Vifam7

Sense of quality, worth, and durability. There are arguments to support and counter this line of thought. It's not necessarily wrong to use diecast nor right to use diecast. It's all about how diecast is used. Some toys could use more diecast, others could use less.

I put the parts in Easy-Off last night. Seems to be working. The paint is has gotten soft but still takes some scraping to get it off. I think I'll let it soak for one more night and see what happens. Next time I'll try brake fluid. Thanks for the tips.

In both cases, the idea to use those designs came from the toy sponsor. What was Tatsunoko thinking? Even kids realized that New GodPhoenix and Gatchaspartan was ugly compared to the original.

Very well done reviews. But my goodness, it must have been one heck of a spending binge to get all of those toys and extras!

Fantastic! Many many thanks. You just saved me from ordering parts at HLJ.

Is Easy-Off available at the supermarket? This stuff won't melt the plastic will it? Just wondering if it'll be safe for me to spray it on tonight and come back to it 7pm tomorrow night. I got work to go to in the morning.

I need some help guys. I messed up using gloss enamel spray paint. It laid on waaay too thick and it looks like crap. It's not fully cured yet so I'm wondering if it's possible to strip it off. Advise appreciated.

Sorry, no idea. I know I saw a video of somebody fooling around with the innards of the crotch and I'm pretty sure it was one of Wizatar's reviews.

IIRC Wizatar's review on youtube had a quick and easy fix to the crotch lock issue.

Gotta love this reviewer's pics http://asumanga.sakura.ne.jp/bandai/vf19kai/vf19kai2.html Scroll down past the midway point

From what I can understand, Navy tankers are not like the KC-135 and KC-10 of the air force that require long loitering times. Navy tankers perform what's called "mission tanking" - basically go along with a strike package and refuel them on the way. So rather than loitering time, Navy tankers need the ability to keep up with the strike force. From what I've read this was a capability that the old KA-6D had but the modded S-3 Viking tanker was not optimal for.

The Navy pretty much has to work with the Super Hornet because the funding isn't/wasn't there for new specialized aircraft. If it wasn't for the Super Hornet the Navy would've been in deep trouble with aging airframes and obsolete aircraft (a problem that the USAF is facing right now) . In an age where aircraft programs regularly result in delays and skyrocketing costs, the Super Hornet was delivered on time and on budget. The Super Hornet could be considered as one of the Navy's best bang-for-the-buck buys. Besides, the Super Hornet so far has been able to do the missions that the Navy wants it to do. I think that will depend on how valuable the stealth attributes are on F-35.

The price seems to be at typical Bandai levels. The GFFN ZII toy which is similar in size at 1/144 scale (5-inches) and metal content costs 7800yen.

Quote from Tamashii site Rough translation: The prototype has already been appeared in magazines but the 2nd release is planned to be VF-1J Hikaru. Since the VF-1 is the very first Valkyrie with a strong emotional attachment, in order to make it satisfying, we are doing prototype after prototype while in midst of development. Also, as a variation of the VF-19kai Fire Valkyrie, the development of the Blazer Valkyrie is moving along. We are planning to make toys of those mecha which many of you have requested. Yes, even that mecha from Macross Plus...

Yes, those are real Gundam designs. They come from the series Mobile Fighter G Gundam. The easiest way to describe the series is Street Fighter with Gundams. The series was completely over the top and far removed from the realistic "Universal Century" continuity. There are some fans of this series but being raised on "real mecha" anime, I for one hate it.

Probably not for line service on carriers. The US Navy nor the public would never accept a Russian fighter no matter how good it is. It's just not realistic. More likely for aggessor role. Afterall the US Navy reportedly purchased two Su-27s from Ukraine for such a purpose.

Can someone please tell me what they're saying? I don't read Chinese.

Look at this. LINK Does something look similar? Look at the landing gears and the blob in the cockpit. I guess this is the same China team that did work on the Bandai DX VF-25. I guess they got fired from Bandai and are now working on this!

No, it'll likely never happen. 1/60 is an esoteric scale which is not supported by model makers of real life aircraft. This is why I'm not a keen supporter of Yamato's decision to go with 1/60 scale. They should've stuck with 1/72 or 1/48. If you want a F-14 Tomcat to sit next to a Valkyrie, you have to move to building Hasegawa and/or Bandai Valkyrie kits. Which is what I have started to do.

The toys look completely bootleg. I see Takatoku-like swing arms on these toys.

Interestingly Tamashii/Bandai is holding a campaign in which they're going to select 19 bloggers to review the Fire Valk. Those who are chosen obviously get/win a Hi-Metal Fire Valk to review but their reviews will also be linked to the Tamashii Web site. Obviously this campaign is only for those living in Japan. It'll be interesting to see what the reviewers will say. I'd like to think/hope that certain points (like landing gears!) will filter back to the Hi-Metal development staff.

That's me. Really, how hard could it be? Damn shame because the sculpt looks pretty darn good. I'll still buy one though. Thank goodness the upcoming VF-1 doesn't seem to have this issue. Ironically, the landing gears was one thing they did get right in the VF-25.

Japanese review with good pics: http://d.hatena.ne.jp/UNOYO/20100114/p1#seemore

The part about the fireworks on the bicycle... didn't we see such a scene on a recent anime (with clear reference to Macross)?

Maybe for some of the more esoteric titles and those whose rights have not been picked up by other companies. Keep in mind, ADV technically still exists as Sentai Filmworks and a few ex-ADV titles have switched hands. Also, many of Geneon's titles were picked up by Funimation. Not to mention that anime titles (at least outside Japan) in general don't hold much value. There isn't much nostalgia here yet and the majority of fans focus more on "what's new". Plus DVDs are increasingly seen as "old media" with the advent of Blu-ray and easy downloads.