David Hingtgen

Kind of a request: If anyone happens to get a Soul Calibur 4 faceplate they don't want/need, I'm interested in buying it. Any of the ones that aren't Yoda. (there's at least 3 that I know of--2 that are cool, and one with Yoda). None of the stores that offer them exist in Iowa.

Coming apart as in damage/breaking, or merely "separating into the original unassembled parts"?

And here I was about to come in and undercut people for having ulterior motives... While we can normally blame EXO for anything, I'm totally agreeing with EXO here. (I swear, my mod-sense was tingling when I first clicked on the thread)

Is Hasbro retooling the Baroness or something? Awfully few of her in the 25th line, considering her popularity. Especially if you want a "normal" one, and not drastically-different repaint/remold. (I'd like cartoon colors myself--with the grey/silver gloves, etc) There's a zillion possible basic repaints of her--pure black, pure dark grey, black with accents, dark grey with accents, etc. Yet all we've seen since the very first 5?-pack are 2 obscure repaints. PS--where's Cover Girl? Or is she unlikely due to not being able to use many/any existing parts?

Probably more "new pics of old early prototypes".

I use the "chair" piece in my Milia just as "insurance" and for looks, as it covers the gap.

It's painted, but it's still a rapid-prototype very early sample. It won't really tell us anything. Random concern I just had: Bandai will paint the colors on the final ones "too bright/primary"--just like on their prototypes. Alto's white is TOO white. Ozma's yellow is TOO yellow. Yamato learned their lesson, and none of their valks are PURE white---they're very very light grey, which looks a lot better. And it took them a while, but they eventually started making Roy with a more golden-yellow, as opposed to lemon-yellow. I fear that Bandai will do like the 1/55, and use PURE white for Alto and lemon-yellow for Ozma--and it'll look bad. Ozma's valk is fairly dark, despite the yellow--because it's not super-bright yellow. And Alto's valk is the same "very pale grey" that Roy's VF-0 is.

12 minutes, 16 secs in of Part 2 of the OVA---they clearly say "Alpha One". (I'm going by audio, not script/sub) And every part thereafter. But when he's arriving on Eden in his VF-11, he says "Eagle". Same pilot, same DVD disc, different planes. And we KNOW the VF-11 is NOT named "Eagle". I still say the YF-19 (and -21) have NO name at all, and that Eagle, Alpha, and Omega are all simply various callsigns of various planes/pilots in the anime, not the plane's name. (Otherwise, the VF-1 would be named "Skull" or "Vermillion") "Skull Four" is no more a name for Alto's VF-25, than "Alpha One" is for Isamu's YF-19. Macross is pretty consistent for how radio callsigns are used, across series. And Red Five is of course Luke Skywalker.

I am definitely getting it--it's the 1/60 I'm still undecided on (Full armor is the clincher--I demand FULL armor for the 1/60). I'd probably get Alto for the kit, Ozma for the 1/60. Unless a valk with even cooler markings shows up.

IMHO, ignore the 9600 period. Either get a 8800, or 9800. Or two of them. PS--if I were buying a new card today, it'd be a 9800GTX+.

The feet and canards are almost identical between the -27 and -51. Plus the "very long, very thin gunpod"

That's why I don't plan on getting a VF-27 in any form---too similar to my Nora, both design and color-wise. (If the Sv-51 and VF-25 had kids, they'd look like a VF-27) PS--with the number of "design schematics" we see in the margins of the model and toy previews---there better be a "Kawamori design works #3" coming out soon...

Shin---you should have enough TF's to know---that's how hinge pins always are. One end is smooth, one is knurled/grooved. Pop open a 1984 Prime and that's how the pins will be. Take a real close look at the ends of some pins in figures you own--at least a few you should be able to tell which end is "different".

I'm going to use Mod Power™ and edit the poll then. ::hmmn:: Seems that erasing an option doesn't nullify its votes--it still says 3 votes total. We'll have to remember to subtract 2 from the total votes when all is said and done. Note to self for next time: Reset votes to 0 manually, THEN delete poll option. (Hey, there's no instruction manual for mods, and all the board upgrades tend to change things with no explanation--we learn by doing)

Yeah, I think the #1 way this is better than others is battroid mode legs.

Show results does NOT count as a vote AFAIK. I just did it, and I can still vote. (and being a mod doesn't effect that AFAIK)

Here they are, just in case they're "new":

Have we seen the belly of fighter mode yet? Because I found a scan showing it, but don't know if it's a "previously unseen" one or not. Also, "directly from the front, but from well above" view of battroid.

Soul Calibur IV: Wiki mentions that the limited edition versions may come with more customizing options/bits whatever. And I'm a *huge* fan of the character creation/customizing. But I really don't want to pay 20 bucks extra for everything else I'm uninterested in, especially if there's NOT bonus stuff for customizing in the LE. Anyone heard anything? Depending on what's offered, it may or may not be worth it. I mean, this is Bandai-Namco, kings of "charging for DLC". They'll probably have a zillion things to download for it. "Black hair for Ivy--200pts". "Glowing sword for Nightmare--400pts". Etc. And honestly, I'd buy them all.

Tech-wise, the F-2A, which is a modified F-16.

That would be my idea, but it's not that easy to do---I've never done "pin-removal" on a Transformer. I've got a good article saved on my PC about it, but the original site is either gone or down. It WAS at: http://www.tfmaster.com/articles_pin.php Problem is---method one involves a hammer, and method two uses a soldering iron. I'm not sure the new VF-1S could be disassembled enough to even attempt it--you'd have to remove the area holding the pin from the valk first, but then there's almost nothing to hold on to, etc. ::edit:: Found a copy somewhere else: http://www.tfw2005.com/radicons-customs/tu...-rivets-164126/ Or, a simpler apparently more reliable method: .) As far as the straight pins, I've never had to use the Iron on these, I just use my 1/8 Starter Punch, my small hammer, and a block of wood (it's a 5 inch long piece of a 4x4 stud) Place the block of wood under the piece where the pin is going to come out so that the part itself is supported firmly by the wood. As you know, these pins are knurled on one end, smooth on the other, the knurled end is the end you want to drive into the wood. Give it couple of firm wacks, and once the knurled end is showing, grab those needlenose pliers and pull it the rest of the way out (like Vector said) Either way---I'd suspect there'd be a lot more "broken from the attempt" shoulders, than fixed shoulders. PPS---but if you bored out the hole--then it'd probably be TOO loose, and the shoulders would swing in and out freely--and people don't like floppy arms...

Regarding the broken shoulder: OK, that looks almost identical to the hinge/pin system used in most Transformers since the 80's. I'd bet on the "plastic part still holding the pin" being too small/tight to allow the pin to rotate freely, so instead of the pin smoothly rotating in its slot with the shoulder moving with it, the pin stays in place and the shoulder tries to rotate AROUND the pin, instead of WITH the pin---and it can't take it, and the grooved end of the pin chews the shoulder apart. (Since the plastic is now rotating around the grooves, which isn't supposed to happen). People who have one---could you check carefully how/what rotates when you move the shoulders---are the metal pins rotating WITH the shoulders, or are the shoulders rotating AROUND the pins? Re-uploading pic for convienance:

An F-35C with full fuel isn't "empty" by definition. Its empty thrust/weight ratio (according to L-M's website) should be around 1.15 to 1. (40,000/34,800) I get 1.77 for an empty F-15 (best possible case, probably more like 1.68 really), and at least 1.8 for an empty F-22. F-22 is more likely 1.88 to 1.95 "Standard" takeoff numbers would be around 1.07 for the F-15. If you want a fairly agreed-upon standard---all planes should be compared at 75% of their max weight. That is how they will actually "fight". PS--don't believe the published numbers for the F-22's weight, and certainly not its thrust. Lockheed still lists 35,000lbs for an F119's power. And the F-35's weight is still changing. PPS--thanks much for the new VF-25 stuff---makes it nice to have it all in one place and scaled the same.

I did that too--but it still didn't alleviate the point that Rydia just plain takes more exp per level, for no apparent reason other than to make her permanently behind the other characters.

Soundwave's neat, but differs noticeably paint-wise from the proto: Wheels are mainly blue with a green accent, not all-gold. A few green stripes missing, noticeably on the crotch and lower legs in robot mode. Headlights etc missing in SUV mode. Paint apps are overall fuzzy--poor masking. Visor is very poorly painted--I may repaint it entirely. (It's that gooey almost-red pink paint they sometimes use) He's overall more "plain" than we saw. PS--despite a lot of ball joints on him, he can't really do any sort of useful "falconry" poses with Lazerbeak---the one place lacking a ball joint is the shoulder, and his own parts get in the way--he has a very large projection by his elbow that blocks most attempts to hold Lazerbeak level. PPS--I'm definitely painting some gold on Lazerbeak. And maybe his wheels.