David Hingtgen

Now see if I had a Challenger, I would so get those wheels and possibly the hood pins.

Played WAY too much Dragon Age today. Did the entire Tower of Magi. Also, Bioware's social site is still WAY behind. Strangely, it records achievements almost immediately, but it's still showing inital equip for appearance, has stats from 15 hours ago, and equipment from 10 hours ago. (game-play hours, not real hours) I was hoping that today's update might show my current armor (which rocks) but it still shows "lost it 2 hours into the game" basic leather. ::edit:: Updated most stats, but still shows everything from the beginning. ::edit 2:: Oh, it seems the website only updates for those who get visits to their profile. Which is like counter-circular logic, as I don't "show" it to anyone because it hasn't updated ever and still just has the base level one equipment/appearance. Ah well, if anyone wants to help, go check out my character's page: http://social.bioware.com/playerprofile.ph...;nid=2298482811 (no, I don't go updating it or anything---it's automatically generated simply by playing when your 360's online---but I would like to show my character to a person or two, without trying to photograph an LCD TV)

I thought Alternators didn't sell well due to the HUGE gap between the early releases, and the fact that after the first couple---they all seemed the same. There were really only 2 or 3 basic designs, just different body panels. Plus the frankly frustrating transformations---so many parts that Z-folded in just 2 or 3mm, with hinges so tight you couldn't imagine they were supposed to move, combined with parts that LOOKED hinged that weren't, or parts that moved that weren't supposed to due to loose tolerances. It really didn't help that Hasbro simplified the instructions, which was most evident and "really made it harder than necessary" with Smokescreen/Bluestreak. I've compared the US and JP instructions---the JP ones have more steps---and they help! Hasbro actually eliminates a few, and they often are "little" ones that show exactly where that little 3mm Z-fold goes and what it does. Hasbro just says "move the arm over here" while the Takara ones show "unlatch this, fold that over there, THEN there's room to move the arm over there, if it's rotated 180 degrees first, then again afterwards".

Nope. Different feet, different arms, different upper legs, different shield, and different wingroots. And a different upper torso (it looks similar, but needs to be heavily resculpted to accomodate the different shoulders/shield). And I'm just talking about shape differences that'd need new sculpts. Nearly every other piece (the few reusables like nosecone and crotch plate) would need re-tooling, as the verniers and sensors etc are all different. PS---don't forget new tailfins.

If the white is the same as the 1/48, Pollyscale's "Reefer White" was the closest match I found.

And still not a single anything for Grace.

Yeah----my -21 won't have the back plate that flush no matter what---even with the legs and belly plates entirely removed from the plane. I can't even force/hold it in place that well-aligned.

If anyone has a spare decal for the head of Alto's, I could use it.

I'll add in that if you like the banter among your party members from ME or KOTOR, you'll *love* it in DA. And if you're a Farscape (or Stargate) fan, Claudia Black voices a main character.

Yeah, but won't a double-sized screen make a lot of games look quite pixely?

I think that's the point---it's like the YF-21, in that the canopy is a formality, and all info is delivered on screens and to the helmet from external sensors---thus the need for a cyborg pilot to interface with it.

I (and usually Graham) feel the need to mention this every time a VF-19F/S/Kai is brought up: It can't be made from a YF-19/VF-19A. Nearly every part is different. It would take just as much time and money as making a valk from scratch. The nosecones are the same, and the landing gear, but that's about it.

Whoops, I'm just too used to typing 1:72 when talking about planes and pilots. We desperately need a *1/60* pilot Milia figure. I'm aware of those resin pilots, but 1:72 vs 1:60 is enough that they'd look "off".

Hikaru flew two valks--VF-1, and VF-4. Variants don't count.

You can order parts straight from HLJ. Will have to order the entire sprue, but I'm sure even with shipping it'll still be a lot cheaper than a whole 'nother kit.

Also, if 90% of them are "saved" in the first place---their lose their "rare value". Good example is the first Darth Maul figure---everyone figured he'd be desired/valuable later, and bought a few to store away. Well, now he's actually about the least-valuable figure of the line---because everyone already has their own mint example! The only people interested in buying one--already have one! Same happens to cars nowadays---all the rich people who want those cars--already bought one new and kept it mint. They'll never be rare and hard to find in good condition, if every single one is saved in mint condition to start with.

But it's better because it's *Gamlin*. Kind of like a Roy Focker version of anything would be superior to the original.

I still think Gamlick Kick! is possibly the best move in all of anime. Certainly all of Macross.

I've never had paint THAT thin that it'd actually flow around to the underside of a round part, unless it was totally unstirred. Are you STIRRING the paint? Shaking does nothing for acrylics--you can shake all day, and it'll still be 90% unmixed, even if the color looks right. I'd suspect the cold garage at least partly---cold makes many things separate to the point that it takes MUCH more effort for them to mix again---they don't really mix, they just suspend themselves in much smaller particles, so they LOOK mixed, but aren't really.

I like the look better than most M:F fan-art. Now do some Grace stuff! (seriously, do you take requests/commissions?)

Jack Skellington is the neatest IMHO. New Asuka--is that from the "new" Eva series? Don't recognize it at all. Batman--neat, hope they expand the line beyond just the current movies. Fraulein Harley/Ivy/Batgirl would rock... Lack of human Macross figs----yeah. Zentradi in armor would be especially good---I need a Millia fig.

Sigh. You know, that really doesn't strike me as a leader-class toy. Not compared to the new Prime, or even 2007 Brawl. That's just a really big deluxe, complexity-wise. If that. Kinda like ROTF Jetfire.

The leg stripes have been grey on all previous Yamato Milias, I doubt they'd change it now.

At least the YF-19 DOES snap together quite "definitively" in fighter mode, unlike the 3D puzzle that the YF-21 is. The YF-21 is more like "averaging out all the various gaps so that none suddenly split open really wide" rather than truly getting it together.

I find Asuka(and Hwoarang) annoyingly cheap. Asuka's just a Jun replacement, and I liked Jun much better----she was the only member of the whole Mishima/Kazama group I ever used. I may try Lars now. Jun was my all-time best character for getting 10-hit combos, I knew almost all of them. I still miss that. Originally I was a Law/Jack player, but now more Law/Anna. Definitely going to learn Alisa--she's like KOS-MOS' little sister.