David Hingtgen

C-17's are especially noted for it.

Ack, had a major typo in my first sentence above. Edited to correct it.

Believe it or not, but LOOSENING the screws by the gear bay can help with the -21/22 wings. Try it. (IIRC, it's the "center outboard" screw)

Found Prime Arcee at TRU. Quite nice, a few paint apps will make a big difference I think in robot mode. Transformation note: Step 16 isn't very clear. What they actually want you to do, is to split the entire torso front/back, into 2 halves connected at the bottom. Hinge is right above the waist swivel. (it LOOKS like they want you to bring the windscreen and handlebars down--nope, you could snap them off if you try really hard to press them that way by themselves without getting everything out of the way to allow the torso halves to separate)

What's pack #3? A VF-17S? VF-19S?

I still think the 1/48 has a superior shoulder hinge design (NOT talking about durability/cracking--PURELY on looks/aesthetics in battroid mode) and FAST pack booster mounts. If my 1/60 v.2 didn't have that big chunk of plastic connecting the boosters, it'd be almost perfect. But it does. The 1/48 booster mounts seemed better in every way, IMHO. (and I swear they're on straighter in the 1/48) Oh yeah---the "hook" on the 1/60 backpack. The 1/48 was better---it was hidden, and didn't cause the tailfins to rub. The 1/60 hook is useless, as it puts way too much bending on the backpack by moving it WAY far forward, ensuring you'll lose tailfin paint, AND it's quite visible when not in use in GERWALK and fighter mode. Looks like an aborted tailhook in fighter mode. So, if my 1/60 didn't have the big booster-connector-piece AND didn't have that ugly hook-thing behind the tailfins, it'd be almost perfect. (I have considered many times selling my 1/48 Milia to have an all-1/60 collection, but always keep thinking about these issues---plus the current cost and un-availability of a 1/60 Milia)

Mmmn, supper parts. Oh, wait...

I just found the green VF-27's in the second movie.

I'm pretty sure they didn't model 2 different VF-11 variants in the game--so one scheme will technically be "non-canon" to the reported history. (and yes, I did get the good ending--almost by accident--I found that on like my 2nd playthrough by sheer luck I'd already done most of it, so when the FAQ came out I did the rest and got it)

A good video emphasizing the sound of its engines:

They could do Max's canard-less VF-X-11 with a simple mold change. Pair it with Milia's canarded one, and you've got 2 distinct-yet-recognizable valks.

Maybe they never got B's to start with? Maybe when M7 was launched, the 11C was already out, so there would be little point to make a massive order to equip the fleet with brand-new inferior models. Think of Plus--in 2040, the VF-11 was already being ready to be replaced, and the B-model was relegated to testing grounds, and outskirt fleets. Still a main-line fighter, but no longer front-line/top-of-the-line. ::checks:: M7 was launched in 2038, so they could easily have gotten some of the first C's built as their initial equipment.

I couldn't take SEED, not even a single ep. I started watching 00 (twice) but just always petered out. I can understand how 00 is popular, but not SEED.

None of the samples/pics look to have the right degree of contrast to my eyes (even the very first all-painted-and-matching one), and the paint vs plastic difference is apparent in every "finished" pic. Also, been thinking a lot the last 48 hours---and I think I do prefer Alto's valk overall. Ozma's is just too rarely seen non-armored, and despite the overall "coolness" of the armor---I realized I like the boosters look better. So I think I'm going to go with Alto's. And I do plan to post exactly when I cancel my order, just in case that does instantly open up a slot at HLJ for someone here to nab. (I'm not cancelling Ozma until I've got everything Alto sourced for sure---if worst comes to worst, I'll just wait for the inevitable Alto+booster bundle pack to be released)

Well, I have decided I won't buy Ozma's with the current color issues. I suspect that will be the final color of paint they use, and that they won't go through the effort of mixing in a bit of "very light brown" to really make it match. I can HOPE they will, but I don't expect it. Will probably cancel my order and get an Alto instead. (and frankly, even if they DO make the paint match better, it's still the wrong color to start with to my eye--I think the lighter-grey plastic itself is too dark---the v1 looked better to me, why'd they change it? Ozma's valk is not a SUBTLE two-tone grey, it's a very obvious, high-contrast 2 shades of grey---but it's hard to tell it's two different shades in half the pics of the renewal version--and that's wrong. It should be obvious there's 2 shades even in dim, shadowed areas) (I did think the kit had "too white" of a light grey area, but it at least got the "spirit" of the color scheme right, in being high-contrast and not subtle)

Well that's weird. They clearly open the other way in Ep 2.

Chest armor hatches still open the wrong way. ::mumble grumble::

Due to having such massive differences between their empty and loaded weights (and the 747's triple-slotted flaps) they can go VERY slow when light. A 747-400 can actually carry more than its own weight in fuel alone. Also, the C-5 is famous for its very unique-sounding engines. They are the world's first high-bypass turbofans.

Still waiting for final, final, final version pics. (at the very least, they better add in the missing striping on the "face" that the first sample pics had, that the last 2 we've seen lack)

Low-level flight, always a fave. Many pics I'd not seen before: http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/325/language/en-CA/Lower-than-a-Snakes-Belly-in-a-Wagon-Rut.aspx

But I do have a strong preference for the evil TV version. Flightsuit Grace>Shower Grace. (and only the TV version flies a VF-27 after surviving an assassination attempt by killing all her would-be assassins bare-handed)

WWII planes launching off a nuclear carrier? Awesome. F4U, B-25, and others on the USS Carl Vinson, circa 1995: Protip: Additonal awesomeness at 9:15.

Hey, it wouldn't be MW without knee-jerk reactions! We all have to do our part you know. Anyways, about what stage of production it is---if it comes out in January, and it's now mid/late November---it COULD be pretty darn close to final, color-wise, assuming they're going to start making them in December. It is certainly later than the original pics we saw. But true, some head details are missing (which is weird, since they were on the first pics we saw---and the lettering on the gear doors has been re-positioned) Also---if there's more details to be added, I'd request more around the cockpit--there's additional SMS logos, modexes, etc on a small scale:

On a related note, the painted Ozma prototype seemed to have very good color-matching. (likely because it was entirely painted) As it is, I'm seriously considering cancelling my pre-order. I do NOT like the pale blue underside bits. If anything, Ozma's valk has a warm grey, not a cool grey.