Graham

Downside is that the stand comes with 8 different attachment clips to fit the various Yamato Valks, however, the clips are not marked to show which is which and although they are all slightly different, the photos in the instruction manual are not very clear. Still, it's not exactly rocket science to figure out which is which Also, you need to use the clips to make sure the Valk is firmly attached, which is another reason why you can't do an upside down 1/48 Valk w/FPs. Unfortunately, neither the 1/72 YF-19 or 1/48 VF-1 can fit their gunpod on the stand in fighter mode. Graham

Very sturdy and stable and quite heavy as well. I don't think it's gonna work with an upside down 1/48 w/FPs tho, well, at least I'm not risking my BP8 to try! Graham

And with a 1/48 VF-1S Super Focker. Graham

Here's the stand with the VF-11B FP. Graham

Here's a pic of the stand with the 1/60 VT-1 and Zentradi baby in the background. Graham

Sorry the pic is not very clear, I had to scan it from the Macross Plus Game Edition game book. Unfortunately the DVD player on my stupid Hong Kong coumpter won't play region 1 or 2 DVDs, only region 3, so I can't grab the pic from either my US or Japanese Macross Plus DVDs Perhaps somebody else can get a better version of that image. Graham

To prove once and for all that the weapons pack is not part of the arm, I give you this picture. Graham

I don't think it was a dramatization. I'll have to watch that episode again, but I thought it was just Akiko having a flashback to that incident as she explained what happened in the past with Stephen & Ray. Graham

The article does mention that 'Land' will be a post-apocalyptic type movie, with survivors living in walled cities, so I'd expect a significant Zombie threat. On the other hand, I remember reading an interview with Romero several years ago where IIRC, he said that in the 4th movie, which would be set 1 or 2 decades after Day of the Dead many of the Zombies would have decayed away, so the Zombie threat would be reduced. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, Romero is the man, so I'm sure he won't disappoint. Graham

If the auction is just using stock pictures from Yamato's website, rather than a pic of the actual product in it's original packing, then it's a safe bet that they don't actually have the item on hand yet. Anyway, it should be out sometime later today in Hong Kong. Graham

Well, the Cinescape article mentions a budget of 20 million, so it aint gonna be that big Anybody know what the budget for the Dawn remake was? Graham

I'm just hoping that when Universal release Miami Vice season 1 later this year or next year(?), that they have managed to secure all the song rights and keep all the original songs, instead of replacing them with some generic crap. I know problems with music licensing is what has kept the show from being released on DVD before now. I'd gladly pay extra for Mimi Vice DVDs, to have all the original tracks in place. Graham

Gotta admit, I'm not really a fan of the recent Dawn remake. The sprinting Zombies did nothing for me. Saw it once and had no desire to see it again and I won't be buying the DVD either. Unlike the original Dawn, where I've watched it countless times. And yes, Savini better be involved with Land of the Dead. Actually, I thought Savini's cameo in the Dawn remake was the best part of the entire movie. Graham

Makes sense to keep some Stormtroopers. I mean the Ewoks have gotta have someone to kick around right, otherwise they might eat your cat or something. Graham

Yay, Cinescape has news that director George Romero is finally going ahead with his fourth Zombie movie to be titled 'Land of The Dead'. I'm a huge fan of Romero's Zombie movies (Night of the Living Dead 1968, Dawn of the Dead 1978 & Day of the Dead 1985). In fact Dawn of the Dead (the original not the remake) is in my list of all time top 5 favorite movies. Can't wait to see Land of the Dead. Graham

Actually its a vernier cluster. Check the animation. The Macross Compendium has the following to say about the YF-19's shoulder FAST Packs: - two FAST Pack conformal propellant tanks mounted above dorsal nacelles in Fighter mode or to the sides of shoulders in GERWALK and Battroid modes. Graham

Which would be a lot easier without a certain other company whose initials are the same as Horrid Garbage......sigh Graham

I also don't get fan fiction, but then again I don't get cosplay either, although I don't mind looking at pics of cute female Asian cosplayers Graham

Back in what was it 2002, when we first heard about Macross Zero, I pleaded with Yamato to suggest exactly this to Big West, but obviously nothing came of it. The Japanese are often so short-sighted (or just don't care) when it comes to the international market......sigh Graham

For non-Macross toys, I usually only buy 1, unless it's something that I really like and then I'll buy 2. However, these days I very rarely buy anything non-Macross related anyway. An exception this year will be the MPC Alpha. For Macross toys, especially the Yamato transforming Valks, I used to have the collector sickness, which meant I had to buy at least 5 of every Valk. Ya know how it goes, 1 to display in Gerwalk mode, 1 to display in Fighter mode, 1 to display in Battroid mode, 1 for general playing with and transforming and 1 to keep mint-in-box. For a while with the Yamato 1/72 Macross Plus and 1/60 VF-1 line I got really crazy and the most of one type I ever bought was 11 pieces for the VF-11B! Obviously, this sort of habit got expensive real quick. And of course there was no way my finances or storage space could keep up once the 1/48 line arrived These days I'm much better at controlling my spending and usually only buy 1 or 2 pieces of each new Yamato product as I realized it's pretty pointless having so many multiples of the same toy. I've also sold off a lot of my collection on ebay to make room for the baby. Graham

I'll have to rewatch Macross II, as it's at least a couple of years since the last time I saw it. IIRC, it looked like the Metal Siren (ugliest valk ever IMO) used some sort of expanding spherical engergy discharge (which may or may not have originated from the arm-mounted blade weapon) to destroy the Marduk ship. As for the Palladium Macross II RPG, that thing is a joke IMO. The author(s) got so much wrong about the mecha that I'm wondering did they even watch the anime. Graham

Ya know I quite liked the Astray's design when I first saw it. IMO it was quite new and refreshing for a Gundam design. However, all these Astray Mobile Suit variations that have been appearing in Dengeki & Hobby Japan are just getting plain silly if you ask me. Graham

the bayonet is shown in use by Isamu's VF-11B in the opening combat scene in Macross Plus OVA episode # 1. the bayonet is standard on the VF-11B. Later varients such as the VF-11C and VF-11D use a different type of gunpod without a bayonet. Graham Just a note, the Pink Peaker Squadron's VF-11s had bayonets. I don't think those were VF-11Cs (flashback from a long time ago)... but their gun pods did not look like the Macross Plus VF-11B's gun pod. Standard-looking VF-11[C] gun pod with a bayonet. I'l have to check when I go home, but I'm pretty sure that the eyecatch image of the Pink Pecker Squadron shows them with VF-11B type gunpods. Graham I checked the Pink Pecker/Akiko eye-catch in TIAS Mac 7 Animation Materials last night and it definitely shows the Pink Pecker's Thunderbolts armed with the VF-11B 'Macross Plus' type gunpod. However, I'll have to rewatch the actual episode where they are shown, to see what type of gunpod is carried. Graham

AFAIK, the shoulder FP is just an additional fuel tank only and nothing to do with support of the forearm weapons module. Also I do not think that the additional weapons are housed inside a replacement forearm. To me it clearly looks like the weapons module attaches to the outside of the YF-19's standard forearm. The weapons module obviously has open and closed modes, with covers that open up to expose the weapons within. Given the transformation method of the YF-19, the forearm weapons module would prevent a transformation to Fighter mode as long as it is attached. Presumably the weapons module can be jettisoned on command. Graham

I bet the GFF ZZ will just be a repaint of the FAZZ GFF. Of course Bandai will still have to sculpt some new parts for it, like the ZZ's arm shields, which were not included on the FAZZ. And the ZZ's head is slightly different to the FAZZ head as well. I seriously doubt that Bandai will go to the expense of retooling to make a transformable ZZ GFF, especially as they already have the transformable Kahen-Senshi ZZ Gundam, which by all accounts is a very good toy. And I hope that the Zeonography line is gong to get out of this Zaku/Dom rut soon. They really need to start making some more interesting figures, like a Gauf Custom, convertible to the Gauf Flight, a Kampher and of course the Xeku Eines and Zwei from Sentinel. Graham