Graham

As many of us have kids, I just thought I'd ask, how many of you are encouraging your kids to get into Macross? And how many of you let your kids play with your Macross toys? My nearly 5 year old son really likes my VF toys and I have given him several of my old Bandai Macross 7 toys and Bandai Chunky 1/55 reissues. He keeps asking to play with my Yammies and newer VF-25 DX toys, but that is a big no-no. He was playing with the old Bandai toys tonight, so I just had to take a pic, which I thought I'd share here. A chip off the old block. It brought a tear to my eye to see him enjoying his Valks so much. Graham

Lack of time. Still planning to.

will make sure to review a shop bought production version.

Got to see Ranka, Sheryl and the SD mecha figures in my local store over the weekend. Very nice quality, but too expensive for my blood. The mecha figures are also much larger than I expected. Graham

Haven't been able to find set 2 anywhere here in HK. All the retailers seem to have forgot or couldn't be bothered to order it. Graham

I've been told it will hit the streets around April 20th in HK. Graham

I wouldn't say the tampo printing is flaking off per say (makes it sounds like it's falling off by itself), but IMO the gloss finish plastic does make it easier for the tampo printing and also painted stripes to wear off with repeated handling. My advice to everybody, when you hold your toy, try as best as possible to avoid touching any of the parts that are painted or have tampo printing, i.e just touch the bare plastic. Graham

I still haven't got the groin armor on in fighter mode and I'm not going to risk forcing it either, as I don't want to scratch any paint or risk snapping either of the armor tabs. Graham

Never had that happen on my matte finish Yamatos. Graham

The Z-Plus is one of the very few Gundams that I actually like enough to spash out money on a high-end toy. I really don't like the red & white & blue & white schemes, so won't be picking this up. I really hope Bandai releases this Grey version, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. However, they didn't release the grey version with the original Z-Plus GFFs, so I'm not holding out too much hope. Graham

Technically, if that diorama is portraying the battle at the end of episode 1, then it should be called a VF-25F Gilliam Custom. Graham

Expect some interesting non-VF-1 repaints soon.

I know it's not Chronicles, but could somebody please, please take a stab at translating the tech specs and background information paragraphs from the VF-25 Super Parts model kit. I seem to remember somebody (azrael?), saying they would do it. Really dying to know more about the Super Parts. Graham

Touche. But, still plenty of cool looking mecha in Macross 7 - VF-11C, Full Armored VF-11C, VF-17D/S VF-22S, VF-19F/S. Graham

Cool looking mecha is one of my prime critera for deciding whether or not I watch a mecha anime. That and likeable characters & good action. Graham

nugundamII, which Hong Kong store did you buy it at, so we can boycot it? You should ask to check the toy before you buy. My regular store in Tai Po, always opens the box on high value items to let me check before I pay. Many shops will do this.

Actually, it's all said in humour (which doesn't always show in written posts). I do however stand by my opinion that the mecha in this show are uber-silly looking. Graham

The older I get, the more set in my ways and crotchety I become. Just think of me as Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino. Graham

I know this is veering into politics and away from aircraft, so we probably shouldn't go there, but over the last few years on a lot of US-centric tactical, military & firearms forums that I visit, I've noticed an increasing trend of Americans viewing China as the next big military threat to the US. And this bothers me. Sorry, as somebody who has lived in this part of the world for the past 22 years, I just don't see China as wanting to engage in armed conflict with the US....ever, except possibly over Taiwan and there I think China has the patience to wait for peaceful reunification, which I see eventually happening within the next 20 years or so. Yes, China is an emerging Super Power, yes, they are modernising their military and making it into a more professional force, but beyond protecting their borders and territory they see as being theirs, I don't see them engaging in a take over of neigbouring states as the Soviets did post WWII. China isn't and shouldn't be viewed as a Cold War Era Russia in terms of threat. China is pretty much Communist in name only and is actually fast becoming an extremely capitalist society. Yes, they still have aways to go in terms of human rights, but there have been huge improvements in freedoms an openess in China in the last 15-20 years. Lots of extremely wealthy nouveau riche in china now. What I do see China doing is exerting their influence politically and economically (but not militarily) more and more on the international stage in the coming decades as they gain in power. Graham

No Bash-crap for him. He has good taste in mecha and mecha anime, thank you very much. He loves watching Gatchaman, Voltes V, Combattler V, Great Mazinger and Ulysses 31 (and to my dismay, original Transformers.....can't win em' all). He's being rasied on a diet of 70s' mecha anime, just as kids his age should be. When he's a few years older, I'll start him on Macross. However, as an experiment, I'll show him a pic of the mecha in Bash-crap. 10-1 odds he'll say it looks really silly. Graham

When this was shown here last month, I think it lasted about a week. Graham

I don't understand why so many Americans seem to view China as a military threat. China has never had expansionist tendencies, except for Taiwan, which it views (rightly or wrongly), as it's own anyway. As Noyhauser said, the Chinese and American economies are too closely linked. Graham

The problem as I see it (as an armchair theorist), is that if and when the US does eventually get into an air war with a foe that has a credible air-to-air capability, whether it be 10 or even 20 years from now, the US will no longer enjoy the necessary assets to fight from a position of either numerical or technological superiority. While I agree, that a large part of the current US defence budget, should go to funding the two wars presently being fought and making sure the troops on the ground have enough of the right type of equipment, an eye also needs to be kept to the future. This is especially true given the typical long lead times for developing new warfighting equipment. Just my two cents as a Brit. Heh, perhaps the US will end up buying Typhoons in the future to make up the shortfall in their air to air capability. Graham

As long as the VF-25 V1.2 has the following two changes, I'll be happy: - 1) Wing gloves that actually lock onto the legs in fighter mode, like the DX. 2) Eliminate that completely unecessary gap under the nose in fighter mode (copied from the DX, but serves no actual purpose on the 1/100 scale). Graham

Definitely will be for the Super Fold Booster, as with the Super Packs fitted there are no other free holes to attach it. Graham