magicsp00n

I've seen these for sale in the Japanese store at Epcot Orlando about six or seven months ago. I think the superposeables are good toys, if you're not interested in transformation.

Yeah, it was. You'd think they could have come up with another name.

Here's an image of an Imai Stick I put together awhile ago. I never quite got around to adding the extra polish, like the decals, but maybe I will someday. It's a good model, as far as models go. A much nicer representation of the cyclone than the Gakken toy. The rider can actually sit on the bike. If somebody made a more sturdy toy using this mold, I'd buy it. Everyone else who mentioned how complicated this model is was right... it took a long time to build. I had just moved to a new city and didn't know anyone, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I'm not much of a modeller, but I got through it okay. The biggest problem for me was trying to match the TV paint color.

You should be able to find thicker aluminium sheets around also. Those work very well for hobby projects. There's a nice surplus store near me that has them, but I suspect a good hobby shop would as well.

I used to be afraid of completely taking apart my airbrush (Badger 150), but once I actually tried it, it was no problem. They're designed to be dis- and re-assembled. I agree with the other posters, though; if you're using acrylics, you shouldn't need to pull the brush apart. Blasting some Windex through it works fine. At most, just pull the head off and soak it for a little while.

Depending on how much I get, I'm hoping to pick up a 1/48 VF-1J. We'll see how it goes. This year I got married and bought a house, so I expect my tax situation to be significantly different, which hopefully means a bigger refund. Any extra I get goes to paying down the mortgage. I get really itchy about owing money, even on a house.

Pirates! is still my favorite all-time PC game. Sid certainly knew how to get the player's imagination going. I'm hoping this new one will have the same charm as the original.

So, I'm not getting it. How is every toy of a battleship or aircraft carrier a Macross rip-off?

I played the demo that came with a recent issue of Xbox magazine. I really wanted to like it, but what they had on the demo was a pretty bland FPS. There was no need to transform to cycle mode. It was only the first level, so hopefully the complete product is more fun, but I'd rent it first.

I'm always in favor of packaging that will let you take the toy out without destroying the box. Toynami, Yamato, and Bandai all do that well, so you can put the toy back in if you want to store or resell it. If only they could have done that with the 20th anniversary Optimus Prime...

Happily, I'm going to be on the west coast for the next week. After Charley and Frances, I'd lose my marbles if I had to camp out in the apartment for another big storm. Why the heck do they always have to come on the weekends? Why can't it hit on Monday so I can skip some work?

Wow, who knew there were so many MWers in Florida? We do need to have a little convention. I'm in Orlando, and things are fine right now. (4:30 Saturday afternoon) We're getting the outer bands, so it'll rain really hard for about an hour, then clear for an hour, repeat. We expect power to go out sometime tonight, but otherwise things don't look too bad here. Mobile homes are evacuated, but I'm in a sturdy apartment complex. Honestly, the biggest problem I've been having is every member of my family calling me to see how I'm doing. There's no cool pictures for me to take of the current storm, so here's one of the examples of Charley's aftermath. Everyone in FL, keep well.

For what it's worth, I got mine yesterday, and haven't found any real problems with it. There were some tense moments transforming it, but nothing broken and nothing floppy, as far as I can tell. It's a much better toy than the VF-1 Masterpiece line, though I somehow miss the light-up visor. My only wish is that it could be more poseable, but I recognize the limitations with a transformable toy.

I've played quite a bit with some buddies from work. The gameplay requires more strategy than 1942; the terrain is much hillier and dense, so there's a lot of hiding and sneaking. I've had enemy players literally walk over me and not see me. The vehicles seem to have more powerful weapons but weaker armor, so it's more possible for an infantry unit to have a chance. I don't know if I prefer it to 1942, but it's a nice change of pace.

Isn't this made from the same molds as the Galoob Voltron toys in the late 80's? It looks like it, and sounds like it from your description: no metal, opening cockpits, etc.

Can somebody tell me what the Takara box is like? Once you remove the toy from the package, is it possible to put it back in without much fuss (like the Yamatos) or is is covered in twist-ties like the Hasbro version? I'm a big believer in taking toys out of the box, but it's really nice when they can go back in.

I was actually just thinking of doing a re-cast myself, but if somebody else is on it, count me in for a set.

I don't have a 1/48 1-J yet, so I'll probably pick up one or the other. Probably not both.

Yeah, I'd rather they fudge the scale a bit and have a tiny little pilot than do something like have two separate noses that I have to swap out. Like, you know, that 1/100 toy that I'm probably going to buy.

On another plus, it looks like this one's hands can actually hold the gun properly, as opposed to many recent VF toys. (1/48 included)

Wow, that's tight-looking. I put one of those together last year (though mine didn't turn out nearly so well), so I've got some appreciation for just how long that kit takes. Good work.

There's been a clarification posted on Robotech.com that, yes the canopy will be clear. http://www.robotech.com/store/viewproductp...eord.php?id=197 So everyone can stop crying about that one point, at least.

Well, if we wanted to get picky (and geeky)... I only saw the first episode of Macross Zero once, and it was several months ago, but I belive there is a bit in there where the scientist talks about how they were unable to manufacture the VF as planned. They had wanted to include the nuclear power plant, etc. So I suppose that, knowing the aircraft in question was an intermediate step to their desired design, they would give it the VF-0 designation, with the intent that VF-1 would represent the final (or "1.0") product.

I agree that the Sentinels is a wretched pile of yuck, and makes me embarrassed to be an American, but again, hating on it and then saying you want a copy is like saying "This food sucks, and there's not enough of it!"

Is that a joke? How can you slam on HG in one breath and say you want the Sentinels in the next? Does not make sense...