David Hingtgen

Thing is, Bandai had already engineered a very accurate VF-25---in 1/72 scale. The 1/60 is so inferior, it's mind-boggling. Toy vs model alone doesn't explain the differences, especially in the face of the VF-27.

You're arguing against a couple more wing hinges, in a PLANE THAT TRANFORMS INTO A FULLY ARTICULATED ROBOT?

I suspect they are holding back--I have seen a case or two of some of the latest figures, then when they sell out---nothing replaces them on the pegs. Or, a bunch of older figs fill the gap.

We need some cheering up after that. Another legendary Hoser story---with a great custom model to illustrate it: http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?showtopic=218183&st=0

The new Xmas episode is this Sun night, the 21st.

If you want Airbus' own report on the damage, go here: http://blogs.crikey.com.au/planetalking/2010/11/17/the-anatomy-of-the-airbus-a380-qf32-near-disaster/ Also, so many A380s with RR engines have issues that they've used up the worldwide supply of spares, and are pulling new engines from undelivered planes at the factory to get the others up and running.

New CG models means new toys:

I wish I would have taken a photo of the guy who took up 8 spots a few days ago.

Well, I'm going more for long-term, than sheer numbers. Nothing ROTF or later has existed long enough to be a legendary shelf-warmer. I mean, BW Injector could still be found when RiD was out. Maybe Transquito, too... Now, Animated Ratchet---I can see those still being at TRU in a couple years...

The blue-nosed F-22 is gaudy/ugly IMHO. (the original P-51 was awesome). Applying "round" schemes to angled surfaces doesn't work... I'm still astounded they allowed the RADOME to be PAINTED. Wonder if F-22 radomes/radar don't have as many issues as older planes...

Not Grace, and another not Grace. I think their quality is improving, but not their choice of subjects.

If you're referring to kamikaze attacks, IIRC that was not universal. I know that early on they took volunteers* to form dedicated squadrons. And regardless, it was only during the final few months of the war---many Japanese pilots were killed in the early 40's before it had even been thought of. *for most any "volunteer", it was never spelled out what it entailed. It was along the lines of "we have the ultimate weapon which is certain to cause heavy damage---but you must commit fully to it before we reveal it to you--there is no turning back".

Will Tuner Skids take the all-time-pegwarmer crown some day? BW overall has the top several spots I'm sure: BW Transquito (especially KB) BW TM1 Scavenger (especially Wal-Mart) BW Injector (especially at TRU) It's like each major store had their own pegwarmer exclusive... PS--while ROTF Wheelie pegwarmed severely for a few months, he actually did go away. I wonder if they were ever actually shipped back to Hasbro, like some Phantom Menace figs.

I really don't remember why the F-22 edges are painted like that. Also, the Alaska F-22 was found, crashed, but not the pilot. Hopefully he ejected and landed a few miles away. F-18D Marines---I pretty much posted what there is. VMFA-224 has a very similar scheme as above with simple grey tails with the tiger-pattern rudders, as opposed to black tails with tiger-patterned rudders. There's also VMFA-533: F-22 high-vis---nope! Even Langley's commander's plane doesn't have one speck of color. The tailcode does have a subtle shadow though. (in grey of course). http://f-16.net/modules/Gallery2/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=208102&g2_serialNumber=3&g2_GALLERYSID=f27e2f9634fc77a5f730a698bb24198a Now, I think the 525th has a very bluish-grey fin flash---it's almost blue. Possibly 35164. That's the most "colorful" F-22 marking I know of:

Instead of practicing on a "real" valk, find some cheap knockoff, or an old toy at Goodwill etc. So long as it's plastic and has some engraved lines, it'll work fine to perfect your technique, before you try smearing ink on a $200 out-of-production VF-1... Could you expand a bit on your Promodeller's technique? I have some of their wash, but only ever tried it once or twice--I couldn't really get it to flow evenly, it always seemed to almost bead/clump on me, so it'd look like a bunch of black dots/globs in the panel line, rather than an even dark line.

I know most of this thread is talking about "stuff few of us will ever even touch, much less own" but I'd like to see people's general opinions on the current state of "normal" cars. I'll start with this: Chrysler's 2011 lineup looks much improved. Across the board gains in HP, new standard V6, MUCH better interiors in many. New transmissions coming. Ford---couple of years ago I would never have considered one, honestly. Possibly the most-improved US company. I give full credit to Mulally--note that Boeing sure went to hell after he left. GM---2 steps back for every 1 forward. For every "new GM" improvement, I see "old GM" ruining great ideas. I'd be surprised if they're even on my list for my next car. (and really, the only thing it could possibly be would be a Holden Commodore brought over again--Australia's team seems a bit more insulated from the stupidity at GM HQ) If they killed Pontiac to save Buick, I expected much better Buicks. The new Regal GS isn't half the car the concept was, which is not a good thing for a halo car intended to reinvent the brand.

I'm going to edit the thread's subtitle, as I just know there'll be a flurry of posts from people who don't read the 2nd sentence before replying...

Yay, VF-14!

See, Mylene's valk should have been on the list. It would have gotten just one vote, from me. Which means it'd already be out now...

veffidas---thanks very much for that post. Explains/rationalizes more than just about anything I've ever read for why/what to upgrade in a computer.

Gah, darn pic-post limit.

Well, the MOST colorful ones are just plain fugly/gaudy IMHO. (that includes all versions of Chippy Ho--that plane is a disgrace) But for colorful yet good-looking:

RAM stuff, specifically timing speed questions: Currently have Win XP with 2GB (2x 1G sticks) of PC6400 running 4-4-4-12. Would like to increase RAM when I go to Win7. However, matching RAM of what I have has passed the "cheap 'cuz no one wants it now" stage and is now in the "expensive 'cuz there's not much left" stage. Specifically I have Corsair XMS2 6400C4. Note the C4. Going from 2GB to 4GB seems almost pointless, especially with the C4 version (the only version capable of 4-4-4-12) costing as much as "twice as much of the same RAM at 5-5-5-12". So my question really is---just how much is the difference between 4-4-4-12 and 5-5-5-18? Wading through forums hasn't really helped much, people give answers without numbers or explanation. I guess my real concern is---as 90% of the time I wouldn't be maxing out my RAM, would "slower" RAM than I currently have be detrimental to overall performance? Basic options are 4 gigs of my current RAM, or 6-8 gigs of slower RAM. (going to 8 would require complete replacement of current RAM and cost twice as much, while going to 6 I could reuse my current RAM, and just take it back down to 5-5-5-18 to work with the new sticks)

Zvezda's latest molds have been quite impressive---their 787 is frankly better than Revell would have done, most likely.

IMHO the bland/repeated schemes are why it doesn't sell. You've got M+ grey (which we've seen several times before already in the 1/72 version), and pure boring white. Flashy hero-boy scheme? Nope. Skull squadron scheme? Nope. Incredibly gaudy Fire Bomber member scheme? Nope. US Navy homage scheme? Nope. Max and Milia? Nope. Now, Yamato COULD do Milia's, but without a matching Max... I still think the VFX-2 scheme is the best VF-11 scheme ever. It's skull squadron-esque, and a US Navy homage. And colorful. I haven't bought a VF-11 yet soley because of the schemes available. I've owned 2 M+ ones already before, I'm not buying a third no matter how improved the sculpt--I never liked the scheme much to start with. But VFX-2----loved that scheme since I first played the demo.