Graham

Personally, I prefer deluxe over value versions as far as Variable Fighters go. I want my VFs to be detailed, look good, i.e. as accurate to the lineart as possible, have some gimmicks, be durable (most important), feature perfect (or near perfect) transformation and be made of good quality materials, i.e no gashapon-disease-prone PVC thank you very much! Only good quality ABS and some die-cast metal where necessary for strength. For non-transforming Destroids or non-transforming enemy mecha, lower price value versions are fine as long as they are durable, look decent and feature a reasonable level of articulation. I'd be quite happy with a line of 1/144 scale or 1/100 scale GFF style Destroids and enemy mecha in the ¥5,000 price range, rather than Yamato's over-priced (IMO) 1/60 Q-Rau and 1/60 Vaporware Monster. Size or scale is not that important to me these days. As long as the toy meets the criteria listed above, I'll happily accept it in whatever scale. I'm not hung up on having all my Macross mecha in the same scale anymore. Graham

I'm not a huge fan of Destroids. I think the only ones I really would like to buy are the Tomahawk and Cheyenne. Having seen and handled the prototype 1/60 Monster sculpt a couple of years ago (gosh has it been that long), I can confirm the thing is pretty damn huge. Got some sweet photos of it with a 1/60 Hikaru VF-1A Battroid standing with it as well. Hmm.....would Yamato go apeshit if I posted them? Anyway, if I had to chose between 1/60 or 1/48 scale for Destroids, I think I'd opt for 1/60 scale purely for reasons of space saving. Given free choice though, I'd probaby prefer 1/100 scale. They would still be a decent size and detailed enough. And being non-transformable would be durable enough at that size. Graham

If this game has Gamlin and the VF-17D/S, then I'm buying it. Graham

Mabye the Minerva was designed specifically to carry the ZAKUs and Savior and the Impluse was actually a late addition. So when it came time to add the Impulse, it was found that there wasn't any spare hanger space for it to be launched assembled? Nah, that justification sounds lame even by my standards . Graham

Loved Captain Scarlet as a kid back in the 70s. Definitely the darkests of all the Gerry Anderson shows. I've always found it strange that Gerry Anderson shows are so popular in the UK and Japan, but never really caught on in the US. Graham

There's still no reason why it shouldn't come pre-assembled in the hangar ready for launch. Yeah, I agree that it's pretty silly that it does not launch pre-assembled. It's even sillier IMO that the Core Splendor has to jetison it's missile pods each time as well. Graham

I think it's petty much for the same reason as the V-Guundam, that is so if a part is damaged in combat, a replacement can be sent out immediately to allow the Impulse to keep on fighting, rather than having to return to base for lengthy repairs. Graham

Haven't watched it. One of the guys I work with (who has a similar taste in movies to me) saw it over the CNY holiday and said it was crap and a waste of money. Graham

The HK film industry has been in decline for about a decade now. Fewer and fewer films being made every year. At least those films which do get made generally tend to be better quality. Graham

As far as we know, Phase Shift Armor only works against projectile weapons, and is inaffective against beam weapons. If this is true it would seem to have little relevance any more, given that all of the newer mass produced MS like the Zaku, Dagger-L, Windam & Murasame carry beam weapons as standard. Graham

Given that Lunamaria seems to have a crush on Athrun, I'd think it more likely that she will die saving Athrun, not Shin. Graham

Can you snap some pictures of Lunemaria's Zaku and the Guaiz-R? Will try to snap some pics in the next couple of days. Lunamaria's Zaku is a slightly lighter shade of red than it should be IMO, but still a nice figure. The skirt armor hasn't fallen off once yet, which is good as on my Blaze & Slash Zakus it occasionally comes off when you bend the legs. The Gunner pack is nice and attaches very securely. I'm not a fan of the Guaiz-R design in the anime, but the MSiA toy is very well engineered. I'm really in love with the Dagger-L, this is a really great toy. The flight pack is very cool and the articulation on the base figure is excellent, especially the ankles, as there is no bulky ankle armor to block the movement. Graham

Just picked up the 3 new Destiny MSiA, Lunamaria's Gunner Zaku Warrior, the Dagger-L and the Guiaz-R(sp?) All three are very nice figures. Graham

I'm surprised Agent One hasn't put himself forward to be the next James Bond But anyway, I still say British Singer Robbie Williams for Bond. Graham

Heh, I wonder if Athrun gets to spank Lunamaria. I'd love to see that . Graham

Oh, I thought that was a screenshot from the upcoming Transformers live action movie . Anyway, getting back on topic (sorta), I'm not sure about dumbest toy, but those Blythe dolls certainly get my vote for the creepiest. Graham

The GQ is very solid and very poseable. It's highly recomended. Although the Cosmic Region is not out until March, I imagine that it will have the same problems as most GFF figures, there may be some warping of the PVC parts and the paint job will probably be of variable quality. Also, I doubt the articulation will be as good as the GQ. Graham

I dunno, I quite enjoy a good poke . Graham

Sorry to hear about the robbery. Yeah, the law in UK is pretty much the same, protects the criminal and if you even think about self defence, you're probably looking at a jail term. One of the many, many reason why I chose to no longer live in UK. Graham

Macross Zero and the opening movie of VF-X2, proved that CG Valks can look convincing. However, while I don't mind watching well done CG Valks in an anime, I have absolutely no interest in seeing a live action Macross. Live actors and giant robots do not mix...period. However, if they ever did make a live action Macross I just hope they keep the flared trousers and wide collars of the SDF TV series . Graham

They are both excellent toys. As they are basically the same toy apart from the weapons packs and color, it really depends which weapons loadout and color scheme you like the most. Don't forget the MMM GQ Blast Impulse will be out at the end of February also. Graham

I'm only buying the Destiny MSiA not any others. For some reason I reallly like Destiny. Graham

Not much I can say about the MMM GQ Sword Impulse Gundam really. The basic mecha is a recolor of the excellent MM GQ Force Impulse toy, with no changes that I can find except of course the color. The toy comes with the same folding Core Splendor, same Beam Rifle, same folding shield & folding knives. The only real differences are that it comes with the Sword pack and also includes the welcome addition of a Silhouette Flyer that was missing from the MMM GQ Force Impulse toy. Anyway, the sword pack attaches very firmly, no way it will fall off unless you deliberately pull it off. The two anti-ship swords and twin beam boomerangs are very nice. The only negatvive thing I have to say about this toy is that the beam blades for the anti-ship swords are a little bit tricky to attach and remove as they are about half an milimeter too long and if you are not careful when putting them on or taking them off, can be bent in the middle. If you like the Sword Impulse or just like well designed, good quality, highly articulated mecha toys, then buy this toy, you won't regret it. I haven't taken pics of my MMM GQ Sword Impulse yet, but there are pics on the Tamashii page. Graham

Nope, the MMM GQ Force & Sword Impulse Gundam toys do not use the same frame as the MMM Strike Gundam. In fact they don't use an internal frame at all. Bandai decided to drop the internal frame concept as once you add the armor, it reduces poseability too much. As I've written before, I highly recommend the MMM GQ Impulse toys. They are IMO the best Gundam toys I have ever bought. Put it this way, I now have 3 of the Force Impulse & 3 of the Sword Impulse , that's how much I like them and you know I'm not really a big Gundam fan. They are superposeable, with excellent foot and shoulder articulation. Foot articulation is so good, that you can get a flat foot pose even with the legs spread far apart. Kneeling pose is also easy as the skirt armor is much better designed than on the MMM Strike. The MMM Strike Gundam is an unposeable brick compared with the MMM GQ Impulse. As well as the excellent articulation, the joints are nice and tight, meaning the toy holds whatever pose you put it in very well. All the accessories and weapons are well designed and attach very firmly to the toy. One of the things I hated about the MMM Strike was the shield attachment point on the arm. The Impluse has a much better attachment for the shield. The only thing that some people complain about is that the MMM GQ Impulse toys have much less diecast than the MMM Strike. Basically, only the feet, ankle joints, hip joints and shoulder joints are diecast. This doesn't bother me at all though. Graham

The HK DVD of SEED Destiny eps 13-15 + Destiny-Edited is out today. Graham