David Hingtgen

Ack, sorry Graham. I know it's not a copy, especially when you compare point by point for shapes. However, there are many features of the transformation as well as overall "sculpting choices to balance fighter vs battroid appearance" which are clearly "closely inspired" by the SHE, and only show up on the SHE/Yamato, and not any other transforming YF-19. In that, it certainly owes a lot of its "heritage" to SHE. The most obvious link I see is the "large folding part that has Tab B at the end". That is pretty unique to the SHE/Yamato, as the Hasegawa one does it very very differently, the Retppu doesn't do it at all. That is frankly the core of the YF-19's transformation (how you fold the foward fuselage to make the torso) and that is what the SHE and Yamato do very similarly. Also how the codpiece is formed--what is done with that area is quite different between the various -19's out there, but the original Yamato and SHE are pretty close. Also the whole "rotating backs of the knees". While that was dispensed with in the VF-19A release, that was clearly "based on" the SHE, which goes along with a very similar (AFAIK) bicep/elbow mechanism.

The VFX white/black/yellow one is not Skull squadron, though it does strike me as closely following the markings of VF-84's F-8's, which was the Vagabond squadron, that would soon become the VF-84 Jolly Rogers which is what Skull Squadron's markings are. So sorta, in a way, yes, but not really. Hard to see, only pic I know of, but there's yellow and black stripes at the tips of the wings and tailfins, a matching fuselage stripe, and a tan nosecone. It is close to most any 1960's Navy scheme that had yellow, but especially close to the Vagabond's F-8's. It could easily be seen as "early Jolly Rogers". And here's the real scheme I think they based it on:

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=24232 Now if they can only use their magical powers to stop the fighting... I'm AMAZED I saw this like 36 hours ago and there hasn't been anything about it on this forum yet. Here's the main part, believe as little or much of it as you like: "WB animation is remaking the Thundercats as an animated TV series. The animation style is whimsical, Americanized-anime, along the lines of Teen Titans. The setting is modern-day Earth, in a major city (possibly LA) The Thundercats are all teenagers. Their leader is Snarf (!) who is now a mystic with a "third" eye. Each of the Thundercats has a weapon with an "Eye of Thunderra" and transformative powers (not just Lion-O) When they aren't fighting evil, the Thundercats play together as a rock band. That's not a typo, or a joke. They are rockin' cats in their present form. Mum-Ra now has wings."

We've already shifted the non-YF-19 stuff to another thread, but eliminating SHE would be hard to do, based on the fact that the original Yamato YF-19 is a direct copy of the SHE, and the new one probably incorporates quite a bit of it. Plus there's already been a lot of comparisons about SHE vs Yamato YF-19 transformation aspects (of which I had quite a rant about the upper intakes). And there's the whole "what other -19's could Yamato do"--notably the VF-19F/S, which SHE has already done a -19A to 19F/S conversion--could Yamato? Would they? Etc. I'm still keeping most new pics posted on the first page of the thread, but there hasn't been anything really worth posting lately (there's a site I'm watching for pics--within 48 hours I expect good stuff). I have considered making a new "pics only" thread, which would allow no discussion. If there's a new post in it, it means there's new pics uploaded in it by Graham or a mod etc. Or official press releases, etc. This thread would then be for discussion. If you want I have a big battroid mode pic. It's the same angle/pose/lighting as all the others we've seen, but it's bigger.

The valk itself is identical. As I said earlier, it's the gunpod (C's have no bayonet, that's the most obvious difference--it's overall smoother and sleeker than the B's) and the nozzles of the booster packs that are different--which is why it'd be so easy for Yamato to do both types. A VF-11B's booster pack has "traditional" round rocket engine nozzles--like the VF-1's, only smaller, with a small fin mounted between them. A VF-11C's booster pack nozzles are square with no fin. Also the C's booster packs have 2 fewer missile launcher ports. Color-wise, the standard VF-11B is medium-dark grey with orange stripes like in M+. Your standard VF-11C is white with black stripes in M7. Though if a new VF-11B comes out, I'll wait for a VFX repaint--I've already owned two in M+ colors, and the VFX scheme is very nice. (White with black and yellow stripes--very 1960's US Navy fighter-esque) If you really want, I could scan some lineart to actually show the gunpod and booster pack difference.

The "purple" pic is a scan of the SHE VF-19F/S painting guide. Here's a quick/bad retouch I did to try to bring it close to how it looked in M7: (it should be even more of a pure royal blue)

I might pin this for a little while, so everyone can see it--a lot of MW'ers just kind of bypass the model section---but they're really missing out, as VF-4's are so rare. Vf_1S---is there any chance you could scan the transformation steps from the instructions? While MW does have them all scanned here: http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/she/she_vf4.htm they are quite small. Larger versions would be nice.

It was more like 1/68 I think (maybe 1/64) due to it being too fragile in 1/72--shoulder bars I think. The VF-11 should be a bit smaller than the -19. Definitely larger than the VF-1. It's slightly bigger than a VF-4.

Or since a mass-production one from Yamato would likely use metal, it should be very strong if implemented. Any hobby shop should have fine tubing and rods of aluminum and steel---often used for structural reinforcement for kits, or R/C planes.

That's 10x better than it originally was. Have you considered painting the bare grey plastic so it matches the other gear?

Yup, definitely post in the "Wanted" section--you never know who might have one.

I'm thinking a VF-11C would be an all new release, since the standard B and C schemes are very different. And there's no way they'd pass up the opportunity for another repaint. But it's such an obvious choice---only need a new gunpod, and new nozzles on the booster packs, to make a C from a B. And a D isn't much more work--take the C and add a new head, and new canopy/nose (which with the -11's transformation won't affect anything at all--you could put on Mylene's MAXL front end and it wouldn't affect anything). The issue is the M7 license. Graham's said for years Yamato won't get it, and that creates a problem, as all the good schemes and variants of the -11 and -22 are M7 exclusives. I think the VF-11C has only appeared in M7, with M+ and M3 having the B. I plan on replaying M3 soon to check exactly which variants/schemes appear in it. Only hope is M3--I don't know if Yamato has that license or would be willing to get it, but that would give Max and Milia schemes for almost every valk--including Milia's VF-11 that was also seen in M7. The -11 looks especially good in M&M colors. If only M3 had included the -22 instead of just the -21. (the -19 and -21 were M+ colors only, the only valks in the game not in M&M colors) For those that haven't seen it, here's Milia's VF-11 from M3. I think it was painted identically (or very close) in M7, but I don't have any screen caps of it. Either way, I think it's among he best of the Milia-painted valks. (With -17 and -4 being the worst)

Sorry Azrael, I'm reopening it. I am NOT going to let a thread like this get derailed by "certain elements", as this is exactly how I got my own 48th VF-1J Milia--asking fellow MW'ers if there's going to be a reissue, or any left not on Ebay. But to everyone else---be nice.

Just gotta make the VF-11's fins fold the other way (the way Kawamori designed, not the way the Yamato ones did) and you can have way bigger fins. Combined with folding gear to make the leg bigger inside, and you can easily fix the earlier VF-11's main flaw--the itty-bitty tailfins. That's the main reason I started talking about gear in the YF-19 thread---the original VF-11 toy's fin size was determined by two things: 1. The space the gear inside took up--since the gear well and retracted fins occupied the same area inside the leg. Remember that lowering the gear actually caused the fins to pop open. 2. The fact that Yamato had them fold the wrong way. Now, if they fold them the right way, you can double their size easily. But even twice as big isn't as big as they should be. But if you can get folding gear (doesn't need to compress at all, wouldn't help--simply need a 90 degree twist) then you can make a more shallow well, and have more room for the fin. Though I have been thinking--due to the VF-11's fins being canted out, they also retract angled in---so you may actually want like a 45-degree twist, or even no twise, to get the top of the wheel as far over to one side as possible, to allow the angled fin to fit. (Yes, I've put a lot of thought into how to fit big fins into a VF-11's legs--the most important thing is to fold them Kawamori's way---which is the way I figured out myself years ago, but then discovered recently that's how Kawamori originally drew it--Yamato was just wrong all these years) The YF-19's main gear poses no problems--the gear's small, the legs are huge. The nose-gear however---well, that's more a function of simply having the there in the first place. The only way to get a small belly is to eliminate the gear entirely, as even a small well gets in the way of the transformation due to the "spine" of battroid mode splitting. (or use the ultra-sucky "wheels on the door" that the original Yamato used)

There's a difference between "copying" and "inspiration". Taking a close look at something, then doing something similar--that's not copying. All Yamato really needs is some "inspiration" from the most ingenious parts of it. You gotta admit--there's only so many ways to make a YF-21 transform, and Yamato already has Kawamori's approval to use his design. And the best parts of the D'Stance transformation is what Kawamori already designed into it---it's just that they're the only ones who've implemented them. So it's more a matter of "seeing how to make Kawamori's design work". D'stance can't claim the YF-21's transformation----Kawamori designed it, not them. They can only claim a particular variation, 95% of which is already independently shared with every other transforming YF-21. At the moment, I mainly want pics of the shoulder, and how it goes into the wing/body. That whole area is the key to everything IMHO. Plus the fact that they have done in 3D what I still haven't been able to figure out from Kawamori's drawing of the YF-21's transformation--he draws it like D'stance did it, but I still haven't quite figured out what rotates how. PS--If I had one, I'd probably make a personal casting of the canopy, head and belly plates, so I could alter them to make a VF-22. Then paint it in Milia colors! Based on years of comments from Graham, it seems unlikely Yamato will ever acquire the M7 license, thus no Max and Milia VF-22's.

scand--they were just unfolding, going half-way to GERWALK mode. The old one could that if you wanted--you just had to mostly transform it to fighter, then transform it back without folding the wings. Nani--want me to rename this to the "Future 1/60 valk speculation" thread or something? I think it's a good idea, as opposed to a bunch of dedicated threads for each valk. (I want a VF-14 now, having just looked at it again)

Should be blue, don't know if it's the scan or the photo or the model itself. It's a VF-19S from Macross 7, in Emerald Force colors (the counterpart to Gamlin's Diamond Force). Here's the boxart, looks much better there: http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models.../she_vf19sb.jpg Anyways, I was thinking earlier we should split off the YF-21/VF-11 discussion into a new thread, and Nani started one today, so all non-YF-19 comments should go there starting now. (Any "new M+ valk" thread inevitably turns into "all of them" as they are so linked--we KNOW a new -21 has to be coming because of the new -19)

Ok, now it's time to close the thread. PS--I go to TBDX too. As I'm sure quite a lot of MW'ers do. Thread is closed (instead of deleted) to preserve it for posterity's sake---other mods are welcome to review it.

You just double-posted. Was that intentional, or did you mean to do something else?

I would however like a response to my last question--and I shall ask (and post here) no more. Were you at all serious about the whole "any pic with a no photos sign must have been taken by some low-class law-breaker" comment? (And FYI, none of the pics were mine or any other Mod's, so don't worry about insulting me or anything)

Fellow MW'ers----Why do you think I haven't closed the thread already? I'm sure it won't last another 6 hours, but I'm keeping it open for a while for a reason. If it really gets out of hand it'll be stopped, but for the moment, I'd like to watch this discussion play out.

Since the YF-19 and VF-0's at both WF and Chara Hobby had the no photos sign, does that mean every pic we have was taken by some "low-class law-breaker?"

Well, be sure to go to every single site that has a photo of the new 1/60 YF-19 or low-vis VF-0 and tell them they broke the law. I could provide a list to get you started--including some of the ones I got the pics from, which obviously couldn't be from ToyBoxDX members which you claim most Japan show photos are from, as they wouldn't have taken illegal photos.

So you mock the photos your friends take?

Well, if you feel the need to comment on MW member's photography skills totally unrelated to the thread's topic, there's plenty of pictures here taken by our own members. Even some in the site's own toy reviews. Try this one by "Mr. Parkes" http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/toys/_...yamato_yf19.htm Why don't you give us your opinion on his photography skills? And also let us know how his toy reviewing style compares to yours.