any one of hundreds of awesome rock frontmen, but the vocals weren't bad, and the Instrumentation and melodies were pretty good, even if the lyrics were a bit poop... Two questions: To what do you refer, exactly? and WHY!?

Chronocidal, I'm upset to hear that. I have a 171EX on the way, and I'm hoping that I'll enjoy it. I got it instead of the Yamato VF-17, because I like the look of the 171 a bit more.

Yeah, It does, but when your not getting paid for the investment of time, taking it seriously is kinda dumb, it's a hobby. I remember being 14, God I was dumb. I had skills that were sharp (I could actually draw fairly well) but I didn't maintain them, and so, now I can't draw very well. One thing I have become better at since I was that age, is model building and painting (Specifically wagrames miniatures). Mom encouraged my hobby, dad felt it was odd. Dad still doesn't understand that it's an artistic outlet and not a wast of money. Ah well such is life. That was 14 years ago. all I can say is encourage your son to pursue his interests, especially when they diverge from the ones you share.

Nice.

If I had to pick one, it would be my V1 Chogokin VF-25F (luckily I have a renewal on the way). I'll preface this by saying that wherever not applicable, all of my collection is yamato 1/60's. But I have complaints about all of the toys in my collection: HI-metal VF-19S- flimsy main head laser (has since broken off permanently), no way to attach the gun pod, and no landing gear (smething even the old crappy banprestos had) VF-25F- It's solid, but it's a bit floppy in some joints (waist and wrists), and it just has this dick forward old man slump, and hunched shoulder look that I hate. Looks decent in fighter mode though. (I have a Renewal on the way) SV-51- Joints are all really loose, and it's really fiddly in transformation. YF-19- Same as the SV-51, and the hips lack poseability. (Have a VF-19F on the way which, according to the reviews is a superior toy). VF-1S Focker- Joints are really stiff, and its a v2.1 (rainbow tint, narrow notch for the transformation, bad shoulder design). Other than the concerns about breakage it's probably one of my favorites. VF-0A- The arms self-destructed. Has been fixed, but the swing bar clamp has broken, so the swing bar isn't really secure in fighter mode (Point me to somoeone that makes a replacement part for this please...). Fighter mode sags under handling. VF-11C- I have almost no gripes about this toy, other than the loose hips. Destroid Tomahawk- The waist is about the only complaint. Toynami 1/100's- Halfway partsformers and cheap plastic, but otherwise pretty good. VF-1A- V1 TRU edition. Back pack broke off about a month ago. I was very saddened. I have some complaints obviously, but I'm genuinely happy with my collection.

It's interesting that you bring up the F-5E. IRL it got a revision and upgrade to become the F-20 Tigershark. Where the two turbojet engines were replace by a single low bypass afterburning turbofan. So we have real world precedent for this line of discussion...

Guardian Grey, Mr March The Panavia Tornado also has the articulated pylons. But it is worth noting that no fighter to my knowledge carries air to air missiles on TERs (triple ejector racks) or anything more than double launch rails. SO that may have just been some creative license. Seto Gerwalk for most other fighters would be a no-brainer. I'm curious though, on how it would really work in fighter mode. I know a pic was posted earlier showing the thrusters, but that just doesn't seem like enough thrust in an earth standard environment.

I'll be content with my Foxtrot, though the Papa looks great. I hadn't noticed the difference in the wing roots. I also hadn't noticed that the wings on the Foxtrot are more anime accurate than they are on my VF-HImetal Sierra. I'm looking foreward to having the foxtrot, it should be in tomorrow.

That might be a better place for it. Although, It gets a bit crowded with all the people posting ideas.

Out of curiosity, is the VF-25 the first fighter equipped with the ICS? I don't recall any mention of it on the First generation AVF's.

Indeed. I was aiming more specifically at the pre-war/wartime Kaifun, because it's easier to understand the anger and resentment he feels post war. I just feel that given his ardent opposition to the military, and war in general, it's hypocritical for him to be the instigator for violence. It's interesting. There are martial arts that most purport to be pacifist, Aikido, some of the internal forms of Kung Fu, specifically. In Aikido, it's not really pacifist, because one of the core tenants is that you accept responsibility for your actions and your intentions. Where a warrior would pursue actions designed to harm with the intent to do so, an AIkidoka pursues actions that prevent harm to himself with the intent of doing only that. The Aikidoka accepts that his opponent may be harmed because of his actions, and intentions, but that is not the goal, as it is with the warrior. Kaifun pursues actions and intentions that will result in harm, and that is the outcome he desires. But he claims the moral high ground because it was not he that threw the first punch. It's interesting to explore such an obviously belligerent character that is so self-deluded by his supposedly pacifist ideology. Kaifun is displacing his own feelings onto the military personnel of the SDF-1. He embodies the very thing he claims to oppose, and that's a fascinating thing to explore philosophically. It goes back to a quote from Ghandi, "It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence." I can tell you that there is no group of people more opposed to war than warriors. We train every day to the perfection of our craft, ready to go to war when called. We hope the day never comes, we pray for it, because we know it will be us who will be taken from our homes, kept from our families, and put in constant peril for the good of our people. We don't want that any more than people want us taken from our homes and families. Kaifun's assertion that soldiers like war and killing is laughably absurd. No sane and moral person likes to end lives through violence. It is that Warriors are prepared to do it on the behalf of those who cannot or will not. The reason I'm on about this is that it is a commonly held belief among the uneducated, and Kaifun is actually a reflection of the American entertainment industry's view on soldiers from that time. In 1982 the Vietnam war had only been over for 7 years, it was still fresh in a lot of minds, and Vietnam Veterans were still very much misunderstood. So he's a caricature of a self proclaimed pacifist. He's also the embodiment of Japan's own internal political wranglings over the legitimacy of the JSDF. Science Fiction is full of allegory, and often serves as an outlet for social commentary through non inflammatory means.

Internet Hipster trolls are ***holes, and you can't hate one for spewing crap, because they're ***holes and it's what they do. Nice find on the XB-70.

I want 19P wings for the 19F I just bought, I dislike the F/S wings. they're just too big...

I have a VF-19F on the way, in addition to my VF-171 and VF-25F toys on the way. I'm super excited to get them. I hope the 171 gets here before friday...

Agreed. I'd send him mine, but alas it is broken... (Also it's a TRU anniversary, so there's that).

By Minmay selfishly asking for sacrifices, I was specifically referring to the last few episodes. Minmay is a very mercurial character. She asks Hikaru to leave the military because she can't stand the uncertainty. He found value and purpose as a fighter pilot, and he was needed. He had a duty to protect the people that were left, and there weren't any people to replace him. Minmay just selfishly asked him to stop and got upset when he didn't just agree, not realizing his feelings on the matter, or how important it was for him to continue. It's not an uncommon occurrence with the military actually. That's what I was getting at.

I can see that. Still, This doesn't even look like the manufacturer tried.

The proportions are way off, and it looks nasty. even for 13 bucks I'd say you got ripped off. Even banprestos weren't this bad. If you're looking for a decent VF-1 toy for ~$15, look into the Toynami 1/100's they're loads better.

Honestly the only hate I have in regards to characters is Nekki Basara and Lynn Kaifun. They both needed to get a thunderpunch in the throat. Kaifun especially. If I had been the CAG for the SDF-1's pilots, I'd have put Kaifun in the hospital. Basara would have just gotten a good old throatpunch. I hated Kaifun for his contradictory nature. Honestly though I think he was supposed to be hated. He claimed to be a pacifist, yet he started more fights than the Soldiers he claimed to abhor. The worst part is, I've known people exactly like him. Basara, was just a nuisance. He wanted to share his music with people, and change them, which is admirable. The way he went about it was just obnoxious. That's really the only character hate I feel. As for Minmay, I've known girls like her, who selfishly ask for sacrifices and are oblivious to the truth of their requests. It's sad, really. Above all, I like how despite the fact that there are some characters that are just caricatures of humans, the characters themselves still seem real and human despite how over the top an tropetastic they are.

Nice poses Hal. Nice paint scheme on that SV-51.

Good point.

I don't know how exactly a VF does VTOL, but I seem to be wrong a lot, so please explain. I just put my two cents out there because it's what makes sense to me.

I also have two on the way. I'm looking forward to having them.

That's sexy. I really like the Armament FAST packs off the frontier set.

I meant more in the fashion that I described. However you are correct.