Graham

Just checking the official site for the 10th time today and noticed the "What's New" part is blank. I guess they are getting ready to put up a new update. Graham

As far as Macross mecha go, my main areas of speciality are the VF-1, VF-17, YF/VF-19, YF-21 & VF-22. While I'm resonably knowledgable about other vFs and Destroids, I'm not an expert. Graham

Yes, that's me when I still had my beard and moustache and much more hair on top. That pic is probably about 10-12 years old now. Gotta see if I still have the original somewhere. The pic was drawn by a girl in UK by the name of Emmeline Dobson and was part of a series. She also drew one for Rik Newman, webmaster of the macross.co.uk site and huge Macross 7 fan(see attached pic). There was another pic of Olie Barder (MWer: Cacophanous), with a Max DYRL VF-1 body IIRC, but that has been lost to the mists of time. And yes, I have an original copy of the VF-X2 Special Version. So far I have resisted all requests to burn a copy or to make it available online. Maybe I'm being selfish, it's just I feel that something so rare and so hard to come by should remain rare and hard to come by. Graham

Yep, the Nora is pretty much perfect. Best toy Yamato have made in a while. Graham

Yep, that is correct the VF-17 did feature wrap around imaging screens in the cockpit. These are clearly shown on the official lineart. Graham

Wolfx, as promised, here's some lineart with notes, showing how the VF-17 stores and ejects it's gunpod and where the firing port is for fighter mode. Presumably it's the same for the VF-171 as in the manga, the VF-171's gunpod looks identical, or nearly so. Graham

The Compendium makes no mention of active stealth for the VF-17, but does say the following: "In order to maintain passive stealthiness, the VF-17 does not normally use any Super Parts or external weapon stations".. I take passive stealth to mean shaping and RAM (radar absorbant materials). We went over this already in one of the other threads. The F-117 does not have the radar cross section of a flock of birds. It has the radar cross section of a bird (singular). Speculating about the capabilities of Cyclops radar is pointless. We know nothing about it. Why? Stealth is stealth. If it deflects or absorbs radar wave to prevent detection in an atmosphere, it should also work in space. Graham

Note, the VF-17 has passive stealth, not active stealth. It looks like the VF-171 may still have the arm beam guns afterall and possibly internal micro missile launchers on the lower legs, but these last two are still to be confirmed. Graham

Yoko Kanno of Macross Plus fame is one of or the main composer. Graham

I think so. The whole manga is now posted here, so you can also check if you feel like it. Don't know. I'm guessing that it's stored inside the arm shield. Just a guess though. Or maybe he pulled it from eugimon's omega pantsTM. Graham

Bug's nuts? Graham

Which begs the question, do bugs have nuts? Heh, and how many MWers are now gonna start going through the anime frame by frame, trying to capture that elusive screen shot of the bug's nuts?.......LOL! Graham

I think it's beacuse not many people have bought one and those who have all seem to have nothing good to say about it. I for one will definitely pass on the Aoshimas. I've got two Toynamis already and have no desire for what is essentially the same toy with just a brighter paint scheme and a few extra missiles stuck on the outside. Graham

I'd say that the VF-4, VF-11 or VF-17 (my vote) are the most likely to be produced by Hasegawa at some point, given that they are the most well known and liked of the poll choices. The other choices listed in the poll are just too obscure or not popular enough for Hasegaw to bother with IMO. However, the emphasis for the next few years will probably be on Macross Frontier kits. Whether the Frontier kits will be produced by Hasegawa or Bandai is anybody's guess at the moment though. Graham

Ahem, while it's true we haven't seen any mecha knife fights before, you are forgetting the famous knife fight between Max & Millia in the original SDFM TV series. Graham

That's beacuse it hasn't happened in the anime yet. The manga covers not only the events in episode #1 of the anime, but also some of what may happen in episode #2. This knife fight if it happens in the anime will take place in episode #2. However, bear in mind that the manga is quite different from the anime, so we may not see this knife fight happen in the anime. Graham

The inflatable VF-0S figher is pretty rare, as are the plush VF-19Kai and VF-1S battroids. If you want to inculde non-toy items, there are also many rare items as well. Graham

Here's the manga pic of Ozuma's VF-25 with combat knife. Graham

Yes, the firing port for fighter mode and the ejection port where the gunpod is expelled for use in battroid mode are on different sides of the leg and no it doesn't get in the way of the engines. The line art will make it all clear. Graham

Yes, there is line-art showing how the VF-17's gunpod folds and how it stores in the leg. I'll scan and post it when I get home, if nobody beats me to it first. The VF-17's lower legs are quite bulky, so theoretically there is also room for the engines, especially if VF engines have become smaller as technology advances. However, Kawamori has a lot crammed into the VF-17's ower legs, as there are also the rear landing gears and an internal weapons bay for a reaction weapon! Graham

On the VF-17, the gunpod shoulder stock splits in two lengthwise along the top and the two halves of the stock fold back along the main body of the gunpod greatly reducing it's overall length. There is no firing port in the knee. The firing port is on the inner side of the lower leg. This alows it to fire in fighter mode, as the inner side of the leg becomes the fighter's ventral surface. However, ithe VF-17 cannot fire it's stored gunpod in Battroid or Gerwalk mode as the exit port is pointing at itself. The Bandai VF-17D/S toys actually have two gunpod firing ports, one on each leg, which is incorrect. FYI, the VF-11 leg weapon bays are not considered canon by Kawamori. Only those on the VF-17 & YF/VF-19 are. Graham

So far, the red bug's skin seems pretty immune to gunpod fire so I was thinking perhaps the red bug's skin acts something like the shields in Frank Herbert's Dune, in that it will stop high velocity attacks, i.e. gunpod rounds, but slow velocity attacks, i.e. knife thrusts or slashes will penetrate. Or perhaps, the knife has some sort of localised pin point barrier on the blade, giving it more penetrating power? Graham

Spoilers ahead regarding VF-25 weapons and it's hand-to-hand combat capability. Although I haven't scanned those pages of the manga yet, Ozma's VF-25 is shown fighting the red bug using Graham

Moved to the correct forum. Hasegawa's are models not toys, so topics about them belong in the model forum. Graham

You are right about the manga, we do see the elbow guns in gerwalk mode (attached pic). I guess the VF-171's streamlined elbow fairings open up to allow the guns to extend out. Regarding the VF-17's wrist guns, the Compendium says the following: - I have always taken that to mean a barrel at the wrist and a barrel at the elbow (the retractable and traversable one). Also, although I don't have my artbooks in front of me now (I'm at work), I'm pretty sure that the wrist gun is labled as such. Graham