David Hingtgen

Yup. 157986 has one heck of a history. Basically, it has carried nearly every part of an A, B, and D, at one time or another---but rarely in a "correct" assortment. You really do need to find a couple of photos taken about the same time, and base your kit on that. As it is "right now" it's REALLY a mish-mash and I wouldn't recommend building it like that--however, that is what the vast majority of pics show, as it's on the Intrepid now so be wary of any really clear, good pics---they're probably recent! Also--don't build it TOO early. That'd require some very rare engines, like the F401 or F101. Actually, those may be the only engines which use the long nose probe. I'll have to check my books. You've got F110 engines, so that determines what you're going to build of course. I just have to see exactly how you should build it, as I don't think the kit instructions are right at all. Step 9--correct, but also shave off the bump that is molded on the underside of the glove---it's forward and outboard of where E21 goes. Does this kit have the bumps that are RIGHT in front of the glove vanes? If so, they need to go as well. (probably---that plane currently has them, but I bet it didn't in the 80's---another thing I have to check) Step 15--correct. Step 16---may have to use E18 instead of E19. Will have to check. Thought of what it's going to carry yet? This'll be your only chance to put a HARM on a Tomcat: http://www.tomcat521.com/tomcat/walkaround...grumman-14l.jpg

Do you plan to use those exact markings? Because that's the original, one-of-a-kind F-14B prototype, and it's an utter freak, physically, in nearly every way. Being one of the first F-14's ever built, it does have glove vanes. They might even still work. Checking the instructions at 1999.co.jp, I think they're wrong in at least a few spots---that one doesn't have the bumps under the gloves, shouldn't use the N1 gear door, and nose probe, gun vents, and chin pod will all be determined by what year you're modeling. (and even engines---as it sits now, it has TF30's---yet still retains GE-style nibs that don't fit well) They basically just gave you the instructions for a normal F-14B---which will work for every F-14B ever except that exact one. (Hasegawa always shows working glove vanes, no matter what variant/year the kit is for).

The VF-25 painting is VERY nice. (forgot to mention it earlier). Damned realistic, that's the difference between an "artist" and an "aviation artist" when it comes to making a valk look like it could actually be built---all the little things, like the gloves being so much thicker than the wings, the bulges for the rudder actuators, knuckles in the landing gear, etc.

Huh. Playing around a bit post-game, I just found a whole chunk of the world I missed. I don't think it was inaccessible previously, I just sort of "walked right by the entrance" the first time. "Paddra". (anything more would be a spoiler).

Interesting how much more tan the VF-27 kit is compared to the quite green VF-27 toy. (still can't see if they've added tailfin markings though)

So the heads are removable and they just swapped them, or is there actually remolding?

End of Ch 9 is when "everything is revealed". (well, as much as anything in XIII gets revealed). Same time that you get the "major boss fight" music. (which is the best music in the game IMHO, final boss music(s) aren't as good)

It seems that the Tornado version is not only pure white, but has much darker joints and intake covers than the first version. IMHO it has the best coloring so far.

Beat it. Ending was much more "don't know what's going on" than most FF's.

Since I don't have a VF-27 yet, I still don't know exactly what people mean when they describe how to avoid scratching the nose cone. Could someone take pics of those areas and point out what parts should be where, to get that extra bit of clearance between parts? Some people say it's the nose, some say the chest, some say the neckpiece. As for Alto's decals--I did get another replacement decal for the one part I really needed, hopefully I won't need a THIRD one! I'll let you know if I do, thanks so much for remembering though.

Thanks much for the info. Hmmn, "not QUITE so glossy" Future is possible. It's trying to actually make it satin or matte that causes issues. If straight Future is close, it may be possible to mix up a perfect match to the bare plastic. PS--did you Future the nose paint before any damage occurred? Has it held up? With how poor the adhesion seems to be, I fear that the Future will just "hold the paint together, as all the paint comes off in one big perfect piece". Have you identified any other trouble spots? You seem to have identical goals/methods as I do for protecting a VF-27, so I'm interesting in anything you've discovered. I'd rather not clear-coat the whole thing, as that'd just be a lot of unnecessary work and with how tight the clearances on a transforming toy are, I'd like to avoid thickening anywhere--but excessive spot-apps would look bad.

Future is absolutely magic stuff---well-known to most all modelers. But darn useful to VF-27 owners too! It's the best, easiest clearcoat there is. It is ULTRA glossy, and can fairly easily be applied-streak-free and brush-stroke-free---by hand with a brush! I usually see it at Target or Wal-Mart. I actually plan to mask and apply only to the painted areas of the nosecone at first---as it is VERY glossy, and if applied to the whole nosecone would make the nosecone notably more shiny than the rest of the valk. Future can be made more matte, but I've never gotten it to do so evenly/consistently. I'll experiment more with flattening future before my Grace arrives (got plent of time 'till then). If clearcoating the entire valk is necessary I'll probably go with a more "traditional" model paint. Can someone who owns Brera's compare how shiny the plastic and paint is? I'm pretty sure it's shinier than most any Yamato valk. Or really, how smooth is it? Yamato valks often have a subtle nubbly texture to the plastic, while say most Bandai/Hasbro stuff tends to be glass-smooth. I'd like to know what level of shine I've got to match so I can experiment.

Pictorial history of the Admiral Gorshkov to Vikramaditya conversion: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showt...l=1#post4821907 Not often you see an aircraft carrier on land surrounded by and covered with snow... (I'm sure that'll be in the next Ace Combat)

The B-1 was also originally designed strictly for nukes, both cruise missiles and dropped bombs. The B-1 was so "nuke-only" that there was no consideration in the design given to reloading it, as it was basically a suicide mission. Which caused big problems (and still do) when they adapted it to conventional bombing. Takes FOREVER to reload the thing. ('cuz they were never expected to come back).

They even have their own XB-70. There's not much they DON'T have a counterpart of.

When I get my Grace, I fully intend to open the box, apply Future to the nosecone, and let it sit for the rest of the day. Then probably apply a second coat. THEN take it out of the styrofoam and transform it for the first time.

We already have Agent ONE on this board. He provides all the M7 bashing we need.

The point of Light's special move is not to do direct damage, but to increase everyone else's damage. And once the stagger bar is up really high, then switch to commando. It's WELL worth it on any enemy with high HP. 999% stagger damage for the entire party is way better than 300+% you would normally achieve. It's worth sacrificing a round or two of Light as commando to get that--especially if you're hasted and you can do like 5 more full rounds of commando afterwards. Even better, do a summon at the end to take advantage of the pre-staggered pre-999% damage situation, and go straight to the summon's final attack.

I plan to beat the game with all weapons "original version, but lvl *". Weapons quickly become fairly pointless at the end--you are NOT going to be able to max out an ultimate weapon or anything, so don't even bother trying. Wait for post-game monster-hunting for all that. Also, Lightning becomes more and more rav-centric as the game goes on. Do not focus on pure STR for her, it's a waste, and Fang will just blow by her for raw power anyways. Light's super-duper rav special ability is amazing against a staggered enemy. (that's the trick with it---just do "normal" stuff when building the stagger bar as her special will be fairly pointless then---but once they're staggered, be sure to have Light be a ravager for at least 1 or 2 rounds using her uber-special--THEN switch Light to a commando--but I've often kept Light as a rav using her special until I hit 999.99%)

Summoning tip: If you're fighting an enemy with a zillion HP, and it's kinda close to being dead, but the stagger isn't going to last long enough for you to kill it, and you know it'll take another 5 mins of hard fighting to stagger it again---summon with like 5 secs of stagger left. Take advantage of the animations-start hammering square so it goes to gestalt mode the moment it arrives, then start hammering triangle as it transforms. Any summon's "final attack" on a staggered enemy will probably do far more damage than you could have in those last few secs. (plus, a summon's final attack always gives a big boost to the stagger bar right before it hits---sometimes even boosting it to 999.99% damage if it was already being assaulted by the party)

It might be quicker to just go here: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Dream_Z...Dream_Zanarkand

PS---VF-19's with shoulder-mounted boosters look stupid. Always thought so.

24-hr lock until the politics go away.

You don't get like a 50% "boost" in size from being 5% closer to the camera.

I think that animation is just really off. The VF-17 is smaller than the -19.