Vifam7

The Skygrasper pilots are near 1/72 scale. On the left is a 1/72 pilot from diecast aircraft maker Hobby Master. On the right is the Skygrasper pilot. Also, this pic (which is not mine) shows how small the PG Skygrasper is.

- The old 80's Takara Votoms toys - Wave's 1/60 Votoms kits - Alter's ARX-7 Arbalest - Atelier Sai's Vic Viper kit - some diecast helicopters such as this Blackhawk and some Gundam kits. One kit that I thought would be a good match was the Perfect Grade Skygrasper. Unfortunately, that kit is more 1/72 scale than 1/60 scale. There isn't much in the 1/60 scale. This is one reason why I don't like this scale and wish one day Yamato would return to 1/72 or experiment with 1/100.

That's one neat photo from an angle I've never seen before. Thanks David!

That's what I'd like to understand too. Didn't they fill in those slots later?

Yotsuba & The Curse

How about something a little different. Insert your own caption!

Oh please. The "they don't care" belief is ridiculous. Have you not read what Kawamori has said? Or you think he's a liar? Either way, to accuse Bandai of "not caring" is pretty disrepectful to Kawamori and those who worked hard on it. You can have an opinion on your dissatisfaction with a product. That's fine. And yes it's not to the level that some of us would like it to be. I too have my own issues with the DX toy which is why I haven't bought it yet. But to say "they don't care" is over the line IMHO.

Same here. I admit it's an ugly plane. But it's the ugliness that's sort of attracting. I think it would've been a fine replacement for the Harrier. But, I just don't see how this plane could've satisfied the USAF's requirement for an F-16 replacement or the Navy's desire for something better than the Super Hornet. Though granted it looks like the F-35 is going to have a hard time as well.

Some additional notes from the Figure Oh article - Kawamori really liked the way the shoulder turned out sturdy with the use of diecast metal. This was one area he was concerned about in terms of sturdiness. He is also happy that the articulation turned out nicely. The Bandai rep says the initial prototype had difficulty raising the shoulders and after floating many ideas it was decided to simply use the transformation system as part of the joints. Lo and behold he says it worked great. There is one area Kawamori wishes he attended to better - the shield. He says that he should've designed the shield attachment simpler. That had he done so, it would've done away with attaching the shield support part and would've allowed the back to fully cover the canopy in battroid mode. He regrets this point and admits it's something he needs to put in mind. *I don't have the DX toy yet. Does anyone know what he's talking about in regards to the shield?

Though he does say he got what he wanted from the chogokin toy.

The interview between Bandai's Collector's Toy Division rep and Kawamori is a must read. VERY interesting comments from Kawamori regarding the DX toy. Page 16 and 17. It appears he was involved in the design of the toy more so than any of us imagined. He thought it was going to be as easy as the VF-1 but making a toy of the VF-25 was harder than he thought! Bandai's guy realizes that they were not able to get it anime correct like the plamo in certain areas. However Kawamori says that it's something that at times can not be helped in regards to chogoukins especially when factoring in elements like locking mechanisms, product safety, and strength. Despite that, he feels it turned out quite nicely. On page 7 he says he wants a VF-27 and VF-171 made soon. I think that's his hint to Bandai. Bandai's guy says he'd like to get them made as well. Also says he'd like to get a VF100s VF-171 made.

I found out I have Model Master's Light Ghost Gray so I indeed might use that color. Thanks for the suggestion. That's a color I'd like to use for the VF-25. That's what the Fire Valkyrie kit will be for.

Fire Valk is scheduled to come out this Fall.

Cat Sh1t One is the name of the spec ops team. There's a new sequel manga currently running called "Cat Sh1t One '80". Same team but now in Afghanistan.

Already there's interest coming from Korea http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/dat...00903230012.asp

I'm reading some interesting comments at the Japanese 2ch board... I don't know if it's BS or not... as it is 2ch... but... Supposedly, those "holes" we saw previously are for attaching the radar dome. And that the next release of Alto VF-25 (as well as Ozma I would assume) will have those holes too. Also, the next release of Alto/Ozma will have a fix of - being able to raise those lower legs into more correct form in fighter mode. All of this is not confirmed. It could just be 2ch BS. But this is something to look out for when the next release of Alto VF-25 comes.

Alright, so the idea's not original. Still, the element works and it's a darn good manga (in terms of enjoyment, not historical accuracy).

Check out the original manga. Available translated from ADV Manga as "Apocalypse Meow". It's an excellent Vietnam War manga. The fact that the author decided to use animals instead of humans is a stroke of pure genius (IMHO). The new animated series is based on the sequel manga series "Cat Sh1t One '80" which takes place in Afghanistan.

It says in the caption that the folding main body/torso will be transforming rather than partsforming. I'm not expecting full perfect transformation but less partsforming is better indeed. The VF-25 is more of a model kit than a toy!

I'm currently working on a 1/100 Arii VF-1S. I'd like some opinions on what color I should paint it overall. I'm thinking of some kind of light or dark gray. The problem is I don't know what kind of "gray" color I should use because there's so many gray paint colors out there. ^^; Just to note, I'm a novice kit builder. I'm not going to do a complex paint mix. I just want to pick a color and use it straight from the bottle. I'll be brush painting with Humbrol or Model Master enamels.

Actually they do. Depending on how you decide to form the lower legs... ^^; When I raised the lower legs as high up as possible (and glued into place) in order to get that distinctive hump in the rear, the wings got a slight dihedral. Like a 2-degree dihedral. ^^; Anyway, with regards to the Super Packs, how difficult/easy was it to fit them on?

Overman King Gainer. Ugly but uniquely cool (IMHO). The anime is excellent. That's like the only cool mecha in Southern Cross. Are you sure you're not confusing it with the Logan? The lamest transformable mecha ever (IMHO).

The Zakurelo can look good with a bit of touchup! The Zakurelo cute-ified

I don't think Japan has fully rejected the F-15 yet. IIRC their need for the replacement of the Phantoms is immediate. They may indeed buy upgraded Eagles as a quick stop gap. Even if Japan buys the Typhoon it'll probably take time to enter service. In the meantime, they may have to insert Eagles to replace those Phantoms as it'll likely be easier and faster* to do so. *due to familarity in operations, maintenance, training, piloting etc.

It's probably just a camera angle thing. The prior VFC VF-1s were just fine.